APOLOGY

Superficial Assessment By Outsider

Khomeini was a creation of the British MI6, Bahaism had connections to special interests as well to create a one world government, if the Iranians didn't have oil they would be more stable, same goes for any mineral rich country, your broad statements about Iranians is offensive, of course, what do you know, outsiders don't care who Mossadegh was, and why the country has been strategically manipulated.

Iranians are Not Stable Minded

You Iranian are unstable. First you all created Islamic Republic and Now r against it. You people created Bahai Religion and now so many people are against it. I don't understand what is going on with Iran.

Baha'i faith

Well I am a Bahah'i and this is my opinion and i am not making any statement on behalf of Baha'i faith.The problem we have in iran is that we do not have freedom of religion or freedom of choice.we did not have it before the 1979 revolution or after.I would like to remind you that even when his majesty the shah and his family were in charge we still did not have a constitution base on equal right or base on what CYRUS THE GREAT established 3000 years ago.during Pahlavi era Baha'i schools were closed and the baha'i faith was not recognized as a religion eventhough they claimed to be educated and westernized. I think the issue here is to teach every iranian freedom of choice and basic human rights. we must creat an environment that people choose their spirirtual life even if someone do not wish to believe in GOD must be free to do so.I hope someday we have a iran free of hate and prejudise.

I believe in empowering individuals

You're missing my point if that's what you think, as I mentioned earlier, the mistreatment of Bahais (a pre-existing religious affiliation of Iranians) will only add fuel to the demise of the current Islamic facism currently in power.

All I was hoping to do is offer a fresh perspective which takes into account both sides of the arguement, perhaps finding some kind of middle ground in which the concerns of both sides could be reconciled.

I also mentioned the youth for human rights campaign below:

//youthforhumanrights.org/introduction/udhr_abridged.html

The destruction of graves for whatever purpose (immanent domain, intolerance, selfishness...) is not something I support or believe in. I also mentioned how I support the right to educational opportunities for everyone, so I don't know what else you want, to become a polarizing figure so everyone misunderstands eachother?

Please don't attack me before understanding what I stand for, I mentioned how I believe in the principle of equivalence as well.

If you want to defuse a bomb, or neutralize an enemy, or resolve a conflict...do you try to only see things from "one" side, or do you strive to consider why some opposing group doesn't embrace the philsophy of another? All I stand for is equivalence, that includes being able to see a problem from both sides, as objectively as possible, without letting emotions dominate and perpetuate a dialectic which has no goal but creating new friction.

I support the human right of Bahais, period, get it?

Now that isn't the end of the discussion, next one has to figure a way out of this problem, rather than point figers, play sides off eachother and declare propoganda war, at the end of the day, we all want a better, more peaceful world to live in, if you're interested in being part of the solution, then lets talk, if you want to cling to the past and hold a grudge, then we'll never move forward. 

To Hamid javanbakht:

you can dress up a hateful soul, and look like you are protecting Iranians from disaster, but you can not hid it !! it is so transparent that it is funny:)))

We are asking to be treated equal, and having the same basic rights as others, i.e. going to university, or being able to bury our dead in peace.

your reply is , stop setting up shops and worrying about Iranians being manipulated? sir look inside our country , and tell me who is the corruptest of all??

I am sorry but it is a little too late for this hateful propaganda, as they say here, the Jack is out of the box.

Tahirih

A thank you from the other Baha'is!

Blessings and thank you dear Iranian friends throughout the world who have expressed outrage and embarrassment for the treatment of the followers of the Bab and Baha'u'llah in their native land.

Thank you for the healing justice of your words, and for expressing the spiritual beauty of our humanity! 

As you watch the progress of the community of Baha'u'llah throughout the world, please be aware that there are Baha'is like myself who have a very different vision for the future of our Faith.  We do not believe, as the Baha'is loyal to the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel, that Shoghi Effendi was the last Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.  Indeed, it is impossible for Baha'u'llah's emerging world order to be balanced or to be just without the institution of the living Guardians.  Although the leadership of the majority group of Baha'is (loyal to the Universal House of Justice) is perceived by the world to be the legitimate heirs to Baha'u'llah, they are not.

