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| Bahá’í News | July 1983 | Bahá’í Year 140 |
The 5th Bahá’í International Convention
WITH SADDENED HEARTS ANNOUNCE EXECUTION ON 1 MAY TWO MORE ACTIVE SUPPORTERS GREATEST NAME CRADLE FAITH, MR. SUHAYL SAFA’I AND MR. JALAL HAKIMAN, IMPRISONED SINCE OCTOBER 1982 IN ISFAHAN. THEIR FAMILIES, FRIENDS LEARNED AFTER MORE THAN A WEEK OF THEIR EXECUTION IN TIHRAN. SHARE NEWS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, MEDIA.
MAY 12, 1983
Bahá’í News[edit]
The annual Riḍván message from the Universal House of Justice | 1 |
Supreme Body announces changes in International Teaching Centre | 3 |
5th Bahá’í International Convention summarized in words, pictures | 5 |
U.S. President Reagan appeals to Iran to end persecution of Bahá’ís | 8 |
U.S. government document cites Bahá’í testimony on Iran situation | 10 |
Progress report on construction of Houses of Worship in India, Samoa | 11 |
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, $12 U.S.; two years, $20 U.S. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1983, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
World Centre[edit]
Riḍván message from House of Justice[edit]
To the Bahá’ís of the world
Dearly-loved Friends,
The observable acceleration, during the past decade, of the two processes described by our beloved Guardian, the disintegration of the old order and the progress and consolidation of the new World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, may well come to be regarded by future historians as one of the most remarkable features of this period. The recent increase in this acceleration is even more remarkable. Both within and without the Cause of God, powerful forces are operating to bring to a climax the twin tendencies of this portentous century.
Among the many evidences which reveal this process may be cited, on the one hand, the continual increase of lawlessness, terrorism, economic confusion, immorality and the growing danger from the proliferation of weapons of destruction, and on the other, the world-wide, divinely propelled expansion, consolidation and rapid emergence into the limelight of world affairs of the Cause itself, a process crowned by the wonderful efflorescence of Mount Carmel, the mountain of God, whose Divine springtime is now so magnificently burgeoning.
During the past five years, the historical dialectic of triumph and disaster has operated simultaneously within the Cause of God. The Army of Light has sustained the loss of six Hands of the Cause and waves of bitter persecution which have again engulfed the long-suffering community in Iran, and have resulted in the razing of the House of the Báb, the demolition of Bahá’u’lláh’s ancestral home in Tákur, and the martyrdom of scores of valiant souls.
Yet these disasters have called forth fresh energies in the hearts of the friends, have fed the deep roots of the Cause and given rise to a great harvest of signal victories. Chief among these are the successful conclusion of the Five Year Plan; the launching of the Seven Year Plan, now in the final year of its second phase, and unprecedented proclamation of the Faith to Heads of State, parliaments and parliamentarians, government ministers and officials, leaders of thought and people prominent in the professions, resulting in a change of attitude on the part of the mass media, which now increasingly approach us for information about the Cause.
To these movements must be added the world-wide observances commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the Greatest Holy Leaf; the completion of the restoration of the upper floor of the House of ‘Abdu’lláh Páshá, and its opening, at this very time, to its first visitors; the occupation by the Universal House of Justice of its permanent Seat, in further fulfillment of the great prophecy in the Tablet of Carmel; steady progress on the construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the Pacific Islands in Samoa and the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent in New Delhi.
Among the outstanding features of the teaching and consolidation work are the continuing effective results of the participation of more than 16,000 believers from all parts of the world in the five International Conferences; intensive teaching campaigns carried out with the active support of all levels of the community and drawing upon the enthusiasm and capacity of Bahá’í youth; the establishment of a second radio station in South America; the re-formation of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Uganda and Nepal, and the establishment of nine new National Spiritual Assemblies, two of which will be elected during the month of May this year, bringing the total of these secondary Houses of Justice to 135.
Above and beyond all these is the unity in action achieved by the Bahá’í world community in its efforts to enlist public support for the dearly-loved, greatly-admired, cruelly-beleaguered Iranian believers, a unity further manifested in an outpouring of funds to replace their former liberal contributions, and an upsurge of personal dedication rarely seen on so universal a scale and holding the highest promise for the future.
The growing maturity of a world-wide religious community which all these processes indicate is further evidenced in the reaching out, by a number of national communities, to the social and economic life of their countries, exemplified by the founding of tutorial schools, the inception of radio stations, the pursuit of rural development programs and the operation of medical and agricultural schemes.
To these early beginnings must be added the undoubted skills acquired, as a result of the Iranian crisis, in dealing with international organizations, national governments and the mass media—the very elements of society with which it must increasingly collaborate toward the realization of peace on earth.
A wider horizon is opening before us, illumined by a growing and universal manifestation of the inherent potentialities of the Cause for ordering human affairs. In this light can be discerned not only our immediate tasks but, more dimly, new pursuits and undertakings upon which we
[Page 2]
The permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel
must shortly become engaged.
