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| Bahá’í News | April 1990 | Bahá’í Year 147 |
An anniversary tribute
to poet Robert Hayden
DEEPLY GRIEVED ANNOUNCE PASSING STAUNCH TIRELESS PROMOTER FAITH HAND CAUSE GOD JALAL KHAZEH. HIS STRENUOUS ENDEAVORS CRADLE FAITH HOLY LAND LATIN AMERICA AND WORLDWIDE TRAVELS AFTER PASSING BELOVED GUARDIAN SET SHINING EXAMPLE OF UNSHAKEABLE DEDICATION AND COURAGE, OF UNDEVIATING LOYALTY AND PERSEVERANCE. IMPERISHABLE RECORD HIS STERLING SERVICES AS GIFTED TEACHER DEFENDER CAUSE NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN. HIS NOBLE SPIRIT NOW ABHÁ KINGDOM WILL UNDOUBTEDLY INTERCEDE BEHALF PERSIAN BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY WHOSE VITAL INTERESTS HE SERVED WITH SUCH HIGH DISTINCTION OVER SEVERAL DECADES. FERVENTLY PRAYING HOLY SHRINES FOR PROGRESS HIS ILLUMINED SOUL IN REALMS ON HIGH. ADVISE FRIENDS EVERYWHERE HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL GATHERINGS HIS HONOR PARTICULARLY ALL HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
FEBRUARY 22, 1990
Bahá’í News[edit]
Gathering in Brazil marks 50th anniversary of May Maxwell’s passing | 1 |
Resolutions in U.S. and at UN condemn Iran’s persecution of Bahá’ís | 2 |
Friends in U.S. play a leading role in events honoring late Dr. King | 4 |
Poets, writers gather to celebrate life, work of late Robert Hayden | 6 |
UNIFON is offered as possible ‘cure’ for the ailing English alphabet | 8 |
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe | 10 |
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 Management Information Systems, 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 in U.S. dollars must accompany the order. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1990, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
World Centre[edit]
| To all National Spiritual Assemblies Dear Bahá’í Friends,
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
February 21, 1990 |
Iran[edit]
More resolutions condemn persecutions[edit]
The last weeks of winter witnessed an intense period of activity concerning the human rights of Bahá’ís in Iran. After several months of effort, four events, in the U.S. and in Geneva, Switzerland, took place within three weeks.
On February 21, the U.S. State Department released its annual “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” for 1989 which documents the continuing repression of Iranian Bahá’ís and describes in detail Iranian government actions against the Bahá’ís there.
The report notes that no Bahá’ís were executed last year and that the number of Bahá’ís held in prison fell to fewer than 15. This is in contrast to the record of the previous eight years, during which more than 200 Bahá’ís were executed and thousands were imprisoned on account of their religious belief.
In oral testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Human Rights, Ambassador Richard Schifter said, “Countries that engage in similarly severe repression include Iran, which does it in the name of religion, and Iraq and Syria, which do it in the name of secular political ideology. In the case of Iran, religiously motivated repression continues to single out the Bahá’ís for the most serious victimization.”
On February 26, the United Nations Human Rights Commission, meeting in Geneva, released the report on Iran of the Special Rapporteur, Galindo Pohl, that includes reports of abuses toward the Bahá’ís.
The special report is based on the first on-site investigation of Iran’s human rights practices and examines a wide variety of violations. It quotes a directive from Iran’s Prime Minister stating that Bahá’ís are not allowed to practice or teach their religion.
“While the report states correctly
On February 21, the U.S. State Department released its annual ‘Country Reports on Human Rights Practices’ which documents the continuing repression of Iranian Bahá’ís and describes in detail Iranian government actions against the Bahá’ís there.
that individual Bahá’ís are treated somewhat better than in recent years,” said Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly’s secretary for External Affairs, “it confirms that the Bahá’í community is denied the basic rights guaranteed by international law.”
Dr. Kazemzadeh expressed concern that Bahá’ís, whom Iran considers “unprotected infidels,” are not allowed to elect their leaders, educate their children, or carry on normal activities of a law-abiding religious group.
The report also notes that most Bahá’ís continue to be deprived of their pensions and that most are refused passports. In addition, Bahá’ís experience problems in connection with the right of inheritance; they cannot obtain inheritance certificates because they do not belong to one of the four recognized religions in Iran.
“The Iranian government fights hard to defeat these UN resolutions,” said Dr. Kazemzadeh, “especially any resolutions mentioning the Bahá’ís.
“But thanks to international pressure, no Bahá’ís have been executed for two years, and fewer than 20 remain in prison.”
On Tuesday, February 27, the day after the release of the Special Rapporteur’s report, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed (404-0) House Concurrent Resolution 87 calling for “the emancipation of the Bahá’í community in Iran.”
The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 140 congressmen. Since 1982, Congress has passed four resolutions regarding the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.
This latest resolution calls on the President to continue to emphasize the need for improvement in the government of Iran’s human rights record and to cooperate with other governments at the UN and in other joint efforts to protect the religious rights of the Bahá’ís, and to provide for humanitarian assistance for those Bahá’ís who are forced to flee their homeland.
During his statement prior to the vote, Rep. Gus Yatron noted that “although Bahá’ís constitute the largest religious minority in Iran, their religion is not recognized and their places of worship have been destroyed. Their marriages are not sanctioned and their children are denied college education.”
“Bahá’ís have systematically been denied the normal benefits of society, such as access to education, the right to travel, the ability to inherit property, and even (on occasion) the right to purchase food,” said Rep. Doug Bereuter.
“Bahá’ís are still not a legally recognized religion in Iran,” added Rep. John Porter, “and are still imprisoned for their religious beliefs, denied the right to organize, choose their leaders, acquire and maintain places of worship, operate religious schools or conduct religious activities.”
“For more than a decade we have pleaded for equal rights in the religious arena for members of the Bahá’í Faith,” said Rep. Tom Lantos. “We are sending word to the government in Iran that we will not go away. We will continue to raise the Bahá’í issue year after year after year....”
Statements were also entered into the
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Congressional Record by Reps. Dymally, Gilman, Mfume, Meyers, Lehman of Florida, Berman, Stark, Morella, Hall of Ohio, Fascell, Smith of New
Jersey, Broomfield and Feighan.
“The action of the House today reflects the deeply felt concern of the U.S. Congress and the American people with the situation of the Bahá’í community in Iran today,” House Speaker Tom Foley noted in a statement released after passage of the resolution. “All Americans share the hope that the Bahá’í community will enjoy the freedoms that all of us consider basic to human dignity and progress.”
Following these events, the National Spiritual Assembly held a press briefing on March 1 in Washington to publicize recent developments. Speaking at the briefing were Dr. Kazemzadeh and Reps. Gilman and Porter, who spoke for himself and on behalf of Sen. John Heinz of Pennsylvania.
