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Bahá’í News

October 1981

Bahá’í Year 138

Association for Bahá’í Studies: The sixth annual Conference

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PERSECUTION BAHÁ’ÍS IRAN GAINING MOMENTUM ENTERING NEW PHASE: IN YAZD A FEW DAYS AGO GOVERNMENT FROZE ALL ASSETS 117 BELIEVERS. ON AUGUST 8 ANNOUNCEMENT ON LOCAL RADIO SUMMONED HEADS 150 PROMINENT BAHÁ’Í FAMILIES TO REPORT WITHIN ONE WEEK TO REVOLUTIONARY AUTHORITIES. IN ABSENTIA DECREES TO BE ISSUED RESPECT ANY NAMED BELIEVER WHO FAILS PRESENT HIMSELF BY AUGUST 15. AMONG NAMES ARE FEW WHO PASSED AWAY, CONFIRMING DETERMINATION AUTHORITIES PERSECUTE BAHÁ’ÍS PURELY FOR THEIR BELIEF, NOT BECAUSE OF ANY ALLEGED CRIME. ONE OF THOSE NAMED WAS ARRESTED AS HE WAS PROCEEDING FOR NECESSARY TEMPORARY JOURNEY OUTSIDE YAZD. ACTIONS TAKEN FORESHADOW PLAN AUTHORITIES FORCE BAHÁ’ÍS RECANT THEIR FAITH ON PAIN CONFISCATION ALL THEIR PROPERTIES, OTHER DIRE CONSEQUENCES ...

FURTHER REPORT JUST RECEIVED INDICATES IN MANSHAD VILLAGE NEAR YAZD GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL FROM YAZD ACCOMPANIED REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS HAS PEREMPTORILY SEIZED FURNITURE CROPS LIVESTOCK LOCAL BELIEVERS.

FOLLOWING DETAILS ADDITIONAL PERSECUTIONS OTHER PROVINCES NOW IN HAND:

IN MASJID SULAYMAN AUTHORITIES HAVE INSTRUCTED BANKS SUBMIT LIST ALL CHECKING AND DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS BAHÁ’ÍS.

IN NAYSHABUR WHERE TWO BELIEVERS WERE RECENTLY MARTYRED MOB HAD DESTROYED WALL BAHÁ’Í CEMETERY. AUTHORITIES NOW CLAIM TWO MILLION RIALS FROM LOCAL COMMUNITY TO RESTORE WALL.

IN HEMMAT-ABAD NEAR ABADIH WIVES OF BELIEVERS WHO HAD FLED FROM THEIR HOMES HAVE BEEN GIVEN NOTICE CALL THEIR HUSBANDS. WIVES THREATENED GRAVE REPERCUSSIONS IF HUSBANDS FAIL PRESENT THEMSELVES ...

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
AUGUST 11, 1981

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Bahá’í News

In Alaska, the Faith spreads to the far corners of the northernmost state	1
In Canada, the Association for Bahá’í Studies holds its 6th Conference	7
In Nigeria, a teaching campaign opens wide new areas in the ‘Middle Belt’	10
Around the world: News from Bahá’í communities all over the globe	12

Bahá’í News is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of address should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center. 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 © 1981, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

[Page 1]

Alaska

A Bahá’í community grows, matures

By JANET W. STOUT

As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, “Alaska is a vast country ... Perchance, God willing, the lights of the most great guidance may illumine that country and the breezes of the rose garden of the love of God may perfume the nostrils of the inhabitants of Alaska. Should ye become confirmed in thus rendering such a service, rest ye assured that ye shall crown your heads with the diadem of everlasting sovereignty, and at the threshold of oneness you will become the favored and accepted servants.”

Alaska’s vastness comprises half a million square miles—one-fifth the size of the continental United States. In 1939, when the first Bahá’í pioneers arrived to lay the foundation of the Administrative Order in Alaska, there were about 60,000 inhabitants—half of whom were natives. That number would be no more than a small crowd today at a major college football game. The present population of Alaska is roughly 500,000, or about one person per square mile.

Alaska has always been known for the dedication of its believers, their vigorous teaching activities, and the early completion of its goals. All of the goals assigned to Alaska by the Guardian for the Ten Year Crusade (1953-63) were completed in the first four years of that Plan. In fact, the only goal not completed upon the establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska in April 1957 was its incorporation, which was accomplished only five months later. The Guardian gave Alaska a subsidiary Six Year Plan, and all those goals were easily met.

One of the goals given to Alaska during the Ten Year Crusade was to open the virgin territories of the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak Island, and Baranof Island. Bahá’ís who hastened to all of these areas earned the title of Knights of Bahá’u’lláh.

George and Elinore Putney and their children arriving in Anchorage in 1953. Mrs. Putney continued on to Unalaska and was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh by the Guardian. Mr. Putney later rejoined the family in Unalaska.

To the Aleutians went Jenabe and Elaine Caldwell and their three sons, and Elinore Putney and her three daughters. Baranof Island received Helen Robinson, Gail Avery, and Grace Bahovec, while Kodiak Island welcomed Jack Huffman, Rose Perkal (Gates), and Bernard Guhrke.

On the beloved Guardian’s map chronicling the accomplishments of the World Crusade, he had 10 arrows leading from the circle representing Uganda, which led the Bahá’í world in achievements in 1958, and next to Uganda, with nine arrows, was Alaska. At the end of the Nine Year Plan, Alaska was second only to Fiji in reaching its assigned goals.

One of the reasons for Alaska’s indomitable spirit and marvelous achievements may well be the Guardian’s loving inspiration and guidance and his personal attention to the believers there over the years. He wrote more than 100 letters to individuals and institutions in Alaska, a selection of which was published just before the International Conference in Anchorage in 1976 and titled High Endeavours: Messages to Alaska.

Hands, Counsellors help

Alaskans have been strengthened and inspired over the years by no less than 24 visits by 13 of the Hands of the Cause of God, and by the continual guidance of Continental Counsellors and Auxiliary Board members.

Paul Haney was the first of the Hands of the Cause of God to visit Alaska, coming in 1957 as the Guardian’s representative to the first National Convention of Alaska. As the years passed his visit was followed by those of the Hands of the Cause A.Q. Faizí, H. Collis Featherstone (3 visits), A.A. Furútan (3), Dr. Ugo Giachery, Dhikru’llah Khádem (2), Jalal Kházeh (2), Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Dr. Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir, Enoch Olinga, John Robarts (4), Tarázu’lláh Samandarí, and William Sears (3).

