MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB

                            BIOGRAPHY      Mirza Ahmad Sohrab was born "about 1894" ( My Baha'i Pilgrimage , page 21), to a family who were already, or very shortly became Baha'i. Sohrab was born near Esphahan in the village of Isfahan Province, Persia (now Iran). Sohrab's father Abdu'l-Baghi was a descendent of Muhammad. Abdu'l-Baghi was a farmer "possessed of broad lands" and also chief dyer of the town. Both sides of Sohrab's family, his mother and his father, claimed descent from the Imam Husayn, grandson of Muhammad. His mother died when Sohrab was a few months old, while she herself was still a teenager, and he was taken to live with his maternal grandmother in Isfahan. ( My Baha'i Pilgrimage , page 25) Mirza Ahmad Sohrab hailed from Isfahan, in Iran. He emigrated to Acre at the age of 12. After a short stay there he was sent by Sir Abbas Effendi to Port Said, in Egypt, where he worked as a salesman in Sir Abbas Effendi&#

Shoghi created a history by excommunicating all the members from the progeny of Bahaullah.  Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, the secretary of Abdul Baha writes in his book "Grandson of Abdul Baha": -                                 "The law of excommunication puts an absolute ban on those who are expelled from the Faith. The families of these persons and their fellow- believers must leave the ostracized individuals alone.They must neither communicate nor associate with them. They must break all ties of friend­ship and of humanity even; for, if they deviate one hair’s breath from this law, they themselves fall into the same ditch. Thus as time goes on, the number of the excommunicated increases;for a few are generally to be found, here and there, who are willing to risk ease and safety in order to follow their generous impulses. Such evidently was the case in the instance of Touba Khanum; it probably is the case in the instance of Rouha Khanum. However, in the instance of

BROKEN SILENCE    THE STORY OF TODAY’S STRUGGLE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Mirza Ahmad Sohrab                                 Bahais in this country, who had been called Berthalin by Abdul Baha and who has used this name ever since, the idea was that it would be a valuable service to the Cause if, after the dosing of the Fair, our exhibit could be transport­ed to the city. After some consultation, it was decided to take this step as a purely temporary activity, and ona November 7th, 1939 Bahai Bookshop was opened at 828 Lexington Avenue,a lease having been signed for the duration of six months, I admit that we were fully con­scious that, in all probability, the National Spiritual As­sembly of the Bahais of the United States and Canada would resent this further heralding of the Bahai name and teachings. However, we were prepared, as in the past, to meet opposition in silence. Then- On December 5, 1939, the postman delivered the fol­lowing letter to Bahai Bookshop: