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| No. 395 | BAHA’I YEAR 120 | FEBRUARY, 1964 |
Universal House of Justice Stresses Importance of Funds[edit]
To the Bahá’ís of East and West.
Dear Friends,
With the rapid approach of the launching of the Nine-Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice feels that it is timely to lay clearly before the Bahá’ís of all countries, the needs of the Fund at all its levels: local, national, continental and international.
The continual expansion of the Faith and the diversification of the activities of Bahá’í communities make it more and more necessary for every believer to ponder carefully his responsibilities and contribute as much and as regularly as he or she can. Contributing to the Fund is a service that every believer can render, be he poor or wealthy; for this is a spiritual responsibility in which the amount given is not important. It is the degree of the sacrifice of the giver, the love with which he makes his gift, and the unity of all the friends in this service which bring spiritual confirmations. As the beloved Guardian wrote in August 1957: “All, no matter how modest their resources, must participate. Upon the degree of self-sacrifice involved in these individual contributions will directly depend the efficacy and the spiritual influence which these nascent administrative institutions, called into being through the power of Bahá’u’lláh, and by virtue of the Design conceived by the Center of His Covenant, will exert.”
Not only the individual’s responsibility to contribute is important at this time, but also the uses to which the fund is put and the areas in which it is expended.
Much of the present rapid expansion of the Faith is taking place in areas of great poverty where the believers, however much they sacrifice, cannot produce sufficient funds to sustain the work. It is these very areas which are the most fruitful in teaching, and a sum of money spent here will produce ten times — even a hundred times — the results obtainable in other parts of the world. Yet in the past months the Universal House of Justice has had to refuse a number of appeals for assistance from such areas because there just was not enough money in the International Fund.
It should therefore be the aim of every local and national community to become not only self-supporting, but to expend its funds with such wisdom and economy as to be able to contribute substantially to the Bahá’í International Fund, thus enabling the House of Justice to aid the work in fruitful but impoverished areas, to assist new national assemblies to start their work, to contribute to major international undertakings of the Nine-Year Plan such as Oceanic Conferences, and to carry forward the work of beautifying the land surrounding the Holy Shrines at the World Center of the Faith.
Nor should the believers, individually or in their assemblies, forget the vitally important Continental Funds which provide for the work of the Hands of the Cause of God and their Auxiliary Boards. This divine institution, so assiduously fostered by the Guardian, and which has already played a unique role in the history of the Faith, is destined to render increasingly important services in the years to come.
In the midst of a civilization torn by strifes and enfeebled by materialism, the people of Bahá are building a new world. We face at this time opportunities and responsibilities of vast magnitude and great urgency. Let each believer in his inmost heart resolve not to be seduced by the ephemeral allurements of the society around him, nor to be drawn into its feuds and short-lived enthusiasms, but instead to transfer all he can from the old world to that new one which is the vision of his longing and will be the fruit of his labors.
| With loving greetings, | |
| Haifa, Israel | UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE |
| 18 December, 1963 |
Universal House of Justice Announces Release of Moroccan Prisoners[edit]
To all National Spiritual Assemblies.
Dear Friends,
Following twenty months of close confinement, and one year after hearing sentences of death and imprisonment imposed on them, our brave and steadfast brother believers in Morocco were set free on Friday, December 13, 1963. The long-sought objective has been obtained.
As we prayed for their release during the Feast of Qawl, now let the entire Bahá’í world join in prayers of thanksgiving for this joyful outcome and that the Blessed Beauty enabled these devoted friends to remain firm in their faith through this trying ordeal.
| With warm and loving Bahá’í greetings, | |
| Haifa, Israel | UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE |
| 18 December, 1963 |
National Spiritual Assembly of Holland, elected Riḍván
1963. Left to right: Masul Mazgani, Bob van Lith (chairman), Chris Westenbroek, Gunter Vieten (treasurer),
Gert van der Garde, Gieny Sijsling (recording secretary), Hally Watrin, Arnold van Ogtrop, Lottie Tobias
(secretary).
Bahá’í Center in Cherokee, North Carolina. The center,
situated on the Cherokee reservation, is maintained by
Mrs. Ethel Murray, first pioneer to settle on an Indian
reservation during the Ten Year Crusade.
Dr. Tran-van-Liem addresses official Vietnam celebration of the fifteenth anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights held in Saigon on December 10.
