Bahá’í News/Issue 619/Text
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| Bahá’í News | October 1982 | Bahá’í Year 139 |
The Mountain Brown experience:
Teaching in Papua New Guinea
WITH SORROWFUL HEARTS ANNOUNCE EXECUTION ON 11 AUGUST IN URUMIYYIH ACTIVE BAHÁ’Í ALI NA’IMIYAN AFTER BEING IMPRISONED ONE YEAR.
PRESSURES INTENSIFYING AGAINST BELIEVERS IRAN. CALL UPON FRIENDS CONTINUE EFFORTS BEHALF OPPRESSED BRETHREN CRADLE FAITH.
AUGUST 30, 1982
Bahá’í News[edit]
The first of five International Conferences is held in Dublin, Ireland | 1 |
Quito, Ecuador, is the site of the second International Conference | 3 |
The Faith is represented at a United Nations seminar in Sri Lanka | 6 |
A memorial service honors conservationist Richard St. Barbe Baker | 7 |
The Senate of Fiji passes a resolution condemning Iran persecutions | 8 |
In Papua New Guinea, an ongoing teaching effort is highly successful | 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 © 1982, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
International Conferences[edit]
Dublin: Awakening the ‘spiritual heart’[edit]
The first of the Bahá’í International Conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice during the Seven Year Plan was held June 25-27 at the headquarters of the Royal Dublin Society in Dublin, Ireland.
The conference, attended by 1,854 adults, youth and children, was dedicated to the memory of Baḥíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, who passed to the Abhá Kingdom 50 years ago.
The Universal House of Justice was represented by the Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone. Also attending were the Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts and eight members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Europe.
In his welcoming address, the chairman of the host National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Ireland stressed the significance of the conference for a European continent that has grown spiritually cold.
Mr. Featherstone read a message to the Conference from the Supreme Body in which the urgency of reawakening the spiritual heart of Europe was stressed. He then called on the friends to arise to meet that spiritual challenge.
Later, following a special tribute to the Greatest Holy Leaf, Mr. Featherstone spoke about the “pattern of Bahá’í life,” and Counsellor Adib Taherzadeh discussed “the power of divine assistance.”
Special reception[edit]
The Hands of the Cause and Counsellors met prominent members of Irish society during a special reception that also was attended by the Australian ambassador, representatives from several other embassies, a former deputy prime minister of Ireland, and a former special adviser to the cabinet.
The Hands of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone (third from left) and John Robarts (right) and their wives listen attentively from their front row seats in the Royal Dublin Society Hall at the first of five Bahá’í International Conferences to be held during a three-month period in 1982. The Dublin Conference drew an audience of nearly 1,900 Bahá’ís from 60 countries. Like the other Conferences, it was dedicated to the memory of Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf.
During the second day of the Conference, Mr. Robarts discussed the significance of the Local Spiritual Assembly, and Counsellor Agnes Ghaznavi spoke about Bahá’í family life.
Later that day, Counsellor Betty Reed presented a pictorial report of the present status of Local Spiritual Assembly goals in Europe. During the evening session, Dr. Taherzadeh invited Bahá’ís who had been moved to consider pioneering to join him on stage. Nearly 80 of those present responded to help fill some of the remaining goals in Europe.
During the final day of the Conference Mr. Robarts presented several powerful examples of teaching activity. His stories underscored the way in which teachers’ efforts and sacrifices are richly rewarded.
Counsellor Taherzadeh dedicated his presentation, “The Onward March of the Faith,” to the martyrs in Iran. He reemphasized the importance of bringing the Faith constantly and unhesitatingly to the masses in Europe.
The Conference included a rich mixture of musical entertainment that included performances by “The Dawn-breakers,” a singing group from Austria, and a special Conference theme that was composed in honor of the Greatest Holy Leaf by two Bahá’ís from Ireland.
News coverage of the Conference in-
[Page 2]
cluded excellent reports on television,
radio and in the press.
The unprecedented television coverage was highlighted by a report on the main evening news program and a separate 15-minute feature in a program on religion.
Excellent coverage[edit]
The excellent radio coverage included reports during four separate programs and a broadcast of the first Irish-language interview on the Faith.
Articles about the Conference appeared in both the national and Dublin press with two especially well-written reports in The Irish Times, a leading newspaper.
The final Conference session was closed by the two Hands of the Cause and also featured many of the 255 children present who filled the stage and sang some of the songs they had learned during their separate children’s conference sessions.
Following the close of the historic International Conference, the flowers that had adorned the Conference stage were taken by the friends to be placed on the graves of the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, and the Hand of the Cause of God George Townshend.
