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| Bahá’í News | January 1987 | Bahá’í Year 143 |
Happy birthday to you ...!
On the cover: Among the highlights of the annual Bahá’í Summer School held last July in Filipstad, Sweden, was a celebration of the 90th birthday of the Hand of the Cause of God Ugo Giachery (center). About 140 people including Counsellor Ursula Mühlschlegel and Auxiliary Board members Örjan Widegren and Hadi Afsahi attended the session during which there was a banquet and cake for Dr. Giachery and a concert by two six-year-old violinists, a professional violinist and opera singer, and the first Bahá’í chorus in Sweden. Afterward, Dr. Giachery spoke movingly of his great love for two Swedes, Charles Lindbergh and Dag Hammarskjöld, sang a few bars of ‘O Sole Mio,’ and danced a jig!
Bahá’í News[edit]
World Centre update on presentations of ‘Promise of World Peace’ | 1 |
Overview of history of Bahá’í socio-economic development activities | 2 |
Winning entry in U.S. Bahá’í Publishing Trust’s essay contest on youth | 6 |
A Muslim scholar writes about his Faith’s views on religious liberty | 8 |
World Centre seeks help in locating letters written by the Guardian | 10 |
Radio Bahá’í Peru stays on air despite wide flooding of Lake Titicaca | 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 within the U.S.: one year, $12; two years, $20. Outside the U.S.: one year, $14; two years, 24$. Foreign air mail: one year, $20; two years, $40. Payment must accompany the order and must be in U.S. dollars. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright © 1987, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
World Centre[edit]
Worldwide presentations of ‘The Promise of World Peace’
“The Promise of World Peace” has been presented to the leaders of 154 independent nations, and 32 dependent territories, and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
| Independent Nations | Dependent Territories | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continent | Direct | Indirect | Direct | Indirect | Presentations |
| (United Nations) | 1 | ||||
| Africa | 12 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 52 |
| Americas | 22 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 40 |
| Asia | 6 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 36 |
| Australasia | 8 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
| Europe | 5 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 38 |
| World | 54 | 100 | 20 | 12 | 186 |
Some presentations were a part of public ceremonies: President Reagan received the peace statement at the annual White House Human Rights Day observance in Washington; and Prince Khuzulwandle of Swaziland accepted
the statement on behalf of Her Majesty Indlovukazi at a United Nations Day celebration attended by 5,000 people including all the Cabinet ministers, principal secretaries, and diplomats in Swaziland. The majority of the presentations, however, were made in personal meetings in which the National Spiritual Assembly delegation was able to explain to the Head of State or his representative the Bahá’í concept of the means for achieving peace; these meetings
were characterized in such terms as “friendly,” “very positive,” and “marked by respect.” The following map
shows progress toward presenting the peace statement to the leaders of all nations.
Wide dissemination of the peace statement has been a central part of Bahá’í peace education activities. It has been translated into 62 languages and published in 153 editions and printings, and is helping to define perceptions of the nature of peace as it reaches the diverse peoples of the world. Many communities have published all or part
of the peace statement in major newspapers in order to make it available to their fellow citizens. After a press conference about the peace statement was held in Papua New Guinea, the Bahá’ís were surprised to find the complete text of the statement published in Niuguini News, a major newspaper. It was presented in five sections and illustrated with pictures. The National Spiritual Assemblies of Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria reported that the formal
presentation of the peace statement was a major national news story; at the request of the President of Benin, the
Bahá’ís there explained the peace statement to the media at a press conference arranged by the President’s chief of
protocol. The statement also appeared in numerous college newspapers in the United States.
Background[edit]
Bahá’í development activities[edit]
The Bahá’í world is embarking on a new and thrilling stage of its evolution through the message of the Universal House of Justice that calls the Bahá’ís to greater involvement in the development of the social and economic life of peoples.
To respond to this critical challenge, implying as it does both the growing maturity of Bahá’í institutions and the responsibility borne by the followers of Bahá’u’lláh to ameliorate the condition of mankind, Bahá’ís must prepare themselves with a clear understanding of the relevant teachings of the Faith. What is “Bahá’í development”? What is its relationship to other Bahá’í activity? What is the role of our institutions in carrying it out?
As the inherent potentialities of the Cause to order human affairs become more manifest, the familiar elements of Bahá’í belief reveal new aspects and greater significances. The unique and vital power of the Faith to improve the lot of mankind is demonstrated in the development activities already under way around the Bahá’í world.
Development activities are a natural and essential part of Bahá’í life, for Bahá’u’lláh has clearly stated that the material well-being of the world, as well as its spiritual salvation, are in the hands of the Manifestations of God: “The religion of God and His divine
The goal toward which we are striving, the focus of all Bahá’í activity of whatever kind, is the establishment of a world civilization in which mankind achieves the station of spiritual maturity which Bahá’u’lláh has ordained for us.
law are the most potent instruments and the surest of all means for the dawning of the light of unity amongst men. The progress of the world, the development of nations, the tranquillity of peoples, and the peace of all who dwell on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God.”1
All Bahá’í development activities are an effort to obey the laws and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’ís establish schools and training programs because education is compulsory and indispensable to human progress; they organize literacy classes because daily reading of the Word of God is an obligation; they promote indigenous culture because unity in diversity is an important Bahá’í teaching. Although the laws of the Bahá’í Faith provide for the establishment of educational institutions and community storehouses, the promotion of agriculture and technology and other means of material progress, Bahá’ís recognize these to be only one aspect of development.
The goal toward which we are striving, the focus of all Bahá’í activity of whatever kind, is the establishment of a world civilization in which mankind achieves the station of spiritual maturity which Bahá’u’lláh has ordained for us. Development, for Bahá’ís, is a divinely guided process which must “effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself, both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions.”2
Material development alone is not sufficient; people must also learn to be united, to prefer their neighbor to themselves, to acquire moral virtues. The inner transformation of a community is the ultimate objective of any Bahá’í development project, for “until the heavenly civilization is founded, no result will be forthcoming from material civilization.”3
When a Bahá’í community builds a school, we ask, “Has this effort caused the community to work together? Has it created a desire to serve others? Has it given the community a sense of accomplishment? Has it been conducive to the preservation of human honor?” If a Bahá’í project causes disagreement in a community, creates a sense of
| This overview of the history of Bahá’í development activities is the first in a series of articles on that topic by Holly Vick, a former pioneer to Kenya and Nigeria who now works in the Office of Social and Economic Development at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Mrs. Vick, who has a degree in African languages, literature and history, is writing a book on Bahá’í social and economic development that is to be published this year. |
dependence or inferiority, or engenders greed or materialism, that project has been a failure. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has stated this principle, “whatsoever thing is arranged in harmony and with love and purity of motive, its result is light, and should the least trace of estrangement prevail, the result shall be darkness upon darkness.”4
The Universal House of Justice has written that the primary consideration in planning a project must be “what it may bring in the form of strength, hope and spiritual upliftment of the Bahá’ís, as well as the beneficial influence its implementation and final accomplishment might exert.”5 Bahá’ís believe that material progress and spiritual growth must be a part of the same process; the laws that Bahá’u’lláh has revealed which relate development activities to the individual and the community are evidence that this is possible.
