One of those who falsely claim to be the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith; Mr. Enayat Sarvestani Yazdani, by writing an article with the opening: “To the Believers in Baha’u’llah in the East and the West all to note” proved his falsehood. While deceptively calling himself “the present Guardian” he has written:
“…the present Guardian of the Bahá’i Faith announces that the elective members of the authentic Universal House of Justice will include women, and the elective members will not be limited to persons having male sex organs.”
It seems that he does not know that even true and real Guardians of the Baha’i Faith cannot change the Low of God, a real Guardian knows that Abdu’l Baha clearly has stated:
"Know thou, O handmaid, that in the sight of Bahá, women are accounted the same as men, and God hath created all humankind in His own image, and after His own likeness. That is, men and women alike are the revealers of His names and attributes, and from the spiritual viewpoint there is no difference between them. Whosoever draweth nearer to God, that one is the most favoured, whether man or woman. How many a handmaid, ardent and devoted, hath, within the sheltering shade of Bahá, proved superior to the men, and surpassed the famous of the earth.
The House of Justice, however, according to the explicit text of the Law of God, is confined to men; this for a wisdom of the Lord God's, which will erelong be made manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon."
(Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 79-80)
Shoghi Effendi explained:
“As regards the membership of the International House of Justice, Abdu’l-Baha states in a Tablet that it is confined to men, and that the wisdom of it will be revealed as manifest as the sun in the future. In any case the believers should know that, as Abdu’l-Baha Himself has explicitly stated that sexes are equal except in some cases, the exclusion of women from the International House of Justice, should not be surprising. From the fact that there is no equality of functions between the sexes one should not, however, infer that either sex is inherently superior or inferior to the other, or that they are unequal in their rights.”
(Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p.86)
Also, Mr. Yazdani has written:
“Shoghi Effendi appointed several women to be members of the potential Universal House.”
“To deny the membership of women in the future Universal House of justice is pure injustice to half the world’s population and a source of contention among the people of planet earth.’’
It seems that Mr. Yazdani does not know that regarding women being in the International Baha’i Council (the embryonic Universal House of Justice) and their exclusion from the Universal House of Justice, the first Guardian of the Cause of God Shoghi Effendi has explained:
"As regards your question concerning the membership of the Universal House of Justice, there is a Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Baha in which He definitely states that the membership of the Universal House is confined to men and that the wisdom of it will be fully revealed in the future. In the local, as well as the National Houses of Justice, however, women have the full right of membership. It is therefore, only to the International House that they cannot be elected. The Baha’is should accept this statement of the Master in a spirit of deep faith, confident that there is a divine guidance and wisdom behind it, which will be gradually unfolded to the eyes of the world."
"Regarding your question, the Master said the wisdom of having no women on the International House of Justice, would become manifest in the future. We have no other indication than this.
"At present there are women on the International Council, and this will continue as long as it exists, but when the International House of Justice is elected, there will only be men on it, as this is the law of the Aqdas."
(Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 79)
Mr. Yazdani has written:
“How can a person convince women such German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former United Kingdom prime minister Margaret Thatcher and many other distinguished women in science and technology, management, arts and social sciences, the military, and other fields of human activities that they should be denied membership in the future Universal House of Justice?”
This raises the question that why anyone would want to convince those women “that they should be denied membership in the future Universal House of Justice?” Are they in queue waiting and wanting to become a member? Are they like Yazdani wanting to claim a position that does not suit and belong to them?
Then he has added:
If Tahirih, one of the Letters of Living, was alive today, could anyone suggest or deny such a distinguished woman membership in the Universal House of Justice?”
Mr. Yazdani has imitated the question which raised by Ms. Mehrangiz Kar a women’s rights activist in 2015 which she said:
“Suppose that Taahereh were to miraculously return to life, and came to the same meeting [in Badasht], and put her name forward for membership of the House of Justice, the highest decision-making body for Bahais. Given the ruling of the new religion, that women are excluded from the principle centre of authority in the Bahai Faith simply by virtue of their sex, could Taahereh, with all her courage, passion, wisdom and knowledge, enter the House of Justice?”
Usually, non-Baha’is like Ms. Kar do not know that in the Baha’i Faith nobody can put her/his name forward for the membership of the House of Justice, even those who call themselves a Baha’i and follow the bogus UHJ know it.
Mr. Yazdani does not know that the rank and level of Tahirih one of the letters of living and one of the Twenty-Four elders is above and higher than elective members of the Universal House of Justice.
The current true Guardian of the Baha’i Faith Nosrat’u’llah Bahremand made it clear in his message of November 2, 2015:
“I feel the time is come, by virtue of my responsibilities as the Guardian of the Cause of God, to clarify the issue of the membership of the Universal House of Justice and women rights.
Equality of men and women concerns rights and privileges, not physical abilities and duties. Almighty God has created human beings, male and female; divided the duties related to survival and procreation and assigned each with different abilities and functions to complete each other. Men were created masculine, with stronger body to be able to go hunting and bring food to the family, carry things, do the heavy liftings, face danger and fight with aggressors in the old times. Women were created feminine, with delicate body, sensitive and naturally maternity and motherhood are the closest issues to their hearts. They bear the baby inside their body for nine months, suffer the pain of delivery and have to nurse the baby and care for the child. While as the result of inventions and advancement of science and technology in the developed societies, muscle power is not needed as much as before, women however still must bear the burden of birth and maternity.
Rights are entitlements to perform or not to perform certain actions, to possess certain states or not to be in certain states; or prerogatives that others perform or not perform certain actions.
While voting for the election of the Houses of Justice at all three levels is the legitimate right of every mature Bahá’í men and women, membership of the Houses of Justice at all three levels is not a right either for men or for women.
In the Bahá’í Faith no one is allowed to nominate her/himself and stand for the election of the Houses of Justice whether local, national or international.”
I hope that Mr. E. S. Yazdani understand this blatant and clear enlightenment and find the way to the true Bahá’í Faith.
He should recognize his clear misinterpretation as a God-given opportunity to disregard and to give up his false claim.
Hand of the Cause, Ali Sabeti
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