The Baha’is: A Tiny Weird Group in Your Backyard

The Bahá’ís have been in the news out of Iran and neighboring regions.

I could go on about the governmental angle but my real focus is the experience and attitudes of people. This isn’t just about government oppressions and fanatical theologies to hold onto power. This is really about bias and oppression of a minority that becomes increasingly visible – something you heard about as children and youth and something you had a chance to see for yourselves. In Debating Muslims[1], one of the authors reviews his youthful pranks and how he grew up and did more serious things. This isn’t about government policies – this is about children and youth and what’s ok to make fun of.

Well maybe it’s about government a little bit. We still see government policies subverting their own rules to systematically denigrate and attempting to dismantle the Bahá’í community. We see allegations of Bahá’í involvement with other powers still being promulgated even as we did a century ago. And in all the world we see this mostly from Iran. In Iran we see testimony like Eliz Sanasarian who says [2] “Of all non-Muslim religious minorities the persecution of the Bahais has been the most widespread, systematic, and uninterrupted.… In contrast to other non-Muslim minorities, the Bahais have been spread throughout the country in villages, small towns, and various cities, fueling the paranoia of the prejudiced.” Just to the north in Turkmenistan we  see that though Perestroika took hold across the Soviet block, and the Bahá’í community of Ashgabat in Turkmenistan was the first to reform its institutions, had doubled its numbers from 1989 to 1991, and had successfully registered with the city government of Ashgabat but still the national government of Turkmenistan revised it’s religious registration laws such that by 1997 it forced the de-registration of the Bahá’ís along with several other religious communities and more than just being unable to form administrative institutions, own properties like temples, and publish literature, perform scholarly work and community service projects - their membership in a religion is simply unrecognized, the religion is considered banned, and homes are raided for Bahá’í literature.[3] Moving further northwest we have the situation in Uzebekistan – news reports mention how a government official thinks Bahá’ís “can drink tea – that’s not forbidden” but banishes others and a government policy apparently forced cable television operators to air what they knew was propaganda. But at least Bahá’ís are able to be registered and operate their eight local communities. And then we see in Kazakhstan, another step further north west, a somewhat hostile atmosphere demanding national and local registration but there are at least 25 communities so registered and no talk of banishment and propaganda.[4]

I think it is fair to say that when the great well known religions were young they all went through some stages before they were able to establish themselves in a civilization, a way of life among the people. The Founders of the religion were dealt with painfully and their followers were killed in number. But a student of these histories may know of different times when things were done less viciously. These events in modern day Iran do not compare with the burning of Christians to provide light as was done in early Rome.[5] The comparable period of the Bahá’í Faith is past. This isn’t the somewhat disinterested concern over weirdness in a community as in the case of Emperor Trajan [6] against the Christians. That seems more like what Stalin did – it didn’t matter what we believed, we were just different but left alone if we were unobtrusive. Perhaps this is more like “Diocletian’s preference for activist government, combined with his self-image as a restorer of past Roman glory, presaged the most pervasive persecution (of Christianity) in Roman history.”[7]

But let’s broaden the view here. Bahá’ís are interested in fairness – not regime change. We’ve lived and died under harsher abuse when we were blown from cannons and danced with lit candles carved in our skins, or when the Stalinist Soviets broke up small cities of Bahá’ís. We didn’t foment rebellion. But most Bahá’ís are not Persian or in Iran and haven’t been for a long time. One can quote statistics – that according to the Britannica Book of the Year (1992–present) the religion is the second most widespread of the world’s independent religions in terms of the number of countries represented. Or that for at least 35 years Christian evangelist sources known to favor counting Christians above other groups still noted the religion as among the fastest growing religions in the world – it certainly hasn’t been growing in Iran! But I believe statistics don’t matter much to most people. They just take up alittle air time to say but don’t impress upon people a grasp of what’s really going on. Children would still pick on children who are different. Youth would roll by in small gangs still pushing around kids who are different. But these children and youth grow up alittle more and encounter things not just in their backyard. So I urge people to examine their belief by exploring the depth and breadth of the community represented in these and other statistics. Pick a country – any country – and see if you can find the Bahá’ís there, something of their history there, the experience of the local people who’s heritage is in that spot. Some of this can be seen on Wikipedia but there are depths far beyond what can be reviewed in a dry semi-acadmic summary of what others say. There are parents, young love, and children, there is art and acts of service, there may be a change in outlook and behavior here and there. Is this the spreading of corruption or the bending of knee and grasping of hands to work together? Christians were judged weird and dedicated by ancient thinkers.[8] Perhaps we honor that heritage? Though barely established Bahá’ís helped in the 2010 Haiti earthquake just as we did in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake just as we do in India, Bolivia, Zambia, Czech….

References

1. Debating Muslims, pages 48–54, 222–250.

2. Religious minorities in Iran, page = 53, 80

3. The letters of the younger Pliny, page 295.

4. Bahá’í Faith in Turkmenistan

5. Bahá’í Faith in Kazakhstan

6. The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 15#44

7. Lane Fox, Robin. Pagans and Christians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986. ISBN 0-394-55495-7, page 595.

8. Backgrounds of early Christianity, page 601

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It is interesting how the Iranian regime accuses Baha’is of being agents of Israel and other Western powers, and that Uzbekistani state media now claims that Baha’is are in fact Iranian agents. The following is a translation prepared by BahaiRights from the original article in Russian:

Sect Member Sows Trouble
By Abduvali Turayev
September 16, 2009

A recent decision by the Khamzin regional court in the Uzbekistani capital Tashkent led to the expulsion without the right to return from Uzbekistan of a 36 year-old citizen of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh, Timur Chekparbaev, was found guilty of active propagation of the ideas of the Baha’i religious community.

