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| Bahá’í News | May 1987 | Bahá’í Year 144 |
Radio Bahá’í and the use
of alternative energy sources
On the cover: The Jacobs Wind Turbine atop a ridge overlooking Radio Bahá’í del Lago Titicaca in Chucuito, Peru, in a photograph taken in December 1986. Beginning on page 6, K. Dean Stephens, technical adviser to the Audio-Visual Department of the Universal House of Justice who has been involved in the planning, engineering and construction of every Bahá’í radio station in the world to the present time, presents a report on the ways in which these stations are seeking out and using appropriate alternative energy sources to hold down costs while protecting and enhancing the environment in which they operate.
CONVEY SAD NEWS PAST FEW DAYS MR. SURUSH JABBARI AND MR. ABDU’L-QASIM SHAYIQ WERE EXECUTED IN TEHRAN. EXACT DATE AND MANNER OF THEIR EXECUTION ARE NOT KNOWN AS NO ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE, AND THERE IS NO INDICATION WHETHER OR NOT TRIALS WERE HELD. THEIR BODIES WERE BURIED WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE THEIR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS.
MR. JABBARI WAS 42 YEARS OLD AND HAD BEEN IN PRISON SINCE 15 SEPTEMBER 1984. HE WAS AN ENGINEER. MR. SHAYIQ WAS 47 YEARS OF AGE AND HAD BEEN IN PRISON SINCE 13 FEBRUARY 1984. HE WAS A GRADUATE IN HISTORY AND WORKED FOR THE GOVERNMENT BEFORE HIS DISMISSAL AS A BAHÁ’Í.
NO OTHER DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE.
MARCH 12, 1987
Bahá’í News[edit]
The annual Riḍván message from the Universal House of Justice | 1 |
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s historic meeting with Jane Addams at Hull House | 3 |
Bahá’í radio stations and the use of alternative sources of energy | 6 |
A review of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s book, The Secret of Divine Civilization | 10 |
Following Temple’s dedication, Bahá’ís stay in India to teach Faith | 12 |
Statistical update on the worldwide recognition of Bahá’í Holy Days | 13 |
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe | 14 |
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 the U.S.: one year, $12; two years, $20. Outside the U.S.: one year, $14; two years, 24$. Foreign air mail: one year, $20; two years, $40. Payment must accompany the order and must be in U.S. dollars. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1987, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
World Centre[edit]
‘Great and wonderful tasks’[edit]
To the Bahá’ís of the world
Dearly-loved Friends,
The launching of the Six Year Plan at Riḍván 1986 coincided with the opening of a new epoch—the fourth—in the organic unfoldment of the Formative Age of our Faith. The administrative institutions of this growing Cause of God had already begun to show signs of an increasing maturity, while at the same time emerging from the protective obscurity of their early days into the larger arena of public notice. These twin processes were signalized by a development of far-reaching consequence to the internal life of the Bahá’í community and by an outward activity of a magnitude unprecedented in its entire history.
The former was a devolution of responsibility whereby all national communities, through their National Spiritual Assemblies, in consultation with Counsellors, local Spiritual Assemblies and the generality of believers, were requested to formulate, for the first time, their own objectives for achievement during the new Plan. This expectation of maturity challenging the national communities was matched by their formulation of national plans submitted to the World Centre for coordination into the world-embracing Six Year Plan.
The latter was a united uprising of the entire Bahá’í world community to distribute the statement, “The Promise of World Peace,” issued in October 1985 to the peoples of the world. Heads of state, large numbers of the members of national governments, diplomats, teachers, trade unionists, leaders of religion, eminent members of the judiciary, the police, legal, medical and other professions, members of local authorities, clubs and associations, and thousands of individuals have been presented with the statement. It is estimated that more than a million copies, in some 70 languages, have so far been distributed. These two activities alone have heavily reinforced the growing strength and maturity of the Bahá’í world community and given it a more clearly defined and readily recognizable public image.
Other factors have contributed greatly to the rapid entrance of the Faith onto the world stage. Indeed it appears that every activity of the widespread Army of Life is now observed or commented upon by some section of the public, from the General Assembly of the United Nations to small and even remote local communities.
The steadfastness of the sorely-tried Persian believers continues to be the mainspring of this world-wide attention increasingly being focused upon the Faith. While the brutal executions of heroic martyrs are now less frequent, the harassment and deprivations, vilification and plundering of the long-persecuted community continue—more than 200 are still in prison—giving the representatives of the Bahá’í International Community at the United Nations firm grounds for strong and persistent appeals, which have aroused the concern of the General Assembly itself, and resulted in representations to the Iranian government on behalf of the defenseless Bahá’ís by the Commission on Human Rights, and by many powerful nations including the various governments constituting the European Community.
All this has kept our beloved Faith under international observation, an interest increased not only by the circulation of the peace statement but also by the rapidly expanding activities in the field of economic and social development, ranging from the inauguration and operation of radio stations—of which there are seven now broadcasting—to schools, literacy programs, agricultural assistance and a host of small but valuable undertakings at village level in many parts of the world.
National Bahá’í communities have organized and successfully conducted inter-religious conferences, peace seminars,
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symposiums on racism and other subjects on which we have
a specific contribution to make, often achieving widespread
publicity and the interest of highly-placed leaders of society.
Bahá’í youth, inspired and uplifted by the vision and
idealism of “the new race of men” have, through their
many gatherings, attracted large numbers of their compeers
and galvanized their own members to direct their lives toward service in the many fields in which a rich harvest awaits the dedicated Bahá’í worker.
Added to this rapidly burgeoning association of our fellow-men with Bahá’í activities, has been one outstanding magnificent achievement, the completion and dedication of the wondrous Bahá’í Temple in New Delhi, which received, within the first 30 days of its dedication to the worship of God, more than 120,000 visitors. This symbol of purity, proclaiming the Oneness of God and His Messengers in that land of myriad diverse religious beliefs, befittingly marks the power and grandeur with which these portentous days in the life of God’s Holy Cause have been endowed.
The stage is set for universal, rapid and massive growth of the Cause of God. The immediate and basic challenge is pursuit of the goals of the Six Year Plan, the preliminary stages of which have already been initiated. The all-important teaching work must be imaginatively, persistently and sacrificially continued, ensuring the enrollment of ever larger numbers who will provide the energy, the resources and spiritual force to enable the beloved Cause to worthily play its part in the redemption of mankind. To reinforce this process the international goals of the Plan have been adopted, calling for the undertaking of many hundreds of inter-Assembly assistance projects, the re-formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Zaire at Riḍván 1987 and the establishment, in the course of the Plan, of new National Spiritual Assemblies, of which those of Angola, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Macau have already been approved. During the first year of the Six Year Plan 338 pioneers, guided by the needs set forth in previous Plans, have already arisen and settled in 119 countries. A new appeal is now being prepared, details of which will be announced shortly. The promotion and facilitation of service projects for Bahá’í youth in the emergent countries of the world are now called for. National Spiritual Assemblies are asked to arrange, in consultation with each other and with the assistance of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, the best means of ensuring the effective service of those who respond.
Preparations for the Holy Year 1992, when the 100th anniversary of the Ascension of the Blessed Beauty and the inception of the Covenant will be commemorated, have already begun. It is fitting, then, that the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, which links the past and future with the progressive stages toward the fulfillment of God’s ancient Promise, should be the major theme of the Six Year Plan. Concentration on this theme will enable us all to obtain a deeper appreciation of the meaning and purpose of His Revelation—“A Revelation,” in the words of the Guardian, “hailed as the promise and crowning glory of past ages and centuries, as the consummation of all the Dispensations within the Adamic Cycle, inaugurating an era of at least a thousand years’ duration, and a cycle destined to last no less than five thousand centuries, signalizing the end of the Prophetic Era and the beginning of the Era of Fulfillment, unsurpassed alike in the duration of its Author’s ministry and the fecundity and splendor of His mission....” The questions that such concentrated study should answer will undoubtedly include the meaning of the Bahá’í Covenant, its origin and what should be our attitude toward it.
