MY FIRESIDE YESTERDAY WITH SIX NEW MOSLEM FRIENDS: I used to beat around the bush... but somehow I was more direct this time around with these cosmopolitan Persian friends who knew Bahais exist but barely knew the difference between the Bab and Bahaullah, let alone the teachings of this sublime Faith. The average Iranian is brainwashed by Mullas in thinking that Bahais were/are the spies of Russia, Britain, USA, Israel, etc. and dont go beyond this barrier. Let me begin with my uncle. You see, my father was the first one in his family who became a Bahai in 1930s and his mother declared as well a few years later. His family shunned them for a number of years, but his brother (my uncle) came to visit his mother (our grandma) a few times a year, but he never sat down or ate anything in our house fearing that he would become Najes (spiritually defiled/contaminated) and cursed the Faith and Bahais all the way out of the house. My father, God bless His soul, routinely took me to the bazar after each one of these visits and filled the trunk of his car with sugar, rice, tea, oil, etc. We drove to the uncles house. He sent me to his door to ask the uncle to come unload the goodies from the car promising that they are not Najes because none of us has touched them, and he routinely complied and with the help of his sons took the stuff to the house. On the way back home, Dad talked about the pathway of Jesus, the Bab, and Bahaullah until the world is changed and the Golden Age is ushered in. 170 years have passed, some 22,000 Bahais have been martyred by fanatic Moslems and now hundreds of thousands of others have been killed or uprooted (including yourselves), and we still have Hamas, Hezbollah, Vahhabis, Islamic Brotherhood, Taliban, Alshebab, Bokaratan, Khorasan, IRI, and ISIS spreading poison and hatred all across the globe - all the way from Bali, Madrid, New York to Paris. The attempts for rehabilitation of Islamic extremism has not worked and has encompassed large region of the globe all the way from Afghanistan to Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan........... and elsewhere. So today, I like us to pray fervently for these people .... so that we could continue to show them love and Gods compassion. Nothing else seems to work! Thank you for your indulgence. ..... In the meantime, I suggest that you delve more deeply into the Bahai teachings; i.e., no mullas and ayatollahs because they contribute to more division and hatred not only toward Bahais and other faiths but among different denominations within Islam (particularly Shiis and Sunnis)... and considering women inferior to men with at best half the rights of men as practiced in the Middle and Near East (and that is probably part of the reason why you became refugees in this country), or stoning women and cutting peoples hands and feet, etc. are not suitable for this century of light and progress. Yes, I know that you believe in separation of church and state and also want the mullas to go back to their mosques for preaching. But be honest, is that good enough? Rumi tried this needed correction in Islam seven centuries ago (We picked from Koran its essence and threw the bones to the dogs...), but his followers (sufi) like Bahais are also mistreated and imprisoned in Iran. Be sincere; be fair. Pick up one of the over hundred volumes of the Bab, Bahaullah, and Abdul-Bahas Writings and see for yourself if He has provided the medicine to the ills of mankind - particularly the Middle East and our homeland. I wont tell you much because His instruction to me and you is INDEPENDENT & UNFETTERED SEARCH FOR TRUTH. On their way out, after this three-hour encounter, one of them said that it is years since I attended any mosque or place of worship. May be I should begin reading some of Bahaullahs Writings! Indeed, my friend, indeed! The world is sick and the remedy is in the Hand of the Divine Physician, is what He has told us! Then, my Bahai friend suggested to have three to six potluck dinners between the six couples (three Bahais and three non-Bahais) in the coming six months to take the conversation to a deeper level. I will keep you posted. https://youtube/watch?v=GbHNWP4kpvk
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 21:31:10 +0000
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