The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár[edit]
According to the Bahá’í teachings, worship of God and service to humanity are complementary activities, and neither is satisfactory without the other. At the heart of every Bahá’í community will stand a House of Worship, surrounded by dependencies dedicated to the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific advancement of mankind. This new institution is the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár—“The Dawning Place of the Mention of God.”
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, has written that the dynamic interaction of the component of worship and the component of service are essential to the creative power of the House of Worship.6 The spiritual impulse of the worshiper is transformed into action through service in the schools, clinics and other institutions; and the work of these social services is purified and vitalized by the spiritual forces emanating from the Temple. A process of continual human advancement is set in motion as each believer, while striving to perfect himself, devotes his energy to the good of the community under the direction of the local Spiritual Assembly.
The House of Worship will provide the daily and practical means for carrying forward an ever-advancing civilization in Bahá’í communities of the future; for the present, it provides an example of the integration of spiritual and material development which Bahá’ís must strive to understand and apply in their lives and their development plans.
The pattern for future society[edit]
The Bahá’í Administrative Order is the structure created by Bahá’u’lláh for the process of transforming humanity. It is the indispensable foundation of Bahá’í development activity, as Shoghi Effendi has clearly stated:
“(T)he Spirit breathed by Bahá’u’lláh upon the world, which is manifesting itself with varying degrees of intensity through the efforts consciously displayed by His avowed supporters and indirectly through certain humanitarian organizations, can never permeate and exercise an abiding influence upon mankind unless and until it incarnates itself in a visible Order, which would bear His name, wholly identify itself with His principles, and function in conformity with His laws.”7
Students at the Rabbani Bahá’í School (background) in Gwalior, India, help with a harvest as part of their well-rounded school program.
As they have labored over the past 60 years to erect a network of about 30,000 local Spiritual Assemblies and 143 National Spiritual Assemblies supporting the Universal House of Justice, Bahá’ís have been motivated by the belief that these institutions were “the pattern for future society,”8 and “the potent sources of the progress of man.”9 Development, in both the material and transcendent sense, is the responsibility of the Spiritual Assembly, and the emergence of development as a focus of Bahá’í activity illuminates, for the first time, the concrete and practical way in which local Assemblies can begin to achieve their exalted destiny.
The laws and principles that govern the local Spiritual Assembly are, we now recognize, the essential elements of successful Bahá’í development. The right of every individual to express his opinion, the spiritual law of individual initiative and the principle of organic growth, and the reliance of Bahá’í institutions on spiritual teachings and divine bestowals are all aspects of Bahá’í administrative functioning that equip the local Spiritual Assembly for development activities. “It is the ideal instrument to make spiritual laws function properly in the material affairs of the world.”10
The local Spiritual Assembly is an effective community organization which operates at the first level of human society. The participation of all members of the community is guaranteed by the annual election in which all adult members vote for those who will serve on the local Assembly by secret ballot; through the principle of consultation, which upholds the right and obligation of free expression; and through the institution of the Nineteen Day Feast, which provides a forum for frank and open discussion by the whole community. There is a great emphasis in Bahá’í community life upon cooperation and equality of opportunity. It is because this community organization has been established and is developing all over the world that Bahá’ís are able to insist that the initiative and driving force for our development projects must come from the grassroots.
This essential requirement, that Bahá’í development projects “grow from the grassroots, and not be imposed from the top,”11 is one that distinguishes our efforts from most other development work. While many development specialists try to involve community members to ensure the success of their development activities, the roles are reversed in the Bahá’í context. Local Bahá’í communities decide that they want to do something for their village, plan how to do it, and seek the help of experts when they decide it is necessary.
[Page 4]
It is a principle of Bahá’í belief that
true progress for a community, as well
as for an individual, must come from
within: “All that which ye potentially
possess, however, can be manifested
only as a result of your own volition.”12 Although this principle may
seem to limit the tangible results of our
efforts and narrow the role of the believers from developed countries, it
places Bahá’í development activities on
a firm spiritual foundation. It means
our development projects take shape as
an expression of the faith of the local
Bahá’ís; they are initiated by believers
who are motivated by their love for
Bahá’u’lláh to apply His teachings to
the daily life of their communities, and
are carried out as an act of devotion by
the same people they are intended to
serve.
Local Spiritual Assemblies have attained the capacity for self-initiated development activities, or are evolving toward it, through a process of organic growth that is a characteristic of the Bahá’í Cause. The Universal House of Justice described this process in 1968: “The Bahá’í World Community, growing like a healthy new body, develops new cells, new organs, new functions and powers as it presses on to its maturity.”13
In this critical period of growth, National Spiritual Assemblies are to foster the emergence of the new function of development activity by making local Assemblies aware of the needs and possibilities, offering encouragement, and guiding and coordinating their activities. Many National Spiritual Assemblies have devoted great energies during the Seven Year Plan to the encouragement of self-sufficient local Assemblies. These Assemblies, which have successfully built active and united Bahá’í communities, are
The spiritual impulse of the worshiper is transformed into action through service in the schools, clinics and other institutions; and the work of these social services is purified and vitalized by the spiritual forces emanating from the Temple.
prepared to turn their attention toward the needs of their villages and towns. The development activities that are now being undertaken by the Bahá’í community are simple and small in scale because they “are a natural stage in the growth of the community.”14 As Bahá’í Assemblies grow in capacity and in understanding of their mission, the scope of Bahá’í endeavors in the field of social and economic development will widen.
A view of the New Garden Bahá’í kindergarten which serves village children at Agartala, Tripura, in northeastern India.
The Bahá’í Assemblies that stand poised to carry out development work around the world bring to their task not only their skills in community organization, but also a strength and power that is given to them by God. “The glances of God are directed towards this Assembly.”15 “From them the spirit of life streameth in every direction.”16 This spiritual power, which comes to Assemblies through their obedience to Bahá’í law, is a necessary ingredient of development projects.
To improve a water supply or begin a program of health education are straightforward tasks, but how can these be done in such a way that the beneficiaries gain confidence, self-respect and dignity? The ultimate intention of Bahá’í development is to set an example of service to humanity, purity of motive, moral virtue and cooperation that will influence the whole social order. Bahá’ís are confident of success not because we are spiritually vain, but because we rely on Bahá’u’lláh. The transforming power of the Cause of God ennobles and uplifts the Bahá’ís, inspires and confirms our institutions, and will, we believe, work through us to rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind.
