The American Bahá’í/Volume 15/Issue 8/Text

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The American Bahá’í August, 1984

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Two Bahá’ís executed, others tortured in Iran

On July 5, the National Spiritual Assembly received the following telexed messages from the Universal House of Justice:

FURTHER DISTRESSING NEWS RECEIVED FROM IRAN OF EXECUTION BY HANGING OF NUSRATULLAH VAHDAT IN MASHHAD ON 17 JUNE. AN ADDITIONAL 51 BELIEVERS NOW HELD IN PRISONS IRAN, MAKING TOTAL OF 751, SOME OF WHOM ARE SUBJECTED TO CRUEL TORTURE. A NUMBER OF FRIENDS ARE NOW IN PARTICULAR DANGER.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE JULY 3, 1984

FURTHER TO OUR TELEX DATED 3 JULY WE HAVE JUST RECEIVED DISTRESSING NEWS OF EXECUTION IN TIHRAN ON 27 JUNE OF IHSANU’LLAH KATHIRI, 40 YEARS OLD, AFTER 11 MONTHS IMPRISONMENT. HIS BODY UNCEREMONIOUSLY BURIED BY AUTHORITIES WITHOUT INFORMING FAMILY.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE JULY 5, 1984

On Thursday, May 10, the Universal House of Justice instructed the Bahá’í International Community in New York City to issue the following press release and to keep the appropriate United Nations agencies informed of the continuing persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran.

THE PERSECUTION OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF IRAN HAS TAKEN AN EXTREMELY SEVERE AND CRITICAL TURN.

OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS ABDUCTIONS, EXECUTIONS, THE IMPRISONMENT OF HUNDREDS, DISMISSAL FROM JOBS, EXPULSION OF BAHÁ’Í CHILDREN FROM SCHOOLS, DESTRUCTION OF HOMES HAVE BEEN THE COMMON LOT OF THIS OPPRESSED COMMUNITY. NOW, HOWEVER, THE AUTHORITIES IN IRAN SEEM TO HAVE DECIDED TO SUBJECT PROMINENT BAHÁ’ÍS TO BARBARIC METHODS OF TORTURE TO EXTRACT FROM THEM CONFESSIONS TO THE FALSE CHARGES LEVELED AGAINST THEM.

TORTURE HAS BEEN USED ON BAHÁ’Í PRISONERS BEFORE, BUT HITHERTO THE PURPOSE HAS BEEN TO FORCE THEM TO RECANT THEIR FAITH OR REVEAL INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR FELLOW BELIEVERS. ALL BUT A FEW OF THE Bahá’ís REMAINED FIRM AND PREFERRED IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH TO RECANTATION OF THEIR FAITH. RECENTLY AN ADDED OBJECTIVE SEEMS TO INSPIRE THE GOVERNMENT'S TORTURE-MONGERS. ALTHOUGH IN ALL THESE YEARS, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE REVOLUTION, THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN IN POSSESSION, THROUGH CONFISCATION, OF ALL THE RECORDS AND FILES OF THE ENTIRE BAHÁ’Í ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM IN IRAN, IT HAS FAILED TO PRODUCE A SINGLE SHRED OF EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT ITS REITERATED ACCUSATION THAT THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY IN IRAN IS A NETWORK OF FOREIGN SPIES AND AGENTS. IT WOULD SEEM THAT NOW IT HAS DETERMINED TO MANUFACTURE BY MEANS OF FALSE CONFESSIONS EXTRACTED UNDER TORTURE, EVIDENCE TO ENABLE IT TO PUBLICLY JUSTIFY ITS INHUMAN PERSECUTION OF THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY OF IRAN. WE KNOW OF

Senate committee considers Bahá’í testimony

On June 26, Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, offered testimony about the torture of Bahá’ís in Iran before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington.

THE NATIONAL Assembly was one of only three non-government organizations invited to appear before the committee for a hearing on the practice of torture by foreign governments and U.S. efforts to oppose its use.

"The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Dr. Kazemzadeh told the legislators, "have used, and are presently using torture against the Bahá’ís, systematically and relentlessly, for two purposes: (1) to force recantation of faith and conversion to Islam, and (2) to extract false confessions of spying and other illegal activities...

The Iranian authorities, he said, "have not been able to find any evidence of such crimes, even though they have confiscated all Bahá’í property and community records, so they are resorting to torture to produce false evidence with which to discredit the Bahá’ís, Iran's largest religious minority."

Quoting from eyewitness accounts, letters and other direct communications received recently from Iran, Dr. Kazemzadeh identified at least 19 Iranian Bahá’ís whose deaths as a result of torture have been documented including five men executed within the past three months in Tehran's infamous Evin prison.

Presiding at the three-hour hearing in the Dirksen Building was the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois, whose parents live only two blocks from the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette.

ALSO present were three other committee members, Sens. Paula Hawkins of Florida, Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, and Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island.

Testifying for the Reagan administration were the Hon. Elliott Abrams, Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, and the Hon. James Michel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs.

Other public witnesses were John Healy, executive director of Amnesty International; Larry Cox, deputy director of Amnesty International; and Michael Posner, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights.

The purpose of the hearing, Sen. Percy said in his opening statement, "is to examine the...

WLGI schedules opening ceremony October 20

October 20, the anniversary of the Birth of the Báb, has been chosen as the date for a gala celebration to mark the opening of WLGI Radio at the Louis G. Gregory Bahá’í Institute in South Carolina.

THE STATION, which went on the air for the first time May 23, the anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb, and completed its frequency testing on June 4, was given permission June 20 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to undertake program testing and began regular broadcasts (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) on July 2.

The station's transmitter building and temporary studio have now been completed, and plans call for a gradual expansion of the broadcast operations to 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

Three local Bahá’í youth who were trained on the air at WBMU, a station in Asheville, North Carolina, that is managed by a Bahá’í, Jim Robinson, will handle most of the station's announcing chores until WLGI is able to expand its staff.

The three youth, Shirlene Brown, James Schell and John Williford, are presently supervised by Dell-Anvar Campbell.

The station has been well advertised in the immediate area by word of mouth, and other advertising such as billboards is planned...

Resolution on Iran persecutions gains Senate approval

On June 15, the U.S. Senate approved unanimously House Concurrent Resolution 226 which expresses the sense of the Congress in condemning the persecution of members of the Bahá’í Faith in Iran.

SENATE passage of the resolution followed by 24 days its approval by the House of Representatives.

Speaking in behalf of the resolution were Sens. Charles Percy of Illinois, Charles Mathias Jr. of Maryland, Nancy Kassebaum of Kansas, John Heinz of Pennsylvania, Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, Paul Sarbanes of Maryland, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, John Glenn of Ohio, Frank Murkowski of Alaska, Larry Pressler of South Dakota and Rudy Boschwitz of Minnesota.

All except Sen. Heinz are members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before whom Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh, vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, was to testify 11 days later, on June 26, during a one-day hearing on torture around the world.

Some excerpts from the senators' remarks:

Sen. Percy "Since the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, the Bahá’í community in Iran has been subjected to cruel and escalating persecution....

"BY passing this resolution, the Senate will make public its absolute condemnation of Iran's persecution of the Bahá’ís."

Sen. Mathias—"The persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran is a tragic case that calls for our support for House Concurrent Resolution... [Page 2]

Feast letter

Historic N. Carolina conference raises standard Power of unity can assure Plan victory in southern states of Campaign of Unified Action

Dear Bahá’í Friends:

In recent weeks, each individual Bahá’í received a copy of the Louhelen letter signed jointly by representatives of the Continental Board of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assembly.

SINCE THAT TIME, the Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assembly have continued to consult on ways in which to make the Campaign of Unified Action a reality.

We urge you to consult with your Auxiliary Board members and their assistants in the development of teaching plans for your community. Whenever possible, you should consult while these plans are still under consideration.

We believe that this consultation, if conducted in a spirit of unity, will inspire your efforts in teaching and will result in unprecedented expansion of the Faith in your community.

Every individual Bahá’í in your community must feel involved. Every Bahá’í must feel the support of the community as each teaches in a way that is comfortable and productive. Every individual must strive for unity and a sense of common purpose with the loving guidance of the Spiritual Assembly.

What is the Campaign of Unified Action? It is quite simple:

1. An individual or group of individuals arises to teach. 2. Spiritual Assemblies and Groups support local initiative and sustain systematic plans for teaching. 3. CONTINENTAL Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assembly and their agencies pledge support to those who have arisen.

The motto of the institutions is: "Find some action and help it along."

The Campaign of Unified Action continues to unfold. The power of the unity of our community will become apparent, even to those participating in the development of this glorious effort, only in retrospect, but it is almost totally dependent upon our ability to learn to work together in ways unprecedented in the history of our community.

If we are to realize the cherished objective of a vast increase in the avowed supporters of our Faith given to this "community of victors" by the Universal House of Justice, we must feel a sense of urgency in our response.

Your Auxiliary Board members and their assistants have accepted the responsibility of keeping in close touch with you as your plans unfold and are implemented. We hope you will also work closely with your District Teaching Committee and keep in close touch with the National Center, advising us when you need our help.

Only to the extent that we all work together, each in his own way, free from the criticism of others who would choose to go about their teaching in a different manner, will total victory be possible.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

Historic N. Carolina conference raises standard

Raising the standard of the Campaign of Unified Action in the southern states was the theme of an historic conference organized by Counsellor Sarah Martin Pereira and held June 15-17 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

COUNSELLORS Pereira and Dr. Farzam Arbáb, five Auxiliary Board members and 45 assistants to the Auxiliary Board met to put into action the message sent to the American Bahá’í community following the National Spiritual Assembly-sponsored conference at the Louhelen Bahá’í School.

That message, a call for unified action addressed to the "community of victors"—the Bahá’ís of the United States—appeared in the July issue of The American Bahá’í.

Also attending the Charlotte conference was Dr. Alberta Deas, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly who is director of the Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute and an assistant to Auxiliary Board member Elizabeth Martin.

"This Campaign of Unified Action, this collaboration of the institutions and the friends to win the goals of the Seven Year Plan, demonstrates our rapid rate of growth and development as a national Bahá’í community," said Dr. Pereira.

Stating their determination to achieve the "vast increase in avowed adherents" of the Cause called for in successive messages from the Universal House of Justice, the attendees drafted a letter setting out an immediate course of action.

"OUR strategy," the letter states, is to carry the letter from the National Spiritual Assembly "as a manifesto to the local Bahá’í community to serve as a basis for consultation, planning, action and the ultimate victories we will achieve.

"Our thrust is to inspire and involve ourselves in the development of sustained, systematic and viable teaching plans with the communities and then to fully support them through our own personal involvement."

The conference heard a report of the successes of the teaching work in South Carolina and learned how essential it is to attract additional manpower for consolidating the state's 225 Local Spiritual Assemblies.

Other reports covered the use of the Creative Word in teaching, the expanded view of the implications of Bahá’í scholarship, the challenge at the grassroots level of social and economic development projects, and the vital support from this institution for the "youth movement" which was energized at the Louhelen conference.

The conference attendees resolved to assist the friends in the 16 southern states to arise and take their place in "the front ranks of Bahá’u’lláh’s invincible Army of Light" in the Campaign of Unified Action, and indeed to form "the vanguard of its thrust."

(Photo Caption: Counsellors Farzam Arbáb (center in dark suit) and Sarah Martin Pereira (to his left) are pictured with the five Auxiliary Board members and many of the 45 assistants to the Auxiliary Board who took part in a conference June 15-17 in Charlotte, North Carolina, to discuss the Campaign of Unified Action and its implementation in the 16 southern states. Dr. Alberta Deas, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, is seated in front of Dr. Pereira.)

Small Faroese community casts big shadow

Go look on a map and try to find the Faroe Islands. Keep looking.

There they are! Between Scotland and Iceland. Somewhere.

THE BAHÁ’Í community of the Faroes is made up entirely of pioneers and one Faroese woman who became a Bahá’í but has remained inactive.

It's so easy to think that the Faith is not progressing when we see no tangible results in a situation such as this.

But perhaps true teaching is living the life—because the Bahá’ís in the remote Faroe Islands are largely responsible for the Faith's inclusion on a major New York City radio program that is syndicated all over the U.S.

Barry Farber has hosted a late-night talk show on a New York station since 1960. In 1981, when he was to be married, Barry fled from the familiar limelight of New York for a quiet ceremony in a remote part of the world... the Faroe Islands.

The waiter in the hotel dining room in Torshavn, capital of the Faroes, was a well-spoken Englishman.

Barry, who makes his living asking questions and staying alert, could tell from the man's accent that he wasn't a native.

HIS curiosity aroused, Barry asked the waiter why he was living in the Faroes.

Roy Philbrow explained that he and his wife had come to the Faroes to pioneer for the Bahá’í Faith.

To his surprise, Roy found that Barry knew a great deal about the Faith. In fact, he said, he remembered the Bahá’í Center in his native Greensboro, North Carolina.

Barry said he learned more about the Faith from a young woman who interned on his first radio show in New York City in 1960.

Roy was even more surprised and happy to learn that Barry is a close friend of a Bahá’í, jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.

After returning to New York, Barry Farber presented a program with Dizzy Gillespie and a panel of non-Bahá’ís. They discussed the persecutions in Iran which were only then, in 1981, beginning to become known to the world.

I AM the woman who worked as an intern for Barry in 1960. I heard the program and wrote to him.

Soon afterward, he phoned and asked me to be on his program. I was really surprised when Barry said he remembered what I had told him about the Faith more than 20 years before.

But it wasn't me—it was the sincere devotion and day-to-day life of the Faroe Bahá’ís that did it.

When Barry and Leil were married, all the Bahá’ís showed up at the city hall. They carried lighted candles and threw confetti (a Faroe custom). Barry said it was like he and Leil had a family in a country of strangers.

Barry Farber has a reputation as a tough interviewer, but he is extremely kind to the Bahá’ís. He rebroadcast the interview with me and my husband several times, and syndicated it around the country.

In May 1983, when President Reagan made his public statement about the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, a statement that appeared on the front page of The New York Times, Barry decided to do another program on the Faith.

This time he interviewed an Iranian Bahá’í, Miss Sousan Rouhani, whose aunt, uncle and young cousin were martyred.

Barry's program was on the air before the same subject was dealt

(This month's article, "Living the Life in the Faroes," was written by Pat Tyler Kinney of Leonia, New Jersey.)

The American Bahá’í (USPS 042-430) Published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 60091. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL. Editor: Jack Bowers Associate Editor: David E. Ogron The American Bahá’í welcomes news, letters and other items of interest from individuals and the various institutions of the Faith. Articles should be written in a clear and concise manner, color or black and white glossy photos should be included whenever possible. Address all materials to the Editor, The American Bahá’í, Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright 1984 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. [Page 3]

LETTERS

Enrollment, recognition must go hand in hand

"The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions."—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

The American Bahá’í welcomes letters to the editor on any topic of general interest. The purpose of the "letters" column is to allow a free and open exchange of ideas, never to derogate another's opinion or attack anyone on a personal level.

Letters should be as brief as possible (a maximum of 250 words is suggested). Letters are subject to editing for length and style. Please address all letters to the Editor, The American Bahá’í, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

To the Editor:

The Riḍván message from the Universal House of Justice calls to our attention "the sad lag in the rate of (our) current enrollments." THIS has already caused an acceleration in the all-out effort to enlarge our membership.

But I believe with all my heart and soul that the way in which this has been done, in too many instances and for a number of years, is the very reason for the lag.

For example, H. Gerald Laursen's letter (April) tells us that of 1,400 who were enrolled in the early 1970s (in Argentina), about 13 per cent, or 182, are, "thanks be to God," still Bahá’ís.

How could that be? Those 182, like the others who were taught the Faith, were not "deepened" or "nurtured."

Is it perhaps because they were the "waiting souls" we are supposed to find, not captive audiences who were signed up—"quality" signers (for whom the beloved Guardian asked) instead of the "quantity" whose numbers make us feel so pleased with ourselves.

The confusion of the words "teaching" and "converting" is probably our greatest problem. Perhaps it is a holdover from the evangelical Christian backgrounds many of us have.

THE BOOKLET "A Special Measure of Love" contains many directives from the Guardian on the subject of "those responsible for accepting new enrollments." The words I've emphasized are weighty words, and we really should think carefully about their definition.

In Wellspring of Guidance, the chapter titled "Teaching the masses" contains some gently worded but strong warnings. We would do well to study that carefully too.

It is impossible to truly recognize (to know again) this Most Great Revelation and be lukewarm, casual or careless of it. So consider this:

Enrollment in the Faith is an administrative action. "Full recognition..." is the "prime requisite," the heart's spiritual response to the gift of faith.

If there is enrollment without genuine recognition, then do we not "dissociate the administrative principles of the Cause from the purely spiritual and humanitarian teachings," which would, in the words of the Guardian, "be tantamount to a mutilation of the body of the Cause, a separation that can only result in the disintegration of its component parts, and the extinction of the Faith itself"? (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 5)

J.M. Sater Scottsdale, Arizona

The Amoz Gibson campaign enrolls 121, forms three new Assemblies on the Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, while in South Carolina, the 'Army of Light' is once again on the march. Details in next month's issue of The American Bahá’í!

To the Editor:

In the broader sense, the word "revelation" can apply to various moments of insight we all experience now and then.

Over the years, certain aspects of the Teachings have been difficult for me to comprehend. Then comes a period of prayer, meditation and pondering (sometimes for years) such questions.

Finally, some incidental, passing experience seems to trigger something inside, and suddenly the answer becomes clear.

Here is an example which came to me recently. It may or may not be significant. Time will tell.

There is a recurring question as to why some of our Teachings seem to "appear" somewhat elementary to some who have acquired a fairly good level of spiritual maturity.

During a recent period of meditation, it came to me that we must diligently prepare something for a future time which may possibly be even worse than we now imagine.

Is it possible that what we have seen as a degenerate world may sink to even lower depths before the new dawn becomes visible to the masses?

If so, then perhaps those days may demand a very elementary approach to spiritual understanding.

Could it be that one aspect of our goals is to establish a workable religion that might be even more relevant to a future society? Perhaps time will tell.

C.M. Gordon Denton, Texas

To the Editor:

In a recent issue of The American Bahá’í (May 1984) you noted that a Mrs. Wing was in a nursing home in Everett, Washington, and asked people to visit her.

Today, while visiting a non-Bahá’í friend in Everett, I did just that.

HAZEL WING

It seems that Mrs. Wing, a bright, cheerful soul, has received many letters as a result of the item in The American Bahá’í.

I wish there were others with Mrs. Wing's happy and hopeful attitude—she's a living doll! Thanks for putting the item in the paper.

Mrs. Leah Dagen Denver, Colorado

To the Editor:

Thank you so very much for placing the ad (May 1984) regarding Hazel Wing, Washington state's oldest living Bahá’í.

As a result, she has received letters and cards from all over the world including even Iran!

We are so happy for her, and these notes have really encouraged her and brightened her days.

I have since moved to Ellensburg, Washington; however, my father, Harry Taylor, and other Bahá’ís from Everett and vicinity will help write replies.

Thanks again for your loving concern.

Frieda Nicol Ellensburg, Washington

To the Editor:

This is in response to the letter (June) from Robert P. Smith regarding Bahá’ís who use natural means of healing rather than consulting a physician.

Medicine has of course made enormous advances in treating disease, but so have the methods of those who recommend the use of organic vitamins, herbs and even fragrant flowers.

It has to be admitted that medical doctors have made grave errors which have had disastrous, sometimes life-threatening, results. It is a matter of record.

Some medical doctors find it difficult to accept new ideas that do not come from their realm. Quoting from The Secret Life of Plants, p. 154:

"Next it came to (Dr. George Washington) Carver that peanut oil could help the atrophied muscles of polio victims. Results were so astonishing that he had to set aside one day each month to treat patients who came to his laboratory on stretchers, crutches, or canes.

"This feat remained as unheralded in medicine as the application of castor-oil packs, recommended about the same time by the 'sleeping prophet,' Edgar Cayce, with which doctors of an intrepidly investigative frame of mind are only today beginning to achieve startling, and wholly inexplicable cures."

Mr. Smith might find it interesting and enlightening to read an article in the April 1984 issue of "Harper's Bazaar" entitled "The Healing Magic of Plants." Further investigation would reveal much more information on this entrancing subject.

It has been more than 60 years since ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke of natural healing. How long would Mr. Smith have us wait? The time has come.

No one is suggesting that one never see a medical doctor, but there are alternatives to knives, needles and drugs.

Belinda M. Calvert Concord, New Hampshire

To the Editor:

Brent Poirier ("Letters," June) is correct when he notes that just or righteous wars have been upheld in the Bahá’í Faith as potential cornerstones of peace.

But the existence of nuclear weapons renders a third planetary war unthinkable, and the actual wide-scale use of those weapons would not be war, it would destroy war, just as it would destroy every other institution that human beings hold dear.

Recently there has been a growing belief that apart from any negotiations with its adversaries, either direct or mediated by some third party, the U.S. could stop the arms race by itself—if it wanted to.

A proposal, termed the "quick freeze," which would place a moratorium on the testing and deployment of new nuclear missiles by the U.S., is receiving increasing attention in Congress.

While I am not a member of any peace movement except the Bahá’í Faith, I do think that the idea has merit, and like the issue it addresses, cuts across lines of partisan politics; therefore, I feel justified in supporting it.

Philip H. Costa College Station, Texas

To the Editor:

We would like to express our deep appreciation to two American Bahá’í families who have provided a "new world" support system.

OUR teen-age daughters spent two years in the U.S. in boarding schools while we continued to pioneer in Africa.

The International Goals Committee gave us the names of a Bahá’í family near each of our daughter's schools—Virginia and Erv Schawacher in Westchester, Pennsylvania, and Sharon and Dave Lund in Traverse City, Michigan.

Although we had never met, both families willingly agreed by mail to "adopt" our girls.

During the last two years these families nurtured, guided and loved our teen-agers as if they were

See LETTERS Page 28

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[Page 4]

ELLSWORTH BLACKWELL

"The work you have done, the sacrifices you have made, the historic mission you have initiated, are highly praiseworthy, meritorious and unforgettable," the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, wrote in April 1941, not long after Ellsworth Blackwell and his wife had become pioneers to Haiti under the first Seven Year Plan where they would serve for 22 years.

ELLSWORTH Blackwell, the youngest of eight children, was born August 1, 1902, in Greenville, Mississippi.

As a young man he attended the University of Iowa, majoring in political economy. After completing his studies Mr. Blackwell moved to Chicago where he worked as a newspaper reporter for the Chicago Defender.

It was while he was living in Chicago that he learned of the Faith, attended study classes, and became a Bahá’í in October 1934. Not long afterward, Mr. Blackwell met Ruth Browne, another recently enrolled Bahá’í from Aurora, Illinois. They were married in 1937.

Mrs. Blackwell, who now lives in Wilmette, Illinois, believes their marriage was only the second interracial union of two Bahá’ís who had been believers before they met and married.

The first such marriage was that of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory and his wife, Louise.

IN 1938 Mrs. Blackwell gave birth to a son, Philip Ellsworth, who died only a week later.

When the Blackwells decided to pioneer under the first Seven Year Plan, they were guided by a suggestion made by Mr. Gregory and the National Spiritual Assembly and chose Haiti, arriving in 1940.

Two years later, Haiti's first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Port-au-Prince.

Hearing on Torture

...by foreign governments to find out why it occurs with such alarming frequency.

"Equally important purposes are to examine what the U.S. government is doing right now to influence governments not to practice torture, and to identify other additional measures that we might take to curb this terrible human rights abuse.

"AS A first step," he said, "...I will introduce a joint resolution that requests the Secretary of State to instruct representatives of the U.S. government abroad to engage in efforts to combat torture in countries where it is practiced....

"We hope through this effort to continue to expose the practice of torture and convince the practitioners that it is not in their interests to pursue this illegal conduct.

"This will require an enormous effort to succeed. But if there is ever to be an end, then there must be a beginning."

Mr. Abrams, who testified on behalf of the Bahá’ís in Iran at a hearing May 2 before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations, said, "The fact that torture is practiced by so many governments in so many parts of the world suggests that there is no one explanation to account for its persistence.

"Some regimes lack popular legitimacy, and resort to torture in order to punish and intimidate dissidents. Other regimes feel themselves under siege by terrorists, and regard torture as a means of self-defense.

"STILL other governments believe that certain minorities—the Bahá’ís in Iran are an obvious example—deserve to be treated cruelly and inhumanely...."

After briefly reviewing in his written testimony the background of relations between the Bahá’ís and the Shi'ite Muslims in Iran, and the measures taken by the Islamic Revolutionary Government to suppress the Faith in that country, Dr. Kazemzadeh documented instances of torture "as a means of compelling recantation of one’s faith and conversion to Islam, or compelling confession of crimes that (were) never committed.

"The ultimate stage of barbarity is reached," he said, "when torture is used for purely ideological or religious purposes, when blood is shed, bodies are broken, nails and teeth pulled, ribs crushed, to make a prisoner give up a belief and adopt the views and values of his tormentors.

"When whips, hot irons, rods, knives, sticks and chains are made the tools of persuasion in matters of thought and spirit, we witness the most revolting perversion, a betrayal of all humanity.

"When such instruments are used in the service of religion, the essence of that religion is dishonored by its own fanatical votaries."

DR. Kazemzadeh, whose testimony was buttressed by graphic displays depicting the horrors of torture in Iran, then presented to the committee verified examples of the use of torture against members of the Faith in the land of its birth.

"The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States," he said, "does not wish to make specific recommendations to the committee at present.

"However, we strongly condemn torture as one of the most heinous crimes against humanity. It can never be justified, no matter what the circumstances.

"That torture is used at all and that its practice is spreading testifies to the fragility of civilization and to the ease with which humanity reverts to barbarism....

"Acquiescence to torture is a compromise with evil unworthy of this nation.

"WE HOPE that the government of the United States together with the governments of all nations that profess love of humanity will seek, through the United Nations and through all other legitimate means, the total eradication of torture from the earth."

Following the hearing Dr. Kazemzadeh participated with the other witnesses and members of the Foreign Relations Committee in a press conference, also at the Dirksen Building.

Among the media represented were ABC radio, the Mutual radio network, the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, the Cable News Network, the Washington Post, Scripps-Howard newspapers, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Associated Press, United Press International, and the North Carolina News Service.

Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh (back to camera), vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, is questioned by Sen. Charles Percy, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during the committee's hearing June 26 on torture around the world.

The hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee was the third in which members of the National Spiritual Assembly and other Bahá’ís have presented testimony to Congress concerning the worsening conditions faced by their co-religionists in Iran.

The first two appearances, in May 1982 and again on May 2 of this year, were before the House Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations. Each one led to the passage by Congress of a resolution condemning the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and urging government action to help stop it.

On May 22, about a month before the most recent hearing, the House passed Concurrent Resolution 226, and the Senate added its approval on June 15.

National Spiritual Assembly creates 94 District Electoral Committees to oversee conventions

The National Spiritual Assembly has created new District Electoral Committees in each of the country's 94 Bahá’í electoral districts to take charge of organizing the annual district conventions.

IN ADDITION to registration, each three-member committee will be responsible for choosing a convention site, setting up an agenda within guidelines, electing temporary convention officers, providing a bookstore and children's classes, appointing tellers, and seeing that the election itself proceeds smoothly.

The new committees were created to help strengthen the District Teaching Committees, who previously had the responsibility for organizing district conventions, by enabling the District Teaching Committees to focus more of their time and energy on teaching.

According to Dr. Dwight Allen, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, the National Assembly has found that some District Teaching Committees were spending as much as one-half of their time on election business.

"From August through November," he says, "some DTCs could not do much teaching; all they could do was electing, and this seemed counter-productive."

The creation of District Electoral Committees, Dr. Allen adds, is an outgrowth of the emphasis on teaching as an important element of the Campaign of Unified Action.

IN addition, he says, the National Spiritual Assembly is working with the National Teaching Committee to further articulate the role of District Teaching Committees with respect to Local Spiritual Assemblies so that the committees and Assemblies can work together more effectively.

