Resignations and Arrests Connected?

Published
by
Baquia
on January 20, 2005
in Administrative Order and Iran
. 7 Comments
What started it all seems to have been the arrest of several Baha´is in Iran and the apparently concomitant resignation of two long serving members of the UHJ. A source, not known for 100% accuracy made this interesting observation and was derided until a few days later when official confirmation arrived in a curtly worded press release.I don´t really want to get into this situation as it has already been discussed in depth in various other blogs and in the varied Baha´i discussion forums. I just want to add that there is a much larger story here and that perhaps with time, we will find out what is really going on.

There is no question that whoever these Baha´is were (either foreigners or native Iranians), they were under the direct supervision of the ITC/UHJ. No Baha´i dares take any trip to Iran without informing their NSA (as instructed by the UHJ). As well, the recent letter addressed to Baha´is outside of Iran clearly discouraged them from even travelling to Iran. Saying that if they must, it is their duty to practice restraint and moderation, lest they put the Faith at risk or encourage the Baha´is there to leave. So it is clear that a Baha´i, on their own, would never in a million years travel to Iran and do anything that would be so questionable. Unless they were doing so “under the auspices” of the institutions. To suggest otherwise is preposterous.

But for the moment you can count on the official Baha´i channels to be in full damage control mode. Not until things calm down, do I hope to know what the heck was going on behind the scenes.

If you know of any information regarding this (either proving or disproving the connection of the two events or anything else related), please let us know. The Baha´i world community derserves to know the truth.

I pray that all the Baha´is detained are treated well and released. And I also pray that the Baha´i world community really thinks this time when they go to the ballot box to choose the replacement for Semple and Martin.

Having said that, realistically, their replacements will probably come from the ITC´s XY chromosome pool.

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  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/2954729 Marco

    Rumours… rumours… speculation… and well-known “Kitab-I-heard-someone-saying”! That is something I dislike amongst baha’is.

    By quoting Nima Hazini (someone who proclaimed himself a Manifestation of God in the past) one can easily understand the credibility of such rumours!

    Try to be honest! You say you are disillusioned with the current state of the Baha’i world community. But how disillusioned can Baha’u'llah be with you, when you spread such rumours? (don’t answer me; answer Him)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/2954729 Marco

    Rumours… rumours… speculation… and well-known “Kitab-I-heard-someone-saying”! That is something I dislike amongst baha’is.

    By quoting Nima Hazini (someone who proclaimed himself a Manifestation of God in the past) one can easily understand the credibility of such rumours!

    Try to be honest! You say you are disillusioned with the current state of the Baha’i world community. But how disillusioned can Baha’u'llah be with you, when you spread such rumours? (don’t answer me; answer Him)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/1082818 Baquia

    He told everyone before the official announcement that they would be resigning! I think you forgot that (and the whole manifestation of god thing was a joke btw – weird sense of humour, sure, but not crazy).For me that isn´t speculation or rumour. That is a scoop.

    And I have a question mark (?) are they related? Maybe. Maybe not.

    There are a lot of things which just don´t sit right. The wording of the press release, the timing of it, what really is going on in Iran, who knew about it and who authorized it, etc,

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/1082818 Baquia

    He told everyone before the official announcement that they would be resigning! I think you forgot that (and the whole manifestation of god thing was a joke btw – weird sense of humour, sure, but not crazy).For me that isn´t speculation or rumour. That is a scoop.

    And I have a question mark (?) are they related? Maybe. Maybe not.

    There are a lot of things which just don´t sit right. The wording of the press release, the timing of it, what really is going on in Iran, who knew about it and who authorized it, etc,

  • Anonymous

    Unfortunately, it’s not the Baha’i world community that will be electing the replacements for Semple and Martin. It’s the NSAs of the various countries and territories that will be doing it–in other words, the leadership. Some may argue that they’re not leaders, they are the servants of the community, but consider this: the latest schedule for Bosch Baha’i School in California lists a session called “the Learned and the Rulers” chaired by Bill Davis, the US NSA chairman. The title refers to the counselors and the NSAs. They see themselves as rulers, apparently.

    Anyway, there’s not a lot of reason to expect much change. The same people who elected Martin and Semple will elect their successors, so why expect anything different this time? No matter how obvious it is that the system is broken, they’ll never admit it.

  • Anonymous

    Unfortunately, it’s not the Baha’i world community that will be electing the replacements for Semple and Martin. It’s the NSAs of the various countries and territories that will be doing it–in other words, the leadership. Some may argue that they’re not leaders, they are the servants of the community, but consider this: the latest schedule for Bosch Baha’i School in California lists a session called “the Learned and the Rulers” chaired by Bill Davis, the US NSA chairman. The title refers to the counselors and the NSAs. They see themselves as rulers, apparently.

    Anyway, there’s not a lot of reason to expect much change. The same people who elected Martin and Semple will elect their successors, so why expect anything different this time? No matter how obvious it is that the system is broken, they’ll never admit it.