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3. The Accusation of “Propaganda Against the Regime”: A: A Historical Overview
In light of the fact that the history and literature of the Baha’i Faith goes back to more than 160 years ago, while on the other hand the Regime of the Islamic Republic is 30 years old, the hypothesis that the Baha’i Faith is opposed to the present regime is completely null and void.
On the other hand, if we take a look at the beginnings of the movement of the Islamic Regime in Iran; we will see that after the Islamic Revolution, a historic wave of “Baha’i killings” began surging in Iran, resulting in the innocent sacrifice of the lives of a great many members of the largest religious minority group in the country -- meaning the Baha’is. Historical facts indicate that the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran were first to be executed and that their only crime had been their adherence to the Baha’i religion. In other words if the same individuals were to turn away from their religion, and would not introduce themselves as the followers of the Baha’i Faith, perhaps today many parents would be alive and living amongst their Baha’i children. However, since the dissimulation of one’s religious belief is not permissible in the Baha’i Faith, a Baha’i cannot – for as long as he/she is an adherent of this Faith -- deny his/her belief. Therefore an overview of the historical facts demonstrates that -- given their moral and metaphysical constitutions -- the Baha’is simply cannot under any circumstances have undertaken any propaganda activities against the Islamic Regime in Iran; nor will they ever be able to undertake any such activities in the future. Therefore again any such accusations against the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran is absolutely baseless and devoid of any foundation.
B: A Sociological Overview
In essence, when a society wishes to define its social structure in a wide sphere, it needs to identify a difference between those who “belong” and those who are “the others”. In this respect, “those who belong” are associated with the mental, educational and governmental disciplines of that society; while the “others” are evaluated independently of such disciplines.
Therefore, the Government of Iran is yet again taking advantage of another sociological principle and is trying – by overstepping one of the most fundamental legal rights – to introduce the Baha’is as the “others”; place them in the opposing side against the people of Iran; and consequently label them as “others” with the accusation of propaganda against the present regime. In reality, the Government of Iran is engaged in a paradoxical manoeuvring. It knows on the one hand that the Baha’is are citizens of this country and are therefore considered part of the Iranian nation; but on the other hand it is trying to separate this part of the nation from the whole and -- by placing it aside from the rest -- introduce the Baha’is as “the others”! Therefore the baselessness of this accusation in a sphere of sociological definition can easily be proven. The leaders of the Baha’i community simply cannot have attempted any propaganda against the regime of a people, where they themselves are part of the political structuring of the same society. Such an attempt would mean rising against one’s own regime, and surely the leaders of the Baha’i community are more intelligent than to do such a thing. Therefore the accusation of propaganda against the Islamic Regime in a sphere of sociological definitions is automatically denied and its baselessness is quite apparent.
C: A Methodological Overview
Accusing the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran of propaganda against the regime, introduces a great number of fundamental problems even from a methodological point of view.
The best approach to this matter is to refer to some quotations in the Baha’i Writings:
According to the direct and sacred command of God we are forbidden to utter slander, are commanded to show forth peace and amity, are exhorted to rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and harmony with all the kindreds and peoples of the world. We must obey and be the well-wishers of the governments of the land…
-- (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 440)
Such obedience and submission is made incumbent and obligatory upon all by the clear Text of the Abha Beauty. Therefore the believers, in obedience to the command of the True One, show the utmost sincerity and goodwill towards all nations; and should any soul act contrary to the laws of the government he would consider himself responsible before God, deserving divine wrath and chastisement for his sin and wrongdoing.
-- (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 293)
Based on the quotations that are cited above, one can easily deny this absurd accusation of propaganda against the Regime. Because quite simply if a Baha’i ignores the above exhortations from the Baha’i Teachings and disobeys its government, he/she is no longer considered a Baha’i. The leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are “Baha’is” and have always obeyed their government, and therefore the accusation against them of propaganda against the regime is completely and absolutely baseless and devoid of any foundation.
One could raise the question as to what exactly is “propaganda against the Regime”. Based on the above argumentation, meaning given the fact that Baha’is consider themselves duty-bound to obey the government as part of their belief structure and that their values compel them not only to love their people and nation but also to serve them sincerely, could such an accusation even in the form of a question ever be addressed to the Baha’is?
