Why does Iran hate the Baha'i?

Six Baha'i leaders in Iran were seized and imprisoned this week, the religious group said. The act prompted condemnation and concern from the movement and a top American religious freedom panel.

Iranian intelligence agents searched the homes of the six on Wednesday and then whisked them away, according to the Baha'i's World News Service. The report said the six are in Evin prison and that the arrests follow the detention in March of another Baha'i leader.

"Their only crime is their practice of the Baha'i faith," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i international community to the United Nation

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Who are the Baha'i and why are they so feared by the Iranians?

The Faith’s Founder was Bahá’u’lláh, a Persian nobleman from Tehran who, in the mid-nineteenth century, left a life of princely comfort and security and, in the face of intense persecution and deprivation, brought to humanity a stirring new message of peace and unity.

Bahá’u’lláh claimed to be nothing less than a new and independent Messenger from God. His life, work, and influence parallel that of Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ, and Muhammad. Bahá’ís view Bahá’u’lláh as the most recent in this succession of divine Messengers.

The essential message of Bahá’u’lláh is that of unity. He taught that there is only one God, that there is only one human race, and that all the world’s religions represent stages in the revelation of God’s will and purpose for humanity. In this day, Bahá’u’lláh said, humanity has collectively come of age. As foretold in all of the world’s scriptures, the time has arrived for the uniting of all peoples into a peaceful and integrated global society. “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens,” He wrote.

Ok they once were a Persian religion, they aren't Muslim, they must be a violent sect with strong restrictions on men and women.

The Bahá’í teachings emphasize that all of us, as creations of one God, are part of one human family.

Full equality and a firm sense of partnership between women and men are essential to human progress and the transformation of society. “Women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God," said Bahá'u'lláh.

Bahá’u’lláh gave special attention to the problem of prejudice. At the heart of His message is a call for mutual understanding and fellowship among nations, cultures, and peoples.

The Bahá'í belief in one God means that the universe and all creatures and forces within it have been created by a single supernatural Being. When Bahá'ís say that the various religions are one, they do not mean that all the creeds and organizations are the same. Rather, they believe God has revealed Himself through a succession of Divine Messengers, Whose purpose is to guide and educate mankind.

Whether peace is to be reached only after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity's stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will, is the choice before all who inhabit the earth.

What no holy war, no hatred? No wonder the Iranians are scared of these people. They might infect their whole nation with such ideals. Then where will the Mullahs be? Who will fight their Holy War against Israel? Who will be a Martyr for the 12 Iman (who is suppose to return any day now according to Ahmadinejad).

The group -- regarded as the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran -- says the arrests are reminiscent of roundups and killings of Baha'is that took place in Iran two decades ago. "Especially disturbing is how this latest sweep recalls the wholesale arrest or abduction of the members of two national Iranian Baha'i governing councils in the early 1980s -- which led to the disappearance or execution of 17 individuals," Dugal said.

"The early morning raids on the homes of these prominent Baha'is were well-coordinated, and it is clear they represent a high-level effort to strike again at the Baha'is and to intimidate the Iranian Baha'i community at large," she added.

But these Baha'i must have done something wrong? They must have been planning an overthrow of the Iranian government. Or making everyone to convert to the Baha'i faith.

One of the main sources of conflict in the world today is the fact that many people blindly and uncritically follow various traditions, movements, and opinions.

Is a main tenet of the Baha'i faith. No calls for violence, no calls for force conversion, no hatred. No wonder Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs hate them. They give a peaceful alternative to Islam. A truly Persian alternative. And if it was to catch on, it would drive the Mullahs from power.

Since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power a few years ago, Baha'is "have been harassed, physically attacked, arrested, and imprisoned."

And Ahmadinejad has the Chutzpah to call Islam "The Religion of Peace"!

The Baha'i have one of the most beautiful temples in the world located in Haifa, Israel (pictured below). And some of the most spectacular gardens associated with their temples. If you ever get a chance, visit a Baha'i temple. The gardens and temples are places of peace and serenity. A refuge in a hectic world.



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