Spiritual Assemblies in each district have volunteered to aid the District Electoral Committees as a channel for convention funds.

In making the new committee appointments, says Beth Elbe, a member of the Bahá’í National Center staff who with fellow employee Gordon Coates has been volunteering evenings to set up the committees, the National Spiritual Assembly first asked each District Teaching Committee to supply a list of names of individuals who would be willing and able to serve on the electoral committees.

A concern expressed by some of the friends following last year's district conventions, says Ms. Elbe, was that children's classes were not as well provided for as they could have been.

"To strengthen the children's programs at district conventions," she says, "an attempt was made to place on each new District Electoral Committee someone who is either involved in the Local Education Adviser Program (LEAP) or has had some experience in planning children's programs."

Look for a listing of district convention sites and balloting information in the September issue of The American Bahá’í. [Page 5]

Through unity, we can 'invite' Master's presence in America

To the American Bahá’í community (for the Feast of Kalimát/Words)

Dear Friends:

Let's go back in time and try to imagine what it would be like to be living in the days of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

One of our most ardent desires would have been to invite the beloved Master to America. Juliet Thompson found herself in such a position while in Europe with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1911.

COMING UPON a spectacular waterfall, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá turned to Juliet and asked, smiling: "If I come to America, Juliet, will you invite Me to see such waterfalls?"

"I will invite you to see Niagara if You will come to America!" Juliet replied in all eagerness. "But surely, my Lord, Your coming to America doesn't depend upon my invitation."

"My invitation to America will be the unity of the believers," was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's answer.

We can extend to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá today the same invitation to be in our midst. Even though the Master is no longer with us on the physical plane, we are assured of His presence when unity presides over our activities.

How attractive to the Master would be the unity of 20,000 teaching, contributing individuals!

With warmest love and appreciation for your participation,

National Bahá’í Fund

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

Dorothy W. Nelson, Treasurer

August 1984

Georgia children aid Fund with 'walk-a-thon'

Twenty-four children from the Bahá’í community of Marietta, Georgia, participated Sunday, April 15, in a "walk-a-thon" sponsored by their Local Spiritual Assembly to raise money for the National Fund.

The participants ranged in age from three and one-half to 12 years, and together they clocked more than 74 miles.

The longest walk by any one child was about four miles. Sixty-nine individuals sponsored the children and contributed a total of $809.60 to the Fund.

The idea for the walk-a-thon sprang from a successful read-a-thon sponsored by the community a year earlier in which the children raised money for the National Fund by reading Bahá’í books.

The walk-a-thon was preceded by a sale of handcraft items made by the children.

Adult observers noted that carrying out activities to support the Bahá’í Fund brought great happiness to the faces of the young participants.

CONTRIBUTIONS

'Happiness is walking to support the National Fund,' say these smiling children from Marietta, Georgia, whose recent walk-a-thon raised more than $800 for the Fund. Pictured are (front row left to right) Shervin Kharazmi, Nabil Yazdani, Mona Kharazmi, Marcus Morgan, Ian Boyd, Som Kharazmi, Bahji Adams; second row (left to right) Farshad Marvasti, Tennesha Morgan, Kisses Wilson, Sheva Kharazmi, Neda Vojdani, Panida Nasseh, Joshea Adams; back row (left to right) Navid Yazdani, Keyanush Imani, Bryant Morgan, Parish Tofighian, Deyanush Imani, Amie Adams, Katherine Vojdani. Not pictured are Brandy Foster, Giso Tofighian, Nima Ahdi Shoghi.

COLLECTIVE $600,000 500,000 400,000 300,000 $290,069 200,000 100,000

The Winners' Circle

P P P P P P P P P P P

Pictured above is the new Contributions Chart through the month of Núr. It will be used throughout the remainder of the Seven Year Plan along with a newly designed Participation Chart. The three-dimensional "blocks" on the chart symbolize the solidity of bedrock—the National Fund. Regular contributions to the Fund will help the progress of the Faith and the spiritual progress of the contributor.

VIE chart shows strong resurgence

Contributions to the National Bahá’í Fund by District

'Starting Block' Info

Highest percentage participation 1. Tennessee, Eastern 2. Idaho, Southern 3. Vermont 4. Nevada, Southern 5. California, Northern No. 2 6. Nebraska 7. Florida, Southwest 8. California, Southern No. 4 9. New York, Western 10. Maine 11. Iowa 12. Montana 13. Idaho N/Washington E 13. Montana 14. Nebraska 15. New York, Western 16. Texas, Eastern No. 2 17. California, Southern No. 2 18. Washington, Northwest 19. Alabama S/Florida NW

Most improved participation 1. Idaho, Southern 2. South Carolina, Western 3. California, Southern No. 4 4. Florida, Southwest 5. Oregon, Eastern 6. California, Northern No. 2 7. Nevada, Southern 8. Tennessee, Eastern 9. Vermont 10. Oklahoma, Western 11. Maine 12. New York, Eastern 13. Montana 14. Ohio, Southern 15. Wisconsin, Southern 16. Wisconsin N/Michigan 17. Minnesota, Northern 18. Massachusetts 19. California, Southern No. 2

District Name | Membership as of 12/9/83 | Number of participants | Percentage of participation | Current Month Info (Núr) Membership as of 6/10/84 | Number of participants | Percentage of participation

Alabama S/Florida NW 349 10 3.0 334 21 6.3 Alabama N 307 21 6.8 302 31 10.3 Arizona N 941 51 5.4 929 61 6.6 Arizona S 410 21 5.1 409 24 5.9 Arkansas 476 24 5.0 470 25 5.3 California C No. 1 2,722 190 7.0 2613 325 12.4 California C No. 2 445 40 9.0 450 73 16.2 California N No. 1 585 70 12.0 596 78 13.1 California N No. 2 389 41 10.5 384 140 36.5 California S No. 1 2,709 180 6.6 2696 247 9.2 California S No. 2 1,158 112 9.7 1151 240 20.9 California S No. 3 441 42 9.5 446 76 17.0 [Page 6]

U.S. must fill 12 important Pacific area goals

"Fellow-believers in the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh: The inexorable march of recent events has carried humanity so near to the goal foreshadowed by Bahá’u’lláh that no responsible follower of His Faith, viewing on all sides the distressing evidences of the world's travail, can remain unmoved at the thought of its approaching deliverance."—Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 29

"Therefore, a party... must turn their faces to and travel through the three great island groups of the Pacific Ocean, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia..."—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan

Twelve Pacific goals have been assigned to the U.S. Bahá’í community by the Universal House of Justice, to be filled by Ridván 1985.

To help you decide whether you are one of those "Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh" who will travel to and live in those regions, we will describe the goal islands briefly.

EONS before European minds envisioned the world to be anything but a disk, brave men and women voyaged without compass or sextant from the then landmass of Indonesia to the tiniest, most remote islands and atolls of the Pacific Ocean.

Fearlessly, they crossed and re-crossed the waters, using the stars, currents, and winds to guide them, and settled these diverse and widely separated islands.

Now Bahá’u’lláh calls upon a select few rugged, devoted, fearless Bahá’ís to hop on a jet plane and join their fellow believers in some of these islands.

Micronesia is a far-flung, scattered speckle of islands spread throughout the northwest area of the Pacific, far to the west of Hawaii and just north of the equator. Each island is different from all the others, making 2,141 variations on the tropical theme.

The name Micronesia means "tiny islands." The whole territory is equal in size to the continental U.S., while its actual land mass is about half the size of Rhode Island.

By and large, the islands are unspoiled and undeveloped. Since the 18th century they have been occupied in turn by the Spanish, Germans, Japanese and Americans, all of whom have left their mark.

A member of the Continental Board of Counsellors said of the people of these islands, "In my travels for the Faith, I have rarely encountered a people who appealed to me more than the Micronesians. They seem to be a people of great capacity, apart from their attractive personal qualities of warmth, dignity and humility."

Our goals there now are Kosrae (1 pioneer) and Truk (2 pioneers) in the Caroline Islands; Rota (2 pioneers) and Tinian (1 pioneer) in the Mariana Islands; and the Marshall Islands (2 pioneers).

Each of the islands has one or more U.S. pioneers already living there who can help you with information and getting settled.

Pictured with seven staff members of the International Goals Committee office at the Bahá’í National Center are 25 Bahá’ís from 12 states including 10 traveling teachers who attended a Pioneer Training Institute held June 7-10 at the National Center in Wilmette, Illinois. Speakers included the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem (not pictured), a guest from the United Kingdom, and National Center staff members representing the National Archives and House of Worship Activities Committee. The prospective pioneers listed as their destinations Korea, the Cook Islands, the Fiji Islands, Guatemala and Colombia. The traveling teachers were making plans to visit Mexico, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Italy, Antigua, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and France.

Truk, Caroline Islands

Previously a Trust Territory of the U.S., Truk is now a democracy and one of the Federated States of Micronesia.

Millions of years ago, Truk Atoll, once one huge island, sank into the ocean, leaving its 11 highest peaks as major islands caught in a coral circle. It is, in fact, the world's largest lagoon, with smooth, clear waters—a skin diver's dream, a water skier's delight, a fisherman's paradise.

The small, mountainous islands have tropical weather, averaging 84-88 degrees, and are 90 minutes from Guam by jet.

English is spoken on the main island of Moen, but one must learn Trukese on the other islands. The older people speak Japanese.

Pioneers must be hardy, brave, sensitive, and enthusiastic without being overbearing or pushy.

There are now 12 Local Assemblies and 14 localities. There is a great need for deepening, consolidation, teaching and administration. Pioneers with sound experience on Spiritual Assemblies are especially welcome.

Other skills that are highly useful are auto mechanics, outboard and refrigerator repair. A good way to go to Truk is with the Peace Corps, which gives language instruction. Teachers with credentials may be able to secure jobs at the high school in Moen. Paying jobs are scarce, but there may be some for lawyers or doctors. Business must be 50 per cent locally owned.

Life there is simple and slow. The cost of living runs from $500-$600 per person a month. There is a hospital in Moen with five doctors and a dental clinic.

Kosrae, Caroline Islands

If one were cut off from all shipping, the diet on Kosrae would still be adequate. Bananas, taro, coconuts and yams grow there, as well as other fruits and vegetables.

There are elementary and secondary schools. English and Kosraen are spoken.

Men are regarded as important by the islanders, and may live alone, while women must live with a family or with other women. The life-style is extremely simple.

A lone U.S. pioneer went there about two years ago, and the first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed on Kosrae this past Ridván.

The younger people are open and questioning, but the older ones have a conservative Protestant orientation. Peace Corps people, especially math and science teachers for high schools; doctors, medical officers; lawyers should be able to find work. A retired couple should be able to live on a minimum of $600 a month.

There is a hospital with two doctors and a medical officer, but no dentists.

Rota and Tinian, Mariana Islands

The Mariana Islands consist of four major islands and several small, sparsely populated islands.

Guam and Saipan are the largest. The islands are limestone and volcanic with rolling hills, cliffs, coral reefs and small bays. There is regular air transportation between all islands. They have their own National Spiritual Assembly.

The Mariana Islands are under two governments. Guam is a Territory of the U.S. and is under U.S. law and jurisdiction. The rest of the islands form the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which is associated with the U.S. the Commonwealth is an emerging nation.

The indigenous people, the Chamorros, are primarily Catholic, and are hospitable and friendly. English is the official language of the islands, and Chamorro is also widely spoken.

One U.S. pioneer has been working on Rota as a nurse, and two other pioneers arrived there recently with their four children.

Tinian may have jobs for primary school teachers, and perhaps for a doctor, an engineer or a pilot for a small airline. It is almost impossible for pioneers to obtain jobs unless they are there and can be interviewed, but there are jobs, especially if one is willing to work outside of his preferred field.

One can go from Tinian to Saipan for $50 U.S. round-trip. Tinian may soon be losing its lone U.S. pioneer because she is having eye trouble; therefore, Tinian is more of a priority at the moment than Rota.

Marshall Islands

This 34-island group has 870 reefs, and the sea is available in more than a dozen shades of blue.

The government is presently undergoing change. It has been a U.S. trustee under UN Trusteeship, but its exact future is uncertain; it may become a U.S. Commonwealth, may become independent, or may try "free association" with the U.S.

Living conditions vary from the urban areas to the outer islands. Income depends upon what jobs are available. Teachers can be hired for high schools, and the community college is always in need of English teachers. Regardless of your education, you must have some experience at any grade level (one pioneer has only an AA degree but had experience teaching English).

Pioneers need to be patient, flexible, and willing to associate with the local people and to learn their customs. Older people are highly respected by the Marshallese, and the Bahá’ís there would very much like to have some Iranians move there.

The people are receptive and willing to listen but have a strong, conservative Christian background and are familiar with the Bible.

The Marshall Islands have their own National Spiritual Assembly with 600-700 Bahá’ís among a total population of 30,000. The name of the Faith is familiar to all, but there is as yet no great response.

• • U.S. goals in the Pacific**

• Caroline Islands

   *   Kosrae: 1
   *   Truk: 2

• Fiji: 2
• Mariana Islands

   *   Rota: 2
   *   Tinian: 1

• Marshall Islands: 2
• Tuvalu: 2
• **Total: 12**

[Page 7]Jacqueline Eghrari, a member of the Bahá’í National Youth Committee, presents a copy of the book A Crown of Beauty to Floyd Brown of the IYY Commission following a reception June 22 at the White House at which plans for the observance of International Youth Year 1985 were announced.

Bahá’í youth at White House reception to promote International Youth Year ’85

Among the invited guests at a White House reception June 22 to promote the upcoming International ‎Youth Year of Youth 1985 Youth Year 1985‎ was Jacqueline Eghrari, a Bahá’í from St. James, New York, who is a member of the National Youth Committee.

A HIGHLIGHT of the rose garden reception was the participation of President Ronald Reagan who spoke about the IYY observance.

The National Youth Committee is a member of the IYY Commission, developed under the aegis of the U.S. State Department.

Some member organizations were invited to send representatives to the White House reception, and the Bahá’í participation gave us an opportunity to underscore our enthusiastic support of IYY programs.

Following the program, Miss Eghrari, a pre-med student at Smith College in Massachusetts, met with Floyd Brown of the IYY Commission and presented him with an inscribed copy of the book A Crown of Beauty.

Miss Eghrari later met with the IYY Commission’s Domestic Policy Committee, the group charged with planning the national observance.

HER participation gave her a chance to speak to many interested people about the Faith, and many of them congratulated the Bahá’ís for their well-designed programs and advance planning.

Attending the meeting with Miss Eghrari was Albert Cheung, a Bahá’í who is a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University’s department of math sciences who has been serving since February as the National Youth Committee’s representative to the IYY Commission.

The groundwork laid by these dedicated young Bahá’ís has increased the Faith’s stature and prestige with many leaders of thought representing hundreds of youth organizations across the country.

Another victory was logged when the Bahá’í plan for the observance of IYY was featured last month in the commission’s newsletter. The wording came directly from the brochure published by the National Youth Committee which outlined the programs planned for the Bahá’í observance of 1985’s commemorative year for youth.

Copies of the pamphlet were mailed in May to all youth and Assemblies, and additional copies are available upon request from the National Youth Committee, 1371 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33313; phone 305-584-1844.

‘Deeds, Not Words’ is Orlando theme

The annual Youth Conference at Disney World near Orlando, Florida, scheduled to be held December 27-31, promises to offer a stimulating program for the anticipated 400 attendees.

The theme of this year’s conference, which is sponsored by the National Youth Committee, is “‘Let Deeds, Not Words, Be Your Adorning.’”

Among the confirmed speakers are Mildred Mottahedeh, a member of the International Goals Committee, who will speak on social and economic development as well as on pioneering; Jack McCants, who will share his inspiring stories of the sacrifices of the Hands of the Cause of God; and Hussein Ahdieh, speaking about the example of the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

Another honored guest will be Dr. Dwight Allen, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, who has attended the annual conference for the past four years.

Dr. Allen will speak about International Youth Year 1985 and the Bahá’í response to this momentous worldwide program.

The conference falls on the eve of the beginning of International Youth Year, and a kick-off for IYY is planned as a part of the weekend program.

Also, a teaching project will be held in conjunction with the conference, and those who are traveling to Florida are encouraged to set aside some time in which to participate in the project.

Notice

The Bahá’í National Youth Committee has a new address and phone number:

Bahá’í National Youth Committee, Karen Pritchard, secretary, 1371 Sunset Strip, Sunrise, FL 33313. Phone 305-584-1844.

‘Youth movement’ sweeping country

Has it reached your community yet? Are you part of the “youth movement”?

In recent weeks, a fresh wind of enthusiasm and heightened spirit has been blowing over the entire Bahá’í community.

THE enthusiasm emanates from the revitalized sense of commitment on the part of Bahá’í youth everywhere who have embraced the “movement.”

All over the country, youth are literally on the move. Summer projects have welcomed a large number of youth volunteers, and traveling teachers are touring various parts of the country meeting with youth groups and holding mini-conferences to help spread the spirit.

This fresh energy is a direct result of the two-day meeting held in May at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan, when at the invitation of Counsellors Farzam Arbab and Fred Schechter, 35 youth and young adults from the U.S. and Canada gathered to consult on ways to redirect their service to the Cause.

This handful of youth immediately dispersed to various parts of the country to acquaint their fellow youth with the philosophy of the “youth movement,” and the results have been truly fantastic.

The Bahá’í National Youth Committee, which is striving to monitor the development and progress of the movement, reports that hundreds of youth have pledged their time and talents to the teaching needs while countless others have participated in movement programs in all areas of the country.

A SPECIAL victory program is set to coincide with the International Youth Conference in western Ontario, Canada, in late August.

The youth who gather there will consult on ways to further this exciting spirit of action and on specific ways in which youth can apply themselves to the tasks of the final phase of the Seven Year Plan.

As news of this youth movement reaches local communities, youth are urged to participate in the various gatherings being held.

The Universal House of Justice challenged the youth, in its message to youth last January, to move the ‎world, This world. This‎ challenge, if it is to be realized, will require the wholehearted dedication of every young believer.

Bahá’í Parenting Conference to be held as part of 1985 Youth Conference in Ohio

More news about the International Youth Conference to be held during the summer of 1985 at Ohio State University:

The National Youth Committee happily announces that a Bahá’í Parenting Conference will be held under the sponsorship of the National Education Committee as a part of the program for youth.

Karen Pritchard, secretary of the National Youth Committee, says, “We realize that many youth, and especially those in their early teens, will attend the conference with their parents or adult sponsors, and we wanted to have a program that would appeal also to those adult Bahá’ís.

“The National Education Committee enthusiastically took on this program, and the plan is to share many of the Bahá’í speakers with both sessions.”

The conference will be held July 3-7, 1985, in observance of International Youth Year ’85. A children’s program also will be held, and is being coordinated by the National Education Committee.

Young San Diego Bahá’í competing in Olympics with U.S. soccer team

Nader Tirandazi, an 18-year-old Bahá’í who is majoring in computer science at San Diego State University and Grossmont College, is competing in the summer Olympics as a member of the U.S. Olympic soccer team.

Mr. Tirandazi, a midfielder and forward, was named the most valuable player in the pre-qualification finals against Argentina, a game in which he scored two goals and had one assist.

In 1982 he was a member of the Australian national team.

Mr. Tirandazi, who has been playing soccer for 10 years, is a member of the Bahá’í Youth Committee of San Diego and the Bahá’í Club at Grossmont College.

His goals, he says, are to become a homefront pioneer and serve Bahá’u’lláh, and to play professional soccer.

NADER TIRANDAZI

Youth Committee plans series of College Club conferences

A special series of College Club conferences has been planned for this fall.

The National Youth Committee is presently developing plans for nine such programs under the auspices of Bahá’í College Clubs at:

• The University of Portland, Oregon.
• Saginaw State College, Michigan.
• University of California, Berkeley.
• Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania.
• University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
• University of South Carolina, Columbia.
• San Diego State University, California.
• University of Texas, Dallas.
• University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

The conferences will serve two purposes. First, a program is planned for College Club members to discuss successful approaches to teaching on campus, the observance of International Youth Year 1985, and the application of the “youth movement” to Bahá’í college students.

Second, a program geared to the campus at large will be held to discuss openly the current issues affecting those on campus. Plans are for the second of these programs to be planned in consultation with other organizations at each school.

These nine gatherings will take place during the fall, and dates will be confirmed in the weeks ahead and published in The American Bahá’í and “Youth Hotline.” [Page 8]

EDUCATION

• Assembly Development Program
• Bahá’í Schools
• Brilliant Star (Child’s Way) Magazine
• Local Education Adviser Program
• Personal Transformation Program

Family Unity Night (Fun)

FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: ‘IZZAT/MIGHT. Thought for the week: “You are not a reservoir with a limited amount of resources; you are a channel attached to unlimited divine resources.” (Source unknown) Prayer: Children and Youth, p. 37, “O my Lord”; Protection, p. 79. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. Keep in mind that the true “might,” “power,” “will” will lead one to submission to the Divine Source of these attributes. 1. Arabic Hidden Words, No. 24, p. 13. 2. Selections from the Writings of the Báb, p. 157; 3. Gleanings, p. 245. 4. Kitáb-i-Íqán, pp. 78, 141-142. Activity: 1. Gather around a table with your favorite board game or jigsaw puzzle and enjoy yourselves! 2. Play “shoe kick.” You’ll need a big backyard for this one (or a trip to the neighborhood park). Mark a starting line. Each person should loosen one of his shoes and take a turn at kicking the shoe as far as he can. Remember to kick out, not up, for best distance. Measure distances and name the winner “No. 1 super shoe kicker of the year.” Refreshments: Prepare a cereal party mix or popcorn; lemonade or soda pop.

SECOND WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: WORLD PEACE. Thought for the week: “The fundamental truth of the Manifestations is peace. This underlies all religion, all justice.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 245) Prayer: Mankind, p. 102. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. Peace of heart, mind and action will affect the process for world peace. How can we implement these daily? 1. Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 246, No. 201. 2. Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 245, 231-33. 3. Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 64, 70-71. 4. Arabic Hidden Words, No. 8. Activity: 1. Play “follow the leader.” Each person in the family should get a turn to be the leader. Appoint the first leader by age or alphabetical order of the first name. The rest of the family must do exactly as the leader does. It is best to set a time limit on the amount of time a person is a “leader.” 2. Treasure hunt. One family member can ‎hid hide‎ the treasures and make up the clues ahead of time. Each person should follow the clues to the treasure. The first one to find the goodies may share them with the rest of the family. Refreshments: Treasure packages for the hunt. Make up a small bag of goodies for each family member and tie with a string. You may wish to have some of the following in your bags: gum, balloons, small wrapped candies, the “thought for the week” printed on an index card, or a bottle of bubbles. (If the family plans to play “follow the leader” instead of treasure hunting, you may prepare a bag of goodies for each family member and share afterward or choose some other refreshment for this evening’s FUN.)

THIRD WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: UNIVERSAL PEACE. Thought for the week: “The purpose of education is to provide everyone with the opportunity to learn how best he may serve the world.” (Source unknown) Prayer: Children and Youth, p. 35, “O God, educate ...” Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. Keep in mind that knowledge without right action is useless to the individual and to the world of humanity. 1. Some Answered Questions, p. 214. 2. Bahá’í World Faith, p. 241. 3. Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 39-40. 4. Some Answered Questions, p. 11. 5. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 161-62. 6. Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 131-32. Activity: Music is food for the heart and soul—let’s make music together! 1. If someone plays an instrument (or used to) get it out and have some lively singing and playing. If no one plays, get rhythm instruments together from household items (pot lid, cymbals, comb kazoos, wooden spoons, bells, coffee can drums). Put on a record and join in with the beat. 2. Musical statue maker. Turn on a lively record, everyone dance and sing. Have one person stop the music at various intervals. When the music stops, everyone freezes in place. When the music resumes, everyone dances. Have FUN! Refreshments: Stuffed apples. Wash and core an apple for each family member. Fill the centers with a mixture of cream cheese, peanuts and raisins. You may wish to serve hot black or herb tea.

FOURTH WEEK OF SEPTEMBER: MASHÍYYAT/WILL. Thought for the week: “It is a great power to have a strong will, but a greater power to give that will to God.” Prayer: Assistance, p. 27; Praise, p. 120 or 126. Lesson: Read and discuss one or more of the suggested lesson materials. Recall lesson from the first week of September. Submission to the Will of God is a key to true understanding and knowledge. 1. Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 152. 2. Selections from the Writings of the Báb, pp. 105, 125-26. 3. Synopsis and Codification of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 18. 4. Gleanings, pp. 197, 337-38. 5. Persian Hidden Words, No. 19. Activity: 1. Charades. Write names of famous songs, movies or books on slips of paper. Each chooses a slip and acts out words, or parts of words, without speaking until the others guess what he is trying to communicate. 2. Family art gallery. Have available plain white paper, color crayons or markers. Draw pictures of family members (you may want to include pets). These make nice gifts to share with each other, or to send to friends and relatives in a letter. Refreshments: Prepare together or ahead “easy no-bake cookies” from recipe (p. 28) in the WLGI “Let’s Get Cooking” book. Serve with a large glass of milk.

Association for Bahá’í Studies sets New England regional conference at Green Acre in September

The Association for Bahá’í Studies New England Conference Committee will hold its third annual Labor Day Conference the weekend of September 1-3 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine.

THE speakers will include:

• Dr. Dwight Allen, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Auxiliary Board member Dr. Carole Allen who will have just returned from several months in Africa.
• Dr. Badi Foster, president of the Aetna Institute for Corporate Education.
• Dr. and Mrs. Victor de Araujo of the Bahá’í International Community.
• Dr. Steven Barnes, a lawyer who has traveled throughout the Middle East investigating the status of Bahá’í refugees.
• Ms. Barbara Hacker who will present a paper comparing Bahá’í and Montessori educational systems and philosophies.

“The complete conference agenda can be obtained from the Green Acre School in August,” says Robert Stockman, chairman of the Association’s New England Conference Committee.

THE Association’s third annual Spring Conference, says school administrator Richard Grover, “brought a capacity crowd to Green Acre the weekend of June 8-10 to hear a distinguished group of speakers talk about responding to the call from the Universal House of Justice for social and economic development.”

Prof. Glen Eyford, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, opened the conference Saturday morning by presenting an overview of the complicated issues that have defied solution by traditional means.

After lunch, Counsellor Farzam Arbáb spoke about conceptual frameworks used by such movements as Marxism, the Popular Education Movement, and others, stressing the great need for Bahá’ís to be well educated in their own writings.

Next came a dinner of Indian food, after which everyone learned a Bahá’í song in Hindi, “Bulbul Bahá’u’lláh.”

The next session featured two guests from India—Falairiva Taafaki, who explained the work of the Rural Development Project at the New Era School in Panchgani, which he directs, and Dr. Stephen Waite, who spoke about his experiences as principal of the Rabbani Bahá’í School in Gwalior.

Both speakers ended their talks with slides of their respective programs.

On Sunday morning, a team from the Bahá’í International Community shared news of work being done by that important arm of the Faith in supporting UN projects and in helping to make the Bahá’í teachings better known at the UN.

Dr. Lawrence McCullough then ended the conference by showing how Bahá’ís can make an impact in their own communities by becoming involved in service projects.

After the conference, many people stayed for a picnic lunch with the Eliot Bahá’ís and many non-Bahá’í friends to celebrate Race Unity Day.

Mr. Taafaki spoke at a public meeting in Bahá’í Hall at the school, while Dr. Ben Dlamini of Swaziland, who had attended the conference, spoke at a similar meeting in Lewiston, Maine.

Pictured at the Association for Bahá’í Studies New England Regional Conference held June 8-10 at the Green Acre Bahá’í School in Eliot, Maine, are (left to right) Dr. Stephen Waite, principal of the Rabbani Bahá’í School in Gwalior, India; Counsellor Farzam Arbáb; Prof. Glen Eyford, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada; Mrs. Mary Sawicki of the Bahá’í International Community; Dr. Victor de Araujo, the Bahá’í representative to the United Nations; Mrs. Betty de Araujo of the Bahá’í International Community; Richard Grover, administrator of the Green Acre Bahá’í School; and Dr. Benjamin Dlamini of Swaziland.

