NUR
2009-05-20 03:41:31 UTC
http://nigarbahaiamsalem.webs.com/
A short essay on Nigar Bahai Amsalem
Summary
In Naama Pyritz and Asaf Shafir’s polemical film, Baha’is in my
Backyard, the great-granddaughter of Bahá'u'lláh, Nigar Bahai Amsalem,
makes a curious appearance [1]. She lives in Haifa in very close
proximity to the Bahá'í World Centre. In the film, she is presented as
a lineal descendant of Bahá'u'lláh who is shunned by the Bahá'í
community for apparently no good reason. As it turns out, however,
Nigar’s past is replete with opposition to the Bahá'í Faith, none of
which could ever be gleaned from Pyritz and Shafir’s coverage of her.
The film attempts to present her as a nice old lady down on her luck.
The purpose of this essay is to present a referenced history of this
opposition based largely on the research of Dr. Moojan Momen, and
debunk the notion that she is “not doing anything against them [the
Bahá'ís],” in her own words.
The Truth About Nigar Bahai Amsalem
Original research conducted by Moojan Momen
Compiled and formatted by Adib Masumian
Nigar Bahai Amsalem is the daughter of Musa Baha'i, son of Mirzá
Muhammad-`Alí, and Qamar Baha'i, daughter of Badi’ullah. She and her
family have waged many campaigns against the Bahá'í Faith over the
years. For example, her mother Qamar Baha’i raised a trumped-up court
case around 1950-1 challenging Shoghi Effendi's right to carry out
major construction work around the shrine of Bahá'u'lláh. This court
case is referred to by Shoghi Effendi himself in a telegram dated
April 5, 1952, and the entire case fell apart when the star witness
that Qamar had recruited, Nayyir Afnan (Shoghi Effendi’s brother-in-
law), passed away in April 1952 [2].
Another note of importance about this family, as Nigar herself claims
to be “doing exactly what Bahá'u'lláh told us to do” in the film, is
the family’s Azali connections [3]. Nigar’s aunt, ‘Ismat, was married
to Jalal Azal, the grandson of Mirzá Yahya [4][5]. The family tree
that Nigar presents in the film was probably obtained through Azali
acquaintances [6], as she certainly maintained contact with some
considering her relationship to Jalal Azal. Indeed, her ties to the
Azalis become more apparent when one notes how Nigar made a visit to
Iran in 1977 to attend the funeral of Azal’s granddaughter [7], not to
mention all of the information which can be gleaned from Jalal Azal's
notes at Princeton University Library. His notes also testify to the
fact that ‘Ismat, Qamar Baha’i, and Jalal Azal himself planned to
unite all three generations of the internal opponents of the Bahá'í
Faith. By three generations is meant:
First generation: Followers of Mirzá Yahya in his opposition to
Bahá'u'lláh.
Second generation: Followers of Mirzá Muhammad-`Alí in his opposition
to `Abdu'l-Bahá.
Third generation: Opponents of Shoghi Effendi, both from within the
family of `Abdu'l-Bahá and others such as Ahmad Sohrab who rejected
Shoghi Effendi's authority.[8]
One wonders what an alleged Bahá'í, who should naturally be loyal to
Bahá'u'lláh, is doing consorting with those who opposed him or his
legitimate successors.
Continuing the tradition, Nigar herself has made various efforts to
discredit the Bahá'ís and assert that she is the “true representative”
of the Bahá'í Faith. She married an Israeli Jewish dentist, which
enabled her to stay in Israel while most of the others who opposed the
head of the Bahá'í Faith fled to Beirut in 1948 at the inception of
the state of Israel [9]. She has set up a "Bahá'í Family Society" and
placed a banner to that effect over her house at the foot of Mt.
Carmel, thus trying to assert that somehow she is “the true Bahá'í“
and acting to confuse those who may desire to obtain information about
the Bahá'í Faith. This is the building for the Bahá'í Family Society:
Nigar and her sister have also built a small dome over the grave of
Mirzá Muhammad-`Alí near Abu Atibba (as a riposte to the development
of the Baha’i gardens there) and tried to promote that as a holy place
[10].
