Were the Founders of Baha’i Cult, Truth Seeking and Truth Accepting?

 Did the Bahais leaders try to spread, seek, and accept the truth, or did they try to hide and deny it? In order to seek the truth, one must initially investigate and probe, and then by relying on knowledge and reason, find the truth and try to act upon it.
However, not only did Bahaullah not give permission to Bahais to investigate, read, and listen to the words of the critics of Bahaism, but he also declared the authority of reason to be invalid and declared acknowledging Bahaism to be the criterion of being knowledgeable..
This is what Bahaullah says about reason:
Know that from now on, that which has reached your reason or will reach it, or is perceived by the reasons of [those with intellects] superior or inferior to yours, none are the criterion for recognizing the truth and will never be.43
He also says about knowledge:
If today, someone grasps all of the knowledge on earth but stops at the word yes (meaning does not become a Bahai), the Lord will not pay attention to him (ladi l-Haqq madhkūr na) and he will be considered as the most ignorant amongst the people. 44
Put more simply: If a scholar pauses and hesitates about acknowledging Bahaism, he is considered among the most ignorant of the people.
Does this statement from the founder of Bahaism agree with the notion of accepting and seeking the truth?
Do Bahais tell their audience that their Prophet considers non-Bahais to be ignorant? Of course not!
Instead, `Abd al-Bahā strongly advises the missionaries to be careful of their behavior so that they can have more influence on their audience. He says:
The divine principles in this luminous era are such that one must not insult anyone or attribute them to ignorance [by saying] that you do not know and I know. Rather, one must view everyone from a respectful perspective and must speak and argue from the viewpoint of seeking the truth. [They must say] come, there are several issues at hand, so let us seek the truth, and see how and why [it is so]. The missionary must not consider himself wise and others as ignorant. This thought will result in arrogance, and arrogance causes a lack of effectiveness; instead, one must not see any merit in himself and must speak with the maximum extent of kindness, humility, and humbleness. This kind of expression will be effective.45

How is it that Bahaullah calls non-Bahais ignorant but his son `Abd al-Bahā cautions missionaries away from insults and calling people ignorant?
Or when `Abd al-Bahā uttered the call of seeking the truth, had he forgotten that Bahaullah had ordered the seekers of the truth to refrain from hearing and reading the writings of others, whether they are knowledgeable or ignorant? Did Bahaullah not state that:
The wayfarers of the path of belief and the seekers of the cups of certainty must keep themselves clean and pure from all other values (shu'unāt ardiyya). This means they must keep their ears from hearing the words and keep their hearts from assumptions related to the words of glory and keep their soul from superficial causes and keep their eyes from seeing perishable words . . . for if a servant wants to follow the words, actions, and deeds of the servants-whether they be knowledgeable or ignorant-and make them a criterion for recognizing God [Haqq] and His friends, then they will never enter the Paradise of satisfaction (ridwān marifat) of the Lord of Glory.46
Put more simply: Those who seek faith and certitude must protect their ears eyes, heart, and soul from the words of others-whether those other people are knowledgeable or ignorant.
Is it part of the principle of seeking the truth to refrain from listening to the words of others-even those who are knowledgeable? Isnt listening to the sayings of others one of the necessities for seeking the truth? How is it that the Jews, Christians, and Muslims must put aside the words of their forefathers and seek the truth with open ears and eyes, but Bahais are not allowed to listen to anyones words? `Abd al-Bahā says:
The followers of Moses (i.e. Jews) have imitations (taqāleed), Zoroastrians have imitations, Christians have imitations, Buddhists have imitations, and every nation has imitations [and] thinks that its imitations are correct and the imitations of others are invalid. For example, the followers of Moses believe that their imitations are correct and the imitations of others are invalid. We want to find out which [imitations] are correct. [Obviously] not all imitations are correct. If we stick to an imitation it will prevent us from correctly investigating other [religions] imitations. For example, a Jewish person cannot understand that other [religions] are correct because he believes and sticks to the imitations of Judaism. Therefore, he must put aside the imitations and seek the truth and [think that] perhaps others might be right. Thus, until imitations are not put aside, the truth will not become manifest.47
Unfortunately, this is a prescription that has only been prescribed for non-Bahais. Bahaullah forbids his followers from hearing any sort of criticism about Bahaism; even if their critics criticize them using strong evidence and documents:
[Bahaullah says,] All of the Lovers of God (i.e. Bahais) must avoid anyone from whom they perceive the smell of hatred towards the Beauty of the Glory of Abha (jamāl izz abhā which refers to Bahaism or Bahaullah), even if they [argue by] speaking of all the verses and by clinging to all the books.Then he, glorified be his name, said, They should protect themselves with perfect protection, lest they fall to the trap of their deceptions and tricks. This is the advice of the Pen of Fate (qalam taqdīr). And in another speech he states, Rejecting such individuals has been-and will be-the closest way [of achieving] divine satisfaction, for their breath spreads like poison.48
Bahaullah has ordered Bahais not to speak with the critics of Bahaism. Why indeed?!
How can one claim to seek the truth, when they do not have permission to read and hear the words of the critics of Bahaism?
If someone is seeking the truth, shouldnt he have permission to study the criticisms made of Bahaism?
Why should a researcher of the truth not use the books that criticize Bahaism and not have the right to speak with anyone about the challenges facing Bahaism?

