iranian critics of the baháʼí faith have accused the religion of having ties to freemasonry. as freemasonry originated in the west, and is perceived as a secretive society, many in iran connect the fraternity with the introduction of foreign ideas into the country in order to undermine iranian values. claims were made that many of the earliest masonic lodges, such as malkom khan's "faramush-khanih", which were founded in 1858, were linked to european lodges. however, freemasonry was brought to iran by iranians who had encountered the fraternity in other parts of the world.