The briefing highlighted the news that 16 congressmen had signed a letter to UN Commission Chairman P. Valera Quisumbing stating that firm resolutions have proven to “help persuade the Iranian regime to mitigate its most repressive actions against the Bahá’ís.”
The briefing resulted in an article in The Washington Times and coverage on the Voice of America.
Finally, on March 2, the UN Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution welcoming the decision of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to allow a further visit to Iran and asked the Special Rapporteur to present an interim report to the UN General Assembly on “the human rights situation of minority groups, such as the Bahá’ís,” in Iran, and a final report to the Commission at its 47th session.
Pictured on the front steps of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, are members of the security staff at the Bahá’í World Centre. With them (front row fourth from right) is a member of the Universal House of Justice, ‘Alí Nakhjávání. The chief responsibility of the Security Department is to serve the House of Justice by protecting and preserving the spiritual and administrative centers of the Faith in Haifa and ‘Akká. In this photograph, which was taken in October 1989, are security guards and members of the administrative staff (in dark suits). Security personnel include many young Bahá’ís who have come to the World Centre from such faraway places as Cameroon, Sweden, Germany, Botswana, France, Australia, Zaire, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, England, Guyana and the United States. If you are considering service at the World Centre in any capacity and would like more information about what is needed and how you may apply, please write to the Personnel Department, Bahá’í World Centre, P.O. Box 155, Haifa 31 001, Israel.
United States[edit]
Bahá’ís lead way in King Week events[edit]
More than a thousand Bahá’ís from at least 30 states capped a week of activities honoring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by marching January 15 in Atlanta’s annual King Day parade behind a 35-foot banner proclaiming that “The Bahá’í Faith Teaches the Oneness of Mankind.”
The sentiment expressed by the banner could be seen in the Bahá’ís themselves as young and old, rich and poor, black, brown, yellow, red and white marched arm-in-arm past the estimated 200,000 onlookers along the parade route,
The marchers were followed by a Bahá’í float on which rode children of all races with Bahá’í entertainers Red Grammer and “Swan.” Nearly 40 members of the Atlanta Bahá’í Youth Workshop walked behind the float.
Some of the Bahá’í marchers held placards bearing the names of their home states while others carried signs with Bahá’í beliefs and principles written on them in English or Spanish.
The nationally televised event was the centerpiece of a week of activities that began January 7 with an interfaith service at St. Philip’s Cathedral attended by more than 700 people.
Two Bahá’ís served on the planning committee for the service and were onstage with 25 members of the clergy to help read the litany to Dr. King.
Before the service about 20 young people including eight Bahá’ís attended a meeting to discuss current world issues and local racial issues.
On Tuesday, January 9, Bahá’ís from Gwinnett County, Decatur and Covington took part in a service for “Rededication to Peace and Justice” at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
On January 12, the Spiritual Assembly of North Fulton County sponsored a Business and Professional Luncheon at the Marriott Hotel. About 25 people including 10 seekers heard the keynote speaker, Deloria Bighorn, a Bahá’í from Salem, Oregon, address the need for racial harmony and the Bahá’í concept of oneness.
Before the luncheon she and Gary McDaniel, a Bahá’í from Acworth, attended a meeting of the Cobb County Human Services Coalition and helped plan a day-long seminar on race relations for that group.
On January 13, Jack McCants, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, was the speaker at a metro-wide fireside attended by more than 300 people.
Red Grammer performed at the fireside and later for the children while Studio East, an East Indian jazz group, entertained after Mr. McCants’ talk.
The following day, 25 American Indians including two Bahá’ís consulted with representatives of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change about ways in which the Center could provide support for their concerns.
Bahá’ís in the Atlanta area had raised $20,000 to provide transportation and hospitality for the visiting American Indians among whom were members of the Sioux, Winnebago, Poarch Creek, Mohawk, Cherokee, Ute, Iroquois, Seneca, Navajo, Chippewa, Shoshone, Cree and other tribes.
In their ranks were three prominent Native Americans: Peter Catches, a medicine man revered as a holy man; Arvol Lookinghorse, the 19th generation keeper of the Sacred Calf Pipe given to the Sioux nation (Lakota and Dakota) by the White Buffalo Calf Woman, looked upon by those tribes as a messenger from God; and Ruben Snake, head of the Native American Church.
On January 14, Auxiliary Board member Soo Fouts emceed and other Bahá’ís took part in a public meeting, “Prayers Around the World for Peace and Justice,” at the King Center.
The service was co-sponsored by the King Center, the Catholic Council for Interracial Justice, and the Bahá’ís. Among its highlights was a Lakota pipe ceremony performed by Mr. Catches.
Later that day, Bahá’ís were in the audience as Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, delivered the annual “State of the Dream” address at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Also speaking at that event were the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Chinese student leader Chen Tong who was chosen to lead this year’s King Day parade.
Among the performers at the “Salute to Greatness” reception that evening was a Bahá’í, Phil Morrison.
On the morning of the federal holiday honoring Dr. King, which this year coincided with what would have been his actual 61st birthday, Mrs. Fouts recited a part of the litany to Dr. King during a televised ecumenical service at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
After introducing to the audience Mr. Catches and Mrs. Locke, two of the American Indians brought to Atlanta by the Bahá’ís, Mrs. King remarked that this was the first time that all of the races under the sun had gathered to observe King Day.
Mrs. Locke, who is not a Bahá’í, paid tribute to Dr. King, spoke of the great Indian leaders such as Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph who also had dreams of a united humanity, and closed with a Bahá’í prayer.
In the audience were such dignitaries as Georgia Gov. Joe Frank Harris; Jack Kemp, secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and former Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson.
On the reviewing stand with Mrs. King for the parade later that day were two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, Alberta Deas and Robert
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Henderson; Mrs. Fouts; and Carole
Miller of Roswell, a Bahá’í who is co-chairman of the Committee for Religious Involvement of the Martin Luther
King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.
That evening Mrs. King invited several of the American Indians and a number of Bahá’ís to a special dinner. Meanwhile, a fireside sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Atlanta was held at the Bahá’í Center with about 20 people present.
Besides appearing in the parade, the Bahá’í group “Swan” performed at a “Birthday Bash” at the King Center and at a reception which followed the “State of the Dream” address.
Also during King Week, several young Bahá’ís attended a College and University Conference on Non-Violence.
In all, the Bahá’í community provided outstanding support for King Week events with more than 150 of the friends directly involved in tasks to support the many activities.
The King Center staff recognized the dedication and spirit brought by the Bahá’ís and were delighted with the participation of the American Indians, which would not have been possible without the sponsorship of the Bahá’í community.
Atlanta’s celebration of Dr. King’s birthday was but one of a number of such events throughout the U.S. in which Bahá’ís were involved. For instance:
- In Los Angeles, more than one-third of those marching in the King Day parade were Bahá’ís wearing T-shirts with Bahá’í slogans and carrying banners proclaiming the oneness of mankind.
