In the beginning the Baha'i faith permitted converts to maintain participation in their birth religion and thus not fully break with their communities.

...as pressures to convert to Islam diminished, and some economic success was achieved, the Zoroastrian community faced more challenges. One was the rise of Bahaism. Bahaism, founded in mid‑nineteenth‑century Iran, promoted equality, repudiated the concept of non‑Muslims as polluting, and permitted converts to maintain participation in their birth religion and thus not fully break with their communities. There were intra‑marrying Zoroastrian Baha’is, Jewish Baha’is, and Muslim Baha’is (Kestenberg Amighi 2022: 142). However, conversions to the Baha’i religion reduced the small Zoroastrian population by some 4,000 people (Maneck 1991: 1) and caused fierce rifts between Zoroastrian traditionalists who saw the Baha’is as a threat, and reform‑minded Zoroastrians and Parsis who believed that the Baha’is were laying a foundation for the liberalisation of Iran. The conflict grew so intense that, in 1915, a pro‑Baha’i Zoroastrian in Yazd, educator Master Khodabakhsh, was murdered (Kestenberg Amighi 1990: 166), and like‑minded Ostad (‘teacher’) Keyomarz was warned to flee Iran (Fischer 1973: 108 fn1). According to one theory, it was the conservative Zoroastrian organisation, Yazd Right Followers, which was responsible for the murder and threats (Dadbakhsh and Moftakhri 2018: 4–5).

(ZOROASTRIAN POLITICS IN THE ERA OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL REVOLUTION IN IRAN
(1905–1911) by Janet Kestenberg Amighi)

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When Baha'u'llah read Mulla Muhammad Baqir Majlisi he went into a state of acute depression for some time

Bahaullah had intimations of his prophetic calling while still a youth. He recounts an experience in his early years that changed his life, when he had read Mulla Muhammad Baqir Majlisi's (d. 1111A.H./ 1699C.E.) traditional account of the treachery of the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza, whose betrayal had placed the earliest Muslim community in mortal danger. On grounds of treason, the prophet Muhammad upheld a judge's order to punitively massacre all male members of that tribe (cf. Q. 33:26). MacEoin notes the impact of all this on the impressionable youth, writing that "the effect of this was to plunge him [Bahaullah] into a state of acute depression for some time, despite his recognition that 'what occurred had been the decree of God'" (MacEoin 1983, 223 on MA 7: 136; cf. ISH 34 and IQT 116ff). This characterization of the event truncates Bahaullah's own account of this psychological turning point.

(Paradise and Paradigm : Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Baha'i- Faith by Christopher Buck)

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Some of Iran’s most innovative and successful industrialists, engineers, architects, and artists were either Jewish or Baha’i.

The Shah’s crucial decade from 1965 to 1975 was also critical for the regime’s cultural politics. Iran in this period was a discordant combination of cultural freedoms and political despotism—of increasing censorship against the opposition but increasing freedoms for everyone else....

Much to the consternation of the Shiite clergy in this period, the Baha’i enjoyed freedom and virtual equality with other citizens. The same was true about Iranian Jews—some 100,000 of them, who had lived in Iran for over 3,000 years. In the words of David Menasheri, it was the Jews’ “golden age,” wherein they enjoyed equality with Muslims and in terms of their per capita incomes “they might have been the richest Jewish community in the world.” Some of Iran’s most innovative and successful industrialists, engineers, architects, and artists were either Jewish or Baha’i. The Arjomand family, dominant in the production of home appliances in Iran; the Sabet family, who brought television and Pepsi to the country; and finally Habib Elghanian, who introduced the nation to the magic of “plastic,” were all members of the Baha’i and Jewish faiths. The Shah’s private physician, Dr. Ayadi, was an active member of the Baha’i faith and was instrumental in facilitating Baha’i security and prosperity in Iran.

(The Shah by Milani, Abbas)

https://archive.org/details/shah0000mila

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There were some racist incidents at Baha'i gatherings

...the New York City Bahá’í community had dedicated itself to regularly disrupting the Black/White color line, inclusive of inter-racial teaching efforts in Harlem. Toward that end, there was a marked increase between New York area Bahá’ís and groups like the NAACP and Urban League (Buck 2012; Hogenson 2022). Yet, intra-Black issues and unintentional slights proved weighty matters. While “the Bahá’ís naturally associated with all kinds of people, including immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa,”wrote historian Kathryn Hogenson, “… these groups of Blacks were not welcomed by Blacks from the United States—an issue within Harlem that spilled over into the Bahá’í community. It also had to deal with reports of incidents at Bahá’í gatherings which were perceived by community members to be racist” (Hogenson 2022, pp. 175–176).

