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Monir Khanjani has lost family in Iran, relatives who were killed for their religious beliefs. She fears it may happen again.

Khanjani's uncle, Jamaloddin Khanjani, is one of seven Baha'i leaders — five men and two women — arrested more than a year ago whose trial was reportedly postponed from Saturday in Iran for espionage and religious offenses that include "spreading corruption on earth," a crime punishable by death, according to media reports. The international community, including the United States Commission on International Religious Freedoms, have condemned the arrests and asked for the prisoners to be released.

With more than 300,000 members, Baha'is are the largest religious minority in Iran. Baha'is have faced a long history of persecution in Iran by those who believe the religion, which states that 19th century Persian nobleman Baha'u'llah is the latest in a series of prophets to emerge throughout human history, is heretical to Islam.

The attacks intensified after the 1979 revolution, and religious persecution against Baha'is became government policy, according to The Baha'i International Community, a non-governmental organization recognized by the United Nations.

At a Baha'i prayer meeting in Germantown last week, Khanjani began to cry as she shared memories of her uncle. Others in the crowd of about 20 people also wiped away tears as she spoke.

"He was very dedicated as a humanitarian to helping the underprivileged and people who needed jobs. He was always a champion of justice," said Khanjani, a therapist in the county's corrections department who left Iran 30 years ago and lives in Germantown. "Their home was open to everybody, a safe sanctuary for all Baha'is and non-Baha'is, family or not family."

"It's hard to live in the U.S. and try to imagine the emotional pressure and psychological pressure, let alone that their lives are in danger, that is just because of their Baha'i faith," Khanjani said. "…When you live in a country where there's freedom of speech and you can speak your mind, it's hard for Americans to comprehend why they are being persecuted. They don't understand. With what's happened in Iran the past few weeks, the world is finally seeing the fanaticism and what it's been like. It's nothing new — for the past 30 years, this has been happening to Baha'is."

The group prayed for the prisoners.

"We're all just keeping them in our prayers," said Sereena Fiorini of Germantown. "Because we tell people about unity and peace, we're spreading false messages. It's sad that in the 21st century, we still have people being persecuted for their faith."

Khanjani said her parents, who live in Iran, have visited her uncle about once a month, and they told her that all the prisoners have remained in high spirits and that they are at peace with whatever their fate may be.

"They're not even slightly worried about their own lives — they believe whatever happens is the will of God," Khanjani said. "They don't have the glitz and glamour of our material world, but they are real-life heroes and through their suffering and through their faith they'll help change the world."