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| Bahá’í News | December 1985 | Bahá’í Year 142 |
Peace statement presented
On October 31, a delegation of three Bahá’ís presented on behalf of the Universal House of Justice a copy of the Supreme Body’s statement, ‘The Promise of World Peace,’ to Dr. Patrick J. Hillery (right), the President of the Republic of Ireland. Shown making the presentation is Dr. Seosamh Watson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the Republic of Ireland. As of late November, the peace statement had been presented to the heads of state of more than 45 countries and to United Nations Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuellar who received his copy from the Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum.
AFTER FEW MONTHS’ CESSATION OF EXECUTIONS OF BAHÁ’ÍS IN IRAN, GRIEVED ANNOUNCE TWO FURTHER EXECUTIONS. VALIANT SOULS ARE MR. ‘ABBÁS ÍDILKHÁNÍ AND MR. RAHMATU’LLÁH VUJDÁNÍ. FORMER WAS EXECUTED ON 1 AUGUST IN PRISON WITHOUT ANY NOTIFICATION HIS FAMILY. HIS GRAVE WAS ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED NEAR TIHRÁN. HE HAD BEEN IMPRISONED ON 26 APRIL 1982 IN ZANJÁN WHERE HE REMAINED UNTIL APRIL 1985 WHEN HE WAS TAKEN TO TIHRÁN. HE WAS 45 YEARS OLD AND WAS AN AIR-CONDITIONING TECHNICIAN. MANNER HIS EXECUTION STILL UNKNOWN. HIS WIFE IS ALSO IN PRISON IN ZANJÁN.
MR. RAHMATU’LLÁH VUJDÁNÍ WAS ARRESTED IN JULY 1984 IN BANDAR-‘ABBÁS, WHERE HE WAS EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUAD ON 28 AUGUST 1985. HE WAS 57 YEARS OLD. HIS BODY WAS DELIVERED, AND HIS FUNERAL TOOK PLACE IN PRESENCE HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. HE WAS A TEACHER BY PROFESSION.
FROM THE END JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER 1985, 63 BAHÁ’ÍS WERE ARRESTED AND 39 RELEASED. TOTAL NUMBER PRISONERS NOW 741. THIS FIGURE INCLUDES 39 PRISONERS RELEASED DURING PERIOD. BAHÁ’Í STUDENTS OF ALL LEVELS HAVE TO COMPLETE ADMISSION FORMS WHICH INCLUDE SPACE FOR ONLY FOUR OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED RELIGIONS. BAHÁ’Í STUDENTS WHO STATE THEY ARE BAHÁ’ÍS ARE DENIED SCHOOLING OR IF ADMITTED FACE TREMENDOUS PRESSURE AND HARASSMENT. OTHER FORMS PERSECUTION INNOCENT BAHÁ’ÍS PERSIST.
ADVISE INFORM GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA.
SEPTEMBER 19, 1985
Bahá’í News[edit]
House of Justice announces membership of Boards of Counsellors | 1 |
550 take part in Asian Bahá’í Youth Conference in New Delhi, India | 2 |
In August, an International Youth Conference is held in Lima, Peru | 4 |
Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie honored for a half-century in music | 6 |
In India, the Faizí Bahá’í Institute offers new hope for rural women | 8 |
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 © 1985, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
World Centre[edit]
Boards of Counsellors are appointed[edit]
To the Bahá’ís of the World
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
It gives us great happiness to announce the membership of the Continental Boards of Counsellors as from the Day of the Covenant, 26 November 1985. The number of Counsellors has been increased from 63 to 72 and adjustments have been made in their geographical distribution in consonance with the development of the Faith around the world.
The membership of the Continental Boards of Counsellors as now appointed is:
AFRICA (18 Counsellors): Mr. Húshang Ahdieh (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mr. Husayn Ardekání, Mrs. Beatrice O. Asare, Mr. Gila Michael Bahta, Mr. Friday Ekpe, Mr. Oloro Epyeru, Mr. Shidan Fat’he-Aazam, Mr. Kassimi Fofana, Mr. Zekrollah Kazemi, Mr. Muhammad Kebdani, Mrs. Thelma Khelghati, Mr. Roddy Dharma Lutchmaya, Mr. Wingi Mabuku, Mr. Daniel Ramoroesi, Dr. Mihdí Samandarí, Dr. Edith Senoga, Mr. Peter Vuyiya, Mrs. Lucretia Mancho Warren.
THE AMERICAS (17 Counsellors): Dr. Hidáyatu’lláh Ahmadíyyih, Mr. Eloy Anello, Dr. Farzam Arbáb (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Dr. Wilma Brady, Mrs. Isabel P. de Calderón, Mr. Rolf von Czekus, Mr. Robert Harris, Mrs. Lauretta King, Dr. Peter McLaren, Mr. Shapoor Monadjem, Mrs. Ruth Pringle, Dr. Donald O. Rogers, Mr. Fred Schechter, Mr. Arturo Serrano, Mr. Alan Smith, Dr. David R. Smith, Mr. Rodrigo Tomás.
ASIA (19 Counsellors): Dr. Sábir Áfáqí, Mr. Burháni’d-Dín Afshín, Dr. Iraj Ayman, Mr. Bijan Fareed, Dr. John Fozdar, Mr. Zabíhu’lláh Gulmuhammadí, Mr. Bharat Koirala, Mr. Rúhu’lláh Mumtází, Mr. S. Nagaratnam, Dr. Perin Olyai, Mrs. Rose Ong, Mr. Khudárahm Paymán (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mr. Masíh Rawhání, Mr. Vicente Samaniego, U Saw Tin, Mr. Ilhan Sezgin, Mrs. Zena Sorabjee, Dr. Chellie J. Sundram, Mr. Michitoshi Zenimoto.
