Friday, April 10, 2009

Unprecedented Flood of Egyptian Press Articles Supporting the Baha'is

Between 2 April and 9 April 2009 there were 81 Egyptian newspaper articles (all in Arabic) expressing outrage at the arson attack on Baha'i homes in the southern village of Showraniyah.

Egypt has never seen before the likes of this wholehearted support in its mainstream media for such a cause. It reflects the indignation felt by the multitudes of Egyptians who were labeled, at some point in the past, "the silent majority." This reaction is only natural, only because Egyptians by nature abhor flagrant manifestations of injustice.

The Showraniyah incident has clearly penetrated and stirred-up the very core of their sense of justice regardless of who the oppressed were, and even though these wronged ones were looked upon by the uninformed as alien to their traditional beliefs. Based on a very long and complex history, Egyptians know very well how such incidents can easily lead to disruption of the integrity of the very fabric of their society.

More recently, Egypt's government-sponsored National Council for Human Rights has also expressed its dismay at these inhumane violations of the rights of the Baha'is.

The time might be right for Egypt to finally acknowledge that its Baha'i population is a community of citizens who--inspired by their Faith--are dedicated to serve their country and its people and are committed to processes that promote a better world; and that rather than merely expressing the pursuit of their citizenship rights, their aim is to bring the water of life to humanity.

4 comments:

  1. Well put.
    And well-spoken on behalf of the people of Egypt who deserve to be seen in the West as people of good will and lovers of justice.

    We in Hawaii have a very special friend of Egyptian heritage that is making a huge impact on the quality of lives everywhere.

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  2. Excellent news. Let justice rain down like waters and righteous like a mighty stream. Reactionary forces can no longer hold back to tide of human decency which is rising everywhere in the defense of the Baha'is.

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  3. Thank you both for your wise comments.

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  4. To the journalist Gamal Abdel-Rahim:

    Every time people attack the Bahai Faith, the result is a victory for Bahai's.
    We know that Bahai's can not teach their religion freely, but people like Gamal Abdel-Rahim
    who like to destroy the Faith are drawn by God to act this way in order for the Faith to get known more and more in Egypt.
    The Quran says:

    وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم
    مِّنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ (7:182)

    7:182(Al-Araf) "And those who deny Our revelations--step by step We lead them on from whence they know not."

    Peace be upon the faithful

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