This picture is of village Patan Manara (Village of Rahim Yaar Khan). A Bahai named Kamran who is a motor Mechanic whom Bahais have cheated, is now conducting children classes for tiny tots instilling the BELIEF of Bahai Faith in them.

These children were taught Mohammed (SAW) is not the greatest and Last Prophet. Bahaullah is the Prophet After Mohammad (SAW). Aqdas is the Divine book. These children were supposed to memorize Bahai Prayers.and join study circle.

Study Circles

Study circle is a seven books course called as Ruhi Books. In these books moral teachings are taken from different religions and given the name Baha’i Holy writings, attributing these teachings to Baha’u’llah .During the Course of these seven books the contact changes his Faith to Baha’ism.It is certainly not study circles but a process of conversion by deception.

The Baha’is have realized that mobilizing Baha’is to do preaching in large numbers will attract the attention of non-Baha’is, especially governmental agencies therefore a Ruhi class is a better way. After seven books are completed he is a Ruhi Graduate and supposes to teach these books to the other people i.e. to gain conversion by deception. Naturally a chain deception reaction. A majority of the people who have accepted the Baha’i faith is not due to the believe in Baha’u’llah but due their sheer ignorance.

These children were also taught to practice anti-Islamic culture like Singing and Dancing.

Behind all these activities are the National Spiritual Assembly of Bahais of Sri Lanka. A very thoughtful plan is to deviate the simple Muslims of SL from the Divine religion Islam to man made religion created by Zionism.

Eliza Rassiwala – The Truth Must Come Out…

Eliza Rassiwala (d, 2012). The name is a familiar one for the Bahai community, both in India as well as outside India. This is because this lady spent almost her entire life in the service of Bahaullah and the Bahai Faith. She even offered a significant service in Haifa, Israel – the head quarters of the Bahai Faith and in New Delhi, India at the Lotus Temple. People have praised her for her oratory skills and her knowledge of the Bahai Faith.

Eliza Rassiwala was the daughter of Salma Rassiwala and the sister of Yasmin Rassiwala.

Salma Rassiwala (d, 2014) was a stalwart in the Indian Bahai community having spent almost 40 years in teaching the Bahai Faith. A former Bohri Muslim who had settled in Pune, Salma Rassiwala declared her Faith in the Bahai community 40 years ago and travelled all over the country giving lectures. Such is the extent of the work that she has done that there will be but a few Bahais in India who will be unaware of the name and the services of Salma Rassiwala.

 Yasmin Rassiwala, the sister of Eliza Rassiwala – a feisty woman, despite not being blessed with the knowledge and oratory skills of her sister, Yasmin has also offered service for 12 years in Haifa and in India and for some time was a teacher in the New Era Bahai School in Panchgani. Yasmin accepted the Bahai Faith at the young, impressionable age of 19 years and has travelled internationally to Haifa and Maldives to teach the Bahai Faith.

 Eliza Rassiwala accepted the Bahai Faith one year after her mother. She was a teacher at Sophia College, Mumbai and then on mother’s insistence went on to become a teacher for the Bahai Faith. She was a good speaker and an expert in the art of public speaking. Eliza served at Haifa for no less than 15 years.

Eliza and Yasmin at Neil Farzana’s Wedding Day and Reception

In the last years of her life, Eliza was affected with cancer and finally succumbed to the disease in August 2012. Few know that despite her illness, she travelled to Delhi earlier that year to give a lecture on the occasion of the anniversary of the Lotus Temple.

This blog outlines an event in the last days of Eliza’s life. An event which affected her significantly and shook the foundations of her faith in Bahaullah and the Bahai Faith. While it is not in my nature to talk of a person posthumously, but in this case, given the gravity of the event and its impact on the life of Eliza and that of her family, I think it is important for people to know the truth. The truth, however bitter, must come out…

READ MORE:

https://rememberingeliza.wordpress.com/

A Historical Coalition between the Hands of the Cause and the Covenant-Breakers

Dear Friends,

          Baha’u’llah made it incumbent upon every believing Baha’i to prepare a will and testament (the most Holy Book, para 255) during his life time. And he followed his own command when he wrote a will and appointed an heir, so that his family and followers would not face any such difficulties after him.

          In the same way, Abdul-Baha considered it necessary to write a will during one’s life, having also written his own valuable Will and Testament, which includes his important edicts and recommendations.

          According to the most Holy Book, if a Baha’i dies and does not leave a will, all of his or her belongings and properties should be divided among the following seven groups: spouse, children, father, mother, brother(s), sister(s) and teacher.

          And according to the Kitab-i Aqdas, if any member of the above categories were deceased, his or her share will be inherited by the UHJ. Finally, according to that same Holy Book, all non-Baha’is, non-believers, Covenant-breakers, and those excommunicated from the Faith, are deprived from a Baha’i’s estate.

          Now, I would like to draw your attention to a very important event in the history of the Baha’i community. As you are well aware, the Beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, passed away in London in the summer of 1957. He journeyed to London in order to purchase necessary material to complete the archives buildings. There, he died having suffered from a previously-undiagnosed disease. (The story of his departure and all subsequent events can fill an entire article in and of itself, and should therefore be reviewed separately.)