The missionary had a temporary right to stay [propiska] in the Khamzin region of Tashkent. Looking at if from the side, it seems strange how a foreigner was able to put together a significant religion community in a short time. This community included young people not just from Tashkent, but also from the Djizak and the Bukharian governorates of Uzbekistan.
I would like to offer a short explanation to the readers about this new religion. The teachings of the Baha’is took shape in 1844 in Persia, as a totally separate religion, wholly based on the teachings of its founder, Baha’u'llah. It does not represent a cult within a religion, a reformist movement or a sect within some other religion. It can not be called a mere philosophical system.

Back in 1904 the Russian writer Sergey Ignatyevich Umanetz mentioned the Baha’i as a separate religion. And in 1925, an Islamic court in Egypt ruled that the Baha’i Faith is a separate religion, and not a sect within Islam. However, other opinions on this matter exist. For example, according to the known expert on sects Walter Martin “Baha’ism is an Iranian transplant in the United States, a syncretic religion that aims at uniting all believers in a worldwide brotherhood. The Faith adheres to the truths of the major world religions and considers Baha’u'llah to be the Messiah of our time. The Faith attaches less importance to other issues, and gives people the freedom of belief regarding those issues.”

It is clear that Mr. Chekparbaev arrived in Uzbekistan in the aim of creating a similar Iranian transplant in the country, drawing on the support of generous donations from sponsors. By the way, the headquarters of the Baha’is operate in the open in Israel. Certain elements from that country find it very useful to use the Baha’i community to shatter the unity of the Muslim ranks, since the Jews see Islam as the main opponent of Judaism. It is also interesting that in the dawn of Baha’ism, Russia offered asylum to one of the leaders of this persecuted religion. And in Ashkhabad [Turkmenistan], one of the Baha’i communities was built.

This young man [Chekparbaev] carried out missionary and proselytizing activity without having the proper religious education and the appropriate license to carry on an activity of such sort, and in violation of the Uzbekistani law, and the rules governing stays in the country.

Maybe in Kazakhstan they turn a blind eye on such things, but in Uzbekistan, the mission of the preacher of Baha’i religious ideas proved short. On the 24th of July of this year, Mr. Chekparbaev was arrested and sent to the court for holding yet another “meeting” in house 36 on Bayikurganska Street in the Khamzin region of Tashkent. The regional court gave him a rather lenient sentence: 15 days in prison followed by an expulsion from the country without a right to return.

In principle, Chekparbaev couldn’t officially carry missionary activity since Baha’i isn’t recognized as an official, separate religion by the world community. Therefore, this ideological sabotage had very clear goals that are connected to increasing the geo-political influence of Iran, and sowing confusion in the minds of millions of Uzbekistani citizens. Is seems that such a lenient treatment of all sorts of missionaries won’t stop the incoming waves of dark personalities, which wish to test their luck based on the questionable field of false prophets. The Uzbekistani authorities will kick out one person, but the people behind this will send someone instead. But the moral damage inflicted on the fragile souls on young people (by the way, Mr. Chekparbaev’s so-called flock included minors!), will not be reversed so easily. Who knows, maybe this is Kazakhstan’s attempts at transferring the work of all sorts of false prophets from their country to their neighbor, Uzbekistan.

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A congregation under suspension…with no clergymen (men of religion), of sons who do not belong to any political party… and Islamists call for their eradication

On the seventh day of last June, during the parliamentary elections, a woman arrived at a voting center in Al-Ashrafiya. And when the head of the department pronounced her name and religion, she told him that she was a “Bahai’i”, all the delegates turned to her with surprise to find out whether she was a Lebanese. They started asking whether her religion was part of the 18 congregations recognized by the Lebanese authorities.

Baha’is started arriving to Lebanon in 1870, and they immediately headed to Beirut because it was a wide attraction point during the eighteenth century.

Baha’is live in many areas in Lebanon starting from the capital Beirut and ending at the Western Beqaa and the towns of Mount Lebanon. The number of Baha’is living in Lebanon is about 350, and they have a large number of siblings and relatives living abroad. In the town of Mashghara within the Beqaa, Baha’i families live and practice their religious rites as well as their private social life without any outside interference or being subjected to harassment. The Baha’i faith arrived to the said town with Imam Sheikh Ja’afar Al-Tahhan, originally a Shiite, who died in 1923 after embracing the Baha’i faith. Baha’i families reside in the said town and they have close relationships with the Shiites.

The interesting thing is that the majority of Baha’is are registered as Shiites, and the records of a number of them were placed on the expunction lists pertaining to Sunnis, Maronites, Greek Orthodox Christians and a few Druze. The reason behind this is that the Lebanese government does not officially recognize the Baha’is, taking into consideration that a number of them are registered as Baha’is in their status records, and during the parliamentary and municipal elections, they are considered a minority.

Lebanon, contrary to Jordan and the Kingdom of Bahrain for example, does not recognize the marriage certificates of Baha’is. The Baha’is have a center in Beit Miri located in the northern shore, where they celebrate their events. They used to have a place in Hreik neighborhood, which lasted until the early nineteen eighties. They also have a huge cemetery in Khilda and another in Mashghara, which was established in 1971.

Who are they?

Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Baha’i faith, was born in Persia, Iran in 1817. He was born into a noble family, was subjected to harassments, imprisoned, and then banished to Baghdad in 1852 through an order issued by Shah Nasser Eldin. In the Iraqi capital, he announced his religion in 1863 prior to his exile to Constantinople, and after that to Adrianople (modern Edirne) in Turkey during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Five years after he announced his mission, Sultan Abdul Aziz issued a decree and imprisoned him in Acre’s Fortress in Palestine.

