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| Bahá’í News | July 1984 | Bahá’í Year 141 |
U.S. Congress hears
Bahá’í testimony on Iran
PERSECUTION FRIENDS CRADLE FAITH PERSISTS, TAKING EVEN MORE INSIDIOUS TURN. IN MARCH AT LEAST THREE PRISONERS DIED UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, TWO IN TIHRÁN AND ONE IN BÁFT, KIRMÁN. BODY OF MUHSIN RADAVÍ, 55 YEARS OLD, SHOWED EVIDENCE OF HANGING. OTHER TWO, ‘ABDU’L-HUSAYN SHÁKIRÍ-HASANZÁDIH, 64, AND NUSRATU’LLÁH DÍYÁ’Í, 61, WERE BURIED WITHOUT FRIENDS RELATIVES BEING INFORMED.
ARRESTS CONTINUE WITH LEAST AMOUNT PUBLICITY. SINCE LAST REPORT 17 JANUARY ALTHOUGH SOME BAHÁ’Í PRISONERS RELEASED, 111 HAVE BEEN ARRESTED, MOST OF WHOM WERE MEMBERS OF SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES BEFORE THEIR DISSOLUTION LAST YEAR. NUMBER BAHÁ’ÍS KNOWN TO BE IN PRISONS IN IRAN TOTALS 704.
ACCURATE INFORMATION IN HAND DESCRIBES TORTURES PERPETRATED AGAINST SOME VERY PROMINENT BAHÁ’ÍS. FOR EXAMPLE ONE BAHÁ’Í SEVERELY TORTURED UNDER EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES FORCED CONFESS TO FALSE CHARGES. OTHERS SIMILARLY TORTURED RESISTED PRESSURES EXERTED ON THEM TO MAKE FALSE PUBLIC CONFESSIONS FOR BENEFIT RADIO TELEVISION.
APRIL 10, 1984
FURTHER OUR MESSAGE 10/11 APRIL JUST RECEIVED DISTRESSING NEWS EXECUTION BY FIRING SQUAD IN EVIN PRISON TIHRÁN FOLLOWING BELIEVERS:
MR. KÁMRÁN LUTFÍ, 32-YEAR-OLD UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR, IMPRISONED 5 MAY 1983; MR. RAHÍM RAHÍMÍYAN, 50-YEAR-OLD BUSINESSMAN, IMPRISONED 5 MAY 1983; MR. YADU’LLÁH SÁBIRÍYÁN, 60-YEAR-OLD PRINTING PRESS MANAGER, IMPRISONED 9 FEBRUARY 1982.
SINCE EXECUTIONS NOT ANNOUNCED AND BODIES UNCEREMONIOUSLY BURIED WITHOUT FAMILIES RELATIVES BEING INFORMED, EXACT DATE EXECUTIONS UNKNOWN. FEARFUL OTHER BAHÁ’Í PRISONERS RECEIVED SAME FATE.
NOW ESTABLISHED FACT THAT ‘ABDU’L-HUSAYN SHÁKIRÍ-HASANZÁDIH WAS ALSO EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUAD INSTEAD OF DYING MYSTERIOUSLY IN PRISON AS REPORTED.
DUE OMINOUS TURN BAHÁ’Í SITUATION IRAN REQUEST YOU PROCEED PUBLICIZE RECENT PERSECUTIONS INCLUDING INFORMATION REGARDING TORTURES PREVIOUS MESSAGE.
APRIL 13, 1984
Bahá’í News[edit]
U.S. House subcommittee again hears testimony on Iran persecutions | 1 |
Young Bahá’í musicians from New Era School travel and teach in India | 6 |
13 indigenous Bahá’í teachers take part in training institute in Panama | 8 |
Bahá’í prayers used in service at London’s historic Westminster Abbey | 10 |
Bahá’í-owned WLGI Radio rapidly nears completion in South Carolina | 11 |
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe | 12 |
Bahá’í News is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of address should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates within U.S.: one year, $12; two years, $20. Outside U.S.: one year, $14; two years, $24. Foreign air mail: one year, $20; two years, $40. Payment must accompany order and must be in U.S. dollars. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1984, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
United States[edit]
House panel hears testimony on Iran[edit]
For the second time in two years, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations has heard testimony about the persecution of Bahá’ís and repression of the Faith by Iran’s Islamic revolutionary government.
Among the witnesses at the House panel’s session May 2 in Washington, D.C., were Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States; Dr. Wilma Brady, vice-chairman of the National Assembly; and Said Eshraghi, an Iranian Bahá’í now living in Texas whose father, mother and 22-year-old sister were hanged last June in Shíráz.
They were accompanied by Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, who did not testify but stood ready as an expert in the genesis and history of Iranian persecution of the Faith to respond to questions by subcommittee members.
The Bahá’í position was supported and amplified in testimony by the session’s two lead-off witnesses: the Hon. Elliott Abrams, Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, and Rep. John Porter of Illinois who is co-chairman of the House Human Rights Caucus and a co-sponsor of House Concurrent Resolution No. 226, introduced last November, which condemns the persecutions in Iran.
Five members of the 10-member subcommittee were able to attend the two-hour long session held before a standing-room-only audience at the Rayburn House Office Building. The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Gus Yatron of Pennsylvania, sent his apologies, saying he was unable to be there because of a meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, of which he is
‘The voice of the Iranian Bahá’í community,’ said Judge Nelson, ‘has been stilled. Through the thick walls of the Islamic Republic’s dungeons the world hears only the muffled groans of those whose bodies are torn and mangled by the torturer’s lash ...’
also a member.
Presiding in his absence was Rep. Tom Lantos of California, another co-sponsor of the recent House resolution condemning the persecutions in Iran, who has on many occasions expressed his support for the Bahá’ís.