- In Seattle, Washington, about 400 people, mostly students and faculty, attended a Bahá’í-sponsored public meeting at the University of Washington. The speaker was Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, the National Assembly secretary for External Affairs, who traced the history of the civil rights movement from a Bahá’í perspective based on his observations since arriving in the U.S. as a young college student.
- In Eugene, Oregon, Bahá’ís joined forces with the NAACP to plan and carry out a number of programs honoring Dr. King including a public tribute at the City Council chambers; a Human Rights Fair; and a public meeting whose keynote speaker before an audience of more than 4,000 was Dr. King’s daughter, Yolanda.
- In Boston, Bahá’ís co-sponsored the Harvard-Radcliffe United Ministry’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. service at Memorial Church, and took part in many other commemorations of the holiday.
- In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bahá’ís co-sponsored a birthday tribute to Dr. King that drew an audience of more than 300, about 60 of whom were Bahá’ís. Also sponsoring was the NAACP’s College Division at the University of New Mexico. The keynote speaker was Harold Gibson, an African-American Bahá’í from Espanola.
- In Glenwood Springs, Colorado, the three-member Bahá’í Group sponsored the community’s King Day activities which included a potluck supper and a walk to a local cemetery to honor early black settlers who played an important role in Glenwood Springs some 100 years ago. The events received widespread media coverage.
- In Conway, South Carolina, the local Spiritual Assembly took the lead when local churches decided not to plan an observance of Dr. King’s birthday, presenting a public program that drew an audience of more than 200, was covered by four television stations and broadcast live on WLGI Radio Bahá’í.
- In New Orleans, 25 Bahá’ís from six communities took part in the annual King Day parade which ended with a rally at a local gymnasium.
- in Speedway, Indiana, the Bahá’ís sponsored an observance that included songs, film footage of Dr. King’s life including the march on Washington, D.C., and his famous “I have a dream” speech, and a discussion of various aspects of race prejudice and the need for unity.
- In Greenfield, Massachusetts, Bahá’ís co-sponsored “The Dream Continues,” a public Martin Luther King Day observance at a local Unitarian church. About 50 people attended.
- In Redding, California, Bahá’ís joined a number of interested groups to plan the King Day observance and provided the keynote speaker, Roger Hogan. Also on the program, which drew an audience of about 150, was a jazz dance by two Bahá’í youth, Danielle Hogan and Joyanna Kessler.
- In Pendleton, Oregon, Bahá’ís co-sponsored the King Day observance with the local chapter of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. The keynote speaker was Leonard Bell, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Portland.
Bahá’ís from a number of states prepare to march behind their colorful banners in Atlanta’s annual Martin Luther King Day parade.
United States[edit]
Poets, writers honor Robert Hayden[edit]
About 600 people including a number of the country’s leading poets and writers attended “Words in the Mourning Time,” a conference to celebrate the poetry of the late Robert Hayden, February 22-24 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The conference, co-sponsored by the Association for Bahá’í Studies and the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan, was followed February 25 by a memorial service that marked the 10th anniversary of Mr. Hayden’s passing.
Mr. Hayden, a native of Detroit, was a world-renowned poet and the first black to be named consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
For more than two decades he taught English and creative writing at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and at the time of his death was a professor of English at the University of Michigan.
Mr. Hayden authored more than a dozen books of poetry including American Journal (nominated for the National Book Award in 1978), Angle of Ascent, The Night-Blooming Cereus, Words in the Mourning Time, Heart-Shape in the Dust, Figure of Time and A Ballad of Remembrance (winner of the grand prize at the first World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966).
A Bahá’í for many years, Mr. Hayden served for more than a decade as poetry editor of World Order magazine.
The conference provided a forum for scholars, poets, poetry lovers and the general public to explore Mr. Hayden’s poetry, which so eloquently reflects human conditions in a changing world.
Among those expressing their deep appreciation for the life and works of the late Robert Hayden was Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove.
Special guests included Gwendolyn Brooks, poet laureate of Illinois and the first black American to win the Pulitzer prize in poetry (in 1950, for Annie Allen); Rita Dove, associate professor of English at Arizona State University and the second black American to win the Pulitzer (in 1987, for Thomas and Beulah); Michael Harper, a critically acclaimed poet who is Kapstein professor of English at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; and Sherley Anne Williams, a poet and editor of Callaloo magazine.
The guest poets shared their insights and understandings of Mr. Hayden’s poetry and offered readings of their own works.
The keynote address, “The Achievement of Robert Hayden,” was given by Darwin Turner, a poet and literary critic who is a leading expert on black American literature.
Among the speakers who took part in three panel discussions on Mr. Hayden’s life and work were two Bahá’ís: Dr. John Hatcher, professor of English at South Florida University in Tampa and author of From the Auroral Darkness, a book on the life and poetry of Robert Hayden; and Xavier Nichols, who is working on a book about Mr. Hayden.
Other panelists were writer/poets Melba Boyd, Laurence Goldstein, Lemuel Johnson, Eugene Redmond, Richard Tillinghast, Alen Wald and Pontheolla Williams.
Each session had a focused topic for discussion. The first was “Robert Hayden: His Evolution as an Artist.” The others were “Robert Hayden: Blues Poet or Modernist?” and “The Tension Between Belief and Ideology in the Work of Robert Hayden.”
Following each session, the floor was opened for discussion between
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panel members and the audience.
Saturday evening’s program, “Angle of Ascent,” was a dramatic presentation of Mr. Hayden’s work by guest artists including jazz saxophonist Marvin (Doc) Holladay; dancer/choreographer Linda Spriggs; composer Stephen Newby; and Biza Sompa and the Bichinis Bia Congo dance troupe.
In spite of a winter storm that paralyzed much of the city, the well-advertised program drew an audience of more than 300.
Among the 600 people at the conference were 125 high school students who attended workshops in poetry conducted by Gwendolyn Brooks, Michael Harper and Sherley Anne Williams.
During a luncheon Saturday afternoon, certificates were presented by Ms. Brooks to those students who displayed promise as young poets.
The program for students was arranged by William Diehl, administrator of the Louhelen Bahá’í School near Davison, Michigan, and adjunct faculty member in reading education at the University of Michigan.
Also during the conference, the Robert Hayden Memorial Lounge was dedicated at the university’s Center for Afro-American Studies (CAAS). Dr. Lemuel Johnson, director of the CAAS, presided.
John Hatcher (left photo), a Bahá’í from Florida who is author of a biography of the late poet Robert Hayden, makes a point during a panel discussion of Mr. Hayden’s work at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. A number of well-known poets and writers paid tribute to Mr. Hayden on the 10th anniversary of his passing including Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks (right photo), the poet laureate of Illinois.
Guest lecturer Sherley Anne Williams (center) conducts a workshop for Master of Fine Arts students during the three-day tribute to Robert Hayden.