Five new courses added to popular Assembly Development Program series

The National Education Committee is offering five new courses in its popular Assembly Development Program mini-course series.

The new courses cover such diverse topics as Bahá’í consultation, the enrollment of new believers, the Bahá’í Funds, extension teaching, and the appointment and supervision of committees.

DAVID Smith, secretary of the National Education Committee, explains that the new courses are a response to requests received from Local Spiritual Assemblies across the country.

“Whenever an Assembly participated in one of the first six mini-courses,” says Mr. Smith, “it completed an evaluation form and returned it to our office.

“The final question on the form asks Assemblies what topics they would like to see covered in future courses. The five new courses represent the most requested topics.”

The new material follows the standard mini-course format. An Assembly requests the courses from an instructor in its area, and a mutually agreeable meeting time is arranged for their presentation.

If an Assembly is unsure about who the instructors in its area are, it can request the courses through the National Education Committee office.

“ONE of the big appeals of the mini-course approach,” says Mr. Smith, “is that it is service-oriented. Although an instructor does not get involved in counseling an Assembly about specific problems it may be experiencing, the material does offer practical guidance on how Assemblies can more efficiently fulfill their various responsibilities.

“In addition,” he says, “the Assemblies are encouraged to invite their community members to participate in the courses as well. It is important for everyone to develop a sound knowledge of Bahá’í administration. The mini-courses provide an excellent opportunity to begin doing so.”

The mini-courses are presently available in all states except Delaware, West Virginia and Mississippi. The National Education Committee plans to train instructors for the courses in those states during the coming year.

‘There can be no limit to one’s contributions ...’ National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, Ill. 60091

[Page 9]

Louhelen hosts Kodaly music training program

The hills around the Louhelen Bahá’í School were alive with the sound of music June 10-17 during what is thought to be the first Kodaly (pronounced ko-dye—rhymes with Bahá’í) Music Training Institute ever held at a Bahá’í school.

KODALY is an approach to music training that uses a child’s own voice as a musical instrument to teach beat, rhythm, melody, singing in tune, and reading music.

The objective of the course was to give students skills to take back with them to their local communities so that they can teach Bahá’í children, youth and adults the joys of singing, with the ultimate goal being to upraise the level of musical literacy within the Bahá’í community and to make music a more integral part of Bahá’í life.

The instructor was Ms. Charlotte Richardson, a student at the Kodaly Institute in Boston. She was assisted by Ms. Pat Choice-Getz of Terre Haute, Indiana, and Mrs. Mildred McClellan of Danville, Kentucky.

Mrs. McClellan, the organizational force behind the institute, said the week was an unqualified success.

“We were all thrilled and uplifted by the experience,” she said. “Music has a tremendous ability to unite people and move their hearts.

“Kodaly is the most advanced method of music instruction in the world today, and is consistent with the Bahá’í teachings on music and education. We hope that over the years an increasing number of Bahá’ís will become experts in Kodaly training and will be able to use it to bring greater spirituality, unity and musical literacy to the Bahá’í community.”

AMONG the highlights of the program was the participation of several non-Bahá’ís.

Three public school music teachers from the Davison area attended the institute, while several others attended parts of it.

Most notable was the participation of Sister Lorna Zemke, an internationally known Kodaly teacher and head of the department of music at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, who taught the final two days.

Zoltan Kodaly, the originator of the Kodaly method, lived from 1882-1967 and spent much of his life collecting folk songs from villages in his native Hungary.

“The purpose of music,” he wrote, “is not that it should be judged, but that it should become our substance. Music is a spiritual food for which there is no substitute. There is no complete spiritual life without music, for the human soul has regions which can be illuminated only by music.”

MR. KODALY believed in teaching the children folk songs because they are the musical mother tongue and are easily digested by the child, and folk dances, which help the whole body experience the music.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote, “Among some of the nations of the Orient, music and harmony were not approved of, but the Manifest Light, Bahá’u’lláh; in this glorious period has revealed in Holy Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls. In this dispensation, music is one of the arts that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of the exaltation of sad and desponding hearts.”

The Louhelen School plans to hold a follow-up institute next summer for this year’s participants as well as a beginning class for those who are unfamiliar with the concept.

Those who are interested in being on the mailing list for next year’s session may write to the registrar, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

An hour-long tape of a talk by Ms. Richardson on “The Bahá’í Philosophy of Music” is available from the school for $4.50.

Pictured are many of the Bahá’ís and their guests who attended a Kodaly Music Training Institute held June 10-17 at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Michigan.

The Personal Transformation Program ... stepping into the realm of action

What is the Personal Transformation Program?

The Personal Transformation Program is an exciting new approach to personal deepening that is available through the National Education Committee in the form of an extended study course.

Essentially, the program provides individuals with a method for translating the Creative Word into personal goals for self-development and spiritual well-being.

Trained volunteers, called “facilitators,” guide the participants through 10 weekly sessions, each of which lasts about one and one-half hours.

The books from the Comprehensive Deepening Program, the dynamics of group interaction, personal study and meditation, and supplementary recorded lectures are used to provide an opportunity for individuals to better understand the purpose and meaning of being a Bahá’í and to develop methods for translating this knowledge into day-to-day thoughts and actions.

How have participants responded to the program?

Following are a few of the comments which have been received during the last year regarding the Personal Transformation Program:

“I feel as if the struggle of being a Bahá’í has gone and has been replaced by joy and the desire to develop myself.”

“I thought this program was going to be one of those where I would drag in thinking only of ‘six more sessions to go,’ but instead I find that I actually look forward to each session and am excited when the day comes and it’s time for class—plus I like having homework to do.”

“I have taken business courses to set discipline patterns and goals but never discovered a truly workable one until now—and to think it was within my reach all the time. This will help me in my business management; it was the missing key I was searching for.”

“This is the best study program that has been offered—and I’ve been in the Faith since 1941.”

“(The most difficult part of the program) was ending the formal part of it. I feel this program will go on in my life even without these meetings.”

How can communities learn more about the Personal Transformation Program?

Have your Local Spiritual Assembly contact one of the program facilitators, or write to the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 (phone 312-869-9039).

Conference planned to map deepenings for adult non-readers

The National Education Committee is eager to move forward on a systematic program for deepening adult Bahá’ís who are non-readers, have limited reading skills, or are limited because English is their second language.

People who would like to share their time and talents, insights and experiences at a small conference to be held in November are encouraged to submit by September 15 a statement of interest.

Especially sought are those with experience or training in reading, multi-cultural education, English as a second language, cultural anthropology or related fields.

The conference, scheduled for November 9-12, will involve an assessment of the needs of non-readers and a discussion of methods and materials that could be devised to help these friends.

Please share this notice with Bahá’ís who might have skills and interests that would be helpful to the project and encourage them to send a statement of interest to the National Education Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, by September 15.

Louhelen sets annual Homecoming Weekend

From August 31-September 3, friends from throughout the country will be gathering at the Louhelen Bahá’í School in Davison, Michigan, for the school’s annual Homecoming Weekend.

Among those participating will be Auxiliary Board member Jalil Mahmoudi of Santa Monica, California, who will address the gathered crowd.

“Homecoming Weekend,” says Changiz Geula, a member of the Louhelen Bahá’í School Council, “is perennially a time filled with the renewal of old friendships and the birth of new ones. This year we are expecting a record number of attendees.”

The program will include social, recreational and devotional activities as well as outings at the beach.

To reserve space for the event, please write to the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423, or phone 313-653-5033.

We deliver.

(Brilliant Star to your mailbox, that is.)

[ ] one year $12.00 (six issues)

[ ] two years $23.00

[ ] foreign, surface, one year $15.00

[ ] foreign, surface, two years $28.00

[ ] foreign, air (A.O.), one year $25.00

[ ] foreign, air (A.O.), two years $47.50

Name _____________________________________________

Street ___________________________________________

City _____________________________________________

State & Zip ______________________________________

Age of recipient _________________________________

Enclosed is my gift of $_____ to the Brilliant Star Endowment Fund, established in honor of the Bahá’í children of Iran, for the purpose of developing materials for children. I understand that my gift will become part of a perpetual fund whose earnings will support this purpose.

Send to: Brilliant Star Suburban Office Park 5010 Austin Rd. Hixson, Tn. 37343 [Page 10]

The homefront pioneer

Confirmations from the Concourse on High continue to astonish and assist homefront pioneers.

SO YOU thought you could never be a homefront pioneer? So have others. But time and again we witness wonderful “coincidences” and “strokes of luck” among those who arise to become homefront pioneers.

In some cases merely making the initial effort to pioneer opens doors that make it possible to succeed.

For your inspiration and enjoyment we offer here some accounts of “homefront pioneer successes”:

James Humphrey writes: “Dear friends (or should I say, estimados amigos?). I have recently moved to the Laredo, Texas, community.

“I happen to have landed a job there, but as the forces at work would have it, this community needs Bahá’ís to restore a lost Assembly.

“I hope my move may be counted toward our goals for homefront pioneering (of course!) because the exciting part is, Laredo might add pretty quickly to those numbers.

“THE WEEK after I moved here, another Bahá’í family moved in, and the number of adult believers living in town is now eight.

“None of us (pioneers) here speaks Spanish well, though this very weekend a couple from a “neighboring” community (our nearest American Assembly is 140 miles away!) who lived for ‎awhile a while‎ in Mexico, are visiting us to see what action or plans might be feasible.

“If our endeavor in Laredo is to be successful, we will need your prayers and love. I’m sure you’re aware of the great opportunities latent in the border cities—please God, they may be realized.”

In a postscript, James notes that his move to Laredo was about to jeopardize an Assembly, but ... the spouse of one of the Bahá’ís there declared his faith the week before James left!

Another homefront pioneer writes: “My wife and I moved from San Marcos, Texas, to rural Guadalupe County, Texas ... but currently we are the only Bahá’ís in the county. There is one other isolated believer who joins us along with two other nearby Groups for Feasts every month.

“WE have become acquainted with several of our neighbors and have Bahá’í gatherings in our home with a regular monthly fireside to start next month.

“We know that Bahá’u’lláh wishes us to stay here because at one point, when the money was short and we had a tempting offer

See HOMEFRONT Page 11

‘It really IS up to me’ teaching cards draw warm response

Since their debut, the “‘It really IS up to me’” cards have received a warm response from the friends throughout the country.

To date (July 6), some 755 cards have been received by the National Teaching Committee.

Each respondent has been sent a letter of appreciation and encouragement from the committee, a copy of the Louhelen letter, and the commitment card which he or she had completed.

The tabulation of the information from these 755 cards has been exciting, the most encouraging result so far being the commitment by nearly 500 individuals to hold a regular fireside.

Following is a breakdown of the responses:

Question No. 1: 570 responses (75 per cent).

Question No. 2: 492 responses (65 per cent).

Question No. 3: 445 responses (59 per cent).

Question No. 4: 694 responses (92 per cent).

Question No. 5: 624 responses (83 per cent).

Question No. 6: 390 responses (52 per cent).

Question No. 7: 582 responses (77 per cent).

No pledges: 14 (2 per cent).

Responses to Question No. 2 (“Hold a fireside in my home, how often ____”) were as follows:

Once a Gregorian month, 91 (18 per cent); once a Bahá’í month, 89 (18 per cent); once every two weeks, 60 (12 per cent); once a week, 120 (24 per cent); occasionally, 17 (4 per cent); nothing specified, 115 (23 per cent).

We are encouraged by the continuing influx of these cards, indicating the increased awareness that the expansion of the Faith and winning the goals depends upon individual action.

In the four-week period from May 26 to June 22, 41 young people between the ages of 15 and 21 declared their faith in Bahá’u’lláh. A large majority of these enrollees are youth from Bahá’í families who declared at age 15.

THIS MONTH, several new Bahá’ís are from the Navajo-Hopi Indian Reservation where the Amoz Gibson Project continues in its second year. Many of the Bahá’í teachers there, strongly supported and promoted by the National Youth Committee, are Bahá’í youth.

These high school and college students are spending their summer vacation camping out under the stars and teaching the Faith to new friends.

Here they must teach by example. Their courtesy, manners, actions and deeds speak as loudly as the Bahá’í Teachings to a people who are proud of their traditional ways, with ceremonies and beliefs dating back many hundreds of years.

We’ll be hearing much more about the Amoz Gibson Projects in Arizona and South Dakota this summer, and have many reasons to be proud of our valiant and steadfast youth.

	Adult	Youth	Total
Alabama	0	1	1
Arizona	10	1	11
Arkansas	1	0	1
California	22	6	28
Colorado	1	2	3
Connecticut	0	0	0
Delaware	0	1	1
Florida	6	1	7
Georgia	2	1	3
Idaho	2	0	2
Illinois	10	2	12
Indiana	2	0	2
Iowa	4	0	4
Kansas	1	0	1
Kentucky	0	0	0
Louisiana	0	0	0
Maine	0	0	0
Maryland	0	0	0
Massachusetts	2	0	2
Michigan	1	0	1
Minnesota	0	0	0
Mississippi	0	0	0
Missouri	6	1	7
Montana	0	0	0
Nebraska	1	0	1
Nevada	0	0	0
New Hampshire	1	0	1
New Jersey	1	0	1
New Mexico	4	6	10
New York	6	4	10
North Carolina	0	2	2
North Dakota	0	0	0
Ohio	3	1	4
Oklahoma	0	2	2
Oregon	1	5	6
Pennsylvania	0	0	0
Rhode Island	0	0	0
South Carolina	9	2	11
South Dakota	1	1	2
Tennessee	2	1	3
Texas	8	1	9
Utah	1	0	1
Vermont	1	0	1
Virginia	4	0	4
Washington	7	0	7
West Virginia	0	0	0
Wisconsin	0	0	0
Wyoming	0	0	0
Washington, D.C.	5	0	5
	125	41	166

Pictured are Bahá’ís from Virginia and North Carolina who attended a two-day teaching conference March 31-April 1 at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.

‘Teach Ye the Cause of God!’ is theme of two-day Norfolk, Virginia, conference

“Teach Ye the Cause of God!” was the theme of a teaching conference held March 31-April 1 at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia.

The conference was sponsored by the Intercommunity Teaching Committee of Tidewater Virginia.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Robert Henderson, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly.

Other speakers were Trudy White, Fred Myers, Jean Scales, Darian Smith and Dodi Theriault.

Dr. Dwight Allen, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, was master of ceremonies.

About 50 Bahá’ís from Virginia and North Carolina attended the conference whose discussion topics included the individual and teaching, mass teaching, the Bahá’í community and teaching, interracial teaching, using Bahá’í literature in teaching, and using the mass media.

In addition to the conference, a public meeting on “The Bahá’í Faith: Crisis in Iran” was held on the Norfolk State campus. The speakers were Dr. Henderson and Rouhi Huddleston.

Bahá’ís take part in Danville, Illinois, ‘Celebration of Oneness of Humanity’

Bahá’ís in Danville, Illinois, participated June 9 in a “Musical Celebration of the Oneness of Humanity” at the Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church.

Five Bahá’í selections were included on the program, one of which, “The Queen of Carmel,” was sung by the entire congregation.

“Follow Me” was performed by a Bahá’í, Gregg Brown, accompanied by Mrs. Virginia Geisler, the wife of the Rev. Paul Geisler of Bethel Lutheran Church.

Mr. Brown also presented three selections from The Hidden Words set to music, gave a brief talk about the oneness of humanity, and read a prayer for mankind revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

About 50 people attended the event in which Bahá’í participation came about as a result of Mr. Brown’s involvement as a member of the board of the Greater Danville Religious Association.

Bahá’ís also have been invited to speak to a high school age Sunday school class, and to adult study groups at Bethel Lutheran Church and Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church.

The Rev. and Mrs. Geisler this year attended an observance of the Ninth Day of Ridván.

Asparagus for Fund

As a part of the national Day of Unity and Sacrifice, a family of newly declared Hispanic believers from Okanogan, Washington, Elias and Juana Sandoval and their five children, picked asparagus, sold it door to door, and donated the proceeds to the National Fund. [Page 11]

TEACHING THROUGH FRIENDSHIP TEAMS

This is the time of year when communities that have taken an extension teaching goal begin to plan their teaching activities.

SOMETIMES an extension goal is a neighboring town with a large Bahá’í Group eager and excited about growing to Assembly status.

Often, however, an Assembly will have chosen as an extension goal a small town, many miles away, with only two or three resident Bahá’ís.

In any case, the objective in choosing an extension teaching goal is to help raise a Spiritual Assembly, and the first step toward realizing that objective is to make friends with the Bahá’í who live in that community.

Here is where a Friendship Team can help. A Friendship Team can be that heart-to-heart connection between a small Bahá’í Group on one side of the county and an eager Spiritual Assembly that is ready to teach on the other.

What can the Friendship Team do? We’re glad you asked.

Attend the Nineteen Day Feast in the goal town for a start. Either invite (and provide transportation for) the Bahá’ís from your extension goal to the Assembly’s Feast or bring a Feast to them full of songs and prayers.

FAMILY picnics; a weekend retreat; a special visit from a traveling teacher, Auxiliary Board member or National Treasurer’s Representative are all good ways to build a strong relationship between the two communities.

If there are families with young children, plan skating parties, swimming parties, camp-outs or trips to zoos or museums.

As your children become friends, so will the spiritual connection between the two communities, Spiritual Assembly and Group, be strengthened.

Once friendships are formed and the communities become partners in their teaching efforts, the Friendship Team can become the connection between the sponsoring Assembly and adopted Group.

Plans can be made within consultation, and attainable goals set such as a monthly fireside, a regular announcement in the daily or weekly newspaper, or perhaps a contribution toward purchasing a Bahá’í listing in the local telephone directory.

See FRIENDSHIP Page 13

For the sixth year the Bahá’ís of Flint, Michigan, were invited to have a display table and booth March 29-31 at the International Institute’s annual Spring Festival, an occasion when various ethnic groups exhibit and/or demonstrate their traditional ways of observing the arrival of spring. The Bahá’í display was directed toward children and included Bahá’í children’s books, representations of children around the world, free balloons with Bahá’í inscriptions, and colorful free leaflets containing Bahá’í prayers for children. Shown at the booth is Billie Le-Claire, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Flint. The photo was taken by Michael O’Shea, a member of the Louhelen Bahá’í School staff and official photographer for the Spring Festival.

House of Justice responds to spirit of Louhelen report

To the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

Your letter of May 31 about the recent successful gathering at the Louhelen School of four Continental Counsellors and members of your National Assembly, along with members of the Auxiliary Boards and national committees, brought much gladness to the Universal House of Justice, and we are instructed to say the following.

Your report conveys the sense that the Louhelen meeting achieved the qualities of “spiritual conference” so extolled by the beloved Master in His exhortations on Bahá’í consultation. It is a mark of the hoped-for success of Dr. Peter Khan’s visit to your country that such a meeting did occur.

The immediate result, as reflected in the letter jointly addressed by the Counsellors and your Assembly to the American Bahá’í community, indicates the emergence of a fresh spirit of collaboration on the part of the two senior institutions upon whose dynamic and loving interactions depends, to a large extent, the progress of the Cause in the United States.

That your noble optimism may be fully justified and your community experience a new wave of victories in fulfillment of the remaining goals of the Seven Year Plan will be the object of our supplications at the Holy Shrines on your behalf.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,

The Universal House of Justice Department of the Secretariat June 21, 1984

Bahá’í from California has brief chat with Prince of Wales

Fariba Shahriari, a Bahá’í from Montclair, California, spoke briefly with Britain’s Prince Charles during a recent dedication ceremony in Bedford, England.

After addressing the faculty and student body at Cranfield Institute of Technology, the Prince walked among a group of local residents who had gathered for the event.

As he paused, Miss Shahriari asked him what he and his wife, Princess Diana, would name their next child.

Prince Charles replied that he and the Princess were giving the choice of a name their most serious attention.

He then asked Miss Shahriari where she is from, and she replied that she is a Bahá’í from Iran who now lives in California and was visiting relatives in England.

Prince Charles expressed his concern over the continuing plight of the Bahá’ís in Iran.

After his departure, Miss Shahriari was besieged by members of the visiting press corps who bombarded her with questions about her conversation with the Prince of Wales.

‘Bicycling Bahá’í’ Jerome Knudson on eighth cross-country teaching trip

Jerome Knudson, a 28-year-old Bahá’í from Costa Mesa, California, left his home there May 23 to begin his eighth bicycle teaching trip across the U.S.

Mr. Knudson, who has logged more than 15,000 miles on his 10-speed bicycle since he completed Navy service in Costa Mesa in 1976, is heading this year for the Bahá’í International Youth Conference August 24-28 in London, Ontario, Canada.

Whenever he can, Mr. Knudson cuts expenses by staying with Bahá’ís he has contacted through the National Center, and speaks at firesides along the way in addition to teaching more informally at every opportunity.

When not bicycling, he works in California as a designer of printed circuit boards. He is also a calligrapher and is studying to become a massage therapist.

‘Miracles, Metaphors’ has favorable review

Miracles and Metaphors, a book written by the renowned Bahá’í scholar and teacher Mírzá Abu’l-Fadl Gulpáygání and translated into English by Juan R. Cole, has received a favorable review in the International Journal of Middle East Studies.

The book was reviewed in the most recent issue of the Journal by Farhad Kazemi, a professor at New York University, who observes that in the book “the picture of a devoted man, learned in religious traditions yet modern in outlook, emerges and is reconfirmed.”

He further notes that the essays “uniformly exhibit erudition, logical thought development, and attempts at rational explanation of religious themes.”

In the closing paragraph of his review, Dr. Kazemi draws attention to the fact that the Bahá’ís in Iran are presently being severely persecuted.

Huntington Beach fund-raiser nets $6,000-plus

About 250 Bahá’ís donated more than $6,000 to the National Fund at a fund-raiser May 19 sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Huntington Beach, California.

Donations at the event, which consisted of a dinner cooked by the Bahá’ís of Huntington Beach and neighboring communities, were received in the name of dissolved Assemblies in Iran.

Each time a contribution for an Assembly was received, a candle was lit and the donor was given an inscribed card with the name of the Assembly on it along with the candle itself.

The evening ended with music, dancing and socializing.

Lost Dáráb Assembly in Iran rises again on plains of Kansas

National Teaching Committee Dear Friends:

We wanted to tell you that in November 1983 our Assembly decided to overcome its jeopardized status in the name of the lost Spiritual Assembly of Dáráb, Iran.

As you know, due in part to the‎, ‎ help of three homefront pioneers, we have maintained our Assembly. We praise God for this victory!

With a new spirit of resolution and dedication, we will continue to strive so that this “point of light” may one day become a beacon to the world. Dáráb will remain in our hearts and prayers.

With loving greetings,

Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Derby (Dáráb), Kansas

Homefront

Continued From Page 10

to move, we asked Bahá’u’lláh to let us know what He wished for us.

“The very next morning a co-worker told me of a job opening at a friend’s office. I told my wife and she got the job! We decided the message was pretty clear.

“Interestingly, when we moved in, our landlord offered to let us stay rent-free for six months in exchange for making repairs to the property (13 acres, a trailer home and several auxiliary buildings).

“We phoned him after the six months were up—after several contacts we’ve neither seen nor heard from him, although he visits our neighbors from time to time.

“So, we go on improving the property. Some day we hope to buy it, build a new home, and start a Bahá’í school on the site. We would appreciate your prayers.

“We hope to be a Group of five by next Ridván and to reach Assembly status by the end of the Seven Year Plan. Again, your prayers would be welcomed.”

Correction is noted in children’s material

Those who attended the recent National Child Education Conference and other friends who have received a copy of the hand-out titled “Children’s Public Speaking Project” are kindly requested by the author, Gayle Woolson, to make the following correction on Page 2. At the foot of the page, reference number 3 should read “Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 142” instead of “Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh.” [Page 12]‘When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine...’ (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 54)

Flint, Michigan, Assembly sponsors ‘Race Unity Week’

The Spiritual Assembly of Flint, Michigan, helped by Bahá’ís throughout the greater Flint area, this year sponsored Race Unity Week with events taking place from June 4-10 when a well-advertised public meeting was held.

THE week started on a high note with an appearance on a call-in radio show by Dr. Richard Thomas and Mrs. Amy Marks, representing the recently established Louhelen Bahá’í School Center for Interracial Understanding, and Dr. ‎Geoffry Geoffrey‎ Marks, director of academic affairs at the Louhelen School.

The two-hour long program, which has an audience estimated at several thousand, was guided by a well-informed and sympathetic host who directed questions that effectively brought out the principles, history, goals and aspirations of the Faith as well as the status of Bahá’ís in Iran and, of course, the Bahá’í views on racial unity.

One caller, quoting the Bible as advocating racial separation, was courteously but effectively informed of the error in her thinking and interpretation of Scripture.

At another time the host himself replied for the Bahá’ís, citing all the points which proved that the Faith cannot be classified as a “cult.”

John Nash, chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Flint, appeared twice during the week on one-minute radio interviews that allowed him to explain the purpose of Race Unity Week and to promote the book To Move the World and the picnic and public meeting to which the listeners were invited.

ANOTHER event was the presentation to three suburban libraries and the Flint Public Library of copies of To Move the World, the biography of the Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory.

The Bahá’ís of Davison Township, Goodrich and Swartz Creek volunteered to donate the books to their respective libraries.

On June 9, a picnic was held at a local park. While attendance was small, several people did come in response to the extensive advertising.

The public meeting was held June 10 at the International Institute with six panelists discussing “Unity in Diversity.”

The only Bahá’í among the panelists was Steven Gonzales, chairman of the District Teaching Committee of Mainland Michigan.

Others were Maxine Kronick, an actress, public speaker, world traveler and documentary film maker, representing the Flint Jewish Federation; Dr. James E. Granberry, affirmative action officer and ombudsman for the Flint School District; Pete Mata, a prominent Hispanic-American who is producer/host of the popular “Pete Mata Show” on WWCK Radio; Hanumanthaiya Marur, president of the executive committee of the Paschimakasi Sri Viswanatha Temple in Flint, one of only four such Hindu temples in the U.S.; and Berry Goodlett, representing the Flint Human Relations Commission.

PRECEDING the seminar, the Bahá’ís were presented with a framed copy of a Race Unity Day proclamation by Michael K. Brown, chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, which issued it.

Another framed proclamation, this one issued by Mayor James A. Sharp Jr. of Flint, was presented to the Bahá’ís by the mayor’s chief executive assistant, Gerald R. Brown.

Although more than 300 invitations to the public meeting were mailed and considerable publicity was obtained through local media, attendance again was small.

However, among those who did attend were the recently appointed director of the Flint Human Relations Commission and a local district judge who was not on the mailing list.

A Flint television station covered the meeting and broadcast the segment on its early and late evening news programs.

Among the positive results of the week’s activities:

Unified action by the friends throughout the area; extensive free media coverage on radio and in newspapers; two prime time TV broadcasts; and the receipt by more than 300 people of the Prayer for America printed on the back of their invitations to the public meeting.

And finally, a significant result of this year’s observance was the contact that was made with like-minded groups and individuals with whom the Assembly as a body had had no previous contact.

Among these people, the Bahá’ís were frequently commended for the “nobility” of their efforts to achieve race unity.

John Nash (left), chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of Flint, Michigan, receives a Race Unity Day proclamation from Michael K. Brown, chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, during a seminar on race unity held June 10 in Flint.

Pensacola, Florida’s, 1st Race Unity Day observance features gala ‘ethnic potluck’

More than 100 people were present at an “Ethnic Potluck Dinner” June 15 that marked the first celebration of Race Unity Day in Pensacola, Florida.

AMONG those in the audience were a state senator, a former state senator, a city councilman, two county commissioners, three staff members from the office of a state representative, the chairman of the local Human Rights Commission, several ministers from local churches, television reporters, and even a Creek Indian Chief, John Wesley Thomley.

