The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahai Community Part 13

27 April 1927(17)

Dearly-beloved friends:

With feelings of horror and indignation I communicate to you the tale of yet another tragedy involving the shedding of the blood of a martyr of the Faith on Persia's sacred soil. I have before me, as I pen these lines, the report of the local Spiritual a.s.sembly of Ardibil, a town on the north-east confines of the province of a_dh_irbayjan, not far distant from those hallowed spots where the Bab suffered His last confinement and martyrdom. Addressed to the National Spiritual a.s.sembly of the Baha'is of Persia, this report recounts in simple but moving language the circ.u.mstances that have led to the cowardly crime committed in the darkness of the night at the instigation of the fanatical clergy-the deadliest opponents of the Faith in that town.

Our martyred brother, Aminu'l-'Ulama by name had for some time past become notorious in the eyes of the Muslim inhabitants of Ardibil for his tenacity of faith by openly refusing at every instance to vilify and renounce his most cherished convictions. In the latter part of Ramadan-the month a.s.sociated with prayer, pious deeds and fasting-his use of the public bath-that long-established inst.i.tution the amenities and privileges of which are as a rule accorded only to the adherents of the Muslim Faith-had served to inflame the mob, and to provide a scheming instigator with a pretext to terminate his life. In the market-place he was ridiculed and condemned as an apostate of the Faith of Islam, who, by boldly rejecting the repeated entreaties showered upon him to execrate the Baha'i name, had lawfully incurred the penalty of immediate death at the hands of every pious upholder of the Muslim tradition.

In spite of the close surveillance exercised by a body of guards stationed around his house, in response to the intercession of his friends with the local authorities, the treacherous criminal found his way into his home, and on the night of the 22nd of Ramadan, corresponding with the 26th of March 1927, a.s.sailed him in a most atrocious and dastardly manner.

Concealing within the folds of his garment his unsheathed dagger, he approached his victim and claiming the need of whispering a confidential message in his ears plunged the weapon hilt-deep into his vitals, cutting across his ribs and mutilating his body. Every attempt to secure immediate medical a.s.sistance seems to have been foiled by malicious devices on the part of the a.s.sociates of this merciless criminal, and the helpless victim after a few hours of agonising pain surrendered his soul to his Beloved.

His friends and fellow-believers, alarmed at the prospect of a fresh outbreak that would inevitably result were his mortal remains to be accorded the ordinary privileges of a decent burial, decided to inter his body in one of the two rooms that served as his own dwelling, seeking thereby to appease the fury of an unrelenting foe.

He leaves behind in desperate poverty a family of minors with no support but their mother, expectant to bring forth her child, and with no hope of relief from their non-Baha'i relatives in whose eyes they deserve to be treated only with the meanest contempt.

It appears from the above-mentioned report that the merciless a.s.sailant has been arrested, waiting, however, as has been the case with similar incidents in southern Persia, to be sooner or later released under the pressure of bribery and intimidation sedulously exercised by an impenitent enemy.

Dearest friends! Any measure of publicity the concerted efforts of the Baha'i Spiritual a.s.semblies of the West, on whom almighty Providence has conferred the inestimable benefits of religious toleration and freedom, can accord to this latest manifestation of unbridled barbarism in Persia will be most opportune and valuable. It will, I am certain, confer abiding solace to those disconsolate sufferers who with sublime heroism continue to uphold the traditions of their beloved Faith. Our one weapon lies in our prayerful efforts, intelligently and persistently pursued, to arouse by every means at our disposal the conscience of unheeding humanity, and to direct the attention of men of vision and authority to these incredibly odious acts which in their ferocity and frequency cannot but const.i.tute in the eyes of every fair-minded observer the gravest challenge to all that is sacred and precious in our present day civilisation.

Your true brother, Shoghi

Letter of 29 April 1927

29 April 1927

MAY DELIBERATIONS FIRST BRITISH BAHa'i CONVENTION BE DIVINELY GUIDED AND BLESSED.

SHOGHI

Letter of 13 May 1927

13 May 1927

My dear Mr. Simpson,

I thank you on behalf of our dear Guardian for your welcome letter of the 2nd.

It was with unbounded joy and great hopes for the future that we learnt of the success of your first National Convention. May it prove to be the beginning of a new era of achievement and expansion in the field of service. Time was when individually we had to drink deep from the all-satisfying teachings of the Baha'i Faith, and although this is far from being accomplished yet it is time for us to share with many others what we firmly believe....

Miss Rosenberg left only a few days ago and I suppose she will arrive back home earlier than this letter.

As she will have plenty of news to give you I hardly need add any....

[From the Guardian:]

My dear and valued co-worker:

Although I rejoice at your appointment as member of the National and local a.s.semblies, I fully sympathise with you in your arduous work and responsibilities, for all of which you are so distinctly equipped and qualified. I feel that next year, the number of members should be strictly confined to nine, and a second ballot is quite proper and justified.(18) I trust that the choice of Rev. Biggs signifies his unreserved acceptance of the Faith in its entirety-a condition that we must increasingly stress in the years that come. Please a.s.sure the elected members of my love, my best wishes and of my ardent prayers for them all individually and collectively that the Beloved may guide them, and reinforce their efforts for the spread of our beloved Cause.

Your true brother, Shoghi

Letter of 22 May 1927

22 May 1927

My dear Mr. Simpson,

I thank you on behalf of Shoghi Effendi for your short letter of the 8th giving the name of the occupants of the various offices.

He is glad to see the well chosen members each undertaking his suitable task with the chairman s.h.i.+ning amongst them. However he trusts that the coming year may be one of renewed activity and greater accomplishment. Let us not be loiterers in a fast-flying world especially when we know to what grave and universal ills this Cause is a divine remedy....

[From the Guardian:]

With loving greetings and apologies for inability to write more due to mental fatigue and strain.

Your true brother, Shoghi

Letter of 25 May 1927

25 May 1927

NATIONAL a.s.sEMBLY AFFECTIONATELY REMEMBERED HOLY SHRINES

SHOGHI

Letters of 8 October 1927 and 17 October 1927

Referred to in Minutes; no text available.