List of converts to the Baháʼí Faith

This is a list of converts to the Baháʼí Faith organised by former religion.

Converted from Abrahamic religions

From Islam

Most of the early followers of Baháʼu'lláh came from an Islamic background.

• Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl (1844–1914) – foremost Baháʼí scholar who helped spread the Baháʼí Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States.^[1]
• Mishkín-Qalam (1826–1912) – prominent Baháʼí and one of the nineteen Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh, as well as a famous calligrapher of 19th-century Persia.^[2]
• Nabíl-i-Aʻzam (1831–1892) – Baháʼí historian and one of the nineteen Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh^[3]
• Hají Ákhúnd (1842–1910) – eminent follower of Baháʼu'lláh. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh.^[4]
• Ibn-i-Abhar (died 1917) – appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Baháʼu'lláh.^[5]
• Mírzá Mahmúd (died 1927/1928) – eminent follower of Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith.^[6]
• Núrayn-i-Nayyirayn – two brothers who were beheaded in the city of Isfahan in 1879.^[7]
• Somaya Ramadan^[8] (born 1951) – 2001 winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature.
• Hasan M. Balyuzi (1908–1980) – a descendant of relatives of the Báb, he was nevertheless a Muslim until he joined the religion following developing a friendship with Shoghi Effendi circa 1925, and eventually was named a Hand of the Cause of God.^[9]

From Judaism

• Lidia Zamenhof (1904–1942) – Polish writer, translator, active promoter of Esperanto (daughter of L. L. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto), killed by Germans during the Holocaust.
• John Ferraby (1914–1973) – British, Baháʼí Hand of the Cause
• Flora Purim (born 1942) – Brazilian jazz singer
• Ethel Jenner Rosenberg (1858–1930) – painter, the first English Baháʼí, secretary and publisher of Baháʼí books.
• Steve Sarowitz (born 1965/1966) – American billionaire businessman, the founder of Paylocity.

From Christianity

Marie of Romania converted to the Baháʼí Faith, from the Romanian Orthodox Church and previously the Church of England.

• Russell Garcia^[10] (1916–2011) – motion picture composer
• David Krummenacker^{[11][non-primary source needed]} (born 1975) – Track & Field indoor World Champion in 800m in 2003, NCAA Champion (Georgia Tech) 1997, 1998
• Jacqueline Left Hand Bull^[12] (born 1943) – American Indian Health care policy administrator (from Catholicism)^[13]
• Queen Marie of Romania^[14] (1875–1938) – final Queen of Romania as the wife of Ferdinand I of Romania.
• Jesse O. McCarthy^[15] (1867–1937) Toronto municipal politician and social reformer. Previously a Methodist.
• Luke McPharlin^[16] (born 1981) – Australian footballer for the Fremantle Dockers
• Julia Lynch Olin (1882–1961) – American author and Baháʼí who co-founded the New History Society in New York City.
• Enoch Olinga (1926–1979) – born to an Anglican^[17] earned the title Hand of the Cause of God.
• Mason Remey^[18] (1874–1974) – prominent American Baháʼí.

Converted from unknown religions

• Arvid Nelson – American comic book writer, best known for Rex Mundi ^[19]
• Zhang Xin (born 1965) – Chinese businesswoman.^[20]
• David Kelly (1944–2003) – former employee of the British Ministry of Defence and a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq who was an authority on biological warfare.^[21]

See also

• List of Baháʼís
• List of excommunicated Baháʼís

Further reading

• Mehrdad Amanat (29 August 2013). Jewish Identities in Iran: Resistance and Conversion to Islam and the Baha'i. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-78076-777-2.
• Dominic Parviz Brookshaw; Seena B. Fazel (2 October 2012). THE BAHA'IS OF IRAN: Socio-Historical Studies. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-25000-4.
• Anthony Lee (28 October 2011). The Baha'i Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952-1962. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-20684-7.
• Johnson, Todd M.; Brian J. Grim (26 March 2013). "Global Religious Populations, 1910–2010". The World's Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 59–62. doi:10.1002/9781118555767.ch1. ISBN 9781118555767.

References

1. Momen, Moojan (March 4, 2002). "Abu'l-Faḍl Gulpaygani, Mirza". Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2007.
2. Balyuzi, Hasan (1985). Eminent Baháʼís in the time of Baháʼu'lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. pp. 270–271. ISBN 0853981523.
3. Balyuzi, Hasan (1985). Eminent Baháʼís in the time of Baháʼu'lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. pp. 268–270. ISBN 0853981523.
4. Balyuzi, Hasan (1985). Eminent Baháʼís in the time of Baháʼu'lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. pp. 265–266. ISBN 0853981523.
5. Balyuzi, Hasan (1985). Eminent Baháʼís in the time of Baháʼu'lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. pp. 245–256. ISBN 0853981523.
6. Balyuzi, Hasan (1985). Eminent Baháʼís in the time of Baháʼu'lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. pp. 290–310. ISBN 0853981523.
7. Balyuzi, Hasan (1985). Eminent Baháʼís in the time of Baháʼu'lláh. The Camelot Press Ltd, Southampton. pp. 335–350. ISBN 0853981523.
8. Lucy Provan (October 14, 2012). "Bahaʼis in Egypt - The 25 January revolution gave everyone hope for change, and the Bahaʼi hope for acceptance". Daily News Egypt. Egypt. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
9. Hasan M. Balyuzi, Hand of the Cause of God - the Treasure of All Humanity, by Richard Francis, 1998, Bahai-library.com
10. Russell Garcia
11. Running the race of his life
12. Garriganm, Mary (May 28, 2007). "Left Hand Bull to lead nation's Baha'is". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
13. Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, A Baha'i Perspective (Podcast and radio), August 14, 2010
14. Hassall, Graham; Fazel, Seena. "100 Years of the Baháʼí Faith in Europe". Baháʼí Studies Review. 8 (3): 35–44. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
15. van den Hoonaard, Will C. (1996). THE ORIGINS OF THE BAHA'I COMMUNITY OF CANADA, 1898-1948. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfred Laurier University Press. pp. 102–103. ISBN 0889202729.
16. A player and more Archived 29 January 2005 at the Wayback Machine by Les Everett, Australian Rules, from the Fremantle Herald
17. Lee, Anthony A. (2008), "Enoch Olinga", Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African-American Experience, Oxford University Press
18. Remey, 1960 p. 2
19. Carey, Edward (September 17, 2008). "Nelson talks Rex Mundi and Religion". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
20. Macau Daily Times: SOHO not interested in Macau's casinos Archived 2010-02-25 at the Wayback Machine (09-02-2010)
21. "Profile: Dr David Kelly" BBC