AUSTRALASIA (9 Counsellors): Mr. Suhayl ‘Alá’í, Mr. Ben Ayala, Justice Richard Benson, Dr. Kamran Eshraghian, Mrs. Tinai Hancock, Mr. Lisiate Maka, Mrs. Gayle Morrison, Dr. Sírús Naráqí, Mrs. Joy Stevenson (Trustee of the Continental Fund).
EUROPE (9 Counsellors): Dr. Agnes Ghaznavi, Mr. Hartmut Grossmann, Mr. Louis Hénuzet (Trustee of the Continental Fund), Mrs. Ursula Mühlschlegel, Dr. Leo Niederreiter, Mrs. Polin Rafat, Mr. Adib Taherzadeh, Mr. Adam Thorne, Mr. Sohrab Youssefian.
The following 19 devoted believers who are now being relieved of the onerous duties of membership on the Boards of Counsellors will, as distinguished servants of the Cause, continue through their outstanding capacities and experience to be sources of stimulation and encouragement to the friends:
Mr. A. Owen Battrick, Mr. Erik Blumenthal, Mrs. Shirin Boman, Mrs. Carmen de Burafato, Mr. Athos Costas, Mr. Angus Cowan, Mrs. Dorothy Ferraby, Mr. Aydin Güney, Dr. Dipchand Khianra, Mr. Artemus Lamb, Mr. Kolonario Oule, Dr. Sarah Pereira, Mrs. Betty R. Reed, Dr. Manúchihr Salmánpúr, Mrs. Velma Sherrill, Mr. Hideya Suzuki, Mrs. Bahíyyih Winckler, Mr. Donald Witzel, Mr. Yan Kee Leong.
We express to each and every one of these dear friends our heartfelt gratitude and assure them of our prayers in the Holy Shrines for the confirmation of their highly meritorious and self-sacrificing services to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh.
At this time when the Bahá’í world is facing the challenge of the International Year of Peace, on the point of completing the Seven Year Plan and standing on the threshold of a new Six Year Plan, we have felt it important to call upon the Counsellors from all the continents to gather at the World Centre for a conference to deliberate on the tasks and opportunities of the years immediately ahead. This conference will take place from 27 December 1985 through 2 January 1986 and is yet one more sign of the rapid advance and consolidation of the institutions of the Cause of God.
We are profoundly grateful to the Blessed Perfection for His bountiful confirmations which are enabling His strenuously laboring servants in every part of the world to witness the growing influence of his glorious Cause, and to take part in the vitalizing unfoldment of His Administrative Order.
It is our fervent prayer at the Sacred Threshold that the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in every land will arise with increased determination and self-abnegation to mirror forth the standards upheld by His potent Faith.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
October 24, 1985
India[edit]
550 attend Asian Youth Conference[edit]
| OVER 550 PARTICIPANTS FROM 24 COUNTRIES WITH 80 PERCENT REPRESENTING 19 INDIAN STATES, ATTENDED ASIAN BAHÁ’Í YOUTH CONFERENCE. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS INCLUDED 4 COUNSELLORS AND JOHN HUDDLESTON. CONFERENCE GATHERED FOR FIRST TIME LARGE NUMBERS DIVERSE ASIAN BAHÁ’Í YOUTH, GENERATED GREAT ENTHUSIASM FELLOWSHIP AMONGST PARTICIPANTS. HOPEFUL JOINT PROJECTS INVOLVING ASIAN YOUTH COMMITTEES. POST-CONFERENCE TEACHING GROUPS PROCEEDING CHANDIGARH, SIMLA, NAGPUR, JAMSHEDPUR AND COCHIN IMMEDIATELY. BESEECH PRAYERS ENSURE ENDURING RESULTS HUMBLE EFFORTS YOUTH. LOVE
NATIONAL BAHÁ’Í YOUTH COMMITTEE
AUGUST 21, 1985
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
AUGUST 22, 1985 |
Joining in the worldwide observation of the International Year of Youth, India was privileged in August to be host for an Asian Bahá’í Youth Conference held in New Delhi.
The 550 participants from 24 countries—19 in Asia—included groups from such far-flung places as the Seychelle Islands, Jordan and Bhutan.
Keynote speakers at the conference were John Huddleston (United States), Dr. Iraj Ayman (Thailand), Counsellors Burháni’d-Dín Afshín and S. Nagaratnam (India), Mark Sisson (U.S.), Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, Dr. Arjun Rastogi and Alí Merchant (India).
A public meeting on August 16 was inaugurated by Justice H. Beg, former judge of the Supreme Court of India. Mr. Huddleston was the chief Bahá’í speaker at that event. The cultural entertainment which followed included a demonstration and explanation of Indian dance expressions by Miss Aditi Merchant, a well-known exponent of Kathak, and music from a group of students at the Bahá’í-operated New Era High School in Panchgani.
John Kleinhenz and Ian Rehbein, who had come to India directly from Haifa, conducted workshops explaining the service opportunities for youth in the Holy Land, and the conference marked the first screening in India of the “Mona” video. The presentation inspired 120 volunteers to arise and pledge their time for service to the Faith.
