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YEER IN REVIEW
idvén 1995 marked the end of the second year of the Three
Year Plan for expansion and consolidation of the worldwide Bahá’í community. The range and number of activities undertaken to further the aims of the Plan expanded rapidly, making it increasingly difficult to render a complete record of events. The following is not intended therefore to be comprehensive but rather includes news items chosen to reflect the Wide variety of cultures in which Bahá’í principles are finding enthusiastic supporters and to provide highlights of the manifold efforts being made to apply these principles to the challenges of the day.
The material has been arranged under the following headings: dignitaries and media representatives Visit Bahá’í World Centre, sharing the message of Bahá’u’lláh, prominent people, indigenous peoples, book fairs, Bahá’í scholarship, Bahá’í community life, race unity, advancement of women, environment, health care, education, other areas of involvement, development conferences and agencies, interfaith dialogue, and recognition.
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Several areas of activity which would generally be included in “The Year in Review” are this year covered in separate articles: the formation of seven new National Spiritual Assemblies (pp. 25—3 6), Bahá’í contributions to the World Summit for Social Development (pp. 37—46), Bahá’í contributions to the International Year of the Family (pp. 47—63), activities of the Bahá’í International Community (pp. 139—150.), media coverage of the Bahá’í Faith (pp. 151—166), Bahá’í youth (pp. 167—190), and the Bahá’í Faith and the arts (pp. 243—272).
Dignitaries and Media Representatives Visit Bahá’í World C entre
During the period under review, there was a sharp increase in the number of Visits to the Bahá’í World Centre of high-ranking government officials, other dignitaries, and media representatives. Such a trend reflects the growing significance of the spiritual and administrative center of the Faith in the eyes of the world.
On 22 and 23 July 1994, the President of the Republic of the Seychelles, His Excellency France Albert Rene, was welcomed t0 the World Centre for consultations with the Universal House of Justice. These discussions, requested by President Rene, lasted just under two hours and dealt with issues affecting global peace and challenges facing the Seychelles, the Indian Ocean, and the world.
The President was accompanied by his wife, Sarah, their young daughter, Ella, and Mrs. René’s parents, Abdul Rahman and Munira
His Excellency F rance Albert René,
President of the Republic of the Zarqani. During the 0011136 Of Seychelles (right), leaving the Shrine the tWO days Spent at the of Bahá’u’lláh. World Centre, the presidential
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party Visited the Shrines of both Baha’u’llah and the Báb, as well as several other Bahá’í holy places. A formal dinner, graced by the presence of the Hands of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khanum and ‘Ali-Akbar Furfitan, was offered in His Excellency’s honor in the banquet hall of the Seat of the House of Justice. 011 this occasion, as throughout the Visit, President René expressed a lively appreciation of the relevance of the Bahá’í teachings and of the contribution that the Seychellois Bahá’í community is making to his country.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, Visited the Bahá’í World Centre briefly on 13 June to View models of the Terraces Project underway on Mount Carmel (see also p. 72). He was escorted during his Visit by project manager and architect Fariborz Sahba and the Deputy Secretary General of the Bahá’í International Community, Albert Lincohi.
Shimon Peres, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, made an official Visit to the World Centre on 4 August 1994. Following an audio—Visual presentation on the status of the Mount Carmel Projects,
. Project manager F ariborz Sahba Shows Mr. Peres was 1ntroduced Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
to members of the Uni- models offhe Terraces Project during Mr.
versal HOUSE: Of Justice Rabms vzszz‘ to the Baha 1 World Centre.
and invited to a luncheon in his honor in the banquet hall of the Seat. The party was joined by the Mayor of Haifa, Amram Mitzna. Mr. Peres ended his Visit by Viewing the Terrace Proj ects in progress and paying his respects at the Shrine of the Báb.
The Vice President of the Dominican Republic, J acinto Peynado, Visited the Bahá’í World Centre with his wife and a special delegation in February 1995.
Among the other government officials who Visited the Bahá’í World Centre during 1994—95 were Israel’s Minister of Education and Culture, Professor Amnon Rubinstein, in May 1994; Egypt’s
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Minister of Tourism, Mamdouh Lel Beltagi, in September 1994; Russia’s Minister of the Interior, Viktor Yerin, in October 1994; a group of Canadian members of Parliament in November 1994; and New Zealand member of Parliament Geoffrey Braybrooke in January 1995.
Ambassadors from Bolivia, Egypt, Germany, J apan, the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, the United States, and Venezuela were also welcomed. In addition, special Visits were conducted for a variety of prominent people representing different sectors of society, such as the business and arts communities. In J anuary 1995 a delegation from the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries was received.
- Among the media representatives to Visit were a film crew
from Austrian National Television (ORF), a film crew from the Discovery Channel based in the United States, the head of media services for the government of Vanuatu, a journalist for Romania’s daily state newspaper, a writer from the magazine The World and I (produced in the United States), and the president of the Jerusalem Post.
Sharing the Message of Bahd’u ’lláh
For eight years, the Villages of 1ku 1 and Iku II in Nigeria vowed not to share anything in common, including farming, trading, and drinking from the same stream. In December 1994, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Owom determined to bring these Villages the Bahá’í message of the unity of mankind. After its representatives Visited every house, including those of the Village heads, the two Villages decided to become one and formed one Local Spiritual Assembly to govern their affairs.
It is such experiences with the unifying power of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah that inspire Bahá’ís as they carry out their duty to share His teachings with a confliet-ridden world. Having no clergy, the Bahá’í Faith grows through the efforts of individual Bahá’ís to educate the public about the principles and divine power brought by Baha’u’llah.
Although Bahá’ís are forbidden to proselytize, they are enjoined to be systematic in their presentation of the Faith to as many receptive people as possible. Thus regular “teaching
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,, mr _ ”w
F ive people staffa ‘ Bahá’í' information booth in Perth, Western Australia, in January 1995.
conferences” are held to study this duty and to make plans of
action. Teaching proj ects bring together groups of Bahá’ís, often
from disparate locations, to proclaim the Faith. In addition, all
believers are responsible for striving to demonstrate the truth of
the Faith through their behavior and for explaining the divine
origin of their beliefs to those with whom they come in contact.
Among the numerous teaching conferences held in 1994—95 were the first national teaching conference in Cambodia and the first regional conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The 500 Bahá’ís attending a national teaching conference in Kienibeu, south Tarawa, Kiribati, in October, were honored by the presence of the country’s President. During the opening ceremony, President Teburoro Tito said that he and his government support the work of the Bahá’ís because he believes that Bahá’í initiatives are not done only for the religion but for the improvement of the nation as a whole.
Various creative approaches were used to share the message of Baha’u’llah as widely as possible. In April 1994, the National Office of External Affairs of the Bahá’ís of Peru placed an article called “A Message to Peru” in the newspaper El Comercio and in the magazine Somos, inviting people to contact the Bahá’í community for information. During the month of June, nine African American women travelled throughout southern Africa as part of the Zlmarian Walker Sister-to-Sister Travel Teaching Project. In South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, and Botswana, they spoke to students’ and women’s groups, met with local leaders,
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appeared on radio and television shows, and gave presentations concerning the Bahá’í writings relating to the United Nations Year of the F amily. Also during the summer of 1994, a group of Bahá’ís sailed their'boat Wind Dancer to small communities in southeastern Alaska, speaking about the Bahá’í Faith and giving away copies of prayers at each stop.
The Call of the Hands Teaching Proj ect brought travelling Bahá’í teachers, many of whom are professionals in the fields of education and the environment, to Siberia, the Ukraine, and Moldova for nearly two months during the summer of 1994. Bahá’í teachings were offered through public forums on “Family, Edilcation, and the Environment,” and meetings were arranged
Members of the Sister-toSister Travel
Teaching Group taught the Bahá’í' Faith in southern Africa in June 1994.
with professors, government officials, school administrators, and environmental groups. Numerous press interviews took place, many lasting more than three hours.
Teaching continued in areas of the world associated with images of war and political instability. In Croatia, information displays were staffed and public talks presented in at least two regions throughout the year. In May, Bahá’ís from four cities travelled to Split for the project; in September Bahá’ís from as far away as Zimbabwe and the United States arrived to help distribute open letters and make presentations to city officials. In February 1995, the city of Rijeka was the site for public lectures on “The Spiritualization of Society: What Can the Individual D0?”, “A Spiritual Family in the Modern World: Is it Possible?”,
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Four Ofthefive members of a teaching
team in F ougamou, Gabon, in 1994.
and “Global Social and Economic; Development: Do We Need a New Ethic?” Despite conditions in Tajikistan such as lack of safety and lack of food following civil wars, the Bahá’í community actively promulgated the message of Bahá’u’lláh. The first Bahá’í summer school of Tajikistan was held in August, the National Spiritual ' Assembly printed and distributed 5,000 copies of The Hidden Words in the Tajiki language, and 29 Bahá’ís from Tajikistan pioneered or travelled to teach.
In the wake of the tribal conflict in Rwanda which erupted into massacres Of disastrous proportions, the Bahá’í community of Bukavu, Zaire, responded by doubling its efforts to spread Bahá’u’lláh’s message about the oneness of mankind. Groups were formed to proclaim the Bahá’í teachings to journalists, to Visit and teach people in hospitals, to organize youth activities, and to celebrate the International Day of Women. With the approval of the headmaster of one secondary school, the Bahá’ís of this community began Visiting classes to discuss peace, reaching 500 students by Riḍván 1995.
Some of the mest dramatic responses to teaching efforts occurred in Asia and Africa. When 50 Bahá’ís Visited Twante, Myanmar, for three days, a total of 340 individuals in sixteen localities declared their faith in Bahá’u’lláh. In March 1995, a ‘group of 60 Bahá’ís taught the Faith for two days in the Nyaungon Yangon Division, and 255 people in eighteen localities enrolled in the Bahá’í community. Another teaching trip in March resulted in the declarations of faith of 115 people.
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In India, where there are more than 2.5 million Bahá’ís, enrollments continued. When the Bahá’í: of Tamil Nadu, for example, proclaimed the Bahá’í teachings to ten Villages in the Sivakasi area, 175 people joined the community. In Turkey, hundreds attended public meetings organized to educate people about the Bahá’í Faith. A forum on “The World of the Future” held in November at the Cultural and Art Center in Kadikoy, Istanbul, drew 200 people, including several reporters. “Women in the New World Order” was the theme of the second meeting held in December in Bursa and attended by 150 people. Cables were received from the Deputy Prime Minister and several other government ministers with warm wishes for the forum.
Receptive souls in Gabon, Niger, Togo, and Zambia were among those in Africa who responded enthusiastically to Bahá’í teachings. In Gabon, five teaching teams were formed as part of the Muhájir Teaching Proj ect, and 200 people joined the Faith. The Bahá’ís of Niger reached the midpoint of the Three Year Plan with 500 more members in their community after pursuing a systematic teaching plan. In Togo, just eight Bahá’ís brought the Faith to more than 500 new believers during two weeks of teaching in the N’gamgam tribal area. More than 220 people enrolled in the Bahá’í community in Zambia during a siX—week period in the Isobel Sabri Teaching Campaign.
