Sherkat Omana
| Company type | Holding company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1958 |
| Defunct | 1979 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | Iran |
| Parent | Baháʼí administration |
Sherkat Omana (or Omana Company, literally 'The Trustees’ Company')[2][3] was a for-profit corporation in Iran that the Iranian Baháʼí community utilized to legally hold ownership of their communal assets.[3] Incorporated in form of a holding company, it possessed over a thousand properties nationwide, which included shrines, cemeteries, community centers, and welfare facilities.[3]
After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Iranian government confiscated all these assets, which were then taken over by the Mostazafan Foundation.[3] The authorities defended their actions with official allegations that Baháʼís were Zionist agents working with Israel, a claim that Baháʼís view as a form of excuse for persecution.[2]
One of Sherkat Omana's most important subsidiaries was Sherkat Nawnahalan (literally 'The Children’s Company'), an investment company founded in 1917.[2] The latter had a capital of some $5 million in 1979 (amounting to $22.5 million in 2024), and was involved in importing, retailing, industrial projects and mortgage.[3] It also provided student loans and assistance to the elderly of the Baháʼí community.[3] Half of the company's equity was controlled by Sherkat Omana, and the rest was owned by some 15,000 individual Baháʼí shareholders.[2][3]
Citations
[edit]- ^ Bahá'í International Community 1980.
- ^ a b c d Bahá’í News 1979, p. 7.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cooper 1985, p. 11.
References
[edit]- Cooper, Roger (1985). The Baha'is of Iran. Minority Rights Group. ISBN 9780946690312.
- "Írán's Bahá'í community: An impartial report" (PDF). Bahá’í News (585). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States: 7–9. 1979.
- "Balance of debts to be submitted to Omana company". Archives of Bahá’í Persecution in Iran. Bahá'í International Community. 20 March 1980.