The mayor of Pensacola issued a Race Unity Day proclamation, and state Rep. Virginia Bass sent the local Race Unity Committee a letter of commendation for its efforts.

The guest speakers were Jack and Fafa Guillebeaux, an interracial couple from Montgomery, Alabama, who spoke on “Overcoming Racial Barriers.”

After the dinner, 43 people volunteered to help the committee plan next year’s event.

The following day, more than 40 local merchants donated awards and made contributions to help cover the expenses of a three-mile “fun run” appropriately called the “Run for the Races.”

One hundred-seven people participated in the run. Each was given a T-shirt with “Race Unity Day ’84 Run for the Races” printed on it.

TWO local newspapers covered the race.

Afterward, the Bahá’ís held a “Picnic in the Park” that was attended by more than 200 people. It featured free entertainment including music and dance depicting a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

The Race Unity Day activities generated seven newspaper articles, one hour and 35 minutes of TV time, participation on five TV and one-half hour radio talk show and a 30-minute program on the Christian radio station, and free spots (including the Bahá’í public service spot on racism) on five stations for a total of more than four hours radio time. All of the publicity was free.

The Race Unity Day observance wasn’t billed as a “Bahá’í event”

See PENSACOLA Page 23

Shown at an awards ceremony June 10 are members of the Inter-community Race Unity Day Committee sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of St. Louis and winners of an essay contest on the topic ‘How race relations can be improved in the school, the community and the nation.’ Paula Hernandez (third from right), a student at Metro High School, won first prize, a $500 Savings Bond. To her right is the third prize winner, Kendra McDaniel of Crossroads High School. The second prize winner, Marie Waller of Bishop DuBourg High School, is not pictured. The award ceremony was attended by 60 people, about half of whom were relatives, friends and teachers of the contest winners. [Page 13]

Review process ensures integrity, dignity of materials

This is the first in a series of articles prepared for The American Bahá’í to help the friends understand the review process that is necessary for all materials representing the Faith which they wish to reproduce for sale and distribution.

Question: Why do we need a Reviewing Committee, and what is the function of review?

Answer: "...the purpose of review is to protect the Faith against misrepresentation by its own followers at this early stage of its existence when comparatively few people have any knowledge of it. An erroneous presentation of the Teachings by a Bahá’í who is accounted a scholar, in a scholarly journal, would, by that very fact, do far more harm than an erroneous presentation made by an obscure Bahá’í author with no pretensions to scholarship." (The Universal House of Justice in a letter to an individual believer dated October 8, 1980)

"The standards to be upheld by reviewers are the following: (a) conformity with the teachings, (b) accuracy, (c) dignity in presentation." (The Universal House of Justice in a memorandum on Bahá’í publishing, Ridván 1971)

"The function of reviewing is, essentially, to check the author's exposition of the Bahá’í Faith and its teachings, which may include verification of any quotations from the Bahá’í writings. This function should not be confused with evaluation of the literary merit of a work or of its value as a publication, which are normally the prerogative of the publisher..." (The Universal House of Justice in a letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles dated March 11, 1965)

"The scope of the review committee has been defined and the committee has been established by action of the National Assembly. You may be sure, therefore, that it does not 'police' activities in the arts. You should be aware that those who claim the name Bahá’í are obedient to the institutions of the Faith and that includes artists who are Bahá’ís as well as all other callings. Even the Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself, required a believer in Egypt to submit for review and approval by a local Spiritual Assembly a manuscript which He had corrected in His own handwriting." (National Spiritual Assembly of the U.S. in a letter to an individual believer dated January 28, 1983)

"So great is the importance and so supreme is the authority of these assemblies that once ‘Abdu’l-Bahá after having himself and in his own handwriting corrected the translation made into Arabic of the Ishrágát (the Effulgences) by Sheikh Faraju’lláh, a Kurdish friend from Cairo, directed him in a Tablet to submit the above-named translation to the Spiritual Assembly of Cairo, that he may seek from them before publication their approval and consent. These are His very words in that Tablet:—'His honor, Sheikh Faraju’lláh, has here rendered into Arabic with greatest care the Ishrágát and yet I have told him that he must submit his version to the Spiritual Assembly of Egypt, and I have conditioned its publication upon the approval of the above-named Assembly. This is so that things may be arranged in an orderly manner, for it should not be so any one may translate a certain Tablet and print and circulate it on his own account. Even a non-believer might undertake such work, and thus cause confusion and disorder. If it be conditioned, however, upon the approval of the Spiritual Assembly, a translation prepared, printed and circulated by a non-believer will have no recognition whatever.'

"This is indeed a clear indication of the Master's express desire that nothing whatever should be given to the public by any individual among the friends, unless fully considered and approved by the Spiritual Assembly in his locality; and if this (as is undoubtedly the case) is a matter that pertains to the general interest of the Cause in that land, then it is incumbent upon the Spiritual Assembly to submit it to the consideration and approval of the national body representing all the various local assemblies." (Bahá’í Administration, p. 23)

Question: Will review committees always be necessary?

Answer: "They must supervise, in these days when the Cause is still in its infancy, all Bahá’í publications and translations, and provide in general for a dignified and accurate presentation of all Bahá’í literature and its distribution to the general public." (Principles of Bahá’í Administration, pp. 38-39)

"...the administration of the Cause... should guard against such rigidity as would clog and fetter the liberating forces released by His Revelation...The present restrictions imposed on the publication of all Bahá’í literature will be definitely abolished..." (The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 9).

In the next issue, we'll discuss how to prepare the items that you plan to submit for review. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please write to the Special Materials Reviewing Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Friendship

Regular visits can be planned, sometimes to help with a fireside, deepening or public meeting. Being adopted by a neighboring Assembly and befriended by a Friendship Team eager to help can be the life-saving gift of unity that will water the seed of a new Spiritual Assembly and help it to grow.

Messages

On May 21, the Universal House of Justice addressed the following cable to the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly:

FURTHER TO OUR MESSAGE OF 10 MAY REGARDING TORTURE BEING INFLICTED BAHÁ’ÍS IRAN WE SEND FOLLOWING SUMMARY OVER-ALL SITUATION THAT COUNTRY FROM MOST RECENT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY RELIABLE SOURCES.

1. SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION MORE THAN 300 RESIDENCES OF BAHÁ’ÍS HAVE BEEN PLUNDERED OR SET ON FIRE.

2. SOME 170 BAHÁ’ÍS, MOST OF THEM PROMINENT MEMBERS OF THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY, HAVE BEEN KILLED BY A VARIETY OF METHODS, BUT PRINCIPALLY THROUGH EXECUTION BY FIRING SQUADS OR BY HANGING.

3. IN URBAN AREAS PROPERTIES BELONGING TO SEVERAL HUNDRED FAMILIES HAVE BEEN SEIZED, WHILE IN RURAL AREAS MANY ORCHARDS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED AND FARMS AND ARABLE LANDS CONFISCATED. PETITIONS TO THE AUTHORITIES FOR REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES HAVE BEEN IGNORED.

4. THE MINISTRY OF WORKS AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS FORMALLY INSTRUCTED INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONS NOT TO PAY THEIR BAHÁ’Í STAFF.

5. MORE THAN 10,000 BAHÁ’ÍS EMPLOYED IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES OR IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAVE BEEN SUMMARILY DISCHARGED, THEIR RIGHTS TO PENSIONS AND OTHER EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS REVOKED. DEMANDS WERE MADE OF A NUMBER OF THEM TO REFUND THE SALARIES THEY HAD RECEIVED FOR THE DURATION OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT.

6. BAHÁ’Í STUDENTS HAVE BEEN DISMISSED FROM ALL UNIVERSITIES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING.

7. IN MOST CITIES AND PROVINCES, BAHÁ’Í CHILDREN HAVE BEEN DENIED ENTRY TO SCHOOLS AND THEREFORE HAVE NO ACCESS TO BASIC EDUCATION.

8. SOME 700 BAHÁ’ÍS, INCLUDING MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, ARE BEING HELD IN VARIOUS PRISONS THROUGHOUT IRAN.

9. FOR MORE THAN NINE MONTHS VISITS TO 40 BAHÁ’Í PRISONERS HAVE BEEN STRICTLY PROHIBITED BY THE AUTHORITIES. THEIR FATE IS THEREFORE UNKNOWN.

10. IN EVIN AND GAWHARDASHT PRISONS A NUMBER OF BAHÁ’Í PRISONERS ARE UNDERGOING RELENTLESS TORTURE IN AN EFFORT ON THE PART OF THE AUTHORITIES TO FORCE THEM TO ADMIT TO FALSE CHARGES OF ENGAGING IN ESPIONAGE AND ACTING AGAINST THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. FOR A PERIOD OF MONTHS THEY HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO FLOGGINGS OF ALL PARTS OF THE BODY, PARTICULARLY THE LEGS AND FEET. SOMETIMES UP TO 400 STROKES BY WIRE CABLES HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED TO ONE PRISONER, THEN HE OR SHE HAS BEEN MADE TO WALK. FINDING THIS IMPOSSIBLE, THE UNFORTUNATE PRISONER HAS BEEN FORCED TO CRAWL ON HANDS AND KNEES BACK TO A DARK CELL. IN MASHHAD AND YAZD, BAHÁ’Í PRISONERS ARE REGULARLY WHIPPED ON THE HEAD AND FACE WITH THICK PLASTIC TUBES. SIMILAR PROCEDURES ARE USED TO A LESSER DEGREE IN OTHER PRISONS. A NUMBER OF THESE VICTIMS OF TORTURE HAVE LOST THEIR SIGHT AND HEARING, OTHERS THEIR MENTAL COMPETENCE. THE BODIES OF FOUR PRISONERS SUBJECTED TO SUCH TREATMENT WERE SEEN BEFORE BEING BURIED IN UNKNOWN GRAVES. IT IS THEREFORE FEARED THAT OTHER PRISONERS WHOSE BODIES HAVE BEEN SIMILARLY BURIED WITHOUT THEIR FAMILIES BEING NOTIFIED SUFFERED THE SAME FATE.

THREE BAHÁ’ÍS WHOSE WILLS HAVE BEEN BROKEN UNDER THIS BARBARIC TORTURE AND WHO HAVE SUBMITTED TO THE DEMANDS OF THE AUTHORITIES, MAKING STATEMENTS ADMITTING TO A SERIES OF CRIMES. DOUBTLESS THE AUTHORITIES HOPE TO PUBLISH SIMILAR "CONFESSIONS" IN THE DAYS TO COME, MADE BY OTHER HAPLESS VICTIMS OF THIS FLAGITIOUS TREATMENT. WE KNOW THE NAMES OF MANY BAHÁ’ÍS WHO ARE NOW BEING TORTURED, AND ALTHOUGH, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, THESE CANNOT BE PUBLICIZED, THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO SOME INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS.

11. BAHÁ’ÍS ARE UNSAFE IN THEIR OWN HOMES, WHICH ARE ENTERED AT WILL, DAY OR NIGHT, BY REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS, WHO HARASS THE INHABITANTS BY INSULTING, THREATENING AND BEATING THEM. WHEN THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS INVADE A HOME WITH THE INTENTION OF ARRESTING A PARTICULAR BAHÁ’Í, IF THAT PERSON HAPPENS TO BE ABSENT, THEIR PRACTICE IS TO SEIZE AS HOSTAGES OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD, EVEN CHILDREN, AND TO RANSACK THE PLACE, CONFISCATING WHATEVER THEY PLEASE.

12. WHENEVER THE HEAD OR SOME OTHER IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE FAMILY HAS BEEN KILLED, AND OFTEN WHEN SUCH A PERSON HAS BEEN IMPRISONED, THOSE REMAINING BEHIND HAVE BEEN FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES AND NOT PERMITTED TO TAKE ANY BELONGINGS, EVEN IN THE DEAD OF WINTER. THE VICTIMS OF SUCH TREATMENT HAVE NO RECOURSE TO JUSTICE SINCE THEIR PETITIONS TO THE AUTHORITIES ARE IGNORED. BAHÁ’Í FAMILIES IN ISFAHAN, MASHHAD, TEHERAN, URUMIYYIH AND YAZD IN PARTICULAR ARE AFFECTED BY THESE CONDITIONS.

FOLLOWING INFORMATION JUST RECEIVED: EXECUTION FOUR MORE COURAGEOUS BRETHREN IRAN.

TABRIZ, MAY 5—MR. JALAL PAYRAVI, IMPRISONED OCTOBER 22, 1981; MR. MAQSUD ‘ALIZÁDIH, IMPRISONED JANUARY 27, 1982.

TEHERAN, MAY 15—MR. ALI-MUHAMMAD ZAMANI, 45 YEARS OLD; MR. JAHANGIR HIDAYATI, 61-YEAR-OLD CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER, MEMBER NOW DISSOLVED NATIONAL ASSEMBLY KIDNAPPED JUNE 1983. BOTH TORTURED DURING IMPRISONMENT.

IN ADDITION, MR. ASADU’LLÁH KAMIL-MUQADDAM DIED IN PRISON MAY 2, CIRCUMSTANCES UNKNOWN.

FRIENDS IRAN FEEL SITUATION DANGEROUS GREAT NUMBER OTHER BAHÁ’Í PRISONERS.

UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE MAY 21, 1984 [Page 14]

World News

A total of 3,595 people including 2,580 adults and 1,015 youth were enrolled in the Faith in Kenya during 140 B.E., exceeding that country's goal for the year by 310 and more than doubling the number of enrollments during the previous year...

One hundred-eighteen people were enrolled in the Faith, six Spiritual Assemblies were formed, and 10 children's classes were established through the efforts of a seven-member teaching team composed of six Bahá’í youth and Auxiliary Board member Jane Czerniejewski, a pioneer from the U.S., who visited 21 localities in southern Peru over a one-month period early this year ...

A ground-breaking ceremony for the first Bahá’í National Center in St. Lucia, West Indies, was held during the visit March 29-April 1 of the Hand of the Cause of God H. Collis Featherstone. The historic event included addresses by Mr. Featherstone, Counsellor Ruth Pringle, and Esther Evans, a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh who first settled in St. Lucia in 1953. Also included were prayers and musical selections....

One hundred twenty-five people were recently enrolled in the Faith in Liberia and 10 new Spiritual Assemblies were formed through the efforts of a group of Bahá’ís who had attended a week-long teaching institute which focused on mass teaching at the village level...

In the nine-month period from April 1983 to January 1984 the number of Spiritual Assemblies in Sierra Leone more than doubled, from 14 to 34. According to a report by Counsellor Zekrollah Kazemi, that same period saw the number of Bahá’ís in that country greatly increased while the goal of localities to be opened to the Faith was surpassed...

One hundred-thirty people were enrolled in the Faith in Zimbabwe over a two-day period last February. On February 9, Zimbabwe's Roving Teaching Committee sent a teaching team to Murewa. Besides enrolling new believers, the team members helped the friends elect a Spiritual Assembly in Duku...

An estimated 2,000 people including many students and teachers learned of the Faith from a Bahá’í booth that was part of a recent exhibit in southern Thailand commemorating the 700th anniversary of the creation of the Thai alphabet...

One hundred-twenty Bahá’ís and their guests gathered last March 21 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, for the dedication of a new Regional Bahá’í Center for northeastern Brazil ...

Bahá’ís participate in ‘Walk for Peace’

Bahá’ís from five communities took part in June in a Mother's Day Walk for Peace in downtown Chicago.

The friends from Chicago, Cicero, Evanston, South Holland and Wheaton carried a 16-foot wide blue-and-gold banner which proclaimed that "The World Is One Country, and Mankind Its Citizens."

About 6,000 people participated in this year's event, which was co-sponsored by 127 community organizations.

The walk ended at the Grant Park band shell where one of the speakers was Janet Bixby of Chicago, a Bahá’í who is president of World Citizens for Peace.

In her remarks, Mrs. Bixby quoted Bahá’u’lláh.

Resolution

Resolution 226, which condemns the Iranian government's treatment of the Bahá’ís.

"Women and teen-age girls have been hanged for their religious faith. Indeed, the proof that the persecution is based solely on religious differences is seen in the fact that almost all of those executed were offered their freedom, and restoration of jobs and possessions, if only they would renounce their faith and embrace Islam.

"...it is my sincere hope that in passing this resolution today we will send a strong signal to the civilized world that we cannot tolerate mindless persecution of a community of innocent men and women."

Sen. Kassebaum—"Nowhere is the repugnance of the radical regime in Iran more apparent than in its vicious and indefensible persecution, if not genocide, against the Bahá’í people in that country. This is religious persecution in its most virulent form.

"Neither racial nor cultural differences distinguish Bahá’í Iranians from their Shi'ite Moslem countrymen. It is purely on the basis of religious intolerance that Bahá’ís in Iran are persecuted, tortured and killed.

"...THIS issue is of concern to all people of all religious faiths. Persecution against any one group affects us all, for it is all too easy for any of us to become the next victim if we only stand by while the rights of others are abused."

Sen. Heinz—"...I urge all of my colleagues to join in condemning the Iranian government for the continued persecution of the people of the Bahá’í faith. This resolution is identical to Senate Concurrent Resolution 86 introduced by Sen. Percy and myself last November....

"Members of the Bahá’í community have been denied their basic human rights....For refusing to embrace the religion of the ruling government, thousands have been arrested and tortured, losing their property and jobs. Holy sites have been confiscated and desecrated....

"The resolution condemns the Khomeini regime's actions against the Bahá’ís and reaffirms our solidarity with the Bahá’í people. The resolution also calls on the President to take an active role in persuading the Iranian government to halt the destruction of this peaceful community.

"I am pleased that 67 members of the Senate are co-sponsors of Senate Concurrent Resolution 86 and that it is supported by the State Department on behalf of the Reagan administration....

"LET me urge each of my Senate colleagues to add his or her support to this important resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 226. Together, this body can send a clear signal directly to the Iranian regime that we have noted and that we condemn these outrageous violations of internationally accepted standards of basic human behavior."

Sen. Pell—"Without a doubt, the treatment of the Bahá’ís is the most serious of many appalling human rights abuses in Iran today, and one of the most egregious human rights violations anywhere....

"The Khomeini regime has, in effect, made adherence to the Bahá’í faith a crime. ...In Iran, it is now a crime for Bahá’ís to participate in a social welfare organization, operate a business corporation, or to teach the faith, even by parents to children at home. Bahá’í shrines and cemeteries have been desecrated and Bahá’í women, whose marriages are not recognized by the regime, have been branded prostitutes....

"The treatment of the Bahá’ís in Iran is all too reminiscent of the treatment of the German Jews in the early stages of Hitler's Reich. If a full-scale genocide is to be avoided, the world community must keep international attention focused on Iran's treatment of the Bahá’ís.

"Resolutions, such as the one we are about to pass, are a useful tool in insuring that the vilest crime of all—genocide—does not occur in the dark."

SEN. Sarbanes—"We have learned from the bitter experience of this century that the persecution of a vulnerable people must not be ignored.

"The approximately 300,000 Bahá’ís now living in Iran are indeed vulnerable, and (the resolution) speaks out in their defense by condemning the Iranian policies of persecution and calling for international cooperation on behalf of the Bahá’ís.

"As Elie Wiesel has so eloquently reminded us, the opposite of love is not hatred but indifference. Our respect for human dignity, indeed our own self-respect as a free nation will not permit us to remain indifferent."

Sen. Dodd—"The August 1983 edict against the Bahá’ís reminds me of nothing so much as the Nuremburg laws of a half-century ago. We cannot allow this to go on without protest....

"We must shine the light on the persecution of the Bahá’ís.

"This resolution does three things: first, it states that Iran will be held responsible for the crimes against the Bahá’ís; second, it condemns the efforts of the Iranian government to destroy the Bahá’ís by making their religious practices illegal; and third, it urges the President to work with the appropriate governments, and with the United Nations, to provide aid and comfort to the Bahá’ís, both those within Iran and those who have managed to escape.

"THESE are sound goals, and I urge my colleagues to support them by prompt passage of House Concurrent Resolution 226."

Sen. Glenn—"While the peaceful Bahá’í community has been persecuted in Iran for well over a century, the current Iranian government has fiercely rekindled its oppression of the Bahá’ís.....

"An ominous development is the Iranian government's banning of Bahá’í administrative institutions which paves the way for future arrests of thousands of individuals who serve on Bahá’í spiritual assemblies. The Iranian government has created conditions which threaten the very survival of the Bahá’í faith in Iran....

"While this resolution may do little to ease the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran, it would be unconscionable for the Congress to be silent in the face of this great injustice. We call upon the administration to work with our allies and all other members of the international community on behalf of the persecuted Bahá’ís of Iran."

Sen. Murkowski—"The persecution of the Iranian Bahá’ís by the Khomeini regime is perhaps one of the worst human rights violations in the world today....

"NOT a week passes without an act of sheer barbarism and religious oppression occurring in Iran, and the Bahá’ís are a key target....

"The UN Human Rights Commission has passed four major resolutions concerning the persecution, and the U.S. has supported each one.... The Secretary of State and the President have issued statements calling attention to the persecution and requesting international support....

"Congress has begun to act. On May 22 the House passed a resolution condemning this persecution and calling on the President to work with appropriate foreign governments in forming an appeal to the Khomeini regime....

"These efforts must continue. The Bahá’ís cannot be forgotten."

Sen. Pressler—"...the Bahá’ís of Iran have been systematically denied virtually all freedom and opportunity. By anyone's measure, their human rights continue to be trampled upon. In particular, their freedom of religion is effectively non-existent.

"The Iranian government must be convinced that these atrocities are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated....

"THIS action of the U.S. Congress should inspire other nations, many of whom have closer ties with Iranian authorities than does the United States, to increase pressure on Iranians with whom they do business to stop official and private atrocities against the Bahá’ís."

Sen. Boschwitz—"It's easy to become jaded these days to the many examples we read and hear about of torture, persecution and killings, but the situation faced by the Bahá’í community is of a scope that makes some response a moral necessity....

"Men love the darkness... because it hides their deeds. This resolution sheds light on the dark deeds of a despotic regime.

"I don't suggest that our responsibility ends there, but it certainly begins there. I ask, then, for the adoption of this beginning, a first step toward the return of some degree of light to the Bahá’ís in Iran."

In addition to the remarks by the senators, the complete text of the Newsweek magazine article titled "Death Inside Khomeini's Jails" was entered in the Congressional Record.

The text of House Concurrent Resolution 226 appears in the July issue of The American Bahá’í (p. 12).

Va. Bahá’í named to three-year term on advisory council

Donna Denize, a Bahá’í who teaches English at Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia, has been appointed by Gov. Charles S. Robb to a three-year term on the Virginia Advisory Council on Vocational Education.

The state Advisory Council, which was created by the U.S. Congress, is mandated to advise state agencies and officials on the operation of vocational education programs, to make recommendations concerning such programs, and to make annual evaluation reports to state and federal agencies.

Ms. Denize came to Foxcroft School in 1982 from Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she was a graduate assistant in the Graduate Department of English.

She was awarded a grant for the 1983-84 school year to study the possibility of making a small girls' school more aware of women's cultural heritage and future opportunities as professionals, and has been awarded a 1984 Summer Fellowship at the Folger Shakespeare Library. [Page 15]

THE DAWNING PLACE

The silent teacher reveals its story in— THE DAWNING PLACE Bruce W. Whitmore’s long-awaited history of North America’s Bahá’í House of Worship and the community that built it...

DID YOU KNOW THAT—

• the first national Bahá’í administrative body in the world was formed to build North America’s first House of Worship?
• at least fifteen designs were considered for the project?
• Foundation Hall was rumored in the twenties to be a giant fish tank?
• a fire in 1931 engulfed the entire superstructure?
• 743 tons of quartz were used in the dome alone?
• it took fifty years to complete the project?

Available from Bahá’í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, U.S.A., at prices listed plus 10% postage and handling. Or order from your National Bahá’í Distribution Service: prices may vary.

Use the order form at the right to order any of the titles on the publications page or elsewhere in The American Bahá’í.

Cash orders must be accompanied by a check or money order for the full amount (including 10 per cent for postage and handling, minimum $1.50).

Credit card orders are accepted by phone (1-800-323-1880) and by mail; a VISA or MasterCard account number and expiration date must be included. Send orders to Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, IL 60091.

331 pages, including foreword, appendices, notes, index 83 photographs and illustrations

Hardcover edition Catalog No. 332-119 $20.00

Softcover edition Catalog No. 332-120 $12.00

Aren’t you curious about the Temple, too?

The Dawning Place, the history of the Wilmette Temple, was released at the 1984 National Convention and has become one of this year’s best selling books.

BUT HOW, you may ask, did the book come to be written? And who is its author, Bruce Whitmore?

Mr. Whitmore, a native of California, made his first visit to the Temple when he was not quite nine years old. Although he had come to attend the 1953 public dedication, he found the nearby canal, teeming with marine life, to be an equally fascinating place to spend some time.

When Bruce returned to Wilmette in 1973 to work at the National Center, he began to be curious about the building he had visited as a young boy. How was it built? Who were the people who had sacrificed their time and money to build it?

In mid-1974 the research began. By November of that year Mr. Whitmore had published his first findings in Bahá’í News. Within weeks, dozens of Bahá’ís wanted to know more. Bruce found that he was not the only one who was curious about the Temple.

More articles were written in 1975 and 1976, and a book began to take form. Bruce’s love for the Temple and its story grew, and the many who heard his lectures could tell from his enthusiasm that his book would be an inspiring story indeed.

FOR EIGHT years the Bahá’ís waited while Bruce combed the National Bahá’í Archives and many non-Bahá’í sources for information. New discoveries had to be added even during the typesetting last winter.

But our patience has been amply rewarded. The 300-plus pages and 83 photographs combine to make The Dawning Place (HC, Catalog No. 332-119, $20; SC, Catalog No. 332-120, $12) our most comprehensive history of the North American Bahá’í community.

Bruce Whitmore, now administrator at the Temple, has satisfied his curiosity about our “silent teacher”—and now you can, too!

BRUCE W. WHITMORE has worked at the Bahá’í National Center since 1973 and is currently administrator of the Bahá’í Temple in Wilmette, Illinois. A native of California, Mr. Whitmore lives in Wheeling, Illinois, with his wife and two children.

Bahá’í Publishing Trust 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091

Coupon for Ordering from the Publishing Trust Qty. Title Price Kitáb-i-fgán, PS $3.50 Gleanings, PS 3.50 Some Answered Questions 3.50 Dawning Place, HC 20.00 Dawning Place, SC 12.00 Fly Away Home, SC 4.50 Apostles Bahá’u’lláh, CS $7.00 America’s Spir. Destiny, SC 4.50 Destiny Package A 8.00 Destiny Package B 19.00 Destiny Package C 13.00

Enclosed is my check or money order for $ (including 10 per cent for postage and handling, minimum $1.50). Charge to: ($10.00 minimum order) Visa MC Card expires Name Address City State Zip

(All orders are NET—no discounts. No charges on librarians accounts accepted. Credit card orders accepted by phone: 1-800-323-1880.)

’Destiny Packages’

The destiny of America is more accessible than ever before in two new publications and three special offers, according to Dr. Betty J. Fisher, general editor of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust.

Apostles of Bahá’u’lláh: The American Bahá’ís is a new 60-minute cassette featuring Counsellor Peter Khan discussing the promise and challenge of America’s glorious destiny. It costs $7 (Catalog No. 831-047).

America’s Spiritual Destiny, a 104-page guide for personal or group study, is the second new publication. It costs only $4.50 (Catalog No. 363-026).

Now for the special offers good through August 31:

Destiny Package A (Catalog No. 560-101) contains the Apostles cassette and America’s Spiritual Destiny study guide for $8 ($10 after August 31).

Destiny Package B (Catalog No. 560-102) contains the Apostles cassette, America’s Spiritual Destiny guide, and the new hardcover Advent of Divine Justice for $19 ($23.50 after August 31).

