“These are His words, spoken at the Jewish Synagogue, Congregation Emmanu-El, in the city of San Francisco, October 12, 1912:

“‘Consider that His Holiness Muḥammad was born among the savage and barbarous tribes of Arabia, lived among them and was outwardly illiterate and uninformed of the Holy Books of God. The Arabian people were in the utmost ignorance and barbarism. They buried their infant daughters alive, considering this to be an evidence of a valorous and lofty nature. They lived in bondage and serfdom under the Persian and Roman governments and were scattered throughout the desert engaged in continual strife and bloodshed.

“‘When the light of Muḥammad dawned, the darkness of ignorance was dispelled from the deserts of Arabia. In a short period of time those barbarous peoples attained a superlative degree of civilization which with Baghdád as its center extended as far westward as Spain and afterward influenced the greater part of Europe. What proof of Prophethood could be greater than this, unless we close our eyes to justice and remain obstinately opposed to reason?

“‘Today the Christians are believers in Moses, accept Him as a Prophet of God and praise Him most highly. The Muḥammadans are likewise believers in Moses, accept the validity of His Prophethood, at the same time believing in Christ. Could it be said that the acceptance of Moses by the Christians and Muḥammadans has been harmful and detrimental to those people? On the contrary it has been beneficial to them, proving that they have been fair minded and just. What harm could result to the Jewish people then if in return they should accept His Holiness Christ and acknowledge the validity of the prophethood of His Holiness Muḥammad? By this acceptance and praiseworthy attitude the enmity and hatred which have afflicted mankind so many centuries would be dispelled, fanaticism and bloodshed pass away and the world be blessed by unity and agreement.’

“Unfortunately, even while this example of spiritual love and wisdom was being set by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the United States, the followers of Muḥammad in Persia, misunderstanding the motives and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, were resisting the Persian Bahá’ís with every means at their command, persecuting them bitterly, and inflicting agony and death.

“It is not our purpose to pass spiritual judgment upon the authors of these shameful deeds, for judgment is of God. We refer to such matters only in order to state our grounds for uttering this appeal to the chiefs of Islám in behalf of our religious brothers and sisters in Persia today. For alas, the cup of martyrdom in the path of Bahá’u’lláh has not yet been drained. Even this year, in the village of Ardibíl, in the province of Ádharbáyján, an innocent and blameless Bahá’í was murdered for no other reason than that he had refused to abjure his loyalty to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, and the criminal was led to commit this damnable act by the instigation of the local mullás, who consequently share the guilt of the crime .....

“It should be made known to you, we feel, that a year ago, moved profoundly by the atrocious murder of eight Bahá’ís in the town of Jahrum, we addressed a respectful supplication to His Majesty Sháh Pahlaví, imploring him to exercise justice in behalf of the oppressed Persian Bahá’ís, who had never departed from loyalty to the government of their land, and whose teachings in fact solemnly declare that loyalty to just government is loyalty to God. But our appeal brought no response, and the oppression continues unchecked.