At present we must complete the objectives of the Seven Year Plan, paying great attention to those inner spiritual developments which will be manifested in greater unity among the friends and in National and Local Spiritual Assemblies functioning “harmoniously, vigorously and efficiently” as the Guardian desired.
We have no doubt that the Bahá’í world community will accomplish all these tasks and go forward to new achievements. The powers released by Bahá’u’lláh match the needs of the times.
We may therefore be utterly confident that the new throb of energy now vibrating throughout the Cause will empower it to meet the oncoming challenges of assisting, as maturity and resources allow, the development of the social and economic life of peoples, of collaborating with the forces leading toward the establishment of order in the world, of influencing the exploitation and constructive uses of modern technology, and in all these ways enhancing the prestige and progress of the Faith and uplifting the conditions of the generality of mankind.
It is a time for rejoicing. The Sun of Bahá’u’lláh is mounting the heavens, bringing into ever clearer light the contrast between the gloom, the despair, the frustrations and bewilderment of the world, and the radiance, confidence, joy and certitude of His lovers. Lift up your hearts. The Day of God is here.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Riḍván 140 B.E.
Two smiling delegates from the African nation of Bénin are
shown in front of the Seat of the Universal House of Justice
during the 5th Bahá’í International Convention which was
held April 26-May 2 in Haifa, Israel.
World Centre[edit]
Teaching Centre’s scope is broadened[edit]
To the Followers of Bahá’u’lláh Throughout the World
Dearly-loved Friends,
For 10 years the International Teaching Centre has rendered invaluable services at the World Centre of the Faith, and it is with great joy that we now announce a number of major steps in the evolution of this vital institution of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
Since the tragic death of Mr. Paul Haney there have been only two Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land. We have therefore decided to call upon Dr. ‘Alí Muḥammad Varqá and Mr. Collis Featherstone to participate in the discharge of the special duties of the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land when the occasion requires, as for example in dealing with matters of Covenant-breaking. They will be able to perform these functions either by correspondence or by periodic sojourns at the World Centre.
We have decided to raise the number of resident members of the International Teaching Centre to nine. For reasons of health Mrs. Florence Mayberry is leaving the World Centre, bringing to an end her highly valued services on this institution. Four new Counsellor members have therefore been appointed: Dr. Magdalene Carney, Mr. Mas‘úd Khamsí, Dr. Peter Khan and Mrs. Isobel Sabri, who we now call upon to transfer their residences to the Holy Land, where they will join the Hands of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum and ‘Alí Akbar Furútan and Counsellors Anneliese Bopp, Hooper Dunbar and ‘Azíz Yazdí.
We have further decided, as foreshadowed in previous announcements, to institute a five-year term for the
DR. MAGDALENE M. CARNEY
MAS‘ÚD KHAMSÍ
Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre. Each term will start on 23 May immediately following the International Bahá’í Convention, and the current term will end on 23 May 1988. Should circumstances prevent the Universal House of Justice from making new appointments at the end of any five-year term, the Counsellors will remain in office until such time as new appointments can be made.
With the rapid growth of the Faith, its emergence from obscurity, and the diversification of the activities that the believers in many lands must undertake in such fields as education, rural development, radio and public relations—matters which must increasingly occupy the attention of the Universal House of Justice—we have decided that the time is ripe to devolve increased responsibility upon the International Teaching Centre in the fields of protection and propagation of the Faith. The duties of the International Teaching Centre, including those announced previously and those now being assigned to it, are as follows:
- To assume full responsibility for coordinating, stimulating and directing the Continental Boards of Counsellors, acting also as liaison between them and the Universal House of Justice.
- To be fully informed on the situation of the Cause in all parts of the world and, from this knowledge, to make reports and recommendations to the Universal House of Justice and give advice to the Continental Boards of Counsellors.
- To watch over the security and ensure the protection of the Faith of God.
- To be alert to possibilities for the
- extension of the teaching work and the development of economic and social life both within and without the Bahá’í community, and to draw the attention of the Universal House of Justice and the Continental Boards of Counsellors to such possibilities, making recommendations for action.
- To determine and anticipate needs for literature, pioneers and traveling teachers and to work out teaching plans, both regional and global, for the approval of the Universal House of Justice.
- To direct the work of the Continental Pioneer Committees.
- To administer the expenditure of the International Deputization Fund.
- To administer an annual budget that will be provided from the Bahá’í International Fund, allocating therefrom to the Continental Boards of Counsellors monies for special teaching projects and literature subvention, and, when necessary, contributions to the Continental Funds.
The transfer of functions and responsibilities in implementation of the above decisions will be made gradually as the new members are able to settle in the Holy Land. National Spiritual Assemblies and Continental Pioneer Committees will be notified, as necessary, of any changes in procedure that will be required; in the meantime they should continue to operate as before.
