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Bahá’í News

November 1979

Bahá’í Year 136

[Page 0] PERSECUTION OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS, THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS MINORITY IN ÍRÁN, HAS TAKEN A NEW TURN. EARLY YESTERDAY MORNING A CROWD OF OVER 100 PEOPLE, INCLUDING THE HEAD OF THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT FOR RELIGIOUS ENDOWMENTS IN SHÍRÁZ, AND ACCOMPANIED BY 25 REVOLUTIONARY GUARDSMEN AND 10 OTHER ARMED MEN, ATTACKED THE MOST HOLY HOUSE OF THE BÁB WHICH WAS ORDAINED BY BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, THE FOUNDER OF THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH, TO BE A PLACE OF PILGRIMAGE FOR HIS FOLLOWERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND IS REGARDED BY THEM AS THE MOST HALLOWED SPOT IN ÍRÁN. THIS CROWD, WHICH HAD THE KEY TO THE HOUSE, SMASHED AND DISMANTLED DOORS AND WINDOWS, DESTROYED ORNAMENTAL PLASTERWORK, BREECHED THE WALLS AND HACKED TO PIECES A TREE IN THE COURTYARD. THIS MORNING THE WORK OF DEMOLITION IS BEING CONTINUED BY A GROUP OF WORKMEN AND IT IS CLEAR THAT THE PURPOSE IS TO RAZE TO THE GROUND THE HOUSE OF THE BÁB AND TWO ADJACENT HOUSES WHICH ALSO BELONG TO THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY.

A WAVE OF ANGUISHED INDIGNATION IS SWEEPING THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. WHEN ALL BAHÁ’Í HOLY PLACES IN ÍRÁN WERE SEIZED BY THE AUTHORITIES IN RECENT MONTHS, THE PROTESTATIONS OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS WERE MET WITH BLAND ASSURANCES, CONFIRMED IN WRITING, THAT THE TAKE-OVER WAS FOR THE PROTECTION OF THESE SACRED PROPERTIES.

BAHÁ’ÍS IN EAST AND WEST ARE REGISTERING VEHEMENT PROTESTS WITH THE ÍRÁNIAN AUTHORITIES.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

September 9, 1979

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Contents

Radio Bahá’í
Series of classes, guided tour help increase its stature	2
Public service
Quick action by Radio Bahá’í helps stem threat of disease	6
Children’s day
Radio Bahá’í sponsors festival for rural children in Ecuador	7
Shíráz
An eyewitness account of recent persecutions of Bahá’ís	8
Around the world
News from Bahá’í communities in every corner of the globe	12

Cover

The full majesty and beauty of the stately Corinthian columns and intricately-carved marble entablature of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice is apparent in this photo taken July 30, 1979. Except for the dome, most of the marble for the exterior of the building has been installed, and scaffolding has been dismantled at the east end of the structure. Meanwhile, workmen are erecting some of the interior partitions and pursuing the complicated electrical and mechanical work inside the building. An article about the stonecutters in Chiampo, Italy, who prepared the marble for the magnificent structure on Mount Carmel will appear in an upcoming issue of Bahá’í News.

Correction

In the August 1979 issue of Bahá’í News, page 8, a cablegram from the Caroline Islands relating news of its National Convention and Five Year Plan victories was erroneously attributed to the Cook Islands, which has no National Spiritual Assembly and is under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand. We deeply regret the error.

Change of address should be reported directly to Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates: one year, U.S. $8; two years, U.S. $15. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091.Copyright © 1979, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Bahá’í News is published monthly for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to: Bahá’í News Editorial Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.

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Radio Bahá’í

Bahá’í-run classes in radio engineering help warm relations between the Faith and the government Office of Frequencies

Top photo: The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Ecuador. Middle: Government engineers from Ecuador’s Office of Frequencies arrive in Otavalo, Ecuador, for last June’s tour of the facilities of Radio Bahá’í. Bottom left: Bahá’ís and their guests gather at the Bahá’í Institute in Otavalo before climbing the mountain to inspect the site of Radio Bahá’í. At the right is Josefa Pacari, who with her husband, Segundo Til, is pioneering to the Institute from the Chibuleo Indian region of Ecuador; the man with his hair in braids is an Otavalo Indian in typical dress. Bottom right: A government engineer takes a photo of National Spiritual Assembly member María Perugachi and Auxiliary Board members Isabel de Calderón and Vincenta Anrango in front of the large thatched-roof meeting hall at the Bahá’í Institute in Otavalo.

[Page 4] On January 24, 1979, a new transmitter was installed at Radio Bahá’í near Otavalo, Ecuador, bringing the station up to full power and giving it the capability of broadcasting 24 hours a day.

Shortly afterward, the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador requested an inspection by the government’s Office of Frequencies. Enrique Matute, an engineer who had inspected the station on a previous occasion, was sent, and was favorably impressed by the advances made since his last visit about a year before.

Sr. Matute said this was one of the better radio stations in Ecuador, and indicated that approval to broadcast with the new equipment would be granted. While at the station he called the government monitoring station near Quito to check the frequency and strength of Radio Bahá’í’s signal, which was deemed satisfactory. After using the equipment at Radio Bahá’í to verify these findings, the engineer said that some of the station’s equipment is more sophisticated than the government’s and expressed his pleasure at the way the station is being run.