`Abd al-Bahā instructs the Bahais:
The Hands of the Cause of God must be ever watchful and so soon as they find anyone beginning to oppose and protest against the Guardian of the Cause of God, cast him out from the congregation of the people of Bahā and in no wise accept any excuse from him. How often hath grievous error been disguised in the garb of truth, that it might sow the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men!49
Ironically, the same `Abd al-Bahā that gives the order to expel his coreligionists says:
Kindness brings about life, separation brings about death.50

Which seeker of truth will not be stricken with questions, doubts, and misgivings in the beginning of this journey? If someone had a question regarding an issue and for finding a truth, and embarked on research and analysis, must they be considered an apostate and kicked out of ones community? Is the meaning of seeking the truth in the Bahai creed, closing the door of research from the truth seeker and preventing his or her questioning and protests? Bahaullah says:

No pleasure has been created in the world greater than listening to the verses [brought by Bahaullah] and understanding their meanings and not objecting to or questioning any of the words and comparing them with the words of others.51
This saying of Bahaullah clearly contradicts the first and most important principle of the Bahai faith. By this account, the leaders of Bahaism want their followers to be like sheep52 that close their eyes and ears to anything other than the words of Bahaism and only listen to their utterances and refrain from comparing them with any other words. In another instance Bahaullah says:
Become blind so that you see my face, become deaf so that you hear my pleasant tone and voice, become ignorant so that you get a share of my knowledge, and become poor so that you can take an everlasting portion from the sea of my eternal riches. Become blind means [see] nothing but my beauty and become deaf means [hear] nothing but my words and become ignorant means [have no knowledge] but my knowledge, so that with a pure eye and clean heart and fine ear you come to my sanctified realm.53
Bahaullah has ordered Bahais to become blind, deaf, and ignorant, so that they do not see, hear, or understand anything other than he deems fit! The Quran-the same book that Bahaullah had adhered to for years-had already warned about having such beliefs:
Say: Are the blind and seeing equal? Do you not contemplate?54
What kind of truth seeking is this that requires oneto become blind, deaf, and ignorant, and only entrust their heart to the claimant of truth, so that they enter his sanctified realm?
Is this decree anything but a clear contradiction of the principles which the Bahais preach with pride?
We already mentioned at the beginning of this topic that Bahaullah even considers the authority of reason and intellect to be invalid:
Know that from now on, that which has reached your reason or will reach it, or is perceived by the reasons of [those with intellects] superior or inferior to yours, none are the criterion for recognizing the truth and will never be.55
By this account, whoever seeks the truth should not listen to anything, should not see anything, and should not think, learn, or ponder. Is it by this formula that one becomes a true Bahai!?

