New Era New Year
The incantation heard in this song was sung
by a number of Bíhais in the mid-eighteen hundreds just
before they were invited to a feast and then slaughtered for their beliefs.
The beliefs they held were:
The Equality of the Races,
The Equality of the Sexes,
Universal Education, if you cannot educate all the children, then
educate the girls first, for it is they who pass the wisdom from generation
to generation.
The Oneness of the Nations, of the Earth,
The unity of all the Religions.
This set of beliefs in old Persia at a time when such ideals were
not yet dared to be spoken of in the rest of the world.
The prophet who brought this message was called
Bahaullah.
In the eighteen forties in Persia there arose a man who some consider
a prophet, others consider certainly a wise man at the least.
He spoke of the universality of humankind, of the oneness of religions,
of the oneness of nations, the oneness of the races, the equality of the
sexes, of universal education.
If you cannot educate everyone, he said, then educate the women
first, for it is they who carry the light of wisdom from generation to
generation.
Remember, this is the eighteen forties. In Persia. At that time
even the progressive romantics in America were not considering such truths.
The man was far beyond his time and land in his encompassment and understanding
of the earth and her people.
His name was Bahaullah.
From him was borne the BaHai Faith.
While I, myself, am not a BaHai, I certainly do stand in awe of
the truths that they have carried for so long and under such adverse conditions.
Many BaHais have died a miserable death for simply speaking these truths.
Indeed, I have danced this dance with people whose family members
were executed in modern Iran for standing for such simple human truths
that many of us take for granted.
But to the story of the song of this dance.
Briefly, and probably with some error in chronology...
(email me if you may correct anything here which I say falsely)
In the early days, just after Bahaullah began to speak his truths,
there arose a few who readily recognized the depth of his words.
One of these original nineteen people who believed in Bahaullah
as a prophet was Tahireh, a well known and educated woman in her society.
She was so moved by his being and his truths, that she removed her veil
and walked in the public areas.
It is said that just this act caused a great deal of social disturbance.
Was she the first who, for many centuries gone, had dared such?
One event led to another. Truth is a sword that may cause great
upheaval.
Eventually three hundred of the early followers found themselves
hold up in an old abandoned fort and surrounded by ten thousand of the
Shah's troops.
Tahireh was amongst them. Qudus, another of the original nineteen
followers, was not.
Not, that is, until on racing horseback he galloped through the
ranks of the the Shah's ten thousand and joined his friends in the ancient
fort.
I am told that the refrain you hear in the first part of the dance
is the refrain that was sung by the people within the fort as Qudus rode
through the lines and raced to join his compatriots.
The three hundred stood fast against the ten thousand.
Finally, the commander of the Shah's troops sent word to the fort.
Let us have a debate, he said. The winner of the debate will win
the battle, and you will go free.
But, if I and my fellows win the debate, then you will forsake
your ways with this Bahaullah;
whereas if you win the debate, then I and all my troops shall become
followers of this Bahaullah.
He wished Qudus to be the representative of the debate for those
in the fort.
Qudus and the three hundred accepted the challenge.
Further, the commander of the Shah's troops stated, let us celebrate
this debate with a feast beforehand. Come out, join us and let us feast
together.
Qudus and the three hundred, believing in integrity and honor and
believing in the integrity and honor of the commander, accepted.
Now a great feast was made and the three hundred left the fort
and went and joined in with the Shah's troops. Qudus, however, was asked
to dine separately with the commander.
He accepted.
In the middle of the feast, however, the Shah's troops rose at
a given signal and in a matter of moments slaughtered the three hundred.
All, that is, except Qudus, who was bound and tied alive behind
a horse and then dragged through the local town until his body was torn
to pieces.
They spoke of the oneness of religions,
of the unity of humankind,
of the oneness of the nations,
the oneness of the races.
universal education,
the equality of the sexes.
.
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