In mastering the knowlege that even bigotry is relative and comes in gradations, I was a premature pupil. I learned this lesson when I was only 10.
In 1977, in an eclectic neighborhood in Tehran, my Jewish family lived on a narrow, wooded alley in what was then an upscale area, alongside two other Jewish families and many more Muslims. There was also a Bahai family, the Alavis, next door.
By then, I had already intuited that my relatives, in the presence of Muslim friends and neighbors, were somehow less flamboyant creatures, quieter and more measured. But the Alavis, debonair and highly educated, were mere ghosts.
Theirs was a corner house on the alley, one of the most beautiful in the neighborhood, and the first to be sold within days in 1979, after the return of the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini. In a neighborhood so closely-knit that even the mailman dispensed pearls of pedagogical wisdom to our parents, the Alavis simply vanished one day.
No chance for tears, or promises to keep in touch. Not even a forwarding address. My mother insists they said goodbye to her, but my mother considers inventing happy endings a maternal virtue.
American audiences, their eyes brimming with anxiety, often ask me about the condition of Jews living in Iran today. But the hardships they assume to be the burden of the Iranian Jews is really the daily experience of the Bahais.
In a 1979 meeting with five of the Iranian Jewish community leaders, Khomeini summarized his position on the local Jews in one of his quintessentially coarse one-liners: “We recognize our Jews as separate from those godless Zionists.” The line has served as the regime’s position on the Jewish minority ever since. So important were these words that they were painted on the walls of nearly every synagogue and Jewish establishment the day after the ayatollah spoke them.
It did not prevent Jews from being relegated to second-class citizenry, nor did it enable them to thrive in post-revolutionary Iran. But it recognized the legitimacy of the Jewish existence in Iran and allowed the community to live on, albeit extremely restrictedly.
But it is the Bahai community that has been suffering the bleak fate assumed to be that of the Jews. It is the Bahais who are not recognized by the Iranian constitution. Decades ago, Khomeini branded them, among other unsavory terms, a political sect and not a religion, circuitously defining them as plotters against the regime. Iranian Bahais have been accused of espionage for every major power save the Chinese, and simultaneously so. They are not allowed to worship. Their properties are vandalized. Even their dead know no peace, as their cemeteries are systematically destroyed.
Their children cannot attend schools, nor can Bahai academics teach. That is why in 1987, unemployed professors, in an act reminiscent of the Middle Ages, established underground universities to educate the Bahai youth.
Last month, six Bahai leaders were arrested. They had already been accustomed to routine weekly harassments and interrogations, which is why some of their wives have taken up sewing blindfolds to keep the guards from forcing dirty ones onto their husbands’ eyes. What is most alarming about this particular arrest is that they have not returned home and are being kept incommunicado.
What compels me to write these lines is the eerie similarity between this and another historical parallel to which I have been a witness. When the American embassy was seized in Tehran in November 1979, the world took the ayatollah at his word for the egregious act he vehemently supported — that it was solely against America. But for those living in Iran, the hostage taking turned out to be about everything but America.
Newspapers were shut down. Political parties were banned. Opposition group members were arrested and their leaders hauled off to stand before firing squads.
When it was all said and done, the hostages, despite their great suffering during 444 days of captivity, eventually returned home. But the secular opposition of the regime was practically obliterated, and in perfect silence, too, as all attention was focused on the news from the embassy.
The current Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has taken a page from Khomeini’s book. He rails against Israel. He denies the Holocaust. Through these means he focuses all attention on Jews, and while the world remains perfectly oblivious his men assault the Bahais.
Though Ahmadinejad’s intentions against Israel are gravely alarming, in immediate terms, the community that is paying the most for his pan-Islamist ambitions is the Bahai. Since Ahmadinejad’s election to presidency, there has been a sharp rise in anti-Bahai literature in government-sponsored journals, which has, in turn, led to a rise in gang attacks against the community.
That the Bahais shy away, per religious mandate, from advocacy on their own behalf surrounds their predicament with even greater silence. But for those in the West — especially for Jews, who know the lessons of World War II — the plight of the Iranian Bahais is most urgent: It is an act of destruction, not simply promised, but already underway.
Roya Hakakian, the author of “Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran” (Crown, 2004), is a recipient of a 2008 Guggenheim fellowship.
Thank you Ms. Hakakian, for your vigorous cry of justice for the Baha'is of Iran. Baha'is, by the way, love the religion of Islam (though obviously not as it is practiced and interpreted by all Muslims), they revere the Prophet Mohammad, and hold the Qur'an to be sacred scripture on a par with the Tanakh and the Christian Bible. Baha'is love Iran as their their homeland, but also as the sacred cradle of their faith. Baha'is want not only to be free to live and worship, but to be socially productive members of society and to contribute to the advancement and happiness of Iran.
P.S. A quick correction due here. The Baha'i faith is an independent world religion, with its own sacred books, laws, teachings, and with two founding prophets, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah. While Baha'is respect and revere Islam and the Qur'an, they are not Muslims, and are not a sect or denomination of Islam. For more, go to www.bahai.org. Thank you.
Hakakian, you bring up a grave and urgent problem. The question is, what do we do? I support US asylum for Iranian Baha'is. I look to the people in the field to say what else would help.
thank you for this great piece!!!
As a Baha'i I want to thank you and the Jewish Community for their efforts to bring world attention to the plight of the Baha'i s. This desire on the Jewish community to help others is of course found in the great traditions of the Jewish Faith, but has also been sharpened by the terrible experience of World War II which for the Jews, became the darkest days of human experience ever witnessed on this planet. While the Jews in Germany were increasingly attacked during the 30s as Hitler came to power, the world simply ignored this fact. My hope is that we can to whatever small degree, utilize this terrible of all events, in a positive manner and help alleviate the suffering of not just the Baha'is but all of our fellow human beings on this planet who find themselves in a state of oppression. We must never again, ignore the threats of evil men just because the threats are so terrible as to be unbelievable. Hitler was very clear about his intentions. Today, we also have leaders who are very clear about their intentions. We must never ignore the threats of evil leaders. Thank you for this article.
Thank you, dear Roya, for a wonderful, accurate picture of the plight of the Baha'is in Iran. Though an American Baha'i, I personally knew two of the over 200 Baha'is executed or "disappeared" by the Islamic Republic. I find it tragic that such actions are taken in the name of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The two things that can help the Baha'is are prayer and international attention.
'I find it tragic that such actions are taken in the name of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).' The writer of the above line obviously has little or no knowledge of the Life and Times of Mohammed. Persecution and intolerance of non-muslims has always been, and remains today, a core belief of muslims deriving from the actions and words of Mohammed.
Is there any Power really ready to challenge seriously Iran?
Some Jews noticed the news that Bahai leaders had been arrested, and also know that since they are not considered "people of the book," their status is even lower than Jews and Christians. What are the reasons that their plight has been ignored by mainstream media? They are a fitting subject for journalists who know Iran, such as Christine Amanpour. Has she ever written about them? She seems more concerned about the alleged abuse of Palestinians.
