The students of the American schools in Qajar dynasty- the agents of Pahlavi era
The historical documents indicate that the Baha’is have been the pioneers of preaching the American education culture and system in our country. The Baha’i school in Tehran called Tarbiyat kept in touch with an assembly in America formally since 1910 A.D./ 1328 A.H. The Baha’is had played a role in establishing the assembly.
Asked by the school, and for the expansion of more relationships between Iran and America, the educational association of Iran and America formally announced its existence and asked for support. This association announced its aims in the American press. It’s founders dispatched an American teacher to Iran to teach the kids. Supported by the association financially, a committee was formed in Tehran city by Sydney Sperug who was an American in 1910 A.D. to be in charge of managing.
One of the members of the board of educational association of Iran and America was Mina Ahmad Khan Sohrab Isfahani, one of the known heads of Bahaism and of the companions of Abbas Effendi in his trip to America.[1] After Shogi Effendi’s death, Sohrab created a branch in Bahaism known as Sohrabian in America and possessed some followers. In a letter for the lawyers of the Iranian council parliament, Sohrab considered the expansion of teachings as one of the means for development and progress and claimed for the fulfillment of this issue just when the Iranian people prepare their youth for proceeding on their journey to America to educate in scientific centers of that country like the Chinese people.[2] At the same time with this issue, the political representative of Iran in Washington (Sabiludduleh) who was also of the heads of Baha’ism in America asked the Iranian attendance to send a group of students to America to get familiar with the American system in his letters to the ministry of foreign affairs late 1329 S.H. He was also speaking about a school in Pennsylvania whose female principal is ready to accept the Iranian kids in her school with the same tuition of the European schools. She also visited the American minister of foreign affairs and said to him: In this condition when Iran is stepping towards civilization, it is the best time for the west to support this country.[3]
The members of t the association sent nearly 700 dollars to Iran to achieve their goals and supported a group of students from Tarbiyat school.[4]
Iran and America association was acting based on Abbas Effendi’s thesis stated those years in America: “The American piece is the square of light.[5] The result of this policy was clear: “Most kids who had educated during Qajar era at schools related to the Baha’is became the youth during the first Pahlavi era that had been employed in new-established offices exposing western tendencies?[6]
[۱] Athrarul Athar, Fadhel Mazandarani, 142-143.3.
[۲] The investigation of relations, p.140
[۳] Ibid, p.148.
[۴] Ibid, p. 144.
[۵]Ahang-e-Badia, 8th year, (1332), No. 6&7 and p.103 and also refer to the sermons of Abdul Baha
[۶] The investigation of Iran and America relations, P. 153.
