Political objections to the Baháʼí Faith facts for kids
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion that started in Iran in the 1800s. Sadly, followers of this faith have often faced unfair accusations. Some people have claimed that Baháʼís are not loyal to their home country. They say Baháʼís secretly work for foreign powers that are against their country's interests. These accusations, along with religious differences, have been used to justify harming Baháʼís and their religion.
Officials in the Iranian government and religious leaders have claimed Baháʼís have secret links to countries like Russia, Britain, America, and Israel. They also blame Baháʼís for Zionism and for the actions of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
However, historians say these accusations are not true. They are based on misunderstandings or exaggerated stories from history. Baháʼu'lláh, who founded the Baháʼí Faith, taught his followers to be loyal to their government. He said they should not get involved in politics and must obey the laws of the country where they live.
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How Accusations Against Baháʼís Started
The Baháʼí Faith and an earlier religion called Bábí religion began in the 1800s in Persia (now Iran). Many people there did not like these new religions at first. They saw them as a threat to the old ways and to the rulers.
In 1852, some members of the Bábí community tried to kill the Shah of Iran, Naser-al-Din Shah. This happened two years after the leader of the Bábís, the Báb, was executed. Even though Baháʼu'lláh strongly said he was against this attack, the whole Bábí community was blamed. A massacre followed, where thousands of Bábís were killed. From then on, Shah Naser deeply mistrusted Bábís and Baháʼís. He saw them as troublemakers, like anarchists in Europe.
The Shah of Iran and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, ʻAbdu'l-ʻAziz, forced Baháʼu'lláh to leave Persia. He was sent to Baghdad, then Constantinople, and finally to a prison city called Acre for life.
By the late 1800s, there was a lot of disagreement within the Qajar government. To distract people, the government and religious leaders started making more accusations. They said Bábís and Baháʼís were plotting against the state. In the early 1900s, Baháʼís were seen as different. People feared losing their unique Shiʻa Muslim culture because of growing influence from outside Persia. In the 1940s, the Iranian government and Muslim religious groups began saying that the Baháʼí Faith was created by Western countries. They claimed it was a plan to destroy the "unity of the Muslim nation." They also said anyone who was not Muslim was a foreign agent.
By the 1960s, opponents of the Baháʼí Faith often accused Baháʼís of spying and having ties to foreign powers. This was more than just calling them heretics. This new way of thinking about Baháʼís spread beyond religious leaders to many ordinary Iranians. In the 1970s, people claimed that many Baháʼís worked in the Shah's government. They also thought Baháʼís were generally richer than others.
Since Israel became a country in 1948, Baháʼís have also been accused of being linked to Zionism. This is because the Baháʼí World Centre is located in modern-day Israel. However, the Baháʼí Centre was built before 1948. It was not set up because the Israeli government asked for it. The Baháʼí World Centre has its roots in an area that was part of Ottoman Syria in the 1850s and 1860s. This was due to Baháʼí leaders being forced to leave their homes many times.
After the Iranian Revolution
After the Iranian Revolution overthrew the Shah, the new Islamic government in Iran targeted Baháʼís. They saw Baháʼís as infidels, meaning they did not believe in the right religion. As nationalistic feelings grew in Iran, Baháʼís were seen as disloyal and connected to foreign groups. During this time, Baháʼís were accused of being anti-Islamic, pro-Zionist agents. They were also accused of supporting the Shah's government and working with foreign powers. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Iran tried to answer these charges. They wrote letters explaining their side, but they never got a reply.
In January 1980, with President Bani Sadr elected, anti-Baháʼí feelings continued. The government officially called the Baháʼí Faith a political movement against the Iranian Revolution and Islam. Before the revolution, Bani Sadr had claimed the Baháʼí Faith was linked to Western powers. In February 1980, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said Baháʼís were SAVAK agents. He repeated the religious leaders' accusations. Later, when he broke ties with the government in 1982, he took back his statements.