Every major newspaper in New Delhi carried news of the conference, and television broadcast news of its inauguration on the weekly news review. A weekly radio program devoted its entire broadcast time that week to coverage of the conference. Coverage was also given by Pablo Bartholomew, a photographer of international repute, who conducted a special photography session on the Bahá’í youth from various countries at the Temple site.
Non-Bahá’í participation during the last two days of the conference included several highly placed officials from New Delhi and other cities. They heard participants describe Bahá’í youth activities all over the world including those in the field of social development. One non-Bahá’í was moved to contribute a handsome sum to the National Bahá’í Charitable Trust, to be used for Bahá’í-run schools in the villages of India.
After the conference, groups of youth left for post-conference teaching in Chandigarh and Simla (North India), Nagpur (Central India), Cochin (South India) and Jamshedpur (East India). Initial reports from some of these centers have been encouraging.
Mr. and Mrs. Huddleston visited Lucknow before the conference and Bombay afterward. In both cities, Mr. Huddleston was interviewed by a number of newspapers which resulted in wide publicity for the Faith. The New Era School’s singing group also performed in Lucknow and Chandigarh and received splendid reviews.
[Page 3]
Young Bahá’ís from many countries stroll in front of the partially completed Mother Temple of the Indian Sub-continent during the Asian Bahá’í Youth Conference held last August in New Delhi.
Nigeria[edit]
Mrs. Florence Assam, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Nigeria, encourages women at the Bahá’í National Women’s Conference last August 17-18 in Calabar to attract their friends to the Faith by working with non-Bahá’í women’s groups. Translating her remarks is another member of the National Spiritual Assembly, Edem Ettukudo.
Peru[edit]
Bahá’í Youth Conference in pictures[edit]
About 500 Bahá’ís and their guests from 18 countries in Latin America, North America and Europe attended an International Bahá’í Youth Conference last August 2-5 in Lima, Peru. The conference was sponsored by the Universal House of Justice and organized by a committee working under the guidance of the National Spiritual Assembly of Peru. Among the special guests and speakers were the Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá; Counsellors Hiddáyatu’lláh Ahmadíyyih, Farzam Arbáb and Isabel P. de Calderón; and Auxiliary Board members from four countries. Among the tribes and native groups represented were the Aymaras and Quechuas (Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru), the Mapuches (Chile), and the Aguarunas (Peru). The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Angel Delgado, acting mayor of the city of Lima. While it was in progress, some 2,000 plants were planted by Bahá’ís at Lima’s Grau Square in front of the Palace of Justice, attracting considerable press coverage. Music at the conference was provided by a number of talented young performers from Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. A theme song, specially written for the conference by Ramiro Carranza, was presented by a chorus of Bahá’í boys and girls. Other highlights included five declarations and offers from 77 young Bahá’ís to serve as volunteer teachers.
[Page 5]
Above: ‘Pan y Paz’ (Bread and Peace),
a Bahá’í theatre group, performs during the International Youth Conference held last August 2-5 in Lima,
Peru.
Top right: Young Bahá’ís from Bolivia, Brazil and Colombia combine forces to present a sketch on progressive revelation during the International Youth Conference last August 2-5 in Lima, Peru. Music, dance and the performing arts were an integral part of the four-day event. Above: Among the honored guests at the conference was the Hand of the Cause of God ‘Alí-Muhammad Varqá (standing in front
row in dark suit), pictured here with a group of young Bahá’ís from Bolivia. Left: Rosita Santillano, a Bahá’í composer/guitarist/singer, presents one of her songs to an appreciative audience at the conference.
United States[edit]
L.A. Bahá’ís honor Dizzy Gillespie[edit]
Entertainment, fun, nostalgia and warm appreciation were the order of the day September 16 as more than 500 fans, friends and fellow Bahá’ís gathered at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center to honor famed jazz trumpeter John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie on his 50th anniversary in music.
A special certificate of commendation from Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles was presented to Mr. Gillespie by Judge James F. Nelson, chairman of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly.
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of a personalized gift to Mr. Gillespie from the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles.
Judge Dorothy W. Nelson, treasurer of the U.S. National Assembly, unveiled a remarkable hand-cast solid bronze human figure holding a medallion which bears Dizzy’s monogram.
An inscription on the statue, which stands almost two feet tall, reads: “To Dizzy Gillespie, honoring 50 years of excellence in music and service to mankind.”
Also engraved are Bahá’u’lláh’s words, “Music is the ladder by which souls ascend ...”
Obviously moved[edit]
A copy of the book Waging Peace was presented to Mr. Gillespie, also on behalf of the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles, by Truitt White, a member of the Spiritual Assembly.
Overwhelmed but never speechless, Mr. Gillespie delighted the crowd with an acceptance speech full of love, wisdom and humor.
Obviously moved by this act of appreciation from his fellow Bahá’ís, he assured them he would sleep well that night—with the statue on his pillow!
“Religion,” Mr. Gillespie told his audience, “is like a relay race. Christ carried the baton until it was time to give it to Muhammad.
“Then Muhammad carried it for His duration until it was time to give the baton to the Báb, Who then gave it to Bahá’u’lláh.”
Judge James F. Nelson (right), chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, presents a certificate of commendation from Mayor Tom Bradley of Los Angeles, California, to famed jazz trumpeter John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie who was honored September 16 by the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles for his 50 years in music. More than 500 fans, friends and fellow Bahá’ís were at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center for the tribute.
[Page 7]
The salute continued with music by
the Buddy Childers quintet with singer
Diane Varga and by Paul Hubbard’s
17-piece orchestra.