          Unfortunately, various disputes about his successor and belongings began after the Beloved Guardian’s departure. Naturally, those properties of Shoghi Effendi that belonged to the Baha’i Community should have been given to his successor and the chairman of the first international Baha’i Council, Mason Remey. But the Hands of the Cause, having turned a blind eye to the previous writings of the Guardian—and other evidence of his intentions for his estate—and under the pretense that they did not find any written will from Shoghi Effendi, declared that, according to a divine abrogation of the previous determinism (Badaa), the institution of the living Guardian of the Cause will be discontinued!

          By neglecting the succession of Mason Remey, and announcing the end of Guardianship, it became necessary to divide the inheritance of Shoghi Effendi among the seven groups the Holy Aqdas ordains. But because of a number of reasons, including the absence of a majority of the heirs, the Aqdas decree was also abandoned! (Shoghi Effendi’s parents had already departed; his brothers and sisters had been excommunicated as Covenant- breakers; he had no children; and no Baha’i could claim to be his teacher.)

          Therefore, according to the articles of the Aqdas, around 19% of the inheritance should have been given to his living wife, Ruhhiya Khaanum , and the rest—in the absence of the heirs and non-establishment of the U.H.J—should have been given to the highest Baha’i official of that time, i.e., the second Guardian and Chair of the International Baha’i Council (the precursor to the UHJ), Mr. Mason Remey.

Some of the Iranian Hands, such as Zekrullah Khadem, Shoa’ullah Alaei, Alimohammad Vargha  A. Foroutan,  Mohajer, and Hassan A. Balyuzi, in cooperation with John Froby, Hadi Rahmani Shirazi, General A. Moqarrabi, and Habib Sabet, and  Manoochehr Ghaem Maghami, wanted to procure the inheritance themselves and avoided handing over the inheritance to Mason Remey. Thus, they conjured up a solution: they will meet the excommunicated sisters and brothers of the Beloved Guardian, and will somehow reach an agreement as to how to divide Shoghi Efendi’s inheritance.

          Since the Baha’i writings explicitly forbid distributing any amount of a Baha’is estate to the Covenant-Breakers, this meant that the portion of the inheritance that was due his parents, children, and teachers would have been lost. So they decided to distribute the remainder of the inheritance of Shoghi Effendi in Iran, in accordance with the Islamic law of inheritance. And so, they needed to declare to the Iranian court that the Guardian was a Muslim!

          It was duly performed, with the approval of Ruhiyya Khanum, the widow of the beloved Guardian and one of the Hands (who according to Islamic law would not have received any part of the inheritance because she was not Muslim). Thus, the first Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, was declared a Muslim. (His inheritance case was filed under No. 1464 in the Iranian Justice Ministry.) And thus, all of Shoghi Effendi’s inheritance was supposedly divided among his four excommunicated brothers and sisters: Hussain, Riyaz, Rouhangiz, and Mehrangiz.

          Once accomplished, the said Covenant-Breakers, having received a commission for their services, agreed to transfer the ownership of these properties to the name of Mr. M.A. Varqa, one of the Hands, and the trustee of Huquq-ullah. Mr. Varqa, in turn, transferred this inheritance to the name of some famous Iranian Baha’is, individuals like Mr. Habib Sabet. After some time, the Iranian National Spiritual Assembly established a trust, and transferred most of that inheritance to that trust, although some of it illegally remained in the hands of those famous Iranian Baha’is!

          This entire undertaking was done in cooperation with some of the Hands and the Covenant-Breakers from the family of Shoghi Effendi. And, it must be noted, these surreptitious acts were expressly protested by some of the Friends and LSAs and NSA; yet their concerns were mostly neglected. When they were responded to, it would be angry ripostes by the Hands, who continuously threatened to excommunicate the protesters on the pretense that they were weakening the unity of the Baha’i Community.

          The protesters believed that the Guardian had prohibited any contact with Covenant-Breakers, and had considered it a grave sin. And the perpetrator of such a crime would deserve the harshest of punishments, that of being excommunicated himself. This was quite true about the close relatives of the Guardian, who would unceasingly persecute him. Ruhiyya Khanum, for example, has mentioned in her diary about the Guardian:

“These events are continuous. These fights, which first began with only one of them, and which later united all of his family against him, are seriously wearing him down. Even now, I can see him with his back bent, his heart broken, and his body physically weakened. All his relatives collectively attempt to exhaust him and indeed kill his soul…”

Then he added, “Those relatives who were around the great Abdul-Baha eventually murdered him… And will eventually kill me too.”

 (Ruhiyyih Khanum, the Priceless Pearl, pp. 343 & 346)

          Such a coalition of Hands of the Cause and long-time enemies of the Cause shook the foundations of the Cause to its very core. Many of the believers left the Baha’i community, while many other Friends had serious questions, which still remain. And, since then, none in the Baha’i administration or current UHJ has given a single satisfactory answer to these Friends, as they continuously attempt to conceal such issues from the Baha’is of the world. Only some of these questions are listed below:

1. When every Baha’i is required to keep a will, how can you claim that the Guardian, who was a great teacher and commentator of the holy words, failed to leave a will for his heirs?!