Other features included an exhibit on Mr. Hayden and black American poetry that featured selections from the National Bahá’í Archives and the University of Michigan’s collection, and the presentation of two films: “Robert Hayden” by Donald Hall, and “Detroit’s Hayden: America’s Poet Laureate’ by Ronald Scott.
Essay[edit]
UNIFON: Answer to ‘alphabet soup’?[edit]
As a part of our continuing response to the United Nations International Literacy Year 1990 we present the following article about UNIFON, a way in which to simplify the English alphabet, written by Susan C. Gilman, a Bahá’í from Cardiff, California.
Unless one chooses to play “ostrich,” hardly a day can go by without hearing or reading something about the problem of illiteracy. Some time ago, the playwright George Bernard Shaw had this to say about it: “The waste of war is negligible in comparison to the daily waste of trying to communicate with one another in English through an alphabet with 14 letters missing. That must be remedied come what may.”
The cycle of illiteracy is devastatingly painful and traumatic for those caught in it. Poor reading skills can lead to unemployment, welfare, and, in some cases, crime—as the economy shifts toward a high-tech, service-oriented society and the number of jobs requiring only a limited education declines.
And yet limited education persists for many. It seems that our educational system promotes non-achievers.
There are illiterates who, within crowded classrooms, can go undiscovered for years. Many have even been clever enough to fool the system by devising complex coping mechanisms such as copying notes written by others and focusing on oral communication. Concealment is the key, and embarrassment ruins their lives, causing catastrophic stress.
Now is the time for educators everywhere to abandon the myth that some students simply can’t learn. We must wake up and admit that English is the most difficult language to learn to read and write.
Let it be common knowledge that our present ABCs are, more than like-
There are illiterates who, within crowded classrooms, can go undiscovered for years. Many have even been clever enough to fool the system by devising complex coping mechanisms such as copying notes written by others and focusing on oral communication.
ly, hazardous to students; that the students aren’t stupid ... the alphabet is stupid.
Stanley Sharp, author of The REAL Reason Why Johnny Still Can’t Read, states: “If you know the facts, you are not surprised to learn that a computer programmed with 308 rules was unable to spell correctly half of the 17,310 most frequently used words. That explains why all English-speaking countries have such high illiteracy rates. Many Johnnies can’t cope with our illogical spelling of words.”
John Culkin, author of three articles on a reformed English alphabet (two of which were the most popular articles ever published in Science Digest), enlightens us further:
“Standard spoken English has 30 to 50 discrete sounds, currently spelled 200-800 different ways, giving our language an efficiency rating of 20 percent.... You wouldn’t fly an airplane with a 20 percent efficiency rating. Is human communication any less important?”
Now is the time for those seeking joy (or even ecstasy) in education to realize that the process of growth involves going beyond one’s comfort zone, or, in this case, his discomfort zone. Now is the time to embrace the most practical, innovative changes available. John Culkin writes:
“Have I got an alphabet for you! One hundred percent efficient, it is related to the existing alphabet and compatible with all computer technologies. It works as a reading system; it fits most other languages. Called UNIFON, the alphabet was devised 28 years ago by John Malone, a Chicago economist.
“UNIFON (single sound), a totally consistent 40-character alphabet, maps and matches the 40 sounds of standard spoken English. It is an isomorphic (one-for-one) system of 24 consonants and 16 vowels. One and only one letter stands for each sound. One and only one sound corresponds to each letter. Students need learn only one rule for its use: Spell everything as it sounds; sound everything as it is spelled. No silent letters or double letters exist.” (See UNIFON alphabet on next page.)
Having been created by an economist, UNIFON is economical, taking up 14 percent less space with consequent savings in labor, storage, ink and paper. And then there is the emotional economy: monster words like “through,” “though” and “tough” are nicely tamed forever.
The UNIFON system has been successfully tested in public schools in Chicago; Indianapolis and Hammond, Indiana; New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. At the private Howalton School in Chicago, first-graders who learned to read and write with the UNIFON alphabet tested at the 3.8 grade level.
Our present alphabet and the reading thereof involve a “sort of” phonetic base, yet school children must learn some words, like “one” and “eight,” as if they were Chinese symbols. Imagine the adoption of a truly efficient set of symbols ... imagine the expansion of creativity and fun.
It would open the world of competent, confident and joyous reading, not only to American children but to those in some 90 other countries for whom
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English is required. English is, in fact,
the lingua franca of the modern world.
We can install a phonetic alphabet as our official alphabet. It has been done before, in Russia, Japan, Turkey and Yugoslavia. Nine years ago, one area of China adopted a 50-character Romanized alphabet to handle the 50,000 characters of the ideographically written Chinese language.
Adaptable to other languages, though designed for English, UNIFON could benefit people everywhere with its unifying power.
Two helpful books on UNIFON are soon to be released: Reading for the TV Child, and a dictionary that shows exactly how to transpose from old spellings to new ones.
In choosing UNIFON, we could choose to liberate the (roughly) 30 million functional illiterates in this country, giving them (what may be for some) a life-saver.
Mark Twain once said: “The English alphabet is pure insanity. It can hardly spell any word in the language with any large degree of certainty.”
I see reading and writing and spelling as inmates of Marat Sade’s asylum, singing: “Marat, we’re poor and the poor stay poor. There must be more ... Of this we are sure. We want our rights, and we don’t care how. We want a revolution ... NOW!”
United States[edit]
The past 11 years of activities by Bahá’ís throughout the world and at the United Nations on behalf of their persecuted co-religionists in Iran was the topic of a recent lecture given at the Human Rights Program Speaker Series at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
On February 15, Katharine Bigelow, deputy director of the National Spiritual Assembly Office of External Affairs in Washington, spoke on the topic “Can World Opinion Affect Human Rights Violations? The Case of the Bahá’ís in Iran.”
“The experience of the Bahá’ís,” Ms. Bigelow said, “has been that national governments care very much about their reputation in the global arena.
“We believe that the support of the United Nations, the U.S. Congress and other national governments in repeatedly urging the Iranian government to grant the Bahá’ís their basic human rights has contributed to the decision to release several hundred Bahá’ís from prison and has prevented any recent executions. It is difficult to persecute others in the broad daylight of publicity.”
Ms. Bigelow explained that four resolutions citing Iranian persecution of Bahá’ís have been passed in the U.S. Congress since 1982, and that a concurrent resolution in the Senate is pending.
The latest resolutions note that although no Bahá’ís in Iran have been executed because of their religious belief since 1987, the Bahá’í community remains an oppressed minority deprived of basic human rights.
Uganda[edit]
Counsellor Edith Senoga (second from left) visits Bahá’í communities in western Uganda near the Ruwenzori Mountains (Mountains of the Moon).
The communities are nearly inaccessible; during the rainy season, the roads are closed and the area can be reached only on foot.