Counsellor Florence Mayberry has made 17 visits to Alaska, both before and after the formation of its National Spiritual Assembly. En route to Haifa in 1973 to begin serving at the International Teaching Centre, Mrs. Mayberry stopped in Anchorage for an inspiring weekend “Conference on Carmel.” In July 1979, H. Borrah Kavelin became the first member of the Universal House of Justice to visit Alaska, including it on his itinerary during a visit

[Page 2] to the North American continent.

In November 1980 Lauretta King was appointed to the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas by the Universal House of Justice, the first Alaskan to achieve that rank. Alaska also has four Auxiliary Board members—two for protection (Howard Brown, Ray Hudson) and two for propagation (Fletcher Bennett, Raye Mullin).

Properties acquired

Acquisition of national Endowments was another goal of the Ten Year Crusade, and has been a continuing aspect of the growth of the Faith in Alaska. Prior to the establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly in 1957, the first national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds was acquired in Anchorage by the Spiritual Assembly of Anchorage and held in trust. As the Guardian had directed, a “modest” building was chosen: a small one-story log cabin, one of the earliest in Anchorage, consisting of three rooms and bath with a small apartment at the side for a caretaker. The property cost $7,500. It was dedicated August 6, 1955, with Counsellor Mayberry as an honored guest. This building served as the National Center until the great earthquake of 1964 made it unsafe, resulting in its being closed in May of that year.

About a year later, with help from the proceeds of the sale of the first headquarters, the second national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Alaska was purchased for $24,000 in the Hollowbrook subdivision on the southern outskirts of Anchorage. This was a house with living quarters for the national secretary and an attached garage that was easily converted into office space. In 1969, the national secretary became a full-time paid staff member rather than a part-time volunteer.

As the Alaskan Bahá’í community grew and its activities expanded, these quarters were outgrown. Property farther south, acquired from the homestead property of Vern and Evelyn Huffman, was chosen on which to build a structure designed to meet current needs. Construction began on January 4, 1975, with the temperature at 40 degrees below zero!

The present Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds has two floors, with the ground floor consisting of an attractive reception area, four offices, a conference room, archives room, literature sales room, two storerooms, a mail room, refreshment area, and caretaker’s apartment. The upper floor has four apartments whose rental helps to defray expenses. The appraised value is $498,150 including the grounds. A dedication ceremony was held November 9, 1975, in the presence of four Continental Counsellors: Lloyd Gardner, Sarah M. Pereira, Velma L. Sherrill, and Edna True (Alaska Bahá’í News, No. 188, January 1976, pp. 1-4)

In the summer of 1957, shortly after the formation of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, its Temple site, a gift from Vern and Evelyn Huffman, was approved by the Guardian. The original three-acre tract lay about eight miles south of the Anchorage city limits at that time. The property slopes upward from De Armoun Road for about 450 feet, then slopes gently downward on the north. The land overlooks the Chugach mountain range to the east, the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet to the south, and the Inlet itself to the west. The famous Sleeping Lady (Mount Susitna) can be seen in the distance. It is one of the loveliest sites in the Anchorage area, and the future Temple will be seen easily by most air travelers to that city. Several additional acres adjoining the original tract have since been acquired.

Other Endowments were awaiting the new National Spiritual Assembly: 20 acres of homestead land on Huffman Road in the same area; 10 acres donated by Arthur and Wilma Gregory, and 10 more acres given by Vern and Evelyn Huffman. This land was deeded to the Spiritual Assembly of Anchorage in 1949 in trust for an anticipated National Assembly.

In 1957, the Bahá’í Center of Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands, which was built by Jenabe and Elaine Caldwell, became part of the national Endowments. In 1972, the Caldwells donated the equity in another building on 2 1/2 acres in the Spenard area (near Anchorage) to be known as the Mathew Kaszab Institute. The facility consists of a four-bedroom house with two living rooms and two baths, and a large attached garage that has been converted to additional dormitory and classroom space. The Institute, which has been in almost constant use for

Rob and Helen Robinson and their children, Donna and Robbie Jr. Mrs. Robinson, a pioneer to Baranof Island, is a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.

[Page 3] Delegates and guests at the first National Convention of Alaska in 1957 with the Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney (back row center).

conferences, meetings and other gatherings, is named in memory of an early Bahá’í pioneer to Nicaragua (see The Bahá’í World, Vol. IX, “In Memoriam,” pp. 614-16)

Tom and Georgia Heisler gave equity in property in southeastern Alaska on North Douglas Road, Douglas, that was to be used for a summer school but instead was developed into another Institute and named after Napoleon Bergamaschi, the first pioneer to Savoonga. There was a small house and two foundations started on a 3 1/2-acre lot; its value when donated in 1967 was about $40,000. In 1979 this property, by then outgrown, was used as the basis of an exchange for property in Haines, where the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska now has a summer school and land valued at about $120,000.

At the conclusion of the Ten Year Crusade in 1963, all nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska participated in the first election of the Universal House of Justice. At that time Alaska stood first alphabetically among countries in the Bahá’í world having National Assemblies, and was called on first to cast its ballots. Howard Brown of Alaska became the first person ever to cast a ballot for the election of the House of Justice.

The following year, when the Supreme Body unveiled the Nine Year Plan, the Bahá’ís of Alaska were called upon to “plant the banner of Bahá’u’lláh in the as yet unopened areas of the Alaskan Peninsula, of Nunivak Island, Pribilof Islands, Prince of Wales Island, and St. Lawrence Island.”

The first to reach their new posts were the dedicated Huffmans—Vern and Evelyn—who went to Klawock, Prince of Wales Island, on September 18, 1965. Shortly afterward, the Alaska Peninsula was opened by Ben and Harriet Guhrke, who settled at Naknek. On March 22, 1966, Napoleon (Nip) Bergamaschi and his three children—Napoleon Jr., Ida and Leonard—moved to Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island. Rowena Burack Currington ventured to St. Paul in the Pribilof Islands on April 6, 1966, while Leonard (Bud) Revet arrived 12 days later at Mekoryuk on Nunivak Island.

In fulfillment of another goal of the Nine Year Plan, Bahá’í literature has been translated into Athabascan and Tlingit, as well as other major languages of Alaska such as Aleut, Yupik, Haida, Inupiaq, the Dot Lake dialect of Tanacross Athabascan, Kutchin or Fort Yukon Athabascan, Koyukan, Tanaina, and Kobuk. Some of these translations were accomplished during succeeding Plans. Tapes have also been made in native languages, and have been found to be especially effective in teaching.

