Is the Baha’i Faith a British / Russian / American colonialist conspiracy?

The allegation that the Baha’i Faith is part of a colonial conspiracy is often repeated in Iran, where suspicion of foreign intrigues is common place, and is often acknowledged to be a part of the Persian “national psyche” [1]. 

Examples of such alleged conspiracies are abundant, and include a popular belief that the Iranian revolution of 1979 was a result of Russian, British and American efforts to agitate the populace against the Shah.  In the year 1978, the Shah himself asked the former British Prime Minister Edward Heath if he was familiar with a U.S.-Soviet plot to overthrow him, and elaborated extensively upon these theories in his final book Answer to Histories. 

These theories extend even further back in history, and numerous examples exist of real or alleged foreign involvement in Iran’s internal affairs; it is alleged that in 1962 President Kennedy threatened the use of sanctions to incline the Shah towards economic reforms; the British are alleged to have persuaded the USA to withhold aid to Iran in order to protect British oil interests during 1950-51; the USA allegedly supported the candidacy of General Ali Razmara as an anticommunist Prime Minister in 1949; in 1941 broadcasts by the British Broadcasting Corporation in Iran are thought to have contributed to the overthrow of Reza Shah, and the British conceded in 1932 that they participated in a coup which placed Reza Shah on the throne in 1921.  

These examples are in no wise exhaustive, and indeed as we look even further back in history, we find that throughout most of the 19^th century and early 20^th century, particularly during The Great Game period from the Russo-Persian Treaty of 1813 to the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907, both Russia and Britain had competing interests in Iran and indeed were vying for its land.  This fact alone greatly strains the plausibility of Russia and Britain colluding on anything in the middle of the 19^th century, much less the invention of a completely new religion.

The idea of suspicious foreign involvement in Iranian internal affairs persists even to the current day.  Most recently, this was exemplified by the immediate denouncement of the newly launched BBC Persian channel as “espionage and psychological warfare” by the Iranian authorities [2].  In a country already confused by “organised lying and spontaneous conspiracy theories”, it is of little wonder, and great inevitability, that the Baha’i Faith too has become a victim of the phenomenon occasionally referred to as Uncle Napoleonism, named after a novel-turned TV series character who is convinced that the British are responsible for every event that occurs in Iran [3].

The evidences

When we survey the claims made by those alleging a colonial conspiracy behind the Baha’i Faith, we find that they revolve around a) specific interpretations of a small number of historical events, and/or b) a faith in comments on the subject that are not supported with references.  These are considered below: -

1.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha ‘Abbas, KBE

Ill-wishers often ignore the historical context of Abdu’l-Baha’s Knighthood of the British Empire, and attempt instead to assert that it was awarded for spying.  The image to the left shows the cover of a 64-page anti-Baha’i supplement to the Iranian daily newspaper Jame-Jam, published 27 August 2007, with a colour-enhanced image of the Knighthood ceremony.  The reliable historical records discussed below convey quite a different story to the speculations propounded in such publications.

During Abdu’l-Baha’s world teaching campaign, He taught widely about a coming "conflagration", as can be seen from this excerpt of a talk He delivered in California in the year 1912: -

"We are on the eve of the Battle of Armageddon referred to in the 16th Chapter of Revelation. The time is two years hence, when only a spark will set aflame the whole of Europe. The world is at the threshold of a most tragic struggle...the slightest friction will bring them into a terrific crash, and there will be a conflagration, the like of which is not recorded in the past history of mankind."

Abdu’l-Baha anticipated that conditions of hardship would appear with these events, and began to instruct people in the villages of Nughayb, Samrih and ‘Adasiyyih in Palestine to grow prolific quantities of corn, much of which was harvested and stored in vast ancient Roman pits [4].  When World War I broke out, this corn was used to feed the numberless poor people of Haifa, Akka and the surrounding areas during the famine years of 1914-1918.  When the British army marched into Haifa, the commanding officer requested a meeting with Abdu’l-Baha, who graciously gave His consent for the corn to be distributed among the starving Britons [5].

During the period of British occupation, large numbers of soliders and Government officials of all ranks delighted in the company of Abdu’l-Baha, in His illuminating talks, His noble character, His genial hospitality, perfect courtesy and efforts to establish peace and prosperity throughout the world [6].

Abdu’l-Baha averted a famine and uplifted countless souls, and in recognition of this, on the 27 April 1920, a Knighthood of the British Empire was conferred upon Him for “services rendered unto the British government”.

2.  British Government Documents

Two declassified British Government documents, dated May 1918 and November 1921, are occasionally cited as supporting the hypothesis that the Baha’i Faith is a colonialist conspiracy. You can view these below.

You can download the first document here, dated May 1918.  

You can download the second document here, dated November 1921.  

In the first document, the three perceived threats of “Pan-Islamism, Pan-Turanianism and anarchistic revolution” are juxtaposed with the “friendly” elements that can “combat these three forces”.  One of these “elements” includes a reference to Abdu’l-Baha, and emphasises the spiritual aspect of religion rather than the political, “which lies at the back of the teachings of Mohammed Abdu, Abdu’l-Baha and the Persian Mystics”.  It then goes on to say that nothing positive can be done to develop these into political assets.  Logically this statement must also mean “Abdu’l-Baha, and by inference the Baha’i Faith, is not, nor has ever been a political asset”.

