Moojan Momen is a prominent Baha’i author
Missionary endeavor on the part of Middle Eastern and Western Baha is had to the establishment of Baha’i communities in several parts of the non-Muslim Third World, initially among the Western-oriented urban minority. Conversions of lager numbers began in a few isolated areas in the 1950s and spread during the 1960s to most parts of the Third World .The results were dramatic. As Baha’i teachers learned to adapt their message and missionary techniques to the situation of the unschooled masses of Third World peasants and urban workers ,they completely transformed their religion s social base .Now ,the great majority of Baha is in the world are drawn the popular classes of the non-Islamic Third World .Even in the well-established Baha I communities of North America ,recent infusions of minority group members(Blacks and Amerindians) has led to a significant change in the social base of the membership … By the late 1960s ,a great increase in the number of Baha is has occurred, Conversions of large numbers of tribal or peasant peoples in various parts of the Third had begun various parts of the Third World had began . . . Most of the flood of new Baha is were poorly educated ,and many lived in rural and tribal areas with which effective communication was difficult to sustain.
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