‘Pioneer-minded’

The National Spiritual Assembly has sponsored a regular publication, “The Wind of Bahá’í,” primarily for the indigenous believers, to inform them of the principles of the Faith and of various special events. This is in addition to the Alaska Bahá’í News, which has been published regularly since August 1957, first in mimeographed form.

During the Nine Year Plan, the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska was called upon to enter the field of international cooperation by helping in the acquisition of Temple sites in Monrovia, Liberia, and Luxembourg. Subsequently, under the Five Year Plan, sites for future Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs in or near Paramaribo, Suriname; Colonia, Yap Islands; Agana, Guam; Ponape, Caroline Islands; and Majuro, Marshall Islands, were added to the list. Another goal was to assist the National Spiritual Assembly of Equatorial Guinea to acquire a national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Malibo, but political conditions have not yet allowed the achievement of that goal.

Alaskans have always been pioneer-minded, and have filled many overseas goals. During the Nine Year Plan, 15 Alaskans went to the Canary and Caroline Islands, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Lesotho, Malta and Swaziland. Since then, pioneers from Alaska have gone to Kenya and other areas in East Africa (Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Liberia and Cameroon) and to the Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Guam, Iceland, Japan, the Leeward and Windward Islands, Mexico, Norway, Okinawa, Paraguay, Perú, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, and Sweden. Short-term pioneers have gone to the Faroe Islands, Solomon Islands, and Indonesia, while Alaska’s pioneering goal

[Page 4] in Ecuador was filled by a pioneer from outside Alaska. In all, Alaskans had pioneered to 33 countries by the opening of the Seven Year Plan.

In 1970, teacher training institutes were begun in Alaska under the direction of then-Auxiliary Board member Jenabe Caldwell. Patterned after his similarly successful institutes in Mexico, they inspired many believers to go forth and hold proclamation events, resulting in increased enrollments that would help lay the foundation for the future “entry by troops” into the Faith in Alaska.

Traveling teachers were generous with their time in helping the Alaskan teaching effort, notably Counsellor Mayberry, who in 1978 made her 17th trip to the state. In July and August 1973, the beloved Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum made an extensive 30-day visit to 16 Alaskan communities. In addition to Anchorage, she traveled to Barrow, Bethel, Fairbanks, Juneau, Kake, Kodiak-Spruce Cape, Kotzebue, Nenana, Nome, Petersburg, Savoonga, Tanana, Wrangell and Unalaska. In Unalaska, at her request, Amatu’l-Bahá went out on a fishing boat owned by a Bahá’í to gather mussels and clams that she cooked for the friends that evening.

In addition to the teacher training institutes already mentioned, Alaskan Bahá’ís have deepened themselves at numerous teaching conferences, seminars, and weekend classes. A four- or five-day Summer School was held each year in the Juneau area from 1958-77, often with a Hand of the Cause of God on the faculty. In 1980 a policy was established of having two Summer Schools each year: one in southern Alaska at Haines, and the other in north-central Alaska in the Matanuska Valley. Regular weekend teaching events have been scheduled and carried out for years in Fairbanks-Tanana Valley, Matanuska Valley-Palmer, Petersburg, and the Kenai area. These have attracted believers from many areas of the state.

The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Anchorage Recording District, incorporated January 19, 1955. Howard Brown, now an Auxiliary Board member, is at left in front row.

The Faith has won recognition as an independent world religion in Alaska by virtue of the fact that many Bahá’ís have taken the Holy Days off from work. Recognition also has been granted by local school officials so that Bahá’í students can be officially excused from classes on those days. To date, that status has been granted in the following communities: Greater Anchorage, North Star Borough (Fairbanks area), Matanuska-Susitna (Palmer-Wasilla area), Greater Juneau, Gateway (Ketchikan), the Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak, City of Nenana, the University of Alaska, and the State Operated Schools (Bush areas).

In July 1976, the Anchorage community was honored to host the second International Conference in the Arctic called by the Universal House of Justice. The gathering was enriched by the presence of no less than three of the Hands of the Cause of God: H. Collis Featherstone, John Robarts and William Sears. Also present were three members of the Continental Board of Counsellors, 12 Auxiliary Board members, and a number of their assistants. Twenty-two national Bahá’í communities, 68 Alaskan communities, 28 states of the United States (excluding Alaska), and seven Canadian provinces were represented, with a total attendance of nearly 1,300.

Young people’s activities

Among the goals given to Alaska by the Universal House of Justice for the Five Year Plan (1974-79) were those of encouraging and organizing regular Bahá’í activities and classes for children and youth, and offering guidance to Bahá’í youth to help them plan their lives to be of greatest service to the Faith.

From the beginning, children’s classes were held in most of the Bahá’í communities in Alaska, but far more emphasis has been placed during the past decade on the education of children and youth. A children’s camp was held in July 1971 in the Matanuska Valley (Kepler Park), another was held for several years in Chugiak, and, more recently, a camp was held for two years in Homer. Summer schools for children were first held in connection with the regular Bahá’í Summer School in Juneau in 1973.

In 1975, a well-organized traveling children’s summer school was initiated by the National Spiritual Assembly, with Blu Mundy as director, in cooperation with the National Child Education Committee. It was preceded by a training session for teachers and was held in Anchorage, the Matanuska Valley, Kenai, the Fairbanks area, Haines and Sitka before being incorporated into the annual Summer School in Juneau.

The Northern Child Education Committee publishes an excellent mimeographed bulletin for children entitled “Northern Lights.” A publication for junior youth, “Dawn Patrol,” also is distributed and much enjoyed.

[Page 5] Correspondence courses are offered for those youngsters who are unable to attend classes on the Faith.

Weekend “Concept Conferences” have been planned by the National Spiritual Assembly to help the friends provide education for children and youth on Bahá’í family life. A weekend conference on family life was held in 1974; three years later, there were conferences on family unity, rearing children, and youth.

The first institute planned specifically for Bahá’í youth was held in June 1971 in Petersburg. The following August, an institute was held for “pre-youth” (ages 10-14), and youth institutes are held during the December holidays at the Mathew Kaszab Institute in the Anchorage area, filling an important gap in the education of Bahá’í youth. Alaska’s youth often have helped on traveling teaching teams, or served as babysitters. Bahá’í clubs have been active on college campuses in Fairbanks and Anchorage, putting on proclamation programs and receiving good publicity.