2. If we account for the decisions and actions taken by the Hands, why should we not assume that some of them had access to the private documents of the Guardian? And having found his will before anyone else, and being unsatisfied by what it contained, took aims to conceal or even destroy it?!

3. Despite the fact that according to Baha’i Law, the Covenant-Breakers and non-Baha‘is are entirely deprived from a Baha’i’s estate, how could they distribute the inheritance of the beloved Guardian among his excommunicated brothers and sisters? And do so only after appealing to Islamic law?!

4. How could they claim that the Guardian of the Faith was a Muslim, simply because it was to their own benefit, and so that they could procure his properties that actually belonged to the Baha’i Community? An act, fraudulent, treacherous, and in direct violation of the Guardian’s teachings and the views of the Community.

5. In the absence of the Guardian of the Cause, who protects the multi-billion dollar property of the Baha’i Community? Has the current UHJ, sans-Guardian, issued financial reports, statements, or combined financial statements of the owned properties, assets, or the amounts received as donations and Huquq-ullah? Has the UHJ ever published a statement of its receipts and expenses?

Unfortunately, the Baha’i administration attempts to silence all such questions under the pretext of unity in the Community, unswerving obedience to the UHJ, a possible increase in persecutions by the various states, etc. In other cases, questions and protests have been overlooked by exaggerated, and at times entirely false, reports of progress made by the Cause across the globe. And of course, a last and most intense measure taken by that House, has been that of dis enrollment and excommunication of the questioners and/or protesters from the Baha’i Community!

One may suppose that the activities of the Custodian Hands could be justified, and assume they have good intentions, and try to protect the interests of the Faith. But we should know that the Guardian was always angry with Covenant-Breakers, and strictly refused to deal with them.

          Ruhiyya Khanum writes in her diary:

“Once, the husband of the Guardian’s close relative died. His widow came to our house, and requested the Guardian to accept his will and presented a donation. She was even ready to hand over to him some of Baha’u’llah’s very own seals, items that Abdul-Baha, at the time of his journey to America, had entrusted to her. Yet, since she kept in contact with the Covenant-Breakers, the holy Guardian refused her donation and gift, and asked me to tell her:

“Until she forever disassociates, in heart and soul, from the Covenant-Breakers, I will not accept it, even if it was a million seals, or a donation the size of Mount Carmel!”

Even though those seals were invaluable to the Guardian, and he in fact needed them for the Archives, he looked at me and ordered me to tell her:

“The Guardian cannot do anything until she abides by this command. Otherwise, she can take the seals, the will, and everything else she brought with her away.”

(Ruhiyya Khanum., The Priceless Pearl, P. 349)

            In short, a Community, devoid of a Guardian leading it, with a selfish, sinful, and profit-seeking group governing it, will suffer a quick decline and be utterly and totally lost.

It was for this reason that Abdul-Baha wrote in his Will and Testament:

“It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause to appoint his successor and heir during his own life time.”

The takeaway here is that even if we do not see a written will from Shoghi Effendi—which, as they claim, he did not leave—we believe that he has clearly, albeit indirectly, appointed Mr. Mason Remey on several occasions as his successor. Mr. Remey enjoyed a very close relationship with the Guardian until the very last moments of his life. And the Guardian regarded him as absolutely trustworthy, conferring upon him many important roles and responsibilities.

With the warmest Baha’i greetings.

Kourosh Jamali

Posted by a Baha’i.

An Appeal for Justice and Fair play

God has blessed humans with several faculties the most important of which is intellect. This intellect makes a person do the right thing and stay away from injustice and evil. I would like to appeal to the God-given intellect of the readers and support the cause of righteousness at New Day School. Read on till the very end…

Over the past couple of months, a drama was played out at New Day School. Under the false charges of sexual harassment, A respected teacher and administrator who has served  the school with utmost sincerity has been asked to resign from the services of the school. The reason being he was not at all satisfied with Mr. Farsheed Rohani’s agenda of preaching Baha’i Faith to Muslim teachers and the innocent children.

Let me give you all a complete picture. A plan by the Baha’is were hatched to get rid of the said teachers. It is said but not confirmed that some teachers complained about him to the school board giving the excuse that they were being sexually harassed. Yes, this is a serious charge upon any self-respecting individual (also this is one of the easiest way to defame a man. Hence men are wary about working with women). Ordinarily any serious charge should be investigated thoroughly. A inquiry committee should be set up and both sides of the story should be heard. And then a final judgment should be taken. And if proven guilty, the most strict action should be taken.

Did all of this happen in New Day School? Absolutely not. There was no inquiry, no committee, no proof. Nothing.

With complete disregard for the age and esteemed services to the school, and despite his denial of all charges and to top it all, despite the lack of any proof in this regard, the Board of Trustees threatened the teacher to resign or he will be terminated. The respected teacher unaware about the treachery of Baha’is and Baha’i administration was Left with no option, but has to resigned. The Board has accepted his resignation and an announcement was made to the teachers. This was publicly done so that a message can go to other teachers that any dissatisfaction or disapproval of Baha’i propagation to the tiny tots will be met with same manner. Humiliation, Insult and degradation of respect of a teacher.