I am a friend and supporter of Jacques Agop Soghomonian, the IV Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, who lives in Marseille, France.  He is one of the original members of the National Spiritual Assembly of France, the only national administrative body in the world at that time that affirmed that Charles Mason Remey, an American, and Hand of the Cause of God, was our first Guardian Shoghi Effendi Rabbani's true successor, after the death of Shoghi Effendi.

The leadership group that represents the majority of the Baha'is in the world, are the heirs to a group of Shoghi Effendi's ministers (Hands of the Cause) who erroneously declared that the Guardianship had come to an end.  They rejected Shoghi Effendi's successor, Charles Mason Remey, and declared Remey a usurper and a violator of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah.  Later, a believer named Joel Bray Marangella, one of the supporters of the second Guardian, created his own story and split away from our second Guardian while our Guardian was still living, declaring himself a Guardian! He, Marangella, is now the leader of the Orthodox Baha'is.

Since 1960, the Faith of Baha'u'llah has suffered from schism.  One group doesn't communicate with the other, and still other individuals who are bizarre claimants to the Guardianship confuse people who wish to understand what is going on with our Faith, since it teaches the importance of "independent investigation of truth," and "the unity of mankind?!"

I solemnly affirm that Jacques Agop Soghomonian is the living and fourth Guardian of the Faith of Baha'u'llah.

~Madison Reed

Fred, on what basis do you deem Iran's nuclear program illegal?

You may parrot Iran's enemies all you want, but an international law scholar you ain't.You specailize in jive so stick to what you're good at and let grownups deal with Iran's legal and open nuclear program.

Biographies of the Imprisoned Bahá’ís in Iran

Biographies of the Imprisoned Bahá’í Leaders in Iran

Courtesy: iranpresswatch.com 

The following are short biographies of the seven Baha’i leaders in Iran, all of whom are currently imprisoned and await trial.

1. Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi

Fariba Kamalabadi, 45 years old, received her postgraduate degree in Education, specializing in Developmental Psychology. She is married with three children - two daughters (one a 13-year-old high school student, and one, married, 20 years old) and one son who was recently married and lives in China.

2. Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani

Jamaloddin Khanjani, a 76-year-old businessman, was the sales manager for Zamzam Company (a soft drink production company) and more recently he managed a brick factory. He is married with three children.

3. Mr. Afif Naemi

Afif Naemi, a 47-year-old industrialist, was expelled from medical school because of his membership in the Bahá’í Faith. He is married with two sons.

4. Mr. Saeid Rezaie

Saeid Rezaie, 50 years old, is a Farming Equipment Engineer. He had a successful business maintaining farming equipment in Shiraz and later he moved to Tehran. In addition to his regular profession, he is a scholar and author. He is married and has three children. Two of his daughters were among 54 Baha’i youth who were arrested in Shiraz in May 2006, while they were engaged in a humanitarian project aimed at helping underprivileged young people. Later they were released and tried.

5. Mrs. Mahvash Sabet

Mahvash Sabet, is a 56-year-old former teacher with a degree in educational planning. While she was working as a teacher she attended a training course for special education Corps, which sent recent graduates to remote areas in Iran to teach in schools. She was expelled from both her job and the training, because of being a Bahá’í. She is married and has two children.

6. Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli

Behrouz Tavakkoli, a 57-year- old lecturer, received a bachelor’s degree in social work and worked as a civil servant until he was expelled because of his belief in the Bahá’í Faith. He is married with two children.

7. Mr. Vahid Tizfahm

Vahid Tizfahm is a 37-year-old optometrist and owner of an optical shop. He received his degree in sociology and later trained as an optometrist. He was born in Tabriz (northwest of Iran) and lived there until mid-2007 when he moved to Tehran with his wife and 8-year-old son.

