Persecution
of Persian Baha’is at the Highest Seat of Baha’i Administration
Dear
Esteemed Members of Universal House of Justice
Paul Lample
Payman Mohajer
Shahriar Razavi
Stephen Birkland
Stephen Hall
Ayman Rouhani
Chuungu Malitonga
Juan Francisco Mora
Praveen Mallik
It
saddens me to write this letter to the esteemed members. Members, who
collectively are supposed to be infallible in their decisions. For quite some
time, some of the decisions of the members are being viewed as being with a
targeted agenda –cleansing the Bahai Administration of Persian Baha’is’ very
silent callous Racism and fanatism is engulfing the whole of Bahai Community.
The Persian Bahais are being persecuted in which ever land they pioneered and
surprisingly the Universal House of Justice is mock spectator to this
persecution.
One could
argue that these steps are seen with prejudice. However, when sequence of
similar actions is witnessed the benefit of doubt reduces.
Let us
one by one see such incidences to conclude whether it is co-incidence or
otherwise:
1. Recently a prominent Heterodox
Baha’i, Omid Seioshansian, who was born in Qatar, was blacklisted in
Qatar. Government authorities in the country have levelled criminal and
national security charges against him. Mr. Omid now will face severe penalties
in Qatar’s judicial system. And will be denied entry.
Although Bani Duggal, the BIC’s Principal
Representative to the United Nations, said that “the Baha’i International
Community is saddened that the State of Qatar has chosen to expel members of a
community that has peacefully coexisted in and contributed to the progress of
the country”, the silence of UHJ has raised concerns. Many prominent Bahais are
of the opinion that UHJ is behind the expelling of Omid as they are in
cleansing process of Persian Bahais and Omid a high ranking Persian Bahai in
Bahai Administration, who has an eye on selection to UHJ. He has a lot of cloud
in countries like India.
2. Another high ranking Persian
Bahai, a counsellor, Dr. Jabbar Eidelkhani who had served for many years
in Bangladesh was also removed from his post and a very insignificant Indian
Bahai was asked to step in his shoes. Was this part of a strategy?
3. Another Persian background lady,
a former counsellor and member of NSA of India, Mrs Zeena Sorabjee, was
asked to resign/retire from NSA after being elected on NSA. Fate accompli?
4. A prominent Bahai of the USA, Mr.
Bahareh Moghaddam has been accused of trying to deceive and misguide
the Bahais of Iranian descent by sowing seeds of discord. UHJ just watched
silently.
5. Mr. Ali Nakhjawani was hunted for his misunderstood statement
resulting into ignorant Bahais daring to ask him that why he gave such
statement. UHJ could have defended in this situation.
6.The case of
Bahai Scholar Ahang Rabbani has not been forgotten. After working for 15
years at the World Centre, he was heartbroken. UHJ had no comfort to offer.
7. Jamshed Fozdar and Firoz Anaki were on the brink of being
declared Covenant Breakers but some better reasoning prevailed on UHJ and they
stopped from doing such an atrocious act. Both these gentlemen have bitterness
still.
8. The Late Mr.
Hasan Sabri along with Isabella Sabri made fun of Persian Bahais and used
to call them KHAR (donkey) and used to say that Persian Bahais are misguiding
other Bahais. There are several other such incidences of rebuke. UHJ
conveniently ignores these. They use to say Panchami is the centre of
deviation.
9. The number of Persian
Bahais as counsellors have come down drastically and the story is not
different for the ABMs. They were asked to leave their place of pioneer (where
they had established themselves, gained respect and involved themselves in
Teaching of the Faith) and settle in some other parts of the world. This is
nothing but humiliation and harassment. UHJ choses to look the other way.
10. When a non-Persian Counsellor retires from his
post, he is immediately offered another post in his own country. But if the
counsellor is Persian, and that too a pioneer, never this opportunity of
service had been offered to him or his experience used for promotion of the
Faith. This happens under watchful eyes of the UHJ.
11. A sincere Persian Bahai Mr.
A.S. Furudi who took care of the Bahai property the National Hotel at Pune in
India was threatened by one of the members of UHJ that he should come in line
with UHJ or face severe consequences.
12. A Persian pioneer a devoted Bahai Dr.
Ahmed Ansari was asked to resign after he was elected as a delegate for
National convention. It was feared that he was a sure member of NSA
13.
Payam
Shoghi - A person of capacity, he served the faith as a counsellor but he
was sacked by the UHJ and was asked to resign from all his administrative positions,
just because he was "accused" for forging Documents? Which was never
proved.
14.
Shahryar Nooreyazdan - He has such a wide experience
about the faith. Has given years as a pioneer to Mumbai Community. A person
instrumental in building the Lotus Temple and donating huge amounts of his
savings was never given any hearing by UHJ. All his suggestions are ignored and
was made centre of mockery.
15.
Farida Vahedi - She served the Faith with best
of her capacity running the External affair department very efficiently but
just some Indian NSA members did not like her success was asked to resign from
the NSA of India. In her place a dumb Ram Sevak Yadav was brought to NSA just
to appease the Hindu nationalist Government .
16.
Afshin and his son Naim now live a life of loneliness.
Afshin gave all of his golden years for the propagation of faith in India.
Today when he is ill and may be in need of financial assistance, the UHJ is
wasting sources on inexperienced, and worthless people like Praveen Mallick,
Rajan Sawant etc. All the "soldiers of Baha'u'llah" are being treated
like worthless entity.
17.
The Bahai
Academy in Panchgani was subjected to pressure because its Director Mr. Leson Azadi was a Persian and son of a
Martyr. UHJ made his life and of his family miserable. He was sacked as
Auxillary Board Member.
Such
examples leave us with a bitter conclusion that those having Persian (Cradle of
Faith) background need to sieved. It is
as though the UHJ sees the Persian Bahais being responsible for the formation
of so many sects. A thought is prevailing in the Faith that Persian Baha’is are
working in groups and are having soft corner for the Persian fourth Guardian
Nosrat'u'llah Bahremand of the Orthodox Baha’i Faith, who is calling his shots
from Australia. Such a suspicion has been prevailing for many years now. UHJ
has so far not taken any steps to reject this idea.
While all this is happening, the clout of Bahais
with Jewish background is increasing. Whether it is happening with connivance
of Jewish state, is a question that then comes to mind.