The American Bahá’í/Volume 10/February Special/Text
| ←Previous | The American Bahá’í February, 1979 (Special Edition) |
Next→ |
 Proofread onceReturn to PDF view
|
Opposition to the Faith Takes a New Turn[edit]
Opposition to the Bahá’í Faith in the land of its birth has been brought forcefully to our attention during the last four months. However, it has become evident only more recently that this opposition has communicated its ramifications to the United States. The most telling example occurred on national public television when a Persian professor at Sacramento State College leveled grave accusations at the Iranian Bahá’ís.
Appearing among other distinguished panelists to discuss Iran on the February 8 telecast of the MacNeil/Lehrer Report, Professor Mansour Farhang accused Bahá’ís of torturing Iranian revolutionaries. He attributed this behavior to “an attitude of hostility” which the Bahá’ís had developed because in the 19th century they were oppressed in “limited parts of Iran.” Furthermore, he said that because of this attitude a large number of Bahá’ís were hired by the Savak, the Shah’s secret police, and that the chief of the Savak, General Nasiri, was himself a Bahá’í. Most of the Bahá’ís who were torturing Iranian political prisoners, he concluded, have fled the country and gone to Israel where they had originally received their training.
Professor Farhang’s statements become the more alarming when one considers the patience with which the Iranian Bahá’ís have endured the oppression inflicted upon them for over a hundred years. General Nasiri is not a Bahá’í nor have the Iranian Bahá’ís instituted or worked through any system to brutalize their fellow citizens. Professor Farhang’s statements can be understood only as part of an intensified effort by enemies to defame the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and thus prepare Westerners to accept the further persecution of our Iranian brethren.
Although we have had reports of Persians making outrageous statements about the Bahá’í Faith in different parts of the country, not until now have such malicious statements been broadcast to such a wide audience as heard the television program on February 8. Little wonder, then, that the friends throughout the country flooded the National Center with telephone calls and telegrams to express their shock and distress. They were advised to register their protest with the television network. The National Spiritual Assembly itself, in obedience to Bahá’u’lláh’s injunction “to refute the arguments of those that have attacked the Faith of God,” telegraphed the head of the network in New York and sought an opportunity to rebut Professor Farhang’s statements. Three days after the telecast, a Bahá’í advertisement appeared simultaneously in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Moreover, efforts were made subsequently to place the same ad in some 100 influential newspapers in different parts of the country. But all of these actions were for the moment. We now wish to call your attention to advices, warnings, and exhortations of permanent importance.
In a letter written on the Day of the Covenant in 1974, The Universal House of Justice reminded all National Spiritual Assemblies that “Five months before he passed away, the beloved Guardian in his cable to the Bahá’í world, dated 4 June 1957, drew our attention to the fact that from both without and within the Faith evidences of ‘increasing hostility’ and ‘persistent machinations’ were apparent, and that they foreshadowed the ‘dire contests’ predicted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which were destined to range the Army of Light against the forces of darkness, both secular and religious.”
How well we must remember the Master’s words! He warned us that “a large multitude of people will arise against you, showing oppression, expressing contumely and derision, shunning your society, and heaping upon you ridicule.” And again:
“The darkness of error that has enveloped the East and West is, in this most great cycle, battling with the light of Divine Guidance. Its swords and its spears are very sharp and pointed; its army keenly bloodthirsty.” But His promise of a glorious end is sure: “... be not grieved when people stand against you, persecute you, afflict and trouble you and say all manner of evil against you. The darkness will pass away and the light of the manifest signs will appear, the veil will be withdrawn and the Light of Reality will shine forth from the unseen (Kingdom) of El-Abha.”
|
FLASHBACK TO THE PERSECUTIONS OF 1955—Relatives of the martyrs of Hurmuzak on their way to Yazd where they were summoned for questioning. |
Finally, in words of added assurance addressed especially to the American believers, Shoghi Effendi wrote:
“We cannot believe that as the Movement grows in strength, in authority and in influence, the perplexities and the sufferings it has had to contend with in the past will correspondingly decrease and vanish. Nay, as it grows from strength to strength, the fanatical defenders of the strongholds of orthodoxy, whatever be their denomination, realizing the penetrating influence of this growing Faith, will arise and strain every nerve to extinguish its light and discredit its name. For has not our beloved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sent forth His glowing prophecy from behind the prison walls of the citadel of Akká—words so significant in their forecast of the coming world turmoil, yet so rich in their promise of eventual victory...