When all of the standards, measures, and criterion to discover the truth are taken away from a person, how and with what tools can they perceive the truth about Bahaism?
What kind of truth-seeking formula is this that does not put any toolset at the service of a person, and in the end, ultimately expects belief and certainty? What kind of truth-seeking do the followers of Bahaism pride upon themselves and their religion?
In Bahaism, it is taught that every individual must personally choose their beliefs after reaching the age of religious maturity (15 years for both girls and boys)56. Bahaullah says:
When humans attain the rank of [religious] maturity they must investigate . . . and [they] must hear and see with their own ears and eyes.57
Those that preach these beliefs with great enthusiasm to non-Bahai youth, never tell their audience that the tools and criterion to determine the truth will be taken away from them. They never mention that soon they must become blind and deaf. They must not think nor criticize. Thus, they turn away from intellect, reason, and understanding and follow the path of those which they zealously criticized.
Such beliefs are not strange when one considers that Bahaism is in essence born out of Bābism which itself is utterly against seeking the truth and knowledge. For example, one of the Babs orders was the destruction of all non-Bābi books.58 Furthermore, the Bāb ordered:

Teaching a book other than the book of Bayān is not allowed unless it has in it what is related to theology (kalām). [Teaching] those [sciences] which have been invented such as logic (mantiq), principles [of Jurisprudence] (usul), and other [sciences], is not permitted for those who have faith.59
The book Bayān, which was written by the Bāb is considered the divine book of the BābTs. This book was initially written in Arabic and was later written with more explanation and detail in Farsi. The Arabic version was supposed to be revealed in 19 units and 19 chapters but was only completed to the eleventh unit. The Farsi version was more incomplete than the Arabic and was written until the tenth chapter of the eleventh unit.
As we saw, the Bāb had ordered that nothing be taught other than his own books and had ordered for the destruction of most other books. The Bāb did not suffice with this order. He ordered that anything non-BābT be destroyed, whether it be places of worship, graves, or even people60, so that one world would remain with only one leader and only one religion called Bābism!

43 Baha’u’llah, Bac£' (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 286. What Baha’u’llah says here is in contrast with what his son `Abd al-Bahâ says: “If you seek divine recognition ('irfdn ildhî) . . . refer to intellectual and written (naqlî) arguments,” `Abd al-Bahâ, Makdtib (n.p. [probably Tehran]: Mu’assisiyi MillTMatbu at Amrf, 134 Bad!`), vol. 8, pp. 119 -120.
44    Baha’u’llah, Iqtidârât wa chand lauh dlgar, (n.p.: n.p., n.d.), p. 111.
45    'Abd al-Bahâ, MakaGb (Egypt: Matba at al-Kurdistân al-'Ilmiyya [Published by Faraj-Allâh DhakI al-Kurdî], 1328 AH), vol. 1, pp. 355.
46 Baha’u’llah, Îqân, 1st ed. (Hofheim [Germany]: Mu’assisiyi Matbu ât Baha’1 Âlmân, 1998), pp. 2-3. Because of obvious flaws in the official Baha’i translation, we have translated this section ourselves and have not used the official Baha’i translation.—Ed.
47 'Abd al-Hamîd Ishrâq Ktawarî, Payâm malakût, p.17 (citing 'Abd al-Bahâ).
48    `Abd a l-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, GanjTniyi hudiid wa ahkdm, 3rd ed. (Tehran: Mu’assisiyi Mill! Matbu at Amrt, 128 Bad!`), chap. 70, p. 450.
49    `Abd al-Bahâ, The Will and Testament of 'Abdu’l-Bahd [sic] (US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1990), p. 12, http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/WT/wt-1.html
50    `Abd al-Bahâ, Khatdbdt (Egypt), vol.1, p. 153.
51    Baha’u’llah, Badî` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 145.
52    Baha’u’llah and `Abd al-Bahâ have in numerous places referred to their followers as Aghnâm Allâh (Sheep of God).
53    Baha’u’llah, Ad`iyyi hadrat mahbûb (Egypt: Published by Faraj-Allâh DhakI al-Kurdî, 1339 AH), pp. 427–428.
54    Quran 6:50.
55    Baha’u’llah, Bad` (Tehran: n.p., n.d.), p. 286.
56    “A question [was asked] about the age of religious maturity; answer: maturity is in the fifteenth year and both women and women are the same regarding this matter,” `Abd a l-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, Ganfiniyi hudûd wa ahkâm, chap. 1, p. 14.
57    `Abd al-Hamîd Ishrâq Khâwarî, Payâm malakût, p.11 (citing Baha’u’llah).
58    This is the name of one the chapters in Bab’s Bayân Fârsr: “Chapter six of the sixth unit which is about destroying all books but those that have been written or will be written about this order (meaning the Bab’s creed).”
59    `All Muhammad Bâb, Bayân Fârsî, unit 4, chap. 10.
60    “It was uttered in the day of the appearance of his Highness Alâ (meaning the Bâb) to behead, burn the books, destroy the monuments, and massacre [everyone] but those who believed [in the Bâb’s religion] and verified it,” `Abd al-Bahâ, Makâtlb (Egypt: 1330 AH), vol. 2, p. 266.


