One of the many questions people ask us here is why we are running this initiative, and one of our many answers is that Baha’is are known for defending Islam and Muslims whenever we are being attacked, which serves as an inspiration for us to defend our Baha’i brethren as well. There is something very beautiful about someone who doesn’t share your religion yet doesn’t allow that to be a barrier for defending it, loving it, and respecting it as well as its members.

Marco, a Portuguese Baha’i, wrote a post refuting Sam Harris’ attacks on Islam. Harris is a confused author known for his mangled writings linking religion and violence, and his work clearly deserves a refutation which Marco provides below:

This is one of several posts I wrote about Sam Harris book “The End of Faith”. I usually am not sarcastic, but Mr Harris proves to be a radical atheist. He may not be a radical in the sense of inspiring suicide bombers or calling for a Holy War. But he is radical with his words that spread prejudice, ignores basic facts, and avoids the use of reason when approaching Islam. I wrote this post because Mr Harris attacks something I firmly believe: the divine origin of Islam.

Here is an English translation of the post:

Sam Harris and the End of the Faith [originally posted Friday, 25 of January of 2008]:

“We are at war with the Islam” is the one of the main ideas of the book The End of Faith by Sam Harris. The statement is an obvious simplification of the reality; the relationship between the West and some countries of the Middle East is much more complex than these simple words suggest. It is obvious that - in the last few decades - radical Islam has been a source of problems for people from the West and for Islam itself. It is often stated that the expression “radical Islam” and “Islamic fundamentalism” became part of common language after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Where was radical Islam before that time?

This is enough to question what does Mr. Sam Harris mean when he writes about Islam? Throughout the chapter “The Problem with the Islam” we understand that the author is referring to all countries whose populations are mainly Muslim. To put in other words, he includes within “Muslim” (whether liberal or conservative) Arabs, Persians, Indians, Malaysian, Indonesians & Africans… all of them are placed by Sam Harris on the same side of an imaginary trench. Wouldn’t it be more rational to consider that the problem only exists due to some dictatorships and extremist groups based in the Middle East ? Such a simplification by Mr Harris! Is it not typical of a radical thought? And isn’t it strange that we find it to be a common attitude between religious extremists and anti-religious extremists? I have to admit that I was expecting much more from Mr. Harris. After all, in this same book he proclaims the need to use reason when studying religion!

The mental attitude of radical Muslims should be compared with the mental attitude of supporters of other forms radicalism that Western countries faced in the past. It seems strange to me that Mr. Harris does not make any comparison between Muslim suicide bombers and Japanese Kamikaze during the 2nd World War. Don’t they have something in common? Both believe that they were committing a personal sacrifice in name of a supreme cause by causing death and destruction to their enemies.

So it is strange that Sam Harris was not able to establish such a comparison. He preferred over simplifications instead of a rational analysis of the situation. Maybe his sympathy for Buddhism did not allow him to make such a comparison.

INTERPRETATION OF THE SACRED TEXTS

The book, The End of Faith, presents several pages of quotation from the Quran. These are sentences that according to author disclose the violent nature of Islam. It is not necessary to be very versed in the history of Islam to understand that the texts of the Quran revealed in Medina are very different from the texts revealed in Mekka. According to some Muslim theologians, this implies that the applicability and the overall view of the text vary according to the context of the revelation itself.

But is not Mr. Harris the great defender of the use of reason in the analysis of religion? Is his literal interpretation of the sacred texts the example of the so desired rationality? Can we ignore the context (local and circumstantial) where the texts were revealed? Can we make a mere literal interpretation of the texts and nothing else? But is this not but the same method of Islamic fundamentalists? Is this what Mr. Harris means by the use of reason? …

It is obvious that Mr. Harris has a lot of prejudices against the Islam. After insisting on the literal interpretations of the Quran, he finds a verse that states: “Don’t you kill each other” (4: 29). Strangely the author avoids the literal interpretation of this verse, and states that it is “ambiguous”. One can only conclude that objectivity is not a trait of the author.