“Dearly beloved friends, upon us devolves the supreme obligation to stand by His side, to fight His battles and to win His victory. May we prove ourselves worthy of this trust.”
A Wave of Persecution Hits Persian Bahá’ís[edit]
A violent wave of persecution hit the Iranian Bahá’í community in recent months, according to a letter, dated 12 January 1979, sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies by The Universal House of Justice. A record of specific incidents has been kept by the Iranian National Assembly and conveyed to the Bahá’í world by the Supreme Institution.
In October 1978, 93 cases were recorded of personal injuries inflicted on Bahá’ís and of damages to houses, shops, crops, livestock, and local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. During December organized mobs attacked believers and their properties in Shíráz and the surrounding area, burning or destroying over 300 homes, looting 200, beating and wounding 15 believers, and killing two. In the town of Marvdasht, 31 Bahá’í homes were looted and the local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds was razed to the ground. In Sarvistań, Bahá’ís were driven to the mosques in an attempt to force them to recant their faith. Farther north, in the town of Miyán-du-Áb, in Ádhirbáyján, the local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds was destroyed, 80 homes burned or looted, and two believers murdered, a father and son, whose bodies were dragged through the streets, cut in pieces, and consigned to the flames. In addition to the four lives which have been given, 700 believers have become homeless and millions of dollars in property have been lost. In spite of such atrocities and suffering The Universal House of Justice assures us that the spirit of the Bahá’ís is very high, as attested by their acts of heroism and magnanimity.
To bring relief to the needy and suffering Iranian believers, the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran established a special fund. The Universal House of Justice contributed $135,000 and $46,000 has already been given by the American Bahá’í community, approximately $27,000 of which was raised at the Persian Conference held in December in Los Angeles. The remainder has been given in response to a request of The Universal House of Justice in its letter of 12 January 1979 just recently conveyed to the friends in the letter to the Feast of Mulk held February 6. The flow of contributions is expected to increase markedly once the friends have had time to respond to the appeal of the Supreme Institution.
As this edition of The American Bahá’í went to press, the situation in Iran had changed dramatically. Prime Minister Bakhtiar was reported to have resigned and it appeared that an Islamic Republic would be instituted. There is no way of gauging at this time what the outcome will be or whether the persecution inflicted on the down-trodden members of the Persian Bahá’í community will intensify. However, we in the United States remain concerned and poised to do whatever is necessary to defend our oppressed fellow-believers. In the meantime, the friends are urged to continue their prayers on behalf of the Iranian believers, especially during the period of the Fast.
|
SPECIAL EDITION | |
| This special edition has been prepared to assist the friends to deal with opposition to the Faith. It is intended to be a source of constant reference. | |
|
“The resistless march of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh ... propelled by the stimulating influences which the unwisdom of its enemies and the force latent within itself, both engender, resolves itself into a series of rhythmic pulsations, precipitated, on the one hand, through the explosive outbursts of its foes, and the vibrations of Divine Power, on the other, which speed it, with ever-increasing momentum, along that predestined course traced for it by the Hand of the Almighty.” (From letter dated August 12, 1941, “Messages to America,” p. 51)
|
Attacks in the Press[edit]
As the turmoil in Iran continues, references to the Bahá’í Faith in the press increase. Frequently they have been erroneous and even slanderous. The errors appearing in the press have fallen into a number of categories, among them: (1) guilt by association with the Shah, (2) Bahá’ís as a subversive element, (3) misinformation on the principles and status of the Bahá’í Faith, and (4) Bahá’ís as secretive.
Guilt by association with the Shah has been implied frequently in recent press reports. It is the most difficult to refute since generally it has been a case of distortion of the facts rather than outright lies. It is true that a number of Bahá’ís served the Shah in various capacities. One was his physician and another was the manager of Iran Air. However, Bahá’ís have not held any political positions. No Bahá’í served as Prime Minister as has been claimed. Neither has a Bahá’í been a member of the cabinet. The anti-Bahá’í propagandist casts aspersions against the Bahá’ís by exaggeration and implication: “...it is they (Bahá’ís) who ruled the country and who created an economy based on corruption, who controlled most of the banks, the majority of limited companies, and even the purchase of military equipment for the army was in their hands.”