The world[edit]
‘Cultural evening’ in Uruguay[edit]
The first “Evening of Cultural Integration” was held last November at the National Hazíratu’l-Quds in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Nearly 120 people attended the event, which was planned by the Spiritual Assembly of Montevideo and featured traditional costumes and dances by representatives from the diverse communities in Uruguay.
Dr. Virginia Petekian spoke on the history of Armenia and the arrival of Armenians in Uruguay, while Mrs. Beatriz Santoz, a journalist for the Nationwide Radio and Television Network, spoke about the arrival of blacks in Latin America.
She emphasized the Bahá’í concepts of equality, peace and integration, saying she felt “very much at home” among the Bahá’ís.
The president of the Central Israelite Committee of Uruguay also attended, and expressed his sincere respect for the “Bahá’í cause,” repeating the sentiment expressed by Mrs. Santos of “feeling at home,” not only because of Bahá’í hospitality but also because of the Bahá’í ideology.
Mrs. Sima Baher Caballero, representing the Bahá’í community of Montevideo, presented a summary of worldwide Bahá’í social and economic development projects, while Mrs. Maria Luisa Silva, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Uruguay, spoke about the Bahá’í teachings on unity in diversity.
The Bahá’í community of Montevideo, Uruguay, received an award for its efforts in promoting world peace on the occasion of the second anniversary of the opening of the Cultural Center for Peace and Integration. About 70 people attended the event, which was held at the Uruguay-United States of America Cultural Alliance.
The program included presentations by well-known Uruguayans including a psychologist and a sculptress, as well as poetry readings and performances of traditional songs and dances.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Uruguay helped plan an international women’s conference last October 6-8 in Montevideo.
About 300 people from a dozen countries took part in the event, which was sponsored by Montevideo’s Ministry of Education and Culture.
Special folders containing Bahá’í literature for women were prepared and distributed to officials, the press, prominent persons and several related associations.
United Kingdom[edit]
The Society of Friends (Quakers), acting on their own initiative, recently put up this sign in front of their Meeting House in Manchester, England, and left it on display for about a month.
Tonga[edit]
Bahá’ís took part in the 1989 Royal Agriculture Show in Tonga, winning prizes in three categories. The show is a competition held among all the island groups in Tonga.
The Bahá’í Women’s Committee of Vav’u won first prize for its display, while in the farming category prizes were won by several Bahá’ís including long-time pioneer Geoffrey Hougland who received a prize from His Majesty King Taufahau Tupou IV for the best industrial innovation.
Mr. Hougland invented a tapa machine for mechanically processing tutu, the bark of the mulberry tree, into a flat sheet ready for hand-finishing. Tapa is a traditional cloth, hand-crafted and used in Polynesian society for ceremonial occasions. Women’s groups, who make most of the tapa cloth, have bought more than 20 of the machines.
Transkei[edit]
More than 40 people, most of them students, attended a World Peace Day poster contest awards ceremony October 14 at the Youth and Pastoral Centre in Umtata, Transkei. The contest was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Umtata.
Fifty-one students from four schools submitted original posters on the contest theme, “Peace.”
After first-, second- and third-place prizes were awarded, the Bahá’í children delighted the audience by singing two Bahá’í songs. Bahá’í literature was then distributed including copies of the peace statement and the Xhosa translation of “Creating a Spiritual Home.”
Benin[edit]
Counsellor Zekrullah Kazemi was one of the speakers at a conference for Auxiliary Board members and their assistants held last December 28-30 at the Muhájir Regional Center in Abomey, the capital of Benin.
The five Board members and 70 assistants who took part heard the Counsellor speak of the fundamental role the assistants must play in strengthening local Spiritual Assemblies.
Also at the conference were representatives of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Benin and Togo.
Soviet Union[edit]
Pictured are members of the Spiritual Assembly of Ishqábád, Turkmen S.S.R., which has re-formed after 50 years. Seated (left to right) Mihrangíz Muhandis ‘Alí-Áqá, A‘zamíyyih Nizámí, Malikih Nájí; standing (left to right) Suhayl Qadímí, Muzaffar Qadímí, Fu‘ád Qadímí, Mírzá ‘Alí-Akbar Nájí, Hasan Píshraw, Muhandis ‘Alí-Áqá.
Republic of Ireland[edit]
The resources of the local Bahá’í community in County Wicklow, Ireland, include “The Spot,” “The House,” and “The Place,” in which Bahá’í activities are held each evening.
“The Spot” is a coffee house, centrally located, that the local teaching group opened for a project featuring a team made up of six Irish Bahá’ís and five visiting Bahá’ís from Canada.
“The House” is one the local Spiritual Assembly has rented to accommodate the teachers.
“The Place” is a large empty room situated near “The Spot” which is used every evening for firesides attended by those at the coffee shop who express an interest in the Faith.
Each afternoon the Bahá’ís teach in public places. These activities include singing and playing guitar at “The Spot.” After dinner, team members and any inquirers met during the day gather at “The Place” for a fireside-concert until around 10 p.m.
Among recent highlights was a concert by three American Indians who sang and danced. The audience of about 250 responded by standing and chanting, “We want peace! We want peace!”
Suriname[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Suriname took part last October 23 in a nationwide television broadcast on AIDS and its prevention.
The telecast was sponsored by the National AIDS Program, a committee of the Ministry of Health. Also participating were representatives of the Hindu, Islamic and Christian faiths.
The hour-long program included discussions about many aspects of morality, spirituality, marriage and sexual behavior.
It marked the first time that the Faith has been represented with other religions on a nationwide television program in Suriname. Referring to the telecast, the announcer identified the participants as belonging to “the four major religions of Suriname: Hindu, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá’ís....”
The National Spiritual Assembly points out that this was a major step in the recognition of the Faith in Suriname.
Canada[edit]
Orison is the name of a new journal published by the Bahá’í Institute for the Arts, a section of the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Canada and the U.S.
The first issue focuses on Art and Service, to inform readers of ways in which some artists are performing services for the Faith. The publishers say that as the journal evolves it will include a wide array of studies of the Bahá’í Faith in relationship to various aspects of the arts.
Germany[edit]
Twenty-six Bahá’ís from France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and United States joined Bahá’í communities in West Berlin, Germany, in proclamation and teaching activities among East Germans last December 18-January 2.
The cultural diversity of the friends strongly attracted the thousands of people who were contacted in East Germany. More than 50,000 copies of an abbreviated version of the peace statement were given out with other materials at the four major border check-points in West Berlin and at the Brandenburg Gate. Countless interviews with visitors from East Germany seemed to provide a clear signal of receptivity to the Faith.
During the Bahá’í Youth Winter School in Traben-Trarback, 200 participants from 12 countries including East Germany, Romania, Hungary and the Soviet Union gathered for the first time since World War II. Each day, the group consulted on the challenges and new possibilities for serving the Cause in Eastern Europe. Of the 20 non-Bahá’ís who attended the school, three were later enrolled in the Faith.