When reading the book, The End of the Faith, we perceive that the method of the author in evaluating the religions is to make a literal interpretation of the texts and to validate this literal meaning against common sense. No time to waste on searching for metaphoric or symbolic meanings; a superficial reading is quite enough. But is this the method Mr. Harris applies to all religions and belief systems?

Knowing Mr. Harris fascination with Buddhism, one wonders how he would interpret the meaning of Buddha’s words: “If you find the Buddha in the road, kills him”. Would he take those words literally and consider it an encouragement of intolerance and violence, a proof of the falsehood of Buddhism and its evil influence in the history of mankind? Or would he look for a metaphoric meaning of these words? The answer can be found here: Killing the Buddha. How strange that Mr Harris becomes more rational when he analyzes the texts of Buddhism.

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NOTE: This subject is not depleted this way; in next post I will approach other subjects that Sam Harris wrote on the Islam in the book, The End of the Faith.

We would like to thank Marco for defending our religion against ill-informed attacks.

In 1925, Egypt became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize the Baha’i faith as an independent religion. However, almost 80 years later, Baha’is in Egypt continue to face heinous discrimination, due to their failure to obtain identity cards. Identity cards are the key towards gaining access to education, health care, and economic opportunities. Without them, Baha’is cannot exercise their full citizenship rights. (See our video for more details.)

Although a landmark ruling in January decreed that Baha’is can obtain identification papers, the government has yet to implement the ruling, and recently, a lawyer for Egypt’s Islamic Research Council filed a challenge intended to stall the process.

…and in the meantime, thousands of Baha’is are left waiting.

“In the matter of justice, all should be equal in your eyes.”
- Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

For many Muslims, Abu Bakr is considered a heroic figure … this great, inspirational man is one of the main sources that led us to believe in interfaith activism, and we hope that our Muslim friends will learn from him how to accept and fight for others especially if minorities are oppressed within our own societies. Indeed we are all one and the same in the eyes of God, the merciful.

Abu Bakr to us is a revered teacher who always emphasized equality and justice, two things which we are fighting for via this website.

It’s not only for justice that we are fighting for Baha’is, and other religious minorities. It’s out of duty, and it’s out of knowledge and respect for others.

Marco has kindly taken the time to translate an article from Spanish that we think is informative enough to share here. Neither English nor Spanish are his first languages; therefore the translation may not be entirely accurate however it does get the intended message across:

From Judaism to the Evangelical Church. From Christianity to Islam. From Islam to the baha’i faith. Spiritual journeys that historically caused intransigencies and today cause social conflicts. This is the story of people who one day decided to change of creed.

To the Algerians Mohamed and Djamila Belhani their faith could cost their life. The supposed sin: to accept in a Muslim nation the postulates of the baha’i religion persecuted until death in some Arab countries. When they found out at work, several of Mohamed colleagues threaten kidnap his three year old son in order to take him away from the trusteeship of an “unfaithful”. The fear converted exile into the only hope. While his country bled in a civil war that buried more than 150,000 victims, the family went into exile in Spain, in 1994. But by then their spiritual journey had begun for several years.

Born in Oran, the couple meet at the University school of Algiers. Their share a flat at the campus with follower of the baha’i religion, not much used to express his beliefs. One afternoon he exposed to Mohamed a kind of a revelation: “There is another prophet after Muhammad”. And talked about the Persian Baha’u’llah, founder of the baha’i faith in 1844, like belief based one single God that reveals Himself through all the divine messengers. Without apostatizing of any, from Jesus Christ to Buddha. “I grew up under a more traditional than confessional Islam, just like the Catholicism in Spain. But since young age I was told that Muhammad was the last; my world was as big as this room, remembers Mohamed today, 43 years old, in his house of Cambrils (Tarragona). “In front of the Algerian society you could show rebellious, express opinions about what it does not please you. But to say that there was another Prophet after him… That you could not even imagine! It was as if you were moving to the enemy side”.