Other subcommittee members present were Reps. Jim Leach of Iowa (the only current member who also attended the hearing on May 25, 1982, when Bahá’ís first presented testimony before the panel), Ted Weiss of New York, Mel Levine of California, and Gerald Solomon of New York.
Also attending the session was Rep. Mervyn Dymally of California who no longer serves on the subcommittee but was a member when Bahá’í testimony was given two years ago.
“The Bahá’ís in Iran have long suffered tremendous pressure and persecution,” Rep. Lantos said in his opening remarks, “but they are now being slaughtered by the Khomeini regime for adherence to their Faith.
“It is time once again to look intently at the gruesome picture that Kho-
Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, testifies May 2 before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations. To his right is Dr. Wilma Brady, vice-chairman of the National Assembly.
[Page 2]
Left photo: Dr. Wilma Brady, vice-chairman of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, offers testimony. Center: U.S. Rep. John Porter of Illinois
speaks on behalf of the Bahá’ís in Iran.
Right: Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, who appeared as an expert witness on Iran, does some note-taking.
meini is painting for the world in Iran. But we must not only watch—we must denounce and we must condemn this savagery.”
Some panel members, noting that the persecutions have continued in spite of government resolutions and appeals including one last May by President Reagan which preceded the hanging of 16 Bahá’ís including three teen-age girls in Shiraz, said the time has come to go beyond mere condemnation and denunciation.
Prohibit trade[edit]
Rep. Solomon said he plans to introduce legislation that would prohibit any form of trade or commerce with Iran until it ceases its relentless persecution of the Bahá’ís and would ask other governments also to cease trading with the Khomeini regime.
Rep. Lantos said he would like to see an international conference to discuss the persecutions and consider possible solutions.
Mr. Abrams, asked about the possibility of such a conference, said he has been “surprised and disappointed” by the “startlingly small reaction” of other nations to the persecutions in Iran, but added that such a conference is certainly within the realm of possibility.
Rep. Lantos said the International Red Cross, which recently aided Iranians who allegedly were gassed by Iraqis during their long-simmering border war, should be approached and urged to press the Khomeini government for access to the more than 700 Bahá’ís who are known to be in prison in Iran.
In summarizing the Reagan administration’s response to the persecutions
Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa (right) poses a question while Rep. Tom Lantos of California, who chaired the subcommittee meeting, looks on.
| Registration of public school children from Bahá’í families formally required in District 2 of Tehran. |
In His Name the Exalted |
| CONFIDENTIAL No. 37742/4
Date: 29 December 1983 TO: All Area Schools With greeting and wish of success as of the date of the receipt of this circular the name of all Bahá’í students along with a photograph and a copy of their birth certificate as well as the address, name and occupation of their fathers should be prepared and sent to the Department of Education, very confidentially, up to January 12, 1984.
|
in Iran, Mr. Abrams said, “... we have given special consideration in both our refugee and asylum programs to the vulnerabilities of Bahá’ís, Christians and Jews.
“In July 1983, the decision was made to extend refugee processing priorities 5 and 6 to Iranians. The decision was based on humanitarian concerns for those who have fled Iran because of a very real threat of persecution and who are in urgent need of resettlement.”
The priorities to which Mr. Abrams referred are (1) additional family reunification of refugees who are married siblings, unmarried grandchildren who have reached their majority, or married grandchildren of persons in the U.S., or more distant relatives who are part of the family group; and (2) other refugees whose admission is in the national interest.
Baseless charge[edit]
“This administration,” said Mr. Abrams, “has been very much aware of the Khomeini regime’s persecution of the Bahá’ís.
“President Reagan has personally condemned this tragic persecution. We have documented our abhorrence of this flagrant violation of human rights and international standards of decency in our annual human rights reports to the Congress as well as in the official statements of department spokesmen.
“In addition, the United States has been working with allied and other friendly countries in international forums to focus attention on this problem, to support involvement by the United Nations Secretary General in attempts to alleviate this and other human rights abuses in Iran, and, to the extent possible, to bring international pressure to bear on the Iranian authorities.
“In so doing, we must be sensitive, however, to the Iranian regime’s tendency to make the baseless charge that the Bahá’ís are a ‘fifth column’ of American agents in Iran, and that our interest in the Bahá’ís is not solely based on humanitarian concerns.”
Mr. Abrams said the administration supports House Concurrent Resolution No. 226.
The purpose of that resolution, said Rep. Porter, “is threefold: (1) it holds the government of Iran responsible for upholding the rights of all of its citizens, including the Bahá’ís; (2) condemns the Prosecutor General’s edict which banned the Bahá’ís; and (3) calls upon the President to work in the United Nations and other forums with the leaders of other countries to form a broad-based appeal to the Iranian government.
“We in Congress,” he added, “must raise our voices in protest loudly and clearly so that the cause of human freedom is echoed throughout the world.
“We can only hope that one day soon the murderous regime in Iran will finally hear our outrage and will cease (its) unforgivable persecution of the
[Page 4]
Left: Said Eshraghi, whose father,
mother and sister were martyred in
Iran, moved many in the audience to
tears with his testimony. Below: A view of the packed meeting room in which
the hearing May 2 on the persecution
of Bahá’ís in Iran was held.
Bahá’ís.”
Judge Nelson gave the subcommittee an update on events in Iran since the Bahá’ís offered testimony in May 1982, while Dr. Brady’s testimony was presented from the point of view of “one member of the second generation of four generations of an American Bahá’í family.”
By far the most moving testimony was offered by Mr. Eshraghi who told the subcommittee members and a hushed audience about two telephone calls he had received last summer from a brother in Australia.
On June 17, Mr. Eshraghi’s brother informed him that their father had been executed; two days later his brother phoned again, this time to say that their mother and sister, Roya, had been hanged.
“Those events added a new dimension to my life,” said Mr. Eshraghi. “Now I had the three dearest members of my family executed for the Cause of God.”
During the past two months, said Mr. Eshraghi, the authorities in Shíráz confiscated the family home, dispossessing his youngest sister, Rosita, who is 18.