| The message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’í International Conference held June 25-27 in Dublin, Ireland:
The world is in travail and its agitation waxeth day by day. Such shall be its plight that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly.” The shattering blows dealt to the old, divisive system of the planet and the constantly accelerating decline in civilized life since that dire warning was uttered by Bahá’u’lláh a hundred years ago, have brought mankind to its present appalling condition. Consideration of how the Bahá’ís of Europe, confronted by this situation, can meet their responsibilities, spiritually and actively, is the main purpose of this Conference. The holding of this Conference in Dublin calls to mind the historic and heroic services of Ireland in spreading the divine religion through pagan Europe. Europe’s response was to develop, through many vicissitudes, the most widespread and effective civilization known. That civilization, together with all other systems in the world, is now being rolled up, and Europe’s plight in proportion to her former pre-eminence, is desperate indeed. By the same token her opportunity is correspondingly great. The challenges to her resilience, to her deep-seated spiritual vitality, nourished over the centuries by the Teachings of Christ—now, alas, neglected and even condemned—can and must call forth a more magnificent response than was ever made by the divided and contending peoples of olden times. Yours is the task to arouse that response. The power of Bahá’u’lláh is with you and this Day, as attested by the Báb, “is immensely exalted ... above the days of the Apostles of old.” In this great Day, Europe is blessed as never before in its history, for the Manifestation of God, the Lord of Hosts, spent five years of His exiles within its borders, sending forth from His “remote prison” the first of those challenging, world-shaking addresses to the kings and rulers, six of whom were European potentates. There is no authenticated record of a Manifestation of God ever before setting foot in Europe. You are engaged on a Seven Year Plan and have made devoted and sacrificial efforts to attain its objectives. But its ultimate purpose, as that of all other plans, namely the attracting of the masses of mankind to the all-embracing shelter of the Cause of God, still evades us. Particularly in Europe. We have not, as yet, found the secret of setting aglow the hearts of great numbers of Europeans with the divine fire. This must now be your constant preoccupation, the subject of your deliberations at this Conference, the purpose of your lives, to which you will attain “only if you arise to trample beneath your feet every earthly desire ...” We call upon every Bahá’í in Europe to ponder this vital matter in his inmost soul, to consider what each may do to attract greater power to his efforts, to radiate more brilliantly and irresistibly the joyous, regenerating power of the Cause, so that the Bahá’í community in every country in Europe may stand out as a beacon light repelling the dark shadows of godlessness and moral degradation now threatening to obliterate the last remnants of a dying order. We call upon the Continental Board of Counsellors to consult following this Conference with every National Spiritual Assembly in Europe, and together, launch such a campaign of spiritualization of the Bahá’í community, allied with intensified personal teaching, as has never been witnessed in your continent. The goals of the Seven Year Plan can all be accomplished as the result of such a program and the European Bahá’í community may achieve through it the spiritual force and character to demonstrate to a stricken and declining civilization the peace and joy and order of the long-awaited, Christ-promised Kingdom of God on earth. May the loving spirit and saintly life of the Greatest Holy Leaf, the fiftieth anniversary of whose ascension is commemorated in this Conference, imbue your thoughts and aspirations and resolves with that dedicated, self-sacrificing, utter devotion to Bahá’u’lláh and His Cause which she so greatly exemplified. |
International Conferences[edit]
Quito: Riding the ‘high tide’ of victory[edit]
More than 1,300 Bahá’ís from 42 countries gathered August 5-8 in Quito, Ecuador, nestled high in the towering Andes Mountains, for the Bahá’í International Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney represented the Universal House of Justice at the Quito Conference, the second of five such gatherings to be held during 1982. The first was in Dublin, Ireland, and the others in Lagos, Nigeria; Montréal, Canada, and Canberra, Australia.
Also attending the Conference in Quito were 13 Continental Counsellors, representatives of 24 of the 29 National Spiritual Assemblies in Latin America and the Caribbean, and members of 21 Indian tribes from Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, the United States and Venezuela.
This conference, like the other four held this year, was dedicated to the memory of Bahíyyih Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf, the 50th anniversary of whose ascension was observed throughout the Bahá’í world in July.
Among the Conference highlights were the presentation of the “Trail of Light” teaching team composed of indigenous Bahá’ís from Alaska, Canada and the United States, and “Folklorico Night” during which more than 1,500 Bahá’ís and their guests in the auditorium at Colegio Benalcazar enjoyed a program of songs, dances and comedy by Bahá’í groups from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
The Conference was opened Thursday evening, August 5. The guest speaker was Dr. Patricio Romero B., the prefect of Pichincha and second highest provincial official, who praised the Bahá’ís for their work and their ideals, and extended a warm welcome to those attending the Conference.
The Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney, representing the Universal House of Justice, addresses the audience of more than 1,300 at the Bahá’í International Conference in Quito, Ecuador.
The prefect was in turn welcomed by Mr. Haney, Counsellor Raul Pavón, and Sr. Marcario Guillen, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador.
Following the inauguration ceremony about 300 people including an estimated 50 non-Bahá’í dignitaries attended a banquet at the Hotel Colón. Counsellor Pavón spoke about the suffering and martyrdom of Bahá’ís in Iran, after which a musical program was presented by Mrs. Julia Stephens from Puerto Rico and Farzad Khosein, a pioneer to Ecuador from Iran.
At the first full Conference session Friday morning, the message from the Universal House of Justice was read in English and Spanish by Mr. Haney. Sra. María Perugachi, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador who is an Otavalo Indian, translated the message from Spanish into the Quechua language.
In his opening address to the Conference, Mr. Haney, speaking again in English and Spanish, called attention to the message from the House of Justice that referred to “the honor which Bahá’u’lláh has conferred upon the countries of the Americas, and the power of accomplishment which this brings to the inhabitants of those countries who accept the Faith and arise to serve it.” He said the Supreme Body was referring to the call in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas addressed to the Presidents of the Republics of the Americas.
Speaking of the Greatest Holy Leaf, Mr. Haney said, “Bahá’u’lláh, in a Tablet addressed to her, declared that her station was so great, her spirituality so profound, that her prayers would al-
[Page 4]
ways be accepted at the Throne of
God. Her supplications, Bahá’u’lláh
promised, and her ‘intervention’ on behalf of others ‘would never fail to be
answered.’ And we may be sure that
her spirit is hovering over this gathering, and that she is intervening on our
behalf before that ‘Throne of God.’ ”
That afternoon Counsellor Peter McLaren presented the representatives of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Latin America and the Caribbean, and reported on the status of the goals of the Seven Year Plan, reviewing the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies and new localities thus far achieved by each country. The news was received with hearty applause.
Afterward, Counsellor Farzam Arbáb from Cali, Colombia, spoke about pioneering, and Srta. María Perugachi presented a talk on the role of Bahá’í women.
The evening session consisted of a Unity Feast coordinated by the Spiritual Assembly of Quito at which Mrs. Gayle Woolson, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh who pioneered for 29 years in Central and South America, recounted some of her experiences as a Bahá’í pioneer.
Saturday morning’s session began with a talk on the Bahá’í way of life by Counsellor Donald Witzel. This was followed by a presentation by Auxiliary Board member Sabino Ortega of Bolivia on the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies, and by songs by a group of Bahá’ís from Bolivia.
Sra. Elena de Reed from Chile spoke about the education of children, after which Mr. Haney addressed the Conference again, this time concerning the Bahá’í Funds.
Counsellor Mas’ud Khamsi then spoke in Spanish and Persian about the need for sacrifice, after which the friends were given an opportunity to contribute to the Fund. More than $22,000 was contributed in a few moments’ time.
Also on Saturday, Counsellors Pavón and Lauretta King presented the “Camino del Sol” (Trail of Light) teaching team to the Conference. The seven-member team of Native Americans from Alaska, Canada and the United States had been divided into two groups for a two-month teaching campaign in the Americas that was completed with its arrival in Quito.