Bahá’í development, it is clear, is a new creation, something quite different from most activities that are called development. The agents of Bahá’í development are simple and sincere believers, not specialists; the resources we employ are devotion and self-sacrifice, not international money and manpower; and we are striving not merely to build schools, clinics or rural schemes, but to light “the lamp” of “material development” with the light “of divine virtues and susceptibilities.”17 Bahá’ís must “avoid the danger of indiscriminate action” by striving to understand and implement the clear definition of Bahá’í development given by the Universal House of Justice:
“The steps to be taken must necessarily begin in the Bahá’í community itself, with the friends endeavoring, through their application of spiritual principles, their rectitude of conduct and the practice of the art of consultation, to uplift themselves and thus be-
[Page 5]
come self-sufficient and self-reliant.
Moreover, these exertions will conduce
to the preservation of human honor, so
desired by Bahá’u’lláh. In the process
and as a consequence, the friends will
undoubtedly extend the benefits of
their efforts to society as a whole, until
all mankind achieves the progress intended by the Lord of the Age.”18
The proof that this ambitious prescription is truly workable lies in the record of Bahá’í development, spanning almost 100 years, first in Iran and now all over the world. Further articles in this series will describe the development activities of the Bahá’ís in Iran, the role of social and economic development in the consolidation of local Spiritual Assemblies, Bahá’í efforts in education and rural development, and the work of the Bahá’í radio stations.
Author’s note: The author wishes to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. David Ruhe and Hassan Sabri, who shared with her their vision of Bahá’í development as an “entity of a new creation.”
- Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 129-30.
- Bahá’u’lláh, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 25.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 257.
- Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 88.
- “Guidelines for Social and Economic Development Projects.”
- Bahá’í Administration, pp. 184-86.
- The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 19.
- Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 19.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, quoted in God Passes By, p. 322.
- Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi dated June 16, 1945, quoted in Lights of Guidance, pp. 1-2.
- “Guidelines for Social and Economic Development Projects.”
- Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 149.
- Wellspring of Guidance, pp. 37-38.
- Letter to a National Spiritual Assembly from the Universal House of Justice dated May 8, 1984.
- Bahá’u’lláh, Local Spiritual Assembly Compilation (U.S.), p. 6.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, quoted in God Passes By, p. 322.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 288-89.
- Universal House of Justice, message of October 20, 1983, to the Bahá’ís of the world.
Above: A group of indigenous musicians performs during ‘Nucanchic Tono’ (Our Music), the annual music festival sponsored by Radio Bahá’í in Otavalo, Ecuador. Below: A view of the main building of Radio Bahá’í on the shores of Lake Titicaca near Puno, Peru.
United States[edit]
‘The Thank-You-Jesus Lady’[edit]
The U.S. Bahá’í Publishing Trust is pleased to announce the results of a writing competition about youth undertaken in honor of the International Year of Youth. The winning entry is a story entitled “The Thank-You-Jesus Lady” by Dawn Garrott of Zanesville, Ohio.
The story recounts a minority teaching experience in the southern U.S. Miss Sadie, the protagonist, has been waiting a long time to hear about the return of Christ. Her young friend, Angie, helps her prepare for the visitors she anticipates. As they scurry to get ready for the unknown guests, Miss Sadie counts her blessings, even in the midst of adverse conditions of heat and poverty.
Mrs. Garrott, author of the winning entry, is a full-time wife and mother and part-time freelance writer. She is a graduate of Tufts University with a B.A. in early childhood education and psychology. As the contest winner, she received a $50 gift certificate from the Publishing Trust and her story was published in the August 1986 issue of The American Bahá’í.
The purpose of the writing contest was to explore the challenges, opportunities and destiny of youth today and to inspire youth and adults to engage in creative thinking and writing about these issues. Both fiction and non-fiction submissions were welcomed. Authors were asked to submit stories that reflected realistic situations and Bahá’í values without being moralistic in tone. In all, there were 19 entries in the contest. Now we present the winning entry, Dawn Garrott’s “The Thank-You-Jesus Lady.”
“Angela, honey!” called Miss Sadie, sticking her head out of the shack’s front doorway.
“Here I am,” Angie answered. She hurried up the rickety porch steps, her rows of short braids bouncing, unwilted by the afternoon heat. She’d had her dress, used, for her eighth birthday almost a year before; although it was now too small, the suggestion of color which clung to it after many washings complemented the deep brown of her skin.
Miss Sadie said, “When I was prayin’, the Lord put it in my mind we’re goin’ to have comp’ny.” A delighted smile beamed from her fat face. “Do me a kindness, honey. Roll three of them big market melons under the porch to cool off.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Angie scurried around to the garden by the side of the isolated cabin, her bare feet slapping up dust. All the watermelons she thumped sounded ready, so she started with the biggest.
“You ol’ melon you,” she panted as she pushed, “you’re goin’ to make folks happy. She’s never wrong ’bout things like this.”
Like a heavy black whirlwind, Miss Sadie swept through the three rooms of her home. She covered the sofa’s holes with plumped-up, threadbare pillows. She moved geraniums potted in coffee cans to decorate the top of the oil heater that dominated the living room.
Giving the heater a friendly thump, she said, “You’re purely a mercy in winter when I can get me some fuel. Thank you, Jesus!”
She squeezed into the tiny bedroom and wrestled the bed aside so she could open the door fully. If need be, folks could sit on the edge of the sagging bed.
“I wonder who all’s comin’, Lord,” she said when she had caught her breath. “I ain’t questionin’, I’m just wonderin’. This is Your house and I’m pleased and grateful to ’bide here. Thank you, Jesus!”
Angie brushed dust off her legs and feet outside the front door and stood grinning at Miss Sadie, eyes shining with excitement.
“My, my, ain’t you fast!” marveled Miss Sadie. “That Moses, he’s goin’ to bring fish. You take this and meet him.” She held out a change purse to the girl, who pocketed it carefully and darted away.
Angie met Moses coming from the river with two sloshing buckets hanging from his hands. He had on red suspenders to hold up his droopy trousers, one knee of which was adorned by a three-cornered tear. Sweat made rivulets of the creases in his face. Like Angie, he was barefoot and dust-covered.
Setting the buckets down, he smiled. “How’s Miss Sadie’s angel?” he asked.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she mumbled bashfully, studying her toes.
A splash from a bucket drew her attention. Her eyes widened. “Them buckets are full!” she exclaimed.
“Had me some luck,” Moses said modestly. “How many does she want?”
Angie replied, “She said to buy everythin’ you got.”
It was Moses’ turn to be surprised. He scratched his gray-white hair with blunt fingers and asked, “What’s she goin’ to do with so many fish, girl?”
“She’s got comp’ny comin’.”
“Who all’s comin’?”
Angie answered simply, “The Lord, He’s the one to ask.”
Moses took the shabby purse she held out and opened it. Staring at the $1 bill that made itself at home inside, he thought of the tobacco he craved.
“This is all she’s got, ain’t I right?” he asked.
Angie nodded.
He snapped the purse shut and re-
[Page 7]
turned it without touching the money.
“Chile, that Miss Sadie, she’s crazy.
Thank-you-Jesus, thank-you-Jesus all
the time. She ’bout froze to death in
that house last winter, ain’t I right?”
Angie nodded again.
“An’ she’s got the wastin’ sickness chewin’ at her vitals, eatin’ up her insides, ain’t I right?”
