Allah-u-Abha my dear friends,
I had deemed you’ll covenant breakers and used to ignore your newsletters which I had subscribed long back thinking that you’ll are Baha’is. However, after going through your magazines and seeing your faith and belief I am sure that you’ll are true believers in the covenant of Baha’u’llah.
Also, per our previous correspondence, I have gone ahead and read the books which you’ll had sent me. After reading those books, I am now getting an understanding about the hypocrisy of Shoghi Effendi.
I declare my faith the Free Baha’i Faith and submit to its teaching.
Below are some points which I have taken out from the books available which you’ll had sent and it made me understand that Shoghi Effendi was not someone from the side of God. He was merely a selfish human being:
1. Shoghi Effendi was happy with the killing of Baha’is:
Page 528 of book ‘The Messiah of Shiraz’ by Denis Martin MacEoin states:
Writing in August 1955 to the American Bahāʾīs, Shoghi Effendi, having described the recent persecutions in Iran and the appeals made to the United Nations to intervene there, goes on to say that ‘seldom, if at any time since its inception, has such a widespread publicity been accorded the infant Faith of God, now at long last emerging from an obscurity which has so long and so grievously oppressed it. . . . To the intensification of such a publicity . . . the American Bahāʾī Community . . . must fully and decisively contribute’.
In the following year, referring again to the Iranian persecution, he speaks of the provision of funds for the hire of ‘an expert publicity agent, in order to reinforce the publicity already being received in the public press’.
2. Similar approach by UHJ:
The same approach can be observed some thirty years later. In a letter written in January 1982, the Bahāʾī ‘Universal House of Justice’ notes that ‘current persecution has resulted in bringing the name and character of our beloved Faith to the attention of the world as never before in its history. . . . The world’s leading newspapers, followed by the local press, have presented sympathetic accounts of the Faith to millions of readers, while television and radio stations are increasingly making the persecutions in Iran the subject of their programmes’, while some months later, the same body states that ‘the effect of these developments (i.e. the persecutions in Iran) is to offer such golden opportunities for teaching and further proclamation as can only lead, if vigorously and enthusiastically seized, to large scale conversion and an increasing prestige’. That such methods have not, to the knowledge of the present writer, evoked protests within the Bahāʾī community, is an important indication of how far the goals of publicity and conversion have now taken precedence over earlier ideals.
3. Shoghi Effendi excommunicated almost every member of Baha’u’llah’s family for his selfish motives. And for reasons which were extremely kiddish.
4. Shoghi Effendi’s hunger for money:
Under all circumstances Abdu’l Baha refused to accept money for himself or the cause he represented. When the Bahais of this country (USA) received word of his intended visit, the sum of eighteen thousand dollars was subscribed toward the expense of his journey. He was notified of this action and a part of the money forwarded to him by cable. He cabled in answer that the funds contributed by his friends could not be accepted, returned the money and instructed them to give their offering to the poor. – Refer to A FRAUDULENT TESTAMENT By Hermann Zimmer.
In the Shoghi Era, money played a much greater role. The entire relations were turned upside down from the time of Abdu’l Baha. Shoghi had certainly made many greater trips than Abdu’l Baha, yet he never stood with his followers and always played the mysterious stranger.
But in reference to money we are acquainted with his very important sayings:”It is the sacred obligation of every conscientious and faithful servant of Baha’u’llah, who desires to see His Cause advance, to contribute freely and generously for the increase of that Fund.” (Shoghi Effendi, Bahai Administration, p. 41 f.)
“The supply of funds, in support of the National Treasury, constitutes, at the present time, the life-blood of those nascent Institutions which you are laboring to erect… I am eagerly and prayerfully awaiting the news of an unprecedented expansion in so vital an organ of the administrative Order ol the Fait.” (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to America, 1947, p. 5)
5. The ethics and manners of Shoghi Effendi:
When Thornton Chase, editor of the excellent book The Bahai Revelation, visited Abdu’l Baha in Akka in April 1907; thus, still before the Revolution of the Young Turks, he reported later about it, “He (Abdu’l Baha) extends love to everyone; he draws near to them: ha invites them; he loves to serve them, even in little things. He demands no awe, no reverence, no separation … no bar or restraint is there, but winsome love and attraction.” (Thornton Chase, In Galilee, 1921, p. 30)
The minister of Community Church, New York, Dr. G. Haynes Holmes wrote about his meeting with Abdu’l Baha, “I had previously met Abdu’l Baha on the occasion of his visit to this country, had sat close to him, taken his hand, and conversed with him in most informal and friendly fashion.”
The same pastor reports about his meeting with Shoghi Effendi, “I remember my astonishment when I was taken in the reception room, placed in the corner farthest removed from the door. Instructed that I must rise when Shoghi Effendi entered, and must under no circumstances approach his person . .. And here in Haifa I had to keep my distance, as though I were in the presence of some king or pope.” (Sohrab, Grandson, 1943, p. 15f.)
6. Shoghi’s interest in politics:
Let them willingly subject themselves to every just king, and to every generous ruler be good citizens. Let them obey the government and not meddle in political affairs but devote themselves to the betterment of character and behaviour and fix their gaze upon the Light of the world. – Abdu’l Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 318.
The above is the saying of Abdu’l Baha and his wife confesses the truth below –
The Priceless Pearl (London 1969) by Ruhiyyih Khanum:
“The Guardian was always keenly interested in political matters…” (p. 33).
“Shoghi Effendi had the qualities of true statesmanship” (p. 350).
“The Faith grew with us into something vastly different from what had existed before” (p. 437).
“Shoghi Effendi said the Cause of God would … become a state religion and eventually the Bahai state itself would emerge …” (p. 440)
7. Finally if the Guardian Shoghi Effendi was truthful then why did he refuse to give the copy of Will and Testament to Mrs. White?
Page 10 of ‘A FRAUDULENT TESTAMENT’ by Hermann Zimmer states:
On March 19, 1930 a letter was received by Shoghi from Mrs. White requesting the original document of the alleged last will of Abdu’l Baha for analysis by a handwriting expert who was familiar with Persian script. The receipt of the letter was acknowledged by Shoghi’s secretary however a reply never came.
8. I can understand the infallibility of Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l Baha however infallibility of Shoghi is really strange for me because I have met many UHJ members and even they confirmed that Guardian is divinely inspired but he is still prone to errors as he is not infallible.
I was shocked to read the below:
“Therefore, we might believe that he (the Guardian) will never err in the fulfilment of his functions and responsibilities in reference to the belief and can never err. Divine leadership means this, namely, to be endowed by God with Infallibility…” from Ruhiyyih Khanum, “Lehrprobleme”. quoted in “Bahai-Lehrbrief” 3/109, p.3
9. Hypocrisy of Shoghi Effendi:
There were three reasons for excommunicating Ruhi Effendi (Shoghi’s cousin and his secretary).
Reason 1: Ruhi’s sister married covenant breaker Fayzi.
Reason 2: Ruhi’s marriage.
Reason 3: Ruhi failed to obtain guardian’s permission for second visit to America.
Shoghi Effendi may have forgotten that he himself went for further studies to oxford even after Abdu’l Baha said no. – For this instance, refer to book ‘Abdu’l Baha’s Grandson – Ruhi Effendi Afnan’ by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab – 1943
So, after reading all this I became certain that there is something wrong in the leadership of Shoghi. It made me believe that the actual belief in Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l Baha is the only correct belief as after their death all problems and divisions started.
I now completely submit and declare my devotion to the Free Baha’i Faith.
Regards,
Mr. R Petersen
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