The Dr. Muhájir South Plateau Long-Term Teaching Project in Nigeria was responsible, as of March 1995, for bringing 2,000 people into the Bahá’í community and helping to form 42 Local Spiritual Assemblies. “Lots of people are now really falling in love with the Bahá’í Faith,” related a message from
A mobile Bahá’í’ Information Center in Hamilton County, T ennessee, USA.
YEAR m REVIEW
the Board of Counsellors. “When asked why, they maintain that the Bahá’í Faith does not condemn their good cultures but rather has a lot in common with their cultures...”
Many teaching proj ects around the world were organized or carried out primarily by youth. For more information on these activities, see “Bahá’í Youth: ‘A New Kind Of People,” pp. 167—190.
Numerous people first became aware of the Bahá’í Faith through hearing of the persecutions of Bahá’ís in Iran which intensified beginning in 1979. The world’s continuing concern since that time and efforts made by governments to condemn the persecutions are partially responsible for keeping the Faith in the public consciousness. The 1993 book Olya ’5 Story, written by a woman who endured imprisonment and narrowly escaped execution in Iran for her religious beliefs, touched the hearts of many as it described the strength of faith which allowed love to survive despite severe physical and emotional tests. During 1994—95, Olya Roohizadegan continued travelling to speak about the themes of her book. In the United States, at least 110 people embraced the Bahá’í Faith as a result of her extensive speaking tour. “Her story,” noted a fellow Bahá’í, “the triumph of love over bigotry, hatred, and intolerance, is a miracle of the spirit of the Blessed Beauty, Baha’u’llah.”
Prominent People
As leaders of thought in all sectors of society struggled to address the problems confronting humanity at this critical stage in history, Bahá’ís arose to inform them of the principles which they are convinced must enter the conversation if solutions are to be found.
The President of the Marshall Islands, Amata Kabua, who Visited the Bahá’í World Centre in 1990, was greeted by Bahá’í communities during his 1994 travels to Hawaii, Korea, and Papua New Guinea. During a luncheon with Bahá’ís in Hawaii, the President spoke highly of his hopes for Bahá’í involvement in the educational system of the Marshall Islands, urged the Bahá’ís to develop a regular radio program in the Marshall Islands, and paid tribute to the Bahá’í teachings. During a reception in Papua New Guinea for the President, which was attended by officials
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from both countries, President Kabua said that he was convinced that only Bahá’ís have the solutions to the problems of the world and tools for establishment of world peace.
The President of Dominica, Crispin Sorhaindo, invited a representative of that country’s National Spiritual Assembly to meet with him in December 1994. The secretary of the Assembly, Sandra Cooles, discussed the Bahá’í Faith with the President for 40 minutes and later presented him with books he had requested.
Members of the Bahá’í community of Vanuatu met with
Hugh Adamson, representing the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahd ’z’s Of the United Kingdom, is introduced to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at
a service for Commonwealth Day, Westminster Abbey, London, March 1995.
President J ean—Marie Leye in the fall of 1994, and he expressed his gratitude for the social and economic development proj ects being undertaken in his country. In March 1995 , President Leye and his wife attended the Bahá’í celebration of Naw-Rúz held at the national chief’s nakamal (meeting house) in Port Vila.
Other officials also attended Bahá’í holy day celebrations. The former President of Singapore, Dr. Wee Kim Wee, his wife, ambassadors, high commissioners and members of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony attended Singapore’s 1995 Naw-Rúz celebration. The President of the Albanian Parliament, Pjeter Arbnori, was among the more than 120 guests at the 1994 celebration of Riḍván in Tirana. In Swaziland, representatives of government ministries were present at a dinner in honor of the Anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah in November 1994. Political, administrative, and military authorities in Zaire took part in Naw-Rúz festivities in Kinshasa.
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Bahá’í delegations or representatives were received by the President of Mauritius in June 1994; the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea in May 1994; the Premier of Taiwan in December 1994; and the Minister of the Interior Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany in J anuary 1995.
A variety of community leaders such as government ministers, newspaper editors, and prominent lawyers became acquainted with the Bahá’í Faith in Gambia when the Bahá’í community presented them with excerpts from the statement The Prosperity ofHumankind. The excerpts had been printed in the Point newspaper in March 1995.
Indigenous Peoples
After participating in a wide range of activities to mark 1993 as the United Nations International Year for the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Bahá’í communities continued their efforts as the International Decade for Indigenous Peoples was launched in December 1994. Bahá’ís of different backgrounds shared their beliefs around the world using their own particular traditions of communication, hospitality, and artistic expression to convey the message. As more people responded and the number of indigenous peoples joining the Bahá’í Faith increased, Bahá’í community life slowly evolved to reflect important contributions of multifarious cultures. At the same time, Bahá’ís raised voices of encouragement and advocacy in the wider community to promote the importance of supporting the contributions of divers peoples to the advancement of civilization.
Afemata Moli Chang, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Australasia and a traditional leader of Western Samoa, travelled throughout the Micronesian Islands to tell other traditional leaders about the Bahá’í Faith. During his Visit to the Marshall Islands, he was officially received by the president of the Council of Paramount Chiefs in Majuro, Iroijlaplap Kotak Loeak. In the Western Caroline Islands, he accepted a request for a meeting from the Council of Pilung, the highest ranking council of traditional leaders in Yap, to whose members he spoke about the special mission of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands to promote peace and a way of life based on cooperation.
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In Palau, Mr. Chang was invited to dinner by the President, Kuniwo Nakamura, and he met with two of the country’s High Chiefs. A well-attended public meeting in Guam preceded his travels to the Eastern Caroline Islands, where he met with traditional leaders of Kapinga, Pohnpei.
Mr. Chang’s travels were part of an ongoing campaign called “Ocean of Light” taking place throughout the Pacific. As part of this campaign, the Bahá’ís of Samoa welcomed the Queen of Mangaia in the Cook Islands and 32 members of her entourage who Visited Princess To’oa Tosi Malietoa and the rest of the Bahá’í community in May 1994. The Ocean of Light Conference in Kiribati in October was marked by elaborate traditional dancing and joyful singing and was honored with the participation of Knight of Baha’u’llah Elena Marsella. Mrs. Marsella opened the four—day event by presenting Bahá’í literature to President Teburoro Tito and Vice President Tewareka Tentoa. Traditional leaders in Papua New Guinea also learned about the Bahá’í Faith through a series of projects in the Karkar Islands, Lende, and Mt. Brown.
When a group of Maori Bahá’ís from New Zealand took the initiative to Visit Vancouver, Canada, in May, they found common ground among Native Canadians, who were touched by the spirit of the Visitors. Similarly, a gathering of Hopi elders in Arizona, USA, warmly received a Bahá’í teacher from a Lakota Sioux background who spoke to them about the message of Baha’u’llah. A group called INKA (Intertribal Native American Kit of Artists) spent much of the year proclaiming the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith throughout the Chicago area using Native American music and dance.
Many members of indigenous groups not only listened receptively to presentations about the Bahá’í Faith but fully embraced their truth, often recognizing the coming of Baha’u’llah as fulfilment of an age—old expectation. An historic moment occurred in New Zealand when nine Maori members of the Ratana Church discovered the truth of Bahá’í teachings. According to Ratana tradition, which began earlier this century as people began following the call of T.W. Ratana to respiritualize their lives, a number of young people are chosen in each generation
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‘i Participants in the Ninth Spiritual Gathering of the Tribes, held at Soto, near Yakutsk, Siberia, in June 1994, wear traditional Sakha attire.
to be fully educated in the Faith and become leaders of their time. Recently, in order to build bridges of friendship and to look at what other religions could offer their own, these “apostles” began investigating other religions. Upon discovering the Bahá’í Faith, three of the apostles and several other Ratana members requested a nine-day institute to become immersed in its teachings. By the end, nine, including the three apostles, had declared their faith in Baha’u’llah and arisen to take the religion to the rest of their people.
As more members of indigenous cultures accepted the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’í community life increasingly reflected their unique contributions. The Hawaii National Teaching Conference held in September 1994 was marked by an unprecedented level of participation by indigenous believers. The Ninth Spiritual Gathering of the Tribes in Siberia united indigenous peoples, including Bahá’ís, from Alaska, Canada, the United States, and Siberia for eight days of sharing traditions and perspectives.
Bahá’í communities tried to serve indigenous communities by supporting their efforts to unite in harmony with people of other backgrounds while maintaining the right to express their own cultures. In May 1994, a special service was held at the House of Worship in Australia in honor of the Week of Prayer for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Before the service, an Aborigine gave a talk about the history and culture of the Aborigines and their need to live in a harmonious society. Later in the year, the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia presented to the chairman of the
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Aboriginal Reconciliation Council a statement on the Bahá’í approach to Aboriginal reconciliation.
- Book F airs
In efforts to familiarize more leaders of thought and book buyers with Bahá’í literature, and to make it more widely available to the public, Bahá’í Publishing Trusts and communities took part in book fairs. ,
Books on education, personal and social development, philosophy, and the arts were selected for the Bahá’í exhibit on the theme of “civilization” at the Beijing International Book Fair. Senior representatives of government agencies, national and international press, academic institutions and the publishing world, writers, artists, students and members of the general public all attended the Fair, which was held in September 1994. The International Association of Bahá’í Publishers arranged the Bahá’í display, which included colorful banners with quotations from the writings of Baha’u’llah in Chinese and maps showing the distribution of Bahá’í publishing agencies around the world.
The Bahá’í author of the book Nova Ordem Mundial, Novas Paradigmas [New World Order, New Paradigms], Washington Araujo, was one of 62 Brazilian writers who participated in the 46th Frankfurt International Book Fair in Germany, which focused on Brazil. The fair, held in October 1994, provided Mr. Araujo an opportunity to present his book to the Brazilian minister of culture, other government authorities, prominent writers and editors, and two professors of Brazilian literature. The book presents many issues related to the Bahá’í Faith and dedicates a chapter each to Baha’u’llah and to divinely revealed laws.
In March 1995, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom was represented at the 12th International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World Books, held in London. The biennial event provided a chance for more than 2,000 publishers, writers, media commentators and booksellers from Britain, North America, the West Indies, and Africa to become more familiar with Bahá’í publications, particularly those addressing racial harmony and equality.
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1 .. 1 1‘ i ~ y In Zaire, an exhibitof _______ ' 7 25"" Bahá’íbooks and
' ‘ ~ . i photographs was visited by more than 1,500 people during the womenis
gathering organized by Afiican Horizons ‘ ., - u at the People is ‘3 d-- i. m g; Palace.
The Zimbabwe International Book Fair held in Harare in August 1994 focused on the theme “Science and Technology.” The Bahá’í exhibit included a large double-sided timeline showing the parallel relationship between the events marking the development of science and the Divine Revelations of the world’s religions. Also in Africa, Bahá’ís put together an exhibit for Tanzania’s National Book Fair held in Dar es Salaam in November/December 1994.