Kenya[edit]
Six hundred-fifty people attended the Bahá’í-sponsored “Africa for Peace” festival last December 8-10 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Joining Bahá’ís from Kenya, Madagascar, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda at the festival were Counsellor Peter Vuyiya of the International Teaching Centre; Counsellors for Africa Oloro Epyeru and Hizzaya Hissani; and 16 Auxiliary Board members.
The festival was opened by a representative of Kenya’s Ministry of Culture and Social Services. Thirty-five musical groups took part including two outstanding non-Bahá’í choirs. El Viento Canta, a traveling Bahá’í musical group, also performed, adding charm and joy to the occasion.
Guyana[edit]
A three-year plan begun last May 1 in Guyana and aimed at entry by troops has led so far to the enrollment of more than 2,300 new believers in that country.
Africa/Austria[edit]
El Viento Canta (The Singing Wind), a group of Bahá’ís whose musical performances have thrilled audiences throughout Europe, recently toured Africa, performing in Botswana, Kenya, Liberia and Uganda last December and leaving behind them large numbers of new believers and interested seekers.
The group performed for about 200 people in Maru’a’Pula, Botswana, closing with a song from Venezuela that featured audience participation. They were given a standing ovation amid cries of “More! More!”
Four days later they appeared at a festival in Nairobi, Kenya, where the headmaster of a school became a Bahá’í, saying he wished to tell his whole school about the Faith and make all the students as well as his own children “sons of peace.”
The music of El Viento Canta draws people’s attention, and the group introduces the principles of the Faith between songs. By the final evening of the Nairobi festival, five people had embraced the Cause.
On December 11, the group had an opportunity to meet and perform for the ambassadors to Kenya from Canada, Israel, Mexico and Switzerland.
The Mexican ambassador invited the musicians to a party at his home. While there, they were photographed by a reporter from a popular magazine and made appointments for interviews with two radio personalities. During the party several people asked to hear more about the Faith, and an impromptu fireside ensued.
During a side trip to Uganda, one of the members of the group was detained by police for taking a photograph in an area which, unknown to the Bahá’í, was restricted.
When the chief officer at the local police station heard that the man was a Bahá’í, he told the arresting officer, “Let him go. He is a Bahá’í.”
On December 22 the group appeared on national television in Monrovia, Liberia. During the interview they were asked about the purpose of their visit to Liberia, which led to questions about the Faith.
On December 28, El Viento Canta performed with other Bahá’í musicians including Marvin (Doc) Holladay, a jazz saxophonist from the United States, at a music festival in Liberia.
At the close of the African tour, the group was told that it should return to Europe to tour the Eastern Bloc countries. They found a photographer to take photos for their new visas, and while he worked he spoke of their concerts and how much they had affected him. Before the musicians left his studio, the photographer had asked to be enrolled in the Faith.
El Viento Canta (The Singing Wind), a group of young Bahá’ís who perform traditional Latin American music, gave an impromptu concert January 9 at the Hazíratu’l-Quds in Vienna, Austria, for Bahá’ís and about 35 of their guests.
The following day, the group performed in Oberwart for a group of Romany people. About 30 attended, and some returned the next day for another performance for an audience of about 270. Part of that concert was filmed by Austrian television, and a radio interview was held before the performance.
On January 12 El Viento Canta began the next leg of its European tour, leaving for Zagreb, Yugoslavia, where they were interviewed on television for 30 minutes and performed for an audience of 600. After the concert, 70 copies of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era were given out, and two people became Bahá’ís.
The singing group’s name was taken from the Spanish version of a song by pioneer Phyllis Day which says, “The wind is singing in the mountains ... that the Promised One, Bahá’u’lláh, has come.” El Viento Canta was formed while all of the members were serving together at the World Centre in Haifa, Israel.
Italy[edit]
The Russian Consul in Italy, Anver Starkov, was given copies of the peace statement in English and Italian during a luncheon in his honor on the occasion of an exhibit of Russian culture held recently in Montichiari, Italy.
The gift was warmly received by the consul and his wife, and the Bahá’í who presented it was thanked in the presence of the guests.
Papua New Guinea[edit]
The Bahá’í women of Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, in collaboration with the Morobe Women’s Association, organized a recent week-long conference in Lae.
Topics such as “Law and Order,” “Literacy,” “Women and the Environment,” “Customs and Culture,” “Women in Decision-Making” and other current issues were discussed in morning sessions with the Bahá’í point of view on each presented, while afternoon sessions included practical demonstrations of such skills as baking, drum oven building, sewing, bookkeeping, compost making and others.
Margaret Nakikas Namaliu, wife of the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, and Mrs. Bungtabu Brown, president of the National Council of Women, were among the more than 100 women attending the conference, which was covered widely by the media.
Mrs. Margaret Nakikas Namaliu, wife of the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, and Mrs. Bungtabu Brown, president of the country’s National Council of Women, enjoy drinks and scones at the Morobe Women’s Conference held last year in Lae. The event was sponsored by the Bahá’í women of Lae, Morobe Province, and the Morobe Women’s Association in Lae.
Germany[edit]
The anniversary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh was celebrated last November 12 with an historic reunion of the Bahá’ís of East and West Berlin.
The celebration was planned originally as a major public meeting in West Berlin by the nine local Spiritual Assemblies in that area.
When the Berlin Wall was declared open on November 9, the Bahá’ís of West Berlin immediately extended an invitation to the friends in the eastern part of the city to join them.
An estimated 200 people, Bahá’ís and others from both East and West Berlin, including at least 40 non-Bahá’ís from East Berlin, gathered for the public celebration on November 12.
They gave thanks for the uniqueness of this time in history, with the opening of the Wall symbolizing the growth of trust and understanding among the nations of Europe and the world.
The 25th anniversary of the dedication of the European Bahá’í House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany, was celebrated with a series of events, the last of which took place November 10 at the city hall in Hofheim, near Langenhain.
An estimated 600 people gathered in Hofheim for a concert by two large choirs and a chamber orchestra of about 100 musicians who performed works by Bach, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Kaminsky. The concert was co-sponsored by the city council of Hofheim and the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany.
Among the speakers was Rolf Felix, the mayor of Hofheim, who commended the Bahá’ís for their vision of world peace and expressed a wish that the Bahá’í House of Worship might serve as an example of world peace for many people.
The Chaplains’ Board of the American Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) has approved for worldwide broadcast to U.S. military personnel and their families a series of one-minute video tapes entitled “Peace Talks.”
The series was produced by the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska and introduced to AFRTS by the Bahá’í Committee for English-Speaking Friends in Germany.
World Centre[edit]
The Universal House of Justice recently appointed the first European Bahá’í Youth Council consisting of seven young Bahá’ís who will coordinate those activities of European youth that have a continental impact.
