The Bahai faith

By A.V.

THE Israeli city of Haifa is having a busy few days. On April 16th, in the twisting alleys around the harbour, Christians celebrated Easter. The previous day, local Jews had worshipped in their synagogues on their Passover sabbath. And from April 20th, a small community of Bahais will begin Ridvan, their most important festival. The Bahai in Haifa are not alone. Although the religion is based there, it boasts millions of followers around the world. Who are the Bahai?

Their faith is comparatively new. In 1844 a merchant who called himself “the Bab” (“the Gate”) began preaching in Persia. He reinterpreted Shia Islam, and said that God would soon send a new prophet in the manner of Moses, Christ and Muhammad. Bahais consider one of the followers of the Bab—Baha’u’llah—to be this prophet, and the official founder of their religion. In the face of persecution by the Persian and Ottoman empires, Baha’u’llah wrote the community’s key text. He also picked the site of the Bab’s burial: a handsome spot in Haifa, overlooking the Mediterranean (pictured).