(Confronting Culture and Caste in the American Bahá’í Magazine World Order, 1935–1949 by Matthew Hughey)

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In 2014, the husband converted to Twelver Shi‘i Islam, while the wife remained a follower of the Baha’i religion.

In 2020, a civil lawsuit seeking the dissolution of a marriage (infisakh-i nikah) was filed before a family court in Tehran. The parties, a man and a woman, had married in 2003, both adhering at the time to the Baha’i faith, a religion unrecognized under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In 2014, the husband converted to Twelver Shi‘i Islam, while the wife remained a follower of the Baha’i religion.

Initially, the husband filed a claim for annulment of the marriage, arguing that their religious divergence rendered continuation of the marital relationship impossible. The family court rejected this claim, stating that the grounds for annulment (batiliyat-i nikah) are narrowly enumerated in the Iranian Civil Code (Qanun-i Madani-yi Iran), and that conversion of one spouse alone does not constitute a valid basis for annulment.

(Equality, Plurality and Personal Status Laws A Research Companion Edited by Nathalie Bernard-Maugiron, Baudouin Dupret, Jean-Louis Halpérin, Radhika Kanchana, Ayang Utriza Yakin and Zohra Aziadé Zemirli)

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Why Baha'u'llah was a sham, charlatan?

Baha or Baha'u'llah is a later title (not given by the Bab) of Mirza Husayn-Ali Nuri, who was the older brother, guardian and intermediary of Mirza Yahya Nuri (Subh-i-Azal) who was the named successor of the Bab and source of revelation after him according to the Bab's own well-known testament [1]. First in the middle of the 1850s Baha'u'llah was accussed of making claims, which he denied, called the claimers "liars" [2], and continued to write in high praise of Subh-i-Azal (see [3], [4]).
Later in the 1860s he claimed that he was doing taqiyya all the time, was actually the Bayani messianic figure himself, and the true source of Subh-i-Azal verses [5]. This is the opposite of what actually happened, Baha'u'llah's position was wholly derived from the position of his younger brother (see also [6]), who also contributed to one of most well-known works, the Kitab-i-Iqan, according to the Bayanis, not vice versa. Baha'u'llah's own works testify for the absurdity of this claim, as Subh-i-Azal's style of writing in Baha'u'llah's absence does not differ from his style of writing in the latter's presence. He did nevertheless gather his own followers but his religion has little to do with the actual substance of the Bayan, despite referencing it.

[1] https://bayanic.com/lib/fwd/vesayat/Vesayat-FWD.html, "when you art cut off from this Throne recite the verses that your Lord causes to be inspired in your heart ... preserve yourself, and then that which has been sent down in the Bayan, and then what will be sent down to your presence"

[2] https://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_lawh_kull_taam, "My munificence overfloweth with the sprinklings of servitude in the Land of the Theophany ... bear witness and be assured that I [Bahá'u'lláh] have claimed naught but servitude to God, the True One. And God is my arbitrator against that which the people falsely allege"

[3] https://www.bahai.org/fa/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/additional-tablets-bahaullah/583990268/1#899160984, "The Kitab-i-Nur ... is the book of a glorious and loved one, and consists of the verses of the Protector, the Self-Subsisting" (part translated by Denis MacEoin in "Divisions and Authority Claims in Babism")

[4] https://hurqalya.ucmerced.edu/node/511, later verses (not translated in Stephen Lambden's draft) say even go so far as saying whoever rejects Subh-i-Azal is a disbeliever

[5] https://bahai-library.com/bahaullah_surih_haykal_haddad, "verily We have chosen one of our brothers and showed to him a small drop of the high sea of science, and clothed him with the garment of one Name of the Names, and elevated him to a rank whereby every one rose to praise him..."

[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/BAYAN/comments/u63g6x/the_points_command_to_haba_full_tablet_translated/

The official explanation from Baha'u'llah of all of this is taqiyya, see his many writings where he accused Subh-i-Azal of jealousy as an excuse for that. But it is overall an embarrassing topic the Baha'is sweep under the rug completely in the West at least.

Source : https://www.reddit.com/r/BAYAN/comments/1svlk1e/why_is_bahāullāh_not_he_who_shall_make_manifest/oidntz7/

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unqualified obedience and unswerving faith in the NSA, they are directed by spiritual forces.

Shoghi Effendi wishes us to give unqualified obedience to and have unswerving faith in the National Spiritual Assembly, because they are directed by spiritual forces.

