hamid farnagh

The type of relationship between the Baha'is and especially their leaders with the colonial countries of the time is one of the topics that are always considered in the survey and evaluation of the social, cultural and political role of the Baha'is. What was Abdu'l-Bahá's relationship with the British government, and what role did he played in the formation of the Israeli government? By examining the available his torical documents, it can be seen that with the beginning of the weakening of the pillars of the Ottoman Government, and the activation of the British plan to separate the Arab lands from the Ottoman rule and the beginning of British domination of the Suez Chanel, communications by the British government's spy agency with some local leaders in the Arab regions s tarted. Therefore, it is contacted with Abdu'l-Bahá too. In this paper, his agreement for intelligence cooperation and providing spy elements, as well as provision of food for the British military forces, when deploying forces in the Pales tinian region, is discussed. Observing such actions by the Ottoman authorities, caused their anger and their efforts to arres t and punish Abbas Effendi, and in turn, the efforts of the British military and intelligence authorities to protect and care for Abdu'l-Bahá and to award him Knighthood rewards.

In 1399 H.S. (2020) the law of adding two articles to the fifth book of the Islamic Penal Code (punishments and deterrent punishments) was approved in principle 123 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran . According to Article 500, if "in the form of a sect, group, population or the like and the use of mind control methods and psychological instincts", "any deviant educational or propaganda activity contrary to or contrary to the holy law of Islam" is carried out, facing the punishment. According to that law , "Financing or any other kind of material support of the groups subject to this article" and "communication of the groups subject to this article with abroad to receive support or organizational guidance” will increase the punishment. This article analyzes the propaganda and organizational activities of the Baha'is in Iran in the content of this law, and examines the position of the propaganda of official religious minorities and groups such as the Baha'is from the perspective of the Iranian Constitution and international law treaties. According to the teachings and texts approved in the writings of the Bahai Leaders and the orders of its organisation and accepted works of the Baha'is, it has been shown that the content of the planned Baha'i propaganda, which is done with the intention of converting the religion and thought of Iranians to Bahaism, is a clear example of prohibited actions. The Baha'i organization in Iran is also an example of a group with criminal activities within the framework of this law, which uses the support of foreign relations in order to attack the official religion of the country, attack the rules and Sharia and weaken the official religion of the country, and Attempts are being made to strike at the government and disrupt the public order of the country.

The unity of the human world is one of the important teachings of the Baha’i Faith, based on which Baha’i leaders, including Abdu'l-Baha, recommend that all human beings, friends and foes alike, be treated kindly and viewed with one eye, even if one he oppressed you, not only should he not retaliate, but he should also be treated well. However, when we look at history, we come across behaviors from Abdul-Baha’ that are quite to the opposite of such advice. This article discusses two examples of those behaviors: the threat of Ibrahim George Khayrullah to assassinate and the murder of Mirza Yahya. The important thing about these two people is that they were both Baha'is and, of course, after some time they had disagreements with Abdu'l-Baha.

Ibrahim George Khairullah, writer, speaker, Theologian, Intellectual, and Critic Baha'is was born on November 11, 1849, in Lebanon. He became a Baha'i in 1890, and started his propagation on Baha'ism by the approval of Bahaullah (the first Baha'is leader). Khairullah was the first Baha'is Missionary who traveled to the United States with the permission of Abdul-Baha to propagate the Baha'ism. He was able to invite some of American Christians to the Baha'ism through his modern and widespread propaganda. Due to Khairullah's valuable service, Abdul-Baha honored him with the various titles of "Conqueror of America", "Christopher Columbus II" and "The Perter of Bahaullah". After traveling to Acre and staying there for six months, while he was closing to Abdul-Baha and Bahaullah's family he came to the conclusion that Abdul-Baha was a liar, hypocritical, power-hungry, greedy, unreliable, and was not qualified to be the leader of Baha'i Faith. In return, Abdul-Baha became suspicious of khairullah, and didn't consider him as an obedient and trustworthy person. The dispute between them prompted Abdul-Baha to expel khairullah from Baha'i Community. After about ten years being of active membership in the Baha'i organization, Khairullah turn away from Abdul-Baha due to critic viewpoints of him. So, he became a follower and disciple of Abdul-Baha’s brother, Mirza Mohammad Ali Effendi.