In the near future the International Teaching Centre will be moving into its new offices near the House of the Master, in the building which served for several decades as the Western Pilgrim House, later as the seat of the International Bahá’í Council and, for the past 20 years, as that of the Universal House of Justice. Now, most befittingly, it will serve as the office of the International Teaching Centre until the permanent building for that mighty institution can be raised on Mount Carmel in close proximity to the Universal House of Justice.
It is our ardent prayer that the decisions now taken will be blessed by Bahá’u’lláh and will enable the World Centre of the Faith to coordinate and direct with ever greater effectiveness the self-sacrificing and assiduous labors of the friends of God in every part of the world during the challenging years which lie before us. With loving Bahá’í greetings,
May 19, 1983
DR. PETER KHAN
ISOBEL SABRI
Correction
In the article entitled “A response to recent persecutions in Iran” (Bahá’í News, June 1983) on Page 5, the following statement appears: “The only Bahá’í who involved himself with politics, General Sani’i, the father of former Prime Minister Amir A. Hoveida, was expelled from the Bahá’í community because of this action.”
The statement is partially incorrect. General Sani’i is not the father of former Prime Minister Hoveida; the two men are not related. We regret the error.
World Centre[edit]
Supreme Body elected at 5th Convention[edit]
More than 700 members of National Spiritual Assemblies around the world gathered at the World Centre in Haifa, Israel, April 26-May 2 to elect the Universal House of Justice and consult on the affairs of the Cause at the fifth Bahá’í International Convention.
Elected as members of the Supreme Body were ‘Alí Nakhjavání, Hushmand Fatheazam, Ian Semple, David S. Ruhe, Glenford E. Mitchell, David Hofman, H. Borrah Kavelin, Charles Wolcott and Hugh E. Chance.
The election was held Friday morning, April 29, in the recently constructed permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel overlooking the Bay of Haifa.
Its presiding officer was the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum. Of the 10 living Hands of the Cause, all but Shu’a’u’lláh ‘Alá’í and Jalal Kházeh were able to attend.
Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, served as chief teller for the election.
A moving moment came when it was announced that all of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran had cast their ballots by mail.
The general sessions of the Convention were held in the spacious Haifa Auditorium.
In its statistical report of progress in the Seven Year Plan, the Universal House of Justice noted that there are now more than 25,000 Local Spiritual Assemblies worldwide, and that Bahá’ís reside in nearly 113,000 localities.
Above: The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum presides over an observance of the Ninth Day of Riḍván. Below: The Shrine of the Báb (center) and International Archives Building are seen at night in a photograph taken from the permanent Seat of the Universal House of Justice.
[Page 6]
The 5th Bahá’í International Convention:
- A pictorial summary
Haifa Auditorium, in which were held the general sessions of the 5th Bahá’í International Convention
Above: Delegates to the 5th Bahá’í International Convention gather in informal groups to discuss matters of
mutual concern. Seated at left at the
rear table is the Hand of the Cause of
God Ugo Giachery. Right: Delegates
mingle outside the Seat of the House of
Justice with the Archives building and
Shrine of the Báb in the background.
[Page 7]
Delegates to the 5th Bahá’í International Convention visit the recently restored House of ‘Abdu’lláh Pashá.
Left: Delegates enjoy a lighter moment
between Convention sessions at Haifa
Auditorium. Above: One of the many
splendid photo displays at Haifa Auditorium draws the rapt attention of one
delegate.
United States[edit]
President deplores persecutions in Iran[edit]
| The complete statement by President Reagan:
“America and the world are increasingly alarmed and dismayed at the persecution and severe repression of the Bahá’ís in Iran. Recently we have learned that the Government of Iran has sentenced 22 prominent members of the Bahá’í Faith to death. This is in addition to the more than 130 who have been killed since the beginning of the revolution in Iran, including one man executed January 1, 1983, and three hanged in Shíráz on March 12, 1983. “These individuals are not guilty of any political offense or crime. They have not plotted to overthrow the regime, and they are not responsible for the deaths of anyone. They only wish to live according to the dictates of their own consciences. I strongly urge other world leaders to join me in an appeal to the Ayatollah Khomeini and the rest of Iran’s leadership not to implement the sentences that have been pronounced on these innocent people. Sparing their lives would be a step forward for Iran and the world community.” (Signed) President Ronald Reagan
|
On May 22, President Ronald Reagan issued a strong statement deploring the “persecution and severe repression of the Bahá’ís in Iran” and appealing to the Ayatollah Khomeini and the rest of Iran’s leadership not to implement the death sentences imposed on members of the Faith in that country.
The President’s statement, which was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of the Faith in Iran, received widespread media coverage including a front page article in The New York Times and mention on the evening news programs of two of the three major television networks.
Prominent articles also appeared in such widely read and respected newspapers as the Los Angeles Times and Herald-Examiner, the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, the Dallas Morning News, the Wall Street Journal and the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.
‘Severe repression’[edit]
“America and the world are increasingly alarmed and dismayed at the persecution and severe repression of the Bahá’ís in Iran,” the President said.
