Habib Sabet

Habib Sabet
Born	December 25, 1903 Tehran, Iran
Died	February 20, 1990 Los Angeles, California, USA
NSA member	Iran 1960 - 1976
Spouse(s)	Bahereh Khamsi (1912 - 1996) m. 1929 - 1990
Children	Iraj Sabet (1931 - 2014) Hormoz Sabet (b. 1936)
Media

Habib Sabet (December 25, 1903 - February 20, 1990) was a Persian Bahá’í who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran. Shoghi Effendi granted him the title Nasiri'd-Din meaning Defender of the Faith. In his professional career he was a notable industrialist who founded many corporations and the first television station in Iran.

Biography

Sabet was born in Tehran in 1903 into a Baháʼí family with both of his parents being of Jewish descent. His parents were 'Abdu'llah and Kishvar Sabet and he had a sister named Tahereh. He was raised in poverty facing disadvantages due to religious discrimination, however he was able to receive an education studying at the Bahá’í run Tarbiyat School and then the Saint Louis French School in Tehran while working as a tutor for wealthy students. In 1923 he went on pilgrimage for the first time with his sister, Tahereh, and they met Shoghi Effendi.

Sabet worked in a bicycle repair shop in his youth and saved twenty dollars allowing him to purchase a truck in 1919 which he used as Tehran's first taxi eventually establishing a trucking company. He used the profits from the trucking company to found a woodworking and furniture factory. In 1929 he married fellow Bahá’í Bahereh Khamsi, the daughter of Siyyid Ahmad Khamsi-Báqirof, and they had two sons, Iraj and Hurmuz.

When Bahá’í schools in Iran were closed down by the government in 1934 and the Iranian Bahá’í community lost contact with the Guardian the National Spiritual Assembly sent Sabet and his wife to meet with Shoghi Effendi in the Holy Land. He made many more pilgrimages visiting the Holy Land twenty times during the lifetime of Shoghi Effendi and spending about two hundred days in total with the Guardian.

In 1942 Sabet's factory was requisitioned by the government for use making arms due to WWII and he moved to the United States with his family and attended that years National Convention, addressing the Convention in Persian with Marzieh Gail translating, and afterwards spoke at firesides and public meetings throughout California. He ultimately settled in Los Angeles and advanced his business career by establishing the Firuz Company with his brother-in-law Aziz Yazdi which facilitated trading between Iran and the United States dealing only with small items. The business was successful and Sabet was approached by representatives of the Tehran based Pasal Company and formed the Sabet Pasal Company with them. In 1946 he began securing the distribution rights in Iran for several major American companies including RCA, Squibb, Autolite, Phelps-Dodge and Pepsi, and he returned to Iran in 1947.

Sabet undertook several important tasks for the Bahá’í community of Iran and Shoghi Effendi after returning to the country. He employed many Bahá’ís in his factories and companies as they could not find opportunities elsewhere due to religious discrimination. He personally purchased the Síyáh-Chál for the Bahá’í community in 1954 to achieve one of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade, and in 1955 when a wave of persecution began in Iran with a prominent cleric calling for Bahá’ís to be slaughtered in radio broadcasts Sabet, under Shoghi Effendi's instructions, met with the Shah and government ministers in Tehran to appeal for the Bahá’ís to be protected. His efforts resulted in the Iranian army ultimately being directed to protect Bahá’ís.

In 1955 Sabet visited the United States again and donated $100,000 towards the construction of the Bahá’í Home for the Aged, the first dependency of the Wilmette Temple which was another goal of the Crusade. In December 1956 he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his wife again and on the last night of his pilgrimage Shoghi Effendi granted him the title Nasiri’d-Din. Shoghi Effendi sent the Sabet's to Norway after their pilgrimage, and in February 1957 they were guests of honor at the dedication of the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Norway in Oslo.

In March 1958 Sabet visited Australia to attend the Sydney Intercontinental Conference held to mark the midpoint of the Ten Year Crusade and he hired a professional cameraman to document the Conference with the agreement of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and also led an appeal for funds to construct the Sydney Temple resulting in over thirty thousand pounds being raised. After the Sydney Conference he visited Japan where he showed the film of the Sydney Conference at a Conference in Tokyo. In July he attended the Frankfurt, Germany, Intercontinental Conference and again made an appeal for donations, and in September he attended the Intercontinental Conference in Singapore and also spoke on the importance of donations resulting in 104,000 US dollars being raised to fund efforts to progress the Faith in Southeast Asia.

In 1958 Sabet founded the first television station in Iran, and in July 1959 an English magazine in Tehran published a report on the accomplishment which noted that Sabet was a Bahá’í which the Custodians of the Faith noted as a significant event as it was the first time a publication in Iran had published positive recognition of the Faith. In 1960 Sabet launched a second television station in Iran resulting in mainstream media coverage which mentioned that he was a Bahá’í. Later in the year he attended the United States National Convention again, and afterwards visited France where he attended a summer school with his wife and spoke on the importance of summer schools. He was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran in 1960 and served on the body for almost two decades.

In 1961 Sabet visited the Temple in Kampala, Uganda, and filmed footage of the Temple which he screened in Australia later in the year when he attended the dedication of the Sydney Temple. In 1962 Sabet and his wife undertook a teaching tour of Central America visiting several countries with their activities being reported in the media in Chile and Peru. In 1966 he attended the National Convention of the United States again and reported that the National Convention of Iran was not being held that year due to restrictions being placed on the religion by the authorities. In 1971 he represented the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran at a Bahá’í Conference in Monrovia, Liberia, and he addressed the Conference suggesting that the number of Bahá’ís in Africa could be doubled and leading an appeal for donations.

In 1977 Sabet departed Iran moving to Paris, France, due to several decisions from the Shah which harmed his business interests. He later settled in the United States and never visited Iran again due to the Iranian Revolution in 1979 which resulted in all his assets, companies, and properties being seized by the new regime. In early 1990 he passed away in Los Angeles and a funeral attended by over 3,000 peple was held. The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message to his widow after his passing:

"Share your grief passing veteran servant Cause Habib Sabet. His steadfastness in devotion Beloved Guardian, his courageous efforts in defense community cradle Faith, his unique role in acquisition vital sacred site Teheran lovingly remembered. Offer heartfelt condolences to you and through you to entire family. Praying Holy Shrine progress his soul Abhá Kingdom."

Publications

• 1989 - Memoirs

Talks

• 1989 - Interview in Los Angeles

References

Bahai.media has a related page: Category:Habib Sabet