Dean Stephens, the engineer/consultant for Radio Bahá’í, was present during the inspection, and offered to assist the Office of Frequencies in selecting and obtaining similar equipment. Sr. Matute thanked him for his consideration, and expressed a wish that Mr. Stephens would “come and give a comprehensive course to our engineering staff.” It was agreed that, if feasible, the inspector would contact the National Spiritual Assembly’s representative in Quito to work out the details of such an undertaking. This was done within a few weeks, and a formal course was planned under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador and the government Office of Frequencies. Mr. Stephens came from his home in Puerto Rico to conduct the course.

The sessions were held from June 4-8, 1979, six hours each day, at the Center for Training and Accreditation. About half of the participants in the fast-paced, intensive course were engineers and technicians including department heads from the Office of Frequencies. The only non-governmental engineer taking part was Ralph Dexter, a chemical engineer who is the National Spiritual Assembly’s representative for Radio Bahá’í.

A government-planned field trip was made to several radio transmitters: Radio Colón, Radio Melodia, and Radio Gran Colombia. The entire class made the trip and saw many practical examples of themes treated in the course.

On the final day of the course, a luncheon for the participants was attended by some of the highest-ranking officers in this branch of government: the General Manager for Public Works and Telecommunications for Ecuador; the Director of Finance from the Ecuadorian Institute of Telecommunications; and the Director of Training and Accreditation.

Diplomas were presented alternately by Lt. Col. Victor Zabala, Director of the Office of Frequencies; Auxiliary Board member Sra. Isabel de Calderon, legal representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador; and Mr. Stephens. The diplomas were certified and sealed with the insignia of the government of Ecuador and of Radio Bahá’í.

The General Manager of Public Works and Telecommunications was quite moved by the ceremony. He warmly congratulated the Officer of Training and Accreditation for initiating the course, and made a point of presenting Mr. Dexter, the only Bahá’í participant, with his diploma as a sign of deference to the Faith.

During the course of the field trip, an opportunity had arisen to invite the participants to visit Radio Bahá’í. The Office of Frequencies accepted the invitation, and the visit was arranged for Saturday, June 16.

‘The General Manager of Public Works and Telecommunications ... made a point of presenting Mr. Dexter, the only Bahá’í participant, with his diploma as a sign of deference to the Faith.’

At the appointed hour a bus arrived carrying about one-half of the officers from the Office of Frequencies, one from the Marines, several secretaries, and the family of one officer. The visitors were warmly received by the radio staff in Otavalo and, escorted by a small group of Bahá’ís, began the half-hour climb by bus to the Bahá’í property above Lake Cuicocha (Lake of the Gods) which is the anticipated site of a short-wave radio transmitter. From that point there is an uninterrupted view of ‘Cajas,’ the location of Radio Bahá’í’s medium-wave transmitter.

Although the site is high in the Andes mountains and the weather is generally cool, the day was relatively warm and sunny, and the visitors were able to enjoy a boat ride on Lake Cuicocha. Since an application for a short-wave frequency had been submitted to the Office of Frequencies, Mr. Stephens and the staff felt that it was especially important that the engineers visit Lake Cuicocha so that they might point out to the government officials that it is one of the best sites in the country for short-wave radio system. (When the frequency is granted, Radio Bahá’í will cover all of Ecuador and go far beyond its borders into parts of Colombia and Perú.)

Following the boat ride, an informal lunch was served at the Bahá’í Institute in Otavalo. At 3 p.m. visitors and staff departed for Cajas and Radio Bahá’í. The government engineers asked many questions, and satisfied their curiosity about the now-famous innovative “antenna” that was built from locally-produced materials for only a fraction of the usual cost of such facilities through judicious purchases of used equipment and knowledgeable modifications and innovations to meet Radio Bahá’í requirements. Mr. Stephens used the neat and orderly installation to illustrate principles, techniques and equipment that had been talked about during the class sessions at the Center for Training and Accreditation.

Besides strengthening the bonds of friendship between Bahá’ís and government personnel established during the training course, and demonstrating some of the things learned in the classroom using Radio Bahá’í equipment, the visit was intended to give the Bahá’ís yet another opportunity to proclaim the Faith to these intelligent and influential members of the Ecuadorian government. Considerable interest had been generated both in Radio Bahá’í and the Faith itself, and here the government representatives were able to ask many questions and receive answers. As

[Page 5] they said their goodbyes, posters designed especially for the inauguration of Radio Bahá’í were presented to each of them—even the bus driver politely asked for two—and they were extremely grateful for the posters as well as for the hospitality shown by the Bahá’ís.

As a result of the visit, an invitation was extended by the Office of Frequencies to Mr. Stephens and the National Spiritual Assembly’s representative to tour its installation. The invitation was accepted, and a visit was made the following Monday to the Office of Frequencies’ monitoring station in Calderon, Ecuador, by Mr. Stephens, Mr. Dexter and Sra. de Calderon. They were accompanied by Sr. Matute, who is chief of Monitoring and Control. Some of the students, seeing the Bahá’ís, came forward and embraced them warmly.

