Article extracted from complete book, which was posted by its editor to academia.edu.

Note: the following article is informed by the writings and views of Juan Cole. While accurate, they are also somewhat one-sided, e.g. in Cole's and this article's perception that the Bahá'í Administration actively suppresses dissent. By contrast, the Baha'i Library Online has never been asked to remove any item for doctrinal reasons. (-J.W., 2023)