Sebuah surat terbuka kepada Menteri Agama, Pak Lukman Hakim Saifuddin

Terhormat Menteri Agama
Mr Lukman Hakim Saifuddin
Jakarta, Indonesia.

Sayang Bruder dalam Islam,

Assalamu Alaikum,

Mungkin saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk berharap Anda dan keluarga Anda yang terbaik Idul Fitri. Semoga Allah (swt) mandi karunia yang tak terhitung banyaknya Nya pada Bangsa dan mungkin Ia tetap Nation ini aman dari plot musuh.

Hari ini saya membaca berita di "Jakarta Globe" tentang Baha'i Agama.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/new-religious-affairs-minister-supports-state-recognition-bahai-religion/

Saya ingin membawa ke perhatian dan terhormat bahwa seseorang memberi Anda informasi yang salah tentang agama Baha'i. Saya pikir beberapa LSM Internasional atau Human Rights badan atau beberapa tokoh terkemuka dari negara-negara imperialis telah mengambil manfaat dari kesederhanaan dan kepolosan.

Biarkan saya memberitahu Anda, Sir, bahwa Baha'isme (agama Baha'i) adalah sebuah cabang dari Islam, seperti Ahmadiyah (Qadiyanis). Satu-satunya perbedaan adalah bahwa mereka menyebut diri mereka 'Baha'i' dan non-muslim. Tujuan utama mereka adalah untuk menghancurkan Islam dan demi misi ini mereka mendapatkan dukungan besar dari setiap negara imperialis. Jadilah itu Israel, Amerika atau Inggris.

Mereka memiliki jaringan yang luas dari LSM dan jaringan sangat berpengaruh pendukung di seluruh dunia Barat. Dan saya yakin bahwa beberapa dari mereka berada dalam kontak dengan Anda. Mereka menyajikan gambar yang sangat optimis dari "Iman" dan menipu orang yang tidak bersalah dengan memberikan informasi yang salah dan setengah kebenaran. Ini bukan agama melainkan sekte dan sangat berbahaya bagi seluruh dunia.

Meskipun mereka menyebut diri Non-Muslim namun tetap saja mereka adalah bahaya bagi umat Islam dan kemanusiaan.

karena:

1) Tujuan utama mereka adalah untuk membentuk "New World Order" Pemerintah Universal yang akan memerintah dari Haifa, Israel.

2) Semua pemerintah akan diambil alih oleh tubuh ini dan setiap-satu akan harus mematuhi tubuh ini (UHJ) sekali NWO ini didirikan. Tak seorang pun memiliki hak untuk mempertanyakan tubuh ini.

3) Mereka bertindak seolah-olah; mereka telah tertangkap tangan di banyak negara sebagai akibat mereka telah dimasukkan ke dalam observasi ketat oleh mereka. Mereka memiliki 'Program Konversi'; mereka menyebutnya "4 Kegiatan Inti". Mereka mengatakan bahwa ini adalah program spiritual dan moral bagi semua orang, tapi ini sebenarnya adalah sebuah program untuk mendapatkan lebih banyak bertobat. Mereka menabur benih Bahaism dalam pikiran bersalah anak-anak dan pemuda junior. Mereka juga mengubah individu berpikiran sederhana melalui Program ini. Orang-orang ini kemudian digunakan untuk membawa lebih banyak bertobat.

4) Mereka bijaksana mengambil uang dari mereka dan mengirimkannya ke Israel yang lagi channelised untuk kegiatan konversi yang lebih. Tubuh Agung mereka, UHJ mengatakan:

"Kebutuhan utama saat ini, kami percaya, adalah untuk teman-teman (Baha'i) harus didorong untuk memahami dan menerima tanggung jawab yang terletak pada setiap pengikut sejati-hati Iman (Bahaism) untuk menerapkan prinsip-prinsip hukum dengan rincian spesifik kondisinya sendiri. Para anggota institusi Anda (Huququllah - Money Collection Cabang Baha'i Faith), melalui komentar yang bijak dan bijaksana dan penjelasan, dapat membantu mereka untuk melakukan hal ini, sementara menahan diri dari mengerahkan, atau muncul untuk mengerahkan, segala bentuk tekanan ".

-Dari surat tertanggal 13 November 1992 yang ditulis oleh Universal House of Justice kepada Trustee Huqúqu'lláh, Tangan Penyebab Ali-Muhammad Varqá Allah '.