Unfortunately, said Mr. Stephens, there was no electricity that day, so the staff was unable to demonstrate its equipment in actual operation. However, he reported, “they turned on their transistor radio to Radio Bahá’í and played it loud enough to be heard all over the building during the time we were present.”

It can be said that two major trends developed during this period. One was the interest generated and the camaraderie developed in the classroom itself; the other, even more important, was the enhancement of the stature of Radio Bahá’í, and with it the Bahá’í Faith, in the eyes of the government authorities who are responsible for the station’s licensing and existence.—Helen Hornby

Top photo: Engineers from Ecuador’s government Office of Frequencies take a close look at Radio Bahá’í’s medium-wave transmitter during their visit to the station last June. Middle: The engineers listen as plans for a Bahá’í short-wave station are explained. At the right, wearing dark glasses and dark jacket, is Julio E. Hidalgo, a civilian employee of the Ministry of Defense who prepared the drawings and signed the documents related to Bahá’í application for the short-wave frequency. Bottom: Bahá’ís and their government guests pose for a group photo near the site of Radio Bahá’í. In the background is Lake Cuicocha.

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Public service

Radio Bahá’í cooperates with Ecuadorian government to help head off epidemic of hoof and mouth disease

Public service to the community it serves, especially in times of emergency, is among the more valuable contributions of any radio station. Listeners to Radio Bahá’í in Ecuador have come to expect such service, and a recent series of events serves to confirm that these listeners not only pay close attention to such public service information, but react to it as well.

In mid-June, two veterinarians from the Otavalo office of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture paid a mid-morning visit to the offices of Radio Bahá’í to consult about initiating a campaign of vaccination against hoof and mouth disease, a malady that affects livestock. The disease can render the meat and milk of affected animals unfit for human consumption, and, even worse, can be passed on to humans through food contamination. At the time of the visit, the possible existence of the disease in that area was only suspected; nevertheless, the authorities wanted to urge livestock owners to have their animals vaccinated as quickly as possible. A campaign of radio spot announcements was discussed and planned.

That same afternoon, the proposed campaign took on an added urgency when the veterinarians returned to Radio Bahá’í to report that a case of Aftosa (Aphthous) Fever, or hoof and mouth disease, had been confirmed in the nearby town of Cotama. The Ministry of Agriculture immediately imposed a quarantine on all livestock in the area to prevent the further spread of the disease. Then Radio Bahá’í went to work.

By four o’clock the following morning spot announcements were on the air. They were broadcast four times every hour, in Spanish and Quechua, the widely-spoken indigenous language, calling the attention of livestock owners to the vaccination campaign and informing them of the three locations at which the vaccine was to be administered, starting at 8 o’clock that morning.

The announcements continued for the next two weeks, explaining the importance of the vaccination and its ready availability.

The result? According to information supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture, in the area around Cotama, where only seven animals had been vaccinated during the previous month, some 250 livestock owners came to the vaccination centers with their animals while the campaign was on the air. The spread of the disease was checked and the community’s health safeguarded.—Michael J. Stokes

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Children’s day

Radio Bahá’í sponsors a festival in Otavalo

A large crowd (top photo) was on hand last May 13 for the first Children’s Festival in Otavalo, Ecuador, sponsored by Radio Bahá’í. About 75 children from the area covered by the station performed songs, dances, poems, and readings in honor of Mother’s Day. The children in the bottom photo are typical of those who took part, their faces animated by eager enthusiasm and great excitement.

On May 13, 1979, more than a thousand people watched as about 75 children in the typical costume of the Otavalo Indians of Ecuador crowded onto a rustic platform erected between the buildings of the Bahá’í Institute in Otavalo to help inaugurate the first Children’s Festival of Radio Bahá’í.

The children sang the Ecuadorian national anthem with great enthusiasm, then withdrew to await their turn as groups, individual contestants, and representatives of rural schools within the effective transmitting radius of Radio Bahá’í. They were to present songs, dances, poems and talks during the Festival, with many of the presentations in honor of their mothers, as the event was held on Mother’s Day.

A cordial welcome was extended to children, local dignitaries and others in the audience by Ralph Dexter, the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador’s representative for Radio Bahá’í. Afterward, Srta. Maria Perugachi, an indigenous believer and member of the National Spiritual Assembly, assumed the rule of co-master of ceremonies with Sr. Clemencia Pavón de Zuleta, alternating in Spanish and the Quechua language.

Judges for the children’s contests were Auxiliary Board members Isabel Pavón de Calderon and Vicenta Anrango; Janet Dexter, a Bahá’í pioneer; and Sr. Luis Enrique Santa Cruz, an indigenous Bahá’í.

Throughout the program, a strong Bahá’í spirit was infused by the children of the Bahá’í Chorus of Cayambe, a city close to the Bahá’í radio station, under the direction of Ann Miller, a pioneer to Ecuador from the United States. Hesam Firuzdi, a pioneer from Írán, caused a sensation as a red-nosed clown among children who had never before seen a clown of any kind. Before the day was over, Mr. Firuzdi had won the hearts of most of them.