Chuck Niles, a well-known radio jazz personality, introduced entertainers Benard Eghner, Bobby Shew, Jack Sheldon and Fayard Nicholas who expressed their love, admiration and respect for Mr. Gillespie. Their revealing, poignant and often humorous recollections imparted a portrait of Dizzy not commonly known to the public.
Many of Mr. Gillespie’s friends were either out of town or had other commitments that kept them away. Best wishes were received from several of them including trumpeters Freddie Hubbard, Doc Severinsen, Harry (Sweets) Edison, and brothers Pete and Conte Candoli, and singers Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae.
Dr. George Hill, a Bahá’í from Carson, California, who is a Gillespie bibliographer, gave additional insights into Dizzy’s life as a Bahá’í.
Mr. Gillespie, a native of Cheraw, South Carolina, was playing professionally while still in his teens in a band led by singer and trombonist Billy Eckstine.
In the early to mid-1940s he teamed with the legendary alto saxophonist Charlie (Bird) Parker and a handful of other innovators to move jazz from the swing era into a new phase known then as “bop” which evolved into the modern contemporary music most often heard today.
In addition to his trumpet work, Mr. Gillespie is a talented composer whose best known works include “A Night in Tunisia,” “The Champ” and “Birk’s Works.”
For his tribute, the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center overflowed with exotic flowers, colorful balloons and extraordinary edible fresh fruit sculptures created by the Center Assistance League.
The event itself was video taped for documentary purposes.
Yeoman work in planning the salute to Mr. Gillespie was done by an ad hoc committee whose members were Buddy Childers, Gloria Haithman, Al Heintzelman, George Hill, Lisa Janti, Aurore Ragston, Maggie Russell, Muhtadia Sallaam-Rice, Diane Varga and Velura White.
Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie shows his great pleasure during a tribute September 16 by the Bahá’ís of Los Angeles honoring his half-century in music. More than 500 people attended the gala event at the Los Angeles Bahá’í Center.
India[edit]
Faizí Bahá’í Institute aids rural women[edit]
On the outskirts of the city of Indore, along the bustling highway of the Dewas Road, a unique institution is slowly rising, an institution that is a testimony to the devotion and dedication of a group of wonderful, farsighted, self-sacrificing urban women who were concerned about the plight of their not so well-provided-for rural sisters.
These urban women, who are Bahá’ís, approached their National Spiritual Assembly, giving their ideas about how to help in the development of rural women to enhance the quality of their lives. They asked for permission to use the Bahá’í institute at Indore for this training program, as it was close to the tribal districts in which most of the developmentally backward women could be found. The permission was most readily given along with some financial support. As the project began to take shape and its potential was more fully appreciated, an appeal was made to the government of India, Department of Science and Technology, for a grant-in-aid. This too was sanctioned, and the project really began to take off.
Surrounded by a high wall, removed from prying eyes, the Faizí Rural Women’s Vocational Bahá’í Institute consists of a rambling house in the corner of an eight-acre plot of land. The institute is the temporary home for two weeks of every month for about 20 tribal women from the Jhabua and Manpur areas, most of whom are illiterate and untrained.
Within two weeks, a near-miracle has been performed thanks to the tireless efforts of the director, coordinator
| This article, “A Development Institute for Rural Women,” was written by Zena Sorabjee, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Asia. |
and superintendent of the institute. To have to train women who have never before had a day’s training, who may never even have moved from their village, is no easy task.
The major task that must be accomplished is to secure the physical presence of the tribal women. Here the infrastructure of Bahá’í administrative bodies, which are situated at the grass-
Tribal women learn the art of candle-making at the Faizí Bahá’í Institute on the outskirts of Indore, India.
[Page 9]
Pictured is a group of trainees in the development program for village women at the Faizí Bahá’í Institute near Indore, India. The project coordinator, Miss Janak Palta, is seated in the middle of the front row (in dark dress).
roots level—that is, the village level—comes into play. These bodies are encouraged to send their women for training purposes. In such village bodies, the attitude of the men is one of support rather than a restrictive one. They have accepted a basic Bahá’í principle, that of the equality of the sexes, and, considering it to be a Divine law, feel duty-bound to give the women every opportunity to advance and become trained and literate. The women do not have to fight for equal rights; on the contrary, they are urged to go and learn a vocation or a craft that will help them become income-generating members of society, thereby bringing about a certain amount of self-respect.
In the early morning the women listen to devotional bhajans on a tape recorder so that with constant repetition they memorize both the words and melody. Remembrance of God in the early hours acts as spiritual sustenance for the rest of the day. They can return to their homes with these prayers and bhajans forever in their minds to help bring solace in times of distress and difficulty.
The days pass rapidly as the women go about learning various crafts such as candle-making, soap-making, Tatti-patti, dona patta, bead bags and other easily learned skills. At the end of the training period each of them will have perfected at least two crafts and will be in a position to earn with either.
Apart from the training, each woman acquires a rudimentary knowledge of health, hygiene and child care. A group of newly qualified young medical doctors and medical students, all volunteers, come to the classes and, with the help of posters, pictures and diagrams, explain basic rules that will help in prevention rather than cure. At the same time, simple remedies for easily identifiable illnesses such as dehydration, diarrhea, etc., are explained. The eagerness of the rural women to learn these things is a source of encouragement to the trainers.