“It is heartbreaking,” Judge Nelson said, “that in the two years since this subcommittee heard our initial testimony the situation in Iran has not improved.
“In spite of worldwide protests from statesmen, intellectuals, parliaments, philanthropic societies, religious leaders, and ordinary citizens of dozens of nations on several continents, the authorities of the Islamic Republic have relentlessly pursued their cruel aim of extirpating the Bahá’í Faith from the land of its birth.”
The killings and imprisonment, he testified, “are accompanied (by) insults, beatings, and every form of degrading behavior.
“There have been instances in which professional police and prison officials expressed shock and dismay at the treatment of Bahá’í prisoners by members of Islamic committees and the Revolutionary Guard.”
The hanging of 10 women, among them three teen-age girls, “was a particularly heinous crime,” said Judge Nelson. “The courage and steadfastness of the victims have already become legendary among Iranian Bahá’ís.”
Eyewitness accounts from survivors of Iranian prisons, he said, “are full of gruesome details of beatings. They tell of prisoners whipped with metal cables; of prisoners having boiling water poured on their heads, and having their heads smashed against concrete walls; of prisoners being kicked with heavy boots and being beaten with fists and sticks; of prisoners being beaten on the soles and then forced to run on lacerated feet.”
Recent reports, he testified, “indicate that torture is being used not only to force recantations and conversions to Islam but also to extract false confessions of various fictive crimes, confessions which would ‘prove’ the old accusations that the Bahá’ís are Zionist or imperialist agents, foreign spies, or a political subversive group.
‘Desperately anxious’[edit]
“Having failed in five years to produce a single document or a single genuine admission indicating Bahá’í participation in any anti-government activity, the authorities seem desperately anxious to force their Bahá’í victims to incriminate themselves and their community.”
Meanwhile, Judge Nelson said, the government of Iran has continued to “deprive Bahá’ís of work, to deny pensions to retired Bahá’ís, to expel Bahá’í children from schools, to bar Bahá’í youth from universities, to withhold business licenses from Bahá’ís, and to
| “... on this day that all the collective and
administrative activities of Bahaism in Iran are banned, even though this has always been so. This is being announced on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution of the country has also not recognized them.” |
| Translation of Interview Given by Prosecutor General of Iran as Published in Kayhan August 29, 1983 Banning of Baha’i Activities The reporter said From time to time international news agencies have been creating a stir about the execution of the Baha’is in Iran in their campaigns against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The question ts whether the Prosecutor General has decided to show a reaction about this. The Prosecutor General replied as follows: “We do not want to show any (reaction) and will not show it. What we can do, and are actually doing, is to explain to the people who really misunderstand and are really unaware of why some of these (Baha’is) are being executed. News media of Imperialism accuse us that these people are being killed because they are Baha’is. We would like to explain this, and we have already sent these explanations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order that they may also announce officially that today there are plenty of Baha’is in Iran. We never kill them or imprison them because of their being Baha’is. However, some of them are spies. We have plenty of documents from the Baha’i administration that they send news to the foreigners and spy on behalf of others. They agitate, sabotage, and do other such kind of activities. They sometimes collect contributions in Iran and send them to other countries. More recently, all of you have witnessed that a number of automobile parts were found in a few storage buildings and they (the owners) have said their administration had instructed them to hoard these parts. All of these problems have caused us to announce on this day that all the collective and administrative activities of Bahaism in Iran are banned, even though this has always been so. This is being announced on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The constitution of the country has also not recognized them. I must say in this connection that some of those (Baha’is) who have been arrested have stated that their activities have never been officially banned: hence these activities (were carried out by them). Therefore, because of such sabotage activities and the illegalities which prevail in the Baha’i administration, such administration, according to the opinion of the office of the Prosecutor General of the Islamic Republic, is hostile (muharib) and plotting. Any form of activities carried out on behalf of the administration, therefore, is forbidden. Now, if a Baha’i himself performs his religious acts in accordance with his own beliefs, such a man will not be bothered by us, provided he does not invite others to the Baha Faith, does not teach, does not form assemblies, does not give news to others, and has nothing to do with the administration. Not only do we not execute such people, we do not even imprison them, and they can work within the society. If, however, they decide to work within the administration, this is a criminal act and is forbidden, the reason being that such administration is considered to be hostile and a conspiracy. Such people are considered as conspirators Prosecutor General of Iran
as Published in Kayhan August 29, 1983
|
make every effort to impoverish the Bahá’ís, thus breaking their spirits and making them amenable to conversion to Islam.
“The voice of the Iranian Bahá’í community,” said Judge Nelson, “has been stilled. Through the thick walls of the Islamic Republic’s dungeons the world hears only the muffled groans of those whose bodies are torn and mangled by the torturer’s lash. We, American Bahá’ís, who live in freedom have the duty of alerting the world ...
“We hope that the Congress will reaffirm its support for the oppressed Bahá’ís and invite other governments and peoples to raise their voices in defense of the most fundamental rights of an oppressed minority.”
After providing the subcommittee members with an overview of the American Bahá’í community and expressing her personal reaction to the persecutions in Iran, Dr. Brady summarized the actions taken by national, state and local governments in response to the persecutions, and conveyed the gratitude of the Bahá’í community for the splendid response by the media, private organizations and individuals in the U.S. and abroad.
“The results of this activity,” she said, “cannot be easily gauged. However, there can be no doubt that the government of Iran has been put on notice.
“It knows that the world knows of the murders, the mock trials, the tortures, the discrimination inflicted upon men, women and children whose only crime is the faith they hold in common with us and with so many others throughout the world—their belief in God, in the brotherhood of mankind, in the essential unity of religion, and in peace ...
“We appeal for continuing support so that the voice of this nation may always sound in defense of the persecuted and the oppressed.”
