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Letter of 14 August 1957
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Dear Bahá'í Brother:
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Your Assembly's communications with their enclosures
and material sent under separate cover have all arrived
safely, and the beloved Guardian has instructed me to
answer you on his behalf, and to acknowledge receipt of the
letters dated as follows: June 14, August 8 and 28,
September 2, October 27, November 19 and 22 and
December 4 and 26, 1956; and January 1 and 15, February
4, March 1, 2 and 9, April 2, 16 and 25, June 14, 19 (two)
and July 3, 8 and 19.
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As a number of questions raised in your letters have been
answered by cable, or through the Secretary, I will not go
into them again here.
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He thanks your Assembly for the trouble you took in
sending him the samples of tiles in connection with the
Archives floor. A rubber tile has now been ordered from
England, which he considers will be satisfactory.
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As a member of your National Assembly has so recently
visited Haifa, namely, dear Mrs. Anna Grossmann, and
many of the points concerning the Temple land were
discussed with her, she has no doubt by now conveyed to
you the Guardian's views.
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He feels that the German National Assembly must be
extremely practical in handling this matter and expedite the
purchase of a site for the Temple as soon as possible, and
without strings attached, such as the necessity to build a
road at our expense, or to raise loans from other National
Bodies, which is extremely impracticable and very unwise.
The German friends have money for their land and the
beginning of their Temple on hand, and should conserve
this money for the purpose stipulated, and neither ask other
National Bodies for loans, nor become involved with
municipal or state authorities, who want to get as much out
of the Bahá'ís as possible, while, at the same time, it would
seem, giving them as little help as possible.
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He also discussed with Mrs. Grossmann certain matters
she brought up as regards the Temple design and size. She
has no doubt reported his views to your Assembly.
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He was shocked and indignant to hear of the conduct of
certain of the Persian Bahá'í students in Germany which had
been so criminal as to lead to their imprisonment. He feels
that your Assembly must keep before its eyes the balance
specified by Bahá'u'lláh, Himself, in other words, justice,
reward and retribution. Although the Cause is still young
and tender, and many of the believers inexperienced, and
therefore loving forbearance is often called for in the place
of harsh measures, this does not mean that a National
Spiritual Assembly can under any circumstances tolerate
disgraceful conduct, flagrantly contrary to our Teachings,
on the part of any of its members, whoever they may be and
from wherever they may come. You should vigilantly watch
over and protect the interests of the Bahá'í Community, and
the moment you see that any of the Persian residents in
Germany, or, for that matter, German Bahá'ís themselves,
are acting in a way to bring disgrace upon the name of the
Faith, warn them, and, if necessary, deprive them
immediately of their voting rights if they refuse to change
their ways. Only in this way can the purity of the Faith be
preserved. Compromise and weak measures will obscure
the vision of its followers, sap its strength, lower it in the
eyes of the public and prevent it from making any progress.
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The National Assembly is the guardian of the welfare of
the Faith, a most sacred and heavy responsibility and one
which is inescapable. They must be ever vigilant, ever on the
lookout, ever ready to take action, and, on all matters of
fundamental principle, refuse to compromise for an instant.
Only in this way can the body of the Faith be free of disease.
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He feels that you should investigate the situation in ...,
find out who is and who is not a Bahá'í, and insist that its
affairs be conducted in a Bahá'í manner by registered
Bahá'ís, and that those who have not yet gotten credentials
from Persia should be placed in a different category,
entirely, from those who are registered by your Assembly as
voting members, and accepted as believers. The Persian
Bahá'ís in many cases, who have either gone to Germany to
study or to assist in the work of the Faith with a pure
motive, have rendered the German Community inestimable
services, and everyone should be duly grateful to them for
both their spirit and their example. However, we should not
confuse the true believers with those who are not quickened
with the spirit of faith, have some ulterior motive, or are
indifferent to the reputation they have personally, and the
damage they may do the Cause in the eyes of the public.
There is all the difference in the world between these two
categories, and your Assembly must be ever watchful and
ready to take action when necessary.