It seems therefore that the aforementioned accusation by the government has no logical basis and that in fact the Iranian Government is guilty of making an accusation that is fundamentally faulty in the extreme.
Now that we have examined procedurally the accusations hurled at the leaders of the Baha’i Community, and -- by analysing them based on various principles – proven the baselessness of those accusations, one fundamental question is raised and that is:
What then is the crime of the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran?
In order to respond to this question, it should be mentioned that – given the transparency of their activities and the moral and ethical values with which they are associated for being Baha’is -- the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are not guilty of any political misdeeds, and that their only crime is that they are “Baha’is”. This is the very crime that has led to the sacrifice of the lives of a great many Baha’is during the reign of the present regime of the Islamic Republic.
Yes, the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are now being kept incarcerated merely because of their beliefs; while the Iranian Government, in contradiction to the Iranian Constitution which promotes the freedom of belief and religion, is trying to cover up the real reasons for the arrest of the Baha’is and instead is accusing them of political crimes.
It should now be easy for any reasonable individual to judge justly as to whether the crimes of the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are indeed what they are being accused of or if they are guilty merely of their religious beliefs?
[1] A national-level committee in charge of coordinating the activities of the Iranian Baha’i community.
[2] The Siyah Chal [Black Pit] was an underground dungeon in which Baha’u’llah spent four months with a heavy chain on his neck.
[3] A book by Ali Rezagholi, in which he discusses the root causes of despotism in the Iranian society and deals with three political figures in Iran such as Qaem-Magham Farahani, Amir Kabir and Dr. Muhammad Musaddegh.
[4] A committee of 9 elected by the representatives of the Baha’i community in a given country, in charge of the affairs of that Baha’i community. At the onset of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, members of this national committee were executed. However, since Baha’i administration is now banned in Iran, the Baha’i community no longer elects this National Spiritual Assembly, and its affairs are coordinated by a temporary group of seven, all of whom are now standing accused by the Iranian Government as this article explains.
In light of the fact that the history and literature of the Baha’i Faith goes back to more than 160 years ago, while on the other hand the Regime of the Islamic Republic is 30 years old, the hypothesis that the Baha’i Faith is opposed to the present regime is completely null and void.
On the other hand, if we take a look at the beginnings of the movement of the Islamic Regime in Iran; we will see that after the Islamic Revolution, a historic wave of “Baha’i killings” began surging in Iran, resulting in the innocent sacrifice of the lives of a great many members of the largest religious minority group in the country -- meaning the Baha’is. Historical facts indicate that the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Iran were first to be executed and that their only crime had been their adherence to the Baha’i religion. In other words if the same individuals were to turn away from their religion, and would not introduce themselves as the followers of the Baha’i Faith, perhaps today many parents would be alive and living amongst their Baha’i children. However, since the dissimulation of one’s religious belief is not permissible in the Baha’i Faith, a Baha’i cannot – for as long as he/she is an adherent of this Faith -- deny his/her belief. Therefore an overview of the historical facts demonstrates that -- given their moral and metaphysical constitutions -- the Baha’is simply cannot under any circumstances have undertaken any propaganda activities against the Islamic Regime in Iran; nor will they ever be able to undertake any such activities in the future. Therefore again any such accusations against the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran is absolutely baseless and devoid of any foundation.
B: A Sociological Overview
In essence, when a society wishes to define its social structure in a wide sphere, it needs to identify a difference between those who “belong” and those who are “the others”. In this respect, “those who belong” are associated with the mental, educational and governmental disciplines of that society; while the “others” are evaluated independently of such disciplines.