This time, when Angie nodded, tears glistened in her eyes.
“This here God of hers, He done gone an’ forgot all about her, ain’t I right?”
“No,” said Angie with quiet respect. “You’re wrong ’bout that one thing.” With that she reached for a pail handle.
“Well, she learnt you your manners, girl,” said Moses. “Here, I’ll carry that.”
Miss Sadie greeted them by the back steps, the pig-slop pail at her feet, a sharp knife in one hand. “My, my, Moses! You’re ’bout the best there is at fishin’,” she said happily. “You all got to stop an’ eat with me.”
He shuffled his feet in pleased embarrassment, then dug out his jackknife to help clean the catch. Angie sat on a step, listening while they talked.
Miss Sadie said, “The Lord, He’s after you, Moses. You’re welcome at church any time.”
When he smiled but shook his head no, she added, “You’re just one little ol’ lost lamb.”
“Baa! Baa!” he bleated. Angie nearly fell off the step, laughing. He and Miss Sadie laughed too, but soon he said seriously, “This Lord you’re talkin’ ’bout, he’s a white God. He don’t care nothin’ ’bout niggers. Anyhow, you all can’t teach this ol’ dog new tricks.”
Miss Sadie’s joyous laugh burst forth again. “You sure are confused,” she said. “First you’re a lamb, now you’re a dog!”
When they had finished, she heaved herself to her feet and admired the cleaned fish. “Ain’t they purty! See them different kinds? The Lord, He throwed them all into the same river and they done fine together. They’re just fish, and we’re His chillun. Thank you, Jesus!”
Moses shook his head as Miss Sadie took the fish into the house. “I wish’t it was true,” he said.
After washing in water Angie pumped for him, he shambled to the shady front porch and lay down, spreading his handkerchief over his face. “Thank-you-Jesus, thank-you-Jesus,” he muttered. “She’s crazy, that woman. She’s wonderful crazy.”
Miss Sadie wedged herself into the kitchen. “Now ain’t this here bottle-gas a blessin’,” she rumbled, dolloping huge spoons full of lard into her two frying pans. “I used to ’bout cook to death in summer with that ol’ coal stove. Lord, you sure is kind. Thank you, Jesus!”
She stacked the fried fish on newspapers covering every flat place in the miserably hot kitchen. After pouring the fat back into its storage can, she carried the pans out so Angie could scrub them in steaming, soapy water set by the back steps.
When the pans were clean and dry, she heaped them with the delicately browned fish, and finished by covering the food with newspapers to keep off the flies, saying, “Ain’t it wonderful, Angela, honey? I ain’t got roaches to worry me. Thank you, Jesus!”
“I seen ’em headed up the road with their travelin’ bags, lookin’ for a white kitchen,” said Angie.
She was rewarded by a rich chuckle, but Miss Sadie interrupted herself: “Lord, chile, I ’most forgot.”
She tore off a piece of paper and handed Angie a fragrant, cooling fish with it. “Eat now, ’cause you’ll be runnin’ an’ fetchin’ when folks come. Get Moses to cut you some melon when he wakes hisself. I got to rest.”
Stretching out wearily on her bed in the dreadful heat, Miss Sadie dreamed a strange dream. She swam beneath warm, blue-green water with others like herself. When she became used to it, she noticed that they were part of a multitude of many different kinds, all swimming in the same direction, ever closer together.
Suddenly, streams of light from somewhere above flowed through the water. She felt the unmistakable touch of a net against her side. Before she could panic, a wonderful voice spoke: “I still fish.”
She wanted the dream to continue so she could see what happened, but Moses’ voice woke her. From the porch, he called urgently, “Miss Sadie! Miss Sadie! We got us some trouble here.”
Struggling to her feet, she came out, smoothing her hair and dress on the way. She, Moses and Angie watched a husky white youth get out of a van that had stopped on the dirt road by the path leading to the shack.
He returned Miss Sadie’s tentative wave, then slid open the vehicle’s windowless side door.
“Can you read that writin’ on the door, chile?” Miss Sadie whispered to Angie.
“Yes, ma’am,” she replied. “It says, ‘Bah-hey-Faith-youth-can-move-the-world.’ ”
Although puzzled, the girl fairly vibrated with excitement. But it was fear that shook Moses. His body bore scars from a savage, unprovoked beating by drunken white men. Nothing would have suited him better than to quietly disappear, yet he stood by his friends.
“For what You send us, thank you, Jesus,” Miss Sadie said quietly.
A young black woman in jeans climbed from the van, followed by an Oriental youth wearing a wrinkle-free business suit. Together, they and the driver carefully lifted out a wheelchair.
Miss Sadie caught her breath, for the person whose contorted body filled the chair strongly reminded her of her long-dead grandmother. No matter that the girl’s skin was bronze, and her black hair straight; it had something to do with her eyes, and the peacefulness in which she wrapped herself like a blanket.
It was Granny who had told Miss Sadie repeatedly, “Jesus has returned—I know it in my heart and soul. One day someone’s comin’ down the lovin’ road to tell you, an’ that day will be a day fit for rejoicin’!”
As the group slowly approached the shack, the girl called, “We have something to share with you.”
Understanding swept over Miss Sadie, and with her widest smile, she responded, “I know—I been waiting on you a long, long time. Thank you, Jesus!”
Viewpoint[edit]
Muslims and religious liberty[edit]
Though Muslims are bound by the Koran’s basic teaching, traditional Muslim theology has not always fit the Koran’s spirit of religious liberty. The Islamic world, though relatively tolerant of other religious beliefs, has violated, and here and there still ignores, rights of conscience.
But these violations do not mean that the Koran authorizes them. To the best of my knowledge, the Koran stresses religious liberty more emphatically and with less ambiguity than any of the other revealed texts.
The Koran’s basic principles[edit]
From a Koranic perspective, religious liberty is founded on the divinely ordered nature of man. Man is not a being among many others. He is exceptional. He cannot be reduced to his body because man, before everything else, is a spirit, a spirit that has been given the power to conceive the Absolute. If man has this privileged position inside the creation, it is because God “breathed into him something of His spirit” (Koran, XXXII, 9).
On the level of the spirit, all persons—Muslim, Jew, Christian, whatever their physical or intellectual abilities—are equal. They have the same “breath” of God in them, and by virtue of this “breath” they have the ability to ascend to Him and to respond freely to His call. They have the same
According to the Koran, even God refrains from overpowering man against his will. Faith is a gift from God, Who warmly invites man to respond to His call. Man can accept or refuse it....He can be misled. He can make the wrong choice.
dignity and sacredness, qualities that entitle them to the right of self-determination.
From the Koranic perspective, it’s absolutely necessary that none be forced into any religious practice.
Says the Koran: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error” (Koran, II, 256).
This verse has been used to reprove Jewish and Christian converts to Islam in Medina, who were coercing their children to convert: to the new faith. Faith, to be true and reliable, needs to be so free and voluntary that even parents must refrain from interfering with it. The very nature of faith, as stressed in the basic text of Islam, is to be a voluntary act born out of conviction and freedom.