Ever present in our contemplation of these profound questions is the magnetic figure of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Centre of the Covenant, the Mystery of God, the perfect Exemplar, Whose unerring interpretation of the Holy Texts and luminous examples of their application to personal conduct shed light on a way of life we must strive diligently to follow. During the course of the Six Year Plan the 75th anniversary of His visit to the West will be observed with befitting celebrations and proclamation activities. Simultaneously, there will be observed the 50th anniversary of the first Seven Year Plan in the Americas, launched in 1937 at the instigation of Shoghi Effendi and which, in setting in motion the systematic execution of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s grand design for the spiritual conquest of the planet, marked the opening of the first epoch of the Divine Plan.
Great and wonderful tasks challenge us as never before. They demand equally great and wonderful sacrifice, dedication and single-minded devotion from every one of us. At present, the Bahá’í International Fund is utterly inadequate to support the tremendous expansion now required in all the multitudinous activities of the Bahá’í world community. The record of the Seven Year Plan, just completed, stands witness to our ability to meet the growing demands of the Cause. The heroism of the beloved friends in Iran, the eager response of 3,694 dedicated pioneers to the call raised for this essential service, the unceasing activity of teachers, administrators, local communities and individual believers throughout the entire organism of the embryonic World Order, have endowed this growing Army of Life with new strengths and capacities. As we stride forward into the future we may be fully assured of His ever-present bounty and the final victory of our efforts to establish His Kingdom in this troubled world.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Riḍván 1987
‘Abdu’l-Bahá in America[edit]
The meeting at Chicago’s Hull House[edit]
It was on a warm, springlike day, April 30, 1912, that Hull House in Chicago was all astir. For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, a great and holy Personage from Palestine was expected. The important visit was planned by Jane Addams, “Mother of Hull House,” or “Chicago’s Most Useful Citizen,” as the people of Chicago lovingly called her.
Seldom has a biographer presented two more significant and inspiring world figures, both working earnestly for the Unity of Mankind and the establishment of Universal Peace than ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Center of the Covenant of the Bahá’í World, and Jane Addams, the President of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom: one Who had been chosen as a Divine Exemplar to humanity, and the other reflecting the spirit of service. How fitting that Hull House—an outstanding example of the application of the great principle of the oneness of mankind—should be the place of meeting.
During a recent interview with Miss Addams, the writer learned that it was in 1844 that the Quaker father of Jane Addams moved to Illinois. A pine-crowned hill is the living memorial of the bagful of seeds planted by him in that memorable year of world history. In 1860 a little girl was born at Cedarville, Illinois, in the shadow of those pines. As a child, she was a shy, conscientious, sensitive, idealistic girl. These qualities developed into high moral courage, the unswerving devotion to duty, and the passion of self-sacrifice for others. These characteristics served to make this frail woman elect to pass her life in an unsavory quarter of this great industrial city, Chicago, and to spend there, in behalf of the poor, her inheritance, which would have maintained her in comfortable idleness amid the beautiful things that she loved. Here she has ministered to and educated those in dire need and thus worked indefatigably for the establishment of the unity and amity of mankind.
| This article, “‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s historic meeting with Jane Addams,” is reprinted from The Bahá’í World, Volume VI (1934-36). It was written by Ruth J. Moffett. |
As the years unfolded, Jane Addams received her A.B. degree at Rockford College, Rockford, Illinois, in 1881. Then she spent two years in Europe, 1883-85, because of imperfect health. In 1888 she studied in Philadelphia, and the next year opened Hull House with the assistance of Miss Ellen Gates Starr, and has ever since been it Head Resident. For three years she served as inspector of streets and alleys on the southwest side of Chicago. She received her LL.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1904 and in 1910 was honored in the same way by Smith College. Later, she became president of the National Conference of Charities and Corrections. Yale University granted her its A.M. degree in 1910. In 1912 she became vice-president of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association and chairman of the Woman’s Peace Party. In 1915 she was elected delegate to the first Peace Convention at The Hague, and the same year became the founder-president of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and still remains its active president. She was the delegate to the Peace Conventions at Zurich in 1917, at Vienna in 1921, and at The Hague in 1922. On January 12, 1923, she started on a six-month tour of the world in the interests of world peace. During all these years many books have come from her pen, and she has served on numerous state and national committees having to do with social, philanthropic, industrial and international problems.
Hull House, one of the first American settlements, stands as a dream fulfilled. It was established in 1889, to become a spacious and hospitable home, tolerant in spirit, equipped to care for the pressing physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of a poor, alien, complicated community.
About 50 men and women of various races and creeds and backgrounds form the residential staff, mostly college graduates who pledge themselves to remain for two years. In addition, 150 others come to Hull House each week as teachers, visitors or directors of clubs. About 9,000 persons come to the settlement each week during the winter months, as members of the audiences or classes. Miss Addams explained that the attractions offered include classroom instruction in English, current topics, typing, arts and crafts, music, drawing, folk dancing and nearly all phases of domestic arts. Public lectures and clubs of many kinds supply the needs of men, women and children of all classes, beliefs and shades of color. A circulating library of 2,000 volumes stimulates mental interest. A well-trained, working boys’ band of 62 pieces is a source of great joy, as are the many tournaments and contests, enjoyed especially by the little children of foreign lands. The monthly gymnasium attendance is 3,000, and the 15 showers are kept in constant use. During the year 6,000 paid showers and 12,000 free showers help to keep up the physical, mental and moral standards. The Italian, Jewish and Greek nationalities seem to predominate in the clubs and classes.
In Miss Addams’ high-ceilinged living room, the writer asked her, “What has been one of the central ideas of the activities of Hull House?” Her kindly
[Page 4]
eyes brightened as she said, “The
things which make men alike are finer
and better than the things that keep
them apart, and these basic likenesses,
if they are properly accentuated, easily
transcend the less essential differences
of race, language, creed and tradition.” After a time she continued with
an alert enthusiasm:
“Life at the Settlement discovers above all what has been called the extraordinary pliability of human nature; and it seems impossible to set any bounds to the moral capabilities which might unfold under ideal civic and educational conditions. In order to obtain these conditions, the Settlement recognizes the need of cooperation, both with the radical and conservative elements. Hull House casts aside none of those things which cultivated man has come to consider reasonable and goodly, but it insists that those belong as well to that great body of people who because of toilsome and underpaid labor, are unable to procure them for themselves. Added to this is the profound conviction that the common stock of intellectual enjoyment should not be difficult of access because of the economic position of him who would approach it, that ‘those best interests of civilization’ upon which depend the finer, freer and nobler aspects of living must be incorporated into our common life and have free mobility through all the elements of society, if we would have a true, enduring democracy. The educational activities of a Settlement, as well as its philanthropic, civic and social undertakings, are but differing manifestations of the attempt to socialize true democracy, which is the very existence of Hull House itself. It is thus that peace and unity are established.”
“Do you think,” she was asked, “that the people of the world generally are more peace-minded than before the World War?”
“Oh, yes. The war startled and shocked them into a realization of the need of peace as never before. It has been more discussed and written about and has become the most vital problem before man.”
“What do you consider the greatest forces of the world today working for peace?”
“There are three,” she replied. “First, psychological; second, political; and third, mechanical. First, the psychological includes all the books, newspapers, magazine articles and all the addresses and discussions on the subject, but something more than all of these, the interest and overwhelming desire in the heart for peace. Second, the political, even, has become a force for peace. International instruments to take care of the affairs of all the nations of the world must be created before peace can be maintained. These are only just the beginning, in the League of Nations, the World Court, an International Code of Law and an International Police Force to enforce the law. Many other international instruments of this nature will be required. Third, nothing can stay the progress of the machine age, the invention, the improved methods of intercommunication and intertransportation. This is also a great force, bringing about better understanding in the world which is the basis of peace.