At the direction of the Universal House of Justice, National Teaching Conferences were held in Alaska each year during the Five Year Plan: in Kodiak, Haines, Fairbanks, and two in Anchorage.

Another goal was realized in the expanded use of radio and television for Bahá’í broadcasts aimed at proclaiming the Faith to ever greater numbers of listeners, as well as for deepening the faith of believers throughout the state. The “New World” television series, produced in Hawaii and featuring the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears, has been widely used, with some 45 communities being reached. Specials like the film “It’s Just the Beginning” also have been aired several times. Many radio talk shows and interviews have featured local Bahá’ís and traveling teachers.

While winning the goals of the various Plans, local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds have been acquired in Unalaska, Savoonga, Dillingham, Petersburg, Nome, Barrow, Kake, Anchorage and Nenana. The one in Anchorage is a district facility, thus fulfilling a goal of the Five Year Plan. Another local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds, in Fort Yukon, was lost in a fire.

Local endowments have been given in McGrath, Matanuska Valley, Ridgeway, Klukwan, Nome, Nenana, Fort Yukon and Wasilla, in addition to property in Spenard (now known as Oceanview) that was given in the early days of the Faith in Alaska.

The author (left) with fellow pioneer to Alaska Honor Kempton in a photo taken in Anchorage around 1940.

In the international field, Alaska has sent believers to Greenland to assist the National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark in its teaching and consolidation work there, and has provided a continual flow of traveling teachers to various parts of the world. As an example, in B.E. 134, 44 Bahá’ís from Alaska made 45 teaching trips to 24 countries. During the fifth year of the Plan (1978-79), 31 Alaskans traveled to 21 countries and areas: Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, England, Finland, Ghana, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, the Northwest Pacific, Norway, the Philippines, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States.

In July 1971 the three National Spiritual Assemblies in North America—Alaska, Canada and the United States—were called to a “Conference on Opposition” by the Universal House of Justice. The conference, held in Wilmette, Illinois, launched a continuing partnership in the teaching field. The three National Assemblies met in joint session in June 1977, again in the Wilmette area, and in July 1978 in Toronto. This last conference followed participation in zone conferences during the International Convention in Haifa in April 1978 when a meeting was held with representatives of the other circumpolar national Bahá’í communities: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark (on behalf of Greenland), and Canada. It was decided then to form a Continental Indigenous Council Committee under the supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, and a four-member Eskimo-Indian team was formed to travel for 45 days in 10 European countries during the summer. The Indian members of the team were Scott Tyler of the United States and Melba Loft of Canada; the Eskimos were Ida Bergamaschi and Maynard Eakan of Alaska.

Also at the zone conference in Haifa, the seven circumpolar Bahá’í communities agreed on a prayer campaign for the success of each country’s goals. Bahá’ís throughout the northern

Bahá’í children and youth at the first National Convention of Alaska in 1957 with the Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney.

[Page 6] regions directed their prayers toward one country at a time for one Bahá’í month each.

Since the Islamic revolution in Iran and the outbreak of persecutions against the Bahá’ís there, the National Assembly of Alaska has taken several steps to counteract misleading statements that have appeared in the media concerning the Bahá’í community in Iran. Letters were sent to the governor of Alaska, to Alaska’s U.S. Senators and Representative in Washington, and to state legislators. As a result, a resolution expressing “concern over the reported persecution of members of the Bahá’í religious community in Iran” was introduced and passed unanimously by voice vote in the Alaska state legislature. The resolution urged the U.S. government to “use its best efforts” to put an end to the persecution. Copies of the resolution were sent to the President of the United States and to the secretary of state. In addition to the above activities, the National Spiritual Assembly placed quarter-page ads in five major Alaskan newspapers to give residents of the state a clearer perspective of the aims and tenets of the Faith.

In January 1981 the National Spiritual Assembly placed full-page ads for several days in the state’s leading newspapers. The bold-faced headline read: “Should people face imprisonment and death for their beliefs?” The signature was “Bahá’ís for Religious Freedom,” giving the National Assembly’s address and phone number.

The Spiritual Assembly of Anchorage in March 1955. Its members were (front row left to right) Janet W. Stout, Rose Perkal (Gates), Daisy Soby, Lois K. Berry, and (back row left to right) Verne L. Stout, Eric Soby, Mable Amidon, Betty Becker, Rex King.

The Bahá’í community of Alaska had nine delegates at its first National Convention in 1957, and nearly half of the believers in the state attended, including 40 adults and youth from 11 communities outside the Anchorage area. Four races were represented: Caucasian, Negro, Eskimo and Indian. In 1963 the number of delegates to the National Convention was increased to 19. In 1970 the number rose to 38, and in 1973 to 57. Today Alaska has 76 delegates to its National Convention.

The steady growth of the Faith in Alaska is reflected in the following figures. In 1957: 16 localities opened to the Faith, six Local Spiritual Assemblies (three incorporated). In 1963 (at the end of the Ten Year Crusade): 39 localities, 13 Local Spiritual Assemblies (six incorporated). In 1973 (at the end of the Nine Year Plan): 158 localities, 38 Local Spiritual Assemblies (16 incorporated). In 1979 (at the end of the Five Year Plan): 200 localities, 58 Local Spiritual Assemblies (26 incorporated).

The increase in the annual budget also is revealing. In 1958 the first annual budget was set at $7,065. By the end of the Ten Year Crusade in 1963 the annual budget was $11,210; at the close of the Nine Year Plan it was $73,900. The Five Year Plan ended with an annual budget of $148,530, and the budget for B.E. 137 was $233,670. Unlike prior Plans, the budgets covering the last two Plans were for fixed items only; funds for teaching were set over and above the figures given.

This steady progress marks a fitting memorial to the beloved Guardian’s expressed hopes for Alaska, which he conveyed in June 1957 shortly after the formation of its first National Spiritual Assembly:

“Dear and valued co-workers:

“The formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Alaska signalizes the erection of yet another pillar designed to support, and reinforce the foundation of the future Universal House of Justice, and marks a milestone of far reaching significance in the history of the evolution of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in the North American continent. I rejoice at this remarkable evidence of the vitality of the Faith which animates the members of the small yet highly promising community of His followers in that far off northern region of the globe, a region destined to play an important role in shaping the spiritual destinies of the great Republic of the west of which it forms a part, and to contribute, in no small measure, to the establishment of the institutions of His World Order throughout the American continent.” (High Endeavours: Messages to Alaska, pp. 36-37)

[Page 7]

Canada

Association for Bahá’í Studies meets

More than 350 Bahá’ís and a number of guests from Asia, Canada, Europe and the United States attended the sixth annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies and the following International Conference on Marriage and the Family held May 29-June 3 in Ottawa, Ontario, to hear papers presented by scholars on various aspects of Bahá’í studies.