According to the Koran, even God refrains from overpowering man against his will. Faith is a gift from God, Who warmly invites man to respond to His call. Man can accept or refuse it. Man’s condition has something tragic in it. He can be misled. He can make the wrong choice.
Even in this situation, the messenger, whose mission is to convey God’s call, is warned to respect man’s freedom and God’s mystery. “If it had been thy Lord’s Will, they would all have believed—all who are on the earth! Wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!” (Koran, X, 99). In his translation and commentary of the Koran, A. Yusuf Ali comments on this verse: “Men of Faith must not be impatient or angry if they have to contend against Unfaith, and most important of all, they must guard against the temptation of forcing Faith, i.e., imposing it on others by physical compulsion, or any other forms of compulsion such as social pressure, or inducements held out by wealth or position, or other ... advantages. Forced faith is no faith” (vol. 1, p. 510).
| This article, “What Muslims Really Believe About Religious Liberty,” is reprinted with permission from LIBERTY, a magazine of religious freedom, © 1986, and is taken from an address made to the Second World Congress on Religious Liberty held September 3-6, 1984, in Rome. The author, Mohamed Talbi, is a professor of letters and human sciences at the University of Tunis and has written several historical and cultural works. |
The apostle’s mission is strictly restricted to advise and warn. He is to convey a message and to admonish without compelling. He is ordered: “Admonish, for thou art but an admonisher. Thou hast no authority to compel them” (Koran, LXXXVIII, 21, 22).
God has set man truly and tragically free. What God wants is, in full-conscience and freedom, a willing and obedient response to His call. This response is at the very meaning of the Arabic word Islam.
To be a true Muslim, you must live in courteous dialogue with all peoples of other faiths and ideologies and must submit to God. We have duties toward others. We are not isles of loneliness. Courtesy and respect, as recommended by the Koran, must be enlarged to all men, believers and unbelievers.
Dhimmis and apostates[edit]
Unfortunately, the Koran’s spirit of toleration and courtesy has not always been the rule, especially for dhimmis (religious minorities inside the Islamic empire during medieval times) and apostates.
Though at times the dhimmis have not been prevented from following the religion of their choice, from worshiping, or organizing their communities in accordance to their own law (in some
[Page 9]
cases, especially in the beginning, their
situation improved by the Islamic conquest, and they held positions of prominence in the court), the situation began to seriously worsen after the reign
of al-Mutawakkil (A.H. 232-247/A.D.
847-861). Discrimination—especially
in the matter of dress—became openly
humiliating. The oppression culminated in Egypt during the reign of al-Hakim (386-411/996-1021), who may
have been insane.
In evaluating the past we must recall that in the medieval mentality it was not a virtue to consider all human beings as equal. How could one consider truth and evil equal, or true believers and heretics equal? In the medieval context of war, hostilities, and treachery, discrimination and even oppression, have always been promoted by the theologians, despite the Koran’s teaching that believers should respect the dignity of the nonbeliever and allow him religious freedom.
In the case also of apostates from Islam, traditional theology did not stick to the Koran’s spirit. Though conversion to Islam must be without coercion, it is practically impossible, once inside Islam, to get out. Conversion to another religion is considered treason, and the apostate faces the death penalty. Traditional theologians rely on the precedent of the first calif of Islam, Abu Bakr (11-13/632-634), who fought against tribes that rejected his authority after the prophet’s death and refused to pay him taxes. The calif likened their rebellion to apostasy, using the authority of this hadith (a saying of the prophet) to justify such action: “Anyone who changes his religion must be put to death.”
Yet I do not know of any application of this law in Islamic history. In the 700s in Egypt, however, the Islamists almost enforced this law against Copts who converted to Islam to marry Muslim girls and then returned to their former religion when the marriages didn’t work out.
This hadith, upon which rests the penalty of death, is mixed with rebellion and highway robbery in the tradition books. During the prophet’s life and shortly after, the “apostates” killed were without exception those who, as a consequence of their “apostasy,” had turned their weapons against the Muslims, still a small and vulnerable community. In these circumstances, the death penalty appears to be an act of self-defense. Undoubtedly for that reason the Hanafi school of figh does not condemn the woman apostate to death, “because women, contrary to men, are not fit for war.”
The hadith authorizing the death penalty is not, according to the traditional system of hadith, binding. Also, in my opinion, we have many good reasons to consider it a forgery. It may have been forged under the influence of Leviticus 24:16 and Deuteronomy 13, where the apostate is stoned to death. If not directly, this influence might have come into Islam through converts from Judaism and Christianity.
In any case, this hadith is at variance with the Koran, which does not mention the death penalty for apostates. During the life of the prophet, cases of apostasy occurred, and several Koranic verses deal with them. In all, the punishment for the unrepentant apostate is left to God’s judgment and to the afterlife. In all the cases mentioned in the Koran and by commentators, the questions concern either timeservers who turned their coats according to the circumstances, or people attracted to the faith of Jews or Christians, the “People of the Book” (Koran, II, 109; III, 99-100). Always taking into account the special situation, the Koran recommends the attitude to adopt, but never threatens death for the apostate.
The Koran’s authority[edit]
From a Muslim perspective, the Koran recognizes, authenticates, and perfects all previous revelations. It does not permit the individual at the convenience of the moment to change his religion as he changes his coat, saying: “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good)” (Koran, III, 85). Accordingly, apostates are warned: those who choose apostasy, after being convinced in their innermost thoughts that Islam is the truth, are unjust and bereaved of God’s guidance, with all the consequences that follow. “How shall God guide those who reject faith after they accepted it and bore witness that the Apostle was true, and that Clear Signs had come to them? But God guides not a people unjust” (Koran, III, 86; see also III, 87-91). If by fear, weakness, or timeserving, they fall into apostasy, their loss will be their own, and the punishment will be hard in the hereafter: “And if any of you turn back from their faith and die in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter; they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein” (Koran, II, 217). The apostates lay themselves open to “the curse of God, of His angels, and of all mankind” (Koran, III, 87), “except for those that repent after that, and make amends; for verily God is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful” (Koran, III, 89). “God will not forgive” those who persist in apostasy (Koran, XLVII, 34).
The Koran also denounces the attitude of the “People of the Book” who pressured new converts to renounce Islam: “Say: ‘O People of the Book! Why obstruct ye those who believe, from the path of God, seeking to make it crooked, while ye yourselves witness (to God’s Covenant)? But God is not unmindful of all that ye do’ ” (Koran, III, 99).
The polemics between Islam and the old religions were sharp. In this atmosphere the Koran urged those who espoused Islam to stick to their new faith till death, to close their ranks, and to refuse to listen to those who strove to render them apostates. They were also reminded of their former state of disunion, when they were “on the brink of the Pit of Fire,” and they were exhorted to be a people “inviting to all that is good” in order to ensure their final salvation.
