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Note that the section on Prosperity of Humankind is already available
online in proofread/formatted form: http://info.bahai.org/article-1-7-4-1.html .


THE BAHA'I WORLD 1994 95


n Just over one hundred years, the Faith has grown froi an obscure
movement in the Middle East to th 11- u l 1esprea of the independent
world religions. Embracing

e Ba a World is the rincile ublic record of the commu 11y s growt and
development. The volumes re roduce ma'o ocuments and rovide statistical
data and other detailed infor ation on the Baha’i Faith’s wide-ranging
r0 ram of activities 1ch are illustrated by many photographs and charts.
ln-det rtic es ocus on ma'or areas of Baha'i concern

THE BAHA'I WORLD 1994 95


THE BAHM WORLD 1994-95

151 OF THE BAHA’i' ERA

AN INTERNATIONAL RECORD

BAHA'i WORLD CENTRE HAIFA

@1996 World Centre Publications

Order department: 46 High Street Kidlington Oxford OX5 2DN England

Photo credits: pp. 39, 43, 45, and 149—-courtesy One Country; p.
62—Pepper P. Oldziey, courtesy of Brilliant Star; p. 74
(middlekElizabeth Rutledge, courtesy of Brilliant Star; pp. 74 (top) and
267—Haynes McFadden;

p. l43~Desm0nd O’Neill, counesy of One Country; p. 256H0mid Ferdowsian;
p. 257iKevin Lock. Other photos provided by the AudioVisual Department
of the World Centre.

A Cataloguing-in-Publication number is available from the British Library.

THE, BAHA'I WORLD 1994 u 95

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddles Ltd, Guildford and King’s Lynn

CONTENTS

Introduction to the Volume Introduction to the Bahzi’i Community Sacred
Writings

EVENTS 1994—95 Seven New National Spiritual Assemblies World Summit for
Social Development

Unity, Equality, Spirituality: Baha’i Contributions to the International
Year of the Family

Mount Carmel Projects: Progress 1994—95

The Year in Review

Update: the Situation of the Bahé’is in Iran

The International Community: Activities 1994—95 The Faith in the Eyes of
the World

Youth: ‘A New Kind of Peopl

ESSAYS, STATEMENTS, AND PROFILES

The Mission of the Retrospective 1844—1944, by Douglas Martin

World Watch, by Ann Boyles

The Language of the Heart: Arts in the Bahél’i World Community, by Ann
Boyles

25 37

193 227

Statements by the Bahd International Community: The Prosperity of
Humankind Religious Intolerance Violence Against Women

Profile: One Country: A Global Newsletter

INFORMATION AND RESOURCES Obituaries Statistics Directory

Selected New Publications A Basic Reading List Glossary

Index

305

INTRODUCTION

S ince 1925, the Baha’i community has published an international record
of its activities and achievements, entitled The Bahd ’1' World. After
appearing periodically for 67 years, the publication was revamped in
1992 to become an annual work which, While continuing to provide a
record of the community’s undertakings, also offers readers general
information about the Faith, its objectives, and its teachings. The
[994—95 volume is the third in this new series.

The year 1994—95 is a significant one in the Baha’i Faith. It marks the
150th anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab, the Manifestation (or
Prophet) of God Who announced, in 1844, the advent of the “Day of God”
prophesied in all earlier religions and Who sacrificed His life to
prepare the world for that Day. In recognition of this anniversary, The
Bahd '1’ World presents a compilation of excerpts from the Baha’i sacred
writings on the theme of the Manifestations of God and Their role in
civilizing humanity and an article entitled “The Mission of the Bab:
Retrospcetive 1844—1994,” which treats the significance of, and the

world’s response to, the life and teachings. The vitality of

TH_E BAHA’T WORLD

thought brought to our age by the Bab and Baha’u’llah is further
reflected in a statement issued by the Baha’i International Community
Office of Public Information. The Prosperity of Humankind, first
distributed at the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in
Copenhagen, challenges accepted suppositions underlying development and
offers not only a new definition of prosperity but also a vision of how
it can best be achieved. And this year’s “World Watch” article points to
the signs of increasing globalization both envisioned in and made
possible by the Revelations of the Bab and Baha’u’llah.

Other features in the volume include a report on the formation of seven
new National Spiritual Assemblies in April 1994; statements and
activities of the Baha’i International Community, including its
participation in the World Summit for Social Development in March 1995;
a survey of Baha’i contributions to the commemoration of the United
Nations International Year of the Family; an article on the development
of the arts in the Baha’i community; and a profile of the award-winning
global newsletter One Country. Updates on the situation of Iran’s
beleaguered Baha’i community and on the progress made during 1994—95 on
the Mount Carmel construction projects at the Baha’i World Centre, as
Well as survey articles covering activities in various fields of
endeavor around the World, media treatment of the Bahe'l’i Faith, and
achievements of youth, round out the regular features of the series. The
volume’s final section includes resources and information useful for
those readers interested in doing further research into the Faith and
the International Community.

A glance through The Bahd ’1' World 1994—95 will assure any reader of
the vitality of this worldwide community, its increasing interaction
with organizations of civil society in efforts to address the crucial
social issues confronting humanity, and its basic optimism. “Let your
vision be World embracing,” said Baha’u’llah— a message that Baha’is
around the world are striving to advance in the world at large and to
incarnate in their own lives.

INTRODUCIIQN TO THEBAHA’I ' COMMUNITY

‘Xfomen and men gather in Garoua Boulai, a rural region of eastern
Cameroon, to discuss how they can work to

gether to alleviate some of the burdens placed on the women With regard
to child care. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, scholars come together
to exchange ideas on the topic “Anarchy into Order: Understanding
Humanity’s Role and Destiny.” People on Goodenough Island, Papua New
Guinea, escort a strewn platform carrying a new Book of Laws to their
village, ushering it in with respect and joyful songs. In Panchgani,
India, a group of young boys is learning how to plant and tend tree
seedlings in a course of studies on sustainable development at a locally
run institute. A youth group performs a dance about the terrible
consequences of racism to a rapt audience of children in a school
auditorium on Vancouver Island, Canada. In Colombia, South America, a
conga musical group imbues its traditional Latin rhythms with a
spiritual message about the unity of humanity, to the delight of
listeners at open-air venues. A team of medical specialists from the
United Kingdom “twins” efforts with doctors at a hospital in Bulgaria,
offering assistance in

training local practitioners. These people, though they have in all
probability never met one another, share a united View of the world and
its future, as well as their own role in shaping that fiiture. They are
members of the Baha’i International Community.

The Baha’i International Community, comprising members of the Baha’i
Faith from all over the globe, now numbers some five million souls. They
represent 2,112 ethnic and tribal groups and live in over 116,000
localities in 188 independent countries and 45 dependent territories or
overseas departments. What was once regarded by some as an obscure, tiny
sect is now the second-most widely spread independent religion in the
World, after Christianity, as documented by the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Its membership cuts across all boundaries of class and race, governing
itself through the establishment of local and national elected bodies
known as Spiritual Assemblies. Haifa, Israel, is the site of its
international center and the seat of its World-governing council, known
as the Universal House of Justice.

From What source do the members of the Baha’i Faith draw their spiritual
strength and their organizational structure? What are the tenets of
faith that can so attract and unify such a diverse group of people? With
what vision do they face the future? To answer such questions, there
follows a brief introduction to the Baha’i community, its history, its
spiritual teachings, its aims and objectives, and its vision of the future.

Origins

In 1844 in Persia, a young siyyid (descendant of the Prophet Muhammad)
named Mirza ‘Ali-Muhammad declared Himself to be the Promised Qa’im
awaited by Shi‘ih Muslims. He adopted the title “the Bab,” which means
“the Gate,” and His teachings quickly attracted a large following.
Alarmed by the growing numbers of “Bébis,” as His followers were known,
the Muslim clergy allied themselves with ministers of the Shah in an
effort to destroy the infant Faith. Some 20,000 Bébis were persecuted,
tortured, and killed over the next number of years, but the growth of
this new religion continued, even after the Bab Himself was imprisoned
and subsequently publicly executed by a firing squad in July 1850. The
horrific treatment of the Bébis at the hands of

TH_E BAHA'i COMMUNITY

the secular and religious authorities was recorded by a number of
Western diplomats, scholars, and travelers, who expressed their
admiration for the character and fortitude of those suffering
persecution. The Babi Faith sprang from Islam in the same way that
Christianity sprang from Judaism. It was apparent, however, from early
in the Bab’s ministry that the religion established by Him represented
not merely a sect or a movement within Islam but possessed the character
of an independent faith. Furthermore, one of the main tenets of Babi
belief was the Bab’s statement that He had been sent by God to prepare
the way for One greater than Himself, who would inaugurate an era of
peace and righteousness throughout the world, representing the
culmination of all the religious dispensations of the past.

Mirza Husayn-‘Ali, known to history as Baha’u’llah, was one of the
leading adherents of the Bébi Faith who was arrested and imprisoned
during the tumultuous years of the Bab’s brief ministry. He was spared
from execution but was banished from Persia to Baghdad, thence to
Constantinople, Adrianople, and finally to the penal colony of Acre in
Palestine Thus, the Persian government, which had secured the support of
the Ottoman Turkish authorities in suppressing the new movement,
expected that His sphere of influence would be severely limited. During
His imprisonment Mirza Husayn-‘Ali had received the first divine
intimations that He was the Promised One of whom the Bab had spoken. He
adopted the title Baha’u’llah, which means “the Glory of God,” and
publicly declared His mission on the eve of His exile from Baghdad, in
April 1863. After some forty years of exile, Baha’u’llah passed away in
the vicinity of Acre in 1892, still nominally a prisoner, though the
authorities had loosened their restrictions as they had become
acquainted with Him and the nature of His teachings. During the long
years of His exile and imprisonment, He revealed over 100 volumes of
writings, consisting of the laws and ordinances of His dispensation,
letters to the kings and rulers of the East and the West, mystical
teachings, and other divinely~inspired Writings. In His will and
testament, Baha’u’lléh appointed His eldest son, ‘Abbas Effendi, who
adopted the title ‘Abdu’l-Baha (the

Servant of Baha), as His successor and sole authoritative interpreter of
His teachings. ‘Abdu’l-Baha had shared the long years of exile and
imprisonments of His Father, being eventually freed only in 1908, after
the Young Turk Revolution. Shortly there— after, now at an advanced age,
He embarked on an arduous journey to Europe and America where, from 1911
to 1913, He proclaimed Baha’u’llah’s message of universal brotherhood
and peace to large audiences, consolidated fledgling Baha’i communities,
and warned of the potential catastrophe looming on Europe’s darkening
horizon. By the time World War I erupted in 1914, ‘Abdu’l-Bahé had
returned to His home in Haifa, just across the bay from Acre in
Palestine, and devoted Himself to caring for the people of that city,
fending off famine by feeding them from stores of grain He had
safeguarded for just such an eventuality. ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s humanitarian
services were recognized by the British government which, at the end of
the war, conferred upon Him a knighthood, a title He declined to use. He
passed away in 1921 and is buried on Mount Carmel in a vault near where
the remains of the Bab were interred by Him some years before. Among the
significant legacies bequeathed to history by ‘Abdu’l-Baha was a series
of letters, called Tablets of the Divine Plan, addressed to the Baha’is
of North America during the years of World War I. These fourteen letters
directed the recipients to scatter to countries on all continents and
share With their populations the teachings of Baha’u’llah—a mandate that
led to the global expansion of the Baha’i International Community.
Another legacy of ‘Abdu’l—Baha was His will and testament, which Baha’is
regard as the charter of the administrative order conceived by
Baha’u’llah. In this document, ‘Abdu’l-Baha appointed His eldest
grandson, Shoghi Effendi, to succeed Him after His passing as Guardian
of the Baha’i Faith and authorized interpreter of its teachings.

