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| Fazl'ollah Mohtadi Sobhi |
1. Worldliness, Hypocrisy, and Self-Interest among Propagators
Sobhi found that many Baha'i propagators/teachers (Moballegeen) were afflicted by base worldly affairs and were followers of self and lust.
- Internal Conflict: Propagators frequently engaged in acts of mutual destruction and insulting each other, sometimes even going so far as to accuse each other of immorality. Sobhi recounts witnessing disputes and physical fighting between propagators in Ishqabat.
- Hypocrisy: Sobhi noted that the Baha'i preachers acted like the hypocritical ascetics mentioned in a poem: "Those ascetics who make a show in the pulpit and prayer niche, when they go into seclusion, they do other things".
- Lack of Ethical Conduct: Sobhi concluded that if a person had not achieved purity of soul and inner refinement, they had no right to invite others to their cause.
2. Sexual Misconduct and Loose Morals
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| Haji Amin |
- Accusations of Debauchery: In Ishqabat, there was a major division regarding the freedom of women and unveiling. One group of Baha'is would accuse the other of immorality, debauchery, and pimping.
- Promiscuity and Unauthorized Marriages: Baha'is who were expelled from Iran and settled in Tashkent (the center of Turkestan at the time) often found living with Russian women.
- Haji Amin's Conduct: Sobhi mentions Haji Amin (a powerful Baha'i figure) had complete physical strength and dominant passions, engaging frequently with widows and divorced women without being judged. He referred to himself as a "customer of ownerless property."
- Corruption in High Places: Sobhi stated that Shoghi Effendi (who became the head of the Baha'i faith after Abdul-Baha) was involved in immoral and ugly issues. Sobhi also mentions that he was aware of the weaknesses of Abdul-Baha and other members of his family.
3. Financial Exploitation and Materialism
Sobhi observed a strong focus on wealth and financial manipulation:
- Greed of Leaders: Haji Amin’s priority was money, and he considered those who offered him cash to be the best people. He would openly scold hosts who offered elaborate meals, preferring monetary contributions instead.
- Theft and Fraud: Baha'i preachers/teachers/missionaries descended to a level where they would "become husbands to Russian prostitutes" for the sake of fraud and theft.
- Leadership Failures: Sobhi learned that some individuals who were Baha'i children committed theft and vile acts.
4. Extreme Intolerance and Fanaticism
Despite the Baha'i principle advocating for religious freedom and the abolition of prejudice, Sobhi found profound intolerance among the followers:
- Abundance of Fanaticism: Sobhi lists one of his key observations as the abundance of fanaticism among Baha'is.
- Persecution of Dissenters: After Sobhi left the Baha'i faith in 1307 (Persian Year), he was subjected to expulsion and cursing and threats of assassination by Baha'is.
- Suppression of Free Thought: Sobhi noted that in Akka and Haifa, freedom was curtailed for Baha'is. Spies were even appointed to monitor who secretly maintained contact with Muhammad Ali Effendi (the leading covenant-breaker).
- Family Abandonment: Sobhi observed that Baha'i parents would cut off relations with their non-Baha'i children, even abandoning the natural bond of fatherly love.
Summary of General Corruption
Sobhi’s overall disillusionment stemmed from realizing that those advocating for Baha'ism's high ideals were not sincere:
"I saw that those focused on the Truth, like others, are afflicted by base worldly affairs and are followers of self and lust."
He noted that Baha'is were far more fanatical than Muslims, believing they were the only true people in the world, while the reality was that they exhibited widespread moral and ethical deviation.
Sobhi's observations demonstrated a significant gap between the stated principles of Baha'ism (like unity, love, and the abandonment of fanaticism) and the actual behavior of its adherents and leaders, whom he found consumed by internal conflict, worldliness, and personal vice.
Source : Khaterat i Sobhi (Memoirs of Sobhi)
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