 

Why were they killed ?

Why so many Babis were killed in Iran?

One reason according to Abdul Baha may be :
 It was uttered in the day of the appearance of his Highness A'la (meaning the Bab) to behead, burn the books, destroy the monuments, and massacre (everyone) but those who believed (in the Bab's religion) and verified it.
(Makateeb Abdul Baha, Egypt 1330 A.H., Vol. 2, Page 266)

The Jihad of Babis in the Fort of Tabarsi.

http://reference.bahai.org/download/ma2-fa-pdf.zip

Rob Weinberg, trustee of the Friends of the Haifa Foundation UK, is not an average north-west Jewish Londoner: he is in fact a Bahá’í, who grew up in Canterbury.

By Simon Rocker, May 27, 2009

Rob Weinberg overlooking Haifa’s stunning Bahai Gardens

You might not think twice about a name like “Weinberg” among supporters of a new Israel-linked charity.

But Rob Weinberg, trustee of the Friends of the Haifa Foundation UK, is not your average north-west Jewish Londoner: he is in fact a Bahá’í, who grew up in Canterbury.

He was recruited to the charity by Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks — sister-in-law of Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks — who set it up to promote the city as a symbol of multifaith harmony.

Often celebrated as a model of peaceful existence between Jews and Arabs, Haifa is especially significant for Bahá’ís, who have their international headquarters on Mount Carmel. The Bahá’í Gardens, one of the city’s leading tourist attractions, contains the shrine of the Bab, the spiritual mentor of the founder of the faith, Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’u’lláh, exiled from his native Iran, himself is buried in Akko where he died in 1892.

“I know Haifa very well and have spent a lot of a time there,” said Mr Weinberg. “It’s a beautiful city with a special atmosphere.”

His father, originally from South Africa, and his mother, from Stamford Hill, London, are both Jews who adopted the Bahá’í faith, a universalist monotheism that sees a fundamental unity underlying all the great religions. “When you become a Bahá’í, you are not rejecting your past or your heritage,” Mr Weinberg said. “You are opening yourself to a bigger picture.”

His faith and family origins give him “a very special connection” to Haifa, he said. “I go every few months to work in the public information office of the Bahá’í World Centre. When I was 18, I went to work in the Gardens – which made me realise I was not cut out for gardening and hot weather.”