In expressing his appreciation to the Bahá’ís for their testimony, Rep. Lantos said, “The idea of an international conference (to discuss the persecutions in Iran) will not die.”
India[edit]
New Era youth travel, teach, perform[edit]
For each of the past three years the music department at the New Era School in Panchgani, India, has trained a select group of Bahá’í youth to present a musical variety program for the purpose of travel-teaching in various parts of the country.
The main aims in training these students are:
- To teach and proclaim the Bahá’í Faith through music.
- To equip the school’s promising Bahá’í youth with a repertoire of songs and games to share with other Bahá’í communities after they have left New Era.
- To stimulate and encourage the different Bahá’í communities.
- To provide an opportunity for the staff and students at the New Era School to travel and teach.
Previously, to simplify transport and
lodging arrangements, the singing
groups were limited to six students and
one staff member; however, nine students and three staff members were
able to participate in the tour that
began in December 1983.
Because the theme of the musical program is “The Unity of Mankind,” the group was made as diverse as possible.
This most recent group was comprised of representatives from eight countries and five races, and audiences and others who were met while traveling were visibly moved by this practical demonstration of the unity of mankind.
Group members were Mina Behi, Paymon Gulshan and Victoria Arjomand from Iran; Faola Hurrell and Glenda Palmer from New Zealand; Nemat Mihrshahi and Vivek Vasudevan from India; Ayaan Nooh from Somalia; Maaza Eshetu from Ethiopia; Earlene Healy, a member of the Blackfoot Indian tribe of western Canada;
In Jammu the group performed at an orphanage, three schools, two community gatherings, a women’s college, one private home, and for a newspaper which subsequently printed a photograph of the group with a splendid write-up.
Adrienne Stengel from the United States; and Gerald Morris of Canada.
The group was fortunate to be accompanied by Earlene Healy’s father, Earl Healy, who, with his two waist-length black braids and good-natured personality, never failed to attract attention to the group.
Three more members joined the group during a three-day visit to Bombay: Mrs. Dalia Bishop of England, Peter Mazal of Australia, and Mrs. Elizabeth Morris of Canada.
It was found that the theme “The Unity of Mankind” was not only appreciated by any audience, but it also enabled the group to include in its program a wide variety of songs and other items that were enjoyable, inspirational, and gave the Bahá’í message.
This year, similar though not identical to the two previous years, musical numbers were chosen that first, conveyed the Bahá’í message; second, demonstrated cultural beauty and diversity by being performed in a language other than those spoken in India; and third, were catchy and had good visual appeal.
There were action songs, children’s songs, audience participation songs, humorous songs, and songs in Hindi. In addition, members of the group performed a Maori stick dance, a Blackfoot Indian dance, a pantomime on “the faces of prejudice,” and selections on a recorder, sitar and flute.
After a week of intensive rehearsals at the New Era School, the 13-member group left by train for Delhi on December 21, arriving late the following night.
The first performance was given December 23 at the Church of North India, and during the next seven days in Delhi the group sang four times at the Bahá’í National Center, once at a school for the blind, and again at a fireside. In addition, the group taped a 30-minute television program and half-hour radio program, for a total of nine programs in Delhi in one week.
The stay in Delhi was extended by one day because of the television taping session, so the group reached Chandigarh later than scheduled and was able to spend only one evening and one night there. But during those few short hours its members were charmed by the warmth and hospitality of the Bahá’í friends there and the many kindnesses shown to them, and were able to present two lively performances, one at the Bahá’í Center for more than 100 Bahá’ís and some 40 of their guests, and the other at a community club’s New Year’s Eve celebration, where a friendly and family-oriented audience participated in many of the songs and served the group dinner.
The next morning the group was off again, this time to Jammu, a city in the far north close to the border with Pakistan, where nine performances were given in only four and one-half days.
In Jammu the group performed at an orphanage, three schools, two community gatherings, a women’s college, one private home, and for a newspaper which subsequently printed a photograph of the group with a splendid write-up. Fondly remembered in Jam-
[Page 7]
Caught in the act: Members of the New Era School’s youth group perform before another enthusiastic audience. The members are (back row left to
right) Paymon Gulshan (Iran), Glenda Palmer (New Zealand), Adrienne Stenel (U.S.), Gerald Morris (Canada), and (front row left to right) Vivek Vasudevan (India), Nemat Mihrshahi (India), Maaza Eshetu (Ethiopia), Faola Hurrell (New Zealand), Ayaan Nooh (Somalia), Mina Behi (Iran), Earlene Healy (Canada), Victoria Arjomand (Iran). This most recent group performed last December and January in Delhi, Jammu and Bombay.
mu were walnuts, shopping at a bazaar, a visit to a turpentine distillation factory, being cold with no electricity, the warm and sacrificial hearts of the friends, and Mr. Healy drinking black coffee.
The last leg of the journey was a weekend trip to Bombay starting on January 14 which turned into another long weekend because of a radio recording session that was scheduled for Monday morning.
During an exhausting but rewarding three days in Bombay the group performed at two colleges, a boys’ hostel, two YMCA hostels, and a community gathering at the Bahá’í Center besides making the half-hour recording for All India Radio.
At the end of its journey, the group felt that all of its aims and goals had been achieved, and it highly recommends the performing arts as a means of teaching the Faith. As the beloved Guardian wrote through his secretary (quoted in U.S. Bahá’í News No. 73, May 1933, p. 7):
“That day will the Cause spread like wildfire when its spirit and teachings are presented on the stage or in art and literature as a whole. Art can better awaken such noble sentiments than cold rationalizing, especially among the mass of the people.”—Gerald E. Morris for the New Era Singers
Panama[edit]
Institute trains tutorial school teachers[edit]
Thirteen indigenous teachers from Bahá’í tutorial schools in Panama gathered last February 1-24 at Villa Virginia for a teacher training institute.
Since their inception three years ago, the number of Bahá’í tutorial schools in Panama has been steadily growing. This year the number has doubled with 12 schools opening their doors for the first time in April.
