Bahá’í World/Volume 20/The Six Year International Teaching Plan 1986-1992

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I

THE SIX YEAR INTERNATIONAL TEACHING PLAN 1986—1992

1. THE COMPLETION OF THE SIX YEAR INTERNATIONAL TEACHING PLAN

A. THE Bahá’í WORLD CENTRE

a. Publication of the Kitab-i-Aqdas in English

In its Riḍván message of 1986, the Universal House of Justice announced that the time had come for the preparation of a copiously annotated English translation of the complete text of the Most Holy Book. The accomplishment of this project was specified as a major goal of the Six Year Plan for the World Centre. lts publication was scheduled during the Holy Year.

Shoghi Effendi himself had already translated just over one—third of the text of the Aqdas. The basic task, then, was to provide suitable renderings of the remaining passages of the Book. This was initially assigned to a committee of translators at the World Centre. Their work was subsequently reviewed and revised a number of times until an acceptable version was approved. The standards adopted to guide the translation were accuracy of meaning, beauty of language, and conformity of style with that employed by Shoghi Effendi.

During the course of the work, a welladvanced draft was shared with a number of knowledgeable Bahá’ís around the world who were asked for their comments and suggestions. The points they submitted were then

considered by the review committee and the draft was amended as needed. During the same period a companion work, Questions and Answers, was also translated from the Persian for inclusion in the volume; this work consists of questions put to Bahá’u’lláh regarding certain laws of the Aqdas, and His responses.

Parallel with this process, researchers began collecting pertinent passages from the Bahá’í Sacred Writings, the Holy Books of the past, the interpretations of Shoghi Effendi and other materials needed in the preparation of the extensive annotations that were to accompany the text. A list of the items requiring notes was first prepared and approved. In composing the notes, the focus of concentration was on those points about which the reader would need elucidation. The notes are not intended to be a comprehensive commentary on the text, which would be a task beyond the capacity of present resources.

The volume also includes a preface, an introduction, Shoghi Effendi’s description of the contents of the Book, supplementary passages, a synopsis and codification of the laws and ordinances of the Aqdas, a glossar and an extensive index. ‘

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THE Bahá’í WORLD

Attendees offhe Huqdqu ’Zldh Conference held at the Bahá’í World Centre in January 1987 From left to right, front row: Mr. Hugh Chance, Dr. ‘Ali—Muhammad Varqa'z, Mr. Salim Nounou, Mr. Hddz’ Ra/jzmdm'. Middle row: Mr. Ian Semple, Mr. ‘Ali Nafly’avdnz’,

Mr. Glenford M itchell, Mr. Mas ’LidK_/1amsz', Mr. Hushmand Fatheazam, Dr. Amin Bandm', Mr. Charles Wolcott, Dr. Dazyush Haghighi. Back row: Mr. Parvíz Hatami,

Mr. I_{_huddrahm Paymdn, Dr. David Ruhe, Mr. Borrah Kavelin, and Mr. David Hofman.

b. Education of the Bahá’í World in the Law of Huql’lqu’llfih

The Universal House of Justice decided to initiate a program of education about the law of Huqfiqu’lláh for Bahá’ís throughout the world to explain the details and, above all, the spiritual significance of this law, and had a compilation of texts on Huqfiqu’fléh prepared and sent to all national communities in 1985. With these materials in hand, education of the body of believers became a goal of the Six Year Plan.

The first compilation was supplemented in due course by a study guide comprising a simple codification of the law, a brief history of the development of the institution of Huqfiqu’lláh, and the text of an informative address given at the International Bahá’í Convention in 1988 by the Trustee of Huqfiqu’lláh, the Hand of the Cause of God Dr. ‘Ali—Muhammad Varqé. These materials were translated into many languages and were further supplemented by the production of many other educational items in different

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parts of the world. To prepare for the worldwide application of the law, the Universal House of Justice called the first Ḥuqúqu’lláh Conference in the Holy Land in 1987, attended by the Trustee, five of his deputies, representatives of the International Teaching Centre and the World Centre’s Department of Finance.

Of the many meetings and conferences subsequently held on Ḥuqúqu’lláh during the Plan, the gathering called by Dr. Varqa in conjunction with the 1988 International Convention and attended by over fifty deputies and representatives, including seven Continental Counsellors, deserves mention. This conference promoted increased cooperation among the institutions of the Faith in the implementation of the goal and gave a renewed impetus to the education of the believers.

One of the steps taken by the Trustee in preparation for the worldwide application of the law was to greatly increase the number of deputy trustees on all continents as well as the number of representatives selected by these deputies to assist them in their work. Numerous activities for the education of the friends were also undertaken by the Continental Boards of Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assemblies.

Perhaps the best indicator of the success of these efforts was the increase in the number of believers observing this law. During the Six Year Plan the amount received by the Ḥuqúqu’lláh fund greatly increased. One of the most gratifying aspects of this increase was the number of payments received from Western believers who, although not then obligated to fulfill the law, paid the Ḥuqúqu’lláh eagerly because of their love for Baha’u’llah and their increased awareness of its importance.

In 1991 the Universal House of Justice announced in its Riḍván message that the law of Ḥuqúqu’lláh would become, as of the following Riḍván, universally applicable:

Such an exceptional confluence of immi nent achievements—the publication of the

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Kitab—i—Aqdas, the progress of the building proj ects on Mount Carmel, the conclusion of the Six Year plan, the inception of the Holy Year—animates the expectations of the Bahá’í world, sets the stage for mightier endeavours than have already been attempted, and points us all to the opening of a new phase of history. It seems fitting, then, that the sacred law which enables each one to express his or her personal sense of devotion to God in a profoundly private act of conscience that promotes the common good, which directly connects the individual believer with the Central Institution of the Faith, and which, above all, ensures to the obedient and the sincere the ineffable grace and abundant blessings of Providence, should, at this favourable juncture, be embraced by all who profess their belief in the Supreme Manifestation of God.

With humility before our sovereign Lord,

we now announce that as of Riḍván 1992,

the beginning of the Holy Year, the Law

of Ḥuqúqu’lláh, the Right of God, will become universally applicable. All are lovingly called to observe it.

In response to this announcement Hand of the Cause of God Dr. ‘Ali—Muhammad Varqa called another International Ḥuqúqu’lláh Conference to prepare for the universal application of the law. This was held at Landegg Academy in Switzerland in August 1991, and was attended by twenty-three deputy trustees from all over the world.

In November 1991, following consultation with the Trustee, the Universal House of Justice announced the establishment of a central office for Ḥuqúqu’lláh in the Holy Land. One of the fruits of this new development was the publication in January 1992 of the first edition of a Huqfiqu’lláh newsletter designed to link the greatly increased number of deputy trustees and representatives around the world by exchanging news of their activities and providing them with helpful material for their rapidly expanding functions. ,

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LIST OF COMPILATIONS AND CODIFICATIONS OF HUQUQU’LLAH (BY LANGUAGE) HELD IN THE Bahá’í WORLD CENTRE LIBRARY

The Research Department of the Universal Hugtiqu’lláh (June 1986); and, Development House of Justice prepared: Compilation of Of Huqziqu’lldlz (March 1987). These have Huqziqu’lláh (July 1985); Codification of been translated into the following languages:

Language Title Publisher Year Afrikaans Huqfiqu’lláh, die reg van God - Abridged NSA of South Africa 1988 Compilation and Codification Amharic Ye Huqfiqu’lláh hig ater yale trazi - Abridged NSA of Ethiopia 1991 Compilation Beye ariestu sir ye takafafeluye Huqfiqu’lláh hig NSA of Ethiopia 1991 Codification Arabic Huqfiqu’lláh ~ Compilation Editora Bahá’í, Brasil 1986 Huql’lqu’lláh - Compilation NSA of Pakistan 1986? Chinese “H13 kfy gula”g1‘1£ui BPT ofMalaysia 1987 Danish Huqéqu’lláh, Guds ret - Compilation NSA ofDenmark 1989 Dutch ‘ Huqfiqu’lláh, het recht van God - Compilation NSA Of the Netherlands 1988 English Huququ’lláh — Compilation NSA Of New Zealand 1985 Huququ’lláh, the Right of God - Compilation BPT of United Kingdom 1986 Huqfiqu’lláh — Development and Codification BPT of Malaysia 1987 and Abridged Compilation Huqfiqu’lláh — Compilation NSA of Malaysia 1985 The Law of Huqt’lqu’lláh - Codification and NSA ofTranskei 1987 Development and Abridged Compilation Huqfiqu’lláh - Compilation BPT of India 1986 Huqfiqu’lláh, a Study Guide - Codification and BPT ofUnited Kingdom 1989

Development, and The Right of God (by Dr. Varqé)

Hqu’lqu’lláh, the Right of God - Compilation BPT of United Kingdom 1989 Huqfiqu’lláh - Compilation Bahá’í Canada Publications 1989 Finnish Huqfiqu’lláh, Kokoelma — Abridged NSA of Finland 1991 Compilation French Huqfiqu’lláh ou le droit de Dieu — Compilation MEB of Belgium 1987 Huqfiqu’lláh, historique et codification MEB of Belgium 1987 German Huqfiqu’lláh - Compilation NSA of Germany 1987 Systematische Darstellung des Huqfiqu_’lláh- NSA of Germany 1987

Gesetzes - Codification

Iban Hugfigu’lláh — Compilation State Bahá’í Council of 1992 Sarawak, Malaysia

Icelandic Legin um Huqfiqu’lláh - Abridged Compilation Iceland 1992

[Page 119]Language Italian Korean Norwegian Persian Spanish Swedish Tamil

Urdu

INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT Bahá’í ACTIVITIES

Title

Huqfigu’lláh — Compilation Huqfiqu’lláh - Compilation

Lovem 0m Huqfiqu’lláh 9 Compilation Huqfigu’lláh - Compilation

E1 Huqfiqu’lláh y los Fondos Bahá’ís

Huqfigu’lláh — Compilation Hukukulla — Abridged Compilation

Huqfiqu’lláh

Publisher

Casa Editrice Bahá’í

Seoul

Bahá’í Forlag

Dr. Varqé, Canada

Editorial Bahá’í de Espafia Bahá’í fdrlaget

BPT Committee of Malaysia BPT of Pakistan

119

Year 1987 1992 1990 1984 1991 1988 1987 1986

A deepening in the law ofHuqziqu ’Zldh at Menu Bahá’í' Institute, Western Province ofKenya,

November 1990.

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- — fiw » V“

A luncheon held as part of the opening ceremonies of the north wing of the House of ‘Abdu ’lláh Pdglgd, 28 April 1990.

c. Restoration and Protection of Holy Places

The Office of Holy Places mobilized most of its resources and efforts during the Six Year Plan to accomplish two major tasks: the restoration of the north wing of the House of ‘Abdu’lláh Pasha; and completion of the urgently needed architectural, photographic, and inventory documentation of the Holy Places—sacred and priceless legacies that must be protected from environmental and political perils. In addition, several other maj or proj ects were completed.

The restoration of the north wing of the House of ‘Abdu’lláh Pasha began in 1987 and took three years to complete. The projectfiphase two of an overall plan for the building—followed restoration of the south wing, which had been completed in 1983. The restoration was based on the design work of architect Mr. Saeed Samadi, with the work supervised and managed by architect Mr. F ariburz Sahba.

On 19 June 1990, the Universal House of Justice sent the following messages to all

National Spiritual Assemblies: REJOICE ANNOUNCE COMPLETION RESTORA TION NORTH WING OF HOUSE OF ‘ABDU’LLAH

PASHA IN ‘AKKA PERMITTING FIRST VISIT

ADDITIONAL AREA THIS HOLY PLACE BY

CURRENT GROUP PILGRIMS ON SEVENTEENTH

JUNE. WING CONTAINS HALL IN WHICH

‘ABDU’L-BAHA HELD FEASTS AND OTHER

GATHERINGS AND ALSO ROOM OCCUPIED

BY SHOGHI EFFENDI DURING BOYHOOD, BOTH

ROOMS BEFITTINGLY FURNISHED BY AMATU’L BAHA RUHIYYIH QANUM.

During this time, Rúḥíyyih Khánum also personally undertook the furnishing of two additional rooms in the south section Which were then opened to pilgrims, namely the biruni Of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and a room that was used for teaching children.

Several properties encroaching on the courtyard of the House or bordering the walls were also acquired, ensuring the future

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protection of the perimeter. The vaults and underground sections were surveyed.

In addition to the work on the House of ‘Abdu’lláh Pasha, architectural, as built, drawings of most of the Holy Places were completed, together with photo-docurnentation of the buildings and their contents. Identification and description of items according to museum standards neared completion. The following maj or tasks were also accomplished during the Plan:

— The coordinates, both latitude and longitude on the Israeli Grid, of the resting place of Baha’u’llah were finally established accurately, enabling the direction of the Qiblih to be ascertained from any point on the earth’s surface.

Restoration of the stencilled artwork on the balcony of the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh at Bahjí, October 1987.

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— The ceiling of the colonnade of the Shrine of the Báb was plastered and refinished and the specially designed brass ornamental light fixtures were affixed, completing the design of the Hand of the Cause of God William Sutherland Maxwell for this part of the superstructure.

The superstructure of the Shrine was carefully washed, and the dome was repainted and protected against rain water seeping into the interior. A new scaffolding system for accessing the interior and exterior of the dome was erected.

— The Room in which Baha’u’llah passed away in the Mansion of Bahjí was completely restored. Particular care was taken to replicate the beautiful pattern of the stencilled artwork both in this room and in the balcony area.

— Detailed research on the Prison Cell of Baha’u’llah was undertaken in preparation for its complete restoration. This was accomplished with the cooperative efforts of the Israeli Antiquities Authority. The plaster layer covering the walls was removed to expose the stones that were there at the time of Baha’u’llah.

~ The Riḍván Garden fountain was carefully excavated after serious cracks developed in the structure, and it was completely restored. The Pump House erected by the Guardian over the older structure that was in place at the time of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and which had collapsed, was also restored. Extensive restoration work also took place on the pebbled paths and the exterior of the building housing the Room of Baha’u’llah.

Using old photographs and photogrammetric measurement techniques, drawings were made of the original bench of Baha’u’llah and the other benches used by pilgrims. This was done in preparation for completely rebuilding the benches.

A property within the Firdaws Garden that was sometimes used by the Master was re—acquired.

— The property of the Junein Garden, which Baha’u’llah used at one time, was

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acquired and restoration begun. It is located in Nahariyyih, close to Mazra‘ih.

— Tiles on the roof of the International Archives Building were removed and protective layers placed. The roof was completely re-tiled.

—- The Monuments of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the Purest Branch, NaVVéb and Munirih Ehénum were carefully cleaned and restored.

— At the Haifa Cemetery, following the establishment of the Qiblih coordinates and the demolition of old structures that were illegally occupied, work began to align graves and paths, erect new retaining walls, and complete landscaping.

Kfifl

The ceiling of the colonnade Of the Shrine of the Báb was plastered and refinished, an

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~ All remains of Bahá’ís still in the Muslim cemetery in Tiberias were transferred to the Bahá’í cemetery in En GeV which houses the remains of Bahá’u’lláh’s faithful brother Mirza Muhammad Quli and his family.

— The land for a Bahá’í cemetery in Jerusalem was acquired, the Qiblih coordinates established, and the perimeters for the cemetery secured and built.

— The property of Qan—i—‘Avamid, which does not belong to the Faith but which is Visited by pilgrims during the pilgrimage program, was surveyed and documented for future purposes.

W,£/ A ,M

the specially designed brass ornamental light fixtures were affixed. 1991.

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d. Signing of the Status Agreement

Adapted from a letter from the Universal House ofJustz'ce to the Bahá’ís of the world dated 30 April 1987.

On 22 April 1987, in a ceremony at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, an Agreement comprising an exchange of letters was signed by Mr. Shimon Peres, Vice—Premier and Foreign Minister, on behalf of the Government of Israel and Mr. Donald Barrett, SecretaryGeneral of the Bahá’í International Community, on behalf of the Bahá’í World Centre. Among the contents of this Agreement are the following statements of recognition:

The Government of Israel recognizes the members of the Bahá’í Faith as a recognized religious community in Israel in accordance with Article 2 Of the Palestine Order in Council, 1922—1947, and confirms that the Bahá’í World Centre is the world spiritual and administrative centre of the Bahá’í world community and that the Universal House of Justice in Haifa

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is the Head of the Bahá’í Faith and its

Supreme Institution in accordance with its

Constitution.

The Government of Israel recognizes that the holiest places of the Bahá’í Faith, in accordance with the Bahá’í Sacred Scriptures, are located in Israel, and confirms that the Universal House of Justice is the Trustee of the Bahá’í International Community over the Holy Places of the Bahá’í Faith in Israel and over the Bahá’í endowments in Israel.

These friendly relations trace their foundation t0 the inspired initiatives of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself, particularly during the period following the Revolution of the Young Turks in 1908 when a general amnesty was effected for religious and political prisoners held under the 01d regime. The prestige acquired by the Faith through the dynamic force of the Master’s unique spirit was demonstrated after his release from imprisonment in the actions He took to establish His residence in Haifa at the foot of Mount Carmel, to inter

E

A Status Agreement was signed by His Excellency Shimon Peres, Vice—Premier and Minister of F oreign Afi’airs (center), and by Mr. Donald Barrett, Secretary—General of the Bahá’í' International Community (right), on 22 April 1987. Minister Moshe Shaka] (left) looks on;

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the sacred remains of the Báb in the mausoleum which had been erected by Him on the spot designated by Baha’u’llah Himself, and to travel extensively in the West. Subsequent to these travels, it was more conspicuously illustrated through the excellent relations He forged with high and low alike, the social impact of His liberal ministrations to the needs of the people in the Holy Land, and the conferring of a knighthood upon Him by the British Crown.

This legacy of prestige was evident in the recognition accorded Shoghi Effendi as Head of the Faith by the authorities of the British Mandate. The extent of the Guardian’s energetic exertions to achieve recognition of the independent status of the Faith, whose pennanent spiritual and administrative centres in the Holy Land, is beyond the scope of this letter and must, in due time be afforded full treatment in the work of future historians. Let it suffice to reaffirm here that what he was able to accomplish during the years of the Mandate, in securing custody of Bahá’í properties in obtaining official protection of the Holy Places, reeognition of the Bahá’í marriage certificate and of the Bahá’í Holy Days, and relief from certain taxes, combined to reflect a status for the Faith Which was accepted by the new Govemment when the State of Israel was established in 1948.

Dear Friends, the Status Agreement now achieved makes an indelible mark on the Formative Age of our Faith, assuming a special place among the swiftly accumulating evidences of the divine confirmations which have thus far distinguished the opening period of the fouith epoch of that Age.

One practical and spiritually confirming effect of the signing of the Status Agreement is that it brings us Within reach of the realization of the beloved Guardian’s Vision for the Are on God’s Holy Mountain. For With the Agreement in hand formidable obstacles to the execution of the Arc Proj ect have been removed. The conjunction of the completion of the architect’s design and the favourable

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action of the Government thus signals the ripeness of the time to pursue the obligation acutely felt by the entire Bahá’í world to bring to fmition, as soon as possible, the work begun by Shoghi Effendi in the erection of the Archives Building and can‘ied forward in the completion four years ago of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. The plans to be made and the material requirements for so extraordinary an undertaking will, of course, be communicated to the friends in due course.

e. The Arc and Terraces on Mount Carmel

In His soul—stining Tablet of Carmel, Bahá’u’lláh glorified Mount Carmel and declared that God had made it “the dawningplace of His signs and the dayspring of the evidences of His Revelation.” He also communicated to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá His majestic Vision for the holy mountain.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá undertook the great work of erecting a suitable resting place for the Sacred Remains of the Báb. He Himself constructed the original mausoleum, and in 1909 interred in it the Blessed Dust of the Báb. Soon after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, Shoghi Effendi added three additional rooms, and in 1953 completed the splendid superstructure of the Holy Shrine, designed by Mr. Sutherland Maxwell. He also beautified the holy spot with magnificent gardens, and took the first steps to shape the lower nine terraces. With the Tablet of Carmel as his guide, the Guardian initiated construction of a series of buildings upon an are on Mount Carmel that would constitute the administrative center of the Bahá’í world. Shortly before his death in 1957 he oversaw the completion of the Archives building, the first of five buildings to rise in the immediate Vicinity of the sacred resting places of four members of the Holy Family. After the passing of the beloved Guardian, the challenging task of erecting the remaining four buildings of the Arc and of completing the terraces became

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Members 0]"th Universal House ofJLzstice with architects Husayn Amdnat and F ariburz Sahbd 0n the construction. site, March 1988. From left to right: Dr. Peter Khan, Mr. Glenford Alitchell, Dr. David Ruhe, Mr. David Hofman, Mr. 'Ali Nalcfzjavdni, Mr. Hugh Chance, Mr. Amdnat, Mr. Salzbd, and Mr. Barrah Kavelin.

the responsibility of the Universal House of Justice.

In 1983, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, designed by Mr. Hossein Aménat, was completed at the apex of the Arc. Then in 1986, as the Six Year Plan opened, the House of Justice announced its plan to commence rearing the remaining buildings on the Arc, employing designs by the same architect. It also appointed Mr. Fariburz Sahbé, the architect of the Indian House of Worship, to design the terraces above and below the Shrine of the Báb, and to function as Project Manager for constmetion Of the additional buildings envisaged in the plan.

In a letter to the followers of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the world, dated 31 August 1987, the Universal House of Justice wrote, in part:

Five closely related projects demand our attention: the erection of the three remaining buildings on the Arc and, added now to these, the construction of the ten'aces of the Shrine of the Báb and the

extension of the International Archives Building. A brief description of each of these W111 convey an impression of their significance for the Faith.

The Terraces Of the Shrine of the Bfib. In His plans for the development of Mount Carmel, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá envisaged nineteen monumental terraces from the foot of the mountain to its crest, nine leading to the terrace on Which the Shrine of the Báb itself stands, and nine above it. These plans were often referred to by Shoghi Effendi, and he completed in preliminary form the nine terraces constituting the approach to the Shrine from the central avenue of the former German Templer Colony.

The International Teaching Centre Will be the seat of that institution Which is specifically invested With the twin functions of the protection and propagation of the Cause of God. The institution itself, referred to by the beloved Guardian in his

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Some historicfeatures Of the terraces, such as the water cistern and pool built during the Ministry of ‘Abdu’l—Bahd, have been retained and incorporated into the new terrace design. Ninety percent of work on the main terrace had been completed by

15 F ebruary 1991.

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Earthwork 0n the terraces below the Shrine of the Bdb in October 1991.

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Excavation of'the site of the Centre for the Study of the Sacred

T exts, between the Seat of the Universal House of Justice and the International Archives Building,

in F ebruary 1992.

writings, was established in June 1973, bringing to fruition the work of the Hands of the Cause of God residing in the Holy Land and providing for the extension into the future of functions With which that body has been endowed.

The Centre for the Study of the Texts. This building Will be the seat of an institution of Bahá’í scholars, the efflorescence of the present Research Department of the World Centre, Which Will assist the Universal House of Justice in consulting the Sacred Writings, and will prepare translations of and commentaries on the authoritative texts of the Faith.