By 1981, however, revolutionary courts no longer used political reasons for executing Baháʼís. They only gave religious reasons. Baháʼís were also given papers saying that if they publicly became Muslim, they would get their jobs, pensions, and property back. These papers were shown to the United Nations. They proved that the Iranian government was using political accusations to hide the real religious reasons for persecuting Baháʼís.
In 1983, Iran's prosecutor general again said Baháʼís were not being persecuted for their religion. He claimed they were spies and sending money out of the country. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Iran again answered these points. They sent a letter to various government offices. The letter admitted that funds were sent abroad as Baháʼí donations to their shrines and holy places. But they denied all other charges and asked for proof. The government never replied. Religious leaders continued to persecute Baháʼís. They accused Baháʼís of "crimes against God" and Zionism.
In 1983, the Islamic Republic's official view was published in a 20-page document for the United Nations Human Rights Commission. The document said Western powers had encouraged the Baháʼí Faith's founding. It claimed the Baháʼí Faith was not a religion but a political group created by foreign powers. It also said there was a link between the Baháʼí Faith, Zionism, and SAVAK. A UN expert, Mr. Eide, said the Iranian document reminded him of publications from the 1920s and 1930s in Europe. Those publications had led to terrible harm and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. He warned the UN to be careful about such campaigns happening again.
The United Nations did not accept the Iranian government's statement. The UN had received no proof from Iran for its claims. The representative from Germany said that the documents showed Baháʼís were persecuted for their religious beliefs, not for crimes. The Iranian delegate rejected the UN's resolution. Persecution of Baháʼís continued.
In 1991, the Iranian government again told the United Nations that since the Baháʼí Faith's main office is in Israel, it is controlled by "Zionist forces." However, the Baháʼí World Centre started in an area that was once Ottoman Syria. In the late 1990s, during Muhammad Khatami's time as president, the accusations did not stop. With Mahmoud Ahmadinejad becoming president in 2005, these accusations became more frequent and intense.
Claims of Russian and British Ties
In the 1800s, India was part of the British Empire. At the same time, Russia was expanding its power south and east into Central Asia. This led to a rivalry between Britain and Russia, known as The Great Game. Persia was in the middle of these two powers. Both Russia and Britain wanted to gain influence there.
Britain's support during the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the Anglo-Russian convention (which set borders for Russian and British influence) caused anger in Iran. Also, Russian, Ottoman, and British forces occupied Iranian land during World War I and World War II. Muslim religious leaders and other groups who disliked Baháʼís linked the Baháʼí Faith to the British and Russian governments. They used the anger against these foreign powers to target Baháʼís.
Russian Ties Accusations
Shoghi Effendi, a leader of the Baháʼí Faith, mentioned that the Russian ambassador protected Baháʼu'lláh at different times. This happened after the attempt to kill Naser al-Din Shah Qajar and again when Baháʼu'lláh was exiled from Iran. The ambassador even offered to take Baháʼu'lláh to Russia. In one of his writings, Baháʼu'lláh thanked Czar Alexander II of Russia. He said the Russian minister helped him get out of prison.
Opponents of the Baháʼí Faith greatly exaggerate these "ties." They often use a document that claims to be a "memoir" from Dolgorukov. He was the Russian ambassador to Persia from 1846 to 1854. This memoir says Dolgorukov created the Bábí and Baháʼí religions to weaken Iran and Shiʻa Islam. This document was first published in 1943 in Persian. It has many historical mistakes, making it clear it is not real.
For example, the memoir says Dolgorukov met Baháʼu'lláh at gatherings with Hakím Ahmad Gílání. But Gílání died in 1835, three years before Dolgorukov arrived in Persia. There are many other errors with dates and times. The memoir describes events happening after people died, or when they were young children, or in different parts of the world.