Agama Baha'i di Israel - Klik untuk perbesar

5) Mereka merusak budaya Muslim. Meskipun mereka berbicara tentang Spiritualitas, Doa dan Moralitas tetapi mereka berlawanan ini. Mereka memberitakan "Unity" & "Kesetaraan Jenis Kelamin" tapi persatuan dan persamaan ini hasil dalam kegiatan tidak bermoral dan tidak senonoh. Gadis-gadis muda dan anak laki-laki termotivasi untuk berinteraksi satu sama lain dengan cara yang tidak bermoral. Banyak skandal seksual mereka terbuka di internet bahkan Pemimpin Baha'i terlibat dalam kasus kawin lari.

6) Sampai saat mereka tidak diakui mereka berusaha untuk pengakuan, tapi begitu mereka diakui, mereka mulai pressurizing pemerintah melalui berbagai badan internasional dan mulai bekerja mereka spionase dan proselityzation. Mereka membuka Sekolah, Akademi, membangun kuil-kuil dan membentuk berbagai jenis LSM untuk memenuhi agenda mereka memperoleh Sumber Daya Manusia. Sumber Daya Manusia ini digunakan untuk mendapatkan lebih banyak bertobat. Dan semua ini dilakukan menipu di bawah pakaian Pendidikan Moral, Program Pemberdayaan Spiritual, Anak-anak Kelas dan Rapat Renungan. Bahan Baha'i yang diajarkan kepada para peserta dan secara bertahap seluruh keluarga dikonversi.

7) Mereka mencoba untuk mendapatkan popularitas melalui berbagai stunts. Mereka meminta Pemerintah Holidays Opsional untuk siswa Baha'i, pengakuan Baha'i Nikah, kuburan dan segala sesuatu agama adalah dibutuhkan. Meskipun ini bukan agama tapi sebuah sekte dan pendirinya adalah agen kekuatan imperialis di seluruh dunia, mereka didukung oleh Imperialis kemudian Rusia, hari ini mereka mendapatkan dukungan dari Amerika Serikat, Inggris dan Zionis Israel.

8) Mereka telah menciptakan perselisihan di banyak negara seperti, India, Mesir, Iran, Irak, Uzbekistan, dan Indonesia.

9) Mereka sangat terkenal karena menyajikan statistik yang tidak tepat kepada masyarakat dan pemerintah untuk memperoleh manfaat dan menunjukkan kemurahan hati mereka.

10) Statistik ini berguna dalam mendapatkan pengakuan di suatu negara. Mereka juga mendapatkan dukungan penuh dari berbagai LSM ramah dan pemerintah khususnya Inggris dan Amerika Serikat. Mereka juga sangat aktif di PBB dan berbagai organisasi HAM. Mereka juga mendapatkan dukungan penuh dari Kedutaan Amerika di setiap Negara.

11) Mereka telah dilarang di banyak negara karena kegiatan spionase mereka. Mereka mengumpulkan data dari setiap negara dan mengirimkannya ke Israel. Data ini mencakup wilayah sensus bijaksana, nama-nama tokoh terkemuka, afiliasi mereka dan bagaimana mereka harus didekati dan bagaimana Baha'i dapat mengambil manfaat dari mereka. Di India seorang Baha'i Counselor (Leader) tertangkap basah oleh polisi yang mencoba untuk melewati beberapa informasi sensitif terhadap Israel dan Iran. Di Indonesia mereka telah memilih Yang Mulia.

12) Di Amerika beberapa Baha'is dituduh menjadi germo karena mereka yang ditemukan terlibat dalam memasok gadis. Di Kanada, seorang pelaku seksual Baha'i dihukum adalah anggota dari badan nasional mereka (NSA). Sama di Australia dan berbagai negara Afrika.

13) Mereka adalah orang-orang munafik terbesar di dunia. Mereka menyebut untuk Hak Asasi Manusia dan Kesetaraan tetapi mereka benar-benar mengambil sisi Israel dalam kejahatan terhadap kemanusiaan. Mereka tidak pernah mengutuk Israel. Sir, Jika mereka adalah Agama independen, meminta mereka untuk mengutuk Israel tentang apa yang mereka lakukan untuk anak-anak di Gaza dan melihat respon memalukan mereka.

14) Mereka tidak mengubah (dan tidak diperbolehkan untuk rahasia) Israel untuk Bahaism. Tapi mereka mencoba untuk mengubah setiap orang lain dengan taktik apapun yang mereka bisa. Mereka mengatakan mereka percaya pada Alquran, tetapi mereka tidak percaya Nabi Muhammad (s.) menjadi meterai utusan. Mereka percaya pada kematian Islam dan mereka secara terbuka mendukung hak orang Yahudi kembali ke Palestina dan menduduki tanah mereka secara ilegal. Mereka mendapatkan dukungan penuh dari pemerintah Israel dan Tubuh Agung mereka (UHJ) secara teratur memperbarui pemerintah Israel kegiatan di seluruh dunia, terutama dari negara-negara Muslim.

