 | The text below this notice was generated by a computer, it still needs to be checked for errors and corrected. If you would like to help, view the original document by clicking the PDF scans along the right side of the page. Click the edit button at the top of this page (notepad and pencil icon) or press Alt+Shift+E to begin making changes. When you are done press "Save changes" at the bottom of the page. |
INTRODUCTION
he Bahá’í World 1993-94 is the second in the new series of
The Bahá’í World volumes. The original series, created in 1925 by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, appeared periodically and served as a public record of the Bahá’í world community’s activities and achievements from 1925 to 1992. The new series, the first volume of which covered the period of the second Bahá’í Holy Year, 1992-93, will appear annually, and while it will continue to provide a record of the Bahá’í community’s current undertakings, it will also offer readers general information on the Bahá’í Faith, its concerns, and its teachings.
The 1993-94 volume is divided into five major sections. In the first section, ‘Introduction to the Bahá’í Community,’ a trio of statements and articles provides an overview of the Bahá’í Faith. The first, “The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh,” was written by Shoghi Effendi in 1947 to explain the independent status of the Faith t0 the Special Committee on Palestine. The second article, “The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi,” is excerpted from J . Douglas
[Page 2]
T H_E Bahá’í WORLD
Martin’s and William S. Hatcher’s excellent textbook The Bahá’í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion, named by the Encyclopedia Britannica as a 1986 book of the year in religion. The third brief article, “The Bahá’í Community Today,” outlines the current conditions, activities, and future prospects of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh around the world.
The second section, ‘Writings and Messages,’ includes a selection from the sacred writings of the Bahá’í Faith on the themes of unity, interdependence, and peace, and an article highlighting the major messages of the Universal House of Justice during the year under review.
The third section of the volume, ‘Events 1993—94,’ offers an account of the Seventh International Bahá’í Convention held in Haifa, Israel, in April 1993 and the International Counsellors’ Conference held immediately following the Convention. The “Year in Review” comprises a survey of the multifarious undertakings of Bahá’í communities from Vanuatu to Ireland, Argentina to Zaire, Siberia to Jamaica, while the article on the work of the Bahá’í International Community highlights the efforts of the community to work through the United Nations to voice its ideals 0n the international stage. Other pieces feature an update on the situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran during 1993-94 and an account of the tragic deaths of three Bahá’ís in Ciskei last March. Progress on the monumental construction projects underway on Mount Carmel at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa is detailed, with photos of various elements of the developments. A general survey of the print media’s reportage of Bahá’ís’ activities around the world completes the roundup of current events.
‘Essays and Statements,’ the volume’s fourth major section, opens With “World Watch,” a commentary on current world events and the theories that shape commonly held contemporary worldviews. William S. Hatcher’s article “The Kitáb-i—Aqdas: the Causality Principle in the World of Being” takes a philosophical approach to understanding Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book, the first authorized translation of which was released in March 1993. Ann Boyles’ essay “Towards the Goal of Full Partnership: One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Advancement
[Page 3]
INTRODUCTION
of Women” discusses the distinctive Bahá’í perspective on the issue of the equality of women and men and surveys a variety of historical and current enterprises undertaken by the Bahá’í community to promote the achievement of full equality. It provides timely background reading as the world prepares for the upcoming United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing in September 1995.
A series of statements on topics central to events of 1993-94 completes this portion of the volume. First is an edited version of a statement on aboriginal peoples prepared by the Bahá’í Community of Canada and presented to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in November 1993. Following are a series of statements prepared by the Bahá’í International Community during 1993—94: the statement “World Citizenship: A Global Ethic for Sustainable Development” was presented to the first session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in New York in June 1993; “The Family in a World Community” was first distributed at the World NGO Forum launching the International Year of the Family in Malta in November-December 1993; the final three statements, dealing with various human rights issues, were delivered at the World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna in June 1993.
The final section, ‘Information and Resources,’ provides a number of useful reference items: brief sketches of prominent Bahá’ís who died during 1993—94; current statistics pertaining to the development of the Bahá’í world community; a directory of Bahá’í agencies around the globe; and an annotated list of selected new publications from Bahá’í publishers. Finally, at the back of the book readers will find a list of introductory and basic reference books on the Bahá’í Faith pointing to further sources for the interested reader. A glossary is also included to assist those who may be unfamiliar with certain Bahá’í terms used throughout the volume.
The scope of the international Bahá’í community’s undertakings expands rapidly, year by year, and it is hoped that the Bahá’í World series will prove to be an effective means for briefly documenting those undertakings and for acquainting the
[Page 4]
TEE BAHA’I WORLD
general public with the aims and concerns of Bahá’ís around the world, Whose ultimate goal is nothing less than the realization of Bahá’u’lláh’s statement: “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” An international yearbook such as The Bahá’í World shows how five million inhabitants of the globe are working to make that Vision a reality.