A radio music producer and author of a forthcoming guide to film music, who lives in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Mr Weinberg is now a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís in the UK. Among the 6,000 community in Britain are a number of Iranian Jewish background who left Iran after the Khomeni revolution in the 1970s.

“The Jewish community has expressed great support for the Bahá’ís who are facing severe persecution in Iran and some other countries in the Middle East,” Mr Weinberg said.

Continues......


Source :
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/getting-big-picture

200 Bahai faith followers live in Lahore, Pakistan (thenews.pk)

LAHORE: At least 200 followers of the Bahaí faith currently reside here in Lahore. While banned from practising their religion and studying in Iran’s educational institutions, Pakistan’s Bahai population is grateful for the equal status and freedom provided to them by the Government of Pakistan.

The Baha'i Community of Pakistan celebrating their Holy Day in Swimming Pool
Pakistani Baha'i teaching "Moral Lessons" to Non-Baha'i children in a Baha'i Centre
This correspondent paid a visit to Lahore’s only Bahai centre, situated in a quiet corner on the Goulding Road near Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Sunday. Every Sunday, a local spiritual assembly (LSA) of Bahai people meet to discuss new activities in fields regarding social welfare and education. Bahai assemblies are also functioning in Quetta and Karachi, with the Bahai Grand National Assembly located in Islamabad.

Baha'i Hall, Karachi

According to their founder Bahaullah’s book of laws called Kitab-i-Aqdas, wherever nine or more Bahai followers are found, an elected council or an LSA must be set up to serve the community. As the Bahai faith has no ordained clergy or priestly institutions, the LSA organises religious activities and holidays.

Talking to The News, a female gynecologist and member of the LSA traced her family’s journey to Pakistan in the 1980s. Both her parents belong to Iran and are of Persian descent. Though faced with persecution under the Shah Pahlavi’s regime, new laws passed under the 1979 revolutionary government of Ayatollah Khomeini banned the Bahai people from attending universities, working in government jobs, and burying their dead. Incidents of illegal police raids, ransacking of homes, graveyard desecration and destruction of Bahai centres became popular in post-1979 Iran.

For more details on Kitab-i-Aqdas (the most holy books of Baha'is) please check :
http://kitab-i-aqdas.info/Aqdas_Bahai_Slumdog_Faith_Hoodie.html

According to a female member, her Iranian father was a university professor before he was dismissed from his job. Due to the security concerns, they decided to shift to Pakistan soon after the laws were passed and were granted political asylum under General Ziaul Haq government in 1980.

Settled in Lahore and working as a gynecologist, the female LSA member said she was invited to participate in interfaith meetings in Lahore and never faced religious discrimination in her daily life. According to a male representative, a cemetery for Bahai people in Lahore was allotted to them by the District City Government Lahore and was situated here near the University of Education Township campus.
Baha'i Study Circle in Azerbaijan


As the faith is open to conversion and welcomes people of all faiths to acquire knowledge through its impressive libraries, conversion to Bahai faith in Pakistan can be traced to the years and decades before the arrival of Iranian Bahai people in the country. Talking to The News, a female member narrated her conversion to Bahaism. Her father, in pre-partition Lahore, was fond of reading the scriptures of other religions and encouraged his children to follow in his path. The female LSA member, a Bahai convert accompanied her father on a trip to a Bahai centre in the city and soon became interested in the teachings of Bahaullah. Thereafter, she joined the community and now serves as an elected member of the Local Spiritual Assembly (LSA). Though the Bahai faith has no institutional clergy, there are laws and social customs which regulate the lives of Bahai people.

As per the International Bahai Council and consensus within the community, followers of Bahaullah are restricted from entering politics and filling leadership positions.

Some Pakistani Baha'is Singing & Dancing

Speaking on this subject, a male LSA member said the purpose behind this was to prevent disunity within the faith on account of rival political alliances and desire of power. Despite voting in Pakistan’s numerous elections, Bahai people are not encouraged to disclose their choice of political parties. Worldwide voting for all Bahai assemblies takes place through secret ballots and campaigning for seats in the assemblies is strictly prohibited as per Bahai scripture, according to LSA members in Lahore.