Anonymous22

I will not dignify your post with a proper response because I have traced your ownership of the following slanderous, hateful blog through your Gmail profile (and subsequently your Blogger account) located on that Google group:

//bahai-art.blogspot.com/

Warning to other Baha'is: the website above contains pictures which grotesquely defame the personages of Baha'u'llah, `Abdu'l-Baha, and Shoghi Effendi as well as other prominent Baha'is such as Abu'l-Qasim Faizi and Ali Muhammad Varqa.

Posts made by someone who possesses such relentless and unconstrained hatred for a religious community should clearly not be taken seriously in his attempts to further defame it.

The day IRI respect Bahá’í’s Human Right, they will also respe

This is not about religion or if Bahá’ís are right or wrong,  we should respect there’s Human Rights no matter what.  The Bahá’í’s  are not the only one that Human Rights are violated by IRI but the day IRI respect  Bahá’í’s  Human Right, they will also respect all others Iranians Human Right  and not one day before, that why it is so important not only for Bahá’ís but for all Iranians.

Thank you Mr Javid, well said

I have tears in my eyes after reading your post to "Covenant". He is consumed by hate , when we read his posts, and this one, if we hold our breath and dig more in his response, his only motive is apparent!!!

 This is one of the reasons that he is indicating for his hate against bahais, just read it and see who is behind " covenant"!!!

They must not envolve in Politics, then why they are working for Regime change in Iran ??

So all that boils down for him is the fear of regime change ???

Very interesting!

Most regards to you sir,

Tahirih

The Court Case

Allow me to shed some light on this.

The National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of the United States was attempting to enforce an existing court order which came as a result of Mason Remey's lawsuit against *us* back in the 1960s. He was demanding not only the trademark over the name Baha'i and over our symbols but over the Baha'i temples and other properties as well. The NSA then filed a countersuit. When Remey lost his own suit, the judge ruled in favor of the NSA's counter suit and insisted that the Remeyites (followers of Remey) stop using the term "Baha'i." Mason Remey ordered his followers to abide by the court's decree and that the administrative institutions he had established be disbanded. That's just about the time that Joel Marangella, one of Remey's most eminent followers, broke away from him, claiming that in appointing him president of their International Baha'i Council, Remey had essentially abdicated the Guardianship. Joel M. continued to use Baha'i trademarks thereafter and for whatever reason the NSA chose not to pursue the matter. I strongly suspect, though I can't prove it, that the reason Joel M. broke with Remey was because he was dismantling the organization pursuant to this court order.

I think what made the NSA seek a court order enforcing the previous decision was the establishment of the uhj.net website by Neal Chase, a follower of Leland Jensen who was now claiming to be the Guardian. That website showed pictures of the seat of the House of Justice on Mt. Carmel and the institutions found that *very* deceptive. The NSA tried to resolve this problem through mediation of an organization which protects intellectual property rights on the Internet. When the NSA lost that mediation I think they felt they had no alternative but to seek enforcement of the previous court order. In order to do that, they had to file suit against *all* of the Remeyite organizations at once insisting they were all parties to the original court decision. As it turned out they lost that case because the court felt these splinter groups were sufficiently separate from the original organization so as to not be covered by the court's original decision. That ruling is now being appealed.

Orthodox Baha'is

On the Orthodox Baha'is and other minority Baha'i groups being sued by the larger Baha'i organization, please read:

//www.truebahai.com/court_case.html

The Orthodox Baha'is and the Baha'is under the provisions of the Covenant won the case in 2008. It is now under appeal. The Orthodox Baha'i Faith is the second largest Baha'i group (after the Bahá'í Faith presently headquartered in Haifa, Israel).