Dolgorukov actually only learned about the Bábí movement in 1847. His letters show he was worried the movement would spread into the Caucasus. He asked for the Báb to be moved away from the Russian border. In 1852, after the failed attempt to kill the Shah, many Bábís were arrested, including Baháʼu'lláh. Baháʼu'lláh's family asked Mírzá Majid Ahi, who worked for the Russian Legation, to ask Dolgorukov for help. Dolgorukov agreed.
The fake memoirs, however, make it seem like Dolgorukov helped Baháʼu'lláh in all parts of his life. One version of the memoir says Dolgorukov gave money for Baháʼu'lláh to build a house in Acre. But Dolgorukov died in 1867, before Baháʼu'lláh even arrived in Acre. Later versions of the memoir changed this to a house in Edirne. Dolgorukov left his job in 1854 and died in 1867, so he could not have helped Baháʼu'lláh in the ways the memoir claims.
In the 1930s, Soviet sources also made accusations. They claimed Baháʼís were linked to groups like Trotskyites. This led to many Baháʼís being arrested and sent to prisons or camps. Baháʼí communities in 38 cities across the Soviet Union disappeared.
British Ties Accusations
There have also been claims that the Bábí movement was started by the British. And that the Baháʼí Faith still has ties to the British government. These claims are only supported by false evidence. One writer, Firaydun Adamiyyat, claimed that Mulla Husayn, the Báb's first follower, was a British agent. He said the proof was in a book by a British officer, Arthur Conolly. But Conolly's book does not mention Mulla Husayn or the Báb at all. Later editions of Adamiyyat's book removed this false claim.
Accusations of British ties also came from the knighting of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in 1920. He was the head of the Baháʼí Faith at the time. British officials in Mandatory Palestine honored him. An official named Harry Luke said ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was knighted by King George V. This was for his "valuable services" to the British government. However, recent studies show ʻAbdu'l-Bahá received this award for his "humanitarian work" during the war. He shared his own food supplies, which prevented a famine in Northern Palestine. He was officially knighted on April 27, 1920. This event was widely reported in the Star of the West magazine as a "most wonderful celebration."
Political Contacts in the Ottoman Empire
During his time, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá talked with many people who were against the rule of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. These included politicians from the Young Turks movement. He tried to share Baháʼí ideas with them.
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá also met with military leaders. One of them, Hasan Bedreddin, was a Baháʼí. He helped translate ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's writings into French.
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá also met Muhammad Abduh, an important figure in Islamic Modernism. They met in Beirut. Both men were against the Ottoman religious leaders and wanted religious reform. A scholar named Rashid Rida said ʻAbdu'l-Bahá would attend Abduh's study sessions. Shoghi Effendi said their meetings greatly increased the Baháʼí community's good reputation.
Sultan Hamid II was worried about ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's activities. In 1905, a group questioned him, and he was almost sent to another exile. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá wrote to the Sultan. He said his followers do not get involved in politics. After the Young Turk Revolution, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was freed from prison. He was allowed to travel. He openly spoke against Sultan Abdul Hamid II. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá continued to praise the Committee of Union and Progress. In 1912, during his trip to North America, the Ottoman embassy in Washington, D.C., even held a dinner in his honor.
Claims of Baháʼí Ties to Zionism
Baháʼís have also been accused of being linked to Zionism. This is a movement that supported creating a Jewish homeland in the area now known as Israel. This claim often comes from the fact that the most holy shrines of the Baháʼís are in modern-day Israel. However, Baháʼu'lláh was forced to leave Persia by the Shah. He went to Baghdad in the Ottoman Empire. Later, the Ottoman Sultan, at the Shah's request, exiled him even further away. He ended up in Acre in Syria. This area only became part of Israel a century later.
Baháʼu'lláh died in 1892 near Acre. His burial place is in Bahji. After his death, his son ʻAbdu'l-Bahá led the religion until he died in 1921. He is buried in Haifa, which was then in British Mandatory Palestine. Another important Baháʼí figure, the Báb, is also buried in present-day Israel. His remains were secretly brought to Palestine and buried in Haifa in 1909. Israel was not formed until 1948. This was almost 60 years after Baháʼu'lláh's death. It was 40 years after the Báb's remains were brought to the region. And 27 years after ʻAbdu'l-Bahá's death.