Bahá’í Is Speaker at Function of New Vietnam Government[edit]
An official ceremony observing the fifteenth anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights was conducted in the Saigon town hall by the government of Vietnam. Many high government officials and diplomats attended. The meeting was addressed by Dr. Tran-van-Liem, a Bahá’í and past chairman of the Vietnam Junior Chamber of Commerce.
The function was presided over by Dr. Pham-Hoang-Ho, Minister of Education. Local papers gave the event excellent coverage. While the Faith was not mentioned due to government protocol, Dr. Liem spoke at length on the need for religious freedom and inter-religious cooperation. This is the first time that a Bahá’í has been asked to speak at a major government function.
New Government Receives Bahá’í Delegation[edit]
A delegation appointed by the Regional Spiritual Assembly of South East Asia was received by General Le-Van-Kim, secretary general of the Military Revolutionary Government. The head of state General Duong-Van-Minh expressed regrets he could not be present. The Bahá’ís emphasized the Faith’s principle of loyalty to government. Radio and press carried news of the meeting. On December 16, 1963 the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen-Ngoc-Tho, gave authorization to the Saigon Assembly to teach the Faith in Central Vietnam.
A Day When the Faithful Rejoiced[edit]
A gigantic container of pearls and jewels with multifarious forms and hues was the Albert Hall when more than 6,000 Bahá’ís assembled to celebrate the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s Ascension to the Throne of Glory.
To give the full account of that memorable event is beyond one man’s power and capacity. It is a task to be fulfilled by the collective activity of many friends around the world.
This is only to give some highlights of the Congress in the shade of historical events and stimulate our imagination to correlate the early events of the Cause with the fruitful results of today’s achievements.
First of all our precious pioneers — those luminous souls who forsook their homes and friends and scattered far and wide and settled amongst people of many kinds — after all the years of separation from their friends, kith and kin, now once more came together.
Like unto sailors who, after many dangers and perils, found themselves safely ashore, they were ready to tell the wondrous stories of their travels and inspire the friends to do more.
Like unto lamps, shattered in parts and empty of fuel, once more in that atmosphere of love and unity they were refilled and were ready to return with more vigor and hope to their lonely and solitary posts.
As they sat in that hall and gazed upon the old familiar faces and the faces of their many new brothers and sisters from all over the planet, they remembered the many, many unendurable hours which they had suffered. Their shoulders were then lined with the garlands of the grateful appreciation of the Bahá’í world, tears of joy, tears of profound memories of their years of loneliness filled their eyes, but the King of Heaven and Earth wiped their tears away.
My eyes feasted upon the faces of many of them and found them all full of vigor and enthusiasm, but the one which impressed me most was that of our valiant pioneer to one of the islands off the shores of Africa. She is the oldest believer of the United States and has given in the path of God all that God had graciously bestowed upon her. Alone with trembling hands and frail body she kept the standard of the Faith unfurled for all these years in that solitary island. With eyes wide open she looked at me and said, “Now I am at rest and am going to my pioneering post and am ready to welcome death with joy and peace.”
Now let us go back to the first year of the Bahá’í Era. There was no other topic to be discussed throughout the length and breadth of Persia except the advent of a certain young man who claimed to be the Promised One.
To create fear and wrath in the hearts of the people, the governors, hand in hand with the religious authorities, decreed the demolition and confiscation of properties of all who even appeared to be adherents of the new Faith.
One day crowds of people gathered in the streets of Shíráz to watch a procession.
The cruel and impious ruler of the town had reviled and cursed three men, stripped them of their clothes, burned their beards, scourged one of them with one thousand lashes, and pierced their noses and through the incisions cords were passed with which the three men were led through the town. These three heroes were: Quddus, Mullá Sadiq Muqaddas and Mullá Alí Akbar Ardestani.
Now what has this to do with our story?
The daughter of no less a person than Mullá ‘Alí Akbar was amongst the 6,000 friends who attended the Congress. Though extremely old and frail, and very weak in her eyes, she attended all the sessions. Though she did not understand a word of English, she sat there from morning till evening feeling exalted and happy beyond description by just being in that atmosphere so much imbued with the love of a Faith for the promulgation of which her father suffered so greatly.
What visions passed her mind and what waves of joy covered her aching heart when she sat in that hall?
The noble and graceful image of her illustrious father amidst vicissitudes, tribulations and painful humiliations, appeared in the far off horizons shedding light on the blissful course of love, well trodden by the lovers of God, and suddenly the quickening spirit of that Congress changed all the wild clamors of the mobs and the scornful laughter of the streets of Shíráz into the most penetrating chanting of the Greatest Name by our dearly beloved friends of Africa.