The conferences were especially blessed by the presence of the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum who presented talks on the responsibility of the educated and on “Marriage: A Bahá’í Perspective.”

The Association for Bahá’í Studies, which sponsored the conferences, was organized by the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada in 1974 in response to a goal of the Five Year Plan that called for more Bahá’í courses and lectures in Canadian universities. Since then it has grown into a broadly-based organization of Bahá’í scholars, students and laymen and now sponsors frequent conferences in the U.S. and Canada, publishes works of Bahá’í scholarship, and carries out various other activities designed to further the development of Bahá’í studies and to raise the intellectual level of the Bahá’í community.

This year, with the approval of the Universal House of Justice, the name of the Association was changed from the Canadian Association for Studies on the Bahá’í Faith to the Association for Bahá’í Studies in recognition of its increasingly international character. Also, the Association recently purchased a modest house on the campus of the University of Ottawa to serve as a Center for Bahá’í Studies and as an administrative headquarters for the organization.

Two essay awards given

The sixth annual Conference of the Association, held May 29-31, featured presentations in a number of areas of Bahá’í studies. These included “The Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Personal Growth,” by Hossain Danesh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada who is a practicing psychiatrist; a discussion of the use of computers in indexing the Bahá’í Writings, presented by Edward Fox, a doctoral candidate in computer science at Cornell University; “John the Baptist—The Forgotten Manifestation,” by Jack McLean, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at the University of Ottawa; and a presentation on the life and works of Mishkín-Qalam, the famous Bahá’í calligrapher, by Gol Aidun of Brandon, Manitoba.

Two presentations won awards in the annual essay contest sponsored by the Association: in the university class, “The View of Man in Development Thinking,” a discussion of the spiritual aspects of international development, by Michael Bopp, a candidate for a master’s degree in developmental studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton; and in the general class, “Anton Graf Prokesch von Osten,” a study of the career of the Austrian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the 1860s and his efforts to prevent Bahá’u’lláh’s banishment to ‘Akká, by Kent Beveridge, a Bahá’í scholar in Vienna, Austria.

Also included in the conference was the second annual Ḥasan Balyúzi Lectureship—given this year by Douglas Martin, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, who spoke on the persecutions of the Bahá’ís in Iran under the Pahlavi regime, and by Glenford E. Mitchell, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, who discussed the reaction of people in the West to

Hossain Danesh, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada and chairman of the executive committee of the Association for Bahá’í Studies, was one of the speakers at the Association’s sixth annual Conference held May 29-31 in Ottawa, Ontario.

[Page 8] Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor of the U.S. Bahá’í Publishing Trust, introduces the speakers for the Ḥasan M. Balyúzi Lectureship during the sixth annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies held May 29-31 in Ottawa.

the current wave of persecutions in Iran.

Anne Atkinson of Dover, New Hampshire, gave a graceful presentation combining slides of natural scenes with music and readings from the Bahá’í Writings. Other presentations included a slide presentation by Robert Postlethwaite of Kansas City, Missouri, on the life of Queen Marie of Rumania; “Ṭáhirih, the Great Persian Poetess,” by Hussein Ahdieh, an educator from New York City; “Myths, Models and Mysticism,” by William Hatcher, professor of mathematics at Laval University in Quebec; and “In Search of Man’s Purpose,” by Allan and Barrie Fuller of the University of Alberta at Edmonton.

Guy St. Michel, a Catholic who is a doctoral candidate in theology at Laval University, spoke in French on religion in revelation. Mr. St. Michel’s talk was translated simultaneously into English. There was also simultaneous translation into French for all of the talks in English.

The last presentation of the conference was that of Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum who had recently arrived in North America after several months in Central America. Although not entirely recovered from an illness acquired during her travels, she spoke vigorously—although, uncharacteristically, while seated. Her principal theme was the corrosive effects of the prejudice of the educated toward the illiterate, though she stressed the importance of the contribution of the educated in the Faith and in society.

She also urged the Bahá’ís to redouble their efforts, citing a passage pointed out to her by the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, in which Bahá’u’lláh, while still in Baghdád, had said that if the Bahá’ís had busied themselves with what He had commanded them to do, “now the entire world would be clothed in faith.”

Just as Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum had ended the Association’s annual conference, so she opened the three days of its International Bahá’í Conference on Marriage and the Family, speaking first about the problem of divorce, endemic among the Bahá’ís as it is in the world at large, and a source of great concern at the World Centre. Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum explained that marriage is the proper place in which to “express sexuality and a lot of other things in life.” Although marriage, she said, is not in itself a commandment, it is essential that Bahá’ís obey and take seriously the Bahá’í laws on marriage. She also offered sage advice on conducting marriage, especially the imperative need to avoid cultivating a belligerent “me-first” attitude that leads to quarrels and dissension. “Does God,” she asked, “desire victors in marriage?”

Rich family life important

The Hand of the Cause next spoke of the corrosive effects of materialism and social disintegration on the family, and especially on children. She emphasized that it was necessary for the sake of the children to develop a rich and graceful family life. She spoke of her own childhood and of the importance of each of her parents to her spiritual, moral and social development.

Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum was followed by Yoshiko Nomura who spoke on lifelong integrated education for the family. Mrs. Nomura is a Japanese housewife and executive director of the Lifelong Integrated Education Center, an organization she founded in 1963 as a response to the disintegration of Japanese family life that accompanied the drive toward western-style modernization. She spoke of the Center’s activities and principles, including “education for wisdom ... for the whole person ... for eternity ... and for the creation of culture.” Mrs. Nomura had come into contact with Bahá’ís at international meetings and attended the conference at the invitation of the Association.

One of the speakers at the International Bahá’í Conference on Marriage and the Family, sponsored by the Association for Bahá’í Studies and held June 1-3 in Ottawa, was Mrs. Yoshiko Nomura (center), a housewife from Tokyo, Japan, who is the founder and executive director of the Center for Lifelong Integrated Education. With Mrs. Nomura are her two interpreters.