“... These individuals are not guilty of any political offense or crime. They have not plotted to overthrow the regime, and they are not responsible for the deaths of anyone. They only wish to live according to the dictates of their own consciences.”
Referring to the more than 130 Bahá’ís who are known to have been killed since the beginning of the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979 (including three who were put to death since January of this year) and to the 19 others who have been sentenced to death in Shíráz and are awaiting execution, Mr. Reagan said:
“I strongly urge other world leaders to join me in an appeal to the Ayatollah Khomeini and the rest of Iran’s leadership not to implement the sentences that have been pronounced on these innocent people. Sparing their lives would be a step forward for Iran and the world community.”
According to administration officials, the President’s statement was prompted by several Congressional resolutions about the persecution of Bahá’ís, by growing concern in the State Department over treatment of members of the Faith in Iran, and by many months of quiet diplomacy and gentle persuasion by Bahá’ís themselves who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes on behalf of their beleaguered brethren in Iran.
Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, secretary of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, responding on its behalf to Mr. Reagan’s statement, said:
“The Bahá’ís of the United States welcome President Reagan’s statement deploring the persecution of their co-religionists in Iran.
“For three years Iran’s Islamic regime has relentlessly assaulted the Bahá’ís, killing more than 130 of their leaders, destroying holy shrines, confiscating property, depriving rank and file members of employment, expelling children from schools, and denying all Bahá’ís their fundamental human rights.
“THE President has now added his voice to those of the U.S. Congress, the European Parliament, the parliaments of Canada, Australia, Switzerland and several other nations, and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, in protesting the cruel treatment of the followers of a peaceful, independent religion whose humanitarian teachings and entirely non-political character constitute no threat to anyone.
“We are especially gratified by the President’s appeal to other world lead-
[Page 9]
ers to raise their voices in support of
the Bahá’ís. The world must continue
to focus its attention on the plight of
the Bahá’ís in Iran and not acquiesce in
the brutalities inflicted upon the innocent.”
A resolution condemning the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran was passed by the Senate in June 1982 and by the House of Representatives last September.
It followed a hearing in May 1982 before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations during which Bahá’ís offered graphic testimony concerning the indignities suffered by the Bahá’ís in Iran at the hands of the present Revolutionary government.
Bahá’ís (left to right) Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh and Judge James F. Nelson, members of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly, and Mrs. Ramna Mahmoudi Nourani, both of whose parents were martyred in Iran, testify during hearings in May 1982 conducted by the Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
| TO THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
PRESIDENT REAGAN’S STATEMENT BEHALF BAHÁ’ÍS IRAN GENERATED NATIONAL PUBLICITY FAR EXCEEDING OUR EXPECTATIONS. STORY CARRIED BY TWO MAJOR TELEVISION AND RADIO NETWORKS DURING EVENING PROGRAMS. CABLE NEWS AND SATELLITE NEWS NETWORKS CARRIED STORY THROUGHOUT DAY ON 22 MAY. F. KAZEMZADEH INTERVIEWED BY NBC RADIO. BAHÁ’ÍS AROUND COUNTRY UPLIFTED THAT PRESIDENT’S PRONOUNCEMENT CARRIED BY LOCAL MEDIA. JOURNALISTS CALLING FOR MORE INFORMATION RE SITUATION BAHÁ’ÍS. NEED FOR GREAT NUMBERS ARTICULATE, DEEPENED, KNOWLEDGEABLE BAHÁ’ÍS SPEAK BEHALF FAITH GROWING MORE ACUTE AS BLESSED CAUSE EMERGES FROM OBSCURITY. BESEECHING BLESSED BEAUTY ASSIST HIS STRUGGLING, FAITHFUL SERVANTS. WILL KEEP YOU POSTED RE CURRENT ACTIVITY. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
BAHÁ’ÍS OF UNITED STATES MAY 23, 1983
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
MAY 24, 1983 |
United States[edit]
Document cites Bahá’í testimony on Iran[edit]
A complete transcript of Bahá’í testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives in May 1982 is included in a new government document entitled “Religious Persecution as a Violation of Human Rights: Hearings and Markup Before the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Its Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations, House of Representatives, 97th Congress.”
Those hearings resulted in passage by the House of Representatives and the Senate last year of concurrent resolutions condemning the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran.
On May 25, 1982, four Bahá’ís appeared before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations, chaired by Rep. Don Bonker of Washington state, to present testimony about the grave situation facing Bahá’ís in the Cradle of the Faith.
The new document, a complete record of hearings conducted by the subcommittee, includes the written and oral statements of Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly; Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, then vice-chairman of the National Assembly; Glenford E. Mitchell, then secretary of the National Assembly; and Mrs. Ramna Mahmoudi Nourani, whose mother, the chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, was executed in December 1981, and whose father, a member of the previous National Assembly in that country, was kidnaped in August 1980 and is presumed dead.
Included in the government record is testimony before the subcommittee on behalf of the Bahá’ís by Reps. Edward J. Derwinski of Illinois and Fortney H. Stark Jr. of California.