William Miller, the researcher, writer, speaker, critic, and American Protestant Priest was born on 12 December of 1892, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, USA. In 1919, he obtained his Master from Princeton University, and then his Doctorate in Theology from university of Washington. Since 1919 he has been missioned to Iran, as a Christian Missionary from Presbyterian Church, and propagated Christianity for 40 years. He resided in Mashhad for a long time. Due to his long stay in Iran, Miller found perfect companionship and communication with the Baha`is and Babis, and knew the doctrines, teachings, books, and thoughts of the Baha`i leaders. By observing the Baha'i deceptive propaganda and activities in Europe and the United States, he sought to shed light on them by using the facts obtained from the history and teachings of the Babis and the Baha'is, and much information he had found about the Baha'is in Iran. Miller considers the Babi-Baha`ism not a divine religion, but a political- religious cult. He also knew that the Baha’i books were distorted, changed, reconstructed, and censored according to daily events and developments of the Baha’I leadership. Miller concluded in his study that the real successor of Bab was Mirza Yahya Noori, called as Subh-Azal. His half - brother (Bahaullah) seized the position of Mirza Yahya and control of the Babis by any means. Miller criticizes Abdul-Baha and Shoghi Effendi, the successors of Bahaullah, among other things, for not only they were unable to achieve the "unity of the human world", but also, for their failure to establish unity within their small family and limited Bahai community.

William Miller, the researcher, writer, speaker, critic, and American Protestant Priest was born on 12 December of 1892, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, USA. In 1919, he obtained his Master from Princeton University, and then his Doctorate in Theology from university of Washington. Since 1919 he has been missioned to Iran, as a Christian Missionary from Presbyterian Church, and propagated Christianity for 40 years. He resided in Mashhad for a long time. Due to his long stay in Iran, Miller found perfect companionship and communication with the Baha`is and Babis, and knew the doctrines, teachings, books, and thoughts of the Baha`i leaders. By observing the Baha'i deceptive propaganda and activities in Europe and the United States, he sought to shed light on them by using the facts obtained from the history and teachings of the Babis and the Baha'is, and much information he had found about the Baha'is in Iran. Miller considers the Babi-Baha`ism not a divine religion, but a political- religious cult. He also knew that the Baha’i books were distorted, changed, reconstructed, and censored according to daily events and developments of the Baha’I leadership. Miller concluded in his study that the real successor of Bab was Mirza Yahya Noori, called as Subh-Azal. His half - brother (Bahaullah) seized the position of Mirza Yahya and control of the Babis by any means. Miller criticizes Abdul-Baha and Shoghi Effendi, the successors of Bahaullah, among other things, for not only they were unable to achieve the "unity of the human world", but also, for their failure to establish unity within their small family and limited Bahai community.

Hermann Roemer, a Christian scholar and writer, was born in Stuttgart, Germany. As a young man, he became acquainted with the Babi-Baha’i propagation activities, and began to and study it. Roemer wrote a magnificent research work in the field of the Babi - Baha’I Faith, and could shed light on its dark corners, especially in Europe. He describes the Babi - Baha’I Faith not as a divine religion, but as a dangerous political-religious cult, whose leaders used violence, terror, and the physical elimination of dissidents to achieve their goals. Roemer reveals the Baha’i histories and primary books as distorted ones, and believes that the texts and teachings of Baha’i leaders are adapted, censored, and revised in the light of historical events. By explaining the Baha’i history and the differences between the claimants to the leadership, he believes that the legal and religious rights of Subh –e- Azal have been usurped by his power-seeking half-brother (Hussein Ali). While introducing the Aqdas Book (The Baha’i holiest Book) he believes that the full text of the book has been hidden from the views of the Baha’is and non-Baha’is for various reasons. Roemer does not accept the Baha’i founder’s infallibility and believes that he made many mistakes during his leadership. In addition, he denounces that Baha’u’llah has been imprisoned and exiled for 40 years as baseless. Hermann Roemer also believes that the Baha’is betrayed the national interests of the Iranians during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution with unrealistic idealistic cosmopolitan slogans.

Hermann Zimmer, a Baha’i teacher, writer, researcher, and theologian, was born in 1904 in Stuttgart, Germany. He was one of the first Baha’is in Germany. He joined the army in 1940 and was considered a military man until 1948, when he applied for early retirement. The Zimmer family were active Baha’is. After his father was killed in the World War I, Abdu’l-Baha expressed his condolences to his family through a tablet dated July 3, 1917. Mrs. Nee Pfud, mother of Hermann Zimmer, was a prominent Baha’i and a relative of Wilhelm Herrigel, a prominent German Baha’I, who later criticized the Baha’ism and left the Baha’i Faith after the dispute escalated. After the death of Abdu’l-Baha and publication of part of his Will & Testament to appoint Shoghi Effendi as Abdu’l-Baha’s successor, Herman Zimmer refused to accept that will, claiming many critics against the administration of Baha’ism and especially Shoghi Effendi himself .He declared that with the beginning of the leadership of Shoghi Effendi and the establishment of the Baha’i organization, the Baha’i Faith had deviated, turning from a spiritual faith to a political party. Zimmer was declared a violator of the Baha’i Covenant in 1964 for protesting and criticizing the Baha’i organization and its leadership, and was forced to resign after 24 years of membership in the Baha’i community of Germany. In this article, we will get acquainted with some of the critical positions of Hermann Zimmer.