The Bahá’ís of India continued to take part in a number of regional and local book fairs, including the 100th annual Poush Mela Fair in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, an event organized for people of different faiths to share their thoughts and ideals; the State Book Fair of Manipur which was organized by the State Central Library; and the first Shreekshetra Book Festival in Puri Town, Orissa, which was inaugurated by the Governor of the state, the Honorable Shri B. Satyanarayan Reddy.
' Bahá’í' Scholarship
“Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone... In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, ofjoy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him...”1 These words Of Baha’u’llah were included in a compilation of Bahá’í writings on scholarship prepared by the Research Department of
1. Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1978), pp. 51—52.
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the Bahá’í World Centre at the request of the Universal House of Justice. The covering letter dated 10 February 1995, which was sent with the compilation to National Spiritual Assemblies, stated:
The House of Justice calls upon the members of the community of the Greatest Name, young and old, men and women alike, to strive to develop and offer to humanity a new model of scholarly activities along the lines set out in this compilation, animated by the spirit of inquiry into the limitless meaning of the Divine Teachings. This scholarly endeavor should be characterized by the welcome it offers to all who wish to be involved in it, each in his or her own way, by mutual encouragement and cooperation among its participants, and by the respect accorded to distinguished accomplishment and outstanding achievement.
Efforts made to fulfill this mandate ranged from local com— _ munity study classes to university level courses on the Bahá’í Faith. Some classes, conferences, permanent institutes, and Bahá’í schools were primarily aimed at helping Bahá’ís to deepen their understanding of the Bahá’í teachings and apply them to the issues of the day. Although many of these gatherings were open to interested members of the public, more formal attempts were also made to invite public participation in Bahá’í scholarship through symposia, seminars, courses at non—Bahá’í institutions, and publications. Bahá’ís also participated in academic events organized by others, increasingly because they were invited to give talks or present papers.
The Association for Bahá’í Studies in North America held several conferences during the year. “Anarchy into Order: Understanding Humanity’s Role and Destiny” was the theme of the Association’s 18th annual conference held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in August 1994. About 700 Bahá’ís and their friends spent three and a half days discussing the Bahá’í Vision of a new global civilization, the gathering enhanced by the presence of Dr. David Ruhe, former member of the Universal House of Justice, six members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas, and several members of the Harvard University faculty.
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The annual conference was divided into three sections: a day of special interest seminars, a day devoted to study sessions involving both lectures and courses, and a series of plenary meetings and panels addressing the world’s major problems. Interspersed throughout were artistic presentations, including a choral concert, dramatic monologues and poetry readings, and dance performances. Dr. Ruhe delivered the Hasan Balyuzi Memorial Lecture in the Ames Courtroom of Harvard Law School, where J ohn F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X had been invited over the years to speak on the state of the world.
The annual conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies for English-Speaking Europe was held at the London School of Economics and Political Science in October. Entitled “‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London,” the event included lectures on the station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His talks while in London in 1912, and His divine philosophy. Workshops were conducted on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings on spirituality, on women, and on Christianity.
Among the conferences held by other Associations for Bahá’í Studies were two in Australia—one in July on “The Family: Our Hopes and Challenges” and one in October focused on the Kitabi-Aqdas—and a national symposium in India entitled “Oneness of Mankind.” At a conference organized in December in Switzerland by the Association for Bahá’í Studies for Francophone Europe, nine youth presented commentaries on the papers presented at the Association’s annual meeting, thus providing the youth an opportunity to study intensely the topic of social and moral issues.
The Fourth and Fifth Scripture Studies Colloquia, both focusing on the Kitab-i-Aqdas, took place in the Netherlands and the United States, respectively. The fourth colloquium, held at De Poort Conference Center in November, drew more than 70 participants from ten countries who heard presentations such as “The Terms Revelation, Interpretation and Elucidation in the Bahá’í Writings” and “The History of Writing and Transmission of the Kitab-i—Aqdas.” Nine research papers were presented at the fifth colloquium, held at the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette, Illinois, in March 1995. The colloquia are sponsored
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by the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund to promote deeper and more systematic study of the holy writings, provide opportunities for interaction between various Views and understandings of the Faith in an atmosphere of tolerance and loving unity, and to encourage those interested in scholarly studies to pursue this interest.
“A Celebration of the Centenary of the Bahá’í Faith in North America” was the theme of a Bahá’í history conference held in Wilmette, Illinois, in June 1994. Scholarly papers were presented on topics related to the Faith’s growth in North America, and four Bahá’í women shared their insights into different eras of the Faith’s development as part of an oral history panel.
University level study of the Bahá’í Faith took place in Korea as part of a comparative religion course at Chunnam University; in Azerbaij an as part of the History of Religions course at Baku North University; and in the United States, where a full-credit student—organized seminar was offered at Northwestern University and a summer credit course was offered at DePaul University. At Dhaka University in Bangladesh, Bahá’í law was approved as a subj ect of study in the law curriculum. The University Senate of the University of Fort Hare in South Africa approved inclusion of the Bahá’í Faith in the curriculum of the Faculty of Theology beginning in 1996.
Advanced research on the Bahá’í Faith continued at India’s University of Indore, home of one of two Bahá’í Chairs in the world. (The other is the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland in the United States.) One of four individuals pursuing doctorates in religious studies With a focus on the Bahá’í Faith completed his thesis and was awarded his degree.
In October 1994, URANIA, an organization in Austria that helps shape public opinion by providing courses and seminars, decided to hold a course on the Bahá’í Faith. The four—part course on the nature and history of the Bahá’í Faith was structured to include two lectures by Bahá’ís and two by a professor at the Faculty of Religious Studies at the University of Graz.
One—time presentations, such as lectures, symposia, or exhibits, were also offered at universities to familiarize academics with the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. In Panama, an exhibition
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entitled “Towards a New World Order” was displayed for two weeks at the Simon Bolivar Library of the University of Panama. About 35 professors from the university also attended a series of seminars on Bahá’í concepts of education, presented by a member of the Auxiliary Board. In southern Africa, monthly talks were presented at the University of Swaziland on topics such as “Does Religion Contradict Tradition?” and “The Need for Education Towards a Violence-Free Society.” The University of the Philippines was the site of a symposium organized by the university Bahá’í club entitled “World Religions: Sources of Moral Values for Peace and Development in Society.” When Professor Suheil Bushrui of the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland Visited France in April 1995, he spoke at a conference in Paris on “The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race, the Foundation of a World Civilization.”
The Bahá’í Faith was represented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Religion held in Chicago in November 1994. For four days almost 8,000 professors and graduate students of religious studies, clergy, and other researchers gathered to hear talks about religion, View exhibits by publishers, and attend receptions. The Bahá’í Studies Colloquy included four talks, and the Bahá’í Publishing Trust provided an exhibit.
Presentations on the Bahá’í Faith were made at the Pedagogical Institute in Barnaul, Russia, and at the university. The chairman of the philosophy department of the Pedagogical Institute then introduced the Bahá’í Faith into the examination program and suggested it as a topic of research. Also in Russia, Bahá’ís spoke at a scientific conference called “Religion and Culture” held at the Ural University in June.
Dr. Udo Schaefer, a Bahá’í scholar from Germany, was invited to make a presentation on “Baha’u’llahs EinheitsparadigmaGrundlage eines Ethos ohne falsche Vereinnahmung”2 on 30 September 1994 at an international interfaith congress organized by the University of Erlangen/Nuremberg on The Proj ect Global Ethic in Education. The gathering was initiated by a leading
2. The presentation was later translated into English as “Bahá’u’lláh’s Unity Paradigm—A Contribution to Interfaith Dialogue on a Global Ethic.”
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member of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, Protestant theologian Professor Johannes Lahnemann, and eminent Catholic theologian Dr. Hans Kfing. Some 300 people, including university professors, church leaders, and representatives of various faith communities, took part.
A Bahá’í paper on the harmony between science and religion was presented in Romania as part of panel discussion at a seminar sponsored by the Academy for the Study of World Religions. The September 1994 seminar, entitled “Interculturalism in the Study of World Religions,” drew a large number of academics and representatives from Romanian cultural, diplomatic, and religious circles. It was held in collaboration with the World Conference on Religion and Peace, the UNESCO Center for Higher Learning, and the United Nations Information Center. A booklet composed of abstracts of the papers submitted for the seminar showed that another presenter, Professor Constantin Cucos of the University of Iasi , who is not a Bahá’í, had written a paper entitled “Educational Dimensions of Religious Globalism” in which he analyzed principles of Bahá’í education and suggested them as the most valuable ones for the spiritualization and development of mankind.
Dr. Wilma Ellis, member of the Board of Counsellors for the Americas, was invited to deliver the baccalaureate address for the class of 1994 at Stanford University in the United States. Before 4,000 students and Visitors, she called upon the graduating seniors to turn away from the “false values” of selfishness, separatism, exclusivism, and greed. She then urged them to “remember the great imperatives of our age” and to reject the hatreds, the pettiness, and the cowardice that divide. The address was enthusiastically received.
Intensive study of the Faith by Bahá’ís continued to take place in venues ranging from weekly classes in homes, to seasonal schools, to permanent institutes. In July 1994, the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, USA, celebrated a triple anniversary: the centenary of its founding, the grand reopening and dedication of the newly remodeled Sarah Farmer Inn, which was the school’s original building, and the 100th anniversary of the raising of the world’s first known “peace
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flag.” Nearly 800 Bahá’ís and their guests gathered to pay tribute to this institution which has provided a venue for exploration of the Bahá’í Faith to thousands of people over the decades.
In January 1995, the first ten—day residential session of Yerrinbool Bahá’í School’s three—year Certificate Program in Bahá’í Studies took place in Australia; the Vivian Wesson Institute opened in Togo in November 1994 to provide courses for local believers; and a new Permanent Teaching Institute was established in New Delhi, India, in March 1995.3
Bahá’í’ Community Life
In the midst of the horrors which plagued Rwanda during 1994, ten Bahá’ís managed to gather at the Bahá’í National Center in Kigali on 20 October to pray together and read the sacred writings in commemoration of the Anniversary of the Birth of the Báb. As the fight for survival understandably consumed the attention of most of the nation, these souls gave priority to the spiritual nurturing which they knew would sustain them and which forms the heart of Bahá’í community life.
The aim of social transformation towards which Bahá’ís work is Viewed as dependent on individual spiritual progress, a process which must be continually sustained through private worship and community support. The Nineteen Day Feast is the regular local gathering at which Bahá’ís pray and read the sacred writings together, discuss community development, and get to know each other; holy day commemorations constitute another Vital element of Bahá’í devotional life. The pattern provided by these mainstays is then embellished in different ways by different communities as the talents, needs, and creative energies of the believers emerge.
3. The term “Teaching Institute” is used with reference to a variety of programs of varying length and complexity aimed at developing the human resources of communities through study of the Bahá’í teachings and through service. A “Permanent Teaching Institute” is an agency of the National Spiritual Assembly that provides an ongoing series of such courses and activities. Two of these agencies are the Ruhi Institute in Puerto Tejada, Colombia, and the Bahá’í Academy in Panchgani, India.