Read on to know why…

This is blatant injustice! It seems that there is something more to this than meets the eye!  Is there something the school is trying to hide from us? Is there something that the teacher was knowing / saying because of which he has been conveniently taken out of the way. Or was the teacher a thorn in the path of the Baha’i trustees of the school?

Let me give you some perspective. Over the past couple of months, the teacher has been raising his voice against some of the activities in the school. This would have been unacceptable to the school authorities and they have taken the path of simply taking him out of the picture and throwing him aside as any person takes out a fly which has fallen into tea. No respect was given to his long standing, distinguished services to the school. This utter lack of respect shows that the school authorities had a hidden agenda in removing him and the entire episode which played out was only a drama to fool the public.

Here is the reality.

Very few outsiders would know that:

·          Teachers in New Day School are forced to teach Baha’i prayers to children

·          In the name of moral classes, the Ruhi course, which is the flagship Baha’i propaganda material, is being taught to small children. They are being injected with Baha’i poison from a young age so that they may develop love of Baha’i Faith in their hearts

·          The objective of the school – to promote Baha’i Faith is being done openly in New Day School

·          Teachers like the said one, whose conscience is still awake, and those who protest this “forced” religiousness are being shunned and pressure is being put on them to either fall in line with the school objectives or leave. Their jobs and their respect is in danger

Very clearly, the teacher has paid the price for rightly raising his voice against what he believes is wrong happenings in the school. Perhaps, he too would not have expected that the school authorities will fall to such a low level and resort to cheap tactics to eliminate him from the service of the school.

As someone who is closely associated with the incident, and who knows the reality, I would like to say that this episode should serve as a warning to everyone who is associated with New Day School and Baha’is.

·          Baha’is come across as very calm and friendly people. But whenever their objective is not being met, they can be worst enemies also. Therefore one should be  very careful in dealing with them. They are those whose neither friendship nor enmity is good for any person.

·          Parents of children studying in New Day School should know that Baha’i teachings are a slow poison. Children are being taught that there is a new religion, a new book and a new messenger after Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh). Quran is being lowered in value by saying that it is an incomplete book (God forbid!).

It is our duty to raise our voice against these incidents and make this an issue with Pakistan Education Board so that they can take strict action. Please share this article to friends, parents so that the truth can come out for all.

Regards,

Please visit this blog for more information

https://anewdayalert.wordpress.com/

How Haifan UHJ tortures independent Baha'i Scholars? Here is a Letter of Baha'i Scholar Ahang Rabbani to the Universal House of Justice.

A-How Ahang Rabbabi was Silenced by Universal House of Justice

Subject : Why me?

From : Ahang Rabbani

To : secretariat@bwc.org

Date : 3/30/2007

Dear Universal House of Justice,

I have no idea how to start this letter, so I'm just going to type and then send the letter without reading it because if I read it, I would never send it.

I've been upset with the House of some time now.  I hate feeling this way.  I love the Faith and I love the House.  But I feel that i'm being persecuted unjustly by the House.  That sounds crazy, I know.
But that's how I feel.  I think I've been extremely loyal to the Faith and the House for all my life and have served it with dedication all my life, but I've been dealt with extremely harshly and unjustly.

I came to Haifa in 1981, giving up a very promising professional career, to serve the Faith.  When my service was no longer needed (or actually some folks had plans to bring Hoda Mahmudi from some rather strange designs they had at the time), I had to go through a most excruciating period of months of unwarranted criticism from folks I loved and respected.  To this day I don't know what crime I had committed that warranted such treatment during those incredibly dark days in 1988.

When I came to the States my interests shifted to translation and scholarly activities.  I wish I had never done so because it has brought me nothing (absolutely nothing!!) but pain and heartache. Time and again, when I worked on something, I would send it to the World Centre (when I absolutely did not have to and was advised by family/friends not to do so) out of a sense of loyalty that getting the House's approval and blessing was a good thing.  Every time I was disappointed.  It's been going on for 15 years now.  I keep pouring my heart into my work just to find the World Centre has come up with some new excuse to block my labor from seeing daylight -- while all kinds of incredibily low quailty books are filling up Baha'i stores.  Along the way I;m terribly shocked to see that I'm target of all sorts of accusations by the House of Justice which only later prove to be false and baseless.

So I have to ask:  What have I done to warrant this?  Why I am being singled out for what appears to be ... well, I don't know what word to use.  But it doesn't feel good.  I can't sleep.  I'm very angry with the House and really hate myself for feeling this way.  I DON"T want to feel this way.  What do I do???

If you don't want me to be a Baha'i, just say so and I'll leave.  I have complete trust in whatever comes from teh House is from God (though I really hate it that I'm always criticized or and everything I do is rejected -- even though I know my manuscripts and work is firstrate.)

If you don't want me to do work (which I had understood naively to be what the House wants those of us with interest in such things to wrk on), then just say so and I'll close my books and go to something else in life.

I probably have made no sense whatsoever and will be very upset with myself after I send this, but at this stage if I don't, I'll never write a letter and won't know why I'm targetted for so much negativity.