Baha’i writings state that Bahá’u’lláh’s experience in prison set in motion religious revelations that are available today in more than one hundred books and volumes, which outline moral and spiritual values as well as social and philosophical teachings. Baha’is describe Bahá’u’lláh as the “Messenger and Divine Revealer”. They believe in the heavenly books and claim to have no problem towards other religions. They also consider their faith an independent one that is similar to Islam and not derived from any other religious group.

Baha’is emphasize that the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad were not subjected to any form or degree of disregard or underestimation, and in his work “the Book of Certitude” Bahá’u’lláh expressed His appreciation of the Prophet Mohammad and defended the Christian Holy Bible.

Furthermore, Bahá’u’lláh does not consider Himself the concluder of Divine Revelations, for “with the passage of time, circumstance will change once again, and the necessity will call upon a new Divine message, and this will not happen before one thousand years at least.”

The covenant of Bahá’u’lláh states that He appointed His son Abdul Baha’a to succeed Him and become the sole revealer of the words of Bahá’u’lláh and the official implementer of the goals of His message. Abdul Baha’a was the supreme example of the principles of Baha’i life and its goodness by word and deed. The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh includes unity and harmony in understanding the principles upon which His religion is based, and subsequently, incorporating this unity in the spiritual and social growth of the Baha’i community.

The Baha’i religion prompts its followers to believe in the Oneness of God and acknowledge the oneness of messengers and prophets without exceptions, and ensures the unity of human kind. It also obliges every believer to give up any shape or form of fanaticism and superstition.

The Honorable Al-Bab (Forerunner of Bahá’u'lláh)

Bahai’is believe that Al-Imam Al-Mahdi whose appearance is awaited by the Shiites is Mr. Ali Muhammad Al-Shirazi, who was born in the Iranian city of Shiraz in 1819, and announced his message in 1844 in the said city. “Al-Bab” (the gate or door) spread the message about the coming of a great man, and a large number of believers followed him, and his message spread quickly. Officials severely prosecuted the followers of Al-Bab.

Al-Bab was executed in 1850 in one of the squares of the Iranian city of Tabreez, and his remains were transferred to Mount Carmel in Haifa, where a monument was built for him in the center of the famous staircase Baha’i gardens. Baha’is from all around the world visit it and make pilgrimage.

The city of Haifa is also home to the Universal House of Justice whose board of directors is comprised of nine members who represent the Baha’is around the world. They pay visits to this place to ask the blessings of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh that is located in Shams al-Bahja district situated between Haifa and Acre. Arab Baha’is do not pay their visits to the place because of their ruptured relations with Israel.

The Most Holy Book (Al-Kitab Al-Aqdas)

Baha’is believe in the continuity of messages, and every Baha’i home contains a series of Baha’i books, most importantly, the Most Holy Book, which is considered as the Holy Bible or the Holy Quran. Baha’is do not hide their religion. It is an open religion that contains no secrets. A Baha’i person aspires that his family becomes a follower of this faith, but does not seek for it to inherit it.

The Council in Mashghara

The Baha’i congregation has no clergymen. In Mashghara for example, the local Baha’i governing council is comprised of nine members who run the affairs of Baha’is in the district, and this nine-member body elect runs for one year. In Lebanon, these members hold their meetings in their own homes, whereby the body elect oversees marriage and divorce affairs and issues the Baha’i marriage contract between spouses, which stipulates the approval of their parents, or otherwise the marriage is considered invalid. They consider this matter a main condition, and the ceremony is held in the presence of a number of witnesses at the local Baha’i governing council. The groom addresses his bride with the phrase “we will all, verily, abide by the will of God,” and she responds “we will all, verily, abide by the will of God.” Before completing the marriage contract, an engagement period is set and lasts for a period no longer than 95 days for the purpose of making a decision and contemplating before taking the big step into marriage.

A Baha’i man is allowed to marry a girl from a different religion, and gives her the freedom to maintain her own religion, whether she is a Christian or a Muslim. This choice is also granted to a Baha’i girl, because the main objectives of the Baha’i faith is treating other religions in a spirit of brotherhood and calling upon unity of mankind.

A Baha’i marriage is not recognized in Lebanon as it is in Jordan and Bahrain, and it remains an internal affair among its followers. The couple head to Cyprus or any other country that allows civil marriages, and return to Lebanon to register the civil marriage at the concerned official departments and courts, and children are registered according to the religion of their parents. Polygamy is strictly forbidden.

Baha’is are forbidden from practicing sex before marriage, and they do not drink alcohol. They hate divorce, but they accept it in case of persistence. The spouses are given a period of one year of patience prior to holding the divorce ceremony, provided that they do not live together under one roof during that period, in the hope that they do not reach the point of divorce.

Baha’is call their cemeteries “the eternal gardens” and they place their dead in coffins that are buried in the earth, and write the name of the deceased on the tomb.

Baha’is in Lebanon aspire to obtain official recognition of their religion. They emphasize on respecting the constitutions and laws of countries they live in, and they discourage their children from joining political parties and being political extremists.

A month ago in Egypt, a Baha’i won his case at one of the courts because he was not treated as a Muslim and the category of religion in his identity card remained blank because Egypt only recognizes the three religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Baha’is in Cairo are subjected to harassment, particularly from the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Al-Awqaf) and Al-Azhar Council, which calls upon the eradication of Baha’is. Several books were issued calling upon the harassment of Baha’is, and the most famous one is for Khaled Abdul Azeem Al-Sayuti, author of the book “The Baha’i Faith: Its beliefs and colonial goals.”

In 1960, the Egyptian authorities dissolved Baha’i establishments, confiscated their assets and sold a piece of land belonging to the Baha’is at a public auction. This land was located on the banks of the Nile river and was designated to building houses of worship. After the war of 1967, Baha’is were imprisoned, and they are still facing continuous trials in Iran because those protesting against them accuse them of heresy due to their religious beliefs that conflict with Islam.