15) Mereka sangat aktif di Indonesia dan mereka telah dikonversi banyak Muslim yang tidak bersalah untuk kultus mereka menipu. Menurut salah satu Mr Rais yang Sekretariat Baha'i di Indonesia, sudah ada 1000s Baha'i di Indonesia.

16) Saya ingin membawa ke perhatian Anda bahwa beberapa tahun yang lalu pengadilan Indonesia menjatuhkan hukuman dua Baha'i untuk kegiatan keagamaan ilegal mereka dan mengkonversi Muslim Indonesia untuk Bahaism.

17) Mereka tidak percaya pada Allah. Sebaliknya, mereka berpaling sepenuhnya pada Universal House of Justice (UHJ) di Israel yang adalah Tubuh Agung Baha'i, dipimpin oleh 9 orang laki-laki yang semuanya dipandu oleh Badan intelijen Israel. Tentang tubuh ini, mereka percaya:

Sebagai Abdul Baha (Baha'i Leader) Says:

... Itu adalah di bawah perawatan dan perlindungan Abha Kecantikan (Bahá'u'lláh), di bawah naungan dan bimbingan tepat His Holiness (Bahá'u'lláh), yang Maha Satu (mungkin hidupku akan ditawarkan untuk mereka berdua ). Apapun mereka (UHJ) memutuskan adalah Allah. Siapa obeyeth dia tidak, tidak obeyeth mereka, hantu tidak mentaati Allah; barangsiapa rebelleth terhadap dirinya dan terhadap mereka beroleh memberontak terhadap Allah; barangsiapa opposeth dia beroleh menentang Allah; barangsiapa contendeth dengan mereka beroleh berpendapat dengan Tuhan; barangsiapa disputeth dengan dia Maha disengketakan dengan Tuhan; barangsiapa menyangkal dia Maha membantah Allah; barangsiapa kafir di dalam Dia Maha kafir kepada Allah; barang siapa deviateth, separateth dirinya dan bertobat selain dari dia kerasukan sebenarnya menyimpang, memisahkan diri dan menyimpang dari Tuhan. Semoga murka, kemarahan sengit, pembalasan Allah beristirahat pada-Nya!
'Abdul-Baha, The Will dan Perjanjian dari' Abdu'l-Baha, ayat 17

Jadi "Agama Baha'i" harus tidak pernah diakui. Semua kegiatan tersebut harus dilarang. Jika tidak dilarang, pemerintah harus ketat mengawasi semua kegiatan mereka. Semua komunikasi mereka dengan Israel atau mereka Kontinental Counselor harus diperiksa. Jika hal ini tidak dilakukan pada waktu yang ditentukan maka hari ini tidak jauh ketika ada kekacauan lebih di Indonesia. Kasus Mr Syahroni Lampung Timur tidak boleh dilupakan.

Mereka benar-benar menghina Islam dan ada tidak dapat ditoleransi dalam Masyarakat Islam.


Melalui surat ini, Pak, saya meminta Anda untuk silahkan memahami bahwa ini adalah kultus yang mengklaim sebagai Independen Agama. Pemerintah Indonesia sama sekali tidak berkewajiban untuk mengenali mereka sebagai minoritas. Tampaknya ada pasti beberapa informasi yang salah atau tekanan dari lembaga asing yang terlibat di sini. Pemerintah Indonesia harus cerdik mengatasi orang ini jika tidak benar-benar berjalan ke tangan musuh-musuh mereka.

Diterjemahkan secara otomatis dengan Google

Religious Affairs Ministry in Indonesia still acknowledges only Six religions. Baha'is excluded.

Mr. Lukman Hakim Saifuddin,
Newly appointed Religious Affairs Minister of Indonesia

The new religious affairs minister has indicated that the Baha’i religion should be the seventh religion to be recognized by Indonesia as an official faith.

Baha’ism was banned in Indonesia from 1962 until former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid lifted the ban in 2000.

Newly appointed Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said that Baha’i followers were scattered across the country and there are 220 in Banyuwangi, 100 in Jakarta, 100 in Medan, 98 in Surabaya, 80 in Palopo, 50 in Bandung and 30 in Malang.

But according to the Baha’i secretariat in Indonesia, Mr. Rais :

“There are thousands of Baha’i followers in Indonesia, but there is no exact number,” (as told to the Jakarta Globe on Friday, 25th July 2014).

