Australian Baha’i Report/Volume 17/Issue 2/Text

From Bahaiworks

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Volume 17, Issue 2 - July 2013 www.bahai.org.au Volume 17, Issue 2 - July 2013 www.bahai.org.au

A newsletter of the Australian Bahá’í Community

INSIDE Indigenous speakers address reconciliation

3


Family members speak out at national forum

4


Women's rights advocate attends UN

7


NOTICE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are alerted that this publication contains images and names of people who have since passed away.

National governing body elected


The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia: (Back row, left to right) Professor Fariborz Moshirian, Dr Arini Beaumaris, Mr Anton Jones, Mrs Fiona McDonald, Professor David Chittleborough. (Front row, left to right) Professor Bijan Samali, Ms Anisa Naraqi, Dr Vahid Saberi, Dr Golshah Naghdy


Delegates from throughout Australia elected the national governing body of the Bahá'í Faith during the annual convention held from 24 to 26 May at the Bahá'í Centre of Learning in Silverwater, Sydney.

Ninety-five delegates cast their votes for the nine- member National Spiritual Assembly in a reverent atmosphere, free of nominations or electioneering. All adult Australian Bahá'ís were eligible for election.

Those elected to the National Spiritual Assembly were Arini Beaumaris (educational consultant, Sydney), David Chittleborough (professor of biogeochemistry, Adelaide), Anton Jones (business consultant, Brisbane), Fiona McDonald (counsellor, Perth), Fariborz Moshirian (professor of finance, Sydney), Golshah Naghdy (associate professor of electrical engineering, Wollongong), Anisa Naraqi (public servant, Canberra), Vahid Saberi (health services CEO, Northern NSW) and Bijan Samali (professor of structural engineering, Sydney).

All members except Ms Naraqi served on the previous National Spiritual Assembly. The outgoing member, Dr Eric Kingston, had accepted an administrative post at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa, Israel, prior to the convention.

The Assembly elected Dr Saberi as chair, Mr Jones as secretary and Professor Samali as treasurer.

At the convention, the delegates watched Frontiers of Learning, a film showing Bahá'ís involved in community building processes in four different settings: Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada and India.

The movie, which is publicly available on the internet at http://www.bahai.org/frontiers/, explores processes of community development under way in thousands of localities worldwide, including in Australia. It prompted discussion about current activities in Australia and plans for the future.

International Convention

The outgoing members of the National Spiritual Assembly were delegates at the Eleventh International Bahá'í convention in Haifa, Israel, from 29 April to 2 May.

They joined more than 1,000 other Bahá'ís to elect the nine members of the Faith's international governing body, the Universal House of Justice, for the coming five year term.

Among those elected was Mr Stephen Hall, a former secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia.

The event marked the 50th anniversary of the inaugural convention in 1963, when the Universal House of Justice was first elected.

� Brisbane Bahá'í elected as new National Secretary


Newly elected National Secretary, Anton Jones


The new National Secretary of the Australian Bahá'í Community is a businessman and former senior executive who has had long experience in Bahá'í administration as well as in spiritual education programs for youth and children.

Anton Jones has previously served as a member of the Bahá'í Council for Queensland and the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Brisbane.

Mr Jones succeeds Dr Eric Kingston, who has accepted a volunteer role as a senior manager at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa, Israel.

“I look forward to my new responsibilities, and I feel fortunate to follow in the footsteps of such an accomplished predecessor,” Mr Jones said.

Mr Jones, whose new role is full-time, was elected to the post by fellow members of the Faith's elected nine-member national governing body, the National Spiritual Assembly. Mr Jones has been a member for the past two years.

The secretary is effectively CEO of the Australian Bahá'í Community, which has a mix of full-time staff, part-timers, interns and

volunteers. Working with the national administrative body are some 200 locally elected Bahá'í administrative institutions throughout Australia. The Faith has no clergy.

Mr Jones is managing director of Enlighten Consulting, a boutique firm offering services in leadership development, organisational capability, executive coaching, business strategy and public relations. He also manages a dental practice in Brisbane which he co- owns with his wife, Dr Marjan Jones, the principal dentist.

Prior to establishing his own businesses, Mr Jones held roles in sales and customer service as well as in corporate and public affairs at Telstra Corporation for 16 years, including a two year stint as current CEO David Thodey's national public affairs manager.

He spent seven years as Telstra's area general manager in Brisbane with primary accountability for community, media and political stakeholders.

Mr Jones and his wife have two sons. He coaches a junior development team at a local soccer club and teaches religious education classes at a neighbourhood primary school.