In addition to that duty, the Council will assist and advise the Continental Board of Counsellors, National Spiritual Assemblies and National Bahá’í Youth Committees on matters related to Bahá’í youth activities.
The Council will also send representatives to non-Bahá’í youth groups and other agencies on the continent.
The Council held its first meeting last November 4-6 in London, England.
Bangladesh[edit]
After consulting with Counsellor Burháni-Dín Afshín, the Bahá’ís of Bangladesh recently launched five regional teaching projects.
Since then the Rajshani region has reported 700 new believers and seven new local Spiritual Assemblies, while in the Khulna region 3,650 new Bahá’ís have been enrolled and 13 new Assemblies have been formed.
Macau[edit]
Two students from the School of the Nations, a Bahá’í-operated international school in Macau, were invited in January to take part in a Mandarin language contest in Zhuhai, China.
The first “Zhuhai-Macau Mandarin Language Contest” was sponsored by the Zhuhai-based academic association which promotes the use of Mandarin, China’s national language, in that Cantonese-speaking area of China. The contest included adults, youth and children, nearly all of whom had come from various parts of China to work or study in Zhuhai or Macau. They demonstrated their fluency in Mandarin via speeches, recitations and songs.
About 1,500 local Chinese residents, mostly youth and children, attended the event which filled the Zhuhai Theatre to capacity. The contestants from the School of the Nations received an especially warm welcome, as they were the only non-Chinese taking part. Eight-year-old Serena Fuller and nine-year-old Donald Tennant, both children of pioneers from the U.S., gave short talks in Mandarin, followed by a Mandarin song with guitar accompaniment by Keith Barnes, a pioneer from Canada who is a teacher at the School of the Nations.
Other Bahá’í contestants were Chuck Fuller and Farzam Kamalabadi, two pioneers from the U.S. who have contributed greatly to the School of the Nations project. Mr. Kamalabadi’s talk centered on themes conveyed in “The Promise of World Peace,” while Mr. Fuller’s light-hearted talk on “The Four Steps to Learning Mandarin” won first prize in the speech category.
Guam[edit]
Bahá’í women on Guam have formed a Bahá’í Women’s Association as a step toward achieving the goals of the Six Year Plan. The purpose of the Association, as stated in its by-laws, is “promotion of the role of women in working for peace in the family, the community and the world through education, spiritual enrichment, investigation of the true significance of the equality of men and women, and through philanthropic and social service activities.”
The contest was the most recent in a series of exciting developments at the School of the Nations. Of special note was a demonstration of support last November by the government of Macau, whose Department of Education awarded the school a $400,000 grant to expand into a new and larger facility to accommodate its growing enrollment.
To cope with the waiting list of parents who want to enroll their children in its bi-lingual Mandarin/English program, the school marked its second anniversary in January by opening an afternoon kindergarten session and building two additional classrooms in the primary school section.
Beginning next September, the existing location will house an expanded pre-school and kindergarten program, and the primary school will occupy the new location along with a secondary school that will be added at the rate of one grade level per year. Both facilities will be used to house the school’s growing Centre for Continuing Education, an evening school program offering language classes, computer courses, and vocational training for adults and youth.
Peru[edit]
Members of the ‘Raul Pavón Teaching Project,’ held recently in Peru, are shown with the Mothers’ Club of the rural community of Puno. A number of Mothers’ Clubs have asked for Bahá’í speakers.
Following the enrollment of 36 new Bahá’ís, the first phase of the Raul Pavón Teaching Project in Peru drew to a close with a number of exciting events taking place in communities near Radio Bahá’í.
The “Raúl Pavón youth” had taken “serving the community” as their goal for the project. As a result of their efforts, the Government Tourist Agency and the town hall of Puno agreed to co-sponsor a city-wide clean-up campaign. Radio Bahá’í helped by holding interviews and presenting live reports as the activity progressed.
The Raul Pavón youth and a teaching team from Radio Bahá’í sponsored a conference especially for young people from the nearby countryside. Ninety-eight non-Bahá’ís attended and took part in such discussions as “The Search of Today’s Youth for a New Meaning of Life,” “Why Do Youth Respond to Bahá’u’lláh?” “Who Is Bahá’u’lláh?” and “How We, As Youth, Can Establish World Peace.”
After the conference, the young Bahá’ís spoke on the radio, calling on the people in the vicinity to “change with us.”
As a result of the project, the headmasters at all the local schools have agreed to open their facilities for any activities planned by the Bahá’ís, and the schools’ Mothers Clubs have asked for speakers on the Faith and related topics.
Germany[edit]
About 200 people of diverse backgrounds gathered last September 3 at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany, for a “Festival for Understanding Among Nations.”
Performances of music, classical dance and other arts were given by Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í artists from Greece, Iran, Turkey and Germany.
A special “International Worship Service” at the Temple, with prayers in many languages, contributed significantly to the success of the event.
Last September 10, about 250 people attended an interfaith worship service held to mark the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany.
Two priests and a non-Bahá’í men’s choir took part in the program, which included readings from the sacred texts of several religions and whose theme was “peace.”
Following the worship service a film about construction of the House of Worship was shown, after which the director of the men’s choir and his wife embraced the Faith.
In September, 23 professors and doctors from the People’s Republic of China spent an evening at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany.
Their visit was part of an official program organized by Hoechst Industries and the Chinese-German Medical Association. It included a banquet and a performance of classical German music by a string quartet.
A copy of the Chinese-English deluxe edition of The Hidden Words was presented to each of the guests.
Suriname[edit]
Among the goals of the Six Year Plan in Suriname is teaching the Faith to the country’s Chinese population. To help in that effort, Cheong Kong Wah (right) pioneered to Suriname from Malaysia. Here he helps teach a Chinese couple the Faith with help from Auxiliary Board member Marijke Van Lith (second from left).
The Netherlands[edit]
Ten Bahá’ís were among the 16,000 people who attended a recent “Churches Day” gathering sponsored by the Netherlands Council of Churches.
As most of those attending had never heard of the Faith, the event was a great opportunity for proclamation.
During a session on interreligious meetings, one of the Bahá’ís raised the question of whether it might be possible that all religions spring from one source. A Hindu answered, “Naturally. All religions can come only from one Source—the Creator.”
In a workshop entitled “Men and Power,” on the inequality between men and women, there was much arguing among the men and women present.
When a Bahá’í took her turn at the microphone, she spoke for 10 minutes explaining the Bahá’í principle of the equality of men and women, and emphasizing the importance of the woman as educator of the new generation. She said she was happy to have an opportunity to encourage the men as well as women, and urged the men to support and stimulate the women in their development.
Her talk was greeted by a large round of applause from the audience and created much happiness in the session.
Paraguay[edit]
A group of indigenous people was the first fruit of a weekend teaching campaign held September 23-24 in Paraguay.