Very interesting article and as a Baha'i I appreciate you taking the time to bring awareness to other religious persecution. A few comments come to mind as I read other people's blogs. One word often used by the enemies of Islam is "Jihad" which the fanatics in the Middle East are calling for against Israel. But a Baha'i scholar found this passage in the Quran which makes it clear the true meaning - it is the battle against the self, not war on one's enemies "The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self." Quran (Marzieh Gail, Six Lessons on Islam, up. 21) The beginning of Islam must also be seen in context - Muhammad appeared amongst the most savage and brutal people on earth who murdered and tortured His followers for some 10 years before He fled Mecca to Medina. When the Meccans arose against His followers, Muhammad drew the sword in the defence of the community and eventually He over powdered Mecca and established His religion. For those that argue that Christianity was peaceful and Islam violent, let them remember the Crusades when Christians killed more of their own people than did the Muslims. Muhammad said, "He who wrongs a Jew or Christian will have Me as his accuser." (Dermenghem, op. cit., 331). "Before the Hejira, the Mussulmans had endured persecution without defence; later they put up a legitimate resistance and when they became victors they practised tolerance... The idolater was not allowed to remain on Muslim soil; but the People of the Book both Jew and Christian, by paying tribute, had a right to protection, could practise their faith freely, and were considered a part of the community." (Idem). In Spain as elsewhere, Muslim rule brought great progress, order, peace and plenty, promotion of freedom and equality, regard of rulers for their subjects. Countries under Muslim rule were exempt from the disastrous consequences of the feudal system and the feudal code; Muslim legislation freed the soil and assured the rights of individuals. Spain had greatly suffered from barbarian hordes, and the people had been weighted down with feudal burdens, while vast areas were deserted; under the Muslims, people and land were enfranchised, cities sprang up, 15 order was established, Muslims and non-Muslims -- Suevi, Goth, Vandal, Roman and Jew -- were placed on equal footing, intermarriage took place. This author says it "would be an insult to common-sense and humanity" to compare the Arab rule in Spain "with that of the Normans in England, or of the Christians in Syria during the Crusades..." (op. cit., 422 ff.). The Arabs colonized the depopulated areas, bringing in large industrious communities from Africa and Asia, including 50,000 Jews, with their families, at one time; the generous offers of the Muslims attracted these peoples. The Qur'án forbids drinking, gambling, usury, all forms of vice, and is the first of the sacred Books to put a restriction on polygamy. Muhammad forbids the vengeance of blood and all blood feuds. He prepared the way for the abolition of slavery, encouraging the manumission of slaves by His own example, and greatly ameliorating their lot; slavery as practised in the West is unknown in Islam; slaves, such as the mameluke sultans of Egypt, could become kings. As for women, Muhammad has been called the greatest champion of women's rights the world has ever seen; Islam gives to women the same property rights as her husband; she can inherit and dispose of property, has various alimony and other rights, must be treated with respect. There is no color or race prejudice in Islam -- color is "a sign of God" (30:21; 35:25). Islam teaches love of country (nationalism is its great contribution, the Guardian told Emeric Sala). The Muslims have no caste system, and the Hajj brings them all together, as equals. Islam imposes only five obligations on the faithful: They must affirm that there is no God but God and that Muhammad is the Apostle of God; they must pray five times a day; fast one month out of the year; pay the poor-rate annually; make one pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetime, if they are able. The Muslims pray wherever they happen to be at the appointed hours, facing the Ka'bih; they must be in a state of cleanliness and have performed the ablutions. (Misc Baha'i, Gail - Six Lessons on Islam, p. 14) "Islam attained a very high spiritual state, but western scholars are prone to judging it by Christian standards. One cannot call one world Faith superior to another, as they all come from God; they are progressive, each suited to certain needs of the time..." (Lights of Guidance p 371) Bahai's believe Muhammad was a Manifestation of God - He was perfect in knowledge and action. Everything He did was to guide the people of his time - he built a great nation, united the warring and savage Arabs under one religion and one language. Most of what we have in the West today came from Islam, not Christianity. I have books that list page after page of the accomplishments of the Islamic scholars and scientists while the Christian West was mired down in the dark ages! People who distort what the Quran says do so out of prejudice - they take parts of the text out of context and use it to "prove" Islam is false. The Iranian authorities are doing exactly the same thing with the Baha'is today. Bahai's are called spies, friends of Israel, enemies of Islam, perverters of the Holy text. The fundamental Christians do the same thing. Unfortunately humans process all they read and hear through an "internal filter" and how pure that filter is, is dependent on the person and their own motives and way of thinking. Thank you bloggers for putting your wonderful and insightful comments down.
May the Almighty assist Israel to repay its debt to ancient Persia.
Actually, Baha'is can and do speak out, in coordination with our institutions. We ask, through our elected leaders, that all governments call upon Iran to stop persecuting our brethren in Iran. This approach has been effective in the past. We can only pray it will be effective now. We also have an initiative to ask academics in this country to call upon Iranian colleagues to speak against oppression of Baha'i students. Our mandate of non-involvment in politics is pretty strict, but we strive to make our personal lives of ones of service to common good. We trust that ultimately God will establish justice via good people acting together. Every individual and community has a role to play. The roles of the Baha'i community are to be a model of unity in diversity, to grow and thrive, to share Baha'u'llah's message with receptive souls, and along the way shun all forms of strife, open dissent, and taking of sides of one group over another, because we are one. This approach does indeed make us vulnerable tactically, but we believe our cause will be successful. It is a very long road but this is our road.
Thank you for your poignant, touching, insightful story of the persecution of Baha'is in Iran. It is reminiscent of the fate of the Jews of the holocaust --- as you said. Through the suffering of these dear souls, you seem to be feeling all over again the pain of that horror. Let us pray that one day this kind of thing will no longer happen to any one or any group...
And how do the Bahais fare in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Pakistan and Jordan, countries that are de facto allies of Israel and the USA? Are they sleeping easily at night? And how do Jews fare in Iraq compared with Iran, where they have a seat in parliament and keep refusing to make aliyah despite handsome bribes offered by would-be manufacturers of war propaganda against Iran? Oh no, I forgot: there aren't any Jews left in Iraq to compare Iranian ones with. They all ran away after they were "liberated" by the US-Zionist axis, whereas they had been content to remain there in Saddam Hussein's time. Is Iraq more religiously tolerant now? So how many more sneaky little incitements for the USA to make war on Iran is Forward going to print?
