Inside the Baha’i International Development Organization

Abstract

This paper critically examines the establishment of the Baha’i International Development Organization (BIDO), announced by the Universal House of Justice (UHJ) in its November 9, 2018 message. It explores the theological and ideological foundations of BIDO, highlighting the UHJ’s framing of global collapse and the Baha’i community’s role in ushering in a “new world order.” The analysis raises concerns about exclusivist rhetoric within Baha’i teachings, particularly the portrayal of non-Baha’is as spiritually inferior or irrelevant.

The document scrutinizes the historical evolution of Baha’i proselytization strategies, especially the shift from aggressive propaganda to social and economic development as a means of gaining legitimacy and influence. It argues that BIDO serves as a centralized mechanism for coordinating global development efforts aligned with Baha’i teachings, while also functioning as a tool for religious propagation. The paper questions the transparency of Baha’i population data and funding sources, suggesting that BIDO may enable deeper administrative control and strategic cultural influence, particularly in vulnerable communities such as migrants and underserved regions.

Finally, the paper warns of potential sociopolitical implications, including the use of charitable platforms for religious conversion and the risk of external interference in national affairs through development-linked funding. It calls for greater scrutiny by Islamic cultural and political institutions regarding BIDO’s activities and influence.

A Look at the Universal House of Justice’s Message of November 9, 2018, Addressed to Baha’is Worldwide

The Baha’i administrative centre in the occupied territories of Palestine, the Universal House of Justice (UHJ), referred to notable points regarding the establishment of the Baha’i International Development Organization (BIDO) in its November 9, 2018, message to Baha’is worldwide, which require further attention and review.

1. At the beginning of the message, the world is introduced as being in a state of collapse, and a subtle hint is made that Baha’is around the world are creating an administrative structure to improve and organize the world. The UHJ begins its message by presenting Baha’is as striving and sacrificing across the world with a “new world order”. Consequently, it seems to condemn the rest of the people as creators of disorder, fragmentation, and chaos. In this way, the message of the UHJ indicates that the world will achieve happiness and success—or, as they call it, the “new world order”—through Baha’is, while non-Baha’is have nothing to do but cause destruction and collapse! The end of the first paragraph references a quote from Baha’u’llah: “The assurance which the Blessed Beauty gives is inscribed on the heart of every faithful believer, ‘The reform of the world is based on pure, goodly deeds and pleasing, acceptable morals'”. These sentences imply that Baha’u’llah assures his believers that the reform of the world will occur (only and exclusively) through them, provided they remain loyal to the Baha’i Faith! This raises several questions: Are other thinkers at various scientific levels and officials who do not believe in Baha’i doctrines destructive to the world? Has the world not witnessed progress (in various fields such as medicine, engineering, social sciences, etc.) since the beginning of the Babi and Baha’i faiths?
   • The issue that Baha’is hold an exceptionally higher rank than non-Baha’is has been repeatedly mentioned in the words of Baha’i leaders, especially Baha’u’llah. It can be clearly inferred from Baha’u’llah’s words that not only do non-Baha’is have no respect or rank, but furthermore, anyone who calls a non-Baha’i a human being or accords them a rank will be deprived of all divine favors and mercies!

Baha’u’llah writes in the book Badi’, page 140: “Today, any soul who mentions humanity for any of the opposing persons, be they from the highest or the lowest among them, is deprived of all the graces of the Merciful, let alone one who would seek to prove a rank and station for those souls”! This text suggests that Baha’u’llah not only excludes non-Baha’is from the circle of humanity but also believes that anyone who considers them human will be deprived of all divine graces.

In another place, he regards non-Baha’is as worthless pebbles: “My beloved are the pearls of the Cause and those besides them are the pebbles of the earth.” (Ma’idih-i-Asmani, Vol. 4 (new print) p. 140 and (old print) p. 327).

