HRW accuses Qatar of discriminating against Baha'i minority

BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch on Sunday accused Qatar of discriminating against the Baha'i religious minority, citing arbitrary detentions and warning of a threat to the community's survival in the Gulf state.

"The Baha'i community of Qatar has endured decades of government discrimination and intimidation, and authorities have consistently ignored community leaders' repeated efforts to engage the government in dialogue and seek redress," said Michael Page, HRW's deputy Middle East director.

"This state-sponsored discrimination poses a threat to the very existence of the Baha'i community of Qatar," he said in a statement.

The Baha'i faith, whose global headquarters is in Israel, claims more than seven million followers worldwide.

It is based on the teachings of Bahaullah, who was born in Iran in 1817 and is considered the prophet and founder of their monotheistic faith.

Between 2003 and 2025, Qatar "deported as many as 14 members of the group for no apparent reason other than individuals belonging to the Baha'i faith", HRW said.

It cited the case of an Iranian Baha'i born in Qatar who was forced to leave in March 2025 under threat of expulsion for "disrupting public order", without a written explanation.

The New York-based rights group also mentioned Remy Rowhani, arrested and detained on April 28 over posts from an X account linked to the Baha'i community, under Qatar's cybercrime law.

Rowhani, chair of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Qatar, had already been released in January 2025 after serving a one-month prison sentence, HRW added.

The group said Baha'is had also faced job rejections and denial of official documents.