On Saturday, members of the teaching team visited three ethnic groups who, despite having their own churches, invited the Bahá’ís to return the following day.
When team members returned, one group of Lengua people, 17 adults and 18 children including the chief, accepted the Faith at once.
The chief remarked as the Bahá’ís were leaving that he had traveled a long way the previous Friday, to Asuncion, to visit the Bahá’í National Center, “because I wanted to know you better.”
It was decided to make regular visits to the Lengua group as they want to learn more about the Faith in order to become active believers.
United States[edit]
The video production “Peace ... The Promise” has been chosen as a finalist, from among more than 3,000 entries from more than 30 countries, in the annual International Film and Television Festival in New York City.
Nigeria[edit]
Three teaching campaigns held last October in Nigeria led to the enrollment of 964 new believers.
During the Samuel Bakare Project in Oghara, Bendel State, from October 16-20, 142 people were enrolled.
After nine days of teaching in the Ikwerre and Ihie areas, the Bahá’ís enrolled 111 people and formed seven new local Spiritual Assemblies.
Following these two projects a National Teaching Conference was held, from which 18 Bahá’ís traveled to Omu-Aran, where the Elizabeth Gibson Kwara Teaching Project was under way. When it was over on November 5, 711 new believers had been enrolled and 25 new Assemblies formed.
Thailand[edit]
Following a National Youth Camp last October at Saraburi, Thailand, 13 Bahá’í youth went on a two-day teaching trip organized by the National Teaching Committee. They visited Nakorn Rajsima, enrolling 423 new believers.
Among the new Bahá’ís were seven police personnel, seven nursing students, two teachers at a primary school, 148 students at Suam Mon School, and some of those involved in a sports program at the local stadium.
Some of the youth met with a man and his wife who own the Mahachon Business News and established an excellent rapport with them.
The woman had worked for Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 17 years and had lived for more than two years in Iran. She offered one of her vacant houses to the Bahá’ís for their use during future visits, and was delighted to hear that the Bahá’ís planned to visit again soon.
Samoa[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Samoa began an “Entry-by-Troops” teaching campaign last November 20 with the close collaboration of the Board of Counsellors and Auxiliary Boards.
By December, 1,144 people had declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh. More than 30 villages now have some 50-60 Bahá’ís each.
Transkei[edit]
Shown are those who gathered at the Enoch Olinga Bahá’í Center in Transkei for a recent conference for assistants to the Auxiliary Board. The conference was arranged by Auxiliary Board member Giti Rodhani. Counsellor Lally Warren (left of center with tote bag) was the guest speaker.
India[edit]
Some 300 women have been enrolled in the Faith as a result of the Javanmardi Teaching Project in India.
Among the activities in Dhenkanal Town and nearby villages was a talk given at the Nurse Training Centre on “The Role of Women in Bringing Peace.” All of the women who attended that meeting later declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
Teaching continued in the Panchayat villages where the enrollment of more women brought the total to about 300. The enrollment of youth and children is also increasing.
The Bahá’í House of Worship in India continues to attract diverse groups of people.
In December the 12th Tai Sitppa, who is second in rank to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, visited the Temple, accompanied by three monks. He expressed his delight with its design, as the lotus is closely linked to Buddhism. He was given an information packet and escorted around the House of Worship by the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of India and staff members.
A group of 13 African students at Jawaharlal Nehru University, who also visited the Temple in December, suggested that a program be arranged at their school to teach the Bahá’í message. The idea was echoed by a professor from Hissar, Haryana, who visited with his students and suggested that the time is ripe for the Bahá’ís to meet with university administrators to give them the message, thereby allowing them to educate students with guidance based on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
Also in December, several large groups of children visited the Temple, listened to the Bahá’í message and asked many questions about the Faith.
Hong Kong[edit]
Phillip Hinton, who is a well-known actor, recently visited Hong Kong and was the guest on a popular radio talk show.
Mr. Hinton spoke about his early days in South Africa, where he had become a Bahá’í 20 years ago, and of his acting career with Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company. Eventually he went to Australia, where he appears on television and is an active member of the Bahá’í community.
Australia[edit]
Two national Bahá’í conferences were held during the last week of December 1989 in Sydney, Australia.
One, a national Chinese Teaching Conference, was attended by Counsellor Suhayl Ala’i, four members of the National Spiritual Assembly, and 100 of the friends. Many new believers, mainly Chinese, were present.
As a result, a one-year intensive Cabramatta Teaching Project has been launched, directed toward ethnic minorities in the Sydney area. A Center has been rented to provide a base for the teaching activities. Since it was opened, 20 people have become Bahá’ís.
The second conference, called “New Models for Life,” was based on the 1989 Riḍván message from the Universal House of Justice. Counsellor Ala’i, four members of the National Spiritual Assembly and four Auxiliary Board members were among the more than 700 Bahá’ís who attended including some from the Cocos Islands.
A separate conference for pre-youth was held simultaneously. Evening entertainment included performances by Jack Lenz and his son, Asher, from Canada, and Don Lewis, an Aborigine from Australia who performed on the harmonica, organ, guitar and didgeridoo.
The conference closed with a unity feast, and the following day many of the friends gathered for a barbecue. On that same day, two people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh.
Bahá’ís and their guests are pictured at a fireside for Chinese seekers held at the home of a Bahá’í in Perth, Western Australia. Owing to the fervor created by a Chinese Teaching Conference last December, many new believers who are Chinese have joined in the teaching.
Togo[edit]
Lea Nys, a traveling teacher from Belgium, is pictured with General Gnassinbé Eyadema, Head of State of Togo, during a visit to his office in Lomé last November. Gen. Eyadema arranged for a Bahá’í booth at the International Trade Fair which he officially opened the following day.
Bophuthatswana[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Bophuthatswana held its first International Bahá’í Summer School last December 25-29 at the Pilanesberg National Game Reserve. Among the 263 people attending were friends from 11 nations, including one from as far away as Norway, and five Auxiliary Board members from Bophuthatswana and neighboring countries.
Sessions were dedicated to furthering the understanding of the process of entry by troops.
One of the highlights was a visit by the National Broadcasting Television Services (BOP-TV) whose producer and crew spent the better part of a day interviewing those at the school. They also filmed classes in progress and interviewed a four-member panel representing African, Iranian, American (both black and white) and male and female members of the Bahá’í community.
The Sanctity and Nature of Bahá’í Elections addresses the spirit of unity during elections, the respect and honor due minorities, and the nonpolitical character of elections. It will help the friends deepen on a topic that is vital to the health of the community. |
of the Spirit This compilation challenges us to attain a deeper understanding of the institution that “brings joy,” fosters “agreement and unity,” and is the key to “affection and fellowship.” |
of the Earth’s Resources These extracts from the Bahá’í Writings on the relationship between humankind and the environment give us fresh perspective for “humanizing and spiritualizing the environment problem.” |
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