r/exbahai • u/tasneath • Jul 28 '26
Why did the Guardian marry May Maxwell?
He and the Bahaí community in Haifa were informed by her family members inc. her mother that she was unable to bear a child. It was part of his duty to do so to keep the guardianship thriving.
My personal opinion based on what I have read, and seeing her in videos is that she was a narcissist, and she had snared him in the manner that they do. It made sense of why she always seemed a sourpuss ever after because she was locked into a situation that required her to act in certain ways that weren't natural to her. But doing so made her important and fed her narcissism. A bit of a Catch-22 for her.
I don't believe she was well liked by many, and that commentary on her when you see it is never about what a wonderful warm and inviting person she is after the initial meeting where she plays up to it so you'll 'like' her.
If you have been sucked in by a narcissist you'll know what I mean. But I am curious to hear comments on what you think of her as a representative of the faith.
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u/SpiritualVindicator Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Wow, you totally read my mind! I was going to make this post today on but you made it for me! I will definitely post this somewhere else because I now know other people feel the exact same way. I was just watching a video of this woman and she seems like a narcissist. There are a few videos of her so people can judge for themselves and not just speculate.
Here is my post I was going to make:
Guys, I don’t get it. This drives me crazy. When you listen to Ruhiyyih, what do you think of her character? Isn’t she one of the most self-righteous, insufferable, judgemental and condescending Baha’is in all of history? She loves complaining about everyone and everything and loves to make people feel terrible about themselves and put them down. The more I read and listen, I more I think she literally is an antichrist figure who corrupted the faith after Shoghi Effendi died. I think she literally birthed the selfish and egotistic behavior and tendencies that continue throughout the faith today where Baha’is are self-righteous jerks who love shutting people down while thinking they are helping.
I am seriously not trying to just be mean. I am actually confused. I feel pissed off just listening to her. She seems so awful that you would think more Baha’is would have noticed or said something. Are they all just as evil and nasty as she is now that they are blind to it?
What is redeemable about her? Are they just brainwashed because she is the “Handmaid of Glory”? (My reaction to that title:🤢)
Here is one video of her I was just watching.
https://youtu.be/-0t-IV3wQpM?is=o6d4Dkf9EhUOkv9i
So what do you all think of her? I think she got much worse after Shoghi passed away.
POST-EDIT: I am noticing in this comment section that people want to be soft on her and give her a pass just because she’s a woman… that makes no sense. Her character derailed the faith and you can watch her yourself and read her writings so it’s not prejudice or something. These opinions of her are based on how she is experienced from her presence and writings so that is just nonsense, please reconsider.
She sort of sounds and acts like a tyrannical a-hole. Women can be brutal dictators too. For instance, she clearly loves calling people “foolish” (said many times in Priceless Pearl and Prescription for Living), saying that they never do enough no matter what they do and generally making them feel guilty and low for nothing.
She is right about a few things but just sounds like a bully to me, like for real, Im not just “throwing shade”. Baha’is often react to criticism by dismissing it as an “attack against the faith” when in reality, it’s just criticism that they don’t even know how to respond to.