When the revolution movement of the Iranian Islamic Revolution became serious, the Baha’ism organization explained its strategy for its followers. In order to be prepared to confront special and critical conditions, the Baha’i organization ordered its followers with new approach.
The orders of the organization included Baha’is to dissimulate and hide their beliefs such as: “ordering to wisdom, caution and total cooperation with the governmental officials for several times, cancelling populated gatherings and receptions and preventing the presence of strange people and etc.[1]”
Several notes are worthy to be mentioned:
- The Baha’ism organization pushed its followers towards hiding beliefs while the Baha’ism cult has introduced the prohibition of hiding belief as one of its theological principles[2]. Shoqi Effendi also considers hiding belief to save people as necessary: “concern this issue that is it right to say something unreal to save a person the Excellency the guardian of the faith believes that we must speak against reality at all…[۳]”
- What is the reason for changing strategy and guiding to the policy of hiding and dissimulation against the principles announced by Baha’ism?! Why did the Baha’ism organization call its followers to hiding and caution at the same time with the height of the movement of people’s revolution in Iran?! What was the Baha’ism organization afraid of the democratic movement in Iran and the weakening of the pillars of the dictatorial regime of Pahlavi?!
A glance at Pahlavi periods of time and the role of Baha’ism reveal that Baha’ism was observing people’s anger against itself because Baha’ism has seized many military and country pillars and caused many seditions and tyrannies against the Iranian people[4].
Yes, Baha’ism organization had found out that a fire which had been made among people by tyranny and sedition during Pahlavi regime could afflict it at any moment. Thus, it called its members for caution and general attempts to preserve Pahlavi regime contrary to the principle of hiding.
[۱] The message of the Baha’ism organization assemblies, Mordad, 1357 S.H.
[۲] Riyadh Qadimi, the rose-garden of the Baha’i teachings, the electronic copy, p. 404.
[۳] Ibid, p. 404.
[۴] For more studies refer to the articles about Baha’ism in Pahlavi era.
