It is with great pleasure that the Office of External Affairs formally announces the creation of an official All Party Parliamentary Group with a special interest in the Bahá’í Faith.

Parliament has many All Party Groups which work in a non-partisan manner to promote a wide range of issues including; the United Nations, various Christian denominations, relations with a host of other countries and a wide array of other areas for concern.

Having considered the idea, the National Spiritual Assembly immediately consulted the Universal House of Justice, and on receiving their approval and encouragement, the Office of External Affairs held a series of meetings with Parliamentarians of all parties to investigate the feasibility of such a project. Happily there was no shortage of support and this is clearly due to the high esteem in which Members of Parliament hold representatives of the Bahá’í community they have met in their constituencies.

Over the summer an inaugural committee of three MPs from each of the main parties was appointed and the group has recruited 39 members already. In a message to the National Spiritual Assembly dated 5th September, the Universal House of Justice writes, "... The Universal House of Justice received with delight your e-mail ... in which you report the successful creation and registration of the All Party Friends of the Bahá’ís and warmly congratulates you and your Office of External Affairs."

In the first week of December the new group will hold its first business meeting as well as a briefing for interfaith leaders on the International Criminal Court. We hope that before the New Year members of the group will initiate a debate on the current UN resolution on Iran and draw attention to the mistreatment of the Bahá’í community in that country.

It has become very clear to the officers engaged in external affairs that the political representatives that join this group do so largely out of the genuine affection and admiration they have for Bahá’ís they have met and worked with in their constituencies. The fashion in which hundreds of individual believers have conducted their relationships with the people who sit in our national legislature has created a depth of respect and warmth for our Beloved Faith that today offers real support from high political offices for the defence of the Friends in the Cradle of the Faith. It is evident, therefore, that this achievement is one not of the few Bahá’ís engaged in external affairs, but of the whole community. Today we are garnering the harvest of the seeds of love and respect sowed by countless Bahá’ís all across the British Isles.

The Office of External Affairs extends its thanks to you all for the years of work you have done which has made this new institution of friendship for the Faith a reality.

Baroness Young of Old Scone, Vice-chairman of the BBC, invited members of the religious faiths in the UK to attend a one-day conference on "Faith in the Future - A Symposium on Religious Broadcasting", to discuss the shape of religious broadcasting in the next Millennium.

The members of the faith communities mingled and mixed with BBC governors, executives, directors and producers. During the sessions opportunities arose for questions to be asked and work groups were formed to focus on some of the issues facing the BBC in its religious broadcasting. In these groups the members of the faith communities were able to talk directly with some of the BBC executives in charge of religious broadcasting and to air some of the concerns facing their communities and their representation and portrayal in the BBC.

The representative from the Office of External Affairs was fortunate to be the rapporteur for one of the work groups which enabled her to address the audience, including members of the board of governors of the BBC, and mention the Bahá’í Community. This paved the way for numerous conversations with various members of the BBC religious broadcasting department, including its head, Rev Erie Rea, who commented that he knows all too well who the Bahá’ís are!

A meeting took place with representatives from the United Nations Association and the Office of External Affairs in which the UNA’s "Manifesto 2000" project was explained and given the support of the Office in informing the Bahá’í Community about its goal of forming an international movement for the culture of peace and non-violence.

Manifesto 2000 is an attempt to gain one million signatures in the United Kingdom and 100 million around the world to present to the United Nations General Assembly in September 2000 pledging to respect life, reject violence, share with others, defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, preserve the planet and contribute to the development of our communities.

The Office of External Affairs enjoyed a very fruitful training weekend with the Bahá’í Council for Scotland and the Association of Bahá’í Women (Scotland). What is a long and often intense programme was well received by the participants who took on the principles of Bahá’í diplomacy extremely well, which was evidenced in their brilliant role-plays.

This was the second training weekend the Office of External Affairs has undertaken, the first being with the Bahá’í Council for Northern Ireland and the ABW (NI). These weekends give the Councils the opportunity to learn more closely their role within the field of External Affairs, with particular reference to the devolved Assemblies and Parliaments, with whom they will have a direct relationship. It is hoped that a third weekend will be arranged in the near future with the Bahá’í Council for Wales, who have already taken a very active role in the field of External Affairs in the region.