Retired engineer Ramzi Zein (72 years) told “Nahar al-Shabab” magazine that it is normal for us to be confronted with such criticism and attacks. We are subjected to many of these campaigns because they do not understand us, taking into consideration that we always call upon the unity of religions and that of the human world.

Zein from Lebanon is the son of a Baha’i father and a Protestant mother. He was brought up in the shelter of a Baha’i family, and he used to accompany his mother to church when she was practicing her Christian rituals. He read the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran and also read about Buddhism and other religions until he settled for the Baha’i faith. His mother died a Baha’i.

Zein describes fanaticism as the disease that divides humanity. He believes that factional life divides people, and for that reason Baha’is are not involved in political affairs, although they cast their votes during parliamentary and municipal elections.

Nutrition specialist Huda Ardkani, an Iranian Baha’i who was born in Jordan, married an Orthodox from the Memari family in Al-Ashrafiye, and the couple are parents to a son and a daughter. When her husband started reading Bahai’i books and publications, he embraced the faith and brought a shock to his family. But he is still in touch with them.

University student Maha Tahhan (20 years), is proud to be a Baha’i. She says that she has respect for all religions and that she is neither against Islam nor Christianity. She informs her colleagues about the Baha’i faith and its holy teachings. She reveals her religion to Lebanon and the whole world because a Baha’i does not conceal his faith. Maha does not oppose marrying a person from a different religion, whether a Muslim or a Christian.

The House of Worship

All Baha’is organize their social and religious life in a similar way wherever they are around the world, but they are most comfortable in countries where they are not subjected to harassments or trials as is the case in Egypt and Iran. They have places of worship known as “the House of Worship” located in India, Australia, Panama, Germany, Chile, Chicago, Uganda and others, as well as a large number of educational and social establishments.

In 1948, the United Nations recognized the Baha’i International Community as an international nongovernmental organization. In 1970, the Baha’i International Community was granted consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. In March 1976, the said community received consultative status with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), with Dr. Bani Dugal as the official representative of the latter.

Finally, Baha’is in Lebanon continue to be a congregation under suspension…

They eat pork and forbid alcohol.

The Baha’i calendar is composed of 19 months and the first day of the year is Naw Ruz.

Daily Baha’i Prayer

Baha’is pray on a daily basis, preceded with ritual ablution before prayer. A believer has absolute freedom to choose one of the three prayers in accordance with the special conditions pertaining to each prayer. The Baha’i short prayer is as follows:

“I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.”

The Feast of Ridvan

Baha’is celebrate the Feast of Ridvan on the 21st of April from each year to commemorate the declaration of the Baha’i message, and it lasts for 12 days. They also celebrate the Feast of Naw-Ruz during the Baha’i New year.

Their fasting period begins on the 2nd of March and lasts for 20 days, which are considered the last days of the Baha’i year. The fasting period lasts from dawn until dusk. Those who are under the age of 15 years and over the age of 70 years, in addition to those who are sick or traveling, are exempted from fasting.

Prayer is a duty for every Baha’i man and woman who have reached the age of 15 years. Like Muslims, they submissively perform their prayers towards Al-Qubla, which to them, is the tomb of Bahá’u’lláh.

A Baha’i pays the amount of 19% of his profit and surplus on a yearly basis to one of the members of the Local Governing Council as a contribution to projects that aim at assisting the poor and needy within and outside Lebanon.

R. Aqeel

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The first judicial ruling to give the custody of a child to his mother’s family after she embraced the Baha’i faith.

By Siham Al Basha

Today, Department 12 at Al-Zananiri Court issued the first ruling to give the custody of a little child to his “mother’s aunt” because his parents embraced the Baha’i faith. Fayza Abdul Fattah Muhammad and her brother Muhammad Abdul Fattah Muhammad, the father of the mother’s child Maha Abdul Fattah Muhammad, raised a court case number 164 for the year 2007 to take the child into their custody for fear that he would embrace the Baha’i faith.

On the seventh day, Muhammad Abdul Fattah stated that when his daughter married Usama Sabri Muhammad, he did not know that her husband came from a Baha’i family. His personal identification card and all the identity cards of his family were marked with the Islamic faith. For that reason, the father agreed to the marriage of his daughter. He stated: “two years after my daughter’s marriage, I was surprised to discover that she had embraced the Bahai’i faith and that she had known that her husband was a Bahai’i prior to their marriage. Abdul Fattah clarified that he had been waiting for the court ruling to be issued so that he could follow his daughter who now lives in Australia.

One of the comments on this article, reads:

The worst court ruling in the history of the Egyptian judiciary!

Written by: an Egyptian thinker

Has racism and ignorance brought us to the extent of depriving a father and a mother of their son just because they are non-Muslims?

Will this judgment of depriving a child of his family through the power of the law achieve victory for Islam? Or will the Muslim pay the price because it tarnishes the reputation of Islam by labeling them as racists who do not respect the rights of others?

Do you know that if the father raises this case to court in Australia, the judge would sentence him to jail on the charge of religious discrimination, which is a crime punished by the Australian Constitution??!!

This ruling is useless in Australia and cannot be issued because it conflicts with the International Conventions of Human Rights, and because the age of inquisition courts has ended all over the world expect in our honorable Arab countries…

I hope that all the ignorant persons who praise this ruling and who claim to have faith when they are the evil of the earth, would think about the motive behind this ruling. What would be the use of taking a child from the arms of his parents in the name of Islam when they live in a foreign country? Dozens other similar rulings will not have any effect on them while they are there. This action would only tarnish the reputation of Islam. As if we dig everyday for a reason for the world to repel against Muslims and Islam.

