In Islam, apostasy is considered a crime against the Faith, and in the past was commonly punsihable by death. Those who turn back as apostates after Guidance was clearly shown to them, the Evil One has instigated them and busied them up with false hopes. [Muhammad 47:25.6] Baha'is don't commonly regard apostasy as a serious offense. "Covenant Breaking" (rejecting, as an avowed Baha'i, the authority of the Baha'i leadership) is the worst offense. Strangely though, there are passages in the Baha'i writings that use the terms "apostate" and "covenant breaker" equivalently: Fast-Dwindling Band of Covenant-Breakers Following the successive blows which fell with dramatic swiftness two years ago upon the ring-leaders of the fast dwindling band of old Covenant-breakers at the World Center of the Faith, God's avenging hand struck down in the last two months, Avarih, Fareed and Falah, within the cradle of the Faith, North America and Turkey, who demonstrated varying degrees, in the course of over thirty years, of faithlessness to Abdu'l-Baha. The first of the above named will be condemned by posterity as being the most shameless, vicious, relentless apostate in the annals of the Faith, who, through ceaseless vitriolic attacks in recorded voluminous writings and close alliance with its traditional enemies, assiduously schemed to blacken its name and subvert the foundations of its institutions. Shoghi Effendi, Messages To The Bahá'í World: 1950-1957 pages 53-54 Here are some other references from Shoghi Effendi: Some have apostatized from its principles, and betrayed ignominiously its cause. World Order, page 195 He who had been instrumental in inaugurating so splendid an era in the history of the Faith, on whom the Center of Baha'u'llah's Covenant had conferred the titles of "Baha's Peter," of the "Shepherd of God's Flocks," of the "Conqueror of America," upon whom had been bestowed the unique privilege of helping 'Abdu'l-Baha lay the foundation- -stone of the Bab's Mausoleum on Mt. Carmel--such a man, blinded by his extraordinary success and aspiring after an uncontrolled domination over the beliefs and activities of his fellow-disciples, insolently raised the standard of revolt. Seceding from 'Abdu'l-Baha and allying himself with the Arch-Enemy of the Faith of God, this deluded apostate sought, by perverting the teachings and directing a campaign of unrelenting vilification against the person of 'Abdu'l-Baha, to undermine the faith of those believers whom he had during no less than eight years, so strenuously toiled to convert. By the tracts he published, through the active collaboration of the emissaries of his chief Ally,... World Order, page 82-83. The volumes which a shameless apostate composed and disseminated, during that same period in Persia, in his brazen efforts not only to disrupt that Order but to undermine the very Faith which had conceived it,... God Passes By, page 327. Apostates, rebels, betrayers, heretics, had exerted their utmost endeavors, privily or openly, to sap the loyalty of the followers of that Faith, to split their ranks or assault their institutions. God Passes By, page 408. ---------------------------------------- There are, on the other hand, more tolerant passages. For instance, the following passage recognizes some ex-Baha'is (apostates) as harmless: Just because some people have lost their vision of the Cause, or never had a proper grasp of its implications before entering it, and leave the fold, should not cause undue discouragement. There are bound to be such cases, and although every moral support should be given them, if they still wish to withdraw, they fall off - as you said - like withered leaves from the Tree of the Faith, and do it no real harm. (From a letter on behalf of the Guardian dated 4 March 1948, "Unfolding Destiny," pp. 448-449) However, a non-Baha'i is considered a "covenant breaker" if she is allied with "enemies of the Faith", and attacks the Baha'i Faith in the spirit of a "covenant breaker": People who have withdrawn from the Cause because they no longer feel that they can support its Teachings and Institutions sincerely, are not Covenant-breakers -- they are non-Baha'i's and should just be treated as such. Only those who ally themselves actively with known enemies of the Faith who are Covenant-breakers, and who attack the Faith in the same spirit as these people, can be considered, themselves, to be Covenant-breakers." (From a letter dated March 30, 1957 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, "Messages to Canada," p. 64) As regards the matter of those who have withdrawn from the Faith....: as you know, no one has the right to excommunicate anybody except the Guardian of the Faith, himself. Those people who have withdrawn from the Faith, though critical of it and disgruntled, are not necessarily Covenant breakers. If they were associating with Ahmad Sohrab and upholding his claims actively, then they would come into an entirely different category. If this is the case, you should inform the Guardian, but otherwise the friends should be advised to just leave these people alone, for their influence can be nothing but negative and destructive, and the less they breathe the breath, so to speak, of those who have turned their back on the light of this Faith, the better. (From a letter on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated July 18, 1957, "Messages to Canada," pp. 66-67) So, regardless of whether or not a troublesome ex-Baha'i (apostate) has been declared a covenant breaker, she should be left alone, because he/she can only be a negative, destructive influence. ---------------------------------------- In summary, we see that there are three kinds of apostates: 1. Those who withdraw from the Baha'i Faith, but do not cause trouble. These are to be considered ordinary non-Baha'is. 2. Those who withdraw from the Baha'i Faith, and cause trouble. These are not officially regarded as covenant breakers, but should be left alone. Association with them can come of no good. 3. Those who withdraw from the Baha'i Faith, and ally themselves with covenant breakers. These are to be considered covenant breakers once they are so declared by the Guardian.