A related accusation is that the Bahá’ís are affluent, powerful, and privileged because of their relationship to the Shah. According to one report, “it is because they are part of the Shah’s corruption that they have been given opportunities we do not have.” It is true that some Bahá’ís have achieved prominence in business, the professions, and government. However, their success has been due largely to the emphasis which the Faith places on diligence, hard work and reliability, rather than their relationship to the Shah. Those who accuse the Bahá’ís of having a favored relationship with the Shah’s family must know that under the Shah’s regime the Bahá’ís were also subjected to persecution.
The charge that Bahá’ís are subversive can be divided into two categories: political and religious subversion. An example of the accusation of political subversion are the words of a prominent Iranian: “Bahaism was created by the Russians, nurtured by the British and then taken up by the CIA.” This statement plays upon the fear and hatred Iranians have of foreign intervention and domination. The allegation of religious subversion goes back to the very beginning of the Faith. It must be remembered that while the ecclesiastical courts in Egypt recognized the independent status of the Faith...
14 Pioneers Needed[edit]
The International Goals Committee is very happy to announce that of the 423 pioneering goals assigned to this country in the Five Year Plan, only 14 remain to be filled. As some of these goals are already in the process of being filled, the most pressing need now is for believers who can move to Denmark or the Marshall Islands, and for a Persian family to help form the fifth and last Assembly needed to complete the consolidation goal in Bermuda (where they could live tax-free). For a business manager or accountant fluent in French there is an excellent job available in the Ivory Coast, and there is also a great need for someone with training in special education who can care for the 2½-year-old deaf child of a pioneer family there. Word has just been received that a Bahá’í family has arisen to fill a goal in the Falkland Islands, but there is still an opportunity for pioneer families to fill goals in two locations in the Bahamas.
NTC Calls for Final Victorious Thrust[edit]
The American Bahá’í Community has only 10 weeks to achieve success in the Five Year Plan. The goal of opening 7,000 localities hovers at 6,500 as of February 12, requiring fewer than seven newly-opened localities per District to ensure victory.
The National Teaching Committee has initiated another campaign to attain this goal by Naw-Rúz through teaching and homefront pioneering from now through the Fast period. Each and every individual Bahá’í, each Local Spiritual Assembly and District Teaching Committee can participate in this major thrust to achieve the numerical goals and, through this activity, help compensate for the burdens now being faced by our fellow Bahá’ís in Iran.
District Teaching Committees have been asked to contact Local Spiritual Assemblies to encourage their initiative in opening at least one locality. The Committees themselves have been asked to organize teaching activities in unopened localities. Victories may be reported by any of the friends directly to the National Teaching Committee office through a special incoming WATS line maintained for this purpose. The number is 1-800-323-4390. (This line does not go through the switchboard so calls cannot be transferred to other offices.)
Another goal of the Plan in which each of us can participate is to “expand the teaching work among those of Armenian, Basque, Chinese, Greek, Japanese and Spanish-speaking background.” Many Local Spiritual Assemblies have been involved in the minority goals of the Plan and the National Teaching Committee would appreciate a prompt, brief report of the special efforts being made in this area.
Recently the National Spiritual Assembly reminded us of another occasion when our fellow Bahá’ís in Iran suffered persecution...
ADVERTISEMENT—The ad to the right was placed in The New York Times and other newspapers
|
The turmoil in Iran has brought worldwide attention to the Bahá’ís in that country. Who are the Bahá’ís?