On May 25, 1982, four Bahá’ís appeared before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations ... to present testimony about the grave situation facing Bahá’ís in the Cradle of the Faith.
The 948-page document also contains a number of newspaper and magazine articles including two by Dr. Kazemzadeh—“For Bahá’ís in Iran, a Threat of Extinction,” which appeared in The New York Times on August 6, 1981, and “The Terror Facing the Bahá’ís,” from the New York Review of Books of May 13, 1982—and an excerpt from the book, A Cry from the Heart, by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears.
The document’s appendixes include maps of Iran showing Bahá’í Holy Places and historical sites that have been confiscated, Bahá’í Centers confiscated, cemeteries destroyed, and attacks on individual Bahá’ís, as well as a list of Bahá’ís killed in Iran since 1978.
In addition to testimony by the Bahá’ís themselves and by the two members of Congress already mentioned, the plight of Bahá’ís in Iran is discussed in testimony by:
- U.S. Rep. John Edward Porter of Illinois.
- Homer A. Jack, secretary-general of the World Conference on Religion and Peace.
- Dinah Shelton, an associate professor at the University of Santa Clara in California.
- U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos of California.
- Jerome Shestack, former U.S. representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
- Thomas A. Johnson, attorney-adviser for UN affairs, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State.
- Sidney Liskofsky, director, international organizations, American Jewish Committee.
The persecutions in Iran are also referred to in a press release from Sen. Robert W. Kasten Jr., U.S. representative to the UN’s 37th Session of the General Assembly, regarding the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, November 23, 1982.
The hearings before Congress and its subsequent resolutions have generated widespread publicity for the Faith in news media throughout the U.S. including several supportive editorials in The New York Times and favorable articles and editorials in such other widely read and respected newspapers as the Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times, the Los Angeles Times and Herald-Examiner, the Dallas Morning News and the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.
In addition, Bahá’ís have been interviewed regularly on radio and television news programs including those of the three major networks.
The wave of publicity reached its high water mark in May when President Ronald Reagan issued a statement (see pages 8-9) in which he deplored the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and urged other world leaders to join him in appealing to the government of the Ayatollah Khomeini not to implement the death sentences imposed on members of the Faith in that country.
Temples in India, Samoa: A Progress Report[edit]
Above: A recent view of the House of Worship in New Delhi, India, which shows that the innermost of the three sets of ‘petals’ is shuttered and ready for concreting. Below: A ground-level view of the House of Worship at Apia, Western Samoa, showing progress of construction as of February 1, 1983.
The world[edit]
Nigerian university offers Bahá’í course[edit]
The University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Anambra State, has begun offering a well-attended course on the Bahá’í Faith, believed to be the first such course offered in the school’s history.
The course in the Department of Religion was begun February 18 with a lecture by Don Addison, a pioneer from the United States who is an assistant to the Auxiliary Board and a member of the university faculty.
The 80 students were delighted when Mr. Addison opened his lecture on the Faith in their native Igbo language. He began by tracing the history of the Faith in Nigeria, showing photographs of Bahá’í communities throughout that country.
Most of the 140 books in Igbo and English that were made available to students as reference texts were purchased the first day they went on sale.
“Proceeding now at an inspiring pace, the classes have been given an exceptionally positive response by the students, a few of whom are students for the Christian clergy,” Mr. Addison reports.
Groundwork for the course was laid over a two-year period with carefully planned approaches to members of the Department of Religion whose professors and lecturers are all clergymen.
The course, says Mr. Addison, constitutes full and open public recognition of the independent nature of the Faith by yet another academic institution in Nigeria.
As a demonstration of love and respect, Nigerian women from several religions trekked more than 15 miles to attend the funeral service for Elizabeth Idang Njang, the first woman in Nigeria to embrace the Faith, who died March 17 at her home in Ikong Nkok Anie village in Nigeria’s Cross Rivers State.
Mrs. Njang, who was the wife of Auxiliary Board member Oscar Njang, served as a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Nigeria and before that as a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of West Africa.
A member of the Efik royal family, Mrs. Njang also served as a member of the Cross Rivers State Bahá’í Teaching Committee, and was an organizer of a Bahá’í conference that was attended by 100 women.
In reporting her passing, the National Spiritual Assembly of Nigeria cabled, “... continuing to the end to mention ‘Whatever is the wish of Bahá’u’lláh,’ ... this very rare soul enchanted others by her gentle manner of teaching and use of excellent examples ...”
Norway[edit]
Children attending the Norwegian Bahá’í Summer School held December 27-January 2 in Sjoa, Norway, enjoy a hand puppet show presented by Trond Magnum (center rear).
Sixty-five adults, 13 youth and 24 children attended the Norwegian Bahá’í Summer School held December 27-January 2 in the mountains of Sjoa, Norway.
Counsellor Ursula Mühlschlegel was a guest speaker at the session whose theme was “Individual Teaching.” The program included talks, group sessions and group singing. Some of the friends had written songs especially for the school.