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Seasonal schools, conferences, and study gatherings have become standard events in most national communities, providing opportunities for Bahá’ís to study the sacred writings intensely together, to share their artistic talents, and to consult in more depth than they can during briefer events. Such gatherings also allow Bahá’ís from diverse locations to meet and share perspectives and experiences. Examples of such gatherings held in 1994—95 include a spring school in Split, Croatia, which brought
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Members of the ElEncanto, Venezuela, Bahá’í '
community
consult on their
goals duringa workshop given _. _ by members of a ; ' theAuxilz'arjy ‘ " Board. ‘
together Bahá’ís for study and presentation of public talks as soon as a main road reopened following fighting in the area; a winter school held in the United Nations-monitored zone between northern and southern Cyprus during which participants studied individual and collective transformation, the power of the Word of God, and 'the art of consultation; and the first Bahá’í Life Conference in the Bahamas at which performances of a choir were interspersed throughout the program of study.
The central importance of the Bahá’í sacred writings as the basis for all community life was beautifully demonstrated in Papua New Guinea when the first English translation of the Kitab-i—Aqdas (Most Holy Book) was released. When the residents Of the Village of Medene were told of the imminent arrival of the book, they prepared a temporary meeting house and a program of prayers, readings and speeches of welcome. They constructed a dignified flower—deccrated bower beside the river two kilometers from the Village where they knew those carry 96
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ing the Aqdas over the mountain would need to place it while they rested. The footpath leading to the Village was widened and decorated with palm fronds and fragrant flowers. Bahá’í youth composed songs in the local languages to mark the occasion. .
An entourage of 50 immaculately-dressed Bahá’ís carried one copy of the Book over the mountain. One elderly woman bent with age insisted on witnessing the historic occasion and made the journey even though she knew it might be her last. When the procession finally arrived, the speeches reiterated the theme that now the Village would become a true Bahá’í village functioning in accordance with the teachings of Baha’u’llah.
Similar scenes could be witnessed in other regions of Papua New Guinea. In Mt. Brown, Central Province, roads were cleared and decorated and special songs composed. More than 600 Bahá’ís gathered, some traveling four days on foot to be present. A special center was constructed to house a copy of the Aqdas. As additional copies were presented to chairmen of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the area, each kissed the book and placed it reverently over his or her head.
Significant anniversaries are cause for community celebration,
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The Bahd ’z's ofGoodenough Island, Papua New Guinea; celebrate the arrival of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas by carrying it to the Bahá’í' Center on a bed of flowers.
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too. A gala banquet in Chicago in June 1994 marked the 100th anniversary Of the arrival of the Bahá’í Faith in North America. Chicago is where the first Americans to become Bahá’ís began to study the Faith in 1894 and where the name of Baha’u’llah was mentioned publicly for the first time in the Western hemisphere. The 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Bahá’í Faith in Australia was commemorated in April 1995 by a special service at the House of Worship and numerous local gatherings. ‘ '
Children dance and Sing at a holy day celebration in Vientiane, Laos, in F ebruarjy 1995.
Race Unity
In the spring of 1994, just as the Republic of South Africa was in the process of holding its first multiracial elections after a long history of apartheid, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of South Africa issued a statement called Overcoming Racial Prejudice: South Africa is Most Challenging Issue. In it, the Assembly shared its Vision of the new South Africa, a Vision of unity in diversity, and offered itself as an example of the unifying power of spiritual principles. The statement was presented to mayors, other government officials, newspaper editors, and the general public.
South Africa was just one of many regions of the world suffering from racial and ethnic conflict and struggling to find its wa); past this age-old stumbling block to progress. Bahá’ís found their efforts to share the essential Bahá’í principle of the oneness of mankind more welcome than ever.
A statement called “Conquer Racism” was prepared by the National Spiritual Assembly of Switzerland to provide a Bahá’í
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perspective on an upcoming vote 011 an antiracism article of the penal code. The Swiss news agency and several newspapers printed the statement.
The Bahá’í community of Bermuda was encouraged by the public’s reaction to the contributions made by the National Spiritual Assembly to legislative developments related to race unity and justice. When the government created a new Ministry of Human Affairs and Information to lead the war against institutional racism, the Ministry called for submissions to assist in the formation of a strategy. The National Spiritual Assembly, in collaboration with the Bahá’í International Community United Nations Office, developed a statement calling for the establishment of the Council for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE). The government adopted this recommendation, and a committee of the National Spiritual Assembly continued to work with the government and CURE.
Unity in Diversity Week in Canada, 6—12 November, was celebrated by communities all across the country. Among the events were a three-day display and musical celebration in the City Center Mall of East York, Ontario; a week of events featuring discussion on “Fostering Unity and Community” in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia; an exhibit and discussion at the civic center in St. Albert, Alberta; and Visits to schools in Taché, Manitoba, to discuss how differences enrich our lives.
The Bahá’í community of the United States continued to pay particular attention to working toward a Vision of racial unity, having been instructed by Shoghi Effendi as long ago as 1938 to View racial prejudice as the most Vital and challenging issue it faces, one which requires “ceaseless exertions,” “sacrifices,” “care and Vigilance,” and “moral courage and fortitude.” Efforts ranged from steps taken to help communities and individuals change ingrained habits of prejudice, to celebrations of Race Unity Day, to conferences for making plans of action.
“Calling All Colors: An Invitation to Raise the First Generation of Prejudice—Free Children” was the theme of the seventh annual Children’s Peace Conference held in the winter of 1994 in Pasadena, California. The first “Calling All Cblors” conference,
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which was held in 1992 in South Carolina and was originated and planned by a nine-year—old Bahá’í girl named Anisa Kintz, has inspired similar gatherings in various locations. At the California event, more than 350 children and youth, a mixture of Bahá’ís and children of other religious backgrounds, participated in workshops on the theme while the 75 adults present consulted on “Creating a Prejudice-Free Horne.” Several school superintendents and principals observed the conference, and two requested the organizers to repeat the program in their schools.
The original program had inspired singer-songwriter Susan Lewis Wright to compose a song entitled “Calling All Colors,” which she introduced during a conference of the same name held in Castle Rock, Colorado, in November 1994. After copies of her song were sent to the Denver mayor’s office, Ms. Wright was invited to serve on the Martin Luther King Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission. Among the many race unity activities she was able to arrange, in cooperation with the commission, was a performance of the Diversity Children’s Choir—composed of children from Cambodian, Mexican, African, Korean, Persian and European ancestry—before President Clinton and an audience of 40,000 for the area’s largest commemoration of Martin Luther King Day.
Open-ended dramatic presentations which challenged audiences to find alternatives to conflict were among the methods used by New York City Bahá’ís and friends to help people learn new behaviors. The New York City Bahá’í Center was the venue for performances of the One People Conflict Resolution Theater Workshop, a project of the Symposium for the Healing of Racism which was formed by interfaith minister Laura Gabriel and a local Bahá’í, Jan Smith. The group of professional actors performed scenes of racially charged incidents that were stopped right before Violence broke out; then the audience dispersed into 'discussion groups that spent an hour with trained facilitators analyzing the sources of the‘conflict and options for resolving it. When the best alternative solution was selected, the actors improvised the new final scene.
The initial performances of One People were very well received and the proj ect shows promise of continuing. The Symposium for
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the Healing of Racism received funding for the project from the New York City Community Assistance Unit’s “Stop the Violence” fund.
Bahá’ís also played a leading role organizing a seminarat the Springfield (Massachusetts) Technical Community College entitled “Unity ’94: A Dialogue on Racism.” Keynote addresses by two Bahá’ís, Dr. Paul Herron of the University of Tennessee Medical School and Dr. J ohn Woodall, a psychiatrist at Harvard University, were followed by a panel discussion and smaller workshops for the 600 people attending.
Invitations for Bahá’ís to assist with local efforts to improve race relations were extended in several cities. The mayor of Edwardsville, Illinois, asked the Bahá’ís to spearhead a race unity campaign, leading sensitivity workshops for city employees, speaking at the Rotary Club, the high school, and before other groups, and serving on the human relations panel at City Hall. In Rapid City, South Dakota, city officials invited the Local Spiritual Assembly to take a leadership role making the Central State Fair a showcase of diversity.
The 1994 Racial Justice Award for groups/agencies was bestowed upon the Bahá’í community of Decatur, Illinois, by the Decatur YWCA in November. The Bahá’í community was nominated for “upholding the standard of the fundamental unity of the human race and promoting this principle in the Decatur area through a variety of activities over a span of some 30 years.” Among the activities cited were Race Unity Day picnics, a workshop on racism, a race unity forum, the Bahá’í Youth Workshop, and a wealth of information campaigns. ’
Race Unity Day commemorations began in '1957 (originally called Race Amity Day) when the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States designated the second Sunday in June for this purpose. In 1994 there were picnics, parades, arts festivals, speeches, proclamations, and exhibits all asserting the oneness of humanity while celebrating its diversity. Among the highlights were an exhibit in San Diego, California, which addressed the issue of race unity, took participants through the history of the Bahá’í Faith, and presented prospects for raising a prejudice-free generation; preparation for a series of musical events and activities
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WM.
Bahd ’11? in Dallas, Texas, display their banner about
race unity during a parade.
Kingsley and Suzanne Swan sing at the “Vanguard Of 77 , . , . . . theDawning” ‘ ‘3‘ . ., a 4 ; _v mg;
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conference honoring African Americans. The gathering was held in Chicago, November 1994.
Jacksonville (Florida) Bahd ’z’s march m; t. ... m the Kuumba " Festival
"m Parade, May 1994.
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for children in Lafayette, Indiana, which led to the formation of a new Race Unity Coalition to plan future events; a workshop on cultural diversity for the officials of Lake COunty, Illinois; presentation of Race Unity Day awards at Columbia University’s Earl Hall in New York City; and a picnic in Lee County, Virginia, which drew 400 people of diverse backgrounds.
The celebration of Race Unity Day and a multicultural arts festival sponsored by the Bahá’ís of Walla Walla, Washington, attracted 3,500 people—one-tenth of the city’s residents. Preparations were made in cooperation with a number of other religious and community organizations, whose representatives formed the Walla Walla Race Unity Committee, and the event itself was supported by local businesses and the mayor. The community created a day full of music and cultural dances by Hispanic, American Indian, Irish, German, Middle Eastern, and African American performers, story-telling, hands-on projects for the children, and international board games and food booths.
About 600 Bahá’ís—African American, American Indian, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic, and Persian—from all over the United States and from as far away as South Africa came together in November 1994 for “Vanguard of the Dawning,” a national Bahá’í conference focusing on the African American community. The deeply spiritual gathering, which was filled with poetry, music, drama, and dance, provided participants an opportunity to share their experiences and emotions, to affirm and celebrate the proud destiny of African Americans, and to challenge each other to reach higher levels of achievement and unity. “As each person’s uniquely God—given contribution was laid before us, there came in rippling waves love, acceptance, self—esteem, respect, comfort, beauty, wonderment, and yes, astonishment,” the conference task force reported.