[Page 9] The International Bahá’í Conference on Marriage and the Family also included presentations on divorce, stress and the family, the nuclear family, sexuality, communication in marriage, chastity, parental authority, the “Poetry of Loving,” family therapy, leisure and the family, preparation for marriage, and marriage counseling and therapy.

Speakers included Kerry Mothersill, A.M. Ghadirian, Khalil A. Khavari, Michael Bruwer, Jane Faily, Frank Haendel, Hossain Danesh, Eric Frost, Sandra Roberts, N. Peseschkian, Ruth Eyford, and Anne McGillivray.

Proceedings of the two conferences will be published in future issues of Bahá’í Studies Notebook, a journal published by the Association. Issues currently available including the proceedings of last year’s annual conference (Vol. 1) and the proceedings of the 1980 International Bahá’í Conference on Health and Healing (Vol. 2:1). They are available from the Association for $4 each.

To order these publications, and to obtain information about membership in the Association, please write to the Association for Bahá’í Studies, Box 2577, Station D, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P5W6, Canada.

The Association was to hold further conferences this year at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, in September, and in October at the Bosch Bahá’í School near Santa Cruz, California. In addition, several regional conferences will be held during December in various parts of Canada.

Participants in a panel discussion during the sixth annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies were (left to right) Bahá’ís Dr. Frank Haendel, Dr. Jane Faily, and Dr. Michael Bruwer.

[Page 10]

Nigeria

Teaching campaign opens new areas

By DON ADDISON

A new and historic special teaching project has begun in Nigeria, West Africa. The plan, called “Entry By Troops,” is sending Bahá’í teaching teams of two to five members to open vast new territories throughout the “middle belt” of Nigeria where the Faith has never before been introduced.

The middle belt region consists of several states in Nigeria located between the northern states (inhabited mostly by Muslims) and the southern states (inhabited mostly by Christians). Several specifically chosen areas have been designated as bases for team teaching campaigns that are to extend over a long period of time.

The Hand of the Cause of God Raḥhmatu’lláh Muhájir, during his last visit to Nigeria, had promised most effective results in the middle belt region, and had urged Nigeria’s Bahá’í community to pursue special teaching plans in that area. Other West African Bahá’í communities also have experienced remarkable teaching successes in recent years in their middle belt areas. Following guidance from the Universal House of Justice, the Nigerian believers and pioneers have begun projects aimed at fulfilling the goal of opening the middle belt regions—which is also a goal of the present three-year phase of the Seven Year Plan.

Fourteen villages opened

Many people have spent long hours planning the details of the campaign and recruiting team members, among them Dr. Kiser Barnes, an Auxiliary Board member who lives in Ife, Oyo State, Nigeria. All of their names cannot be listed in this brief report, but will undoubtedly be forthcoming in the months to come as more news of the fascinating project unfolds and reports are submitted.

Villagers in Gidan Igbo, a new all-Bahá’í community in Nigeria’s middle belt, are shown with Emmanuel Nyiev (back row left), a Bahá’í youth from Yerewata Uji village who served as a translator during the teaching campaign that started last July.

From July 16-19, the author, accompanied by Parviz Farnoush, a Persian pioneer living in Makurdi, Benue State, made the first visit ever by Bahá’ís to villages along the Lafia-Shendam Road in Plateau State. Other teams were to follow, and deepening projects for new enrollees have already begun.

During our four-day effort, we opened 14 villages to the Faith along the Lafia-Shendam Road, teaching members of the Tiv and Migili tribes. In this area alone, 86 people enthusiastically embraced the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. Next, more than 12 villages were opened along the Kadarko-Tomen Road and Agbara Road where 118 members of the Tiv and Egon tribes accepted the Faith.

To the best of our knowledge, we also enrolled during this visit the first members of the Jaba people of Nigeria ever to become Bahá’ís. The Tiv people already had exhibited great receptivity to the Faith and were delighted to find that the Migili and Egon tribes have now begun to display a similar receptivity.

Three years ago, Parviz and others, local believers and pioneers, had opened many Tiv villages along the Makurdi-Lafia Road. In an area covering about 100 kilometers, more than 1,000

[Page 11] Nigerians from some 100 villages were enrolled in a three-week period, establishing about 50 Local Spiritual Assemblies. Since then, Bahá’ís have been visiting these young communities regularly, with remarkable results. Many deepened and dedicated Bahá’í communities now exist in this area.

For the current project, more than 1,500 sets of a three-page handout in English and the Tiv language that includes selected Bahá’í prayers, the Hidden Words, Bahá’í songs and other materials were duplicated. Arrangements also were made to translate the pamphlet “Basic Facts” into the Migili language.

Translator found

We drove first to Atuma village, one of the all-Bahá’í villages of Tiv people who had declared three years ago. There are more than 100 Bahá’ís there, with an active Assembly that was among the first to begin contributing regularly to the Bahá’í Fund on its own. It was in Atuma that we found a Bahá’í youth, 19-year-old Daniel Udu, who joined us as translator during our four-day journey.

In Kireyi, our next stop, the village chief asked many good questions about the Faith, and afterward the entire compound of 12 Tiv people embraced the Faith. The second village in which everyone (16 Tiv people) was enrolled was Yerewata Uji. Among them was a youth, Emmanuel Nyiev, who attends school in Makurdi, not far from the homes of Parviz and another family of Persian pioneers, the Rezvanis. Emmanuel, who speaks English, Tiv and Hausa quite well, also joined the team as a translator.

A third translator was found in the village of Gidan Maikwa, an enthusiastic 18-year-old new Bahá’í named Isaac Tom.

Stopping at Azagyo village on a hot afternoon, we found that all the people were at their farms. The chief asked us to return that evening. At nightfall we re-entered Azagyo and the people came to hear the Message. We spoke outdoors with only the moon as light, but the Message of Bahá’u’lláh created such a light in the hearts that all 36 villagers spontaneously declared their belief.

Upon entering a village, I would play a few Bahá’í songs on a wooden flute to gather the people. We would then present the Message, and teach them Bahá’í songs in Tiv or Housa, whichever language was spoken locally. We taught usually in small groups, with brief introductory talks followed by discussion.

At Aule village, after a five- or 10-minute introduction, one villager said he already had heard of the Faith, in Makurdi. Almost everyone in Aule declared their belief that day.

I shall never forget our visit to one beautiful Tiv village, Ido Yagani, which is nestled behind some corn farms and palm trees off the main road. After we had been there about an hour, a man named Tsevenda Annam, who spoke English rather well, told us that he had been a soldier years ago and had had a very hard life. The Bahá’í Faith, he said, was what he had long been searching for. Why, he asked, had we not come to his village years ago to tell the people about Bahá’u’lláh? He then asked if he could go and teach his friends and relatives in the villages back farther into the bush.

