Baha’i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson – Episode 32: Moojan Momen

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.

In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.

In this episode I’m in Chelsea, England with Moojan Momen – medical doctor by day, academic by night! Moojan has authored dozens of books and papers on a variety of topics ranging from things like The Baha’i Faith and Hinduism, to The God of Baha’u’llah. Moojan tells me what led him to research and writing, and he also shares his thoughts on what makes the Baha’i Faith unique. We discuss the emphasis Baha’u’llah places on consultation, and we also look at how certain social structures can change if we want them to, and the importance of that change coming from the grassroots. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

To find out more about Moojan Momen and some of the things we covered in this podcast, check out the following links:

• Check mout Moojan and his wife, Wendi’s website here: momen.org
• Here are links to some of Moojan Momen’s books mentioned in the podcast:

– Baha’u’llah: A Short Biography
– Selections from the Writings of E. G. Browne on the Babi and Baha’i Religions
– Understanding Religion: A Thematic Approach
– An Introduction to Shi’i Islam
– Islam and the Baha’i Faith
– Hinduism and the Baha’i Faith
– Buddhism and the Baha’i Faith

• Here’s the paper by Moojan Momen called ‘The God of Baha’u’llah‘
• Moojan talks about Hand of the Cause Hasan Balyuzi, whom you can learn more about here: A Tribute to Hasan Balyuzi
• Find out more about the Hands of the Cause from this article: Who Were the Hands of the Cause?
• Some books by Hasan Balyuzi:

– The Bab
– Baha’u’llah: The King of Glory
– Edward Granville Browne and the Baha’i Faith
– Khadijih Bagum, the Wife of the Bab

• Use these links to find out more about the Baha’i World Centre and The Universal House of Justice.
• Moojan mentions that his go-to Baha’i book is The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan).
• Rainn mentions the book Beyond the Culture of Contest by Michael Karlberg.
• Moojan mentions the book The Dawnbreakers.
• Rainn jokes about his book The Bassoon King.
• Rainn and Moojan talk about Baha’i Houses of Worship.
• Learn more about the Afnan Library Trust from this interview: Interview with Dr. Moojan Momen About the Afnan Library Trust
• Rainn and Moojan talk about The Institute Process.
• Rainn and Moojan talk about the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program [JYSEP], which you can learn more about from this video: What is the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program?
• Rainn and Moojan talk about ‘Devotional Gatherings’, which you can learn more about from this video: What are Devotional Gatherings?
• Moojan talks about Reflection Gatherings which you can learn more about here: Why Cluster Reflection Meetings Are So Important.
• Moojan mentions the films from the Universal House of Justice such as A Widening Embrace.
• Moojan shares the following quote from Baha’u’llah:

  “We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby they may he lifted up unto the realm on high…”

• Rainn shares the following quote from Baha’u’llah:

  “It followeth, therefore, that rendering assistance unto God, in this day, doth not and shall never consist in contending or disputing with any soul; nay rather, what is preferable in the sight of God is that the cities of men’s hearts, which are ruled by the hosts of self and passion, should be subdued by the sword of utterance, of wisdom and of understanding.”

You can find all of our episodes here on the Baha’i Blogcast page, and be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more upcoming episodes on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Soundcloud.

Thanks for listening!

-Rainn Wilson

Posted by

Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.