The Bahai Gardens in Haifa, Israel bear special importance for Bahai people as they surround the Shrine of Bab where the remains of their prophet Bab was buried after his execution in modern-day Iran. Yet, members of the Bahai Local Spiritual Assembly (LSA) in Lahore have accepted without reservations the travel ban placed on all Pakistanis by the Government of Pakistan to Israel.

Kishen Manocha with Late Shahbaz Bhatti

Kishen Manocha (with Robert Weinberg, who works in Baha'i World Centre Haifa) is a Baha'i from Pakistan who is a frequent traveler to Israel.
He and his Pakistani 'Professor' friend have good contacts with the government officials in Pakistan.
A female LSA member present said it was in the teachings of Bahaullah to respect the laws of the countries where they reside and to be patriotic citizens. She regretted the discriminatory treatment of Bahai people in Iran but said violence should not be met with violence and prayers are regularly offered for the welfare of their Iranian brethren.

News Source :
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-245571-200-Bahai-faith-followers-live-in-Lahore

Images From :
http://bahaiculture.blogspot.com

عبدالحميد معصومي تهراني - ديدار با خانواده‌ی مجيد دری

On the advice of Haifan Baha'is Great Ayatollah Abdol Hamid visits the Family of Majid Dorri (A Political Prisoner in Iran)



سخني با عبد الحميد معصومي تهراني از حسن ارشاد ( ناصر الدين )

Moslem advice to the 'Great Ayatollah'

Naser Naseredin (Hasan Irshad) to Ayatollah Masoumi Tehrani


سخني با عبد الحميد
معصومي تهراني
از حسن ارشاد
( ناصر الدين )
مطالب طرح شده در پالتاک روم تحري حقيقت - نقد بهائیت

Also Check :
http://masoumi-tehrani-exposed.blogspot.com

Molestation and Divorce in the Baha'i Community. Real story of a 4th generation Baha'i.


I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but have been too afraid. This questionnaire about divorce in the Baha'i community pushed me over the edge and helped me to decide to share my story. For me, I have a very personal and deep relationship with the Baha'i Faith and divorce.

I am at least a fourth generation Baha'i on both sides of my family (which is pretty rare). In fact, on my father's side it goes back all the way to Baha'u'llah himself. My great great... grandfather was the personal physician to Him. So this story and the decisions I made after it were very difficult for me as I have some deeply ingrained beliefs from the faith that I still hold to this day.

The divorce between my parents was absolutely awful, and I believe was worsened by the Year of Patience and by my local LSA's attempt to handle it. In the Faith couples who want to divorce are asked to go through a Year of Patience and counseling by your local LSA on a continuing basis. My father is a very sick and mentally ill person who sexually molested and attacked our entire family including myself, my brother, and my mother. He was born and raised in Iran, and comes from a very famous lineage of Persian Baha'i's. In fact, as far as I know he continues to be employed by the Faith at one of the Baha'i institutions (I'm not going to name which one for his sake.. even though I don't believe he deserves the cloak of secrecy). He was incredibly devout and still is. He used to tell me that God talked to him and that God told him what I was doing at all times and used this concept to control his entire family.

So when my mom finally built up the strength and courage to leave him (which was only brought up by our non-Baha'i friends), she had to go through the Year of Patience and counseling by the LSA. Essentially this led to my mother having to stay in regular contact with an incredibly abusive and scary man, and the entire session when the LSA was trying to figure out why my mother was leaving him, she refused to divulge the real reason because of my father's death threats towards herself and us children if she told anyone. And because the entire LSA loved my father for his lineage and for his devoutness to the Faith, the scene that was painted was that my mom was some kind of irreconcilable bitch who just wanted a divorce and my father was heartbroken when in reality he was/is an absolute psycho. My mother knew that even if she told them what was really going on, they just wouldn't believe her. And based on my interactions with other Baha'i's who still interact with him, this love for him continues. It makes me sick to my stomach.