A standing-room-only audience gathered May 5, 1912, to hear ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speak at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Chicago.
“You ask what I consider to be the greatest need of the world today?” she continued. “I would put it in one word, understanding—understanding between individuals, classes, races, nations. Literature, history and mechanics are bringing it about much more rapidly today. Are not nations simply families living together, learning to adjust themselves to each other for the best good for the greatest number?
“Yes, you are right,” she said in reply to my next question. “The problems of the world which are caused by wrong mental attitudes are returning to the heart and mind of man and the solution must come through changed mental attitudes.”
Although having spoken on the same platform with Miss Addams many times and dined as her guest, yet during this interview at Hull House, alone in the spacious living room with her, the writer was more than ever impressed with a fine quality of innate courtesy, a sympathetic sensitiveness, a queenly dignity and greatest of all, the keenness of a brilliant intellect expressing a well-balanced and well-ordered mind.
When the author asked her if she had met that distinguished Personage of Palestine Whom Great Britain had knighted as one of the greatest advocates and establishers of World Peace and the Unity of Mankind that the world had known, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, she replied with an emphatic “Yes.” In a low-pitched, well-modulated voice, she spoke of inviting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to visit Hull House on April 30, 1912, to speak in Bowen Hall, and although the hall seats 750 people, it was far too small to
[Page 5]
hold the crowds that poured in. In
streams the rich and poor, the educated
and ignorant, the managers of business
and the industrial slaves came. Hull
House was all astir. So was Halstead
Street, that bit of cross-section, seemingly, of all the markets, bazaars, cafes
and wayside churches of all the races,
nationalities and creeds of the world.
Miss Addams herself, acting as chairman, welcomed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and graciously presented Him to the audience. Dr. (Zia) Bagdadi, a physician of Chicago, served as His interpreter, having known and loved ‘Abdu’l-Bahá years before in the Holy Land.
To attempt to describe ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is like trying to paint the lily. As He stood before the sea of hungry and upturned faces, His magnetic personality, His radiance, His penetrating potency, the power of His inspiration, the very purity of His life, and the great understanding compassionate love, made an impression upon His listeners that they can never forget.
Because in 1912 racial prejudice and hatred were very intense and because of the outstanding historical work that Miss Addams had achieved, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of the races being like many varieties of flowers in one garden, all adding to the fragrance and beauty of the garden. He spoke of the benefits to be derived by all humanity when universal peace and racial amity have spread over the earth. This depends upon the spirit and intelligence of man. The basis for the establishment of world peace and the amity of man cannot be based upon color, but only upon noble qualities. With an almost overwhelming power, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá declared, “The standard can be no other than the divine virtues which are revealed in him. Therefore, every man imbued with divine qualities, who reflects heavenly moralities and perfections, who is the expression of ideal and praiseworthy attributes, is verily in the image and likeness of God ... a divine station which is not sacrificed by the mere accident of color.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá cradles one of His younger admirers while visiting Chicago’s Lincoln Park in May 1912.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the close of the meeting in Hull House went out into the dingy crowded street, mingled with the little children and the underprivileged poor, and gave to them freely from a bagful of coins, with many kindly words of encouragement, sympathy, love and hope, which brightened the eyes, strengthened the courage and uplifted the faith and hope of all who met Him.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá expressed His pleasure at meeting Miss Jane Addams because she was serving mankind. According to His own words, He was chosen by His Father, Bahá’u’lláh (the Glory of God) to be the Servant of humanity, and because Miss Addams has devoted her life unreservedly to others she certainly reflects the beautiful light of servitude. One of the bounties of the Bahá’í Revelation is that women of heavenly capacities can never more be hindered by the ancient stupid form of male supremacy, but may rise to help in the establishment of the new World Order, and of peace and good will to all mankind.
As the writer said farewell to Miss Addams, who was leaving on an extended trip for her health, she presented her with an autographed copy of her photograph and her book, Twenty Years at Hull House, and spoke again of being deeply impressed with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and with the beauty and spirit emanating from the Bahá’í Temple. She expressed the hope that more people would feel the great need and rise today to help bring amity permanently to the world.
Gazing at the very building in which took place the historic meeting of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Jane Addams, and in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had so perfectly voiced the note of the Oneness of Mankind, and left His spirit like a benediction hovering over all, one saw people of all races streaming in and out of Hull House, honoring the founder before her departure. With a deeper consciousness of realization, one recognized the fulfillment of those priceless words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “Today the most important purpose of the Kingdom of God is the promulgation of the cause of Universal Peace and the principle of the Oneness of the World of Humanity. Whosoever rises in the accomplishment of this pre-eminent service, the confirmation of the Holy Spirit will descend upon him.”
Radio Bahá’í[edit]
Using appropriate energy sources[edit]
“O ye friends of God! Because, in this most momentous of ages, the Sun of Truth hath risen at the highest point of the spring equinox, and cast its rays on every clime, it shall kindle such tremulous excitement, it shall release such vibrations in the world of being, it shall stimulate such growth and development, it shall stream out with such a glory of light ... that this lowly earth will become the Abhá Kingdom, and this nether world the world above.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 128)
| This article, “Bahá’í Radio and Appropriate Technology,” was written by K. Dean Stephens, who in his capacity since 1974 as technical adviser to the Audio-Visual Department of the Universal House of Justice has been involved in the planning, engineering and installation of every Bahá’í radio station in the world to the present date. Mr. Stephens coordinated the broadcast division of CIRBAL from 1982 until that institution’s merger with the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre in 1986, and is presently a member of the IBAVC executive committee and special consultant to the World Centre’s Office of Social and Economic Development. |
The purpose of Bahá’í radio is captured in this quotation from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: to radiate the glad-tidings that the Promised One has come, to kindle excitement in the populace, to release vibrations, to stimulate growth and development in the communities it serves.
Since Bahá’í radio stations often are located in rural or Third World environments far from easy access to the technical assistance, telephones, water and power lines that are available to most commercial operations, they are presented with technical challenges distinct in many ways from those encountered by broadcasters in urban and developed locales. Even where available, electrical energy is all too often unstable and erratic in supply. Conventional remedies such as substation connection to high-voltage transmission lines are inordinately expensive, while the budgets of Bahá’í stations are usually quite restrictive. These challenges exist to a greater or lesser extent at every Bahá’í radio complex in the developing world, with solutions constantly being sought and incorporated into their operations.
A rear view of the radio (left) and energy supply buildings for Radio Bahá’í del Lago Titicaca in Chucuito, Peru. In the foreground is the new station tower and antenna tuning unit. The energy building houses a diesel generator and wind-charged battery bank.
Alternate energy for Bahá’í radio stations[edit]
Panama. Commercial electricity is available but intermittent at the principal Radio Bahá’í transmission site in Boca del Monte, and totally lacking at the remote studio at the Guaymi Indian Cultural Center in Soloy. However, Panama receives more than ample sunlight even during the rainy season, making the station an ideal candidate for solar power.
At the 1 kW radio complex at Boca del Monte, six 30-watt solar panels are mounted on the roof, constantly charging a bank of heavy-duty six-volt batteries in series during daylight hours. One 12-volt tap from the battery bank is wired to a DC studio unit that includes turntables, mixer, microphones and cassette players. Eighteen- and 30-volt taps from the battery banks power a 25-watt standby transmitter which backs the 1 kW unit in the event of power failure. Battery taps are similarly available for emergency and security lighting, fans, and small tools and appliances. During periods of normal mains power, 12-volt lighting and ventilation is used for operations and security, keeping the batteries from overcharging.