Destiny Package C (Catalog No. 560-103) contains the Apostles cassette, America’s Spiritual Destiny guide, and the new softcover edition of The Advent of Divine Justice for $13 ($18 after August 31).

Order now, before August 31, for great savings, and share the excitement about America that Peter Khan brought to the United States. [Page 16]

CLASSIFIEDS

Classified notices in The American Bahá’í are published free of charge as a service to the Bahá’í community. Notices are limited to items relating to the Faith; no personal or commercial messages can be accepted for publication. The opportunities referred to have not been approved by the National Spiritual Assembly, and the friends should exercise their own judgment in responding to them.

THE PERSIAN Affairs Office at the Bahá’í National Center has an immediate need for an administrative assistant to help with the rapidly expanding workload. Requires excellent organizational skills, oral and written communication skills, typing at least 50 wpm; fluency in English is also a must. For applications and further information, please contact Karen Crenshaw, Personnel Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

WLGI Radio needs the following immediately: Short prayers and reflections from the Bahá’í Writings with and without music produced for radio; and jingles using one or more of the following in any combination: "WLGI," "90.9 FM," "WLGI in Hemingway, South Carolina," "90.9 FM Bahá’í Radio," etc.; and professional Bahá’í musicians to send copies of their produced music for WLGI's music library. FM radio broadcast quality recordings preferred. Please send to WLGI Radio, Louis Gregory Bahá’í Institute, Hemingway, SC 29554.

THE NATIONAL Spiritual Assembly of Panama is looking for experienced personnel, preferably Spanish-speaking, to help with plans to install a Bahá’í radio station near the Guaymi Indian area. The station will play an important role in the long-term Guaymi Cultural Center project. The National Assembly is looking for people who have the resources to go on an exploratory trip that could be combined with a teaching trip to the Guaymi area. For information about the Cultural Center and visa requirements, or if you have other questions, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

GROCERY store manager is needed in Lac de Flambeau, Wisconsin. Non-Bahá’í store owner will consider lease or sale of his business—the only one on the Chippewa Indian Reservation. Wonderful teaching opportunity for a homefront pioneer family. For more information, please phone the National Teaching Committee, 312-869-9039, ext. 235.

ATTENTION youth! Get a taste of pioneering—Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico offers a marvelous chance for youth to teach the Faith. The large indigenous community warmly welcomes North Americans to this city which is untouched by tourism. The American Cultural Institute in Orizaba is always looking for English teachers. No experience is necessary; you need only be able to speak English. Classes run for two months, following a textbook. Most teachers stay from two to eight months. Room and board with a family is arranged by the director of the institute, along with a small stipend. A knowledge of Spanish is not necessary. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire experience in international teaching, live with and learn about another culture and language while serving the Faith. High school or college students could go for two weeks or more through the Experiment in International Living. The cost is minimal; don't let this opportunity pass you by. For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

WE NEED you in Racine, Wisconsin! The Racine community would love to help a Bahá’í family move into its area. Please contact Michelle Broussard, Milwaukee, WI 53211, or phone 414-332-0143.

AN INTERNSHIP position in educational administration is open at the Louhelen Bahá’í School for a college or graduate student or teacher. It involves planning children's programs, recruiting teachers, and helping the director of academic affairs in other areas of program planning. Room and board offered. Term of service is six months; option to renew is negotiable. Those who are interested may send a letter with a resumé of their educational background, work experience, and Bahá’í service to Geoffry Marks, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

THE BAHÁ’Í Association at the University of Washington is forming an alumni group composed of all Bahá’ís who are former students at UW. There are presently 20-30 Bahá’ís in an active club who feel that being in touch with alumni will allow a sharing of successes and ideas, new and old. We hope also that alumni will help subsidize teaching and proclamation on campus; students haven't much money, and we want to be financially independent of our sponsoring Assembly. We will have a newsletter, committees, social events and fund-raisers. Please send name(s) and address(es) to Debbie Todd, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043.

MISSISSIPPI needs you! We need deepened, active Bahá’ís who are willing to work hard—retired couples, college students, and those who are interested in starting their own business are much needed. Pioneers are needed in Yazoo (phone 601-636-9439 for information), Hattiesburg, home of the University of Southern Mississippi (phone 601-544-4332), in Oktibbeha County, home of Mississippi State University (phone 601-324-2424 weekday evenings except Thursdays), and in Philadelphia, near a Choctaw Indian Reservation (phone 601-856-4658).

RETIRING? Consider coming to beautiful, mountainous West Virginia where summers are warm and balmy and winter temperatures range in the 20s and 30s. For more information, contact Sandy Millikin, Ravenswood, WV 26164, or phone 304-273-5743.

VEHICLES needed: The Bahá’í National Center needs vehicles to replace those that are beyond economical repair. If you have a low-mileage vehicle in good condition which you no longer need, please consider donating it to the National Center. Offers should be made in writing with year, make, model, mileage and present condition to NSA Properties, Wilmette, IL 60091, for review. Thank you for your consideration.

THE BAHÁ’ÍS of Huntsville, Alabama, invite you to take part in their World Peace Day observance Sunday, September 16, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Monte Sano State Park. The theme is "Think war—live in fear. Think peace—live in unity." For information, please contact the coordinator, Martena Koken, Huntsville, AL 35803, or phone 205-882-3298.

THE NATIONAL Teaching Committee Office is seeking a friendly, outgoing person with strong organizational ability who types at least 50 wpm to be executive secretary to the committee secretary. Duties include typing correspondence, telephone work, and general office assistance. Previous experience in an office setting is essential. For applications and further information, please contact Karen Crenshaw, Personnel Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

WRITER is seeking Iranian woman writer for collaboration on video drama re martyrs, their families, East/West theme. Southern California area, preferably. Write to Ruth, Weston, CT 06883, or phone 203-227-9521.

TINIAN, an island in the Marianas chain, needs qualified nurses and teachers. For more information, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

HOMEFRONT pioneer(s) are needed to take over a Bahá’í-owned general store with emphasis on natural foods, clothing, outdoor equipment, solar and other alternative energy items, wood stoves, etc. Requires a $16,000 investment for inventory and equipment. Ideal for couples. No business experience necessary. Bookkeeping and store management training included. Contact Bill Bright, Alamosa, CO 81101, or phone 303-589-3217.

BAHIYYIH Khánum, the Greatest Holy Leaf—did you or someone you know have the privilege of meeting "the foremost woman of the Bahá’í Dispensation"? If so, an American Bahá’í historical researcher would greatly appreciate a written or orally taped account of the experience for possible inclusion in a biography of the beloved Lady of Bahá. Please write to Diane Taherzadeh, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, or phone 313-434-3744 (home) or 313-763-2133 (work).

THE MARSHALL Islands in the South Pacific need doctors, nurses, dentists, lawyers, accountants and teachers. Qualified persons who are interested in helping to fulfill the overseas goals of the Seven Year Plan should write to the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

PERSONNEL—administrative assistant. Acts as a receptionist for the personnel department. Responds to inquiries regarding job opportunities at the Bahá’í National Center, Bahá’í World Centre, Bahá’í International Community and U.S. Bahá’í schools. Receives and processes applications, interacts with Bahá’í National Center staff at all levels. Must have some office experience, type at least 50 wpm and have a friendly and outgoing manner. Reports to director of personnel. Excellent opportunity for career training. Minority candidates preferred. For applications and further information, please contact Karen Crenshaw, Personnel Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

BACK issues of World Order magazine are needed by the Faizi Library at the Louhelen Bahá’í School to complete its first set of these magazines. Needed are 1977 (all four issues); 1978 (Summer and Winter issues); 1980 (Fall and Winter); 1981 (Spring and Summer); 1983 (Fall and Winter); and 1984 (all issues). Also, a set of all issues from Winter 1966 through 1984 is needed to complete a second set. Anyone who wishes to donate any issues is asked to contact the Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

NORTH Dakota needs you! Bismarck, Fort Yates, the Sioux Reservation, Fort Berthold Reservation, Devils Lake Sioux Reservation all need homefront pioneers. YOUTH are especially needed and are encouraged to inquire about the low tuition schools compared to other states. Residency can be granted after six months. For details, contact the National Teaching Committee, 312-869-9039, ext. 235.

H.F.P. please call home! Have you recently arrived at a homefront pioneer post? Remember, you can't be counted as a homefront pioneer unless we have notice of your arrival. Please send your new address, Bahá’í I.D. number, phone number, and name of previous Bahá’í community to the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

THE ISLAND of St. Vincent in the Caribbean needs pioneers. Financial assistance is available. As this is a developing country, skilled people such as dentists, orthopedic doctors, and teachers of Spanish, French and the sciences are needed. For further information, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

SPANISH-speaking homefront pioneer(s) needed in San Luis, Colorado, to help teach and consolidate the all-indigenous Bahá’í community. A recently widowed Bahá’í there is offering her four-bedroom home adjoining a "mom and pop" grocery for $25,000. For details, please contact Bill Bright, 303-589-3217.

BIG CITY Bahá’ís: Tired of traffic, crowds, etc.? Retire to the western town of Chloride, Arizona (pop. 250). Twenty-four miles to Kingman and a modern shopping center, 45 minutes to the Colorado River. Maid work is usually available at motels in Kingman. Lots are available in Chloride with trailer, electricity, septic tank, water, telephone; one block from community center, four blocks from grocery store and gas station. $12,000 cash firm. Write to Gloria B. Troy, AZ 86401, or phone 602-753-9422.

WANTED: A simple(?) windmill design to utilize a constant wind source to create a cheaper source of electricity for our extension goal, the Warm Springs Reservation. The need for windmills is great and could affect the living standards of all who live there. To share your expertise, please write to the Spiritual Assembly, Aloha, OR 97007.

THE FIJI Islands need highly skilled professionals such as pilots, medical specialists (i.e., holistic doctors, chiropractors, homeopaths, etc.), university level teachers, technical specialists and those opening small businesses or farms. For more information, contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

IF YOU are interested in becoming a homefront pioneer, See ADS Page 27 [Page 17]

Española Assembly seeks help for 'Project Daybreak' campaign

To all our Native American friends in the U.S.

Dearest friends,

We are writing to ask for your help. Our Assembly has made a goal of bringing 20 Indian Reservations to Assembly status within the next two years: 19 in New Mexico and one in the Four Corners area. We have called this plan Project Daybreak.

We have made good friends on the Pueblos in New Mexico through the visits of our South American brothers who participated in the "Trail of Light," so the doors to many of the eight northern Pueblos are open to us now, and we wish to continue the flow of teachers to these receptive and spiritual people.

First of all, our homes are open to all who can come. We would like to see as many Indian Bahá’í friends as possible; if at all possible, come in a group. If some of you have talents such as dancing, music, art, story-telling, drama, we would of course be delighted.

We want to take advantage of the remaining summer months to do this teaching, so please feel free to call (collect) or write to us as soon as you can so that we may give you further details. Our address is: Spiritual Assembly of Española, P.O. Box 1443, Española, NM 87532; the phone numbers are 505-753-2096 (Jeanette or Russ Roberts), 505-753-2144 (Leah Anderson), or 505-753-3428 (Gerardo Vargas).

We look forward with great love in our hearts to meeting you and teaching with you, and pray to Bahá’u’lláh that you will be able to join us soon.

We greet you respectfully, Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Española

Bahá’ís present awards at Ti’inowit Pow Wow

In response to the recent emphasis by the Universal House of Justice on social and economic development, the Bahá’í Public Affairs Office of Central Washington state sponsored awards at the Ti’inowit International Pow Wow held in June in White Swan (Yakima Indian Nation), Washington.

The Ti’inowit Pow Wow is international in scope, bringing together several thousand Native Americans from most western states, Canada and the Great Plains to compete for prizes in dancing and drumming competitions.

The Bahá’ís offered plaques and small cash awards in the category of Best Tribal Presentation, which combined dancing, singing, drumming and a verbal description of the Indian culture represented.

During the three-day event several thousand people filed past the award display and read the plaques which stated they were presented by the Bahá’ís of the Yakima Indian Reservation; there was also an announcement over the public address system that the Bahá’ís had offered the awards.

First place went to a local group of Yakima Indians, second place to an Hidatsa Mandan group, and third place to a Lakota Sioux presentation.

Through participation in the pow wow, which supports such Bahá’í concepts as the encouragement of intercultural unity and abstention from alcohol and gambling, the Bahá’ís of the Yakima Indian Nation were able to contribute to an event deemed to be important to the Indian peoples themselves.

10TH ANNUAL TINOWIT POW WOW 1984 BEST TRIBAL PRESENTATION Presented By BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE YAKIMA RESERVATION

One of the award plaques presented by the Bahá’ís of the Yakima Indian Reservation at the annual Ti’inowit Pow Wow held in June in White Swan, Washington.

Goals

understanding of its meaning.

Pioneers to the Marshalls should have few material expectations because little is available and life is much simpler. On Majuro, conditions are crowded; on the outer islands, life is fairly traditional. One should be prepared to learn Marshallese. Food and rent are about the same as in the U.S., and the U.S. dollar is used.

There are many Bahá’ís there who need deepening.

Tuvalu—Tuvalu, once dependency of Great Britain, gained its independence in 1978. The group consists of nine small islands and until 1976 was known as the Ellice Islands.

The colony, which is free from most of the usual tropical diseases, including malaria, has a warm and usually dry climate, the heat being tempered by the constant trade winds (March-October), but the climate becomes enervating during the season of rains and westerly gales (November-February).

The islanders are Polynesians and the language is Polynesian, closely related to Samoan. English is also spoken throughout the islands.

Fishing and cultivating gardens in the sparse soil are still fundamental to the way of life, even though many of the people earn wages from employment or receive income from the sale of copra.

The capital of Funafuti is served regularly by Air Pacific and Fiji Air, flying in from Suva. Shipping services are approximately bi-monthly.

Tuvalu has its own National Spiritual Assembly.

Generally, no jobs are available for outsiders, but a doctor is needed immediately, and the Peace Corps has people there. Pioneers must generally go on a missionary visa and receive deputization.

The cost of living averages about $200 per person per month. Housing can range from 0 (government provided) to $60 per month. Food selection is limited unless one grows one's own garden.

The kind of pioneer needed is one who is patient, flexible, and willing to live in a place which, by American standards, presents physical hardships.

There are 100 active Bahá’ís in Tuvalu, 40 of them in Funafuti, with many more who are inactive. Consolidation and deepening are their most important needs.

Fiji—At the moment this goal is filled, and so we will not describe it here.

"He (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) rested not a moment, till the fame of the Cause of God was noised abroad in the world...The beloved of God must also follow the same example. This is the secret of faithfulness, this is the requirement of servitude to the Threshold of Bahá!"—The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 10

For more detailed and up-to-date information about these important goal areas in the Pacific, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or telephone us at 312-869-9039.

National Bahá’í Fund

The Bedrock of All Other Institutions National Bahá’í Fund Wilmette, IL 60091

BAHÁ’Í HOUSE OF WORSHIP

Wilmette, Illinois Summer Hours (May 15 to October 14)

Main Auditorium (Upstairs) Open 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. for prayers; open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for visitors

Visitors Center (Downstairs) Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Bahá’í Book Shop Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily

Sunday Activities Devotional Program, 3 p.m.

Information about transportation, food and lodging is available from the Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Bahá’í National Center Office Hours 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Central Time) Monday-Friday Phone 312-869-9039

New National Properties Committee named

The National Spiritual Assembly recently appointed a five-member National Properties Committee which has been empowered to oversee the acquisition, construction, preservation and maintenance of all Bahá’í-owned properties in the U.S.

The committee members are Robert Armbruster of Oak Park, Michigan; Fred Bruning of Palos Verdes Estates, California; Michael Hickey of Highland Park, Michigan; Frederic McCoy of Ferndale, Michigan; and Robert Shaw of Middleton, Wisconsin.

New for teaching and deepening

A New pocket-sized book with a wallop!

SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS only $3.50*

-A must for teaching Christians -A must for deepening your grasp of the teachings -your ability to teach others -your support of Bahá’í institutions

handsomely bound in durable blue cover measures 4 1/4 x 7 inches 324 pages index Pocket-sized edition Cat. No. 106-043 $3.50*

Order through your local librarian, or send check or money order (including 10% for postage and handling, minimum $1.50) to Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 415 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, IL 60091

• Price valid only in the United States

[Page 18]

گزارش تشییع جنازه

از شهر دو اتوبوس دیگر لازم است خود مشکلی بود در این مکان خوشبختانه همه اتوبوسها رسیدند در شعارهائی در خارج از محوطه گلستان جاوید افراد بچه طریق اتوبوس تهیه شود ولی تهیه اتوبوس حدود ساعت ۱۱/۵ بود که در این محل توقف کردیم و غیر بهائی میدادند که بوسیله پاسداران خاموش گردید بنظر بندگان حقیرش مشکل بود غافل از اینکه دست در حدود ساعت یک بعدازظهر اتوبوسها هم رسیدند نتایج ثمر بخش این تشییع جنازه ها بر ما معلوم نیست غیبی اراده کرد بود در اسرع وقت با همت جوانان و در اینجا بود که مجددا ماشین سپاه پاسداران با و با قلم شکسته و فکرناقص اینجانب نمیتوانم خودش این مشکل در آن صبح زود حل شود و شد. دو تعدادی از پاسداران رسیدند و باز اصرار داشتند اهمیت آن را تشریح و تبیین نمایم .... اتوبوس دیگر تهیه و بالاخره بعد از اجتماع در محل که این اجتماع شما مانع تحویل اجساد است باید بامید روزیکه حقایق برای تمام جهانیان روشن شود حرکت کنید ضمناً شماره تمام ماشینها را یادداشت و مظلومیت این جمع بیگناه برای همگان ثابت و و معهود ساعت ۶/۱۰ دقیقه صبح تعداد شش اتوبوس در حدود بیست ماشین سواری بسمت کاشمر حرکت کردند نمودند و طبق سفارشی که سه نفر نماینده ایکه مبرهن گردد. تا این مرحله جامعه بهائی از انجام مراسم که طبق برای مذاکره به سپاه پاسداران کاشمر رفته بودند برنامه انجام شده بود خوشحال بودند و مطمئن اجبارا هرچند دقیقه یک ماشین به حرکت خودا دامه بودند که با عنایات و تاییدات حق برنامه تا آخرین داد و بسمت نیشابور حرکت کردیم روز حادثه مرحله انجام خواهد شد مشکلات از تربت حیدریه شروع شد.

البته در مرحله اول مشکل برای سرنشینان .. بعد از توقف یکساعته در آن محل که در یک معمول در بین راه بازرسی میکردند تا اینکه ساعت کیلومتری کاشمر بود مجددا حرکت کردیم زیرا تا ۹ صبح تعدادی از ماشینهای سواری به دروازه کاشمر حرکت نمیکردیم اجساد را تحویل نمیدادند. در ساعت رسیدند و همه در یک میدان کوچک در خارج شهر حدود ۱۲/۵ بسمت نیشابور حرکت کردیم و در کیلومتر اجتماع کردند و منتظر بودیم تا اتوبوسها برسند. ۵۰ کاشمر نیشابور مجددا توقف کردیم شاید بتوانیم ولی انتظار طول کشید و همه را نگران کرد ماشینهای با این توقفها تشییع کننده شهدا مان باشیم ولی سواری همه رسیده بودند ولی از اتوبوسها خبری همه چیز بر وفق مراد نبود و انتظا رسودی نداشت نبود. بر تعداد جمعیت هر دقیقه اضافه میشد بالاخره بعد از مدتی توقف حدود ساعت ۱۳/۵ این جمعیت كثير بسمت نیشابور روان شد در دروازه نیشابور تمام ماشینها بوسیله پاسداران بازرسی میشد ... بوسیله سرنشینان ماشینهای سواری غیر ا حبا و موتورسیکلت سوارها که عبور میکردند بعلت انتشار خبر به کاشمر هر لحظه و به تماشاچیان عبوری اضافه میشد و این خبر را که پاسداران بدون اینکه از آنان پرسیده شود همه را به گلستان جاوید راهنمائی میکردند به سرنشینان برگردند ولی سکون و آرامش احبای عزیز که واقعا از همه آنها متشکریم و تفهیم مطلب به نماینده آرزوی شهی عضو محترم هیئت مشاورین قاره ای علیه رضوان الله است. ماشین ما هم سفارش شد در خیابان توقف نکنید کشته جمعیت انبوهی در دروازه کاشمر توقف کرده اند منتشر ساخت. بعد از یک ساعت توقف در دروازه کاشمر ماشین پاسداران که حافظ امنیت هستند رسید فکر کرد ما آدرس گلستان را یاد داریم و احتیاج و مدتی با تعدادی از احباء صحبت کردند و گفتند به راهنمائی نیست فقط سفارش و تاکید کرد که در اجتماع شما در این محل مغایر با برقراری امنیت خیابان توقف نکنید بالاخره ساعت حدود ۲/۴۵ بعداز است باید از همان راهی که آمده اید برگردید فقط ظهر به گلستان جاوید محلیکه عزیزانمان باید دو ماشین سواری برای تحویل اجساد بمانند و بقیه برای همیشه استقرار یابند .رسیدیم. تمام جمعیت رسیده بودند یکی از اتوبوسها مستقیما از مشهد به نیشابور آمده بود که حدود ساعت ۱۱/۵ به نیشابور سپاه پاسداران برایشان این حقیقت ثابت شد که این رسیده بودند و آن عده هم تا ساعت ۲/۵ بعد از ظهر جمعیت منظوری جز تشییع جنازه عزیزانشان را که بی نهایت مضطرب و ناراحت بودند که چرا جمعیت از مورد احترام همه بودند ندارند و این مراسم را میل دارند در نهایت سکون و آرامش برقرار نمایند محل گلستان جاوید به دعا و مناجات مشغول بوده اند و امکان برگشت مجدد برایشان وجود ندارد قرار بر تا اینکه در ساعت ۳ بعد از ظهر اجساد شهداء به این شد که دوسه نفر از آن جمعیت به سپاه پاسداران گلستان جاوید نیشابور رسید و با تکبیر اللہ ابهی بروند تا ترتیب کارها را و موافقت اینکه مراسم گویان به محل مخصوص برده شد تا تفسیل شوند برگزار شود بگیرند. بعد از یکساعت و نیم توقف افراد احباء نهایت سکون و آرامش خود را حفظ کردند ماشینهای سواری در این محل یکی از اتوبوسها آمد و با تلاوت آیات و مناجات و دعا خود را تسلی میدادند و بالاخره در میان انبوه جمعیت بعداز تغسيل ... بالاخره بعد از توقف یکساعت و نیم در دروازه کا شمر نماینده سپاه پاسداران اظهار داشت ای آن دو وجود نازنین مراسم تلاوت نماز برای هر عمل و اجتماع شما دلیل بر این است که فکر میکنید کدام جداگانه و با تلاوت مناجاتهای متعدد انجام عملیاتی که انجام شده بر خلاف مقررات بوده در گردید و در این موقعیت بود که متوجه شدم تا چه حد صورتی که اینطور نبوده و تا اجتماع شما متفرق احیای آلهی مستقیم و ثابت و مومن هستند که با همه نشود جنازه ها را تحویل نخواهیم داد بالاخره آنان مشکلات و تضییقات با چه شهامتی و شجاعتی با را قانع کردیم که ماشینهای سواری هر ۵ دقیقه مسافت و هوای گرم و احتمال بروز خطرات فراوان بسمت شهر حرکت و از شهر خارج و بطرف نیشابور عده ای در حدود بیش از چهارصد نفر در مراسم شرکت بروند در خارج از شهر توقف کرده تا جنازه ها را کرده بودند و دین خود را ادا کردند و آنچنان تحویل دهند با حرکت وسایل نقلیه موافقت شد و بود که گوئی اشکال مختلف قیافه ها در یک روح جمع ماشینها هر ۵ دقیقه دو عدد بسمت کاشمر حرکت شده و اتحاد و همبستگی بین ابناء بشر را که بدون توقف در شهر، در خارج شهر در حدود یک خواسته دیانت مقدس بهائی است نشان میدادند... کیلومتری همه توقف کردند تا این وحدت را که مانع ایجاد آن هستند ایجا دو همگی بهم بپوندند. در مراسم تدفین نماینده سپاه پاسداران جهت برقراری نظم و امنیت این انبوه جمعیت با یکی دو نفر دیگر حضور داشتند البته

اشعار شهید دکتر مسیح فرهنگی

ابیات ذیل اثر طبع شهید سعید جناب دکتر مسیح فرهنگی عضو محترم هیئت مشاورین قاره ای علیه رضوان الله است.

وای از این حال پریشانم و عمر تبهم یا رب این خلقتم از تست نباشد گنهم ننگرم واپس اگر باز بیفتد كلهم لب خندان تو ای یار بدامم افکند دگرم نیست توان تا که ز بندت بجهم گر ز دنیا برهم رقص کنان خواهم رفت با من خسته نالان چه کنی قصد ستیز من که در بند تو بی یاور و فوج و سپهم زندگی نیست که بی روی توام میگذرد خرم آن دم که از این تنگ مسلم برهم آرزو بود که در وصل تو بازم جان را جان به لب آمد و از هجر زبخت سیهم تیر نگاه تو منم ای صیاد قدمی بر سر من نه که ترا خاک رهم جان شیرین به تمنای دل خود دادم منتی بر سرتای خسرو خوبان ننهم کشته ام ای دلبر زیبا نگهی مرده آن نگه و زنده هم از آن نگهم

اطلاعیه حقوق الله

در مرقومه ایادی عزیز امرالله و امین محترم حقوق الله جناب دکتر علی محمدورقا بجهت استحضار باران گرامی ذیلاً درج میگردد.

بکمال خضوع باستحضار یاران عزیز ایرانی مقیم آمریکا میرساند جناب موسی مستقیم معاون محترم صندوق حقوق الله در منطقه شرقی و مرکزی آمریکا پس از چند سال خدمت مشتاقانه در سبیل این مشروع مقدس بر اثر کسالت مزاج درخواست نمودند نفس دیگری از احیای عزیز بجای ایشان عهده دار این خدمت گردد. لذا با تصویب بیت العدل اعظم آلهی شیدالله ارکانه جناب دکتر داریوش حقیقی مقیـ بعد اهایو باین سمت انتخاب گردیدند و از این ببعد جناب ایشان عهده دار کلیه مسئولیتهای جناب مستقیم در منطقه مربوطه خواهند بود.

با تقدیم تحیات بهیه علیمحمد ورقا

آدرس جناب دکتر حقیقی : Dr. Daryush Haghighi Rocky River, Ohio 44116. [Page 19]دنباله "سانتی نام" از صفحه ۲۰

را ادارۀ آموزش بزرگسالان در اختیار این برنامه قرار می‌دهد.

در گفتگویی که با رئیس تعلیمات بزرگسالان ناحیه داشتیم معلوم شد که موفقیت این برنامه آموزش بزرگسالان بحدی است که ادارۀ مربوطه اعلام داشته است که به روستاهائی که مؤسسه سانتی‌نام با جامعۀ بهائیان منطقه معرفی نمایند اولویت خواهد داد. اداره بهداشت منطقه نیز خویش را جهت یاری به آموزش بهداشت در آن روستاها داوطلب نمود. از طرف دیگر چند تن از بهائیان محلی مقیم در تایلند نیز آماده‌اند که در روستاها به پیشرفت بهداشتی، اجتماعی و اقتصادی افراد کمک کنند.

خانم فوزدار گرچه سالخورده و رنجور است و طبق دستور پزشکان نباید فعالیت بسیار داشته باشد ولی از آنجا که نگران "سانتی نام" (صلح) است نمی‌تواند آرام بگیرد و مرتب در تکاپوی بدست آوردن کمکهای مالی و بهبود وضع آموزشگاه است. ولی سانتی نام اگر بخواهد دوام یابد و گسترش پذیرد باید به صورتی علمی و حرفه‌ای اداره شود و به همین لحاظ است که چند سال پیش خانم فوزدار آن را تقدیم امر نمود تا بصورت یک مؤسسه رسمی بهائی انجام وظیفه نماید.

