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| Chummies : Baha'u'llah and Manekji Hataria |
1. Origins Are Tied to Colonial Commerce and Espionage
The Baha'i Faith’s predecessor movement, Babism, was linked to foreign powers from its inception, intertwining its origins with the geopolitical "Great Game" for influence in Central Asia. The founder, Ali Muhammad Bab, established contact with British and Jewish commercial entities during his five-year stay in the port city of Bushehr. This connection centered on the powerful Sassoon family, described as the "emperors of Eastern trade," founders of Iran's opium trade and the Imperial Bank of Persia, and close associates of the British royal family.
A direct link exists between the faith's leadership and British intelligence: Manekji Hataria, the head of British Indian intelligence in Iran from 1854 to 1890, maintained a close relationship with Babi leaders, including Mirza Husseinali Nuri (Baha'u'llah). This alignment with foreign powers was mirrored by an internal strategy of consolidating power through the conversion of key minority groups already connected to these foreign networks.
2. Mass Conversions of Jewish and Zoroastrian Communities Shaped the Faith
A large portion of the Baha'i community in Iran did not originate from a Muslim background. The faith's growth was significantly fueled by mass conversions from minority communities, particularly Jews and Zoroastrians. Notably, many of the Jewish "Anusim" (Crypto-Jews) of Mashhad, who had publicly converted to Islam in 1839 but secretly maintained their Jewish identity, later became influential Babis and Baha'is.
A similar phenomenon occurred among Iran's Zoroastrian population, with a wave of conversions among the peasants of Arbab Jamshid Jamshidian, a powerful Zoroastrian leader who was a close associate of the British intelligence chief Ardeshir Reporter. The faith's leader, Abbas Effendi (Abdu'l-Baha), repeatedly commanded the Baha'is of Yazd and Kerman to be obedient and subservient to Arbab Jamshid, reinforcing the claim of a strategic alliance that built a unique demographic base. Fazlollah Mohtadi (Sobhi), Abbas Effendi's special secretary before leaving the faith, noted that many of these converts used the faith as an escape from Judaism, seeking social freedom.
3. It Has a Documented History of Political Violence and Assassination
In stark contrast to its principle of non-violence, the early leadership of the Baha'i Faith operated an apparatus of executioners and assassins. Violence was systematically used for internal consolidation—to eliminate rivals, silence dissenters, and purge those who knew too many secrets about the faith's origins. Specific actions include the killing of rival Azali Babis in Acre by followers of Baha'u'llah, the poisoning of Mirza Nasrullah Tafarreshi in Edirne, and the murder of Mirza Asadollah Dayan.
This internal ruthlessness was externalized for political ends. During Iran's Constitutional Revolution, prominent Baha'is like Asadollah Khan Abolfathzadeh and Ebrahim Khan Monshizadeh were linked to the infamous "Komiteh-ye Mojazat" (Punishment Committee). This clandestine group was responsible for assassinating high-profile political and religious figures, evolving the faith's use of violence from internal purges to broader political terrorism.
4. Major Anti-Baha'i Riots Were Deliberately Provoked
The infamous "Baha'i-killings" were not always spontaneous outbursts but were sometimes deliberately engineered by the Baha'i leadership itself. The riots in Yazd and Rasht around 1903 CE are a key example, having been preceded by intensely provocative and public proselytizing by Baha'i missionaries, seemingly designed to trigger a backlash.
A calculated strategy of martyrdom was employed, as seen in the reply of Abbas Effendi to a concerned Baha'i elder:
"In the tumult of the ignorant, there is no cause for alarm. Of course, from time to time, a small noise should be raised to cause the people to be awakened."
These provocations were a political tool: by inciting persecution, the leadership created a powerful narrative of suffering that could then be used to win sympathy and provide a pretext for foreign powers, like Britain and Russia, to intervene on behalf of the supposedly oppressed community.
5. It Forged Deep Alliances with Global Power Brokers
The faith's global influence was secured through a three-pronged strategy of alliances:
· Political and Financial Alignment with Zionism and the British Empire: This alignment, cemented by intelligence services during WWI, secured the faith’s physical and political foothold in Palestine, leading to Abbas Effendi's knighthood. This included Abbas Effendi's prophecies about the return of Jews to the Holy Land and his relationship with the Rothschild family. Additionally, the faith was involved in the British-backed 1921 coup that brought Reza Shah to power in Iran.
· Ideological Bridge to the West: The alliance with the Theosophical Society orchestrated Abbas Effendi's 1911-1913 tour. This aimed to market him not merely as a religious figure but as the prophet of a new human religion perfectly aligned with Western esoteric and Masonic ideals.
· Connections with Freemasonry and high-level Western secret societies: Prominent Baha'is like Aliquli Khan Zarabi were high-ranking Freemasons, even achieving the 33rd degree, while individuals involved in early Baha'i-linked political and terrorist networks, such as members of the notorious Punishment Committee, were simultaneously central figures and officers in organizations like the Lodge Bidari Iran (Awakening of Iran Lodge), suggesting that these Masonic institutions served as key coordination points for the cult's engagement with powerful international political and intelligence networks.
These alliances portray a hardened political entity adept at navigating the treacherous currents of colonialism, espionage, and revolutionary turmoil to advance a geopolitical agenda.
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