The second document, dated 1921, refers to the refusal of the Persian government to facilitate the transfer of monies from Baha’is in Persia to Abdu’l-Baha in Palestine.  Finding themselves unable to perform their sacred duty, the Baha’is in Persia approached the British government for assistance with the transfer.  This is highly logical given that a) the British exercised considerable influence in Persia at the time b) the Imperial Bank of Persia was founded by Queen Victoria and was still British owned, c) Palestine was still occupied by the British. 

The correspondence is written in a tone of neutrality, and suggests that the British government should agree to assist with the transaction in order not to “offend an influential and well disposed section of the people”.  This tone of neutrality is evidently inconsistent with any theory alleging that the British government and Baha’is are co-conspirators.

It is unclear why such documents would be put forward as evidence that the Baha’i Faith is part of a colonialist conspiracy, as an accurate and unbiased reading suggests the opposite.  Presumably this misunderstanding arises out of a difficulty with the English language, and/or an unreasonable suspicion of colonial influence on events taking place in Iran and/or intentional malice.

3.  Attaching authenticity to speculation and opinion

The other evidences often quoted by those alleging that the Baha’i Faith is part of a colonial conspiracy are comments made by individuals which lack supporting references.  One example of this is the comment by Robert Dreyfuss in his 1980 book ‘Hostage to Khomeini’ in which he states “Today the Baha’i cult is hated in Iran, and is considered correctly to be an arm of the British Crown”.  No attempt is made to provide references to support the comment, which must therefore be dismissed as opinion, speculation or repetition of such.

Another similar comment is made by Dr Sa’eed Khan, a teacher of Christianity in Persia, who mentions the Baha’is in the 1926 book ‘Mission Problems in New Persia’, “it appears that as hard as the Baha'is might have tried over the years to dismiss what they label "conspiracy theories" regarding their connections to the British establishment, more and more such theories continue to persist while with each day more evidence emerges proving these theories as fact rather than theory”.  Again the citation of references is lacking, and it is likely the opinion was influenced by the dissemination of rumours. 

Issues to be addressed by conspiracy theorists

The allegation that the Baha’i Faith is a colonialist conspiracy has wider implications, which must be addressed by those propounding such theories, for example: -

The precocity of The Bab and Baha’u’llah:  at what stage in the life of these Blessed figures are the conspirators alleged to have interceded?  The Bab was aged just six or seven when His astonished teacher removed Him out of the classroom and returned Him to His uncle declaring “This boy has no need of schooling from such as I.”  Baha’u’llah, similarly, was a youth when crowds of government ministers, scholars and laypeople would gather around Him and marvel at His innate Wisdom and Knowledge.

The Revelation of the Bab and Baha’u’llah:  The Verses produced by the Bab numbered over 1,000,000 in a six year Ministry, and were acknowledged even by renowned Islamic scholars to exceed both the volume and eloquence of the Quran.  Baha’u’llah was similarly prolific in His Writing, producing for example the Kitab-i-Iqan in two days and two nights, a Book that convinced innumerable scholars and laypeople alike of the verities of the new Revelation.  Is it alleged that this unique and unparalleled capacity was conferred by the colonialists upon the Bab and Baha’u’llah?

The Shakykhi Movement:  Shaykh Ahmad (1753-1826) was an Arabian and completed his studies in theology in Bahrain, Najaf and Karbala.  This revered Islamic scholar believed in the approaching advent of a new religion, and even before the Declaration of the Bab in 1844 he had over 100,000 followers, most of which were in Iraq, and many of which recognized The Bab; indeed the first follower of The Bab was a notable disciple of Shaykhism.  The intertwined nature of the Shaykhi Movement and The Babi Faith considerably strains the credibility of a colonial conspiracy theory; it necessitates an assumption that the alleged colonial influence extended over the hearts of countless Islamic scholars, in some of the major centres of Islamic learning throughout Arabia, as far back as the late 18^th century.

Islamic Hadith:  Innumerable Islamic traditions, many attributed to Prophet Muhammed Himself (PBUH), pre-date the Babi Faith by many centuries, and refer both to the year of The Bab’s appearance in 1260 AH (1844 AD), the land of His birth (Persia), His age, His name and even aspects of His Ministry.  Similar Hadiths also apply to Baha’u’llah.  Is it alleged that the conspirators also counterfeited these clear and unmistakable Hadith (many of which are Sahih), which have existed in Hadith compilations in libraries around the Middle East for centuries before the Baha’i Faith was born?

Biblical Prophecies:  A large number of Biblical Verses refer to the Revelation of The Bab and Baha’u’llah.  These include chronological prophecies regarding the birth and development of the Baha’i Faith, as well as prophecies of the Life and Ministry of the Twin Manifestations.  Is it alleged that the conspirators (who incidentally, did not exist as sovereign nations 2000+ years ago), concocted these prophecies also?

Conclusion

When the allegation is made that the Baha’i Faith is part of a colonialist conspiracy, proof is needed, which is lacking.  Indeed the credibility of the theory is brought into considerable disrepute by the tone of neutrality evident in the declassified British government documents of 1918 and 1921, and by the implausible nature of the logical inferences which must be accepted if the theory is true. 

Overall, it is evident that a conspiracy was indeed involved in the birth of the Baha’i Faith.  In light of weighty evidences it must be accepted that Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was involved in this conspiracy, as was Jesus Christ (PBUH) before Him, and the Prophets of Israel before Him.  In the final analysis, it must be concluded that Almighty God Himself was the Master Conspirator.  All Praise be Unto God, the Lord of all Worlds!