George Ibrahim Kheiralla was a middle-aged Syrian man when he arrived in the United States near the turn of the last century. Kheiralla had left Egypt in June 1892 for St. Petersburg, Russia, and then onto Berlin, before embarking on his ultimate journey to the United States. He arrived in December of 1892, several months after his friend Anton Haddad, who was probably the first Baha’i to set foot on American soil.

Kheiralla learned about the Baha’i Faith while in Egypt. Raised in Syria as a Christian, he exhibited an interest in mysticism and the occult. He was referred to Abdul Karim-i-Tihrani, a Persian Baha’i who had relocated to Egypt, in hopes of obtaining training in magic; instead Kheiralla obtained training and oral history in what was swiftly burgeoning into the Baha’i Faith. Later, Kheiralla introduced his friend Anton Haddad to this new Faith and together they brought Baha’u’llah’s message to America. Anton Haddad eventually left for Europe in 1894; however, Kheiralla stayed in the United States, continued west and eventually settled in Chicago.

Kheiralla arrived in Chicago at a fortuitous time for teaching about a new religion. In 1893 the World’s Parliament of Religion was held in Chicago. It laid the groundwork for an interest in comparative religion and receptiveness to new ideas. William James, Marion Miller (an English expatriate) and Thornton Chase were prominent citizens of Chicago and some of Kheiralla’s students and the first American Baha’is. Mrs. Kate Ives is listed as the first woman born in the U.S. to accept the message of Baha’u’llah. By 1899, she left Chicago for Boston. 1899 also ushers in a period of crisis for the early Baha’i community in Chicago. Kheiralla had been teaching to the American Baha’is his limited understanding of the Baha’i teachings; however, by 1898 Kheiralla and a group of Americans had taken the first pilgrimage to the Holy Land and met with Baha’u’llah’s son and the Center of the Covenant, Abdul Baha.

Anton Haddad had visited Abdul Baha on a trip back to the United States. By December 1897 he had returned to the U.S. and brought with him a first hand account of Abdul Baha and the rest of the Holy Family. Inspired by Haddad’s stories, many of the American Baha’is wished to obtain Abdul Baha’s presence themselves. Phoebe Apperson Hearst, widow of California’s Senator George Hearst, spearheaded the expedition. Edward and Lua Getsinger were the first to arrive, and then Phoebe Hearst and the rest of the Baha’is arrived soon after.

During their stay in the Holy Land, the pilgrims studied the Baha’i Writings in depth and discovered many discrepancies in what was actually revealed by Baha’u’llah and what Kheiralla taught. The new Baha’is were disenchanted with their teacher and the impending crisis in the American Baha’i community was looming forward.

When Kheiralla disembarked in New York after the pilgrimage, the Baha’i community had grown to about 1100 believers and there were believers in many cities throughout the country. Unfortunately, the infant Faith in America soon to be shaken to it’s very core. The Baha’is no longer had to rely solely on Kheiralla for information and clarification, instead, they could write to Abdul Baha directly. Additionally, fearing the repercussions of the Getsinger’s report of his theological errors, Kheiralla had told the Baha’is in New York not to listen to them when they arrived after Kheiralla had continued on to Chicago. The result was an undermining of Kheiralla’s credibility, rather than that of Mr. and Mrs. Getsinger. The seeds were sown for conflict. Kheiralla wanted to have sole control of the Baha’is in the United States and tried to negotiate with Abdul Baha for such privilege. He proclaimed himself the head of the Baha’i Faith in America. By 1900, George Ibrahim Kheiralla had isolated himself from Abdul Baha and the remaining Baha’i community. Many of the early believers left the Faith because of this conflict. It is miraculous that some stalwart souls such as the Getsingers, Thornton Chase and others who remained firm believers. Kheiralla remains a controversial historical figure in the Baha’i Faith. On one account, he was the father of the Faith in America, and yet because of his egotism, he managed to cause intense conflict and damage.

For more reading on Baha'i history read Robert Stockman's books: "The Baha'i Faith in America" volumes 1 and 2.