The large audience encompassed the area around the Institute while another hundred or more people sat, stood, or hung on the walls and peered through iron gratings or over each other’s shoulders. Late in the afternoon a cold rain began to fall, and although most of the audience determined to stay to the end of the Festival, an announcement was made that everyone could move into the large “choza,” a nine-sided thatched-roof meeting hall that was built two years ago with the help of hundreds of indigenous Bahá’ís. There, with careful use of floor space and some tolerance on the part of spectators, everyone was accommodated.

Sr. Miguel Pozo, supervisor of the Quinchuqui Nucleus of Rural Schools, gave a sympathetic talk expressing his gratitude and that of the teachers for the opportunity to participate in a cultural activity that encouraged contributions from the rural and often-forgotten children. He expressed a concern that in Ecuador, as in other parts of the world, the art and culture of the indigenous peoples are not always adequately appreciated. He gave special thanks to Miss Miller for her untiring efforts to reach the various offices that supervise about 150 rural schools, and for making personal contact to help stimulate and encourage teachers in nearly 40 schools.

One of the teachers related a story that had everyone laughing. His group of shy Indian students, arriving somewhat late at the Institute and seeing the large crowd that was waiting to see them perform, became frightened and started running, stopping only when they had arrived safely home. However, there were brothers, sisters and friends of these children in the audience who eagerly offered to take their place; when their school’s turn came to perform, they danced and sang, helped through their paces by the students’ proud and loving teacher.

This type of Festival, common among city children in Ecuador, is seldom offered for rural or “campesino” children. Now, it will be an annual event sponsored by Radio Bahá’í.—Helen Hornby

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Shíráz

Pioneers offer an eyewitness account as persecution of Bahá’í increases

(The following eyewitness account of recent events involving the persecution of Bahá’ís in Shíráz, Írán, was written by Ann Wixom-Hanchett of Kingston, New York. Mrs. Wixom-Hanchett and her husband, Richard Wixom, were in Shíráz from August 1978 through last January, during the political revolution that overthrew the Sháh and brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power.—Ed.)

[Page 10] A notice in a teacher’s magazine set us to dreaming in the snows of New York about the warmth, roses and melons of Shíráz, and of the almost unbelievable prospect of living in the city where the Báb had made His momentous Declaration. Events and plans fit quickly together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, and, after notifying the National Spiritual Assembly of our plans, we were flying to Írán by the end of August, our airline schedule allowing just enough time in London to visit the grave of the Guardian.

Arriving in Shíráz, we chose a hotel—directly across from the gate to the Bahá’í Center’s garden, and on the same street as our future home there—and began to orient ourselves to the city. Fortunately, the university where we were to teach had provided us with a guide, an amiable young man who spoke English well and insisted on discussing politics. As Americans, we could not fully appreciate the degree of freedom that government relaxation of restrictions that summer had given the people of Írán.

As we passed the Bahá’í Center, our guide’s tone of voice changed as he whispered of the collusion between Bahá’ís and the British in a colonialist plot. We soon became accustomed to hearing even more outlandish stories: the head of the hated government secret police, SAVAK, was said to be a Bahá’í, as was the prime minister, and even the Sháh himself. We were told that Bahá’ís committed frequent adultery, then bribed their way out of punishment. (These and other charges, of course, were without foundation.—Ed.)

The most poignant theory about the Bahá’ís was offered by people who knew Bahá’ís as friends and had read some of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. As lovely as these people believed the Bahá’ís and their books to be, they were firmly convinced that it was all a ploy to attract gullible Muslims to the Faith, which in reality was full of lies, deceit and sacrilege. We did, however, meet many people, usually among the more intellectual groups, who had genuine good feelings toward Bahá’ís and wanted to give them as much freedom to live and worship as they themselves hoped to achieve. Later, when trouble began, these people frequently showed compassion and horror at the persecution and mistreatment of the Bahá’ís.

Within three days of our arrival in Shíráz our guide introduced us to a Bahá’í woman whose father had a house to rent. Although the woman was known to be a Bahá’í, we were unsure what the effect on other Bahá’ís might be if we disclosed our beliefs, so we said nothing in front of our guide. To our delight, the house was on a quiet kuche (a small street) next to our landlord’s, across from the Bahá’í Center and close to the older part of the city. A rose bush draped its greenery through the kitchen window, and there was a courtyard with a tiny patch of garden. The whole situation seemed almost too perfect to be coincidental.

On our first visit alone to the landlord’s house, as we awaited him in the guest room, we commented on the pictures of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. The realization that we were foreign Bahá’ís was greeted with delighted disbelief, and a series of warm embraces introduced us into the family circle. When the old man entered the room, and was told by his daughters that we were Bahá’ís, a glow of appreciation and warm fatherly love animated his whole being. The family was wreathed in smiles. Perhaps the long history of persecution has served to heighten the sense of gratitude toward seeing other Bahá’ís; one rarely sees such an expression of joyous thanks in a freer atmosphere.

In September and October small Feasts were held amongst neighbors and family. They were precisely organized and run, and always were graced by the powerful chanting of prayers in Persian. As the political situation worsened, the Feast was usually held privately. As we had been the only believers in our rural county in New York State, even these small Feasts were to us magnificent occasions of great beauty, love and sharing.