Above: Members of the Native American ‘Trail of Light’ teaching team are introduced at the Bahá’í International Conference in Quito, Ecuador. Below: Conference participants pay their respects at the grave of the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir.
The Trail of Light project was initiated by the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas in consultation with the three National Spiritual Assemblies concerned. Team members are Walter Austin (Tlingit Indian), Mrs. Rita Blumenstein (Yupik Eskimo) and Mrs. Rebecca McKennet (Tlingit) from Alaska; Rick Belcourt (Metis) and Mrs. Louise Profeit (Tlingit) from Canada; and Chester Kahn (Navajo) and Mrs. Rita Markishtim (Makah) from the United States.
Mrs. Profeit, who served as the team’s spokesman, urged the friends to arise while there is yet time and spread the light of Bahá’u’lláh all over the world. Afterward, Counsellor Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih joined the group on stage and made a fervent call for the believers to arise to pioneer and teach the Cause.
The colorful “Folklorico Night” activities Saturday evening were video
| To the followers of Bahá’u’lláh gathered at the International Conference in Quito, Ecuador
Beloved Friends, Conscious of the beloved Master’s plea to promulgate the oneness of mankind to a spiritually impoverished humanity, inspired by the memory of the Hand of the Cause Dr. Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir whose mortal remains are interred in the soil of Quito, and deriving spiritual stimulus from the Mother Temple for Latin America, the friends are reminded of the galvanizing words of our beloved Guardian addressed to “... the eager, the warm-hearted, the spiritually minded and staunch members of the Latin American Bahá’í communities ...”: “Let them ponder the honor which the Author of the Revelation Himself has chosen to confer upon their countries, the obligations which that honor automatically brings in its wake, the opportunities it offers, the power it releases for the removal of all obstacles, however formidable, which may be encountered in their path, and the promise of guidance it implies ...” Praiseworthy indeed are the achievements thus far made by the communities of South and Central America and the islands of the Caribbean in the first half of the Seven Year Plan. Full advantage should be taken of the current high tide of proclamation engendered by the crisis in Iran to attract to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh earnest and seeking souls from every stratum of society, thereby enriching the spiritual and material diversity of our communities. Great effort should be made to utilize more fully the valuable possibilities of radio and television as a means of reaching the vast multitudes whose hearts and minds offer fertile soil for the planting of the seeds of the Faith. All elements of the Bahá’í community, particularly the women and youth, should arise as one soul to shoulder the responsibilities laid upon them. All outstanding goals of the Seven Year Plan should be pursued with enthusiasm and assurance of their accomplishment. All National Spiritual Assemblies during the remaining fast-fleeting years of this radiant century, in collaboration with the Institutions of the Faith standing ready and eager to assist them, must greatly reinforce the foundations of maturing National and Local Spiritual Assemblies to enable them to cope successfully with the multifarious and challenging problems that will confront them. At a moment in Bahá’í history when the persecuted, beleaguered friends in the Cradle of the Faith heroically continue to face the trials ordained for them in the Major Plan of God, meeting martyrdom, as need be, with joyous acceptance, it behooves the friends throughout the Bahá’í world to endeavor by their own greatly increased acts of self-abnegation to make fruitful the spiritual energies released by the sacrifices of their stricken brethren. May you all immerse yourselves in the spirit of the saintly life of the Greatest Holy Leaf whose self-sacrificing devotion to her beloved Father’s Cause is a worthy example for every believer to emulate. The Universal House of Justice
|
taped for later broadcast on television in Quito.
Sunday, August 8—the final day of the Conference—began with a talk about the role of youth in the Faith by Enrique (Kiko) Sanchez Jr. of Perú. This was followed by presentations of Bahá’í literature from Argentina and Colombia, and by a stirring talk on teaching among the Indians by Andrés Jachacollo, an Auxiliary Board member from Bolivia.
Talks on teaching among the black people were then given by Sra. Carmen Elisa de Sadeghian, a member of the Auxiliary Board from Colombia, and Vicente Quiniones, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador.
Mr. Haney was the special guest at a luncheon for pioneers from the U.S. hosted by the International Goals Committee. Members of the Board of Counsellors also were present at the luncheon.
Information about the role of radio in the Faith was presented on behalf of CIRBAL (Centro para Intercambio Radio Fonico Bahá’í de America Latina) by Dean Stephens, Fernando Schiantarelli and representatives from Radio Bahá’í in Ecuador and Perú. The Universal House of Justice, in its message to the Conference, wrote: “Great effort should be made to utilize more fully the valuable possibilities of radio and television as a means of reaching the vast multitudes whose hearts and minds offer fertile soil for the planting of the seeds of the Faith ...”
Near the close of the Conference the friends listened tearfully as Mrs. Mary Kuchekzadeh of Ecuador described the situation of the martyrs in Iran and introduced a film in which relatives of some of the martyrs were interviewed by Sr. Schiantarelli.
After a further call to the believers by Mrs. Raquel Constante, a representative of the Pioneer Committee of the Americas, to arise to pioneer and travel teach, the Conference was closed with a final farewell from the Hand of the Cause of God Paul Haney. Many of the friends stayed for a goodbye party, while the Iranian believers attended a meeting in the Farsi language with Mr. Haney and the Farsi-speaking Counsellors.
On Monday, August 9, a caravan of nine buses carrying 360 Bahá’ís left the National Center in Quito to visit the grave of the beloved Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir in Quito and the studios of Radio Bahá’í and the Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum Teaching Institute in Otavalo. Among those present were Mrs. Muhájir and her daughter, Gisu.
The following day teams of Bahá’ís spread throughout Ecuador on teaching projects, the results of which are still being received by the National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador.
Sri Lanka[edit]
Faith supports UN human rights seminar[edit]
The Bahá’í International Community was among 22 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) represented June 21-July 2 at a United Nations Seminar in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on National, Local and Regional Arrangements for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Asian Region.
More than 100 people were present at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute for the opening of the first UN seminar of its kind ever held in Sri Lanka or the South Asian region.
The gathering was declared open by His Excellency President J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka who proclaimed the vital importance of promulgating and protecting human rights as a part of the developmental process of true civilization.
While participants in the seminar failed to reach a consensus on the establishment of a Human Rights Center for Asia, it was agreed to pursue that goal in future UN seminars.