اکنون بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی رسیدگی به طرح آموزشی سانتی نام و گسترش آن را جزو اهداف تایلند برای دو سال آخر برنامه هفت‌ساله قرار داده‌اند. محفل ملی تایلند گروهی را مأمور ساخته است که هر چه زودتر گزارشی دربارۀ این طرح و نحوۀ کار این مرکز آموزشی در آینده تهیه کنند. تا کنون گزارش مبسوط وضع کنونی آن تقدیم محفل گردیده است و هیئت مزبور مشغول مطالعه و تهیه طرح اجرائی برای آینده هستند.

آنچه برای مقامات تایلندی قابل توجه است و حتی غیر قابل قبول این است که همۀ این اقدامات برای مردم ناحیه انجام گیرد بدون اینکه از آنها خواسته شود که دین خود را تغییر دهند و یا در بسیاری از موارد بدون اینکه حتی ذکری از عقاید مذهبی به میان آید. هنگامی که با مسؤول گسترش کتابخانه‌های روستائی در یکی از دانشگاههای تربیت معلم صحبت می‌کردم و فکر ایجاد کتابخانه مرکزی اطفال را در یکی از شهرهای شمال شرقی تایلند با او مطرح کردم و گفتم که این اقدام می‌تواند جزئی از طرح آموزشی "سانتی نام" باشد با تردید گفت: این اسم نشان می‌دهد که شما یک گروه مذهبی هستید یا شاید هم سیاسی گفتم درست حدس زدید "سانتی نام" یکی از طرحهای بهائیان تایلند است و زمانی که شنید که ما با اجرای این طرح تنها مقصد‌مان خدمت به مردم است و بهیچوجه آن را وسیله تبلیغ دیانت بهائی قرار نمی‌دهیم اشک در چشمانش حلقه زد و گفت با کمال میل هر کاری که از دستم برآید برایتان انجام می‌دهم از تعلیم کتابداران گرفته تا خرید کتاب و غیره. شما شروع کنید و به کمک ما اطمینان داشته باشید.

این خبر را به خانم فوزدار درست قبل از اینکه تایلند را ترک کنند دادم. چهره مهربانش با لبخند زیبایی روشن شد، مرا در آغوش گرفت و گفت: خیلی خوب است ولی عزیزم پولش را از کجا می‌آورید؟

گفتم: خانم عزیز نگران نباشید. بهائیان عالم خواهان "سانتی نام" (صلح) هستند شک نیست که در پرورش و تکامل نهالی که بدست شما کاشته شده است خواهند کوشید.

علاقمندان میتوانند از طریق دفتر محفل روحانی ملی آمریکا با محفل روحانی ملی تایلند مکاتبه فرمایند.

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خلاصه‌ای از شرح تشییع جانباختگان جناب کمال‌الدین بخت‌آور و جناب نعمت‌الله کاتب پورشیدی بقلم یکی از یاران خراسان

روز یکشنبه تاریخ ۶۰/۵/۴ مثل سایر روزهای گذشته برای جامعه بهائی مشهد روز ‎پر اطرابی پر اضطرابی‎ بود زیرا عزیزان ما جنابان بخت‌آور و شهیدی و میثاقی را در تاریخ‌های ۱ و ۶۰/۵/۲ محاکمه کرده بودند که مسلماً "شرح محاکمه جمع‌آوری خواهد شد و در اوراق زرین تاریخ ثبت و ضبط خواهد گردید. بار دیگر تاریخ تکرار شد و خطه خراسان شاهد و ناظر با عمال ظالمانه‌ای گردید که در عصر رسولی بر اصحاب وفا اعمال می‌کردند. در یکی دو سال اخیر علاوه بر مظالم گذشته چندین بار است که سرزمین خراسان بخون بی گناهان رنگین می‌شود. در اطراف بیرجند نفوس مقدسه در دو نوبت مورد هجوم قرار گرفته جان عزیز را در سبیل جانان فدا کردند. سرزمین حمار در بکمال و شیم فیل بخون بی گناهی آغشته گشت و این بار مشهد مقدس در جوار بارگاه حضرت رضا (ع) شاهد گرفتاری و زندانی سه نفس مقدس بود که سرزمین کاشمر بخون دونفرشان رنگین و یک نفر دیگر به حبس ابد محکوم شد. در هر حال در روزهای محاکمه و روزهای قبل از محاکمه احبا در نگرانی شدیدی بسر می‌بردند زیرا گرفتاری و محاکمه و نتیجه آن را در سایر شهرستانها دیده بودند و حق داشتند که مضطرب و ناراحت باشند صبح روز ۶۰/۵/۴ همه اخبار منتهی به این شد که دو نفر از عزیزانمان جنابان بخت‌آور و شهیدی در سحرگاه روز فوق اعدام و جناب میثاقی به حبس ابد محکوم گردیده‌اند. این خبر حدود ساعت ۹/۴۵ صبح روز فوق بسرعت منتشر شد و بیش از همه اعضاء جامعه بهائی را که مسؤولیت شدیدی داشته و می‌بایستی ترتیب تشییع شهدا را به نحوی که شایسته این مقام شامخ است برگزار و از طرفی ترتیبی اتخاذ گردد که باعث تحریک و برانگیختن تعصب هموطنان و همشهریهای عزیز نشود. جامعه بهائی از این خبر ‎جانکدا جانگداز‎ مطلع و در ساعت ۱۱ صبح اجتماع و تا ساعت ۴/۵ بعدازظهر به شور و مشورت پرداختند و در تمام ساعات فوق از راهنمائیهای ملی برخوردار و برنامه خود را بر پایه راهنما‌ئیهای ملی طرح‌ریزی نمودند و سایر افراد بخصوص جوانان عزیز که همیشه آماده خدمت بوده و هستند و تعدادی از افراد خدوم که مسئولیت خدمت همه عزیزان را عهده‌دار هستند مرتباً مراجعه و برای بهتر برگزار نمودن این مراسم کسب تکلیف می‌کردند و هر چند نفری مأمور خدمت برای تهیه اتوبوس، برای دعوت افراد جهت شرکت در مراسم، جهت تهیه آذوقه برای چندین نفر در مدت ۱۲ ساعت روز آینده و تهیه لوازم دیگر شدند چون صبح همین روز اعلام کرده بودند که باید اجساد را تا ساعت ۱۲ روز تحویل بگیرند لذا بعضی از بستگان شهدا ساعت ۱۱/۵ صبح از مشهد به سمت کاشمر راه افتادند. خداوند میداند که شهادت را نصیب چه افرادی و از چه خانواده‌هائی بنماید. در برخورد با افراد این خانواده‌ها کوچکترین اثری از غم دیده نمی‌شد و این خود دیگران را تسلی می‌داد همه بستگان شاد و چهره‌های خندان همیشگی را در این روز به همگان نشان دادند و اگر کسی ناراحت بود اینان نصیحت می‌فرمودند ... در ساعت حدود ۶ بعد از ظهر ماشین دیگری با وسایل دیگر از قبیل صندوق و یخ اعزام شدند که به آنجا بروند و یار و مددکار بستگان شهدا باشند.

از مشهد تا کاشمر در حدود ۲۴۰ کیلومتر راه است در ساعات بین ۱۱ تا ۴/۵ بعدازظهر با شور و مشورت و راهنمائی و هدایت ملی تصمیم بر این گرفته شد که علیرغم کلیه مشکلات و تضییقات که از هر لحاظ وجود دارد تشییع شهدا با نهایت شکوه و جلال و با نهایت وقار و متانت و سکون و آرامش که از خصایل و فضائل اهل بها است برگزار شود. در وهله اول فکر کردیم برای رفتن به کاشمر ۴ اتوبوس و چند ماشین سواری کافی باشد زیرا چون مراسم مدت ۱۲ ساعت بلکه بیشتر طول خواهد کشید بعلت گرفتاریهای افراد جمعیت بیش از ظرفیت ۴ اتوبوس نخواهند آمد ولی غافل از آنکه احبای عزیز الهی مراسم تشییع عزیزان را مقدم بر هر کاری می‌دانند و حتی اطفال را بی‌سرپرست در منازل گذاشته و با قلبی محزون ولی آکنده از عشق جمال مبارک و برای شادی روح آن شهیدان از همه چیز گذشته و مشتاق شرکت در مراسم خواهند شد. ترتیب همه چیز با سعی و همت جوانان برومند بهائی که هر یک مشوق جامعه بهائی مشهد بودند داده شد و قرار بر این شد که مراسم تشییع و ساعت حرکت بسمع دوستان برسد. چون هوا گرم و مسافت زیاد بود تصمیم گرفته شد صبح زود روز بعد یعنی ۶۰/۵/۵ چهار اتوبوس در چهار نقطه شهر متمرکز و برای هر اتوبوس دو نفر مسئول تعیین و تذکر داده شد که تمام اتوبوس‌ها ساعت ۵/۴۵ از محل خود حرکت و در محل دیگری که تعیین شده بود اجتماع و از آن محل ساعت ۶ صبح حرکت و به سمت کاشمر روانه شوند.

در این شب خواب بچشم فردی از احبا نرفت زیرا می‌خواستند با این شب بیداری ضمن دعا و مناجات بسوی قاضی الحاجات آمادگی داشته باشند که هر چه زودتر و صبح زود در مراسم شرکت نمایند. ... در ساعت معهود همه افراد جامعه این‌کار را انجام دادند مشکلی بچشم نخورد جز اینکه تعداد افراد زیاد و اتوبوس کم بود. بنظر میرسید در دو نقطه... [Page 20]

پناهندگی در ایالات متحده

بسیاری از دوستان از وضع احبای ایرانی که در کشورهای مختلف سرگردان مانده‌اند بحق اظهار نگرانی می‌نمایند و میل دارند که بطریقی به آسایش آنان و خلاصی‌شان از این موقعیت کمک کنند. محفل مقدس روحانی ملی ایالات متحده تحت ارشاد و هدایت بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی و با همکاری محافل ملی دیگر دائماً می‌نموده اند که مراحل صدور ویزای پناهندگی برای آن عده که استقرار آنان در کشور دیگری ممکن نیست سریعتر انجام پذیرد. نمایندهٔ مخصوص محفل ملی چندین ماه قبل به کلیه کشورهائی که پناهندگان بهائی ایرانی در آنجا منتظر ویزا هستند سفر نموده است و تمام پناهندگان دیگری در طول ماه‌های جولای و آگست مجدداً به همان کشورها خواهند رفت تا تسهیلات لازم در کار صدور ویزا و انتقال آنان به آمریکا ایجاد گردد. بعلاوه ‎با شارهٔ با اشارهٔ‎ معهد علی محافل ملی ممالک مختلف ترتیباتی داده‌اند که حتی المقدور وسائل آسایش پناهندگان ایرانی فراهم شود حتی در بعضی نقاط بهمت یاران آن سامان منازلی برای اقامت موقت آنان در نظر گرفته شده است. باین ترتیب احبای عزیز بایستی به دلسوزی و توجه تشکیلات بهائی مطمئن باشند و با تقدیم تبرعات کریمانه و اعلام آمادگی برای تکفل مسؤولیت پناهندگان بهائی خدمات و اقدامات محفل ملی و مؤسسات تابعه را حمایت و تأیید فرمایند. بالاخص بایستی متوجه القائات بعضی عوامل و افراد بود که بعلت عدم اطلاع و یا بسبب سوء نیت اذهان یاران را مشوب می‌نمایند و در جهت سلب اعتماد احبای الهی نسبت به مؤسسات نظم اداری بهائی اظهاراتی مینمایند. برای مزید اطلاع نفوسی که منسوبین یا دوستانشان قصد دارند با ویزای پناهندگی به آمریکا وارد شوند و یا کسانی که اشخاص معینی را در نظر ندارند ولکن مایلند مسؤولیت یک یا چند نفر از پناهندگان را بعهده بگیرند مختصری از مراحل و اقدامات لازم ذیلاً درج میگردد.

پناهنده باید: ۱ - به محفل روحانی ملی کشوری که فعلاً در آن سکونت دارد مراجعه نموده معرفی نامه بهائی دریافت دارد. ۲ - به نمایندگی کمیسیون پناهندگان سازمان ملل متحد مراجعه کند و گواهی پناهندگی دریافت دارد. ۳ - نام و نشانی منسوبین خود را در ایالات متحده به نماینده کمیسیون پناهندگان تسلیم نماید. ۴ - از یکی از منسوبین یا دوستان خود در آمریکا تقاضا کند که با تکمیل فرم مخصوص مسؤولیت تمام احتیاجات اولیه را در ابتدای ورود به آمریکا تعهد نماید. ۵ - اگر کسی را برای تعهد این مسؤولیت ندارد باید از طریق محفل روحانی ملی همان کشور مراتب را به اطلاع محفل ملی ایالات متحده برساند تا اقدام لازم معمول گردد.

متکفل باید: ۱ - فرم مخصوص صورتی رنگی را که برای این منظور تهیه شده است از دفتر لجنه ملی امور احبای ایرانی گرفته تکمیل کند. ۲ - فرم تکمیل شده را گواهی امضاء کند. ۳ - دو فتوکپی از فرم تهیه کند و یکی از نسخ را خود نگاه داشته نسخه دیگر را به آدرس پناهنده ارسال دارد. ۴ - اصل فرم را همراه با نام کشوری که پناهنده قرار است در آنجا برای دریافت ویزای پناهندگی آمریکا اقدام کند به دفتر لجنه ملی امور احبای ایرانی بفرستد.

یاران گرامی که علاقه مند باشند مسؤولیت تکفل یک یا چند نفر از پناهندگانی را که بستگان یا دوستانی در آمریکا ندارند قبول کنند میتوانند فرم دیگری که برای این قبیل تعهد تهیه شده از دفتر لجنه ملی امور احبای ایرانی بخواهد. محافل محلی یا جمعیت‌های بهائی و یا جمعی از یاران بالاجتماع نیز میتوانند این تعهد را بنمایند ولکن بایستی فرم را یکی از آنان بنمایندگی از جانب سایرین امضاء کند.

تا کنون عده‌ای از دوستان فرم‌های مذکور را تکمیل نموده‌اند و بهمین ترتیب جمعی از خواهران و برادران که مدتها در کشورهای مختلف منتظر مانده بوده‌اند به آمریکا آمده و بسیاری از آنان در نقاط لازم المهاجره مستقر گردیده‌اند.

شانتی تام یعنی صلح

بقلم سرکار فوزدار خانم بامن مهاجر تایلند

احبای مسرت‌بخش گسترش روزافزون امر مبارک را در سراسر جهان مرتب می‌خوانیم و ملاحظه می‌کنیم که چگونه کلام حق بر خلاف گمان باطل اعداء در قلب نفوس شائق نفوذ می‌کند و آنان را در مغناطیس کاران تعالیم نجات‌بخش و رهاکننده حضرت بهاءالله در می‌آورد. نجات‌بخش زیرا اکثر بهائیان تحت لوای عقاید خود از بندگی افراد و مردمان نجات می‌یابند و از قیود مادی و وابستگی‌های پر زرق و برق طاغوتی‌ها میشوند و در عوض مخلصانه به خدمت عالم انسانی صرفنظر از نژاد و عقیده کمر همت می‌بندند.

پیام ۲۰ اکتبر ۱۹۸۳ بهترین شاهد این ادعا است. گرچه همه می‌دانستیم که وظیفهٔ اصلی هر یک از ما خدمت صمیمانه به مردم جهان است و این را در کلیه آثار بارها و بارها خوانده بودیم ولی شاید بر ‎همه گان همگان‎ نحوه انجام این خدمت و حتی علت لزوم آن به درستی روشن نبود. بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی اکنون به وضوح کامل خط مشی اصلی افراد بهائی را در هر نقشه و فن مشخص فرموده‌اند. در این زمان دیگر بر همه روشن است که اول وظیفه هر یک از ما خدمت به دیگران است بخصوص به آنان که به دلایل مختلف سیاسی، اقتصادی و اجتماعی از کاروان پیشرفت عقب مانده‌اند.

تعداد قلیلی از احباء در نقاط مختلف جهان به عمق اهمیت این تعلیم زودتر از دیگران پی برده بودند و در نهایت خضوع و خشوع و خلوص نیت در نقاط دور افتاده و گمنام به تأسیس مراکزی برای این منظور همت گماشتند. یکی از این افراد خانم شیرین فوزدار است. این خانم ایرانی‌الاصل در خانواده‌ای مؤمن در هندوستان پرورش یافت و از اوان جوانی در خدمت انسان‌های مظلوم درآمد که شرح زندگیش خود داستانی است بسیار جالب و شنیدنی ولی خارج از بحث امروز ما.

شیرین خانم چندین سال پیش همراه دکتر فوزدار همسر ارجمندش به تایلند مهاجرت کردند. خدمات مخلصانه و رفتار واقعاً بهائی این زوج مؤمن چنان تأثیری در جامعه تایلند گذاشته است که امروز هر گاه با فردی بخصوص از طبقهٔ خبرگان از امر صحبت می‌شود فوری نام آنان را در نهایت احترام یاد می‌کنند و از حالشان جویا می‌شوند. دربارهٔ خانوادهٔ فوزدار می‌توان کتابها نوشت خانواده‌ای از متخصصان علوم طبیعی و اجتماعی، خانواده‌ای از خدمتگزاران مخلص جامعه انسانی و خانواده‌ای از مخلصین درگاه حضرت بهاءالله.

از جمله خدمات خانم فوزدار سالها پیش تأسیس مرکز آموزشی سانتی تام (صلح) در شمال شرقی تایلند بود. این ناحیه فقیرترین قسمت تایلند است و بدترین آب و هوا را دارد. در حدود هفت ماه از سال دچار خشکسالی مفرط است و در فصل باران سیلهای شدید مانع هر نوع فعالیت کشاورزی است و فقط دو سه ماه در سال دهقانان فقیر می‌توانند مختصر محصولی بدست آورند و تقریباً همه آنرا برای فروش و کسب درآمدی مختصر به بازار عرضه می‌دارند.

گرچه در سالهای اخیر دولت تایلند شروع باجرای طرحهای عمرانی و اجتماعی بسیاری در این ناحیه وسیع نموده است ولی هنوز فقر مفرط، انواع بیماریها و عقب‌ماندگی شدید گریبان‌گیر اهالی آن منطقه است.

خانم فوزدار در سالهای اخیر مدرسه سانتی تام را به مدرسه حرفه‌ای تبدیل کرد و در کنار آن دو فعالیت آموزشی دیگر را نیز آغاز نمود. کودکستانی برای اطفالی که نمی‌توانند شهریه‌های گزاف کودکستانهای خصوصی را بپردازند و به علت زیادی درخواست راهی نیز به کودکستان دولتی شهر ندارند. شبها مدرسه سانتی تام بر خلاف ساختمانهای اکثر مدارس ساکت و تاریک نیست. خانم فوزدار ساختمان و وسائل آن را در اختیار اداره آموزش بزرگسالان نیز قرار داده است که زنان و مردانی که روز گرفتار کسب معاش هستند شبها بتوانند به این آموزشگاه آمده و حرفه‌ای بیاموزند و با بدست آوردن تخصص حرفه‌ای بر درآمد خانواده بیفزایند.

مرکز آموزشی سانتی تام واحدی سیار نیز دارد که در روستاهای مختلف برای زنان روستائی انواع کلاسهای خیاطی و آشپزی و غیره ترتیب می‌دهد. وسائل آموزشی را سانتی تام ‎تفیل تکفل‎ کرده است و معلمان

بقیه در صفحه ۱۹ [Page 21]

پیامهای بیت‌العدل اعظم الهی

تلکس مورخ ۳ جولای ۱۹۸۴ اخبار نگران کننده جدیدی که از ایران رسیده حاکی است از بدار زدن جناب نصرت الله وحدت در مشهد یوم ۱۷ جون، و گرفتاری ۵۱ نفس دیگر از یاران بنحوی که جمعاً ۷۵۱ نفر از احباء اکنون در زندانها بسر میبرند و عده‌ای از آنان مورد زجر و شکنجه قرار میگیرند و بعضی بطور اخص در معرض خطرند... بیت‌العدل اعظم

تلکس مورخ ۵ جولای ۱۹۸۴ در تعقیب تلکس مورخ ۳ جولای وصول خبر تأسف انگیز اعدام جناب احسان‌الله کثیری در طهران در تاریخ ۲۷ جون ۱۹۸۴ پس از ۱۱ ماه زندان اعلام میشود. جناب کثیری ۴۰ سال داشتند. جسد شهید سعید بدون اطلاع منسوبین و انجام تشریفات بهائی بوسیله مأمورین مدفون گردیده است... بیت‌العدل اعظم

آثار دماء مطهرۀ شهداء

تصویب قطعنامه در سنا

مجلس سنای ایالات متحده روز ۱۵ جون ۱۹۸۴ قطعنامه مشترک شماره ۲۲۶ را باتفاق آراء تصویب نمود. قطعنامه مذکور که ۲۴ روز قبل در مجلس نمایندگان بتصویب رسیده بود ایذاء و آزار وارده بر بهائیان ایران را محکوم مینماید. یازده نفر از سناتورها که عموماً اعضاء کمیسیون روابط خارجی سنا بودند در پشتیبانی از قطعنامه بیاناتی ایراد نمودند.

از جمله سناتور چارلز پرسی از ایالت ایلینوی گفت: "با تصویب این قطعنامه مجلس سنا علناً و قطعاً ایذاء بهائیان را بوسیله حکومت ایران محکوم مینماید..." و سناتور ماتینگلی از ایالت مریلند در ضمن تأیید قطعنامه اظهار داشت: "زنان و دختران جوان بدلیل اعتقاد دیانتی بدار آویخته شده‌اند. شاهد بر این حقیقت که این آزار و اذیت دلیلی جز تفاوت عقیده نداشته اینکه به عموم اعدام شدگان پیشنهاد آزادی و اعاده مشاغل و استرداد دارائی شده است تنها بشرط آنکه از عقیده خود تبری کنند و اسلام را بپذیرند... صمیمانه امیدوارم که امروز با تصویب این قطعنامه به عالم متمدن اعلام کنیم که آزار و اذیت جامعه‌ای متشکل از زنان و مردان بی گناه را نمیتوانیم تحمل کنیم." سناتور هاینز از ایالت پنسیلوانیا همکاران خود را به پشتیبانی از قطعنامه دعوت نمود و افزود: "این قطعنامه رفتار رژیم خمینی را نسبت به بهائیان محکوم میکند و همدردی ما را با بهائیان تأیید مینماید. بعلاوه این قطعنامه از رئیس جمهور میخواهد که نقش فعالی در ترغیب دولت ایران به متوقف ساختن آزار این جامعه صلحجو بعهده بگیرد..."

علاوه بر بیانات سناتورها در حمایت از جامعه بهائیان ایران متن کامل مقاله مجلهٔ نیوزویک تحت عنوان "مرگ در داخل زندانهای خمینی" در خلاصه مذاکرات جلسه ضبط شد.

آقای جان هیلی مدیر عامل سازمان عفو بین‌المللی و معاون این سازمان آقای لری کاکس و همچنین آقای مایکل پوزنر مدیر عامل کمیته بین‌المللی حقوقدانان پشتیبان حقوق بشر گزارشاتی تقدیم کمیسیون نمودند.

سناتور ‎چابلز چارلز‎ پرسی در بیانات افتتاحیه خود هدف از تشکیل جلسه را رسیدگی به موارد اعمال زجر و شکنجه از جانب دولت خارجی و علت شیوع آن و همچنین بررسی اقدامات کنونی دولت امریکا برای جلوگیری از این نقض وحشت انگیز حقوق بشر اعلام نمود. سناتور پرسی اظهار داشت که بعنوان اولین قدم قطعنامه مشترکی تقدیم مجلسین خواهد نمود که از وزیر امور خارجه درخواست میکند به نمایندگان دولت امریکا در خارجه دستور دهد برای مبارزه با استفاده از شکنجه در کشورهائی که این روش متداول است اقدام نمایند.

جناب دکتر کاظم‌زاده در متن کتبی گزارش خود به کمیسیون پس از شرح مختصری از سوابق روابط شیعیان با بهائیان و اقدامات دولت انقلاب اسلامی در جهت سرکوب نمودن و امحاء دیانت بهائی در کشور ایران مدارکی ارائه نمودند دال بر استفاده از شکنجه در آن مملکت بمنظور وادار نمودن بهائیان به انکار عقیده یا اعتراف به جرائمی که هرگز مرتکب نشده‌اند.

جناب دکتر کاظم‌زاده به گزارش خود چنین ادامه میدهند: "مرحله نهائی توحش آنست که شکنجه برای مقاصد دینی و عقیدتی بکار برده شود، وقتی که خون مسجونی را بریزند، بدنش را خرد کنند، ناخن یا دندانش را بکشند، یا دنده‌هایش را بشکنند تا او را از عقیده خود منصرف نمایند و به قبول عقاید و ارزشهای دژخیمان وادار کنند. آن زمان که شلاق و چماق و خنجر و درفش داغ بعنوان ابزار کار برای تغییر عقیده و ایمان بکار گرفته میشود مشمئزکننده‌ترین انحراف و خیانت به بشریت ظاهر میگردد. آنگاه که این وسائل در خدمت هر دیانتی در آید از حقیقت آن دیانت بدست پیروان متعصبش هتک احترام خواهد شد."

جناب دکتر کاظم‌زاده در خاتمه گزارش خود اظهار داشتند که محفل روحانی ملی در این زمان میل ندارد توصیه‌های خاصی در این زمینه بنماید ولکن "شکنجه را بعنوان یکی از شنیع‌ترین جنایات علیه بشریت بشدت محکوم میکند و بکاربردن آن را در تحت هیچ شرایطی مجاز نمیداند... امیدواریم دولت ایالات متحده همراه با سایر حکوماتی که ادعای بشر‌دوستی مینمایند، از طریق سازمان ملل متحد و از طرق قانونی دیگر، در جهت ریشه کن ساختن زجر و شکنجه در جهان بذل مساعی نماید."

حضور نماینده محفل ملی در جلسه کمیسیون روابط خارجی سنا

روز ۲۶ جون ۱۹۸۴ جناب دکتر فیروز کاظم‌زاده نائب رئیس محفل روحانی ملی در جلسه خاص کمیسیون روابط خارجی سنا که برای رسیدگی به مسأله شکنجه در عالم تشکیل شده بود حضور یافتند و گزارشی از زجر و شکنجه بهائیان در ایران تقدیم کمیسیون نمودند. محفل روحانی ملی یکی از سه سازمان غیردولتی بود که برای ارائه شواهد و قرائن شکنجه توسط دولتهای مختلف جهان به جلسه کمیسیون دعوت شده بودند.

جناب دکتر کاظم‌زاده در ضمن بیانات خود فرمودند "مسؤولین جمهوری اسلامی ایران بهائیان را به منظور وادار نمودن آنان به ترک عقیده دیانتی، و برای اخذ اعترافات ساختگی به جاسوسی و سایر فعالیتهای غیرقانونی، مستمراً و با بی رحمی و قساوت شکنجه میکنند." دلیل این رفتار مسؤولین بقول جناب دکتر کاظم‌زاده این است که: "اگرچه کلیه املاک و اسناد و مدارک جامعه بهائی را ضبط نموده‌اند موفق به یافتن مدرک و برگه ای که دال بر این جنایات باشد نشده‌اند و اکنون به زجر و شکنجه متوسل شده‌اند که شواهد دروغین برای بدنام ساختن بهائیان که بزرگترین اقلیت دینی ایران را تشکیل میدهند بدست آورند."

گذشته از سناتور چارلز پرسی رئیس کمیسیون روابط خارجی سنا سه نفر دیگر از اعضاء کمیسیون در جلسه حضور داشتند. از طرف دولت نیز آقای الیوت ایبرامز معاون وزیر امور خارجه در امور حقوق بشر و آقای جیمز میچل قائم مقام معاون وزیر امور خارجه مسؤول امور ممالک امریکا در جلسه شرکت کردند و گزارشاتی تقدیم نمودند.