The development of tutorial schools is a part of the plan for development of the Guaymi Cultural Center which was created by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Panama to offer educational and cultural opportunities and training to every Guaymi according to his or her interest, ability and inclination.
The plan proposes to provide universal education on three levels: spiritual, intellectual and material. The teachers in Bahá’í tutorial schools can be the heart of the whole concept of the Guaymi Cultural Center. With that in mind, the institute at Villa Virginia covered all three educational levels for the tutorial teachers.
Spiritual education[edit]
Classes designed to provide a spiritual education consisted of Ruhi Institute courses such as “Some Principles of Bahá’í Education,” “Understanding the Writings,” “Bahá’í Classes for Children,” and “Life After Death.”
Classes at the national Summer School, which most of the teachers attended, further imparted the principles of spiritual education. The teachers took part in such classes as “The Covenant,” “Science and Religion,” “Laws and History of the Faith,” and “Christ and Bahá’u’lláh.”
Classes to help improve the material aspects of their lives included those on such topics as agriculture and health which were presented by non-Bahá’í Panamanian experts from the local agriculture station and health center in Capira, a small nearby town.
These experts came for two hours a day for one week to teach them about raising fruit trees, coffee and vegetables. Also participating was a Panamanian physician from Capira who spoke about health concerns ranging from immunization to family planning.
Another non-Bahá’í Panamanian doctor and a Bahá’í health worker taught first aid, prenatal care, and how to use the book Where There Is No Doctor, copies of which were given to the teachers to use in their villages when they returned.
Classes to help develop the intellectual level of the participants consisted of didactic classes on how to better teach reading, mathematics, science, social studies, and manual arts.
Classes in teaching manual arts were especially interesting, as the teachers learned to teach children ways to make kites out of palm leaves, bean bags
An indigenous believer learns to make visual aids during the 24-day teacher training institute held last February at Villa Virginia, Panama.
[Page 9]
Participants exchange ideas and opinions at one of the many lively and informative workshop sessions held during the teacher training institute last February 1-24 at Villa Virginia, Panama.
from seeds, and to prepare the clay that is dug from the sides of a river to make pottery.
Teachers also spent a week making many visual aids to help them teach the basic subjects. They learned many new games and songs as well as how to teach stories and composition to primary school children.
By the time the institute ended, plans had been made by the tutorial teachers to hold a children’s festival at the Muhájir Institute in Soloy during the August vacation period or in December.
Groups of children from each school are to travel to Soloy with parents and teachers and spend two days presenting a program of plays, songs and dances for those who are present. Afterward, teachers would remain for another three- or four-day teacher training institute.
The institute at Villa Virginia is one example of the projects that have been carried out to facilitate development of the Guaymi Cultural Center.
Others have included agricultural conferences, a milk distribution program, women’s conferences, several native councils, and recordings made in the Guaymi language.
United Kingdom[edit]
Bahá’í service at Westminster Abbey[edit]
“There will be four prayers, all from Bahá’í scripture, given to us by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá some 70 or more years ago.”
One would not be surprised to hear these words at a Bahá’í meeting, or perhaps even at some inter-faith gathering, but to hear them spoken in introducing the only prayers to be used at a service in Westminster Abbey was a most thrilling experience for the 50 or so Bahá’ís who were among the congregation of about 400.
The occasion, on April 1, marked the beginning of a pilgrimage around Britain to be made by the Rev. Merfyn Temple who, on a bicycle and supported by a display van, was to visit small towns all over the country in a three-month period with a “Prayer for Peace.”
At each place he visited, the Rev. Temple was to gather people of all faiths together for a prayer for peace. All along his route, Bahá’ís had offered help and hospitality. The exhibition van was to carry free literature and books for sale, and, at the Rev. Temple’s request, a good supply of Bahá’í materials was made available.
The Very Rev. Edward Carpenter, Dean of Westminster Abbey, offered to launch the pilgrimage with a service in the Abbey, and suggested that Philip Hainsworth, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Great Britain, be asked to lead the prayers in the service, and that these should all be Bahá’í prayers because of their universality.
The organizers of the service also asked that Mr. Hainsworth choose a prayer that could be printed in the Order of Service and read by the congregation as a whole. Three paragraphs from one of the Master’s prayers were selected for this communal prayer.
The Dean opened the service with a welcome and an introduction to the pil-
Few chairs in the nave of the Abbey, where the service was held, were empty, and the many visitors who thronged the main entrance could not fail to have been moved as the majestic words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rang out through the Abbey.
grimage; a small choir from a girls’ school associated with the Abbey sang an arrangement by Donald Swann of the Prayer for Peace; and the Rev. Donald Reeves, replacing the Right Rev. George Appleton, who had been taken ill, spoke of the significance of prayer and of the prayer for peace.
Following his remarks the three Bahá’í prayers were offered, and the atmosphere became, particularly for the Bahá’ís, charged with deep emotion. Few chairs in the nave of the Abbey, where the service was held, were empty, and the many visitors who thronged the main entrance could not fail to have been moved as the majestic words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rang out through the Abbey.
As the entire congregation called aloud for God to “unite all” and “let the religions agree and make the nations one” and to “raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind,” the Bahá’ís offered their silent thanks to Bahá’u’lláh for the privilege of being present on such a momentous occasion.
Some well-selected and well-presented writings on peace were then read by Mrs. Eirwen Harbottle of the Centre for International Peacebuilding Studies, and this was followed by the Prayer for Unity by Bahá’u’lláh, sung by Lois Hainsworth to the music of the Brahms lullaby.
Satish Kumar, a Jain who is himself an experienced pilgrim for peace, spoke movingly of his experiences in other lands and of the great significance of the Rev. Temple’s pilgrimage. The Rev. Temple then expressed his appreciation for the support and prayers offered for his pilgrimage and shared his own understanding of what he was about to undertake. The service was then closed with a blessing by Dean Carpenter.