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_18/Text

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Baha'i is a cult in Iran. Examining the Human Rights of Baha'is in Iran (Official Source)

In Iran, akin to many nations globally, the acknowledgment of sectarian tendencies as independent religions is not typically recognized. However, adherents of various sects, including the Bahá’í sect, are permitted to freely practice their ceremonies and rituals within the legal framework, availing themselves of the rights and privileges of citizenship. The Islamic Republic of Iran adopts a stance that generally does not draw a distinction between Bahá’ís and non-Bahá'ís. Both groups are deemed to possess equal rights, enjoying the full spectrum of rights accorded to all members of society. Services provided within Iran are not contingent upon individuals’ beliefs, and fundamentally, there exists no mechanism established to officially recognize or highlight these religious differences among citizens. Therefore, Bahá’ís possess a range of civil, cultural, social, and economic rights, encompassing ownership of factories, companies, and pharmacies, unrestricted ownership, receipt of subsidies, access to private cemeteries for interment in accordance with their beliefs, entitlement to various types of basic and supplementary insurances, as well as unhindered access to law enforcement and judicial services. They also have the opportunity for ongoing education, issuance of a national identification card, extensive utilization of cyberspace through websites and pages, acquisition of driver’s licenses, reception of the COVID-19 vaccine, participation in multiple trade unions, engagement in importation of goods, involvement in agricultural practices, animal husbandry, horticulture, and marriage, as well as utilization of sports halls and complexes.

(Unveiling Human Rights Perspectives: A Comprehensive Examination of the Baha’i Sect, Published by The High Council for Human Rights of The Islamic Republic of Iran, December 2023)

https://milan.mfa.gov.ir/files/enMilan/Bultan/گزارش%20بهاییت%20انگلیسی.pdf

Other side of the story:

After the 1979 Revolution, Baha'is in Iran are denied fundamental rights because they are not recognized as a religious minority under Article 13 of the Constitution. This lack of legal status leaves them without an autonomous personal status code, forcing them to follow Shi‘i jurisprudence, which leads to the state's refusal to register Baha'i marriages or issue birth certificates recognizing their faith. Baha'is also face systematic discrimination in inheritance, where the legal principle of nafy al-sabil and Article 881 bis of the Civil Code are used to transfer their property to distant Muslim relatives, effectively disinheriting Baha'i families. Crucially, Iranian courts may also refuse to validate Baha'i wills that include bequests to religious centers located in Israel, as such actions are deemed contrary to the state’s political interests and public policy. These systematic legal deficiencies deny the community equal protection under the law and violate Iran's international obligations under the ICCPR to respect the culture and religious practices of minorities.

(Equality, Plurality and Personal Status Laws A Research Companion Edited by Nathalie Bernard-Maugiron, Baudouin Dupret, Jean-Louis Halpérin, Radhika Kanchana, Ayang Utriza Yakin and Zohra Aziadé Zemirli)

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sixty percent of the international funds is used to assist the work of NSAs... and to defend the Cause against attacks in many parts of the world.

The vast increase in the financial resources of the Faith called for under the Plan has evoked a heartwarming response from the entire Bahá’í community. Not only the Bahá’í International Fund but the local, national and continental Funds of the Faith have been sacrificially supported. This practical proof of the love which the friends bear for the Faith has enabled all the work to go forward—the support of pioneers and travelling teachers, the raising of Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs and acquisition of Bahá’í properties, the purchase of Holy Places in the Cradle of the Faith and at the World Center, the development of educational institutions and all the multifarious activities of a vigorous, onward-marching, constructive world community. It is of interest that sixty percent of the international funds of the Faith is used to assist the work of National Spiritual Assemblies, to promote the teaching work and to defend the Cause against attacks in many parts of the world. Without such help from the Bahá’í world community many National Assemblies would be paralyzed in their efforts of expansion and deepening. The administration of Ḥuqúqu’lláh has been strengthened in preparation for its extension to other parts of the world. An International Deputization Fund was established at the World Center to assist pioneers and travelling teachers who were ready to serve but unable to provide their own expenses, and this Fund was later extended to the support of projects on national homefronts. Contribution to the Fund is a service which will never cease to be open to all believers; the growth of the Faith and the rise of its Administrative Order require an ever-increasing outpouring of our substance, commensurate in however small a measure with the bounty and liberality of the outpouring confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh.

(Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986, Riḍván Message 1973)

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The wrongdoings of Shoghi Effendi

• Authoritarian Rule: Shoghi Effendi established a leadership style based on "complete conformity, total obedience and unswerving loyalty", acting as the "sole prosecutor, sole judge and one man jury" over both the community and his own family.
• Systematic Expulsion of Family: He expelled and shunned almost his entire immediate family, including his parents, brothers, sisters, aunts (the four daughters of 'Abdu'l-Bahá), and cousins, an act described as "contrary to the Spirit and principles of Bahaism".
• Acts of Physical Violence: He was noted for a "hot temper"; in one instance, he ordered his henchman to beat his brother Hossein in a courtyard, and in another, he struck his cousin Qudsi Onsi with a walking stick for eating a sandwich during a mandated fast while hiking.
• Interference in Marriages: He disregarded the Master’s wish for him to marry his cousin Maryam Shahid and instead attempted to arrange or forbid the marriages of his siblings and cousins based on his own approval. He even threatened that no Baha'is would attend his aunt's funeral if her son proceeded with a marriage he disliked.
• Ostracization of His Parents: He forced his parents, Zia Khanum and Mirza Hadi, into secluded isolation at a small home on Mount Carmel, where they lived in "sadness and desolation" after being shunned by the community they had served.
• Contradicting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Forgiveness: While 'Abdu'l-Bahá forgave and welcomed descendants of those who opposed the Faith, Shoghi Effendi maintained a strict policy of shunning even the children of relatives, allegedly stating that "covenant breaking is transmitted through the mother’s milk".
• Ending the Guardianship Line: By marrying Mary Maxwell (Ruhiyyih Khanum), who was medically unable to bear children, Shoghi Effendi failed to produce an heir, which resulted in the termination of the line of Guardianship specified in the Will of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
• Restricting the Primary Duty of Teaching: He forbade relatives from teaching or preaching the Cause, despite 'Abdu'l-Bahá’s Will explicitly stating that "if anyone or any assembly forbids [preaching], they must not be obeyed" as preaching is an essential duty.
• Use of Harsh and Libelous Language: He sent cables to the Baha'i world using vitriolic language, labeling his own relatives as "treacherous," "faithless," and "enemies of the Faith," which family members assert were based on hearsay rather than factual evidence.
• Enforcing Blind Obedience: He prioritized "blind, unquestioning obedience" over faith, contradicting the principle that belief and independent investigation of truth should come first.

(https://www.abdulbahasfamily.org)

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Renowned Baha'i artists

Among the numerous renowned artists are poet Michael Fitzgerald; novelist Bahiyyih Nakhjavani; singers Lin Cheng, Tierney Sutton, Rachel Price, Ahdieh, Celeste Buckingham, and Andy Grammar; architects Hussein Amanat, Fariborz Sahba, and Siamak Hariri; actors Rehana Sultan, Eva LaRue, Rainn Wilson, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Shabnam Tolouei, Travis Van Winkle, Penn Badgley, and Justin Baldoni; Lakota musician and dancer Kevin Locke; comedians Omid Djalili and Inder Manocha; photographer Donald Camp; filmmakers Mary Darling and Clark Donnelly; drummer Cindy Blackman; and composers/producers Jack Lenz, Tom Price, KC Porter, and Lasse Thoresen.

(The World of the Bahá’í Faith, Robert H. Stockman)

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You have to know how to defend the Cause.

You have to know how to defend the Cause. Not only to teach the Cause and proclaim the Cause but to defend the Cause. Everywhere it's going to be - it specifies Europe, particularly, everywhere. This is the Cause of God. It is progressing. It is developing. The other religions will be concerned. The House of Justice is telling us we are engaged in the process of entry by troops. When we have entry by troops, the others will be hoping, tell the Baháʼís "Bravo!". They won't say "Bravo!". They will oppose us. They will resist the growth of the Faith. They will try to stop the growth of the Faith. We have to be ready for this. We have to know how to defend the Cause.

(Transcript of: Scholarship, the Power of Understanding and Service by Ali Nakhjavani)

https://bahai.works/Transcript:Ali_Nakhjavani/Scholarship,_Understanding_and_Service

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To refuse to imbue oneself with the spirit of the Administrative Order, to disassociate oneself from its institutions or to withdraw from active collaboration with its agencies constitutes the greatest privation.

To refuse to imbue oneself with the spirit of the Administrative Order, to disassociate oneself from its institutions or to withdraw from active collaboration with its agencies constitutes the greatest privation. The new sap mounts through the majestic trunk of the Divine Order of Bahá’u’lláh, flows through all its branches and reaches the smallest leaves, ourselves, who live from the life of the tree. On the other hand, the institutions find themselves paralyzed wherever the believers fail to recognize their essential responsibility which is to live in accordance with the precepts and regulations and to teach, individually and collectively.