The International Archives Building. We have decided to construct, westwards, an extension to the basement of the present Archives Building to provide accommodation for the central office of the evergrowing Archives at the World Centre. This institution is charged With responsibility for the preservation of the Sacred Texts and Relics and the historic documents of the Cause of God.

The International Bahá’í Library. This Library is the central depository of all literature published on the Faith, and is an essential source of information for the institutions of the World Centre on all subjects relating to the Cause of God and the conditions of mankind. In future

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decades its functions must grow, it will

serve as an active centre for knowledge in

all fields, and it will become the kernel of great institutions of scientific investigation and discovery.

In August 1988, the Mount Carmel Projects Office was established in Haifa to design the terraces of the Shrine of the Báb, to take charge of the project management and construction administration of all the projects, and to represent the Bahá’í World Centre in all matters related to the projects and act as liaison between the Universal House of Justice and consultants, contractors, and the different departments and offices of the Bahá’í World Centre as eventual users of the buildings and facilities to be constructed. From its establishment to Riḍván 1992 the office grew to include structural, mechanical, irrigation, and electronic engineers, architects, and experts in the area of management, design and supervision.

Throughout the Six Year Plan many challenges were met in pursuing the Vision of Baha’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi. The House of Justice advised the Bahá’í world that it must accumulate a fifty million dollar reserve before any construction could begin, a goal achieved by February 1991. Other challenges included meeting legal and procedural requirements of the national and municipal governments and their agencies.

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With the problems came unexpected bounties. The City of Haifa announced its hopes to renovate the harbor and to begin to restore the nineteenth-century German Templer Colony which lines Ben Gurion Avenue northward from the foot of the terraces. Plans were made for a promenade at the crest of the mountain above the projected nineteenth terrace. Through the efforts of the Mount Carmel Projects Office, these external, independent plans are being integrated to the extent possible with the grand design for the World Centre properties.

The official approval of the Town Planning Scheme, essential for the initiation of the Projects, was given by the Local Town Flaming Committee and Haifa City Council on 11 October 1989. District Commission approval to the proposed Scheme was given on 23 July 1990. In the course of arranging for the Town Planning Scheme and the various building permits, much time was devoted to identifying and documenting the properties making up the Bahá’í World Centre holdings on Mount Carmel.

On 24 May 1990, the Universal House of Justice sent the following message to all National Spiritual Assemblies:

With feeling of profound joy announce to followers of Bahá’u’lláh in every land that on morning of twenty—third May, one hundred forty—six years after the Declaration of the Bath, work on extension terraces commenced. This historic occasion marked by Visit His Shrine and Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by Hands of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum and ‘Ali-Akbar Fun'ltan, the members of the Universal House of Justice and Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre with Fariburz Sahbé, architect of the Terraces and manager of the Arc Project to pray for Divine confirmations enable uninterrupted prosecution this maj estic enterprise.

The first phase of the Terraces Project was the lengthening and reinforcement of the main terrace on which stands the Shrine of

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the Báb, the facing of its wall with stone and reinforcement of its base, and the extension of the terrace gardens eastward over a new building that will house workshop service areas for the gardens, thereby making the terrace symmetrical on both sides of the Shrine.

In June 1991 phase two commenced: excavation for the Centre for the Study of the Texts and for the extension of the Archives building, an unusually massive excavation for the nine levels of the new buildings, six of which will be below ground. The excess rock from the construction site was transported down the mountain to raise and shape the lower terraces, while a thirty—meter-high retaining wall, anchored by deep—seated metal bars, stabilized the mountain behind the future buildings.

The Universal House of Justice wrote to the followers of Baha’u’llah throughout the world on 31 August 1987:

The great work of constructing the terraces, landscaping their surroundings, and erecting the remaining buildings of the Arc will bring into being a vastly augmented World Centre structure which will be capable of meeting the challenges of coming centuries and of the tremendous growth of the Bahá’í community which the beloved Guardian has told us to expect... This is the time for which we must now prepare ourselves; this is the hour whose coming it is our task to hasten.

/_ S seen

)

Modelfbuzldmgs 0n litheuArc a from the northeast.

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The Hand offlze Cause of God Amara ’I—Bahd Rúḥíyyih Ighdmtm greets the President offhe Marshall Islands, Amata Kabua, during his Visit to the Bahá’í World Centre, 23 June 1990.

,A ,, i . f‘ g _ V r, a The Hand offlze Cause of God “Ali-Akbar F urLZtan greets well—known musician and Bahá’í' Dizzy Gillespie during Mr. Gillespie ’s visit to the Bahá’í World Centre on 17 July 1991.

' if

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The Hand of J

the Cause of God $7 ‘AhflA/cbar F urLZtan accompaning the President oflsrael, Chaim Herzog (centre) during his visit to the Bahá’í World Centre 071 25 [Way 1989.

Above: The President ofHonduraS, His Excellency Jose' Azcona~H0yo, visiting the Bahá’í World Centre on 30 May 1987.

Right: The British Ambassador to Israel, His Excellency A/[ark Elliot, and A/[I‘S.Elh'0t (centre), visiting the Bahá’í World Centre 28 June 1989.

Members Of the Universal House ofJustz'ce at the Mansion ofBahjz' with the Honourable Sir T homas Davis, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (second from right, front), who visited the Bahá’í World Centre in August 1986.

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f. Broadening the Basis of International Relations of the Faith

As Islamic religious leaders increasingly assumed control of the Revolutionary Republic of Tran in the years following 1979, the country’s government began to lend official support to a systematic, organized campaign to destroy every trace of the Bahá’í Faith in the land of its birth. “It is absolutely certain that in the Islamic Republic of Tran there is no place whatsoever for Bahá’ís and Bahá’ísm,” the President of the Revolutionary Court in ghiraz announced.

Bahá’ís of the world rushed to the defence of their co-religionists. Guided by the Universal House of Justice, the Bahá’í International Community sought intervention by the United Nations Secretary—General and by United Nations specialists in human rights; National Spiritual Assemblies sought swift and Clear condemnation of the persecution from their governments and from other national leaders; and Local Spiritual Assemblies sought support for the Bahá’ís of Train through the media and through their local government representatives.

These actions coincided with a new stage in the unfoldment of the World Order of Baha’u’llah—the introduction of social and economic development projects, an integral part of Bahá’í activity. After decades of energy concentrated on the establishment of groups at the local level across the entire planet, some critical mass had been reached which gave Bahá’ís the human and material resources needed to apply the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to solve the most practical of problems. Health, education, appropriate technology, environmental studies... individual Bahá’ís had always worked to help the community at large, but all Bahá’ís were enjoined to work toward “the ordering of human affairs in such a way as to bring into being a world unified in all the essential aspects of its life.” (Letter from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís Of the World, dated 20 October 1983)

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In 1985, the Universal House of Justice addressed all of humanity about the central issue facing the human race—global peace. In a letter “To the Peoples of the World” entitled The Promise of World Peace, the Statement charts the one course that can lead humanity into the next century, and offers countless evidences that global peace is within our grasp. “If the Bahá’í experience can contribute in whatever measure to reinforcing hope in the unity of the human race,” the House of Justice stated in the concluding section, “we are happy to offer it as a model for study.”

As soon as the Statement had received the signature of the Universal House of Justice, presentation copies were sent by courier to the waiting National Assemblies throughout the world who had already been asked to seek audiences with the Heads of State of their respective nations and territories. This formal approach to the leaders of the world was the first stage in a program of distribution designed eventually to enlist the participation of every follower of Baha’u’llah and to reach millions of human beings with the message of peace.

The combined efforts of the Bahá’ís on behalf of their co—religionists in Train, in support of social and economic development, and pursuant of world peace resulted in the emergence of the Faith from obscurity. All over the world at all levels of society people became aware of Bahá’u’lláh and the followers of His Faith. Awareness brought curiosity; Bahá’ís were asked for more information, and they strove to provide it.

It became clear that coordination was needed to best Channel these eff01ts in external affairs and public relations. The Universal House of Justice created an Office of Public Information in 1985 as a specialized agency of the Bahá’í International Community to systematize the handling of information on the Cause at the international level. The report of its activities during the Six Year Plan can be found starting on page 537 of this volume.

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The House of Justice also convened a planning meeting for all senior staff members of Bahá’í International Community offices in Haifa, New York and Geneva who worked in external affairs and public relations. Held in New York City from 31 October to 7 November 1986, the meeting marked “a new, potent stage in the development of the external affairs of the worldwide Bahá’í community,” the House of Justice wrote to those gathered. “This stage... is Characterized by the new, inescapable challenges immediately to be met as a direct result of the operation of the onrushing processes through which are evolving the reconstructive influences of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order.”

Representatives of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Canada and the United States were also asked to join in the deliberations to “pave the way for closer collaboration in fields United Nations and public information activities” and “further reinforce divinely ordained ties two leading Bahá’í communities North America.”

One year later, the Universal House of Justice called an International Conference on External Affairs, held from 27 to 29 November 1987 at Langenhain, Germany. Specifically, the Supreme Body invited the National Spiritual Assemblies of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, F inland, France, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,

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the United Kingdom, and the United States to send representatives to meet with a member of the Universal House of Justice and with representatives of the United Nations Office and the Office of Public Infonnation Of the Bahá’í International Community.

Presentations were made by National Spiritual Assembly representatives on the relationships they had established with their national governments. Next, the possibilities and dynamics were explored Of the crossnational sharing of human resources as a means of supporting the diplomatic or public information work. Reports were presented about the activities of the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Offices in New York and Geneva, the Office of Public Information in Haifa and New York. Then, consultation was held on communication and coordination concerning external affairs between the Bahá’í World Centre and National Spiritual Assemblies.

It was a “ground—breaking event,” the member of the Universal House of Justice stated. “Foundations have been laid upon which we can build more ‘stately mansions’ for the Cause of God.” A proposal was put forward for follow—up meetings: a PanEuropean Conference; and a meeting for representatives of five National Assemblies (Canada, France, Germany, the United King dom, and the United States). This recommendation was sent to the House of Justice.

Participants in

the External Affairs Conference held in. Langenhain, Germany, from

2 7 to 29 November I 98 7.

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The Universal House of Justice called for a Pan-European Meeting in 1988. It was held from 25 to 28 December at Langenhain, Germany, and was attended by thirty-eight representatives from nineteen countries. Again reports were given of relevant activities, insights were shared from experience gained, and consultation was held on proposals made. One such proposal was that perhaps a Bahá’í International Community office for European Affairs could be established to contribute to the ongoing growth and unified actions of external affairs work and to help mobilize the energy of the European communities for the development of the Cause.

A meeting of senior officers of Bahá’í International Community offices in Haifa, New York, and Geneva, and representatives of five National Spiritual Assemblies (Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States) took place at the Bahá’í World Centre from 30 December to 1 J anuary 1989. “FAR-RBACHING DELIBERATIONS CENTRED ON INCREASED EXTERNAL ACTIVITIES FAITH”, the Universal House of Justice wrote to all National Spiritual Assemblies on 5 January 1989. “MUCH ENCOURAGED EVIDENCES EVER CLOSER TIES COLLABORATION WITH UNITED NATIONS, ITS AGENCIES AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS MANY LANDS, RESULTING EXPANDED SPHERE INFLUENCE FAITH FIELD INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES. HEARTENED BY REVIEW INDICATING INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES SHARE BAHA’U’LLAH’S

Participants in the External Aflairs Conference held at the Bahá’í World Centre, Haifa, Israel 30 December 1988 to 1 January 1989.

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WORLD-REDEEMING MESSAGE VAST REGIONS... SOVIET UNION AND EASTERN EUROPE. REJOICE IN MOUNTING PRESTIGE CAUSE GOD WORLDWIDE. INVITE ALL FRIENDS JOIN IN OFFERING PRAYERS THANKSGIVING BAHA’U’LLAH FOR HIS SUSTAINED ABUNDANT BLESSINGS.”

g. Turmoil in the Middle East Enveloped the Holy Land

On 2 August 1990, the Government of Iráq invaded Kuwait. The international reaction which quickly followed suggested the probability of a concerted military effort to reverse the invasion. One feature of the mounting crisis was a threat by Iráq that if it were attacked by any nation it would attack Israel in retaliation. Consequently, the Israeli government began a series of civil defence measures, and the Universal House of Justice began to review actions that could be taken to protect the Bahá’í Holy Places and the staff of the Bahá’í World Centre.

On 29 August, the Universal House of Justice appointed an Emergency Preparedness Task Force to act as liaison with the Israel Civil Defence officials and provide the World Centre with information as needed. On 30 September the World Centre staff was advised that emergency supplies of food would be distributed the following week, and that 20-litre jerrycans of water should be filled, battery-operated radios and flashlights checked, and plastic tape for sealing windows should be stored in a readily

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accessible place. The staff received training in use of the protective kits distributed by the Israeli Government, and gas masks and kits were handed out on 5 November.

In each principal work place at the World Centre, an emergency team was appointed and a “safe room” assigned. The rooms were stocked with supplies of food, water, and protective materials, and several air raid drills were held for emergency preparedness.

On 8 October 1990, a letter to National Spiritual Assemblies was written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice which read:

The Universal House of Justice has been following with close attention the development of the situation in the Middle East, and has decided to postpone all pilgrimages which have been scheduled between the beginning of the pilgrimage season on 29 October and 31 December 1990. Messages to this effect are being sent to all those who have been invited for that period.

The Bahá’í World Centre itself will continue to function as usual, as it has during all the previous disturbances which have threatened or shaken the Holy Land. Whatever transpires, we can be confident that it will be but one more step in the niysteiious unfoldment of God’s Major Plan for the unification of the world and the establishment of His Kingdom on eaith.

On 3 December 1990, the following letter to National Spiritual Assemblies was sent on behalf of the Universal House of Justice:

Further to our letter of 8 October 1990, in View of the continued unsettled conditions in the Middle East, the Universal House of Justice has decided that pilgrimages to the Holy Land up to the end of March 1991 should be cancelled. The individual pilgrims scheduled for this period are also being infomied.

For the same reason, the conference for the Counsellors which was scheduled to be held in the Holy Land from 28 December 1990 through 3 January 1991

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has also been cancelled. The House of Justice hopes it will be possible to convene such a conference at a later date.

The friends should not allow their concem about the situation in these regions to deter them from their efforts to promote the Vital interests of the infinitely precious Faith of God.

On 7 January 1991, the Universal House of Justice wrote to all National Assemblies:

We are conscious that the friends around the world are concerned by the unsettled conditions in the Middle East, so we are writing to assure you that we have taken all steps that are necessary to safeguard the essential requirements of the Cause of God.

In January 1981 we addressed a message to all Continental Boards of Counsellors through the International Teaching Centre, and a copy of that message was shared at that time with all National Spiritual Assemblies. lt confirmed that if at any time communication with the World Centre would be cut off, the Counsellors would, both collectively and individually, assist National Spiritual Assemblies to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of the nonnal administration of the Faith by these Assemblies until communications could be restored.

We rely now, as then, on the Continental Boards of Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assemblies to ensure that the all—important work of teaching the Faith and consolidating its institutions will continue with unabated zeal in every part of the world.

On a number of occasions in the history of the Faith the World Centre has been threatened by dangers of various kinds, and the knowledge of how the Almighty has preseiyed the Vital interests of His Faith in the past will reinforce the certainty of all the believers that whatever occurs will but serve to cariy forward the realization of His immutable purpose for mankind.

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We sha11 remember you all at the Sacred Threshold and shall pray for the bounties of Baha’u’flah to guide and sustain you in the execution of your Vital responsibihties in the promotion of His Cause.

Meanwhile, World Centre staff had been organized into “Neighborhood Groups,” with “telephone trees” so that information cou1d be distributed systematically during nonoffice hours. Additionafly, a number of staff members had been trained in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

On 15 J anuary 1991, the Universal House of Justice wrote to the friends at the Bahá’í World Centre:

We have noted with warm appreciation the devoted spirit in which, despite the increasingly tense situation in the Middle East, the friends are going about their usual business; and we wish to assure you of our continued prayers that the Blessed Beauty will surround the World Centre with His protection now as in the past.

Every practical step is being taken to attend to the needs of the World Centre as circumstances require.

The Emergency Preparedness Task F orce will keep you informed and advised as necessary. The Task Force has our full confidence, and we urge you to follow its instructions in case of a rea1 emergency arising from the situation in the Gulf.

Our hearts are now turned to the dear, steadfast friends in Iráq, Kuwait and adj acent countries. We invite you to join us in praying on their behalf at this time when great danger hangs over them.

At midnight on 15 January 1991 Eastern Standard Time in the United States (0700 on 16 January in Israel), the United Nations’ deadline for Iráq to withdraw from Kuwait passed. That day the World Centre staff members were advised to start carrying their gas masks with them at all times.

At approximately 0530 on 17 J anuary, the staff was advised by way of the Neighborhood Group “telephone trees” that a coalition

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of governments had launched a massive aerial attack against Iráq, and that work was suspended for the day.

At about 0315 on 18 January staff members were awakened by the sounds of explosions, air raid sirens going off, and te1ephone calls from neighbors announcing that Iráq had started its retaliatory raids against Israel. Once again work was suspended for the day.

The Bahá’í World Centre stayed on “emergency footing” for the duration of the War—from 17 January to 28 February 1991. Work was suspended for four days, and hours were shortened for eight days.

During the “100 hours” of the Gulf War, a total of thirty~11ine missiles were reported to have been fired at Israel during 18 separate attacks. Of these, six landed in the Haifa/Akka area causing extensive property damage but no injuries. There was no damage to any of the Bahá’í properties.

On 28 February 1991, the President of the United States, George Bush, announced that the multinational force was stopping all offensive action. At noon the Israeli Civil Defence authorities said the emergency was over, and that people could pack their gas masks in their original boxes and unsea1 their “safe” rooms. The Bahá’í World Centre went off “emergency footing”. The Gulf War was over.

World Centre staflhelp each other learn. how to use gas masks in case ofan attack.

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Bahd ’z'youtlz ofAm‘Sirabé, Madagascar, walking to a village five kilometers away to teach

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the Faith on 21 April 1988.

B. WORLD—WIDE OBJECTIVES

a. Carrying the Healing Message of Baha’u’llah t0 the Generality of Mankind

The Six Year Plan witnessed a further emergence of the Faith from obscurity as the followers of Baha’u’llah spread His message in new and creative ways to an increasingly diverse audience throughout the world. The Universal House of Justice, in its message of Riḍván 1992, declared that the proclamation of the Faith “attained an entirely new stage” during this period. The enrollment of at least one and a half million new Bahá’ís was one consequence.

LARGE—SCALE ENROLLMENT In its Riḍván 1987 message the Universal House of Justice announced that “the stage is set for universal, rapid and massive growth of the Cause of God.” One year later it shared the news that “more and more national

communities witness the beginnings of that entry by troops promised by the beloved Master and which Shoghi Effendi said would lead on to mass conversion.” In a summary report of the Plan the National Assembly of Brazil made a comment which could be echoed by many sister communities: “The preoccupation with teaching on a wide scale was a tonic in this Six Year Plan, and efforts were made to help the diverse regions to tum examples of successful projects into fountains of enthusiasm to stimulate the whole country.”

Although some form of large-scale enrollment occurred on every continent, the most dramatic numbers of new believers entered the Faith in Asia. India launched approximately 300 teaching projects, more than doubling the number of Bahá’ís from fewer than 1 million to more than 2.2 million.

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The Bahá’í population in Bangladesh increased from 9,000 to nearly 63,000 believers, almost a sevenfold gain; during a single threernonth period in 1988 alone, some 5,000 new souls embraced the Cause and 108 new Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed. By the end of the Plan the populations of nearly one hundred Villages in Bangladesh were won over to the Faith. Two major projects in Taiwan resulted in a sevenfold increase in the community from fewer than 2,000 to more than 14,000 believers; during the early months of its Muhájir Project the National Assembly of Taiwan reported an average of ten to fifteen individuals enrolling per day. National communities doubled in Hong Kong, trebled in Pakistan, and, with at least twelve full—time mass teachers in the field each year, the Philippines witnessed an increase of some 37,000 believers.

India’s Muhájir Project, which alone was responsible for bringing more than 14,000 souls into the Cause, demonstrated how systematic efforts could bring about largescale enrollment. Spanning a little over one year, the project consisted of three “movements”: an initial teaching conference and call for volunteers followed immediately by a week—long teaching campaign; the creation of a local task force to organize permanent teaching and community activities; and appointment of assistants to Auxiliary Board members to help the task force create strong Local Spiritual Assemblies.

The powerful effects of applying organized and concentrated teaching efforts to a particularly receptive area were also witnessed on the other side of the world in Guyana, where a three—year pilot project launched in 1989 was instrumental in achieving the Plan’s final success of almost 36,000 new believers. The Resident Teacher Project began with thirteen overseas believers and sixteen local believers teaching fulltime; within six months, 12,000 people had declared their faith in Baha’u’llah. During this pilot project, forty—two local teachers and eighteen international participants

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volunteered their services, and fifteen local youth spent six months to one year each serving full-tirne on the teams.

In Brazil entry by troops was also pursued systematically, with the establishment of a national Department for Teaching on a Wide Scale. Special materials were prepared and seminars regularly held, leading to such successes as 1,500 enrollments in Pau da Lima and nine hundred in the southern community of Alvarado, where many of the new believers had been made aware of the Faith through a Bahá’í school in the town.

A year of teaching in Ecuador dedicated to the Hand of the Cause Dr. Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir brought some 2,300 people into the Faith during its first eight months by targeting five goal areas and offering four weeklong teacher—training institutes. The work of full—time teams from within Ecuador was supplemented by Visiting teachers from seven countries, and forty—six new Bahá’ís j oined the more experienced teachers to make the campaign a success.

Short—term mass teaching projects also achieved impressive results. A month-long project in Venezuela, spearheaded by an international travelling teacher, welcomed 400 believers into the Cause and formed twenty—six new Local Assemblies; another series of projects in that country, dedicated to the Bahá’ís of lran and called We Cannot Fail Them, resulted in more than 1,000 enrollments. A total of 548 Bolivians joined the Faith in one week when ten teams of Bahá’ís, inspired by a two—day conference in Sucre on the theme of entry by troops, set out for ten different places to proclaim Baha’u’llah’s message. In total nearly 2,000 new souls embraced the Faith in the most receptive areas.

Although ongoing campaigns spanning several years and involving numerous teachers contributed significantly to large—scale enrollment, focus and dedication were more important characteristics of teaching teams than size. When a team of twelve teachers from five different countries spent nine

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weeks among the Garifuna people of Belize, more than 1,000 embraced the Faith. One of the most dramatic teaching Victories occun'ed in Peru where 1,764 people became Bahá’ís during five days of teaching following a two—day mass teaching workshop in the Lake Titicaca region; at one high school in the area, the principal, all teachers and students enrolled.

In Trinidad and Tobago teaching projects with a few full—time, self—supporting teachers and one homefront pioneer who arose for about nine months increased the number of Bahá’ís by more than 5,000.