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It is not a normal condition for one-quarter of a
community to be composed of a foreign, and therefore
floating, element. In spite of the fact that in such countries
as England and Germany, in particular, the Persian friends
have been of great help in maintaining, and indeed in
establishing, new Assemblies and Centres, the National
Body must bear in mind that this is not a normal state of
affairs. It is the German people in Germany, and the English
people in England, who must be the back-bone and the vast
majority of the Community. Otherwise, if for some reason
the foreign element returns to its home or is forced to leave
the country, the Communities dependent on it disintegrate
for lack of numbers.
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Every effort should be made to encourage the German
Bahá'ís, who are so numerous in some of the cities in
Germany, particularly in Stuttgart, to go out and take part
in the establishment of new Spiritual Assemblies in their
own country. This is both their duty and their privilege. The
Guardian has pointed out, over and over again, that it is
sufficient for fifteen active believers to remain in any one
city, even such cities as New York, Chicago and San
Francisco. This also applies to Germany, and the Bahá'ís
should be encouraged to pioneer on their Home Front, and
establish new Spiritual Assemblies, new Groups and new
isolated centres. In this way the affairs of the Faith will
attract the blessings of Bahá'u'lláh and the believers will be
rewarded by Him for doing their duty and accepting the
challenge of the present hour. If and when another upheaval
takes place in Europe, it will be the big cities that are the
danger points. Why then do the Bahá'ís cling to them so
tenaciously, when they would be much safer, and serving
the interests of the Faith, if they moved away to smaller
places?
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He does not want the friends to be fearful, or to dwell
upon the unpleasant possibilities of the future. They must
have the attitude that, if they do their part, which is to
accomplish the goals of the Ten Year Plan, they can be sure
that God will do His part and watch over them....
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He has been very happy over the formation of the first
historic Spiritual Assembly in Athens, an achievement made
possible this year through the direct efforts of German
pioneers. He greatly appreciates their spirit, and he hopes
that, in spite of the departure of some of the American
pioneers, the Community will grow in numbers, and the
Assembly be preserved next April. Your Assembly should
devote particular attention to this matter.
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He hopes also that reinforcements can be sent to Crete, as
well as to Frisian Islands, where the first results of the
devoted labours of the pioneer are beginning to be shown
through the enrollment of some natives of those islands....
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He has also been greatly encouraged to see the progress
made in Austria during the past year. The formation of four
Assemblies marks a tremendous step forward in the work in
that country, which has too long lagged behind the progress
made in Germany. At last, Austria is beginning to bear fruit,
and he hopes, through the activities of the Austrian believers
and the pioneers who have rallied to their support, as well
as through the wise guidance of your Assembly, that the
centres will be increased very rapidly and the Spiritual
Assemblies multiplied to such a point that he can fix a date
for Austria to have her independent National Body. The
achievement of this goal rests entirely upon the teaching
work and is dependent on the creation of more Assemblies.
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He was glad to see that there is great need in Germany for
more publications, for more of the literature to be made
available in German. Naturally these things are dependent
on financial means. However, he was happy to know that a
News Letter had been consistently published in Frankfurt,
and had been of help to the friends, especially in connection
with their Nineteen Day Feasts. Such activities should be
stimulated and encouraged by your Assembly. The Bahá'ís
are widely spread over the whole country, many of them far
from well-to-do, and, however humble the instrument that
reaches them, it nevertheless fulfils a great purpose in
stimulating and encouraging them. Travelling teachers
should be sent out more regularly to visit the different
centres, as the two Hands of the Cause in Germany are so
overburdened as to make it impossible for them to travel as
much as they would like to or should do in the interests of
the Faith. Therefore your Assembly should encourage
itinerant teachers or teaching trips by any of the friends who
are able to offer a certain amount of time to such activities.
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He has also been very pleased during the past year to see
from the press clipping book he received, how much
publicity the Faith has received free of charge, not only in
the press but generally in some of Germany's best-known
newspapers. Were it not for the violent opposition met with
in connection with the purchase of the Temple land, this
would not have been possible, and the friends can clearly see
that our activities, when we carry them on persistently and
energetically, arouse opposition, which has an extremely
salutary effect. In fact, some of the reports in the German
newspapers about the opposition the Bahá'ís were meeting
with in connection with their Temple site were published in
leading French newspapers. The friends should be very
encouraged by these evidences of the rising fame of the
Faith. They should welcome opposition, and stand firm on
all questions of principle. By doing so, they will attract new
people to the Faith and encourage the skeptical to embrace
our Teachings.