For the Bahá’ís in Shíráz, however, the smaller Feasts, observed quietly and discreetly, were a disquieting reminder of the Guardian’s prophecies of increasing discrimination against the believers. Only a year before, groups of at least 60 Bahá’ís had gathered throughout the city for Feasts; hundreds of people assembled in the Bahá’í gardens at the Center for speeches and celebrations; large study groups often met together for several days for deepenings; pilgrims came from all over the world to visit the House of the Báb, the only site in Írán designated as a place of pilgrimage by Bahá’u’lláh Himself.

Now we were the only foreign Bahá’ís in Shíráz; the gardens were closely guarded, and most of the books removed from the Bahá’í library; the House of the Báb was closed to visitors, and all its furnishings, we were told, had been hidden away in case of further trouble.

Until December, daily life in the city went on with deceptive normality and light-heartedness. Sporadic strikes and an occasional confrontation between soldiers and students served to remind one that protest still fermented beneath the surface. The postal service was frequently closed. Newspapers, after a celebrated pact of journalistic freedom with the government, were closing down shortly afterward in the face of renewed censorship. High schools would open in the morning, but usually were closed in the afternoon by striking students; later, teachers initiated a wage strike.

Pahlavi University, where we taught, was never officially closed, but disruptions and threats by activist students kept most others from attending classes. After three days of futile negotiations, professors began staying away. Martial law, in effect from September through December, kept most protest activity to a minimum. Fortunately, the commander of government troops in Shíráz was comparatively wise and did nothing to antagonize the protestors. Twice, government buildings and the Írán-American Society (ironically, attended mostly by Íránians learning to speak English) were bombed, but even these outbreaks elicited no extreme military reaction such as those that occurred in Mashhad, Ṭihrán or Iṣfahán.

Ashúra, the period of Muslim mourning for Ḥusayn, the martyred son of ‘Alí (the son-in-law whom Muḥammad designated to succeed Him after His death), brought renewed tension, more store closings, and more chadors. The chador, somewhat erroneously referred to as a “veil,” is actually a dark, sheet-shaped cloth worn over the face by women. It often covers stylish western-type clothes, and must be held at the neck, as it has no fastenings. Often a woman must clutch the chador in her teeth if her hands are filled with packages. The Sháh’s father, in his effort to westernize Írán, had forbidden wearing of the chador, for which there is no specific law in the Qu’rán. Gradually the use of the chador almost died out in Írán; recently, however, women had begun wearing them again, primarily as a form of political protest. Even female children could be seen adeptly trying to play while keeping the flapping cloth discreetly over their heads.

Without warning, the old prejudices against the Bahá’ís surfaced during the Muslim period of mourning. Apparently, there had been some unrest between Bahá’ís and Muslims in Sa‘dí, once a village but now absorbed into Shíráz proper. We heard, to our amazement, that Bahá’ís had attacked Muslims coming from a mosque in Sa‘dí. It wasn’t long before the retributive burning and looting of Bahá’í homes and businesses began, first in Sa‘dí, then throughout the city. Black flags, scarves or strips of cloth suddenly appeared over each Muslim door, a sign to looters that

[Page 11] they should “pass over” that house. One felt obvious and vulnerable without a flag, yet proud to be a Bahá’í. Many of the believers were forced to move to hotels or to the homes of friends; some Bahá’ís left the city completely. Without warning, a family you had known and visited with would be gone, no one seemed to know where, and you would never see them again. No one knew which house or business would be visited and attacked next. In the three days of burning, more than a hundred homes and businesses were damaged; some were completely destroyed, the plumbing fixtures, bricks and beams, windows and other parts carted away to be sold. Sometimes only the insides of homes were damaged as crowds threw preserves on the walls, ripped off wallpaper and fixtures, and broke windows.

People who had lost nothing in the riots grieved for those who had. Yet the losses seemed to bring with them a spirit of great joy. More than 100 people, from Shíráz or other villages in the province, many of whom had lost everything, even their jobs, filled the gardens at the Bahá’í Center. One’s first impression upon entering the gardens was of the calm radiance and joy that filled these people. Some of them were even heard congratulating others for having lost everything for Bahá’u’lláh. It was the largest gathering of Bahá’ís in months. When the house of one elderly man was being burned, he had come out into the crowd, thrown his last money into the fire, and shouted defiantly, “Now kill me for Bahá’u’lláh!” A wealthy man whose house had been a gathering place for Bahá’ís on formal occasions, and whose possessions included priceless Persian rugs, laughed as he watched his house consumed by the flames. Ironically, another Bahá’í family obtained a new house that was much nicer than the one they had lost to the mobs; it even had a telephone, an expensive luxury that one usually must wait years for in Írán.

Miraculously, the House of the Báb was unharmed during the turmoil. Some of the Bahá’ís said it was because the mullá who cared for the mosque abutting the House of the Báb warned of God’s retribution if people should dare to harm the house of a Siyyid (a descendant of Muḥammad; the Báb was a Siyyid).

The Bahá’í cemetery, however, was ravaged. Trees were cut down, head stones broken, and graves desecrated. Some years before, the Bahá’ís had wanted to place a monument over the tomb of the son of the Báb, but the Spiritual Assembly said no. That wisdom, perhaps not even consciously understood at the time, saved from defilement the body of the son of the Báb.