Although Asia and Latin America proved the most receptive to entiy by troops, focused teaching efforts achieved a fair measure of success on all continents. In Kenya a variety of short-term projects led to the enrollment of 17,950 people, and in Nigeria 802 members of the Yomba tribe were brought into the Cause by six youth who spent one week Visiting five Villages. In the Mariana Islands a full—time teaching team serving on Saipan for three months in 1990 enrolled more than 1,000 believers. In Fiji the Olinga Project, carried out between August 1989 and July 1991, brought into the Cause some 1,500 individuals, with almost equal proportions from each of the islands’ maj or ethnic groups.

Even in Europe, where growth in numbers remained relatively slow until the former Eastern Bloc dramatically opened to the Faith, the effects of pointed and consistent efforts were fully demonstrated. “The whole Italian Bahá’í community has been galvanized by a new Spiritual atmosphere,” reported that country’s National Assembly after between sixty and seventy people began attending each fireside in the goal town of Portici. One of the main features of this project was the imme diate involvement of the newly enrolled Bahá’ís in the consultative process and their assumption of responsibility for specific activities. Within a year approximately 100 people had embraced the Faith and enrollments continued at a fairly steady pace.

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REACHING PEOPLE OF ALL BACKGROUNDS

When two pioneers settled in Sakhalin in 1990, the last remaining teiritorial goal named by Shoghi Effendi in his Ten Year Global Plan was fulfilled. After the miraculous opening to the Faith of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the successful prosecution of the subsidiary Two Year Teaching Plan in those areas, the Universal House of Justice was able to state in its Riḍván 1992 message that “the Faith of Baha’u’llah is represented in every country on earth.”

In 1988, the Bahá’í community’s success in the wide diffusion of Baha’u’llah’s message and settlement of its adherents was publicly recognized when the Encyclopaedia Britannica, in its Britannica Book of the Year, termed the Faith the second most widely spread religion after Christianity.

The numerical enrollment Victories of the Six Year Plan were possibly exceeded by achievements in increasing both the diversity of the populations with whom the message was shared and, more importantly, the diversity of the Bahá’í community itself. Ongoing efforts to spread the Faith to all corners of the globe were expanded by campaigns to share its teachings with a greater number of ethnic groups and to reach individuals from all social strata.

Within national borders the dissemination of Baha’u’llah’s teachings to all areas continued. Thus in South America Bahá’ís established themselves in all the states of Brazil; in Chile they created a “Viitual chain of communities reaching from the far north and extending to the far south”; and in Paraguay Local Assemblies were elected in almost every part of the country. Japan’s goal of having Bahá’ís in all the country’s prefectures was accomplished during the Plan. In Taiwan 145 new localities, including three previously unopened islands, Claimed new adherents. In the Philippines 1,800 new localities were opened. Nations as diverse as Norway and Malawi were similar in their fulfillment of geographic distribution goals:

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Norway reached its aim of opening all counties to the Faith, in the process bringing the message to seven different islands, while Malawi achieved its objective of 1,500 localities.

In addition numerous minority groups were reached for the first time, from the Dhimal and Sherpa of Nepal to the Gypsies of Thailand and the Travelling People of Ireland. In the Philippines thirty-eight new tribal areas were opened to the Faith. Mali reported that all ethnic groups in the country could count at least one Bahá’í. In Taiwan three entirely tribal Local Assemblies were formed.

Just as geographic representation was often widened by focused teaching in particular areas, so was greater ethnic diversity attained by concentrated efforts. In Spain an international conference to analyze the process of teaching and deepening Gypsies, followed by three national consultative meetings and a compilation on the subject issued by the National Assembly, resulted in a considerable increase in Gypsy enrollments. In Australia formation of the Aboriginal and Islander Working Group in 1988 was followed by a surge in conversions among those populations. Austria experienced group deolarations among Turkish workers when it “concentrated on making their participation in our community life possible” through language courses, special unity feasts and folk

In India, a bicycle for two was made to facilitate travel teaching in Uttar Pradesh. 1991. Since women cannot travel alone in this area, the cycle made it possiblefor two women or husband and wife teams to participate in. the teaching work.

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music during gatherings. A substantial increase in declarations of faith among Carolinians and Chuukese on Saipan in the Mariana Islands occurred when, at the Bahá’í Center, Chuukese believers shared Bahá’í songs, along with island dance and food, with their relatives.

The Guaymi Cultural Center in Panama, inaugurated in 1987, provides an outstanding example of the Bahá’í community’s efforts to help an indigenous people preserve its cultural heritage and simultaneously strengthen the Faith. The Center became the focus of a Guaymi tutorial school network and cultural, health and agricultural activities, all supported by the broadcasts of Radio Bahá’í Panama.

Efforts were made in many countries to reach people from all social strata with an emphasis on people of capacity. Courtesy calls on government officials were made, interfaith prayer gatherings sponsored and attended, and receptions held to introduce Bahá’í professionals to their colleagues. Many government and religious leaders, professionals and academics who were made aware of the Faith’s central teachings responded favorably.

In several countries consistent efforts to inform government officials about the Faith were rewarded when they began attending and even addressing Bahá’í-sponsored events. Cabinet ministers and chiefs in Botswana often attended Bahá’í and the

events,

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country’s Minister of External Affairs addressed a reception held in honour of the African Board of CounseHors. Five ministers in Bangladesh attended functions at the National Center, and in Hong Kong the Director of Environmental Protection and the Consuls—General of Israel, Panama and Chile participated in a celebration of the Birthday of Bahá’u’lláh.

Two of the most significant signs of ' growing government awareness of the Faith occurred at the end of the Plan. Brazil’s Federal Chamber of Deputies announced its intention to comrnemorate the Centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh with a special solemn session; and the Prime Minister of Guyana, the Honorable Hamilton Green, addressed the United States’ National Convention at Riḍván 1992.

One activity which contributed very significantly to the Faith’s emergence from obscurity was the continuing distribution of The Promise of World Peace. By Riḍván 1987 the statement had been presented to heads of state, a large number of the members of national governments, diplomats, teachers, trade unionists, leaders of rehgion, eminent members of the judiciary, the police, legal, medica1 and other professions, members of local governments, Clubs and associations, and thousands of individuals. While initial presentations had concentrated on national government leaders and people

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of prominence, during the Plan it was carried to peoples everywhere from all walks of life. Such were the accomplishments in bringing Bahá’u’lláh’s heahng message to people of all national, ethnic, economic and educational backgrounds that the Universal House of Justice affirmed at Riḍván 1990 that: “a significant milestone in the fourth epoch” had been reached, and “the Administrative Order now embraces a community of wider diversity than ever before.”

CHINESE TEACHING

The House of Justice has repeatedly emphasized the importance of teaching the Chinese people around the world. The establishment in March 1989 of the Bahá’í International Community’s Office of Public Information in Hong Kong, and the launching of the Chinese edition of One Country in nnd-1990, were two major steps taken to attract the interest of the world’s Chinese population. Additionally, the appointment of the Bahá’í Committee for China by the House of Justice in June 1989 signalled the importance of careful planning and coordination of various efforts in this area.

Between 1988 and 1990, the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih 1(_hénum, accompanied by Mrs. Violette Nagavéni, Visited mainland China four times. She met with numerous prominent

In the Solomon Islands, Auxiliary Board members have overcome the problem Oftransport between the many islands by using a motorized canoe to serve as a Maritime Bahd ‘z' T eaching, Institute. 1991.

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people, particu1ar1y in Beijing and Dalian, showed slides of her trip to the Amazon entitled the Green Light Expedition to various distinguished guests, and addressed students and staff at Nankai University in Tianjin, where both Martha Root and Agnes Alexander had also spoken during their Visits to China. Her four Visits inc1uded a one—month trip, in the summer of 1988, to Guangzhou (Canton), Urumqi, Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Guilin, as well as a one—week trip to Tibet in 1990.

In the fa11 of 1989 she made a five-week trip to Taiwan, travelling over 2,000 kilometers and Visiting some mass-teaching areas, as well as major cities. During this Visit she presented a special copy of the Peace Statement in Chinese to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, was received by the Minister of the Interior and the SecretaryGeneral of the National House of Representatives, and had interviews with several maj or newspapers.

While in the Far East Amatu’l—Baha also attended a large formal banquet organized by the Spiritual Assembly of Hong Kong in honor of the passage, by the Legislative Council, of “the Bahá’í Ordinance” Act, and Visited U1aan~Baatar in Mongolia for one week, in 1989.

The Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone and Mrs. Madge Featherstone travelled to China for the first time in September 1988. They Visited Guangzhou, Lanzhou and Beijing before departing at the beginning of October. During a tour of Zhongshan University (Sun Yat—sen University) in Guangzhou, Mr. Featherstone was invited unexpectedly to speak to the students of the Department of Philosophy about the Faith. Two days later he presented a lecture on “The Bahá’í Faith: Its History, Teachings and World—Wide Development.” The subjects covered included the oneness of mankind, the oneness of the Prophets, the re1ation of Baha’u’llah to the Founders of the previous religions and the importance of eliminating prejudices.

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The Green Light Expedition Videotape was broadcast in five segments in Guangzhou in November 1989, reaching approximately five million people. The same month a camera crew from China National Television in Beijing Visited Bahapur, India, to include the House of Worship in a documentary film about India.

The Videotape Jewel in the Lotus about the Temple in India was aired in Tianjin in two segments in January 1992, reaching more than 3.5 million Viewers each time. The narration was dubbed in Mandarin, and Bahá’ís in the area reported encountering people who were deeply moved by the film.

A series of ten—minute radio programs produced by the Bahá’í Office of the Environment of Taiwan, an agency of the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan, reached approximately three million primary school students. These weekly programs, which contained Bahá’í spiritual principles and which mentioned the name of the Faith, were broadcast to primaiy schools throughout Taiwan for a ten-week period beginning in March 1992. The Ministry of Education sponsored and partially funded these education programs.

The Chief of the Beinan Tribe in Taiwan, Chen Wen-Sheng, adopted the Faith in August 1990. He was the first triba1 chief of Taiwan (and greater China) to become a Bahá’í. His son, Chen Chien-Hong, the next hereditary chief, also enrolled at the same time. The Beinan Tribe (also known as the Puyuma Tribe) is the fifth most popu1ous of the nine major aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior reported the total population of the Beinan to be over 8,500 at the end of 1988.

Efforts were made to share ideas about Chinese teaching among national communities. The International Chinese Teaching Committee sponsored six highly successfu1 international teaching conferences around the globe between 1988 and 1991. In order to exchange ideas and strengthen their teaching program, members of the Taiwanese

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Members ofa teachin g team enrolling a new believer in Macau in May [989.

community Visited twenty—one countries which had established Chinese Teaching Committees.

In some countries association with Chinese community organizations facilitated Chinese teaching, as in Hawaii, where interaction With the Worldwide Farmers’ Association opened the door to sponsorship of a China Peace and Friendship Tour in 1992. More than one hundred Chinese community leaders in Hawaii were presented with the Peace Statement.

The quantity of Bahá’í literature in Chinese languages was greatly increased during the Plan. The Bahá’í committee for China and the International Chinese Teaching Committee j ointly worked on translating selections from Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh under the auspices of the Bahá’í World Centre. Other translations were made of selected compilations produced at the World Centre. A group of Bahá’ís in China translated a compilation of various Writings and prayers which was subsequent1y published by the Spiritual Assembly of Macau.

MASS MEDIA

When the Six Year Plan began, the press was aware of the Bahá’í Faith largely because of the persecutions in Tran. Wide distribution of the peace statement provided opportunities to broaden that image. Increasingly, members of the media sought out Bahá’ís for stories on their peace—related activities, and even the press Which had been resistant to the Faith in some areas became more receptive. The shift in press interest from the persecutions in Train to the teachings of Baha’u’llah was exemplified in the United States, where the number of significant alticles about the Bahá’í Cause increased from approximately 2,000 to 3,800 per year. This greater publicity provided the necessary incentive for Bahá’ís to develop more sophistication in dealing with the media, and encouraged them to produce more acceptable material for use in radio, television and newspapers.

Radio was Widely used for proclamation, and Bahá’í radio operations became increasingly involved in teaching efforts. In addition to the programming on newly launched

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Bahá’í—owned radio stations in Chile and Liberia, and the continuing broadcasts of Bahá’í stations in the United States, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia, Bahá’í programs were aired on non-Bahá’í stations in very many countries, including such places as Guyana, Belize, Grenada, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Malaysia, Thailand, Spain, Chad and Lesotho. In Rwanda, broadcast of a weekly ten-minute radio program began in 1989 and quickly attracted a large audience. The following year, when civil disturbances made travelling extremely difficult, the program became one of the few means still available for teaching. The listeners were invited to send questions, and the subsequent correspondence led to an average of ten declarations per day.

In El Salvador public service announcements about peace were broadcast twenty times per day for one month, and in the Republic of Ireland feature subjects on the Faith were transmitted on all but one of the newly legalized local stations. Radio stations throughout the length of Chile aired selections from The Hidden Words on an hourly basis for over a month as a public service project; and Bahá’í stations repeatedly presented the Writings.

The International Bahá’í Audio-Visual Centre (IBAVC), through its offices and representatives in several lands, continued to support Bahá’í spot use of radio and teleVision by providing materials and advice. Over fifty workshops and training seminars in the production and use of audio—Visual media were conducted by IBAVC in thirtyseven countries and in all continents of the globe. Ten different monographs were produced during the Plan, ranging from relating spirituality to media subjects to highly specific ‘how-to’ papers, such as how to prepare radio spot announcements. IBAVC distributed radio scripts and tapes in various languages to countries throughout the world, and adapted many films and videotapes, including the Green Light Expedition, to the various television standards used in the

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world market. Large-scale distribution of Videotapes and audio—tapes has been steadily expanded by IBAVC from its bases in the United States and Venezuela, and the new Music Clearinghouse began a library of music tapes by Bahá’í composers and performers developed for radio, Nineteen Day Feasts and other uses.

A number of regular television programs about the Faith were also aired. The Canadian-produced Bahá’í Perspective was broadcast a total of sixty-six hours; Bahá’ís in El Salvador produced fifty—four episodes of a weekly program; a thirty—minute program was shown twice monthly in Dominica; twelve shows on the Faith were screened in Kenya; and Alaska produced four awardwinning, sixty-second public service announcements called Peace Talks.

Numerous single—episode programs were produced, such as half—hour shows screened throughout the United Kingdom and Portugal, a panel discussion on peace with representatives of various religions in Lesotho, and the broadcast of a Bahá’í children’s program on Transkei television. In many countries television news coverage of Bahá’í events included interviews with local Bahá’ís, travelling teachers and Counsellors. Further significant programs included: the broadcast of the International Convention Video in Bolivia, Saint Lucia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Thailand; references made to the Faith on C-SPAN and CNN in the United States; and a seven—minute story on the Faith which aired nationwide in prime time in Australia.

Proclamation in newspapers increasingly included regular publication of selected Writings, press releases about Bahá’í events, and feature articles prepared about the Faith and its followers.

By the end of the Plan most National Assemblies had a public relations office or committee to prepare and review information about the Faith. In most cases, the officer chiefly concerned with the work also served as the national representative for the

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global network created by the Bahá’í International Community’s Office of Public Information, receiving news from this source.

Many Local Assemblies also appointed individuals or committees to monitor the public relations activities of the community. The Office of Pubhc Information created a manual to guide the work of these agencies, distributing it through its worldwide network. Some national communities also held training sessions, such as Brazil’s “Latin American Bahá’í Seminar on Public Relations and External Affairs” in early 1992, and Canada’s pub1ic affairs training conferences held across the country. Training was also held locally in Bangladesh, Ecuador, Mauritius, Norway, Thailand, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe.

The majority of training in public relations occurred through practical experience, as the media increased their attention to Bahá’í activities during the Plan. One prominent example of this was in Hawaii Where specific issues such as the status of women and the state of the environment were identifled from the Peace Statement, and an extemal affairs officer was made responsible for developing a portfolio on each issue. At

El Viento Cantapeiforming in Botswana in December 1989 during the Bahá’í International

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the end of the P1an, Hawaii called its external affairs program an indispensable part of its teaching work.

THE ROLE OF THE ARTS

T hat day will the Cause spread like ttvildfire when its spirit and teachings are presented on the stage 07‘ in art and literature as a whole. Art can better awaken such noble sentiments.especially among the mass of the people.

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi dated 10 October 1932, Bahá’í News, 73 [May 1933] p. 7.)

The tmth of these words was increasingly demonstrated as a growing number of music, drama and dance performances proclaimed both the content and spirit of the Bahá’í teachings to ever-wider audiences. Most of the performing arts groups were composed of youth.

E1 Viento Canta (The Wind Sings), a group which fonned while its members were serving at the Bahá’í World Centre, shared Latin American folk music as well as the principles of the Faith with audiences throughout Europe, Africa, the fenner Soviet

Music F estival held in Gaborone.

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Union, Mongolia and China. The group played to substantial audiences (for example, 3,000 attended one concert in Spain) and received extensive radio and television coverage which often included long interviews and led to many enrollments.

Another Latin American youth group, Planeta Paz (Planet Peace), began performing in Brazil in August 1991 and spearheaded a national proclamation effort in Argentina in December. Each show combined music with Bahá’í themes, folk music and slide shows, opening with a tribute to Baha’u’llah and ending with invitations to embrace the Cause. The National Assembly of Brazil attributes at least three hundred declarations of faith to their concerts in that country.

Other musical groups formed by youth included Let It Be This Generation which completed a 150—concert tour of Canada; Light in the Darkness, a European group which attracted eighty new believers during one concert in Romania; and the Carmel Minstrels, six young Guyanese musicians who shared the Bahá’í message throughout the Caribbean in 1987. Travelling to other continents to perform was not unusual: Malawi’s Kwayera Mbee was invited to tour Europe; the Thailand performances of a group from New Zealand and Australia called Wildfire led to hundreds of enrollments; and New Zealand’s Youth for One World taught the Faith in Hong Kong.

Music played a particularly important role in Africa, where numerous local choirs were formed and Bahá’í songs composed. The International Music Festival in Botswana was described by the nation’s Assembly as “one of the most significant achievements” of its Plan, and Kenya’s Assembly reported that “many of our Bahá’í communities have been kept alive because of music and thousands have become Bahá’ís because of it.”

The history and principles of the Faith were also widely shared through drama. The Sacred Writings were combined with music and dance to tell the story of the Báb when Badasjt was performed at the International

Theatre Festival in Canada. Peace Child, a musical drama produced by a committee of the National Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands, was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and a documentary was made of it by a major television network. In Australia an Aboriginal theater group called The Storytellers was formed.

The power of dance to transcend language barriers and connect hearts was demonstrated by the enthusiastic responses of audiences to various performing groups. For example, dance groups called Youth Workshops formed throughout the United States and at Canada’s Maxwell School; Youthquake toured in the United Kingdom; and a well—known Lakota Sioux Indian believer performed a traditional hoop dance in numerous communities in Canada, the United States, Europe and elsewhere.

Bahá’ís also used other fine arts to spread the message. In Denmark an exhibit of artwork based on Bahá’í quotations and aCcompanied by Bahá’í books was displayed three times. Excerpts from the Peace Staternent formed the basis of an art exhibit in Belize. The organizers of a peace festival in Japan invited the Bahá’ís to contribute a display that blended photographs, traditional floral arrangements, artwork on peace themes by local children, and Bahá’í books.

Consultation on the use of arts in teaching was facilitated by the founding, in August 1986, of the International Bahá’í Association for Arts, by several forums held at Landegg Academy in Switzerland, and by the development of the Bahá’í Youth Institute in Costa Rica as a center for training youth to use arts in service to mankind. Consultation was followed by teaching projects having an explicitly artistic emphasis. The European Bahá’í Youth Council organized a project called Peace Through Artistic Expression in Yugoslavia in 1990 during which hundreds attended special open—air concerts. In Belize a 1988 project which centered around the arts was reported to result in at least seventy-nine enrollments.

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In 1991 the Music, Arts and Drama Committee of Czechoslovakia organized a one-week Art Forum in collaboration with the Bahá’í Association For Arts chapter in Bratislava; Bahá’í artists and musicians from more than fifteen countries, including republics of the former Soviet Union, shared ideas for proclaiming the Name of Bahá’u’lláh, and public performances were held daily. In 1988 approximately 1,000 people participated in Canada’s first Festival of the Human Spirit, a four-day series of workshops, exhibits and performances on using the arts in teaching.

EXPANDING THE TEACHING FORCE Efforts to encourage and support individual teaching, provide teacher training and establish permanent teaching teams all helped stimulate an increase in the number of dedicated souls actively spreading Baha’u’llah’s Message. The Universal House of Justice reiterated the crucial importance of personal teaching in its Riḍván 1988 message, saying: “Every individual believer—rnan, woman, youth and child—is summoned to this field of action; for it is on the initiative, the resolute will of the individual to teach and to serve, that the success of the entire community depends.”

National Assemblies encouraged individual initiative in a variety of ways. A series of Vision to Victory conferences in the United States ended with participants submitting personal pledges of teaching service. The National Assembly of the Eastern Caroline Islands sent a booklet called A Personal T eaching Campaign to all Local Assemblies to be shared with their communities. Numerous National Assemblies sent circular letters to Local Assemblies and held local seminars on the topic.

While evidence of increased individual personal teaching is not easily monitored, National Assemblies on all continents made observations such as “a greater commitment to individual teaching”; “more involvement and efforts in the field of teaching”; and

“many Bahá’ís have concrete personal goals.” In Brazil a Campaign of Individual Teaching from Heart to Heart had 500 regular participants over a two—year period. Zimbabwe reported that a corps of travelling teachers, averaging between six and ten individuals, was in the field at any given time. The National Assembly of Switzerland estimated that some 2,000 teaching activities were carried out by 230 believers. India reported that the number of friends taking part in teaching activities increased tenfold.

Teacher training took a variety of forms, from orientation sessions for travelling teachers and pioneers to seminars and institutes open to all believers. Several permanent institutes provided ongoing training, such as the ‘Ilrni Teaching Institute in Lahore, Pakistan, which in 1991 began to offer ten days of classes per month, and the Jamaliyyih Institute in El Salvador which trained approximately 100 teachers. Annual national and regional teaching conferences were held on all continents.

One particular innovation which expanded the teaching force was the Universal House of Justice’s call for short—term pioneers. In September 1989 National Assemblies were assigned a number of short-term pioneering goals measured by months of service. Because the believers filling these goals did not intend to stay permanently (some stayed only three months) they were freed from the need to find employment, and thus more of the friends were able to participate.

The teaching work was also carried out by permanent teams in a number of countries. For example, the permanent teams of Guyana’s Resident Teacher Project inspired similar teams in Belize, Brazil, El Salvador and Honduras; and full-time teams were formed in four states of the United States near the end of the Plan. Also in the United States, approximately 1,000 teaching institutes were formed, with members committing themselves to teach a particular segment of the population over a period of at least five years. Teaching institutes were also tried in

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five pilot areas of Turkey and then spread all over the country.