Sincerely,

Martin Lavallee

A distinct feature of anti-Bahais in Iran (to Fred)

Mr. Fred, anti Bahais in Iran had a distinct feature, they would always (or almost always) attack Bahais without being provoked by Bahais ... even when Bahais tried to get out of their way they would ruthlessly chase them. From that perspective you remind me of those hateful people who chased Bahais.
Here you are chasing a person who is respected by many people from many sides, a person whom is the most respected .... yet you are chasing him because he is a Muslim, and you are chasing him without PROVOCATION.
BTW, I AM NOT a MUSLIM

Turnip truck

 I did see your name on the list and gave you couple of days to come forward and pat your “world renowned scientist” self on the back. With your Islamist language and the level of megalomania if anything you are predictable.

What is my problem you ask? It is the stupefying height of hypocrisy that Islamists/Anti-Semites and their likeminded lefty allies are capable of soaring to.   

While condemning one despicable Islamists’ atrocity, simultaneously facilitating the main aggressor of the same atrocity to be even more empowered with nuke and claiming it is all in defense of “Iran’s national interests”.  

Haji not all have just fall off the turnip truck.

A Tree's Severed Branch Dies, and Has No Life of its Own..

Several attempts at creating Schism and disunity amongst believers in the Babi-Bahai era, have been made, at the time of Baha'u'llah, Abdul Baha His son, and Shoghi Effendi, beginning with Azal, Mirza Muhammad Ali, and Mason Remey.

All have failed miserably as promised and as their legacy shows, their only preoccupation is to attack the Bahai Faith and its blossoming institutions . 

Divine institutions that are based on the writings of Baha'u'llah, without the traditional power, ego, influence and ambitions  of any one all powerful leader pr clergy.

These local, national and international administrative institutions were finally established after the passing and maturing of a nascent  Bahai world community. 

Today there are millions of Bahais in thousands of local and national communities.  

There are those who believe otherwise, and have spent the last fifty years, preoccupied in trying to unsuccessfully create offshoots of the Bahai Faith, and place one person as its leader; however :

A Tree's Severed Branch Dies, and Has No Life of its Own.. 

please see below for a more detailed explanation:

//bahai-library.com/file.php?file=uhj_mason_remey_followers 

To Fog,

Sources and references to these sources are not reliable , because they are written by sworn enemies of Bahais , using foul language ,who have neither the essential objectivity, knowledge, or intellectual integrity.

Would you trust such sources? 

As Adib pointed out, so much of what is written has been the laughing stock of impartial non Bahai scholars for decades; dusted and on display in colorful IRI sponsored websites.

Adib has obviously read  other sources, that is why he can with reason and clarity and without the sometime nonsensical statements of some twice or three times his eighteen years of age and experience, respond with knowledge , maturity and eloquence , not to mention kindness and sincerity.

An example for all of us?

Bravo for the new generation of Iranian Youth. 

faryarm 

What is your problem?

1. "Great to hear that"? I thought you spy on me, know every move I make, and brag about it in this site. Even in this post you brag that you know what I do!  In any case, I am relieved that you approve of me!!!!!

2. Once again the resident intellectual of this site, the smart a.., the know-it-all informant and informer, ..., moans about something that has nothing to do with the subject of the article. The man has no shame. The man knows no limit in opening his mouth and emptying his venom and expressing his personal vendetta.

3. I'll be damned if I do not criticize any aspect of Iran's ruling elite if it should be criticized, and equally damned if I do not defend what I believe is in Iran's national interests. You moan and bemoan as much as you want. Spy. Report to whoever. Scream. Shout. Accuse. It is simply barking in the dark. The only thing it shows is that, you have no shame.

Mammad

Some of the Crimes Committed by Baha'is

Can you come on the Discussion Group... please

//groups.google.com/group/talk.religion.bahai...

Fog

Dear Fog,

FYI, Dr. Momen is the same author whose 400-page "An Introduction to Shi'ah Islam" was recognized by N.Y. Times as one of the best sources on Shi'ism. Imagine that: They brand and kill us as anti-Muslim in Iran but the books we publish on Islám win accolades from impartial sources!

