Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-10
THREAT Of DIVISION
IN BAHA|ST FAITH
BY JUNIUS WOOD

| HAIFA, Observation-Disclosures an
exalted code Of living which as a
religion has gained several million
followers in different parts Of the
world, is facing split. The most
| influential followers of Bahai are
probably in the United States and
England. Others are in Persia, In
dia, Afghanistan, Russia, Japan and
various countries and it may seem
strange that such momentous de-
veIopment in a world wide religion
should come from this obscure town
on the east coast of the Mediter'
ranean. Still this is the spot where
Bahai Ullah, founder of Bahaism
passed his last years, and where
his eldest son, Abbas Effendi, its
greatest expounder, lived and died
Both are buried here and there is u
controversy among their descen'
dants as to who shall be the sue
cessor to Abbas Effendi who died in
| November OF last year.
Since then, Chouki Effendi (effendl
being equivalent to the English mis-
teri, eldest grandson of Abbas and
a man of "a years, has been the
nominal head Of the faith. He was
chosen by Abbas' widow and her
four sons-in-law. Their authority is
a reputed will of Abbas and the Sc
lection was communicated to< all
Bahaist teachers and leaders through
the world. But a claimant to the
leadership is Mohammed Ali Effen'
di, brother Of Abbas and second son
of Bahai Ullah. He is u years old
and bases his claim on the covenant
Of his father. His claim is sup
ported by his brother, Badeeh Ullah
Effendi, third son of Bahai Ullah,
SIS years old, and their branches OF
| the family. They contend that Alb
| bas never would have drawn Will
contrary to the DEGREES of his rev.
cred father.
Proclamations of MOhammed Ali
The proclamations and other docu,
ments calling on Bahaists in differ
ent parts of the world to recognize
Mohammed Ali as the head Of the
faith have been prepared in Arabic,
English, French and German. They
were shown to me today and their
distribution is to begin at once.
They were drafted by Miss SazeJ
| granddaughter of Bahai Ullah, a
quiet, intelligent woman of %
daughter of Badeeh Ullah. With
many references to her grandfather
writings which she seemed to know
well, she explained the proclaama'
lions as we sat and smoked innumer'
able cigarettes in the cool little par
| lor.
"Bahai Ullah had three sons and
three daughters who lived" she told
me. 1.-TWO of the daughters, my
aunts, were married and had chill
dren but they make no claim to the
succession nor does my unmarried
aunt who now lives with Abbas Eff
fendi's widow in the home near ours
provided by the generosity of an
American, a Mrs. Jackson. In the
covenant which Bahai Ullah wrote
and which has been translated into
English and published in Chicago
he said that the succession should
go to his three sons, defining them
as; first, "the greatest branch
which was Abbas Effendi; second
"the mightiest branch" which is
Mohammed Ali Effendi, and third
'the most luminous branch" which
| 70 1n1
In case death interferred with this
succession and for future success
sions, a supreme council was to be
| elected.
Many Pilgrims See Abbas
| During Abbas Effendis lifetime
pilgrims came from all parts of the
world to see that great expounder OF
Bahaism.. Many say that they We're
told that Bahai Ullar's other two
sons were dead. This was unjust
but Abbas Effendi never would have
| drawn a will changing the success
sion, contrary to his fathers teach
ings.
| tiers but no sons. His wife was a
Persian like all our people, but not
of our family as my mother and
my other aunt. Abbas Effendl
never kept any Of the presents or
money which We're given to him.
not even riding once in the automo
bile which a wealthy American WON
an gave him, but always loaning it
to others. However, he did not es
tablish any schools or other institu
lions for the religion, and his four
i Ia 60
rich. The teachers in different parts
| of the world were paid by him, they
| looked to him and they may recog'
nize his grandson, Chouki Effendi
as his successor, but they will be
contradicting the orders Of Bahai
| Ullah.
MY cousin, Chouki, is young and
never has had much time to study
the religion of which he claims to
be the head. He attended the Ameri
can college in Beirut and later went
to Oxford, but whenever he studied
became ill, so did not finish. He
is now in Switzerland. He is a
bright young man, but I have seer
him only a few times though We
are cousins and neighbors. My 9th
err cousin, Moussa Bahai, Ali Eff
fendi's son, has seen him only once
| "Bahaists now are starting tC
come from different parts Of the
world, asking to see the head OF
their religion, but they cannot. They
are finding out that worldly greed
has brought disobedience of the or
ders of Bahai Ullah. My uncle is
the real head of Bahaism, one who
| understands the religion, and r2al
Bahaists will recognize him as
SUCH"
Origin of Bahaist Leader
Mira Hussein Ali, who later took
the name of Bahai Ullah, was born
in Teheran, Persia, his family com
ing from Nuho, in the Maginderar