Please help me to regain my faith.  With tears pouring from my eyes I beg of you!  i need your help please PLEaSE

Deepst love, Ahang.,

B-How Hands of Cause Fadil Mazandarani was silenced by Universal House of Justice

Hand of the Cause Asadu'llah Fadil Mazandarani

Date: Sat, 16 Dec 95

From: "Ahang Rabbani"

To: talisman@indiana.edu

Subject: Zuhur'l-Haqq and Encyclopedia

Once again through sheer brilliance, Chris Buck has managed to cut through all the smoke and put his finger right on the heart of the issues -- the short answer is: yes, there are a lot of similarities between what happened to Zuhuru'l-Haqq and the current status of the Baha'i Encyclopedia.

Let me first state what I know as to what happened with Zuhuru'l-Haqq project. The lessons may then be obvious. On 11 Jalal 107 BE (1951) the NSA of Iran (Ali-Akbar Furutan was NSA secretary) published a 16 page open letter which at the end contains a short response by Fadil. This letter was the kiss of death for both Zuhurh'l-Haqq series and Fadil's scholarship and reputation.

He spent the latter part of his life away from the Baha'i community -- though extremely active in teaching field. After the passing of his wife, he married a Muslim woman and his three sons were raised with deep resentments towards the Baha'i community in general -- though they are very knowledgeable about the Cause and have many good Baha'i friends. His youngest son lives here in Houston, another passed away (in Ohio?) with the eldest (he is about 80 years old now) being in the States now seeking medical treatment (heart problem).

Of most concern is that Fadil had some extremely valuable and *unique* Texts and documents in his possessions, not to mention the fact that he had completed a number of very important books on the Faith which I believe he never shared with the administration and left with his sons -- which either have all been destroyed or awaits freezing of hell before they are handed over to the Faith. As an example of some of the books which he has completed but you never hear anyone mentioning it is a massive Encyclopedia on the Cause under the title "Asraru'l-Athar-i Umumi" (General Mysteries of the Writings). Years earlier he published a 5-volume Baha'i encyclopedia series titled "Asraru'l-Athar-i Khususi" (Specific Mysteries of the Writings) which no serious Baha'i student should be without. But his "Umumi" version was apparently the finest single piece of scholarship ever attempted in the Cause and its a great shame if destroyed -- or never published. But again, what is of greatest importance is the massive amount of Tablets and original documents which he had in his possession which never found their way to the Cause.

Some time ago, when I was posting on Quddus (I believe my first post on this topic), I discussed that for example he had a Tablet of Baha'u'llah in his possession where He states that had the Bab not declared, then Quddus would have. (Dr. Muhammad Afnan in Andalib states there is not such Tablet, but I think he knows better.) Anyway, the question is what happened with this most productive Baha'i scholar of all time (in my view, several orders of magnitude above Mirza Abu'l-Fadl or anyone else in the Faith)?

The answer to this question is with "the Dawnbreakers"! All roads eventually lead to "The Dawnbreakers" which the beloved Guardian has stated is the "standard for Baha'i history", but in reality has served as the standard for Baha'i fundamentalism. "The Dawnbreakers" in my view is the biggest barrier to Baha'i scholarship! In fact, one can trace back the emergence of Baha'i fundamentalism right to the publication of this book and then exaggerated statements about it being "THE STANDARD". And that's when Fadil's troubles began. Fadil's view of history was based on several decades of incomparable collection of Texts, documents, narratives, interviews with old believers and extensive travels throughout the region -- not to mentioned a very elevated sense of devotion to the Cause which both Abdu'l-Baha and the beloved Guardian have praised repeatedly. So, what happened? Fadil had completed his first 3 volumes when Ali-Akbar Furutan got all bent out of shape. Now Furutan was (and is) somewhat of intellectual lightweight (and I'm afraid history won't be very kind to him on his writings, unless the House send out (which they will!) an extremely glowing cable after his death to silence all his critics (which are many)). This is all in early 1930's. So, Furutan, knowing that he couldn't take on a great mind like Fadil, got together with a real intellectual superstar (well, fast becoming one in those days), namely, my other hero, Ishraq-Khavari.

Together they made a case that certain points in Zuhuru'l-Haqq series do not conform to The Dawnbreaker -- the "standard"! So, they write to the Guardian. This makes Shoghi Effendi all upset with Zuhuru'l-Haqq as he didn't like anything that deviated by a dot from the Dawnbreakers. So on 15 September 1932, he writes (my inadequate translation):

"Immediately organize a special committee to investigate, reorganize and bring into conformity Jinab-i Fadil's history with that of Nabil's history [the Dawnbreakers]. Of this task and grave responsibility, no delay is permitted, and utmost effort must be diligently exerted."

Poor Fadil. After a letter like this from the Guardian, well, his goose was cooked. What happened next is the ugliest chapter in Baha'i scholarship which has ever occurred. If you think things are bad now with respect to scholarship, well, you ain't seen nothing. (I have no intention of discussing the details on Talisman, and if pressed, will move the conversation over to Tarjuman, but in truth really rather not disclose any details, mostly because there is no guarantee that what I know is really what happened. Remember, I'm just a young lad in my 30's, I wasn't around in those days.) What is a matter of public record and I can safely state is that a committee was organized and closely (word by word) examined Zuhuru'l-Haqq. Now the Guardian wanted this to be done overnight. Well it took nearly 20 years to complete this process (Fadil's "confessional" letter is dated 1951).