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Throughout its long history, the social system of the march of humanity had undergone various stages, arriving to where it is today. The experience was successful and managed to achieve unity within the family, the tribe, the state and the nation, and global unity became an objective for which a tortured humanity struggles to attain. Building a nation became stable and it became the duty of a world walking in the path of attainment to give up entirely on divisions and differences, admit to the unity and integration of its human relations, and establish once and for all the tool that materializes at best this basic principle for a better life.

In order for humanity to reach the required level of maturity it will need a complete transformation of the current social system, which should enable it to totally integrate the pluralism that marks human kind and benefit humanity of the wide range of talents and knowledge cultivated during thousands of years of cultural encounters and human experiences. From here, the principle of the “sameness of humankind” emerges. This notion has become a priority in today’s world, because it eliminates the causes of disputes and misunderstandings among people, among them the existence of different languages. During the past years, several problems have emerged among people, one of them was caused by the absence of a single common language spoken by the world. If this language exists, there would be harmony and unity among people and the world would be united.

Choosing a secondary global language alongside the national languages of countries, to be taught in all schools around the world, would be an easy tool for exchanging opinions, spreading culture and knowledge and increasing the level of understanding and rapprochement between people. In this manner, if any person travels from one country to another, it would be as if he or she is always heading home. This is a call upon all governments around the world, represented by their parliaments, to implement this important notion.

On the occasion of the 50th commemoration of the United Nations entitled “the transformation point for all nations”, the Bahai’i International Community issued a statement in October 1995 stating the following: “we propose the appointment of a high level committee that includes intelligent and concerned members coming from various parts of the world, with relevant expertise from linguists, economists, sociologists, educators and media persons, to conduct careful studies on the subject of a global language and the adoption of a common script.

In the end, the only choice the world has is to unanimously adopt a single global language and a single script to be taught in schools around the world, in addition to the local language or languages of each country. The goal of this is to facilitate the transformation of the world into a global society by improving communication between people, decreasing administrative costs of businessmen, governments and all those involved in global and humanitarian tasks and endeavors, and promoting more sincere and hearty relations among all members of the human family. This proposal should not be wrongly understood, because it does not at all imply the annihilation of any language or culture. It was discussed in Europe at the beginning of the past century where a new language known as Esperanto was announced. Discussions however, did not go far because the world was occupied with the tragedies of wars.

Whether we like it or not, the world is heading towards its unity. We read about the proposed global currency that was made in Belgium to replace all currencies, carrying the slogan “unity in diversity”, which was discussed in the corridors of the Industrial Summit in Italy a fortnight ago. This is another tool for achieving the unity of humankind. It will decrease the major gap between abject poverty and extreme wealth. Other tools will be discussed in upcoming articles.

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When we look at the world today, we discover that it is in need of unity to face the challenges confronting it, which have originally resulted from the harsh manner human beings deal with mother earth that carried us, protected us, and benefited us throughout time. Today, the earth suffers from all the ongoing racial, religious, tribal and national wars and conflicts as well as other destructions of the natural environment that God has created in the best order. The UNESCO played a major role in introducing the world to all the dangers that threaten its existence as a result of this systematic neglect of the earth and fired the danger alarm. The world however, only expressed its interest in this danger when climate changes, global warming and disappearing ice became issues of concern due to all the pollution that led to imbalances in the structure of all things God has created on earth, heaven and the atmosphere.

Those who were uprooting trees in forests were unaware that they were exhausting a rich resource that purifies the air that we breathe. Those who were polluting rivers were unaware that they were destroying the water source that provides are veins with life. Those who were demolishing the bottom of the earth and sea using destructive war machines were also unaware that they were paving the way for a natural revolution, which appeared in the form of hurricanes, oceanic commotions and volcanoes. Human beings have forgotten that all these disasters resulted from all forms of fanaticism in the world. If we look at the world today, we see all shapes and forms of fanaticism based on religion, sex, color and language. Isn’t it time to reject all forms of fanaticism? Isn’t it time to spread the hands of unity and solidarity so that we can all live in a better world?

During their conference that was held in Italy this week, the leaders of the great industrial nations realized the inevitability of solving the issue of hunger in the world. This would not be achieved through the distribution of food but with the implementation of developmental projects where the poor would work and earn their living away from harm. I call upon all the kings and leaders of the world to make the earth a safe harbor for all human beings, and put an end to the many centuries of wars and destruction. I call upon all religious leaders around the world to give a helping hand in joint work for the happiness and welfare of mankind. We all need to look at the common principles of religions whose only source is God Almighty who said: “the earth is one nation and all human beings are its inhabitants.” All this fanaticism leads to the destruction of the constitution of humans.

We hope for the discontinuation of this fanaticism, for the world to shine with the light of love, for all mankind to be granted the mercy of the Compassionate Benefactor, and for the human world to strive and liberate itself from the earthly chains of fanaticism. Look closely and you will discover that God created all human beings, and He is compassionate with each and every one of them and protects them. Beseech Him to eliminate the evil forms of fanaticism and selfishness to be replaced with unity in diversity and plurality.

During the meeting between President Obama and Russian President Medvedev at the Industrial Summit, a good initiative was launched to eradicate all forms of fanaticism, whereby discussions addressed seeking a new and common global money to prevent the occurrence of another economic crisis like that one that hit the world recently. The Russian President reached his pocket and took out a coin that had the phrase “unity in diversity” written on it. If a monetary union is achieved all over the world, one of the major economic obstacles to solve the problem of world poverty would be solved and the major gap between abject poverty and extreme wealth would be eliminated.