I know this isn't the average for the normal Baha'i family, but I believe that having to go week after week, month after month to be berated by her local LSA for not "wanting to work it out" and my father sitting there so smugly watching the scene unfold was what eventually wore her down to leave the Faith. And yes I know counseling by the LSA is voluntary, but not when your husband threatens you with violence if you don't comply. He was punishing her for leaving by making her sit through that unimaginable hell.

I mean there were times with the LSA would leave our house, my mother would leave the house sobbing in tears, and an hour later my dad would be banging a prostitute in our shower while me and my brother were home. He is just so... sick, crazy, whatever you want to call it. And he is currently "serving the Faith" and everyone loves him and raves about how great and devout he is. And no, he's not trying to change. He's using the Faith to manipulate others and make them feel small. As my brother struggles through drug addictions and multiple arrests, my father sits back and does nothing except to say "I will pray for him."

And I am so mad. I don't believe marriage is a club. It involves the two people who made the vows and that's it. It doesn't involve a highly skewed assembly of nine looking down their noses at the initiator and shaming them into staying together. It should involve a TRAINED PROFESSIONAL counselor and no judgement from anyone.

So as you can see, I am very jaded and do not currently identify myself as a Baha'i in good standing. I have never signed "my card," but I do miss some beautiful aspects of the faith. Other parts still make me sick to think about. My father has ruined my faith for me, and I really don't think I can ever come back officially. But I still read from the prayer books and occasionally look to the texts for guidance. I still have prayers memorized that I use. But I feel so angry that my father ripped my faith from me.

Coming to terms with my abuse and subsequent parts of my life have really defined me and helped me to become the person I am today. I cannot return to the Faith while keeping the identity of my father cloaked. And I do know he is now somewhat significant to about half of the country as far as his name is concerned. I'm actually concerned I may have already said too much to identify him.

But if anyone out there has any words of encouragement, advice, anything, it would be greatly appreciated. I am not trying to smear the Faith. I love most parts of it, and still believe in God and still try to bring myself closer to him everyday. But I feel pushed out and spiritually isolated.

Source : http://www.reddit.com/r/bahai/comments/231cor/because_of_a_recent_post_about_divorce_in_the/

Image Courtesy : www.dosomething.org

UHJ is interested in having more Martyrs from Iran!

'Great' Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani gifts a writing of Baha'u'llah to the Haifan UHJ
 
To,
The Bahá’ís of the World
Allah u Abha
In a very recent incidence as mentioned by UHJ in letter dated 7 April 2014 that an Iranian senior cleric has presented to the Bahá’ís of the world, an exquisite calligraphic prepared by him of a passage in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas wherein Baha'u'llah calls upon His followers to: “Consort with all religions with amity and concord, that they may inhale from you the sweet fragrance of God.” 
The letter requested the Bahá’ís to contact their Office of External Affairs to take immediate steps, in consultation with individuals and like-minded organizations, to draw widespread attention to it. The Office of External Affairs was also to call upon its contacts in the mass media, as well as Bahá’ís and others with whom it has established relationships and who have achieved distinction in such fields. The letter assured the Bahá’ís that alongside the foregoing action, the Bahá’í International Community, will be apprising its contacts at the United Nations and among international non-governmental agencies of the significance of this gift. The UHJ also hoped that The Brussels Office of the Bahá’í International Community will, in addition, pursue related action at the level of the European Union.

Surprisingly the letter further states that “Given the considerable risk to the personal freedom and safety of Ayatollah Masoumi-Tehrani on account of this courageous act, the fact that people of prominence in the political, religious, and civil spheres express their support publicly, may well serve as a protection for him. Your Office of External Affairs may consider making approaches to some of its high-level contacts in government and elsewhere on this matter, on a confidential basis.”