On February 23, 1914, before World War I, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild visited ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. Rothschild was a leading supporter and funder of the Zionist movement. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá is recorded saying, "Unless the souls are believers in God... wealth causes the hearts to be hardened and without light."
After the British took control of Palestine following World War I, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá said:
If the Zionists will mix with other groups and live in unity, they will succeed. If not, they will face resistance. For now, I think a neutral government like the British would be best. A Jewish government might come later. There is too much talk today about what Zionists will do here. There is no need for it. Let them come and do more and say less. The Zionists should make it clear that their goal is to help all people here and develop the country for everyone. This land must be developed, as promised by the prophets. If they come with this spirit, they will not fail. They must not try to separate Jews from other Palestinians. Schools should be open to all nationalities here, as should businesses. The Turks failed because they tried to rule over foreign groups. The British are always in power because they are fair and promote harmony. This is the way to universal peace here and everywhere else - Unity. We must prevent conflict by all means.
Baháʼís have sometimes talked with the Israeli government. This was about buying properties that are now part of the Baháʼí World Centre buildings. For example, in 1952, Shoghi Effendi announced they had bought important land around the Mansion of Bahjí. This was from the Development Authority of the State of Israel. The land exchange was possible because the former Arab owners had left during the 1948 Palestinian exodus.
Similarly, the Mazra'ih mansion was transferred to the Baháʼí administration in 1951. It was originally a Muslim religious property.
"Masra'ih is a Moslem religious endowment, and it is consequently impossible, under existing laws in this country, for it to be sold. However, as the friends are aware, the Ministry of Religions, due to the direct intervention of the Minister himself, Rabbi Maimon, consented, in the face of considerable opposition, to deliver Masra'ih to the Baha'is as a Holy Place to be visited by Baha'i pilgrims. This means that we rent it from the Department of Moslem and Druze affairs in the Ministry of Religions. The head of this Department is also a Rabbi, Dr. Hirschberg. Recently he, his wife and party, visited all the Baha'i properties in Haifa and 'Akka, following upon a very pleasant tea party in the Western Pilgrim House with the members of the International Baha'i Council." (Baháʼí News, no. 244, June 1951, p. 4)
The Baháʼís finally bought the mansion in 1973.
Since the Iranian Revolution, there have been claims that Baháʼís support Israel. This is because they send money to the Baháʼí World Centre in northern Israel. These donations are used to maintain Baháʼí properties and manage the worldwide Baháʼí community. In a 1983 letter to the Iranian government, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of Iran pointed out something unfair. Muslims were praised for sending money out of the country to Iraq and Jerusalem for their shrines. But when Baháʼís sent money for their own shrines, it was called a terrible sin.
Baháʼís and the Shah's Government
Another accusation is that Baháʼís worked with the SAVAK, Iran's secret police, during the time of the Pahlavi dynasty. They were also accused of holding powerful government jobs. Even before the Iranian revolution, Baháʼís were seen as outsiders. Other Iranians blamed them for the harsh actions of SAVAK and the Shah's unpopular policies. After the revolution, the claim that Baháʼís were agents of the Shah might have come partly from Baháʼís not helping the revolutionary groups. This is because one of the Baháʼí Faith's teachings is to obey the government of one's country.
However, the Baháʼí International Community has stated that Baháʼís in Iran were victims of the Shah's government. They say SAVAK was a main tool for persecuting Baháʼís. For example, in 1934, Reza Shah's government ordered Baháʼí schools to close. Also, in 1955, during the month of Ramadan, the Shah's government needed to distract people. They were joining a military alliance called the Baghdad Pact with the British and American governments. So, they sought support from religious leaders. Ayatollah Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi, a high-ranking religious authority, pushed the Shah's government to support the persecution of Baháʼís.