Related posts:

1. Egyptian Baha’i: Women are world peacemakers
2. Egyptian Baha’i: “One world, one language”
3. Human rights groups issue report on Egypt

Arson of a Baha’i residence in Kerman, south-east Iran, July 18, 2008

More images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Photos from arson in Vilashahr (Isfahan province) of a Baha’i residence, July 15, 2008

Remains of molotov bottles used to torch a Baha'i home in Vilashahr

More photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Arson of private property of Baha’is in Rafsanjan, July 8, 2008

More photos: 1, 2, 3

Arson of a Baha’i home in Miandasht, April 4, 2008

More photos: 1

Attacks on Baha’i residence in Semnan, mid-April 2009

"Death to Infidel Baha'i Israeli" and "Baha'ism = treason"

More photos: 1, 2, 3, 4

Related posts:

1. Another case of arson against the Baha’is in Iran
2. A Baha’i home arsoned in Kerman, Iran
3. Postcards for Iran

[Read this article in Arabic.]

Manama, Bahrain- A Bahraini activist is urging the government to recognise Baha’i Faith and allow the community to gather and worship freely.

Esra’a Al Shafei, whose work focuses on ethnic and religious minorities, said it was high time Arab and Gulf governments legally recognised the Baha’is.

“The community should be given a license to operate their place of worship by concerned authorities. Baha’i issue is not taboo and the society should accept them as a contributing community,” the woman activist said.

The call comes when Baha´is from different parts of the world celebrated on Saturday the 165th anniversary of the birth of the Baha’i faith.

Al Shafei who is Director of Mideast Youth Foundation, which runs the Muslim Network of Baha´i Rights, said people should not look at the community as – ‘Zionists in disguise’

“Just because they have their temple in Israel (Haifa) does not mean they should be labelled as Zionists. Historically, Baha´is have immense respect to Islam. But Jewish have more rights compared with Baha´is in Middle East,”Al Shafei explained.

Baha´is constitutes approximately 1% of Bahrain’s population. There is no governmental interference in their worship and gatherings. However, according to reports the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs has repeatedly denied them license to operate. According to the 2008 report on International Religious Freedom by the US state department, the government did not recognize Baha’i wedding ceremonies but recognized civil marriages abroad. It further stated that the authorities authorized the publication and public discussion of a book by a Bahraini on the Baha’i in the Kingdom.

Baha’i cemetery in Salmabad, Bahrain. Ayesha Saldanha

The female activist highlighted that Baha’is in the island had access to health care, education and other services something which they were deprived in Arab states such as Iran and Egypt.

Her project (www.bahairights.org) is developed along with a group of Muslim interfaith activists who believe in tolerance and co-existence.

“It was a challenge for us to start this project at a time when Egypt and Iran were silently persecuting Baha´is because of their faith,” she said.

Baha´i Faith believes in the unity of God, religion, world peace, balance between nature and technology and gender equality among other teachings. The religion holds Baha’u'llah (the Glory of God) to be the greatest prophet which is considered heretical by Muslims who believe Prophet Mohammed as the greatest of all prophets.

There are an estimated six million Baha´is in the world spread over in 200 countries. According to a report, there were about 300,000- 350,000 Baha’is in Iran followed by 2,000 in Egypt registered as religious minority in Muslim countries. In neighbouring Kuwait, where the community numbers at 400, the government views the Baha’i Faith as not being sanctioned by the Qur’an (holy book of Islam); the community cannot construct places of worship. But Baha’is can practice their faith privately without governmental interference. The situation is the same in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon.

Al Shafei said with International pressure on these countries, Egypt for example started to issue IDs for Baha’i, something which she said the government ignored earlier in issuance of the official ID cards. The Egyptians authorities only recognize three religions- Islam, Christianity or Judaism. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0aylHuBHKQ)

Al Shafei said the result was hundreds of Baha’is left on the margins of the society with no access to medical care, education, employment, housing and other government services.

“We are fighting this war of perception in Arab and Gulf states to understand and accept this community,” the activist explained.

It was not an easy journey for Al Shafei who is been condemned and criticized by clerics from the oil rich, Saudi Arabia and other regions.

” They call us names and say we will go to hell. Our work for some conservatives is against Islamic teachings. Some clerics leave abusive or life threatening comments on our website. My source of strength is my family for being supportive and understanding my passion for the cause,” the female activist said.

Their plate may be full of criticism, but there is also a small but growing portion of progressive Muslims who are supporting the cause.

“We have no propaganda and want all majorities to stand up for all minorities. For example, an Israeli supporting a Palestinian for his rights and recognizing him/her or Arabs recognizing Kurdish rights can make a sea change of difference,” the Bahraini youth said.

Bahrain is seen as a model of religious tolerance in the region. Last year, the leadership appointed Huda Nonu, first Jewish Ambassador from an Arab and Gulf nation to the United States. The island shares its borders with the oil rich Saudi Arabia and is home to the US Navy Fifth Fleet.

Link to article.

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1. Living in isolation, Baha’is in the Middle East fight for their Faith
2. Freedom of belief and the Arab mind dilemma
3. Iran’s persecution of Bahá’ís is devastating

Manama, Bahrain – 23 May is a day when Baha’is from different pockets of the world celebrates the 165th anniversary of the birth of the Baha´i faith. While in Iran, families of seven Baha´i leaders are having sleepless nights after authorities reportedly arrested and jailed the group. The Iranian deputy prosecutor said in February the group was charged with propaganda against the regime and insulting religious sanctities.

It’s not only in Iran but places like Egypt and others where the Baha’i community are looked upon as apostates of Islam. Some call them ‘Zionists in disguise’ while others suffer from “Baha’i phobia”. They have no place of worship, their cemeteries are destroyed, properties confiscated and most of all- their faith is not recognized in the Arab and Gulf states.

“Just because they have their temple in Israel (Haifa) does not mean they should be labeled as Zionists. Historically, Baha’is have immense respect to Islam. But Jewish have more rights compared with Baha’is in Middle East,” said Esra’a Al Shafei, Director of Mideast Youth Foundation which runs the Muslim Network of Baha’i Rights.