David Nilsson, a brief education for you on life for Jews in Iraq, prior to Saddam and during his regime. Iraq became an independent state in 1932. Throughout this period, the authorities drew heavily on the talents of the mall well-educated Jews for their ties outside the country and proficiency in foreign languages. Iraq’s first minister of finance, Yehezkel Sasson, was a Jew. These Jewish communities played a vital role in the development of judicial and postal systems. Following the end of the British mandate, the 2,700-year-old Iraqi Jewish community suffered horrible persecution, particularly as the Zionist drive for a state intensified. In June 1941, the Mufti-inspired, pro-Nazi coup of Rashid Ali sparked rioting and a pogrom in Baghdad during the Jewish Feast of Shavuot. Armed Iraqi mobs, with the complicity of the police and the army, murdered 180 Jews and wounded almost 1,000 in what became known as the Farhud pogrom. Immediately following, the British Army re-entered Baghdad, and success of the Jewish community resumed. Jews built a broad network of medical facilities, schools and cultural activity. Nearly all of the members of the Baghdad Symphony Orchestra were Jewish. Yet this flourisng environment abruptly ended in 1947, with the partition of Palestine and the fight for Israel’s independence. Outbreaks of anti-Jewish rioting regularly occurred between 1947 and 1949. After the establishment of Israel in 1948, Zionism became a capital crime. In 1950, Iraqi Jews were permitted to leave the country within a year provided they forfeited their citizenship. A year later, however, the property of Jews who emigrated was frozen and economic restrictions were placed on Jews who chose to remain in the country. From 1949 to 1951, 104,000 Jews were evacuated from Iraq in Operations Ezra & Nechemia (named after the Jewish leaders who took their people back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylonia beginning in 597 B.C.E.); another 20,000 were smuggled out through Iran. In 1952, Iraq’s government barred Jews from emigrating and publicly hanged two Jews after falsely charging them with hurling a bomb at the Baghdad office of the U.S. Information Agency. With the rise of competing Ba’ath factions in 1963, additional restrictions were placed on the remaining Iraqi Jews. The sale of property was forbidden and all Jews were forced to carry yellow identity cards. After the Six Day War, more repressive measures were imposed: Jewish property was expropriated; Jewish bank accounts were frozen; Jews were dismissed from public posts; businesses were shut; trading permits were cancelled and telephones were disconnected. Jews were placed under house arrest for long periods of time or restricted to the cities. Persecution was at its worst at the end of 1968. Scores were jailed upon the discovery of a local “spy ring” composed of Jewish businessmen. Fourteen men, eleven of them Jews, were sentenced to death in staged trials and hanged in the public squares of Baghdad; others died of torture. On January 27, 1969, Baghdad Radio called upon Iraqis to “come and enjoy the feast.” Some 500,000 men, women and children paraded and danced past the scaffolds where the bodies of the hanged Jews swung; the mob rhythmically chanted “Death to Israel” and “Death to all traitors.” This display brought a world-wide public outcry that Radio Baghdad dismissed by declaring: “We hanged spies, but the Jews crucified Christ.”Jews remained under constant surveillance by the Iraqi government. An Iraqi Jew (who later escaped) wrote in his diary in February 1970: Ulcers, heart attacks, and breakdowns are increasingly prevalent among the Jews...The dehumanization of the Jewish personality resulting from continuous humiliation and torment...have dragged us down to the lowest level of our physical and mental faculties, and deprived us of the power to recover. In response to international pressure, the Baghdad government quietly allowed most of the remaining Jews to emigrate in the early 1970’s, even while leaving other restrictions in force. Most of Iraq’s remaining Jews are now too old to leave. They have been pressured by the government to turn over title, without compensation, to more than $200 million worth of Jewish community property. The government also engages in anti-Semitic rhetoric. One statement issued by the government in 2000 referred to Jews as “descendents of monkeys and pigs, and worshippers of the infidel tyrant.” In 1991, prior to the Gulf War, the State Department said “there is no recent evidence of overt persecution of Jews, but the regime restricts travel (particularly to Israel) and contacts with Jewish groups abroad.” A Jerusalem Post report noted that 75 Jews have fled Iraq in the past five years, most relocating to Holland or England. About 20 emigrated to Israel. Only one synagogue continues to function in Iraq, “a crumbling buff-colored building tucked away in an alleyway” in Bataween, once Baghdad’s main Jewish neighborhood. According to the synagogue’s administrator, “there are few children to be bar-mitzvahed, or couples to be married. Jews can practice their religion but are not allowed to hold jobs in state enterprises or join the army.” The rabbi died in 1996 and none of the remaining Jews can perform the liturgy and only a couple know Hebrew. The last Jewish wedding was held in 1980. The Iraqi government has refurbished the tombs of Ezekiel the Prophet and Ezra the Scribe, which are also considered sacred by Muslims. Jonah the Prophet’s tomb has also been renovated. Saddam Hussein also assigned guards to protect the holy places during his reign. Each year, hundreds of Muslim pilgrims flock to the holy sites to pay hommage to these prophets. In 2004, approximately 35 Jews were living in Baghdad, but by 2008, the once-thriving community of Jews living in the Iraqi capital has dwindled to below 10, not enough to hold a minyan (the requesite 10 men needed for most religious rituals), and a handful more in the Kurdish-controlled northern parts of Iraq. The community still lives in fear, scared even to publicize the exact numbers of Jews remaining in Baghdad, but the Jewish Agency estimates it at about seven. Most of those in Baghdad are elderly, poor and lacking basic needs such as clothing, medication and food, but some remaining are middle class, including two doctors. The one synagogue, the Meir Taweig Synagogue, was closed in 2003, after it became to dangerous to gather out in the open. Among the remaining Jews, one fearful man now in his early 40s describes himself as “the rabbi, slaughterer and one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Iraq.”
The Bahai are all about love, they need to be helped.
As a Baha'i I appreciate your comments in the article! The Baha'i Faith has been percuted in Iran since its inception... Also most other Faiths but Islam have been percuted there as well...One cant help but wonder if religion is the cause of strife and bloodshed, would we not be better off without religion? The Purpose of Religion and the prophets of God has always been to give guidance and give rise to an ever advancing civilization, where mankind can reconize that all people are the creation of God. Each Relgion that has had a messenger and or prophet of God is a intergral chapter in the book of God. No Man, Goverment, or Religion can be true to God if they reject what God has revealed through his Holy books of the past, present, or those of the future. Many polictical as well as relgious leaders have tried to change the meaning of God's revelvations, bringing about prejustice, hate and war, for there own power and ego. In reality and in Gods eyes, the Earth is but one country and mankind her citizens. John Robbins
My comment to David who wrote on June 20th re: the remark made by Randall Deighton....The reason some Muslims are intolerant and continue the persecutions of non Muslims, results in their ignorance of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings, and their being stirred into action by Clergy, who have their own agenda's...Muhammad called upon His followers to revere and respect both the Christians and the Jews, and nowhere in The Koran did He call upon them to kill in His Name... David I suggest you read the Koran, a wonderful Holy Book and meditate upon it with a pure heart...And you Roya, I commend you for your article, and will read your book. My love to you, and my thanks for your timely article..I am English, and have been a Baha'i for 50 years, and like some others, who have written comments, have lost many dear friends to this blind and cruel regime in Iran...We should be assured it is part of God's Plan and His will will prevail. We can pray for the dear ones who are called upon to make the sacrifices that will speed God's will for Unity amongst the religions, and eventual Peace on Earth...Don't we all want that???
I am a Jewish convert to the Bahá'í Faith, so I am deeply concerned with the welfare of these communities. We can help their plight by requesting the leaders of our respective governments to speak out in international forums in their support. In the United States, we can write to our representatives urging them to support House Resolution 1008 condemning the persecution of the Iranian Bahá'ís. (http://www.house.gov). Recent information regarding the persecution of Iranian Bahá'ís can be obtained at: http://iran.bahai.us/. Thank you for your support. Dr John Warner Jwarner191@excite.com
This is just so sad. We must continue to pray for the Bahais in Iran, as well as Bahais the world over. Thank you Roya Hakakian!