• It seems that, from the UHJ’s viewpoint, people in the world must become Baha’is, and the governance of the world must be entrusted to Baha’is so that the world can be saved from collapse, despair, and hostility.

All this is happening despite the fact that in the past, Baha’i leaders themselves could not eliminate their own family hostilities—there were deep and catastrophic differences between Baha’u’llah and his brother, Mirza Yahya Subh-i-Azal, and severe disagreements between Baha’u’llah’s sons, ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Mirza Muhammad-Ali, and Baha’is even killed some of the prominent Azalis. Furthermore, hostilities among Baha’is did not end even after the UHJ was established.

It is noteworthy that the UHJ itself became a center for creating insecurity for some Baha’is. A significant number of Baha’is were threatened with expulsion by the UHJ, and some were even spiritually “covenant-broken” (expelled). This punishment strictly prohibits any greetings, conversation, or communication (even familial) with the expelled individual. Disputes between Baha’is following the UHJ and those following Charles Mason Remey also persist.

Aggressive Propaganda and Social Activities of Baha’is

2. Another noteworthy issue in this message is the discussion of the history of Baha’i’s aggressive propaganda before 1983, attributing it to the small Baha’i population’s inability to create the necessary impact worldwide. The UHJ presents this aggressive propaganda as a result of Shoghi Effendi’s policies. Given the importance of this section of the UHJ’s message, we quote it exactly and ask our respected readers to look closely at this section and scrutinize its concepts:
   • “His Holiness the Guardian [=Shoghi Effendi] addressed one of the communities, stating that the number of the beloved ones [=Baha’is] was still too few to effect a noticeable change in the greater society, and for more than the first half-century of the Formative Age, the beloved ones were encouraged to concentrate their efforts on propagating the Cause of God, for this was the work that only Baha’is could do and was truly their spiritual obligation and it prepared them for a time when they could directly address the problems of the human world. Thirty-five years ago, conditions inside and outside the community mutually supported each other to provide new possibilities for greater participation in the wider society. …The Office of Social and Economic Development was established in the Baha’i International Development Organization to assist Us in promoting and coordinating the activities of the beloved ones worldwide”.
   • What is clearly evident in this part of the UHJ’s message is that the Baha’i Faith needed, and still needs, to increase its population to impact the main and parent societies. This population increase has sometimes been achieved through the acceptance of dual religious identity in some pluralistic religious societies, such as in India or Africa, and sometimes through increased propaganda, which has been established as a religious duty for all Baha’is worldwide. This statement shows that for Baha’ism to survive and have an impact on different societies, it needs to portray its population as increasing and consider the slogan of “hosts of believers and covenant-breakers entering the Baha’i Faith” as having been realized. Despite this essential need, the Baha’i administration has always avoided declaring the names and number of Baha’is globally and never officially announces the world Baha’i population. This is while Baha’is worldwide must register with the administration and receive a registration code to be recognized as Baha’is. Therefore, the world Baha’i statistics are online and publishable, given modern technology. The recent UHJ message implicitly reveals the reason for this delay: “Despite the UHJ’s claim, the world Baha’i population has still not reached a number that can exert a major influence on larger societies”. Another important point in examining this section of the UHJ’s message is that it can lead us to the origin of the conflict between larger societies and the Baha’i Faith. Aggressive propaganda to change individuals’ beliefs and convert them to the Baha’i Faith has been the duty of every Baha’i. This duty was assigned by Baha’i leaders like ‘Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi and has not been abrogated by any part of the Baha’i administration, such as the UHJ, because the UHJ does not have the right to abrogate or modify previous rulings when there are explicit texts from former leaders. Therefore, it is logical to assume that Baha’is around the world still consider propaganda a primary and important duty to accelerate the acquisition of legitimacy and acceptance by parent societies, and they pay attention to it. These efforts, which lead to the negation of the religious beliefs of parent societies and the attempt to dismiss their beliefs as superstition, will undoubtedly cause reactions in larger societies. Although the correctness of all these reactions is debatable in our view, it must be understood that the conflict with Baha’is by larger societies is merely a reaction to the Baha’is’ provocative propaganda. Hence, the most sensible way to prevent these reactions is to reduce or stop the initial Baha’i promotional provocations.
   • At the same time, the external factors and conditions outside the Baha’i community that, according to the UHJ, have provided opportunities for the Baha’i community to exert influence are briefly mentioned in this article. The UHJ and other Baha’i authorities need to decipher what these conditions were that shifted the UHJ’s policy toward social and economic development issues and the establishment of BIDO thirty-five years ago. What institutions and organizations have paved and are paving this way for the UHJ and Baha’is worldwide to have an impact on larger societies? What exactly have these effects been, and in which societies have they been implemented? The desired appropriation of all positive changes in today’s societies—as claimed by the UHJ in this message regarding Iranian society—is certainly not accepted from a sociological perspective and by thinkers. Humanity’s efforts in the modern era to improve health and educational conditions have been a global endeavor, and society was moving toward growth and excellence whether Baha’is played a role in this area or not. Improving rural health or raising the level of education in Iran has been the desire of all Iranian people.In fact, the most important opponents of Baha’ism, the officials of the Islamic Republic, have played a much greater role in its growth and excellence than Baha’is. As a result, the claimed efforts of the UHJ, even if they existed, are practically insignificant compared to those efforts.