The representative of the Bahá’í International Community, Jamshed K. Fozdar of Sri Lanka, addressed the seminar on the universal aspects of human rights and the fundamental contribution that the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh make to this fundamental imperative of our age.
Mr. Fozdar’s address was the only one to be printed in its entirety in the Daily News, the largest newspaper in Sri Lanka.
“... while fully adhering to their Faith’s injunctions concerning loyalty to government and abstention from partisan political activity,” said Mr. Fozdar, “the Bahá’ís labor assiduously for the establishment of human rights, which, in our view, can only be ensured for all when the race of man becomes, in the words of Bahá’u’lláh, as one family and the planet a single home.”
His Excellency President J.R. Jayewardene of Sri Lanka (center), accompanied by his brother, H.W. Jayewardene (left), chairman of the Sri Lanka Foundation, and K.F. Nyamcke of Uganda, acting director of the United Nations Division of Human Rights and representing the UN Secretary-General, arrive to declare open the UN Seminar on Human Rights held June 21-July 2 in Colombo.
United Kingdom[edit]
Richard St. Barbe Baker: 1889-1982[edit]
A celebration of the life and work of Richard St. Barbe Baker, a Bahá’í who was the founder of “The Men of the Trees,” a society dedicated to the planting and protection of trees, was held July 14 at St. John’s Smith Square, London.
Mr. Baker died June 9 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, during his second world tour of 1982. He was 92 years old.
More than 320 people attended the memorial celebration including official representatives of the governments of Australia, India, Kenya, New Zealand and the People’s Republic of China.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, patron of The Men of the Trees, was represented by the Rt. Hon. the Earl of Bessborough, D.L. It marked the first time that Britain’s royal family had sent a representative to a Bahá’í gathering.
Also attending were representatives from most major environmental groups in England and the president of the Global Forest Fund whose headquarters is in the Netherlands.
Messages of sympathy were received from Prime Ministers Gandhi of India and Muldoon of New Zealand.
Following the formal ceremony a reception was held for about 110 of the guests at the Bahá’í Center in London.
Mr. Baker, who was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his work in conservation, started The Men of the Trees in Kenya in 1922 while he was serving as a young forestry officer.
He persuaded local tribesmen that the replacement of trees that were being felled for agricultural clearings, for fuel, and for timber was vital to their future survival.
He already had reached the conclusion, now widely accepted, that it was the removal of tree cover that created deserts and contributed to the occurrence of dust bowls.
The Rt. Hon. the Earl of Bessborough, representing the Prince of Wales, pays tribute to Richard St. Barbe Baker, a Bahá’í who founded ‘The Men of the Trees’ conservation society, during a celebration of Mr. Baker’s life and work held July 14 at St. John’s Smith Square, London. Mr. Baker, 92, died June 9 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada during a world tour.
The society that he founded grew so rapidly that by 1929 Mr. Baker had resigned from the forestry service and was devoting himself entirely to its aims.
As its numbers increased so did its influence, and over the years it was responsible for saving countless trees from needless destruction, and for the planting of vast numbers of replacements when felling was necessary.
Mr. Baker’s greatest ambition, the reclamation of the Sahara desert, had only lately begun to show results.
In his lifetime the achievements were relatively small but the way ahead was charted and he was able to see, for example at Bon Saada in Algeria, the proof that this mammoth task was possible.
Mr. Baker, born in 1889 near Southampton, England, was graduated in 1911 from Saskatchewan University. He was reading Divinity at Cambridge University when World War I broke out.
An accomplished horseman, he joined King Edward’s Horse as a trooper and was later commissioned.
He served in France until 1918 when he was seriously wounded for the second time. He returned to Cambridge to take a diploma in forestry, financing himself by building caravans from surplus RAF materials.
In 1920 Mr. Baker was sent to Kenya by the Colonial Office as an assistant forest conservator.
From his early efforts to induce the Kenyans to halt the insidious advance of the Sahara grew his determination to devote his life to persuading people and their governments of the absolute necessity for tree cover if man was to survive on this planet.
From 1929 onward he traveled all over the world in pursuit of this task, writing innumerable articles, pamphlets and scientific papers; lecturing to any available audience, and interviewing ministers and heads of state.
He also published many books including an account of his epic journey across the Sahara and a history of the famous redwood trees of California.
Mr. Baker became a Bahá’í in 1922 and was active in the Faith at conferences around the world.
He served as special adviser to the Bahá’í delegation at the UN conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1976 and also attended other UN conferences on behalf of the Faith.
He was made an honorary LL.D. of the University of Saskatchewan in 1971 and was awarded the OBE in 1978.
In his memory, the Richard St. Barbe Baker Foundation has been established in Saskatchewan to help carry on his work.
For information, write to the St. Barbe Baker Foundation, 417 Cumberland Avenue South, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7H 2L3, Canada, or phone 416-924-2014.
Fiji[edit]
Senate condemns persecutions in Iran[edit]
Hon. Senator Ratu Vakalala-bure—Mr. President, Sir, I beg to move:
That this House expresses its grave concern at the continuous persecutions of members of the Bahá’í faith in Iran, and appeals to the Government to call on the Government of Iran to protect the Bahá’í faith’s fundamental human rights, and commends the Government of Fiji for its stand on such grave issues.
Hon. Senator Inoke Tabua—Mr. Vice-president, Sir, I beg to second the motion.
Hon. Senator Ratu Vakalala-bure—This motion, Sir, has come about after I had been receiving papers from the Bahá’í faith over the last few years. I think, Sir, the papers were distributed from the headquarters of this faith in Fiji to all Members of Parliament in both Houses.
I did not quite get what I read from the papers, Sir, until I suddenly walked into a room where members of this faith in Fiji were gathered studying and praying. I walked in, Sir, sat with my wife and we listened for a long time.
I started asking questions and I came to the conclusion, Sir, that the members of the Bahá’í faith in Iran have really suffered as was stated in the papers. It is my sincere conviction that this honourable House has a duty to call on the Government to help the Bahá’ís in Iran ...
