Baha\'i Administration in Egypt. From early days till the rise of Sisi

The founder of Baha\'i cult, Mr. Hussein Ali Nouri AKA Baha\'u\'llah, passed from Egypt in 1868 when he was being taken for imprisonment to `Akká for his illegal and criminal activities in Iran, Iraq and Turkey. It was in 1896 when some of the Egyptians were converted to Mr. Nouri\'s cult deceptively. During those days not much literature was available except there were some Persian Baha\'is converting innocent people through \"Tact and Wisdom\". During the same years Local and National Spiritual Assemblies were formed for them. Read the below quoted text from Baha\'i World - Vol. VII, that puts a light on how the Baha\'is were perhaps considered as a sect of Islam until 1937 when suddenly by the order of Shoghi Effendi they felt that \"the last link binding them to the old order has been broken\".

In June 1956 public referendum approved Jamal Abdel Nasser as the president of Egypt and also the new constitution was approved. In 1960 all Bahá\'í activities were banned by Decree 263 by the orders of President Jamal Abdel Nasser - the great leader of Egypt. However, in 1963, there were still seven organized communities in Egypt. Some agencies give a number of roughly 2000 to 7000 Bahá\'ís in Egypt.

They gained good popularity through various media stunts, one such was the Egyptian identification card case. Another was celebration of Nawruz (Baha\'i Holy Day) at a Public Garden with combined males and females, singing, dancing and involving in some indecent acts that the Islamic culture of Egypt disapprove of. I think it was the same year when they gained enough publicity due to their Ruhi Curriculum and Children Classes that are designed to convert innocent people. The Egyptian Muslims sent their children to these classes thinking that these are some good classes and meant for Spiritual and Moral upliftment of their children. When they came to know of the reality they asked the Baha\'is to stop their activities completely. Some of them asked them to go to Israel and teach the Jewish children. The Baha\'is continued their activities and did not paid attention to the worsening situation. Ultimately it gave rise to violence and hatred. The Muslims asked the \"Covenant Breakers\" (Baha\'is) to leave the town immediately.

THE BAHA\'I FAITH IN EGYPT 

1936-1938

EGYPT today ranks among Eastern nations as a center of modern civilization. Her cultured classes, aware of modern trends, are furthering her social progress along international lines. She demonstrates a new spirit of tolerance, greatly needed in a part of the world where religious fanaticism has not yet been relegated to the past. 

Following the historic pronouncement in 1925 of the Muslim courts, which declared the total independence from Islam of the Baha\'i Faith, the Baha\'i Cause has spread widely throughout the country, and not only the principles but also the laws of Baha\'u\'llah have been firmly established. Today even matters of personal status, including marriage, divorce, alimony and the like, are subject in Egyptian Baha\'i communities to the decision of the Spiritual Assembly, functioning on the basis of the laws of the \"Kitab-i-Aqdas.\" 

\"Baha\'is,\" declares a recently issued statement of our National Spiritual Assembly which is illustrative of the highly developed state of Baha\'i Administration in Egypt, \"according to the instructions of the beloved Guardian may under no circumstances refer cases to Muslim religious courts. Civil cases, however, may be referred to the courts involved, although the National Assembly prefers to have them considered by our own bodies. Cases involving Baha\'is and non-Baha\'is may be referred to Baha\'i Assemblies providing both parties agree in writing to accept Baha\'i arbitration. As regards criminal cases, all Baha\'is are subject to the laws of the country.\" 

Thanks to the valuable gift of an acre of cultivated land, presented to the National Spiritual Assembly by Sharubim Effendi \'Ubayd of Cairo and legally transferred to that body, the National Spiritual Assembly is entitled to all civil rights authorized by law. In order to give the Declaration of Trust permanent legal force, the amendments which were adopted subsequent to 1935, as well as a document empowering the above-mentioned donor to the usufruct of the land for a period of five years, are being legalized. However, the final official recognition of the Baha\'i community by the Government is still pending, and at this writing we await the reply of His Excellency the Prime Minister to a renewed petition, duly approved by the Guardian, regarding this. 