This is a wonderful article. Can we use it to tell the next lot of university students starting their courses in the autumn? Baha'i societies are often formed at this time and exhibit items. This is valid material and will assist in human rights issues and for better understanding between nations races classes and creeds.
Considering David Nilson's remark: 'Is Iraq more religiously tolerant now?' It might have been better to have asked 'where in the Middle East are groups like the Baha'is given complete tolerance?' The answer, of course, is Israel, where the Baha'is have their magnificent gardens, terraces and buildings (and two shrines) that make up their World Centre. They are either banned or have been expelled from every Muslim country. There are too many to expel from Iran, but they are treated as though they do not exist. Anti-Zionism does not help win the battle for freedom and respect throughout the Muslim world. Israel is a model for religious tolerance. I'm afraid Wendy Ayoub is, like so many Baha'is, starry-eyed and uninformed about Islam. She recommends the Qur'an, but I suspect she has never read it in its entirety (and probably not in Arabic), otherwise she would know that it DOES command fighting against and killing non-believers, and calls Jews and Christians enemies of the faith. The Hadith or traditions of Muhammad are even more bloodthirsty, and the Sira (the life of Muhammad) and the early Maghazi literature describe in detail his many battles and the many occasions he ordered assassinations. Significantly, his execution of all the men of the Jewish trive Bani Quryaza remains a huge blot on the character of a 'prophet of God'. These problems won't go away by whistling in the wind. They are the reason Muslims persecute Baha'is today, in Iran and elsewhere. No matter how often the Baha'is say they love Muhammad, Muslims don't care because the Baha'is believe in two prophets after him. Thanks for the article. It helped personalize a weel-known story.
Thank you, Roya Hakakian, for standing up for others, who are persecuted as we have been. This is the lesson of the Passover seder. This is the lesson of the Holocaust: Never Again! (Thanks also for writing your book, which I bought after listening to you on NPR in the parking lot of Best Buy. I sat in my car 'til the end of the program, before going into the store. Next to me was a man, sitting in his car, listening to the same interview.)
Just like your book, I was totally absorbed in this article....can't you PLEASE write another book or five? Your writing is captivating.
Thank you for bringing this out into the open. It really helps when non-Baha'is write about the plight of Baha'is in Iran. I will circulate this article to many. I only hope that individual Iranians arise against any injustice of this kind and speak out against it.
Denis MacEoin, I have to say with all due respect that, your example shows and assures us yet again that being able to read Arabic (or any language for that reason) does not qualify one as being able to be unbiased enough to read a Scripture in context. If your standard of the out of context reading of the Quran be accepted, then every Prophet of God will be called cruel and His nation’s misdeeds as a stain on His stainless Being. A reading of Deuteronomy in your style, will alone prove the point, but then may be you didn’t read it in Hebrew or Latin to catch that. Yet, Baha’is, Christians, Jews, and Moslems all love Moses and believe in Him as a perfect Messenger of Almighty to all humanity and His commands as the Word of God. We seek refuge with God from such assumptions as yours, and pray that He may protect us from blind guides whose lack of foresight and wisdom has already caused the world to be in such an unlivable state, regardless of which religion or creed they belong to.
Maile and Roya Thank you. We hope the world will learn to respect what is respectful and dear to so many people and not belittle anyone’s beliefs and love of a thing. Today’s certain scholars think they have all the right to curse some one Who is dearer to over a billion people more then their own mothers and fathers and yet if anyone spoke such filthy language to these so called scholars’ own parents, they will not consider it freedom of speech any longer but sheer rudeness, bad manners and a behavior deserving sanction. I am even more perturbed that we send our youth, who are our future to go learn from these so called blind guides. However, all the calumny in the world can not hid the truth as it is said, "All human attainment moveth upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind, darteth across space." May God guide us to search for truth beyond our prejudices and ancestral biases. Thank you again for speaking up. I believe those of us in majority who love humanity and respect each other, have kept silent long enough. It’s high time now to defend the truth, wherever it may reside, “through our tongues and our pens”.
Thank you.
1- As a human being first and a Baha'i second, I would never make ad hom attacks against anyone, inc. Prf. McEoin, no matter how or what I feel or think about his opinions about the Baha'i Faith, and his criticisms of it. I would hope my fellow Baha'is would treat the Professor as any holy person would treat a fellow human being - attack the argument and not the person, please. 2- When McEoin says: "Significantly, his execution of all the men of the Jewish trive [sic] Bani Quryaza [sic] remains a huge blot on the character of a 'prophet of God," I would disagree with his retrospective judgment on the character of the prophet Muhammad. I think we stand far away in time and place to make such judgements. Likewise, the Patriarch Abraham was ordered by God (according to the Tanakh) to annihilate all Amalekites (man, woman, child, and ass/donkey!). Emperor Constantine, on the basis of one phrase from the meek and lowly Jesus of Nazareth, that 'I come not to bring peace but with a sword to divide father from son, etc.,' came up with the Holy War concept (that's where that word comes from, by the way, not from Islam!). So, yes... on that basis, we can go back and even call God a genocidal maniac for what he has done or ordered by His prophets. There is incidentally a story from the life of Baha'u'llah wherein he is said to have recounted the killing of the Banu Qurayza, and he weeps over it... I won't tell you why, because this is not the place for debates in the history of Islam, rather about the persecution of Baha'is in Iran today. 3- McEoin is absolutely right that the reason Baha'is are persecuted in Iran is and remains for one simple reason: the claims of the Bab and Baha'u'llah radically undercut the raison d'etre of the clergy and the clerical regime of Iran as a whole, which are predicated on the need for priestly intermediaries pending the Day of God, and on the claim of the clergy and the clerical regime to being representatives of the messianic Hidden Imam on Earth. The Bab claimed to be that Hidden Imam, and Baha'u'llah claimed to be the Promised One of All Ages. That makes Baha'is like me a clear and present danger to the Iranian regime. That, incidentally is why the secret Golpaygani Memorandum approved by Supreme Leader Khamene'i stipulated "attacking and destroying th[e] cultural roots [of the *Baha'is*] outside Iran."(!) I would disagree though with the generalization of McEoin because that would imply that if all Muslims were REAL Muslims, Sunni or Shia, they would kill all Baha'is. That, depend on a Muslim's interpretation of the Sharia and the Hadith.. and unlike the 7th or 8th c., no one can speak for all Muslims. Not in today's world.