In another village, one of the Bahá’ís told me he had dreamed the night before that I would be coming to his village that day.

Some of the other villages that were opened to the Faith during our visit were Adudu, Obi, Ashige, Gidan Makuya, and Agana Kurumigogo (on Assakio Road). Parviz and Daniel made a detailed map of the location of each new Bahá’í village to help the follow-up deepening teams find it.

We returned from the four-day project physically exhausted, but so spiritually galvanized by the bounty of becoming a channel through which the Message of Bahá’u’lláh is brought to so many hungry souls that we yearned for the next project, and the deepening activities that would follow this first one.

Newly enrolled Bahá’ís in Mole village (near Kaderko), Nigeria, with pioneer Parviz Farnoush.

[Page 12]

The world

Italian artisans visit World Centre

Forty-four Italian marble craftsmen, five prominent Italian journalists, and a group of about 80 Bahá’ís from Italy flew to the World Centre June 11 for a special visit.

The guests were welcomed by the Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery and those members of the Universal House of Justice who have served on the Building Committee for the Seat of the House of Justice.

Count Paolo Marzotto, president of Industria dei Marmi Vicentini in Chiampo, Italy, had generously arranged the trip for his workers whose skill and artistry has gone into the nearly completed Seat of the House of Justice on Mount Carmel.

The same firm also prepared the marble and granite for the Shrine of the Báb and the International Archives Building at the World Centre.

The special guests visited the cell in which Bahá’u’lláh was incarcerated in ‘Akká and the Most Holy Shrine at Bahjí, where Dr. Giachery recited the Tablet of Visitation in Italian.

Returning to Haifa, the guests were taken on a tour of the Seat of the House of Justice by its architect, Ḥusayn Amánat, and ‘Azíz Khabírpur, the resident engineer.

Count Marzotto and his guests left the following morning to visit the Christian Holy Places in Israel, but the Italian journalists remained at the World Centre for two more days to visit the other Bahá’í Holy Places and to conduct interviews about the Faith.

Fiji Islands

The new Bahá’í Center in the village of Nasau-Moce, Fiji Islands, was dedicated March 21-22, and that community’s Spiritual Assembly was one of two Assemblies incorporated during the following month, fulfilling a goal of the Seven Year Plan in Fiji.

A Bahá’í who was the only nurse for the district was expelled from Nasau-Moce in 1976 because of her belief. Since then, the villagers (not the Bahá’ís among them) have come close to civil war over their religious differences.

When it was realized that the situation could lead to brother killing brother, a meeting was called at which it was decided that they must learn to live in peace with one another.

The resulting peace and unity was demonstrated at the dedication of the Bahá’í Center when gifts were exchanged by former enemies.

Three members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Fiji Islands attended the dedication ceremony along with many non-Bahá’ís.

Bahá’í films were shown for three nights during the opening of the Center.

Paraguay

Shown here are Bahá’ís and their guests at a Naw-Rúz party in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay. Honored guest Dr. Anibal Medina Valiente (seated second row center) was publicly recognized for his years of humanitarian service.

[Page 13]

Cameroon Republic

Shown are delegates and guests at the Bahá’í National Convention of the Cameroon Republic, held April 24-26 in Victoria.

Trinidad/Tobago

Shown are some of the 55 youth from 19 villages and towns in Trinidad and Tobago who attended the National Bahá’í Youth Camp last December in Mayaro Village. The youth spent their afternoons teaching in nearby villages. As a result, two new localities were opened to the Faith.

Traveling teachers who participated in Trinidad and Tobago’s month of teaching activities last December 15-January 18 included (left to right) Gol Aidun, a visiting Bahá’í from Canada; Shahzad Jamalabadi and her mother, Shahnaz Jamalabadi, Persian pioneers to Trinidad and Tobago; Marieann Simmons, a native of Trinidad; and Edna Ruth Caverly, an American pioneer to Trinidad and Tobago.

[Page 14]

Kenya

Members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa are shown at their inaugural meeting last January in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears. Seated (left to right) are William Masehla, Friday Ekpe, Thelma Khelghati, Mr. Sears, Bahíyyih Winckler, Isobel Sabri, Peter Vuyiya. Standing (left to right) are Shidan Fat’he-Aazam, Dr. Mihdí Samandarí, Muḥammad Kebdani, Oloro Epyeru, Dr. Húshang Ahdieh, Zekrollah Kazemi, Kolonario Oule, Ḥusayn Ardekání.

Japan

The Faith received widespread publicity in Japan from February 28 to April 9 as a result of a visit from a traveling teacher from Hong Kong.

During her stay in Japan, Farideh Paymani, who is Persian, met with two governors, 28 mayors, 39 vice-governors and vice-mayors, nine heads of religions or temples, 33 high government officials of various ranks, and personnel at 65 television stations, 43 police stations, 40 educational departments, 30 newspapers and 15 libraries.

At least 20 newspapers in Japan carried articles about the Faith as it related to Miss Paymani’s visit. The mass media in Tokyo were especially interested in her observations about the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.

Her visit came shortly after the Universal House of Justice asked the National Spiritual Assembly of Japan to make contact with the press and inform the media of the persecutions.

Bahá’ís in Tokyo translated the resolution of the Canadian parliament supporting the Faith and various related documents into Japanese. Miss Paymani’s story, based on these items, was carried in two Tokyo newspapers: Sekai Nippo, a Japanese-language daily with a circulation of 250,000, and the Japan Times, an English-language paper whose daily circulation is 50,000. Both articles described the Faith and the persecutions in Iran in detail.

Miss Paymani provided the National Spiritual Assembly of Japan and the Auxiliary Board with a complete list of the people she had contacted so that follow-up contacts could be made.

“I have traveled extensively in Asia,” Miss Paymani said after her visit, “and I must confess that nowhere have I felt the people to be as receptive as they are in Japan.”

SW Africa/Namibia

Members of the first National Spiritual Assembly of South West Africa/Namibia, elected at the National Convention last May 2 in Windhoek, South West Africa, are (standing left to right) Adolf Elia, Gerda Aiff, Shahin Azadeh, Fredrika Namases, Mary Jane Rostami, Hilifa Andreas Nekundi, Martin Onesmus, and (kneeling) David Shipanga, Martin Aiff.