Hundreds in the congregation heard and read the name of the Faith and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for the first time, and raised their voices in calling out, “O Thou kind Father, God, Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy Love. Brighten our eyes with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the stronghold of Thy Providence.”
It was not the first time that a passage from Bahá’í scripture had been read in that hallowed spot, but it was indeed the first time that hundreds of non-Bahá’í voices had been the vehicle. In all, it was a memorable, subtle and unique proclamation event.
United States[edit]
WLGI Radio nears completion at Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute near Hemingway, South Carolina[edit]
Above: A part of the WLGI tower arrives by truck. Below: A bulldozer clears some of the swampy land around the Gregory Institute. Right: WLGI Radio’s imposing 500-foot FM tower rises above the landscape.
The world[edit]
Media extols Faith in The Netherlands[edit]
The last six months of 1983 saw a steady flow of publicity for the Faith in the mass media of The Netherlands.
Contacts made with journalists resulted in articles published last June in Volkskrant, a leading national newspaper, and in July in NRC Handelsblad, which is generally considered to be the newspaper with the highest standards in the country.
Both articles were accurate and comprehensive, and both focused on the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and the principles of the Faith.
As a result of the execution last June of 10 Bahá’í women in Shíráz, the feminist magazine Opzij published last September an article about Bahá’í teachings on the role of women.
Also, an orthodox Christian newspaper devoted a full page to a moving account of the suffering of Bahá’ís in Iran.
A number of regional and local newspapers throughout the country published articles that usually were based on interviews with local Bahá’ís.
Radio publicity resulted from the good relationships established with the editorial staffs of two major magazine-style programs, each of which has broadcast items on the Faith on two occasions.
Last December 18, a Bahá’í from Amsterdam sang and spoke about the Faith on a radio program titled “We Do Believe.”
Four days later, another Bahá’í described the Riḍván Festival and discussed some teachings of the Faith for 10 minutes on another radio program, “New Macedonia.”
Continuous efforts by the Information Office have led to a friendly relationship with the staff of a weekly TV news magazine program, “Actua-TV.”
Producers of the program are planning to air a 10-minute report on the persecutions in Iran, and are considering also the production of a 30-minute documentary on the Faith.
Brazil[edit]
As a result of border teaching efforts, 21 Bahá’ís from Uruguay and Paraguay were among the 180 people attending a recent Bahá’í Summer School in Curitiba, Brazil.
The participants cabled the World Centre to express their enthusiastic support for border teaching to be carried out in 10 cities along the borders between the three countries during the final phase of the Seven Year Plan.
Cameroon[edit]
Shown are some of the more than 70 people who attended an English-language Bahá’í Summer School last December 22-28 in Limbe, Cameroon. Among those present were three members of that country’s National Spiritual Assembly and three Auxiliary Board members. Following the school, seven teaching campaigns were begun in January and February, dedicated to the memory of the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga who brought the Faith to Cameroon in 1953.
France[edit]
Seventy Bahá’ís from all areas of France gathered last December 26-31 in Labaroche to attend the first Bahá’í Winter School held in Alsace in 19 years.
During the morning sessions, the National Deepening Committee presented a study of the materialism which is consuming western society and the remedies that are prescribed in the Bahá’í Writings.
In the afternoons, the Audio-Visual Committee presented workshops on methods of teaching and deepening.
Publicity for the school included articles in local newspapers and a two and one-half minute television report on a regional evening news program whose audience numbers nearly 300,000.
United Kingdom[edit]
Pictured are most of the 60 Bahá’ís and their guests who attended a spring school for youth last March 16-18 in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. The school session, which attracted people from all parts of Ireland and one person from England, was the first of its kind to be held under the auspices of the National Youth Committee of the Republic of Ireland. The guest speaker was Counsellor Adib Taherzadeh (front row third from left) who discussed Shoghi Effendi’s World Order letters.
Uganda[edit]
At the 1982 Nairobi Satellite Conference, Pastor Benson E. Kariuki of Uganda was introduced to the Faith.
One year later, last December 25, Mr. Kariuki declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh and conducted his final church service.
In his farewell address to the congregation, the pastor said many people had asked him why he took that step when he has a family to support.
His reply was that he believed God’s ministry was not an employment, but a call from God Himself.
“As I leave the pastorship,” he said, “I believe the light of God will shine even more in my life.”
United States[edit]
A tremendous financial outpouring by Bahá’ís across the United States, much of it the result of a special “Day of Unity and Sacrifice” April 21, has enabled the U.S. Bahá’í community to set new records for the amount of money contributed to the National Fund during a Bahá’í month and for the number of individuals contributing directly to the Fund in a single month.
For the month of Jalál (April 9-27), the final month of fiscal 1983-84, a record $1,029,000 was contributed to the U.S. National Fund by more than 10,300 individuals along with Assemblies and Groups.
The highest amount ever contributed before in any single Bahá’í month was the $572,238 in Jalál 140, while the previous record for individual contributions, set that same month, was 6,479.
The unprecedented outpouring of funds brought the total amount contributed to the National Fund during fiscal 1983-84 to roughly $6.6 million, easily another U.S. record.
Added to the $1.3 million contributed to the construction of WLGI Radio in South Carolina and the refurbishing of the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, the total amount contributed by the American Bahá’í community this year was nearly $8 million.
Taiwan[edit]
Hugh E. Chance, a member of the Universal House of Justice, visited Taiwan last December 23-January 5, marking the first time that a member of the Supreme Institution has visited the Republic of China.
Mr. Chance, who was accompanied by his wife, held a few meetings with the friends prior to his participation in Taiwan’s Bahá’í Winter School.
The Bahá’í Center in Taipei was filled to capacity when Mr. Chance conducted a fireside one evening. On another occasion, when Mr. Chance thought he was at the Center to address the friends, he found instead that they had planned a surprise birthday party for him.