According to reports compiled by the United Nations during the Decade for Women (1976-85), “Women do almost all the world’s domestic work which, together with their additional work outside the home, means most women work a double day.... A woman’s domestic role as wife and mother—which is vital to the well-being of the whole of society, and which consumes around half of her time and energy—is unpaid and underrated.... When new technology is introduced it usually helps men with their traditional tasks of ploughing, irrigation and harvesting.” Women, on the other hand, are expected to carry on both their agricultural work (weeding, thinning and transplanting) and domestic chores with primitive instruments and implements, or to do the jobs by hand.
To make life a shade easier for them and the task of cooking a bit quicker, the women who come to the institute are given training on how to make a more smoke-free and fuel-efficient “chulha” (stove). The government of India’s rural technology department and other non-governmental organizations have come up with better designs
[Page 10]
for the traditional stove used in the
villages of India, which uses wood for
fuel. Instead of the one-pot chulha,
which is so time-consuming and which
uses a lot of wood and fills one’s hut
with smoke, endangering the health of
its occupants, the new designs are for a
stove that can accommodate three pots
at the same time, using the same
amount of fuel, and that has a chimney
that leads the smoke from the hut. The
materials for the stove are the same as
have been used traditionally, but the
design makes for fuel conservation and
time saving. The women not only consider this new technology as a boon
and are happy to learn to make the
stove, they can also use their knowledge to train other women in the village
to make a similar “chulha.”
Some of the evils prevalent in society are also discussed at the institute, and the women are encouraged to take part in discussions about the evils of the dowry and the caste system. The problems they face in their villages are discussed, and an exchange of ideas takes place. Many times such consultation sheds new light on a topic, and a solution comes forth. This is far better than imposing a solution from the top down, which may not necessarily be practical and is often resisted because it does not enlist the wholehearted participation of the rural women themselves.
The necessity to educate their daughters is implanted in the minds of these women. Slowly, they are beginning to appreciate how one need not be ignorant, how education and training can bring about more gainful self-employment and, consequently, self-respect. The idea of measuring boys and girls with the same yardstick is allowed to germinate. The discriminatory treatment meted out to female children in their health care and education is discussed, and the cooperation of the women is sought to help remove these ancient but wrong practices. They return home giving assurances that they will send their daughters to school instead of forcing them into household drudgery and other chores. This assurance they know will be pursued by the coordinator of the project whose task it is to visit the participants to see how well they are making use of the training they have received.
As they return to their villages, the women are welcomed with a certain amount of awe by others who have not been so fortunate. The training center at Indore quickly becomes a topic of conversation and discussion, turning the women away from idle talk and gossip.
At the time of departure, raw materials are given to the trainees along with one of the machines, either for candle-making or chalk-making. A time-bound program is given to each to complete the job work entrusted to her, by which time the finished product
Women from rural villages are taught soap-making at the Faizí Bahá’í Institute near Indore, India. The women, many of them illiterate, earn self-respect and a useful trade as a result of the development program.
[Page 11]
will be collected by the village-level Bahá’í administrative bodies who will
take it to the village “haat” (market) if
it is for local consumption or send it to
the Indore institute which arranges for
the marketing in other places. Fresh
raw materials are then supplied to the
trainee.
As the institute becomes more organized, the marketing system will become routine and a steady income will be available to the trainees. More confidence will be generated, not only among the trainees themselves but in the village as a whole, so that more women will want to take advantage of the training that is offered to better their lives as well as those of their families. This is an example of what collaboration between the government and voluntary organizations can accomplish. The dedication and selfless spirit of the volunteer workers, combined with the encouragement and financial help of government departments, can go a long way toward improving the lot of tribal women who for centuries have lived in drudgery.—Zena Sorabjee
These young women from tribal villages in India are learning to make beaded purses at the Faizí Bahá’í Institute near Indore.
Hawaii[edit]
‘Youth Can Move the World’ was the theme of the Hawaii Bahá’í community’s award-winning float September 28 in the annual Aloha Week parade in Honolulu. The float received the Mayor’s Award, emblematic of first place in the parade’s non-commercial division. Nearly 40,000 flower blossoms were used in making the float, which was seen by about 100,000 along the parade route and by many hundreds of thousands on television.
The world[edit]
Tucson Bahá’ís rush to aid of Mexico[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Tucson, Arizona, responded immediately last September following the devastating earthquake that leveled parts of Mexico City.
Arranging for a room donated by a local hotel to be used as an emergency relief center, the Assembly contacted the National Spiritual Assembly for guidance, then launched the United Effort Earthquake Relief Fund for Mexico.
A telephone line also was donated, and the Tucson Assembly appointed a committee to coordinate the efforts of more than 20 local organizations that volunteered their help. A bank account was set up for the UEER Fund, and money collected was sent to the Red Cross, as it was learned that the National Spiritual Assembly of Mexico was not equipped to receive funds and asked that they be channeled through another agency.
The relief center coordinated volunteers who collected medical supplies, translated medical information into Spanish, and loaded supplies onto a truck which was provided by the city government of Santa Ana (Sonora), Mexico. Supplies were donated by El Dorado Hospital, Northwest Hospital, the Tucson Medical Center, and several pharmaceutical companies such as Alpha-Med of Tucson and Hoechst-Roussel, based in New Jersey.
The truck transported the supplies to Hermosillo, Mexico, where they were transferred to an airplane and flown to Mexico City.
An important aspect of the effort, says Gail Powers, secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of Tucson, was that it mobilized the entire community, not just the Bahá’ís.
“Tucson Bahá’ís were able to see firsthand,” she says, “how the Bahá’ís can help a socio-economic project at the grassroots level. It’s important for the community as a whole to become aware that Bahá’ís are service-oriented, caring people who stand in the forefront of efforts to improve the lot of humanity.”