The studio at Soloy is in the heart of the Guaymi reserve, a gruelling two-
| The following, courtesy of the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre, is an up-to-date listing of existing Bahá’í radio operations:
Radio Bahá’í del Ecuador. Call letters: HCRN1. Frequencies: 1420 kHz medium wave, AM; 3 kW power; transmitter in Cajas; broadcasting 3:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Quechua and Spanish; on the air, October 1977. 4990 kHz short wave, AM; 1 kW power; transmitter in Cuicocha; broadcasting 5 to 11 p.m. in Spanish; on the air, July 9, 1979. Address: Radio Bahá’í del Ecuador, Apartado 14, Otavalo, Ecuador (main studios in Otavalo). Radio Bahá’í del Lago Titicaca, Peru. Call letters: OBX7S. Frequency: 890 kHz medium wave, AM; 1 kW power; transmitter and studios in Chucuito; broadcasting 4:30 to 10:30 a.m. in Aymara, Quechua and Spanish; on the air, July 9, 1982. Address: Radio Bahá’í del Lago Titicaca, Apartado 299, Puno, Peru (with an office in Puno). Radio Bahá’í de Bolivia. Call letters: CP-220. Frequency: 1010 kHz medium wave, AM; 1 kW power; transmitter and studios in Caracollo; broadcasting 5 to 10 a.m. in Quechua, Spanish and Aymara; on the air, March 30, 1984. Address: Radio Bahá’í de Bolivia, Casilla 1019, Oruro, Bolivia. WLGI Radio Bahá’í USA. Call letters: WLGI. Frequency: 90.9 mHz, medium wave, FM; 50 kW power; transmitter and studios in Hemingway, South Carolina; broadcasting 12 hours per day in English; on the air, May 23, 1984. Address: WLGI—Radio Bahá’í, Route 2, Box 69, Hemingway, SC 29954, U.S.A. Radio Bahá’í Panama. Call letters; HO1-417. Frequency: 1300 kHz medium wave, AM, with STL link planned to the Guaymi Cultural Centre in Soloy; 1 kW power; transmitter and main studios in Boca del Monte, Chiriqui Province; broadcasting 5 a.m. to noon and 2 to 7 p.m. in Spanish and Guaymi; on the air, January 1986. Address: Radio Bahá’í de Panama, Apartado 1187, David, Chiriqui, Republic of Panama. Radio Bahá’í Chile. Call letters: CC-116. Frequency: 1160 kHz medium wave, AM; 1 kW (daytime), .25 kW (nighttime) power; transmitter and studios in Labranza; broadcasting on a limited schedule in Spanish and Mapuche; on the air, November 12, 1986. Address: Radio Bahá’í de Chile, Casilla 56-D, Temuco, Chile. Radio Bahá’í Liberia. Call letters: ELRB. Frequency: 990 kHz medium wave, AM; 5 kW (directional signal) power; broadcasting, not yet begun, to be in English. Address: Radio Bahá’í Liberia, ELRB, c/o Bill Frank Enoanyi, manager, Box 0191, Paynesville, Liberia. Note: The Ecuador short-wave station and the stations in Peru, Bolivia, the U.S. and Panama are all licensed for unlimited 24-hour-a-day programming. |
hour drive into the mountains north of Boca del Monte. A diesel generator normally powers the cultural center complex, but the radio studio, an important on-air element of Radio Bahá’í de Panama, is equipped with a solar-charged battery back-up system as well. The cost of the entire alternate energy package including seven solar panels, a standby transmitter, two DC studios, fans and lighting was remarkably reasonable, amounting to less than $3,000 (excluding shipping and duties). Batteries were purchased locally.
Considering that solar panels have an average life-span of 20 years, the transmitter at least 10, and studio equipment and batteries up to five years, the investment is readily justified: in the lowered annual costs of electricity, in the many services so cheaply and efficiently provided by the system, and in having power available when it is absent from the mains.
Peru. 1 kW Radio Bahá’í del Lago Titicaca has thus far been out of the reach of commercial power, and normally relies on a 7 kW diesel generator for electricity. Around the station are five other buildings including a teaching institute, dormitories, two cottages for staff, and a generator enclosure. All are wired with 12-volt fluorescent lighting fixtures, receiving energy from a bank of 18 batteries charged by a 2 kW wind generator which harnesses the morning and evening air currents that blow across Lake Titicaca.
In the event of generator failure, the battery bank can power a 100-watt standby transmitter for a 6-8 hour broadcast day for a week, or can indefinitely maintain a reduced schedule from the wind charge. When the station is not on the air, the diesel generator is shut down to conserve fuel. Then all power for indoor and security lighting, studio equipment and small tools is supplied by the wind-charged battery bank.
Another example of appropriate technology in action at the station is a unique antenna featuring a grounded, half-size (40-meter) tower with “hot” guy wires. The antenna not only costs a fraction of its conventional 80-meter, base-insulated counterpart, but performs superbly as well in the lake environment, penetrating to communities on the Bolivian far shores of Lake Titicaca with strength and clarity rivaling nearby 5 kW stations.
Bolivia and Ecuador. Bahá’í radio stations in Bolivia and Ecuador have solar water heaters installed, and alternate energy systems are planned for the near future around photovoltaics and battery banks similar to the one in operation in Panama.
Liberia. To date, the most ambitious alternate energy undertaking has just come on line in Africa, at 5 kW Radio Bahá’í Liberia near the capital city, Monrovia. Commercial power exists in the area, but it is intermittent, and off more than on toward the end of the dry season when the hydroelectric reserves run short. On the other hand, the dry season is a period of maximum sunshine in Liberia, making solar energy a logical choice for standby power. On site, 10 solar panels of 36 watts each charge a similar number of heavy-duty batteries connected variously to provide 70 volts DC to a 400-watt emergency transmitter, 12 volts to a DC studio complex, and other lines for lighting and ventilation throughout the facility. At the time of ELRB’s first transmission, on December 5, 1986, a
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Liberian government official remarked
that the station would probably serve
as a model of alternate energy utilization for all of West Africa.
Bahá’í Media Training Centre exploits solar power[edit]
“Man makes nature his servant; harnesses the mighty energy of electricity for instance and imprisons it in a small lamp for his uses and convenience. He speaks from the east to the west through a wire. He is able to store and preserve his voice in a phonograph ... (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 236)
Puerto Rico’s Amoz Gibson Training Centre for Bahá’í Media (see Bahá’í News, December 1986) is a showcase of appropriate technology. Solar panel and battery systems provide lighting for every building. The main classroom is ventilated by a ceiling fan connected directly to a solar panel; the darkroom uses an extractor fan that is similarly connected. The result is that more sunshine moves more air, which circulates automatically throughout the building, keeping laboratory and studio equipment dry and safe. Solar-lighted medicine cabinets in dormitory bathrooms provide 12-volt receptacles for shavers and hair dryers. The entire campus uses 12-volt table fans, vacuum cleaners, polishers, and even bug lights on occasion.
Two houses at the Centre provide living quarters for the host and caretaker families. Both are filled with solar energy devices: for lighting, water heating, ventilation, two-way communication, and a bevy of appliances for entertainment and the kitchen. The computer in the school’s office is 100 percent isolated from the unstable power mains in the area, running instead from a battery and inverter supply. The refrigerator in the caretakers’ cottage is connected both to 115-volt AC mains and the 12-volt solar-charged system, automatically switching to DC in the event that commercial power is reduced or cut off. Lighting and office fans, as well as various power tools in the adjacent electronics laboratory, receive DC power from the same source. Since the installation of alternate energy systems at the Amoz Gibson Centre, the monthly cost of electricity for the whole complex—two family residences, classroom, laboratories, dorms and dining area—has dropped below the former cost for a single dwelling.