Thus, unceasingly and by all means, the Koran strives to raise the Muslim’s spirit and prevent him from falling into apostasy. There is no mention in the Koran of any kind of penalty, including death, for apostates. To use the Arab technical term, no hadd is specified in this matter.
Indeed, Muslims are authorized to take up arms only in self-defense, when they are attacked, and when their faith is seriously jeopardized. In such cases, “fighting is prescribed,” even if they “dislike it” (Koran, II, 216), and even if it occurs during the sacred month of Pilgrimage (Koran, II, 217; II, 190-194). Muslims are urged not to yield when their conscience is at stake and to take up arms against those who will not
[Page 10]
“cease fighting you until they turn you
back from your faith if they can”
(Koran, II, 217).
Summary[edit]
The question of religious liberty within Islam is not new. The Koran deals with it at length. It argues, warns, advises, but never resorts to the argument of the sword, because that argument is meaningless in matters of faith.
Religious liberty is not an act of charity. It is not a tolerant concession toward those who are misled. It is a fundamental right for everyone. To claim it for myself implies ipso facto that I am disposed to claim it for my neighbor too.
But religious liberty is not necessarily indifference. My right and my duty is to be a witness, by fair means, of my own faith, and to convey God’s call. Ultimately, it is up to each man to respond or to reject this call, freely and in full consciousness.
From a Muslim perspective and on the basis of the Koran, religious liberty is fundamentally an act of respect for God’s sovereignty. It is respect for the mystery of God’s plan for man, to whom He has given the terrible privilege of building his destiny on earth and for the hereafter. To respect man’s freedom is to respect God’s plan. To be a true Muslim is to submit to this plan.
World Centre[edit]
Seeking letters from the Guardian[edit]
To National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Bahá’í Friends,
As you are no doubt aware, the World Centre maintains a collection of letters written by and on behalf of the Guardian. For the most part Shoghi Effendi did not keep copies of his letters, and the task of collecting them was begun by the Hands of the Cause, and has been continued by the Universal House of Justice, which has appealed to both the friends and institutions on a number of occasions to send to the World Centre the originals or photocopies of any such letters they received.
During a period of 36 years the Guardian guided the progress of the Faith, interpreted its Sacred Texts, and made statements which are of inestimable value to the House of Justice through his correspondence with believers and Bahá’í institutions. This correspondence provides a body of guidance and is a vital link between the twin institutions of the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice.
At the World Centre recent work on the Guardian’s correspondence has shown that he answered a minimum of 24,678 letters from the western believers alone. The collection of letters to western believers comprises 11,014, representing replies to 12,270 of the incoming letters mentioned above, as Shoghi Effendi sometimes sent only one letter in reply to several from the same source. This means that some 50 per cent of letters known to have been written by him or on his behalf to the non-Persian-speaking Bahá’í community are not in the collection. These figures do not include other letters written on the Guardian’s own initiative, and not in response to an incoming letter.
To trace as many as possible of the missing letters and bring them into the collections of the World Centre are therefore of vital importance, requiring a universal effort. You will be hearing shortly from the Archives Office, which will send you detailed information about the letters which are being sought, and will provide you with directions and suggestions, approved by us, for a concerted campaign to trace as many letters as possible. Due to the great importance of this work we have requested the International Teaching Centre to assist by forwarding the same information to Counsellors in each continent. They will request members of the Auxiliary Boards to lend their assistance in this task. We are requesting each National Spiritual Assembly to publicize this project as widely as possible, and to appoint a coordinating committee to handle the project and to correspond directly with the Archives Office.
It is now 29 years since the passing of the Guardian. Some of the letters sought were addressed to believers who wrote to him during the early years of his ministry, and who passed away even before 1957. Many letters were addressed to others who are now well past middle age, and may also have passed away. Time is advancing and it is our hope that this search will be pursued vigorously in all countries, with the goal of saving as many letters as possible.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
November 13, 1986
Peru[edit]
Radio Bahá’í survives flooding[edit]
Last winter’s torrential rains in the area around Puno, Peru, caused unprecedented flooding by Lake Titicaca, inundating entire villages and 9,000 of the 11,000 square meters comprising Radio Bahá’í in Puno and the Muhájir Bahá’í Institute. But despite the flooding, Radio Bahá’í remained on the air although three other radio stations in the Puno area were forced to shut down, At Riḍván the challenge was to re-elect the 406 local Spiritual Assemblies in the Puno area (more than half of all the Assemblies in Peru) by painstakingly finding where many of the disaster-struck Bahá’ís had relocated. The challenge was met as more than 400 Assemblies were re-elected, thanks in large part to the work of indigenous Indian believers who devoted many hours to the task. Now that the waters of Lake Titicaca have begun to recede, the Muhájir Institute has come up out of some three feet of water and recently held its first Bahá’í teacher training institute since the rains descended last winter. Now the re-filling of land and repair of buildings has begun, with most of the work done voluntarily by the local listening community which held two town meetings (last April and July) to organize themselves in coming to the aid of Radio Bahá’í of Lake Titicaca, which was recently extolled in a local newspaper, Los Andes, as the most popular station in the area. Top photo: The main building of Radio Bahá’í was accessible only by boat following last year’s torrential rains. Bottom photo: Volunteers prepare to help re-elect the 406 local Spiritual Assemblies in the Puno area.
The world[edit]
Thailand gets children’s library[edit]
The first public library for children in Thailand was dedicated April 2, 1986, “International Children’s Book Day,” at the Santitham Education Institute in Yasothon.
Funds for establishing the library were donated by the Bahá’ís of Chicago, Illinois, as that community’s contribution to the International Year of Peace. The library, the first of two that are planned, is called Santitham No. 1. “Santitham” means “peace” in the Thai language.
Library authorities in Thailand and the deputy governor of Yasothon, who officiated at the opening ceremony, said that the library, with its 1,000-book collection, is the only public library for children in the country.
A mobile unit will carry reading materials to children in villages around Yasothon who otherwise would have no access to suitable books.
Members of the Bahá’í community of Bangkok have provided funds for one of the Santitham School’s teachers to take a training course in librarianship for children. Help in organizing the library came from professionals in the Thai government and from Srinakarinwirot University.
Since mid-1984, when one man at the Khao-i-Dang Refugee Center in Thailand was given some Bahá’í literature in Chinese and later enrolled in the Faith, the Bahá’ís in that country have been actively engaged in teaching the Faith to refugees from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at several camps in Thailand. One of the gratifying results of their teaching work has been the discovery of Bahá’ís who had enrolled years earlier in their home countries.
According to a report to the Indo-Chinese Refugee Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of Thailand by camp workers who are international employees of relief agencies, about 1,000 people from five refugee camps had enrolled in the Faith by the end of 1985.
These new friends celebrate every Feast and Holy Day, and hold regular deepenings for the community. The local Assemblies meet regularly to plan teaching and service activities.
Cuba[edit]
Pictured are the members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Cuba who were elected at Riḍván 1986.