Lecturer at the Center for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies at the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Zainal Abidin Bagir, said Lukman’s acknowledgement of Baha’i would mean that it would no longer be deemed blasphemous.

Separately, Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar refused to comment on whether the government would recognize Baha’i as a religion in the near future.

Home Minister, Gamawan Fauzi said that although the two ministries were in discussion his ministry still acknowledged only the six religions.

The Danger of Bahaism in Qatar - البهـائية طائفة خطرة موجــوده في قطـر


Recently Haifan Baha'is deceived
Dr. 'Abdu'l-Hamid Al-Ansari, (a former dean in
Islamic studies and law at the University of Qatar)
by presenting him the case of
fake Ayatollah Masoumi Tehrani of Iran and then
taking Baha'i Favoring statements from him
and publicizing them.
The Bahá’í Religion in Qatar has its origins in the late 1940s when a number of Bahá’í families settled in this beautiful land with the purpose of establishing a branch of this 'NWO cult'.  They worked deceptively with the locals and fooled the Qataris with the feel-good, rosy slogans of Equality, Brotherhood and Betterment of World.  Third and fourth generations of these early Bahá’ís (mostly Iranians) along with some foreigners (from around 20 different countries) are still living and working in this land and carrying out their deceptive conversion activities. 

The Bahá’ís portray their cult as a world religion, with millions (???) of followers from all races, cultures and social backgrounds whose goal is the recognition of the Unity of Mankind!!!  Bahá’ís spread their cult through deceptive techniques exposed on regular basis by Ex-Bahá’ís. Their slogans like… "achieving world unity through actively contributing to the betterment of the world and advancement of civilization" is very famous and now-a-days everyone is aware of this type of rosy slogans. Just listen to Bahá’í Counselor Gloria Javed and read the writings of Bahá’í author Moojan Momen on how they convert innocent people under the disguise of Moral Activities.

The Bahá’í International Community is also registered with the United Nations as an International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with affiliates in more than 180 countries and is highly influential in the international arena.  It has special consultative status with many UN bodies and for this reason it gets easy recognition in different countries. It also receives enough support from western imperialist countries.

Over the years, Apparently, the Bahá’ís in Qatar have demonstrated obedience to the government. Mostly these Bahá’ís are Iranians and have managed to convert many local Qataris using their beautiful slogans and techniques of conversion taught to them by their Supreme Bodies in Israel. For instance read the wordings of UHJ that says it has succeeded in establishing a Pattern of “Bahá’í Life” with the help of these “Moral and Spiritual Bahá’í Programs” directed at various countries.

Over the course of three successive epochs now, the Bahá’í community has laboured assiduously within the framework of the global Plans issued by the House of Justice and has succeeded in establishing a pattern of Bahá’í life that promotes the spiritual development of the individual and channels the collective energies of its members towards the spiritual revival of society.
(To the Bahá’ís of the World, Ridvan 2006)

Although these programs of Conversion are going on worldwide but the success achieved is very little. Their agendas have been exposed worldwide and they have been put under strict observation by various governments including Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Malaysia (here they are strictly told not to teach Muslims), Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and many other countries.

Recently a small article appeared in their newsletter that states : "A workshop for youth was held at a winter school in Doha. Deepening (this is done to make new believers strong) was also held for the communities of Umm Salal and Rayyan (Bahá’ís are also active in Al-Khour). Some writings of UHJ were read and distributed to those attending and ‘12 Lessons’, a course on how to teach and convert Qatari people, was translated into Arabic.
(Huququllah Newsletter, Issue Number 77, January 2014)

I hope the Government of Qatar is also keeping a watchful eye on these cultists, as they have transferred millions of dollars through various channels to Israel. In September 2011 the Bahá’ís of Qatar sent 100,000 dollars to Israel under the pretext of various Bahá’í funds. This amount was given to Bahá’í Counsellor Nadera Fikri, a Jordanian, who has been appointed as an in-charge for Qatar by the Supreme Body UHJ.

Baha'is trying to get their Cult a "Religion" status in Egypt.


Last week, a delegation of Egyptian Baha’is met with Amr Moussa, chairman of the Committee of 50, a constitutional body tasked with drafting Egypt’s new constitutional amendments and articulating desired constitutional principles, to discuss with him the Egyptian Baha’is concerns regarding the new constitution. According to Al Dostor, the meeting included Dr. Basma Moussa, a prominent Egyptian human rights activist; Dr. Rauf Hindi, an Egyptian Baha’i; Labib Hanna, a spokesperson for Egyptian Baha’is; and Sawsan Hosny, a university professor.

