Egypt: Yet Another Giant Interviewed

In its recent edition of 9 November 2006, an independent daily newspaper from Kuwait called al-Seyassah [The Politics], published a full page article on its interview with Mr. Amin Battah, an eighty year-old prominent member of the Egyptian Baha'i Community.

The interview covers all aspects of the Baha'i Faith, including its history in Egypt and the rest of the world, its Founder and His successors, its principles, its teachings, its beliefs, its writings, its administrative structure, its goals, and its hopes for the future of the world and for humankind. It also elaborated on the trials, persecutions and legal challenges endured by the Egyptian Baha'is.

The article includes a photograph of Mr. Battah in his home holding al-Kitab al-Aqdas [the Most Holy Book], which is the Book of Laws revealed by Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith. Another photograph shows the Shrine of the Bab [Gate], the Forerunner of Baha'u'llah, as well as the terraces and gardens surrounding the shrine on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel where the Baha'i World Centre is located.

The interview highlights the fact that the Baha'i Faith is a Divine religion, that it is practical in approach, and that its principles and goals are to serve society and solve its economic problems. It also pointed out that Baha'u'llah has revealed over 120 volumes of sacred writings during His ministry.

Bahji: Shrine of Baha'u'llah in Akka (Acre)

Mr. Battah clarified that the Baha'i Faith is the most recent in a succession of progressive nine Divine Revelations from the Almighty God [the last of Messengers being Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Bab and Baha'u'llah]. He also indicated that Baha'u'llah is the Promised One as prophesied in all previous Divine Books, who will bring about unity of humanity and unity of the world. He stressed that Baha'is are required to obey their just-government, and that Baha'is promote the idea of founding a world authority charged with the preservation of security and peace for the whole world.

Egypt: Baha'is File A Complaint With President Mubarak

In response to the recent offensive by Dr. Khaled Abdel-Halim el-Sayouty, professor of Islamic studies at al-Azhar University and the author of a book calling for killing the Baha'is, a formal complaint was just filed with President Mubarak by the Egyptian Baha'is accusing the book's author of fabrication and forgery. The report of this action was published in "Nahdat Misr" (Rise & Renaissance of Egypt) on 2 October 2006, linked here.

Dr. Khaled Abdel-Halim el-Sayouty, under the authority and direction of the Ministry of Religious Endowment and the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Egypt, authored a book entitled, "Baha'ism - its Beliefs and Colonial Goals." It included statements clearly calling for the killing of Baha'is, and was sold for a bargain price of one Egyptian Pound. It was dated June 2006 and consisted of 104 pages. The author of the book has recently hired an attorney and filed a complaint with Egypt's Attorney General alleging that he was defamed and that his reputation with the country's National Security Agency and the Presidency of the Republic has been damaged as he was presumed to promote hatred and terrorism.

In this book, its author wrote:

"[For] this Baha'i 'sect' and its likes of other deadly plagues of thought, the government should recruit all the powers it can muster, in order to stand against it and destroy it. That is because protecting the Islamic faith should rank no less [in its importance] than protecting the bodily ailments (physical sicknesses) that the government so promptly and readily rushes to remedy. Rather, protecting the faith is more important because in faith that is [still] healthy, lies purity of life, and the worship of God. If a nation loses its Faith, it loses its very identity and is overcome by its enemies. Egypt must remember that now and always it has protected Islam and the land of the Muslims since the time it [Egypt] entered the faith of Islam, and it had in the past recaptured Jerusalem and liberated Palestine in the name of Islam, and let us remember that Egypt fought in Ramadan of 1393H – October 1973 under the call of Islam "Allah'u'Akbar" and with this Call and under its banner, it prevailed, and it has to [now] cleanse and purify its land from this 'filth' and throw out this malady so that its affairs come to [the] right order, and so that it remains in the name of Islam, a leader and a rising nation."

He then added:

"al-Azhar urges those in authority in the Arab Republic of Egypt to stand firm against this wrongful congregation which is against the Faith of God and the public order of this society. The judgement of God must be executed against it, the law it deserves must be enforced and must be interred with the dust [dirt] heaped over it together with its teachings. This is protection for all citizens from its apostasy, and its beliefs that are deviant from God's straight path. Those who have committed crimes against the truth [rights] of Islam and their nation, must disappear from life so they will not dare estrange themselves from Islam."

The newspaper reported that according to an acquired copy of the formal complaint to the President of Egypt, Dr. Nabil Mustapha, an Egyptian Baha'i residing in London, stated that al-Azhar's book contains false quotations that violate reality and are inconsistent with the actual Baha'i teachings and writings.