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He appreciated receiving the photo of the new N.S.A.
and hopes it will accomplish great things during the coming
months.
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It is not necessary for anyone who wishes to make the
pilgrimage to Haifa to ask through your Assembly; they
may ask the Guardian direct. The reason this was done in
Persia is because the number of the friends is so great that
the work involved is too much of a demand on the
Guardian's time, and so is handled by the Persian N.S.A.
who refer long lists of names to him.
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He feels sure the passing of dear Mrs. Reyhani is not
without significance and that her devotion, and that of her
family, will be the instrument for attracting many hearts to
our beloved Faith.
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The Guardian assures you one and all of his most loving
prayers for the success of your work and that you may be
given the strength to carry out burden of responsibility for
the prosecution of the Ten Year Plan in your area....
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[From the Guardian:]
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Dear and valued co-workers:
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The year that has just elapsed, though not one in which
the fond hopes entertained for the German Bahá'í
Community have been entirely fulfilled, has, none the less,
witnessed certain achievements in both the administrative
and teaching fields, for which we can feel truly grateful.
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There can be no doubt that the problems, obstacles and
challenges which have faced the well-tried, long suffering,
swiftly maturing community have been formidable, and in
some instances, such as to daunt their spirit and discourage
their efforts.
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The continued and most lamentable division of the
German nation, setting up an almost insurmountable
barrier between the vast majority of the German followers
of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and their isolated brethren in the
eastern territories of their country; ... the prolonged
existence of ideological and political barriers impeding
contact between the believers residing in the western Zone
of Germany and the inhabitants of the territories lying
beyond the Iron Curtain and particularly the Baltic States,
Moldavia, White Russia, Albania and Rumania, assigned to
them according to the provisions of the Ten-Year Plan; the
intense conservatism and religious orthodoxy of the people
inhabiting the Frisian Islands, Crete and Greece,
constituting yet another barrier and raising yet another
obstacle in the path of the pioneers who have consecrated
themselves to the task of implanting the banner of the Faith
in those islands in that historic land, in pursuance of the
objectives of the World Spiritual Crusade; the limitations
placed upon them by their restricted numbers and modest
resources; the temptations and distractions to which a swift
return to material prosperity continually and increasingly
exposes them--these, no doubt, militate against the speedy
and effectual accomplishment of their manifold and sacred
tasks.
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No need, however, to dwell on the trials, problems and
the inherent difficulties with which the community of the
followers of Bahá'u'lláh and, to a lesser extent, their sister
community in Austria, are beset during these critical years
in the unfoldment of the Ten-Year Plan.
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However severe their trials, and disheartening the present
situation may appear, they must remember that the Faith to
which they owe allegiance has weathered, not so very long
ago, storms of a far greater severity that seemed, at times,
capable of engulfing and of obliterating its nascent
institutions. The newly planted sapling of a divinely
conceived administrative order, having driven deep its roots
in German soil, bent momentarily under the hurricane
which so violently swept over it, and no sooner had the
tempest spent its force than it righted itself, and, growing
with a fresh vigour, put forth branches and offshoots that
now overshadow the entire land, and even stretch out as far
as the heart of Austria.
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The experience of so miraculous a recovery from so
devastating an ordeal should, alone, prove sufficient to
infuse an invigorating spirit into those who have been
subjected to it, as well as into the new generation who are
still close enough to those events to appreciate its extreme
violence, such as will not only enable them to withstand
onslaughts of still greater severity, but impel them, both
young and old, men and women alike, to struggle, with
redoubled vigour and deeper consecration, to meet the
pressing and the manifold requirements of the present hour.