United States[edit]
In March 1985, when the local Fund was at a low ebb, the Spiritual Assembly of White Plains, an attractive city of 50,000 about 18 miles north of New York City, embarked on a bold plan to present a “peace tree” to the city, have a formal dedication program, and present the peace statement to the mayor.
Carrying out such a plan, the Assembly reasoned, would help to accomplish three of its goals: distributing the peace statement; proclaiming 1986 the International Year of Peace; and informing every resident in White Plains of the existence of the Faith before the close of 142 B.E.
The White Plains Beautification Foundation was contacted to see if an individual or the city would donate a spot for planting the tree.
One member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors responded favorably to the proposal but pointed out that if the city were to donate land, the tree would have to meet certain specifications and be professionally planted.
After learning that a tree conforming to city specifications would cost $350, the Assembly proceeded, in spite of its lack of funds, to step two: the presentation of a formal proposal to the Beautification Foundation, which quickly accepted it and offered to pursue the search for an appropriate site with the city or private owners of suitable property.
When a plot of land was found and offered, the Assembly could hardly believe its good fortune— the site was on a large green in front of the YWCA, a few hundred feet north of the center of the city, across the street from the main entrance to Pace University, and within a few feet of a bus stop needing shelter and a place to sit.
Benches were priced, and the Assembly was told that a granite bench with carved lettering, which the YWCA preferred, would cost $600. The city, which wanted a teak bench, had to first find out who owned the property.
After researching the matter, it was decided that the city did indeed own the property, and the Assembly’s order for a granite bench was canceled only minutes before the carver put chisel to stone.
The teak bench brought the over-all cost of the project including tree, copies of the peace statement, pamphlets, postage, etc., to $1,200.
A flyer explaining the Assembly’s proposal, the city’s response to it, and the cost was prepared and sent to about 200 individuals, Groups and Assemblies in eastern New York State. Contributions soon began to come in, the total of which amounted to $1,185.
Given a choice for the dedication ceremony of any day during the Memorial Day weekend, the mayor of White Plains chose noon on May 23, the anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb.
On that day some 70 people gathered on the green near a large banner made by a Bahá’í artist and his father which proclaimed the event to passersby.
A 14-foot sapling, destined in coming generations to grow into a giant red oak, was planted in front of an elegant six-foot-long teakwood bench that bears the inscription “Tree of Peace—1986—Bahá’í Community.”
Among those attending were the mayor, several city councilmen, board members of the Beautification Foundation and the YWCA, and department heads of the city’s Parks and Public Works commissions.
The two youngest contributors to the Tree of Peace Fund cut the white satin ribbon to dedicate the tree, after which the air rang with songs of peace sung with great enthusiasm.
After the program, the mayor tapped one Bahá’í on the arm and said, “This was a beautiful event. I have only one regret, and that is that it was not video taped.”
Taiwan[edit]
Two children’s classes in Hsin-ying, Taiwan, made banners for the ‘Peace Ribbon’ exhibited during the Peace Exposition last April in Australia. At the left in the third row is Auxiliary Board member Jean Wu; her husband, Danel Boone, is at the right.
About 30 women attended a recent seminar hosted by the National Bahá’í Women’s Committee of Taiwan, Republic of China, the first such national gathering for women since 1979 when Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum came to speak at a National Women’s Conference.
The seminar, held at the Taipei Bahá’í Center, covered topics that provided practical and inspirational information on the Bahá’í outlook toward dating, marriage, birth control, and family life. There was a program outside the Center for the children for which some men provided assistance.
United Kingdom[edit]
There is one local Spiritual Assembly in the Outer Hebrides Islands off the northeastern coast of Scotland. The community, on the island of Lewis, includes 16 adults and 10 children.
For the Assembly to meet, some members must travel 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) by road, plus one hour by ferry, to the new Bahá’í Center in Stornoway.
Recently the Bahá’ís in Stornoway were asked to revive a defunct youth club. They gladly took up the challenge and, at the same time, started another club for school-age children.
Still a third club has now been organized to make available inter-club activities. The clubs meet regularly, practice tolerance, make decisions democratically, and try to apply the principles of the Faith.
The Bahá’ís feel that their effort is helping them to reach out to the community at large, thus helping to alleviate social problems caused by prejudices of race, religion and class.
Philippines[edit]
Billy Olander, a young Bahá’í who is pioneering with his family in the Philippines, looks for information about the Faith in the orange teaching booklet to share with one of his new-found friends, an Aeta (Negrito) youngster who recently declared her belief in Bahá’u’lláh. More than 250 Negritos have since been enrolled in the Faith in the provinces of Tarlac, Pampanga and Bataan.
Pictured is a group of new Bahá’ís who
were enrolled in the Faith during a
teaching campaign last year among Negritos in the provinces of Tarlac and
Pampanga in the Philippines. With
them are pioneers Katherine Reed (back row holding baby) and Kurt
Olander (back row third from right).
In June-July 1986, more than 250
Negritos were enrolled in the Faith
with 11 localities opened and five new
Assemblies formed.
Uganda[edit]
Dr. Samson Kissekka, the Prime Minister of Uganda, was presented a copy of “The Promise of World Peace” last April 7 by four representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda, George Olinga, Moses Senoga, Sosipateri Isimai and Edith Senoga.
Although the meeting lasted only 15 minutes, it was warm and cordial with much laughter and hand-shaking.
The Bahá’ís thanked Dr. Kissekka for his efforts to restore law and order in Uganda, and he spoke to them of their duty to help in the recovery of the nation, and of his personal feelings about religion.
In addition to the peace statement, the Prime Minister was given copies of Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and The Earth Is But One Country.
Bahamas[edit]
Arnold Wells, the first Bahamian Bahá’í, died February 15. He was renowned for his steadfast devotion to the Faith. A lovely funeral service was held February 22 at the Bahá’í National Center in Nassau.
Zaire[edit]
Last March, the state Minister of Social Affairs of Kivu, Zaire, accompanied by the governor of the region, visited the Bahá’í Pygmy Project in the Bayanda area.
The governor, after meeting the Bahá’í group, experienced first-hand the accomplishments of one of the pupils in the literacy program, and was, he said, very surprised that “a Bayanda could write.”
The minister spoke to the Bayanda friends at the Bahá’í Center after a guided tour of their newly cultivated fields and new, orderly and roomy homes. Addressing them in French, which was translated into Swahili by a Bahá’í, he said he was their brother and that they were all citizens of Zaire, so it was his task to improve the condition of the Bayanda. He said he had visited the Bayanda in all parts of the country but that these were the first to have cultivated fields and built suitable homes, and also the first to have learned to read and write.
He said, “You must take your new Faith, your new knowledge to your fellow tribesmen in other parts of the country. The government stands ready to help you.”
Zaire’s national radio network broadcast the news that the authorities were strongly impressed by the work the Bahá’ís have accomplished without fanfare.
Australia[edit]
Last April, the Committee for the International Year of Peace in Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia, hosted a peace concert and supper.
The event was chaired by Mrs. Ira Williams, a Bahá’í from Toowoomba, and the featured speaker was the Hon. Bill Hayden, Australia’s minister for foreign affairs.