Therefore, the Government of Iran is yet again taking advantage of another sociological principle and is trying – by overstepping one of the most fundamental legal rights – to introduce the Baha’is as the “others”; place them in the opposing side against the people of Iran; and consequently label them as “others” with the accusation of propaganda against the present regime. In reality, the Government of Iran is engaged in a paradoxical manoeuvring. It knows on the one hand that the Baha’is are citizens of this country and are therefore considered part of the Iranian nation; but on the other hand it is trying to separate this part of the nation from the whole and -- by placing it aside from the rest -- introduce the Baha’is as “the others”! Therefore the baselessness of this accusation in a sphere of sociological definition can easily be proven. The leaders of the Baha’i community simply cannot have attempted any propaganda against the regime of a people, where they themselves are part of the political structuring of the same society. Such an attempt would mean rising against one’s own regime, and surely the leaders of the Baha’i community are more intelligent than to do such a thing. Therefore the accusation of propaganda against the Islamic Regime in a sphere of sociological definitions is automatically denied and its baselessness is quite apparent.
C: A Methodological Overview
Accusing the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran of propaganda against the regime, introduces a great number of fundamental problems even from a methodological point of view.
The best approach to this matter is to refer to some quotations in the Baha’i Writings:
According to the direct and sacred command of God we are forbidden to utter slander, are commanded to show forth peace and amity, are exhorted to rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and harmony with all the kindreds and peoples of the world. We must obey and be the well-wishers of the governments of the land…
-- (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 440)
Such obedience and submission is made incumbent and obligatory upon all by the clear Text of the Abha Beauty. Therefore the believers, in obedience to the command of the True One, show the utmost sincerity and goodwill towards all nations; and should any soul act contrary to the laws of the government he would consider himself responsible before God, deserving divine wrath and chastisement for his sin and wrongdoing.
-- (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 293)
Based on the quotations that are cited above, one can easily deny this absurd accusation of propaganda against the Regime. Because quite simply if a Baha’i ignores the above exhortations from the Baha’i Teachings and disobeys its government, he/she is no longer considered a Baha’i. The leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are “Baha’is” and have always obeyed their government, and therefore the accusation against them of propaganda against the regime is completely and absolutely baseless and devoid of any foundation.
One could raise the question as to what exactly is “propaganda against the Regime”. Based on the above argumentation, meaning given the fact that Baha’is consider themselves duty-bound to obey the government as part of their belief structure and that their values compel them not only to love their people and nation but also to serve them sincerely, could such an accusation even in the form of a question ever be addressed to the Baha’is?
It seems therefore that the aforementioned accusation by the government has no logical basis and that in fact the Iranian Government is guilty of making an accusation that is fundamentally faulty in the extreme.
Now that we have examined procedurally the accusations hurled at the leaders of the Baha’i Community, and -- by analysing them based on various principles – proven the baselessness of those accusations, one fundamental question is raised and that is:
What then is the crime of the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran?
In order to respond to this question, it should be mentioned that – given the transparency of their activities and the moral and ethical values with which they are associated for being Baha’is -- the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are not guilty of any political misdeeds, and that their only crime is that they are “Baha’is”. This is the very crime that has led to the sacrifice of the lives of a great many Baha’is during the reign of the present regime of the Islamic Republic.
Yes, the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are now being kept incarcerated merely because of their beliefs; while the Iranian Government, in contradiction to the Iranian Constitution which promotes the freedom of belief and religion, is trying to cover up the real reasons for the arrest of the Baha’is and instead is accusing them of political crimes.
It should now be easy for any reasonable individual to judge justly as to whether the crimes of the leaders of the Baha’i Community in Iran are indeed what they are being accused of or if they are guilty merely of their religious beliefs?
[1] A national-level committee in charge of coordinating the activities of the Iranian Baha’i community.
[2] The Siyah Chal [Black Pit] was an underground dungeon in which Baha’u’llah spent four months with a heavy chain on his neck.
[3] A book by Ali Rezagholi, in which he discusses the root causes of despotism in the Iranian society and deals with three political figures in Iran such as Qaem-Magham Farahani, Amir Kabir and Dr. Muhammad Musaddegh.
[4] A committee of 9 elected by the representatives of the Baha’i community in a given country, in charge of the affairs of that Baha’i community. At the onset of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, members of this national committee were executed. However, since Baha’i administration is now banned in Iran, the Baha’i community no longer elects this National Spiritual Assembly, and its affairs are coordinated by a temporary group of seven, all of whom are now standing accused by the Iranian Government as this article explains.
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