I have been asked, as is known, Sir, as to why I am bothered about Iran’s problems. I was told, “Let the Bahá’ís
| On Wednesday, March 17, 1982, the Senate of Fiji passed a resolution calling upon the government of Iran to
“protect the fundamental human rights” of Bahá’ís in that country. This article is excerpted from the debate that preceded adoption of the resolution. |
suffer in distant Iran. Why bother about Gen. Pinochet, Mururoa, New Caledonia, apartheid and many other problems?” My answer, of course, Sir, is that we recognise our own interests. We are all part of the human race.
The present regime of Ayatollah Khomeini has abrogated all mercies on the Bahá’ís and is bent on total annihilation of this minority religion in Iran. To political tyranny, the Mullaha’s (sic) regime in Iran has added religious minority, the 300,000 or so Bahá’ís have been tacked up. In January this year, Sir, 21 Bahá’ís were shot. Last December, Sir, Iran’s Chief Justice, Ayatollah Munsari, confirmed that eight members of the Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly had been shot for spying ...
The Bahá’ís, Sir, advocate unity of all religions. I repeat, all religions. World government and sexual equality, all these are enigma to the Mullahs. The Bahá’ís in Iran tend to be well educated. Many of them had secure jobs under the Shah which made them less popular among his successors. Business wealth and holdings of many Bahá’ís arouse widespread envy. In Iran today, Sir, Bahá’ís cannot work for the Government. Bahá’ís in Iran cannot own property. They cannot vote, and they are not allowed to travel.
Their weddings go unrecognised. If they live together as husband and wife, even though marriage had been performed in their own religious rites, the wedding is unrecognised. And they can be accused of indulging in prostitution, which is a capital offence in Iran, Sir.
Bahá’í children are considered illegitimate and are barred from school. This month, that is, March, Sir, all Iranians must re-register for identity cards. Bahá’ís are not eligible, Sir. Those failing to recant their faith may suffer greatly ...
Hon. Senator Barrett—Mr. Vice-President, Sir, I commend the honourable Senator Vakalalabure for bringing this timely and humane motion before the House ...
The Government of Fiji is aware of the relentless persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and fully shares the growing world concern and abhorrence of their cruel oppression.
Mr. President, Sir, we in Fiji are indeed fortunate that firstly, human rights are a fundamental part of our Fiji Constitution. Secondly, ever since the Alliance Government’s accession to membership in the United Nations upon independence in 1970, the Fijian Government has firmly, strongly and unswervingly associated itself with the human rights provisions contained in the Charter of the United Nations, as well as supporting important decisions adopted by the United Nations on this question of human rights.
At this point, Mr. Vice-President, Sir, keeping in mind some sadly misinformed and uninformed people here in Fiji, let me refer to our own Fiji Constitution which guarantees the human rights and fundamental freedoms for all in Fiji. With your permission, Mr. Vice-President, Sir, I refer to Section 11(1) of our own Fiji Constitution which provides, and I quote:
“Except with his own consent, no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of conscience, and for the purposes of this section the said freedom includes freedom of thought and of religion, freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and both in public and in private, to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”
[Page 9]
Mr. Vice-President, Sir, Fiji subscribes to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Fiji is a party to and a strong and constant supporter of the international convention
on the elimination of all forms of racial
discrimination.
Mr. Vice-President, Sir, in view of our abiding commitment to the principles enshrined in these documents, Fiji has opposed flagrant violations of human rights wherever they occur, be it on the question of apartheid in South Africa, the racial discrimination there or the imposition of martial law in Poland or the persecution of members of the Bahá’í faith in Iran.
Concerning the persecution of the members of the Bahá’í faith in Iran, one of the most distressing and sad aspects is the violation of the rights of a people to hold a religious belief. On this, Mr. Vice-President, Sir, the grave concern of the Fiji Government was expressed at the last session of the United Nations General Assembly where it was stated, and I quote:
“In certain parts of the world we are witnessing situations where in the name of national unity or simply because of the prejudice of those in power, the human rights of the followers of minority religious groups have been mercilessly suppressed and flagrantly violated. Members of such minority religious groups face the very real threat of complete annihilation simply because their religious beliefs do not conform to those of their Government.”
Fiji supported this at the United Nations General Assembly just recently.
More recently, Mr. Vice-President, Sir, Fiji voted in favour of a resolution concerning the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran that was adopted by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights ...
Mr. Vice-President, Sir, although the Government of Fiji does not feel that a direct call from it to the Government of Iran would be effective in this heart-breaking situation, I believe that the Government of Fiji has amply demonstrated its continuing concern about the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and the Government of Fiji will continue to register its feelings in the strongest possible manner in all international forums, wherever and whenever such opportunities arise.
Hon. Senator Weaver—Mr. Vice-President, Sir, I rise to support this motion that has been brought before this House in all sincerity by one of the Members who has a heart to match his friend ...
The fundamental principles that have established this Bahá’í faith are indeed noble and would go well in any society and are models for us to follow. I have a real concern, Mr. Vice-President, that any direct appeal to the present Iranian Government may bring about even more suffering by these persecuted people and I trust that the efforts made by the mover and the other Members will lead to the end of such suffering in persecution by the members of the Bahá’í faith, not only in Iran but in any other country where they or any like them are suffering similar persecutions ...
Mr. Vice-President, Sir, I feel that only good can come from this motion, and I sincerely hope that it has the desired effect upon the authorities who are perpetuating this kind of treatment against innocent people. I also hope, Mr. Vice-President, that it prompts us in this country to take a look at some of the principles of the Bahá’í faith and the principles that we have subscribed to in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Hon. Senator Mal—... In fairness, Sir, as in any democratic country, people have the right of freedom of speech and religion. Where there is no democracy, people are not even allowed to say the right things at the right time. I have every sympathy for the Bahá’í faith, Sir. I do not know what the Government of Fiji is going to do because they have not done anything in the past for other countries or other religions when they have been ill-treated. From my personal view, Sir, I have every faith in the Bahá’í faith, they are very good and they preach good reform methods.
Hon. Senator Ratu Loki—... As a nation which believes in humanity, in unity and peace, I think it is only right for us to support any move such as this that would bring about peace, love and humanity in any country in the world today because we are, in fact, living in one world. Anything that would affect a part of this world can eventually spread and affect this small globe. Therefore, I feel that this House should stand in unity and show its support to the motion. Even if we ask the United Nations again ...