During the period of his Guardianship, from 1921 to 1957, Shoghi Effendi
concentrated his attention on four main areas: the development of the
Baha’i World Centre in the environs of Haifa, Israel; the translation
and interpretation of the Baha’i sacred

Writings; the unfoldment of the administrative order of the

9 Faith; and the implementation of divine plan for

TH_E BAHM COMMUNITY

the propagation of the Baha’i Faith around the world.

At the Baha’i World Centre, Shoghi Effendi effected the construction of
a superstructure for the mausoleum containing the remains of the Bab,
which had been brought from Persia to the Holy Land and been interred by
‘Abdu’l-Baha in a tomb on Mount Carmel in a spot designated by
Baha’u’llah. Shoghi Effendi beautified and expanded the simple native
stone structure, which is today a site of pilgrimage for Baha’is from
all over the world. He enhanced the Baha’i properties, particularly the
site of Baha’u’llah’s grave at Bahji, with gardens of striking beauty,
and he also initiated the construction of the International Baha’i
Archives Building, designated to house and preserve artifacts from the
early days of the Baha’i Faith. The International Archives Building was
also the first structure built on the arc-shaped path on the site
designated as the world administrative center of the Baha’i community.
It was completed in 1957.

In concert with the actions taken to develop the Baha’i World Centre and
lay the foundations, literally and figuratively, for the further course
of that development, Shoghi Effendi was also instrumental in
interpreting the Persian and Arabic writings of Baha’u’llah and
‘Abdu’l-Baha and translating them into English. The Guardian had served
his Grandfather as secretary for a number of years and at the time of
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s passing was a student at Oxford University. His mastery
of Persian, Arabic, and English, coupled with the authority conferred
upon him by ‘Abdu’l-Baha as the appointed interpreter of those Writings,
made him uniquely qualified to undertake their translation. He also
translated a history of the Babi Faith, authored a history of the first
century of the Baha’i Faith, called God Passes By, and wrote thousands
of letters to communities and individuals around the World, elucidating
passages from the Writings, thus giving direction and impetus to Baha’i
activities.

Development of the Administrative Order

Shoghi Effendi’s work in developing the Baha’i administrative order is
perhaps the most dramatic legacy of his years as Guardian. The first
step in this development was to encourage the organized, planned
expansion of Baha’i communities in places where

TE BAHA'i WORLD

local and national Baha’i councils, known as Spiritual Assemblies, would
eventually be established. The Guardian effected this global expansion
of Baha’i communities through a series of international plans that ran
for varying numbers of years and during which twelve National Spiritual
Assemblies were founded.

At the time of Shoghi Effendi’s sudden passing in 1957, the Baha’i
community was in the middle of a global plan of expansion and
consolidation called “The Ten Year Crusade.” During this period, which
concluded in l963—the centenary of Baha’u’llah’s declaration of His
mission in the Garden of Ridvan in Baghdad—the goal was to open 132 new
countries and major territories to the Faith and expand existing
communities in 120 countries and territories previously opened to the
Faith. These ambitious targets were actually exceeded by the end of the
plan, in spite of the difficulties posed by the Guardian’s death.
‘Abdu’l-Baha, in His will and testament, had authorized the continuation
of the Guardianship through the appointment by the Guardian of a
successor from among his own sons, should he have them, or other direct
descendants of Baha’u’llah. Such a designation was dependent upon the
choice by the Guardian of someone who met the demanding spiritual
requirements necessary for such a position. Shoghi Effendi had no
children and died without designating such an heir. He had, however,
taken steps toward the election of the Universal House of Justice, the
supreme governing body of the Baha’i Faith which was to function as one
of the successors of Baha’u’llah and Baha'i. He had also appointed a
number of individual Baha’is to an auxiliary institution of the
Guardianship called “Hands of the Cause of God.” These individuals had
been charged with the duty of protecting the unity of the faith and
collaborating with the National Spiritual Assemblies around the world to
ensure that the goals of the Ten Year Crusade were Won. Upon the passing
of Shoghi Effendi, they gathered together to guide the Baha’i community
to the completion of the plan initiated by the Guardian and towards the
first election of the Universal House of Justice, which took place in
April 1963.

Conceived by Baha’u’llah Himself, the institution of the Universal House
of Justice is established on principles laid

THE BAHA'I COMMUNITY

down in the Bahzi’i sacred writings. Its election, by the members of the
56 National Spiritual Assemblies that existed in April [963, clearly
demonstrated the principle of unity so central to the Bahél’i Faith,
with the nine elected members coming from four continents and
representing a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Basing itself on the authority conferred on it by the Founder of the
Faith, the Universal House of Justice has stood as the unchallenged
authority in the worldwide Baha’i community since 1963. During the last
31 years, the Universal House of Justice has launched five global plans
for the advancement of the Faith. From a worldwide population of 408,000
in 1963, the Baha’i community has grown to approximately five million;
the number of National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies has grown from
56 to 172; and the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies has increased
from 3,555 to approximately 18,000. Bahé’is live in some 225 countries
and territories around the planet.

Spiritual and Moral Teachings and Bahd ’1' Community Life

The force that unites this Widely diverse group of people is a unity of
vision gained from belief in Baha’u’llah as a Manifestation of God, in
the social and administrative structures He established, and in the
spiritual and moral teachings He propagated. Central to these spiritual
teachings is the concept that there is only one God and that the major
religions of the world have been established by Messengers or
Manifestations of this one Divine Reality: Abraham, Krishna, Moses,
Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, and Muhammad, who have been sent by the
Creator progressively throughout history to deliver a divine message
commensurate with humanity’s stage of development. The spiritual essence
of all the major religions, in the Baha’i view, is the same: that we
have been created to know and to worship God. Only the religions’ social
teachings change through the process of this progressive revelation. The
Baha’i perspective is optimistic, seeing the cumulative benefits of
progressively revealed religions as fundamental to an “ever-advancing
civilization.” What divides various religious communities, Baha’is
believe, comes not from God but from humanity and its accretions to the
essential religious

Trg BAHA’i WORLD

teachings brought by each divine Messenger.

In this new stage of humanity’s development, the time has come for the
recognition of the unity of the human race, for the establishment of the
equality of Women and men, for the elimination of the extremes of wealth
and poverty, and for the realization of the age-old promise of universal
peace. Likening the development of the human race to that of a child,
the Baha’i belief is that We have passed through the stages analogous to
infancy and childhood and are now enduring a tumultuous adolescence, on
the threshold of maturity. Baha’u’llah taught that humanity is destined
to come of age, but the course it takes to achieve that goal is entirely
in its own hands.

To promote the development of a society in which Baha’i ideals can be
fully realized, Baha’u’llah established laws and moral teachings that
Baha’is are enjoined to follow. Central to these is daily obligatory
prayer. Study and meditation upon the Baha’i sacred writings is also
enjoined upon believers each morning and evening. Baha’is between the
ages of 15 and 70, with the exception of the sick, pregnant women, and
nursing mothers, observe a nineteen-day, dawn-to-dusk fast each year.
Baha’u’llah referred to prayer and fasting as the “twin pillars” of
faith, an indication of their importance and the benefits to be gained
from them_ He also raised work to the level of worship. The main
repository of Baha’u’llz'lh’s laws is a volume entitled the
Kitab-i-Aqdas, or “the Most Holy Book.”

There are no dietary restrictions in the Faith, but the consumption of
alcohol and the use of narcotic and hallucinogenic drugs are forbidden,
as they interfere with spiritual growth. counselled Bahé’is to be honest
and trustworthy, to render service to humanity with an abundance of
deeds rather than mere Words, to be chaste in their relationships with
others, and to avoid gossip and backbiting. He forbade lying, stealing,
adultery, sodomy, and promiscuity. The importance of the family is
central to Baha’i community life, as is the moral and spiritual
education of children.

Baha’is often gather together in their communities to study the sacred
Writings of their faith and to pray, but a main pillar in Baha’i
community life is a meeting called “the Nineteen Day

Thug BAHA’i COMMUNITY

Feast,” at which all members join in Worship, consult about community
affairs, and socialize. For the time being, pending the further
development of communities, these meetings often occur in rented
facilities, people’s homes, or, in some locations, in the local Baha’i
center. The Baha’i writings call for the erection in each community of
beautifully designed Houses of Worship set in exquisite gardens as
spiritual centers of activity, and for a variety of social and
humanitarian institutions to be established around them. Baha’i Houses
of Worship presently exist on each continent, and sites have been
purchased around the world for construction of many more in the future.
They are open to people of all faiths (or those professing no particular
faith) for prayer and meditation. Services are non-denominational,
consisting of readings and prayers from the Baha’i writings and
scriptures of other World faiths, with no sermons, and including music
by an a capella choir. The idea is to preserve for worshippers the
sacredness of the experience of hearing and meditating upon the Holy
Word without the interference of manmade concepts.