National Discourses Officer appointed


In her role, Ms Rahbar helps organise and facilitate seminars for university students to raise consciousness about the importance of engaging in action and discourse directed towards social change.

“This role continues to be exciting because I am able to assist highly motivated young people to help them assume ownership of their education, and to assist them in their efforts to acquire the kind of knowledge that will enable them to live fruitful, productive and meaningful lives,” she said.

Originally from the United States, Ms Rahbar and her Australian husband are actively involved in community development in Sydney, focusing on the empowerment of the younger generation in the development of capacities to attend to the intellectual, social and spiritual needs of a community.

National Discourses Officer, Safa Rahbar


The newly-appointed National Discourses Officer for the Australian Bahá'í Community has wide experience in Bahá'í activities at the international, national and local levels.

Sydney-based Safa Rahbar will be advancing the participation of Australian Bahá'ís in discussions on selected issues facing Australian society.

“As Bahá'ís we endeavour to gain insight into contributions we can make to such issues as the processes leading to global peace, gender equality, racial and interfaith harmony to name but a few,” Ms Rahbar said.

For more than two years, Ms Rahbar has been working with the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity in Australia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to building capacity in individuals, groups and institutions to contribute to prevalent discourses concerned with the betterment of society.

Australian Baha’i Report - July 2013

� Indigenous speakers advocate learning from our history


Professor Shane Houston and Ms Bettina King


Australians need to find a way that all people can be respected regardless of their differences, an indigenous speaker told a reception following a National Reconciliation Week Service at the Bahá'í Temple in Sydney on 2 June.

Lessons from our history can be used to help us become better people and a better nation, said Professor Shane Houston, Sydney University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services), a Gangulu man from Central Queensland.

Special guests included a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council and Parliamentary Secretary for Justice, the Hon. David Clarke, and Warringah Councillor Vanessa Moskal.

Solution

Professor Houston said that much racism

flows from ignorance. “My solution is greater education. We need to think about the question of cultural competence. How do we operate in an environment where there is more than one culture in play and do so in the way that we respect the difference of everyone in the room?”

Australians need to walk together, owning the challenges we have, looking at the future and thinking what we could or should do, he said.

Professor Houston said the objective of Reconciliation Week is not turning away from the bumpy journey.

“It's about what the road ahead looks like and

what sorts of values and perspectives we need to promote in order to ensure that our future learns from our past and is better than it.”

The other keynote speaker was Bettina King, a Narrungga and Wardaman woman. A lawyer, she is a member of the Australian Bahá'í Community.

Ms King gave an example from the experience of her mother to show why she has never thought that she, as an Aboriginal person, has to “reconcile” with non-Aboriginal people, as opposed to forming good relationships with them.

Two of her mother's children were taken from her by the Welfare authorities because they were Aboriginal and so that they would be assimilated into white society, she said.

“My mother never got over this-- grief and trauma carried her through her life.”

Spiritual response

Ms King said that when thinking about a spiritual response to reconciliation, she remembered Uncle Fred Murray, one of the first Aboriginal Bahá'ís, who despite having no rights as a citizen in his own country, went to a World Congress of Bahá'ís in 1963 and spoke about his culture.

“That leads me to my own culture, a very strong culture, a very strong spirituality. I became a Bahá'í because my spirituality aligned with the Bahá'í Faith, and the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are about unity. I believe in unity, I believe in the oneness of humankind-- we are all humans.”


Madame Rúhíyyih Rabbani, a prominent Bahá’í (left), with Uncle Fred Murray, one of the first Aboriginal Bahá'ís

Australian Baha’i Report - July 2013

� Dramatic contribution to international campaign


Australian relatives of imprisoned Bahá'í leaders in Iran holding messages next to their images


Representatives of the major religions in Australia made a dramatic contribution to a national forum in Sydney on 7 May which called for the release of seven imprisoned Bahá'í leaders in Iran.

The national forum was part of the international “Five Years Too Many” campaign marking the fifth anniversary since the arrests of the leaders. Events with a similar purpose were held around the world in May in countries as diverse as Canada, Brazil, Germany, India and the United States. Since the national forum, such events have been held elsewhere in Australia, with another scheduled for July in Perth.

In Sydney, each religious representative solemnly walked over to one of seven empty chairs on a stage in New South Wales Parliament House and placed upon it a red rose in the name of one of the seven leaders. They then bowed their heads in respect.