On 11 May 1994, the National Spiritual Assembly presented testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of United States ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The Convention establishes an international legal standard that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity or
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national origin in all aspects of public life including the political, economic, social, and cultural arenas.
Advancement of Women
“And among the teachings of Baha’u’llah is the equality of women and men. The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one Wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of Virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.”4
During 1994—95, the Bahá’í community worked toward the goal of full equality by focusing its efforts on three main areas: preparing for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing in September 1995; sharing Bahá’í teachings on the status of women with a range of like-minded women’s organizations and developing working relations With them; and encouraging Bahá’í women to fulfill their potential through better understanding their true spiritual station.5
Representatives of the Bahá’í International Community became involved in preparations for Beijing from the moment the conference was announced, having also participated extensively in the previous three world conferences on women. The director of the Bahá’í International Community’s Office for the Advancement of Women, Mary Power, served as a member of the global NGO Facilitating Committee organizing the NGO Forum on Women ’95, to be held in conjunction with the Beijing conference. During the current period under review, Bahá’í delegations attended all five Regional United Nations Preparatory Conferences and the four remaining Regional NGO Forums leading to Beijing.
4. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ’Abdu ’l-Bahd (Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1978), p. 302. - .
5. For an historical overview of Bahá’í efforts to promote the advancement of women, see “Towards the Goal of Full Partnership: One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Advancement of Women,” The Bahá’í World 1993—94, pp. 237—275.
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Delegations ranging from one to as many as ten Bahá’ís represented the community at the intergovernmental preparatory conferences held in Jakarta, Indonesia (June 1994); Mar del Plata, Argentina (September); Vienna, Austria (October); Amman, Jordan (N ovember); and Dakar, Senegal (N ovember). The delegations were diverse according to age, ethnic background, and profession, and were distinctive for the participation of men, demonstrating Bahá’í commitment to true partnership in the quest for equality.6
In addition, a Bahá’í from Nigeria was appointed by that country’s National Council of Women’s Societies to lead a team of women to the regional conference for Africa, held in Senegal. The woman appointed for this task, Florence Assam, is the president of the Bahá’í Office for the Advancement of Women in Nigeria.
On the national level, the Bahá’í community of Céte d’Ivoire was the only religious community to be a member of that country’s Beijing ’95 National Preparatory Committee. Members worked to prepare materials on the role of women in the peace process. In Finland, the Bahá’í community contributed extensively to the Nordic Forum, a regional conference arranged in August 1994 at the initiative of the Nordic Council of Ministers to prepare for Beijing. The Bahá’í community staffed an information booth, organized an art exhibition called “The Female Voice: Bahá’í Women in Art,” and provided lectures and seminars on topics such as women’s contributions to the advancement of civilization and unlocking the potential of women.
In the United States, Bahá’ís participated in ten regional conferences sponsored by the government to enable individuals and NGOs to contribute to the national report being prepared for the Beijing conference. Bahá’í participation focused on partnership between men and women, the role of women in peace, and ratification by the United States of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
6. For more detailed information on Bahá’í participation in the preparatory conferences and the Regional NGO Forums held in conjunction with them, see the article on Bahá’í International Community activities, pp. 146—147.
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The Bahá’í Office for the Advancement of Women in India made efforts to discuss the status of women and to share Bahá’í principles with NGOS and government agencies preparing India’s report for Beijing. Also in Asia, the Singapore Bahá’í Women’s Council (SBWC) was one of five organizations represented 0n the Singapore Council of Women’s Organizations’ NGO Committee for the Fourth World Conference on Women. In April 1994, this Committee organized a workshop on “Women, Economics, and Sustainable Development” at which booklets containing write-ups 0n the SBWC were given to the . 200 participants.
In addition to preparing for the World Conference on Women, Bahá’ís continued to share ideas and work together with organizations having similar concerns. As they became more recognized for this work, they were increasingly invited to participate and offer their Views.
Invitations to speak at
gatherings related to wo— , men’s issues came from Children in Macau make their hand th th C -1 prints on a banner that will be sent to among 0 ers, e ouncl the Fourth World Conference on
of Europe, which included Women in Beijing,
a lecture by a Bahá’í on
“Women as Educators for Peace” in its program for a seminar entitled “The Role of Women in Politics and Society” held in Budapest, Hungary, in November 1994; a leading women’s organization in Sri Lanka which sponsored the Sri Lanka Women’s Conference on the theme “Education, Empowerment, and Environment”; and a group of 40 prominent women in Cheongju City, Korea, who requested an address by the Visiting director of the
Bahá’í International Community’s Office for the Advancement
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of Women, an event which was covered by the press.
The Bahá’í Women’s Committee of Hong Kong was invited by the working group of the Hong Kong Non-Governmental Organizations’ Forum to help plan a “Vision for the let Century Conference” for February 1995. Representatives from 40 women’s groups attended, and speakers addressed topics such as women’s rights and the law, Violence against women, and health and welfare. A member of the Bahá’í Auxiliary Board, May Chan Borumand, spoke on “Hong Kong’s Environmental Crisis—What Can Women Do?”
A representativecf the Bahá’í Committee for the Advancement of Women of the Republic of Ireland and a Bahá’í who serves as a member of the executive committee of the Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform participated in discussions at a conference called “Women Shaping the Future: Political, Economic, and Social Development in the Island Of Ireland.” The gathering was put together by the Council for the Status of Women, the Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform, United States Ambassador J ean Kennedy—Smith, and the Head of the European Commission office in Dublin to formulate a women’s perspective on issues relating to the future in light of moves toward peace.
International Women’s Day, 8 March 1995, was celebrated in Guyana with two weeks of activities jointly planned by sixteen organizations, one of which was the National Spiritual Assembly. Bahá’ís were asked to chair the interfaith service which launched the program of events, to make a presentation on the
Members Of the Center for the Development of Women, in Bangui, Central African Republic, demonstrate their newly-acquired sewing Skills during a parade in 1994.
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plight of Amerindian women on a radio program entitled Viewpoint, and to explain Bahá’í principles related to women on a radio program called Let’s Gafi’. In Saint Lucia, Bahá’í quotations on the equality of women and men were read at the official observance of International Women’s Day. The Bahá’ís were invited to present a short message in their capacity as a member organization of the National Council of Women. The event was attended by the Governor—General, the Prime Minister, most of the government ministers, and members of the diplomatic corps.
When the Association for Women’s Interests, Women’s Work, and Equal Constitutional Rights in the Netherlands hosted a centenary celebration in June 1994, a Bahá’í representative helped present a workshop conveying Bahá’í teachings to an international audience. The celebration began with a reception in The Hague attended by Queen Beatrix. On behalf of the Bahá’í International Community, a decorated card with text from The Promise of World Peace related to women was presented to the chairperson.
After the Bahá’í community of Guinea-Bissau participated in a workshop at which the Faith’s Views on the role of women and their participation in social and economic development were presented, the country’s Minister of Women’s and Social Affairs invited representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly to meet with her. Bahá’í principles related to women in society, education, and development were among the topics discussed during the 45-minute interview.
“Universal Values for the Advancement of Women and the Bahá’í Faith” was the title of a paper presented at an international conference on women, the environment, and development held in New Delhi, India. The Center for Environmental and Management Studies organized the event. Following the Bahá’í presentation, a number of representatives of NGOs approached the Bahá’ís to discuss starting collaborative proj ects.
In Zaire, a delegation of Bahá’ís contributed a photographic exhibit of Bahá’ís from around the world and a display of Bahá’í literature to a women’s gathering held at the People’s Palace in Kinshasa. The gathering, held in August 1994, was sponsored by
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In Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, the State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, the Honorable Dr. Kamala Das, holds devotional audio cassettes at a Bahá’í' Women iv 7 . Development v ”‘" 9 , Institute held in 1 '
December I 994..
an organization called African Horizons, and attracted mOIe than 1,500 Visitors.
A member of the Bahá’í community of Hawaii, Florence Kelly, attended the 19th International Conference of Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women’s Association in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, at the end of August 1994. Representatives of the nineteen member countries around the Pacific Basin and India were all present.
In the spring of 1995, the National Bahá’í Women’s Committee of the United Kingdom was approved as an associate member of the Women’s National Commission. The membership in this organization is reassessed only every five years. In Nigeria, the National Council of Women’s Societies, Delta State, granted a certificate of affiliation to the Bahá’í Office for the Advancement of Women.
Presentations and gatherings organized by Bahá’í communities for the public included a reception hosted by l’Association baha’ie de Femmes in France in honor of the Triennial Conference of the International Council of Women in June; a public meeting organized by Bahá’ís in Islamabad, Pakistan, with talks on the life of Táhirih, who has been called the first woman suffrage martyr; a reception for about 45 people of prominence from various women’s organizations sponsored by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in honor of the Visiting President of the All-India Women’s Conference; and a talk called “Men’s Rights, Women’s Rights, Who is Right?”
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sponsored by Bahá’ís at the University of Swaziland.
A Bahá’í living in Albania received support from the director of the United Nations Development Program to put together the first international women’s conference to be held in Tirana. More than 200 women from fourteen cities of Albania and ten other countries gathered in the national museum in October 1994 to share information and discussion about the status of women.
Bahá’ís recognize that although the reality of equality was fully established by Baha’u’llah, individuals and communities must exert great effort to bring human understanding and practice into accord with this spiritual truth. Thus Bahá’í communities see themselves on the path to equality, possessing the necessary maps and an ever-evolving Vision of the goal but always aware that they have far to go. While efforts must be made to share the Vision with as many people as possible, equal attention must be given to developing the reality of equality among those who have accepted Baha’u’llah’s teachings.
Much of this work involves encouraging women to understand their true station and manifest their capacities, as the lack of education and opportunity caused by discrimination has hampered
.the full development of half of the human race. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asserts that in addition to the critical role to be played by women in establishing peace and in educating future generations, the advancement of women is necessary for bringing about the progress of humanity in general. “As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.”7
A number of conferences and seminars were organized during
T ribal women from Dangs, India, attend a class at the GujaratBahd ’1’ Winter School in Vansda, India, January I 995.
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1994—95, some to provide women with opportunities to explore the issues and others to create forums for women and men to examine their common responsibility for equality.
The Task Force on Women appointed by the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe arranged a series of seminars for women to explore thelconcept 'of service in the Bahá’í Faith and how it can unlock the potential of women. These seminars on service followed earlier gatherings on the topics of encouragement and transformation. The seminar held at De Poort, Netherlands, in J anuary 1995 drew 37 women from fifteen countries. In February a similar seminar brought 22 women from Germany, Austria, Albania, France, Greece, and Luxembourg to Karlsruhe, Germany. In an atmosphere of love and beauty, the women prayed together, consulted and made individual plans of action, studied Bahá’í teachings on the capacities of women, and formed networks of support.