Aims, Objectives, and Activities

As the Universal House of Justice stated in a message addressed to the
peoples of the world, written in October 1985 on the eve of the United
Nations International Year of Peace, “Acceptance of the oneness of
mankind is the first fundamental prerequisite for reorganization and
administration of the world as one country, the home of humankind.” The
ultimate aim of the Baha’i Faith is the establishment of unity among all
the peoples of the world, and it is because of its orientation towards
unity on an international scale that the Baha’i community has been
active at the United Nations since that organization’s inception. Today
the Baha’i International Community, an extremely active nongovernmental
organization (NGO), enjoys consultative status with the Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC) and is particularly involved in addressing human
rights issues, the needs of Women and children, and environmental
concerns, as well as pursuing sound sustainable development policies. To
coordinate

its international efforts in these areas, the Baha’i International

T BAHM WORLD

Community’s United Nations Office, Office of the Environment, Office for
the Advancement of Women, and Office of Public Information collaborate
with National Spiritual Assemblies around the World in various projects
and representations at international gatherings.

The activities of the Baha’i International Community at the United
Nations have earned it a reputation as one of the most effective
religious NGOs in the UN system, and it has played an active role in
major international events such as the Earth Summit in Rio de J aneiro
in June 1992, the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in
Vienna in June 1993, and the World Summit for Social Development in
Copenhagen in March 1995 . It will also send a delegation to the Fourth
World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995.

Beyond the scope of the United Nations, Bahé’is look towards a day when
a new international order will be established, a commonwealth to which
all the nations of the world will belong. As Shoghi Effendi Wrote in 1936,

The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha’u’llah, implies the
establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races,
creeds and classes are closely and pennanently united, and in which the
autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of
the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely
safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it,
consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of
the whole of mankind,...enact such laws as shall be required to regulate
the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of all races
and peoples. A world executive, backed by an international Force, will
carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this
world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole
commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its
compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise
between the various elements constituting this universal system.

Shoghi Effendi went on to describe the tremendous benefits to humanity
resulting from such a world order:

Tgg BAHA'I COMMUNITY

...The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or
political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of
human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the
productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the
extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of
physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to
the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet,
to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other
agency that can stimulate the intel— lectual, the moral, and spiritual
life of the entire human race.1

To make its aims and objectives widely known and to promote its
perspective on various issues, the Baha’i International Community has
been active not only in collaborating with likeminded organizations such
as the United Nations but has also been engaged in public relations
efforts for many years, bringing spiritual and social principles of the
Faith to the attention of the generality of humankind. Information about
the Baha’i Faith became much more widely disseminated than it had been
as international news media reported the persecution of the Baha’is of
Iran which came in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution. More than
200 members of the Faith were executed for their belief, considered as
heresy by the regime, and thousands more were imprisoned, fired from
their jobs, or had their homes confiscated or their pensions cut off as
a result of government orders. Bahé’is around the world responded in
unity to the situation in Iran—the land in which their religion was
born—Jby petitioning their governments to take action against this
treatment; and it is, to some degree, as a result of these efforts that
the perse— cutions Were not more extreme. Executions have ceased,
although Iran’s Baha’is are still denied fundamental rights and freedoms.

The Baha’i community has also taken a proactive approach in promulgating
its views. The statement on peace issued by the Universal House of
Justice in 1985, entitled The Promise of World Peace, sparked a
Worldwide campaign of presentations and

l. Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahd Selected Letters, 2d rev.

ed. (Wilmette: Baha'l’i Publishing Trust, 1974), pp. 203—204.

T 515 BAHA’T WORLD

public education that lasted throughout the International Year of Peace
and beyond and encompassed government figures and leaders of thought, as
Well as the general population. Then, to mark the centenary of
Baha’u’llah’s passing in 1992, the Baha’i International Community Office
of Public Information published Bahd 714211, a statement about the
Faith’s Founder, detailing His life, His teachings, and His mission.
Events of the year itself, notably the commemoration in the Holy Land in
May 1992 of the centenary of the passing of Baha’u’llah, involving some
3,000 participants from all over the world, and the Baha’i World
Congress held in New York City in November 1992, which attracted some
27,000 Baha’is from around the globe, caused much publicity for the
Faith. Most recently, in January 1995, the Office of Public Information
released another major statement on social development, entitled T he
Prosperity of Humankind. Widely disseminated at the World Summit for
Social Development in Copenhagen in March 1995, the statement promises
to lead to further engagement of the Baha’i community with leaders of
thought in this field.

Aside from large-scale public relations activities and the publication
of statements on different themes, the Baha’i community has been
continually engaged in a series of international teaching plans, and it
has seen rapid expansion in different parts of the world, most notably
in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, where national Baha’i
communities have been established in recent years following the collapse
of longstanding political barriers. Czechoslovakia, Romania, and the
former USSR were the first, in 1991; Albania, Azerbaijan, the Baltic
States, Central Asia, Hungary, Poland, and Russia, Georgia, and Armenia,
as well as the Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova followed in 1992. The
further dramatic expansion in the numbers of Local Spiritual Assemblies
throughout Central Asia led to the announcement by the Universal House
of Justice that at Ridvan 1994 five new National Assemblies would be
established where the single community of Central Asia had existed
before. The Regional Spiritual Assembly of Central Asia having outlived
its usefulness, the National Spiritual Assembly of Turkmenistan came
into its own, and new National Spiritual

TH_E BAHA'I COMMUNITY

Assemblies were formed in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and
Uzbekistan. Slovenia and Croatia also elected their first Regional
Spiritual Assembly, and National Spiritual Assemblies came into
existence in Cambodia and Mongolia. The establishment of more National
and Regional Assemblies is expected in I995 as well.

The existence and growth of the community offers irrefutable evidence
that humanity, in all its diversity, can learn to live and work together
in harmony. While Bahé’is are not unaware of the turmoil in the world
surrounding them, their view is succinctly depicted in the following
words, taken from The Prosperity ofHumankind:

A world is passing away and a new one is struggling to be born. The
habits, attitudes, and institutions that have accumulated over the
centuries are being subjected to tests that are as necessary to human
development as they are inescapable. What is required of the peoples of
the world is a measure of faith and resolve to match the enormous
energies with which the Creator of all things has endowed this spiritual
springtime of the race.

The source of this faith and resolve is the message of hope offered to
humanity by the teachings of Baha’u’llah. It is a message that deserves
the thoughtful consideration of all those who yearn for peace and
justice in the world.

BAHA’i SACRED WRITINGS

Writings ofBahd "u

he Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in

revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden
Within the mine of their true and inmost selves. That the divers
communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of religious belief,
should never be allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men,
is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His Religion.
These principles and laws, these firmly-established and mighty systems,
have proceeded from one Source, and are the rays of one Light. That they
differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements
of the ages in which they were promulgated.

The purpose of religion as revealed from the heaven of God’s holy Will
is to establish unity and concord amongst the peoples of the world; make
it not the cause of dissension and strife. The religion of God and His
divine law are the most potent instruments and the surest of all means
for the dawning of the

light of unity amongst men. The progress of the World, the development
of nations, the tranquillity of peoples, and the peace of all who dwell
on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God. Religion
bestoweth upon man the most precious of all gifts, offereth the cup of
prosperity, imparteth eternal life, and showereth imperishable benefits
upon mankind....

...in the kingdoms of earth and heaven there must needs be manifested a
Being, an Essence Who shall act as a Manifestation and Vehicle for the
transmission of the grace of the Divinity Itself, the Sovereign Lord of
all. Through the Teachings of this Day Star of Truth every man will
advance and develop until he attaineth the station at which he can
manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true self hath
been endowed. It is for this very purpose that in every age and
dispensation the Prophets of God and His chosen Ones have appeared
amongst men, and have evinced such power as is born of God and such
might as only the Eternal can reveal.

Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one
and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: There is
no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My Message. They all have
but one purpose; their secret is the same secret. To prefer one in honor
to another, to exalt certain ones above the rest, is in no wise to be
permitted. Every true Prophet hath regarded His Message as fundamentally
the same as the Revelation of every other Prophet gone before Him.. ..
...any apparent variation in the intensity of their light is not
inherent in the light itself, but should rather be attributed to the
varying receptivity of an ever~changing world. Every Prophet Whom the
Almighty and Peerless Creator hath purposed to send to the peoples of
the earth hath been entrusted with a Message, and charged to act in a
manner that would best meet the requirements of the age in which He
appeared. God’s purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The
first is to liberate

18

llw children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to
the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and
tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be
established.

The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians whose Milk is to
foster the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through the
spirit of oneness, they may heal the sickness of a divided humanity. To
none is given the right to question their words or disparage their
conduct, for they are the only ones who mm claim to have understood the
patient and to have correctly diagnosed its ailments. No man, however
acute his perception, can ever hope to reach the heights which the
Wisdom and underNllll‘ldil'lg of the Divine Physician have attained.
Little wonder, then, if the treatment prescribed by the physician in
this day should not be found to be identical with that which he
prescribed hct‘orc. How could it be otherwise when the ills affecting
the sufferer necessitate at every stage of his sickness a special
remedy? In like manner, every time the Prophets of God have illumined
the World with the resplendent radiance of the Day Star of Divine
knowledge, they have invariably summoned its peoples to embrace the
light of God through such means as best the exigencies of the age in
which they appeared. ..

The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all
mankind to truthfulness and sincerity, to piety and trustworthiness, to
resignation and submissiveness to the Will of God, to forbearance and
kindliness, to uprightness and Wisdom. His object is to array every man
with the mantle ofa saintly character, and to adorn him with the
ornament of holy and goodly deeds.

Writings and Utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Baha'z mm the days of Adam until
today, the religions of God have been made manifest, one following the
other, and each one of them fulfilled its due function, revived mankind,
and provided

education and enlightenment. They freed the people from the darkness of
the world of nature and ushered them into the brightness of the Kingdom.
As each succeeding Faith and Law became revealed it remained for some
centuries a richly fruitful tree and to it was committed the happiness
of humankind. However, as the centuries rolled by, it aged, it
flourished no more and put forth no fruit, wherefore was it then made
young again...

Our meaning is this: the religion of God is one, and it is the educator
of humankind, but still, it needs must be made new. When thou dost plant
a tree, its height increaseth day by day. It putteth forth blossoms and
leaves and luscious fruits. But after a long time, it doth grow old,
yielding no fruitage any more. Then doth the Husbandman of Truth take up
the seed from that same tree, and plant it in a pure soil; and 10, there
standeth the first tree, even as it was before.

...the Holy Manifestations of God are the centers of the light of
reality, of the source of mysteries, and of the bounties of love. They
are resplendent in the world of hearts and thoughts, and shower eternal
graces upon the world of spirits; They give spiritual life and are
shining with the light of realities and meanings. The enlightenment of
the World of thought comes from these centers of light and sources of
mysteries. Without the bounty of the splendor and the instructions of
these Holy Beings the world of souls and thoughts would be opaque
darkness. Without the irrefutable teachings of those sources of
mysteries the human world would become the pasture of animal appetites
and qualities, the existence of everything would be unreal, and there
would be no true life. . ..