“Without his (the individual believer’s) continual support, at once whole-hearted, continuous and generous, every measure adopted and every plan formulated, by the Body which acts as the national representative of the community to which he belongs, is foredoomed to failure. The World Center of the Faith itself is paralyzed if such a support on the part of the rank and file of the community is denied to it. The Author of the Divine Plan Himself is impeded in His purpose if the proper instruments for the execution of His design are lacking. The sustaining strength of Bahá’u’lláh Himself, the Founder of the Faith, will be withheld from each and every individual who fails in the long run to arise and play his part.”5

The Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh is, thus, animated by the same spirit as His Revelation.

(Bahá’í News, Issue 383)

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_383/Text

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All such outworn practices our Guardian urged us to discard

Today [1934-1935], a marriage has been solemnized here in the Bahá’í form and registered in accordance with the country’s law, and this event, we believe, is without a precedent in the history of our Cause in this land [India]. Heretofore it was the custom of the general body of the friends on all occasions where religious ceremonies were to be observed to follow those prescribed by their past Faiths. For instance, among those believers who hailed from the Zoroastrian fold, even the ceremony initiating their children into the Zoroastrian religion was prevalent. All such outworn practices our Guardian urged us to discard, and our community decided to render “instant, exact and complete obedience” by breaking entirely with the past and enforcing, within the limits of the law, the ordinances of the New Day. The path was not smooth. Enemies offered opposition and ridicule. Friends watched from a reverent distance with folded arms. “Premature,” “unwise,” “rash,” were some of the kind terms applied to our action. But we prevailed, for the Lord of Hosts was with us.

(Bahá’í News, Issue 93)

https://bahai.works/Bahá’í_News/Issue_93/Text#ANNUAL_REPORT_OF_THE_SPIRITUAL_ASSEMBLY_OF_THE_BAHA’IS_OF_POONA

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appealing believers for funds is entirely permissible

Question: We are very upset by the letter written by Dorothy Nelson to each believer in our community concerning the Fund. We believe her letter violates one of the primary principles of the Bahá’í Faith concerning coercion and individual solicitation of funds. Our interpretation of the Writings, as quoted in Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies, pp. 137–138, is that they prohibit this sort of thing from happening in the Faith. We feel that her letter returns the Bahá’í Faith to the realm of the old world order.

Answer: The National Spiritual Assembly consulted on the matter before arriving at the decision to present an appeal to every believer in the American Bahá’í community.

There is a clear distinction between solicitation of funds from certain members of a community and a general appeal addressed to the entire body of believers and sent to every individual in the community. An example of the former would be a letter to individuals who have not been contributing to the Fund, reminding them of their responsibility to do so. Such a singling out of specific individuals is clearly a violation of Bahá’í principle.

The latter method, however, is entirely permissible and, indeed, “welcome under all circumstances” as long as the appeal is “of a general character, carefully worded and moving and dignified in tone,” leaving “entirely to the discretion of every conscientious believer” decisions about “the nature, the amount, the purpose of his or her contribution.” (Guidelines for Local Spiritual Assemblies, pp. 137–138)

This same method of addressing the believers was used by the Universal House of Justice when a crisis in our National Fund precipitated a similar crisis in the Bahá’í International Fund. On December 29, 1970, two letters were sent to every believer in America. They may be found on pp. 57–61 of Messages From the Universal House of Justice, 1968–1973.

We fully support your concern that an “old world” tactic not be employed. This is foremost in our minds as we work to develop an appreciation for the truly unique Institution of the Bahá’í Fund.

It is our bounden duty, however, to ensure that every believer in the American Bahá’í community is well informed of the financial status of the National Fund, “the bedrock upon which all the activities of the Cause ultimately rest,” and toward which “every Bahá’í, no matter how poor, must realize what a grave responsibility he has to shoulder.” (Shoghi Effendi in a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, July 17, 1937)

Our responsibility to educate the believers about this vital Institution of the Faith is incomplete until the goal of universal participation is realized. Toward this end we are earnestly striving.

We are extremely grateful for your vigilance in guarding the principles of the Fund from the corrupting influences of fundraising methods used in the outside world. We are confident that in this instance no principle has been violated.

(The American Bahá’í, October, 1977)

https://bahai.works/The_American_Bahá’í/Volume_8/Issue_10/Text

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