RELIGIOUS MINORITIES DEFY GRIM FATE

Bahai'i s holy cemetery in Shiraz,Iran been destroyed by the Revolutionary Guards recently

RELIGIOUS MINORITIES DEFY GRIM FATE

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU

…………………………COMPLAIN BITTERLY OF MEDIA BLACKOUT

 ON ACTIVITIES, LASH OUT AT VANGUARD’S GBENGA ADEFAIYE

OVER PERSECUTION

………………………….BAHAI’I ARE NOW AROUND 10,000 IN NIGERIA,

COMMITTED TO COMMUNAL PROJECTS

……………………..GRAIL MESSAGE VERY VISIBLE

……………………NIGERIA CAN STRENGTHEN ITS AFRICAN

TRADITIONAL SITES TO BOOST FAITH TOURISM LIKE ISRAEL,

SAUDI ARABIA,INDIA

……………………..C.A.N. REFUSES TO ADMIT CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

 CHURCH   IN NIGERIA.

Ever wondered what happens to religious minorities in a place like Nigeria, well the fact is despite the noise about our democratic credentials they are poorly treated by those of us enjoying the numerical advantage.

In an investigation conducted by Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos, Nigeria , it was discovered that sometimes in 2009,a source from the Eckankar ,a religious organization lamented bitterly that the media had not been fair to them when it come to publicity.

They specifically mentioned, The Editor –in-chief of The Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Gbenga Adefaiye for having stood against them when a page advertorial was to have been inserted into the newspaper by there organization in the past despite the fact that it was not free.

The Source accused the media captain of been a bias umpire ,a shift from the dictates of the noble profession of journalism which suggests that every practitioner should be neutral irrespective of any form of emotion or reservation when the issue is about  religion .

In  a related issue, a source within the Grail Message also told Paedia Express Multimedia that they do not accept some cardinal teachings of Christendom like Virgin Mary’s immaculate conception as it does not follow the laws of nature.

The Source pointed out that the revelations of Abd’u Rushin will show any man that aspires to know God the true path.

The source however agree that to the fact that all the saints   like Abraham ,Isaac ,Jacob ,Moses ,Jesus ,Mohammed  ,Buddha were talking about the same great God but from differing perspective depending on the time that they lived.

He however will not be drawn into the actual population of Grail Message adherents in Nigeria but it will appear that several very influential and famous Nigerians are faithful.

In a related issue, sometimes in 2009,Bahai’I faithful at there Lagos shrine in Mile 2 ,Lagos told this reporter that they were not less than 10,000 in terms of population in Nigeria.

The source said that the Bahai’I ‘s were a small group of religious faithful  who work for the socio-economic growth of any society they find themselves as they participate in a lot of communal projects in Nigeria.

They told this reporter that they have an observer status in the United Nations an as such no force under the earth can prevent them from contributing to the growth  of the global community wherever they are..

The Bahai’I faith is an off shoot of the Babi religion ,a group in Persia now known as Iran that broke away from the Shi’ite branch of islam in 1844.

The Leader of the Babis was Mirza Ali Mohammed of Shiraz who proclaimed himself as the Bab,from the lineage of the Holy Prophet Mohammed ‘he was persecuted ,arrested ,tried and finally executed by the Persian authorities in 1850.

In 1863,Mirza Hoseyn Ali Nuri ,a prominent member of the Babi Group ,declared himself to be he whom God will make manifest  as the Bab had foretold of him in the past according to his revelations.

He took the name Bahau’ullah which means glory of God  and formed a new faith called ,The Bahai’I faith.

Al Kitab Al Aqdas is the holiest texts of the Bahai’I faithful  and they believe in such greats like Abrtaham,Isaac,Jacob,Moses,Krishna,Zoroaster,Buddha,Jesus,Mohammed,Bab and Bahau’llah.

They accept the oneness of God, souls immortality ,evolution of mankind but reject strongly the concept of angels, trinity ,reincarnation and death and resurrection of Jesus.

As a missionary religion Bahai’I has experienced a rapid growth in the last few years ,insiders estimate that there are 5million believers worldwide .

It would be recalled that highly inflammatory and threatening flier calling Baha'is "godless" was distributed in the city of Yazd, Iran, recently  on the eve of an important Shiite holy day.

The anonymously authored leaflet was posted on walls and also placed on the homes and cars of Baha'is, said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

"The distribution of this poster was obviously timed to inflame religious passions against Baha'is, who are a minority in Yazd and throughout Iran," said Ms. Ala'i. "The basic message of the poster is that it is a religious duty to attack Baha'is and to destroy their properties.

"The targeting of Baha'i homes and vehicles is also equally ominous, sending a message: 'We know who and where you are,'" she added.

The distribution of the flier in this mid-sized central Iranian city came on 12 June 2014, on the eve of Shabe-barat [the "night of deliverance"], which honors the birth of Imam Mahdi and is an important holy day for Shiite Muslims.

The flier claims that according to Sharia law, the "blood" of Baha'is "is worthless," and that "every Muslim individual must stand up against any activity by this movement and combat them even at the cost of his own life."

A similar version of the poster had been delivered to at least five Baha'i homes in Yazd last January. That flier was signed by "Hizbu'llah" (the Party of God).

Ms. Ala'i said it was the government's duty to denounce such acts publically and to find and prosecute the perpetrators of such hateful messages, and to protect Baha'is as citizens of Iran.

"Unfortunately, the government has for too long allowed the perpetrators of such attacks to act with impunity. In recent years, there have been literally hundreds of attacks or threats against Baha'is and their properties, and no one has been prosecuted for such actions," she said.

Ms. Ala'i noted, for example, that three Baha'is were attacked in their home in Birjand in January by an anonymous intruder wielding a knife and that a Baha'i was shot and killed in Bandar Abbas last August. There have also been a number of incidents of the desecration of Baha'i cemeteries in recent months, such as efforts by the Revolutionary Guard to destroy an historic Baha'i cemetery in Shiraz.

"Unfortunately, the government has too often been a willing participant in the circulation of hate material against Baha'is. Top officials and government media outlets regularly spew anti-Baha'i propaganda – and the volume of such items has in fact increased dramatically this year," said Ms. Ala'i.

In January, said Ms. Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community had catalogued at least 55 anti-Baha'i articles on Iranian websites. That rose to 72 in February, 93 in March, 285 in April, and 366 in May.

"The government has created an atmosphere where those who harbor hatred against Baha'is can act with complete impunity," said Ms. Ala'i. "And without fear of prosecution, we are gravely concerned that life-threatening attacks against Baha'is are all too likely to continue."

In a related issue, Paedia Express Multimedia has also discovered that the Christian Science   sect has not been granted membership by the Christian  Association of Nigeria as at press time.

 A source speaks:”We are radically different ,we believe that Christianity is practical as it can be applied to contemporary issues, the posterity of our group depend on our science book lessons”

“We believe very much in the healing power of the Bible and the Word of God inherent,C.A.N has not admitted us yet  as they do not really think that we are a Christian Group despite the fact that we believe in all the major pillars of faith like  Son-of-God, Virgin Mary conception, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ”

The source told Paedia Express Multimedia in  his office in Lagos,Nigeria that he does not have the actual figures of the number of members in there church.