Abstract
آنچه در ادامه می خوانید
The Apartheid [6] geometry in Bahaism [7] reveals the discriminative structures in Baha’i community using deep look. The structures which have been ended in separation and inequality in various layers in the community contrary to freedom-loving and truth-seeking slogans.
The Baha’i leaders’ speech and behaviors such as Mirza Hussein Ali Nouri and Abbas Effendi’s indicate that their worldview is that non-Baha’is have been described by disdainful words; from “gravel” to “Satan’s offspring”! This viewpoint is the founder of a kind of racial and humane apartheid in the discourses of Baha’i community.
The scientific and economic discriminations in the Baha’i community; from inequality in dividing heritage and donations to limitations in accessing the educational sources and censorship of scientific works all are remarkable.
It is interesting to be known that these discriminations have been institutionalized not only in the speech and behaviors of the Baha’i leaders, but also in the organizational structure of the universal house of justice in the lack of women’s entrance.
Thus, if such geometry of apartheid is presented to the communities by proselytizing measures of the Baha’is along with organizational censorship, it can be the forerunner of cultural transformation and weakening the critical thoughts in various communities.
Introduction:
When George Floyd, the American negro said on the hot street asphalt of Minneapolis, America from a compressed throat under the American police boat with a scratchy voice begging: ‘I can’t breathe!”, the history pages of apartheid were turned as if a series of events have happened on the scratchy forehead of history of human! Yes! racial Apartheid! racial discrimination and separating human being based on skin color and natural gene!
George Floyd’s shouting was echoed in the streets and squares of American cities and states gradually in European countries and changed into a serious excitement and extensive opposition against racial apartheid.
This oppressed call forced millions of free people to cry and regret. The rough and ruthless racial apartheid not only disgraced the political system of the American government, but also caused the shouting of removing racial discrimination in the structures related to such system of government. Because racial apartheid isn’t restricted to the south Africa (during apartheid period of time) and the forged regime of Israel… but it is rooted in newly-emerged and colonial thoughts such as Bahaism, the Baha’i community and its organizational structure. In this article, we are going to criticize several apartheid aspects of Bahaism.
Apartheid in Bahaism:
Some of the thinkers of Bahaism opposed the central organization of Bahaism and the universal house of justice in the issue of apartheid in Bahaism believingly. They had incorrectly imagined the Baha’i community on the basis of “the independent investigation of truth”, “freethinking” and “modernism”. So, they posed their critical thoughts concerning apartheid in Bahaism. In fact, these deep questions challenge the administrative system, the political structure and the intellectual and geometry organization of apartheid in Bahaism. The universal hour of justice apartheid and its power in rough reactions put knee on their necks and put pressure on them by excommunication, spiritual boycott, social isolation, death threat and limiting relationships that tightened the freethinking breathing in the Baha’i community completely.[1] [8]
This function is originated from the apartheid behaviors in Baha’i leaders. Abbas Effendi, the second leader of Baha’is posed the difference between human being and animal on the basis of two apartheids: belief and racial ones when he traveled to Europe, Africa and America: “Just the Baha’is are human beings and non-Baha’is are all animals. The civilized human beings are Europeans and the French and wild animals are those who are from Africa.”[۲] [9]
Abdul Baha often bonds what he has with his father who is the founder of Bahaism! Mirza Hussein Ali Nouri is frankly lays the foundation of apartheid in his behavior and speech.
It is necessary to be mentioned that not only apartheid in Bahaism organization is not restricted to racial discrimination, but also the Baha’i leaders themselves have been the founders of an apartheid geometry. The span of this geography has been recognized formally today in an organization called the universal house of justice and is worthy to be thought.
The followings are the other aspects of this apartheid geometry between speech and behavior of the Baha’i leaders and we will investigate the universal house of justice:
Racial Apartheid
Apartheid means separation. Not only Baha’ism believes in racial discrimination, but also it has done it. Because it has just considered the Baha’is in humanity circle and has called non-Baha’is as animals. Mirza Hussein Ali Nouri, Bahaullah says in the book Badi’a, p. 140 : “A person who turns against Bahaism is not human being.”
He calls non-Baha’is as gravels: “Those who love me are the earth gems…”[۳] [10]
He has also said: “Everybody who is my enemy in his/her heart, evil has surely entered into his/her mother’s bed!”[۴] [11]
The Economic Apartheid
The economic apartheid means the economic contradiction and inequality in accessing the economic resources and opportunities.
This apartheid in Bahaism means becoming deprived of accessing the economic resources and opportunities unfairly by the Baha’is due to various tors factors like race, gender, or economic conditions. This discrimination can occur in various fields such as employment, education, housing, emigration, and proselytizing and organizational position and will end in the creation of deep economic gap in the community.
In such conditions, not only the deprived Baha’is don’t possess the equal opportunities for family and individual economic condition improvements, but also they encounter structural and organizational barriers of apartheid in Bahaism which makes their attempts to remove poverty and inequality more difficult.
The following factors strengthen apartheid in Bahaism:
I) The lack of the existence of just rules in the texts of the Baha’i leaders and the organization of the universal house of justice
II) the lack of the existence of an independent supervising foundation to distribute wealth a dollar incomes of the universal house of justice in the community of the Baha’is.
III) The lack of publishing financial reports of various castes of the pyramid organization of Bahaism and the lack of answering to the Baha’is questions.
IV) Ignoring the future generation of the Baha’is in financial and economic interests.
V) The lack of permanent development in distributing wealth and economic opportunities among the Baha’is of world.
The secure margin of the economic apartheid in Bahaism:
To make the issue of apartheid in Bahaism of the Baha’i leaders in its system unimportant, the Bahaism organization established an economic development system in 1983 A’D. to use the various methods and opportunities to achieve its organizational aims.
I) Ideological Advertisement and Educations:
Preaching Rouhi proselytizing system strengthening the Baha’i media and daily and weekly content production, holding virtual meetings for the Baha’is in various issues such as educational, cultural, nutritional and health ones and etc. all cause for the Baha’is to be busy with ideological issues and to obey t the he economic orders of the universal house of justice based on justifying the Baha’i leaders’ speech.
II) Economic and social activities:
The social and economic development programs determined by the universal house of justice have caused the organizational Baha’is to be influential in various business of the communities such as charities, establishing schools, hospitals, preaching consulting and scientific discourses in social problems and it injects a kind of relative well-being in that community in order to prepare the public minds for the stage of being recognized formally and socially”.
Scientific Apartheid:
The followings are examples of apartheid geometry: discrimination in educational opportunities among the Baha’is, accessing to research and educational resources of the Baha’is, filtering of accessibility level to the faith texts among the various castes of the Baha’i community, scientific censorship of the proselytizers, authors and even the Baha’i leaders’ books.
Conclusions
Now, we are observing a building having a dark view and apartheid geometry in Bahaism and the centrality of the universal house of justice. How is it expected for the Baha’is and people of the world to be hopeful of the equality and the oneness of humane world in the Baha’i community?
Source: Baha’i research
Keep in touch with us: bahaismiran85@gmail.com [12]
[۱] [13] Sean McGlenn, Ibrahim George Kheirullah, Dennis Martin McEion, John Cole are of western the ex-Baha’is who criticized the Bahaism movement and were boycotted by the Baha’i leaders or the universal house of justice
[۲] [14] Badaiyeul Athar, vol. 2, p. 127.
[۳] [15] The heavenly food, vol. 4, p. 353.
[۴] [16] Shaygan treasure, compiled by Abdul Hamid Ishrog Khawari, p. 79.