The 160 years history of the of the Baha’i Faith in Iran speaks of the warm embrace of many Iranians of all religious and ethnic backgrounds. Amongst the early believers were some of the foremost scholars of Islam, Jewish and Zoroastran religions to name some. At the same time the history also speaks of most vicious enemies who committed out of ignorance, prejudice, fear, jealousy cowardice and you name it combination of it, what ever violations of human rights they could commit to uproot the Baha’i Faith from its birth place.
The question of why this much obsession with animosity, injustice and violence for this long towards the Baha’i community of Iran, especially by the Islamic authorities in power, is of increasing interest to many in the civilized world.
In this interview with the Voice of America in Persian, Dr. Ahmad Karimi Hakkak is sharing his thoughts on the subject. In his view, the behavior of the Islamic Republic Regime is a disappointing indicator of their fears and feelings of inferiority in having to face the emergence of the Baha’i Faith in Iran. He says their behavior is a sad and unfortunate reflection on Islam in the eyes of the global community. He draws a parallel between the vicious but futile treatment of the Christians by the Roman Empire and ultimate conquest of the Cause of God and how now once again the history is repeating itself in the obvious futility of the heinous behavior of the Islamic Republic Regime towards its Baha’i citizens. he understands that the Islamic Regime has been plotting and hoping to destroy the Cause of God manifested today in the Revelation of Baha’u’llah not realizing that the Baha’i Faith is no longer an Iranian community but an established and recognized global religious community with a recognized distinction for peacefulness and integrity.
As a Persian American and a global citizen, I feel obliged to thank Dr. Hakkak for speaking up in defense of Iran. He is a positive reflection on the tarnished image of that precious land.
Keyvan