The forum was preceded on 6 May by a call from Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Bob Carr, for the immediate release of the seven, a message that was read out to the gathering.

Before the leaders placed the roses on the chairs, each of them

offered prayers or readings from their respective religious traditions.

The representatives included the Imam of the Zetland mosque, Dr Amin Hady, the Senior Rabbi of the Great Synagogue in Sydney, Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, the chairman of the Hindu Council of Australia, Professor Nihal Agar, the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia, Reverend Tara Curlewis and the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia, Dr Eric Kingston.

Roses were also placed by Professor Abd Malak on behalf of the Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations and by Mrs Josie Lacey representing Religions for Peace NSW.

The Parliamentary host, Pittwater MP Rob Stokes, who also represented NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, welcomed the MPs from all political parties who attended the event.

“When any of us are persecuted for our religious beliefs, we are all persecuted,” Mr Stokes said.

Mr Stokes read a special message from the Premier which said in part: “We are lucky to have such a strong Baha'i community in NSW and I wish everyone involved in the national forum the very best.”

Members of the audience were visibly moved during presentations by Australian relatives of the seven leaders.

Among the relatives was Adelaide businessman

Pittwater MP Rob Stokes


Australian Baha’i Report - July 2013

� made by leaders of faith communities


Amin Tavakoli who said his brother, Behrouz, was a psychologist specialising in helping children with mental and physical disabilities.

“The hands that once healed children and those hands that gave them hope now only grasp the cold metal bars of a prison cell….Maybe he will never walk out of prison alive … but if by any chance I was to see him alive I would hug him and hold him and whisper in his ear, 'Well done, my beloved brother, well done!' “

The keynote speaker from the Australian Bahá'í Community, Natalie Mobini, described how the imprisonment of the seven was in breach of both Iranian and international law.

“Iranian Bahá'ís seek no special privileges but ask only for the protection to which they are entitled under Iranian law and under the International Bill of Human Rights, a covenant to which Iran is party,” Dr Mobini said.

The Bahá'í leaders are now five years into a 20 year jail term. Their conviction and sentence has attracted worldwide condemnation including from the UN General Assembly, the Federal Parliament of Australia and counterparts worldwide, Amnesty International, and Nobel laureates. In June, the New South Wales Law Society sent a letter to Iranian Authorities

expressing its concern about the leaders and calling for their release.

Amin Tavakoli, brother of an imprisoned Bahá'í leader


General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Australia, Reverend Tara Curlewis, offering a prayer

Keynote speaker from the Australian Bahá'í Community, Dr Natalie Mobini


Foreign Minister calls for release of Bahá'í leaders in Iran


Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Bob Carr, issued a call on 6 May 2013 for the immediate release of seven imprisoned Bahá'í leaders in Iran.

On the eve of a national forum in Sydney calling for the release of the leaders, Senator Carr said the fifth anniversary of the detention of the leaders was one “we commemorate with regret”.

“We call for the immediate release of prisoners of conscience including the seven imprisoned Bahá'í leaders: Afif Naeimi, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mahvash Sabet, Saeid Rezaie, and Vahid Tizfahm,” said Senator Carr, in a statement posted on his official web site.

In his statement, Senator Carr said the Australian Government reiterates its concerns at continuing human rights abuses in Iran including those affecting the Bahá'í community.

“These concerns were most recently voiced in March this year, in a statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“In that statement, Australia expressed its concern at the use of the death penalty, intimidation and arbitrary arrest of human rights and political activists, suppression of personal freedoms and the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, including Bahá'ís.

“We also supported renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran.”

Senator Carr said Australia welcomed some recent positive developments, including the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.

“Australia calls on Iran to respect the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association,” he said.

“Australia also regularly raises human rights concerns directly with the Government of Iran.”

Senator Bob Carr


Australian Baha’i Report - July 2013

� Golden rule poster illustrates common teachings


Australian Bahá'í Community spokesperson Venus Khalessi (second from right) with faith representatives at the poster launch. Photo courtesy of the Columban Mission Institute (CMI)


The Golden Rule poster, available online: http://www.columban.org.au/thegoldenrule


A member of the Australian Bahá'í Community was among the representatives of the major religions at the launch of “The Golden Rule Poster” at the NSW Parliament on 19 June 2013.

The NSW Minister for Citizenship and Communities and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Victor Dominello, launched the poster with a statement affirming the essential unity of the religions: “There is one light, but many lanterns.”

The poster illustrates the principle of reciprocity --“treat others as you would like to be treated” -by showing how it appears in the sacred text of religions, including Aboriginal spirituality.

