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Lately, however, due to circumstances wholly beyond their control and without being in the least implicated in political or subversive activity, our Baha'i brethren in those provinces have had to endure the rigid application of the principles already enunciated by the state authorities and universally enforced with regard to all other religious communities under their sway. Faithful to their policy of expropriating in the interests of the State all edifices and monuments of a religious character, they have a few months ago approached the Baha'i representatives in Turkistan, and after protracted negotiations with them, decided to claim and enforce their right of ownership and control of that most cherished and universally prized Baha'i possession, the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of Ishqabad. The insistent and repeated representations made by the Baha'is, dutifully submitted and stressed by their local and national representatives, and duly reinforced by the action of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Persia, emphasizing the international character and spiritual significance of the Edifice and its close material as well as spiritual connection with the divers Baha'i communities throughout the East and West, have alas! proved of no avail. The beloved Temple which had been seized and expropriated and for three months closed under the seal of the Municipal authorities was reopened and meetings were allowed to be conducted within its walls only after the acceptance and signature by the Baha'i Spiritual Assembly of Ishqabad of an elaborate contract drawn by the Soviet authorities and recognizing the right of undisputed ownership by the State of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar and its dependencies. According to this contract, the Temple is rented by the State for a period of five years to the local Baha'i community of that town, and in it are stipulated a number of obligations, financial and otherwise, expressly providing for fines and penalties in the event of the evasion or infringement of its provisions
(160:3)
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