   • At the same time, the UHJ’s reference to the “quenching of the fire of ethnic and religious prejudices” in the larger society in Iran due to the efforts of the Iranian Baha’i community is deeply thought-provoking. What is meant by these prejudices, and which of them has been quenched by the efforts of Iranian Baha’is? Does it mean resolving differences between Shiite and Sunni communities? Does it mean an effort for national cohesion and preserving unity against foreign enemies? It seems unlikely that the systematic efforts of Iranian Baha’is would be focused on such issues. What Baha’is introduce as “religious prejudices” is adherence to religious laws and religious formalities, which Baha’is have made great efforts to make Muslims indifferent to in Islamic society. The extensive efforts of Baha’i elements to normalize lack of hijab, mixing of men and women, and attacking authentic Shiite beliefs such as Mahdism must be interpreted in line with these key terms. Although this article does not seek to defend the prevailing cultural, social, and political structure for institutionalizing these religious formalities, it must be understood that Baha’ism considers all these religious formalities as a symbol of “prejudice” and prides itself on its efforts to eliminate them from Islamic society.
3. Another important section of this message is the UHJ’s description of the development programs for social and economic development under the supervision of BIDO, and the identification of its past titles. The UHJ stated that when these social services were first implemented in October 1983, they amounted to hundreds of cases, and the number today is tens of thousands of instances and cases at various rural, urban, and national levels. We read in the UHJ message: “The efforts of the beloved ones for social and economic transformation, at whatever level of complexity, amounted to hundreds of cases at that time [October 1983]. Today, their number reaches tens of thousands, including hundreds of sustainable projects such as schools and dozens of development organizations. The wide range of current activities covers efforts from villages and neighborhoods to regions and countries, addressing a range of actions such as education from preschool to university, literacy, health, the environment, refugee support, advancement of women, empowerment of adolescents, elimination of racial prejudices, agriculture, local economies, and the promotion of villages. The community-building power of the Cause of Baha’u’llah has gradually become more organized and systematic, resulting in the acceleration of the process of propagation and consolidation, particularly in advanced clusters, as manifested in the collective life of the beloved ones. Apart from that, countless numbers of the beloved ones, utilizing their professional and voluntary efforts, dedicate their power and insights to projects and organizations established for the public good”.
   • It is observed that the vast scope of the economic and social development activities defined in BIDO allows the Baha’i administration to proselytize in distant areas. These activities focus and emphasize organizing people and areas that are undeveloped and underserved. In fact, the Baha’i administration uses the opportunity to support these individuals at the cost of changing their religion and beliefs. The codes present in this section of the message should also sensitize our larger Islamic society to certain Baha’i activities in Iran. Focusing on children and adolescents through establishing home kindergartens, promoting music classes for children and adolescents centered on Baha’i instructors, forming environmental NGOs, and displaying compassion for the environment, etc., can be understood within the framework of this UHJ message, and the potential consequences should be viewed with concern.
   • Another important point that cultural and Islamic institutions must consider is the Baha’is’ concentrated effort to change the beliefs of migrants to European and American countries. The phenomenon of migration to Europe, which increased after the formation of the Islamic Awakening, drawing a large number of Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe and America, is a phenomenon whose cultural impact and influence on the source societies have been less analyzed. In our belief, the deep cultural impact of these migrations will return to the source countries like a tsunami in the not-too-distant future. This is because many of these migrants have families in their source countries and maintain interactions with them. It is natural that migration will affect their lifestyle and beliefs, and the transfer of this impact, especially in this large volume, will have destructive effects on Islamic countries. Despite this, the Baha’is’ focus on this vulnerable group is noteworthy. Furthermore, official and unofficial news confirms the Baha’is’ efforts to attract these helpless individuals in the destination countries. Baha’is teach them the ways and means of life in Europe at the cost of changing their religion and belief, putting them in debt to their actions. Through this, they try again to attract Muslim migrants to the Baha’i Faith. This is because Muslims, culturally, are more committed to the dogmas of their beliefs than European Christians. If they become Baha’is, they can better help advance the goals of the Baha’i administration worldwide. At the same time, the increase in the number of Muslims in Europe can damage the cultural and social balance of that area. Therefore, it seems that the conversion of Muslim migrants to Baha’ism is also more desirable for European Christians. This both directs the Baha’is’ energy toward proselytizing these Muslim newcomers and protects the beliefs of European Christians from the Baha’i aggressive propaganda.