The Los Angeles Bahá’í Youth Workshop is a group of young people from Southern California who use the performing arts to teach the Faith through dance, song, poetry, comedy and drama.
Last summer 22 members of the group toured nine states in six weeks, leaving in their wake goodwill, admiration, gratitude and many happy memories. Their onstage efforts show that unity can work, while their offstage behavior proves it.
The Workshop left Los Angeles by chartered bus on June 24 and made its first stop in Wichita, Kansas. There, as in other cities along the route, the group performed for a wide variety of audiences on a number of stages, appearing during two days in Wichita at a shopping mall, a state university, a private school and the American Business Center.
In Fulton, Missouri, they joined a festival in progress and held a spontaneous “unity walk” through the city, performing in black neighborhoods and white, to the astonishment of local people unaccustomed to such harmonious integration.
In Illinois, the group visited the Bahá’í National Center in Wilmette where they were honored to perform in Foundation Hall. They also performed before large crowds in downtown Chicago’s Grant Park during the “Taste of Chicago” festival.
The group’s appearance at the Bahá’í International Youth Conference in Columbus, Ohio, was greeted with a thunderous ovation and demands for an encore.
While in Columbus the youth performed for a lunch hour crowd at the state capitol building and were interviewed by a TV camera crew that was en route to cover the Youth Conference.
From Ohio the Workshop moved south, to the Louis Gregory Institute in South Carolina where their week-long visit was noted in these words: “The self-discipline, spirit of cooperation and respect they demonstrated was inspiring. It is evident that these youth have reached a level of group unity which allows for problem-solving and group consultation to take place in a very powerful and effective way. They are a dynamic, forceful model for understanding the process of unity.”
In Atlanta, Georgia, on July 20, Mayor Andrew Young commended the group with a certificate of merit for their “outstanding contributions to the vitality and spirit of the city.”
The Workshop then traveled to Birmingham, Alabama; Fort Worth, Texas; and Hobbs and Anthony, New Mexico. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, they were featured in a benefit concert for African famine relief before returning home to Los Angeles.
Guatemala[edit]
A new Bahá’í school being built in El Tejar, Chimatenango, Guatemala, was expected to be ready for the national Summer School in December. A well, storage room and custodian’s house were completed in August.
Every Bahá’í in the country was being given a chance to take part in construction of the main buildings. Transportation, food, shelter and a mattress on which to sleep were provided for each worker who volunteered to come for a week or more to help.
Republic of Ireland[edit]
Ruairi Quinn (right), Ireland’s Minister for Labour, attended a reception last June 13 at the National Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Dublin to launch a project designed to send copies of the Declaration of Human Rights to children in secondary schools throughout the Republic of Ireland as a contribution toward the work of the UN International Year of Youth. Pictured with Mr. Quinn are Dr. Joe Watson, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Ireland, and Mrs. Lesley Taherzadeh, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Panama[edit]
Bahá’ís in Panama are spending Saturday and Sunday afternoons contacting one another via ham radio, relaying messages from the friends, sharing long-distance fellowship and chatting about various projects and interests.
“We’d like to invite anyone who’s interested, whether he’s a ham or not, to join in,” says Pete Jorgensen, a Bahá’í from Balboa, Ancon. “Just tune in to 14.313 mHz at 4:30 p.m. (EST) and you’ll hear a message-relaying network. When you ‘check in,’ just ask for me (HP1XZB in Panama), or my friend Mark (KA5PSB in Fort Worth, Texas) or anyone who knows where we are.
“If you’re not a ham, just listen on your short-wave radio—or better yet, find a neighbor who’s a ham (they’re the ones with the monstrous antennas on their roofs) and explain that you’d like to say hello to your fellow Bahá’ís. That could lead to some interesting conversations.”
Greece[edit]
Greece’s 11th annual Bahá’í Summer School was held August 22-25 at the Rafina Bravo Hotel. Eighty-five attended including seven non-Bahá’ís. Among the speakers were Counsellor Ursula Mühlschlegel and Auxiliary Board member Harold Bogie.
The Gambia[edit]
An energetic program of teaching and deepening was carried out last May in Guinea Bissau, an extension goal assigned to The Gambia in the Seven Year Plan.
Visits to the capital, Bissau, and to the main towns of Gabu, Bafata, Bolama and Canchungu by a team of four Bahá’ís led to the enrollment of 50 new and deepened believers, many of whom were ready to teach the Faith to others.
The teaching team was comprised of Luiz Gonzaga, a traveling teacher from Brazil; Ebrim N’jie, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of The Gambia; Kobina Amyssah-Fynn, a pioneer from Ghana; and Pierre Vieira from Bissau.
San Marino[edit]
“Literature for young people, Childhood of literature” was the theme of an International Literary Conference held last May 28-31 in the Republic of San Marino to celebrate the International Year of Youth.
In response to a request by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, the Minister for Cultural Affairs, and Prof. Per Wästberg, president of PEN, the World Association of Writers, the Bahá’í community of San Marino was represented at the conference by Christine Hakim, an author and member of the Bahá’í community of Switzerland.
Mrs. Hakim made a presentation at the literary session, as did writers from various countries including Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Holland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.
During her presentation on “The Effects of Literature on Youth,” Mrs. Hakim expounded a number of universal principles of the Faith.