Similar gatherings for women included a three-day institute in Bakong, Malaysia, which was particularly successful in creating an awareness among the 74 women present of the importance of eradicating illiteracy; a conference in Kwaloai, Solomon Islands, which attracted 250 Bahá’ís; the final institute in a one-year series for women in Taiwan; weekend institutes to empower women in Zambia and in South Africa; a seminar in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia; and a national women’s annual convention in Nigeria.
Opportunities were also created for men and women to examine to gether the issues related to equality. A wide range of viewpoints was expressed and a dynamic group of artists, performers, and musicians displayed their talents during the Conference on Women in Bahá’í Perspective held at the United States Bahá’í National Center. The January 1995 event was arranged to provide an intimate, unified setting for new and creative thinking about the subj ect.
During the same month, Bahá’ís on the other side of the world held a national conference with the theme “Partnership of Men and Women: A New Reality.” The Office for the Advancement
7. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks: Addresses given by ’Abdu ’l-Bahd in Paris in 1911—12, 11th ed. (London: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1972), p. 133.
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of Women in India organized the conference in Lucknow to raise awareness of the importance of following the spiritual principles of the Bahá’í Faith which pertain to equality and to determine action plans that would cause girls and women to advance. Participants discussed the importance of the education of girls, incorporating women into all Bahá’í activities, consultation, and the role of youth in establishing equality. Women and men in New Zealand also consulted together about the advancement of women at a conference held in February 1995 in Christchurch. '
Environment
When world leaders gathered in Rio de J aneiro in 1992 for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or “the Earth Summit”), they were unable to reach agreement on a legally binding Convention on preservation of the world’s forests, so they settled for adopting a nonbinding set of Forest Principles. In 1994, the Bahá’í International Community helped to bring to gether representatives from government, business, environmental, and. religious sectors to lay the groundwork for moving to adoption of a Convention. This was just one of the actions taken by Bahá’ís during the period under review to continue steadily advancing the cause of environmental protection.
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l—Baha Rúḥíyyih Khanum were the principal speakers at the World Forestry Charter Gathering held 28 July 1994 at the Palace of St. James, London. More than 200 distinguished guests from over 30 countries attended, and messages of support and encouragement were sent _ from seventeen governments. “As with so many environmental challenges we face, there are no borders when it comes to the protection and sustainable management of the- earth’s forests,” wrote United States President Bill Clinton, echoing the theme of the gathering. As organizer Guilda Walker stated, “We were especially hoping to address the issue of forestry in a global context, to further the idea that the world’s forests must be considered the common heritage of all humanity if they are to be
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effectively preserved and sustainably managed.”
The World Forestry Charter Gatherings were first convened in 1945 by noted ecologist and Bahá’í Richard St. Barbe Baker and were revived by the Bahá’í International Community in 1989, acting in collaboration with Dr. Baker’s literary executor and several environmental organizations. This year’s event was supported by the International Tree Foundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the United Nations Environment Program.8
The Earth Summit in Rio was also the occasion for public dedication of a peace monument commissioned by the Bahá’í International Community, with particular involvement of Brazilian Bahá’ís. On the final day of the Summit, soil from 40 nations was deposited in the hourglass-shaped monument as a symbol that all humanity shares one planet and that time is running out. On World Environment Day in 1993, soil from 15 additional nations was added, and on 5 June 1994, samples were deposited from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Kiribati, Liberia, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Suriname, and Uganda. “It is our intention to agld soil from the nations of the world each year on World Envirohment Day until all nations are represented,” said Lawrence Arturo, Director of the Bahá’í International Community Office of the Environment.
During the days preceding the 1994 ceremony, the Bahá’ís of Brazil also took part in Rio de Janeiro’s celebrations of “Environment Week.” The Bahá’í community played a key role in organizing a Citizens’ Forum on the issues and participated in a conference for government and NGO representatives on improving the quality of life in modern cities.
World Environment Day was also commemorated by Bahá’ís in other parts of the globe. The Pakistan National Center and the Interfaith Society for Environment Education (an NGO based in Hyderabad) invited a Bahá’í representative to speak and to distribute copies of the statement “The Environment—A Bahá’í View.” Many local and national newspapers published full reports of the event. The Bahá’ís of Mbale, Uganda, were invited to lead a march on World Environment Day, and their efforts to
8. See also pp. 142—143.
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protect the environment were singled out during a speech by the deputy central government representative. In Zaire, the Bahá’í Regional Committee for Social and Economic Development 001laborated with other NGOS to plan two conferences to educate youth about the state of the environment.
Bahá’ís shared their Views on the relationship between enVironmental protection, global cooperation, and spiritual principles with a variety of audiences. “The Social Roots of the Global Ecological Crisis,” “Values as the Driving Force for Achieving Sustainable Development,” and “New Approaches to Integrating Ecological, Economic, and Spiritual Factors in Society” were the
A government official ; in Uganda plants a tree at the Gulu
Bahd ’z' T eaching Institute on the W occasion of World Environment Day,
5 June 1994.
names of the presentations made by Arthur Lyon Dahl at a
seminar organized by the Institute of Spiritual Foundations for
World Civilization in Kiev, Ukraine. In Italy, a Bahá’í declaration
on nature and preservation of the earth’s resources was presented
to a large group of scientists attending the Venice International
Forum for a World Government for the Environment. In Costa
Rica, Bahá’ís created an exhibit and were represented at the
plenary sessions of the International Society for Ecological
Economics’ third annual conference, “Down to Earth: Practical
Applications of Ecological Economics.” The gathering was
attended by more than 1,300 academics, students, and representatives Of NGOS.
Bahá’ís in Peru contributed an exposition on natural resources to the first Ecology Festival sponsored by the Institute of E0010 gy in September 1994. In J apan, after a Bahá’í offered a workshop
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on environmental problems transcending borders, a 90-minute Video of the presentation was aired seven times on cable television. Bahá’í interest in environmental protection was recognized in New Zealand, where the Ministry for the Environment asked the Bahá’í community to comment on a discussion document entitled “Exploring the Options for Reducing Net Emissions of Carbon Dioxide.” The Bahá’í Office of External Affairs submitted a report which focused on the need for international cooperation and global unity to adequately address the carbon dioxide emission problem, the need to recognize humanity’s role as guardian of the well-being of the planet and future generations, and the fundamental need for changes in value systems as a prerequisite for a long-term solution.
A representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, Peter Adriance, was among the 200 people from NGOs on five continents who attended “Two Years After UNCED: Exploring Partnerships for Sustainable Development” in Iowa in July. The conference focused on cooperative efforts by business, government and NGOs to progress toward sustainable development following the 1992 Earth Summit. As part of the conference, the National Spiritual Assembly submitted a paper entitled Unity and Consultation: Foundationsfor Sustainable Development, and Mr. Adriance moderated a workshop on consultation and cooperation.
A number of national communities focused on the importance of educating children to love and protect the planet. The third Ecological Camp sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Colombia was held in J anuary 1995 on a farm in Cachipay. The children attending studied the beauty of diversity and made posters for a children’s art exhibition on the environment held annually in Taiwan. The 1994 exhibit featured the best 220 drawings of 2,250 entries from 38 countries on the theme “Our Fragile Environment.” It was seen by more than 10,000 people.
In July 1994, a mini—Chikyukan (“Earth House”) opened on the island of Shodoshima, J apan, to teach people about nature. The upper elementary Bahá’í children’s class of Takamatsu prepared a program for the children attending the opening festival, and posters about the environment were created for
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display in the Chikyukan. The Science Center in Singapore, which is Visited by school groups, was the site of a display of Bahá’í environmental materials and a slide show prepared for Earth Day in April 1994. Copies of various environment-related statements were donated to the Center’s library.
In early April 1995, the first of a two—session Summit on Religions and Conservation was held in Atami, J apan, to be followed by the second meeting in Windsor, England, in May. The Summit was sponsored by MOA International, the Pilkington Foundation and the World Wide Fund for Nature. The Bahá’í Faith was one of nine religions to be represented, each offering a written statement on its theological teachings regarding conservation and sustainable development, a review of past activities, and a prospectus of future initiatives. Kimiko Schwerin, Counsellor member of the Bahá’í International Teaching Centre, made the Bahá’í presentation in J apan. (Details on the session in the United Kingdom will be included in The Bahá’í World [995—96.)
H ealth C are
The period 1994~95 saw the formation of the Bahá’í Health Association for Central and Eastern Europe and a European Bahá’í Dental Association, and the first meeting of the Association of Bahá’í Doctors in India. These new organizations joined others, such as Health for Humanity, which are striving to address health care needs in a spirit of service and to provide arenas for consultation on long—term solutions to the health care crisis.
The new European associations were established during the second European Bahá’í Health Conference held in De Poort, Netherlands, in October 1994. Representatives of 25 countries gathered to hear lectures, participate in workshops, and View demonstrations of health proj ects that addressed the spiritual dimension of health care work. The first meeting of the Association of Bahá’í Doctors and Health Professionals in India took place in J anuary 1995.
Free or low—cost medical services were provided by ‘Bahá’í volunteers around the world. For example, three representatives of Health for Humanity brought the latest equipment and
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techniques in cataract surgery to Dominica in March 1995 and spent one week performing surgery, seeing patients, and giving lectures to students of the Ross University School of Medicine and staff at the island’s major hospital.
Eight British medical specialists representing the Bahá’í Health Agency UK travelled to Bucharest, Romania, in September 1994 to distribute medical aid and meet with colleagues to discuss plans for future distribution of aid, exchange Visits for medical personnel, and twinning of hospitals. In Guyana, a member of the Bahá’í Health Partnership Program, Dr. J amshid Aidun, received the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellow Award for his work in the Rupununi region.
More than 700 men, women, and children in the region of Korce, Albania, received free dental care from Visiting Bahá’í dentists in April 1995. The proj ect was proposed by the European Association of Bahá’í Promoters Of Oro-facial Health to give free dental treatment to a rural population with no local dentist and to analyze the dental needs of the residents and propose a more continuous project. Courses were also given in Village schools about prevention of dental problems. The proj ect was authorized by the Ministry of Health and the Village mayors.
In India, two day-long free medical camps at Ussgao, organized by the State Bahá’í Council of Goa, and a one-day camp in the Village of Muhana organized by the Bahá’í community of J aipur were among the services rendered. In Malaysia, the Bahá’í community of Muar worked with the Lions Club Of Tangkak to
Dr. Ardishir
Vahidi poses
with the Gypsy
children in
Chirileu,
ii .1 Romania, he
- 1 visited to teach
health and
hygiene tech niques.
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A mother holds her child while a staflmember at the mobile health clinic in the region of Menu, Kenya, gives an innoculation.
sponsor a blood donation campaign and to offer free eye examinations. A similar service was offered the following month in Serendah, Hulu Selangor.
Education
“Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. . . Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. .. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.”9 Bahá’ís continued this year to act upon this truth by devoting particular attention to the need for moral education and by establishing and operating schools offering full academic programs.