All humankind are as children in a school, and the DawningPoints of
Light, the Sources of divine revelation, are the teachers, Wondrous and
without peer. In the school of realities they educate these sons and
daughters, according to teachings from God, and foster them in the bosom
of grace, so that they may develop along every line, show forth the
excellent gifts and

BAHA’i SACRED WRITlNGS

blessings of the Lord, and combine human perfections; that they may
advance in all aspects of human endeavor, whether outward ur inward,
hidden or visible, material or spiritual, until they make this mortal
world a widespread mirror, to reflect that other world which dieth not.

calls to success and prosperity are being raised from the heights of the
happiness of mankind, awakening the slumbering, granting sight to the
blind, causing the heedless to become mindl'ul, bestowing hearing upon
the deaf, unloosing the tongue of the mute and resuscitating the dead.

The one is the call of civilization, of the progress of the material
world. This pertaineth to the world of phenomena, promoteth the
principles of material achievement, and is the trainer for the physical
accomplishments of mankind. It compriseth the laws, regulations, arts
and sciences through which the world of humanity hath developed; laws
and regulations which are the outcome of lofty ideals and the result of
sound minds, and which have stepped forth into the arena of existence
through the efforts of the wise and cultured in past and subsequent
ages. The propagator and executive power of this call is just government.

The other is the soul-stirring call of God, Whose spiritual teachings
are safeguards of the everlasting glory, the eternal happiness and
illumination of the world of humanity, and cause attributes of mercy to
be revealed in the human world and the life beyond.

This second call is founded upon the instructions and exhortalions of
the Lord and the admonitions and altruistic emotions belonging to the
realm of morality which, like unto a brilliant light, brighten and
illumine the lamp of the realities of mankind. Its penetrative power is
the Word of God.

However, until material achievements, physical accomplishments and human
virtues are reinforced by spiritual perfections, luminous qualities and
characteristics of mercy, no fruit or result shall issue therefrom, nor
will the happiness of the world of humanity, which is the ultimate aim,
be attained.

TIE BAHM WORLD

Universal benefits derive from the grace of the Divine religions, for
they lead their true followers to sincerity of intent, to high purpose,
to purity and spotless honor, to surpassing kindness and compassion, to
the keeping of their covenants when they have covenanted, to concern for
the rights of others, to liberality, to justice in every aspect of life,
to humanity and philanthropy, to valor and to unflagging efforts in the
service of mankind. It is religion, to sum up, which produces all human
virtues, and it is these virtues which are the bright candles of
civilization“ ..

Praise be to God, throughout succeeding centuries and ages the call of
civilization hath been raised, the World of humanity hath been advancing
and progressing day by day, various countries have been developing by
leaps and bounds, and material improvements have increased, until the
world of existence obtained universal capacity to receive the spiritual
teachings and to hearken to the Divine Call. The suckling babe passeth
through various physical stages, growing and developing at every stage,
until its body reacheth the age of maturity. Having arrived at this
stage it acquireth the capacity to manifest spiritual and intellectual
perfections. The lights of comprehension, intelligence and knowledge
become perceptible in it and the powers of its soul unfold. Similarly,
in the contingent World, the human species hath undergone progressive
physical changes and, by a slow process, hath scaled the ladder of
civilization, realizing in itself the Wonders, excellencies and gifts of
humanity in their most glorious form, until it gained the capacity to
express the splendors of spiritual perfeotions and divine ideals and
became capable of hearkening t0 the call of God. Then at last the call
of the Kingdom was raised, the spiritual virtues and perfections were
revealed, the Sun of Reality dawned, and the teachings of the Most Great
Peace, of the oneness of the world of humanity and of the universality
of men, were promoted. We hope that the effulgence of these rays shall
become more and more intense, and the ideal virtues more resplendent, so
that the goal of this universal human process will be attained and the
love of God will appear in the utmost grace and beauty and bedazzle all
hearts.

22

E

VE N TS 1994-95

SEVEN NEW NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES

I n the spring of 1994, individuals from fourteen countries travelled to
Ljublj ana, in the troubled region of the former Yugoslavia, to witness
and celebrate a birth. Amidst the violence, disintegration, and ethnic
conflict that have come to characterize much of the Balkans in recent
years, an institution dedicated to unity was formed.

The people who gathered were members of Baha’i communities in different
parts of the world who wished to show their support, members of Baha’i
institutions who had helped nurture the new institution into being, and,
most important, individuals from the region who had embraced
Baha’u’llah’s teachings and were eager to establish the administrative
body—the National Spiritual Assembly—whose aim it would be to further
develop the growing Baha’i community of Slovenia and Croatia.

At the same time, Baha’is in six other countries—all areas facing
tremendous social and economic challenges—were engaged in the same
process. At Ridvan 1994, National or Regional Spiritual Assemblies were
elected for the first time in Cambodia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Mongolia, Slovenia and

TEE BAHA’i WORLD

Croatia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. They joined existing National and
Regional Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world, bringing the total
number of these vital pillars of the Baha’i administrative order to 172.

Thefirst National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahci of Tajikistan.

The National Spiritual Assembly is one element of a distinctive Baha’i
system of global governance. The administrative order is viewed both as
a system for conducting the affairs of the Baha’i Faith itself and as a
promising model for other institutions of administration and governance.
Its underlying principles strike a unique balance between individual
freedom and the collective good, combining the best elements of
grassroots democracy with a facility for worldwide coordination. The
system, ordained by Baha’u’llah and further elaborated by His appointed
successors, is organized around a set of freely elected governing
councils which operate at the local, national, and international levels
and are founded on a common set of electoral and decision-making
principles. This structure allows individual Baha’ is to have immediate
access to a local decisionmaking body which hears all ideas and can
respond to local needs while at the same time providing for a broader
level of coordination and authority regarding issues which affect the
nation or the planet.

The initial steps towards the establishment of Local Spiritual
Assemblies were taken under the direction of ‘Abdu’l-Baha during the
closing years of the last century. However, it was not

NIA/ NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES

until after the provisions of His will and testament became known in
1921 that Local and National Spiritual Assemblies were finally and
systematically established. In this document, 'Abdu’l-Baha stipulated
that the Universal House of Justice would be elected by “secondary
Houses of Justice” representing all the countries of the world. The
first three precursors of these bodies, designated with the appellation
“National Spiritual Assembly” by Shoghi Effendi, were formed in 1923 in
the Brit— ish Isles, Germany and Austria, and India and Burma.

During Shoghi Effendi’s 36—year ministry, twelve National Spiritual
Assemblies were born, and his rich correspondence with these developing
institutions elucidated their purpose and set forth standards for their
functioning. Like all Baha’i administrative organs, National Assemblies
act as channels through which the spirit of the Faith can flow and the
principles and goals enunciated by Bahé’u’llah can find practical
expression. As such, they serve as a medium for action, their purpose
being to stimulate, unify, and coordinate efforts to regenerate
individual and community life The institutions serve as catalysts which
help release the dynamic forces latent within the community.

Just as the men and Women serving on Local Spiritual Assemblies oversee
Baha’i community affairs within a municipal locality, National Spiritual
Assemblies are charged with guiding and coordinating Baha’i activities
within a given country and Regional Spiritual Assemblies within a given
region of the world. Their tasks range from coordinating activities for
the systematic expansion of the Baha’i community itself to fostering the
initiation and administration of large-scale social and economic
development projects; from overseeing relations with their respective
national governments to facilitating collaboration with other
like-minded groups and non—governmental organizations.

Those electingvmenibers of the' National Asseiilbly1 are exhorted to
vote for individuals who exhibit a high sense of justice,

l. The nine members of a National Spiritual Assembly are elected by
delegates to a national convention who may vote for any adult residing
in the country. These delegates are chosen each year in regional
elections held throughout the country.

T 115 BAHA'i WORLD

genuine humility, courage, devotion to Baha’u’llah’s teachings, loyalty
to His Covenant, and a well-trained mind. Once elected, members are
called upon to set an example of what can be achieved through absolute
harmony, mature deliberation, and whole-hearted cooperation. Their
actions are guided by their duty to cultivate understanding, facilitate
the exchange of views, and deepen the confidence of the people they serve.

While the institution of the National Assembly is invested with the
authority to make decisions, individual members do not exercise personal
authority but may be designated to carry out certain executive
functions. And although authority to coordinate the affairs of the
community lies with elected institutions, and Baha’is understand that
obedience to these institutions is neces— sary for any coordinated
efforts to succeed, it is also understood that the power to advance the
Cause ultimately lies with the generality of Bahzi’is. Thus individuals
and institutions recognize their mutual interdependence, and join forces
to avoid the perils of both overcentralization and anarchy.

In 1963, when 56 Regional and National Spiritual Assemblies had been
established across the globe, collectively constituting a wide
representation of humanity, the first election was held for the
international governing council, the Universal House of J ustice. This
body then assumed its responsibility for deciding when conditions in a
country or region warrant formation of a new National Assembly. The
existence of such conditions—wwhich include the freedom of religious
communities to function in a given country and sufficient development of
local communities—made it possible in 1994 to form the seven new bodies
described below.

The New National Spiritual Assemblies in Central Asia

Bahzi’is first settled in Central Asia during lifetime, when the region
was known as Turkistan. A flourishing community developed, and the first
Magriqu’l-Agihkér (House of Worship) of the world was raised in
Ashkhabad in the

early part of the century. In 1925, the National Spiritual Assem

bly of Turkistan, with its seat in Ashkhabad, came into being. The
Baha’t’is of Central Asia obeyed the Soviet government’s

subsequent ban on Baha’l’l' institutions and religious practice and

NEE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIEfi

Thefirst National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha of Kazakhstan.

the National Spiritual Assembly was itself dissolved in 1939, but in the
region retained their faith as a matter of private belief and
conscience. When the: policy of glasnost emerged in the 1980s, and then
the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the sur— viving Bahét’is began to
share their Faith more openly with the help of fellow Baha’is from other
countries who were then allowed to travel to the region. By April 1992,
there were ap— proximately 500 Baha’is and eight Local Spiritual
Assemblies in Central Asia, and the Regional Spiritual Assembly of
Central Asia, with its seat in Ashkhabad, had been re-formed.