As it became clear that the Sháh’s government was weakening, one was never quite sure when he might run into disturbances in the streets. On one apparently peaceful afternoon, as I walked home from work, enjoying the clear view of the mountains, I began somewhat idly to repeat aloud prayers, as was my custom, to free my mind of other less helpful thoughts. When I arrived home, my husband met me at the gate with expressions of great relief. Unknown to me, large street demonstrations and shootings had taken place for several hours that day. The disturbances had stopped only long enough to allow me to stroll home in safety, and they resumed about 20 minutes after my arrival.

The headquarters of SAVAK, the secret police, had been captured and burned. We could see the blaze from our street as it burned for more than two days. In spite of our rather precarious situation as Bahá’ís in Shíráz, we felt strongly the power of prayer, and our situation seemed less fraught with anxiety than that of other foreigners there, even though many of them lived farther from the area of demonstrations than we. On the streets, we were rarely bothered by anyone.

As the political situation became more uncertain, however, we began to feel that it would be best for us to return to the U.S. Near the end of January we resolved firmly to leave as soon as it was feasible to do so. We had to collect several months’ pay, secure airline tickets, and transact other business that had been held up by strikes, closings and other disruptions that brought almost everything except food marketing to a halt. On the same evening that we made our decision to leave, my mother phoned from the states to say that a job was open in a town near some dear Bahá’í friends of ours if we could return for an interview within 10 days. Many people had tried for days without success to call Írán from the U.S.; my mother called us twice in one evening without any trouble at all. Two days later, the Bahá’í whose phone we had used left the country for England.

Banks and travel agencies were closed, and few planes were flying since most ground control crews were on strike. After a week of sitting in offices, and walking here and there with papers to be signed, we were able to buy airline tickets to New York. Ordinarily, one could buy tickets only to one of the emirates on the Persian Gulf. From there, tickets to one’s final destination could be obtained. But as the Persian rial was rapidly being devalued on the international money market, we wouldn’t have been able to afford tickets to New York unless we had bought them inside Írán where the rial retained its value.

For a while, it seemed that the hard-won tickets would do us little good. For three days we rode to and from the airport; each time, we were unable to get a seat on an outgoing plane. Everything seemed impossibly confused and unpredictable. On the fourth day, as we were leaving the Bahá’í Center after arranging for yet another ride to the airport, a friend ran after us with a message from the caretaker of the House of the Báb. Would we, he asked, like to visit the House? Such joy! It was a dream we’d resigned ourselves to fulfilling perhaps only many years later. We had thought our months with the patient, courageous, loving Bahá’ís in Shíráz were to be our lesson and our reward, and that the jasmine blossoms sent to us by that same caretaker would be our only souvenir of the visit to that holy city.

At precisely eight o’clock that evening we were driven to the oldest part of the city, just off a wide street that was lined with rug, mattress and food shops. Wrapped in a borrowed chador, I followed our two male guides with studied acquiescence to custom. Our excitement was tempered by the fear that our visit might in some way jeopardize the security of that beloved House. Our solitary footsteps sounded ominously loud in the quiet streets. At last we entered a basement tunnel supported by whole tree trunks, and emerged into the clean grace of the house adjoining that of the Báb. Whispers and a gas light led us through a second tunnel and past some construction work to a neat wooden fence and gate. “Please remove your shoes,” we heard one of the guides say. The simple perfection of the tiny courtyard offered a silent invitation to enter; the clear stars and the still pool in the yard immobilized one before this awesome Presence. We stood transfixed by what lay before our eyes. The feeling was one of a joy and peace that is all but indescribable.

Now we could leave.

[Page 12]

Around the World

Honduras

“Operation Wellspring,” a teaching trip by five Bahá’ís last June 28-July 25 to the remote Mosquitia region of Honduras, produced a wellspring of victories with 1,009 newly-enrolled believers, 10 new Local Spiritual Assemblies, 34 newly-opened localities, four local endowments with three more possible, and initiation of translations of the Writings into the Misquito language.

The new believers, many of them members of the large indigenous population known as Misquito Indians, included a district government secretary, an accountant, a librarian, a post office official, a nurse, a forestry inspector, teachers, soldiers, policemen, students, and people from about 30 other professions.

Members of the teaching team were Auxiliary Board member Bill Stover; National Spiritual Assembly members Jhemhm Sayyah and Alejandro Melendez; pioneer Jaque Bookwalter, and Greg McAllister from California. Wanita George, who has been a pioneer in Honduras for more than 20 years, set out with the team, but was unable to complete the trip because of illness.

Dedicating the trip to the Universal House of Justice, the team arrived June 27 by plane in the Mosquitia region. They traveled in trucks, dug-out canoes and on foot, visiting 40 towns along the coast of Honduras from the Nicaraguan border to the port city of La Ceibe, more than 250 miles in all.

“The first part of the trip,” one team member recalled, “was slow and rather difficult. There were so few people in the Mosquitia. The towns were distant and the roads few and almost impassable due to the rainy season. We lost a lot of time waiting for transportation, or for the rain to stop.

Members of the ‘Operation Wellspring’ teaching team with Bahá’ís in the village of Palacios, Honduras.