A highlight of the teaching work was the growing involvement and initiative of indigenous peoples. Following a seminar in Bolivia in July 1989 on the development of the Faith among the Indian peoples of Latin America, a one-week teaching project was held during which some 500 people enrolled. The seminar had been attended by seventy Bahá’ís representing nine distinct indigenous groups from eight countries. In 1986 a gathering of all the sacred societies of the Peigan Reserve in Alberta, Canada, was called by Elder Joe Crowshoe, a Bahá’í, to explain the teachings and plan for further intersocietal gatherings.

Indigenous believers increasingly volunteered travel teaching services. Four Garifuna teachers from Belize and Honduras formed a team called Trail of Light and shared the Faith with the Carib descendants of their ancestors in Dominica. Mayan believers played a significant role in a 1989 project in Mexico which led to the enrollment of 220 people in the first week. Teams of Bri Bri

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from Costa Rica joined the teaching programs in Honduras.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION With strong encouragement from the Universal House of Justice, many steps were taken to win the goals of international collaboration in the teaching field. Conferences on border teaching were held in Europe and Central America, and successful exchanges of teachers took place when the Thai—Cambodian border opened for trade in 1991. Maj or international collaboration among institutions was achieved when the Promise of World Peace Tour was organized: sixty-two Bahá’ís from eight nations travelled to the Soviet Union in 1989 to disseminate the Peace Statement.

Probably the most dramatic examples of international collaboration occurred when the countries bordering Eastern Europe were given responsibility for quickly organizing teaching plans and sending teachers when the Eastern Bloc opened to the Faith. Myriad other international teaching projects were carried out collaboratively during the Plan.

Irish Bahd ’z'youth walked from Cork t0 Limerick, a distance Of64 miles, on belzalfof World Peace in October 1987.

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YOUTH The Six Year Plan witnessed a Widespread acceptance by Bahá’í youth in many parts of the world of the concept of a period of service, undertaken generally as a temporary interruption to their formal educational program and devoted fully to the promotion of the teaching work. Youth in all continents were reported to be in the forefront of teaching activity. In its Riḍván 1992 message the Universal House of Justice affirmed that Youth activities took on a special character shaped by the idea of a youth year of service. The involvement of the youth in the Six Year Plan as short—term pioneers, travelling teachers and projecteers had a profound effect on the teaching work overall...

Youth dominated the teaching work in Eastern Europe. Other examples of significant youth activity include the four STAR teaching projects carried out between 1987 and 1990 in Botswana with international participation, and the ongoing Sparks of Peace project which brought youth together every summer for an intensive campaign throughout the English-speaking Caribbean. The United States reported that youth participated in nearly every ongoing project and comprised most of the full—time teaching teams. The initiative taken by youth to form music, dance and drama groups to proclaim the Faith is yet another aspect of the prominent role they played in the teaching work.

The level of initiative and organization demonstrated by youth also rose, as exemplified by the establishment by the House of Justice in October 1989 of a European Bahá’í Youth Council charged with coordinating the various activities of the European Bahá’í youth and representing them in dealings with other youth groups and agencies. In Malawi a strong National Youth Committee planned and carried out the Collis Featherstone Proj ect

with a focus on reaching refugees from Mozambique. In the Netherlands the Youth Committee composed its own plan and invited each youth to choose a personal goal toward its fulfillment.

HOUSES OF WORSHIP

Since the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent was dedicated to public worship in December 1986, more than thirteen million people have crossed its threshold, one day alone registering 143,635 Visitors; it is now one of the most Visited religious edifices in India. As the Temple’s fame spread, its Visitors’ log became a roster of dignitaries from around the globe: heads of state, government ministers, ambassadors, scholars and religious leaders wrote of their admiration for the unique structure, and for the principles that inspired its singular and enthralling beauty.

The Houses of Worship on each of the other continents continued to act as silent teachers of the Cause. The national communities in Australia and Samoa took particular advantage of their Mashriqu’l-A_c_lhkars to introduce prominent people to the Faith; special services held in commemoration of United Nations Days were well attended by people of capacity from many professions. Refurbishment of the Temple in Uganda began, to make it once again East Africa’s jewel. In Panama the national secretariat was moved to the Temple grounds and a large auditorium constructed for Visitors. At the Mother Temple of the West in Wilmette, U.S.A., a long process of rehabilitating the architectural concrete components began. In 1991 Germany’s House of Worship was classified as a Cultural Monument under the provisions of the Historical Monument Preservation Law. In all of the Houses of Worship, many teaching programs complemented the regular worship services.

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b. Greater Involvement of the Faith in the Life of Human Society

When the Six Year Plan began, the Universal House of Justice had just offered, in The Promise of World Peace, the experience of the Bahá’í community as a model for the peoples of the world to study. Throughout the six years the believers increasingly shared that experience through association With individuals and organizations working to solve the problems addressed by Baha’u’llah. By Riḍván 1992 Bahá’í Views and participation were actively sought by individuals and goverrnnents alike.

CONTACT WITH PROMINENT PEOPLE AND

AUTHORITIES The Promise of World Peace, which introduced people from all walks of life to the Bahá’í Faith, led to unprecedented contacts with prominent people and government authorities. By the end of the Plan Bahá’í Views on peace had been shared with government authorities in nearly every nation of the world.

A sample of the prominent people who were presented with the Peace Statement includes: all 559 senators and congressmen undertaking to write Brazil’s new constitution; delegates to the Chuuk State Constitutional Convention and the Federated States of Micronesia National Constitutional Convention, both in the Eastem Caroline Islands; and the presidents of seven South American nations attending an intergovernmental meeting in Uruguay. Presentations of the statement to government and media officials in Cuba were reported to have been warmly received.

After the Bahá’ís of Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., presented The Promise of World Peace to their City council, the council unanimously passed a resolution encouraging citizens to read and study the document and paid tribute to the Bahá’ís for their leadership in a range of peace—related issues. In

1987 the Kansas State House of Representatives in the United States also encouraged study of the peace statement.

As government officials became increasingly aware of Bahá’í teachings and activities related to peace and world order, Bahá’í communities took bolder steps to assert to those in authority the indispensability of Baha’u’llah’s principles. In countries undergoing constitutional revisions such as Brazil, Haiti, Paraguay, South Africa and Thailand, National Assemblies submitted to their governments documents offering suggestions for new national constitutions. The President of the South African Law Commission, the judge acting on behalf of the government, commented that the Bahá’ís were the one group whose ideas had provided a “spiritual and moral foundation” for a constitution.

Bahá’í Views were also made known to various governmental organizations concerned With solving social problems. In May 1991 the National Assembly of Barbados submitted The West Indies in the 90’s and Beyond—A Bahá’í Perspective to the West Indian Commission Preparing the West Indies for the Future, a body established to study the future of the Caribbean community and regional unification. A number of presentations were also made to that Commission on behalf of other National Assemblies. In Taiwan the Ministry of the Interior arranged a special seminar called “Resolving Social Ills through the Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.”

Significant connections were also made with professionals of many specialties. Seminars were held to share Bahá’í ideas with experts in various fields, receptions for prominent Bahá’í professionals brought them together with colleagues who were not Bahá’ís, and monographs providing a Bahá’í perspective in special fields such as education and the environment were distributed. Bahá’ís also helped form professional associations related to peace, such as the Association of Physicians for Peace and the Association of Educators for Peace, both in

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Counsellor Beatrice Asare presents a copy of the Peace Statement to the Asantahene Of the Asante State of Ghana at his palace in Kumasi in September 1988.

Counsellor Violette Haake presents a copy of the Peace Statement to the Deputy Prime M in ister Of the Cook Islands,

Mr. [natio Akaruru, in October 1990.

Bahd ’z’ representatives present a copy of the Peace Statement to NA T 0 Base personnel in Keflavik, Iceland, in October 1988.

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Brazil. Bahá’í involvement with social and economic development projects also brought the Faith to the attention of professionals in development-related fields, such as education and health care.

The presentation of awards sponsored by Bahá’í communities to honor individuals for their service to humanity created many opportunities to meet and encourage community leaders. In Alaska the Honor Kempton Award for Service to Humanity, which is named after the woman known to Bahá’ís as the spiritual mother of Alaska and Luxembourg, continued to be presented annually; each year more than 100 guests, including prominent figures, attended the awards banquet. Presentation of the National Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands’ annual Agnes Baldwin Alexander Award for Service to Humanity received substantial press coverage. In 1988 the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom presented their first Human Rights Awards as part of their commemoration of the 75th anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Visit to London.

LIKE—MINDED ORGANIZATIONS Bahá’ís contributed their knowledge of Baha’u’llah’s Teachings and their time to many of the organizations which promote Bahá’í ideals. Numerous individuals volunteered with local and international groups, such as commissions working to prevent drug abuse. In addition, Bahá’í communities increased their support of United Nations’ activities and their involvement in interfaith associations.

Some of the most substantial collaboration with United Nations initiatives took place in the United States where the National Assembly, through its office at the United Nations, worked throughout all six years toward the ratification of various UN human rights Conventions, helped to commemorate the International Year of Peace and the International Year of Literacy, and became more actively involved in UN Association activities.

In 1988, Bahá’ís in Burkina Faso were the only members of a religious community in the country to take part in a commemoration of the UN’s International Peace Day and Children’s Day; and for the first time in that country, Bahá’ís were invited to participate in an official UN Day reception.

The National Assembly of Venezuela participated in a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council for Latin America which led to the Assembly’s hosting a meeting of non-governmental organization representatives; Bahá’ís subsequently helped to form the Association of Non—Governrnental Organizations in Venezuela.

Bahá’ís demonstrated their belief in religious unity through closer association with other religions. The lnter-Religious Understanding Association was formed by fifteen groups in India including Bahá’ís; a significant relationship was reported to have developed between the Bahá’ís of Nepal and the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace; an “active and thriving li ” was established between Bahá’ís and the Interfaith Group which represents most religions in Fiji; and Guatemalan Bahá’ís participated in a Congress for Peace with representatives of all the country’s religious denominations. In 1990 the Bahá’í International Community formally associated itself with the World Conference on Religion and Peace.

The interfaith groups occasionally addressed a pressing social need. In Zimbabwe members of an association of religious groups collaborated with UNICEF to help alleviate the physical sufferings of children in southern Africa. In Hawaii the Council of Churches co-sponsored the first Institute for the Healing of Racism in that state. The institute was formed by the Bahá’ís, modelled after similar institutes in North America.

Bahá’ís often addressed environmental issues by co-sponsoring forums, seminars and exhibits in conjunction with other groups. For example, the National Assembly of the United States became a member of the Global Tomorrow Coalition, an organization

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of 150 groups involved in issues related to resources, the environment and sustainable development. That Assembly also became a member of the Advisory/Planning Board of the North American Environmental Sabbath Committee; a Bahá’í symbol now appears on the newsletter masthead and Bahá’í quotations were included in 10,000 kits distributed

for a special event.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES Increasingly, Bahá’ís not only participated in activities with like—minded organizations, but also initiated their own events and organized groups dedicated to addressing problems facing society.

Numerous Bahá’í seminars, conferences and public meetings were augmented by unique events such as Brazil’s International Exposition on Education for Peace, carried out with the collaboration of twenty-three embassies and educational institutions, and Singapore’s Arts for Nature exhibit which earned favorable recognition from the Ministry Of the Environment and the Council of Women’s Organizations.

Several events initiated by Bahá’ís have gradually become a part of life in the greater community. Annual Race Unity celebrations are held in hundreds of United States cities. Observances of World Religion Day have become annual national events in Suriname. The Bahá’í cormnemorations of UN Human

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Rights Day have evolved into a government event in Bermuda. Essay contests on peace, sponsored in a number of lands, draw the attention of youth to the teachings of the Faith.

Bahá’í organizations were formed to promote Bahá’í principles among specific audiences including the Bahá’í Medical Association in France and Health for Humanity in the United States.

When renewed incidents of interracial Violence erupted in the United States, the Bahá’í community was already offering its healing perspective on the problem through, distribution of the statement The Vision of Race Unity: America‘s Most Challenging Issue, and through the holding of a series of Institutes for the Healing of Racism.

SIGNS OF RECOGNITION

A growing number of prominent individuals and groups sought the support of Bahá’ís during the Plan. Invitations to participate in peace-related activities, public mention of Bahá’í Views by prominent people, and requests for advice all pointed to increasing recognition that the Faith offers solutions to the crises facing humanity.

Milestone changes occurred in recognition of the Faith by public officials. The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Sir Thomas Davis, accompanied by Lady Davis, Visited the World Centre in August 1986 to

In Lesotho, Bahd ’z’s were invited to the Royal Banquet Hall on 15 September 1987 to receive the United Nations’ “Peace Messenger Award ”for the community ’s involvement in peace activities.

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consult with the Universal House of Justice about world peace. Later that year the President of Dominica quoted from The Promise of World Peace during a radio broadcast on the International Day of Peace. In April 1990 President Amata Kabua of the Marsha11 Islands, while officially Visiting Israel, came to Haifa with his secretary and his ambassador to confer informa11y with members of the Universal House of Justice on the role of the Marshall Islands in establishing world peace.

Bahá’í Views on issues related to socia1 justice were sought by the Central American Institute for Business Administration during its seminar on “Post-War National Reconstruction in E1 Salvador”; the Vice-President of Guyana requested a meeting with the National Assembly of that country to discuss Bahá’í participation in the “Social Impact Amehoration Program”; and the Macau Basic Law Consultative Committee asked the Maeau Spiritual Assembly to send three representatives to a joint meeting with the Basic Law Drafting Committee from China and various religious groups, after which the Bahá’ís were asked to submit their Views in a formal paper.

In the United States Mrs. Coretta Scott King, wife of the late civil rights leader, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., invited Bahá’ís t0 co-chair the National Religious Involvement Committee of the

Mr. Dexter King (right), son ofDr. Martin Luther King, J11, was the keynote Speaker at a Bahá’í' Peace Conference hela1 in Oslo, Norway, on 23 October 1986. Here he is being interviewed by the press.

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Martin Luther King Federal Holiday Commission. In 1992 the Bahá’í representative to the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, was invited to a gathering of 500 religious leaders convened by former President Jimmy Carter to explore religious involvement in “Project Atlanta,” a social and economic development project. The Bahá’í representative was then elected to the proj ect’s siX—member Advisory Council.

Intensive Bahá’í involvement in ecologyrelated activities led to requests for Bahá’ís to take greater leadership roles. Two members of Hawaii’s National Assembly were the only religious representatives among sixty-two groups invited to participate in the Governor’s statewide Earth Day p1anning session in 1990. A member of the United States National Assembly’s Washington, D.C., staff became part of a working group to draft suggestions for the United States government’s Earth Summit position paper in 1992.

Awareness of the Bahá’í teachings on religious unity were demonstrated when a Bahá’í became the only non—Buddhist speaker invited to address a public meeting held in conjunction with the “Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace” in Mongolia. In Guyana Bahá’ís were appointed to the President’s Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs. Bahá’ís were included in panel discussions on “Action Through Faith” and “East Meets

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West” at the International People’s College in Denmark.

Bahá’ís in Hawaii were asked to serve in a significant number of advisory groups: the Governor’s Permanent Commission for the Commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Week; the Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women; and the Governor’s Task Force on AIDS. Also in Hawaii, the chairman of a government task force chose the Bahá’í submission on education reform for broadcast on the radio.

ACADEMIC CIRCLES

In 1990 in the United States the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace was established at the University of Maryland’s Center for International Development and Conflict Management. Proposed by a non-Bahá’í professor in response to the Peace Statement, the Chair was created to conduct and publish research, design courses and lead seminars in the field of Bahá’í studies and world peace within an interdisciplinary context; to initiate public forums for discussing the issues proposed in The Promise of World Peace; and to establish academic links with, and provide technical assistance to, Bahá’í institutions in the fields of peace education and international development. The creation of the Chair marked the first initiative by a prestigious institution of higher learning to formulate a serious program of Bahá’í studies. Later that year Indore University and the National Assembly of India signed a document establishing another Chair for Bahá’í Studies with a similar range of functions to be developed.

Recognition of the Faith?s principles as legitimate and important subjects of study was cultivated when Bahá’ís delivered papers and lectures relating the teachings to current issues. A Bahá’í scholar presented his analysis of the Third World debt at the prestigious World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland; papers on refugee mental health and a case study on a Bahá’í refugee settlement program were received with considerable interest at the World Conference on Refugee

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Mental Health in New Zealand; and the director of Ghana’s Institute of Renewable Natural Resources spoke to a group from Cameroon’s International Relations Institute on “Religion in a World in Search of Peace ——A Bahá’í Approach” and on agroforestry, noting that the Faith offers solutions to global environmental problems.

The Faith was also directly presented to the world of academia during meetings with professors, presentations of The Promise of World Peace to university faculties, and conferences related to religious studies. A Visiting professor at Belgium’s University of Antwerp taught a course on the Faith to the faculty of the Comparative Religion Department; a member of Portugal’s National Assembly spoke at the Congress on Religious Studies held at the New University of Lisbon; and the National Assembly of Guyana sent an overview of Bahá’í community programs to 240 faculty members of the University of Guyana.

Awareness of the Bahá’í Faith among scholars increasingly led to its inclusion in university courses. In some cases Bahá’í approaches were incorporated into the study of other issues, such as at the University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A., where the Bahá’í Club helped to design a course called “The Economics of a World Commonwealth.” In Guatemala 300 student teachers studied the booklet Educationfor Peace over a period of twenty sessions. In other cases the Faith itself became the subject of study: lectures were given in comparative religion courses at Bermuda College, Malawi’s Chancellor College and the University of Zimbabwe; the Faith was part of an extension course on religious studies at Fiji’s University of the South Pacific; and entire courses on the Faith were offered at Brazil’s Federal University of Santa Catarina and the University of Hawaii’s Hilo Campus. An office of the United States National Assembly drafted A Curriculum Guide to the Bahá’í Faith to help college professors include the Faith in their courses.

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Two institutions which contributed to the increasing respect afforded the Faith in scholarly circles were the Associations for Bahá’í Studies, with their international coordinating centre in Canada, and Landegg Academy, founded in Switzerland in 1988.

Bahá’ís also influenced the curriculum of public schools at the primary and secondary levels. In Australia, after a retired Bahá’í teacher offered a multifaith religious education course to Queensland school officials, the QueensIand Department of Education invited a Bahá’í representative to be present at Curriculum Development Committee meetings, and the State Rehgious Education Advisory Committee voted to offer committee membership to officers of the Faith. In Peru high school teachers assigned research concerning the Faith as homework, referring to Radio Bahá’í as a resource. British Columbia’s Ministry of Education in Canada accepted The Hidden Words and The Seven Valleys as literature which could be studied in high schools.

ADVOCATING CONSULTATION As Bahá’ís worked to improve the level of consultation within their communities (see also “Higher Levels of Consultation,” p. 167), they simultaneously increased efforts to share this dynamic concept with the rest of the‘world.

Education about consultation took various forms. In Guyana members of the Women’s Affairs Task Force presented the principle to sixteen representatives of women’s groups; the Bahá’í model was demonstrated in a graduate course at the University of Hawaii to overwhelmingly positive response; and Tonga’s National Women’s Greater Involvement in the Life of Human Society Committee sponsored a highly successful conference on consultation.

In different ways, Bahá’ís seized opportunities to educate decision-making bodies about the importance of consultation. When the government of Singapore invited groups to submit their Views on the core values that

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should guide the nation, the Assembly of that country offered its Statement on the National Ideology, which recommended that consultation be applied to the whole decision-making process. Two pioneers at the University of Benin conducted a research project in which they used consultation with local farmers to demonstrate its value in rural development.

Increasingly, a variety of organizations recognized the value of this important Bahá’í principle, and requested advice and training. In 1986, following a three—hour session on consu1tation led by Bahá’ís, the Social and Ethics Committee of the Canadian Nuclear Association requested that the Bahá’ís facilitate discussion between the various factions in the nuclear energy debate. A mayor in New Zealand ca11ed the Local Assembly on behalf of his city council to request a meeting on consultation; the council met with three Bahá’ís who explained and demonstrated the concept.

PROMOTING EQUALITY OF THE SEXEs The believers initiated and supported numerous activities to promote the equality of men and women. In most cases this took the form of enhancing the status of women. Bahá’ís sponsored hundreds of conferences open to the public; formed Bahá’í women’s groups which associated with other organizations pursuing sirni1ar aims; and participated in various commissions and projects dedicated to equality of the sexes. (See also “Women’s Activities”, p. 409.)

Local, regional and national conferences were hosted by Bahá’ís to address this issue in such diverse locations as Cape Verde, Chad, Grenada, Korea, Paraguay and Spain. The most noteworthy of these gatherings were: a 1988 international women’s conference in the United States Which provided a forum for more than 1,000 women from sixty-five countries to discuss their role in the global peaoe-making process; the Pacific Women’s Conference spearheaded by Hawaii’s South Hilo Local Assembly in 1991 and attended by seventy people from

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seventeen nations; and a Caribbean Women’s Conference held in the Leeward Islands in 1988 WithpaItioipants from twelve countries.

Bahá’í groups forged links With non-Bahá’í associations working toward similar goals by registering With umbrella organizations, co-sponsoring events and speaking at meetings. The Bahá’í Women’s Committee of Singapore collaborated With the Singapore Council of Women’s Organizations, Which is composed of thirty~four groups; two Bahá’ís sewed as Executive Board members for a combined total of four years. In Nigeria the Bahá’í Women’s Development Board registered With the National Council of Women’s Societies. Ireland’s Bahá’í National Committee for Fostering the Equality of the Sexes formed strong ties with other community groups.

Since 1988 a representative of the Faith has served as convenor of “Advocates for African F ood Security: Lessening the Burden of Women,” a coalition of United Nations

agencies with non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations. Participants educate policymakers about women’s Vital

contributions to food production in Africa and the importance of their involvement in all levels of decision—making.

A number of related projects and commissions benefited from the involvement of individual believers and Bahá’í communities. The Faith was represented by both women and men at meetings called by the UN Commission on the Status of Women, including global and regional conferences, seminars and workshops. During the Plan fifteen statements were presented to the Commission on such topics as social and economic development, education and the status of girls. One direct result of this involvement was a joint project supported by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) called “Traditional Media As Change Agent.” In cooperation With various consultants Bahá’í agencies, National Assemblies, and UNIFEM, Bahá’ís created a project using traditional means, such as music and dance, to stimulate discussions about women’s and men’s roles in society. The project commenced in localities in Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Malaysia and Nigeria.

The President of

F rance, H is Excellency Frangois M irtercmd, with Mrs. Peggy Maichoo, pioneer

t0 Réunion (right),

at a reception at the Elysée Palace in Paris, in commemoration OfInternational Womens ’ Day,

8 March 1990.

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0. Increasing the Worldwide Availability and Use of Bahá’í Literature

A worldwide increase in the translation, production, distribution and use of Bahá’í literature was designated as a priority during the Six Year Plan with a View to proclaiming the Faith and its principles to all sections of society and broadening the Bahá’í community’s understanding of Baha’u’llah and His Message. This objective was energetically addressed throughout the Bahá’í world in a number of ways.

