Anti-Persian Racism in Baha’i writings

 

 

“Most” Baha’is, have hidden hatred and anti-Persian feelings. I wondered what the source of these were and alas I came to a few quotes from Abdu`l-Baha, son of Bahullah and according to Bahaullah, “the interpretor” of his writings and Baha’ism.

1) Comparing people who chose not to have a so called “educator”, AbdulBaha states:

”… notice that when the animal is trained it becomes domestic, and  also that man, if he is left without education, becomes bestial, and, moreover, if left under the rule of nature, becomes lower that animal, whereas if he is educated he becomes an angel.”

This clearly shows what Abdulbaha thinks of uneducated class of people. He sees them “lower than animal”. Surely a holy word should not contain and compare “uneducated people” to “lower than animal”. This sentence has indications of racial (class) supremacy, since Bahaullah himself was a rich merchant and did not perceive that humans at some point were not educated and they grew on their own, by nature and evolution. In Persian we say “tavAnA bovad harke dAnA bovad, ze dAnesh dele pir bornA bovad” (powerful is he who has knowledge, and knowledge keeps the heart of an old man young). Tell me which is more elegant?

The saying by Hafez, encouraging people to learn, or the saying by Abdulbaha putting down the uneducated.

2) In another racist statement, giving his version of the period during Islam, Abdulbaha states:

“These Arab tribes were in the lowest depth of savagery and barbarism, and in comparison with them the savages of Africa and wild Indians of America were as advanced as Plato… even down to the present time Arabs dread having daughters”

Nowhere in any holy book has God ever put one race down as compared with another. Yet this is what Abdulbaha, the interpreter of Baha, does to tell his side of story and write what is to become Baha’i Faith. Interesting points to note here are that Abdulbaha considers arab tribes as the “lowest depth of savagery and barbarism”.

Interestingly that is what Hitler said about Jews. Abdulbaha fails to consider that Arabs and Persians for their time (1400 years ago), were far ahead of Europeans.

Another interesting point to note is that Abdulbaha seemed to know about American Indians savagery, 1000 years before they became in contact with the rest of the world! Further interesting point is that he compares cultural issues of the Arab tribes with “Pluto”. I wonder what the relation is here! Is a holy representative of a holy prophet, giving holy writings, supposed to issue such statements and use a European astronomer as his idol of culture and values?

Surely constant use of European examples in Baha’i writings is an indicative of European influence and hence validity of Bahaullah being implanted as a destabilizing force in Iran by Britain.

Notice, later on Abdulbaha states that even today (130 years ago) “Arabs dreed having daughters”. A nice generalization by a man claiming to represent the will of God!

3) Speaking about Bab, the founder of Babism and thus Baha’ism, AbdulBaha states:

“He upheld the cause among the Persians, who are renowned for their religious fanaticism.”

Very nice RACIST views by a holy man from Baha’ism! So Persians are “renowned for their religious fenaticism”? I suppose had Abdulbaha and Bahaullah been alive today they would call Persians “barbarics and terrorists” as well! When i came across this in the Baha’i writings I became disgusted. I found these statements to be hateful of a culture that reject an illogical cult and banished its founder. This statement as was written in chapter eight of the book “some answered questions”, is used as a guide and reference to history by Baha’is. Mr. Abdul, I am a Persian and a proud one, and I am not a “religious fanatic”! Interestingly enough it was only a few days ago that a baha’i criticized me for generalizing them and saying “they are racists”. Well they may not be racists themselves, but they surely are followers of a racist cult which teaches racism.

4) Abdulbaha also states about coming of Bahaullah:

”Baha`u`llah appeared at a time when the Persian Empire was immersed in profound obscurantism and ignorance and lost in the blindest fanaticism. In the European histories, no doubt, you have read detailed accounts of the morals, customs and ideas of the Persians during the last centuries.”

Oh.. how nice that when people reject him they “must” be ignorant! Further it is interesting to see how Abdulbaha uses Europeans (namely British) as his source of history on Iran and examination of “morals and customs” of Iranians. This coming from a person who denied being an agent of British Imperialism.

I, as a reader, thought that this view of Persian culture was very similar to that of Betty Mahmoodi, who saw the sacrifice of a lamb by Iranians, before a feast, as a “barbaric act and custom”! I suppose had Abdulbaha been alive today, he would have used Betty Mahmoodi as an example and proof too! I also wonder why Abdubaha thinks that Persians were savage, when people in the far east thought so highly of them. Surely what is represented here is views of Europeans, looking down on Middle Eastern countries, something that is used today in Baha’ism as basic writings of their religion.

5) In a book called the “Dawn Breakers” (Nabil’s Narative), which is a main missionary Baha’i book, Lord Curzon, a British agent says that Iran is a savage country and in need of a “new character” and “face”. This British agent indicates that a new religion is needed to implement this.

Amazingly it is stated in the book that :

“The Persian character has ever been fertile in device and indifferent  to suffering; and in the field of judicial executions it has found  ample scope for the exercise of both attainments.”

It is interesting to see how the “Persian character” is put down in this introductory paragraph of the book. The statement, as it stands, is pure racism and indicative of resentment of the Baha’i Universal House of Justice towards the Persian culture which forced the cult out and withstood its assimilation plans. They openly criticize “Persian character”, something that had been down against Europeans or the Jews (Saying “Jewish character” is blah blah), the Baha’is would not have been where they are today.

As it was seen from view paragraphs of Baha’i writings, from their holiest of people, they indeed are not what they claim to be. And their cult has hidden racism within its boundaries designed to appeal to the Europeans and Westerners, to gain support and power.

Source: www.bahaiawareness.com