other people who were associated with the baháʼí faith either had baháʼí backgrounds or were not connected with the religion at all. for example, it was often rumoured that the prime minister amir-abbas hoveida was a baháʼí. while hoveida's father had been a baháʼí, he had left the religion and hoveida himself was not religious. other people rumoured to be baháʼís included mahnaz afkhami, who was the minister for women's affairs and the daughter of a baháʼí mother, and farrokhroo parsa, a cabinet member who was not connected to the religion at all. chehabi notes that the allegations that half of the shah's cabinet were baháʼís are fanciful and, given the persecution the baháʼís have suffered, irresponsible exaggerations.