“Literature for young people,” she said, “can make a vital contribution toward the achievement of peace and justice in the world by exalting spiritual and ethical values such as compassion, tolerance, honesty, altruism and love and by protecting young people from hatred, prejudice, greed, oppression and violence....”
“In this way, literature for young people would become an instrument through which the reader could fully explore his responsibilities and play his incontestable role in the creation of a new world civilization.”
Christine Hakim, a Bahá’í from Switzerland, addresses writers from around the world during an International Literary Conference held last May in the Republic of San Marino, examining the fundamentals of literature as a means of development for young people.
Colombia[edit]
A National Conference on Socio-Economic Development was held last June in Cajibio, Colombia. The 70 participants addressed such topics as the importance of the local Spiritual Assembly’s participation in development projects, the need for consultation, and the general requirements for successful development efforts.
After the conference, the friends resumed the long-term national campaign of consolidation and expansion. One hundred teachers joined the ranks of those taking part in the campaign, exceeding the National Assembly’s goal of 95.
One of its goals is to update Bahá’í membership lists, which gives teachers an opportunity to contact, deepen and confirm entire Bahá’í families.
Bolivia[edit]
Radio Bahá’í in Caracollo, Bolivia, is now the number one radio station in its listening area, according to a recent survey of 300 listeners conducted by the staff of Radio Bahá’í.
Botswana[edit]
A Bahá’í Youth Conference which brought together more than 100 Bahá’í youth and young adults from six countries at Molepolole, Botswana, was officially opened last August 13 by the vice-president of Botswana, the Hon. Peter Mmusi.
Radio Botswana broadcast a ceremony in which the vice-president was given a Bahá’í book by a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors, and also carried excerpts from the vice-president’s talk.
Caribbean[edit]
Mrs. Nasrin Fawbush, a traveling teacher from India, visited seven countries in the Caribbean last June, July and August. Her trip was dedicated to expansion and consolidation of the Faith in the islands, especially among the Indian minorities.
During her travels in Panama, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica, Mrs. Fawbush attracted considerable attention from the press and local officials. Her background as a journalist, as author of two books for women and children, her degrees in psychology and sociology, and her position as an Auxiliary Board member in India, combined with her Persian origins, opened many doors for interviews and lectures, publicity and favorable notice.
The highlight of her visit to St. Vincent was a friendly interview with the prime minister who was given two Bahá’í books and expressed his interest in participating in future Bahá’í events. Contacts with East Indians were most successful in Grenada where seekers at a dinner meeting in the home of a businessman showed a keen interest in the Faith and accepted books for study.
In several island communities Mrs. Fawbush encouraged Assemblies to set up small library centers in the homes of some of the believers, thus giving the friends access to a variety of Bahá’í books which they probably would be unable to buy.
Taiwan[edit]
The Hand of the Cause of God Collis Featherstone (seated in center holding baby) and Mrs. Featherstone (to his left) are greeted by Bahá’ís on Taiwan during a week-long visit to that country last March.
The Hand of the Cause of God Collis Featherstone and his wife, Madge, spent a week last March visiting the Bahá’ís of Taiwan. On arriving, they were greeted at the airport by a number of Bahá’ís bearing a banner of welcome and were escorted into the city of Taipei.
While in Taiwan the Featherstones were able to visit the vice-president of the Republic of China, Lee Teng-hui. The meeting was arranged by an Iranian Bahá’í pioneer to Asia, Ms. Farideh Paymani, who had been a friend of the Lees ever since Mr. Lee was mayor of Taipei and appeared as a guest speaker at the first annual Bahá’í Humanitarian Awards dinner.
The Featherstones were accompanied on the visit to the vice-president by David Huang, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Taiwan.
Mr. Featherstone told Mr. Lee of the worldwide scope of the Faith, producing a world map and tracing the locations of all the National Spiritual Assemblies. The visit was of great historical significance to the Bahá’ís of Taiwan.
Mr. Featherstone also met with the National Spiritual Assembly, conducted firesides, and was interviewed by one of Taiwan’s largest newspapers as well as by its English-language radio station.
Cameroon Republic[edit]
Traveling teachers Mehry and Shapour Rassekh visited Yaounde, Cameroon, for a week, during which time they took part in an Inter-Regional Women’s Conference that began last August 23. Mr. Rassekh gave the opening address, titled “Women and Development,” while Mehry Rassekh lectured on the question, “How can woman assume her role in society?”
Cameroon’s head of research represented the government at the conference, and requested copies of the Bahá’ís’ addresses for the Minister on the Status of Women. Bahá’ís from nine countries and 34 localities inside Cameroon itself came to the conference, which was publicized in the Cameroon Tribune with an article based on a Bahá’í press release headlined “Women and World Peace.”
More than 100 people, many of whom were teachers, attended a lecture by Mr. Rassekh entitled “Women and the Future of Mankind.” The Rassekhs also conducted a deepening at the National Bahá’í Center that was attended by about 60 people. Mr. Rassekh spoke on “Excellence in All Things” and Mrs. Rassekh on “Happiness in Marriage.”
Kenya[edit]
One hundred-twenty members of national committees gathered at a national conference last September 17 in Kenya, holding dynamic consultation on the Universal House of Justice’s peace statement and making plans for its dissemination at all levels in that country.
The Netherlands[edit]
Public libraries in the Netherlands are circulating a publication by a Bahá’í, Udo Schaefer, entitled “Sect or Revealed Religion?” which examines the problems of the categorization of the Bahá’í Faith within religious science.
