More from Egypt
Written by ry on May 16th, 2006Here’s another article out of Egypt, this time from Cairo weekly Al-Ahram. You can read the whole thing here (including the part where the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar refers to the Baha’i Faith as “a sacrilegious dogma followed by a deviant sect of atheists”), but I’ve pulled out a couple of typical passages for your perusal:
Bahais are a minor cult headquartered in Israel and is based on a belief that the will of one God is progressively revealed through the prophets of the great religion. The founder, Bahaaullah, established the belief in Iran in the 19th century and was expelled for claiming prophecy and later divinity. Today, the cult claims to have about five million followers worldwide, including an unofficial estimate of 2,000 Egyptian members. It is believed to have strong links with global Zionism in both theory and practice.
and
Last month’s bombshell ruling not only revealed that Bahaism still exists in Egypt but brought the issue back to the fore as a matter of minority rights and freedom of creed. Whereas Bahais celebrated the ruling as a human rights victory for minority groups, controversy erupted over the motives of the group whose leaders are based in Israel. Many people see Bahais as a threat to Islam — as well as to Christianity and Judaism — since it calls for a global government based in Israel that unifies the world into one Bahai faith and renounces basic Islamic tenets including jihad. Many jurists and intellectuals have expressed political concerns over the motives and timing of what has been called an “unconstitutional” verdict likely to pose a threat to national security. The very fact that Bahais have their sanctuaries in Israel — and are obliged to give their alms to the House of Justice there — have raised security concerns over the possibility of their involvement in espionage, a claim Bahais vigorously deny.
Now, there are so many misconceptions and factual errors in those two paragraphs (and indeed in the entire article) that I can’t possibly begin to address them all, but thankfully someone has already done it for me. In a couple of clear and articulate posts (1, 2) a Baha’i blogger named S Hindawi breaks down the article and sets things straight. Definitely required reading.
And offering another Egyptian voice is blogger seneferu, who wraps up his post by saying, in reference to the Al-Ahram article and to the Baha’is-in-Egypt situation in general:
Again I am ignorant of the Bahaai (sic) faith, but in this controversy it appears to be only our ignorance and prejudice talking so far.
For those of us who came into the Baha'i Faith through the ever popular 
16
AM
i like that you are looking at what other blogs written about the Bahai’s ,objectively, are saying… I think it will happen more often and so, this is a trend maybe,and the required reading as you say,is needed to be better able to understand the needs and questions of our time, to see which information is being disseminated where perhaps and be prepared for misconceptions.
so thank you again for the reporting and may i be the first to say (because its the first time i see one) a typo here at .net (para 1,.line 2), whoe?
leaving out the l in whole … it happens.
16
PM
The genocidal tendencies of Islamofascists in Iran and Egypt belie the image of Islam as a religion which “teaches tolerance, not hatred; universal brotherhood, not enmity; peace, and not violence,” according to Pakistani President, Pervez Musharraf. We fail to stop these extremists at our own peril for, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds us, “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”17
PM
Parham, let me just tell you that we ordinary moderate Muslims don’t appreciate being called Islamofascists, as I personally find the term arrogant and offensive. The way to reform an extreme minority is not to arrogantly offend the majority. Thanks.
18
PM
The fact that you consider yourself an “ordinary, moderate Muslim” only amplifies the warning in my previous message. Your voice along with the rest of the sane Muslim world has been lost in the effort to bring the noble religion of Islam out of the dark ages. That it has been hijacked by fanatics bent on elimination and/or extermination of the Baha’is in Iran and Egypt defames the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (worse than a cartoon ever could) and shames all of you who don’t appreciate having your feelings hurt.19
PM
Parham,
Sorry mate, but we ordinary people don’t appreciate your use of the word “Islamafascist” either. And since it’s our blog we’ve pulled your comments. Please feel free to repost in a more civil manner.
20
AM
Admin.,
I have to admit that I’m confused by your decision to censor my legitimate comments (I’m reminded of the petulant child who, right in the middle of a friendly game, scoops up the ball and announces that he and “his” ball are going home). Considering that you yourself claimed that “The Iranian government’s treatment of Baha’is has already led some to compare Iran to Nazi Germany, but now the parallels are just impossible to ignore,” I fail to see how a term like “Islamofascist” differs from this estimation. Is it a matter of differing definitions or just plain old garden-variety hypocrisy?
21
AM
Parham,
The difference is that I’m comparing specific actions (some of which, it now appears, aren’t true) of one government (Iran) to the well known and well documented actions of another (Nazi Germany). Whereas you are using language that equates all Islam with Fascism. It’s not your post that I have a problem with. Your points are well made. It’s just your use of inflammatory language that I object to. If you’d like to continue this exchange, I’d prefer we do it over email. Thanks.