He kindly agreed to share his story with us.
How many Baha’is do you estimate are currently in Oman?
Around 50 families.
How were you treated by Muslims around you? Were they tolerant and accepting?
They were very kind to us. I was one of them; I was born there, I studied there, and I grew up with Omanis. They never treated us according to what we believe…they treated us like human beings.
Were there any cases of Baha’is being arrested in Oman? Did you reiceve any threats?
No. But between 2002 and 2006, the government asked some families to leave Oman…and we obeyed.
How did the Omani government ask you to leave and why? Were you sent a document, a phone call? How did you react to the news?
Well, they asked our sponsor to tell us to leave Oman. We don’t know what they told them, but we had the same sponsor for more than 15 years and we did not have any problem with him. Just one day he came and informed us that the government asked him to tell us to leave the country. When we asked the government, they denied it claiming it’s the sponsor who wants us to leave. Our sponsor was very sad about it, and he kept telling us how sorry he is, but that he was forced to do it.
Recently, concern is going for the Iranian Baha’is who were arrested in Yemen as they might be deported to Iran. Upon your return to Iran, were you detained by the authorities?
After my arrival to Iran, I was asked to talk to their secret services. They had some questions about the Baha’is of Oman, and in the end the interrogator told me, “We asked the Omani government to kick you out of there”.
Muslim clerics often repeat the claim that Baha’is collaborate with foreign powers to undermine the Muslim world. How would you respond to that?
We have never done so! They think so because our Holy Land is in Israel, but it has been there since before its creation.
Besides, we are forbidden to interfere in politics. How can we make relations against anyone? Another point is that we believe in Islam and all the past religions. We never say that we are apart from them. As an example, in school, when you go to fifth grade do you deny you were in 4th grade? So we are now in fifth grade, but we never say that we don’t believe in our 4th, 3rd, 2nd teachers and books.
I hope I made myself clear.
How does it feel to be back in Iran?
Hard and strange. But now we have to stay here and help our brothers and sisters build a better Iran far from prejudice and hate and not leave the battle field. Now the Iranian government is spreading many lies about us and the Baha’i faith. If we do not stay and answer people’s questions, it would be wrong
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Peter Deer
30 August, 2008
I love his positive attitude, realizing that his mistreatment is actually a blessing from God, calling him back to help Iran.
Avicenna
7 September, 2008
Hey there
I believe in freedom for everyone
But I must tell you that saying “Israel” is your holy land will make a lot of sensitive people mad, as they might interpret it as an aknowledgement of the Israel occupation of Palestine aka their “The Holy Land”!
I respect all religions, Bahai´s included, but this does not change the fact that some Bahai´s are using the persecution in Iran etc to wage an all out attack on Islam as a religion. An example of that is Farshad Kholgi from Denmark who is a Bahai and a very hateful man. And people tend to link him to the rest of the Bahai´s, just like Westerners etc link muslims to Al-qaida´s actions etc.
Martijn
8 September, 2008
As you may already know, a Bahai who attacks Islam is a contradiction in terms, because the Bahai writings affirm the mission of the Prophet Muhammad en the Divine origin of the Quran.
All Baha’is I know defend Islam. I do not know the person that Avicenna mentioned but if he indeed attacks Islam and is a hateful man he either is not a Baha’i or claims to be but has somehow lost his mind. I wonder now how many ‘examples’ of this can be found – haven’t seen them before.
I see that just using the word “Israel” can be seen as a political statement in the Middle East. For Baha’is it is not – it is simply referring to the name by which that part of the world is currently known and which happens to encompass the holy sites of the Bahai Faith.
Greetings!
riverflow
8 September, 2008
Dear Avicenna
No Baha’i would attack Islam and we do not use the persecution in Iran to attack anyone. It is simply not in the teachings or mindset of Baha’i’s to do this or to be hateful. Whoever this person you refer to is, he is nost likely not a Baha’i or else is in need of some guidance.
There is not a single piece of Baha’i literature that attacks Islam. It would not be possible because belief in the legitimacy of Islam is enshrined in Baha’u'llah’s teachings. For a westerner such as me, I would not be able to recognise the beauty of Islam were it not for for the Baha’i teachings.
That does not mean that we, as Baha’i’s, cannot criticize extremist behaviour of any kind or acts of injustice. We do not condem persons, only bad acts and the Baha’i Faith exhorts people who are unjust to be just. All we can do in the end is try to try to guide.
To ask for the right to live, an education, work and be a constructive citizen is not an attack on Islam.
I am sure, just as we Baha’i’s try to guide people on the true peace loving nature of Islam whenever the situation demands, that you will also try to guide others on the true reasons for the Baha’i Faith having it’s center in Israel.
Many thanks.
God bless. Increase the peace.
Vj
23 April, 2010
Hi..all…i will be coming to Oman in future as i ll be posted there when i join a Singaporean company.Im a Bahai from Asia.Is it advisable to go to Oman being a Bahai?