So, those hoping for a quick resolution of Baha'i Encyclopedia impasse may wish to make note of this. At the end, as I said, NSA of Iran published a 16 page letter outlining all the "errors" in ZH-3 and included Fadil's own short letter giving a blanket agreement with their comments. This letter of NSA of Iran is the greatest stupidity ever committed by a Baha'i institution and shows only their depth of ignorance. I will share its content as our discussion of ZH-3 unfolds. This letter resulted in discouraging a model servant of the Faith from further association with Baha'i administration and silenced anyone who dared to do serious or independent scholarship.

Forever though the memory of this illustrious scholar of the Cause is inscribed upon the hearts of those seeking knowledge. The incredible injustice that took place a half-century ago must be set right, and it is my intention to speak publicly, openly and supportive of the Hand of the Cause of God Fadil-i Mazandarani wherever I can. If justice means anything to you, I implore you to do likewise.

With devotion to the Faith,

Ahang

An open letter to The Universal House of Justice

To the Universal House of Justice,
Having carefully studied the message of the beloved House about the Baha’i teachings, issued to the attention of one of the Friends of Iran by the Secretariat on Jan 19, 2015: I would like to respectfully acknowledge the House with the following:

Though I was not the addressee of that message, I found the answers to some of my concerns. Yet some of the Friends' questions still remain. I write this letter with the hope that those Divine Trustees, through their kindness and patience, may respond with a clear and simple message, one without any ambiguity nor any references to any previous messages. The questions are as following:

As far as I am aware, before the difficulties began for the Friends of Iran, including the imprisonments, that exalted House acknowledged it has personally undertaken the responsibility of conducting and leading all teaching activities in Iran; and with the assistance of the Appointed Boards, tried to develop and establish Devotional meetings, study circles, and other core activities, according to the goals of the 5-year plan, so as to accelerate the process of the “Entry by Troops”.

Sending qualified youth to Turkey, Malaysia, the Emirates and India to receive training regarding Teaching Techniques, and getting experiences about the SED activities has been one of the most important activities of the Auxiliary Boards in Iran, an activity that still continues today.

Therefore, the claim that currently teaching the Faith in Iran is not “organized”, and is being carried out according to an individual’s personal initiative, is far from the truth. Even such personal initiatives, because they are wrought with inexperience, are characteristically excessive and without requisite wisdom. Thus the Iranian authorities assume it is directed by the Baha’i administration itself. This will, in turn, put more pressure on and increase the persecution against the defenseless Friends of Iran.

As you are well aware, religious states are particularly sensitive to the teaching activities of minority groups. But since obedience to the state is a clear and unalterable principle of the Baha’i Cause, teaching the Faith in Iran, individually or through organized programs, if done without the consent and permission of the ruling government, flies in the face of those Baha’i principles. As such, these activities, cannot be confirmed by the House.

The recommendations of the Guardian of the Cause, for freedom of belief, personal conscience, keeping the faith, and resisting efforts to change the Faith , are clear. Our religion cannot be taught in such a way that would be opposed and prohibited by the government, and that would disregard the relevant social context. This is done at the risk of increased conflict with the authorities and governments.

We should note that the teaching of the Faith, while important, is less of a priority than preserving the Holy Cause itself. If teaching endangers the foundations of the Faith, or becomes a reason for the persecution of the Friends, it should, at least temporarily, be suspended.

The highly respected House, due to its absence from Iran, and a lack of direct connection with the community, does not possess enough information about the Baha’i community of Iran (while some even incorrectly claiming that it does not actually care that the foundations and principles of the Baha’i Cause are endangered in Iran). So certain vitally important decisions must be made, accounting for the general conditions the community faces in Iran, and the attitudes of both the state and the people of this country.

In “9 Years in Akko” the Master is asked about teaching in such conditions:
Is it not true that the Exalted Beauty—may I be sacrificed for His Friends—had ordered that the Faith be practiced wisely? It means that we should act having considered the requirements of the day. Each day, presents a certain requirement. For example, once teaching was confirmed, it was seriously insisted on. But today, teaching is not confirmed, whereas the stability of the souls is necessary. Then he pointed to a building and said “the Covenant-Breakers destroyed the foundations of this building. It is not wise to make another flow on it. Wisdom requires us to prevent others from destroying this building. Very soon, we will witness the fortification of this building. Then I will order teaching to resume. For the time being the deepening of souls is a priority…”

Currently the very existence of the Baha’i Faith is in danger in Iran. Most of the Baha’is have left the country, and others are planning to leave. The Yaran and many other Friends have received relatively long prison sentences. Some international steps taken by the UHJ against the Iranian government, and some very unwise public statements and interviews by some of our wealthy yet careless Friends, all of whom, it must be stated, reside abroad, have given the necessary pretense to the enemies of the Cause. These enemies of the Cause introduce Baha’is as treacherous and insufficiently Iranian (indeed anti-Iranian), and present us as having enmity towards Islam. This has caused many to perceive Baha’is within Iran as a fifth column that solely serves certain foreign interests, who cause tension and upheaval, and cannot bear the peace and progress of the Iranian nation. Under such tragic conditions, what would it even mean to mobilize the Friends to teach, to speak out against the Iranian government, and the beliefs of the majority of the Iranian people?

