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Title: The Bahai Faith
Tags: Baha'u'llah, Bahai, Democracy, Egypt, Freedom, History of Iran, India, Iran
Blog Entry: The Baha’i Faith August 10, 2008 by Plateau of Iran Photo: Baha’i house of worship - Lotus Temple -   New Delhi, India In 2007 I wrote a number of posts, which mention the Baha’is and their unrelenting persecution in Iran by the Islamic Republic regime, including the situation of the Baha’i students . In this entry, I like to expand on the Baha’i Faith with a note that I do not consider myself an authority on this subject. What follows is my understanding of the topic based on some research as well as discussions with a few Baha’i friends.  This post is simply an overview, please refer to provided links for more indepth information. HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND LEADERSHIP The Baha’i Faith is the youngest of the world’s “independent” & monotheistic religions, which came into existence in the 19th century in Iran.  Its parent religion is Islam, as it originated from eschatological tensions within Islam. In some respects, this maybe similar to the connection between Christianity and Judaism. Though some early followers were of Jewish, Christian, or Zoroastrian background, the vast majority had been followers of Islam. Their religious ideas were drawn from the Quran (Koran), and they were primarily interested in those aspects of their new belief system that represented the fulfillment of Islamic prophecies and the interpretation of Muslim teaching. It is considered an Abrahamic religion. The Faith now has an estimated 5 to 6 million followers worldwide, and is said to be one of the fastest growing religions. Photo: A nine-pointed star is generally used by Baha’ís as a symbol of their Faith. The writing says “Baha’u'llah” meaning “The Manifestation (Glory) of God” in Arabic. The leadership of the Baha’i Faith since its birth and thus far has had 4 central figures.  1) Siyyid Alí-Muhammad, who later took on the title the Bab, was born on October 20, 1819, in Shiraz.  2) Baha’u'llah, who claimed to be the messianic figure expected by the Bab’s writings. Baha’is consider the Baha’i religion to start from Baha’u'llah’s statements in 1863. 3) Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’u'llah’s son, who was appointed by Baha’u'llah, and was accepted by almost all Baha’ís. Under the leadership of Abdu’l-Baha, the religion gained a footing in Europe and America, and was consolidated in Iran, where it still suffers intense persecution. 4) Shoghi Effendi , was the appointed head of the Baha’i Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957.  Shoghi Effendi was referred to as the Guardian , and held the explicit authority to interpret the writings of the three central figures of the religion and define the sphere of legislative authority. Though, it must be noted that after the death of Abdu’l-Baha in 1921, the leadership of the Baha’i community entered a new phase, evolving from that of a single individual to an administrative order with executive and legislative branches, the head of each being the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice  based in Haifa, Israel. CORE BELIEFS OF THE BAHA’I FAITH Photo: Baha’i gardens and shrine of the Bab in Haifa, Israel Bahai’s believe that all people are the chosen people of God, that there is only one God, one religion of God, and one people of God, the entire human race. Baha’is believe that God has always sent his emissaries to educate humanity and shall do so in the future.  Baha’is assert that the series of interventions by God in human history has been progressive, each revelation from God more complete than those which preceded it, and each preparing the way for the next - In this view, Islam, as the most recent of the prior religions, constituted the immediate historical preparation for the Baha’í Faith. They believe that Baha’ullah is the latest in that line of prophets - this belief in particular is a main point of contention with the “Muslims”, particularly Shia muslim clergy in Iran, since “Mohammadans” view Mohammad as the absolute last “prophet” of God.  It is also said that the Baha’i Faith is the seventh revelation of Islam . Baha’is believe that the human mind and the gift of reason should guide the person in making decisions about all matters. To this end, they place a premium on education and independent investigation of truth. Baha’is consider the education of women as important as that of men, since women are the early teachers of children and can play their valuable part by being themselves educated. Harmony of religion and science is promoted. Baha’is believe that truth transcends all boundaries. Other beliefs include [spiritual]   equality of men and women , participatory decision-making, and world-embracing outlook & eradication of prejudice. The Faith also forbids consumption of alcohol and homosexuality. The number nine has significance in the Baha’í Revelation as reflected in the nine-pointed star. Nine years after the announcement of the Bab in Shiraz, Baha’u'llah received the intimation of His mission in the dungeon in Tehran. Nine, as the highest single-digit number, symbolizes completeness. Since the Baha’í Faith claims to be the fulfillment of the expectations of all prior religions, this symbol, as used for example in nine-sided Baha’í temples, reflects that sense of fulfillment and completeness. The Universal House of Justice also has 9 elected male only members - women are not permitted to be elected.   PERSECUTION OF THE BAHA’IS Photo: House of the Bab in Shiraz was destroyed by Islamic Republic guards in 1979 The persecution of the Baha’is is not and has  not been limited to Iran .  In 1925 Egypt became the first Islamic state to legally recognize the Baha’í Faith as an independent religion apart from Islam. Despite a historically active Egyptian Baha’í community during the early twentieth century, Baha’í institutions and community activities are currently banned by Law 263. Similar to Iran, the Egyptian government requires that its citizens identify as either Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, [Zoroastrians are formally recognized] leaving others to either misrepresent their faith or forego valid identity documents, passports, birth and death certificates, and marriage licenses. On December 16, 2006, only after one hearing, the Supreme Administrative Council of Egypt ruled against the Baha’ís and stated that the government may not recognize the Baha’í Faith in official identification numbers. There are between several hundred to 2000 Baha’is estimated to be living in Egypt. While the most significant persecution has happened in Iran and Egypt during the 19th, 20th and this century, other countries have restricted or persecuted Baha’ís. In several countries with majority Muslim populations, they have done so on the same basis as Iran and Egypt i.e. viewing the Baha’is as apostates from Islam.  These countries include: Republic of Azarbaijan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Morocco, and an ongoing situation in Turkmenistan. In Romania, in January 2007, a law was passed that had restrictive requirements for religious communities to be recognized, which Baha’ís and other religions could not meet.  It must also be noted that despite Israel being a host to a number of significant Baha’i sites, including the Shrine of the Bab and The Universal House of Justice, the Jewish State prohibits the Baha’is from publicly educating others in the Faith, though the Baha’is state that they do not proselytize. In Iran, the Baha’is are the largest  “independent” religious minority currently estimated at 350,000. Although, the Islamic Republic (IR) regime actively discriminates against all minority religious groups in terms of housing, employment and education, the tragic persecution of the Bahai’s since mid 1800’s when some 20,000 were killed in Iran, have continued, mostly, unabated, with only very brief respites during the early Pahlavi Dynasty era. Since the rise of IR in 1979, the intensity of persecution has resumed - some 200 Baha’is have been executed. In November 2007 Haleh Rouhi, Sasan Taqva and Raha Sabet were taken into custody by the Iranian government. They are serving a four year sentence on charges connected entirely with their belief and practice in the Baha’i Faith -   See Baha’i.org article I sincerely hope the discrimination, persecution, and senseless killings are stopped & look forward to the day when we have a secular , democratic constitution & government in Iran.  Peoples’ faith is a private matter, whatever it may be; people should be able to practice their faith freely.  One’s faith should not be used as an excuse for savagery.  Nor interwoven with a higher religiously orientated administrative and/or political entity. SOURCE: http://plateauofiran.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/the-bahai-faith/