Historically, Jihad means Holly War (Dharma Juddha in Bangla). For 1400 years, Muslims always understood the meaning of Jihad as Islamic Holy War. Every Islamic scholar, Mullah, maulana, Imam, etc., of the whole world will agree with this meaning of Jihad. Technically, Jihad is war against non-Muslims (Jihad al-kuffar or Jihad against disbeliever; and Jihad al-munafiqeen or Jihad against hypocrites) only, since Muslims are forbidden to fight the Muslims. Hundreds of books were written by the Islamic scholars (Islamic Chintabid) on Jihad and everybody unanimously used the word Jihad as the religious war called holy war (Dharma Juddha). In the Islamic history, more than 80% of the texts are filled with Holy War (Jihad). Early Islam was spread in the Arabian Peninsula solely by holy wars (Jihad). Islam was propagated as a religion by series of wars/battles -both defensive as well as Offensive. As many as 78 historic battles were fought by the Prophet Muhammad himself. And out of 78, only one (battle of ditch) was defensive war, and the rest were simply offensive wars. Did Muslim soldiers go to Syria, Iran, and Egypt to fight defensive war? What about those great historical BATTLES - Battle of Oho'd, Battle of Bad'r, Battle of Khayber, signing of peace-pacts such as "Hudaibya Peace Pact," etc.? Were those wars fought with the so-called struggle only? Alternatively, were those wars fought with the heart-piercing sharpened swords? In the Holy Qur'an one can find hundreds of verses (Ayats) which dictates to fight holy wars (Jihad) against non-Muslims infidels. Let me cite here a few of them: Qur'an-(9:5): "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, And seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war) ; but if they repent (accept Islam) and establish regular prayers and practices regular charity then open the way for them; for God is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." Qur'an-(8:65): " O Apostle ! Rouse the believers to the fight, if there are twenty amongst you, patient and persevering , they will vanquish two hundred; if a hundred, they will vanquish a thousand of the unbelievers; for these are a people without understanding." Qur'an-(2:216(: Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you Qur'an-(2:191): "And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out---such is the reward of those who suppress faith." Qur'an-(9:29): "Fight those who believe not the Allah nor the last day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and his apostle, nor acknowledge the religion of truth even if they are the people of the book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." Qur'an(48:20): "-.Allah promises you much booty (spoils of war) that you will capture from the defeated infidels-." Qur'an-(8:38): "And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression" Qur'an-(8:12): I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them Qur'an-(8:15,16): O ye who believe! when ye meet the Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them. If any do turn his back to them on such a day - unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own)- he draws on himself the wrath of Allah, and his abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed)! Qur'an-(9:111): Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the Qur'an-(9:73): O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. Qur'an-(9:123): O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him). Qur'an-(4:95): O ye who believe! Shall I show you a commerce that will save you from a painful doom? You should believe in Allah and His messenger, and should strive for the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That is better for you, if ye did but know. ... Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than those who sit (at home). C. Jihad as per Hadiths: Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihad)was sanctioned widely in sahi hadiths. Almost one-third of the fourth of nine volumes of Bukhari, Islam's principal collector of Hadith, focused on jihad as physical war. There are thousands of sahi hadiths that simply talk about Jihad-the holy war in Islam. I cannot include them all in this short essay in order to keep to a minimum. I will only mention however some of them in this essay. The following are a few examples: Sahi Bukhari# 35, page-102: Prophet Muhammad (sa) narrated, " He who is out at war Allah becomes the protector for him. Because, he only joins the fight when he put his solid belief upon Allah and his Apostle. Allah provides him wealth and much booty (Maal-e-goni-mat) with which he returns home. Or, place him in the paradise by making him a Shaheed (martyrdom). Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 46: Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The example of a Mujahid in Allah's Cause-- and Allah knows better who really strives in His Cause----is like a person who fasts and prays continuously. Allah guarantees that He will admit the Mujahid in His Cause into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and war booty (maal-e-gani-maat)." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 53: Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "Nobody who dies and finds good from Allah (in the Hereafter) would wish to come back to this world even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to the world and get killed again (in Allah's Cause)." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 48: Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the afternoon or in the forenoon is better than all the world and whatever is in it. A place in Paradise as small as the bow or lash of one of you is better than all the world and whatever is in it. And if a houri from Paradise appeared to the people of the earth, she would fill the space between Heaven and the Earth with light and pleasant scent and her head cover is better than the world and whatever is in it." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 44: Narrated Abu Huraira: A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." He replied, "I do not find such a deed." Then he added, "Can you, while the Muslim fighter is in the battle-field, enter your mosque to perform prayers without cease and fast and never break your fast?" The man said, "But who can do that?" Abu- Huraira added, "The Mujahid (i.e. Muslim fighter) is rewarded even for the footsteps of his horse while it wanders bout (for grazing) tied in a long rope." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 49: Narrated Samura: The Prophet said, "Last night two men came to me (in a dream) and made me ascend a tree and then admitted me into a better and superior house, better of which I have never seen. One of them said, 'This house is the house of martyrs." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 50: Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the forenoon or in the afternoon is better than the world and whatever is in it." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 42: Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Allah's Apostle said, "There is no Hijra (i.e. migration) (from Mecca to Medina) after the Conquest (of Mecca), but Jihad and good intention remain; and if you are called (by the Muslim ruler) for fighting, go forth immediately. Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 54: Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "By Him in Whose Hands my life is! Were it not for some men amongst the believers who dislike to be left behind me and whom I cannot provide with means of conveyance, I would certainly never remain behind any Sariya' (army-unit) setting out in Allah's Cause. By Him in Whose Hands my life is! I would love to be martyred in Al1ah's Cause and then get resurrected and then get martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get martyred and then get resurrected again and then get martyred. Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 55: Narrated Anas bin Malik: Prophet of Allah said, "Zaid took the flag and was martyred, and then Ja'far took the flag and was martyred, and then 'Abdullah bin Rawaha took the flag and was martyred too, and then Khalid bin Al-Walid took the flag though he was not appointed as a commander and Allah made him victorious." The Prophet further added, "It would not please us to have them with us." Aiyub, a sub-narrator, added, "Or the Prophet, shedding tears, said, 'It would not p ease them to be with us." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 61: Narrated Anas: My uncle Anas bin An-Nadr was absent from the Battle of Badr. He said, "O Allah's Apostle! I was absent from the first battle you fought against the pagans. (By Allah) if Allah gives me a chance to fight the pagans, no doubt. Allah will see how (bravely) I will fight." On the day of Uhud when the Muslims turned their backs and fled, he said, "O Allah! I apologize to You for what these (i.e. his companions) have done, and I denounce what these (i.e. the pagans) have done." Then he advanced and Sad bin Muadh met him. He said "O Sad bin Muadh ! By the Lord of An-Nadr, Paradise! I am smelling its aroma coming from before (the mountain of) Uhud," Later on Sad said, "O Allah's Apostle! I cannot achieve or do what he (i.e. Anas bin An-Nadr) did. We found more than eighty wounds by swords and arrows on his body. We found him dead and his body was mutilated so badly that none except his sister could recognize him by his fingers." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 63: Narrated Al-Bara: A man whose face was covered with an iron mask (i.e. clad in armor) came to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall I fight or embrace Islam first? "The Prophet said, "Embrace Islam first and then fight." So he embraced Islam, and was martyred. Allah's Apostle said, A Little work, but a great reward. "(He did very little (after embracing Islam), but he will be rewarded in abundance)." Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 64: Narrated Anas bin Malik: Um Ar-Rubai'bint Al-Bara', the mother of Hartha bin Suraqa came to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Prophet! Will you tell me about Hartha?" Hartha has been killed (i.e. martyred) on the day of Badr with an arrow thrown by an unidentified person. She added, "If he is in Paradise, I will be patient; otherwise, I will weep bitterly for him." He said, "O mother of Hartha! There are Gardens in Paradise and your son got the Firdausal-ala (i.e. the best place in Paradise)." [What could be a bigger bluffing and exploitation of a poor ignorant mother (who lost her son in Jihad) by our merciful Prophet?] Mishkat al-Masabih, trans. by James Robson (Lahore: Ashraf, 1975) Vol. 1:807. Abu 'Abs reported God's messenger as saying, "No man whose feet become dusty in God's path will be touched by hell." Bukhari transmitted it. Mishkat al-Masabih, Vol. 1:814. Al-Miqdam b. Madikarib reported God's messenger as saying, "The martyr receives six good things from God: he is forgiven at the first shedding of his blood, he is shown his abode in paradise, he is preserved from the punishment in the grave, he is kept safe from the greatest terror, he has placed on his head the crown of honour a ruby which is better than the world and what it contains, he is married to seventy-two wives of the maidens with large dark eyes, and is made intercessor for seventy of his relatives." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it. D. Jihad as per Islamic-historians/Scholars/Philosophers: We can find hundreds of books written by well-known Islamic authorities (Islamic Chintabid or thinker) on Jihad. A few examples of historical events and comments should be enough to lay the foundation that Jihad in Islamic history was primarily a Holy War against the infidels. Here are some examples: In his book, " Jurisprudence in Muhammad's Biography" the Azhar scholar, Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti wrote the following: "The Holy War (Islamic Jihad), as it is known in Islamic Jurisprudence, is basically an offensive war. This is the duty of Muslims in every age when the needed military power becomes available to them. This is the phase in which the meaning of Holy war has taken its final form. Thus the apostle of God said: ' I was commanded to fight the people until they believe in Allah and his messages-..(page 134, 7th edition) ". Azhar scholar Dr. Buti adds in the same book (page-263): The apostle of Allah started to send military detachments from among his followers to the various Arab tribes which were scattered in the Arab Peninsula to carry out the task of calling (these tribes) to accept Islam. If they did not respond, they (Muslims) would kill them. That was during the 7th Hgira year. The number of the detachments amounted to ten." The Baydawi quoted in his book (The lights of Revelation, page-252): "Fight Jews and Christians because they violated the origin of their faith and they do not believe in the religion of the truth (Islam), which abrogated all other religions. Fight them until they pay the poll-tax (Ziziya tax) with submission and humiliation." In another place of his book (The Jurisprudence in Muhammad's Biography) Al-Buti (published in Egypt) quoted: "The concept of Holy War (Jihad) in Islam does not take into consideration whether defensive or an offensive war. Its goal is the exaltation of the Word of Allah and the construction of Islamic society and the establishment of Allah's Kingdom on Earth regardless of the means. The means would be offensive warfare. In this case, it is the apex, the noblest Holy War. It is legal to carry on a Holy War." Ibn Hisham-Al Sohaily quoted in his famous book (Al- Rawd al- Anaf, page-50,51 ): " No two religions are to exist in the Arab Peninsula ." Therefore, Saudi Government does not allow any other religion to manifest their religious task. What a tolerant and peaceful religion Islam is! The well-known Egyptian scholar, Sayyid Qutb, (Sayyid Qutb, Milestones, Revised Edition, chapter. 4, "Jihaad in the Cause of God") notes four stages in the development of jihad: 1. While the earliest Muslims remained in Mecca before fleeing to Medina, God did not allow them to fight; 2. Permission is given to Muslims to fight against their oppressors; 3. God commands Muslims to fight those fighting them; 4. God commands the Muslims to fight against all polytheists. Sayyid Qutb views each stage to be replaced by the next stage in this order, the fourth stage to remain permanent). To justify the universal and permanent dimensions of jihad he cites the following Qur'anic passages: Qur'an: 4:74-32: They ought to fight in the way of God who have sold the life of this world for the life of the Hereafter; and whoever fights in the way of God and is killed or becomes victorious, to him shall We (God) give a great reward... Qur'an: 8:38-40: and fight them until there is no oppression and the religion is wholly for God.... Qur'an: 9:29-32: Fight against those among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) who do not believe in God and the Last Day, who do not forbid what God and His messenger have forbidden, until they are subdued and pay jizyah (tax on non-Muslims) ... Sayyid Qutb, however, pours scorn upon those who view jihad as solely defensive: ... They are ignorant of the nature of Islam and of its function, and that it has a right to take the initiative for human freedom. Thus wherever an Islamic community exists which is a concrete example of the Divinely-ordained system of life, it has a God-given right to step forward and take control of the political authority so that it may establish the Divine system on earth, while it leaves the matter of belief to individual conscience. Maulana Mawdudi's Fatwa: Likewise, the popular Pakistani Muslim revivalist Abu'l Ala Mawdudi rejects any distinction between offensive and defensive jihad. So also, the distinguished contemporary Pakistani scholar, Fazlur Rahman, while recognizing the extensive presence of jihad in the Qur'an, rejects the stand of those modern Muslim apologists who have tried to explain the jihad of the early (Muslim) Community in purely defensive terms (Fazlur Rahman, Islam (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979) 37). According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, "the fight is obligatory even when the unbelievers have not started it (E. Tyan, "Djihad", Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd ed. (Leiden: Brill, 1965). In the words of Rudolph Peters the "ultimate aim of jihad is 'the subjection of the unbelievers' and 'the extirpation of unbelief'" (Rudolph Peters, "Jihad", The Encyclopedia of Religion (NewYork: Macmillan, 1987) Vol. 8:88-91). All of these authorities simply echo Islam's fundamental assumption that world sovereignty must be in the hands of Muslims. Qur'an: 16:101: And when We put a revelation in place of (another) revelation, - and Allah knoweth best what He revealeth - they say: Lo! thou art but inventing. Most of them know not. On the basis of these verses there arose within the Muslim community the principle of Qur'anic interpretation, called naskh ("abrogation") which stipulated that earlier peaceful verses could be abrogated by later militant verses, i.e., in the case of jihad the Meccan verses were abrogated by the Medinan verses. It is well known that many Muslim scholars in the early history of Islam contended that Qur'an 9:5, sometimes called "the verse of the sword", abrogated a host of peaceful passages in earlier portions of the Qur'an. What it has signified in the past and signifies at present for masses of Muslims is well summarized in a statement by the world renowned Ibn Khaldun (A.D. 1332-1406), Islam's great historian, sociologist and philosopher: In the Muslim community, the holy war is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the (Muslim) mission and (the obligation to) convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force. Therefore, caliphate and royal authority are united in (Islam), so that the person in charge can devote the available strength to both of them at the same (Ibn Khaldun, The Muqaddimah, trans. by Franz Rosenthal (New York: Pantheon Books Inc., 1958) Vol. 1:473). (The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 1:xxiv-xliii ). So, it is incumbent upon us (Muslims) to follow the path which Allah's Messenger (Muhammad) adopted to avoid polytheism and heresy in all its shapes and to take the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's Traditions as torches in front of us to guide us. We have to