The project (www.bahairights.org) is developed by the Bahraini activist along with a group of Muslim interfaith activists who believe in tolerance and co-existence. Frustrated with the growing silence by Arab governments, the group stormed into limelight when it launched this first kind of project in 2006 which primarily worked for rights of Baha’i and their acceptance in the society as a contributing community.

“It was a challenge for us to start this project at a time when Egypt and Iran were silently persecuting Baha’is because of their faith. We wanted this community to be legally recognized and accepted in any Muslim society,” Al Shafei said.

Baha’i Faith believes in the unity of God, religion, world peace, balance between nature and technology and gender equality among other teachings. The religion holds Baha’u'llah (the Glory of God) to be the greatest prophet which is seen as heretics for Muslims who believe Prophet Mohammed as the greatest of all prophets. There are an estimated six million Baha´is in the world spread over in 200 countries. According to a 2008 report on International Religious Freedom by the US authorities, there were about 300,000- 350,000 Baha´is in Iran followed by 2,000 in Egypt registered as religious minority in Muslim countries.

Al Shafei said with International pressure on these countries, Egypt for example she said, started to issue IDs for Baha´i, something which the government ignored earlier in issuance of the official ID cards. The Egyptians authorities only recognize three religions- Islam, Christianity or Judaism. Al Shafei said the result was hundreds of Baha´is left on the margins of the society with no access to medical care, education, employment, housing and other government services.

“We are fighting this war of perception in Arab and Gulf states to understand and accept this community. These people deserve their rights rather than being jailed or executed,” the activist explained.

It was not an easy journey for Al Shafei who has been vociferously condemned and criticized by clerics from the oil rich, Saudi Arabia and other regions.

“They call us names and say we will go to hell. Our work for some conservatives is against Islamic teachings.Some clerics leave abusive or life threatening comments on our website. My source of strength is my family for being supportive and understanding my passion for the cause,” the female activist said.

Their plate may be full of criticism, but there is also a small but growing portion of progressive Muslims who are supporting the cause. ” We have no propaganda and have managed to gain the trust of Muslims to support the Baha´is and stop their oppression,” the Bahrain youth explained.

Baha´is constitutes approximately 1% of Bahrain’s population, and the community faces no governmental interference in their worship and gatherings. In 2007, the Baha’i community organized a cultural conference to teach about their faith in the tiny island which is a close US ally. In neighboring Kuwait, where the community numbers at 400, the government views the Baha’i Faith as not being sanctioned by the Qur’an (holy book of Islam), the community cannot construct places of worship. But Baha’is can practice their faith privately without governmental interference. The situation is the same in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon.

But the real change, Al Shafei said would happen when all the majorities start fighting for the rights of the minorities.

“For example, an Israeli supporting Palestinian human rights or Arabs recognizing Kurdish rights can make a sea change of difference. We need to create a network to humanize people towards religious and ethnic minorities across the world,” the Bahraini said.

Related posts:

1. Bahraini Woman Activist Urges Arab and Gulf States to Recognise Baha’i Faith
2. Reform Middle East: “Unity is the Answer”
3. Reform Middle East: Call for Ideas and short Essays

Author: Majdi Khalil | Originally published in Arabic on: Friday, 15 May 2009

Struggles for freedom of faith in Egypt

It never occurred to Basma Moussa or Camliya Lutfi that they would become symbols for defending freedom of faith in Egypt when they both set out to defend a private matter or private affair. However, just because this private affair affects public interest, the Egyptian society was disgraced with falsity and lies about the existence of a civil state and freedom of conscience and belief.

For those who do not know, Basma Moussa is a notable professor at the College of Dentistry in Cairo University. But her main obstacle is that she was born into a Bahai’i family, and this is considered a huge charge in a country that dismissed the issue of citizenship and preoccupied itself with the features of a religious state, because an Islamic religious state only recognizes the religions acknowledged by Islam, and thus does recognize the Bahai’i religion.

The problem is not about Islam denying the Bahai’i religion because every religion rejects the other ideologically and in practice. The real problem is the effect of religious beliefs on denying citizenship or weakening it, and in this case we would be confronted with religious state or a state moving towards becoming a religious one. This is the greater danger on Egypt because the intrusion of propagators of a religious state over citizenship reached the extent of introducing a draft law that incriminates those who embrace any religion other than Islam, Christianity or Judaism. In other words, this draft law would completely deprive the followers of the Bahai’i faith and others of their citizenship and throw them into prison as criminals until they embrace Islam. This situation is much worse than the state of the inquisition courts in Europe during the dark ages.

As a Bahai’i, Basma Moussa faced a great deal of discrimination, prosecution, provocation and intimidation in her professional life. She was even accused of being an atheist on television and threatened to death because of her apostasy.

What she was confronted with at Cairo University is another example of the penetration of extremist religious thinking into educational institutions to an extent where university professors abandoned their researches, workshops and teaching jobs to investigate consciences, charge their fellow professors of a different faith with atheism, intimidate, deceive and conspire against them.

Let it not surprise you, dear reader, when you hear about the deteriorating state of Egyptian universities. Those who are familiar with behind the scenes of Egyptian universities are well aware of the sufferings of non-Muslims seeking to attain positions as teachers in Egyptian universities. Basma Moussa was in trouble when it was discovered that she was a Bahai’I, and for that reason, the teacher’s committee deliberately failed her four times in her Masters’ degree despite her distinction and diligence. Fanaticism is ever visible and shameless. Basma used to earn 95% in some of the oral examinations boards and zero in other boards. But because God does not allow the labor of the diligent to go to waste, responds to the cries of the aggrieved, and He is mightier than all oppressors, Basma was saved from this destructive current and she peacefully passed her Masters’ degree. However, the oppressors did not leave Basma at peace. They refused to enroll her for the doctorates degree for another four years, despite the fact that she is enrolled as a current student and not a new one. After she was able to register, what she had faced during her doctorate’s degree was far worse than what she had faced while doing her masters. It came to a point where a university professor demanded a fatwa (a formal legal opinion) from Al-Azhar mosque on the issue of the Bahai’is so as to prevent the appointment of Basma at the department. The fatwa arrived from Al-Azhar stating that the Bahai’s religion is atheism. The same professor, along with 17 other professors took the fatwa and distributed it in the corridors of the university and leaked it to the press as well. But because Basma is a strong-hearted fighter who committed no crime for being a Bahai’i, she stood in the face of these hypocritical oppressors who had abandoned educational research to investigate the consciences of people. In the end, despite her suffering, grief, fear and tears, she managed to triumph.