Mr. President—Order! I am sorry to interrupt the honourable Senator, but I have already transgressed the extent by about a minute and a half. I thought you might have been finishing off on the dot at 4:30. I have no alternative but to adjourn the House until tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, March 17, 1982
Resumption of debate on the persecution of the Bahá’í Faith in Iran
Hon. Senator Ratu Vakalala-bure—... Mr. President, Sir, while listening, I have seen that I need only to press two points. The human rights of the religious minority in Iran, Sir, are being violated through conscious Government policies. I understand, Sir, that there are policies by the Government of the day in Iran which threaten the lives of this minority group. If this issue is aired only in this House, the Senate of Fiji, we would have no proof, but Parliaments the world over, Sir, have aired this; even the United Nations aired it.
You can lie to people some of the time but not all the time. Young school girls, Sir, are being kidnapped by their religion teachers and are not allowed to contact their parents or relatives. Just thinking about it really touches me, especially as a father—for my child to be taken away from me and never to be seen again, Sir ... But here, we do not have only one case, we have many like this. If it cannot be solved through this motion, if it cannot be through the pressure of the United Nations or the governments of the world, surely, Sir, God will do His part because we are talking about religion, we are talking about people who believe in God. Surely, God is here with us and listening, and He has heard because we prayed before we started our deliberations. God must do something, Sir, and He can do it in His own way.
However, Sir, I think that Fiji’s persistence as a leading country of the Pacific impels us to speak on the broad issues of human rights that affect the entire world community, and for that I thank the House.
Question put.
Motion agreed to.
Papua New Guinea[edit]
Going ‘out of their way’ to teach Cause[edit]
Traveling Bahá’í teachers have been carrying out successful teaching and deepening activities in the remote villages of Mountain Brown in the Owen Stanley Range of Papua New Guinea where there are now eight all-Bahá’í villages and four other remote villages with growing Bahá’í communities.
The Faith was introduced in this remote and rugged mountain area in the early 1970s by two local Bahá’ís. The usual means of transportation there requires a four-hour drive by truck from Port Moresby and a two-day walk just to reach the first village. From there, a walk of three hours to one full day is required to reach the next village.
During the last two years there were few visitors to the area. When a disease claimed the lives of 73 villagers, local superstition blamed the Bahá’ís.
When news of the epidemic reached the National Spiritual Assembly of Papua New Guinea, the health authorities were contacted and it was discovered that a strain of malaria actually was responsible for the deaths.
The health agency then ordered that the area be sprayed to eliminate the disease.
Last year the National Assembly consulted with members of the Continental Board of Counsellors to plan a joint teaching and consolidation campaign in the Mountain Brown area.
David Hall (left), a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Papua New Guinea, made a four-day walk through the remote Mountain Brown area with his guide, Masina, during a teaching campaign in which he and three other Bahá’ís visited remote villages in that country.
Bahá’ís from Sanomu Village in the remote Mountain Brown area of Papua New Guinea don traditional costumes and perform on ceremonial drums during the dedication ceremony for the village’s local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds. The Center was built by members of the village’s Bahá’í community.
Shortly afterward, two members of the National Spiritual Assembly, David Hall and Silan Nadarajah; Auxiliary Board member Noel Bluett, and Vegua Heina, a member of the National Teaching Committee who is from a Mountain Brown village, arrived by helicopter in Sanomu Village.
Once there, the traveling teachers arranged for a two-day conference that included the dedication of a new Bahá’í Center that was built by local believers who had to carry each log for the building into the village from the bush.
Members of the local Bahá’í community had paid for construction of the new Center themselves except for nails, which were paid for through a contribution from the National Assembly.
More than 80 people attended the
[Page 11]
Villagers in the Mountain Brown area of Papua New Guinea are joined in a traditional dance by Silan Nadarajah (center, wearing glasses), a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Papua New Guinea.
two-day deepening conference. Included were presentations on the Covenant and administration, the relationship between the Counsellors and Assemblies, and an update on the current situation in Iran.
Following the conference, the visiting Bahá’ís remained in the Mountain Brown area for four days to visit the villages of Homenomu, Ununomu, Eia, Manunomu, Himai-a, Kunaia and Maroromu, each of which is on the slope of a mountain.
As the friends approached each village they were greeted by decorative arches, children singing, and the happy faces of the local Bahá’ís. Deepening conferences were held in each village.
As a follow-up to this contact with the Mountain Brown villagers, three Bahá’í youth from Australia—Jalal Mills, Gordon Stannling and Hamed Badian—spent four weeks visiting the Bahá’í communities in that area.
They spent two to three days in each village holding deepening classes, children’s classes and firesides. From each village the youth were escorted to the next village by local Bahá’ís who carried their belongings for them.
The three young Bahá’ís returned exhausted from their four weeks in rugged mountain terrain but elated by the formation of a new Local Spiritual Assembly and the 20 declarations that had taken place during their visit to the Mountain Brown villages.
These three Bahá’í youth from Australia spent four weeks conducting firesides and deepenings in the remote villages of the Mountain Brown area of Papua New Guinea. They are (left to right) Jalal Mills, Gordon Stanning, Hamed Badian.
The world[edit]
Japan has a brand new National Center[edit]
Japan has a new national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Tokyo on the same site on which the original National Center once stood.
The new three-story building replaces a small Japanese-style house that served as Japan’s Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds from 1954 until last year.
The new building has ample room for large or small meetings, committee rooms, a large national office, and a National Archives room.
The beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, contributed half the purchase price of the original Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in 1954, and a Persian pioneer to Japan, Noureddin Mumtazi, contributed the rest.
The great appreciation of land values in Japan recently allowed the National Spiritual Assembly to sell for a considerable profit a piece of property in Osaka that was donated by an individual Bahá’í.
This in turn allowed the National Assembly to build the new Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and to purchase a Bahá’í Center for the Bahá’í community of Osaka.
The new national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds contains the Japanese Bahá’í community’s most precious archival possession, a brocade that was presented to the Bahá’ís of Japan by the Guardian in 1954.
