Bahai

Bahai (derived from Arabic, “glorious”), religion founded in the late 19th century as the successor to Babism. Its founder, Mirza Husain Ali Nuri saw himself as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Babism's prophet, the Bab. Mirza Husain was born in Persia and became a follower of the Bab. After the Bab's martyrdom in 1850 he took up the name of Baha Allah (Arabic, “the splendour of God”) and became the leader of one of several Babi factions. In 1852, the Persian government, in line with its official policy of persecuting Babis, massacred some 20,000 of the Bab's followers. While Baha Allah, his family, and some of his own followers were spared, he was nonetheless imprisoned, tortured and finally expelled to Baghdad, then part of the Ottoman empire. The Ottomans in turn forced Baha Allah, together with his family and followers, on to rigorous marches to Baghdad in Iraq, İstanbul in Turkey, and finally a penal colony in Akko in Palestine (now Israel), where he remained up to his death.

On establishing the Babi religion in 1844, the Bab had foretold the future appearance, in 19 years time, of a divine figure “whom God would make manifest”. In 1863, in Baghdad, Baha Allah proclaimed himself to be that manifestation. His followers, now known as Bahais, believe that he was the latest in a series of divine manifestations that include Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Muhammad. They also believe that he brought a new revelation to the world.

Baha Allah strove above all to establish a universal religion, and his teachings, which call for moral and social redress of the underprivileged, were chiefly disseminated by his eldest son, Abbas—later known as Abd al-Baha (Arabic, “the servant of the Glory”). He was imprisoned for years like his father before him. In 1908, when many inhabitants of the Ottoman empire rose up against their sultans and won independence, he was freed and subsequently travelled to Europe and North America to spread his father's teachings. He summarized the Bahai faith in a creed that included among its aims the promotion of racial and religious harmony, the equality of the sexes, an international auxiliary language, a universal education, a universal faith based on the essence of the great religions, and a universal representative government. The writings of the Bab, Baha Allah, and Abd al-Baha constitute the sacred literature of Bahai, which has no other institutional authority. The movement lacks both priesthood and ritual. In his will, Abd al-Baha designated his eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, as the guardian of the Faith.

Though Bahaism originally arose in Persia, by 1920 it had built up its greatest following in the United States. Under the direction (1921-1957) of Shoghi Effendi, the US Bahais developed an administrative system with headquarters in Wilmette, Illinois. Wherever nine or more Bahais reside, a “spiritual assembly” may be formed; more than 1,400 assemblies have been organized in the United States. Delegates are sent from the local assemblies to an annual convention at the national headquarters, at which a National Spiritual Assembly is elected. Of an estimated 5 million Bahais in the year 2000, some 142,000 lived in the United States. The largest Bahai community is in India, where about 2 million Bahai live. About 300,000 to 350,000 Bahai live in Iran, although the Islamic fundamentalist government of Iran has persecuted Baha’is in that country since coming to power in 1979.

Bahaism has adherents in more than 300 countries and dependencies, and its literature has been translated into more than 350 languages. The movement's world headquarters are in Israel, on the slopes of Mount Carmel overlooking Haifa and Akko, where a shrine of the Bab, an archive, and an administrative centre can all be found.