آنچه در ادامه می خوانید
Introduction
Dr. Brendan Cook, a Baha’i teacher, author, artist, intellectual and critic was born in 1970s in a Baha’i family in western Canada. He got his master in English History and Literature from Canada’s Toronto University. In view of the call of conscience, Brendan Cook was attracted by the Baha’i teachings and slogans and by believing in it, was a member of the Baha’i Community of Canada for some 30 years and was present in Baha’i prayer and study groups and circles. In all these years, he tried to research about his beliefs and not to accept everything simply. In 1994, he got acquainted with the group of Baha’i intellectuals on the Talisman website and started collaborating and posting content on the Talisman website. Due to his association with Baha’i intellectuals and the publication of critical articles, Cook was suspected by the Baha’i leadership in Haifa (House of Justice) and was unofficially removed from the Baha’i community. Cook has a serious objection to the performance of the Baha’i organization. He objects to the absence of women at the highest level of Baha’i leadership (House of Justice or Bait al-Adl) and considers it against the claim of “equal rights of men and women in Baha’ism”. It considers the so-called heavenly Baha’i book (Aqdas) to be outdated and unenforceable. He has objected to the fact that the Baha’i leadership instructs its followers how they should think and considers it contrary to wisdom and the reason for the lack of freedom of thought in Baha’ism. Cook does not consider the teaching of “non-interference in politics and obedience to governments” correct. In his stories, written in a humorous language, he refers to the infallibility of House of Justice, the abuse of House of Justice from the class bias of some followers, the rejection and expulsion of Baha’is because they do not agree with the House of Justice, and the persecution of the expelled Baha’is and considers such movements contrary to wisdom and morality. In this article, we get to know some of Brendan Cook’s critical positions.
Biography
Brendan Cook, a teacher, an author, an artist, an intellectual and a Baha’i critic was born in 1970s in a Baha’i family in western Canada in Saskatchewan State. He got his master in English History and Literature from Canada’s Toronto University. Brendan Cook is familiar with six Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, Italian and English (modern, middle and Victorian) languages.
After criticizing the performance and narrow-minded viewpoint of the Baha’i organization toward the Baha’is, he was systematically pressured by the organization and the advisor and member of the deputy board in the protection branch. In 2010-2011, he preferred to move from Canada to California to escape the problems that the propaganda of the Baha’i Organization of Toronto had created against him. He is currently living in Tampa, California, and is teaching English literature at the university.
He is about 50 years old and in addition to studying, he devotes his free time to farming and taking care of flowers and plants. Brendan Cook is currently a believer in God with a traditional Christian orientation, unaffiliated with the church, and has the rational thinking of an educated person. His wife is a Hindu and they have a 7-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. In the conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians, Cook, like other Baha’is who are intellectuals and critics of the establishment, sympathizes with the Palestinians.
Brendan Cook was born into a Baha’i family. Therefore, he got familiar with Baha’i Faith since childhood and was attracted to Baha’i teachings and slogans as a teenager. For about 30 years, believing in Baha’i, he was a member of the Baha’i Community of Canada and was present in Baha’i study groups and circles. In all these years, he tried to research his beliefs and not accept any issue simply. When at the age of 15, the Baha’i organization asked him to sign a membership card in the Baha’i Community of Canada, he refused to sign the enrollment (tasjil) form and stated that believing in a religion does not require formalities and completing an administrative form. Moreover, no one asks for a membership card when attending the Baha’i banquet program. As a teenager, he did not know that it is necessary to sign a special enrollment form to become a member and accept the Baha’i religion.
Brendan Cook is a skilled storyteller. He is interested in writing creative humorous and allegorical stories. He presents his criticisms with humor and metaphor to better stay in the reader’s mind. His style in satirical writing is similar to that of George Orwell in the book “Animal Castle”, which criticized communism in his book with the language of metaphor and humor. or similar to writers such as Erasmus, Thomas More, Jonathan Swift, and Voltaire. With the same creative style of humor, Cook has criticized the Baha’i administrative order and the dictatorial behavior of House of Justice in the stories of the “Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Strange Story of Max the Infallible Donkey”.
About his writing style, he writes: “I have found in my studies that humor and parables are the best tools for dialogue and encountering the material, and Baha’i sacred subjects are also of this kind.” (quoted from the article “Travel to Puchistan”).
Despite being a member of the Baha’i community and attending and participating in its meetings and programs, Cook had many questions and uncertainties in his mind. In this regard, he himself says: “I remember at the age of seventeen, I protested to the House of Justice for spending heavy expenses to build temples and theatrical administrative buildings in Haifa.” (quoted from the writer’s interview with Cook in December 2021) “Also, I always asked my parents whether they could accept the decree of rejecting Baha’ism and stay away from a group of people accused of being so-called violators and covenant-breakers and not have any greetings or words with them?”
Participation in political affairs
“I have been brought up very politically. My parents basically ignored the ban announced by the Baha’i organization for Baha’is regarding participation in political affairs and interpreted it as the Baha’is cannot join a particular party. In our family, it was clear and obvious that we should try to make the world a better place, even if doing so was called ‘political activism’.”
“The issues that used to bother me were still in my mind, but new things had also been added. At that age, I strongly supported women’s rights and was surprised by the decree that limited the membership of the House of Justice to men. Also, the ban on being involved in politics seemed impossible to me.”
“I could see how political parties, throughout history, from the US Civil War to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, have taken positions, right or wrong, on important issues. Staying away from politics was like being inactive and passive in the face of injustice.
In 2005, I started writing stories and publishing my articles on the Internet and cyberspace. Very soon, officials of the Baha’i Community of Toronto expressed concern. A Baha’i friend invited me to a party so that I could have a more positive view of Baha’ism. However, that party didn’t end well because I guess I was already infamous by then! In the middle of the party, someone came up to me and said that they didn’t welcome me there, so I left.
After a while, I applied for an enrollment card (membership card in the Baha’i Community of Canada), but my application was rejected!
B- The reason for disillusionment and rejection of Baha’ism
Brendan Cook was expelled from the Baha’i Community of Canada after about 30 years of activity in the Baha’i community. By writing stories and presenting views and publishing critical articles on the Internet and cyberspace, the Baha’i Organization of Toronto became sensitive to his actions and put him under surveillance. First, the representative of the National Assembly of Canada and one of the members of the deputy board tried to dissuade him from expressing critical opinions and materials about Baha’ism. They asked Cook to live like an ordinary Baha’i and obey the opinions of the Local Assembly and the House of Justice, but Cook, citing Baha’i teachings and the principle of the necessity of seeking the truth, always raised questions that the Baha’i organization was unable to answer.
In September 2005, a female member of the North American Continental Advisory Board asked Cook to meet and talk with her. The said lady had falsely told Cook that I had no official position in the Baha’i organization and that this conversation would be completely friendly, but later it became clear that the content of this interview and conversation was used as an indictment to reject and expel Cook from the Baha’i faith.
To be continued …
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