The first reaction of Mohamed was to strive to refute the arguments of his friend. The best way it occurred him to achieve it was to return to the house of its family, after receiving the master’s degree in Engineer and to take a summer to study the Quran, the Bible and several baha’i writings. “Religion in Arab countries is very important; as soon as somebody raises question concerning it, you try to solve it “, explains Djamila. Like her fiancé she also got interested in those sacred writings. And together they began to find similarities between the different religions, to question if it were possible to keep the best thing from each one. They began to suspect that to agglutinate them to all in a single one was not so preposterous. Finally they took the step. “The deep knowledge of the Quran helped us to embrace the baha’i faith, to evolve to a more complete religion “.

Soon they informed their relatives. Surprised, they received the news of the imminent wedding of the young pair under muslim and baha’i rites. “To my father I gave him the greatest disappointment of his life”, admits Mohamed. He stoped praying five times a day, no longer went to the mosque and replaced Ramadan with 19 day fast prior to each 21 of March, date of baha’i new year. Djamila also could not find understanding amongst their family: “My mother respected to me, but my brothers putted me aside”. After getting married they found a job in the State Company of Hidrocarburos and chose not to show in public their spiritual journey. Until Mohamed decided he was tired of hiding himself at the office to fast outside the Ramadan, or to justify his absence during the prayers in labour schedule.

During the fast prior to the 21 of March, a colleague invited him to go to the dining room of the company. Mohamed explained him the reason for his lack of appetite and his life had a radical change.

“Why did you have to tell him?” Djamila still ask. The rumour spread through out the company, amongst friends and neighbours. Many friends failed. Some pointed them in the street. The Algerian civil war was growing in the early nineties, and the couple, with two young children, felt the fear. Mohamed got a tourist visa for a month in Spain and the family went to Madrid (with the position). At the baha’i center in the capital they found financial aid. After much insisting, Mohamed managed to receive an asylum visa with a work permission. And had to start it all over, assembling electric devices; after three years Djamila got a depression: “This has been the tragedy of my life. To leave my house, to leave my people. Now we only go back to Algeria one week year during the summer. Although I miss to my family, I could never live there again. I only have memories of panic and intolerance”.

For six years, they are living in Cambrils. They feel free and they practice in family the rites of their belief. Mohamed today has double nationality: Spanish and Algerian. He keeps assembling electrical devices. But no longer speaks of his religion with.

“The persecution of baha’is coexists with its foundation and extends until our days, mainly in countries like Iran. The executions during Islamic revolution were a main issue. And they still are an oppressed minority “. This same accusation stated by Kasra Mottahedeh, Secretary General of the Spanish Baha’i Community Baha’i it has been confirmed by numerous international organisms that continue to appeal so that these people see their rights recognized.

In Spain, the Baha’i Community is one of the so called minority religions and has around three thousand followers. Although they do not have a high number of believers, they maintain have a constant number of newcomers familiar with the problems that confronted Mohamed and Djamila. Like Jose Luis Marques, 62 years old, who did not put in danger his life, but caused a good commotion in his parents house, little after he was order priest. He was 24 when he found in the baha’i faith a meaning for his existence. “Through study I understood that this religion explained better than any other why there is a plurality of beliefs”.

Thanks a lot Marco for providing this fascinating read. For those who speak Spanish you may read the article here.

Marco, a Portuguese Baha’i whose post was first discussed here, has written a highly informative response to an Egyptian blogger who accused the Baha’is of being Zionist or foreign agents, and while the post is a year old the argument still applies today as many Muslims continue to wrongly associate the Baha’i faith with Zionism (read this post concerning that, as well.)

Excerpt:

Baha’is have always been persecuted under totalitarian governments; such governments fear religious diversity (or religion!). It happened here in Portugal, before the 1974 revolution, it happened in the former Soviet Union, in Nazi Germany and elsewhere.

Pakistan and Bangla Desh may be the few Muslim countries where Baha’is enjoy more freedom of belief. In all other Muslim countries Baha’is face harassment and persecutions, based on religious prejudice and anti-Israeli propaganda. Unfortunately, few Muslims have ever investigated what is the Baha’i Faith.

Our plan is to translate such posts into Arabic so that they can reach the right audience, and we will publish them here as well as on Inter-Iman where Arab Baha’is discuss persecution in countries like Egypt.