AVAILABILITY

Efforts to present Bahá’í literature to both the general public and the Bahá’í community were intensified, taking many forms. The most widespread were the participation of Bahá’ís in book fairs and exhibitions, the distribution of Bahá’í literature to public libraries, and the establishment of book depots and lending libraries. It is not possible to enumerate the achievements of every community in this sphere of activity, but to focus on the accomplishments of a few is revealing.

In India the Bahá’ís participated in some thirty-eight book fairs, held nearly two hundred book exhibitions and established as many as 110 book depots and 865 lending libraries. In one Indian state the Bahá’ís received a request from the Director of Public Libraries for 3,000 copies of Bahá’í books to be distributed among the 1,500 public libraries throughout the state. In Argentina the Bahá’ís took part in the annual Buenos Aires Book Fair, one of the most important in Latin America, drawing nearly a million people each year. At the International Book Fair held in Yugoslavia and attended by nearly 400,000 people, the Bahá’í Book Distribution Service of Austria gave out some 2,800 items. Bahá’í publishers attended three annual International Book Fairs in Beijing, China. In Chad the Olinga Bookstore-Library was opened in Moissala in the presence of religious, civil and military leaders; the library, open to the public daily,

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has a permanent collection of 1,000 volumes and also sells Bahá’í books. In addition, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Moissala, noting the paucity of educational facilities available to Villagers, started a mobile library in collaboration with the Local Spiritual Assembly of Munich, Germany; it contains both Bahá’í and general reference materials and travels between Villages, spending one day in each place.

PRODUCTION AND TRANSLATION Translations of Bahá’í literature were significantly increased in a number of languages, covering a greater range of subject matter. Spiritual Assemblies strove to enrich Bahá’í literature in national and local languages. Many such efforts were acclaimed for their contribution towards the preservation of culture and heritage. In Dominica, for example, the first translation of The Hidden Words into Creole was received with appreciation by a high—ranking government official and was seen as advancing the culture of the island.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Switzerland published a booklet in Ladin, a main dialect of Romansch, the fourth language of Switzerland; the booklet was distributed to the media and to agencies engaged in preserving the language. In the Netherlands a national teaching conference was organized by a Local Assembly to celebrate the publication and to develop plans for the use of a compilation of the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Frisian, a language of the Frisian Islands and the northern Netherlands.

In Togo and Benin, where selected Writings were translated into the native tongues of Villagers, a powerful effect on Bahá’í communities was achieved. To encourage application of Bahá’í teachings certain tribal chiefs also made recordings of the obligatory prayers so that illiterate Villagers could listen to the Words of Baha’u’llah; other audio recordings of the Writings amplified this mode of learning prayers and studyin the Creative Word. '

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In Papua New Guinea a booklet of prayers from several of the world’s major religions was translated into Nahk, one of the local languages, the first book ever printed in that language; a written form of Nahk had to be created by Bahá’ís before this could occur. The booklet, entitled Saaule Nakmai, a traditional Nalik call for assistance from God, was part of the Bahá’í community’s contribution to the United Nations International Literacy Year.

A clear trend emerged and gained momentum during the Plan to produce more Bahá’í literature on a broader range of subjects. New Bahá’í publications appeared on themes such as health and healing, marriage and family, decision-making and consultation, implications and applications of peace, and a range of social and economic development issues. Prior to the Plan only a handful of Bahá’í publications existed on the subject of literacy. By its close, the number of Bahá’í publications related to literacy easily reached forty. Among the languages in which Bahá’í literacy materials can now be found are: Hindi and Marathi for India; French and Creole for Haiti; Lunda for Zambia; Guaymi for Panama; and Spanish, Portuguese and Quechua for Latin America.

It is also interesting to note the marked upsurge in the publication of Bahá’í reference materials. The Six Year Plan witnessed

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the publication of a number of bibliographies of Bahá’í works and an English—language Bahá’í dictionary. Two more concordances were added to the seven already available, and the Sacred Writings in an electronic format became accessible for the first time through the publication of two software programs.

With the overall enrichment of Bahá’í literature throughout the world, it became necessary to ensure that the desire to create variety did not overshadow the need to make basic Bahá’í literature available to the masses of humanity. Cognizant of this need, the International Teaching Centre fostered a program that is now known as the “core literature” program. Core literature refers to a selection of titles comprised of Holy Writings, works on the Life and Mission of Baha’u’llah, and introductory and deepening materials, which are printed in large numbers and made available to the friends at affordable prices. The list of titles chosen as core literature for a given language not only is unique to that language, but grows and changes as the community develops and as the general enrichment of literature progresses.

Nowhere did this approach prove more useful than in the former Eastern Bloc, where the sudden opening of the countries of the region to the rest of the world in late

An estimated

1, 000, OOOpeople visited the International Book Fair held in Buenos Aires in April 1989. This was the sixth year the Bahá’í' Publishing T rust of Argentina participated in the F air and its booth attracted much attention.

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1989, and the large—scale teaching efforts that followed, created an unprecedented demand for Bahá’í 1iterature. In languages spoken in those countries experiencing largescale expansion, namely Albanian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Russian, a packet of basic core literature was printed in large quantities to put essential items into the hands of the people. While the production and distribution of core literature was vigorously pursued, parallel plans were developed to create a broad spectrum of Bahá’í literature in these languages. Both processes gradually gathered momentum during the last two years of the Plan and will continue for many years to come.

However, it was not only in the former Eastern Bloc where this approach proved useful. Core literature programs were also developed for languages spoken in other regions of the world where large-soale expansion is taking place, including Hindi, Khmer, Lao, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Portuguese and several vernacular languages of Africa, such as Bernba, Igbo, Yoruba and Sara.

COLLABORATION

Greater collaboration among Publishing Trusts and Bahá’í publishers was brought about by techno1ogical advances in the field of printing and the increase in organizational capacity throughout the Bahá’í world. On an operational level, closer collaboration was witnessed in the increasing number of Publishing Trusts sharing computer discs and/or films of manuscripts to facilitate the printing of the same book in different locations, thus avoiding the cost, difficulties and delays of transporting books over long distances and across borders.

On an organizational leve1, this collaboration was reflected in the number of international gatherings and consultative meetings about literature which took p1ace during the Plan. In 1987, for example, Argentina held the first Bahá’í conference on the production of literature in Spanish to coordinate and

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systematize efforts in translation, publication and distribution on the various continents. Likewise, the first International Chinese Bahá’í Writers’ Seminar was held in Malaysia in June 1991, Which explored the need for suitable Bahá’í materials in Chinese. In order to enhance the range of Bahá’í literature available in Arabic, a committee known as the “Reviewing Board of Bahá’í Literature in Arabic” was appointed by the House of Justice in September 1991, with its base in London. A Bahá’í publishers’ conference, held in England in February 1992, was attended by forty-four representatives of twenty-two publishers from seventeen countries. As an outgrowth of that conference, the International Association of Bahá’í Publishers was formed with its base in the Nether1ands.

DISSEMINATION The capacity of the Bahá’í world to disseminate literature on specific issues to thousands of people increased enormously. The release of The Promise of World Peace provided the impetus for the development of this capacity.

Since the appearance of the Peace Statement, some National Spiritual Assemblies have published items focusing on issues relevant to their own countries and have called upon their national communities to use these pubhcations extensively in their proclamation and teaching efforts. The most outstanding example is the statement prepared by the National Spiritual Assemb1y of the United States in 1991 entitled The Vision of Race Unity: America ’5 Most Challenging Issue.

There is every indication that this newly acquired capacity will be fully utilized in the dissemination of the Statement on Bahá’u’lláh. Issued in April 1991, the Statement had already been translated into at least forty-eight languages by the close of the P1an, and reports were received at the World Centre of its presentation to many prominent figures in various lands.

[Page 160]160

(1. Further Acceleration in the Process of the Maturation of Bahá’í Communities

The Six Year Plan itself, its goals and the method used to formulate them, reflected a new level of community maturity. In its letter of 2 January 1986 the Universal House of Justice stated: “This new process...signalizes the inauguration of a new stage in the unfoldment of the Administrative Order.”

STRENGTHENING LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES

In some areas of the world, most notably Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and East Asia, the number of Local Assemblies significantly increased, reaching and sometimes surpassing national goals. A milestone in Local Assembly formation occurred when the central authorities in Moscow approved the Bahá’ís’ application to restore the Iong-Iost Assembly of Ashkhabad (‘Ishqábád) in 1989. Yet the primary emphasis during the Plan was on encouraging existing Local Assemblies to manifest their full potential.

National Assemblies created innovative and effective deepening programs for members of Local Assemblies, and Auxiliary Board members and their assistants worked tirelessly to nurture these Vital institutions. Local Assemblies took greater initiative in holding regular meetings, carrying out their administrative functions, reforming themselves without outside assistance, and conducting extension teaching projects.

A number of National Assemblies produced deepening materials for their local institutions. In Brazil a set of nine booklets called Forming Conscientious Local Spiritual Assemblies was shared with more than 200 Local Assemblies. Standards for organizing and conducting secretariat and treasury tasks were formulated by the National Assembly of the Eastern Caroline

Islands and sent to all Local Assemblies”

The National Assembly of Fiji taped and distributed materials related to Assembly development in Fijian, Hindi and English.

THE BAHA’I WORLD

An illustrated booklet outlining the major tasks of a Local Assembly was distributed at a national convention in Togo.

Seminars, workshops and regular Visits provided the other maj or form of education. In the United States, Auxiliary Board members, assistants, Counsellors and National Assembly representatives conducted a series of eighteen local conferences as part of the “Local Spiritual Assembly Development Program” launched in 1989. The sessions were based on training modules and on a new compilation prepared at the National Center called Developing Distinctive Bahá’í' Communities: Guidelinesfor Local Spiritual Assemblies.

Members of the various institutions working together in Spain established the “Consolidation Project for Local Spiritual Assemblies.” A similar National Committee for the Support of Local Spiritual Assemblies was created in the Netherlands.

In the Philippines a simplified Local Assembly manual translated into Tagalog was distributed during seminars run by the Area Teaching Committees’ “Local Spiritual Assembly Development Project.” A “Travel Deepeners’ Program,” created in Tanzania, worked with twenty Assemblies during the Plan, and the National Assembly of Ethiopia conducted mini—deepenings for members of its urban Assemblies.

The Assembly of Chad reported that individual Bahá’ís travelled thousands of kilometers per year by bicycle to regularly Visit, encourage, deepen and deliver mail to Local Assemblies, greatly contributing to their development. Similarly, in the Central African Republic, the assistant secretary of the National Assembly rode some 1,200 kilometers by bicycle to hold institutes for thirteen Local Spiritual Assemblies in five locations, reaching nearly 300 individuals. The effects of such efforts could be seen as local institutions began demonstrating more responsibility and initiative.

Local Assemblies increasingly handled their basic duties without undue reliance on

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INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT Bahá’í ACTIVITIES

Counsellor Edith Senoga (second from left) visits Bahd ’z’ communities in the remote western region of Uganda, near the Ruwenzori Mountains; F ebruary 1990.

National Assemblies. For example, by the end of the Plan, incorporated Assemblies in Singapore and Hawaii were handling their own administrative work to maintain incorporation, and eight Assemblies in Taiwan had assumed responsibility for their own local centers. The minutes of Norway’s Local Assemblies showed these institutions to be increasingly advising individuals on their personal problems and on avenues for service to the Cause. Hawaii reported that the number of personal cases reaching the National Assembly radically decreased after the Auxiliary Board members held deepenings with Local Assemblies on how they might handle this aspect of Assembly responsibility themselves.

Many Assemblies went beyond basic functioning and fully developed local activity plans. All Local Assemblies in the Netherlands composed their own annual plans which were then confirmed by the National Assembly. Thaiiand reported that four Assemblies created their own plans, became financially self-sufficient and supported surrounding communities. Italy’s National Assembly dissolved its National Committee for the Assistance of Local Assemblies because of the level of maturity that had been achieved.

Finally, more Assemblies developed sufficiently to begin initiating activities of benefit to the wider community. Several

161

Local Assemblies in Bolivia organized and locally financed regional conferences with between 200 and 600 participants each. Fifty Canadian Assemblies initiated their own deepening programs and fourteen were overseeing the functioning of bookstores and information centers at the end of the Plan. Eleven Local Assemblies in Transkei adopted and pursued twenty—four extension teaching goals.

DEVELOPING LOCAL Bahá’í COMMUNITIES “It is not enough to expand the rolls of Bahá’í membership, Vital as that is,” the Universal House of Justice reminded the believers of the world in its message of Riḍván 1989. “Souls must be transformed, communities thereby consolidated, new mode1s of life thus attained.”

It is difficult to measure the deve1oprnent of local communities, because no numbers can be applied to the spirit at a Holy Day celebration, to the level of cooperation among the friends on a daily basis, or to the creativity poured into preparation for a Nineteen Day Feast. However, as the National Assembly of the Cook Islands reported, “...if the spirit of enthusiasm and loving unity among the members of our community has anything to do with the maturity of the community, then we have made great strides over the past six years in this area.” The National Assembly of Nepal

[Page 162]162

similar1y reported, “no doubt the greatest progress during the Six Year Plan has been registered in the area of the maturation of local communities.”

The successes of large-scale enrollment in various parts of the world created an immediate and pressing need for community consolidation. India’s “Muhájir Project” combined deepening With mass teaching, using a mobile deepening institute to he1p new1y formed communities to hold Nineteen Day Feasts, Holy Day celebrations and to perform administrative functions. A1so in India, the Bahá’í Academy in Panchgani significantly contributed to the process of consolidation through well-designed courses which were attended by Bahá’ís from both India and abroad, and conferences and seminars for Auxiliary Board members and assistants.

In the Khulna area of Bangladesh, where the populations of approximately 100 Villages came close to becoming 100 percent Bahá’í, the Regional Teaching Committee designated a few as “model Bahá’í Villages” and focused efforts on making the difference between Bahá’í and other Villages readily apparent.

One outstanding sign of community growth was the greater participation of native behevers in activities and institutions. As cu1tura1 expressions of indigenous people were better incorporated into Bahá’í community life and as Bahá’ís sought to preserve the most positive aspects of native cu1tures, loca1 people took greater responsibility for their Bahá’í communities. Zimbabwe, for example, reported that one of the highlights of the Six Year Plan was the transformation of pioneer—dominated activities into collective efforts supported by local believers.

The increased number of native believers e1ected to institutions reflected this greater participation. At the end of the Plan the maj ority of the members of twenty—two Local Assemblies in Guatemala were indigenous people. The first indigenous Loca1Assemb1y in the Amazonas State in Brazil, composed

THE Bahá’í WORLD

of members of the Mura Tribe, was elected at Riḍván 1990. The number of native Senegalese on the National Assembly of that country reached eight in the last year of the Plan; as the number of pioneers decreased, the Senegalese have “taken over, in the administration as in the teaching, and in so doing, have developed a greater sense of belonging to the Fait ”. The Pygmies of the Centra1 African Republic formed their first Local Assemb1y in 1987.

Another sign of maturation was the attention given to achieving greater equality between men and women within the Bahá’í community. Women’s issues and the topic of equality were studied at numerous Bahá’í schools, conferences, mini—courses and seminars, and entire conferences focusing on women were he1d in countries as diverse as Puerto Rico, Korea, Austria, Mauritius and Cape Verde.

Bahá’í groups were formed to provide support for women and to encourage communities to address the issue of equality. The Women’s Association for Development of Peace and Unity in France consisted of ninety members in four regional groups and held deepenings at various Bahá’í gatherings. In Spain the National Committee for Women was created to provide articles, lectures and deepenings. A committee in the Eastern Caroline Islands, which was formed to foster equality, developed a participatory workshop on the topic.

Women from rural areas and indigenous tribes also exhibited greater participation in community life. In Costa Rica in 1992, three indigenous communities were represented by women at the National Convention for the first time. In India large numbers of women were reported to be taking responsibflity for the affairs of the Faith in Rajasthan, and in November 1988 sixty—two Indian women from thirteen Villages attended a deepening conference at the Ma1housi Bahá’í Center in Uttar Pradesh, a reported “mirac1e” for women to leave their homes to share their Views with others.

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STRENGTHENING NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES Between 1986 and 1992, new National Spiritual Assemblies were formed or re-foimed in Angola, the Congo Republic, Guinea, GuineaBissau, Greenland, Macau, Niger, the West Leeward Is1ands, Zaire and throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The twelve National Assembhes formed at Rioevan 1992

alone equalled the total number in the world.

of forty years ago.

Overall, National Assemblies functioned more effectively as secretariats improved; elections more closely reflected the Bahá’í idea; Assemblies delegated more tasks to strong committees or councils; and members generally developed greater understanding of their roIes.

Record—keeping and organization of the administrative work of Assemblies improved With greater access to office techno1ogy. Membership records were computerized in numerous pIaces, including Dominica, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, the Eastern Carohne Is1ands and Zimbabwe; and many secretariats throughout the Bahá’í world acquired word processors and fax machines to facilitate their ceirespondence work. In Canada comprehensive information on10ca1ities was entered into a database and a history of Local Assembly establishment was compiled.

The emphasis in some areas on educating convention delegates in the unique nature of

The Spiritual Assembly Ofthe Bahd ’z's of F rench Guiana, with two Auxiliary Board members, in

April 1987.

163

Bahá’í elections, often carried out by the C0unse110rs, contributed to greater Assembly maturity and improved the quality of elections, so that they reflected an increasingly spiritual atmosphere. One recurring deepening program, which was developed in Hawaii for delegates, evolved into a national educational program on the e1ectora1 process.

Higher levels of cooperation and greater understanding of how to apply Bahá’í principles were reported by Assembly members. Kenya reported growth in planning, consultation and organization, stating “members are more committed, more loving, more Vigorous, and they have been trying to play their rightful role as ‘servants’.” Togo’s Assembly reported becoming more understanding of the importance of administering with justice the affairs and property of the Faith. The National Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands declared that its degree of growth “is reflected in the fundamental unity among its members, the increased reliance on the power of divine assistance in decisionmaking, and the constant attempt to make decisions based on principle and to arrive at cons ensus and unanimity. . .”

In several communications to National Assemblies, the Universal House of Justice recognized greater Assembly maturity by delegating more responsibility to these institutions. In 1986 Assemblies were urged to develop their own national archives, and in

[Page 164]164

1990 the House of Justice encouraged National Assembhes to begin selecting pioneers to be deputized and to match them With sponsors, thereby complementing the efforts of the International Deputization Fund.

Some Nationa1 Assemblies, in turn, moved to decentralize their activities as their communities and workloads grew. Malaysia’s first State Bahá’í Councils were established, and several of India’s Councils, created in 1986, developed sufficiently to include their own secretariats, committees, Feast news1etters and journa1s. Encouraged by the Counsellors to appoint stronger committees, Hawaii held its first twoday National Committee Training Institute, focused on making committees into effective arms of the Assembly, With authority to act without further approval except in cases involving a principle, policy or major funding.

COLLABORATION AMONG INSTITUTIONS As Bahá’í institutions at all levels matured, greater efforts were made toward sharing ideas and encouraging collaboration in common goals among Local Assemblies, National Assemblies, and between the elected and appointed institutions.

At 1east twenty collaborative endeavors inv01ving 105 Local Assemblies took place in Canada; forty-one Assemblies in Guyana participated in regional conferences in 1991;

“WEWEWt wt /1 4 N

1311,1118 n: (g:

4% HI ~ Cm?

firm up ' ’1 :

THE Bahá’í WORLD

and Assemblies in the Netherlands worked together to provide deepenings and children’s classes. In some cases Local Assembly co11aboration was international: seventy believers from twenty-five localities in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom met in 1988 to consult on ways they could join efforts to better teach in their local communities.

Regional consultations among National Assembhes provided additional opportunities for exchange. In October 1990 the Continental Board of Counseflors in the Americas organized a meeting in Guatemala for seven Centra1American National Assemblies. Thirty-seven representatives of the twelve National Assemblies of the Eastern Caribbean met in Saint Lucia in 1987 to foster collaboration among the participating communities. That same year representatives of the Assemblies of Hong Kong, Ma1aysia, Singapore and Taiwan began what became annual joint meetings; they were joined by the new Assembly of Macau in 1990. Representatives of the Assemblies of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sikkim and Sri Lanka met in India in 1989. Several joint meetings and institutes have been held between the Assemblies of Thailand and Laos.

In Africa members from the National Spiritual Assemblies of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi met With Counsellors in 1988 to

Participants in the National Convention of the Bahá’ís in Ciskei, April 1987.

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INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT BAHA’I ACTIVITIES

Members offlze National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahd ’z'S ofJamaz'ca at the International Convention in Haifa, Israel, J 988.

discuss the goal of entry by troops on that continent. In Europe that year members of the National Assemblies of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland met in Belfast with some 150 Bahá’ís from both countries to consult on winning borderteaching goals. The Netherlands reported greater collaboration among the National Assemblies of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom, including the regular exchange of teachers.

In June 1987 the Universal House of Justice assigned international collaboration goals to National Assemblies. National communities were encouraged to aid each other with teaching, contribute toward properties and needed equipment, share course materials and collaborate on literature translation projects. (See also “Increasing Bahá’í Literature”, p. 157.)

In May 1986 the House of Justice announced an expansion of the Boards of Counsellors and the Auxiliary Boards, and throughout the Plan these institutions forged ever—stronger relationships with National and Local Assemblies. A few examples of efforts to increase consultation between Counsellors and Assemblies include joint regional and national conferences Of the elected and appointed institutions held in Pakistan; annual meetings between the Assembly of Chad and its Auxiliary Board members; and annual weekend meetings with representatives of

165

., E t, v . . _ i Counsellor Violette Haake (right) meeting with Auxiliary Board members in

New Caledonia in November 1991.

both institutions in Belgium. Several National Assemblies made observations similar to Hawaii’s: “Trust and confidence between the institutions and the collaborative spirit of learning from each other, growing and working together have characterized the two arms of the administrative order....”

This spirit of cooperation manifested itself in gatherings of representatives of all the institutions. One conference held in Moscow in 1990 was sponsored by the National Assembly of Germany and attended by members of three Continental Boards of Counsellors and all Assemblies involved in teaching in the Soviet Union.

A national Six Year Plan conference in Canada brought together representatives from every institution, which then was followed by five meetings for large groupings of Local Assemblies and, finally, six smaller regional gatherings. Togo’s National Assembly reported that a “big step forward in the process of maturity” took place when members of both institutions held two consecutive meetings to discuss divergent points of View on the best time in the teaching process to elect Local Assemblies. The frank consultation “brought the participants to turn to the directives and advice of the Guardian and of the Universal House of Justice. This effort... has released an energy which has spurred our efforts during the last three months of the Plan.” ‘

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166 THE BAHA’t WORLD

Participants in a conference for Auxiliary Board members ’ assistants held at Swakopmund, Namibia in July 1988.

COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION OF NEWS

Bahá’í news and ideas continued to be shared among the believers primarily through publications and radio, but communication was enhanced by increasing access to television, fax and electronic mail. When the Office of Public Information at the Bahá’í World Centre announced the creation of a Bahá’í International Information Network to better coordinate efforts to proclaim the Cause and defend its interests, another step was taken toward increasing unity through improving communication among Bahá’ís.

Newsletters for assistants to Auxiliary Board members and regional bulletins published by Teaching Committees complemented national newsletters and Feast letters to form the backbone of information exchange. Bahá’í radio stations, which by the end of the Plan were broadcasting an average of thirteen hours per day each, seven days a week, year—round, also served to unite believers in their listening areas. Particularly in Africa, radio was used to announce Feasts, Holy Days and teaching campaign events; in India national public radio was available for announcements. Radio has served as a primary vehicle for communication in rural areas of South America, where a considerable amount of programing is done in native languages such as Guaymi, Quechua, Mapuohe and Aymara.

m”

Counsellor member Othe International T eaching Centre Magdalene Carney met NSAS ofSenegaZ and Gambia, May 1990.

Advanced technology~including fax machines, conference calls and electronic mail—enabled a worldwide network of Bahá’í communication to be established. Electronic bulletin boards such as “Newswire” in the United States, and international and national computer networks such as “bahai-net,” allowed individual believers in far-flung locations to exchange ideas and make contacts. The regular use of satellites to link believers in the Cook Islands, Hawaii, Western and American Samoa and the United States, beginning in 1986, foreshadowed a time when satellites would connect the whole Bahá’í world.

In 1990 the Media Services Department of the United States National Center began regularly producing Bahd ’z' Newsreel, a Videotape highlighting Bahá’í events around the world. Six editions of the newsreel were produced and sent to almost all National Spiritual Assemblies during the Plan. In the final year, tapes also became available in Spanish and F rench.

The importance of face-to-face communication was not lost in the midst of the new possibilities opened up by technology. The United States initiated two programs to foster greater unity among members of its geographically widespread community: the “Weekend Visits Program,” begun in 1989, brought groups of fifteen to thirty Bahá’ís to the National Center to exchange thoughts

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and concerns with the National Assembly; the “Town Meetings Program” begun in 1990 and planned by the Treasurer’s Office and members of the Auxiliary Boards, “fostered increasingly open and frank discussion with the community and has provided. .. Vital information about many aspects of the community’s life.”

In Taiwan the National Assembly and national committees held meetings around the country to help members meet as many individual believers as possible. In Zimbabwe the Regional Teaching Committee system created a communication network using traveling teachers to deliver news and messages.

HIGHER LEVELS OF CONSULTATION A sign of growing maturity in Bahá’í communities was the importance given t0 better practicing the art of consultation. The believers developed materials, organized classes and seminars, and be gan Assembly meetings With deepenings on this fine art.

Among the materials created and distributed were Brazil’s Bahá’í Consultation and Consult to Decide Better; audio—Visual aids and a booklet were produced and disseminated in Bangladesh; a complete course was prepared in Madagascar; and a document was written for presentations during Bahá’í harmattan schools in Togo.

Consultation was often studied in conferences, institutes and summer schools in many countries. India organized an annual conference on it, and workshops were held in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Denmark, El Salvador, Luxembourg and Spain.

The practice of consultation formed a major portion of several courses. During a nine—day workshop in Australia, Bahá’ís from three Aboriginal Reserves elected a mock Assembly and practiced consulting on hypothetical issues; an Auxiliary Board member joined the process, thereby helping participants to gain insight into the role of that institution. At a conference in the Western Caroline Islands sponsored by a Regional Teaching Committee, participants formed

“families” for a demonstration of consultation in this context; the groups discussed the rights and responsibilities of each family member, family discipline and the elimination of prejudice.

National Assemblies in Bolivia, Guyana, Mali and Norway reported reserving time during their meetings for regular study of passages in the Bahá’í Writings on consultation.

SUPPORT OF THE FUND

The health of the Bahá’í Fund is yet another indicator of the community’s developing maturity. Although there is no way to measure the spirit of sacrifice and sense of duty behind voluntary contributions, efforts by local believers to take more responsibility for the needs of national and international funds indicate spiritual growth.

In 1989 Landegg Academy held its first study course on “Effective Fund Management for the Development of the Faith,” Which illustrated the importance of fostering a spiritual basis for donations.

In the United States the “Local Assembly Goals Program for the National Fund” was launched in October 1990. Based on factors such as locality size and past record of donations, the National Assembly made specific recommendations to a number of Local Assemblies which reflected the level of sacrifice felt to be within the local community’s power.

In Canada the Local Assembly of West Vancouver, British Columbia, initiated what became a national program to contribute in specified units toward elimination of the 1990—91 National Fund deficit.

The number of regular contributors to the National Fund of Thailand increased fourteenfold after the national treasurer began making personal Visits to communities and sessions on the Fund were included in nearly all schools and conferences.

Local communities in several countries regularly supported their National Funds by planting crops to sell just for this purpose.

[Page 168]16 8 THE Bahá’í WORLD

The Hand Ofthe Cause of God Amatu ’l-Bahd Rdhz’yyih [Lhdnum opening the local Bahá’í' Center in Sheung Shut, Hong Kong, in November I 990.

Right: Counsellor Lucretia Warren with members of the National Spiritual Assembly ofMozambique infront of their newly acquired National Bahá’í' Center, 1989.

Above: The new National Office Of the National Spiritual Assembly of the

Bahd ’z's osz'ribati which was dedicated in 1989.

Right: Friends gathered at the Bahá’í' Center in Ndava, Burundi, for the inauguration held

22 October 1989.

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Fruit grown on the national endowment property at Farmers, St. Thomas Parish, Barbados, was used to make jam to sell for the Fund. The Local Assembly of Nyiakungu, Kenya, grew and sold tomatoes to become the first Assembly to meet its contribution goal for the National Fund. The Local Assembly of Tshilaka, Zaire, harvested crops of coffee, corn, manioc, beans and peanuts to benefit the Fund. Believers in Danane, Céte d’Ivoire, cultivated rice for three consecutive years to support their Local Fund.

BAHA’t PROPERTIES

As the Bahá’í community expanded, a greater number of localities were able to build, purchase or rent local, regional and national Bahá’í centers. Efforts were also made to renovate existing properties, encouraged by the message from the House of Justice in October 1990 outlining standards for maintaining Bahá’í properties.

New national centers were acquired in Ciskei, Macau, Mozambique, Romania and Saint Lucia. In Botswana, Project “Buy a Brick” was initiated in 1988 to accelerate contributions for the new center. The greatest number of new regional centers were acquired in African countries such as Bumndi, Céte d’Ivoire, Mali, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. More than 200 local centers were opened throughout the world.

Two of the most significant achievements in this area were the construction of the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent, which was dedicated to public worship in December 1986 (see pp. 731—740), and the opening of the De Pooxt Conference Centre in the Netherlands in June 1987. De Poort, which means “the gate,” is owned and operated by the Dutch Bahá’í community and hosts gatherings sponsored by members of the European Bahá’í community and various other organizations.

Renovation of a number of Bahá’í properties also took place, the most extensive being the refurbishment of the Houses of Worship

in Kampala, Uganda, and in Wilmette, U.S.A.

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LEGAL RECOGNITION OF Bahá’í INSTITUTIONS

The Universal House of Justice was able to call for the re—formation Of the National Assemblies of the Congo Republic and Niger at Riḍván 1992 after the Faith had been legally recognized by the authorities in both countries. These significant events were part of a trend toward governments’ officially recognizing the Faith’s independence. This facilitated the incorporation of its Assemblies, and acceptance of the legality of Bahá’í marriage and absences Of Bahá’í students from public schools on Holy Days.

A milestone in legal recognition of the Faith occurred in Germany in February 1991 when the Federal Constitutional Court, the highest legal authority in the country, affirmed the legality of Assembly bylaws, upholding the constitutional appeal made by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Tiibingen after a series of lower courts had refused incomoration. The lower courts had based their decision on the grounds that the authority granted to the National Assembly in the bylaws of the Local Assembly violated the legal principle requiring all legally incorporated associations to be autonomous. In a decision with far-reaching implications, the Federal Court affirmed the right of the Bahá’ís to organize as a hierarchically structured legal community according to the revealed Law of God. Because the decision was based partially on the constitutional right to freedom of religious practice, the Court declared its recognition of the Faith as an independent religion, stating, “the character of the Bahá’í Faith as a religion and the Bahá’í Community as a religious community is evident, in actual everyday life, cultural tradition, and in the understanding of the general public as well as of the science of comparative religion.” The Court even took the rare step of issuing a statement to the press explaining its decision.

In June 1988, the Legislative Council of Hong Kong passed an ordinance giving the Bahá’í Assembly a new status which may

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well afford the Faith further legal protection in the years beyond 1997 When Hong Kong becomes a part of the People’s Republic of China. The National Assembly of Saint Lucia was also incorporated, and the Ciskei Assembly’s constitution was approved by its Government.

Government documents acknowledging the Faith were used in India, where the Director of the Census instructed all enumerators to record the Bahá’í Faith as an independent religion and list the believers properly. In Turkey, some fifty believers were able to change the religion section of their birth certificates from “Islam” to “Bahá’í.” In Austria, Bahá’í credentials became accepted as valid documents for obtaining Visas, and, in Saint Lucia, Bahá’í registration of births and deaths was recognized.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands was issued mailboxes in the State Senate and the House of Representatives to receive copies of all bills before the legislature. Bahá’í institutions received tax exemptions in Equatorial Guinea, GuineaBissau, New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands, and Uruguay.

Advances were made in recognition of Bahá’í marriage. The Nigerian government permitted Bahá’í institutions to issue government marriage certificates; five additional Local Assemblies in Uganda were authorized to conduct legally valid marriage ceremonies; Bahá’í marriages were recognized for the first time in an additional nine National Assembly areas; and Bahá’í marriage officers were appointed in Grenada, Guyana, Pakistan, Saint Lucia and Transkei.

Progress was also made toward excusing more students and teachers from schools on Bahá’í Holy Days. In Ecuador permission was granted for the Rail Pavén School to close on Holy Days. In Uganda the Education Department of Mbale granted students exemption from classes on the nine Holy Days, the first instance of Holy Day recognition since the 1979 ban on the Faith was

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lifted. Chicago’s Board of Education in the United States, the Superintendent of Education for the Northern Mariana Islands, Germany’s Bavarian State Ministry for Education and Culture, and the Cantonal authorities in Bern, Switzerland, all gave permission for Bahá’ís to be absent on Holy Days. In Zimbabwe the Holy Days are listed on government calendars. Authorities in three counties of the Republic of Ireland have granted a holiday to all pupils for the Birthday of Baha’u’llah.

e. Promoting Universal Participation and the Spiritual Enrichment of Individual Believers

In its Riḍván message of 1988, the Universal House of Justice wrote:

...it is on the initiative, the resolute will of the individual to teach and to serve, that the success of the entire community depends... The ultimate triumph of the Cause is assured by that ‘one thing and only one thing’ so poignantly emphasized by Shoghi Effendi, namely, ‘the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of the eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh’.

UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION

Bahá’í institutions nurtured believers toward higher levels of participation in community life and service to the Cause by using educational methods that reached the Widest possible Bahá’í audience, and by relating the Teachings to the particular backgrounds of the individuals in the community.

A wide Bahá’í audience was reached through ongoing study guides published in national newsletters, such as the course on the Kitáb—iiqén that ran in the October and November 1989 issues of T he American Bahd ’z' and was reproduced by the National Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands and mailed to all believers through Local Assemblies. In addition, a study guide on the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf was published

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in the February, March and April 1991 issues. Other methods used to reach believers included an experimental program in India offering instruction through television, and increased use in Brazil of riverboats to carry Bahá’ís along the Amazon River and its tributaries, providing deepening from VilIage to Village.

Correspondence courses were used to reach believers who might not otherwise have access to regular deepenings or be able to attend Bahá’í schools. During the Plan courses were developed in places such as Canada, E1 Salvador, Bangladesh, Thailand, Burkina Faso and Tanzania, and previously published 1essons continued to be distributed in Saint Lucia, India, Botswana, Chad and Malawi. In Behze, Brazil and Bangladesh, 2111 of which experienced the cha11enges of consolidation following 1arge—sca1e enrollments, at least one correspondence course was sent to each new believer. Zimbabwe reported that 4,500 believers participated in correspondence courses. Courses specifically for children were published in Taiwan and Malaysia.

New believers were helped to establish the foundations of their Bahá’í identities in a variety of ways, the most common being the sending of Bahá’í books, compilations of the Writings, or correspondence courses With welcome cards. In Guyana a “National Deepening Program” for new believers was launched in 1992, in which 1,000 have participated. In the Netherlands all new believers were invited to the National Center to meet the National Assembly and study the administration, and to a special weekend of study at De Poort Conference Centre. The National Assembly of Burundi regularly reserved one day of its program of Classes for new Bahá’ís to ask questions. The National Assembly of Rwanda regularIy corresponded with new believers, sending news, deepening courses and selections from the Holy Writings. In Puerto Rico severaI regional conferences for new believers were held.

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Particu1ar efforts were made to help believers integrate their ethnic identities and their Bahá’í identities, particularly for indigenous people entering the Faith. In New Zealand a “Whare Wananga” (School of Learning) was established in June 1987 to provide twice-yearly intensive courses for the Maori Bahá’ís 0n the teachings and history of the Faith and the re1ationship between Maori culture and the teachings. Also in New Zealand 107 Maori Bahá’í women, inc1uding National Assembly and National Teaching Committee members, he1d their first National Women’s “Hui”, or traditional gathering, in February 1987. In May of that year the National Convention of New Zealand was held for the first time at a “marae” (traditional Maori meeting place). The message from the Convention to the World Centre said the decision to hold the convention at a “marae” tapped the spiritual reservoir of the indigenous cuIture.

In the United States in August 1988, Native American men and women representing fifty tribes gathered under a giant tent surrounded by teepees near the sacred burial site of Chief Sitting Bull at Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota to attend the Bahá’í—sponsored “Fifth Continental Indigenous Council”. Written pledges to serve the Cause and carry the Faith to Africa, Europe and South America were received by the National Assemb1y on the last night of the Council. In July 1989 Bahá’ís from eight countries joined seven Counse110rs for a conference in Bolivia on the development of the Faith among the indigenous peoples of Latin America. Deepening conferences and training programs specifically for the Lunda people of Zambia a1so resulted in offers to travel to teach and homefront pioneer. In Saint Lucia assistance was provided for indigenous believers to take part in overseas conferences and teaching projects.

Zimbabwe provides another example of success in encouraging the participation of native believers. The majority of Regional Teaching Committee members were local

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Bahá’ís, ninety percent of Convention delegates were indigenous, deepening institute teachers were indigenous and classes were conducted in vernacular languages.

Strengthening the Bahá’í identities of new believers was particularly crucial in areas where mass enrollment had occurred. The method used by resident teaching teams in Guyana of immediately revisiting new believers, providing deepening, and involving them in the teaching work right away, spread to other countries experiencing entry by troops. For example, a 1988 teaching project in Bolivia began with a two-day spiritualization and training course at the Firdawsi Institute in Caraccllo, resulted in the enrollment of more than 1,000 new souls and ended with deepening courses designed to maintain the momentum of expansion and consolidation.

INDIVIDUAL SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT Regular deepenings sponsored by Bahá’í institutions or initiated by individual believers, and annual summer, winter and spring schools held regionally or nationally continued to provide consistent opportunities for the Bahá’ís to develop their understanding of the Teachings and to experience the spiritual unity of these gatherings. The focus of study shifted more and more to the Life of Baha’u’llah as the Holy Year approached. In Alaska all believers were sent a copy of the Statement on Baha’u’llah.

The Assembly of Thailand reported greater enthusiasm and participation in Bahá’í summer and winter schools when the programs were changed from lecture format to interactive learning.

The word “institute” was used to designate a variety of Bahá’í educational entities, from comprehensive consolidation and spiritual enrichment programs, to permanent facilities offering regular courses, to one-time weekend workshops.

One example of a comprehensive program was Hawaii’s Spiritualization Campaign, which focused the entire community on the

THE BAHA’l WORLD

basics of Bahá’í life by producing two compilations, Prayer and M editation and Shining Examples, and then launching a National Teaching Committee plan, printed in booklet form, called Spiritualization in Action. Meetings on each island conducted by National Assembly members began in November 1991. The Spiritual Enrichment Committee produced a series of leaflets 0n the requisites for spiritual growth to be used to stimulate consultation during Nineteen Day F easts.

Material promoting reflection on spiritual principles was also provided to national communities by the Universal House of Justice. A compilation on trustworthiness prepared by the Research Department of the Bahá’í World Centre was sent to all National Assemblies in J anuary 1987, and extracts from the Writings concerning the sanctity of Bahá’í marriage, together with a statement on preserving Bahá’í marriages, were sent in December 1990.

LITERACY

In its Riḍván 1989 message the Universal House of Justice stated that “further systematic attention needs to be given to the eventual elimination of illiteracy from the Bahá’í community, an accomplishment which would, beyond anything else, make the Holy Word accessible to all the friends and thus reinforce their efforts to live the Bahá’í life.”

The importance of such a campaign was again emphasized when the House of Justice wrote a letter to all National Assemblies on 10 July 1989, calling on each to address itself to this objective. “Access to [the Holy W0rd],” the letter read, “constant study of it and daily use of it in our individual lives are Vital to the inner personal transformation towards which we strive and whose ultimate outer manifestation Will be the emergence of that divine civilization which is the promise of the World Order of Baha’u’llah.”

Bahá’ís responded to this call in various ways, participating in commemorations of the United Nations International Literacy

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Year in 1990, joining local adult literacy programs and creating their own programs.

BAHA’t SCHOLARSHIP

Notable advances were made in the development of Bahá’í scholarship during the course of the Plan, such that an increasing number of believers were engaged in analyzing the problems of humanity and demonstrating the efficacy of the Bahá’í teachings in solving these problems.

The process of relating the Teachings to the current issues of concern to the people of the world was fostered by the activities of the Associations for Bahá’í Studies Which are to be found now in every continental area, and Which attract a growing number of people, both Bahá’ís and others, to their periodic meetings on such topics as racial unity, the equality of men and women, the development of world order, and the spiritual foundations of social development. (See also pp. 461—470)

A significant role is played by the Association for Bahá’í Studies in North America, which has published proceedings of some of its conferences in books such as Unity: The Creative Foundation ofPeace; Racial Unity: An Imperative for Social Progress; The Bahá’í Faith and Islam; and The Bahá’í Faith and Marxism.

The inauguration in 1988 of The Journal of Bahá’í’ Studies, a quarterly, trilingual journal that publishes articles by scholars of the Bahá’í Writings, created a forum open to all researchers.

Several Bahá’ís participated in a scientific conference organized by the International Society for General Systems Research in Budapest, Hungary, in 1987. Dr. Ervin Laszlo, a renowned scientist and member of the Club of Rome, had encouraged the Bahá’ís to participate and requested that a paper on the Faith be presented. The Bahá’í' Community as a Model for Social Change,

which described the society—building processes of the Bahá’í community and the operation of the Administrative Order using the language and concepts of general evolution and systems theories, was very well received. Contact with this society, later renamed the International Society for the Systems Sciences, was maintained through the presentation of papers with Bahá’í content at each of its annual meetings. (See also “General Systems...”, pp. 459460)

In 1988 Switzerland’s Landegg Conference Center, a venue used for conferences, seminars and summer schools since being acquired by Bahá’ís in 1983, became the home of Landegg Academy which offers seminars, symposia, conferences and forums for Bahá’ís, such as a conference for young professionals on “Reaching People of Capacity,” and for the wider academic community, such as symposia on conflict resolution and the global environmental crisis. In September 1990 the historic first “International Dialogue on the Transition to a Global Society,” organized by Landegg in cooperation With the Vienna Academy for the Study of the Future and the University of Maryland, brought together eighty leaders of thought from around the world to present papers and discuss the changing world order.

In August 1989 Landegg launched the “Certificate Programme in Bahá’í Studies.” Designed to foster systematic Bahá’í scholarship as called for by Shoghi Effendi, the three-year independent study course requires participants to spend the month of August each year at Landegg and to submit a number of papers throughout the rest of the year. The program began with twenty-eight students from eleven countries.

The establishment of Bahá’í Chairs at universities in the United States and India also marked a significant step in the development of Bahá’í scholarship.

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f. Bahá’í Education of Children and Youth and Bahá’í Family Life

The education of children and youth and the nuituring Of Bahá’í families have been important components of several recent Plans. However, the efforts required to open new areas to the Faith and to consolidate new communities often meant that few resources were available for this crucial concern. During the Six Year Plan the institutions of the Faith, encouraged by the Counsellors, gave fresh attention to the needs of children and youth. As the Plan drew to a close the training of children’s teachers and the development of children’s materials were progressing with increased Vigor and resolve, often as a major activity of the growing number of permanent teaching institutes.

Renewed focus on the importance of educating children, youth and families, and greater understanding of the requirements for building successful programs, were major achievements of the Plan in this area.

BAHA’t CHILDREN’S EDUCATION A December 1988 letter from the International Teaching Centre to all Continental Counsellors shared a Vision of the children of the world as teachers of their own generation, and as agents for the deepening of others, placing particular emphasis on children aged ten to sixteen. The Counsellors had seen how in communities where strong

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traditions of child education had been established ten or twenty years earlier, previously weak Local Assemblies were beginning to function and new generations of stalwart believers were arising.

F ollowing this letter and others in a similar vein, the idea of placing emphasis on children and youth increasingly became the focus of the believers’ thinking, consultation and planning. In Africa, Latin America and Asia, as a result of large-scale enrollments among the masses, many Bahá’í communities were particularly obliged to take a new look at the challenges of child education. In Colombia, beginning in 1990, traditional campaigns of expansion and consolidation were altered to pay greater attention to children and junior youth and, through them, to their parents. In the Caribbean also, it was found that where organized children’s Classes occurred, they provided the greatest access to the people. In many Villages of the world it was not only Bahá’í Children but also children and junior youth in the general population Who showed an ardent desire to receive Bahá’í education. As the Plan drew to a close, more communities were incorporating the establishment of children’s classes into their plans of action for large—scale expansion.

Teachers of children’s classes were trained during a number of seminars organized by national and local Bahá’í institutions and by

Children in a Bahá’í' tutorial school in Ngoakiri H, in the Central African Republic, 1987.

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permanent institutes. The International Teaching Centre, in a letter to all Counsellors in November 1992, foresaw the Six Year Plan setting the stage for the coming Three Year Plan, and stated that “the rapid multiplication of programs for the training of children’s class teachers represents one of the most promising developments of institutes around the world”.

