The number of the Baha’is and their population in various parts of the world are of the puzzles which haven’t been solved. In spite of the existence of exact systems of statistics in Baha’ism, the Baha’i organization has evaded commenting the number of Baha’is in each region during the previous years.
Although several proselytizing Baha’i sites have announced Baha’i population as 5 to 7 million people; but it is quite doubtful due to how the population grows in various communities. It seems the Baha’i organization exploits the vagueness of the number of its followers to gain formality in various parts of the world and announces its followers more than the real one.
The population issue is a factor affecting the formation of the political and economic power in communities and countries. During history, population growth in each tribe, city and country has meant more power for rulers in each region. Additionally; nowadays, we are observing more extensive aspect than the traditional framework of population which include special investment to increase quality, capabilities in countries and the international communities.
The exact statistics of population is of important issues which in humane, social, economic and political aspects. Although the vagueness of abundance of population of a social group can be assumed as an area of weakness in dialogue and communication era, it can be considered as a privilege in some societies because not announcing population exactly can be speculated by other people. For instance, if a small community is perked, it can be exploited economically and politically as a pretext.
The number of population of the followers of religions, groups and creeds are of the special importance because each person who is living on the earth of related to a religion, creed, and a political-cultural gait. Being aware of the statistics of a religious population can be difficult most of the time; because there various criteria in calculating the number of people. For instance, who is called a catholic in Christianity? Is a person who has performed baptism ablutions a Catholic? A person who has conventionally called Catholic? Or a person who has participated at the Lord’s supper ceremony? All these people can and cannot be called Catholic.
Meantime, the number of the Baha’is is noticeable due to their position in international community as a doctrinal group. They claim for being the biggest religious population in the world. The investigation of the population of this social religious group is important because the Baha’i creed hasn’t announced any formal census concerning the number of its followers and its population can be searched just in informal websites. More interestingly, the Baha’ism organization has been silent towards others’ presented censes.
The question nowadays is that: How many Baha’is are living in the world? The answer is that nobody knows except for the universal house of justice and the leadership of the Baha’i organization.
One of the problems in gaining the exact statistics of the Baha’is is that a group of people including Indians in the world believe that they can believe in some creeds at the same time. For instance, many people who call themselves as Baha’is aren’t Baha’i. In fact, they just love Bahaullah as a noble person who is the world peace lover; but in fact they aren’t Baha’is; but they are Hindus. So, it seems that presenting statistics and claiming for the existence of 2.2 million Baha’is in India in 2001 A.D. comparing the formal statistics of Indian government which has announced 11000 people as Baha’is in India is not correct.
Consequently, it is really difficult to announce about the exact census of the number of Baha’is in such conditions where the universal house of justice doesn’t speak about it conveniently. The international Baha’i community doesn’t tell the truth about its members’ censes data and in some cases it offers false one via the mass media.
