One of the important factors of Bahaism as destructive is hurting family. Michael Di Langon says defining cult: “Cult is a group which is advocating a person, idea or thing and takes immoral measures to proceed the aims of the group head. These measures which lead to possible hurts for members and their families and community are being used by the cults to control and deceive the members; such as separating the person from friends and family, applying special methods for increasing accepting exhortation in the person, severe pressures of data management group, challenging identity, helping – with complete dependence of the person and preventing the person to leave the group.”[۱]
Describing destroying the basis of the family by cults, it is said: “Cults intrigue their members against their families using extreme thinking and closed logic. Cults offer satanic images out of parents’ behaviors. They cause their members to trust the cult be negative rereading the past. cults prevent their members to get married or lead them towards organizational marriages.
When one of the couple resists, they guide him/ her towards divorce….”[۲]
Damaging the basis of the family is the common characteristics in various cults which is in conformity with the function of Bahaism organization.
Damaging family by the cults
To investigate the reasons for damaging the basis of the family in Bahaism organization, the lives of the heads of this cult must be paid attention. Fadhlullah Mohtadi Sobhi, the ex-proselytizer of Bahaism says about Shogi Effendi’s behavior with his relatives: “Some years ago, I became aware of excommunicating relatives, father, mother, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, cousins by Shoghi Effendi and now all jobs are in hands of aliens and the head of the Baha’is is alien and no Iranian person is engaged…”[۳]
One of the issues worthy to be thought in Bahaism thought is the dominance of Bahaism on the method of the relationship of families with the organization.
Behzad Jahangiri – the ex-Baha’i – says about the relations between Bahaism organization and families: “First of all, the center for the guidance and leadership of Bahaism cult is in Israel… All Baha’is play their roles in guidance of Baha’i community communicated by the national disciples. Each person and family must be in touch with the local assembly. Then, the local assemblies are being classified and a head manages several cities. The head sends a report to the national assembly and data are being gathered by these representatives in the national assembly to be sent to the universal house of justice.”[۴]
He also says: “In this important movement, family itself is a cult. So, if family moves in the direction of the aims, intentions and policies of the cult, it will be important; otherwise, it will be worthless. In Bahaism organization, members free to elect spouses and to get married and the organization, supervises their marriages. If a marriage isn’t in conformity with the organization desire, they will prevent it using various plans…. During the night, I was thinking of this issue that I had different dream to enter into new life, but the organization made me move to another direction. It caused me to miss my favorite wife. It forced two people to get married with each other each of whom loved another. I wanted to evade, but they said to get married. I got married to get rid of them, but I was sinking in the slough more day by day … .”[۵]
Jahangiri says about the organizational divorces: “Sometime, my wife and I were gathering statistics about divorces among the Baha’is whose figure was astonishing. The reasons for these divorces was mainly arranged marriages or the seditions exist in the Baha’i families. When families have social intercourses with Baha’is in extreme closeness, serving opium, and drinking alcohol, it is usual for these social intercourses not to continue its natural routine… .”[۶]
Ataullah Qaderi, the ex-Baha’i – says: “Nearly 18 months ago in Urmia, my wife’s paternal uncle’s son announced in newspapers that he had become Muslim. Urmia organization forced him to divorce although he had a grown up son and a two-month daughter. He divorced and Urmia organization made his wife to get married with a wealthy man. It caused a negative effect on Bahaism community.”[۷]
Behzad Jahangiri says about the organization plans for family members. A man called Kalami was our guardian. He was continually making me and Mahnaz to be pessimistic with each other. I found out his main nature when it was too late because this so-called believed Baha’i person had said the same words to me and Mahnaz, my wife. At last, a pessimistic atmosphere covered our life. Why was your cellphone busy? Who were you with?… We had entered a wolf like him into our lives… “[8] He also said: “I knew they had lied ordered by the organization to destroy my life and not to have tranquility even for a moment. They punished us cos my wife and I had stepped the Baha’s aside. My poor wife was ordered by his brother Zabih who was ready to do each job to progress in the organization”[۹]
Iman Shojaee, the ex-Baha’i, says: “The first thing they did was to say: You must leave the house because you caused us disgraced. You made us ashamed. They excommunicated me and made me separated from my family…?”
Consequently, the Bahaism organization tries to dominate on families by arranged de divorces.
Mahnaz Raoufi – the ex-Baha’i- says in this regard: “I am a really emotional and attached to my family, but I was excommunicated due to turning against Bahaism. I wasn’t allowed to visit my family for years. During those years, I lost my father and it was very hard for me to tolerate.[10] There are many people who believe in Islam in their hearts. Now, they are sending lots of e-mails for and saying they were going to leave Bahaism, but were afraid because they would be excommunicated completely.” [۱۱]
Thus, the organization is misusing family criterion to keep the members and not to let them abandon Bahaism.
[۱] Shahbaz Nejad, Omid, the newly-emerged cults and damages, Tehran: Mo’jezah, 1390 S.H., p.23.
[۲] Damages and dangers of cults, Shaffafiat periodical, No.28, P.48.
[۳] Mohtadi Sobhi, Fodhlullah, the memoirs of Sobhi’s life and the history of Babism and Bahaism, the center for the documents of Islamic revolution, p.63.
[۴] Baha’ism means the one which gathers all animal perfections, Shaffafiat periodical, No.39, p.30.
[۵] Jahangiri, Behzad, the half undercover, vol. 33, p.295.
[۶] Ibid, p. 286.
[۷] Everything is authorized by the organization in Bahaism, Shaffafiat periodical, No.36, p.34.
[۸] Jahangiri, Behzad, ibid, p. 331.
[۹] Jahangiri Behzad, ibid, p. 309-310.
[۱۰] An interview with Mahnaz Raoufi, the ex-Baha’I, Martyr Avini site.
[۱۱] Ibid.