If the teaching of the Baha’i Faith is an essential duty of each and every Baha’i faithful, then why did the Blessed Beauty instruct Abdul-Baha’ to fast for an entire month in Akko prison just like the Muslims? Abdul-Baha and his friends followed this order in the prison of the tyrannical Ottoman Empire until 1909. He fasted—without eating at dawn or sunset for so long that his holy body had become frail and weak.

Why did Baha'u'llah give such an order? Was the behavior of Abdul-Baha simply a propaganda tool, or was it somehow an attempt at teaching of the Faith? Or rather was it a means for protecting the community itself? From this incident, one of many, we can conclude that at times, it is more important to protect the foundation of the Cause of God and the Friends than to practice the prayers, to teach, or any other such activities.

The Trustees of Baha'u'llah in the Holy Land have the right to be angry, and object to the acts of the Iranian government, and consider it entirely cruel, biased, despotic, and unjustifiable, and to consider it an enemy of the Baha’i Cause. But, as far as I know, Baha’is within Iran are not allowed to oppose such a government and give statements against it. On the contrary, the Friends are instructed to obey these very governments, without any protest or anger, even if they are despotic, unaccountable, and unlawful. Obedience to only those just and lawful governments is an incontrovertible and uncontroversial. It wouldn’t require any special decree nor increased efforts, like the obedience to unjust governments do.

Here I will enumerate some relevant passages from the scriptures:

Baha'u'llah has stated:
“No one is permitted to commit any action that is contrary to the view and policy of the Heads of the country.”

Abdul-Baha has also stated: “Anyway, according to the clear wording of the Blessed Beauty, may I be sacrificed for His friends, none may do, a single or general action, without the acceptance and permission of the government. And if anyone commits slightest action without the consent and permission of the state, has actually opposed the Blessed Cause, and no pretense will be accepted from him. This is the Divine instruction, and not the play of the children. So no one is authorized to evaluate the case with his own reason, and act upon it.”

The Beloved Guardian stated:
“The essential and main principle that should be attended is the obedience to the governing state, in the country that we reside. When an authoritarian government comes to power, we should not oppose it, on the grounds that we do not like it…

We should be obedient in all respects, unless a breach of a spiritual principle – like the neglect of the Divine Cause- is at issue.”

The above 3 examples, from the holy words themselves, indicate clearly the principle of non-involvement in politics and obedience to the ruling government. Unless, of course, that infallible Center issues a new directive, and declares the previous holy words and scriptures null and void.

When the Iranian government does not tolerate the teaching of the Cause, and in fact opposes it, as it tries to stop all such activities through various political and social pressures, why should we insist on these activities? Why should we invite non-Baha’is to our devotional meetings and study circles, considering how much it provokes the anger of the authorities and the fanatics from among the larger Iranian population, all of which primarily results in more difficulties for the members of the Baha’i Community?

The message dated January 15, 2015, states that, if ordered by government officials to legally bind themselves to stop their teaching activities, you permit the Friends to acquiesce and sign any papers in this regard.

If by this message you mean that the Friends should give a commitment and honor that commitment, then this results in a necessary contradiction. Because in another part of that same message, you have warned the Friends to not abandon any religious rule that will cause the Baha’i Faith to be uprooted. Now, if by this permission you really intend for the Friends to render empty promises in order to avoid, temporarily, the authorities and to later continue in their teaching activities, this would be a direct condoning of deceit and dishonesty, and would be contrary to the holy scriptures and the sacred Baha’i teachings.

If this permission is given in order to reduce the restrictions on the Friends, and allow them the possibility of studying in Iranian high schools and universities, then why do you not try to solve the problems at a more fundamental level, and help to put an end to any and all future arrests, imprisonment, or prosecution? Moreover, we must be aware that such agreements don’t just involve the signing of a document; rather they necessarily result in further undesired consequences, including certain duties and responsibilities that must be promised and fulfilled.

I remember a few years ago the respected governing body let Baha’is present themselves as Muslims when applying to Iranian universities. This was in order to allow Baha’i youth to receive higher education in Iran. Yet, at the time of this permission, some of the Friends opposed it, seeing it as a denial of their faith. There is an essential question here which must be asked: Which of the two choices, denying the Baha’i youth of their religious identity or ceasing public teaching of the Faith, is more destructive and harmful?

In the next part of the message, the prohibition of teaching in the holy land is repeated, a prohibition decreed by the statement of Baha'u'llah, who said: “The Baha’is residing in the Holy Land should abstain from any teaching in Israel.”

The prohibition of teaching the Baha’i Faith in Israel is not only compulsory for the Baha’i residents of Israel, but also according to the message of the House, DD 23.6.1995, no teaching is permitted to any of the citizens of Israel – whether or not they reside in Israel. In a part of this message we read:
The House of Justice has not asked the friends to avoid contact with Israelis. When you discover that a person you are in contact with via IRC is an Israeli, you should feel free to maintain friendly contact, but you should not teach the Faith to him…in keeping with a policy that has been strictly followed since the days of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’ís do not teach the Faith in Israel. Likewise, the Faith is not taught to Israelis abroad if they intend to return to Israel.”