The Goal of Establishing the Baha’i International Development Organization (BIDO)

• Another important point is the insistence on continuing the Baha’i administration’s economic and social development activities. These programs shift the process of Baha’i propagation away from the reasons for the leaders’ truthfulness and the heavenly appearance of the teachings, and instead, they try to create cultural and social legitimacy for Baha’is in every region , which was one of the goals of establishing BIDO. The Baha’is have adopted a very precise and effective method, moving from “speaking” to “acting” in their propagation, which makes their promotional method instructive. They strive to improve the conditions of their environment by creating various social services. These efforts cause members of the larger society to gradually forget their previous view of the members of this faith, which stemmed from their aggressive propaganda, and the previous negative view is transformed into a new, positive view. Helping and serving others inherently has this quality and has been a focus of Christian missionaries, especially in Islamic societies, since ancient times. Building charitable hospitals and public-benefit schools, etc., all help to create a positive view in the larger society toward minorities and makes interaction with them easier. Although these actions are performed with the goal of propagation and changing the beliefs of society, they cause people to interact with the minority community as useful and serving members, and to defend them. This is the greatest achievement Baha’ism has gained through social activities, and it has tried to use its advantages to introduce itself as a normal part of society while also managing to secure sustainable economic revenues for itself.
• At the same time, the last sentences of this section show that the Baha’is’ social efforts are primarily directed toward activities that have a promotional effect for the Baha’i Faith. However, some Baha’is have reached out to existing charities in the larger society and organized their efforts within those charities. This issue is also very important for charitable organizations within the country and other Islamic countries. It may happen that the material and economic needs of the charitable activities are provided by Muslims, and their cultural fruits are harvested by Baha’is. This means that the needs of the afflicted individuals are met with the resources of Muslims and the participation of Baha’is, but the optimism of the afflicted individuals from this support is appropriated in the name of the Baha’i Faith. Baha’i elements then succeed in attracting some of these supported individuals toward Baha’ism and destroying their former beliefs. This is a sinister phenomenon that leads to the exploitation of the existing charitable organizations’ platform.It is necessary to warn major charitable institutions in Islamic societies about the infiltration of Baha’is and their use of these organizations’ cover to advance their cultural goals and objectives.