The Ruhi Institute in Colombia continued to train youth as facilitators capable of stimulating other youth to educate themselves in order to become effective Bahá’í teachers for the children in their communities. Ruhi materials are designed to help the believers learn to study the Sacred Writings on their own and to apply them in their daily lives, thus spurring them on to higher and higher levels of service to the Cause. The materials were also used in other Latin American countries, several African nations and in India. The National Assembly of India published one of the Ruhi Institute manuals in Hindi, and in June 1991 held an intensive course to prepare over forty individuals as trainers of children’s class teachers. This effort formed part of a program to train hundreds of teachers in the Hindi-speaking states.

The New Era Development Institute in India and Nur University in Bolivia also prepared material for training teachers.

Special activities to complement classes added to the positive Bahá’í experiences of

A Bahá’í children ’5 class in Florida, southern Uruguay, posesfor a happy photograph, November 1988.

175

children. Niearagua’s first National Children’s Conference was held in Managua in 1990, with more than forty children from six communities participating in deepenings, singing, games and the breaking of a traditional “pifiata” filled with gifts. Two children’s conferences were held in J apan in the last year of the Plan. The first “Children’s Unity Camp” was organized in Malaysia.

CURRICULA AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS Efforts to create materials for use in children’s classes were carried out in a number of countries. The Children’s Education Task Force in Australia developed a complete curriculum of Bahá’í studies for children up to age fifteen and worked to fulfill its National Assembly’s international collaboration goal to produce and exchange materials with other National Assemblies in the Pacific. The School of the Nations in Brazil and the Maxwell International School in Canada each began long—range projects of rewriting the curricula of their academic courses to reflect a spiritual approach to the subjects and to provide appropriate ethical content. Curricular materials for Bahá’í children’s classes were developed in many communities, including Canada, Fiji, France, Gabon, Kenya, Norway, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.

A number of National Assemblies and Bahá’í educational institutions developed

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curricula for teaching comparative religion and the Bahá’í Faith in public schools. A particular milestone was the approval of a Bahá’í curriculum for public schools in the states of New South Wales and Queensland, in Australia. The Chilean Ministry of Education approved the inclusion of study programs about the Faith in the general high school ourriculum, and the National Assembly prepared teachersfor this task. Courses on religion and moral education prepared by Bahá’ís were used in Brazilian public schools, and efforts were made to introduce courses on the Faith in the educational systems of Bolivia, Cameroon and Spain.

Near the end of the Plan, Malawi’s Regional Education Officer in the Southern Region accepted a plan for Bahá’ís to present the history and moral teachings of the Faith in secondary schools. Also, a curriculum on the Faith developed by the National Assemblies of J amaica and of Trinidad and Tobago was submitted to the Caribbean Examinations Council for use in the English—speaking Caribbean islands.

Publications for children also helped to involve children in the rhythm of Bahá’í community life. A one—page lesson in every Feast letter in Zimbabwe was said to be instrumental in establishing children’s Classes in rural areas; a separate Feast1etter for children was distributed in Brazil; and in Puerto Rico a page of the national newsletter was

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A Bahá’í’ tutorial school in Chaco, ‘ Paraguay, in March 1989.

reserved for children. Chile published children’s letters and artwork in a quarterly bulletin called Capullitos, and a publication for children called Light of the Lotus was produced in the Canary Islands.

YOUTH

Throughout the Plan the Bahá’í education of youth took a variety of forms, including national and international youth conferences (often organized largely by the youth themselves), deepening retreats, youth camps and week-long study institutes. For example, in the United States an international youth conference organized in 1988 attracted some 8,000 participants. Youth schools, youth symposia and forums for young professionals, held at Landegg Academy in Switzerland, among other places, provided opportunities for intensive study and international exchange.

Education programs that focused on preparing youth for the teaching field proved particularly successful. In the summer of 1991, following several intensive teacher training courses for youth that were sponsored by the National Teaching Committee in the United States and included field experience, some sixty full—time teaching teams arose. Some of the youth became so excited by their experiences that they decided to postpone their studies for one year to continue teaching full—time.

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ASSISTING PARENTS

Parental guidance is central to the education of Bahá’í youth and children, and a number of programs were devised to help parents prepare for their Vital role. Efforts were made to assist African mothers who wished to supplement their education so that they would be better prepared to educate their children; the African women Counsellors in particular saw this as a worthy mission and undertook extensive travels to further this aim. The Bahá’í Programme for Mothers, an expanding series of booklets published by the National Spiritual Assembly of Kenya, provided guidance on raising healthy children, teaching good character and creating a spiritual home environment. Translated into almost forty languages, the booklets are widely used by parents throughout Africa, and in 1987 a set was sent by the House of Justice to all National Assemblies.

The Bahá’í Education Network Committee in Canada collaborated with various Local Assemblies to sponsor more than thirty workshops on helping parents teach values and Virtues to children. The workshops were attended by over 1,000 people, half of whom were not Bahá’ís. In Costa Rica a conference devoted to family consultation and parent—child relations was well attended.

In July 1986 classes for women in Pakistan on the basics of health care, hygiene and the feeding of infants, attended by fifty women

The wedding oftwo Bahá’í' couples at the Lenakel Bahá’í' Centre on T amza Island in Vanuatu.

January 1987.

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and fifty children needing medical treatment, were commended by the government. In Papua New Guinea a National Women’s Conference in October 1987 covered the training of children.

The Bahá’í Mothers’ Deepening Project of the Bahá’í National Teaching Committee of the Philippines was designed to give F ilipina Bahá’í mothers and future mothers guidance on the care, education and training of children; on maintaining a Bahá’í atmosphere in their homes; and on cultivating rapport with their husbands and families. The intensive project began in F ebruary 1988 with the holding of twenty-one Mothers’ Deepening Classes in different parts of the country, and culminated in seven large Family Life Conferences in March and April 1988. A meeting to explore the principle of the equality of women and men was held in Céte d’Ivoire in October 1990, in which the Bahá’ís were joined by a dozen other concerned parties to discuss the role of women as the first educators of their children, the importance of mutual support and common goals among women, and ways to enhance understanding between mothers and daughters.

Bahá’í MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE Various efforts were made throughout the world to develop programs to foster wholesome Bahá’í family life, including deepenings, conferences and special classes at summer

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and winter schools. Bahá’í families were encouraged to become fully involved in practicing the basic teachings of the Faith, with emphasis on prayer, maintenance of a loving and humb1e attitude toward others, leading of the Writings, uphoIding family unity through consultation and encouraging teaching of the Cause.

A conference was held in Cameroon in June 1986 to discuss the development of women, marriage, family life and child education. Also in Cameroon, mothers and fathers were invited to participate in regional conferences on family life held periodically during the Plan; topics discussed included chastity, consultation in the family, the role of fathers, discipline without physical punishment, and the effects on children of parents’ words and deeds.

The Bahá’ís of San Juan, Puerto Rico, sponsored weekly talks on “Marriage as a F01tress for Well—Being”. The talks, presented by a Bahá’í psychiatrist under the auspices of the Auxiliary Board, attracted media attention Which Ied to five radio stations’ broadcasting weekly announcements about the project, and one popular station’s airing two—hour “call-in” shows for several months on topics related to healthy marriage.

Elsewhere around the world, a prominent Bahá’í psychiatrist conducted a one—week seminar on marriage at the Lande g g Academy in Switzerland in 1986, which participants reported was practical, scholarly and creative. In September 1987 the National Bahá’í Women’s Committee of Zaire held a Regional Women’s Conference in Kinshasa, Zaire, on marriage, family life and the education of children. A traveling teacher Visited Singapore in August 1989 and conducted a workshop on “Marriage and Family Life”, which focused on setting life goals, defining one’s personality, determining what onelhas to offer the Faith, and examining one’s expectations from a partner. A traveling teacher in Lesotho conducted a three-day International Deepening Institute on Marriage and Family Life; the issues provoked intense

THE BAHA’I WORLD

interest among the participants, and invitations to address the public followed. A National Women’s Conference, held at the Nakuru Bahá’í Center, Kenya, in February 1990, focused on the spiritual, intellectual and material well-being of the Bahá’í family; the National Women’s Committee arranged television publicity and invited women representatives of the Government of Kenya to take part. The Bahá’í youth of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands joined other island youth to form a discussion group on Bahá’í marriage in July 1990. The State Bahá’í Council of Andhra Pradesh in India he1d a “Bahá’í Family Conference” in November 1990.

In addition to studying the topic of family life, communities worked to create Bahá’í activities for families to enjoy together. Every year the House of Worship in Sydney, Australia, hosted a Chfldren’s Day celebration in Which families participated in readings, prayers and festivities. In Liberia a 400-acre farm owned by the National Assembly was used early in the Plan as a center for the education of families. In Behze a nineteenday program of readings and activities for families was distributed. The Assembly of Sri Lanka reported that its efforts to ho1d family conferences and deepenings and to arrange individual Visits to homes resulted in an increase in the number of identifiable Bahá’í families.

Families were the focus of teaching efforts in one city of El Salvador. A Local Spiritual Assembly chose a middle-class neighborhood Where a Bahá’í family lived in Which to proclaim the Faith during March 1990. Of the 355 families Visited by members of the Bahá’í community, almost all accepted literature, and follow-up Visits were made to thirty—six families. About fifty people from the neighborhood attended at least one evening event. By the end of four weeks ten people had embraced the Faith and there continued to be interest among people in at least ninety households. Classes in morality and Virtues were established and offered to the children in the neighborhood.

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g. Pursuing Social and Economic Development Activities in Well-Established Bahá’í Communities

The dramatic worldwide expansion of Bahá’í social and economic development activities since the October 1983 message by the Universal House of Justice contributed in no sma11 measure to the emergence of the Bahá’í community from obscurity and constitutes one of the distinguishing characteristics of the development of the Cause of God in the past decade. The virtually exponential expansion achieved in the number of development activities during the Seven Year P1an(1979—1986) became more gradual during the Six Year Plan as Bahá’í communities

In Guam, [8 children from the Inarajan Bahá’í Schoolplanted 600 acacia seedlings on 21 October 1990. A statement ofappreciation was issued by the Forestry Division Of Guam ’3 Department of Agriculture.

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strengthened existing programs to ensure that new ventures proceeded from a strong foundation. Bahá’ís worldwide now generally possess a much clearer understanding of the unique Bahá’í approach to development and have gained inva1uab1e experience in developing the art of applying spiritual concepts to the practical Challenges of daily life. At the conclusion of the Plan a reported 1,344 Bahá’í development endeavors were functioning throughout the world under the jurisdiction of 137 National Spiritual Assemblies. (See Appendix.)

Bahá’í programs established a reputation for honest management and altruistic service. Collaboration with other organizations gained momentum as support was received from organizations such as UNICEF, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and governments as widespread as Canada, India and Norway. Bahá’í institutions began to be identified as important contributors to international development, While the Bahá’í administrative network was seen as a potent force for coordinating development activities within a global framework. Many communities developed their consultative skills in order to more effectively identify feasible projects, f01mu1ate the necessary plans, and guide the resulting undertakings. The wisdom of starting small and ensuring that initial activities could be carried out successfully with 1oca1 resources became increasingly evident. Assemblies became more adept at recognizing whether and how proposed development projects wou1d contribute to the strengthening of the community. Many communities, especia11y those with permanent programs, began taking steps to ensure that effective development activities would continue even if external sources of support were to be withdrawn. To an ever greater degree, National Spiritual Assembhes recognized the importance of increasing the local communities’ awareness of needs and possibilities, and of guiding and coordinating the efforts resulting from such awareness. Administrative capabilities

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grew and Bahá’í institutions continued the process of building the organizational infrastructure needed to guide and nurture more complex programs. The diversity of Bahá’í development undertakings also increased dramatically. A high proportion of these ventures, especially in basic education and vocational training, targeted women and youth.

Effective models for stimulating selfsustaining community development were formulated and refined during the Six Year Plan and, as Bahá’í communities throughout the world began to address their development concerns, a remarkably diverse pattern of activities emerged. From modest cooperative agricultural projects Which raise funds for construction of a local Bahá’í center, to community health education programs which increase the prevention of endemic diseases; from tree-planting efforts to training seminars which combat racism; from programs Which offer suocor to orphaned children to those which confront the problems of drug abuse; Bahá’í communities discovered myriad ways to express their faith through service to humanity. New training programs for teachers of Bahá’í children’s classes emerged, based on an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the learning needs of prospective teachers Who generally possessed limited educational backgrounds and teaching experience. Bahá’í educators began rewriting traditional academic curricula to reflect the spiritual perspective of the teachings. They also developed curricula for public schools, for adult literacy programs, and for courses on the Faith or on human values. All these notable areas of progress either emerged or became more evident during the Six Year Plan, and are described in more detail below.

AGRICULTURE Small-scale agricultural activities, including training courses for the improvement of farming practices and productivity, were carried out by a number of Bahá’í communities in developing countries. In some cases the

THE Bahá’í WORLD

objective was to supplement or improve the nutritional value of the local diet, while in other instances the friends contributed their labor to cultivate a communal field to raise money for a useful purpose, such as the Bahá’í Fund, a Bahá’í center or a tutorial school. For some communities agricultural self—sufficiency was the goal.

A highly successful fish culture program was implemented by the Bahá’ís of Enteban Ulu in Malaysia. The seven fish ponds produced enough fish to meet the needs of the entire village of two hundred people.

The Community Development Program of the Rabbani School, Gwalior, India, achieved notable success with its model farm. The farm enabled this residential school to become almost self—sufficient in food production, While providing a real~world laboratory for the students to learn practical agricultural skills, and setting an outstanding example for area farmers. Technical assistance was offered to local agriculturists Who wanted to introduce ecologically sound farming practices.

In Queensland, Australia, forty acres of bushland were donated by a Bahá’í family to be used by Aboriginal people for growing bananas and other crops. It was dedicated in a ceremony attended by many Aborigines as well as the Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone.

INTEGRATED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Certain Bahá’í development programs have been conceived and designed with a conscious understanding that all social and spiritual needs are interrelated. This requires that social and spiritual change go hand in hand, progressing from simple to more complex undertakings. Activities of the Bayanda Project in Zaire and the New Era Development Institute in India are examples of this approach.

From the first contact of the Bayanda people (the Pygmies of northeastern Zaire) With the Faith, they received assistance and encouragement from the Bahá’í community.

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An experimental pepperfarm is a Balzd ’2' economic developmentproject in Sarawak, Malaysia. 1988.

In Bolivia, Bahá’ís use the Dorothy Baker Center for Environmental Studies. 1987.

In Switzerland, Bahd ’z's participate in the annual cleanup of the marshland formed where the Rhone Riverflows into Lake Geneva. March 1992.

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During the Plan agricultural activities enabled the Bayanda to improve their diet and to become re1ative1y self—sufficient; classes were held for the children; many adults learned to read and write: and health education programs improved nutrition, sanitation and hygiene. The Bayanda developed greater confidence and a new Vision for their future thus enabling them to interact more successfu11y with the wider community.

The Community Development Facilitator Program of India’s New Era Development Institute trained young people to stimulate and assist Ioeal communities to embark on the path of seIf-sustaining development. During the dosing months of the Plan institute staff reported major success in imp1ernenting a new model for community development in which a group of highly unified trainees with modest development—related skills spent four or five days in a Village and conducted a training institute for the Iooal youth. The program included mora1 education classes, community service activities and training in a practical skill which could be learned quickly. The unity and spirit of service exemplified by the group of Visitors, who would share in the life of the Village for a relatively extended period of time, combined with integrated spiritual education and va1ued community service, had a profound impact. In one instance the entire village enrolled in the Faith and appeared ready to introduce important changes in the organization of village life based on their growing understanding of the Bahá’í teachings.

CONS ERVATION/ENVIRONM ENT Creation reflects the names and attributes of God, and mankind has a profound responsibility to protect the natural environment and preserve its ecological balance. Thus, in its 1989 Riḍván message the Universal House of Justice called on Bahá’ís to increase their activities in support of environmental conservation, and in October it announced the establishment of the Office of the Environment as an agency of the Bahá’í IntemationaI

Community responsible for conducting the activities of the Faith related to the environment. ,A compilation entitled Conservation of the Earth’s Resources was subsequently issued by the World Centre. Communities and schools sponsored environmenta1 education and action programs involving wetlands conservation, afforestation, pollution control, technological advancements, community resources and energy efficiency. Outstanding environmental programs were carried forward in Taiwan and Bolivia. During the final year of the Plan the Office of the Environment and the Bahá’í community of Brazil diligently prepared for the Earth Summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. Among other Earth Summit activities, a major recognition award was to be bestowed upon the Bahá’í Vocational Institute for RuraI Women in Indore, India, for its guinea worm eradication project.

During the concluding year of the Six Year Plan twenty—six Bahá’í tree-planting proj ects were undertaken, along {with twenty—six other environmental activities. Many of these activities were conducted in support of government—sponsored programs or to mark World Environment Day and Earth Day. Some of the more notable initiatives during this period were those of the A1113 Zunuzi Bahá’í SehooI in Haiti and the Rabbani School in India, where tree nurseries were established and many thousands of seedlings were planted in Villages. In 1986 the Rabbani School received a national award for its afforestation activities. SubsequentIy, its wasteland reclamation efforts, both at the school farm and in the surrounding Villages, Which had a1ready reclaimed many acres of salt-affeoted soil, attracted widespread attention from government authorities of Madhya Pradesh. This continuing project was conducted in collaboration with the Society for Promotion of Wasteland Development in New DeIhi.

Among others, collaborative tree-planting efforts were conducted in Colombia and Guam. In Co1ombia Bahá’í youth joined

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forces with a group called the Corporation to Defend the Bucaramanga Plateau and planted numerous trees. On the island of Guam, a group of eighteen Bahá’ís assisted a government forestry agency in its tree-planting work.

A very successful environmental program was developed in Taiwan where the National Assembly’s Bahá’í Office of the Environment and the Taiwan Council of Agriculture col1aborated in a “Nature Awareness Education Project.” During 1990 thirty-six workshops on environmental education for more than 750 kindergarten and elementary school teachers were conducted. A second series of twenty—seven workshops was held in 1991. Public awareness of the Faith in Taiwan consequently rose and cordial relations with government authorities were promoted.

In Cochabamba, Bolivia, the Dorothy Baker Center for Environmental Studies, a private non—profit institution owned by Bahá’ís, managed an environmental research center and an interactive educational facility. The Center developed a unique approach to environmental studies integrating elements of academic and environmental education, sustainable agriculture and health care.

In Northern Ireland believers organized an environmental education program to learn about community resources. Topics included Wind power, conversion of agricultural wastes, small—scale water power, integrated education of children, tree planting, fish stocks in the area, willow biomass and fuel from the wetlands. Similarly, the Association for Bahá’í Studies in Colombia and a socio—eoologica1 group of the United Nations organized an ecological forum entitled “Education has an Environmental Conscience.” 1n Brittany, France, Bahá’ís joined members of a regional Society for the Study and Protection of Nature to carry out a three—week community service project to beautify a nature reserve; tasks included collecting firewood, clearing the land, making observation lookouts for animal and bird watchers, and painting and repairing a house.

HEALTH

The importance of both preventive and curative health care is clearly stated in the Writings. When the Universal House of Justice released its message on social and economic development in 1983, there was only one modest Bahá’í health care project in operation; by the end of the Six Year Plan, national communities around the world had undertaken fifty—six health projects of varying scopes.

Bahá’í community health education programs were conducted in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Generally speaking, programs were organized to serve areas having a significant number of relatively wellestablished Bahá’í communities. Participating communities nominated one or more mature and dedicated believers to receive training which would prepare them to serve as volunteer hea1th educators. The initial course normally lasted approximately two weeks, focusing on immunization, basic hygiene and sanitation, maternal and child health, nutrition and first aid. The participants a1so received intensive spiritual education based on the Bahá’í teachings, such as learning prayers and passages on health from the Writings. A further development of the community health workers’ program was the selection and training of some of the experienced volunteers to serve as trainers for future participants.

The volunteers, working with their Local Assemblies in a mutually supportive way, were expected to offer at least several hours of service per week to their local communities, often working in tandem with government health workers. In some cases, usually where funding had been obtained from an international development agency, it was possib1e to provide minimal full- or palttime staff support to coordinate activities and maintain contact with the vo1unteers. Overall, dropout rates were very low and

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indicators of community health status suggested that the programs were having a significant impact. The outstanding success of several of these programs attracted the attention of development agencies and governments at local, national and international levels.

For example, the Bahá’í Community Development Project on Health commenced operation in Sarh, Chad, in 1984 as a humanitarian relief project in response to the emergency situation which had resulted from civil war and widespread famine. The project expanded rapidly, and by the end of the Plan community health workers were providing health care services in almost sixty Villages to more than 12,000 people. The project, which received support from international funding agencies, was praised by Chadian government officials. In 1991 a government official stated that the Bahá’í health program had been responsible for blocking the spread of a cho1era epidemic into the district of Moyen-Chari, where the project operated and the largest concentration of Bahá’í communities in the country was found. The health program also gave rise to the development of a network of eighteen tutorial schools serving over 1,300 children.

In addition to hea1th educational programs, a number of endeavors aimed at offering

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Dr. Zeeba Faroughi prescribing medicine to a patient she has examined during a free medical camp held on Bhit Island near Karachi, Pakistan. 1989.

medical assistance were also pursued in the Bahá’í world. A few Bahá’í communities and individuals constructed small rural hospitals 0r clinics to serve areas with limited access to medical care. In such areas the provision of curative care as well as preventive health measures contributed significanfly to the level of health of the communities which they served.

The Bayan Project in Palacios, Honduras, composed of a small hospital with out-patient services, was established in 1985 by two doctors and their families Who pioneered to this remote area on the Caribbean coast. Before its establishment the nearest hospital was more than four hundred kilometers away and was only accessible by air or water transport. The new hospita1 provided medical consultation and surgical treatment, and its staff conducted health education in the local area. The hospita1 received support from various Bahá’í and non—Bahá’í sources.

Bahá’í communities in severa1 countries, especially Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, conducted medical camps in areas where access to medical facilities was limited, offering free consultations and basic medicines. Camps specializing in eye and dental care were particularly effective.

One of the most successful medical assistance programs was conducted in Guyana where a number of Bahá’í physicians from

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other countries offered their professional services to the health authorities on a shortterm basis. Some physicians made repeated Visits, providing specialty care and conducting in—service seminars for medical staff. Following this initiative, arrangements were made to provide shipments of medical supplies to hospitals. Not only did the success of these activities foster warm relations between the Guyanese authorities and the National Assembly of Guyana, but it also inspired the creation of a similar program in Nicaragua.

RACE UNITY ACTIVITIES

Bahá’í communities in the United States launched institutes for racial understanding and cooperation in response to this, “the most Vital and challenging issue” facing the American nation. In addition to many conferences and seminars, training sessions were conducted for members of several local police departments at their request. Within a framework emphasizing the oneness of humanity, police officers and cadets were encouraged to adopt positive attitudes and behavior in their interactions with minority groups.

SOCIAL SERVICES Throughout the world Bahá’í communities operated programs offering compassionate assistance to people in need: sufferers from

Inauguration ofa public well built for the community by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Bata, Equatorial Guinea. November 1988.

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substance abuse, orphans and homeless people, the elderly and handicapped, persons with marital difficulties, refugees and Victims of disasters.