Energy-independent village radio[edit]
Developed and ready for field testing is a solar-charged, battery-powered radio broadcast station for local community service including a 3- to 5-watt transmitter with a range of 5-10 miles, depending on terrain and frequency. The package comes complete with a 12-volt studio that features two DC servo turntables, two cassette players, table and floor microphones, headsets, and a five-channel mixer. Also included are antenna wire and tuning unit, battery cables, spare parts, and portable cassette recorders for interviewing and gathering news of community interest, music, and folklore indigenous to the area. Village radio’s power source is a single solar panel, typically rated between 20 and 40 watts, depending on local weather and desired broadcast schedule.
Radio receivers in the countryside can also be solar-charged. This is especially important in areas where bat-
A view of Radio Bahá’í del Lago Titicaca’s on-air control room. The light on the wall runs from a battery bank charged by wind energy.
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teries are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive, since a one-time
investment in a radio including solar
panel and rechargeable cells may yield
five to 10 years of trouble-free listening. The advent of integrated circuits
has made possible high-quality, low-cost radio receivers requiring minimal
drain on the battery supply.
Future directions[edit]
| A brief look at three most recent Bahá’í radio stations in the world |
|---|
| Panama. On January 29, 1986, Radio Bahá’í Panama began broadcasting from Boca del Monte in Panama’s Chiriqui Province, gradually extending its broadcast day to its present 12 hours, 5 a.m. to noon and 2 to 7 p.m. Broadcasts are in Spanish and Guaymi, with plans eventually to link the main transmitter to the Guaymi Cultural Center in Boca de Soloy.
Since the inaugural broadcast, programming has continued to evolve as the staff determines what works best. By June, a six-hour daily schedule listed programs of typical Panamanian music; a children’s program in Spanish; a Bahá’í program with Bahá’í songs, spots and news; several music programs including international music with spots on unity; and programs of instrumental, popular, indigenous and inspirational music from around the world. Over the past several months, the staff has been consulting about the development of programming including children’s programs and social service programs. By September, when the station began broadcasting 12 hours a day, it appeared that the program “El Mundo y Su Musica,” a program of international music, had become a favorite among the Latin listeners while the international indigenous music program was the Guaymi audience’s choice. Programs on health, agriculture and education were being planned, with contacts made with local experts in these fields. A few mini-dramas had been produced, and agricultural programs from the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network, headquartered in Canada, were being broadcast. During September, one of the staff members, a well-known Panamanian distance runner, organized a race in honor of Peace Day including T-shirts reading “Radio Bahá’í” and trophies for the winners. The event served to increase the station’s prestige. One of the most important goals of Radio Bahá’í is to increase the number of staff field trips and remote recording of events and interviews. During 1987 there will be greater collaboration with the Guaymi Cultural Center in Soloy which will also provide the station with programming. Liberia. The first African Bahá’í radio station successfully broadcast its first test signal on December 5, 1986, with two government ministries represented. The new Bahá’í station opens a remarkable new chapter in Bahá’í broadcasting as the potential listening audience is enormous with more than a million people in the nearby capital city of Monrovia and the listening area and few competing stations. Chile. Broadcasting began on a limited basis on November 12, 1986, with the station’s official inauguration on December 20. Its opening marks the successful conclusion of five years of hard work by the Bahá’ís in Chile to lay the groundwork for this, the most recent Bahá’í radio station to go on the air. Radio Bahá’í Chile completes a chain of four Bahá’í stations extending along the Andes in South America. This brief look at the three most recent Bahá’í radio stations is reprinted from the Newsletter of the International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre, volume 2, number 2 (January 1987). |
The next phase is already commencing: to extend the benefits of appropriate technology to the communities served by Bahá’í radio stations and further afield around the world. Solar energy, particularly, can be used simply and economically to bring lighting, communications and other vital development tools to vast areas that hardly dare to hope for such miracles. Work continues on simple and reliable power systems that are cost-effective, with first installations targeted for schools and community centers. Cottage industry will be fomented by the availability of hardy sewing machines and power tools, a number of which are being tested at the Amoz Gibson Centre.
Using the Bahá’í writings as our guide, we see that the prime purpose of science and technology should be the betterment of the human race, so that all humanity might enjoy the many benefits this world has to offer. Using and making available to others technologies appropriate to the needs and conditions of communities hitherto deprived of them is a living demonstration of Bahá’í ideals.
“According to natural law, night is a period of darkness and obscurity, but man by utilizing the power of electricity ... overcomes the darkness and dispels the gloom....”
“God has conferred upon and added to man a distinctive power, the faculty of intellectual investigation into the secrets of creation, the acquisition of higher knowledge, the greatest virtue of which is scientific enlightenment. This endowment is the most praiseworthy power of man, for through its employment and exercise, the betterment of the human race is accomplished, the development of the virtues of mankind is made possible and the spirit and mysteries of God become manifest.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 243-44)
Book review[edit]
‘The Secret of Divine Civilization’[edit]
The Secret of Divine Civilization, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, author; translated by Marzieh Gail. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, 1957; 116 pages, hardback.
“The happiness and pride of a nation consist in this, that it should shine out like the sun in the high heaven of knowledge” (p. 2). This was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s hope for his native Persia, that it should shine with wisdom as it had in earlier ages. Seeing Persia as it was in 1875, fast in a “drunken sleep,” the “object of pity, deplored by all nations” (p. 8), the young ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addressed The Secret of Divine Civilization to the Shah and people of Persia anonymously, with one purpose, He said, “to promote the general welfare” (p. 6). He called upon all to join Him in this effort:
“We must now highly resolve to arise and lay hold on all those instrumentalities that promote the peace and well-being and happiness, the knowledge, culture and industry, the dignity, value and station, of the entire human race. Thus, through the restoring waters of pure intention and unselfish effort, the earth of human potentialities will blossom with its own latent excellence and flower into praiseworthy qualities, and bear and flourish until it comes to rival that rose garden of knowledge which belonged to our forefathers.” (p. 4)
‘Abdu’l-Bahá emphasized the need for good government so that a backward nation might become advanced, an ignorant people enlightened, an impoverished country wealthy. He praised the Shah for forming Persia’s first
‘We must now highly resolve to arise and lay hold on all those instrumentalities that promote the peace and well-being and happiness, the knowledge, culture and industry, the dignity, value and station, of the entire human race.’
parliament “by the grace of God and the spiritual influence of His universal manifestation” (p. 10), but warned that great results cannot be expected from legislatures and parliaments unless the members are qualified. The members of “assemblies of consultation” (p. 17) must, He said, be both right-minded and knowledgeable:
“First, the elected members must be righteous, God-fearing, high-minded, incorruptible. Second, they must be fully cognizant, in every particular of the laws of God, informed as to the highest principles of law, versed in the rules which govern the management of internal affairs and the conduct of foreign relations, skilled in the useful arts of civilization, and content with their lawful emoluments.” (p. 17)
And lest we despair of ever finding such members, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assures us that they would not be impossible to find.
As the legislature depends upon learned men (p. 37), ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spends the greater part of His book describing the learned man (pp. 33-105). So this book will surely be one of those we shall turn to when it comes to the setting up of Bahá’í universities for the training of future leaders of society—the members of “assemblies of consultation.”
In outlining His topic, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá turned to one of the authoritative utterances of Muhammad, which states: “As for him who is one of the learned: he must guard himself, defend his faith, oppose his passions and obey the commandments of his Lord.’ (p. 34) He then expounded each of the points in turn.
First, to “guard oneself,” He said, does not mean to avoid tests, as the prophets and saints have never done so, but to acquire the attributes of spiritual and material perfection (pp. 34-35).