Steve Marshall is a writer, thinker, critic, and Baha'i intellectual. He was attracted to Baha'i social teachings from 1972, when he was just over fifteen; and by1994, for 22 years, he was an active member of the NewZealand Baha'i community. Since 1994, after contacting Baha’i intellectuals and posting them on the Talismanvirtual forum, he was suspected as a leader of the opposing Baha’is by the Baha’I leadership in Haifa (Bait al-Adl).Then he was unofficially expelled from the Baha'i community. In 2000, by order of the House of Justice, Steve Marshall's wife, Alison, was officially expelled from the Baha'i community “as a result of her criticizing the House of Justice, and communicating and defending intellectual Baha'is.” This was a wake-up call for Steve Marshall, who could be fired out if his critical stance would continues. Steve and his wife, Alison, have been critical of the Baha'i leadership and have criticized the Baha'i Faith and the teachings of the Baha'is in various writings. This article describes some of Mr. Steve Marshall's critical positions.

Dale Husband is one of the leading Bahai writers and researchers who learned about the Baha'i teachings during his nine years of membership in the Baha'i community and organization, and after a while observed many weaknesses, mistakes, conflicts and failures in it.
In a letter addressing the National Assembly of the Baha'is in the United States of America he said “After years of researching the truth, I finally came to the sad conclusion that I can no longer believe in Baha'u'llah or any of the institutions established under his name, such as the Guardian of the Cause of God, and Universal House of Justice. I am convinced that the Baha'is are incapable to fulfill their goals and teachings of peace, unity, and the creation of a golden age for mankind. Husband does not believe in the innocence and impunity of the Baha'i leaders, and considers accepting such a belief as a move toward dictatorship and tyranny within the Baha'i community.”
He has been critical of the legitimacy of the Baha'i leadership after Abdul Baha, and believes that after Abdul Baha, the Baha'i leadership should have been entrusted to his brother, Mohammad Ali Effendi. Husband considers Universal House of Justice (the current Baha'i leadership in Israel) to be illegitimate and believes that Baha'i faith has not made any significant achievements after more than 170 years of its life.
He is an Advocate of Unitarian Baha’ism and has drawn much criticism toward the UHJ and the authoritarian Baha'ism.

Frederick Glaysher is one of the Baha’i critics who, after 25 years of active membership in the Baha’i community, was blamed by the Baha’i organization for his criticism of Baha’i Faith and his name removed from the list of the members of the Baha’i community by the decision of the Universal House of Justice andfrom the Baha’is community. As a Baha’i intellectual, he criticizes the Universal House of Justice (the Baha’i leadership in Haifa) and cites the Universal House of Justice as a tyrannical leader who has restricted freedom of thought and conscience. He believes that the Baha’ism has deviated from their original course after Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l-Bahá and has changed in to power-seeking, sectarian, and unethical organizations. He refers to Baha’ism as the backyard of the governments of the United States and Israel, and considers it as an important player in the global political activities.

Eric Stetson is one of the famous researchers and writers who was expelled from the Baha’i faith after 4 years of active membership because of his critical positions and free thinking views. He was trying to do some reforms in the Baha’i Faith by showing different difficulties and faults through his speeches and writings. He even proposed a new Baha’i Group. He never had a militant and hard position toward Baha’i Administration but he had serious critiques on UHJ of Baha’is. Stetson does not believe in the infallibility of Baha’i Leaders and believes that this kind of attitude will cause the dictatorship and autarchy inside the Baha’i community. He does not recognize the current process of Baha’i leadership and believes that Mohammad Ali Effendi (the brother of Abdul- Baha) was the real legitimate leader of Bahaism after Bahaullah. He is not optimistic about the future of Bahaism and thinks that in this situation this faith will not benefit and acquire a significant progress and ability. He also has some critiques about the book of Aqdas of Bahaullah and does not accept it as a suitable teaching and book for the 21st century.

Part 5: Denis Mac Eoin Denis Mac Eoin is a writer, scholar, and Baha’i critic, who after 15 years of active membership in the Baha’i community, as a result of his intellectual, liberal, and critical views toward the Baha’i administration, was criticized by the Baha’i authorities and had to resign and leave the Baha’i community. After careful study of the Babi-Baha’i history, Mac Eoin stated that the Baha’i leaders have been constantly changing (distorting) the early Babi history. He does not consider the Baha’i Faith as a divine revelation, and provides many doubts about it as a modern and global faith. He observes the Baha’i teachings as adaptions from other previous religions, and some criticizes. Mac Eoin considers the Babi history quite separate and in contradiction with the Baha’i history. He makes doubts about the assertions of Bahaullah, as the successor of Bab or being a divine Manifestation. He refuses the claims about the infallibility of Abdul-Baha, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice, and protests the prohibition of membership of women in the UHJ (the highest governing body of the Baha’i International Community). Mac Eoin observes the Baha’i teaching of non-involvement in politics in contradiction with the Baha’i teaching of Global Baha’i Government. He introduces the Babi movement as a political one that intended to seize the power and overthrow the Qajar Dynasty. He rejects the contents of the Baha’i books that Bab was killed because of his new religion, and the opposition of the Ulama with him.