Humanity’s crying need for workable concepts and practices in the area of moral education was responded to in a variety of ways by Bahá’ís. Eschewing the idea that one “model” of moral education currently exists but still believing in the need for theory to be informed by practice, Bahá’í communities embarked on journeys of action and reflection. They offered courses to meet the immediate requirements of children, and they participated in ongoing discussions on the subj ect to continually refine their understanding of this evolving field. '
Moral education classes are an integral part of the curriculum at the Bahá’í-run Rabbani School in India, and students learn to
9. Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, 2d ed. (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1976), pp. 259—260.
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conduct such classes in nearby Villages. Likewise, students at the New Era Development Institute (NEDI) in Panchgani, India, learn these skills, and in October they provided lessons related to Virtues for more than 1,000 children. NEDI also offered a teacher training program for approximately 70 Villagers interested in starting ongoing classes. Moral education seminars are offered to local schools by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Lucknow, which this year arranged a three-day course for 150 teachers of the City Montessori School.
Seventy high school teachers from the western region of Paraguay participated in a course on moral education given by two Bahá’ís from Fernando de la Mora after they were invited to do so by the Ministry of Education and Religion. The workshops were so successful that the Bahá’ís were requested to conduct two more courses for 75 additional teachers. In Brazil, the directors of ten schools in the municipality of Socorro created a “Vision of Socorro for the Year 2000” during a course on moral education offered by a Bahá’í. Martha 7. _ . . Jalali was invited by the Bahá’í children is classes in Plaplaya, a Nucleus Of Integration Garifuna village in Honduras. and Development of the
Federal University of Sergipe to give the course, and she later spoke at a gathering of 600 youth organized by the course participants to discuss the role of youth in realizing the “Vision.” Bahá’ís from Brazil offered seminars on moral education at a university and other venues in Arkhangelsk, Russia. Also in Russia, Shamil Fattakhov, a Bahá’í journalist, developed a television program called “Zi-Po—Po” which explores moral issues in a format suited for youth. Each episode centers around a theme—such as backbiting, theft, alcohol abuse—which is illustrated by a short drama. Then the youth in the audience are engaged in consultation about the principles involved in the
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dilemma portrayed. Russian Bahá’ís Alexandra Lopatina and Maria Serebtsova wrote and published a book on the spiritual education of children which is proving quite popular.
High school' students in Puno, Peru, completed a four-monthlong moral leadership class in December 1994 offered by the staff of Radio Bahá’í in Lake Titicaca. The course will be taught again. In Angola, the National Spiritual Assembly was invited to be a member of the National Institute of Religious Affairs Council to coordinate the activities of the country’s religious groups. The first meeting concentrated on how the organizations can “create a new race of men” given that children received virtually no moral education during 20 years of civil war.
Bahá’ís tried to advance the conversation about moral education in a variety of ways. In Brazil, “Moral and Ethical Leadership: A New Framework” was the theme of an October 1994 seminar cosponsored by the Bahá’í community of Salvador and the University of the State of Bahia. The same month Regional Symposia 0n Moral and Ethical Leadership took place at Londrina State University and in Manaus, the latter with the cooperation of several government and non-governmental organizations and the participation of over 250 people representing 61 groups.
In July 1994, Dr. Stephen Viekers presented a Bahá’í perspective 0n spiritual and moral education to the Roehampton Conference on Education, Spirituality and the Whole Child, which was held in the United Kingdom. Addressing the distinction between spiritual and moral education, he
, . v, , _‘ said, “Baha’u’llah claims that mass 925., H "?%w, "a ms the human being has twin roles
The Ootan Marawa Bahá’í School to play, dllemCt but Of equal opens in Kiribati m Apri11995. value. One Is to know and to
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Students and their teacher at the Lomshiyo preschool in Swaziland.
A new dormitory at the
New Em High School in
Panchgani, Maharashtra,
India, was opened by the
National Spiritual Assembly on 16 January 1995.
worship God.... The second role laid upon human beings is to carry forth an ever-advancing civilization, and corresponds to the development of moral qualities.” _
A symposium on the psychology of morality was conducted by Dr. Iraj Ayman and several colleagues at the International Congress of Applied Psychology held in Madrid. Participants from J apan, Mexico, Hawaii, India, China, the Philippines, and various countries of Europe expressed interest in pursuing further joint studies in moral psychology and education.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador translated into Spanish the booklet Exploring a F ramework for Moral Education and distributed it to prominent people throughout the country, including the deputies Of the National Congress, district superintendents and supervisors of education, school principals, and teachers. In the East Leeward Islands, a booklet called A New F ramework for Moral Education, the documented proceedings of a national symposium held in Albania in 1993, was sent to the Minister of Education for the government of Antigua and Barbuda.
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Schools from the preschool t0 the university level are operated by Bahá’ís according to Bahá’í principles but open to all. Universidad Nfir in Bolivia, for example, offers a variety of academic programs to facilitate community development. One of its many proj ects under way this year was a distance education effort to train 500 rural school teachers as agents for community development; the University published six textbooks on themes such as moral leadership, community participation, and training of adults to use in this program.
Other milestones this year in the area of education include the opening in September 1994 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, of the Nancy Campbell Collegiate Institute, a secondary school which emphasizes the fine and performing arts, moral leadership, and studies in world order issues; the inauguration in J anuary 1995 of Universidad Técnica Privada de Santa Cruz (the Private Technical University of Santa Cruz), Bolivia, which has Bahá’í teachings registered in its constitution; and the official opening of the Ootan Marawa Bahá’í School in Na’a, North Tarawa, Kiribati in April 1995.
In the area of preschool education, two new schools were approved by the Minister of Education in Nicaragua, three Bahá’í preschools in Colombia graduated their first classes, and a book entitled Pre-Primary Schools: A Bahá’í' T eacher is Guide, published by the Central and East African Bahá’í Regional Development Committee, was received enthusiastically by educators throughout Africa and Asia.
The Bahá’ís of Chita, Russia, were asked to provide teachers and a program for a children’s summer camp held in 1994. They prepared activities, games, and workshops for 500 children on the topics of world religions, physical and spiritual health,
Participants in a literacy project training course, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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human relationships, and the environment, as well as teaching some dance, music, theater, crafts, and puppetry. Another camp was organized by Bahá’ís for children in Chiayi, Taiwan. The program included a variety of indoor and outdoor activities and emphasized the importance of developing Virtues, the elimination of prejudices, and the unity of humanity.
Other Areas oflnvolvement
In addition to focusing their energies on promoting race unity, the advancement of women, environmental protection, health care, and education, Bahá’ís involved themselves in addressing other issues facing local communities, nations, and the world through participating in and sponsoring exchanges of ideas.
A delegation from the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia was received by the Constitution Drafting Commission in May 1994 and offered a statement on principles that would benefit the nation. Similarly, when a Draft Constitution was being debated in Uganda, the National Spiritual Assembly of that country submitted a statement to the Uganda Constitutional Commission.
When the federal government of Canada set up a Special J oint Parliamentary Committee to Review Canadian Foreign Policy, officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade encouraged the Bahá’í community to present its Views. In June 1994, a three-member delegation representing the National Spiritual Assembly met with the committee and presented an oral version of the written statement A Bahá’í' Perspective on the F uture ofCanadian F oreign Policy.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Republic of Ireland was invited to submit its Views on the future of Irish foreign policy when the Minister for Foreign Affairs announced that his department would develop a White Paper on the topic. The Bahá’ís’ contribution was forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs in September 1994, and in January two Bahá’ís joined over 200 ministers of state, department heads, religious representatives, foreign ambassadors and media representatives for a conference on the White Paper.
A government study in Ecuador on “Free Education for Ecuadorian Families” prompted the Bahá’í community to contact
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75 government officials and brief them on the Bahá’í Viewpoint on religious education in the schools.
In November, the Bahá’í community of the United Kingdom was invited by the One World Trust to assist with a meeting to reestablish the Parliamentary Group for World Government. The meeting took place in the Moses Room of the House of Lords under the chairmanship of Lord Archer of Sandwell.
The European Bahá’í Business Forum (EBBF) responded to the growing need for exploration of the issues involved in raising the ethical standards practiced in business. In May 1994, the EBBF supervised a three-day seminar on integrating business ethics into the curriculum of the College of Management, Trade, Export, and Marketing in Sofia, Bulgaria, after being invited to do so by the dean of the college. In June a representative of EBBF spoke in Romania on the topic of business and ethics at the Center for Business Excellence, a consulting and training center, and at the University Polytechnic Center. The annual meeting of the EBBF, on the theme “Corporate Moralization in Europe,” brought together 55 people from 20 countries in September. In 1995 the EBBF published two monographs: Ethics After Socialism—Now 0r Ever? and Ethics and Entrepreneurship—An Oxymoron? The T ransition to a Free Market Economy in Eastern Europe.
Business ethics were also addressed by a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas when he spoke at two professional institutes in Peru. Eloy Anello gave talks on business leadership at the Peruvian Institute of Business Administration and at the Higher Learning Center.
A world press exhibition to mark International Day of Peace in El Salvador was one of many events sponsored by Bahá’í communities to promote peace. A SOO—kilometer relay run from Hiroshima to Nagasaki, J apan, called “Peace, Pass It On!” was organized in August; the Bahá’í community of Edenvale, South Africa, hosted a National Peace Day celebration which included the presentation of prizes for a “peace arts” competition; and the Bahá’ís of San José, Costa Rica, continued to produce a weekly radio program on peace-making, with the support of the UN.
In July 1994, the World Center for Peace, Freedom and Human
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Rights was inaugurated in Verdun, F rance, the site of one of the bloodiest battles of World War I. Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khanum was among the first 50 international religious, cultural, and political figures to cosponsor the creation of the Center, which will house a peace museum, a center for cultural and scientific research, a documents archives, and an international conference site.
All over the world, Bahá’í communities tried to stimulate eonVersation about the Vital issues facing society and raise these conversations to the level of principle. The Bahá’í Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the site of a Seminar on Global Change in July which included meetings on development, the status of women, sustainable agriculture, and international peace. Bahá’ís provided a book exhibit and four speakers to the Polish Congress on Universalism held at Warsaw University in September. An international conference on the topic “Transition to a Global Society” was held at the Scientific and Technical Research Authority of Turkey in Ankara in November. The Bahá’ís of Baguio City, Philippines, organized talks on AIDS awareness, crime prevention, ecology, and consultation at local high schools. The Bahá’ís of Auckland, New Zealand, hosted ongoing forums on important issues of the day.
The Bahá’í community of Brazil was extensively involved in the second Educational Congress for the Integration of Latin America (11 CEPIAL), an effort aimed at “fostering the formation of new mechanisms to promote relations between regions and countries, seeking to initiate exchange, promotion, study,
A symposium on the occasion of the 5 0th anniversary offhe United Nations,
0 fered by the State Bahá’í Council of Orissa, India.
TYPE Bahá’í WORLD
research, and human resource formation.” Approximately 7,000 people from business, media, universities, and human rights organizations attended the six-day event. Bahá’í contributions included speakers, panelists, art and book exhibits, official notetakers, and planning resources.