Then she remembered that not long ago the irresponsible farmers of a certain village near Tihrán attacked most ferociously the apple of her eye, her most beloved son, and tore him into pieces. No voice was raised against these atrocities and no signs of justice were ever manifested in the whole country. Through the torrents of tears shed in remembering the sad, sad hours of bereavement and silent sufferings, she witnessed the supreme legislative body of the Bahá’í World give new light to the whole of the world. Those nine precious and valiant souls stood there like unto a fortress in the heart of which the Cause of God would forever remain protected. “Do you see your grandson?”* her daughter whispered in her ears. “Do you see him there, one of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice?” A faint smile appeared on her lips and a sigh of relief took away the burden of one century of suffering from her loving heart. Verily it was the day when the faithful rejoiced.
*—Hushmand Fath-i-‘Azam is the great grandson of Mulla ‘Alí Akbar, and his wife Shafiqih Khánum is the great granddaughter of his fellow sufferer, Mulla Sadegh. The story of his father’s martyrdom and life is carried in Bahá’í World Vol. XII, pp. 690-692.
Reprinted from Bahá’í Journal, the publication of the NSA of the British Isles, June 1963.
Frankfort Temple Becoming Silent Teacher[edit]
Work on the European Mother Temple continues to progress. The interior reflectors which floodlight the dome and interior have been installed and a balustrade built to conceal them. The stairs leading to the nine doors have been completed and an excavation for the heating transformer has been prepared. The floor heating system is being completed and the stone plates from Sweden will soon be laid.
The building authorities have inspected and accepted the finished shell. Excavation for the house of the caretaker is complete and the foundation has been poured.
Even in its semi-finished state the Bahá’í House of Worship has begun to be “the great silent teacher.” On Sundays hundreds of visitors come to see the building and learn of the purpose behind this unique religious structure.
Sunday Visitors Come by the Hundreds[edit]
Work Continues on Interior[edit]
|
LEFT: Completed steps leading to the nine doors. ABOVE: Close-up view of the lantern. RIGHT: Final touches on balustrade which hides reflectors. LOWER RIGHT: The Greatest Name in top of lantern. Mosaic work is gold on blue. |
Human Rights Day Observed Across Nation[edit]
Human Rights Day celebrations followed the pattern set by the United Nations Day proclamation. There seemed to be more activities than in previous years and more and more influential non-Bahá’ís participated in the programs.
The Bahá’ís of Evanston, Glenview, Wilmette and Winnetka jointly sponsored an International Fellowship Program in observance of United Nations Human Rights Day. The reception was held in Foundation Hall of the Bahá’í House of Worship and included music and dances by a group of American Indians from the American Indian Center of Chicago. There was singing and chanting of China and Persia, folk songs from around the world and some modern semi-classical music.
The Fort Worth Spiritual Assembly observed Human Rights Day with a public meeting. The speakers were Dr. Edward B. Richards, Associate Professor of Social Science, Texas Wesleyan College, Mr. R. J. Diamond, first Vice-President of the Fort Worth Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. and Mr. John Banks, vice-chairman of the Fort Worth Spiritual Assembly. The program was followed by a coffee hour and a question and answer period.
Gallup, New Mexico held a panel discussion for their observance of Human Rights Day. Appearing on the panel were an N.A.A.C.P. representative, the executive director of the Gallup Indian Community Center, the Honorable Fred Bowannie, Governor of Zuni, and the Chairman of the GI Forum. Teaneck, New Jersey and Butte, Montana also held panel discussions.
Mayor Gene Winer of Bakersfield, California proclaimed December 10 as Human Rights Day and the event was covered by the three television stations. The Bahá’í observance occurred on the following Sunday at the Y.W.C.A. The two speakers were a Bahá’í and a state senator who lives in Bakersfield. The Hartford, Connecticut program also featured two speakers. The Bahá’í was a former pioneer in the West Indies, Spain, Portugal and Africa and the other speaker was a former field representative and supervisor of education
Group of American Indians from the American Indian Center in Chicago chanted and danced at the Human Rights Day Fellowship Program held in Foundation Hall of the Wilmette Temple.
[Page 7]
Mayors sign Human Rights Day proclamations. LEFT: Mayor Gene Winer of Bakersfield, California. RIGHT: Mayor Richard Lee of New Haven, Connecticut.
for the Connecticut Commission on Civil Rights.