For the Bahá’ís of America NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES Wilmette, Illinois |
|
Attacks on Bahá’ís in Iran:
Many find it difficult to understand why members of a religious minority dedicated to tolerance, peace, and universal brotherhood arouse hatred in those among whom they live. The reasons for the persecutions, the hatred, and the violence lie deep in the socio-psychological structure of Persian society and go back more than a century to the year 1844, when a young merchant of Shiraz, later known as the Báb, founded a new religion whose followers rejected the literal interpretation of the Koran and held that soon “He Whom God Shall Make Manifest” would appear on earth to bring a new Law and to inaugurate a new era in the history of mankind. In 19th-century Iran, where even the notion of religious liberty did not exist, the teachings of the Báb were bound to produce a violent reaction. Accused of heresy, the Báb was imprisoned for several years and finally executed in 1850. This did not stop the spread of the Báb’s teachings, nor did it stop the resistance of His disciples who defended themselves with great valor against attacks by the united forces of the clergy and the government. There ensued a campaign of extermination in which some twenty thousand Bábís were killed. The cruelty of the suppression, the indiscriminate massacre of women and children, the tortures inflicted upon masses of innocent people have been eloquently described both by participants and outside observers, among the latter Comte de Gobineau and Edward G. Browne. The bloodshed left a legacy of suspicion, fear, and pain. THIRTEEN YEARS after the martyrdom of the Báb, one of His leading disciples who had been exiled to Baghdad by the Persian government proclaimed Himself to be the One whose advent the Báb had prophesied. He became known as Bahá’u’lláh. Most of the Báb’s followers accepted Bahá’u’lláh’s claim and became known as Bahá’ís. Over the next forty years Bahá’u’lláh produced a vast number of works that today constitute the scripture of the religion He founded. He taught the unity of mankind and the equality of races and nations. He taught the unity of religions and universal peace. He proclaimed the harmony of religion and science, the need for universal education, and the equality of sexes. He also established the essential principles for the life and operation of a world-wide community of His followers who would govern themselves through elective bodies, would have no clergy, and would be dedicated to the common interests of all mankind. The authorities, both religious and secular, kept Bahá’u’lláh in confinement and exile for forty years. Feeling threatened by ideas that challenged the outworn formulas they had mouthed for hundreds of years, Muslim clergy continued to demand the extermination of the Bahá’ís, whom they always called “heretics” and “harmful misleaders.” The Bahá’ís were turned into the scapegoats of Iranian society. As their numbers increased, they became an ever more attractive target for demagogic attacks by those who wanted to distract the public or create turmoil. Since the Bahá’ís emphasized education and placed high value on work, they achieved a relatively high standard of living, which made them promising targets of pogroms. Last but not least, the tolerant and peaceful nature of the Bahá’í community made it possible to attack Bahá’ís without fear of violent retaliation. In moments of national stress, during famines, revolutions, and invasions of the country, Bahá’ís could be blamed for the nation’s miseries. If one did not wish to pay a debt, one could accuse the creditor of being a Bahá’í. If an epidemic spread through a province, one could blame the Bahá’ís. Bahá’í ideals of world unity could be twisted to appear as a lack of patriotism. Bahá’í acceptance of the truth inherent in all great religions of mankind could be interpreted as a betrayal of Islam. When in 1896 Náṣiri’d-Dín Shāh was assassinated by a Pan-Islamist terrorist, the Bahá’ís were immediately accused of that deed. In the brief but violent persecution that followed, several Bahá’ís lost their lives. In 1903 more than a hundred Bahá’ís were massacred in Yazd. “In that city,” history records, “Hájí Mírzáy-i-Halabí-sáz was so mercilessly flogged that his wife flung herself upon his body, and was in her turn severely beaten, after which his skull was lacerated by the cleaver of a butcher. His eleven-year-old son was pitilessly thrashed, stabbed with penknives and tortured to death .... A crowd of about six thousand people, of both sexes, vented their fury upon the helpless victims, a few going so far as to drink their blood.” THE OUTBREAK of the revolution in 1906 precipitated new attacks on the Bahá’ís all over Iran, with particularly bloody episodes taking place in Sirjan, Dughabad, Tabriz, Qom, Najafabad, Sangsar, Shahmirzad, Isfahan, Jahrom, Mashhad, Kermanshah, and Hamadan. As the constitutional movement developed, “the reactionaries brought groundless accusations against the Bahá’ís, and publicly denounced them as supporters and inspirers of the nationalist cause.” In the chaotic conditions of World War I and its aftermath, Bahá’ís once again suffered scattered attacks in various parts of the country. During the 1930’s, attacks on the Bahá’ís were less numerous and less violent. However, the pressure against them was never entirely relaxed. Bahá’í schools were closed; Bahá’í marriages were refused recognition; Bahá’í literature was banned; gatherings were prohibited; Bahá’ís in government service were frequently dismissed from their jobs; nurses and doctors were fired from hospitals; teachers were refused employment. Occasionally, here and there, a Bahá’í was murdered. This pattern continued through World War II and the immediate post-war period. A LARGE-SCALE ATTACK on the Bahá’í community was launched in the month of Ramadan, 1955. At one of Tehran’s mosques, Shaykh Muhammad Taqi Falsafi, a fanatical mulla, daily urged his flock to rise up against the “false religion.” He accused the Bahá’ís of being enemies of Islam and called for severe measures against them. The mulla was permitted to preach his incendiary sermons over government radio. The effect of the broadcasts was immediate. Old suspicions were revived. Every invention ever made to discredit a religious minority was now thrown at the Bahá’ís. On May 2 the police locked the gates of the Bahá’í National Headquarters in Tehran, and five days later the building was taken over by the army. On May 17 the Minister of the Interior proclaimed in the Parliament that the “Bahá’í sect” had been banned. A contemporary report describes what ensued: “This was followed by an orgy of senseless murder, rape, pillage, and destruction the like of which has not been recorded in modern times. The dome of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds (National Center) in Ṭihrán was demolished; the House of the Báb was twice desecrated and severely damaged; Bahá’u’lláh’s ancestral home in Tákur was occupied; the house of the Báb’s uncle was razed to the ground; shops and farms were plundered; crops burned; livestock destroyed; bodies of Bahá’ís disinterred in the cemeteries and mutilated; private homes broken into, damaged and looted; adults execrated and beaten; young women abducted and forced to marry Muslims; children mocked, reviled, beaten and expelled from schools; boycott by butchers and bakers was imposed on hapless villagers; young girls were raped; families murdered; government employees dismissed and all manner of pressure brought upon the believers to recant their Faith.”