In conclusion, it is apparent that when one looks at her family
history as well as her own acts of opposition to the Bahá'í Faith,
Nigar Bahai Amsalem’s claim that “we are not doing anything against
them” rings hollow. In reality, she has intentionally withheld
information on her systematic opposition to the Bahá'í Faith during
her interview in Baha‘is in my Backyard.
_________________________________________
References:
[1] The independent clip featuring Nigar can be viewed on YouTube:
[2] This telegram also serves as an obituary for Nayyir Afnan; Baha’i
News, no. 256.
[3] The term Azali refers to the followers of Mirzá Yahya (Subh-i-
Azal), Bahá'u'lláh’s half-brother who was vehemently opposed to
Bahá'u'lláh and his religion.
[4] Notes of Jalal Azal at Princeton University Library, pp. 560-572.
[5] The genealogical table compiled by Shoghi Effendi and published in
Baha’i World, vol. 5: 1932-4, New York: Baha’i Publishing Committee,
1936, between pp. 204 and 205.
[6] It is unlikely that Nigar received the family tree from anyone
else other than through Azali connections. She herself states in the
film that she acquired the chart in Tehran, 1977. Assuming she did not
get it from Bahá'ís, the only Iranians who would have a detailed
family tree of Bahá'u'lláh’s family in Iran are the descendants of
Azal and of Bahá'u'lláh’s half-sister who are Azalis. Given Nigar’s
Azali collections corroborated by Jalal Azal’s notes, the notion of
her receiving such a chart from Azalis is much more likely than from
Bahá'í connections, considering the latter would be less likely to
hand over such rare materials to a clearly anti-Bahá'í individual.
[7] According to the friend of an Iranian bookseller located in Tehran
with Azali connections.
[8] Moojan Momen, The Cyprus Exiles. Published in Baha’i Studies
Bulletin, vol. 5, no. 3 - vol. 6, no. 1, June 1991, p. 101. Accessible
online at: http://www.northill.demon.co.uk/relstud/CyprusEx.htm
[9] From research done by Moojan Momen at Haifa.
[10] There is a plaque commemorating the fact that Nigar and her
sister built the shrine for Mirzá Muhammad-`Alí on the shrine.
A short essay on Nigar Bahai Amsalem
Summary
In Naama Pyritz and Asaf Shafir’s polemical film, Baha’is in my
Backyard, the great-granddaughter of Bahá'u'lláh, Nigar Bahai Amsalem,
makes a curious appearance [1]. She lives in Haifa in very close
proximity to the Bahá'í World Centre. In the film, she is presented as
a lineal descendant of Bahá'u'lláh who is shunned by the Bahá'í
community for apparently no good reason. As it turns out, however,
Nigar’s past is replete with opposition to the Bahá'í Faith, none of
which could ever be gleaned from Pyritz and Shafir’s coverage of her.
The film attempts to present her as a nice old lady down on her luck.
The purpose of this essay is to present a referenced history of this
opposition based largely on the research of Dr. Moojan Momen, and
debunk the notion that she is “not doing anything against them [the
Bahá'ís],” in her own words.
The Truth About Nigar Bahai Amsalem
Original research conducted by Moojan Momen
Compiled and formatted by Adib Masumian
Nigar Bahai Amsalem is the daughter of Musa Baha'i, son of Mirzá
Muhammad-`Alí, and Qamar Baha'i, daughter of Badi’ullah. She and her
family have waged many campaigns against the Bahá'í Faith over the
years. For example, her mother Qamar Baha’i raised a trumped-up court
case around 1950-1 challenging Shoghi Effendi's right to carry out
major construction work around the shrine of Bahá'u'lláh. This court
case is referred to by Shoghi Effendi himself in a telegram dated
April 5, 1952, and the entire case fell apart when the star witness
that Qamar had recruited, Nayyir Afnan (Shoghi Effendi’s brother-in-
law), passed away in April 1952 [2].