Here, the issue isn’t the prohibition of teaching the Faith in Israel or to an Israeli. Yet we see that there is such a prohibition for the Friends in Israel, who suffer no pressures nor persecution. Why do we disregard this wisdom in the lands of Iran, which is the epicenter of such persecution?

Now, if teaching the Faith began in Israel, despite the state’s lack of willingness or consent, in so far as it is run according to the religious laws and sensibilities of its citizens (just as it is in Iran) it seems to me that the respected members of the House would be subject to similar pressures and persecution as the friends in Iran are, or would even be obliged to leave that country.

As a humble member of the Baha’i Community, I propose that all teaching be stopped for 2 to 3 years in Iran. Since the administration here is not active — with the Yaran actually being imprisoned and absent from the community, there is a current state of hostility towards the faith, we must commit to this suspension so as to rescue the Friends from these various pressures and to put an end to the claims of the authorities. If that hiatus was successful in decreasing the persecution against Baha’is, then it should be continued in a more systematic manner and for a longer period. But if we witness no changes in the behavior of the Iranian authorities, then we can revert to the force of public opinion once again.

One final point I would like to humbly make is a reminder about the special status and significance of Iran, the sacred cradle of the Cause of God. The Universal House of Justice, as the highest governing Body of the great Baha’i Community, is responsible for solving the problems of the Friends in Iran, consolidating their civil rights, re-organizing the national Baha’i administration, and taking the necessary steps to free Baha’is from prison and secure their trampled rights. I believe the only way to achieve the above goals in the short term, is to have sincere dialogue with the Iranian authorities, and to cultivate good diplomatic relations with them. No progress will be made, nor any goals achieved if we are in constant contention with a strong state like Iran. Eventually, even these current pressures and prosecutions could become more severe and systematic, if the current intransigence is kept.

On the other hand, having hope solely in the words and actions of foreign political actors and international bodies is decidedly not sufficient. Even if we attain any measure of success in the short-term, any such progress may be reversed and even serve to harm us in the long term, such as through further “legal” restrictions placed on the community.

It is very clear that in the beginning, any negotiation and discussion with the Iranian government will be very difficult, or even seem impossible. But the valuable experiences of the House, who could utilize either qualified Iranian or non-Iranian advisers, and a sincere good-will may help the success of these discussions. However, if the UHJ does not begin this initiative today, and waits for some more desirable time in the future, it may see that it has waited too long for any of its desired results to be attained.

I sincerely hope that the respected House finds these comments and suggestions useful and applicable. If, for any reason, they were deemed inappropriate, I request your abounding forgiveness, and pray for your guidance.

I apologize for the length of this message, and humbly request your prayers when visiting the holy shrines.

With the Warmest Baha’i Greetings,
Kaveh Kholousi

Source : https://kamandedoust.wordpress.com/

http://bahaism.blogspot.in/

How Baha'is usurped Muslim Endowments with the help of Israeli Government ?

Mazra’ih (Masra’ih) is the name of a mansion and surrounding land that Baha’u’llah had lived in

for two years when he was ‘allegedly’ imprisoned in Palestine. According to an article in the Baha’i magazine, Baha’i News, this land belonged to the Muslims and could not be legally sold to the Baha’is:

 

“Masra'ih is a Moslem religious endowment, and it is consequently impossible, under existing laws in this country, for it to be sold. However, as the friends are aware, the Ministry of Religions, due to the direct intervention of the Minister himself, Rabbi Maimon, consented, in the face of considerable opposition, to deliver Masra'ih to the Baha'is as a Holy Place to be visited by Baha'i pilgrims. This means that we rent it from the Department of Moslem and Druze affairs in the Ministry of Religions. The head of thisDepartment is also a Rabbi, Dr. Hirschberg. Recently he, his wife and party, visited all the Baha'i properties in Haifa and 'Akka, following upon a very pleasant tea party in the Western Pilgrim House with the members of the International Baha'i Council.” (Baha’i

News, no. 244, June 1951, p. 4)

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According to this document the land was forcefully taken from the Muslims and delivered to the

Baha’is in return for a rent which was paid to the Israeli government.

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A few years later, the land is officially usurped for good and sold to the Baha'is by the Israeli

government (it must be noted that Muslim endowments cannot be sold). The Universal House of Justice then sends out a letter to Baha’is worldwide happily informing them that this Muslim Endowment –that cannot be sold or purchased- has been bought by the UHJ:

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“The Mansion of Mazra'ih, often referred to by the beloved Guardian as one of the "twinmansions" in which the Blessed Beauty resided after nine years within the walled prison-city of ' Akká, and dear to the hearts of the believers by reason of its associations with their Lord, has at last been purchased together with 24,000 square metres of land extending into the plain on its eastward side.” (The Universal House of Justice, from Ridvan 1973 message;

Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1968-1973)

Is this an achievement that one should be proud of?

Source: http://www.bahaibahai.com/eng/index.php/articles?

id=97 http://bahaism.blogspot.com/