he acceptance of this petition--an act of tremendous significance and
wholly unprecedented in the history of the Faith in any country--according
official recognition by the civil authorities to marriage certificates
issued by the representatives of the local community, the validity of
which the official representative of the Persian Government in Palestine
has tacitly recognized, was followed by a series of decisions exempting
from government tax all properties and institutions regarded by the Baha'i
community as holy sites, or dedicated to the Tombs of its Founders at its
world center. Moreover, through these decisions, all articles serving as
ornaments or furniture for the Baha'i shrines were exempted from customs
duties, and the branches of both the American and Indian Baha'i National
Spiritual Assemblies were enabled to function as "religious societies," in
accordance with the laws of the country, and to hold and administer
property as agents of these Assemblies.

In Persia, where a far larger community, already numerically superior to
the Christian, the Jewish and the Zoroastrian minorities living in that
country, had, notwithstanding the traditionally hostile attitude of the
civil and ecclesiastical authorities, succeeded in rearing the structure
of its administrative institutions, the reaction to so momentous a
declaration was such as to inspire its members and induce them to exploit,
in the fullest measure possible, the enormous advantages which this wholly
unexpected testimonial had conferred upon them. Having survived the fiery
ordeals to which the cruel, the arrogant and implacable leaders of an
all-powerful priesthood, now grievously humiliated, had subjected it, a
triumphant community, just emerging from obscurity, was determined, more
than ever before, to press, within the limits prescribed for it by its
Founders, its claim to be regarded as an independent religious entity, and
to safeguard, by all available means, its integrity, the solidarity of its
members and the solidity of its elective institutions. It could no longer,
now that its declared adversaries had, in such a country, in such a
language, and on so important an issue, made so emphatic and sweeping a
pronouncement, and torn asunder the veil that had for so long been drawn
over some of the distinguishing verities lying at the core of its
doctrine, keep silent or tolerate without any protest the imposition of
restrictions calculated to circumscribe