Another note of importance about this family, as Nigar herself claims
to be “doing exactly what Bahá'u'lláh told us to do” in the film, is
the family’s Azali connections [3]. Nigar’s aunt, ‘Ismat, was married
to Jalal Azal, the grandson of Mirzá Yahya [4][5]. The family tree
that Nigar presents in the film was probably obtained through Azali
acquaintances [6], as she certainly maintained contact with some
considering her relationship to Jalal Azal. Indeed, her ties to the
Azalis become more apparent when one notes how Nigar made a visit to
Iran in 1977 to attend the funeral of Azal’s granddaughter [7], not to
mention all of the information which can be gleaned from Jalal Azal's
notes at Princeton University Library. His notes also testify to the
fact that ‘Ismat, Qamar Baha’i, and Jalal Azal himself planned to
unite all three generations of the internal opponents of the Bahá'í
Faith. By three generations is meant:
First generation: Followers of Mirzá Yahya in his opposition to
Bahá'u'lláh.
Second generation: Followers of Mirzá Muhammad-`Alí in his opposition
to `Abdu'l-Bahá.
Third generation: Opponents of Shoghi Effendi, both from within the
family of `Abdu'l-Bahá and others such as Ahmad Sohrab who rejected
Shoghi Effendi's authority.[8]
One wonders what an alleged Bahá'í, who should naturally be loyal to
Bahá'u'lláh, is doing consorting with those who opposed him or his
legitimate successors.
Continuing the tradition, Nigar herself has made various efforts to
discredit the Bahá'ís and assert that she is the “true representative”
of the Bahá'í Faith. She married an Israeli Jewish dentist, which
enabled her to stay in Israel while most of the others who opposed the
head of the Bahá'í Faith fled to Beirut in 1948 at the inception of
the state of Israel [9]. She has set up a "Bahá'í Family Society" and
placed a banner to that effect over her house at the foot of Mt.
Carmel, thus trying to assert that somehow she is “the true Bahá'í“
and acting to confuse those who may desire to obtain information about
the Bahá'í Faith. This is the building for the Bahá'í Family Society:
Nigar and her sister have also built a small dome over the grave of
Mirzá Muhammad-`Alí near Abu Atibba (as a riposte to the development
of the Baha’i gardens there) and tried to promote that as a holy place
[10].
In conclusion, it is apparent that when one looks at her family
history as well as her own acts of opposition to the Bahá'í Faith,
Nigar Bahai Amsalem’s claim that “we are not doing anything against
them” rings hollow. In reality, she has intentionally withheld
information on her systematic opposition to the Bahá'í Faith during
her interview in Baha‘is in my Backyard.
_________________________________________
References:
[1] The independent clip featuring Nigar can be viewed on YouTube:
[2] This telegram also serves as an obituary for Nayyir Afnan; Baha’i
News, no. 256.
[3] The term Azali refers to the followers of Mirzá Yahya (Subh-i-
Azal), Bahá'u'lláh’s half-brother who was vehemently opposed to
Bahá'u'lláh and his religion.
[4] Notes of Jalal Azal at Princeton University Library, pp. 560-572.
[5] The genealogical table compiled by Shoghi Effendi and published in
Baha’i World, vol. 5: 1932-4, New York: Baha’i Publishing Committee,
1936, between pp. 204 and 205.
[6] It is unlikely that Nigar received the family tree from anyone
else other than through Azali connections. She herself states in the
film that she acquired the chart in Tehran, 1977. Assuming she did not
get it from Bahá'ís, the only Iranians who would have a detailed
family tree of Bahá'u'lláh’s family in Iran are the descendants of
Azal and of Bahá'u'lláh’s half-sister who are Azalis. Given Nigar’s
Azali collections corroborated by Jalal Azal’s notes, the notion of
her receiving such a chart from Azalis is much more likely than from
Bahá'í connections, considering the latter would be less likely to
hand over such rare materials to a clearly anti-Bahá'í individual.
[7] According to the friend of an Iranian bookseller located in Tehran
with Azali connections.
[8] Moojan Momen, The Cyprus Exiles. Published in Baha’i Studies
Bulletin, vol. 5, no. 3 - vol. 6, no. 1, June 1991, p. 101. Accessible
online at: http://www.northill.demon.co.uk/relstud/CyprusEx.htm
[9] From research done by Moojan Momen at Haifa.
[10] There is a plaque commemorating the fact that Nigar and her
sister built the shrine for Mirzá Muhammad-`Alí on the shrine.