During the next two years, d0|zens of Local Assemblies were elected,
summer and autumn sclhools established, media inter— views given, and
conferences held. By Riglvan 1994, the Faith had grown enough to warrant
electing separate National Spiritual Assemblies for each of the
republics of Central Asia. Thus new Assemblies were formed in
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The development
removed the need for a Regional Spiritual Assembly and entitled
Turkmenistan to its own National Spiritual Assembly.

The first National Spiritual .Assernbly of Kazakhstan was elected 30
April 1994. The 120 Bahél’l's gathered were joined by Lauretta King,
Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, who represented
the Uniiversal House of Justice for the occasion. Mrs. King also
represented the House of Justice at the first National Convention of
Ithe Bahé’is of Kyrgyzstan, held 23—24 April in Bishkek. The 1150
adults, youth, and children

gathered for the historic event expressed their “deepest gratitude and
devotion to the Blessed Beauty,

“Praise and glory, gratitude and thanks, be upon the Threshold of the
All-Merciful that in this period of history His gracious favors have
been bestowed upon us,” wrote the participants in the first National
Convention of Tajikistan, held in Dushanbe 29 April to 1 May. In the
presence of a Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre,
Shapoor Monadjem, who represented the House of Justice, the delegates
consulted, prayed, and elected their first National Spiritual Assembly.

In a message from the first National Convention of Uzbekistan,

held 22—24 April in Tashkent, the 100 participants expressed their
“emotion, excitement, and anticipation” to the Universal House of
Justice. Referring to a special message sent by the House of Justice to
the Convention, participants said “its content uplifted our spirits and
drew our attention to our vital responsibilities in ‘serving the people
of Uzbekistan through spreading this lifegiving message at once
challenging and glorious’."

The National Spiritual Assembly of Cambodia

In 1993, after decades of political instability and turbulence in the
southeast Asian nation now known as Cambodia, elections were held and a
multi-party liberal democracy under a constitutional monarchy was
established. The constitution promulgated in September 1993 guarantees
the right to freedom of religious belief and practice. The following
month the Baha’i Faith was

30

Ngggg NATIONAL SPIRITUAL As LI 5

officially registered with the Ministry of Religion, 21 major step
toward establishment of the first national Bahét’i institution in that
country.

Although Bahé’is first traveled to Cambodia more than 30

years ago to share Baha’u’llah’s tea activities to abide by government
(1 while living in refugee camps in Th Faith principles they felt would
he When they returned, they were able to I‘rom Germany, the Philippines,
Tha (among other places) and with the of Thailand to elect Local
Spiritual From 22 to 24 April 1994, more

tive of sixteen different nationaliti

Penh to celebrate the election of th

chings, they limited their ectives. Many Cambodians, ailand, found in
the Bahzi’i p their nation rebuild itself. work with visiting Bahei’is

iland, and the United States

National Spiritual Assembly Assemblies.

than 200 Bahé’is, representaes, came together in Phnom 6 first National
Spiritual

Assembly of Cambodia. The Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’lBaha Ruhiyyih
Khanum represented the Universal House of Justice for the historic
occasion. Participants paid tribute to the Continental Board of
Counsellors in Asia, the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha’is of
Thailand and Malaysia, and the Consultative Committee of the Baha’is of
Cambodia for guiding the community to this point.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Mongolia

The Baha’i Faith was introduced to Mongolia in 1988 by a young graduate
student from Australia who was conducting research on

TILE BAHA'T' WORLD

Mongolian folk music. Sean Hinton spent several prolonged periods in the
country, often in remote areas, and the people he met came to know about
his beliefs. In 1989, the first Mongolian enrolled in the Faith.

During the following five years, Baha’is from Canada, Germany, Malaysia,
Switzerland, and the United States visited Mongolia, and Baha’is from
Australia, Germany, and the United States made Mongolia their home. The
Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanurn visited Mongolia
for one week in May 1989, giving a series of lectures about her travels
and about World peace to university students. The Baha’i music group El
Viento Canta shared its Latin American rhythms with television and radio
audiences as well as concert-goers.

In September 1990, the Baha’i International Community was invited to
send a delegation to the Eighth General Conference of the Asian Buddhist
Conference for Peace held in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. The delegation
delivered a statement called “The Common Goal of Universal Peace in
Buddhism and the Baha’i Faith.” A representative of the Council of
Religious Affairs of the Government of Mongolia met with a
representative of the Baha’i International Community.

The formation of the first Mongolian Local Spiritual Assembly, in
Ulaanbaatar, was reported in April 1992. In 1993 the first Auxiliary
Board members were appointed, and a Baha’i student of Mongolian culture
received permission to write about the Baha’i Faith in the newspaper the
Ulaanbaarar. During the summer of 1993, Native American dancer Kevin
Locke and his

The first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahd"fs

of Mongolia.

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES

daughter Kirnimila shared Lakota Sioux arts and traditions with
Mongolians during a tour arranged by the Ministry of Culture. Their
performances, which included explanations of Baha’i principles, aroused
great interest in the teachings of Bahzi’u’llzih. The first Baha’i
summer school was held in August 1993 with partici— pants from five
local Baha’i communities.

Amatu’l—Bahé Ruhfyyih Khénum returned to Ulaanbaatar 29 April through 1
May 1994 to represent the Universal House of Justice at the country’s
first National Bahét’i Convention. She was met at the airport by
representatives of the national television station and later spoke for
nearly two hours at a press conference Baha’is from fifteen countries
travelled to Mongolia to witness the election of the first National
Spiritual Assembly,

and congratulatory messages were sent from all over the world.

The Regional Spiritual Assembly of Slovenia and Croatia

“With tears, emotion, dedication, and love, the Regional Convention of
the Baha’fs of Slovenia and Croatia was inaugurated on the 30th of April
in Ljubljana,” joyful participants wrote to the Universal House of
Justice. The Baha’is from Slovenia, Croatia, and fourteen other
countries were honored with the presence of Hand of the Cause of God Dr.
‘Ali-Muhammad Varqa. In honor of the event, the Director of the Office
of the Religious Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia
stated in a letter dated 26 April, “Our hope is that your aspirations
for world

T1115 BAHA'I WORLD

peace, the abolition of racial, religious, class and national
prejudices, the establishment of the equality of men and women, and the
development of high standards of character will be realized. All the
people of goodwill who suffer injustice in the world share these dreams
with the Bahé’is; therefore, a collective effort is needed to achieve
your desires.”

The Convention celebrated the rebirth of the Baha’i community of the
region. The first seeds of the Faith were sown there in 1928 through the
travels of Martha Root, a renowned Baha’i teacher. At least one Baha’i'
family lived in Yugoslavia and steadfastly kept its faith from the 19505
to the 19805, enduring 30 years of isolation from the worldwide Baha’i
community. By I986, there were fourteen Bahzi’is in the country. During
the years that followed, as foreign visitors, particularly from Austria,
were allowed to visit more freely and the Baha’is were able to share
their Faith more openly, the Baha’i community in Yugoslavia began to
grow steadily.

In 1988, Baha’i's from different parts of the world participated in
conferences in Yugoslavia. These included the International Colloquium
on Communication and Culture, in Bled, where the paper “Participatory
Radio for Rural Development: The Baha’i Experiments,” was presented; the
International Feminist Literature Conference at the Inter-University
Centre in Dubrovnik, where several papers were presented; and the World
Esperantist Youth Organization in Zagreb. The visits of Baha’i music
groups El Viento Canta (January 1990) and the Dawnbreakers (November
1991) also contributed to awareness and growth of the Faith.

Although some Baha’i literature in the languages of the country was
printed as early as 1936 (The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah in Serbian),
literature for the most part began being printed in large quantities in
1990. Prayer books in Croatian and Slovene, a statement on Baha’u’llah
in Serbo-Croatian, and The Bahd'l' Faith in Questions and Answers in
Croatian and Slovene were all made available. A book fair in Belgrade
was organized by the Baha’i’s in 1989, and the Baha’i Book Distribution
Service of Austria participated in the 35th International Book Fair in
Belgrade in 1990. In April 1991, Baha’fs took part in another book fair
in Zagreb.

The first National Teaching Conference of Yugoslavia was

NE}? NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES

held in Belgrade in January 1991, preceded by a public event with radio,
television, and press coverage. With the political breakup of Yugoslavia
in 1991 and the declarations of independence by both Croatia and
Slovenia in June of that year, two Baha’i Regional Teaching Committees
were formed to cover the area of the former Yugoslavia: the Regional
Teaching Commit— tee of the Baha’is of Bosnia~Herzegovina, Macedonia,
Montenegro, and Serbia, and the Regional Teaching Committee of the is of
Croatia and Slovenia.

On 23 May 1991, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Ljubljana, Slovenia, was
established. In November that year, the Ljubljana Assembly helped
organized a peace conference at the University of Maribor. On 10 April
1992, the Baha’i Faith was officially

The first Regional

Spiritual Assembly of . the Bahd' of

Slovenia and Croatia.

recognized in Slovenia. In 1993, the Government of Slovenia invited the
Bahr't’i's to submit suggestions concerning the role and task of the new
Office for Religious Affairs. By this time, books had been placed in
university libraries and were available for sale at public bookshops.

Baha’is were able to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Croatia several times and to present him in 1991 with The Promise of
World Peace. Baha’i literature was also presented to the President of
Slovenia by the Local Assembly of Ljubljana. The first teaching
conference was held in the town of Kranj in January 1992. On 7 March
1992, the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Zagreb, Croatia, was
elected, and in the summer of 1993, the second Baha’i summer school was
held, Other activities

Trig BAHA’I WORLD

taking place in Croatia and Slovenia during the eighteen months leading
up to the election of the Regional Spiritual Assembly included regular
public meetings, celebrations of holy days, several exhibitions on the
Faith, and participation in a seminar at the University of Maribor
called “Seeking Unity of the Religions.”

In a special message to the Baha’is of Slovenia and Croatia on the
occasion of their first National Convention, the Universal House of
Justice wrote, “The intermixture of populations [in the Balkans]
requires that ways be found to create harmonious relations between
majorities and minorities. This is an area where the Baha’is have
special opportunities to demonstrate to the world at large the ability
of the Message of Baha’u’llah to create affection and collaboration
between people of diverse backgrounds, to eliminate deeply ingrained
prejudices, and to construct the foundation for a peaceful and
prosperous society.”

