University of Dayton Review BIHE Coursework for Possible Acceptance

The Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), characterized by the New York Times as "an act of self-preservation," is a decentralized network of teachers both in and outside of Iran providing college level classes to those denied the ability to go to a university in Iran because they are members of the country's largest religious minority, The Baha'i Faith.

In May 2011, the government of Iran implemented a systematic raid on the homes of students, lecturers, and any associated with the BIHE. Many were arrested, all materials were confiscated, and their crime was educating Baha'i youth. The “Education Under Fire Campaign” seeks to empower campuses around the country to stand up for Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the right to education, by looking at ways that they can help those youth in Iran to continue their education.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President of East Timor Jose Ramos-Horta has called on the International Academic Community to review the coursework of the BIHE in order to consider acceptance of BIHE students into their university. Around the country universities are benefiting from the example of Harvard's Graduate School of Education, that school formally agreed to accept the BIHE credits. The review of possible acceptance of the BIHE credits can serve to allow those who have had the benefit of its programs can continue to higher levels of study.