Espionage
Espionage, or spying, is the process of using spies or technology to obtain and report confidential or otherwise protected information, including political, military, industrial or commercial secrets, typically for the purpose of gaining material advantage over an enemy or competitor. Espionage is a form of intelligence-gathering—that is, the collection of information about the strengths, activities, and probable future actions of a particular individual or entity—but it is distinguished by its aggressive, clandestine and illegal nature.[1][2] Espionage is considered a major crime; political espionage, in particular, is seen as a form of treason against government.[3]
Accusations of espionage against Bahá'ís[edit]
Bahá'ís have been falsely accused by their enemies of acting as spies. These accusations are levelled despite the fact that Bahá'u'lláh called upon His followers to be loyal to the government of whatever country in which they may live:
| “ | In every country or government where any of this community reside, they must behave toward that government with faithfulness, trustfulness, and truthfulness. | ” |
As an example, Bahá'ís in Iran have been arbitrarily arrested and charged with espionage on a regular basis since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, despite a lack of evidence or due process. Iranian Bahá'ís have undergone imprisonment, torture and even execution as a result. In the case of the seven Bahá'í leaders arrested in 2008, the accused were imprisoned for a total of ten years, of which the first nineteen months were spent with no trial occurring and no formal charges being presented whatsoever. In 1981, eight members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Iran were arrested, subjected to a sham trial, and quietly and summarily executed. Footage of their trial was discovered 30 years later and featured in the documentary Iranian Revolutionary Justice.[4][5]
Accusations of espionage against Bahá'ís are generally advanced by highlighting circumstantial ties between Bahá'ís or Bahá'í institutions with places, people or entities connected with foreign nations. For instance, the location of the administrative centre of the Bahá'í Faith in what is now present-day Israel leads to accusations that Bahá'ís are spies for Israel; this, of course, being despite the fact that the Bahá'í World Centre was established in Palestine long before it became the nation of Israel, after Bahá'u'lláh was banished there by the Ottoman Empire at the behest of the Qajar government of Persia.
Others have seized upon various circumstances in its history of the Bahá'í Faith to accuse its followers of spying for a variety of other nations, including Russia, the United Kingdom, and America, among others.
Israel[edit]
- See also: Zionism#Geographical ties
One common accusation is made by noting that the most holy shrines of the Bahá'ís are located in current-day Israel.[6] However, the Bahá'í presence in that area originally resulted from Bahá'u'lláh's banishment there, long before the establishment of the state of Israel, while Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. Bahá'u'lláh was exiled from Persia by Násiri'd-Dín Sháh in 1853, at which time He and His family departed for Baghdad, then also part of the Ottoman Empire.[7] Later, He was exiled by the Sultan, at the behest of the Persian Shah, to territories further away from Iran. He finally arrived in 'Akká in 1868,[8] which was eventually incorporated into the state of Israel 80 years later.[9]
Several of the central figures of the Bahá'í Faith died or were buried in Palestine prior to the inception of Israel. Bahá'u'lláh died in 1892 near 'Akká, and was buried near His home in Bahji. Following his death, 'Abdu'l-Bahá assumed leadership of the religion until his death in 1921, at which point He was buried in Haifa.[10] The remains of the Báb, which were kept hidden after His execution in 1850 due to the hostile climate in the country, were secretly transferred out of Persia to Palestine, where they would be in relative safety. The Báb's remains were finally buried in the Shrine of the Báb in Haifa in 1909.[11] Israel was not formed until 1948, almost 60 years after Bahá'u'lláh's death, 40 years after the Báb's remains were brought to the region, and 27 years after 'Abdu'l-Bahá's death.
Fund contributions to the Bahá'í World Centre[edit]
Since the Iranian revolution there have been accusations that the Bahá'ís support Israel because they send fund contributions to the Bahá'í World Centre which is located in northern Israel.[12][13] The donations are used in the Bahá'í World Centre for upkeep of the Bahá'í properties, as well as the administration of the worldwide Bahá'í community.[12] The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Iran, in a 1983 letter to the Iranian government, decried the fact that while Muslims were praised for sending money out of the country to Iraq and Jerusalem for the upkeep of their religious shrines, the act of Bahá'ís sending money for the upkeep of their own shrines was considered an unforgivable sin.[14]
References[edit]
- ↑ Espionage. Encyclopedia Brittanica.
- ↑ International Relations: Intelligence. Encyclopedia Brittanica.
- ↑ Ross (2003): The Dynamics of Political Crime, pp.53-54.
- ↑ http://news.bahai.org/story/1076
- ↑ Iranian Revolutionary Justice. BBC World News/BBC Persian.
- ↑ Chehabi 2008, pp. 190–194
- ↑ Balyuzi 2001, p. 99
- ↑ Taherzadeh 1977, pp. 56–58
- ↑ Momen 2004
- ↑ Balyuzi 2001, p. 452
- ↑ Balyuzi 2001, pp. 452–483
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sanasarian 2000, p. 119
- ↑ Clamour in the City, Part 4, Version 1.2 (PDF) (in فارسی), p. 163
- ↑ Iran Human Rights Documentation Center 2007, p. 34