The Future In just over 70 years, a worldwide network of National Spiritual

Assemblies has been established. In recent years, the Baha’l's have been
able to raise up these pillars of unity in precisely the areas of the
world where political turbulence and ethnic clashes have destroyed
existing systems of governance. Members of historically antagonistic
ethnic groups have worked side by side to form new institutions
dedicated to fostering unity. In some cases, as described above, Baha’i
administrative institutions have reemerged after decades of being
banned, providing evidence of the perennial endurance of the Faith’s
divine mandate. As Baha’i communities continue to grow and political
boundaries continue to shift, more National and Regional Spiritual
Assemblies will be formed, their existence testifying to the truth that
humanity is capable of rising to the challenges it now faces; and
existing Assemblies will continue to mature to better meet the needs of
both the Baha’i communities and the national communities they serve.

36

T his article describes Bahti ’1' involvement in the United Nations
World Summit

for Social Development held

6-172 March 1995 in Copenhagen.

FOR goclAL DEVELOPMENT

n a gray day in early March 1995, a gavel, that traditional Western
symbol of power and order, made a journey that was charged with meaning.
It began in the hands of United Nations Ambassador Juan Somavia of Chile
as he stood at the podium in the Bella Center in Copenhagen. Ambassador
Somavia passed the gavel to a government official standing nearby, who
passed it to another, and then another. From there it was given to a
representative of a non-governmental organization (NGO), who handed it
to the person beside her, and so on down a very long line that snaked
all the way through the Center. Eventually the gavel came into the hands
of a representative of a women’s NGO who, in turn, took it and boarded a
bus that carried her to Holmen Island, a recently decommissioned naval
base in Copenhagen. There another long line of people passed it hand to
hand over a distance of a half kilometer. Finally the gavel reached the
speaker at that venue’s podium, Jan Birket-Smith, who received it in the
name of civil society.

The passing of the gavel, an event conceived and largely accomplished
through the efforts of Bahé’is attending the United

Nations World Summit for Social Development and parallel NGO Forum ’95,
symbolized the focus and the interconnected— ness of the two gatherings.
As he handed over the gavel, which had been used by UN Secretary General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali several days before to officially open the Summit,
Chairman Ambassador Somavia noted that because the central theme of the
gathering was about passing power to the people, it Was fitting that the
NGO Forum’s Secretary General, Mr. Birket-Smith, should be its final
recipient.

Held 6—12 March 1995, the World Summit for Social Devel~ opment was the
third UN Summit this decade convened at the level of head of
state/government, following upon the 1990 Children’s Summit and the 1992
Earth Summit. Pressing global problems of poverty, unemployment, and
social disintegration were what drew together the 116 heads of state and
government who came to the Social Summit to deliberate with other
delegates and draft documents formalizing their intentions to address
these critical issues. The NGO Forum, which ran 3—12 March, featured
more than 1,400 workshops, meetings, and symposia. While UN Summits and
NGO Forums are separate events with their own agendas—the Summits
provide a venue for government leaders and accredited representatives to
hold high-level discussions, and the Forums accommodate a much larger
number and variety of organizations and activities—the interconnections
between the two were strongly evident in Copenhagen, as epitomized by
the symbolic passing of the gavel.

The urgency of the topics was reflected in the large number of
participants in the Social Summit. Between 15,000 and 16,000 attended,
including the highest number of heads of state and government ever to
attend a United Nations conference, as well as some 4,700 government
officials representing all 185 member states and several observer
states, and 2,315 NGO representatives from 811 NGOs—again, the highest
number ever at a UN conference. More than 3,000 press representatives
were also accredited. At the NGO Forum, there were approximately 4,500
representatives of NGOs from 2,780 organizations, thousands of
government and UN officials, over 4,000 press representatives and more
than 120,000 day visitors.

The Bahd ’1' International Community booth . . at the NGO Forum waltz:
0f the World

e21; 1 Summitfor Social Development featured a display on the concept of
world citizenship.

The conditions propelling the unfoldnient of the Social Summit are
compelling proof that swift, effective, and coordinated action is
needed: around the world, more than a billion people live in poverty;
approximately 30 percent of the global workforce is either jobless or
underemployed; and social disintegration— lhe general weakening of the
social fabric through factors such as racism, ethnic or religious
intolerance, and/or rising violence— has become a global problem.
Members of the Baha’i community have long believed what UN Secretary
General Boutros-Ghali noted in his address to the Summit: that these
social problems can no longer be confined Within national borders and
now require global solutions.

Governments represented at the Summit took a step towards finding those
solutions by finalizing and endorsing a Declaration and Program of
Action calling for a worldwide people-centered approach to social and
economic development. A number of “commitments” endorsed by all
signatories included the following goals: “to create an economic,
political, social, cultural, and legal environment that will enable
people to achieve social development”; to eradicate poverty in the
world; to make “full employment. .21 basic priority of our economic and
social policies”; to promote social integration; to promote full respect
for human dignity and to achieve equality and equity between women and
men; to provide universal and equitable access to quality education; to
accelerate the economic, social, and human resource development of
Africa and the least developed countries; to include “social development
goals” in structural adjustment

programs; and to “increase significantly and/0r utilize more
efficiently” the resources for social development.

Because the ideals underlying these goals are enshrined in the teachings
of their Faith, Baha’is actively participated in the preparatory process
from the time the Summit was first called in 1992. At the national
level, Baha’is in many countries contributed to the consultations about
the Summit, while others participated in the regional UN preparatory
meetings conducted around the world, with the result that their
contributions influenced concepts and textual revisions to the draft
Declaration and Program of Action.

As one of the most widespread and diverse organizations on the planet,
the Baha’i community welcomes collaboration with like-minded
individuals, organizations, governmental and UN agencies who share their
vision that the principle of world citizenship, based on the concept of
unity in diversity, provides a practical foundation for social
development. Furthermore, members of the Baha’i community have
experience in their collective and individual lives in applying
spiritual principles that address these issues and so constitute a
valuable resource for collaborative action.

Baha’is believe that a development strategy for the promotion of global
prosperity must be based on principles of unity and justice, that it
must encompass spiritual and material well-being, and that its success
can be measured only by the extent to which the benefits of social and
economic development are shared by all the peoples of the world. Thus,
the ideas resonating throughout the Social Summit were familiar to them.
They welcomed discussion on concepts such as the following: that
development must meet both the spiritual and material needs of
individuals, families, and communities; that the old economic models,
which are ineffective for an increasingly interdependent world, must be
replaced by new ones, components of which were offered at the Summit;
that there is a growing acceptance that women must participate in all
aspects and at all levels of society if develop ment is to be
successful; that it is necessary to involve NGOs and members of civil
society in all aspects of development policies, from their conception
and implementation to their evaluation;

SOCIAL SUMMIT

that it is a moral imperative to eliminate poverty in the world; that
there is a mounting recognition of our social and spiritual
interdependence, and calls are being raised from many quarters for the
promotion of the concept of world/ global citizenship; that education
must help to develop values in students; that work is central to human
physical, psychological, and spiritual wellhcing; and that social
integration-the ability of diverse peoples to live together in
harmony—is at the very heart of development. The ultimate aim of the
Summit was to pursue a coordinated policy to achieve social welfare on a
global scale. As the Summit unfolded, it became apparent that the issue
of fostering social integration is essential to addressing the other two
issues of the conference, poverty and unemployment, and so it became a
major focus of the deliberations.

The contributions of the Baha’i International Community at both the
Summit and the NGO Forum were evident in many different ways, from the
initial moments of both gatherings. At the Forum opening on 3 March, the
world-renowned Norwegian performer of contemporary classical music
Anne-Lise Berntsen performed two compositions by Lasse Thoresen, a
Norwegian Baha’i composer, using words from prayers of Baha’u’llah and
‘Abdu’l-Baha. Several days later, at the opening plenary of the Summit,
a Baha’i International Community representative, Jaime Duhart, was one
of three NGO representatives to make a presentation. Mr. Duhart began
the seven-minute address by stating, “The task of creating a global
development strategy that Will promote the spiritual and material
Well-being of all the planet’s inhabitants constitutes a challenge to
reshape fundamentally the institutions of society.” He then went on to
outline eleven major concepts critical to the crafting and
implementation of such a strategy, including the oneness of mankind, the
equality of women and men, practice of the process of consultation, the
necessity for a new work ethic and new economic models, and the creation
of universal laws and institutions. Referring the assembled delegates to
the Baha’i International Community’s statement The Prosperity of
Humankind, he closed by quoting from Baha’u’llah: anxiously concerned
with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on
its exigencies

T 115 BAHA'i WORLD

and requirements.’ ‘Be united in counsel, be one in thought?”1

The Baha’i Community also composed and sent a cable to the heads of
state and government assembled at the Summit. Commending them for their
efforts “to reach consensus on promoting the spiritual and material
well-being of the entire human family,” the cable also offered concrete
support for the Summit’s goals, stating that “the Baha’i International
Community and its 172 national affiliates, representing a cross section
of humanity from virtually every nation, culture, ethnic group, class
and profession...pledge to work wholeheartedly for the establishment of
a just and prosperous World civilization.”

Twenty-four National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha’i
International Community were officially accredited to the Summit:
Albania; Austria; Brazil; the Canary Islands; Chile; the Czech and the
Slovak Republics; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Ireland;
Italy; the Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; Romania; Slovenia and Croatia;
Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova; the United
Kingdom; and the United States. These representatives actively
distributed copies of the Baha’i International Community statement The
Prosperity of Humankind, which addresses the issues central to the
Social Summit, to the Summit Chairperson and to heads of state and
government including the Prime Minister of Spain and the President of
Venezuela. Representatives from three Baha’irelated organizations,
Universidad Nilr in Bolivia, Women for International Peace and
Arbitration based in the United States, and Association baha’ie dc
Femmes in France, also officially attended, and a number of individuals
formed part of different national delegations or came with other NGO
delegations.

In all, some 250 Bahé’is from more than 40 countries took part in the
Forum, constituting the largest and one of the most highly visible
delegations—particularly those members who wore the Bahét’i
International Community’s vibrant blue and white sweatshirts emblazoned
with “Bahé’i—Copenhagen ’95” and “World Citizenship.”

World citizenship became a major sub-theme at the Forum,

1. The full text of this statement appears on pp. 273~296.

SUMMIT

where discussions focused on the quest for alternative models of social
and economic development tailored to various ecosystems of the planet
but also accommodating global coordination and incorporating elements
such as democratization and popular parlicipation, appropriate
technology, women, indigenous peoples, and education. Accredited Baha’i
delegates interacted with their national delegations to advocate for
inclusion of the concept of

Bahci '1' youth infronr ofthe European Bahd ’1' Youth Council booth at
the NGO Forum ’95 in Copenhagen.

