Zionism

Zionism is the nationalist political movement to create a homeland for the Jewish people in the land of Israel, which resulted in the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. The word "Zionism" comes from Zion, which means Jerusalem. Theodor Herzl, the ideological father of Zionism, started the movement at a time when Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire.

Accusations of Bahá'í ties to Zionism

Bahá'ís have been accused by their enemies of having ties to Zionism. This claim is generally advanced by highlighting circumstantial ties between Bahá'ís or Bahá'í institutions with places, people or entities connected with the Zionist movement. Such accusations have been used as a pretext to persecute Bahá’ís, including the unjust imprisonment and murder of many Iranian Bahá’ís.

Geographical ties

Map of Bahá'u'lláh's exile from Tehran to Baghdad, Constantinople and Adrianople, eventually arriving in the penal colony of 'Akká in 1868.

One common accusation is made is by noting that the most holy shrines of the Bahá'ís are located in current-day Israel. 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. 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, which was eventually incorporated into the state of Israel 80 years later.

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. 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. 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

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. 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. 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.

Alleged ties to the Rothschild family

The Rothschild family are a notable Jewish family known for their great wealth and prominence in the worldwide Jewish community and for their advocacy and financial support for Zionism; they have also long been the subject of anti-semitic conspiracy theories. Enemies of the Bahá'í Faith have attempted to infer sinister connections between the Rothschilds and the Bahá'í Faith, to support an agenda of vilifying the Bahá'í Faith for a purported role in promoting Zionism.

Visit of Edmond James de Rothschild to Haifa

On February 23, 1914, at the eve of World War I, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild visited Haifa during one of his early trips to Palestine. Rothschild was a benefactor of thousands of Jews then settling in Palestine, and was a leading advocate and financier of the Zionist movement; he was a major investor in several settlements and vineyards in the Haifa and Northern Districts, including Rosh Pina near Tiberias. That evening a general meeting was held at the home of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is reported to have made remarks on Rothschild's visit in the gathering that evening, although it does not appear the two had interacted at all that day:

“ "Today Baron Rothschild came to Haifa. He is one of the wealthiest men of Europe. He is much interested in the Jewish colonization of Palestine and is devoting much of his time and attention to this problem. Now he has gone to Tiberias. He is busy all the time. He could not stay longer than one hour." ”

He went on to comment on the voracious nature of the pursuit of wealth, stating that "[wealth] bewilders the sight of its charmed victims with showy appearances and draws them on and on to the edge of yawning chasms. It makes a person self-centred, self-occupied, forgetful of God and of holy things."

Proclamation to "Baron Rothschild"

Baron Nathaniel Mayer, Lord Rothschild of London (1840-1915), was considered the lay head of world Jewry during his lifetime. For this reason, in sending His letters of proclamation to the major nations and religions of the world, Bahá'u'lláh asked that His message be proclaimed to Baron Rothschild, "who could be considered as the leader of the Jewish people at the time", so that the leaders of all religions would be given the chance to accept Him. Bahá'u'lláh gave this task to a Persian Bahá'í of Jewish descent, Mírzá 'Azízu'lláh-i-Jadhdháb. In his memoirs, Mírzá 'Azízu'lláh recorded the following:

“ I informed him of the coming of Bahá'u'lláh and of the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the advent of the Lord of Hosts who had revealed Himself on Mount Carmel at this time. I explained that the followers of Bahá'u'lláh were inviting us to embrace His Cause, adducing proofs and demonstrating that prophecies have been fulfilled. I reminded him that he was considered as the head of the Jewish People. Therefore, I asked him to refer this matter to the Jewish divines in Jerusalem so that they might respond to this question. ”

Interactions with the government of Israel

Bahá'ís have from time to time negotiated with the government of Israel over such matters as the acquisition of properties that currently compose the Bahá'í World Centre buildings. These interactions, while a normal part of the upkeep of the Bahá'í World Centre and the protection and development of holy places which were used by Bahá'u'lláh during His lifetime, nevertheless draw accusations of collusion and collaboration with the Israeli government.

In the course of their duties, it is necessary for Bahá'í institutions across the world to maintain working relationships with national governments: for instance, to defend its persecuted members, to register institutions as legally incorporated entities, or to respond to opportunities to be of service. The acquisition and maintenance of property is another duty of Bahá'í institutions which requires a working relationship with governments. The working relationship of the Bahá'í World Centre to the government of Israel is of this nature, and reflects the concern of Bahá'í institutions to observe and obey the laws of the nations in which they operate.

Mentions of Zionism in Bahá'í sources

As Zionists had gained prominence in the Holy Land during His Ministry, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did make mention of them, as he did with many current events and social issues of the time. Far from advocating or seeking to associate the Bahá'í Cause with Zionism, however, it is clear that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remained aloof to it, calling on Zionists to work with members of other races, and not to "separate the Jews from the other Palestinians". Subsequent to the British occupation of Palestine following World War I, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made remarks about Zionism that were published in Star of the West under the title "[‘Abdu’l-Bahá] Declares Zionists Must Work with Other Races":

“ If the Zionists will mingle with the other races and live in unity with them, they will succeed. If not, they will meet certain resistance. For the present I think a neutral government like the British administration would be best. A Jewish government might come later. There is too much talk today of what the Zionists are going to do here. There is no need of it. Let them come and do more and say less. The Zionists should make it clear that their principle is to elevate all the people here and to develop the country for all its inhabitants. This land must be developed, according to the promises of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zachariah. If they come in such a spirit they will not fail. They must not work to separate the Jews from the other Palestinians. Schools should be open to all nationalities here, business companies, etc. The Turks went down because they attempted to rule over foreign races. The British are always in power because they keep fair and promote harmony. This is the path to universal peace here as elsewhere—unity. We must prevent strife by all means. For 6,000 years man has been at war. It is time to try peace a little while. If it fails, we can always go back to war. ”

See also

• Politics

References

• Balyuzi, H.M. (2001), ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Centre of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh, Oxford, UK: George Ronald, ISBN 0-85398-043-8
• Chehabi, H.E. (2008), "Anatomy of Prejudice", in Brookshaw, Dominic P.; Fazel, Seena B. (eds.), The Baha'is of Iran: Socio-historical studies, New York, NY: Routledge, ISBN 0-203-00280-6
• Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (2007), A Faith Denied: The Persecution of the Baha'is of Iran (PDF), Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, retrieved 2008-07-14
• Momen, Moojan (2004), "Conspiracies and Forgeries: the attack upon the Baha'i community in Iran", Persian Heritage, 9 (35): 27–29
• Sanasarian, Eliz (2000), Religious Minorities in Iran, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-77073-4
• Taherzadeh, Adib (1977), The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 2: Adrianople 1863-68, Oxford, UK: George Ronald, ISBN 0-85398-071-3
• Taherzadeh, Adib (1983), The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Volume 3: 'Akká 1868–77, Oxford, UK: George Ronald, ISBN 0-85398-143-4

External links

• Letter from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Iran about the Banning of the Bahá'í Administration, 3 September 1983
• Letter from the Iranian Bahá’í community to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, November 2004
• Political Non-involvement and Obedience to Government - A compilation of some of the Messages of the Guardian and the Universal House of Justice (compiled by Dr. Peter J. Khan)
• Debunking the Myths: Conspiracy Theories on the Genesis and Mission of the Bahá'í Faith, by Adib Masumian, 2009.