In the space of an hour and a half, the representatives related their hopes for a constitution that recognized Baha’i rights as equal to those of every Egyptian citizen — Muslim, Christian, Jewish or of any other faith. They stressed the importance of a constitution that did not discriminate based on “color, gender or creed”. Among their other requests:
Laws that protected the rights of Baha’i citizens to be issued identity papers. In the past, identity cards were only issued to people of faiths recognized by the state — Muslims, Jews and Christians. In 2008, Rauf Hindi, one of the representatives present at the meeting, won a court case which allowed Baha’is to apply for identity cards as long as they leave the religion field black. The state still does not recognize the Baha’i faith as a legitimate religion.
Laws to criminalize discrimination against minorities. They also requested that an independent body be allowed to monitor cases of minority discrimination.
Disassociation of the Baha’i faith with “Satanism” or other pagan religions. A popular misconception of the Baha’i faith mischaracterizes it as “Satanic”l these popular misconceptions are often perpetuated by state officials and underly much of hostility towards Baha’is in Egypt.
Participation of Egyptian Baha’is in international conferences on world religions and participation in global development programs. 

Regarding Article 3 of the Proposed Constitution, which allows for the personal matters of Jewish and Christian Egyptians to be facilitated under their respective religious jurisprudences, Dr. Rauf expressed concerns that it would not sufficiently protect the rights of Baha’is. He stressed the importance of a constitution that provided human rights protections for all.
Dr. Basma Mousa

Dr. Labib Hanna
Dr. Rouf Al-Hindi
Baha’is in Egypt have historically been the target of state persecution and discrimination — dating back to the regime of Gamal Abdul Nasser, who (problematically) associated the Baha’i faith with the state of Israel. Without consideration of Baha’i rights in the new constitution, Egypt will have come short on its commitment to democratic ideals. This meeting may either be part of an effort to effectively institute those ideals or it may be an empty gesture to appease the Baha’i community. Time — and a new constitution — will tell.

http://www.bahairights.org/2013/10/14/egyptian-bahais-meet-with-committee-of-50-chairman-to-weigh-in-on-constitution/

A Letter of Protest to UHJ Member by Grand Daughter of Abdul Baha

Protest Letter to Mr. Adib Taherzadeh, member of the Universal House of Justice, December 1994. By Bahiyeh Afnan Shahid, in response to his book The Covenant of Baha’u'llah.

Mr. Adib Taherzadeh
Universal House of Justice
POB 155 31001
Haifa
Israel

Dear Mr. Taherzadeh:


It is with a heavy heart and a feeling of great sadness that I write this to you.

I recently came across your book "The Covenant of Baha'u'llah" published in 1992. The introduction inside the dust cover reads:

The Covenant of Baha'u'llah is a unique and priceless heritage, unprecedented in past Dispensations. It carries within itself enormous potentialities for the future in the unfoldment of Baha'u'llah's new world order, and ultimately the Golden Age of Mankind.

Hinging, resounding words with which I could not agree more.

Familiar with your four-part work on the "Revelation of Baha'u'llah" I quickly turned to the list of contents. In part Three, The Lesser Covenant, you have a chapter which you call 'The Faithless Relatives of Shoghi Effendi.'

May I say, it left me totally dumbstruck!

A book with the shining name of Baha'u'llah in its title, written by someone called not only Adib, but Taherzadeh as well; a fifth generation Bahai and a member of the Universal House of Justice; a writer whose work is considered "an outstanding contribution to Bahai literature... a magnificent book" by the Bahai Reviewing Panel of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahais of the UK. A writer of recognised "scholarship and eloquence", making allegations, accusing, sitting as judge and jury and passing sentence on all the relatives of Shoghi Effendi. These are the descendants of the Bab, Baha'u'llah and the Master, and for you to so blithely describe them as Covenant breakers and faithless is to assume powers of judgement that leaves one aghast.

Contrary to the events of Part One and Two of your book, when I was neither alive or around, the events of the above-mentioned chapter were very much a part of my life. My maternal grandparents, who were Shoghi Effendi's parents, his aunts and their husbands, their children and grandchildren, my own parents, aunt and both paternal and maternal uncles and their children - they were all very much a part of my life and my existence. I knew a great deal about them, and most of all, I knew a great deal about my parents, Nayer and Rouhanguise Afnan, about my husband, Hassan Shahid, and myself, Bahiyeh Afnan Shahid.