“world citizenship” in the Summit’s final Declaration, and a Baha’i
International Community statement on world citizenship that was widely
circulated at the Summit and the Forum, in some ten languages, was
extremely well received.

The various Baha’i activities in Copenhagen were coordinated among the
Baha’i International Community’s Office of the Environment, its Office
of Public Information, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of
Denmark, and the task force it established for the Summit and Forum.
Planning Baha’i participation involved many volunteers and the close
collaboration of numerous institutions, agencies, and individuals,
including adults, youth, and children from all over the world. Since all
the Baha’isponsored activities featured prominently in the program
booklet, they were, Without exception, Well attended.

The National Spiritual Assemblies of Denmark, Norway, and

Sweden held workshops and symposia, as did the Bahél’i International
Community, the community of Venezuela, the

European Baha'l’i Business Forum, and the European

TH_E BAHA'T WORLD

Youth Council. In all, approximately 20 workshops and symposia were
sponsored by Baha’i institutions and agencies, averaging 35 members of
the public at each session. Baha’is were also invited to be speakers and
panelists at ten workshops and symposia sponsored by other NGOs,
including the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the Association
Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences économiques et commerciales
(AIESEC). In all, they participated in approximately 40 percent of the
workshops and symposia conducted during the Forum. A Baha’i
International Community representative was also active in the World
Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP) activities occurring in
Copenhagen, including a multireligious service, a symposium, and the
drafting of a declaration produced at the Forum by the WCRP. Off-site,
an open house held each evening at the Baha’i Center in Copenhagen was
attended by between 80 and 150 people.

Two professional exhibitions, one on social development projects around
the world sponsored by the European Youth Council and the other on
global prosperity and world citizenship sponsored by the International
Community, were visited by tens of thousands of people during the ten days.

A four-day “Children’s Forum ’95,” sponsored by the Baha’i community of
Denmark, featured cultural performances by and for children, an
exhibition of children’s art, and a panel discussion by young people on
issues of the Summit. Children attending the Forum also issued an
appeal, entitled “Visions of the Young,” to the world leaders at the Summit.

Over a six-month period leading up to the Summit, Baha’i youth took a
leadership role in the development of international youth activities
associated with the Summit and the NGO Forum. Baha’i participants
collaborated with sixteen youth organizations to plan a three-day
conference, International Youth Consultation on Social Development,
where participants conceptualized and drafted the Copenhagen Youth
Declaration, which Was presented at 21 Summit Plenary Session. A Bahél’i
was responsible for the Youth Caucus Room, and youth conducted an
interfaith project on conflict resolution for the International Youth
Forum, UFO ’95. The spirit of unity and love projected by the

ocm-L SUMMIT

youth at the events in Copenhagen and the unifying effect of their
vision resulted in a further invitation from the Director (ioneral of
Habitat II, the upcoming United Nations Conference on Human Settlements,
for Baha’i youth to become involved in the preparatory process of the
event. 2

At the 1992 Earth Summit, the Baha’i International Community was widely
hailed for its contributions to the cultural events that occurred at the
NGO Forum. The programs in Copenhagen proved to be equally as popular A
ballet entitled “The Refuge and the Cave” was attended by around 1,000
people, and u stand-up comedy and world music show was so popular many
were turned away at the door for lack of space. Other well~ utlcnded
events included a youth-oriented pantomime, called "Flowers of One
Garden," by a Baha’i youth theater group, and a vocalist’s performance
of West African music.

All of this activity generated considerable media coverage, including
television, radio, and newspaper interviews with Baha’is. Members of the
press, government officials, and attendees also received some 40,000
copies of Baha’i materials, in ten languages, including the statements
The Prosperity ofHumankind and World Citizenship.

From a Bahél’i standpoint, one bf the most important elements in the
World Summit for Social Development and the NGO

orum ’95 was the recognition

and inclusion of spiritual and moral values as basic elements of social
and economic development. As Ambassador Somavia said at the opening of
the NGO

Members ofthe Norwegian Bahd

Youth Workshop perform a dance/

pantomime or the NGO F 0mm in Copenhagen.

2. For additional information about involvement of Bahz'l’i youth in the
World Summit for Social Development, see pp. 178*1794

XIII

Forum, “All of us have a spiritual ability to change the world, and that
is Why We are here.” This is something that Baha’is have long believed.

The Baha’i International Community’s participation in the events in
Copenhagen underscores its desire to work with others to promote social
changes that will bring peace and justice to all people on our troubled
planet. And even if the Summit’s Declaration and Program of Action did
not fulfill everyone’s expectations, the Summit process must be seen as
a forward step. The world will view poverty differently from now on, and
the recognition that the poor must be empowered, not just assisted,
which is now mainstream thinking as a result of the Summit, is a
revolutionary change in perspective for many of the world’s leaders. No
doubt, if we continue to collaborate and work towards the lofty goals
set forth in the Copenhagen Declaration and Program of Action, We will
contribute to the progress of that “ever-advancing civilization” about
which the Baha’i sacred Writings speak.

UNITY, EQUALITY, SPIRITUALITY;

Baha’i Contributions to the International Year ot the Family

“A 11 the virtues must be taught the family,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahé

stated during one of His many talks delivered in the United States in
1912. “The integrity of the family bond must be constantly considered,
and the rights of the individual members must not be transgressed....
Just as the son has certain obligations to his father, the father,
likewise, has certain obligations to his son. The mother, the sister and
other members of the household have their certain prerogatives. All
these rights and prerogatives must be conserved, yet the unity of the
family must be sustained. The injury of one shall be considered the
injury of all; the comfort of each, the comfort of all; the honor of
one, the honor of all.”1

These fundamental truths about the nature and importance of the family
formed the basis of the Baha’i community’s efforts to

l. ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks delivered by
‘Abdu'l-Baha' during His visit to the United States and Canada in 1912.
Compiled by Howard MacNutt. (Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 168.

commemorate the United Nations International Year of the Family (IYF) in
1994. At a time when the institution of the family is being severely
challenged by the upheavals 0f the modern age and, in some quarters, by
opposition to its very existence, Baha’is asserted the critical
importance of the family to civilization while urging its remolding
according to principles appropriate to humanity’s age of maturity. As
‘Abdu’l-Baha stated more than 80 years ago, family unity does not mean
conformity or oppression of individuals. At the same time, the family is
an organic entity which each member must nurture if the whole is to
prosper. As the most basic unit of society, the crucible in which human
beings develop their fundamental attitudes, the family has the potential
to bring forth the best in each of its members if the power of its unity
is truly harnessed. Conversely, the devastating results of disunity
within families are painfully obvious.

In addition to understanding the concept of unity and its profound
transformative effects, families must grasp and practice a number of
other principles to achieve their potential. Only when families use the
tool of consultation, embrace the reality of the equality between men
and women, and come to view marriage as a fundamentally spiritual
institution will they attain the tranquillity and prosperity that might
be theirs. Conviction of the need for humanity to practice these
principles motivated Baha’is to organize a variety of events in honor of
IYF to educate, inspire, and assist both their fellow believers and the
general public.

A World Non-Governmental Organization Forum held in Malta in December
1993 launched 1994 as the United Nations International Year of the
Family with the theme, “Family: resources and responsibilities in a
changing world.” The Baha’i International Community sent representatives
on behalf of its Office for the Advancement of Women and Office of
Public Information who contributed to the event by presenting a Workshop
entitled “Breaking the Equality Barrier: Emerging Roles of Men and Women
in Families”; constructing a display featuring the Baha’i approach to
family unity; distributinga new

2. “The Family in a World Community” is reprinted in The Bahzi ’1' World
1993-94, pp. 305—309.

hosting a reception for various participants in the forum. It was the
beginning of extensive Baha’i involvement in a wide range of activities
undertaken by local and national communities around the world to observe
this important year

Unity

As stated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the concept of unity—With its implications of
harmony, cooperation, and love—lies at the core of Baha’i teachings
about the family. One of the most extreme manifestations of disunity,
domestic violence, was addressed by Baha’is in several forums during the
year. In May 1994, the Baha’i International Community helped to bring
together 40 experts from all over the world and from a diversity of
profesfslional disciplines to begin developing an action plan that would

A Bahci ’1' leads a symposium in Heredia, Costa Rica, entitled "The
Family: Source of WellBeing, in June 1994.

help provide concrete and global methods for addressing family violence.
Entitled “Strategies for Creating a Violence—Free Family,” the two-day
symposium in New York City was jointly sponsored with the United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Fund for
Women (UNIFEM). The participants—from seventeen countries—included
representatives from more than 30 NGOs and officials, consultants, and
specialists from UNICEF and UNIFEM.

In the keynote address, Canadian psychiatrist H.B. Danesh, who is
himself a Baha’i, examined the causes of violence, describing the
“power-based family,” which relies heavily on conformity, obedience, and
inequality, and the “indulgence-based family,” Where there is no
authority and the individual learns no limits. He then offered the
alternative paradigm of the “unitybased family,” which is built on
conditions of justice for all its

TEE BAHA'T Womb

members, is marked by cooperation and unselfish love, and by its very
nature is violence-free.

The consultation at the symposium produced a number of insights about
the relationship of family violence to society as a whole, and this
served to stimulate approaches to action. Participants came to the view
that family violence cannot be considered a private matter because its
effects have a deep impact on society at large; violence in society and
family violence are interrelated; and family violence has deep roots in
gender bias. Thus efforts to create violence-free families require the
active participation of all social sectors and partnership between men
and Women.

“What clearly emerged was the importance of looking at the topic not
just in a sectorial manner,” said Hlengiwe Mkhizc, director of the
Children and Violence Project at the University of Witwatersrand in
Johannesburg, South Africa. “Usually, psychologists will just talk about
trauma, lawyers will talk about human rights, and so forth. But here the
consultations emerged from different disciplines and perspectives. And
in this there is a new way to look at the phenomenon—an integrated and
interdisciplinary way.”

Conclusions and recommendations from the symposium were Widely
distributed at national and international conferences, such as the
International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo,
regional preparatory meetings for the Fourth World Conference on Women
held in Argentina, Jordan, and Austria, and a major international
conference on family violence held in the Netherlands (see below). The
report, translated into French and Spanish, was also shared with the 172
Baha’i National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world.

Dr. Danesh continued to speak about spousal violence during a series of
public talks, workshops, and meetings With various organizations in
Singapore in October. Among his activities were meetings with high-level
government officials acting on committees responsible for family issues.
Also in October, Baha’is participated in a conference in the Netherlands
entitled “Violence in the Family” sponsored by the International Council
of Women. Among the conclusions reached was that the prevention of
family violence requires wider social change,

YEA? (3 THE FAMILY

particularly through education in the principle of gender equality.