teach our brethren and convey the Message to non-Muslims all over the world as much as possible in order to save them from the Hell-fire. We have to prepare ourselves to stand in the face of our enemy and to possess the means of power and to participate in the progress of useful industries in order to protect our religion and be powerful enough to face our enemy, as Allah, the Elevated says in Surat al-Anfal (8:60): Qur'an: 8:60: Against them (kaffirs) make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war (tanks, places, missiles and other weapons, etc.) to strike terror into the (hearts of) the Enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside, whom you may not know, but whom Allah does know. Whatever you shall spend in the Cause of Allah, shall be repaid to you, and you shall not be treated unjustly How many terrorists would appeal to this verse "to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy"? The majority of the Qur'an's texts themselves clearly identify jihad as physical warfare in Islam and, Islamically, God's way of establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. Likewise, from the Hadith and the earliest biographies of Muhammad it is just as evident that the early Muslim community understood these Qur'anic texts to be taken literally. Historically, therefore, from the time of Muhammad onwards, jihad as physical warfare in support of the message of Islam has been a reality for the Muslim community. Hence, it comes as no surprise when even terrorists (Osama and his al-Qaeda) easily appeal to these source materials to justify their actions, not to speak of their teachers who teach the theory and the art of terrorism. September 11, 2001, terrorist act in the soil of America is the glittering example of Jihadi mindset of Islamist like Osama bin Laden. Qur'anic Ayats (I just mentioned above) and numerous Sahi Hadiths of same kind were instrumental for Muslims to dedicate their strength & minds for the cause of Islam. Therefore, in the name of spreading the religion, devout Muslim fighters killed millions of people while occupying neighboring Arab lands such as Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and non-Arab countries like India, Turkey, Libya, Iran etc. Even Spain had fallen into their hands for hundreds of years. I simply wonder were these wars defensive. Were those swords used by Islamic soldiers to occupy country after country be considered a symbol of forgiveness or mercy? Following Muhammad's death, his companions fought each other in relentless savage wars competing for authority. In summary, Islamic Jihad with the help of Islamic sword--hundreds of tribes were wiped out from the Arabian Peninsula. Thousands were orphaned and widowed. Hazzaz bin Yousuf killed more than a hundred thousand Sahabis, Ibne Khattal was killed in Kaba'a. Later Abdulla Bin Zubair was killed in the same Kaba'a. By the end of the first civil war of Muslims, all the Badari Sahabis were killed. By the end of three civil wars all the Sahabis were killed "it sucked up all the strength of Muslims" ( Bokhari). Ten thousand Muslims were killed in the Jamal war between Hazrat Ali (RA) and Bibi Ayesha (RA). Islamic scholar Dr. Abu Zayd Shalabi claimed in his book (page-75), in the 'battle of Alees' which took place on the border of Iraq, (Siffin war between Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Mwabia ), the great Islamic General Khalid killed 70,000 people. Thousands of non-Muslims were killed. After the death of Prophet Muhammad, there were four most favorite disciples of Prophet who ruled the Islamic kingdom established by the prophet Muhammad, who were known as the most pious caliphs. Out of these four Caliphs-three of them were brutally assassinated, and only one had natural death because of his old age and very short rule of the Islamic state. Karbala was flooded with blood with a roar of "Allahu Akbar!" Was it because of the fact that Islamic sword was the sign of Mercy? The fact of the matter is-sword can never be the sign of mercy! Period. Global Agenda: As I cited various valuable quotes, which clearly depicted a special and unique feature, which is totally absent in any other monolithic religions of the world. Unlike any other world religion-Islam has an ulterior motive in its agenda. Islam considers it has a sacred and mandatory God given duty to spread Islamic message (Din-e-Islam) to all the inhabitants of the world. Their ultimate wishful goal is to convert and bring entire mankind under the fold of Islam, the only true religion of Allah. To this end-two main groups are working very hard. These two groups are: (a) Militant/radical Mullahs, (b) Educated/elite western residing true believing Muslims (Muslims of the ummatic groups in the west such as: AMC, CAIR, ICNA, ISNA, NABIC etc). Here we can exclude group-C Muslims (general God fearing innocent gullible Muslims who constitute about 70-80% of the total Muslims. Both the groups (A & B) have one thing common in their minds. That is to convert sufficient peoples to Islam in order to establish Islamic Sharia'h or Huhud Laws (Allah's laws just like Afghan Taliban state) as the state governing administration. Here the main difference is-group A (Militant/fanatics) is engaged in armed struggles (Holy war, Terrorism); and group-B (mainly western resident) is engaged in secret and peaceful propagation with sweet talks and peaceful persuasion of the gullible western peoples by deceitful sermons in the mosques and in various annual and semi-annual Islamic conferences and meetings (Ummatic conference). Both have one last thing in mind-to establish Islamic Sharia'h law in the state. Conclusion: Our gullible and wishful Islamists like that Harvard graduate, which we have plenty all over the world, or any other Islamists who wants to twist the real practical and historical meaning of Jihad to fool the modern world, which we have among educated Muslims scattered everywhere, must consider this. If they want to give a new twisted meaning - a sober and politically correct one -- of the word Jihad, they had better first change the Qur'an, Hadiths and all those Islamic history books available in the library throughout the world. Alternatively, they should dump all the Islamic history literature into the Daria or sea and re-write a new peaceful Islamic history by themselves. Sadly, if they do so, then it will be a Reformed Islam, which Mullahs will now allow to happen any time soon. Therefore, the Islamic elites, many of who visit NFB (News From Bangladesh) on a regular basis, will have to swallow their false pride and lick their wounds too. The proverbial phrase - the dogs will be barking, but the caravan will pass. Humanity is poised now to get rid of all kinds belief system that has crippled the humankind and which never allowed us to rich for a higher plane.
Thank you for your touching article, Roya. It reminds me of a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892-1984), "an early supporter of Hitler who, by 1934, had come to oppose the Nazis. Due to his high connections to influential and wealthy businessmen, he was spared from arrest until 1937, but then he was imprisoned, eventually at Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. He survived to be a leading voice of penance and reconciliation for the German people after World War II. His poem is well-known, frequently quoted, and is a popular model for describing the dangers of political apathy, as it often begins with specific and targeted fear and hatred which soon escalates out of control. It speaks to the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group...." (excerpted from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...) The poem, "First They Came...", may be familiar to you but, just as history repeats itself because we fail to learn the lesson of it, it bears repeating here for anyone who hasn't seen it. It really speaks and applies to everyone: "First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me." There are several versions of this poem but, whichever one is presented, it all boils down to one thing: we are not separate from each other. What happens to one happens to all. 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Son of Baha'u'llah (Who revealed the Baha'i Teachings as a prisoner-in-exile from 1853 to 1892) said it this way: "The injury of one shall be considered the injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honor of one, the honor of all." (http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-60.html) He had learned His Father's Teachings very well. 'Abdu'l-Baha was only 8 years old when He was exiled from Tehran, Iran with His Father and the rest of His family in 1853. They went from Tehran to Baghdad to Constantinople to Adrianople and finally to 'Akka, a prison city in Palestine governed by the Ottoman Empire. By the time of the Turkish-British War in 1909, 'Abdu'l-Baha was an old man who knew no other way of life than that of a prisoner but now He was free to travel. Baha'is in the West sent for Him, supporting His travels from 'Akka to Egypt, then Europe and finally to America between 1911 and 1912. Until we all learn the lesson of oneness, crimes and atrocities against each other will unfortunately continue. We pray that day will come soon.