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To answer decisively the charges levelled against them,
and the Faith which they represent, by their adversaries and
critics, they can do no better than to determine--nay to
ensure--that their numerical strength will rapidly increase
throughout the length and breadth of their homeland; that
the isolated centres, groups and local assemblies will
multiply to an unprecedented degree; that every firmly
grounded local spiritual assembly is duly incorporated;
that the Bahá'í Marriage Certificate and the Bahá'í Holy
Days are recognized by the Civil authorities; that the
literature of the Faith in German, Russian and those
languages spoken in the Baltic States, is not only translated
to an unprecedented extent, but broadcast far and wide;
and, above all that their zeal, whatever betide them, will
remain unquenchable, their spirit indomitable, their loyalty
inflexible, their determination to succeed unshakable.
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Whilst efforts in this direction are being strenuously
exerted by the rank and file of the faithful, a no less
energetic action must be taken to ensure that the pioneers in
the newly opened virgin territories, in the North as well as
in the South will continue to receive adequate guidance and
assistance, which will enable them to establish new centres
and reinforce the foundation which they have so patiently
and devotedly laid. The institution of the National Fund, so
indispensable to the vigorous functioning of the multiplying
institutions of the Faith, must be generously and
systematically supported by the rank and file of the
believers, however great the financial sacrifice involved, it is
through such sacrifice that these institutions can exert their
maximum spiritual influence, and contribute their full share
to the expansion and consolidation of the Faith. To their
brethren in the Eastern Zone, so gravely handicapped by the
unfortunate disabilities which they have, so long and so
patiently suffered, consistent support, in whatever way
possible, should be extended, and every avenue should be
explored to ensure that the flame burning in those valiant
hearts, so heavily burdened by cares and anxieties, will not
be extinguished. The no less vital obligation to introduce,
however tentatively, the Faith in the territories lying beyond
the eastern confines of their homeland, and particularly in
the Baltic States, must be promptly and seriously
considered, for upon it will, to a very great measure, depend
the success of the Mission envisaged for them by `Abdu'l-Bahá,
and now confirmed through the provisions of the
Ten-Year Plan. The assistance extended to their brethren
and co-partners in Austria, who have lately succeeded in
enlarging the scope of their beneficent activities, should,
moreover be maintained, nay reinforced, for the purpose of
multiplying the local spiritual assemblies, and of hastening
thereby the emergence of an independent National Spiritual
Assembly in that land. Above all, the burning issue of the
purchase of the site and of the construction of the Mother
Temple of Europe must be resolutely faced, and, once and
for all, definitely settled, even if it becomes necessary to
abandon Frankfurt, situated in the heart of their country,
and the national administrative headquarters of their Faith,
and substitute for it Stuttgart, as a site, for their first
Mashriqu'l-Adhkár. Whatever is to be done should be
expeditiously carried out, for time is fast running out and
the Ten-Year Crusade is rapidly and inexorably
approaching its midway-point. All eyes, in every continent
of the globe where Bahá'ís reside, are eagerly and anxiously
watching, expecting the early and definite settlement of
these prolonged negotiations, and prayerfully hoping to
witness the first evidences of the rise of the noble Structure,
the erection of which has been entrusted to the largest and
one of the oldest national Bahá'í communities in the
European continent.
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The divers and formidable obstacles, challenging the
spirit and resources of this long-suffering, firmly based,
highly-endowed, much admired community, have been
considered and enumerated. The vital and inescapable
obligations, calling for immediate resolute action, on the
part of all of its privileged members, have been touched
upon and sufficiently emphasized. Now, if ever, is the time
for action, with practically half of the period alloted for the
prosecution of a decadelong Crusade already behind us.
The German Bahá'í Community, the leading stronghold of
the Faith on the European mainland, must not, cannot fail.
All its resources, spiritual as well as material, must be
mobilized at this hour to ensure the speedy attainment of
some of the most glorious objectives of a glorious Crusade.
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I fervently plead with its members, particularly with its
watchful, painstaking, devoted national elected
representatives, to arise as one man and carry to a successful
conclusion yet another stage in the unfoldment of their
historic Mission.
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May He Who through His power called this community
into being, nurtured and bestowed upon it His special
blessings, crown their present and future efforts with a
success that will resound throughout the Bahá'í world.
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Shoghi
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