The following is from the text of an abstract about the publication:
“The Bahá’í Faith is increasingly being talked about, not only because of the persecutions in Iran, where the largest number (of Bahá’ís) live, but also because Bahá’í communities exist in many countries. Using arguments borrowed from religious science (comparative religion), this pamphlet will make clear that the Bahá’ís are not a sect, but a universal religious community, originating not from a schism but from a Divine Revelation in 1844 ...”
Suriname[edit]
The “Shiva Teaching Project,” whose goal is to bring at least 3,000 new believers into the Faith, was launched last August 29 in Suriname.
One hundred ninety-three enrollments were recorded in the first week of the campaign, with many entire families embracing the Faith at once. With members of the National Spiritual Assembly and the Auxiliary Board in the forefront of the action, five Bahá’í centers were reactivated, small libraries were established, children’s classes begun, and a training institute held.
Argentina[edit]
The display booth of EBILA (Editorial Bahá’í Indo-Latinoamericana), which was seen by many of the 900,000 people who attended the 11th International Book Fair last March 29-April 15 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It marked the second time in which the Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Argentina had participated in the fair.
The Bahá’í Publishing Trust of Argentina emerged from obscurity this year as about 900,000 visitors to the 11th International Book Fair in Buenos Aires had an opportunity to see an attractive exhibit mounted March 29-April 15 by EBILA (Editorial Bahá’í Indo-Latinoamericana).
Included in the display were all of the titles published by the Trust and other Spanish-language Bahá’í books.
Twenty-five Bahá’ís from Buenos Aires, Burzaco, Rosario and Lanus took turns manning the booth. They sold some 250 books and handed out around 15,000 pamphlets, 6,000 bookmarks and 2,000 EBILA catalogs especially prepared for the event.
EBILA advertised in the Book Fair Journal and met with distributors and book sellers to become better known and to hasten the day when Bahá’í books will be available to the general public at commercial bookstores.
Switzerland[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Wetzikon, near Zurich, Switzerland, held an “Evening for UNICEF” last August 30 at which $300 (U.S.) was raised for UNICEF projects.
Thomas Imboden of UNICEF-Switzerland spoke about the United Nations’ work on behalf of children and answered questions from the audience of about 50 who filled the hall to its capacity.
Slides were shown of the 1983 Bahá’í International Convention, which was called “the most representative gathering of humankind ever to take place.” Marco Kappenberger, the Bahá’í International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said the Bahá’í Convention was more representative than any of the more than 200 UN conferences he had attended during the past 12 years.
On August 24 Miss Corinne Schaubacher of Berne, a member of the National Bahá’í Youth Committee of Switzerland, had an opportunity to talk about the Faith with Mr. Alphons Egli, the country’s Minister of the Interior.
Miss Schaubacher represented the Bahá’ís in a delegation of 10 people who met with the minister in connection with the International Year of Youth. As the only organization active in Youth Year activities in all three linguistic regions of Switzerland, the Faith will be represented when delegations from the other two regions of the country meet with the Minister of the Interior.
Papua New Guinea[edit]
The Bahá’í community of Lae entered a float in the city parade celebrating the 10th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence. Twenty thousand townspeople watched as the Bahá’í float won first prize among the 50 floats entered in the event.
The float featured people of several nationalities including tribes of Papua New Guinea such as the famed Asoro Mudmen as well as Indians and Europeans gathered around a large globe upon which were quotations from the Writings in Pidgin.
Sri Lanka[edit]
His Excellency Ranasinghe Premadasa (left), the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, with Jamshed K. Fozdar, a Bahá’í scholar, author of several books, and pioneer to Sri Lanka since 1979. The Prime Minister has played a key role in the government’s recognition of the third Sunday in January as World Religion Day in Sri Lanka, as well as being chiefly instrumental in the issuance of the unique and historic World Religion Day commemorative postage stamp. Mr. Fozdar was recently invited to visit the Prime Minister and to witness the progress in the field of ‘Village Reawakening’ which involves self-help, ethnic understanding, interfaith amity and the whole gamut of daily village life from the grassroots up. The national movement, under the direction of the Prime Minister, has counterparts in Third World countries on three continents. Mr. Premadasa spent the better part of two days with Mr. Fozdar discussing various aspects of Buddhism and the Bahá’í Faith, and was especially pleased to receive one of Mr. Fozdar’s books on Buddhism as well as a copy of Religion for Mankind.
Belgium[edit]
Eight Bahá’ís who miraculously escaped from Tehran were received last September 1 at the Bahá’í National Center in Belgium, only a few months after representatives of that country’s National Spiritual Assembly had met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain permission to help Bahá’í refugees to Belgium. A reception was organized by the Committee for Iranian Affairs to welcome this first group of refugees. Another group of seven was expected to arrive soon in Belgium.
Alaska[edit]
The Bahá’ís of McGrath, a small community in southwest central Alaska, have acquired an airplane to help them visit believers in surrounding villages.
Until now, they could visit their Bahá’í neighbors only a few times a year using chartered planes. Recently, pilot Ernie Baumgartner has flown Bahá’ís to Galena, Stony River and Grayling. The friends are quite excited about the great potential for teaching the new plane has brought.
Guyana[edit]
About 100 Bahá’ís gathered last September 1 in Charity, Guyana, for an Amerindian Teaching Conference.
Most of the participants came from their homes along the Pomeroon River. Others came from the Essequibo Coast. Twenty-five were Amerindian, indigenous to the area.
The purposes of the conference were to deepen in the Faith and discuss ways to continue teaching in the region.
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