nd purely
non-political activities they have, thanks to the benevolent attitude of
their rulers, enjoyed an almost unrestricted freedom in the exercise of
their public duties.

Lately, however, due to circumstances wholly beyond their control and
without being in the least implicated in political or subversive activity,
our Baha'i brethren in those provinces have had to endure the rigid
application of the principles already enunciated by the state authorities
and universally enforced with regard to all other religious communities
under their sway. Faithful to their policy of expropriating in the
interests of the State all edifices and monuments of a religious
character, they have a few months ago approached the Baha'i
representatives in Turkistan, and after protracted negotiations with them,
decided to claim and enforce their right of ownership and control of that
most cherished and universally prized Baha'i possession, the
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar of I_sh_qabad. The insistent and repeated
representations made by the Baha'is, dutifully submitted and stressed by
their local and national representatives, and duly reinforced by the
action of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Persia,
emphasizing the international character and spiritual significance of the
Edifice and its close material as well as spiritual connection with the
divers Baha'i communities throughout the East and West, have alas! proved
of no avail. The beloved Temple which had been seized and expropriated and
for three months closed under the seal of the Municipal authorities was
reopened and meetings were allowed to be conducted within its walls only
after the acceptance and signature by the Baha'i Spiritual Assembly of
I_sh_qabad of an elaborate contract drawn by the Soviet authorities and
recognizing the right of undisputed ownership by the State of the
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar and its dependencies. According to this contract,
the Temple is rented by the State for a period of five years to the local
Baha'i community of that town, and in it are stipulated a number of
obligations, financial and otherwise, expressly providing for fines and
penalties in the event of the evasion or infringement of its provisions.

To these measures which the State, in the free exercise of its legitimate
rights, has chosen to enforce, and with which the Baha'is, as befits their
position as loyal and law-abiding citizens, have complied, others have
followed which though