Belief In Brief: Bahai

Who: Approximately 6 million people worldwide practice Baha'i or Babism.

What: Baha'i believers are all about unity. They believe that all religions teach the same truth. (I’m thinking that’s with a capital T).

Where: Homebase is Haifa, Israel.

Why: Baha’is reject all prejudice and teach world peace, education, and sexual equality.

When: Baha'i was founded in Iran in the mid-nineteenth century by Mirza Husayn Ali, or Baha'ullah, whom they believe to be a prophet foretold by the Bab, a descendent of Muhammad.

How: The Most Holy Book contains detailed instructions for Baha'i life, but Baha’is have no formal ritual or priesthood. Local congregations hold their own educational sessions based on a strict set of laws.

History: Baha'i comes from Babism, which developed out of the Twelve Shi'a sect of Islam. Twelve Shi’a believers are waiting for a great imam (the twelfth one) who vanished but will return to bring peace and justice to the world. Baha'i prophets include Adam, Jesus, and Muhammed among others.

Celebrity Baha’is include Carole Lombard and Dizzy Gillespie.