The Richwoods, Illinois Bahá’í group, which consists of four members, sponsored a Human Rights Day public meeting at a community center. Thirty-three people attended nine of whom were not Bahá’ís. The Edmonds, Washington Bahá’í community held a program which was concluded by an international coffee hour. Ferndale, Michigan Bahá’ís held a public meeting in the Ferndale Community Building and received excellent newspaper and radio publicity. Two more communities holding public meetings were Aurora and Urbana, Illinois.
The theme of the Saratoga, Florida meeting was “Human Rights — A Search for Personal Freedoms.” There were three speakers, Curtis Kelsey, Auxiliary Board member, Dr. John Chenault, a Negro physician, and Mr. Edward Dick, president of the Dick Insurance Agency. Hand of the Cause Zikru’lláh Khádem was the speaker at the Human Rights Day observance in Kokomo, Indiana.
The Boulder, Colorado Bahá’í group, assisted by the Denver community, held a very successful Human Rights Day observance. Over 100 people from Boulder, both Negro and white, and twenty-five members from the Denver community attended the program. This was the first time that a planned public inter-racial meeting was held in Boulder. The meeting was a combination panel and forum and the panelists were, Mrs. John Fiore, Executive Director of the Colorado Division of the AAUN, Mr. James Reynolds, the Colorado Commissioner of the Anti-Discrimination Commission and Mrs. Elaine Mills, Bahá’í from Boulder. One television station gave the meeting a full week of coverage three times a day and in addition played the recording prepared by the Bahá’í UN Committee on Human Rights Day. They also interviewed the Bahá’í member of the panel. The second television station and the newspaper also gave coverage to the event.
The extensive publicity surrounding all activities demonstrates the effectiveness of these events in proclaiming the Faith to the public.
Over one hundred attended the meeting held in Boulder,
Colorado. Panel included Mrs. John Fiore, executive
director Colorado Division AAUN; James Reynolds,
member of Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission;
Nachelle Steinmetz, Bahá’í and member of the United
Nations Speakers Bureau; Rev. Walter Hill, pastor of
the Second Baptist Church; Mrs. Ann Johnson; Mrs.
Elaine Mills.
[Page 8]
Youth Conference held November 28-December 1 in Dexter, Michigan
Buffet luncheon served after morning session of Florida State Convention. Luncheon and meetings were held in Sarasota Terrace Hotel
National Teaching Notes[edit]
Since the first National Conference on Religion and Race was held in Chicago January 14-17, 1963 similar conferences have been organized in many cities throughout the United States. San Francisco held a Conference on Religion and Race on September 4-5, 1963 and several Bahá’ís of that city were delegates. They participated actively in the workshops and their ideas and recommendations were accepted and noted in the conference record. In Kansas City, Missouri the Bahá’ís sent a number of representatives to the local conference on September 23. Fortunately Hand of the Cause Zikru’lláh Khádem was in town at the time as the guest of the Bahá’ís. He attended the sessions and was introduced to many of the city’s religious leaders.
Arizona State University at Tempe, Arizona sponsored a Spiritual Exploration Week December 2-6. Tony Lease of Los Angeles was chosen to represent the Bahá’í Faith. Lectures were given in four classes, four lounge sessions, two dormitories and one public meeting. There was a tremendous interest stirred both among the students and among the professors and many serious questions were asked. The publicity was excellent consisting of newspaper coverage and interviews on the University radio station, Phoenix radio station KUEQ and local Phoenix television channel 5. The majority of the students react adversely to the traditional “hellfire and damnation” approach to religion, but many were receptive to the realistic approach of the Bahá’í Faith.
Calendar of Events[edit]
- FEASTS
- February 7—Mulk (Dominion)
- March 2—‘Alá’ (Loftiness)
- INTERCALARY DAYS
- February 26—March 1
- DAYS OF FASTING
- March 2-21
- U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS
- March 27-29
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
- Weekdays
- 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
- Sundays and Holidays
- 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Entire building)
- Sundays
- 3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
- Sunday, February 16
4:15 p.m.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee: James Cloonan, Managing Editor; Mrs. Lilian Cloonan, Assistant Editor; Mrs. Eunice Braun, International Editor; Miss Charlotte Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative.
Material must be received by the twentieth of the second month preceding date of issue. Address: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office. 112 Linden Avenue. Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
