US Baha’i authorities accused of pimping and child trafficking

Hi all,

…I’m a “white” woman in her 60’s who joined the bahai organization in the 70’s. I was attracted to the principals, especially the oneness of humanity. I was married to a Native American in ND with four children. In the years following I remained a steadfast bahai until recent years when I noticed the organization becoming more and more “top heavy”, with the leadership not listening to rank and file bahais, only sending directives from the top down. And while many of the directives quoted the bahai writings, in actuality the activities seemed to not reflect what a deepened bahai could believe. In my opinion Ruhi was created as top-down extracts from bahai writings with the goal of bringing in troops of people to brainwash, creating McBahais. An individual being deepened in the bahai writings seemingly became a liability to the leadership who more and more were manufactured from the Ruhi factory.

In my SP community the Ruhi system became the only method of teaching and learning in the “faith”. Ultimately Ruhi created a serious danger to the children and youth in our community. My 10 year old granddaughter was sexually assaulted at a “devotional”. When I found out a year later and reported it to the LSA the rumors and harassment began towards us. A teen girl in the community was involved with pimps and using bahai activities to groom and recruit young girls for trafficking purposes. Of course I didn’t know this at the time, but saw many “red flags”. The leadership would not listen to my efforts to keep this girl away from my granddaughter who was four years younger than this girl, but constantly undermined me, putting this girl in leadership positions and trying to involve my granddaughter and other children.

Though we had become totally inactive by 2009, ultimately through the efforts of a meddling LSA member my granddaughter ended up going to a Naw Ruz party in 2010 where the girl was. From there she ended up with this girl’s pimp. I’ve never been to or allowed my granddaughter to attend another bahai activity. After I wrote a long detailed letter to the NSA, they turned my daughters against me using them and others to slander me and my granddaughter in the most horrible ways. The letter I received back from the NSA after over six months didn’t even address my valid concerns. Instead they accused me of lying, blamed me and me only for my granddaughter being trafficked. They said both my daughters had met with the local LSA, accusing me of horrible abuse to all my children. They said they were considering removing my administrative rights because of “lies” that had “brought shame on the faith! ”

Meanwhile during this time my email and facebook accounts were hacked, and soon many of my friends and acquaintances were receiving horrible slander against me and my granddaughter. My daughters, who had not spoken to me since 2009, were involved, and some local members were too. Much of this was going on before I wrote the letter, but it increased dramatically after they received the letter. I’m an illustrator and artist and it almost killed my business. I’m not mentally ill (as they say about me), and I haven’t done the things they said I did. It’s just slander. But I realize that what was done to me has been done to many other bahais. They are too good at it. They get you to give them all the info you have that would make them liable, then they figure out how to destroy you and your entire life by using your bahai family members and everyone you know. I don’t believe it’s a faith, but an evil organization that uses religion as a front to gain power.

If that’s the definition of a cult, then I believe they are a cult. I don’t want to post any of this online, but that’s my story, greatly edited. I’m in the process of finding an attorney to send a letter to the NSA along with my card and my granddaughter’s card, which was sent without either of us requesting it. No longer will they use us as “stats”.

…I am very protective of my granddaughter, who is in her teens now and has been through more than any child should ever have to go through, including being both shunned and harassed by family members who have, along with the bahais here, IDed her as a “bad girl”, because she was trafficked and had a baby at age 13 (I’m also raising this baby). This horror began in the bahai Ruhi factory of deepenings, devotionals, and children’s classes where children were recruited by this girl who was promoted by the bahai leadership. When I first contacted national in 2010, I first spoke with Marie Sheffer, who told me that there was incest and trafficking in most US bahai communities, and convinced me how important it was to write a detailed letter so that the NSA could act and protect other children. She was warm and understanding and did convince me, and gave me guidelines. But soon after I began writing the letter she was moved from her position to “working with assemblies”. I still finished the letter after she called me when I stalled and convinced me to persevere. I summed up what happened to my granddaughter and me after that. I consider the knowing betrayal by Marie S almost as bad as the betrayal of my daughters. But that’s how they roll. They plot!  They get what they want then set about destroying you in the most horrific way possible. If you have family in the organization for them to manipulate, all the better!

…My original reason for writing to the NSA was for the protection of children, and I really don’t think they’re any safer now. The NSA is too busy covering up to worry about the children. The letter back from the NSA wasn’t signed by an individual, but I believe the author was Ken Bowers, the secretary at the time. He has a reputation for arrogance and ruthlessness even from stanch supporters, so he is good at his job, which is corporate. I also know deep in my heart that the only way to “blow the whistle” is outside this organization. They have too much to lose by truely cleaning up.