I have been a member of NSA of an Eastern country for almost twenty years and since then every month I see a Message from House asking the Bahá’ís to meet the prominent people or government officials or writing open letters to Iranian leaders. It surprises me that what is the purpose of this. It looks like the UHJ has no concern with the teachings of Baha’u’llah and its just involved in political matters. And then claims that Bahá’ís do not indulge in politics.

The recent letter of the UHJ has many unexplained points:
  1. Even if the said cleric has gifted his calligraphy to the Bahá’ís, then it is a gesture. Why  the Government of Iran should eliminate him and moreover in which way the governments of other countries are concerned with it. Isn’t the UHJ itself is suggesting the government of Iran to take some action against the cleric? It looks like the UHJ is playing a part of clever enemy and not a good friend for the cleric inspite of his gesture. UHJ by this way is really putting the life of the said cleric in danger. UHJ is not trying to PROTECT the cleric they want to further EXPOSE the cleric to the Iranian authority. 
  2. The UHJ is trying to make this incidence as an excuse of meeting various governments’ officials and influential people. I guess that the Bahá’ís must have informed and UHJ must have realized that the Government officials of various countries are no more interested in meeting them and are refusing to give any hearing to Bahá’ís. The declining support of countries towards various motion tabled by western countries on human right issue is an indication towards it.
  3. My Persian Bahá’í friends who echoed same sentiments regarding this letter believed that this recent incident is fake, the Website is fake and it is operated from outside Iran. He said that this will put further restrictions on Bahá’ís and Bahá’í Faith. He narrated a recent incident that a couple of months back there was a news originated from some corners that an Iranian Mollah has praised Bahá’í Faith on Iranian TV. He said that we investigated the matter and found that the whole news is fictitious. When he talked to other Bahá’ís they were of the opinion that Bahá’ís themselves are putting these fake news on internet to get some publicity for them and putting their own Bahá’í brothers under more problems. He further said UHJ is interested in having more Martyrs from Iran.
  4. A Persian Bahá’í recently informed me that he has come to certain conclusion that It was only UHJ who was interested in death sentence for Yaran so they could easily gather money from the Bahá’ís of the World. But the Iranian government acted smartly and waved off their death sentence and destroyed the Party of UHJ.
  5. Never UHJ has taken some concrete steps to help the Bahá’ís of Iran. Whatever steps they took resulted in increased persecution of Bahá’ís.
  6. Same policy UHJ has followed in other countries resulting in imprisonment of Bahá’ís in Indonesia, deportation in Uzbekistan arrest in India. The list is endless.
  7. Isn’t it is the responsibility of parent body to see that if the situation is not favorable in some parts of the world to ask Bahá’ís to slow down their activities till the situation turns favorable but always the Messages of the House and directives of the counselors are “Go to Court” , “Go to police”, register a complaint. Even a layman will understand that UHJ is interested in blowing the situation out of control so as to gain some benefit and in return Bahá’ís are put to more harassment, in the name of reforming and transformation of the society. Really is the Blood of Bahá’ís become so cheap!!!.
  8. He was very apprehensive of certain Iranian members of the UHJ whom he thinks are misguiding the UHJ and probably they are more close to Iranian Government then the teachings of Baha’u’llah. Instead of taking inspirations from the writings of Baha’u’llah they are being directed by friends of Iranian regime on regular basis.
  9. The problem of the Bahá’í world are Persian Bahá’ís. They make a group, they decide amongst themselves they dictate terms, they humiliate non-Persian Bahá’ís in every country, make mockery of them and all of them are interconnected to each other. If this tendency went unchecked then very soon we will see all nine members of UHJ as Persians. We will see an Iranian flag over UHJ and the same Ayatollah leading Friday prayers in Haifa.
Source : http://singaporebahais.blogspot.co.nz
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