افتتاح رسمی رادیو بهائی

روز ۲۰ اکتبر که مصادف با میلاد مسعود حضرت ربّ‌اعلی است برای افتتاح رسمی WLGI رادیو بهائی مؤسسه لوئیس گرگوری در ایالت کارولینای جنوبی در نظر گرفته شده است.

روز ۲۳ ماه می، یوم بعثت حضرت نقطهٔ اولی، برای اولین بار آزمایش فرستنده شروع شد و آزمایشها روز ۴ جون خاتمه یافت و در تاریخ ۲۰ جون اجازه پخش برنامه‌ها رسماً از جانب کمیسیون فدرال ارتباطات صادر گشت و از دوم جولای پخش مرتب برنامه روزانه از ۶ صبح تا ۶ بعدازظهر شروع شد. بتدریج بخش برنامه تا ۱۸ ساعت در روز توسعه خواهد یافت و بزودی اجازه رسمی پخش برنامه از طرف کمیسیون مذکور صادر خواهد شد.

مرحله بعدی افتتاح رسمی فرستنده در ماه اکتبر خواهد بود و از جمله مدعوین شرکت در تشریفات افتتاح فرستنده اعضاء محفل روحانی ملی خواهند بود که در آن ایام برای شرکت در جلسه محفل ملی به مؤسسه لوئیس گرگوری سفر میکنند. عده‌ای از شخصیتهای محلی و ایالتی نیز برای حضور در تشریفات مذکور دعوت خواهند شد. [Page 22]

Bahá’í from California enters top rank of court administrators

Juana C. Conrad, a Bahá’í from Glendale, California, was admitted in ceremonies held June 1 at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., as a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management.

The ceremonies marked the completion of the Court Executive Development Program by the Institute's 16th class. The certificates were awarded by the Hon. Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The program itself is a multi-year course which requires the successful completion of five ICM seminars or workshops dealing with the operational aspects of court management; a four-week residential seminar examining the application of modern management and organizational theory to the administration of the courts; completion of a court study project and report; and participation in a one-week final seminar.

Ms. Conrad, a member of the Bahá’í National Teaching Committee, joins 405 others who have completed the program since 1970.

Karakoli-Photo JUANA C. CONRAD

Can you identify anyone in this picture?

This is a photograph of the Bahá’í community of Racine, Wisconsin, which was taken in 1909. Anyone who is able to identify any of the people in the picture should contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

Young Bahá’í pianist in national competition

Nine-year-old Ben Moritz, a Bahá’í from Gering, Nebraska, was one of 45 young musicians chosen from some 900 entrants to become a semi-finalist in this year's music competition sponsored by the Young Keyboard Artists Association and held in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Young Ben, who has been playing the piano for more than five years, is the son of Rick and Jill Moritz of Gering.

The 1984 Special Visit Programs to the Bahá’í National Center*

View relics of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá arranged especially for your visit by the National Archives.

See first hand how the National Spiritual Assembly conducts its business.

Learn how the construction of the "Mother Temple of the West" was a primary stimulus for the development of the American Bahá’í community. Tour areas of the building normally closed to visitors.

Tour the entire Bahá’í National Center visiting the: • Office of the Secretary • Office of the Treasurer • National Committee Offices • Bahá’í Publishing Trust Bahá’í Home

Have fun, make new friends, and participate in a spiritual experience you'll never forget.

• The Special Visit Programs are for Bahá’ís only!

August 16-19

Housing Package: Total Cost-Four Days, Three Nights Dormitory at the National College of Education, two blocks from the House of Worship

Note: Dormitory accommodations are available for adults only (ages 16 and up).

All rooms have one or two twin beds-Building is not air-conditioned Single (1 person)............$52.50 Double (2 persons)......... $75.00 ($37.50 each)

Send a $20 deposit to reserve each room. Please make checks payable to "Bahá’í Services Fund."

Registration Form: Special Visit Programs 1984

Name Address City State Zip Phone (Area Code )

Housing (Please check one of the above) I am arranging my own College Dorm Single Double Share Double (if possible)

List additional names here:

For Official Use Only Date Received Deposit Amount Check Number Acceptance Sent Balance Due Remarks

Return registration form to: Special Visit Programs, Bahá’í House of Worship Activities Office, Wilmette, IL 60091 [Page 23]

INTERMEDIA

News from the Office of Public Affairs

News releases Five news releases relating to the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran have been sent to 686 Bahá’í media committees and reps since the May 2 release, “Congressional committee hears new evidence of Bahá’í persecution in Iran.” They were also mailed to nearly 400 religion editors and other interested persons. The tangible results of these efforts were noted in more than 700 news articles from across the country, and the clippings are still coming in.

Significant coverage

• Newsweek’s June 18 issue featured a full-page article including stark photographs headed “Death inside Khomeini’s jails.”
• U.S. News and World Report mentioned the Faith in an article headlined “Plague of religious wars around the globe” in its June 25 issue.
• Joanna Wragg, associate editor and columnist for the Miami Herald, wrote an accurate and compassionate article entitled “‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ cry out for deliverance” which was published in the June 3 issue.
• The St. Louis Globe-Democrat was moved to write a sensitive editorial headlined “Khomeini’s persecution of the Bahá’ís,” which was reprinted with permission by other papers around the country.
• Tom Tiede, a syndicated columnist for the Newspaper Enterprise Association, also wrote a column about the Bahá’ís, calling them an “industrious and progressive people who quietly believe in peace and love, law and decency, equality and justice, and the rule of a benevolent God.” The article appeared in more than 300 newspapers.

We’d like your number To speed up replies to inquiries received in the Office of Public Affairs, please include a telephone number. Phone responses are often more appropriate, save time, and are less expensive.

While they last Order your ABC “20/20” video tape program while they’re still available. This excellent news perspective is a 16-minute program about the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran and has been well-received by non-Bahá’ís at firesides and public programs.

Now is the time to take advantage of the many opportunities afforded us by the suffering of the Iranian Bahá’ís. Be creative—invite coworkers and civic-minded individuals to a video evening.

Although our agreement with ABC prohibits sale of these video tapes, they were prepared by the Office of Public Affairs at a cost of $75 each. Donations will be accepted by this office. Your community may also want the tape for its local archives.

Inform your local mayor If you’ve ever done door-to-door teaching or used a public facility (community room, library, etc.), then you already know it’s much easier to get permission if you’ve done your PR work ahead of time. The “Public Officials Kit” is a pre-packaged presentation ready for your community to take to the mayor and other officials.

It’s important that they know there are Bahá’í constituents in their locality. Is your mayor aware of Bahá’u’lláh’s statement: “In every country or government where any of this community reside, they must behave toward that government with faithfulness, trustfulness, and truthfulness”? The kit is available from the Office of Public Affairs for $5. Please make checks payable to “Bahá’í Services Fund.”

This month’s hot items The six 30-second award-winning TV public service spots produced by Karl Krogstad continue to be a top seller. Re-orders have just arrived and are ready to go. We’re delighted by the success of communities such as St. Louis and Seattle where the spots are running on major network affiliates.

The “Wage Peace” and “There’s Still Time” radio public service announcements continue to be in demand, and orders are now rolling in for our newly designed Funeral Directors’ Kits (only $5). Keep ’em coming!

Displays made easy Information taken from the orange teaching booklet has been set in enlarged type. This material is easily cut and mounted on cardboard or foam-core for your public displays. Titles for photographs for Houses of Worship and Bahá’í Shrines are included—only $5.

Important reminder All media committees, PI reps, Assemblies and individuals, please be sure to acknowledge columnists, editors and newspapers that publish favorable articles about the Faith. We don’t wish to be thought of as those Bahá’ís who are quick to write only when an article requires a correction. When coverage is excellent and accurate—let’s tell them!

the Bahá’í Faith

One God One Religion One Mankind “Uniting the World One Heart at a Time”

Hats off to the Bahá’í Public Affairs Committee of Greater Omaha! This billboard was up for one month in Omaha, and soon moves on for one-month stands in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Sarpy County, Nebraska.

Blackwell

Continued from Page 4

Mr. Blackwell was elected its first chairman.

In 1961, when Haiti’s first National Spiritual Assembly was elected, Mr. Blackwell became its first chairman as well. Later, he was appointed the country’s first Auxiliary Board member.

On two occasions between 1940 and 1975 the Blackwells temporarily left Haiti and returned to the U.S., and during each of these periods, in the mid- and late-1950s, Mr. Blackwell was elected a member of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly.

IN 1975 the Blackwells ended their 35-year stay in Haiti to pioneer to Madagascar, a large island east of the southern tip of Africa. As was the case in Haiti and the U.S., Mr. Blackwell was elected to serve on the National Spiritual Assembly.

Two years later, when Ellsworth Blackwell was 75 years old, he and Mrs. Blackwell left Madagascar for a new pioneering post in Kananga, Zaire.

Early the following year the Blackwells undertook a 20-hour trip into the interior of Zaire’s Kasai Occidental region to help with the dedication of a new Bahá’í Center.

After returning to Kananga, Mr. Blackwell suffered a stroke which was believed to have been brought on by an attack of malaria.

He died after a brief period of hospitalization, thus becoming the first pioneer to lay down his life in that African nation.

The Universal House of Justice sent the following cable to the National Spiritual Assembly of Zaire:

“Grieved passing valiant longtime servant Cause Bahá’u’lláh Ellsworth Blackwell. Outstanding endeavours pioneering teaching administrative services many lands evidence his devotion dedication Faith he dearly loved. Assure wife family friends prayers Holy Shrines progress his soul Abhá Kingdom.”

Ruth Blackwell remained at her post in Zaire until March 1983 when she returned to the U.S.

Pensacola

Continued from Page 12

even though five local Bahá’ís were the moving forces behind it.

Of course, the intent was to make the public more aware of the Faith, to integrate into the celebration the Bahá’í principles of the oneness of mankind and elimination of prejudice, and these things were certainly accomplished.

WLGI

Continued from Page 1

to make its presence even better known to local residents.

According to Dr. Alberta Deas, the director of the Louis Gregory Institute, the station will soon receive its broadcast license from the FCC, which she says is only a formality now that WLGI has begun broadcasting.

The next step, then, is the formal grand opening of the station in October. Among the guests on that occasion will be the members of the National Assembly who are to meet that weekend at the Gregory Institute.

Dr. Deas says many state and local officials also will be invited to attend the formal opening ceremonies for the first Bahá’í-owned and operated radio station in North America.

All-day conference in L.A. explores business concerns

About 45 Bahá’ís participated May 19 in a day-long conference at the new Los Angeles Bahá’í Center sponsored by the Bahá’í Business and Professional Affairs Committee and hosted by the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles.

Topics presented and explored in workshops were “Teaching Peer Professionals,” “Maintaining the Balance,” and “Achieving Personal Excellence.”

Taking part with Bahá’ís from many cities in California were two believers from Brazil, one from Canada, and one from Seattle, Washington.

The committee believes that one of the best ways to reach and teach prominent people—which is one of the tasks assigned to it by the National Spiritual Assembly—is for Bahá’ís to achieve such excellence in their professions that they themselves become people of prominence and can then teach their colleagues.

U.S. Bahá’í Directory for June ’84 available

The June 1984 issue of the United States Bahá’í Directory has been published and is available upon request to Spiritual Assemblies and Groups.

The directory contains information on how to contact Spiritual Assemblies, Auxiliary Board members, District Teaching Committees, and selected schools and institutes.

Once a community requests a directory, it will automatically receive one every six months.

To request a copy of the directory, simply write to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091. [Page 24]

Anécdotas inspiradoras de la vida de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Shoghi Effendi, el amado Guardián, se refirió a ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, así: “debe para siempre ser considerado como el Centro y Pivote de la Alianza incomparable, que todo lo abarca, de Bahá’u’lláh, el perfecto Ejemplo de Sus enseñanzas, el infalible Intérprete de Su Palabra, la personificación de cada uno de los ideales Bahá’ís, la encarnación de cada una de las virtudes Bahá’ís, la Más Poderosa Rama salida de la Antigua Raíz, el Miembro de la Ley de Dios, el Ser ‘a Cuyo alrededor giran todos los nombres,’ el Resorte Principal de la Unidad del Género Humano, la Insignia de la Paz Suprema, la Luna del Astro Central de esa santísima Dispensación, nombres y títulos que son implícitos y hallan su más real, su más alta y más hermosa expresión en el mágico nombre: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”

La vida de ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ofrece a cada creyente ejemplos de cómo nos debemos comportar para con nuestro prójimo y del amor que siempre debemos llevar en el corazón para la creación entera. En este número y los próximos, se presentará anécdotas de la vida del ilustre “Maestro,” para inspirar nuestros corazones y acciones.

Mi padre pasó mucho tiempo con Bahá’u’lláh. Una noche mientras caminaba por Su cuarto, El dijo a mi padre:

“A intervalos fijos Dios manda a la tierra a almas poseídas de lo que llamamos ‘el Poder del Gran ‎Eter Éter‎,’ y aquellos que poseen este poder pueden hacer todo, porque a ellos Dios ha dado este Poder...”

“Jesucristo tenía este Poder. La gente pensaba en El como un pobre joven a Quien habían crucificado, sin embargo, El poseía el Poder del Gran ‎Eter Éter‎. Este Poder etéreo se levantó y vivificó al mundo. Y ahora mirad hacia el Maestro, porque El tiene este Poder.” (The Chosen Highway, p. 134)

En la mañana de nuestra llegada, después de refrescarnos, el Maestro nos llamó a donde El estaba, —en un cuarto largo dando al Mediterráneo. —El quedó sentado mirando por la ventana, entonces mirándonos, preguntó si todos estábamos presentes. Viendo que uno de los creyentes estaba ausente, Dijo: “¿Dónde está Robert?” Robert era un sirviente de color, a quién, uno de los peregrinos de nuestro grupo había enviado a Akka. En un momento apareció la cara radiante de Robert en la puerta y el Maestro se levantó para saludarlo, invitándole a sentarse, y Dijo: “Robert, tu Señor te ama. Dios te dió una piel negra, pero un corazón blanco como la nieve.” (An Early Pilgrimage, p. 13)

El Maestro me sentó a la cabecera de la mesa en el lado derecho. Siempre El preguntaba sobre mi salud, urgiéndome que comiera más, diciendo repetidas veces: “Muy poco, muy, muy poco,” cuando yo le aseguraba que había comido abundantemente. En varias ocasiones mis respuestas, a las cariñosas solicitudes en Inglés del Maestro, eran en Persa, unas pocas frases, pero creo que El estaba complacido y entretenido, a juzgar por la alegre luz de Sus ojos. El dijo al gran oficial árabe, que solo hablaba en su idioma, “Ves, aquí tienes una dama americana que habla correctamente el Persa. Tú dices que no puedes aprenderlo y lo oyes todos los días. Ella no lo oye a menudo, sin embargo, ella lo ha aprendido.” El Maestro me preguntaba:

“¿Qué es esto? ¿Qué es eso?” señalando cosas en la mesa, y entonces decía con aprobación: “Bravo, bravo! Tú sabes todo lo que es útil saber. Eso es muy bueno.” El oficial árabe me miraba con asombro porque le parecía un logro maravilloso, pero él no estaba enterado de mis limitaciones ni del hecho de que, al hacer sus preguntas, el Maestro sólo escogía aquellas cosas cuyos nombres yo sabía en Persa. Realmente, yo misma no me dí cuenta de ésto hasta más tarde, pues me sentía bastante orgullosa de mis conocimientos. Cuán tiernamente el Maestro trataba que cada uno se sintiera importante en su grado, pero uno en cambio anhelaba llegar a ser como el polvo bajo Sus Benditos Pies. (My Pilgrimage to the Land of Desire, p. 6)

Casa Universal de Justicia comparte información comprensiva acerca de métodos de persecución contra los bahá’ís en Irán

A todas las Asambleas Espirituales Nacionales Queridos amigos bahá’ís,

La Casa Universal de Justicia está enviando información adicional por cable/telex a la Comunidad Internacional Bahá’í y a Asambleas Espirituales Nacionales seleccionadas respecto de la situación de nuestros correligionarios en Irán, y se nos ha pedido trasmitirla a ustedes. SIGUIENDO TEMA NUESTRO MENSAJE DEL 10 DE MAYO RESPECTO TORTURA QUE SE ESTÁ INFLIGIENDO EN BAHÁ’ÍS IRAN ENVIAMOS SIGUIENTE ‎RESÚMEN resumen‎ SITUACIÓN GENERAL ESE PAÍS DE INFORMACIÓN MÁS RECIENTE PROVISTA POR FUENTES FIDEDIGNAS.

1. DESDE COMIENZO DE LA REVOLUCIÓN ISLÁMICA MÁS DE 300 RESIDENCIAS DE BAHÁ’ÍS HAN SIDO SAQUEADAS O INCENDIADAS.

2. A UNOS 170 BAHÁ’ÍS, LA MAYORÍA DE ELLOS MIEMBROS PROMINENTES DE LA COMUNIDAD BAHÁ’Í, SE LES HA MATADO POR UNA VARIEDAD DE MÉTODOS, PERO PRINCIPALMENTE POR EJECUCIÓN POR PELOTONES DE FUSILAMIENTO Y POR LA HORCA.

3. EN ÁREAS URBANAS SE HA TOMADO POSESIÓN DE PROPIEDADES PERTENECIENTES A VARIOS CENTENARES DE FAMILIAS, MIENTRAS QUE EN ÁREAS RURALES SE HAN DESTRUIDO MUCHOS HUERTOS Y SE HAN CONFISCADO GRANJAS Y TERRENO DE CULTIVO. SE HA HECHO CASO OMISO DE SOLICITUDES A LAS AUTORIDADES PARA RECTIFICACIÓN DE INJUSTICIAS.

4. EL MINISTERIO DE OBRAS Y ‎ASÚNTOS asuntos‎ SOCIALES DIÓ INSTRUCCIONES FORMALES A INSTITUCIONES INDUSTRIALES Y COMERCIALES EN EL SENTIDO DE NO PAGAR A SUS EMPLEADOS BAHÁ’ÍS.

5. A MÁS DE 10,000 BAHÁ’ÍS EMPLEADOS EN OFICINAS GUBERNAMENTALES O EN EL SECTOR PRIVADO SE LES HA DESPEDIDO SUMARIAMENTE, REVOCÁNDOLES SU DERECHO A LA JUBILACIÓN Y OTROS BENEFICIOS DEL EMPLEO. A VARIOS DE ELLOS SE LES EXIGIÓ QUE DEVOLVIERAN LOS SALARIOS QUE HABÍAN RECIBIDO POR LA DURACIÓN DE SU EMPLEO.

6. ESTUDIANTES BAHÁ’ÍS HAN SIDO ‎EXPLULSADOS expulsados‎ DE TODAS LAS UNIVERSIDADES Y OTRAS INSTITUCIONES DE APRENDIZAJE SUPERIOR.

7. EN LA MAYORÍA DE LAS CIUDADES Y PROVINCIAS, A LOS NIÑOS BAHÁ’ÍS SE LES HA NEGADO LA OPORTUNIDAD DE ENTRAR EN LAS ESCUELAS Y POR ENDE NO TIENEN ACCESO A LA EDUCACIÓN BÁSICA.

8. UNOS 800 BAHÁ’ÍS, INCLUYENDO HOMBRES, MUJERES Y NIÑOS, ESTÁN DETENIDOS EN VARIAS PRISIONES POR TODO IRÁN.

9. POR MÁS DE NUEVE MESES LAS VISITAS A 40 PRISIONEROS BAHÁ’ÍS HAN SIDO ESTRICTAMENTE PROHIBIDAS POR LAS AUTORIDADES. POR ENDE SE DESCONOCE SU DESTINO.

10. EN LAS PRISIONES DE EVÍN Y GAWHAR-DASHT VARIOS PRISIONEROS BAHÁ’ÍS ESTÁN SUFRIENDO TORTURA IMPLACABLE EN UN ESFUERZO DE LAS AUTORIDADES POR FORZARLES A CONFESAR ACUSACIONES FALSAS DE PARTICIPAR EN EL ESPIONAJE Y ACTUAR EN CONTRA DE LA REPÚBLICA ISLÁMICA DEL IRÁN. POR MESES ENTEROS HAN ESTADO SUJETOS AL AZOTE EN TODAS PARTES DEL CUERPO, ESPECIALMENTE LAS PIERNAS Y LOS PIES. A VECES A UN SÓLO PRISIONERO LE HAN APLICADO HASTA 400 LATIGAZOS CON CABLES METÁLICOS, LUEGO, A ÉL O A ELLA, SE LE OBLIGA A CAMINAR. AL VER QUE ESTO LE ES IMPOSIBLE, AL PRISIONERO DESAFORTUNADO SE LE HA OBLIGADO A GATEAR DE MANOS Y RODILLAS DE REGRESO A UNA CELDA OSCURA. EN MASHAD Y YAZD A LOS PRISIONEROS BAHÁ’ÍS CON REGULARIDAD SE LES GOLPEA EN LA CABEZA Y CARA CON GRUESOS TUBOS PLÁSTICOS, PROCEDIMIENTOS PARECIDOS SE APLICAN EN GRADO MENOR EN OTRAS ‎PRISIONIONES prisiones‎. VARIAS DE ESTAS VÍCTIMAS DE LA TORTURA HAN PERDIDO LA VISTA Y EL OÍDO, OTROS LA RAZÓN. SE VIÓ A LOS CUERPOS DE CUATRO PRISIONEROS SUJETOS A TAL TRATO ANTES DE SU ENTIERRO EN SEPULCROS DESCONOCIDOS. POR ENDE SE TEME QUE OTROS PRISIONEROS CUYOS CUERPOS SE HAN ENTERRADO DE MANERA SIMILAR SIN AVISAR A SUS FAMILIARES HAYAN SUFRIDO EL MISMO DESTINO.

11. LOS BAHÁ’ÍS CARECEN DE SEGURIDAD EN SUS PROPIAS CASAS, EN DONDE ENTRAN LOS GUARDIAS REVOLUCIONARIOS COMO QUIERAN, DÍA O NOCHE, Y HOSTIGAN A LOS MORADORES INSULTÁNDOLES, AMENAZÁNDOLES Y PEGÁNDOLES. CUANDO LOS GUARDIAS REVOLUCIONARIOS INVADEN UN HOGAR CON LA INTENCIÓN DE ARRESTAR A UN BAHÁ’Í EN PARTICULAR, Y SI OCURRE QUE ESA PERSONA ESTÁ AUSENTE, SU COSTUMBRE ES TOMAR COMO REHENES A OTROS MIEMBROS DE LA FAMILIA, AUN A NIÑOS, Y REGISTRAR LA CASA CON VIOLENCIA, CONFISCANDO LO QUE LES PLACE.

12. CUANDOQUIERA SE HA MATADO AL JEFE DE LA FAMILIA O A ALGÚN OTRO MIEMBRO IMPORTANTE DE ÉSTA, Y A MENUDO CUANDO A TAL PERSONA SE LE HA ENCARCELADO, A LOS QUE SE QUEDAN ATRÁS SE LES HA OBLIGADO A SALIR DE SU HOGAR SIN PERMITÍRSELES LLEVAR NINGUNA PERTENENCIA, AUN EN MEDIO DEL INVIERNO. LAS VÍCTIMAS DE TAL TRATO NO TIENEN RECURSO A LA JUSTICIA YA QUE SE HACE CASO OMISO DE SUS SOLICITUDES A LAS AUTORIDADES. A FAMILIAS BAHÁ’ÍS EN ISFÁHÁN, MASHAD, TIHRÁN, ‎URÜMÍYIYH Urumíyih‎ Y YAZD EN PARTICULAR LES AFECTAN ESTAS CONDICIONES.

LOS ANTES CITADO PUEDE USARSE AL PROVEER MÁS INFORMACIÓN DE FONDO A AUTORIDADES Y MEDIOS NOTICIEROS SEGÚN SE CREA CONVENIENTE. LA SIGUIENTE INFORMACIÓN ACABA DE RECIBIRSE: EJECUCIÓN OTROS CUATRO HERMANOS VALIENTES IRÁN. TABRÍZ, 5 DE MAYO — SR. JALÁL PAYRAVÍ, ENCARCELADO 22 DE OCTUBRE DE 1981; SR. MAQSÚD ‘ALÍZÁDIH, ENCARCELADO 27 DE ENERO DE 1982. TIHRÁN, 15 DE MAYO — SR. ‘ALÍ-MUHAMMAD ZAMÁNÍ, DE 45 AÑOS DE EDAD; SR. JAHÁNGHÍR HIDÁYATÍ, DE 61 AÑOS, INGENIERO DE CONSTRUCCIÓN, MIEMBRO ASAMBLEA NACIONAL AHORA DISUELTA, SECUESTRADO EN JUNIO DE 1983. AMBOS TORTURADOS DURANTE ESTADÍA EN PRISIÓN. ADEMÁS, SR. ASADU’LLÁH KÁMIL-MUQADDAM MURIÓ EN PRISIÓN EL 2 DE MAYO, CIRCUNSTANCIAS DESCONOCIDAS. AMIGOS IRÁN SIENTEN SITUACIÓN PELIGROSA GRAN NÚMERO OTROS PRISIONEROS BAHÁ’ÍS. FAVOR COMPARTIR NOTICIAS AUTORIDADES, MEDIOS NOTICIEROS.

CASA UNIVERSAL DE JUSTICIA 22 DE MAYO DE 1984

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[Page 25]

Archives’ Osenbaugh Papers reflect Assembly development

One of the ways of studying the development of a Local Spiritual Assembly and its relationship to the community it serves is through its general correspondence to that community.

THE JOHN Osenbaugh Papers in the National Bahá’í Archives consist primarily of general communications from the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago to him as a member of the Chicago Bahá’í community.

John Osenbaugh became a Bahá’í in Chicago in 1897 and was a physician and surgeon and an early Esperantist.

The Osenbaugh papers document the activities of the Spiritual Assembly of Chicago during the 1920s and 1930s, two crucial decades in its development.

The papers include a fairly complete set of the general mailings of the Chicago Assembly to community members from 1920 to 1928 and an incomplete set for 1932 to 1935.

From these documents we may follow the course of the Chicago Assembly’s wanderings from place to place until it settled into 116 South Michigan Avenue.

In these papers we find that in its concern that members of the community not miss important communications from the Guardian and National Assembly, the Chicago Assembly sent copies of such letters to those who had not been at the Feast.

ALSO to ensure that people enrolling in the Faith did so with understanding, the Assembly provided a series of classes for those who wished to enroll, set aside four Assembly meetings each year to meet with declarants and enroll them, and held special reception Feasts for new members.

Then, as now, a major concern of the Assembly was the Fund, and the treasurer’s statements to the community tell us of the dollars and cents realities of running a Bahá’í community half a century and more ago.

The Spiritual Assembly was not only concerned with those who were already Bahá’ís, and the Osenbaugh Papers include monthly programs of public events which give the titles and speakers for scores of talks and many series of classes, all showing the breadth of the appeal the Assembly attempted to make to the general public.

Relations with other Bahá’í communities were considered, too, and the papers include notices of meetings in the House of Worship’s Foundation Hall hosted jointly by the Chicago, Evanston and Wilmette communities, and invitations to picnics in Wisconsin with communities there.

In all, documents such as those preserved in the John Osenbaugh Papers help to give a vivid picture to historians of the impact on the local level of the Guardian’s work in building the Administrative Order in the U.S.

50 Bahá’ís take part in 2nd annual N. Jersey business conference

Fifty Bahá’ís from New Jersey gathered April 15 at Rutgers University to share their knowledge and insights at the state’s second annual Businessmen’s Conference.

Workshops were centered around the theme “Walking the Spiritual Path With Practical Feet.”

Among the participants was Auxiliary Board member Nathan Rutstein of Amherst, Massachusetts, who is an author, educator and former network television news director.

The event was sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Piscataway.

