From the meagre reports which have thus far been received from that
distracted country it appears that this shameful and atrocious act, though
the outcome of a number of obscure and complex causes, has been chiefly
instigated by that ever-present factor of fierce and relentless impulse of
religious hostility. Persia--long neglected and sorely tried--continues,
despite the revival of recent hopes, to be the down-trodden victim of
unscrupulous personal rivalries and factious intrigue, of tribal revolt,
political dissensions and religious animosities--all of which have in times
past brought in their wake the shedding of the blood of so many of its
innocent and choicest sons.
Fully alive to the gravity of the occasion, and realizing the urgency of
my sacred duty, I have, upon the receipt of the news, transmitted
telegraphically through the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
Persia a special message addressed in the name of the Baha'is of every
land to the supreme authority in the State, expressing our profound horror
at this outrageous act as well as our earnest entreaty to inflict
immediate punishment on the perpetrators of so abominable a crime. And as
this sad event involved chiefly the welfare and security of the Baha'i
residents in Persia, I have specially requested all local Assemblies in
that land to address a similar message to the highest authorities
concerned appealing for full protection and justice. Should future
developments necessitate direct and foreign intervention, I shall acquaint
the national Baha'i representatives in every land to take in cooperation
with all local Assemblies such measures as will effectually conduce to a
fuller recognition of the dynamic force latent in the Baha'i Faith and
insure the betterment of the lot of the heroic supporters of our Cause.
Pending the opening of official communication with recognized authorities
whether in Persia or elsewhere, I strongly feel that the time has
assuredly come when it is incumbent upon every conscientious promoter of
the Cause to bestir himself and undertake in consultation with the friends
in his locality such measures of publicity as will lead to the gradual
awakening of the conscience of the civilized world to what is admittedly
an ignominious manifestation of a decadent age.
I would specially request all National Assemblies to give their anxious
and immediate consideration to this grave matter, and to devise ways and
means that will secure the fullest publicity for our grievances. I would
remind them that whatever is published should be couched in terms that are
at once correct, forceful and inoffensive.
I would particularly stress the importance of making every effort to
secure the sympathy and hospitality of the leading journals and
periodicals of the Western world, and of sending to the Holy Land any such
references in papers that will arise to champion the cause of
righteousness and justice. I greatly deplore the fact that owing to the
remoteness and the unstable conditions in Persia, details and particulars
regarding this ugly incident are not as yet available, but will be duly
communicated to the various centers immediately upon their receipt. I
would, however, ask the believers throughout the West to arise without any
further delay and supplement the publication of the news conveyed in this
message with an account of previous happenings of a similar character,
combined with an adequate survey of the aim, the principles and history of
the Baha'i Cause.
It is to you, dearly beloved friends of the West, who are the
standard-bearers of the emancipation and triumph of the Baha'i Faith, that
our afflicted brethren of the East have turned their expectant eyes,
confident that the day cannot be far-distant when, in accordance with
'Abdu'l-Baha's explicit utterance, the West will "seize the Cause" from
Persia's fettered hands and lead it to glorious victory.
Though grief-stricken and horrified at this cruel blow, let us be on our
guard lest we give way to despair, lest we forget that in the Almighty's
inscrutable wisdom this sudden calamity may prove to be but a blessing in
disguise. For what else can it do but to stir the inmost depths of our
souls, set our faith ablaze, galvanize our efforts, dissolve our
differences, and provide one of the chief instruments which the unhampered
promoters of the Faith can utilize to attract the attention, enlist the
sympathy, and eventually win the allegiance of all mankind?
Ours is this supreme opportunity; may we fulfill our trust.
Your true brother,
SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine,
April 22nd, 1926.
Letter of May 11th, 1926.
To the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the
United States and Canada.
Fellow-laborers in the Vineyard of God:
Various happenings of recent months, highly disquieting in their
suddenness, their complexity and consequences, have time and again, to my
regret, compelled me to defer correspondence with you, my highly valued
co-workers, who are destined to share no small a part of the burden that
now weighs so heavily upon me. The prolonged and delicate negotiations
arising out of the critical situation of Baha'u'llah's house in Ba_gh_dad;
the shameful recrudescence of unrestrained barbarism in stricken Persia;
the unexpected reverse recently sustained in our legal transactions for
the deliverance of Baha'u'llah's mansion at Bahji from the hands of the
enemy; the unprecedented increase in the volume of work resulting from the
rise and expansion of the Movement in various parts of the world--these and
other issues, no less pressing in their demand upon my time and energy,
have gradually affected my health and impaired the efficiency required in
the discharge of my arduous duties. But, though body and mind be sorely
strained by cares and perplexities which a Movement such as ours just
emerging from obscurity must needs encounter, yet the spirit continues to
draw fresh inspiration from the manner in which the chosen deliverers of
the Faith in the Western world, and particularly in the American
continent, are proving themselves increasingly worthy of such a stupendous
yet so noble a task.