I do not know where you get your information about the family of Shoghi Effendi, but in your description of their behaviour and motives I could detect no relationship to the facts of the lives of the people you so carelessly write about. Had you taken the trouble to contact some of them, you, like all scholars, would have found that history is a many-faceted thing. Even a half-hearted effort at research into the lives, characters and motives of those mentioned, would have quickly shown that the facile, careless and carefree condemnation that you scatter around is rather rudely denuded of any relation to fact and reality.

Of course, had you done so I suppose that might have exposed you to the danger of becoming a 'covenant breaker' yourself, and maybe that is not a risk worth taking, even in the service of scholarship. But you would have found the facts very different from those which you recount.

Knowing that there was no effort made by you to gather first-hand information from or about the people involved, I can only conclude that you had only two sources to fall back on:

1.    Shoghi Effendi's cables, &

2.    Hearsay.

Regarding hearsay, I will give you just one brief example here and return to it later. I have with my own ears heard and with my own eyes read about Rouhiyeh Khanum being "the last surviving member of Baha'u'llah's family. (Should you wish to have chapter and verse I shall be happy to provide them). This I consider hearsay supreme, but it seems to be accepted as fact in certain quarters.

I should now like to come to a much more important source, Shoghi Effendi's cables, which you so fully quote. (Incidentally, this gives me my first chance to see them.) They throw a very interesting light on things.

As you fully recount in Parts One and Two of your book, both the periods of Baha'u'llah and the Master were rife with the problems created by the active, aggressive and deliberate opposition created by members of the family who opposed them during those periods.

Very well aware of all these matters, none, and I repeat none, of the members of the family that you deal with in your chapter wanted either to question, undermine, or disturb the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi, or hinder the execution of the big trust placed in his hands by the will of the Master. For years they helped him in all sorts of ways and in different capacities, until Shoghi Effendi saw fit to distance each and every one of them from the Cause and the community. You only have his version of why he considered them unworthy and systematically condemned them. But, and here is the point that I wish to underline: every one of them saw fit to withdraw quietly, without creating any trouble or difficulty. Not one of them, beginning with his parents, and down to my generation, raised a voice in dissent or made an unseemly move. In the interest of the Cause and its unity, matters as dear to their hearts as they were to the hearts of Baha'u'llah and the Master, none of them disputed these verdicts. But this silence should not be misrepresented as an admission of guilt.

The family accepted Shoghi Effendi's decision and judgement precisely because he was the Guardian of the Faith and the Master had so designated him. On what basis, and why such judgement and condemnations were made may have been another matter, and maybe, with time, that too will become clear. But, Mr. Taherzadeh, and here I speak to you as a privileged member of a family who has considered its condition a form of shahadat in the service of the Cause, you, in one brief chapter, in a book that bears the illustrious name of Baha'u'llah, and in a section regarding the Guardian of the Faith, have sat in solitary judgement all over again. You have dragged the names of sincere Bahais and silent sufferers into the mire. If we are all as awful as you say we are, do not sully the names of Baha'u'llah, the Master and Shoghi Effendi by saying that all Shoghi Sffendi's family were faithless covenant breakers. Stories that do not stand either the test of close examination or first-hand knowledge are not worthy of inclusion in a book regarding the Covenant and Cause of Baha'u'llah, to which they, one and all, were true and sincere, and in the precepts and principles of which they all most truly believed.

The family's dedication to the Faith ran not only in their blood but in their hearts and their minds. Under very difficult circumstances they maintained it. For them it was a source of succour and support. They were out of the community and they were out of the Cause, and to this day, I for one, have a long list of questions to find out why. However, I can vouch for one thing with determined conviction: they were neither covenant breakers nor 'faithless'. The very term 'naghezeen' denotes those people who had gone against, deliberately undermined, and plotted against the will of Baha'u'llah. 'Naghze Ahde Jamale Ghedam' was to refuse to accept the position of the Master as appointed in - Baha'u'llah's will. Can you, in all honesty, consider anything any members of the family of Shoghi Effendi did, or might have been accused of doing, as casting doubt on the position and authority of Shoghi Effendi, as set out in the will of the Master?

Not one of the daughters of the Master, including the mother of Shoghi Effendi, their husbands, their children or their sons-in-law - Afnans, Aghsans or son and grandchildren of Sultan el Shuhada - ever cast any shadow of doubt on the will of the Master or Shoghi Effendi's position and authority. Should you wish to go into this matter in greater detail I shall be very happy to do so, in person or by letter.

But to return to hearsay.