Current opposition to us is chiefly exercised by Muslims on religious grounds. Not long ago, when Malakat Khanum, beloved daughter of Mahmud Effendi Nochougati, passed away in Port Said on September 17, 1937, an event followed which exemplifies the current situation. At the request of Mahmud Effendi, the Local Spiritual Assembly resolved for the first time to conduct the funeral ceremonies entirely according to Baha\'i rites. Non-Baha\'i relatives of the deceased threatened that unless Muslim rites were observed, they would cause an uproar in Port Said and would take away the body by force. The Baha\'is proving inflexible, the relatives then begged that the funeral procession should at least stop at the Mosque for prayers; again the Baha\'is, realizing the implication of this, refused, and communicated with the Chief of Police, who provided them with an armed guard. Draped with a rose-colored cloth and covered with flowers, the coffin was borne through the streets of the city; musicians preceded the casket, school girls dressed in white and carrying red roses accompanied it, and the local Baha\'i community and their friends followed. The streets were thronged with those who had come to watch the Baha\'i cortege. Baha\'i tablets were chanted at the grave, and later a great number of Muslims, Christians and Jews came to the Baha\'i Center to offer condolences and listen to Baha\'i prayers. The friends felt that the last link binding them to the old order had now been broken. 

As present conditions are not favorable to an extended teaching campaign, Baha\'is are being urged by their Assemblies to redouble their individual efforts along this line. Meetings, Feasts, studies planned by the Annual Conventions, are a continuous inspiration, and the number of declared believers is always on the increase. Our teaching activities will be greatly confirmed by the construction of the Haziratu\'l-Quds in Cairo, a project encouraged by repeated donations from the Guardian and soon to be carried out. The visit of our beloved friend, Mr. F. Schopflocher of America, during the winter of 1937, also resulted in important teaching work; his speech at the Y.M.C.A. in Alexandria was published in the \"Egyptian Gazette,\" and another article appeared in \"La Bourse fegyptienne,\" which also published an article by our friend Mme. Gharzuzi. 

At the suggestion of the Guardian, this National Assembly requested \'Abdu\'l-Hamid Effendi Ibrahim, an Alexandria believer and one of those three Baha\'is who served the Cause in Ethiopia, to proceed to the Sudan and establish a permanent residence there. He reached Khartum, the capital, in May, 1937, and opened a tailor shop. His latest report gives us full details of the manners, customs and beliefs of the Sudan, and he assures us that through the confirmations of Baha\'u\'llah he will be able to establish the Faith in that land. In October, 1936, Dr. M. alih, present chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Alexandria, visited the Baha\'is of Tunis in compliance with the Guardian\'s request. The friends there made use of the occasion to study the Baha\'i Administrative Order, and were supplied by this National Assembly with copies of our Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, also of Baha\'i Laws on matters of Personal Status. Dr. Silih hopes to visit Tunis again in 1938.

The Baha\'is are trying hard to gain recognition in Egypt. As usual they receive full support from the imperialist countries, the so called world powers.

Shoghi Effendi has given clear instructions to Baha\'i leaders to take full benefit from the Turmoils and Political upheavals in the countries. With the recent changes in political atmosphere they became very active in Egypt and from a \"Core Group\" (A group like Yaran of Iran) they formed a \"fully functional NSA\" in Egypt. This new NSA is now going to create more disturbances in Egypt by its so called 4 core activities. This cult is now going to create more problems for a country that is already suffering. The government agencies and the people of Egypt should be careful of this cult, otherwise they are going to end up in the hands of their enemies.

Three members of the then \"Egyptian Core Group\" visited India.
From Left to Right are Shady Samir, Wafaa Hendy, Basma Gamal Moussa

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