In Hawaii the Bahá’í Community Assistance Program (B-CAP) was established in 1987 to provide deepening and counseling on marriage and remairiage, assistance for family problems, a food bank and an elders’ program. Three essential characteristics of B—CAP were its reliance on Bahá’í Writings for approaches to personal problems; referrals to professional agencies, doctors or social workers qualified to handle particular problems; and Local Assembly supervision of each program. B-CAP, as an arm of the National Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands, became a means by which the Bahá’í community could begin to take care of its own members, as well as train a cadre of volunteers.

In Brazil the Lar Linda Tanure Center for social Well-Being, begun in 1986, offered shelter, aid and education to needy children who were referred by the Juvenile Justice Court in the Amazonas area. It had thirty resident children, with 150 children attending its preschool and youth programs. The Center formed part of the Association for the Coherent Development of the Amazon. Its activities for youth emphasized moral education and agricultural skills. The Center also provided courses for women in health,

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hygiene, nutrition and the prevention of disease.

A number of American and Canadian Bahá’í communities assisted refugees and new immigrants to adapt to life in North America. Often the Bahá’ís conducted classes in English as a second language, helped the newcomers to find jobs, and oriented them to available social services.

Several Bahá’í communities assisted with disaster relief operations in the wake of devastating storms. Relying on prayer and consultation, Bahá’í communities drew upon the friends’ spirit of service to play an important role in quickly and calmly mobilizing the community during emergencies and in coping with the lingering effects of a disaster. As one example, in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the Bahá’ís of the Virgin Islands actively assisted with food distributions, counseling, provision of temporary roofing for homes of the elderly, management of a shelter, and opened a local Bahá’í center to a homeless family—all this despite the fact that many of the Bahá’ís’ own homes were damaged or destroyed.

WOMEN Many Bahá’í development activities focused specifically on realizing the potential of women. The Bahá’í Vocational Training Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India, is the longest-running example of such a

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program. It taught Village women, most of Whom came from extremely isolated tribal areas in Madhya Pradesh and many of whom had never been away from home before, to read and write, and provided training in practical skills Which would enable them to be self—supporting in their home communities. Moral education, personal hygiene, nutrition and basic agricultural techniques were also taught by a devoted staff which surrounded the young women with loving-kindness and personal attention. The consistent result was a dramatic transformation in the characters and competence of the participants, and the women’s home communities shared in these benefits upon their return.

Another project, involving Bahá’í communities in Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Malaysia and Nigeria, promoted the equality of men and women. During the programs men and women examined traditional gender roles based on the perspective of the Bahá’í teachings. The facilitators strove to create a loving, supportive atmosphere to encourage participants to modify their behavior in appropriate ways. In Bolivia, Cameroon and Malaysia these activities were supported by UNIFEM.

In Uganda the Bahá’ís collaborated with the Uganda Women’s Finance and Credit Trust and the Uganda Women Lawyers’ Association in a five-day gathering which enhanced the participants’ knowledge of

Participants in, a fence—makz'ng course held by Bahá’ís in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a rural development project in November 1988.

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A geography lesson at the Bahd 1 School Ofthe Nations in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in April 1992.

The children offhe Mbabane Pre—School in Swaziland pose for the photographer while singing one of their favorite songs; 1987.

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financial management, marketing, bookkeeping, legal issues and laws of marriage and succession. The workshop, which brought together nearly thirty leading women, had the overall aim of enabling these women to become more effective in guiding their own destinies and in contributing to the progress of their country.

YOUTH

Youth around the world provided much of the energy, enthusiasm and spirit of service animating Bahá’í development programs by participating in a broad range of community service activities, and especially as tutorial school or children’s class teachers. A large number of projects were also specifically aimed at enhancing the social and spiritual development of these young people. Two such locally initiated programs in the United States, the Elbow Learning Lab and Fathers Incorporated, gained warm commendation and recognition for their services. The Elbow Learning Lab in Griffin, Georgia, helped to meet the remedial education needs of children and youth in a low-income area where illiteracy and other social problems were widespread. In July 1992 the project received recognition as a “Point of Light” from the President of the United States. Fathers Incorporated provided academic assis tance and positive role models for inner-city youth in Detroit, Michigan, with the goal of improving academic competence and enhancing self—esteem. Activities included workshops and consultations on marriage and family life, interviewing and résumé writing, dress, behavior, peer pressure and substance abuse. Knowledge of the program’s success spread in the wider community, and outside financial assistance was received to help fund a summer project.

Bahá’í SCHOOLS At the end of the Plan there were almost 500 Bahá’í tutorial schools sewing an estimated 20,000 children in developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

THE Bahá’í WORLD

These schools conducted simple Village—level programs which provided basic education for children with limited educational opportunities.

In many cases Bahá’í tutorial school teachers themselves possessed only modest levels of education, but they often compensated for their lack of academic training through their love for the children and the spirit of service which animated their work. Likewise, the wholehearted support of the sponsoring local Bahá’í community contributed to the success of such ventures. The teacher frequently functioned as a key believer who stimulated a Wide variety of activities in the local Bahá’í community, and the tutorial school became a center for additional activities. During the Plan many Bahá’í tutorial schools, even some of those which had commenced operating under a tree, evolved to the stage of offering a basic primary school education in accordance with the government-approved curriculum.

At the end of the Plan the most notable tutorial school programs were those of India, where Bahá’ís operated almost 200, and Zaire, where over ninety were functioning. Other countries with maj or tutorial school programs included Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Chad, Colombia, Malawi, Panama and the Philippines.

In contrast to tutorial schools, Bahá’í academic schools are formally established institutions which have, or seek, official accreditation from government authorities. These schools employ full—time staff and usually offer academic subjects which are taught according to government standards.

During the Plan the number of Bahá’í academic schools increased from forty—one to one hundred and seventy—eight largely due to the evolution of many tutorial schools. In general, enrollments substantially increased, the range of subj ects taught broadened, and physical facilities were expanded or upgraded. Major academic schools include the New Era, Rabbani and Tadong Schools in India; the New Day School in Pakistan;

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the Santitham School in Thai1and; the Ruaha School in Tanzania; School of the Nations in Brazil; the Anis Zunfizi School in Haiti; Colegio Nl'ir in Chile; the Rafi1PaVén School in Ecuador; and the Maxwell International School in Canada.

Bahá’í schools increasingly distinguished themselves through their academic achievements and the praiseworthy character of their students. The schools generally followed a formal academic program, as established by the educational authorities, complemented by regular prayers, religious studies, community service and vocational training. Several schools pioneered efforts to infuse Bahá’í concepts into their entire academic curricula.

In addition to schools operated by Bahá’í institutions, a number of private educational establishments were founded by believers Who strove to operate their programs in accordance With the basic principles, aims and obj ectives Which Vivify Bahá’í development activities. Nl'lr University in Bolivia and the School of the Nations in Macau are perhaps the best known ofthese institutions of learning.

TRAINING INSTITUTES During the Six Year Plan several permanent Bahá’í institutes emerged as major centers of the Faith’s social and economic development activities. The New Era Development Institute in India and the William Mmutle

A Mobile Bahd ’z' Institute in Cotonou, Benin, in. January 1989.

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Masetlha Bahá’í Institute in Zambia had perhaps the most highly diversified programs. Others effective in promoting development activities inc1uded the Vocational Institute for Rural Women in India, the Djalal Eghrari Polytechnic Institute in the Amazon region of Brazil, the Ruhi Institute in Colombia, the Yukon Institute in Canada and, in the United States, the Native American Bahá’í Institute, the Louis Gregory Institute, and Louhelen, Bosch and Green Acre Bahá’í Schools.

LITERACY

Access to the transforming power of the Word of God is an essential human right. In July 1989 the Universal House of Justice called on all National Assemblies to aim at the elimination of illiteracy from the Bahá’í community. In response to this call many Bahá’í communities and the offices of the Bahá’í International Community actively supported the United Nations International Literacy Year in 1990 and either instituted literacy programs or began to support existing ones.

During the Plan the number of reported Bahá’í literacy programs, many of them short—term, rose from sixty-seven to 186. Their goa1 was to teach reading and writing to youth and adults Who either had been deprived of a formal education or Who had left school functionally illiterate. Bahá’í

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educators specializing in literacy began to advocate an approach using “root” or “generative” words with spiritual meanings in order to teach vocabulary while evoking meaningful discussions on Vital issues. Results have indicated the effectiveness of this approach for teaching literacy and, of equal importance, for stimulating personal growth and community development.

For example, in Panama, Guaymi Indian Bahá’ís collaborated with government literaey instructors to develop a literacy course in their native tongue focusing on the use of words having Spiritual significance as part of a systematic effort to preserve and revive traditional culture.

The most ambitious literacy project was established by the National Assembly of India. Its goal was to eventually achieve universal literacy among the more than two million Bahá’ís in the subcontinent. Comprehensive teaching materials were developed for courses in the Hindi and Marathi languages, and initial training sessions for prospective trainers of literacy instructors were conducted.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT A number of National Spiritual Assemblies and Bahá’í educational institutions have developed curricula to teach comparative religion. Bahá’ís have also contributed to improving the overall curricula of some

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public schools. The Bahá’ís of Namibia were invited to participate in efforts to restructure the national education system, while the Bahá’í community of Swaziland has been involved in a significant manner in the training of preschool teachers nationwide. Also in Swaziland two Bahá’í educators have been developing core international curricula for environmental education based on the perspective of the teachings.

Ongoing teaching efforts in colleges and universities have resulted in a large number of short courses on the Bahá’í Faith and its principles. The most notable achievements were the establishment of two university Chairs related to Bahá’í Studies: one at the University of Maryland in the United States in January 1990 and one at Indore University in India in April 1990.

The accomplishments of the Bahá’í community in the area of social and economic development during the Six Year Plan reflect great audacity and commitment to service. The believers worked to apply spiritual principles to practical needs. The goodwill towards the Cause generated by these services has created countless opportunities for the future. The friends have seen that their endeavors in the path of service, no matter how modest, have set in motion processes which will long continue to produce beneficial effects.

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APPENDIX

Bahd'z' International Community Statement, Ninth Meeting of the Committee ofRepresenmtives of Governments and Administrations, South Pacific Commission, 23rd to 27th May 1988, Noumea, New Caledonia.

Health, Education and the Role of Women The Bahá’í International Community representing the Bahá’í Communities of the Pacific Region wishes to express its appreciation to the South Pacific Commission for the invitation to attend this meeting of the Committee of Governments and Administrations. Although we are keenly interested in the variety of concerns being discussed at this meeting, we would like to direct our comments to the areas of health and education. The dynamic relationship between these two dimensions of human development is fundamental to the realization of all others.

Bahá’ís believe that health is more than the absence of disease or infirmity. In addition to the three widely recognised aspects of health—physical, mental and social well-being——~the spiritual dimension is likewise important and should be manifested not only in the individual, but also in the life of the family and the community.

Consequently, Bahá’í communities strive to address the needs of individuals, families, and the community as a whole in their activities. The role of education in the realization of this harmonious balance between all aspects of life cannot be overemphasized and the education of women is of particular importance in this process.

Women, as the main agents of primary health care, play an essential role in maintaining family and community health. They are the ones who are most aware of sickness and suffering in the community because of their social role as nurmrers and care—takers of the young, the old, the sick and the handicapped, and they exert an important influence on health habits in the family. Although it is often recognised that primary health care has to respond to the needs of people, and that women have the most extensive awareness of these needs, their opinion is hardly ever solicited when health care programmes are being formulated.

In order for communities to benefit from the knowledge which women possess, a renewed self~confidence of women has to be encouraged. Women have to learn to regard themselves as capable human beings with important contributions to make on the basis of their life experience and their accumulated wealth of knowledge. Furthermore a conscious effort has to be made to enable women to organise and to vocalize the information they have acquired.

If this participation is to become a reality, women must penetrate all levels and all areas of the health care system. They have to be doctors, nurses, community development agents, educators, agricultural extension workers, public health officials, planners, legislators, politicians. At the same time, they have to encourage the participation of people at the grass-roots, including women and women’s organizations, in the decisions affecting individual and community health. None of these results can be realized unless special efforts are made to organise education and vocational and professional training in such a way that more girls and women can take advantage of them.

Investing resources in primary health care programmes which includes health education and the application of health promoting activities based on simple but scientifically sound measures in which women can participate at the local level, is likely to provide more benefits than traditional efforts dedicated to the formation of highly skilled physicians who practice medicine in clinics and hospitals.

Primary health care activities should be fully integrated with the activities of other sectors involved in community development, agriculture, education, public works, housing, and communication, and the local population should be actively involved in the formulation and implementation of these activities, so that health care can be brought into line with local needs and priorities. These priorities will be based on decisions resulting from a continuous dialogue between the people and the services.

The Bahá’í International Community is actively involved in primary health care. In India, Malaysia, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and many more countries ineludin g the Pacific region, Bahá’í villages are implementin g health and educational programmes of many kinds and are having much success. It is our View that these programmes are successful because the overall education of women is the key factor and consequently they recognize their own value, thereby enabling them to participate more readily in decisions conceming their communitys’ health.

While the Bahá’í International Community continues to work toward the improvement of life in our communities through these programmes we also welcome the opportunity to lend support to health programmes which require local as well as professional volunteers.

[Page 192]

192 THE Bahá’í WORLD

2. EXPANSION AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE BAHA’t FAITH

SUMMARY STATISTICS OF THE SIX YEAR PLAN 1986-1992

WORLD TOTALS

2] Apri11986

National Spiritual Assemblies ............................................... 148 National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds ...................................................... 141 Bahá’í Temples ...................................................................... 6 Sites for national Bahá’í Temples ......................................... 124 Bahá’í Publishing Tmsts ....................................................... 25 Languages into Which Bahá’í literature has been translated. 802 Bahá’í schools ....................................................................... 599 Social and economic development proj ects .......................... 431

(other than schools) Countries that exempt the Bahá’í community

from payment of taxes on properties .................................. 61 Countries that recognize Bahá’í Holy Days .......................... 76 Countries that recognize Bahá’í marriage ............................. 60 Localities where Bahá’ís reside ............................................. 114,988 Isolated centres and groups ................................................... 89,658 Local Spiritual Assemblies .................................................... 25,330

+ No information available.

20 April 1992 165 146 7 127 28 NIA+ 666 678

77

81

70

120,046

99,611 20,435*

• Between 1986 and 1988, a numerical decrease of 11,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies and 6,100 localities

occurred in India due to revised civil areas of jurisdiction. Similar changes took place in some other countries.

AFRICA 2] April 1986 National Spiritual Assemblies ............................................... 43 National Haziratu’I-Quds ...................................................... 41 Bahá’í Temples ...................................................................... 1 Sites for national Bahá’í Temples ......................................... 36 Bahá’í Publishing Trusts ....................................................... 4 Languages into Which Bahá’í literature has been translated. 266 Bahá’í schools ....................................................................... 143 Social and economic development projects .......................... 139

(other than schools) Countries that exempt the Bahá’í community from payment of taxes on properties ................................. 16

20 April 1992

47 42

1

36

4 NL41 166 120

21

[Page 193]INTERNATIONAL SURVEY OF CURRENT Bahá’í ACTIVITIES

Countries that recognize Bahá’í Holy Days ...........................

Countries that recognize Bahá’í marriage ..............................

Localities Where Bahá’ís reside .............................................. Isolated centres and groups .................................................... Local Spiritual Assemblies .....................................................

AMERICAS

National Spiritual Assemblies ................................................ National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds ....................................................... Bahá’í Temp1es ...................................................................... Sites for national Bahá’í Temp1es .......................................... Bahá’í Pubhshing Trusts ........................................................ Languages into which Bahá’í literature has been translated .. Bahá’í schools ........................................................................ Social and economic development projects ...........................

(other than schools) Countries that exempt the Bahá’í community

from payment of taxes on properties .................................. Countries that recognize Bahá’í Holy Days ........................... Countries that recognize Bahá’í marriage .............................. Locahties Where Bahá’ís reside .............................................. Isolated centres and groups .................................................... Local Spiritual Assemblies .....................................................

ASIA

National Spiritual Assemblies ................................................ National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds ....................................................... Bahá’í Temples ...................................................................... Sites for national Bahá’í Temp1es .......................................... Bahá’í Publishing Trusts ........................................................ Languages into Which Bahá’í literature has been translated .. Bahá’í schools ........................................................................ Social and economic development projects ..........................

(other than schools) Countries that exempt the Bahá’í community

from payment of taxes on properties .................................. Countries that recognize Bahá’í Ho1y Days ........................... Countries that recognize Bahá’í marriage .............................. Localities Where Bahá’ís reside .............................................. 1501ated centres and groups .................................................... Local Spiritual Assembhes .....................................................

16

10 36,145 29,878 6,267

21 April 1986

41 40 2 32 3 172 106 98

18

24

13 26,514 20,303 6,211

21Aprz'11986

27 23 0 22 8 174 342 151

11 13 12 46,270 34,976 11,294

193

18

13 33,270 27,366 5,904

ZO April 1992

43 41 2

31

3 NIA 184 195

23

25

17 27,470 22,079 5,391

20Apri11992

29 25

1

24

9 NIA 300 232

13

13

12 51,119 43,700 7,419

[Page 194]194 THE BAHA’t WORLD

AUSTRALASIA 21Apri11986 20Apri11992

National Spiritual Assemblies ................................................ 17 17 National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds ....................................................... 17 17 Bahá’í Temples ...................................................................... 2 2 Sites for national Bahá’í Temples .......................................... 15 16 Bahá’í Publishing Trusts ........................................................ 2 2 Languages into Which Bahá’í literature has been translated. 110 NIA Bahá’í schools ........................................................................ 8 16 Social and economic deve1opment projects

(other than schools) ............................................................ 20 101 Countries that exempt the Bahá’í community

from payment of taxes on properties .................................. 8 8 Countries that recognize Bahá’í Holy Days ........................... 11 12 Countries that recognize Bahá’í marriage .............................. 16 18 Localities Where Bahá’ís reside ............................................. 3,062 4,094 Isolated centres and groups .................................................... 2,257 3,218 Local Spiritual Assemblies .................................................... 805 876

EUROPE 21Aprz'11986 20Apri11992

National Spiritual Assemblies ................................................ 20 29 National Haziratu’ l-Quds ....................................................... 20 21 Bahá’í Temples ...................................................................... 1 1 Sites for national Bahá’í Temples .......................................... 1920 Bahá’í Publishing Trusts ........................................................ 8 10 Languages into which Bahá’í literature has been translated. 80 NIA Bahá’í schools ........................................................................ 0 0 Social and economic deve1opment projects ........................... 23 30

(other than schools) Countries that exempt the Bahá’í community

from payment of taxes on properties .................................. 8 12 Countries that recognize Bahá’í Holy Days ........................... 12 13 Countries that recognize Bahá’í marriage .............................. 9 10 Localities Where Bahá’ís reside ............................................. 2,997 4,093 Isolated centres and groups .................................................... 2,244 3,248

Local Spiritual Assemblies .................................................... 753 845

[Page 195]II

THE TWO YEAR SUBSIDIARY PLAN 1990—1992

ON 8 February 1990, the Universal House

of Justice sent the following cable to the f01lowers Of Bahá’u’lláh throughout the world:

FAR-REACHING EVENTS BEING ENACTED WORLD STAGE, PARTICULARLY IN EASTERN EUROPE AND SOVIET UNION, ON THRESHOLD FINAL FATE—LADEN DECADE CENTURY OF LIGHT, PROVIDE FURTHER DRAMATIC EVIDENCE RESISTLESS OPERATION OF GOD’S MAJOR PLAN FOR TRANSFORMATION OF HUMAN SOCIETY. RAPID UNFORESEEN DEVELOPMENTS NECESSITATE CORRESPONDING PARALLEL ACCELERATION IN LIFE-GIVING ENTERPRISES BEING PURSUED BY INHERITORS BAHA’U’LLAH’S RESPLENDENT REVELATION. REJOICE THEREFORE ANNOUNCE LAUNCHING AT RIDVAN OF SUBSIDIARY TWO YEAR TEACHING PLAN FOR VAST REMAINING REACHES EASTERN EUROPE AND ASIA. MOMENTOUS STEP INVOLVES FURTHER SYSTEMATIC UNFOLDMENT PROVISIONS TABLETS MASTER—PLAN OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHA ALREADY IN ADVANCED STAGE OF OPERATION OTHER AREAS PLANET. REGIONAL ENTERPRISE, CONCEIVED IN CONSULTATION INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTRE, DESIGNED SIGNIFICANT»LY REINFORCE CURRENT SIX YEAR GLOBAL PLAN. OBJECTIVES INCLUDE ATTRACTION NUMEROUS NEW SUPPORTERS FAITH, GREAT INCREASE TRANSLATION, PUBLICATION AND DISSEMINATION Bahá’í LITERATURE IN REQUISITE LANGUAGES ENTIRE AREA, AND EXTENSION BENEFICENT INFLUENCE DIVINELY APPOINTED ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER THROUGH ERECTION FRAME-WORK LOCAL NATIONAL Bahá’í INSTITUTIONS IN AS MANY EASTERN

COUNTRIES AS POSSIBLE UP TO AND INCLUDING RIDVAN 1992.

CALLING UPON THOSE NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES EUROPE, ASIA AND AMERICA WHICH BEAR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR INDIVIDUAL NATIONS INVOLVED, TO CONSULT WITH COUNSELLORS AND FORMULATE DETAILS SPECIFIC GOALS INCORPORATING AND SUPPLEMENTING THOSE ALREADY ADOPTED AND IN PROCESS ACCOMPLISHMENT UNDER SIX YEAR PLAN. MOVED PAY TRIBUTE PRESENT HOUR REMARKABLE UNSUNG ACHIEVEMENTS THOSE INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS PRBSENTLY LABOURING ADVANCEMENT CAUSE IN EASTERN EUROPE AND SOVIET UNION, ACHIEVEMENTS WHICH HAVE BLAZED TRAILS FOR COMING LARGE~SCALE INITIATIVE. CALL UPON Bahá’í WORLD ARISE SUPPORT DIFFUSION WORLD—REDEEMING MESSAGE FAITH GOAL AREAS THROUGH SETTLEMENT PIONEERS AND THROUGH DISPATCH STEADY FLOW TRAVELLING TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH KNOWLEDGE LANGUAGES COUNTRIES AND REPUBLICS EASTERN BLOC.

CONCOMITANT THESE MEASURES, VITAL ONGOING PROCESS CHINESE TEACHING RECEIVING FURTHER IMPETUS.

BROAD VISTAS NOW OPEN TO FAITH GOD PROVIDE UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITIES WIN FRESH VICTORIES AS WORTHY OFFERING SACRED THRESHOLD BLESSED BEAUTY OCCASION COMMEMORATION FIRST CENTENARY HIS ASCENSION COMING HOLY YEAR. IMPLORING ABUNDANT OUTPOURING DIVINE CONFIRMATIONS PARTICIPANTS ALL FACETS HISTORIC SIX YEAR CAMPAIGN. ‘