The same situation occurred upon her promotion from teacher to assistant professor, whereby a committee of 15 professors was formed in order to review the issue of her promotion, and they gave her a zero. The bizarre and shameful thing is the presence of Christian professors among the members of the committee, who cowed out of confronting this injustice despite the fact that they themselves belong to another minority that suffers similar oppression.

Basma Moussa did not stop fighting for her right. She filed a complaint to the head of the Higher Council of Universities, who was kind enough to repeal the result provided by the said committee and form another committee consisting of five decent professors who discussed her papers and gave her a very good grade (B+). Now between a zero and B+ lies the issue of discrimination that befalls non-Muslim minorities in Egypt.

The series of repulsive and repellent incidents that Basma Moussa faced are repeating themselves on a regular basis with the Copts, to a point where Najib Basha Mahfouz’s nephew, Samir Samika, the founder of gynecology and obstetrics in Egypt, could not obtain a specialization in the aforementioned fields of medicine, and was forced to travel to Great Britain to obtain it. His son, Yousef, was also forced to do the same thing later on. This abominable fanaticism reached a point where our great writer, Najib Mahfouz, was deprived a scholarship to study abroad because the fanatics thought he was Christian, because his mother named him after her famous doctor Najib Mahfouz Basha.

All the suffering that Basma Moussa had to go through, and others are still going through, was not given any importance because such acts are part of a daily routine of injustices that occur against non-Muslims. However, the greater calamity occurred when the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs created the National Number Card in place of the old identification cards and refused to transfer the “religion” category for “Bahai’i” to the new card. With this new harsh and oppressive measure, which is completely incompatible with idea of citizenship, and deprives Egyptians of their citizenship, has placed thousands of Bahai’is in the category of “civil death” or complete deprivation of civil rights, whereby people cannot conduct any daily transactions without an identification card, including the issuance of birth and death certificates, opening bank accounts, enrolling in schools and universities, and other daily transactions.

At this point, Basma Mouss’a hidden force came out in public to confront this ignorant society that is depriving her of her basic rights and her citizenship. The issue here is not about an individual case, for an entire people is being condemned through this intolerable type of oppression. This issue is related to the complete eradication of the Bahai’i religion and forcing the Bahai’is to confront an unacceptable dilemma of either becoming Muslims or facing civil death. This is where the struggle for people’s rights becomes a national duty before a religious one.

The Bahai’is have been and continue to take a civilized path of the peaceful defense of their existence, citizenship and religion. They confronted almost six years before the judiciary and before a public opinion, which was almost entirely hostile to their religious beliefs, until a judgment was recently passed to place the mark (-) under the category of religion. But as the saying goes: (literal translation from Arabic) “Incomplete joy, flown away with the crow”. The Ministry of Interior decided that placing the mark (-) requires filing a personal case before the judiciary in order to obtain approval, and this does not apply to all Bahai’is. In other words, thousands of cases are awaiting a ruling from the administrative courts to put an end to this circus. Can you believe this nonsense? What about a dead person? Who will file his case so that he obtains a death certificate? Should he be embalmed until the law decides to issue this certificate for him? What about birth certificates? Do they remain on hold until they obtain this judicial judgment? Or do we demand that a baby remains in his mother’s womb until this humiliating issue is solved? The more important question is why these peaceful Egyptian citizens who committed no crime are being subjected to all this humiliation? These are fundamental questions posed to a rational society, and seem comical in civilized societies, but in backward religious societies, they are fateful and substantive, determining one’s life and destiny.

In addition to the judiciary, Bahai’is were confronted with a flow of questions posed by public opinion that was ignorant about their existence and invented fables about their faith, spoke badly about their behavior and fabricated allegations about their nationalism. It is nothing other than the sick human behavior that we have experienced throughout the history of humanity, where man constantly searches for justifications and excuses that sedate his twisted and devious conscience to commit the ugliest crimes against his fellow man. Basma Moussa played a major and courageous role in defending the basic rights of Bahai’is as citizens before public opinion, and their right to their faith, which they inherited from their fathers and forefathers.

I do not know how the Bahai’is would have acted without Basma Moussa. She is a woman in place of a thousand men, who addressed the centers of public opinion and educative societies adamantly, persistently and courageously, and explained her case and that of her people decently and cleverly, without overreaction and infuriation. She maintained her temper and composure in spite of all the pressures, provocations, false accusations, allegations about her religion, slandering her beliefs and the dangers she was being confronted with. Yet she manages to practice her work full of integrity, and looks after her family wholeheartedly.

My dear Basma, your resistance has become a symbol for the liberation of freedom of religion in Egypt. You courageous work in history has exposed the falsity of retarded people who placed history at a standstill at their narrow-mindedness and backwardness that time has exceeded centuries ago.

In the end, victory is for those who believe they can make it…and we believe that freedom shall surely prevail. The clocks will never go back in time.

Related posts:

1. ElBaradei Presses Need to Formally Recognize the Baha’i Faith as a Religion in Egypt
2. Dr. Basma’s Crime
3. Prayer needed for Egyptian Baha’is