The poster was produced by the Columban Mission Institute's Centre for Christian-Muslim relations.

Indigenous social justice campaigner, Dr Tom Calma AO, gave the keynote address at the launch, which was also attended by Members of

Parliament and the public.

A panel discussion chaired by ABC Radio National broadcaster Rachael Kohn involved representatives of eight religions and explored the reality of living by the “Golden Rule”.

Director of Public Information for the Australian Bahá'í community, Venus Khalessi, spoke about the plight of the persecuted Bahá'ís in Iran and the “heroes of justice” who have stood up for them.

She referred to individuals like Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Mahnaz Parakand and Abdolfattah Soltani -- all from the Defenders of Human Rights Centre -- who put their lives at risk by acting as legal counsel for Bahá'ís imprisoned in Iran.

Ms Khalessi said those heroes were not members of the Bahá'í community but were Iranian citizens who were treating others how they would want to be treated, by giving the Bahá'ís in Iran the opportunity to be legally represented.

Parliamentary tribute to devoted community member


Parviz “Paul” Naderi


Albany Bahá'í Parviz “Paul” Naderi was devoted to his faith's teachings about community service, and when he passed away prematurely in May 2013 he received a stirring tribute in the State Parliament.

In his address, the Member for Albany in the WA Legislative Assembly, Mr Peter Watson, said Mr Naderi was involved in numerous community building enterprises, including serving on the hospice board.

“Paul was especially sensitive to Aboriginal heritage and formed many warm friendships in the Noongar community,” Mr Watson said.

“He was an important part of our community and will be sadly missed,” said Mr Watson, who attended Mr Naderi's funeral. Among

other prominent citizens present was former longstanding Albany mayor, Mr Milton Evans.

In its tribute to Mr Naderi, the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Albany said that one of the hallmarks of his service was the ability to see a need and act on it.

“When there was work to be done, he unhesitatingly stepped forward and acted to ensure that the work was not only initiated but also patiently accompanied through to completion.”

Mr Naderi was born in Shiraz, Iran, in 1954. During severe persecution of the Bahá'ís of Iran in the 1980s, he moved to Australia. He met and married his wife Roya in Perth and the couple moved to Albany in 1998 with their daughters Adelle and Emily.

Australian Baha’i Report - July 2013

� Keynote speakers address women's rights


Two speakers who have attended major women's rights meetings at the United Nations addressed a reception following a service held at the Bahá'í Temple in Sydney on 24 March to mark International Women's Day.

Keynote speaker Sue Conde AM, co-chair of the Sydney chapter of the Australian National Committee for UN Women, said International Women's Day is the day to celebrate the achievements and address the challenges of women and girls worldwide.

“I commend the Bahá'í community for the many ways you work to affirm the equality of men and women, and for all you are doing to build a better world,” said Ms Conde, who has participated in the UN General Assembly special session on women and the Commission on the Status of Women in New York in previous years.

Ms Conde quoted from Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, who said: “It is time for Governments to keep their promises and protect human rights in line with the international conventions and agreements that they signed on to.”

The second keynote speaker was Isadora Quay, who represented the Australian Bahá'í Community at the Commission on the Status

of Women at the United Nations held from 4 to 15 March 2013.

Ms Quay emphasised that violence against women was a regular occurrence in Australian society.

“One in three women in Australia is affected by violence, and it can happen in any home,” she said.

“We need to take this issue seriously and act on it.

“In addition to strong legal structures and support services, this will take the spiritual realisation that violence is not the answer.”

Bahá'ís in various parts of Australia also marked the day. The Top End Bahá'í Community, centered in Darwin and Palmerston, participated in events to celebrate contributions of women to society and to recognise the role of migrant, refugee and indigenous women as community leaders and mentors.

The Bahá'ís hosted a presentation and workshop conducted by Melanie Lotfali which was followed by a lively discussion. Those attending included women and men from the Bahá'í, Christian, Hindu and Islamic communities.

Keynote speakers Isadora Quay (left) and Sue Conde


Gender issues specialist advocates bridging role


The Australian Bahá'í Community can help bridge the gap between different women's groups which are working for gender equality, according to Isadora Quay, who represented the community at the United Nations recently.

Robust debates are taking place at the international level on the issues of equality and women's rights, said Ms Quay, who represented the Australian Bahá'í Community at the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN in March this year.

“As a religion that believes fundamentally in equality and the advancement of women, Bahá'ís internationally and in Australia can form a bridge between different groups and provide a space where people with diverse perspectives can come together,” Ms Quay said.

