nwavering in their belief in the Divine station of the Author of
the Qur'an and profoundly convinced of the necessity and worldwide
influence of His Divine mission, Baha'is in every land stand undeterred
and unabashed in the face of the strong condemnation pronounced against
their brethren in Egypt. Indeed, they together with their fellow-workers
in all Muslim countries welcome with gladness and pride every opportunity
for further emancipation that they may set forth in a truer light the
sublime mission of Baha'u'llah.
In the face of such an outspoken and challenging declaration, the Baha'is
of the West cannot but feel the deepest sympathy with their Egyptian
brethren who, for the sake of our beloved Cause and its deliverance, have
to face all the embarrassments and vexations which the severance of
old-established ties must necessarily entail. They will, however, most
certainly expect every staunch and loyal believer in the Faith who resides
in that land to refrain in view of the grave warning uttered expressly by
our opponents, from any practice that would in any manner constitute in
the eyes of a critical and vigilant enemy a repudiation of the fundamental
beliefs of the people of Baha. They will most assuredly, whenever the
moment is opportune, step forth with eager hearts to offer every support
in their power to their fellow-workers who, with stout hearts and
irreproachable loyalty, will continue to hold aloft the standard of God's
struggling Faith. They will not fail to come to the rescue of those who
with joyous confidence will endure to the very end such vicissitudes as
this New Day of God, now in its birth-throes, must needs suffer and
surmount.
We cannot believe that as the Movement grows in strength, in authority and
influence, the perplexities and the sufferings it has had to contend with
in the past will correspondingly decrease and vanish. Nay, as it grows
from strength to strength, the fanatical defendants of the strongholds of
orthodoxy, whatever be their denomination, realising the penetrating
influence of this growing Faith, will arise and strain every nerve to
extinguish its light and discredit its name. For has not our beloved
'Abdu'l-Baha sent forth His glowing prophecy from behind the prison walls
of the citadel of Akka--words so significant in their forecast of the
coming world turmoil, yet so rich in their promise of eventual victory:--
"How great, how very great is the Cause; how very fierce
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