[Page 15]

Panama

Eleven adults and 12 youth attended a special institute February 11-18 in Villa Virginia, Panama, to receive training as teachers for Bahá’í tutorial schools and children’s classes.

The establishment of these schools, described as tutorial schools in the Seven Year Plan, is a goal for many National Spiritual Assemblies.

The training institute, held at the site of Panama’s Bahá’í Summer School sessions, was conducted by four professional primary school teachers. Those who attended were taught methods for teaching reading and writing, arithmetic and science, as well as techniques of classroom organization and discipline, and the preparation of audio-visual materials.

These skills will enable the Bahá’í teachers to give instruction in accordance with the Basic Plan of Panama’s official schools in localities where there are no public schools.

This group of Bahá’ís helped staff the Bahá’í display at the annual ‘David Fair’ held last March in Panama. The display includes Bahá’í literature, photos of the World Centre, and a model of the House of Worship in Panama. One hundred thousand people from Central and South America, Europe and the Middle East visited this year’s Fair, and many of them stopped at the Bahá’í exhibit. Visitors were given pamphlets, and some purchased books.

Members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas are shown with the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum during their inaugural meeting last January near the Mother Temple of Latin America in Panama. Front row (left to right) are Ruth Pringle, Velma Sherrill, Carmen de Burafato, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Lauretta King, Dr. Sarah Pereira. Back row (left to right) are Peter McLaren, Angus Cowan, Dr. Farzam Arbáb, Artemus Lamb, Dr. Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih, Raúl Pavón, Lloyd Gardner, Mas’úd Khamsí, Donald Witzel, Athos Costas, Fred Schechter.

[Page 16]

Togo

More than 90 people including many doctors, nurses, dentists, university professors, journalists and Peace Corps workers attended a public meeting March 21 in Lomé, Togo, that was sponsored by the Bahá’í community of Lomé.

Speakers included Continental Counsellors Thelma Khelghati and Zekrollah Kazemi and Rafael Fiamor, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Togo.

The meeting was part of a week-long proclamation effort aimed at reaching upper class Togolese society. During the week, the Counsellors and members of the National Assembly conducted lengthy interviews with eight government ministers and other professionals in Lomé.

About 40 people attended a Bahá’í school held March 20-24 at the Bahá’í National Center in Lomé, Togo. Instructors included Continental Counsellors Thelma Khelghati (top left corner) and Zekrollah Kazemi (second row center); Rafael Fiamor, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Togo (back row at right of sign), and Auxiliary Board member Kossi Djamayovo (in front of Counsellor Khelghati).

Réunion

The films and books of André Brugiroux, a Bahá’í from France, proved to be an effective proclamation tool during his visit last January 11-February 14 to Réunion, a French island situated east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

The filmmaker and author presented 11 showings of his film, “La terre n’est qu’un seul pays” (The earth is but one country), to a total of 1,720 people. Sales of Mr. Brugiroux’s most recent book about the Faith totaled 430 copies.

In addition to the film showings and book sales, there were radio interviews, newspaper articles and firesides in connection with Mr. Brugiroux’s visit to Réunion that was made under the auspices of the National Pioneer Committee of Canada.

Venezuela

Reporters from five newspapers and one television station attended a news conference March 23 at the Hilton Hotel in Caracas, Venezuela, sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of Venezuela.

The conference was called to bring to the attention of the Venezuelan people the deplorable situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran.

After the conference, all three of the major newspapers in Caracas published excellent articles about the Faith.

Also, two Bahá’ís were interviewed on a popular news program broadcast nationwide on the government-operated TV channel.

Several articles appeared in other newspapers outside the capital city.

[Page 17]

Pakistan

In a highly significant act, the President of Pakistan issued an order April 8 in which the Bahá’í Faith is defined as “non-Muslim.”

This recognition of the Faith as one of the religious minorities in a Muslim country was reported in the Karachi press, both in English and Urdu.

The text of the President’s order reads: “... ‘non-Muslim’ means a person who is not a Muslim and includes a person belonging to the Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, or Parsi community, a person of the Quadiani group or the Lahori group ... or a Bahai, and a person belonging to any of the scheduled castes.”

____________

Sixty adults and children attended a one-day Bahá’í school July 19 at the Bahá’í Center in Karachi, Pakistan.

Sessions were conducted by Auxiliary Board member Parvin Yazamedi and by a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Karachi.

A separate program was planned for the 40 children who attended. They learned about the Bahá’í martyrs in Iran—past and present—and the importance of music. Other children’s activities included singing and a drawing competition.

Meanwhile, Bahá’ís from Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Wah Cantt attended a one-day deepening class in Islamabad that was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Islamabad.

“Islam and the Bahá’í Faith” is the topic of weekly classes arranged by the Teaching Committee of Islamabad.

The youth committee in Karachi has arranged for deepening classes for pre-youth in that city.

Two Bahá’ís were arrested recently in Murree, Pakistan, for teaching the Faith. Their case is now pending in the courts.

United Kingdom

Betty Reed (right), a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Europe, addresses the more than 70 believers who attended a teaching conference June 14 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, that was called to launch the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.

Shown here are the more than 70 Bahá’ís from all parts of Northern Ireland who attended a teaching conference June 14 in Ballymena. Counsellor Betty Reed is in the front row, third from right. Speakers at the conference, in addition to Counsellor Reed, included Dr. Iain Palin, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom, and Auxiliary Board members Dr. Keith Munro and Dr. Beman Khosravi. The conference was called to launch the second phase of the Seven Year Plan. Taped highlights were made available to local communities.

Barbados

The Hand of the Cause of God Ali-Muḥammad Varqá and the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Barbados met in May with Brazane Babb, the permanent secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs for Barbados.

During Mr. Varqá’s cordial 20-minute interview with the government official, the National Spiritual Assembly secretary presented a kit containing Bahá’í literature and pamphlets to be passed on to the country’s minister of external affairs.

The two Bahá’ís also met with the country’s chief of protocol who said he had visited the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.

India

The first Spiritual Assembly in Nagaland, an agricultural state in the extreme northeastern part of India along its border with Burma, was formed last March, achieving one of India’s goals of the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.

The new Assembly is in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. It has a population of more than one-half million.

Other news of victories in India includes word that a pioneer from that country plans to settle in Nepal, and that the first member of the Rengma tribe has declared his belief in Bahá’u’lláh.

[Page 18] Kitán-i-Íqán, The: The Book of Certitude
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