Evening activities included talks on pioneering experiences, films about the Faith, music and dance.
In addition to a separate program for youth, the winter school provided well-planned children’s programs in three age groups, and a nursery for toddlers.
There was ample free time so that participants could enjoy the mountain air.
United Kingdom[edit]
Pictured are the approximately 600 delegates and guests at the Bahá’í National Convention of the United Kingdom which was held in May at Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. Dorothy Ferraby, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Europe, is seated third from left in the front row.
This photo of 10 Bahá’ís from Canterbury, England, and seven visiting
Bahá’ís from Bruges, Belgium, was
published last February in Kentish Gazette, a Canterbury newspaper, and
was accompanied by a well-written article. The intercommunity visit was the
first result of contact between members of the two Bahá’í communities that
took place during the North Sea
Border Conference in October 1982 in
Bruges. At that time, the friends decided to establish closer links of friendship and cooperation and to facilitate
the exchange of news and ideas.
Plans for a Bahá’í House of Worship submitted by Mahdad Saniee, a senior student and a Bahá’í, were part of a recent exhibit of students’ work that was open to the public at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland’s department of architecture.
Mr. Saniee’s sketch for a House of Worship was chosen to be the main feature of the official poster advertising the exhibit.
Transkei[edit]
Twenty-three of the 260 people who learned of the Faith during the Amoz Gibson Teaching Project last January in Transkei have already become Bahá’ís.
Participants in the nine-day teaching campaign in the areas of Cacadu and Cala included a team of six, composed of pioneers and of Africans from Transkei and Ciskei.
Ciskei, a previously unopened district, now has 12 Bahá’ís with three localities opened to the Faith and one Bahá’í Group large enough to form a Spiritual Assembly.
In addition, new believers were enrolled in four localities in the Cala district of Transkei.
The National Spiritual Assembly of Transkei reports that less money from the Fund was spent for the campaign than had been expected due to contributions and sacrifices made by the friends.
Trinidad/Tobago[edit]
Shown are participants in the Tobago Bahá’í School held last December in John Dial Village, Tobago, Windward Islands. Kneeling (left to right) in the front row are Auxiliary Board members Dr. Keith Thorpe, Laurence Coward and Stephen Burris. Included in the program were workshop sessions from the Olinga Institute Deepening Program.
Zimbabwe[edit]
The new Bahá’í National Institute near Harare, Zimbabwe, was dedicated February 17-21 with a special program at the facility.
Among the participants in the five-day program were Counsellor Bahiyyih Winckler and representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly of Zimbabwe.
About 100 people attended a public meeting on the first evening of the dedication program. The following day, Mrs. Winckler visited with the Bahá’ís, and that evening she showed slides of the Holy Land.
On the third day, the chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of Zimbabwe gave a dedication address before an audience of more than 100 from many parts of the country.
The Bahá’í institute is situated on 12 acres of land about 19 miles from Harare with daily bus service.
Kenya[edit]
Children from the Bahá’í community of Nairobi, Kenya, sing ‘Light a Candle for Peace’ during a United Nations Day observance last October 24 at the Bahá’í National Center in Nairobi.
Malawi[edit]
One hundred twenty-four people from 11 countries attended the first Bahá’í International Summer School in Malawi last December 23-January 1.
A favorable newspaper article in the January 4 issue of the Malawi Daily Times included a group photo of school participants, an outline of the history of the Faith and of its establishment in Malawi, and a description of the scope and purpose of the Summer School program.
Bangladesh[edit]
About 3,500 people in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, many of them dignitaries, professors, doctors and students, learned about the Faith and received pamphlets during a recent week-long teaching campaign that was named in honor of the Hand of the Cause of God Raḥmatu’lláh Muhájir.
Approximately 1,000 people visited a Bahá’í book exhibit at the district Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds that was open each day of the teaching effort. Twenty of these visitors declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh and were enrolled in the Faith.
Each evening, a well-attended slide program on the Faith was presented. Newspaper reports of the week-long event appeared for three days.
Jamaica[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly of Jamaica paid its first formal visit to Grand Cayman Island last December when six of its members visited the two island communities of Bodden Town and George Town.
The National Assembly has administrative responsibility for the three small islands of the Caymans group.
Its members attended a social gathering hosted by Auxiliary Board member Beverly March, which gave them an opportunity to talk with members of both Bahá’í communities.
On Saturday morning, a Bahá’í delegation visited Peter Lloyd, governor of the Cayman Islands, and presented him a copy of the book A Cry from the Heart by the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears.
Members of the National Spiritual Assembly later held separate meetings with members of each Bahá’í community. On Sunday, they enjoyed the children’s classes held in Bodden Town for a group of children whose parents are, for the most part, not Bahá’ís.
Korea[edit]
Twenty-six original paintings depicting images inspired by the Bahá’í writings and titled with Bahá’í themes formed a one-woman art show April 21-28 at the American Cultural Center in Seoul, Korea, that was sponsored by the U.S. International Communication Agency.
