The greatest serving of Edward Browne to the Babi and Baha’i organization is that he prevented them to be destroyed by printing their books in his country and defending them. The British hoped to make another India out of Iran by replacing Bahaism as a religion with the religion of Islam which had ruled on the world for several centuries. So, they supported this cult with each possible way.
According to Abbas Nasr: “If their books hadn’t been printed by Browne; nowadays, Babism and Bahaism would have been definitely posed like Agha Khan Ma hallati’s issue.”[۱]
The intelligent service net made by Browne from Iran to Istanbul, Acre and Cyprus was undoubtedly unique.
At the same time with Browne’s attempts, we become acquainted with a famous Russian orientalist called “Baron Victor Romanvich Rosen” (۱۸۴۹-۱۹۰۸), too. That these two masters of university, one of them from Petersburg and the other from Cambridge university, became interested in the issue of Iran particularly Bab at the same time to gather Bab and Baha’s works indicate the alignment of two Britain and Soviet countries concerning cult making movement in Iran.
Browne had obtained Rosen the summary of Bab’s writing called Heykal chapter” and had translated it into English language. He writes: “The complete text of Heykal chapter has been published by Rosen in the 8th volume of the collection of “the eastern languages sciences institute”, printed by Saint Petersburg about which I have mentioned in April No. 1892 A.D.”[۲]
Abdullah Bahrami writes about other orientalists who have stepped on this way: “The first one is a French one called Nikola who was a minister in Iran on behalf of his government. The second one was Gubini from France who was a minister in Iran, too. He has written several good books about this country. The third one was the British professor Browne whose researches were complete and deep. His information about Persian and Arabic languages was nearly unique… Browne’s services in this regard is worthy to be thanked by Bahaism because the Baha’i principles and rudiments became childish fable and tale without his attempts.
It is important to be noted that although these orientalists tried hard to support and revitalize Babism, but they were aware of this fact that they were null and deviant; so that, Browne introduces Gorratul Ein as the one who worships Bab instead of God and he sometimes became disgusted for the blasphemous words of the Baha’i proselytizers. Dr. Wales who was the supporter of Babis and was the proselytizer of Christianity in Isfahan in favor of the British polices introduces Bab as imposter and trickster in his itinerary and writes: “Bab was imposter and trickster. He presented a new cult and could deceive a group of people to recruit in his cult.[3]
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[۱] Edward Browne and his political role in Iran, Abbas Nasr, p. 139.
[۲] A year among the Iranian people, Edward Browne, translated by Mani Salehi, p. 343.
[۳] Dr. Wales’s itinerary, Iran in a previous century, translated by Gholam Hussein Gharagouzlou, Tehran: Eghbal, 1368 S.H.
