Attempts By The Baha’is And Their Supporters For the Recognition of Baha’ism:

In March 1948, British and Zionist circles and their allies in a bid to support the activities of the Baha’is, recognized the Baha’i movement as a peace-loving movement and called for its recognition by the world body as a non-state organization like the UNESCO. A year earlier, in the spring of 1947, the national Baha’i circle in America and Canada was accepted as a non-state national organization at the general information office of the United Nations and granted an observer status. However, a year after eight other national circles were collectively recognized as the international Baha’i society. In 1970, the economic and social council of the United Nations granted a consultative status to the society and on March 8, 1976 it was officially recognized by the UNICEF. In 1972, Baha’is residing in Egypt filed a protest against the decision of the country’s high court taken in 1960 which deprived them of all their activities. In their appeal to the state council, the Baha’is claimed that the verdict was illegal since Egypt‘s constitution guaranteed freedom of expression for all. The case was handed over to the supreme court which declared that the rulings of the court for the dissolution of all Baha’i circles and societies had not been against the constitution and put forward three reasons, backing its declaration.

1 . Guarantees stipulated in the constitution on
freedom of religious observances embody only the three
recognized religions.

2 . Performance of religious rites are controlled and
confined to the limits which would not disturb public
order or harm moral values governing the society. Since
Baha’i rites disturb public order in Egypt which is a
purely Muslim state, therefore the constitution
guarantees no support for Baha’ism.

3 . According to legal principles, all Baha’i societies
and circles are brought within the framework of the
Elections Act which is governed by the Ministry of
Social Affairs. The constitution prohibits formation of such societies whose activities are against the principles of the Egyptian society. According to the rulings of the Supreme Court, Baha’ism is outside the pale of a doctrine or a religious ideology and is, therefore, a political group which is regarded as the enemy of the Arab people. However, the Baha’is are still making efforts in European and American countries to gain official recognition either as a religious group or as a trade company.

Former UN leader Kurt Waldheim

On August 6, 1976, the then Secretary General of the United Nations, Kurt Waldheim sent a message through the U.N. envoy in Paris to the Baha’i conference there in support of the faith. The reason behind such a support is apparently either Waldheim’s lack of familiarity with the fabricated creeds or his collaboration with colonial powers.

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