Second, to “defend one’s faith,” He said, does not mean only to observe its forms but to promote it throughout the world.
Third, in calling upon leaders to “oppose their passions,” He pointed to “the supreme desire” of the governments of His day to “conquer and crush one another” (p. 61), so that opposing this passion would be to seek wholeheartedly for peace (p. 64).
Fourth, “obedience to the commandments of the Lord” is the very cause, He said, of “the progress, achievement, and happiness of man.” (p. 71)
| This review by Barbara Casterline of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s book, The Secret of Divine Civilization, is reprinted from Bahá’í News No 497 (September 1972), pp. 12-13. |
“It is certain that the greatest of instrumentalities for achieving the advancement and the glory of man, the supreme agency for the enlightenment and the redemption of the world, is love and fellowship and unity among all the members of the human race. Nothing can be effected in the world, not even conceivably, without unity and agreement, and the perfect means for engendering fellowship and union is true religion.” (p. 73)
He then showed what great changes took place in western culture as the result of the revelations of Jesus and later Muhammad, and alluded to the new revelation of Bahá’u’lláh by announcing to the people of Persia, “The winds of the true springtide are passing
[Page 11]
over you ... the dawn star is shining ... the sea of might is swelling....” (pp. 104-105)
Returning to the first requirement of the truly learned, that of acquiring the attributes of spiritual and material perfection, we see what high standards ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has set. Among the attributes of perfection, He said, are learning and the cultural attainments of the mind; justice and impartiality—regarding humanity as a single individual; arising with complete sincerity and purity of purpose to educate the masses; fearing God; loving God by loving His servants; the exercise of mildness and forbearance and calm; being sincere, amenable, clement and compassionate; having resolution and courage; trustworthiness and energy, striving and struggle; being generous, loyal, without malice; having zeal and a sense of honor; being high-minded and magnanimous, and having regard for the rights of others. “Whoever is lacking in these excellent human qualities is defective,” He said. (pp. 35-40)
Of all these attributes, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives learning first and foremost. Suppose a member of any consultative body wanted to follow His advice and acquire “learning and the cultural attainments of the mind,” what would he need to know? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spelled out a complete curriculum:
“... This eminent station is achieved when the individual combines in himself a thorough knowledge of those complex and transcendental realities pertaining to God, of the fundamental truths of Qur’ánic political and religious law, of the contents of the sacred Scriptures of other faiths, and of those regulations and procedures which would contribute to the progress and civilization of this distinguished country. He should in addition be informed as to the laws and principles, the customs, conditions and manners, and the material and moral virtues characterizing the statecraft of other nations, and should be well versed in all the useful branches of learning of the day, and study the historical records of bygone governments and peoples. For if a learned individual has no knowledge of the sacred Scriptures and the entire field of divine and natural science, of religious jurisprudence and the arts of government and the varied learning of the time and the great events of history, he might prove unequal to an emergency, and this is inconsistent with the necessary qualification of comprehensive knowledge.” (pp. 35-36)
But where are we to find the “comprehensively learned individual”? Even ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said they were “hard to come by” (p. 37). His solution, until such time as comprehensive education is a fact, is to form a body of scholars, “the various groups of whose membership would each be expert in one of the aforementioned branches of knowledge. This body should with the greatest energy and vigor deliberate as to all present and future requirements, and bring about equilibrium and order.” (p. 37)
By this means can the reforms badly needed in each country be brought about. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá listed many of those needed by Persia of His time: a definite procedure for the settlement of disputes so that decisions would not be appealed from one court to another interminably, a limit to the authority of provincial governors so that they could not hand out death sentences at will, the elimination of bribery, and so on. He urged that Persians not be afraid to try out foreign ideas, even though those ideas might come from people the Persians considered infidels. The important thing, He said, is the results:
“If the country were built up, the roads repaired, the lot of the helpless improved by various means, the poor rehabilitated, the masses set on the path to progress, the revenues of public wealth increased, the scope of education widened, the government properly organized, and the free exercise of the individual’s rights, and the security of his person and property, his dignity and good name, assured ...” (p. 115)
A glittering culture is not the goal of all this striving and change, for civilization is only the means to an end. The end is human happiness. “The primary purpose, the basic objective,” said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “in laying down powerful laws and setting up great principles and institutions dealing with every aspect of civilization, is human happiness.” (p. 60) And what is human happiness? He said, “... Human happiness consists only in drawing closer to the Threshold of Almighty God, and in securing the peace and well-being of every individual member, high and low alike, of the human race....” (p. 60)
And the greatest blessing for an individual is “that he should become the cause of the education, the development, the prosperity and honor of his fellow-creatures.” (p. 103)
“The highest righteousness of all is for blessed souls to take hold of the hands of the helpless and deliver them out of their ignorance and abasement and poverty, and with pure motives, and only for the sake of God, to arise and energetically devote themselves to the service of the masses, forgetting their own worldly advantage and working only to serve the general good.” (p. 103)
Vanuatu[edit]
Ati George Sokomanu (right), the president of Vanuatu, receives a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from Alick Soalo, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Vanuatu.
India[edit]
Reaching out in Panchgani[edit]
International teaching teams spread out all over India to join local Bahá’í-sponsored projects following the dedication last December of the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi.
One such team, composed of Bahá’ís from Canada, New Zealand and the United States, joined local Bahá’ís for a 19-day village consolidation project in January sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Panchgani, Maharashtra State, which has helped in the election of some 45 village Assemblies.
Panchgani, a lovely hill station not far from Bombay, was built by the British in 1885. The cool, clear 4,000-foot location, nestled in a forest of mango, coral, silver oak, silk-cotton and jacaranda trees above the Krishna River, was chosen as an ideal location to build a school in which to educate the children of British colonial officers from Surat and Bombay.
Today, Panchgani is the site of nine schools including the Bahá’í Faith’s New Era International School, established in 1945 with the blessings of the beloved Guardian. When Ridvan Khanum Mobedzadeh brought 16 students to Panchgani to establish the first international Bahá’í school more than 42 years ago, there were few buildings, teachers or students. Today, the school’s 30-acre campus includes four girls’ and four boys’ dormitories and a large classroom building with science laboratories and a spacious library.
A Bahá’í Academy has also been established at Panchgani; in the future it will evolve into a university. A number of Bahá’í communities exist among the many clean, well-tended agricultural villages one can see in the valleys some 4,000 feet below the hill station. In some of these villages, the entire population is Bahá’í.
Visiting Bahá’ís were invited to join the local believers to wind down the hillside on curving dirt roads in a “Bahá’í Jeep.” At each stop, the Bahá’ís visited the friends and Assemblies in the village, helping with the consolidation of Murati-speaking Bahá’ís. One such teaching team consisted of a Murati-speaking teacher from Panchgani, Govind Kasurde, and his two boys, Prakash and Sandeep; the Jeep driver, Anna Jankar; two Canadians, Riel and Elizabeth Aubichon; two New Zealanders, Ester Pearson and Roger Heathley; and an American, Dorothy Lee Hansen. As the red sun set over the village of Mahanjar, the team arrived to greet their Bahá’í brothers and sisters who had returned to their homes after a day’s work in the fields.
As Riel Aubichon, a Metis Indian from Saskatchewan, began to play the fiddle, more and more friends gathered for prayers and songs, and to see posters and calendar pictures of the magnificent “Lotus of Bahapur” in New Delhi. The villagers expressed great pride and joy on seeing the first photographs of their Bahá’í House of Worship for the subcontinent of India. They listened intently, seated in the twilight on the earthen floor in the front of a local Assembly member’s home, as Govind Kasurde related stories of the great gathering of more than 8,000 Bahá’ís in New Delhi and reiterated some of the Bahá’í teachings.
