Exactly...That's What Freedom of Belief is All About!
Brian Whitaker of the Guardian newspaper wrote a very interesting column on 18 December 2006 regarding the case of the Baha'is in Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court that was ruled on two days before.
The article, entitled "Losing their religion: In Egypt, computerised ID cards are providing the latest source of discrimination against members of the Baha'i faith" described the history of the case very clearly and objectively, it spoke of the judgement itself and its consequences. He then quoted the words of an Egyptian blogger who described the scene at the court when the ruling was read. In order to read this accurate and vivid account, please click to see the column on this link....Whitaker concluded his column, under the section named "comment is free," by quoting Muhammad Abdel Hafez, a columnist on Egypt's al-Gomhouriya newspaper, who has also been fulminating against the Baha'is, wrote: "If Bahaism is officially recognised, worshippers of cows, the sun and fire will want to jump on the bandwagon." Addressing this comment, Whitaker wrote: "Exactly. That's what freedom of belief is all about."
Freedom of belief may mean different things to different people but the following clearly DO NOT represent freedom of belief:
ReplyDelete1. To force people to recant, deny, misrepresent, or lie about their faith.
2. To promote hatred of those who hold different beliefs and to spread lies about their beliefs.
3. To deny the presence, citizenship and civil rights of those who hold different beliefs.
I hope that soon the Egyptian authorities will disavow any of the above actions and correct the wrongs committed against the peaceful minority of Baha'is in Egypt. In doing so, The Egyptian authorities would restore the civil rights of all Egyptians without having to address the theological arguments of the truth or falsity of the Baha'i Faith!
You are correct. The issue here is really about civil rights....
ReplyDeleteyou now i agree that the Bahais should not be related to islam because they are "Kafara"
ReplyDeleteBaha'is are not Muslims, just like Christians are not Muslims and Jews are not Muslims. The Baha'i Faith is an independent world religion recognized by all nations in the free world as such. Geographically, it is the second-most widespread religion in the world after Christianity. Thank you for your interest.
ReplyDeleteJudaism and Christianity was true
ReplyDeleteReligions with true messengers they lead to Islam
But bahaiya is a fake religion Invented by a fake man.
And you are lying about the spread of
The bahaiya !!!! any one with a brain
Won't accept it.
It is not up to us "human beings" to judge what is true and what is not true. It is up to GOD to make that judgement. Please note that the source of the data is not me, but is according to the 1992 Encyclopaedia Britannica Book of the Year, which states: the Bahá'í Faith is established in 205 sovereign countries and dependent territories. Please refer to this post for details and links. I would greatly appreciate it that you do not call me names or attack me personally, but rather discuss the points at hand with reason, open mind, understanding and civility. Thank you for your input.
ReplyDeleteSince no religion can ever be "proven", none is better than another. Religion (whatever name it has) resides within people's heart. That is why we talk about "faith". The only proof of the worth of a religion is what every individual does with it, the way he or she conducts his or her life according to the principles they choose to follow. If this behavior results in making him or her a better, kinder, more tolerant person, then it is a "true" religion for that individual. But if one uses one's religious principles to do harm, then even the most well established religion becomes an imposture.
ReplyDeleteWhen you talk about proof of religion, you may be referring to a purely scientific proof. As to if a person behaves badly and "to do harm," in the end, I believe you may be trying to say that it is the person that can become an imposter rather than the religion itself, provided that the teachings of the religion are clearly sound. You can judge a tree by its fruits!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think?
to anamous #2 If I used your logic TODAY!!!I would still be a Roman Catholic Priest and I would now be denouncing the prophet Mohammed as a FALSE GOD and all Musilims as terorist DEVIL WORSHIPPERS who fly airplanes into buildings and who mutilate and rape women...
ReplyDeleteHowever I know that is not the true purpose of religion
the true purpose of religion is to lead all people to the truth...and to discover the principles that unite all the people of the earth
But I assume that you do not denounce Muslims now as you could have otherwise.
ReplyDeleteTo anonymous #1, Kafara (infidels / non-believers) is a judgment made by the followers of one religion about the followers of another religion. But it must be noted that GOD IS THE ONLY JUDGE!
ReplyDeleteIn history, the majority of Jews considered Christians as Kafara; the majority of Christians considered Muslims as Kafara; and now the majority of Muslims consider Baha'is as infidels!
What is the pattern here? The followers of established religions follow their "fathers' religion" and reject anything new.
The Jews are still waiting for the Messiah, the Christians are still waiting for the return of Christ, and the Muslims are still waiting for the Mahdi or the return of the 12th Imam.
Baha'is believe that the followers of all these religions are followers of One Common Faith; that God is the source of all religions and that all religions are chapters in the one Book of God; and that all people belong to one human family. The oneness of God, the essential oneness of religion, and the inevitable oneness of humanity are the foundation of the mighty claim that Baha'u'llah proclaimed, The Promised of All Ages!
From the Holy Writings of Baha'u'llah:
"This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future."
"O ye that dwell on earth! The religion of God is for love and unity; make it not the cause of enmity or dissension. (Tablets of Baha’u’llah 220)"
"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens. (Gleanings 249)"
"Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. (Gleanings 217)"
Of course you are free to make your own judgment. I respect your right to reach your own conclusions. But you must also respect other people's rights to reach their own. Every person is responsible for his or her own soul.
To force people to pretend to belong to another religion as the Egyptian authorities seem to be doing to the Baha'is in Egypt is blatantly wrong and is not sanctioned by truthfulness or by the teachings of any "divine" religion!
O My God, O My God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law.
"Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord. (Baha'u'llah)"
Thank you Nabil for your comment and clarification.
ReplyDelete