AOL Legal Dept.
22000 AOL Way
Dulles, Virginia 20166
Subj: Board Postings at Keyword: Bahai
Date: 3/30/2002 1:47:02 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: LDRS LFST Shahid
To: Fglaysh12002
CC: LDRS LFST Mgr, LDRS LFST Jerry
Dear Member,
Regarding your messages posted at Keyword: Baha'i>Announcements>
In order for all members to enjoy our message boards, our community
has certain standards of conduct for members to follow. Please review
Keyword: Message Board Product Guidelines and Keyword: for more information on what is
appropriate in our community. Based on these standards and guidelines,
your post was removed to avoid disruption to the message board discussion.
Depending on the severity of the disruption, a report may have been
submitted to AOL's Community Action Team for further review.
We appreciate your taking the time to read this letter. Thank you.
If you have any questions or comments, please forward them to .
Regards,
LDRS LFST Shahid
Volunteer Message Board Host
Spirituality Forum
Subject: Re: Baha'i Brown Shirts
Date: 3/29/02 8:17 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: Fglaysh12002
Message-id: <20020329081707.02886.00000960@mb-ba.aol.com>
>Double-standards equal hypocrisy.
>
>Censorship is hypocrisy.
>
>This board has been hijacked
>by a Baha'i cleric.
>
>And Baha'i cowards will do nothing
>about it.
>
>Seekers:
>This is a Baha'i Spin Zone.
Thank you for your courageous attempt to inform our fellow citizens
of what is actually happening behind the facade.....
Frederick Glaysher
Google Search Engine:
Bahai Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience
Subject: Re: Shahid: Non-elected Forum Leader who trashes our First
Amendment rights
Date: 3/29/02 8:19 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: Fglaysh12002
Message-id: <20020329081941.02886.00000961@mb-ba.aol.com>
Thanks again for speaking candidly about the distortions and
suppressions that are taking place here under the guise of
"moderating."
Frederick Glaysher
Google Search Engine:
Bahai Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience
LDRS LFST Shahid
Volunteer Message Board Leader
Baha'i Message BoardFrom: "Bahai Faith"
Subject: Re: AOL Legal Department's Address
Date: Thursday, April 04, 2002 4:43 PM
PREDICTABLE:
Subj: Board Posting at Keyword: Spirituality
Date: 4/4/2002 12:27:27 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: LDRS LFST Shahid
To: Fglaysh12002
CC: LDRS LFST Mgr
Dear Member,
Regarding your message posted at Keyword: Baha'i>
Baha'i>General Discussion>Re:AOL's Legal Department-Adress>4/3/02 8:26 AM
In order for all members to enjoy our message boards, our community has
certain standards of conduct for members to follow. Please review Keyword:
Message Board Product Guidelines and Keyword: Lifestyles Board Standards for
information on what is appropriate in our community. Based on these
standards and guidelines, your post was removed to avoid disruption to the
message board discussion.
Depending on the severity of the disruption, a report may have been
submitted to AOL's Community Action Team for further review.
We appreciate your taking the time to read this letter. Thank you. If you
have any questions or comments, please forward them to LDRS LFST Mgr.
Regards,
LDRS LFST Shahid
Volunteer Message Board Leader
AOL Lifestyles Community
======== Copy of Your Message ========
Subject: Re: AOL's Legal Department - Address
Date: 4/3/02 8:26 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: Fglaysh12002
Message-id: <20020403082651.02910.00002062@mb-ba.aol.com>
I urge those tired of the dishonesty and duplicity of the community leader
on these message boards to at least contact AOL's Legal Department as soon
as possible with a letter of complaint. Put them on notice. Documented your
good-faith efforts to protect your constitutional and proprietary rights.
Save copies and please consider forwarding copies to me.