For many of the villagers, the visit was their first with their brothers and sisters from the West. None had heard Texas, Canadian or bluegrass fiddle music before, and all were especially delighted when, after they had sung Murati songs for their guests, Riel picked up their melodies and played them on his fiddle. Meanwhile, Dorothy Hansen told them through their interpreter of the high praise Bahá’u’lláh had given to the arts, and explained that their music, weaving, basket-making and other crafts held a high status in the Kingdom of God, having been raised in this new age to the station of worship when performed in the spirit of service to humanity.
As night fell, fond farewells were said and the Jeep bounced off through the darkness to the next village, Ghode Parut, which had no electricity, only small oil lamps in each thatch-roofed home. As team members picked their way down the dark, rocky footpath to a cleared earthen courtyard, about 40 children gathered to hear Riel Aubichon play his fiddle in the darkness, broken only by a single light. None of the children had seen a violin before, and as Ester Pearson shined a flashlight on the instrument, they were wide-eyed and attentive. Their teacher, Mrs. Sadhar, a young mother who was trained at the Bahá’í Institute in Panchgani, holds Bahá’í children’s classes every day. As she softly called the name of a song or prayer, the children responded in unison, reciting the words from memory. One of their songs, the words of which were translated as “Bahá’u’lláh is so great He can turn a stone into a flower,” referred to the new lotus-shaped Temple in New Delhi.
As the children were told of the high station Bahá’u’lláh has conferred on the work of a teacher, mothers and other adults listened from doorways. The visitors sat in the moonlight on woven mats spread by young boys, and everyone was pleased when Elizabeth Aubichon and Roger Heathley brought out their cameras for picture-taking.
At last it was time to go, and team members climbed aboard the Jeep to head for their next stop, feeling greatly blessed to have had the opportunity to meet some of their Bahá’í family in the villages of India.—Dorothy Hansen
World Centre[edit]
Information supplied by the Department of Statistics at the Bahá’í World Centre.
Worldwide recognition of Bahá’í Holy Days[edit]
The Universal House of Justice has clarified that this goal is considered to be achieved when “a government department or office issues a document stating that, on one or more of the Bahá’í Holy Days, Bahá’í employees have the right to be excused from work, and/or Bahá’í students are permitted to absent themselves from school, and/or institutions owned and entirely controlled by Bahá’ís may close on the nine specified days.” At present, the following 68 National Assemblies (46 per cent of the total) have attained recognition of Bahá’í Holy Days. In some countries, this has been achieved on a national basis, in others on a state or provincial basis, and in others by local or district school boards or local governments. In most cases the permission applies to school children and/or government employees. In other cases, students or employees have been permitted to absent themselves from school or work without penalty, although there is no official documentation of this right.
| AFRICA | ASIA | ||
| Bophuthatswana | Jun 84 | Bangladesh | Jul 75 |
| Ethiopia | Mar 73 | Hong Kong | Mar 73 |
| Ghana | Aug 72 | India | Jun 68 |
| Kenya | Mar 66 | Korea | Mar 73 |
| Liberia | Dec 71 | Laos | Apr 73 |
| Malawi | Oct 83 | Lebanon | Nov 72 |
| Mauritius | May 72 | Malaysia | Aug 69 |
| Namibia | Aug 72 | Pakistan | Mar 73 |
| Seychelles | Nov 72 | Philippines | Jun 70 |
| Swaziland | Mar 73 | Singapore | Dec 72 |
| Tanzania | Jan 67 | Taiwan | Apr 73 |
| Uganda | Sep 73 | Thailand | May 72 |
| Zambia | Apr 73 | ||
| Zimbabwe | Oct 82 | AUSTRALASIA | |
| Australia | Aug 57 | ||
| AMERICAS | Fiji | Feb 72 | |
| Alaska | Jan 64 | Hawaii | May 71 |
| Argentina | Sep 68 | New Zealand | Jun 59 |
| Barbados | Feb 74 | Papua New Guinea | Jun 72 |
| Belize | Aug 68 | Samoa | Apr 73 |
| Bolivia | Jul 71 | Solomon Islands | Jul 72 |
| Brazil | Jun 73 | Tonga | Mar 73 |
| Canada | Jul 67 | ||
| Chile | Sep 81 | EUROPE | |
| Colombia | Oct 72 | Denmark | Feb 74 |
| Costa Rica | Oct 72 | Finland | Oct 66 |
| Dominican Republic | May 72 | Germany | Apr 73 |
| Guatemala | Mar 71 | Greece | Jan 68 |
| Guyana | Jan 58 | Iceland | Nov 66 |
| Jamaica | Feb 73 | Ireland | Dec 79 |
| Panama | Aug 62 | Luxembourg | Sep 68 |
| Paraguay | Mar 69 | Netherlands | Mar 73 |
| Peru | Apr 67 | Spain | Mar 73 |
| Puerto Rico | Jun 70 | Sweden | Apr 73 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Jul 70 | Switzerland | Jun 67 |
| United States | Apr 70 | United Kingdom | Feb 73 |
| Venezuela | Apr 73 | ||
| Virgin Islands | Apr 73 |
The world[edit]
Australia’s Governor-General visits[edit]
Last October 19, His Excellency Sir Ninian Stephen, the governor-general of Australia, and Lady Stephen attended a service at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney marking the International Year of Peace.
Sir Ninian and his wife were escorted into the House of Worship by the Hand of the Cause of God Collis Featherstone and his wife, Madge. Also present were Counsellor Joy Stephenson and all members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia.
The spiritual atmosphere of the occasion prompted one distinguished guest to write, “I felt that only in heaven would I enjoy such peace and beauty.”
Simultaneously, a special program for some 200 children took place in a marquee on the Temple grounds. After the service, the children formed an honor guard along the walk from the Temple for the governor-general’s party. Sir Ninian and Lady Stephen took 25 minutes to walk the short distance from the House of Worship to their car, stopping to speak to each one of the 200 children.
The service was video taped for the National Spiritual Assembly by a professional crew. Two newspapers, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Manly Daily, sent photographers to the service, which resulted in highly encouraging publicity.
In Geelong, Victoria, a “small but dedicated” group of Bahá’ís presented a varied program last October 24-26 in support of the International Year of Peace.
The event was opened Friday evening by the mayor of Geelong at a “People of the World Concert,” and was closed two evenings later with an interfaith service attended by 400 people from many religious backgrounds.
Some 200 organizations contributed to the success of the exposition which included conferences, ethnic dances and various displays and was hailed as one of Geelong’s most outstanding events ever.
More than 1,000 people took part in a Peace Festival last October 11-12 in Caboolture, Queensland, Australia, which was co-sponsored by Bahá’ís and several national and local organizations.
The wide variety of events included open-air entertainment, an art exhibit on peace, an Aboriginal pavilion with artifacts from an anthropology museum, video presentations of Corroboree and Aboriginal culture, storytellers recounting traditional legends, and craftsmen who demonstrated the making of artifacts.
More than 100 groups were invited to provide displays on aspects of peace.
Luxembourg[edit]
Archbishop Jean Hengen of Luxembourg (second from right) is shown as he received a copy of the peace statement ‘The Promise of World Peace’ last May 23 from a delegation of Bahá’ís representing the National Spiritual Assembly of Luxembourg. Pictured with the Archbishop are (left to right) Robert Bontemps, Mrs. Berty Schoos and Faramarz Khabirpour.
Germany[edit]
Mainz, West Germany, is the sister city of Haifa, Israel. A celebration of that relationship was sponsored last September 17 by the Bahá’í community of Mainz in the “Haifa Room” of the city hall.
Eighty people gathered to hear Prof. Manfred Harder, a former president of the University of Mainz, outline the history of the Mainz-Haifa partnership, and to see a slide presentation about the Holy Land.