The attacks in 1955 were very destructive and widespread. This was because the government and religious leaders worked together. They used the national radio and official newspapers to spread hatred. This led to widespread mob violence against Baháʼís. The Shah's military also took over the Baháʼí centre in Tehran, which was destroyed. Historians say that under the Pahlavi dynasty, Baháʼís were more like "political pawns" than helpers. The government's tolerance of Baháʼís in the early 1900s was more about having a non-religious rule and weakening religious leaders' power. It was not a sign of favoring Baháʼís.
There is also proof that SAVAK worked with Islamic groups in the 1960s and 1970s to bother Baháʼís. SAVAK also had links to Hojjatieh, a radical anti-Baháʼí group. Some sources say the Shah allowed Hojjatieh to freely act against Baháʼís. Historians note that claims of Baháʼís being part of SAVAK were mostly false excuses for persecution.
Regarding the accusation that Baháʼís held many important positions in the Shah's government, there is no real study to prove this. Some people in the government had Baháʼí backgrounds but were not Baháʼís themselves. One issue is how to define a Baháʼí. A Baháʼí is someone who chooses to join the religion. They can also choose to leave it. However, Muslims who do not believe people can leave their religion might not understand this.
Baháʼís use the term Baháʼízada for people from a Baháʼí background who are not active members of the community. There is no similar term in Islam. Of the people with Baháʼí backgrounds near the Shah, the best known was the Shah's personal doctor, Abdol Karim Ayadi. Another person, Asadullah Sanii, was appointed Minister of Defence. The Baháʼí community of Iran removed his administrative rights. This was because Baháʼís are not allowed to be involved in partisan politics. However, the public still linked him to his former religion. Parviz Sabeti, a SAVAK official, grew up in a Baháʼí family. But he had left the religion and was not a member when he started working for SAVAK.
Other people linked to the Baháʼí Faith either had Baháʼí backgrounds or no connection at all. For example, it was often rumored that Prime Minister Amir-Abbas Hoveida was a Baháʼí. While Hoveida's father had been a Baháʼí, he had left the religion. Hoveida himself was not religious. Other rumored Baháʼís included Mahnaz Afkhami, Minister for Women's Affairs, whose mother was Baháʼí. And Farrokhroo Parsa, a cabinet member, who had no connection to the religion. Historians say the claims that half of the Shah's cabinet were Baháʼís are made up. They are irresponsible exaggerations, especially given the persecution Baháʼís faced.
Claims of Baháʼí Ties to Freemasonry
Critics in Iran have accused the Baháʼí Faith of having links to Freemasonry. Freemasonry started in the West. It is seen as a secret society. Many in Iran connect it with foreign ideas that they believe harm Iranian values. Claims were made that early Masonic groups in Iran were linked to European ones. However, Freemasonry was brought to Iran by Iranians who had learned about it in other countries.
Specific accusations linking the Baháʼí Faith to Freemasonry often claim that Dhabih Qurban, a well-known Baháʼí, was also a Freemason. This claim comes from an Iranian book about Freemasonry in the country. That book says that certain pages in a Baháʼí book by Fazel Mazandarani state Dhabih Qurban was a Freemason. But Freemasonry is not mentioned in those pages of the Baháʼí book. Also, the Iranian book that makes the accusation includes a discussion. In it, the grandmaster of the Grand Lodge of Iran says that "no Baháʼís have become masons." No one present disagreed with him.
Shoghi Effendi, a leader of the Baháʼí Faith in the early 1900s, said that Baháʼí teachings clearly forbid joining secret societies. He asked all Baháʼís to leave any supposed secret societies, including Freemasons. This was so they could serve the Baháʼí Faith without losing their independence.
See also
- Criticism of the Baháʼí Faith
Images for kids
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ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was honored by the British government in 1920.