4. The most important part of the UHJ’s message is the announcement of the establishment of a new organization in Haifa to manage Baha’i economic and social development activities. The UHJ has decided to upgrade the former Office of Social and Economic Development into a large and major institution named the Baha’i International Development Organization (BIDO) to pursue its activities in this area more extensively and effectively. This organization is set to continue its activities under the supervision of the UHJ and with the consultation of the International Teaching Center. In this section of the UHJ’s message, we read: “At this sacred juncture of the celebrations of the Births of the Two Manifestations of God [=the Báb and Baha’u’llah], We are delighted to announce that the Office of Social and Economic Development is now elevated to a new universal institution named the Baha’i International Development Organization, at the World Centre. In addition, the Baha’i Development Fund will be inaugurated, which the new organization (BIDO) will use to assist global development efforts, both long-term and emerging. This Fund is under the auspices of the Universal House of Justice, and individuals and institutions can offer their contributions to it”.
   • The goal of establishing BIDO, as stated in this section of the UHJ message and further elaborated upon, is to organize social and economic development matters and ensure their conformity with Baha’i teachings. This means the international administration will delve deeper into charitable matters related to Baha’i propagation. Another meaning of BIDO’s formation is intense supervision and control of Baha’i actions to maximize the outcomes of these actions. With the formation of this organization, the UHJ will gain more significant control over the details of Baha’i activities. It will likely prevent them from undertaking certain actions and will regulate all their work in this area according to the UHJ’s will. The Baha’is’ freedom of action in performing these processes will naturally decrease. Since a fund has also been established to support these activities, appropriate encouraging and punitive measures will be considered to force Baha’is to obey the instructions of this organization.
   • The UHJ’s encouragement to Baha’is to contribute to this fund and offer donations can be examined from several angles. First, the UHJ may fundamentally have no need for Baha’i contributions to advance these goals, and it may have already secured the necessary budgets for these matters from powerful and wealthy figures for whom the advancement of the Baha’i Faith holds strategic importance. However, the UHJ wants to show that it is not dependent on any colonial organization or country or any infamous politician and that it collects the necessary budgets for charitable activities from Baha’is. Since the UHJ has never provided a balance sheet of its revenues and expenditures, through these activities and the funds received from Baha’is and their expenditure on charitable matters, it can hide the trail of this not-so-clean money. This prevents the undesirable political and social effects of its potential budget sources.

Conclusion

Another important point that must be noted is the collection of existing liquidity in the hands of Baha’is worldwide and the control of large financial resources to organize major actions and transform small movements into larger, global propagation efforts. By establishing BIDO and issuing this message, the UHJ aims to encourage Baha’is to contribute as much money as possible to this organization.

At the same time, by spending their wealth in this fund, Baha’is are practically prevented from carrying out any independent development activity. They are forced to request money from the very fund they contributed to, and thus are more obligated to strictly follow the instructions of this organization. This is because non-compliance with the international administration’s instructions will lead to the cessation of these financial aids. Such a process will dry up the roots of any protest against these kinds of social activities by free-thinking and intellectual Baha’is. Furthermore, given the injection of money from the BIDO fund into various development activities, the UHJ will be able to interfere in the internal affairs of the countries where these activities are to take place. Through this, the international administration will increasingly gain the ability to intervene in larger societies. This is the same issue that institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have previously engaged in : conditioning the granting of loans to various countries on the implementation of specific projects or changes in their economic systems. By collecting this money and organizing these development activities under the supervision of BIDO, the UHJ will be able to link the implementation of large development projects in developing or less-developed countries to the freedom of Baha’i propagation or other cultural concessions. Through this, it can intervene in the cultural affairs of the destination countries. This is an issue that should not be overlooked by the cultural and political policymakers of Islamic countries.