Colombia[edit]
A slide program based on the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement has been shown to about 5,000 students and teachers in 17 primary and secondary schools in the Departments of Cesar, Ja Guajira, Valle, Santander and Caldas, Colombia.
The program was conceived as a deepening tool for Bahá’ís, but its use as a teaching aid was discovered when a group of Bahá’ís in a teaching campaign decided to present it at a school. It was well-received, and its successful use has continued.
Two Bahá’ís from the Touba tribe in Argentina were among the 27 students from five countries who attended a session of the Ruhí Institute in Puerto Tejada, Colombia, which began last September 7. The Institute is a tutorial school which trains tutors.
Other countries represented at the September session were Panama, Peru and the United States.
In Bucaramanga, Colombia, a city of a quarter-million people in the eastern Cordillera of the Andes, more than 180 youth came to a public forum last October 4 entitled “Youth Can Move the World ... Toward Peace.”
The conference was co-sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Bucaramanga and the local Scouts organization. The four speakers were drawn from young members of the Red Cross, the Scouts, and the Bahá’í community.
The Bahá’í speaker, a journalism student, was the only woman on the program, which was chaired by the vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia.
The regional governor sent a cable of greetings, and a local newspaper carried a front-page article about the forum.
Nigeria[edit]
On March 3, a delegation of Bahá’ís met with the Governor’s Commission on Information to present the peace statement to the governor of Lagos State, Nigeria. The presentation was covered on Lagos State television and radio and in the national press.
Tonga[edit]
Prince Tupoto’a of Tonga is pictured after receiving a copy of ‘The Promise of World Peace’ from Counsellor Lisiate Maka and his wife, Mrs. Latu Maka.
Dominica[edit]
“The Promise of World Peace” has been influencing literary and musical works of several individuals in Dominica who are not Bahá’ís.
His Excellency Sir Clarence Seignoret, president of the Commonwealth of Dominica, in a radio message to the nation commemorating the International Day of Peace last September 16, included in his remarks excerpts from the peace statement, although he did not refer to his source.
A college student who wrote a peace song for his UNESCO club after reading a number of articles as background said he was most influenced by the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement, so much so that he awoke in the middle of the night to compose the music and lyrics for his song, “We Need Peace.”
Another man wrote a poem entitled “World Peace” in which the name of the Universal House of Justice is mentioned.
By mid-July of last year, a total of 3,800 copies of the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement had been distributed in Dominica. Recipients included people from nearly every walk of life from police officers, government officials and clergy to doctors, librarians, restaurant owners, union leaders, school teachers and students.
An attractive quarter-page ad in The New Chronicle offered copies of the peace statement to its readers.
On September 14, a Bahá’í “peace train” made up of decorated trucks and other vehicles traveled from Roseau through the northern area of the island, stopping in six villages to sing songs of peace and share word of the coming of world peace.
Meanwhile, an art competition on world peace sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly was bringing entries from many schools on the island.
A Bahá’í spoke as part of a panel debate entitled “Is World Peace Possible?” The debate, which was televised locally, was sponsored by the UNESCO club of Portsmouth.
St. Vincent/Grenadines[edit]
Pictured are representatives of various Bahá’í communities who came to the Bahá’í National Centre in Kingstown, St. Vincent, last May to consult on goals of the Six Year Plan. Seated in the middle of the photo is Don Rogers of Canada, the new liaison Counsellor for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Directly behind him (with glasses) is Auxiliary Board member Lisa Blake of St. Vincent.
Shown in this photograph taken in
June 1986 are members of a Bahá’í children’s class in Byera, St. Vincent.
Standing in the back row are Poram
Dean (second from left), a traveling teacher from New Jersey, and Elizabeth Thomas, a pioneer from the United States. With the help of traveling teachers from Alaska, Canada and
the U.S., the classes are the most regular children’s activity in that country.
Barbados[edit]
A Caribbean Peace Conference held last October 25-26 in Christ Church, Barbados, brought together more than 200 representatives from 15 countries to talk about world peace.
The conference was opened by the prime minister of Barbados, the Hon. Errol E. Barrow, who outlined his views on peace which included many Bahá’í concepts.
The Saturday session included a panel discussion on “The Role of Education in the Development of World Peace,” moderated by Counsellor Donald Rogers of Canada. Panelists were distinguished citizens of Barbados and of Trinidad and Tobago.
Sunday’s program, on “The Role of Men and Women in World Peace,” was chaired by Counsellor Alan Smith of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.
Each session began with prayers by representatives from the Bahá’í, Hindu, Christian and Jewish communities.
On October 27, after the close of the conference, 33 members of National Spiritual Assemblies, the two Counsellors, Auxiliary Board members, and others from 10 countries in the Caribbean area met to consult on the goals of the Six Year Plan.
A series of three recent firesides given by the Bahá’í community of Christ Church, Barbados, featured three non-Bahá’í experts who addressed topics relevant to the Faith: “Alcohol and Drug Dependence,” “The Media’s Impact on Society,” and “Current Economics.”
The last was presented by a well-known lecturer on economics who, at the conclusion of his talk, remarked that the 12 key principles of the Faith would provide a firm basis for the resolution of the world’s economic problems.
Chile[edit]
Final approval was received last November 3 from the Ministry of Telecommunications for Radio Bahá’í in Chile to begin operations.
The station’s first test signal was broadcast December 5. The new station is located near Temuco in the heart of the indigenous zone.
Bangladesh[edit]
Medical camps were held last July-September at three locations in Bangladesh under the auspices of the National Bahá’í Development Institute.
In Domkona, the local Assembly arranged to offer medical and dental services to 764 persons in one week.
At Malanchi, the area teaching committee made arrangements to publicize a camp at which 221 patients were treated in two days by one Bahá’í physician and four assistants.
In the Jessore area, the radio station in Kulna broadcast a daily announcement for 15 days telling the populace that the Bahá’í community of Bangladesh was organizing a medical camp for patients from all strata, inviting them to come for treatment, and offering deepening classes each evening.
Kiribati[edit]
A peace conference attended by 1,000 Bahá’ís and 30 guests was held last October 24-26, the first anniversary of the release of the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement, in Bikenibeu, Tarawa, Kiribati.
Among the invited guests were the president of Kiribati, Ieremia Tabai, and lady Tabai; three government ministers; and the headmaster of the country’s only government secondary school. They were welcomed with flower garlands and a special dance by the Bahá’ís of Bikenibeu.
The president commended the Bahá’ís for their aims, and said he believes that peace is more than an end to war.
One minister mentioned in his talk Bahá’u’lláh’s letters to the kings and rulers of the world and His aim to establish peace on earth. Another, after hearing Bahá’í songs, said he was moved by a verse that spoke of the elimination of prejudices.
The remaining two days of the conference were spent studying the peace statement.
Guyana[edit]
The Seven Year Plan goal of the acquisition of a district Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in West Demerara, Guyana, was won when pioneers contributed their family home and property.
Trinidad/Tobago[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Port of Spain, Trinidad, sponsored this booth last October at the Port of Spain Family Fair. Pictured (left to right) are Bahá’ís Anne Marie Ramsahi and Edna Ruth Caverly of Port of Spain and Nellie Small of Phoenix Park, Central Trinidad. Thousands of fair-goers visited or passed by the booth.
These four Bahá’í youth from Trinidad
and Tobago were among those who attended last year’s Bahá’í school at
Persto Praesto. Laley Rahimi (left)
made the poster showing a quotation
from the Bahá’í writings. Holding the poster is Sharona Mohammed of Palmyra Village, South Trinidad. To her
left are Bahiyyih Amarsigh of Marabella and Marlene Ramlal of San Fernando, both in South Trinidad.
St. Lucia[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of St. Lucia was incorporated last October by an act of Parliament that received the assent of the governor-general.
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