Mr. Hayden spoke highly of the Bahá’ís, saying they deserve the support of the Australian community.
As a gesture of thanks for his efforts on behalf of the Bahá’ís in Iran and his support for Iranian Bahá’í refugees, Mr. Hayden and his wife were presented flowers on behalf of five local Persian Bahá’ís.
Suriname[edit]
Last May 29, members of the news media in Suriname attended a showing of a video tape of Congressional hearings into the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and an interview by Barbara Walters on the ABC-TV program ‘20/20’ on the same topic. Afterward, a dinner was held at the home of Myriam Marrero, an American pioneer to Suriname, which was co-hosted by Akhtar Yazdani, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Suriname, and two Auxiliary Board members, Terry Madison and Marijke van Lith. Members of local newspapers, radio and TV stations were invited, and the director of Suriname Television, Mr. F. Pengel, and his wife graciously accepted the invitation.
India[edit]
The Indore Institute, a Bahá’í-operated vocational school for tribal women, was featured at a government workshop sponsored by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in New Delhi, India.
The Faith was represented at the workshop, held in February 1986, by Dr. Tahirih Vajdi of the National Spiritual Assembly and Mrs. Janak Kulari Palta, who is project coordinator of the Faizí Vocational Institute at Indore.
Mrs. Palta exhibited items made by local women such as embroidery, tailoring and bead work.
When Dr. T.S. Murthy, director of the Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology, visited the Institute, he said, “I do not have sufficient words in my vocabulary to praise this work.... In fact, you have adopted these women.”
When he asked Mrs. Palta for the secret of her success, she replied, “Bahá’u’lláh, His teachings, and my love for both.”
A question about the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi, India, stumped contestants on a recent television quiz show in the Punjab.
When no one could answer the question, a photograph of the Temple was shown and the announcer explained the purpose of the House of Worship and connected it to the Faith.
Samoa[edit]
The winners of the Peace Year essay and poster contest sponsored by the Bahá’ís of American Samoa were announced last February 21 in the Samoa News.
An extensive article reported on the awards ceremony at which Counsellor Suhayl ‘Ala’i spoke. Among those attending was the lieutenant governor of American Samoa.
Kenya[edit]
His Excellency Daniel T. Arap Moi (fourth from left), the President of the Republic of Kenya, is pictured as he received a copy last May 14 of ‘The Promise of World Peace.’ With Mr. Moi are (left to right) Counsellor Thelma Khelghati; Samuel Obura, an Auxiliary Board member and head of the Bahá’í delegation; Barnabas Kipkorir, secretary of the National Youth Committee of Kenya; Counsellor Peter Vuyiya; Auxiliary Board member John Peter Kagira; Catherine Mboya, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Nairobi; Mehraz Ehsani; and Bonaventura Wafula, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of Kenya.
Sixty women attended the annual
Bahá’í National Women’s Conference
of Kenya held last February 15-16 at
the Bahá’í Center in Nakuru. Some
had traveled all night to attend.
The conference theme was “peace.” Counsellor Thelma Khelghati spoke on peace in the family, and Adam Robarts presented a slide program which interpreted visually “The Promise of World Peace.”
Women displayed their handicrafts, pottery and produce at the conference to help pay their travel expenses and to contribute to the National Fund
Norway[edit]
All of the professors at the University of Oslo, Norway (about 600), three bishops of the Church of Norway and two bishops of the country’s Catholic Church have received copies of “The Promise of World Peace.”
As of March 1986, 7,000 copies of the peace statement had been mailed to high schools, teacher training colleges, and peace and humanitarian organizations in Norway.
Papua New Guinea[edit]
The University of Technology at Lae, Papua New Guinea, has a Bahá’í group called Unitech Club which, in addition to holding firesides and deepening classes, has presented the peace statement to the vice-chancellor of the university. A report of the presentation, accompanied by a photograph, appeared in the university magazine.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Papua New Guinea has achieved its goal of self-sufficiency. It has returned monies advanced from the International Fund and has begun making its own contributions to that same Fund.
Mauritius[edit]
Pictured are Bahá’ís who attended a deepening institute August 15-16 at a beach in Belle-Mare, Mauritius. Twenty-nine Bahá’ís from five communities came to study the book Consultation—A Universal Lamp for Guidance by John Kolstoe and to hear a talk on spiritual enrichment by Roddy Lutchmaya.
Ecuador[edit]
Mrs. Hedye Berdjis-Kamranpour, a pioneer from Germany to Quito, Ecuador, and her parents, Dr. Massoud Berdjis and Hermine Mayer-Berdjis, who were visiting their daughter, were given an appointment June 27 to see the German ambassador to Ecuador.
During the meeting, the family presented the ambassador, Dr. Hoff, with a leather-bound German edition of the peace statement.
Dr. Hoff had previously received the peace statement from Hans-Jürgen Thimm, a pioneer from Germany to Haiti, and mentioned that he had read it and been deeply impressed by its contents.
When Dr. Hoff asked if there were any Bahá’ís in Ecuador, Mrs. Berdjis-Kamranpour told him about her community, Radio Bahá’í, and development projects, and he was quite surprised to hear of them.
Dr. Hoff also inquired about the situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran. Dr. Berdjis gave him information about them and expressed the gratitude of all Bahá’ís to the German government for its support.
Iceland[edit]
Roses freshly cut from the gardens at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, representing symbolically the 189 red roses presented to the Bahá’ís of the United States at that country’s National Convention last April, graced the table at a celebration October 19 in Reykjavik, Iceland, of the anniversary of the Birth of the Báb. The roses were brought by Arlene Jennrich (seated at left) and her husband, Ken, of Wilmette who were on the first leg of a month-long teaching trip to Europe via Iceland. Pictured with Mrs. Jennrich are the hostess, Elsa Jonsson (center), and Liesel Becker, a long-time pioneer to Iceland from Germany. One pioneer, after pressing her face close to the roses, looked up tearfully and said, ‘Oh, my dear, thank you! This is as close as I may ever get to the House of Worship.’ (Photo by Ken Jennrich)
Pakistan[edit]
Local doctors, helped by Bahá’í youth (two of whom are shown here), dispensed free medicine to about 400 or so villagers from the area in and around Jangh-Shahi, Pakistan, during a recent one-day medical camp.
Bahamas[edit]
The first local Spiritual Assembly on the island of San Salvador was formed January 17, fulfilling one of the goals of the Seven Year Plan for the Bahamas.
During the weekend of January 17-19, five traveling teachers including three members of the National Spiritual Assembly went to San Salvador to help the seven-member Bahá’í Group proclaim the Faith.
Within two hours, five people had declared their acceptance of Bahá’u’lláh. Since two were adults, a local Assembly was promptly formed.
About 50 people attended a public meeting arranged by the Bahá’ís that weekend. National Assembly members Michael Horton and Gadville Newton spoke, and two videos, “Mona with the Children” and “Ark of Destiny,” were shown.
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