Of the long list that I could draw up for you, I should just like to point out the following:

Abdul Baha's Grand Daughter Bahiyeh Afnan Shahid
My parents, Rouhanguise and Nayer Afnan, were married with the full knowledge and approval of the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi. The wedding took place in the Andaroon, in the family home of the Master, in 1928. Khanum, the Great Holy Leaf, blessed the marriage in the presence of my great-grandmother, Mounireh Khanum, the wife of the Master and the other members of the family and friends. Two years later, when I was born, Khanum both blessed and honoured me when she insisted that I carry her honoured and beloved name in place of the one my parents had originally chosen for me. I can categorically claim that my father's intentions in marrying my mother was devoid of the rediculous idea that he wished to introduce the virus of covenant breaking into the family of Shoghi Effendi.

I can just as categorically state that neither of my parents were instrumental in arranging or bringing about the marriages of my aunt Mehranguise Rabbani with my uncle Hassan Afnan, or of my uncle Dr. Faizy Afnan with their cousin, Soraya Afnan.

As to my marriage to Hassan Shahid - Shoghi Sffendi makes it sound like an offence - I would like to say that by the time of that marriage in 1964, my father had been dead for eleven years. Shoghi Effendi had not seen his sister, my mother, since the late 30s, and she certainly was a stranger to you. Had you met her or enquired about her you would have found out for yourself what a lady she truly was. Blessed by great dignity and a strong sense of honour, she was a worthy member of an honourable family whose good name she ever sought to safeguard, and the high esteem in which it had always been held she always tried to maintain. To say of her that she "did not rest until she arranged another marriage between her cousin Hassan Shahid" and myself, her daughter - as if she were hatching some dark, deep plot - could not possibly be further from the truth - and I should know it was my mother, my marriage and my story.

I would greatly appreciate knowing on what basis my father, Nayer Afnan, was considered "the pivot of machinations, connecting link between old and new Covenant Breakers." One thing I do know, however: far from attributing the cancer of the breast that my grandmother Fourough Khanum suffered and died from to Abdul Baha - a rediculous attribution if there ever was one, and my father and his brothers were far from rediculous people - I know for a fact, from both of my parents, of the kindness and affection shown by the Master and his daughters to my grandmother during her last illness.

As to my father being "struck down" by "God's avenging wrath" when he died - it seems to me that it is a description that could be applied to anyone's death, for who knows whether its God's avenging wrath or His loving mercy that gathers us all into the next world?

I could go on and on, Mr. Taherzadeh, taking your 'narrative' point by point and wishing you had been more scholarly about your approach. Basic research is essential to any narrative, and I am sure you did not mean to write a work of fiction - which, incidentally, also requires research.

No, Mr. Taherzadeh, Shoghi Effendi had the will of the Master and the station of Guardianship to stamp his judgements with the stamp of authority. You, a student, scholar and eloquent writer on Bahaism could, if I may say so, have dealt a bit more in the realm of 'Al-Hujjatu wal Burhan" which, according to the Aghdas even applied at the level of revelation, when it states:

O concourse of divines! When My verses were sent down and My clear tokens were revealed. We found you behind the veils. This verily is a strange thing. You glory in My Name, yet ye recognised Me not at the time your Lord, the All-Merciful, appeared amongst you with proof and testimony (my emphasis).

(Aghdas paragraph 165)

On the other hand, maybe such an approach was a necessary component of your efforts to develop the theology of infallibility and obedience within the Bahai Faith. Infallibility and obedience were the trade marks of the Catholic Church. For over a decade now Liberation Theology has been one of the finer achievements of that Church, in the service of the oppressed and downtrodden. Making a stand against injustice and exploitation were its main aims and guiding lights. It is ironic that one of the youngest religions in the world today should be seeking to develop a theology that harks back not to its own sources of divine inspiration, brilliantly presented by the powers of reason and intellect, but to an outmoded, discredited approach based on infallibility and obedience.

I must say, discussions of this sort make me think of Ruhi Afnan, a man I was privileged to know and of whose "increasing rebelliousness" Shoghi Effendi complained. In listening to him or reading his books, you could not have failed to realise that his one and only wish was to be of service to the Cause of Baha'u'llah and to the Master who was his mentor and inspiration. 'Al Hujjatu wal Burhan' (Proof and Intellect) and the full use of reason and intellect were high on his list of priorities. He, like my father and many other members of the family, served Shoghi Effendi for many years, each in whatever capacity they had. I wonder what many of them, now 'struck down by God's avenging wrath', would say, at a gathering of the clan of the 'unfaithful family' of Shoghi Effendi. May be they too will be waiting for a 'liberation theologian' to release them from the bondage of injustice and exploitation that your chapter recounts. Not that it really matters, for does not the Aghdas also say:

Should anyone wax angry with you, respond with gentleness; and should anyone upbraid you, forbear to upbraid him in return, but leave him to himself and put your trust in God the Just and Mighty Avenger.