The Office of External Affairs was delighted to be asked to participate in the Youth Conference at the National Conference in Scarborough in November. Facilitating a workshop based on engaging with the principles of Bahá’í Diplomacy the youth present were very impressive in their understanding of the role of External Affairs and their opportunities to engage with the work in their activities as youth.

21st March - the festival of Naw Ruz for members of the Bahá’í Faith - is also an important day for other reasons. On the 21st March 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa, sixty-nine Africans were shot dead while protesting against the laws of apartheid.

The United Nations General Assembly subsequently proclaimed this date as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Prejudice. Speaking on the occasion of this important day in 1998, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that while the end of the apartheid state gives grounds for optimism, the world must not become complacent in the struggle to rid the world of racial bigotry. He reminded his audience "…we have seen campaigns of ethnic cleansing and genocide, where race, ethnicity or religion has marked individuals for expulsion or slaughter."

Bahá’í communities around the UK may wish to commemorate this event with our own spiritual perspective on human unity as the final antidote to racism. You may wish to contact your local branch of UNA to find out if they are holding any events in your area.

The Continental Board of Counsellors has asked us to inform you of changes in the membership of the Auxiliary Board in the United Kingdom.

Mrs Laili Cleasby has been appointed Auxiliary Board Member for Propagation in the North of England and the Isle of Man. She replaces Mrs Semira Manaseki-Holland, who is living outside the UK for an extended period.

The National Spiritual Assembly wishes Laili well in her appointment and knows that the Local Spiritual Assemblies and the friends will support her as they collaborate with the Learned Arm in pursuit of victory in the plans. The National Assembly prays for the support of the work of Mrs Cleasby and of all the dear Auxiliary Board Members in the United Kingdom.

The Continental Board of Counsellors has also advised us that Miss Farnaz Heidari has been appointed as a new Auxiliary Board Member for propagation.

We warmly welcome Farnaz, who will serve the community in the South-East of England (comprising Berkshire, the Channel Islands, Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, London South of the Thames, Kent, Surrey and West Sussex).

The friends can contact Farnaz at - 2 Curlew Road, Mudeford, Christchurch BH23 4DB. Tel: 01452 79705.

Our loving gratitude also goes to Mr Robert Weinberg, who is stepping down after many years of devoted and much appreciated service.

When the statement "Who is Writing the Future?" was launched earlier this year the Universal House of Justice expressed the hope that it would call forth a range of responses. These responses could enhance others’ understanding of the issues the document raises as well as helping them to make better use of it. As previously announced, the National Spiritual Assembly will make appropriate responses generated by individuals available more widely. The Bahá’í Information Office has been asked to add these to its resource bank.

Three such "responses" are now available - a short aid to study of the statement, a youth response, and a review of the statement. These are available in hard copy from the BIO at the address above, SAE appreciated (C5 size advised).

Since the launch of the Web of Faith project in February 1999 the number of Bahá’í Websites in the UK has increased more than five-fold. This is excellent progress and a tribute to the many believers who have worked to bring it about. We know that many communities and administrative bodies are working on their sites and look forward to hearing of their successful completion.

We also heard from some when we asked how things were going "Oh, we gave that job to X, he knows about these things, and, well, to be honest, we didn’t think about it after that." If you are in that situation, now might be the time to ask X how things are coming along ...

If anyone, for any reason, needs a set (or another set) of the Information Sheets about Websites and how to go about them, please get in touch with us.

Finally, to those who have a Website, we say "Don’t let it grow cobwebs". Please keep it up to date, and add to it from time to time - people like to see changes and new information, and this will help your site get noticed.

The National Assembly has asked us to keep a national press record and monitor the situation, and we can only do that if everyone sends in their local press cuttings that mention the Faith. Please remember to include the name and the date of issue for the paper/magazine whose cutting you are forwarding. Many thanks.

The Day of the Covenant 1999 saw the end of the UK Bahá’í Centenary. As part of that nineteen months long celebration of the progress and accomplishments of the Bahá’í community in the United Kingdom a Website was developed which brought together a unique range of documents and pictures, some new, some historic, both general and related to the UK.

With the end of the Centenary this Website has served its purpose but to ensure that the resources continue to be available to Bahá’ís and to the general public a new site has been established, which will save the most relevant of the previously-published materials and will build on them.

It is one of a range of sites maintained for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom by its Bahá’í Information Office. A full listing of these can be seen on the BIO home page at: www.iol.ie/~isp/

Shows One and Two of the Show-on-the-Go programme have now been released and many of you have taken advantage of this new development in training for local publicity and public information.