Thank you. For many years, i've been trying to get the words together to compare the situation of the Baha'is in Iran to that of the Jews in WWII. We said that holocaust would NEVER happen again.. that we'd keep our eyes open for any signs of that form of injustice again and put a stop to it straight away... it's here.. and we're not doing as much as we can. Do we really want to have to create a museum to look back on this? Thank you for your article.
Hi! You all are tearing here for the handful of Baha'is. What are you doing with the Millions of Palestinian. By crocodile tears you can't do anything for Baha'is. If so Please give them shelter in Isreal or America (as you are the most power ful people of the planat) Dont forget that time always changes and no one remain at the same position. Great Britain is no longer great, Ottoman is no longer powerful. Rather then these crocodile tears do something for them. Not try to gain political advantage of them. Thank You
Ali, your post is too lengthy for this forum. In a few words, what is your point? James, not every issue in a Jewish publication has to be about the Palestinians. You weaken, not strengthen, your point by inserting it where it is not relevant.
It's very clear what Ali's post lays out. The traditional and classical meaning of 'Jihad' for muslims has always meant aggressive combat against the infidel. The quotations he provides from the Koran and the commentary included from islamic scholars past and present, reinforce that fact.
True faith is balance - the article by Ali is unbalanced. It covers all the quotes concerning the defense of Islam but nothing of the mercy and love let alone the protection extended to Christians and Jews that are also part of the Quaran. Different sects of Christianity use the same devices - one passage to support the existence of the Pope for Catholics and others to disprove this claim made by the Protestants. The Islamic fundamentalist are using the same passages to urge war on the West! They too disregard the passages I sent earlier which are in the opposite direction which is the balance. There was a documentary style TV programme aired last year which had a panel of "experts" before a Moslem University audience discussing the Middle East. The Moslem students (in white robes, scarf's etc:) were gentle, thoughtful and concerned about the soiled image they have in the world due to the fundamentalist. They sounded the same as University people would in the same situation in any Western country. People that write unbalanced articles are feeding the fires of hatred and disunity that will have dire consequences for the world.
Thank you for the sharing of your experience and thoughts. There has been some attention paid to these issues by the UN and various governments, but in many respects it is the opinions of ordinary people that will finally make a difference for the Baha'is in Iran or other oppressed peoples. I am a Baha'i, but the key thing is that we see all these people as our neighbors, to whom we have the obligations and sense of community as neighbors. Your account is a significant effort to spread that requisite sense of community.
Thank you! I saw pics them hanging Baha'i women teachers. Disgusting. Best, Neal
Reading the plight of the Iranian Bahais in Ms Hakakian's article bring me to tears, thinking that in the 20th and 21st century, groups of people are subjected to harassments that on a philosophical level we all denounce, but in fact in reality go on while people continue to suffer, and the perpetrators of the sufferings, go on. In reference to the Bahais it is my understanding that they could avoid the persecution and harassments by simply denying their membership in the Bahai community. I have known many Bahais and I can say without hesitation that they are among the most decent and kind people I have ever known. Their understanding of world problems and their perspectives on how to solve them, I have found among the most fantastic, yet utopistic. I am starting to believe that these same utpistic ideals may be the ones to solve century old fights and hatreds all over the world. After all they may have the solution.
This provided me with excellent insight on the dynamic underway in Iran. It saddens me to know that people treat one another so unjustly, but, not that the writer intends to raise her own stature, I feel very good to see her empathy for those who suffer. Knowing the adversity, hardship, and suffering of others serves as an excellent reminder of how good a life I have, for the most part.
Wonderful insight into this long persecuted world community. Thank you so much for your truth seeking.
Thank you, so much, Roya, for writing such a touching column. You might not know, but this has been quoted the world over. Also, thank you, The Jewish Daily Forward, for publishing this.
Thank you for this insightful article.
While we deplore the abuse and injustices of Iranian authorities towards Bahá'ís in that Nation, we consider that readers should be informed that The National Spiritual Assembly of Bahá'ís of the United States is acting with a similar attitude and plans towards Orthodox Bahá'ís in America as the attitude and plans of Iranian authorities towards Bahá'ís who live in that Nation. The National Spiritual Assembly of Bahá'ís of the United States is attempting to use U.S. Courts to force Orthodox Bahá'ís to stop practicing their Faith, stopping them from identifying themselves as Bahá'ís or using the name Bahá'í or the symbols of their Faith. The National Spiritual Assembly failed in its Court Action to deprive Orthodox Bahá'ís of their freedom of religion and now the National Spiritual Assembly filed an appeal to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals of Judge Amy J. St. Eve's decision in favor of the Orthodox Bahá'í Faith. Here is the link which leads to the details of the Court Action: http://www.truebahai.com/court_case.html
Evidently the goal/plan of the leadership of the large body of Bahá'ís concerning Orthodox Bahá'ís parallels the goal/plan of Islamic leaders in Iran towards Bahá'ís,and the justification of the leadership of the large body of Bahá'ís for its actions against Orthodox Bahá'ís is identical, namely, that it considers Orthodox Bahá'ís to be apostates (heretical/Covenant-breakers).
Ross Campbell is the public voice of the so-called "Orthodox Baha'is" - a tiny schismatic group of 40 people very active in posting negative comments against the 5 million member worlwide Baha'i community and its institutions. Mr. Campbell is well aware that the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States is not trying to deprive the "Orthodox Baha'is" of their right to believe as they wish, of their life, property, or any other civil right. Baha'is are bound to uphold these, even for someone who has been expelled from the Baha'i community.
The court case to which he refers is about the methodology of his organization in misusing identifying trademarks of the Baha'i Faith to make others believe that their organization represents the Baha'i Faith rather than the extremely small schismatic group for which he speaks. His group has gone so far as to faslely claim that one of their sites is the “Official Site of the Universal House of Justice” (the world governing body of the 5-million member Baha’i Faith).
The Baha'i Faith has a covenant that preserves the unity of the Baha'i Faith. It stems directly and explicitly from the Baha'i scriptures as revealed by Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha. It explicitly names those who are the Head of the Faith and the conditions under which succession occurs. The 9-member Universal House of Justice is the head of the worldwide Baha'i Faith. One who violates this covenant by attempting to set up a schismatic group and competing institutions is expelled. Mr. Campbell is one such person. One term used in Baha'i scriptures for such excommunicants is "covenant-breakers" or "violators of the covenant."
While Mr. Campbell attacks the Baha'i community for using the term "covenant-breaker," he fails to explain that his own organization has repeatedly attacked the members of the worldwide Baha'i community in the same terms that he claims to abhor. He also fails to note that his organization, while hating and opposing the Universal House of Justice, has set up a decoy site calling itself the "Official Website of the Universal House of Justice."
It should be repeated that the worldwide Baha'i Faith does not, nor would ever, seek the persecution of those who have been removed from membership in the Baha'i community for violation of the covenant. Baha'is have spiritual obligations regarding non-association with expelled individuals, but they are absolutely bound, by the teachings of their Faith, to accord those expelled from the Baha'i community the same civil and human rights that are due to all by their common humanity. Mr. Campbell well knows this.