Mr. Chance spoke to members of the Taipei Rotary Club on the topic “Israel: The Land of Four Faiths”; met with Governor Lee Teng-hui of Taipei, who is now the country’s vice-president; and visited with Taipei’s Secretary General and with the director of civil affairs in the Ministry of the Interior, which is the office that oversees the island’s religious activities.
Several non-Bahá’í women attended a tea held in honor of Mrs. Chance at the Bahá’í National Center.
Mr. Chance was a speaker at the three-day Winter School held in Fong Yuan and attended by Bahá’ís and their guests from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the U.S.
One visitor at the school, a Portuguese journalist from Macau, returned to her newspaper and wrote a half-page article on the Faith and on Mr. Chance.
Although there are some restrictions on media coverage during the visit of a member of the Universal House of Justice, Mr. Chance did participate in an interview taped by the only English-language radio station in Taiwan.
A Bahá’í pioneer to Taiwan who works at the station conducted the interview, which was to be broadcast after Mr. Chance’s departure from Taiwan.
Shown (left to right) are award presenters and recipients at the fourth annual Bahá’í Humanitarian Awards dinner held last October 22 in Taipei, Taiwan: Victor Tom, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan; Louisa Li, who received an award for her services to the handicapped; Hsu Hsin-chi, vice-minister of the Ministry of the Interior, who made the presentations; Adam Chang, who was honored for his contributions in the field of fine arts; and Tina Sheng, who with Mr. Tom served as an emcee. About 150 people attended the award dinner at Taipei’s Grand Hotel.
Hugh Chance (seated center), a member of the Universal House of Justice,
and his wife are surrounded by children during the Bahá’í Winter School held near Fong Yuan, Republic of
China. Mr. and Mrs. Chance were in
Taiwan for two weeks last December
23-January 5.
Mariana Islands[edit]
The first Spiritual Assembly on the island of Tinian in the Mariana Islands has been elected in the town of San Jose, and the island of Agrihan in the northern Marianas has been opened to the Faith by a local pioneer.
Eight communities on Saipan and one on Tinian were visited last December 4-20 by F. Mithaqiyan Shirazi, a Bahá’í from Korea who made the teaching trip with Dr. Daniel Lord, a pioneer living in the Marianas.
Mr. Shirazi reported that he spent “many hours of thrilling activity” with the Carolinian believers, an ethnic minority in the Marianas who are on the whole quite receptive to the Teachings of the Faith.
Africa[edit]
The National Spiritual Assemblies of Senegal, Ivory Coast and Cameroon were able to use the recent visit to their countries by two Bahá’ís from Geneva, Switzerland, to proclaim the Faith to ministers of state and other high government officials, to women’s associations, educational institutions, and the general public through the mass media.
Drs. Shapour and Mehry Rassekh, who have many years of professional experience in sociology and psychology, were able to speak with insight on issues concerning education, women, and the role of youth, all of which are receiving top priority in the three countries.
In Senegal, the Rassekhs met with five cabinet ministers and with the president of the Federated Womens Association, presenting Bahá’í books to each and promising to correspond with individuals.
They also took part in a 25-minute television interview for use by the TV station in Dakar.
In Ivory Coast, the Rassekhs met with the ministers of health, the interior, and education, and also with the United Nations representative in Abidjan.
They conducted a seminar at the Ethno-Sociology Department of the National University, met with members of the university’s UNESCO Club, spoke to an audience of more than 100 at a teacher training institute outside of Abidjan, and were interviewed for two radio programs, one in French and the other in English.
In Cameroon, the visitors met with four government ministers, spoke to an audience of more than 200 at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Yaounde, and took part in three interviews for Radio Yaounde.
Spain[edit]
Mas’úd Khamsí, who is a Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, visited several Bahá’í communities in Spain last January, and the friends took full advantage of his fluency in Spanish to turn his short visit into a proclamation vehicle for the Faith.
For example, the Counsellor was able to discuss the Faith for 10 minutes during a radio interview by a well-known radio and TV personality. The topic was to have been the South American radio stations.
A second invitation, from an educational radio station in Barcelona, resulted in another 10-minute interview. Requests for interviews also came from two Madrid television stations but had to be postponed for a future visit.
Mr. Khamsí met with members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Spain at the Liria Bahá’í Center in Valencia, and with the National Teaching Committee in Barcelona. During a community meeting in that city, two youth declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
In Madrid, the Counsellor met with Persian- and Spanish-speaking youth to comment on the message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’í youth of the world.
During his busy stay, he also visited the Bahá’í Publishing Trust in Terrasa.
Nigeria[edit]
For the fourth year in a row, the Bahá’ís of Kaduna, Nigeria, sponsored an exhibit of Bahá’í literature and books at the city’s annual International Trade Fair held last February 10-19. Shown staffing the booth are (left to right) Tzedal Habtu, an Ethiopian Bahá’í who recently settled in Kaduna; and B. Ghazavi and Traneh Hingorani, two Iranian Bahá’ís who live in Kaduna.
Several hundred participants in the National Universities Games Association athletic competition last March 6-14 at Nigeria’s Ife University were introduced (or re-introduced) to the Faith through displays of Bahá’í books and posters at student dining halls.
More than 3,000 students from 24 Nigerian universities took part, and many who visited the Bahá’í exhibits expressed their happy surprise to see Bahá’ís there.
The Bahá’ís of Ife met with the chairman of the games and presented him with a proclamation booklet and Bahá’í prayer book.
He expressed his appreciation for the Bahá’ís’ statement that no matter how many events the universities won or lost, the country was the victor because so many students from so many tribes, religions and ethnic backgrounds could assemble and associate in a spirit of cordiality and friendship.
This unique teaching opportunity occurred during the Fast, and the friends were so besieged by interested students that they were unable to break the fast until late at night.