Show Three (scheduled for Spring 2000) will be a more ambitious one, with greater multi-media content and hopefully will not only be more educational but also more entertaining.

This therefore seems a good time for you to let us have your feedback:

Do you think the approach of the Show-on-the-Go programme is useful? What did you think of the first two Shows and the materials that came with them? What sort of use did you make of them? Any other views/comments you would like to share with us. What sort of topics would you like to see covered in future Shows?

The National Spiritual Assembly has received a letter from the Universal House of Justice about the establishment of the Office for the Advancement of Women in this country (see Bahá’í Journal UK for October). The letter (dated 5 August 1999) answers a number of points which the National Assembly raised, and addresses its points of concern. Extracts from the letter are therefore being shared with the Friends. It states:

"The House of Justice is pleased to note that you are planning to give greater attention to the advancement of women in both the internal functioning of your Bahá’í community and in your external affairs activities. The establishment of an Office for the Advancement of Women has the potential to provide a powerful reinforcement to the efforts of the believers in this important aspect of Bahá’í endeavour…"

Some Friends have made comments about the advancement of women being a divisive process, or only a women’s matter, or even mere "political correctness". The House answers these:

"You have in several places referred to your distress at the attitudes and conduct of some male members of the Bahá’í community concerning the advancement of women, in their regarding it as an issue which concerns only women, or reacting to it through immoderate language or inappropriate humour. In assisting them to acquire an understanding that they have a vital role to play in the implementation of this principle of the Faith, you have many possible approaches from which to select. For example, their participation in a careful study of the Compilation on Women would serve to bring to their attention those passages in the document which refer clearly to the efforts which are required of men. A contemplation of the peerless example of the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá should include a study of His actions and statements to advance the status and development of women. The messages of the House of Justice, calling upon all elements of the Bahá’í community for a greater commitment to the advancement of women, must also be given due weight in considering the responsibility of men in this regard."

Another part comments on the expressed view of some Bahá’ís that because in the past the Guardian, referring to particular times and situations, advised against the creation of specialist or sectional bodies within the Faith, the setting up of bodies such as the Associations of Bahá’í Women and the Office for the Advancement of Women is wrong. The House deals with this:

"The experience you mention, that of individuals focussing on only one passage from the present document (the Compilation on Women) and using it as a vehicle in attempting to press their views on an individual who has a different understanding, is not solved simply by a re-ordering of the passages; rather it points to a need for deeper study and more careful reading, by which is obtained a comprehensive understanding of this complex subject such that all passages are seen to be elements of a harmonious whole. In striving to attain this state, account must also be taken of the statements of the House of Justice in the Introduction to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas concerning the progressive clarification and progressive application of the laws of the Faith through the instrumentality of the Covenant.

You refer to the view which exists in some quarters of your community, based apparently on a passage written on behalf of the Guardian to two believers in response to a particular situation, that it is not appropriate to create Bahá’í agencies such as an Office for the Advancement of Women or to hold meetings to which only women are invited. Such a view ignores the clear advice and encouragement set out in several messages of the House of Justice concerning the implementation of the principle of equality of the sexes, or the actions it has taken in setting up an Office for the Advancement of Women in the United Nations Office in New York. Attention should also be drawn to the letter of 25 May 1975 from the House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies, in which reference is made to eighty National Spiritual Assemblies being called upon specifically to organize Bahá’í activities for women. Passages in the compilation on Women include the call by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for ‘women’s assemblages’, His mention of some of the subjects which should be discussed at such gatherings, and His warning against an approach which would lead to greater disharmony and argumentation between men and women. Thus those men who are apprehensive about meetings of women can be reassured that these Bahá’í gatherings would not degenerate into the contentiousness and antagonism toward males which appears in some such meetings organized by radical or extremist elements in the wider society."

The Supreme Body gives detailed and valuable guidance to the National Assembly about the working of the Office for the Advancement of Women and goes on to say:

"The Faith does not seek to promote the advancement of women through an artificial endeavour to achieve parity, but rather through a fundamental transformation of values and understanding coupled with the creation of opportunities and encouragement for the development of talents and capabilities."

The National Spiritual Assembly looks forward to the support which it is sure all the Friends will want to give to the Office for the Advancement of Women, and the Associations of Bahá’í Women (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) which can do so much for both the Faith and the wider community.