The artist is Sara Hatch, a Bahá’í from the U.S. who has been a pioneer to Korea for five years with her husband and their two children. Mrs. Hatch is a guest professor of art at Keimyung University in Taegu.
Her exhibited paintings bear such titles as “Blessed Is the Spot,” “A Messenger of Joy,” “The Resplendent Glory,” and “The Century of Radiance.”
Due in part to the help of another pioneer to Korea, five articles about the art show were published in leading newspapers in Korea.
Each article mentioned that Mrs. Hatch is a Bahá’í and that her Bahá’í belief influenced her art work.
Hawaii[edit]
Nola Freeman (right), a member of the Bahá’í community of Honolulu, reads a Bahá’í prayer during the opening session last March 21 of the Hawaii State Senate while another member of the Honolulu Bahá’í community, Rose Toulon (left), reads a Bahá’í prayer at the opening of the state’s House of Representatives. It has become customary each year for the Hawaii legislature to have Bahá’ís open their sessions with prayers on Naw-Rúz, March 21.
Pakistan[edit]
Auxiliary Board member Khosrove Afshari joined a group of Bahá’ís in Quetta, Pakistan, last November for teaching trips to localities in Baluchistan including the cities of Boostan, Mastung and Sibi.
During the previous month, other groups of Bahá’ís had visited Sibi and Pishin, while members of the local Teaching Committee of Quetta made a teaching trip to Mastung.
A combined meeting of the Spiritual Assemblies of Quetta, Quetta Cant., and the regional teaching committee of Baluchistan, Pakistan, was held March 24-31. The main topic for consultation was the Seven Year Plan.
Zaire[edit]
As a result of efforts by a lone Bahá’í in Zaire, Mpanga Tutu, who used his annual two-week vacation as a teaching trip, 102 people recently embraced the Faith in Zaire, eight new localities were opened, and five new Spiritual Assemblies were formed.
In Kafatu, Mr. Tutu was approached by a young boy who wanted a copy of a Bahá’í brochure. At first the request was refused, but when the youngster persisted, Mr. Tutu felt obliged to give him a copy.
The boy was scolded by his teacher for arriving late at school, and an explanation was demanded. The child presented the brochure to his teacher, who then asked him to read it aloud to all the students.
The reading attracted the interest of the teacher and the school’s principal who immediately had the classes stopped so that students could look for the traveling Bahá’í. Mr. Tutu soon found himself surrounded by eager students and teachers.
After he presented the Message and answered questions, 27 people declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh, opening the way for the formation of another new Spiritual Assembly.
Iceland[edit]
Bahá’u’lláh, His Life and Revelation is the first book on the Bahá’í Faith to be written by an Icelandic Bahá’í in the Icelandic language. Its publication last February was accompanied by publicity on Icelandic radio and television.
Edward T. Jónsson is the first Icelandic Bahá’í to write a book on the Faith in that language. Before writing
Bahá’u’lláh, His Life and Revelation,
which was published last February, Mr. Jónsson translated several Bahá’í books and other materials from English to Icelandic.
The first book on the Bahá’í Faith to be written by an Icelandic Bahá’í was
published in that country last February.
Bahá’u’lláh, His Life and Revelation, written in the Icelandic language, is 267 pages long and includes a history of the lives of the Central Figures of the Faith, many photographs, and a 50-page appendix that contains material on the Covenant, Bahá’í administration, and other aspects of the Faith.
The book was written by Edward T. Jónsson who has translated several Bahá’í books and other materials on the Faith into Icelandic including Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era.
The new book has been distributed throughout Iceland. Publicity has included announcements on Icelandic television and a 45-minute reading of one chapter over Iceland’s national radio station.
Copies may be obtained from the Bahá’í Distribution Service, Ódinsgata 20, Reykjavík 101, Iceland.
Canada[edit]
About 1,000 people attended performances last January 29-30 of the Bahá’í dance troupe Ballet Shayda in Hamilton and Oshawa, Canada.
In Hamilton, a member of the Canadian Parliament was present for the performance along with several people from Buffalo, New York, including media representatives. About three-quarters of those in the audience were Bahá’ís.
In Oshawa, many in the audience remained after the performance to hear more about the Faith. It was the largest Bahá’í gathering ever held in Oshawa with very few Bahá’ís in the audience.
Michele Danesh, the director of Ballet Shayda, noted the maturity and organizational skills shown by the Spiritual Assemblies of Hamilton and Oshawa in planning the performances.
Portugal[edit]
It is estimated that more than one million people in Portugal saw the first televised report on the Faith ever presented in that country, telecast last September 5 during the Sunday primetime news program, “Tele-Journal.”
The unusually long report included scenes shot at the annual Portuguese Bahá’í Summer School. Shown were students singing of Bahá’u’lláh, which set the scene for a most favorable account by the reporter who had visited the school.