Currently an Advisor (Gender in Emergencies)

for CARE Australia, Ms Quay said the Bahá'í community could adopt this bridging role between disparate groups in discussions on the post Millennium Development Goals agenda.

Ms Quay, a political scientist, has had a wealth of experience with development and gender issues in Africa, Afghanistan, France and the Pacific.

For five years, she worked for the United Nations, most recently as head of policy and donor relations for the World Food Program in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A specialist in women's political leadership, Ms Quay last year undertook research for the International Women's Development Agency in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.

Isadora Quay


Australian Baha’i Report - July 2013

� The Australian Bahá’í Report is published three times a year by the Australian Bahá’í Community, a nongovernmental organisation which encompasses and represents the membership of the Bahá’í Faith in Australia.

For more information on the stories in this newsletter, or any aspect of the Australian Bahá’í Community and its activities, please contact:

Australian Baha’i Report

173 Mona Vale Road Ingleside NSW 2101 Australia

Phone:

(02) 9998 9222 Email:

opi@bahai.org.au

World Wide Web:

www.bahai.org.au

Twitter: @Austbahai

Facebook: /austbahai

Editorial team:

Michael Day Venus Khalessi Natalie Mobini


Staff Writer:

Michael Day

Graphic Design:

Simon Creedy www.creedy.com.au (02) 9427 0632

The Australian Baha’i Report is distributed free of charge. If you would like to have your name added to, or removed from, our mailing list, please contact us at the address above.


© Copyright 2013 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia Inc.

Printed on 100% recycled paper

International News

International spotlight shines on human rights violations in Iran

The ongoing abuse of human rights in Iran came under the international spotlight at a session of the UN Human Rights Council in March, with Australia making a strong statement on the issue.

The meeting culminated on 22 March 2013 with an overwhelming vote by the Council to continue to investigate human rights violations in Iran.

The vote, 26 to 2 with 17 abstentions, came after new reports by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon.

Referring to the persecution of religious minorities in Iran, Mr Shaheed said that 110 Bahá'ís are currently detained in Iran for exercising their faith.

Mr Ban's report to the Council also drew attention to a “notable increase” in the arrest and detention of Bahá'ís and said an “ongoing anti-Bahá'í media campaign resulted in increasing attacks on its members and their properties.”

The Australian Government presented a statement at the session on 11 March which said: “Australia is deeply concerned about the intimidation and arbitrary arrest of human rights and political activists, the suppression of freedom of assembly, and the treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, including Bahá'ís, who have been subjected to increasing ill treatment.”

Violence with Inpunity

Speaking on 6 March at a side event during the session, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt, said the attacks against Bahá'ís in Iran represent one of the clearest cases of state-sponsored religious

Heiner Bielefeldt - the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief . UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras


persecution in the world.

The repression faced by Bahá'ís spans “all areas of state activity, from family law provisions to schooling, education, and security,” he said.

Dr Bielefeldt was commenting on the release of a new report, “Violence with Impunity: Acts of aggression against Iran's Baha'i community,” by the Bahá'í International Community, which documents rising violence against Iranian Bahá'ís and the lack of repercussions for the perpetrators.

The report describes hundreds of incidents of torture, physical assault, arson, vandalism, cemetery desecration and the abuse of school children directed against the Iranian Bahá'í community since 2005 - all carried out with utter impunity.

Diane Ala'i, the Bahá'í International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said the situation puts the Bahá'ís in an impossible position.

“They must ask for justice and protection from the same authorities who are systematically inciting hatred against them and from a judicial system that treats virtually every Bahá'í who is arrested as an enemy of the state,” Ms Ala'i said.

The report “Violence with Impunity: Acts of aggression against Iran's Baha'i community” is available on-line at http://www.bic.org/violence-withimpunity. Hard copies can be obtained from the Australian Bahá'í Community.

About the Bahá’í Faith

The Bahá'í Faith is an independent world religion. The Faith arrived in Australia in 1920 and has spread to all cities and most towns and rural areas.

Its central theme is that humanity is one family and that the time has come for its unification into a The Founder of the Bahá'í Faith is Bahá'u'lláh peaceful global society. (1817-92), who brought new spiritual and social

teachings for our time.

The Bahá'í Faith was founded in Iran in 1844. There are more than five million Bahá'ís worldwide. They “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, come from all backgrounds and can be found in are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly virtually every country on earth. established,” Bahá'u'lláh said.


Australian Baha’i Report - July 2013