Though the Bahá’ís are the largest religious minority in Iran, their existence is not officially recognized and, unlike other minorities such as the Christians, the Jews, and the Zoroastrians, they enjoy no specific human rights. Being in their vast majority ethnic Iranians, speaking Persian or Azerbaijani, they are no foreign element, but a part of the Iranian nation to which they have always been loyal. It is only the medieval intolerance of certain fanatical elements that strives to set them apart from their Muslim brothers and fellow citizens. Being non-political, law-abiding, and opposed to all violence, they constitute no threat to anyone; yet they have been the most frequently persecuted group in the nation. The current outbreaks of persecutions are only an episode in the long history of cruel and senseless oppression with which the Bahá’ís have been afflicted. |
NTC Calls[edit]
Continued From Page 2
and were advised by the beloved Guardian that the American Bahá’í Community must display “... a concerted, wholly dedicated, inflexible resolve to win the allegiance of a far greater number of adherents to the Faith it has espoused and to insure a spectacular multiplication of groups, isolated centers and local assemblies... through these, more than through anything else, can the American Bahá’í community... offset, to a marked degree, the severe losses the Faith has sustained in the land of its birth, and bring an abiding and much needed consolation to the countless hearts that bleed, in this hour of test and trial, throughout the length and breadth of that bitterly troubled land.”
With achievement of the goals so close at hand, the National Teaching Committee believes the friends will realize the necessity to win all the goals as a way to systematically bring knowledge of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh to every area and establish the institutions that will lead to justice for all mankind.
|
“The separation that has set in between the institutions of the Bahá’í Faith and the Islamic ecclesiastical organizations that oppose it—a movement that has originated in Egypt and is now spreading steadily throughout the Middle East and will in time communicate its influence to the West—imposes upon every loyal upholder of the Cause the obligation of refraining from any word or action that might prejudice the position which our enemies have, in recent years and of their own accord, proclaimed and established... Our adversaries in the East have initiated the struggle. Our future opponents in the West will, in their turn, arise and carry it a stage further. Ours is the duty, in anticipation of this inevitable contest, to uphold unequivocally and with undivided loyalty the integrity of our Faith and demonstrate the distinguishing features of its divinely appointed institutions.” (From letter dated June 15, 1935, quoted in Bahá’í News No. 95, October 1935, p. 2)
NOTE: For background information read “God Passes By”, Chapter XXIV. |
Disciplined Defense Is Strongest[edit]
Every effort should be made to defend the Faith and inform the public correctly of its aims and teachings and to answer false accusations. However, it is vital that such efforts be wisely and carefully presented and coordinated.
It is important to note that each instance may be handled differently. In one instance individuals will be free to respond spontaneously, in others they will be asked to refrain from making comment. Some cases may require action from all Local Spiritual Assemblies; others will call for response from selected Assemblies. Before writing letters to editors or contacting radio or television stations, individuals should first seek the guidance of their Local Spiritual Assemblies. These Assemblies will usually have information from the National Spiritual Assembly to guide the collective activities of the community. If the local Assembly is in doubt about how to proceed, it can call or write the National Spiritual Assembly.
Also important to mention is the National Spiritual Assembly’s policy which asks individuals not to contact prominent non-Bahá’í personalities who have a regional or national reputation. If an individual or a Local Spiritual Assembly feels it is in the best interests of the Faith to contact an individual of renown, the matter should be discussed with the National Assembly. The purpose of this advice is to prevent duplication of effort which could cause embarrassment.
By coordinating our response in defense of the Faith, the Bahá’í community will present itself more effectively.