The proclamation began with news releases about the school that were sent to all the mass media in Portugal by the Bahá’í National Public Relations Committee.
As a result of the releases, at least 10 articles about the school appeared in the press during the week in which it was held. Finally, on the last day, a television crew arrived to film footage for the “Tele-Journal” program.
French Antilles[edit]
The Faith received excellent publicity in the press and on radio in the French Antilles last summer during a book exhibit that was held at the Bahá’í Center in Guadeloupe.
More than 25 people visited the exhibit, and many of them purchased Bahá’í books. Some guests chatted for a few minutes while others remained for as long as two hours, according to a report from the National Spiritual Assembly of the French Antilles.
Posters and spot announcements on radio helped draw attention to the exhibit which was considered so successful that it was extended for another week. As a result, a sympathetic article about the Faith appeared in the daily newspaper France-Antilles.
Bermuda[edit]
Shown are delegates and guests who attended the third Bahá’í National Convention of Bermuda held May 20-22 in Hamilton. Participants included Auxiliary Board members Dr. Adrienne Reeves (standing second from right in front row) and Dr. William Tucker (standing at far right in back row).
Guyana[edit]
Seven hundred people from 33 vocational backgrounds declared their belief in Bahá’u’lláh during the Baḥíyyih Khánum Teaching Campaign held during January and February in Guyana.
The project, whose members included nine international traveling teachers, resulted from consultation among the Universal House of Justice, the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas, and the National Spiritual Assembly of Guyana.
It began with a nine-day teaching institute at which traveling teachers were divided into four teams, each of which had a majority of local believers.
As a result of the campaign, a second teaching effort was launched immediately following the departure from Guyana of the traveling teachers. Another nine-day institute was held for the new Bahá’ís and another teaching team was created.
In less than two weeks, more than 75 people had become Bahá’ís and the consolidation work was begun.
As soon as the reopening of a fund for relief of the Bahá’ís in Iran was announced during a Nineteen Day Feast in Plaisance-Industry, Guyana, the youth began planning a special concert to raise money.
With the approval of the Local Spiritual Assembly, the young people presented a concert February 13 that included singing, mimes, short plays and stories of teaching experiences.
Bahá’ís of all ages from at least six communities attended the concert along with some members of the Baḥíyyih Khánum Teaching Project.
The successful concert by the group of about 10 youth, all under the age of 17, set a fine example for other youth in Guyana.
More than 200 Bahá’ís and their guests attended a barbecue during Intercalary Days last February 17 that was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Plaisance-Industry, Guyana.
As a result, the largest single contribution by a community in Guyana was made to the fund for the West Demerara Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
Senegal[edit]
Ninety-two people including representatives of the National Spiritual Assemblies of The Gambia, Mauritania and Senegal attended a recent interstate Bahá’í conference in Dakar, Senegal.
Special guests at the conference included Counsellor Ḥusayn Ardekání and three Auxiliary Board members.
The program included talks on such widely diverse topics as opposition to the Faith and the role of women in the Bahá’í community. Separate classes for children were held, and songs by the younger participants were interspersed into the conference agenda.
On the first evening, the youth of Dakar organized a unity feast. Entertainment at the conference included a football match between Bahá’ís from The Gambia and Senegal that resulted in a tie score.
An evening program featured a film in which the Hand of the Cause of God William Sears paid tribute to the first African martyr, Eduardo Duarte Vieira, whose widow attended the conference with some of her children and grandchildren.
- designed to help win a goal of the Seven Year Plan calling for the enrichment of Bahá’í literature for children
- subsidized for the U.S. Bahá’í market out of the children’s fund established from the proceeds of the leather edition of Bahá’í Prayers
- published under the Bahá’í Publishing Trust trade imprint Bellwood Press
- for older children to read to themselves and for younger children to listen to
| written and illustrated by WINIFRED BARNUM NEWMAN |
written by ALVIN N. DEIBERT illustrated by CAROL JOY |
| Generosity, greed, unrealistic wishes, promises of a better tomorrow, and, most of all, learning to be content with one’s own special self. Such are the themes of The Spotlessly Leopard. The magnificent tawny, black-spotted leopard, not realizing that his spots are what makes him unique, gives them up to the greedy owl in exchange for the bogus promise that he can fly. The leopard learns the hard way about the joys of unexpected help, of generosity in victory—and of being contented with one’s self.
Winifred Barnum Newman’s detailed, whimsical, and pointed illustrations add an extra dimension to the story (as they did in her Secret in the Garden).
|
When B.J. (short for Bernadette Juliana) Frigby—a green frog with bulgy eyes and black splotches—sets out to learn the languages of the other animals in the forest, she finds that communication has its perils. But she also finds that being able to talk to others has its rewards—among them friendship, cooperation, and unity. B.J.’s exploits, told in seven chapters, lend themselves to story-telling sessions and to discussions about many topics: peer pressure, excelling, perseverance, cooperation, unity, genuine friendship. The soft, detailed illustrations go directly to the heart.
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