Dr. Taheri has been in jail since 2010 in charges of irregularities and allegations of violations in international human rights law, despite having completed his five-year sentence, he is behind the bars, and he has been organizing an incommunicado since May 2011. After a fresh hunger strike, he went to coma, the officer refusing to give any information to his followers, and family. There was a serious threat to his life as noted by social activist Peter Tatchel, Peter Tatchel is the director of the Peter Tatchel human rights Foundation.

"Dr. Taheri has spent all his seven years in lonely imprisonment, with repeated interrogation, which includes physical and psychological tortures, as well as forced to accept false allegations on TV.

"He has done 17 hunger strikes against his custody and systematic violation of his basic rights

Who is Mohammed Ali Taheri?

Dr. Mohammad Ali Taheri, who was born on March 21, 1956 in Kermanshah Iran, is a prisoner of conscience.

He is known for his spiritual teachings and for the foundation of the spiritual movement known as Interuniversalism (Erfan-e Haldeh).

 His activities include promoting medicine through the establishment of two complementary and alternative medicines of "Faradarmani" and "Psymentology", for which he has received several honorary doctorates and several awards, including the Royal Palace in Brussels and Brussels Mayor (2010).

Mohammad Ali Taheri Activities

In 2006, Dr. Taheri opened a cultural and educational institution in Tehran, which is called Erfan-e-Halghah to develop and promote his spiritual beliefs. It offered the curriculum of comprehensive educational courses which are currently being taught by their educated masters (trainers) throughout Iran and around the world. In August 2010, the offices of the Institute were closed by the government.

Large part of Dr Taheri's lectures is based on understanding and interpreting the ideas of former Iranian spirituals such as Molana Rumi, Hafez, Sheikh Mahmood Shabari and others, whose thoughts and beliefs are transferred verbally between their particular followers and students. His doctrine is based on pure Iranian spirituality and Zoroastrian teachings.

History of Mohammad Ali Tahir's Arrest

Until a year before its first arrest in 2010, Taheri was free to pursue her practice, and did not face any government restrictions. He organized his classes at Tehran University and Iran Medical University, published several books and allowed public speech. But as his audience grew, the challenges against them started. Government restrictions increased to such an extent that he had to be forced to stop their activities in 2010.

Taheri was arrested for the first time on April 18, 2010 for "acting against national security", when he spent 68 days in solitary imprisonment and faced torture. At that time, the Iranian government asked him not to continue his teaching and strictly limit his research to the scientific field. However, due to the pressure of officials and repeated threats, research centers in Iran stopped their cooperation with Taheri.

He was arrested for the second time on May 4, 2011 and initially was charged with a charge related to a series of religious charges, including "working against national security" and "apostasy" and "insulting religious restrictions".

On October 30, 2011, he was blamed: insulting Islamic values, touching women's wrists in a class, illegal medical practice, and distribution of illegal audio-visual work and activities and "sinful acts".

In winter of 2015, after serving his unjustifiable sentence and after a lonely confinement of about 4 years; all of sudden he went to a coma. While he was still in state of coma, few months later he was sentenced to death on the Islamic charge of "corruption of the Earth".

There was a very heavy International condemnation of this act of Iran. Governments and officials, human rights organizations and many well-known Iranian activists, dissidents and religious figures condemned the medieval death penalty issued to them. Just to name a few: Lord Carlisle (British House of Lords), Zid Rad Al Hussein (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), Ahmed Shahid (UN special relationship on human rights status in Iran), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Nasreen Sotaveh (Human Rights Counsel), Shireen Obadhi (Nobel Peace Prize Winner), and many others.

Dr. Taheri's theory has been able to present an easy, simple and widely understandable mysticism to reconcile the world of religion, mysticism and science and to solve existing misunderstandings among people

His spiritual lectures and thoughts are based on the respect of all religions and ideologies, and they never deny or insult any religion or beliefs. Their beliefs are based on the "freedom of ideas", through which any person can follow the path of (spiritual) perfection and self-realization regardless of their race, nationality, religion or personal beliefs. Such an approach is considered a threat to the Iranian rule, which recognizes only an acceptable orthodox - Shi'a Islam is supported by a ruling noble class.

In light of his dark situation, Mr. Taheri willingly gave up the citizenship of the Islamic Republic of Iran in January of 2019.

There is a petition to help the release of Mohammad Ali Taheri, and you can read more about it online.

Author's Bio: 

blogger