Before doing so, they offered prayers together in appreciation for the opportunity to participate in such a marvelous teaching effort.
Trinidad/Tobago[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone and his wife, Madge, are interviewed by an announcer at 610 Radio in Port of Spain, Trinidad, during their visit last March to Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. Featherstone also was interviewed at a television station.
In March, the Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone made a week-long visit to Trinidad and Tobago.
During the visit, Mr. Featherstone, accompanied by Counsellor Ruth Pringle and Dr. Muhammad Hasan Jamalabadi, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Trinidad and Tobago, paid a courtesy call on the country’s President, Ellis Clarke.
The president welcomed the delegation warmly and spoke of the country’s national anthem which states that all religions have an equal right and place in Trinidad and Tobago.
Mr. Featherstone spoke briefly about the Faith’s rapid growth around the world, the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, and protests on their behalf by organizations in many countries.
The president was given a copy of the book A Crown of Beauty, which was written by Hugh Chance, a member of the Universal House of Justice, and Eunice Braun.
Pictured are participants in the third Spiritualization Institute held last December 16-25 at the Chaguaramus Youth Camp in northwestern Trinidad. The coordinator was Jenabe Caldwell (seated in center wearing glasses). Administrators at the government-run youth camp were so pleased by the condition of the facility after the institute that they welcomed the Bahá’ís to use it again whenever it is available.
Ecuador[edit]
A national Teaching Conference last December 23-25 in Otavalo, Ecuador, saw a resurgence of participation by Quechua-speaking villagers of Imbabura Province, the heart of the region in which the late Counsellor Raúl Pavón had such a profound influence.
Forty per cent of those at the conference were indigenous Bahá’ís, and, reversing a recent trend, they came on their own and in some cases presented skits that simulated teaching experiences.
More talks than ever in recent years were given by native Ecuadorians. A Friday evening social program was organized entirely by native youths who work at Radio Bahá’í in Otavalo.
Speaking on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador, Maria Perugachi extolled the memory of Counsellor Pavón.
Following her address, a series of “Counsellor Raúl Pavón Teaching Projects” to begin the following month was announced.
Mauritius[edit]
Lowell Johnson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa, visited Mauritius last December 6-19, conducting classes at a two-day institute and taking part in firesides and a general meeting.
Mr. Johnson paid courtesy visits to the minister of works and the director of public pursuits, and also lectured at the University of Mauritius, presenting an introduction to the Faith.
India[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Bihar State, India, have not only met but far exceeded their goals for the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.
News received last January at the World Centre indicates that statewide efforts in Bihar have increased the number of Bahá’ís there to 33,246 (the goal was 1,000 believers in each of 31 districts).
Three hundred-nineteen new Spiritual Assemblies have been raised (the goal was 150) and there are now 40 “firmly grounded” Assemblies that hold Nineteen Day Feasts, meet regularly, have teaching plans, hold youth activities, and observe Holy Days (the goal was 25 “firmly grounded” Assemblies).
An estimated 25,000 people learned of the Faith in Bihar through book exhibits that were organized in nine locations.
Two hundred fifty-three members of Local Assemblies were trained and deepened at five conferences.
South Bihar, home of the Munda, Santhal, Urao and Ho tribes, which was opened to the Faith several years ago, is now being consolidated with a plan to publish Bahá’í literature in these tribal languages as soon as funds are available.
Every Bahá’í activity in Bihar State is covered by daily newspapers in English and Urdu and by local stations of All India Radio.
The station in Patna broadcast passages from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for three weeks as a part of its “Thought for the Day” program.
Twelve Bahá’í schools, 10 of which are self-supporting, are operating in Bihar State. Last January, a systematic program was begun for the opening by Riḍván of 15 more tutorial schools.
The Bahá’í Youth Academy at Panchgani, India, devoted its seventh and eighth sessions last November and December to courses for the secretaries of India’s State Teaching Committees and the editors of newsletters and magazines.
The final session was marked by the presence of all five members of the Continental Board of Counsellors residing in India and eight members of that country’s National Spiritual Assembly.
Counsellor Burháni-Dín Afshín conducted classes on spiritual topics, while newsletter editors demonstrated their week-long study of news writing, printing, layout and photography by displaying samples of their bulletins.
Two new Bahá’í-sponsored schools have been opened in India. One of them, a tutorial school in Jorasia, near Gwalior in Bihar State, was begun with 25 students and with more expected to enroll.
Although the town already had a government school, the village headman, who is a Bahá’í, favored a Bahá’í-run school that teaches English. The new students learned immediately to recite a Bahá’í prayer.
Another school, this one in the small village of Bahadurpur, opened recently with about 40 students who are learning about Bahá’í history. Most of their parents are Bahá’ís.
The two new schools mean that children no longer will have to walk the several miles to government schools, nor will they be cut off from school during the rainy season.
Classes meet in the open, but students and their teachers will be given accommodations in homes when the weather prevents their meeting outdoors.
In northern Madhya Pradesh State, the director of Bahá’í schools has concentrated on a small area around Bhind where 20 villages have chosen to have schools. The director visits some of them each day, giving constant supervision and support.
Japan[edit]
Members of the recently formed Bahá’í Group of Utsunomiya, Japan, are shown at a Naw-Rúz party at the Bahá’í National Center in Tokyo. Two years ago, Daryoush Yazdani (standing second from left) and his wife, Marife (seated at left) were the only Bahá’ís in Utsunomiya, a city of 350,000, when they arrived as pioneers. After two years of regular firesides in their home, six others became Bahá’ís. Five of these new believers are pictured here with Mr. and Mrs. Yazdani. The remaining person, Shazin Rossoukh (standing second from right) is a visiting Bahá’í teacher. The sixth member of the Group became a Bahá’í a few days after this photograph was taken.
Malawi[edit]
One hundred-seven people were enrolled in the Faith last December and a new Spiritual Assembly was formed in Malawi’s southern region.
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