Those who faked the Dolgorukov's memoirs were so inept that they didn't even take the time to think things through. Like for instance, why would a Russian diplomat who turns out to be a "spy" decides to write such damning memoirs, reveal all of his "evil deeds" to the public, send a copy to Muslim clerics in Persian, and in the process disgrace himself, his people, and his government, ruin any chances of future friendly relationships between his government and Muslim people and nations, and still live a comfortable life and die in peace without that government ever touching him!

These memoirs are by far the most quoted anti-Baha'i literature. So, I ask you a question: if a high-school Baha'i kid could expose this forgery and similar accusations (with 150 citations and 50 references, many from non-Baha'i sources), do you think seasoned Baha'i scholars would have any problem tearing other polemical (anti-Bahá’í) works to pieces?

//www.drdavoodi.org

He also has his own fan club with hundreds having joined thus far:

//www.tinyurl.com/davoodi/

I have also dedicated my first book to Dr. Davudi. Since his murder, many other Dr. Davudis have arisen (like Dr. Momen) and many more will no doubt arise.

Best wishes to you,
Adib

Non Bahai Scholars Discredited sources and references.

IRI's $$$$$$$$ Anti Bahai Campaign.

Adib Jaan,

What you say about the study of the SOURCE is true. 

Thank you for this very important reminder to these who might not be aware of the multi million dollar anti Bahai campaign in TV, Print, Radio and the WEb by the IRI to try challenge and hold back the surge of interest in Babii/Bahai teachings and history, by publishing old and discredited conspiracy theories.

The Truth is that "the cat is already out of the Bag", and their desperate attempts to hide reality is backfiring on them, which is why this historic open letter is a beginning and a reason to be proud of what is left of that Persian sense of justice and human rights.

to AdibM... use different sources and references

Since you're only a youth of 18, you'll probably learn that in order to get closer to the truth, you need a variety of referances, not just what believer's have.

To: For ADIB

Dear "For ADIB," 

You are asking me to investigate the "true" nature and history of my religion by going to an anti-Baha'i site and reading polemical anti-Baha'i literature. This is like me asking you to go to sites like "Islam Exposed" (put together by anti-Muslim Christians) to investigate the true nature of Islám. My friend, if I wanted to investigate Islám, I would go to the Qur’an, read it, and try to understand Islám through its own book. If you are sincerely after "learning", then go to the SOURCE (Baha'i books), not things ABOUT the source.

When you go to that anti-Bahá’í site, what do you see as the first titles? Prince Dolgorukov’s memoirs!!! O’ Brother. My friend, let me tell you a bit about myself. I’m an 18-year Bahá’í still in high school. In about a month, I’m publishing my first book. Guess what the topic is: answering accusations like “the Bábí and Bahá’í religions were created by Russians, specifically, by Prince Dolgorukov.” Unfortunately, the people who put these fictitious memoirs together in Mashad in the 1940s were so illiterate and knew so little about basic rules of scholarship that they created something that has now become a laughing-stock of Iranian intellectuals. I’m just amazed that these guys have the audacity to still keep this embarrassment to scholarship in circulation. And now, by putting this on the web, they have once and for all, allowed history to record their gullibility!

If you want to see examples of errors in this book, go to the first link below and see some of them that I'm including in my book. After reading this, if you want a free copy of my entire book, I will send you an online copy. Just give me an email address:

//tinyurl.com/dolgorukov

If you prefer Persian, then this site might prove more helpful to you (read their .pdf files):

//www.velvelehdarshahr.org/

It just does not jive

Professor says:

“Signing the letter is the minimum I - and indeed us human beings - can do in condemning the barbaric treatment of my - our - Bahai compatriots.”

Great to hear it, special kudos to the maverick Ayatollah who seems to have grasped the tremendous damage the Islamist republic rule has done to the religion. But at the same time the same professor is actively defending the empowering illegal full cycle nuke program of the ruling Islamist brutes. It just does not jive.   