Jennifer Koch, a Bahá’í from San Antonio, Texas, who is editor of her junior high school newspaper, Wildcat Whispers, won a first place award for page one layout and design, second place for sports writing, and third place for in-depth news and feature writing at the 57th annual state convention of the Interscholastic League Press held March 17 in Austin. The paper won first place in its division for the third year in a row. Jennifer, an eighth grader who is an A student in the honors program at Stevenson Middle School in San Antonio, is an active member of the Bahá’í community and last year helped with the Bahá’í bulletin of Bexar County, Texas.

Comment

Continued From Page 2

with on the TV program “60 Minutes.”

The full measure of the notice Barry Farber has given the Faith in New York and elsewhere is incalculable—and we have the ‎Farroe Faroe‎ Bahá’ís to thank for it. They did the work for us.

Perhaps we American Bahá’ís can say some prayers for them to help return the great service they have done for us.

Music, dance from classical to country share center stage with drama at second Wildfire Bahá’í Conference in Indiana

Classical music, country and rock bands, modern dance and dramatic performances graced the three stages of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, June 22-24 during the second annual Wildfire Bahá’í Conference.

Inspired by the words of Shoghi Effendi—“That day will the Cause spread like wildfire when its spirit and teachings are presented on the stage or in art and literature as a whole”—conference organizers sought to provide a framework on which the various artists could arrange themselves, allowing for planned and spontaneous performances, workshops and exhibits.

Highlighting the weekend conference were two art galleries, an evening proclamation concert, new collaborations among musicians, and much sharing of ideas and inspiration.

The event drew an active and enthusiastic group of performers, exhibitors and spectators from California to North Carolina.

A tape featuring musical highlights from the conference is being prepared.

On June 8, the Spiritual Assembly of Lakewood, Ohio, presented Bahá’í books to the Parma branch of the Cuyahoga County library. Parma is the Assembly’s extension teaching goal. Presenting the books to librarian Dodie Lettus are Mrs. Peggy Siebert (left) of Lakewood and Mrs. Layli Khorsandian (right) and her daughter, Nadia, of Parma.

Archives seeks Bahá’ís with expertise

The National Bahá’í Archives Committee would like to have the names of Bahá’ís with expertise in the following areas: archives; preservation of textiles, photographs or tape recordings; history or library professions.

The committee is especially interested in Bahá’ís who have training in or are working on a career in the field of archives. The Archives Committee has a need at times to consult with Bahá’í professionals in these fields.

Please send a résumé of education and experience to the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

ARCHIVES MANUAL ORDER FORM

The Guidelines for Bahá’í Archives (59 pages) covers in detail the organization and functioning of a Bahá’í Archives. It is highly suitable for communities faced with the need to organize a local archives. Price $7.50.

TO ORDER: Send this form with a check for $7.50 per copy made payable to “National Bahá’í Services Fund” to:

National Bahá’í Archives

Bahá’í National Center

Wilmette, IL 60091

For overseas orders add $4.50 per copy for air mail or $2.00 per copy for surface mail.

Please send me _____ copies of Guidelines for Bahá’í Archives. I am enclosing a check for $_____.

Name ____________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________

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Forty-two brightly costumed Bahá’ís marched May 5 alongside a float whose theme was ‘One Planet, One People ... Please’ in the first ‘Berkeley Affair’ parade in Berkeley, California. A Bahá’í information booth was manned during the two-day fair whose attendance was estimated at 25,000. The float, hand-carried by a crew of four, was a large replica of the earth with major continents designated by contrasting tissue flowerettes. Draped on each side were hand-made blue silk banners with white silk letters spelling out its theme. The float received constant bursts of applause from spectators along the parade route. [Page 26]

VIE Chart

Continued From Page 5

District Name	‘Starting Block’ Info			Current Month Info (Núr)
	Membership as of 12/9/83	Number of participants	Percentage of participation	Membership as of 6/10/84	Number of participants	Percentage of participation
California S No. 4	981	82	8.4	943	296	31.4
Colorado NE	483	61	12.6	458	91	19.9
Colorado SE	181	15	8.3	181	23	12.7
Colorado W	195	23	11.8	181	31	17.1
Connecticut	471	57	12.1	460	62	13.5
DelMarVa	292	15	5.1	289	23	8.0
Florida C	382	19	5.0	388	34	8.8
Florida N	284	19	6.7	286	36	12.6
Florida SE	1,113	54	4.9	1067	83	7.8
Florida SW	495	43	8.7	501	159	31.7
Georgia NE	339	48	14.2	329	67	20.4
Georgia NW	876	17	1.9	872	14	1.6
Georgia S	1,158	8	0.7	1170	13	1.1
Idaho N/Washington E	473	63	13.3	480	115	24.0
Idaho S	183	21	11.5	191	91	47.6
Illinois N No. 1	596	52	8.7	580	95	16.4
Illinois N No. 2	1,148	143	12.5	1165	170	14.6
Illinois S	742	68	9.2	703	78	11.1
Indiana	541	66	12.2	518	79	15.3
Iowa	383	63	16.4	364	97	26.6
Kansas	340	35	10.3	349	46	13.2
Kentucky	231	25	10.8	225	31	13.8
Louisiana N	84	11	13.1	82	14	17.1
Louisiana S	536	21	3.9	509	27	5.3
Maine	216	26	12.0	216	67	31.0
Maryland W/D.C.	752	79	10.5	777	155	19.9
Massachusetts	946	103	10.9	942	200	21.2
Michigan Mainland	1,171	126	10.8	1156	222	19.2
Minnesota N	166	26	15.7	153	34	22.2
Minnesota S	434	79	18.2	439	75	17.1
Mississippi	415	18	4.3	392	21	5.4
Missouri	657	75	11.4	644	107	16.6
Montana	347	36	10.4	350	89	25.4
Navajo/Hopi	370	9	2.4	365	15	4.1
Nebraska	307	45	14.7	292	103	35.3
Nevada N	165	14	8.5	185	16	8.6
Nevada S	150	16	10.7	156	57	36.5
New Hampshire	339	44	13.0	351	66	18.8
New Jersey	693	78	11.3	697	138	19.8
New Mexico S/Texas W	979	22	2.2	987	39	4.0
New Mexico N	481	37	7.7	477	52	10.9
New York E	1,254	93	7.4	1247	226	18.1
New York W	582	78	13.4	587	183	31.2
North Carolina C	636	31	4.9	622	39	6.3
North Carolina E	654	17	2.6	653	20	3.1
North Carolina W	408	32	7.8	398	49	12.3
North Dakota	137	16	11.7	122	19	15.6
Ohio N	551	66	12.0	545	85	15.6
Ohio S	388	46	11.8	389	93	23.9
Oklahoma E	358	26	7.3	331	50	15.1
Oklahoma W	499	28	5.6	474	75	15.8
Oregon E	276	4	1.4	255	13	5.1
Oregon W	1,255	103	8.2	1273	138	10.8
Pennsylvania E	452	60	13.3	451	71	15.7
Pennsylvania W	195	26	13.3	196	40	20.4
Rhode Island	108	13	12.0	99	10	10.1
South Carolina C	1,314	10	0.76	1303	20	1.5
South Carolina E No. 1	2,397	3	0.12	2333	4	0.2
South Carolina E No. 2	2,017	6	0.29	1989	6	0.3
South Carolina N	821	4	0.48	811	4	0.5
South Carolina S No. 1	627	6	1.0	596	12	2.0
South Carolina S No. 2	794	4	0.5	797	6	0.8
South Carolina W	386	15	3.9	378	57	15.1
South Dakota	266	7	2.6	259	9	3.5
Tennessee E	159	23	14.5	158	77	48.7
Tennessee W	300	19	6.3	296	25	8.4
Texas C No. 1	528	34	6.4	524	40	7.6
Texas C No. 2	105	3	2.9	96	1	1.0
Texas E No. 1	1,269	83	6.5	1283	135	10.5
Texas E No. 2	838	70	7.4	855	141	16.5
Texas N	186	13	7.0	182	23	12.6
Texas S	219	12	5.5	207	15	7.2
Utah	251	29	11.6	239	23	9.6
Vermont	156	20	12.8	155	66	42.6
Virginia N	670	53	7.9	678	96	14.2
Virginia S	538	40	7.4	555	41	7.4
Washington NW	1,011	93	9.2	999	194	19.4
Washington SW	356	38	10.7	368	60	16.3
West Virginia	178	15	8.4	171	24	14.0
Wis. N/Peninsular Mich.	237	41	17.3	256	57	22.3
Wisconsin S	757	130	17.2	749	178	23.8
Wyoming	151	15	10.0	150	19	12.7

Fariborz Sahba (right), the designer and architect of the Bahá’í House of Worship now being built in Delhi, India, talks with Bruce Whitmore, manager of the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette and secretary of its Activities Committee, during Mr. Sahba’s visit June 19 to the Mother Temple of the West. The architect especially wished to see the Wilmette House of Worship and learn first-hand about its operation and maintenance from the long experience of Temple operations in the U.S. The dome of the House of Worship in India, he said, will be completed this year, and the entire project is expected to be finished in the next two and one-half years.

Dome repairs

Repair work was begun June 11 on the dome of the House of Worship in Wilmette and will continue through mid-December.

A comprehensive computer analysis released at the National Convention revealed that not only had rust damage to sections of the dome’s steel beams not affected the strength of those beams, but that the dome was originally constructed at least two times stronger than necessary.

At the present time a company from Milwaukee is washing and scraping the steel to remove corrosion as well as old paint. As soon as this phase is completed, a special protective coating that is expected to last at least 15 years will be applied to the steel.

Later this summer a large crane will be driven into one of the gardens facing Sheridan Road and will begin lifting the sections of a new watershed up to the dome. The existing watershed, located halfway between the outer and inner dome, consists of an aluminum frame which holds dozens of panels of glass. The watershed lets the light through the dome but, it is hoped, not the rain.

Another Milwaukee-based company has designed a watershed that will be installed above the existing one, thus avoiding the considerable cost of removing the old one.

The two independent watersheds will not only protect the inside of the Temple better, but will create a thermal barrier in the dome that will reduce heating costs in the winter.

Also during the late summer, the roofing, flashings and gutter system at the base of the dome, which have already been redesigned, will be installed. This will end any further deterioration of the ornamentation at the base of the dome.

Choir visits

During its 1984 Chicago area tour, the Osseo (Minnesota) High School a cappella choir visited the Bahá’í House of Worship.

The 73-member choir sang during a Sunday devotional program in April, and afterward presented a brief concert in Foundation Hall.

With a repertoire that includes a wide selection of sacred and secular music, the choir tours extensively each year.

John Hansen, the choir’s director for the past 32 years, is also the school’s head football coach.

Choir featured

The House of Worship’s own a cappella choir was featured recently on a radio program profiling the Bahá’í Faith. The program was broadcast May 24 on WBEZ-FM in Chicago. [Page 27]

Ten years ago...

... in The American Bahá’í

The Hand of the Cause of God William Sears and Amoz Gibson, a member of the Universal House of Justice, are among the 400 people who attend the dedication ceremonies for the new John and Louise Bosch Bahá’í School near Santa Cruz, California.

The 67-acre campus was purchased to replace the Geyserville Bahá’í School, 90 miles north of San Francisco, which had to be vacated to make way for an expanded California state highway system.

The first summer school session at Bosch begins the same weekend that the new school is dedicated ...

Meanwhile, the National Spiritual Assembly orders the temporary closing of the Davison (Michigan) Bahá’í School following receipt of a report from an independent building safety codes expert who cites serious fire hazards at the school.

In taking its action, the National Assembly notes that its concern over the worsening physical conditions at the Davison school has been mounting for several years ...

The Hand of the Cause of God Abu’l-Qásim Faizí visits the U.S., spending 18 days in California while en route to an International Youth Conference in Hilo, Hawaii.

In California, Mr. Faizí is greeted by the Hand of the Cause William Sears and Auxiliary Board member Anthony Lease.

After visiting with the friends in San Diego for two days, Mr. Faizí conducts a number of meetings with Bahá’ís in the Los Angeles area ...

Mr. Sears and members of the National Spiritual Assembly are among the 600 Bahá’ís who are present in Santa Cruz to launch a “five-year plan” for California that was developed by the state’s Regional Teaching Committee.

The plan is unveiled at the Santa Cruz High School auditorium where Joan Bulkin, secretary of the Regional Teaching Committee, announces its theme: “Each One Teach One and Double in Size” ...

The Hands of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem, John Robarts and William Sears, along with four members of the Continental Board of Counsellors in North America, meet with 24 Auxiliary Board members in Lincolnwood, Illinois, to consult on ways in which the Hands of the Cause, Counsellors and Auxiliary Boards can best help the community in its efforts to win the goals of the Five Year Plan ...

Ads

Continued From Page 16

Silver Bay, Minnesota, a lovely, peaceful community along scenic Lake Superior, needs you. Ideal community for a retired couple; few employment opportunities. A Bahá’í family is moving from Lake County (Silver Bay) and wishes to sell a practical and recently refurbished home—priced to sell. Please contact Verna Sundquist, Minnetonka, MN 55343.

PIONEERS are desperately needed in Kodiak, Alaska, one of that country’s first Bahá’í communities and one to which the Guardian asked Bahá’ís to pioneer. Kodiak (pop. 7,500) has a large fishing industry and seasonal work in the canneries; there are employment opportunities through Fish and Game, Health Department, Coast Guard, Kodiak borough schools, service and retail businesses, transportation, communications, utilities and some construction work. Rents vary from $300-$550 a month and up. Kodiak has a mild climate for Alaska, 19-79 degrees. Average annual income is $1,288. If interested in pioneering, please write to the National Teaching Committee, Anchorage, AK 99516.

PART-TIME to full-time Registered Physical Therapist is needed to work in Lakeport, California, which has a Bahá’í Group of eight. Please phone Rick at 707-263-1295 or 707-263-1005.

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives is seeking copies of the following books by Shoghi Effendi in good or excellent condition: The Advent of Divine Justice (cloth, 1940, 1956, 1963, 1969; paper, 1956, 1963, 1969); Bahá’í Administration (paper, 1928, 1933, 1936, 1941); God Passes By (cloth, 1957, 1965; paper, 1944); The Promised Day Is Come (cloth, 1943, 1951, 1969). Please contact the National Bahá’í Archives Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

THE NEW “Homefront Pioneer Booklet” is now available from the National Teaching Committee. The booklet lists and explains the committee’s priorities for homefront pioneers as well as helpful information for all Bahá’ís concerning homefront pioneering. You’ll want to have this information for yourself and your Assembly to be knowledgeable about the Homefront Pioneer Program and how we can use it to help win the goals of the Seven Year Plan. For FREE copies of this new publication, please write to the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039, ext. 235.

Long-time Bahá’í Edna Voigt dies at 90

Edna Voigt, who served the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh faithfully for more than 30 years, died April 29, four days after her 90th birthday, in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Ms. Voigt was at one time a member of the National Teaching Committee, served as a guide at the House of Worship in Wilmette, was a delegate to the National Convention, a member of the Spiritual Assembly of Milwaukee, and an inspiring speaker at many firesides.

Her last effort was to help enable the Bahá’í Group of Brookfield to become an Assembly at Ridván.

A PIONEER is needed on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. A rugged single man, either retired or with independent means, or one who is willing to be deputized is preferred. A highly qualified teacher may be able to secure a job. For more information about San Salvador Island, please contact the International Goals Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039.

SPANISH-speaking or bi-lingual homefront pioneers are needed on any of three Indian Reservations in Washington state: Toppenish, Wapato or Yakima. Please contact the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039, ext. 235.

EVER dream of serving hundreds of your fellow Bahá’ís in a special way? Such an opportunity exists at the largest annually attended Bahá’í conference in the U.S. Wonder how? Contact Ian Bamber, secretary, Green Lake Planning Committee, N 1845 Shore Drive, Marinette, WI 54143, or phone 715-735-9075. It’s a rare opportunity to serve so many and enjoy it at the same time.

BETTER yet Connecticut! Planning to vacation in Connecticut this summer? Have a few hours you’d be willing to spare to travel and teach? If so, please write to Mrs. Sharon Ramsharran, secretary, Connecticut District Teaching Committee, 235 Martin St., Hartford, CT 06120, or phone (mornings or evenings) 203-247-7550.

LUTZ, Florida, needs Bahá’ís to maintain its Assembly status. Lutz, close to the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida, is two miles from Tampa, a port city with good employment opportunities in the tourist trades. A regional hospital and medical school also offer job possibilities. Lovely beaches and warm weather are typical of the area. Please respond to P.O. Box 2191, Lutz, FL 33549.

LIBRARIAN with training in establishing a card catalog system is needed at the Louhelen Bahá’í School to help establish a system for the school’s library. Room and board plus a stipend of $50 a week are provided. Typing skills are required. The term of service is approximately two months. Those who are interested may send a letter with a resumé of their educational background, work experience, and Bahá’í service to Geoffry Marks, Louhelen Bahá’í School, 3208 S. State Road, Davison, MI 48423.

THE NATIONAL Bahá’í Archives wishes to locate original Tablets from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the following Bahá’ís: Mr. and Mrs. Fred Ackerknecht, Georgie Belden, Mrs. Nellie C. Babbitt, Rufus and Celia Bartlett, Annie B. Fitch, Ora Gibson, Joseph E. Gilligan, Prof. Lucien Larkin, and Roberta B. Thudichum. Anyone having information regarding the whereabouts of these or any other original Tablets from the Master is asked to contact the National Bahá’í Archives, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091.

NEED a homefront pioneer? Help us to send one to your locality. Keep us informed about jobs, schools, rooms for rent, homes to share, a general description of your community, etc. These things are most helpful in matching pioneers to posts. Please write to the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039, ext. 235.

DO YOU work in an employment agency or related field? If so, consider helping in a referral network with other Bahá’ís around the country. Please write to the National Teaching Committee, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, or phone 312-869-9039, ext. 235.

Got a new address?

MOVING? Got a new telephone number? Don’t forget to let your local community secretary and the National Spiritual Assembly know about your new address and phone number right away so there will be no interruption in receiving your Bahá’í mail.

For your convenience, there is an address form on the last page of this issue of The American Bahá’í. Simply put it in an envelope and mail to: Bahá’í National Center, Office of Membership and Records, Wilmette, IL 60091.

In Memoriam

Marie Abraham Florence, SC 1983	Maggie Grant Meggett, SC December 1983	R. Brandon Meese Munster, IN June 2, 1984
Rosa B. Alston Frogmore, SC Date Unknown	Annie Green Dillon, SC 1983	Roosevelt Moses Florence, SC Date Unknown
John Blumberg Brookfield, WI Date Unknown	Solomon Holmes Frogmore, SC Date Unknown	Robert Moultry Walterboro, SC November 30, 1982
Mabell Broddie Florence, SC 1979	Sylvia Jackson Florence, SC Date Unknown	Lila Pigett Florence, SC September 1983
Ida Chess Ruffin, SC November 6, 1980	Willis Jakes Williams, SC May 6, 1984	Vernon Polk Salisbury, MD Date Unknown
Robert Childers Tucson, AZ May 20, 1984	Arthur James Waskom, TX Date Unknown	Elizabeth Rivers Burton, SC 1983
Scott Childers Tucson, AZ May 20, 1984	Genevieve Kuhns Tucson, AZ May 4, 1984	Sardar Sadari Metairie, LA June 4, 1984
Lillian Cohen Frogmore, SC Date Unknown	Jack M. Kuhns Tucson, AZ May 21, 1984	Harold Scott Roxbury, MA June 1, 1984
Wilson Cook Williams, SC April 19, 1983	Harriet Letsom Kenosha, WI June 14, 1984	Luther Silver Greenville, SC May 22, 1984
Genevieve Desmond Lakewood, CA June 23, 1984	Berdell Linder Cordele, GA November 27, 1983	Lucille Stevens Ruffin, SC Date Unknown
Karl George Ogden, UT June 9, 1984	Ethel R. Loomis Draper, UT May 4, 1984	Edna N. Voigt Milwaukee, WI April 29, 1984
Susanne Gethers Ritter, SC Date Unknown	Kinton McAllister Florence, SC December 23, 1979	Helen Washko San Gabriel, CA June 10, 1984
Jack T. Golf Williams, SC September 16, 1983	Asbury McElveen Florence, SC Date Unknown	Mike Young Florence, SC July 15, 1983
Johnny Gordon Florence, SC Date Unknown

[Page 28]

Letters

their own children.

Even though we had never discussed any subject, our three families share a common perspective on life’s values because of our commitment to the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

THIS empathy enabled us to have complete faith in whatever advice the “resident” parents would offer our daughters.

The Schawackers and Lunds took their responsibility quite seriously and spent many hours of their time with our youngsters.

The staff at the schools were astonished to find that people who had never met could have such trust in one another, and relieved that there was a responsible adult in the immediate neighborhood who could be consulted without delay.

Our children had the benefit of close relationships with other adult Bahá’ís, confirming the teachings of their parents and giving them a widening experience with another generation.

Also, they had someone to call upon at any time for any need and felt comfortable doing so.

The support families clearly recognized that they were helping in the pioneering field even though they were unable to pioneer at this time.

IN FACT, their sacrifice of time and energy for our children was truly offered in service to mankind.

The relationship has become so close that now that the girls are moving on to other schools, both families have offered them the opportunity to live in their homes.

We are thankful to God for providing such wonderful families for our girls, to the International Goals Committee which chose them from among the American Bahá’í community, and to the Schawackers and Lunds who live their religion.

As institutions are devising ways to participate in the International Year of Youth, it may be that this successful experience can in some way encourage other exchanges of Bahá’í youth and families.

Charlie and Martha Garman Ibadan, Nigeria

To the Editor:

Recently I attended a Bahá’í conference in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, with my three daughters, ages seven, five and 15 months.

In Westchester, our car broke down and no one would consider fixing it immediately because it was a big job.

I called the Westchester Bahá’í number and a kind voice told me she’d take care of us. An hour later Virginia Schawacker arrived with a van full of lovely youth and took us to the conference.

Afterward, Meg DeAngelo gave us a ride back to the car.

I should like to point out that Meg and Virginia are both Bahá’ís whom I had never met before!

After the conference still a third Bahá’í family, Ivan and Gaynell Loder, kept us in their home for two days while the car was being repaired, and took wonderful care of us.

Dozens of Bahá’ís at the conference who had heard of the car trouble wished me a safe trip home.

I’d simply like to say thank you, thank you dear Bahá’í friends for making this such a pleasant and happy time for us. We’ll never forget the kindness and love we found during those four days.

Mary Springle Machipongo, Virginia

To the Editor:

Before going to bed my four-year-old daughter, Meena, is fond of learning to work with her father’s computer.

This is followed by her reciting memorized prayers, one of which ends with “Thou art the Giver. Thou art the Compassionate.”

Last night she ended the prayer with a slip of the tongue: “Thou art the Giver. Thou art the computer ... Oops! The Compassionate.”

During supper I expressed to her father my wish to attend a fireside on Saturday evening, after which Meena said pleadingly, “Mom, I want to go to the fire cracker side with you!”

Farah Ramchandani Encino, California

To the Editor:

I have watched with mixed emotions the ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís’‎ attempts to have resolutions passed and investigations started by political institutions concerning the persecution of the ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ in Iran.

THE REASON for my mixed emotions is that I, like every Bahá’í, am saddened by the tests, difficulties and death faced by Bahá’ís in Iran, and would like to see them end.

On the other hand, I am concerned because the American ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ who protest the persecutions in Iran seem concerned only with calling attention to their own problems.

There are any number of other groups, religious and otherwise, who are being persecuted in Iran; and if we look at the world as a whole, I am sure we could easily find hundreds of examples of unjust persecution among various groups of people.

Yet I hear an outcry from the Bahá’í family only about the persecution of other Bahá’ís.

As a Bahá’í, it is my understanding that Bahá’u’lláh came to bring unity and love to all mankind—to make us realize that man is one family, and that what affects any member of the family affects us all.

The principles enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh are universal in scope. For instance, the teaching of unity includes the entire family of man—not just one part of it, nor everyone except “so and so.”

THE EARTH, He said, is one country and mankind its citizens. There is only one race, the human race.

While visiting France, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá responded to an uproar about 20 people being killed in a train accident:

“...I am filled with wonder and surprise to notice what interest and excitement has been aroused throughout the whole country on account of the death of 20 people, while they remain cold and indifferent to the fact that thousands of Italians, Turks, and Arabs are killed in Tripoli! The horror of this wholesale slaughter has not disturbed the Government at all!

“Yet these unfortunate people are human beings too ... They are all men, they all belong to the family of mankind, but they are of other lands and races. It is no concern of the disinterested countries if these men are cut to pieces, this wholesale slaughter does not affect them!

“...The people of these other lands have children and wives, mothers, daughters and little sons! In these countries today there is hardly a house free from the sound of bitter weeping, scarcely can one find a home untouched by the cruel hand of war ...

“Let us all strive night and day to help in the bringing about of better conditions. My heart is broken by these terrible things and cries aloud—may this cry reach other hearts!” (Quoted in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by H.M. Balyúzí, pp. 163-64)

IT SEEMS to me that if Bahá’ís are going to appeal to the political system for redress of the persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran, we should also seek redress through those same channels for those other members of our human family around the world who are suffering from persecution for whatever reason.

Bahá’u’lláh did not bring a message of limited love or unity. How, then, can we protest only when a certain segment of that family is persecuted and ignore it when other members suffer?

People say to me, “But they are our Bahá’í brothers and sisters!” Have we, in our limited capacity as human beings, really narrowed the concept of unity to the point where we apply it only to Bahá’ís?

Linda S. Epstein Jefferson City, Missouri

To the Editor:

An article in the Washington Post titled “Elderly Asians Learn to Speak for Themselves” (June 7, 1984) brought to mind thoughts of implementing some of its ideas for our Persian friends.

The difficulties this group had in handling even the most basic functions of day-to-day living were described.

The problems ranged from saying their names to using the phone. Other troubles were exacerbated by their “senior citizen” status.

It was said that all of our actions are language-based, and, using this as a focus, a program was developed using English to help solve the problems of daily living.

Is it possible that Assemblies and Groups could organize, with that same purpose in mind, social groups for our Persian friends?

All it takes is a phone call to a local city or county Social Service Department, Adult Learning Center, or Literacy Council.

Shirley J. Grammer Falls Church, Virginia

To the Editor:

I was interested in the thoughtful and questioning letter from Rouha Rose (June).

It does seem that some of the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi may have been over-emphasized and even misconstrued relative to the political arena of this planet. Is it time for a reassessment of this particular area, or have the books been closed?

Could we perhaps have an open, explicit and forthright answer that does not beg the question?

I think there are also other areas that may have suffered the same fate, but let us approach them one at a time.

I am writing from the standpoint of being interested in truth rather than controversy, but not interested in truth being stifled at the expense of controversy or to avoid a somewhat controversial discussion.

I greatly appreciated the letter from Dr. R.C. Morrow of Katy, Texas. Perhaps it could be reprinted twice a year for the next 500,000 years?

James E. Pier Belvidere, South Dakota

Moving? Tell us your new address
To avoid unnecessary delays in receiving your copies of The American Bahá’í send your new address and your mailing label which includes your ID number to the Office of Membership and Records, Bahá’í National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, as soon as you know that you are going to move and what your new address will be. We will do our best to see that changes are processed quickly so that the transfer of mail to your new home is accomplished with all possible speed.
Name: (Mr/Mrs/Miss) [........................] Full name—DO NOT use nicknames Residence Address: [................................................] House or Space Number, Street, or Description City: [........................] State: [........................] Zip Code: [........................] Mail Address: [................................................] Street, Rural Route, or Post Office Box Number City: [........................] State: [........................] Zip Code: [........................] Home Telephone Area Code: [..........] Number: [....................] Work Telephone Area Code: [..........] Number: [....................] New Baha’i Community: [................................................] Name of Local Assembly, group, or isolated locality where this person resides Moving Date: [........................] Mailing label should accompany address change form
NOTE: Use this form for individual changes only.
BAHÁ’Í NATIONAL CENTER Wilmette, Illinois 60091
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