Also in Brazil, Bahá’í statements were presented at the International Congress of Economists, held in $50 Paulo in July 1994; a Conference on Food Security which gathered 2,000 people in September 1994 to prepare strategies for lessening hunger in Brazil; and the AFRO—Portuguese-Brazilian Summit held in October 1994 to discuss creation of a Community of PortugueseSpeaking Countries.
Bahá’ís formed part of a delegation to China representing the Pacific Rim Institute for Development and Education (PRIDE) in June 1994. The cultural and traditional exchange program extended to five cities and included Visits to schools, hospitals, institutes, universities, and Buddhist temples. Bahá’í educators and doctors presented lectures on topics such as “Education and Its Role in Human Progress” and “The Current Trend in US Medical Education.”
In December 1994, the deputy director of the Office of External Affairs of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States was invited to be a panelist at a symposium called “The United Nations at Fifty: Creating a More Democratic and Effective UN,” held at the University of Notre Dame.
Development Conferences and Agencies
Bahá’ís currently Operate more than 1,300 social and economic development projects, each of which is evolving as the participants reflect on their practice, exchange ideas with others, and reach higher levels of understanding of Bahá’í principles. News of the individual proj ects is obviously too extensive to be reported here, but some examples can be cited of recent efforts to deepen the conversation about development and t0 systematize the practice of what is being learned.
Organizations such as the Uganda Bahá’í Institute for Development, established by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Uganda to consolidate and guide Bahá’í development
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activities; the William Mmutle Masehla Foundation in Zambia, which has evolved into an NGO guiding a number of programs such as a secondary school for young women and a health care project; the Bayan Indigenous Social and Economic Development Association in Honduras, which has the obj ect of raising up healthy and active Bahá’í communities through social and economic development projects among indigenous groups; and the Guyana Office of Social and Economic Development are examples of some of the new organizations that have emerged from Bahá’ís’ experiences within the field of development. Workshops on education, the environment, health, family and youth, the role of money in Bahá’í development, and the role of Bahá’í development with native peoples were all part of the annual North American Bahá’í Conference on Social and Economic Development sponsored by the Eshraghieh and Mahmoud Rabbani Charitable Trust. More than 600 people attended the four-day event in Florida in December, discussing the issues and listening to 1 Z speakers such as Mona Grieser, Canadzan Deputy Prime Minister technical coordinator for the andMiniSter OfE’mmnnlem Bahá’í International Community/ E ihellqRCOP 1; jowlms the-D] alal g rarz ura 0 ytechmcal InstiUNIFEM Project “Traditional tute in Iranduba, Amazon, Brazil. Media as Change Agent”; Holly Hanson, author of Social and Economic Development: A Bahd ’z’ Perspective; and Dr. David Ruhe and his wife, Margaret, who received the Award of Excellence for their work in this field. December was also the time for the first conference of the Bahá’í Agency for Social and Economic Development (BASED), a new organization formed in the United Kingdom. Some 40 Bahá’ís dedicated to development met in Manchester, England, to examine the future role of the agency and how it could work
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with other organizations. A new association for social and economic development was also created in South Africa in 1994.
In Kenya, the Central and East African Bahá’í Regional Development Committee was asked by the organizers of the Third International Social Studies Conference to present a talk on “The Challenging Role of Social Studies Education in the SocioEconomic Development Process Towards World Order and World Peace.” The Bahá’í community was also offered 40 places at the conference, which took place in June in Nairobi.
In response to the problem of illiteracy, the Office of Social and Economic Development at the Bahá’í World Centre has begun to consolidate Bahá’ís’ experience into systematic programs, beginning with pilot literacy proj ects in Cambodia, the Central African Republic, and Guyana.
In 1993, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Marshall Islands assumed responsibility for the administration and management of five elementary schools in the Majuro Atoll, acting upon proposals from local and national governments and from the country’s President that the Bahá’ís take a role in upgrading the quality of the nation’s education. In October 1994, the remaining two public elementary schools on Majuro were also placed under the supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly—an indication of the government’s positive response to the work accomplished thus far.
In anticipation of national education reform in Cameroon, the National Spiritual Assembly of that country submitted a statement entitled “Education: Foundation of Sustainable Development” in French and English to the Minister of National Education and to provincial delegates for national education.
Interfaith Dialogue
In accordance with Bahá’í belief that the world’s maj or religions are all divinely revealed and share the same essential spiritual teachings, communities initiated and participated in interfaith gatherings to promote the idea that religion is the basis of unity. Bahá’ís began celebrating the third Sunday in J anuary as World Religion Day in the United States in 1950, and by 1995 it was being commemorated all over the world. More than 1,000
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people attended the first observance in Singapore this year, held at the Singapore Conference Hall. Ambassadors, high commissioners, representatives of diplomatic circles, and others listened as speakers from nine religious communities spoke about how their faiths could promote peace and unity. The event was opened by Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore’s ambassador-at-large, director of the Institute of Policy Studies, and permanent representative to the United Nations.
In Mozambique, the Minister of Justice, Dr. Jose Ibrairno Abudo, declared the observance of World Religion Day open by lighting nine oil lamps offered by the Hindu community for the occasion. Speakers from the Bahá’í, Christian, Hindu, and Jewish communities addressed the packed amphitheater on the theme “The Fundamental Oneness of Religion.”
In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Catholics, Protestants, Bahá’ís, and Sikhs shared prayers, readings, and music during a World Religion Day commemoration at Oakgrove Integrated College. In Johannesburg, South Africa, four Bahá’í panelists answered questions on a radio call—in show about World Religion Day. In India, the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Delhi collaborated with the New Delhi YMCA to organize a panel discussion on unity in diversity to observe the day.
In honor of the International Year of Tolerance, the Bahá’ís in Spain organized a roundtable discussion on “Religious Tolerance” at the National Bahá’í Center, which was chaired by the distinguished theologian Enrique Miret Magdalena. Representatives from the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Bahá’í Faiths drafted a statement on religious tolerance which was sent to the media.
Bahá’ís participated in interfaith gatherings organized by other religious communities, such as the fourth Interreligious Prayer Meeting in Luxembourg during which each religious representative put flowers of different colors in a vase and lit a candle as a symbol of light in the darkness of intolerance. Smaller groups then discussed how individuals can “spread the seed of reconciliation.” In February 1995, the Bahá’ís of Brazil took part in the Fourth Encounter for a New Consciousness, an ecumenical gathering of 1,500 people from diverse backgrounds. A Bahá’í was also a member of the official Italian delegation to the Sixth
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World Assembly of the World Conference on Religion and Peace held in November in Rome. In Sierra Leone, Bahá’ís became members of the Multi-Religious Council for Peace and Justice.
An important corner was turned in terms of public recognition of the Bahá’í Faith in the United Kingdom in April 1995. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Michael Mayne, wrote to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom confirming that in the future the Bahá’ís will be allotted time to present a reading during the Annual Commonwealth Observance held in Westminster Abbey in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and broadcast Via BBC World Service.
A special triumph for interfaith cooperation occurred in Germany in October 1994, due to the efforts of a group that included Bahá’ís. In a project eventually supported by all the maj or religious communities represented in Berlin and the Senate of Berlin, a “Room of Tranquillity” was dedicated in the northern gatehouse Of the Brandenburg Gate to provide a place for quiet reflection for all Visitors to the former Berlin Wall.
Recognition
As public understanding of the nature and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith continued to spread and deepen and Bahá’í communities grew, public institutions afforded greater legal and social recognition to the Bahá’í community. This took various forms, such as government registration of the Bahá’í Faith, approval of school or work absences 0n Bahá’í holy days, or official invitations for Bahá’í representation at maj or events.
A unique form of recognition came from the Supreme Court of India, Which cited Bahá’í teachings as guidelines for solving religious disputes in its judgement on such a dispute between Hindus and Muslims. The judgement, dated 24 October 1994, related to mob Violence that occurred in early 1993 sparked by controversy over a 16th century mosque said to stand on the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple honoring Lord Rama. A portion of the Supreme Court decision read, “A neutral perception of the requirement for communal harmony is to be found in the Bahá’í Faith. In a booklet, Communal Harmony—India ’5 Greatest Challenge, forming part of the Bahá’í literature, it is stated thus:
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‘...Lasting harmony between heterogeneous communities can only come through a recognition of the oneness of mankind, a realization that differences that divide us along ethnic and religious lines have no foundation. Just as there are no boundaries drawn on the earth of separate nations, distinctions of social, economic, ethnic and religious identity imposed by peoples are artificial....’” In total, three paragraphs from the booklet on communal harmony were quoted.
The status of the Bahá’í Faith as a major religion was indirectly affirmed in Bulgaria, where four Bahá’í holy days were recognized by the Bulgarian Parliament. This means that believers are entitled to be absent from work or school without penalty on the First Day of Riḍván, Naw—Rfiz, the Declaration of the Báb, and the Birthday of Baha’u’llah. In the Netherlands, the official Dutch Public Library Classification System (SISO) corrected its classification of the Bahá’í Faith as a sect and gave it its own classification number. In Albania, the 1995 edition of the country’s Encyclopedical Calendar devotes an entire page to the Bahá’í Faith.
On 29 November 1994, the London Borough of Wandsworth’s Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education produced a new Agreed Syllabus for the teaching of religious education in all the borough’s schools which contains a fifteenpage section on the Bahá’í Faith. Included are an introduction to the Faith, a glossary of 70 terms, and a curriculum for teaching about the Faith at each stage of primary and secondary school.
A book called Na Kade Chuveche? [Where Are We Heading?], written by a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Mr. Georgi Bliznakov, to explore the current problems of Bulgaria and their possible solutions, discusses the Bahá’í Faith as one solution in a chapter devoted to its teachings. The book was publicly introduced during a reception for leaders of thought at Sofia’s Museum of Earth and Man in April 1995.
A number of invitations to high-level official functions also signalled growing recognition of the status of the Bahá’í Faith. In South Africa, the office of President Nelson Mandela sent an invitation for a representative of the Bahá’í Faith to attend the state banquet given by the President for Queen Elizabeth II. The
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Bahá’í Faith was also represented at a reception hosted by the President of Romania in honor of the tricentenary Of the University of Bucharest. In Turkmenistan, the chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Ashkhabad represented the Bahá’í community at a reception hosted by the President for government, embassy, and religious officials. At the conclusion of the banquet, a presidential decree was issued in which the Bahá’í Faith was mentioned, thus giving it an official status.
For the first time in the history of the Bahá’í Faith in Pakistan, the government invited members of the community, as an NGO, to attend a senior officers’ meeting to present their Views. The meeting was held in preparation for the World Summit for Social Development. In Ethiopia, the National Spiritual Assembly was invited to attend the ceremony to mark final delivery of the approved draft of the new Ethiopian constitution to the head of state.
Legal recognition was formally granted the Bahá’í Faith in several countries this year. The government of Mexico approved registration of the Bahá’í Faith in that country in June 1994, and the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Mexico was registered 20 January 1995. The Bahá’í Faith was officially recognized in Serbia 18 October 1994. In December 1994, the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was registered as a religious body with the Ministry of Justice. The national Bahá’í community of Nepal was legally registered in February 1995.
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