> AOL Legal Department
> 22000 AOL Way
> Dulles, Virginia 20166
Frederick Glaysher
Google Search Engine:
Bahai Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience
From: "Mr Mahdi"
Subject: Bahai extremism on AOL's bahai message board
Date: Saturday, April 06, 2002 2:24 AM
For years I have complained about the extremist elements from amongst the bahai
faith who happen to take control as "forum leaders" and "moderators" of the
bahai message board on AOL. When I mention that I know people that not only
had their accounts terminated not once but two or three times due to bahai
extremists' manipulation of AOL's TOS and deceiving AOL staff, many of them
think I am lying or exageration. They think so because it would never cross
the people's mind for a moment that a forum on an ISP will be playground for a
ultra-extremist and intolerant agenda of a group of people trying to promote
their world view and harrass those who do not agree or toe their line.
For years, people have lost their accounts, been harrassed and slandered by the
ultra-fanatical elements from amongst the bahais on AOL. I have never
witnessed in any other forum on AOL where two successive moderators/forum
leaders with the SAME intolerant extremist agenda controlled it with an iron
fist, censoring non bahais and bahais who are not dogmatic extremists. I have
never heard on ANY AOL forum where many people who did not toe a certain line
had their accounts terminated or at least suspended because the forum leaders
and other bahais have reported them to AOL. Fred Glaysher's website shows us
extensive evidence of years of bahai extremist manipulation and outright
double-standards.
I am confused as to why AOL has allowed this to go on and on and on and on and
on for so many years, despite the fact that several AOL members have complained
and even documented the abuse of the bahai extremist forum leaders/moderators.
I would like for AOL to offer an explanation as to why they have allowed this
to go on for so long. It is either they don't know or don't care. I hope that
it is the former because if it is, we can inform them (once again) as to what
goes on so they can take action.
From a concerned member of AOL,
Mahdi Muhammad
https://brothermahdi.tripod.com/index.html From: "Mr Mahdi"
Subject: Re: Bahai extremism on AOL's bahai message board
Date: Saturday, April 06, 2002 2:17 PM
Greetings Fred,
>Any chance you could share
>this with people on AOL in General Discussion, AOL
>Legal Department thread?
I would love to discuss this and other things of a similar nature in General
Discussion on AOL. But I must admit, I have to be careful these days, because
I do not want my account terminated or suspended due to the bahai extremists
TOSing my relevant posts to AOL staff.
I would join in the current discussion on AOL, but I am not sure if I am going
to post the last message I put on TRB. I just had enough with the
ultra-fanatical censorship of Maneck/Shahid, so I am extremely cautious these
days. But if you want to forward what I posted on TRB to AOL, please feel free
to do so.
Peace,
Mahdi Muhammad
https://brothermahdi.tripod.com/index.html From: "Mr Mahdi"
Subject: Re: Bahai extremism on AOL's bahai message board
Date: Saturday, April 06, 2002 2:27 PM
If anyone here doubts that there is an bahai extremist agenda on the AOL bahai
message board, ask yourself how on earth did Mark Foster pass and give the
forum leader role to Susan Maneck? Both are viewed by many bahais as religious
fundamentalists who have a history of intolerance and clear-cut double
standards.
I would like to receive an explanation from either AOL or someone familiar with
their policies to explain the process of HOW a forum leader pass his position
to someone else of his or her own choosing.
I would like to know if there is any process where AOL members can participate
in choosing a forum leader. If there is, why wasn't the election process
present on the AOL bahai message boards? If there isn't, why on earth not???
Mahdi Muhammad
https://brothermahdi.tripod.com/index.html Notify AOL - 6-25-02
ATTN - AOL Lawyers
In addition to the article by Karen Bacquet, which I mailed you in April,
you should read the article below by Professor Juan Cole, of the University of Michigan's Department of History, just recently published in the Religious Studies Review:
Professor Juan Cole's "Fundamentalism in the Contemporary
U.S. Baha'i Community," Religious Studies Review 2002:
https://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/bahai/2002/fundbhfn.htm
Karen Bacquet, "Enemies Within: Conflict and Control in the Baha'i
Community" published in AFF's Cultic Studies Journal:
https://www.angelfire.com/ca3/bigquestions/enemies.html
Together, these two articles should provide you with what AOL has lacked for at least more than four years: an understanding of what AOL is actually allowing to take place on the bahai Message Boards under the control of fundamentalists among my fellow bahais.