The brocade, which once rested in the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, was presented by Shoghi Effendi with instructions that it be displayed in the national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
Ghana[edit]
A teaching campaign that was held in August and September 1981 in the Afram Plains area of northeastern Ghana led to the formation of 44 Local Spiritual Assemblies, the opening of six new localities to the Faith in three administrative regions of the country, and the enrollment of 1,087 new believers. Shown here are members of the teaching team (standing left to right) Adofoli Michael, the first Bahá’í in Afram Plains; R. Das Bornoh, a pioneer from Malaysia; Gladys Larbi; Edward Larbi; Azita Ghaneh, a Bahá’í from Qatar; Eleanor O’Callahan, a pioneer from Ireland; Owusu Akyeaw; and (kneeling) Suleiman Arouna, a Bahá’í from Nigeria, and an unidentified member of the teaching team.
South and West Africa[edit]
Shown with members of the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa are 62 homefront and overseas pioneers who attended the country’s second pioneer institute May 29-30. Also present were Counsellor Bahiyyih Winckler and members of the Auxiliary Board. It was determined during consultation that there are at least 18 more places in the region that need either homefront or overseas pioneers.
Denmark[edit]
Thirty-seven Danish Bahá’í women and their non-Bahá’í guests attended a Bahá’í women’s conference May 29-31 in northern Zealand, Denmark.
It was the first time in the history of the Faith in Denmark that Bahá’í and non-Bahá’í women had met to discuss their role in the Faith.
The conference, whose theme was “The Rights, Privileges and Obligations of Women in the Bahá’í Community,” focused on four presentations on Ṭáhirih, the Greatest Holy Leaf, women’s role in the family and community, and equality in the Bahá’í world.
Mashid Fatio, a representative of the Bahá’í International Community in Europe, was a special guest at the conference, which was sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark.
Among the subjects for consultation was the letter of February 1981 from the Universal House of Justice on the roles of husband and wife in the Bahá’í family.
Some of the participants said they hadn’t participated in a Bahá’í gathering as wonderful as this for many years.
Some of them asked the National Spiritual Assembly to arrange more such meetings to strengthen women and to encourage them to perform even greater acts of service to the Cause.
Shown in this group photo are the 37 Bahá’í women and their guests who attended a Bahá’í Women’s Conference last May 29-31 in northern Zealand, Denmark. The conference was sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of Denmark and had as its theme ‘The Rights, Privileges and Obligations of Women in the Bahá’í Community.’
Suriname[edit]
Mrs. Meherangiz Munsiff, a traveling teacher from the United Kingdom, accompanied by a local Bahá’í, paid a courtesy call July 30 on Ramdat Misier, the president of Suriname.
President Misier said he knows something of the Faith and expressed his concern over the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.
During an hour-long visit with the president’s wife, Mrs. Munsiff presented her with a Bahá’í book.
The meeting was reported the following day in a local newspaper with a photo showing the two Bahá’í women with the President Misier’s wife.
Hawaii[edit]
Shown here are delegates and guests at the Bahá’í National Convention of Hawaii, held April 23-25 in Honolulu.
About 200 people including Hawaii’s
Lieutenant Governor, Jean King, attended the Bahá’í marriage July 4 in
Koolaupoko of Frederick Wood and
Samieh Labib, who are both members
of the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Hawaiian Islands. The reception
reflected the oneness of humanity with
many ethnic groups participating in the
ceremony.
Lawrence Kelley, a Bahá’í from Kaneohe, Hawaii, presents a copy of the
book A Cry from the Heart by the Hand of the Cause of God William
Sears to Eileen Anderson, the mayor of
Honolulu, on behalf of the Bahá’í communities of Oahu. The presentation was a part of ‘Bahá’í Week’ activities on Oahu that marked the 80th
anniversary of the establishment of the
Faith in Hawaii.
Australia[edit]
Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia met last May 28-30 with Auxiliary Board member Kimiko Schwerin, representing the National Spiritual Assembly of Japan, for what may prove to be the beginning of the development of the “spiritual axis” between Japan and Australia spoken of by the beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi.
The historic meeting at the national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Sydney was called in response to a message from the Universal House of Justice.
The Supreme Body urged that such a meeting be held to plan for a presentation on the spiritual axis at the International Conference in Canberra and to promote a greater understanding of the importance of the two National Assemblies in the region as outlined by the Guardian.
At the meeting, plans were made to produce a pamphlet about the spiritual axis in English and Japanese for distribution at the Canberra Conference. It was decided that the pamphlet would be designed by the National Spiritual Assembly of Japan and produced in that country, with both countries to finance its publication.
In 1957, the Guardian referred to the “spiritual axis” in a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia describing the election of the new National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia with its seat in Tokyo:
“... the emergence of such an assembly may be said to have, at long last, established a spiritual axis, extending from the Antipodes to the northern islands of the Pacific Ocean—an axis whose northern and southern poles will act as powerful magnets, endowed with exceptional spiritual potency ...”
In a letter to the new National Spiritual Assembly of North East Asia, the Guardian referred to the new “spiritual equilibrium” as a “... momentous development paving the way for the eventual introduction of the Faith into the far-flung Chinese mainland and, beyond it, to the extensive territories of Soviet Russia ...”
Bénin[edit]
More than 250 Bahá’ís and their guests attended the dedication January 24 of the Regional Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Zou province in Abomey, Bénin, thus helping to fulfill that country’s goal of establishing two more regional Bahá’í Centers during the second phase of the Seven Year Plan.
Among those who attended the dedication of the Center, named in honor of the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir, were Counsellor Thelma Khelghati, seven members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bénin, and Auxiliary Board member Frédéric Hodonou.
Local officials sent delegations to the dedication program, and the titular head of the royal families of the Fon people made a special visit during which he declared his interest in the Faith and his support of the Bahá’í teachings.
More than 60 of those who attended the ceremony had traveled with their chief in a truck from their remote village in Mono province. During the program they sang songs about the Faith, accompanied by traditional drum music and dancing.
Weeks of preliminary activity for the proclamation effort included distribution of 175 invitations to provincial, district and local authorities, local secondary school directors, and Bahá’í communities throughout the country.
Auxiliary Board member Fréderic Hodonou cuts a ribbon during the dedication ceremony January 24 of the “Centre Muhájir,” the Regional Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Abomey, Bénin. Looking on are Frédéric Méhou (standing next to Mr. Hodonou), the vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bénin and chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Abomey, representatives of Spiritual Assemblies in Zou province, the National Teaching Committee, and Bahá’í youth.
Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Bénin and Auxiliary Board member Frédéric Hodonou were among the more than 60 people from five of that country’s six provinces who participated last December 19-21 in the Harmattan summer school, held at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Cotonou.