(Aghdas paragraph 153)

In fact, I have found it a source of comfort to turn to Kitabe Aghdas as an antidote to the pain and sadness that the reading of your book produces.

Though it hurts very badly to know that we were not able to respond to the moving call of

Arise to further My Cause and to exalt My Word amongst men. We are with you at all times and shall strengthen you through the power of truth.

(Aghdas paragraph 38)

it is comforting to find that it is followed by

Whoso hath recognized Me will arise and serve me with such determination that the powers of earth and heaven shall be unable to defeat his purpose.

(Aghdas para 38)

And even more heartening when it says

Arise ye under all conditions (my emphasis) to render service to the Cause, for God will assuredly assist you through the power of His sovereignty which embraces both worlds.

(ibid)

Service to the Cause can and does take many forms, both within the community and outside it. In the final analysis Baha'u'llah grants one and all the supreme assurance of saying

By My life, all that are on earth shall pass away, while good deeds alone shall endure. To the truth of My words God doth Himself bear witness…..Say the very life of all deeds is My good pleasure and all things depend on My acceptance.

(Aghdas para 36)

Each in our own ways, you in yours and I and the various members of my family in ours, have tried to respond to the ringing challenge of

By My life! He who has drunk the choicer wine of fairness from the hands of My bountiful favour will circle around My commandments that shine above horizons of creation. Do no think that We have revealed a mere code if laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice wine with the fingers of might and power.

(Aghdas para 4&5)

It is a moving, heart-piercing, heady challenge, one that was to be met with faith, conviction and dedication, and acted upon with love and harmony, justice and unity, compassion and decency. To God one turned, His new revel¬ation one embraced, the wine of its Truth one quaffed and in its diaphanous illumination one revelled.

As Baha’u’llah told the kings of the world:

It is not our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to possess the hearts

(Aghdas para 83)

This was a Cause that was not only divine but which was based on the statutes and ordinances of God

Keep ye to the statues and commandments of God

(Aghdas para 47)

You were enjoined to

Keep ye the statutes and commandments of God; nay, guard them as ye would your very eyes, and be not of those who suffer grievous loss.

(Aghdas para 147)

And

Let there be naught in your demeanour of which sound and upright minds would disapprove and make not yourselves the playthings of the ignorant. Well is it with him who has adorned himself with the vesture of seemly conduct and a praiseworthy character. He is assuredly reckoned with those who aid their Lord through distinctive and outstanding deeds.

(Aghdas para 159)

Having turned to Him, it was to Him that you were answerable, for it was He

…who knew the inner secrets of the hearts and the meaning hidden in a mocker’s wink.

(Aghdas para 157)

If you did wrong – and no human being is beyond wrong-doing - the Aghdas says that

To none is it permitted to seek absolution from another soul; let repentance be between yourselves and God. He, verily is the Pardoner, the Bounteous, the Gracious, the One who absolves the repentant.

(Aghdas para 31)

The framework is so clearly delineated, the guidelines so well set out. It is neither legalistic not complicated. It dealt primarily in the realm of the heart and it called for a reaction that resonated in the activities of everyday life and living – a holistic response worthy of the essential Divinity, Truth and Beauty of its appeal. And, if perforce you went wrong – and who can claim to be above such waywardness – even then God’s mercy was infinite. Turn back to Him and find that God hath laid hold on him who led you astray. Return to God, humble, submissive and lowly, verily He will put away from thee thy sins, for thy Lord, of a certainty is the Forgiving, the Mighty, the All-Merciful. This is the Council of God; would that thou might heed it. This is the Bounty of God; would that thou might receive it. This is the Utterance of God; if only thou would apprehend it. This is the Treasure of God; if only thou could understand!

(Aghdas para 184)

The joy, the hope, the elation that the reading of the Kitabeh Aghdas produces is palpable and real. The certainty of infallibility and willing obedience flow naturally from those inspired words. They are neither forced nor enforced.

Therein lies their power.

Bahiyeh Afnan Shahid
23 Ansdell Terrace
London W8 5BY England

cc: Mr. Hugh Adamson,
Bahai National Centre
27 Rutland Gate London SW7

Date : December 1994

Source : http://www.abdulbahasfamily.org/writings/stories-regarding-covenant-breaking/
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