Last week, Compass Direct News published the following with regards to the Christian case in Egypt:

Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court heard a final appeal last week for 45 Coptic Christian citizens who were denied their attempt to legally reclaim their Christian identities after officially converting to Islam.

Of the 45 plaintiffs, half were adults when they changed the required religion section on their national identity cards from Christian to Muslim. The remainder were children whose Coptic parents had become Muslims. All have declared they want to return to their Christian faith.

Arguing before presiding Judge Essam Eddin Abdel-Aziz on June 18, Coptic lawyer Naguib Gabriel declared that a lower administrative court’s April ruling against his 45 clients’ joint-action suit had “embarrassed the Egyptian government at an international level.”

“This [refusal] says that the government is forcing people to embrace beliefs against their free will,” Gabriel said. “It is forcing them according to their official papers to belong to a religion they don’t believe in.”

Further in the article, the worrying case of Baha’is is also mentioned:

Although next week’s verdict will directly affect citizens from Christian background, it will also impact the legal stalemate against both the tiny Baha’i religious community and Egypt’s growing number of ex-Muslims who have become Christians.

“This verdict indirectly targets converts to Christianity, and the Baha’is, too,” one former Muslim in Cairo told Compass. “During the past three years, it had become so much easier for former Christians to change back,” he said, referring to the first watershed decision in April 2004, which permitted a Coptic-born woman who had converted to Islam to recover her legal Christian identity. “Now, this ruling is saying, indirectly, that it is impossible to let any Muslim change his religious identity.”

Visit the news article to read more of the coverage.

Here is also a news clip (Arabic) in the Al Masry Al Youm newspaper [click for larger image:]

(Hat tip for the news clipping: Bilo)

There is no justification for Egypt’s unnecessary and unreasonable religious restrictions. Our duty as Muslims is to be accepting and peaceful as opposed to enforcing our beliefs on others. If the Koran itself rewards people of other faiths, as stated in this verse here:

2:62 - “Verily they that believe and those of Jewry and the Christians and those Sabaeans, whoso believes in God and the Last Day, and do what is right, their rewards await them with their Lord, and fear shall not come upon them, neither shall they be grieved.”

Then why should Egypt not recognize these basic rights?

Islam emphasizes interfaith, personal freedom, and good deeds, while Egypt punishes them. Does it not agree with the words and teachings of Allah?

The Egyptian government should recognize Baha’i and Christian rights, and allow its citizens to independently choose their own religious path without any strict or unfair process. If not, then as we stated before in the below video, Egypt has no place in the UN’s Human Rights Council:

In its human rights pledge to the UN, Egypt stated:

Egypt will also emphasize the importance of focusing on the objectives of poverty eradication, fighting racial discrimination and xenophobia, promoting cultural and religious tolerance, advancing the rights of women and children, and raising the overall global awareness of human rights with strong emphasis on the role of education.

Read full document here (word file.)

If Egypt truly believes this, then the government will no longer oppress minorities simply for having different beliefs. Why does Egypt claim to be religiously tolerant and in support of human rights if Baha’is, Christians, and even bloggers and activists remain to suffer throughout the country?

This isn’t the Egypt we should approve of. This isn’t our Islam. This isn’t anything we should stay silent about! Egyptian Muslims must take action and help oppressed religious minorities gain an equal and fair status so they can practice their faiths proudly and fearlessly. This is our true duty as Muslims.

There are many people, especially Muslims, who don’t know what the Baha’i faith is (and despite that some continue to discriminate against them). Here are some guides to introduce those not familiar with the religion.

The International website of the Baha’i faith: This site is an extensive one that provides a full guide to the religion, latest news of Baha’i events worldwide, and helpful research tools to help you understand the faith and its followers better. Click here if you want a very direct answer to “What is the Baha’i Faith?” and you will find much more on the site’s informative FAQ page.

Baha’i faith on Wikipedia: This is another guide that is useful for those wanting an introduction. Individual categories within the article allow readers to find what they want with ease. It also provides a lot of extra information for those who want to learn more.

BBC profile: This is a good source for those wanting to learn more about the Baha’i culture and society.

For endless other sources, run a quick Google search and you will hopefully find what you want to know about the religion.