Whenever the foreigners are thinking of deluding Iranian people, the system of religion making is being created.”[1]
One of Colonialists’ tricks to expand their Colonial plans is targeting culture and beliefs of nations. They have well figured out that cultural invasion and intellectual and the theological dominance open ways to usurp victoriously. This method has been existent since previous years in history till now.
The closest bad record of it goes back to 16th to 19th centuries. During the current centuries, its clear examples can be seen in Colonial movement to send some evangelical groups and missioners to Africa and Asia.
In Iran, it has also run various cultural crises in this regard due to people’s antecedent to be Muslims, Shias.
One of the important methods which has been beneficial for freebooters is using cultural faults and cult making. Out of Muslim countries, the proselytizing waves of Islamophobia have been continued to the present era and their instances are observable.
Babism and Bahaism are two cults which were born in the cover of a social and then religious movement in Iran. The cults which stood at first against the original culture of the country under the shadow of the colonial governments. Bahaism was emerged in Iran when several lands were separated from Iran after some wars between Iran and Russian and our country was defeated. Although the birthplaces of Ali Muhammad Shirazi (the founder of Babism) and Hussein Ali Nouri (the founder of Bahaism) were in Shiraz and Tehran cities respectively and also this political cult was active the farthest part of Iran, but its activity in some parts of the country was important regarding the variety of Iranian tribes and the geographic and religious conditions.
The measures and activities of Bahaism haven’t been completely investigated particularly in regional domain inside the country, so Asghar Haydari, the author and researcher of history domain has published a book called “Bahaism in Azerbaijan helped by the center for the documents of the Islamic Revolution and investigated the function and presence of Bahaism in this part of Iran which today includes Eastern Azerbaijan, western Azerbaijan, Ardabil and Zanjan.
This 456-page book possesses two general parts whose first one includes three chapters: 1) Familiarity with Bahaism leaders and their biographies, 2) The activities of the Baha’is during the first and second Pahlavi governments and 3) campaigning and the resistance of clergymen and the Muslim people of Iran against the deviant cult of Bahaism. [2]
The continuation of the book investigates the expansion of Bahaism in Azerbaijan and confrontations against it and reveals its plans for the future of the region. The book has spoken about Sisan village due to its importance for Baha’i the organization. The end of the book consists of documents, photos related to the o Baha’is of Azerbaijan.
[۱] Mostashr-al-Doleh’s opposition against Britain over 1919 contract, 1297 S.H. and 1337.
[۲] Heydari, Asghar, Bahaism in Azerbaijan: Tehran, The center for the documents of the Islamic Revolution, 1398 S.H., introduction.