Nabil added that the "Fatawis" pronounced by el-Sayouty in his book (mentioned in the above quotations), promote a state of chaos and anarchy and violate their constitutional guarantees of freedom of belief in the Baha'i Faith as an independent and free-standing religion. This also leads to violation of the legal rights of minorities. He described the statements made by al-Azhar's Islamic Research Council as baseless and devoid of honesty in research and unbiased investigation of the true essence of the principles and goals of the Baha'i Faith. Dr. Nabil Mustapha added that there is insistence on the part of the authors of these "Fatawis" to consider the Baha'is as Muslims [implying apostasy]. He indicated that the majority of Baha'is in the world comes from non-Muslim origins.

In this complaint, the Baha'is invited el-Sayouty to produce another book that would correct the falsities which were promoted in his current book, and to use appropriate and responsible sources.

The newspaper went on to report the response of Mamdouh Ismail, the attorney for the Islamic organizations sponsoring el-Sayouty's case. He is attempting to deny the published statements in the mentioned book and is calling the Baha'is liars!

How could the Baha'is lie about reality that is already in print, and about such ominous statements and "fatwas" calling for the elimination of Baha'is, particularly when such material has been already published and distributed by these individuals, organizations and learned institutions? Is there any logic to this?

In a way, this response is quite typical of such "learned" groups: instead of correcting their actions, investigating the merits of the case and following the path towards truth and justice, they simply resort to calling innocent and honest people "liars!"

Egypt: Attacker Of Baha'is Attempts A Futile Offensive

The man that authored a book calling for killing the Baha'is in Egypt, which was published and distributed to bookstores and newspaper stands across the country, is now attacking the Baha'is again, but in an outrageous, irrational and twisted legal maneuver.

Dr. Khaled Abdel-Halim el-Sayouty, under the authority and direction of the Ministry of Religious Endowment and the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Egypt, authored a book entitled, "Baha'ism - its Beliefs and Colonial Goals", and includes statements clearly calling for the killing of Baha'is, and was sold for a bargain price of one Egyptian Pound. It was dated June 2006 and consisted of 104 pages.

On 24 July 2006, an interview with some Baha'is was published in "Sowt el-Omma" (Voice of the Nation) newspaper regarding the fact that they were terrorized by the publication of that book, which had sanctioned and called for the spilling of Baha'i blood in the name of Islam. The Baha'is who were interviewed had defended themselves, as was noted in this previous post.

As reported in the same newspaper on 25 September 2006, Khaled el-Sayouty, the author of the book, has recently hired an attorney and filed a complaint with Egypt's Attorney General alleging that he was defamed and that his reputation with the country's National Security Agency and the Presidency of the Republic has been damaged as he was presumed to promote hatred and terrorism.

He goes further to deny the exact words that he had already published in his book! Unfortunately for him the book has been released back in June and sold at news-stands and bookstores across the country.

On page 99 of his book, the author states following (translated):

"al-Azhar urges those in authority in the Arab Republic of Egypt to stand firm against this wrongful congregation which is against the Faith of God and the public order of this society. The judgement of God must be executed against it, the law it deserves must be enforced and must be interred with the dust [dirt] heaped over it together with its teachings. This is protection for all citizens from its apostasy, and its beliefs that are deviant from God's straight path. Those who have committed crimes against the truth [rights] of Islam and their nation, must disappear from life so they will not dare estrange themselves from Islam."

Thanks to Ghanim (one of the commentators) who translated page 98 as shown below, which is what the author of the book had stated about the Baha'i Faith in the page preceding the one quoted above:

"[For] this Baha'i 'sect' and its likes of other deadly plagues of thought, the government should recruit all the powers it can muster, in order to stand against it and destroy it. That is because protecting the Islamic faith should rank no less [in its importance] than protecting the bodily ailments (physical sicknesses) that the government so promptly and readily rushes to remedy. Rather, protecting the faith is more important because in faith that is [still] healthy, lies purity of life, and the worship of God. If a nation loses its Faith, it loses its very identity and is overcome by its enemies. Egypt must remember that now and always it has protected Islam and the land of the Muslims since the time it [Egypt] entered the faith of Islam, and it had in the past recaptured Jerusalem and liberated Palestine in the name of Islam, and let us remember that Egypt fought in Ramadan of 1393H – October 1973 under the call of Islam "Allah'u'Akbar" and with this Call and under its banner, it prevailed, and it has to [now] cleanse and purify its land from this 'filth' and throw out this malady so that its affairs come to [the] right order, and so that it remains in the name of Islam, a leader and a rising nation."

He also states in his complaint that, as a university professor with responsibilities towards his faculty and students, he has been studying the Baha'i Faith along with other religions so that he can expose them.

One cannot but dare to wonder that if he has been truly, independently and objectively studying the Baha'i Faith, he would have adopted the Baha'i Faith by now.... History tells us that several others under very similar, and even worse, circumstances have done so!