Members of the ‘Operation Wellspring’ teaching team in the village of Sonaguerra, Honduras, with Irma Contreras (back row center), the 999th new believer enrolled during the month-long campaign last June 28-July 25, and another Bahá’í (back row right) from Sonaguerra. Team members are (kneeling left to right) Greg McAllister, Alejandro Melendez, and (standing left to right) Jaque Bookwalter, Jhemhm Sayyah, Auxiliary Board member Bill Stover.

[Page 13] Auxiliary Board member Bill Stover plays guitar and sings to children in Pueblo Nuevo during ‘Operation Wellspring,’ a month-long teaching trip last summer in the Mosquitia region of Honduras.

“After about a week things started going more smoothly, and we knew by then that the Universal House of Justice must have received the NSA’s letter and was praying for the success of the project. When we returned, we found that the National Assembly had received a letter from the Universal House of Justice acknowledging its letter just one week after we left.”

Wrote another team member: “We were teaching house to house when we came upon an elderly man who was a Bahá’í but hadn’t been contacted by other Bahá’ís for many years. He brought tears to our eyes as he welcomed us into his home, saying, ‘How happy I am now that the Light of Bahá’u’lláh has entered my home!’

“In another town where a new Assembly was later elected, a man heard us speak of the Faith and ran to his home, returning shortly afterward with a card in his hand. With excitement and pride, he showed us his Bahá’í identification card. It was dated 1962!”

In addition to the teaching work, team members consulted with 10 District Teaching Committees and six Local Spiritual Assemblies. They also visited the District Governor who accepted pamphlets and a book about the Faith.

Belgium

Seventy-five new believers were enrolled during the annual Bahá’í Summer School in Belgium last August 11-17.

The school, attended by Continental Counsellor Louis Henuzet, honored UNICEF by reserving an entire day for consultation relating to the International Year of the Child and hosting two evening theatre performances promoting IYC.

José Wuidar, a national representative for UNICEF, was invited to attend the discussions; Mrs. Lea Nys, speaking on behalf of the Bahá’ís, noted that “Bahá’ís participate in UNICEF because 13 million children throughout the world are deprived nutritionally, medically and/or educationally.”

For the first time in this bi-lingual country, almost all courses at the school were conducted in its two principal languages, Dutch and French, via translation, an important step forward.

[Page 14]

Bolivia

Auxiliary Board member Fataneh de Ouladi (second from left in front row) and Dr. Eshragholláh Ouladi (fourth from left in front row) represented the Bahá’í International Community last April 18-26 at the 18th session of the Economic Commission for Latin America in La Paz, Bolivia. It was the first time that the Bahá’í Faith had been invited to participate in a meeting of the commission.

The Bahá’í International Community was represented last April 18-26 at the 18th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America in La Paz, Bolivia, by Auxiliary Board member Fataneh de Ouladi and Dr. Eshragholláh Ouladi.

It was the first time that the commission, which is concerned with the economic well-being of the people of Latin America and the Caribbean, had invited Bahá’í representatives to participate in its annual meeting.

At a session for representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), the Bahá’ís outlined the purposes of the Faith. On another occasion, they spoke of the Bahá’í Teachings on the equality of men and women, and distributed the Bahá’í International Community’s pamphlet on the subject.

The Bahá’í delegates’ contributions to the commission were warmly received by other delegates and participants.

Guyana

The Bahá’ís of Guyana held their fourth National Children’s Conference last March 25 at the Bahá’í National Center in Georgetown.

One hundred forty-nine children from several communities attended the school, which honored the International Year of the Child.

Following a full program of prayers, readings from the Writings, singing, skits and talks on the International Year of the Child, the children marched six blocks through the city carrying banners.

The first banner was painted with the IYC emblem, and read, “The Bahá’ís of Guyana Celebrate the International Year of the Child.” Five more banners followed with lines from a Bahá’í song of unity, “We are drops of one ocean, waves of one sea, leaves of one tree, flowers of one garden.” A final banner stated, “Come and join us in our quest for unity.”

As they walked, the children sang the song of unity to the accompaniment of two guitars. On their return to the Center, refreshments were served.

Some of the 149 children who attended Guyana’s fourth National Children’s Conference held last March 25 in Georgetown assemble in front of the National Bahá’í Center before beginning a six-block walk through the city carrying banners commemorating the International Year of the Child and proclaiming the Bahá’í principle of the unity of mankind.

[Page 15]

New Publication

Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká, by Julia M. Grundy; 105 pp.; paperback.

•

This revised edition contains a Bahá’í pilgrim’s recollections of lessons spoken by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during a 10-day period in ‘Akká in 1905.

The book captures the spirit—but not the exact words—of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s discourses on many fascinating subjects. It also includes several talks by members of the Holy Household and brief accounts of the author’s visits to the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh, the garden of Riḍván, and ‘Akká.

The author, Julia Grundy, was part of a steady and ever-increasing stream of Americans who went to ‘Akká after 1898 to hear the Faith explained by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whom Bahá’u’lláh had designated the Center of the Covenant.

Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká offers an intriguing glimpse into one segment of the Heroic Age of the Faith. It is a “personal, though not intimate, record and, at the same time, a document of considerable historical value,” writes Howard Garey in the book’s foreword. In it, he says, “we hear the voice of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá through the mind and heart of a good and simple person and once again appreciate His ability to teach anyone right to the limit of his spiritual and intellectual capacity to learn.”