Call to the Nations[edit]
The National Teaching Committee points out that many teaching opportunities will come to the friends as a result of the problems in Iran. In addition, we should be prepared to seize every chance to take the initiative to let people in leadership in our local communities know about the Faith and the implications it has for a world in change.
Call to the Nations, excerpts from letters of Shoghi Effendi, was prepared by the Universal House of Justice so that we would have a way of bringing to the attention of thoughtful people a spiritual understanding of the changes taking place in the world and the unifying effect of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh which we are working to establish. We should, of course, be familiar with its contents so we may be prepared to discuss it with those to whom we have presented it. The slender sixty-six page volume contains a foreword, an introduction to the Faith, and selections titled: Humanity’s Ordeal, The Oneness of Mankind, A Pattern for Future Society, World Commonwealth, and The Destiny of Mankind.
Replenishment of the stock of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of this title should occur within six or seven weeks. Its availability has been limited because of a longshoremen’s strike now ended. In the meantime, the National Teaching Committee suggests that the friends make plans for presenting the book in their home communities to community leaders, media personnel, faculty and staff of local colleges and universities, libraries, and personal friends attending home firesides.
|
“No opportunity, in view of the necessity of insuring the harmonious development of the Faith, should be ignored, which its potential enemies, whether ecclesiastical or otherwise, may offer, to set forth, in a restrained and unprovocative language, its aims and tenets, to defend its interest, to proclaim its universality, to assert the supernatural, the supra-national and non-political character of its institutions, and its acceptance of the divine origin of the Faiths which have preceded it.” (From letter dated June 5, 1947, “Citadel of Faith,” p. 23)
|
| BAHÁ’Í STATISTICS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WORLDWIDE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UNITED STATES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Attacks[edit]
Continued From Page 2
as early as 1925, their counterparts in Iran have not. These two kinds of alleged subversion were linked in a recent statement in The New York Times attributed to King Hassan of Morocco: “The Bahá’í religion which is strong in Iran, is to blame for misleading the Shah, King Hassan said. He said the Baha’i (sic) were trying to undermine Islam through the Shah and that the Shah should ban them to restore his relations with the Shi’ite Moslem majority in his country.”
The third category of attacks is misinformation about the Bahá’í Faith. This is the most common. The most frequent errors are that the Faith is a Moslem sect or an eclectic religion. To say it is eclectic means that it is borrowed from other religions and philosophies. Bahá’ís, of course, recognize Bahá’u’lláh as a Prophet of God Who has revealed an entirely new and independent religion with its own Scriptures, laws and institutions. It is this independence which the Egyptian courts recognized 50 years ago.
The fourth category is the charge that Bahá’ís are secretive. One report stated that “the majority of the clandestine Freemasons in Iran are Bahá’ís.” It is well understood by Bahá’ís that membership in secret organizations is prohibited to them. That the Bahá’ís in Iran do not attract attention to themselves is due to the well-known historical fact of pressure and persecution to which they have been subjected. To call a persecuted religious minority secretive when it is forced to observe discretion in order to survive, is sheer nonsense. In fact, the whole argument loses credibility when viewed in the light of other accusations that Bahá’ís are active in politics.
As we went to press, The New York Times (February 14) reported a meeting between Jewish leaders and a representative of Ayatollah Khomeini, who gave the assurance that “Iranian Jews and other religious minorities would have full political, cultural and religious rights.” However, it was reported, the “members of the Bahá’í faith, which the Ayatollah is said to regard as a political rather than a religious movement, would not receive the same guarantees.” The implications are clear: the Iranian Bahá’ís are being singled out for further persecution.
Suggested Reading[edit]
|
Arise! |
To withstand the forces of opposition and to handle provocative questions and challenging statements about the Faith, Bahá’ís need to review and study carefully the literature of the Faith. Of particular importance are The Kitáb-i-Íqán, God Passes By and The Dawn-Breakers. The letters of Shoghi Effendi listed below describe in vivid language the spiritual forces at work in the world and explain how the nascent Faith of God is emerging amid the chaos of our times, and despite persecutions of Iranian Bahá’ís.
World Order of Bahá’u’lláh
- “World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, Further Considerations,” pp. 15-18
- “The Unfoldment of World Civilization,” pp. 161-206
Citadel of Faith
- “A Mysterious Dispensation of Providence,” pp. 133-142
The Advent of Divine Justice
Bahá’í Administration, pp. 98-128, 132-134, 137-139, 144-180
