A large crowd filled the Kirkland Performance Center on Nov. 22 to view the Seattle debut of “To Light a Candle,” a documentary produced and directed by award-winning journalist and human rights activist Maziar Bahari. Mr. Bahari’s film tells the story of decades of repression, intimidation and persecution against members of the Bahá’í Faith in Iran, a peaceful religious minority whose teachings include the oneness of humankind and the universal right to education.

Mr. Bahari is perhaps best known as the subject of the recently-released film “Rosewater,” directed by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show. Although Mr. Bahari is not a member of the Bahá’í Faith, he created To Light a Candle to document the decades-long persecution of the Bahá’í’s and “to incite positive change” in his native Iran.

The film was followed by a panel discussion featuring several Eastside members of the Bahá’í Faith who fled Iran to escape systematic persecution at the hands of the Iranian government. The Seattle-area Bahá’í communities plan a follow up event on Feb. 27 to observe “Education is not a Crime Day,” which highlights the Iranian government’s denial of the right of higher education to all Bahá’í’s in Iran.

Andrew Haring, Kirkland