Originally published in 1907 by the Bahá’í Publishing Society, the book may be ordered from the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A.

Pakistan

Two Bahá’ís from the United States, Gregory Dahl of the International Monetary Fund and John Stoddart of the World Bank, paid a recent visit to the Bhil tribal village in Pakistan, accompanied by Auxiliary Board member A.C. Joshi and two members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Pakistan.

The chief of the largely Bahá’í village placed the traditional Ajarak turbans on their heads while the Bhil women sang Bahá’í songs and recited prayers.

Later, the visitors stopped at the villages of Garo and Thyme, viewed the archaeological monuments at Chowkhundi, and went for a camel ride...

Other recent visitors included Jim and Scarlett Bill and their son, Lancelot, who arrived June 8 in Hyderabad.

The Bills addressed local communities at public meetings and entertained the children at the New Day Montessori School, singing and playing Bahá’í songs on the trumpet and oboe.

Speakers at one of the public meetings, in addition to Mr. and Mrs. Bill, were Auxiliary Board member A.C. Joshi, and a senior advocate of the High Court of Pakistan; Professor Sayeed, head of the Department of Comparative Religions at the University of Sind.

Auxiliary Board member A.C. Joshi, senior advocate of the High Court of Pakistan, and his wife, Nasreen (at left) were among the guests last March 23 at an Independence Day reception hosted by the Governor of the State of Sind, Pakistan. The Governor, Lt. Gen. S.M. Abbasi, is third from the left. Many prominent citizens and representatives of various religions and minority groups attended the reception.

[Page 16]

Trinidad/Tobago

The National Women’s and Children’s Education Committee of Trinidad and Tobago hosted a Bahá’í Women’s Conference last May 26 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Coward in Valencia.

Twenty-one people, Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís, attended. Non-Bahá’í parents were invited to send their children to the Bahá’í children’s classes. The film, “It’s Just the Beginning,” was shown.

Thirty people in Trinidad declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh during a week of teaching there that began last July 7.

On the first day of the project, Kishin Khemani, an Auxiliary Board member from India who was traveling in Trinidad, accompanied other believers, youth and adults, to Indian Trail Village where he spoke at a public meeting that evening.

During the week, Bahá’í teachers visited several other villages including Preysal, Union, Brickfield and Freeport. Deepenings already are under way in Union, with bi-monthly meetings held on Thursdays.

Italy

Aldo Cervani, a pioneer to Francavilla al Mare, Pescara, Italy, was the speaker last June 21 as the Bahá’í Group of Francavilla al Mare held its first public meeting in a lecture hall at the Gabriele D’ Annunzio University.

The Bahá’í Group in Francavilla al Mare, Pescara, Italy, held its first public proclamation event last June 21 at a lecture hall in the Gabriele D’Annunzio University.

Aldo Cervani, a pioneer to Francavilla al Mare, spoke on “The Bahá’í Faith—Basis of World Unity.” Five thousand invitations were sent, a large undertaking for a two-member Group. The Bahá’ís were helped by radio news announcer Gianni Lussoso who invited his listeners to attend the event. An estimated 300,000 people heard that announcement, which was broadcast just before the start of a national league soccer game.

By coincidence, an article entitled “Behold the Children of Glory,” which featured a large photo of the Bahá’í House of Worship in the United States, appeared in the local paper on the day of the meeting.

Among those who attended the meeting were Mr. Lussoso and a reporter from the local newspaper, Il Messaggero Abruzzo. The Bahá’ís of Francavilla al Mare were quite pleased with the outcome of their first proclamation.

Sierra Leone

Mrs. Dorothy Hansen, a Bahá’í pioneer to Ghana, visited Sierra Leone following the West African Bahá’í Women’s Conference in January.

During a television interview, she and Miss Elsie Nicol invited the public to attend a fireside the following evening. More than 25 people came including five newspaper reporters.

The women also were interviewed on two popular radio programs. Each of the programs has been broadcast twice over the national radio service.

[Page 17]

French Guiana

The Hand of the Cause of God ‘Ali Muḥammad Varqá (standing at right) with Amerindian believers and children from the village of Organabo, French Guiana. Also in the photo are Bennoit Girard (far left), a traveling teacher from Canada, and Will Naylor (wearing hat), a pioneer to French Guiana from Canada.

Singapore

More than 2,000 people heard the Bahá’í message during a special proclamation last March 23 in Queenstown, Singapore. The event was organized around a “wayang,” a traditional Chinese roadside show.

Billed as a celebration of the Bahá’í New Year, the program included songs by the Singapore Bahá’í Chinese Singing Group, dances, skits, magic and other entertainment.

The square where the event was held was crowded, and the apartments overlooking the area had their windows open and were thronged with people. Another 5,000 people in the neighborhood learned of the celebration via printed invitations.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Singapore described the event—part of a special effort to reach the Chinese people of Singapore with the Message—as the first truly successful proclamation ever held in that country.

Costa Rica

The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Cartago, Costa Rica, was elected last March 25. Its formation fulfilled the country’s last remaining goal of the Five Year Plan. The Assembly was formed with only one pioneer; the rest of its members are Costa Rican believers.