کتاب رسالت ما محبت است و زيبايی...

هیچ کدوم از سختیها و مشکلاتی که همسرم و خانواده‌اش تحمل کردند را من در زندگی در ایران تجربه نکردم...نه کسی‌ توی مدرسه اذیت و آزارم داد ...نه از مدرسه اخراج شدم ...نه از دانشگاه رفتن منع شدم...نه مادرم کار دولتیش را از دست داد و پاکسازی شد ...نه حقوق پدرم بعد از سالها زحمت و خدمت قطع شد...نه آرامگاه عزیزان در خاک ارمیدیم‌ام زیر و رو شد...نه جوانان فامیل به زندان افتادند...نه خانه‌ام آتش زده شد.....

چرا باید یک عده بی‌ گناه را اینطور مورد آزار و اذیت قرار داد...چونکه مسلمان شیعه نیستند!!!!...وای بر کسی‌  که به اسم حضرت محمد (ص) ....به اسم ایمان به آن بزرگوار اینطور هموطن خودش را برنجاند ...... ایمان به " لا اکره فی‌ الدین" داشته باشه و اینطوری ظلم و ستم کنه !!!!اخلاق و رفتار محمدی ما چه شد .!!!

"هرگز گمان مدار که ظلمی وفا کند...گیتی‌ فرو گذارد و گردون رها کند...فرضیست نزد طبیعت به مدتی‌...هر موقعی که وقت بداند ادا کند."

جانتان خوش با د،

مونا

Orthodox Baha'is

In the world there are much more than 40 Orthodox Baha'is. The 40 was the number for the believers living in the USA. There are others in Africa, in India, in Europe and in Canada. I would guess 8000, though
an «official» statistic would always be better.

The fact is though that numbers do not matter. The only thing that matters is that there is anyone at all keeping the Faith alive.

Only the heterodox Baha'is are hung up on the numbers. They are into declarations, marketing, appeals for money, copyrights, trademarks, building big buildings, appeals for contributions, and filing lawsuits against their "competitors", oh and appeals for funds! The Orthodox Baha'is are into instant, exact, and complete obedience to the Covenant of Baha'u'llah.

Jeffrey

What is Baha'ism?

This is for Dear ADIB M
He wanted the reference for the claims made by Covenant.
Here are so many Baha'i Books in Persian. Adib, you and other like you can download this Books and if you are really 'Open Minded' read this books and decide yourself.
These books are available at :

//bahaibooks.blogfa.com/

I am not with Covenant where he is in support of the killings of the Baha'is.

Thank you

Mammad... Thank you

Thank you for your post and for your courage to participate in the Open Letter. I like the way you approach this (i.e it is an issue of human rights and not whether a person agrees with the Baha'i religion, or for that matter any other persecuted minority group in the world).

Sincere thanks from another Iranian compatriot.

Ali

We are all human beings

As a practicing muslim, and one of the people who has signed the letter, I condemn all the injustice done to my innocent Bahai compatriots. As a practicing muslim, my opinion of the Bahai faith is my private matter, and has no significance whatsoever when it comes to the injustice done to my Bahai compatriots. What matters are, (1) no injustice should be done to anyone because of his/her faith; (2) my Bahai compatriots are entitled to exactly the same citizens' rights as any other Iranian citizen (which Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri recently reaffirmed), and (3) without meaning to tell other people what they should do, we must, as human beings, condemn such injustices.

Just as I condemn what Israel does to the Palestinians; just as I condemn true terrorism against innocent Jews; just as I condemn murder of innocent Iraqis and Afghanis in unjust and illegal wars perpetrated by the U.S. and its allies, so must I also condemn the injustice done to my Bahai compatriots, because HUMAN RIGHTS ARE UNIVERSAL VALUES, as I have said tens of times in this page. Signing the letter is the minimum I - and indeed us human beings - can do in condemning the barbaric treatment of my - our - Bahai compatriots.

Mammad