Frederick Glaysher
The Bahai Faith & Religious Freedom of Conscience
https://members.fortunecity.com/bahaicensorship
------
Dear Member,
America Online has a Terms of Service agreement which provides community guidelines for online conduct. I need to let you know that we received a report regarding a violation of those guidelines on one of our Message Boards. Here is the information I have placed on the account regarding this incident:
Subj: AOL Lawyers - Deletion of Messages
Date: 19 Jun 2002 22:20:11 EDT
From: fglaysh12002@aol.com
Message-ID: <20020619222011.28572.00001873@mb-mv.aol.com>
Violation Clip: Professor Juan Cole's "Fundamentalism in the Contemporary
U.S. Baha'i Community," Religious Studies Review 2002:https://www.personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/bahai/2002/fundbhfn.htm
Our Terms of Service agreement, which was presented when you opened your AOL account, allows America Online to be informative, entertaining and, above all, fun for all of our members. You can review that agreement at Keyword: TOS. Also, you may want to take a look at Keyword: Parental Controls. Parental Controls allow you to restrict the online activities of specific screen names on your account. For information on how to protect your account, be sure to visit Keyword: Neighborhood Watch.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Since this screen name cannot accept replies, please direct any comments or questions to screen name TOSGeneral.
Regards,
Leah
Community Action Team
America Online, Inc.Subject: Re: Nick - Bogus Fundamentalist Screen name?
Date: 7/7/2002 9:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Neptunies2002
Message-id: <20020707213325.23745.00003806@mb-df.aol.com>
Hello Fred,
>Well, we can't rule anything out, given the last decade of experience with
>the fundamentalists among our fellow bahais in cyperspace....
Pleased to meet you Mr. Glaysher. I am familiar with your website because it was one of the main ones I frequented to get alternate views of the Baha'i Faith. I find it disturbing that you believe that I am bogus. I can assure you, I am Nick and not a fundamentalist. Fundamentalism has turned me off, and I do believe that fundamentalism turned many people away from the Baha'i Faith.
At the same rate, any apologia coming from fundamentalists or liberals will have the same effect on how I think of religion in general. Both try to explain away problematic issues with their own interpretation and unique rhetoric. If things were clear cut there wouldn't be a need for apologia. For now, I am content in just believing in God and trying my best to do what is right in His eyes.
I would personally like to thank you for having such a website that presents views not currently embraced by the majority of Baha'is. Your website has made me further realize that there are problems that exist in the Baha'i community that need resolution. I believe that as an intellectual and I guess activist, your efforts in raising awareness should be commended and not dismissed.
Before I conclude this message, I am not too familiar with the history of both this bulletin board or its participants. It seems that people here experienced individuals coming here with bogus screen names and for this reason, anyone new is suspect. Rest assure that I am not bogus nor a fundamentalist nor a liberal. I am just a person who have been a member of the Baha'i community and is currently trying to seek answers in my life. If anyone here
does not want to believe me, that is there problem and not mines.
Cheers,
Nick
Subject: Re: How Do I Shed Doubts in My Faith in Baha'u'llah?
Date: 7/7/2002 9:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: Neptunies2002
Message-id: <20020707215904.23745.00003810@mb-df.aol.com>
Hello Fred,
>What's "shattered your faith"? I hope you don't mind my asking you to be
>specific. Don't mean to pry.
I explained this in other messages I posted here earlier. I felt that the many unanswered questions that were clearly irreconcilable lead me to conclude that I would not be true to myself if I believed in something I truly no longer believed in. What exacerbated this was the apologia I received from both fundamentalist and liberal Baha'is. It was clear that I would be living in denial if I accepted an apologetic explanation to something
irreconcilable just for the sake of "keeping my faith in Baha'u'llah". I began to realize that why do I need to be in a religion when I can still believe in God and do what's right without one.
But there can be hope for me to return to being a practicing Baha'i, and that is why I came here to seek answers. So far, I haven't heard anything new unfortunately.
Cheers,
Nick