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The Baha'i Faith, Cult, Sect or Independent Religion? (Part 2)

© Lloyd Madansky

The Baha'i Faith has a strong historical and spiritual link to the religion known as Islam, and for good reason. Both the founder, Baha'u'llah, and His herald, The Bab, were raised in the Shi'ite denomination of Islam. This denomination (or tradition) is the major Islamic denomination found in Persia (now Iran) and it did not look kindly upon The Bab or Baha'u'llah. Under the advise of the Shi'ite leaders, the Shah imprisoned and executed The Bab. Years later, Baha'u'llah was imprisoned and exiled to Akka in Palestine. Members of the Baha'i Faith have been continually persecuted since then. As late as March 1998, a Baha'i was imprisoned for his religious beliefs. Here is a report from Amnesty International.

This persecution is based upon the belief that the Baha'i Faith is a heretical sect of Islam, and, as such, it's followers are enemies of the "true faith". I will now direct you to two sites that address this issue of the Baha'i Faith as an Islamic sect. These sites are anti-Baha'i, but I believe that they can offer insight into this issue.

The first site is ANSWERING BAHAULLAH. This site has an opening page with a link to an extensive section on The Babi and Baha'i Faiths. Also on this site are photos of Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and Baha'u'llah. It is, to the best of my knowledge, an authentic reproduction that appeared first in William Miller's book, "Bahai Faith: its History and Teachings". There are links to some of the Baha'i Writings, the Bible and the Qur'an, as well as Islamic answers to the Baha'i teachings.

The second site is ONE MUSLIM'S REFLECTIONS ON THE BAHA'I FAITH. A student of Vanderbilt University set up this site. While not as extensive as the first site, it has links to articles about various aspects of the Baha'i Faith. As with the first site, it is anti-Baha'i. It also contains links to other sites that present the Baha'i Faith in a negative light.

In contrast, I would now like to present a couple of sites that present a positive relationship between Islam and the Baha'i Faith. These two sites were developed by Baha'is:

ISLAM AND THE BAHA'I FAITH is a site that was established, "with the hope of promoting a better understanding of the relationship between the Baha'i Faith and Islam, and to dispel some of the misconceptions which may have led to feelings of mistrust and suspicion." It has links to various articles on the subject. It should be noted that it is a site by an individual Baha'i and is not officially endorsed by any Baha'i Administrative Organization of Institution.

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