Islam, the “religion of peace,” is anything
but peaceful, particularly when it comes to other religions. To
the oppressive Islam, there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is
his Prophet—the seal of the prophets at that. Grudgingly, Islam
barely tolerates people of the book—namely Jews and Christians—but
no other faith is entitled to any fair treatment. In Iran, the
force-imposed Islam finds it expedient to extend its limited
tolerance to the original religion of the indigenous people—the
Zoroastrians.
The terrible plight of the Baha’is in Iran is particularly
heart-wrenching, since they are the largest non-Muslims in the
country and have, from day one, been severely brutalized by
Muslims. The Baha’i Faith dates back to the middle of the 19th
century when an Iranian nobleman, Baha’u’llah, founded the new
faith as an independent religion—a very painful thorn in the side
of a ruling vested clergy with a stranglehold on the masses.
The slaveholder, Islam, finds the Baha’i Faith a threat to its
very existence, since many of the Baha’i teachings are anathema to
that of Islamofascism—the favorite version of Islam. Below is a
brief list that contrasts some of the two beliefs. Beliefs are
impetus to action and when beliefs clash, people clash.
* The chosen people. Muslims believe that they are the chosen
people of God and recognize no other system of belief as
legitimate. Baha’is believe that all people are the chosen people
of God—that there is only one God, one religion of God, and one
people of God, the entire human race.
* Progressive Revelation. Muslims contend that Muhammad is the
seal of the Prophets, that God sent his best and final messenger
to mankind, and any other claimant is an imposter worthy of death.
Baha’is believe that God has always sent his emissaries to educate
humanity and shall do so in the future. They believe that
Baha’u’llah is the latest in that line of prophets.
* Independent thinking. Blind imitation and obedience to any
authority is anathema to Baha’is. Baha’is believe that the human
mind and the gift of reason should guide the person in making
decisions about all matters. To this end, they place a premium on
education and independent investigation of truth. Baha’is consider
the education of women as important as that of men, since women
are the early teachers of children and can play their valuable
part by being themselves educated. By contrast, Muslims look for
to religious authorities for guidance and often deprive women of
education and independent thinking.
In recognition of the importance of independent thinking, no one
is born Baha’i. Once one is born to a Muslim, he is considered
Muslim for life. If he decides to leave Islam, he is labeled
apostate and, apostates are automatically condemned to death. The
slaveholders are intent on keeping all their slaves as well as
their issues. By contrast, every child born in a Baha’i family is
required to make his own independent decision regarding whether or
not he wishes to be a Baha’i. Freedom to choose and independent
thinking are cherished values of the Baha’is, in stark contrast to
that of Muslims.
* Harmony of religion and science. Baha’is believe that truth
transcends all boundaries. Scientific and religious truth emanates
from the same universal source. They are like the two sides of the
same coin. To Baha’is, science and religion are as two wings of a
bird that enable human flight toward the summit of its potential;
that any religious belief that contradicts science is
superstition. Muslims believe that their religious dogma,
irrespective of its proven falsehood, is superior to that of
science. The Muslims literally believe, for instance, that
Muhammad unsheathed his sword and split the moon in half and many,
many more scientifically-untenable views.
* Equality of men and women. Muslims hold the view, expressly
stated in the Quran, that men are rulers over women. Baha’is fully
reject this notion and subscribe to the unconditional equality of
the two sexes. This Baha’i principle emancipates one half of
humanity from the status of subservient domestic to that of a
fully participating and self-actualized human. It undermines the
heartless exploitation of women and demands that women be treated
with all due respect under the law.
* Participatory decision-making. Islam, by its very nature, is
patriarchal and authoritarian. Baha’is believe in the value of
decision making through the practice of consultation—a process
where everyone, irrespective of any and all considerations—has a
voice in making decisions. This participatory decision-making
principle abrogates a major prerogative of Islamic mullahs who
have been the great beneficiaries of dictating matters to their
liking and advantage. Also, at all levels of society, including
the family, all affected members have the opportunity, even the
responsibility, to make their views known without fear. Baha’i
teachings clearly emphasize this commitment to a democratic
decision-making in their scripture, “The shining spark of truth
cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions.”
* World-embracing outlook. Baha’is love their native countries,
yet extend that same love to the entire planet and its people.
Baha’is believe that love has no limit and need not have limits.
One can love his country and love the world at the same time. This
love of the world is frequently used as a pretense by the
Islamofascists to accuse the Baha’is of Iran as traitors to their
own homeland. It is for this reason that the present mullahs
ruling of Iran falsely claim that the Baha’is are agents of the
Zionist Israel and its American sponsor.
* Eradication of prejudice. Prejudice of any type is alien to the
Baha'i Faith and severely undermines its pivotal principle of the
oneness of humanity. Muslims are notorious when it comes to
prejudice. Prejudice against others is thoroughly exploited by the
Islamofascist. In contrast, Baha’i scriptures say, “…again, as to
religious, racial, national and political bias: all these
prejudices strike at the very root of human life; one and all they
beget bloodshed, and the ruination of the world. So long as these
prejudices survive, there will be continuous and fearsome wars.”
The above is a short treatment of some of the salient features of
the two belief systems—one dating back some fourteen centuries and
one of relatively recent origin. It is understandable that the
intolerant defunct fascist Islam sees its death in a competing
ideology vastly at odds with its barbaric tenets.
It is of further interest that the same land, Iran, which gave the
world the magnificent religion of Zoroaster, once again has given
birth to another religion of humanistic values.
We do not promote religion here. Yet, we feel that there are many
religions practiced throughout the world, with beliefs and
practices that are, by far, more human and humane than Islam.
We also feel for our long-suffering Baha’i compatriots in Iran.
They have been savagely brutalized for over a century and a half
through the demonic machinations of the despicable mullahs. They
continue to pay dearly for their audacity to believe in human
dignity. It is the duty of all free and enlightened humans to
confront Islamofascism—the deathly ideology that is once again on
a rampage; an ideology that is creeping out of its traditional
zone of terror to the rest of the world; an ideology that holds
the promise of destroying, in its path, all that is dear to
enlightened humanity.