The program, planned by the National Teaching Committee, included classes on goals of the Seven Year Plan, a special session on the persecution of the Faith in Iran, and a play about teaching the Faith that was presented by the youth.
Trinidad/Tobago[edit]
Meherangiz Munsiff (left), a traveling teacher from the United Kingdom, addresses Bahá’ís and their guests July 7 at the Bahá’í National Center in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Mrs. Munsiff also conducted classes for Bahá’ís at the Center in Palmyra during her 10-day visit to Trinidad and Tobago. Articles about her visit appeared in the Trinidad Guardian and Trinidad Express. Paid ads for a Bahá’í correspondence course have been appearing in both newspapers.
| United Kingdom
The General Council of the United Nations Association Profoundly concerned at the continuing persecution in Iran involving Moslems, Christians, Jews and members of the Bahá’í Faith; Noting that although other religious minorities are recognised, the Bahá’ís are denied recognition under the present Iranian constitution and are thus placed outside the protection of the law, and as a result those who wish to perpetrate attacks on the Bahá’ís, their property and their livelihood, can do so with the almost complete certainty that they will go unpunished. Noting the Resolution 10.33 of the UN Human Rights Commission subcommittee (10th September 1980) on this specific issue, and the total disregard of it by the Iranian Government, including the execution of at least 13 members without trial and in secret in December and January, Urges Her Majesty’s Government
|
El Salvador[edit]
Three hundred invitations were sent to prominent citizens and the media in El Salvador for a proclamation meeting July 9 at the Salvadorean Cultural Center.
The two reporters who attended were given press releases and photos about the recent persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.
The well-attended event featured presentations on the history of the Faith and the present persecutions including slides of damaged or destroyed Bahá’í properties in Iran as well as views of the Shrine of the Báb.
Several Bahá’í youth read prayers during the program, and afterward, guests talked informally with Bahá’ís during an hour-long social period.
El Salvador was honored July 24-25 by a visit from two members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas, Dr. Hidáyatu’lláh Aḥmadíyyih and Artemus Lamb.
The Counsellors met with members of the National Spiritual Assembly of El Salvador, the Local Spiritual Assembly of San Salvador, Auxiliary Board members and with the body of the friends and their guests.
Solomon Islands[edit]
The anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Báb was observed in the Solomon Islands with an historic half-hour nationwide television program on the Faith and the events surrounding the Báb’s martyrdom in 1850.
It marked the first time that the Faith has been proclaimed on a national level in the Solomons.
The TV program, prepared by the Bahá’í community of New Zealand, included a dramatization of the events associated with the Báb’s martyrdom and a portion of a fireside at which Bahá’ís discussed the Stations of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh and the principles of the Faith.
Zimbabwe[edit]
Shown here are delegates and guests at the Bahá’í National Convention in Zimbabwe, held last April at the national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Harare. The Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa was represented at the Convention by Auxiliary Board member Iraj Yazdani.
India[edit]
More than 200 Bahá’ís from nine countries and from nine states in India participated June 26-27 in an inaugural conference that marked the opening of the Bahá’í Youth Academy in Panchgani, Maharashtra State, India.
The establishment of the academy fulfills a long-cherished desire of the Universal House of Justice, the Continental Board of Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assembly of India.
Among the participants was Counsellor Burháni’d-Dín Afshín; one member of the National Spiritual Assembly of India; three Auxiliary Board members; and three members of the National Youth Committee of India.
The foundation stone for the academy’s permanent base at Kanga Hills was set in place in memory of the recent Bahá’í martyrs in Iran.
A plaque (left photo) identifies the new Bahá’í Youth Academy at Katanga Hills in Panchgani, India. More than 200 Bahá’ís were present at a two-day conference June 26-27 that marked the establishment of the academy. Participants included Counsellor Burháni’d-Dín Afshín and representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly of India, the Auxiliary Board, and the National Youth Committee.
A variety of teaching methods has been adopted for the academy’s six hours of daily classroom instruction with emphasis on approaches that actively involve the students.
The academy provides for students’ physical and recreational needs through special evening programs.
The academy began its operation with a six-week study course in English for 35 young Bahá’ís and another six-week course in Farsi.
The academy’s second six-week course was to begin in October.
Louis G. Gregory
and the Advancement
of Racial Unity
in America
THE WORLD
“At the heart of the most challenging issue for the American Bahá’í community—the problem of obliterating racial prejudice—stands Louis George Gregory.”
So begins Gayle Morrison’s biography of Louis Gregory, son of a Georgia slave who became a Hand of the Cause of God. But To Move the World is more than a biography. It brings into sharp focus a number of strands: the life of Louis Gregory, the social and racial forces at work in the United States during his lifetime (1874-1951), and the dynamics of the Bahá’í Faith that were shaping, often against the wishes of individual members, a community unequivocally committed to the oneness of mankind and the elimination of racial prejudice.
Because the threads of his life cannot be easily separated, Louis Gregory’s story presents a rich tapestry that invites deep and thoughtful study. He was a lawyer, one of the “talented tenth”; yet he gave up a promising career to devote his energies full-time to spreading the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith.
He knew and associated with virtually all of the black leaders of his day and many leading whites as well. He was repeatedly elected to national Bahá’í office by a predominantly white membership. He was widely known as a lecturer and writer on racial unity and other progressive principles.
But whether as writer, lecturer, or administrator, Louis G. Gregory stood in the forefront of every struggle the American Bahá’ís made to establish racial amity. Today, some thirty years after his death, “noble-minded, golden-hearted” Louis Gregory still stands as a beacon and a tower of strength who bequeathed a legacy showing how it is possible to eliminate racial prejudice from our lives and, in so doing, to move the world.
Gayle Morrison is an educator, business woman, and an historian. She has published a guide to books on Southeast Asian history, a number of articles on a variety of topics, and has served on the Editorial Board of World Order magazine. She lives with her husband and two children in Hawaii.
Cloth edition. Foreword by Glenford E. Mitchell.
xxviii + 320 pages, notes, index, 28 photographs.
Catalog No. 332-072. $16.00*
*Valid only in 48 contiguous states of the United States. All others write for prices and ordering and shipping instructions.
Available in cloth only from
Bahá’í Publishing Trust
415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091