The Spiritual Assembly of Vancouver, Canada, also addressed family
violence. In June, 50 Baha’i human services professionals gathered to
study the Baha’i Writings on human nature and the healing process and to
compare this understanding to major therapeutic models. The gathering
was intended to begin an ongoing exploration of the topic and to help
build a network of Baha’i professionals involved with the issue. In
August, Baha’is in Vanuatu addressed a seminar on “Violence and the
Family” held at the University of the South Pacific Center. They were
invited by the organizers, the Vanuatu Women’s Centre, to give the
closing speech following a successful seminar on the International Year
of the Family offered by the Baha’is in May.

Baha’u’llah teaches that human beings possess the capacity to transcend
the limitations of their own conditioning, to manifest the essential
nobility of their spiritual nature, and to contribute to family unity by
encouraging each member to develop the virtues which lie within like
undiscovered gems. These were some of the truths asserted during a
Baha’i celebration of the human family attended by 175 people on
Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada, during a weekend in August
1994. Through talks, stories, and a game about expressing emotions
Within the family, the participants elevated their vision of family unity.

One of the speakers at the Saltspring Island gathering encouraged
parents to recognize each other and their children as sacred, spiritual
beings. She introduced conference participants to the “Sad, Mad, Glad,
Scaredn game, in which each family sits in a circle and gives each
member a chance to talk uninterrupted. The person talking chooses a card
which says either “sad,” “mad,” “glad,” or “scared” and then recounts to
the others what experiences in the family bring out such emotions. At
the end of the exercise, family members tell each other which virtues
they have witnessed being demonstrated.

The Baha’i vision of the family was explained to more than 200 people
gathered in Paris, for the conference “Family: Fortress or Distress?”
organized by l’Association baha’ie de Femmes, l’Association medicale
baha’ie, and the Office of Public Information of the Baha’i
International Community. The event was

THE BAHA'I WORLD

Baha gathered for the International Year of the F amily Regional
Conference held in Albany, Auckland, New Zealand, in

F ebraary 1995.

held in the National Senate chambers in the Luxembourg Palace in
November and included presentations by the president of the permanent
committee of non-governmental organizations at the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the
president of the League of Family Associations of Greece, and the
president of the United Nations Information Center. Like the family
symposium in New York, the gathering in France provided an opportunity
for integration of the scientific, humanitarian, and religious domains.

In addition to exploring the importance of unity to the healthy
functioning of families, Baha’i communities created opportunities for
families to spend time together celebrating the resources they have in
each other. In Australia, the Baha’i community worked together with the
Gold Coast City Council to organize a weekend Family Expo which drew
4,000 people. The November event included entertainment, information
stalls, seminars, and international food. “Since the family is the
smallest unit in society, our belief is that if we do it right there, we
have the energy to face the challenges of the outside world,” said Sheri
Masroori, one of the organizers. A similar family exposition and picnic
was hosted by the Spiritual Assembly of Auckland, New Zealand, in
cooperation with the Auckland City Council. More than 2,000 people
participated.

Another such festival took place in Macau, Where family activities such
as story-telling, singing, and games were offered by Baha’is in a large
park on two consecutive Sundays. In the United Kingdom, the Baha’is of
North London organized a

YQLE 915 THE FAMILY

public festival which focused on the importance of unity within the
family. During the festival, awards were presented for winners of an
essay contest on “What is an ideal family and what makes it possible?”
Also in the United Kingdom, a family festival Was held for Baha’is to
study family issues and consult together in an environment which
Welcomed all ages.

The largest of the family festivals took place in Toronto, Canada, in
December 1994. More than 10,000 people gathered resources from the 50
display booths, sampled workshops and seminars from among 60 options,
and enjoyed entertainment at this multifaith festival organized to
celebrate families from a variety of religious and cultural
perspectives. The National Spiritual Assembly was one of 20 cosponsors
of the event. Two workshops on conresolution Within the family were
offered by a member of the Baha’i Family Institute Committee.

Of course, agreeing with the concept of family unity that was celebrated
and promoted through the events mentioned is not enough to create or
maintain it. A number of other concepts must be understood and
principles practiced to create a unified, nurturing family environment.
Among these are consultation, the equality of the sexes, and marriage as
a fundamentally spiritual institution.

Consultation

True consultation, in which all members of a group are allowed to
honestly state their views and all listen with an ear seeking out the
truth, is indispensable to family harmony. It fosters unity and

is a sign of it. Consultation in the fam public meeting held in Zimbabwe
in Au by 75 people. Participants included in taken part in a
Baha’i-sponsored semi

Family” earlier in the day. The impo family life and the necessary
attitudes humility which make it successful were Rights Day in Port of
Spain, Trinidad. Organized by the Bahz't’is, the good family relations
and the needs of discussed parents’ and children’s rights and

observance of United Nations Human

ily was the topic of one gust which was attended nistry officials who had

ar called “Revitalizing the rtanoe of consultation to

of patience, respect, and also addressed during an

event included talks on children, and participants responsibilities.

In the Netherlands, during a Baha’i summer school that revolved around
the theme of family, an afternoon was spent on an exercise intended to
engender a better understanding of the dynamic process of consultation.
Real families and “mock families” (assembled for the exercise) were
assigned tasks ranging from furnishing a living room to establishing a
neighborhood project. Using as guidelines the steps of consultation, the
families worked their way through the tasks. After successfully
achieving their goals, families were able to assess the qualities of
each individual that contributed to good communication.

Equality

Although parents and children obviously play different roles in family
decision making, the rights of each member to be treated with respect
must not be transgressed. In addition, it is imperative that husbands
and wives participate on an equal basis in consultation In fact, all
Baha’i teachings on the family must be viewed within the context of the
principle of equality between men and women. Many women who see the
family as a repressive institution are actually reacting to a broader
system of inequality which forces women to relinquish many aspects of
their independence and individuality in order to marry. The family can,
and should, be a place where Women and men can both freely share their
views and can both develop spiritually, intellectually, and socially.
‘Abdu’l-Baha counsels husbands and Wives to “abide with each other in
the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul.”3 They
should View each other as helprnates, as intimate friends concerned
about the welfare of each other.

Baha’is organized numerous activities to promote the principle of
equality and the advancement of women (see “Year in Review,” pp.
75—132), but at least one conference in particular focused on the
reciprocal relationship between the advancement of women and the health
of families. “Family in Transition,”

YEAR 53 11-15 FAMILY

held in Tirana, Albania, in October, brought together approximately 200
women from ten countries who listened to talks and pauticipated in
workshops. “Now I realize,” one woman commented at the end of the
gathering, “that I continually encouraged my son and told him how much I
love him, but with my daughter I only taught

her how to Work and never told her I loved her.”

Marriage as a spiritual institution

Marriage and family life within the context of the practice of equality
has the potential to be radically transformed, but only if the purpose
for marriage itself is also looked at in a new light. A union between
equals who freely choose each other will not bring happiness unless the
partners view each other as spiritual beings whose growth will be
forever enhanced by the union. Imperfect human beings will always
disappoint each other, so a love based solely on appreciation of
attractive qualities is bound to dissolve. But individuals who view
marriage as a spiritual institution into which they enter with reverence
and through whose challenges they may develop as human beings are much
more likely to experience love that endures. Marriage is intended to
unite husband and wife “both physically and spiritually, that they may
ever improve the spiritual life of each other...

The different stages of love’s development, the institution of marriage,
the dimensions of love in marriage, and unity in the family were the
themes of an institute on family life held in Cameroon in September.
Officials from the Ministry of Social and Women’s Affairs, who also
serve as directors of the Office for the Protection and Advancement of
Women and Family, attended the gathering and lauded the initiative of
the Baha’i community. Marriage was also discussed during the first
family seminar organized by the Baha’is of Bulgaria in June. A press
conference held to share results of the conference was attended by 25
journalists. Preparation for marriage and maintaining a strong marriage
were topics explored at the Pesnica (Slovenia) autumn Baha’i school in
October 1994.

4. Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu 'l-Bahci, p. 118.

TIiE BM Wm

Families and Society

Happy families not only conduce to the happiness of their members but
also have a profound impact on the wider society. “The conditions
surrounding the family surround the nation,” ‘Abdu’l-Baha said. “The
happenings in the family are the happenings in the life of a nation.”5
If families are not manifestations of harmony, love, communication, and
justice, then how can nations hope to achieve these ideals? Conversely,
“when relations within the family are conducted with due regard for
justice, it will be an important factor in bringing about peace in the
World.“6

This connection between the strength of families and the development of
society was explored in a number of settings. “Unity in the Family as a
Source of Universal Development,” a conference organized by El
Salvador’s National Baha’i Committee for Family Development, was held in
November. Among the topics discussed were education, the rights of
children, elimination of violence, equality of the sexes, and the
responsibility of family to society. A conference called “World Peace
and the Role of the Family,” held in J ammu, India, drew 130 people and
was covered by All India Radio of Jammu. A seminar in Tonga entitled
“The Importance of Family as the Nucleus of Society” Was addressed by
Her Royal Highness Princess Nanasipau’u.

“The Family, the World’s Most Valuable Resource” was the theme of
Finland’s Baha’i summer school in 1994. Presentations focused on various
resources within the family, and special aspects of the multicultural
family were discussed. A public

seminar entitled “The Family, the Cornerstone of Society” was presented
by Baha’i professionals in the fields of psychology and education, a
representative from the Consultative Commission on Romany Affairs, and
the secretary general of the Finnish Peace Education Institute.

Public conferences on the theme “The Family is a Nation in

5. ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, Foundations of World Unity (Wilmette: Publishing Trust,
1979), p. 100.

6. International Community, The Family in a World Community, 1993,
reprinted in The Bahd '1' World 1993—94, pp. 308.

Miniature” were held in the Seychelles (April 1994) and in Malaysia
(September 1994). The former was attended by the President of the
Republic, four ministers, and other prominent leaders, and was addressed
by the First Lady.

The importance of strong families will become even more critical the
closer We get to the year 2000, asserted one of the key speakers at the
second annual North American Baha’i Conference on Social and Economic
Development held in Orlando, Florida, USA, in December 1994. In
workshops on topics such

Baha youth in Macao dance during an activity organized in August 1994 to
celebrate the International Year of the Family.

as marriage, parenting, spiritualizing the household, and raising
prejudice-free children, participants in “The Baha’i Family for the Time
of the Lesser Peace” worked to prepare themselves for the increasingly
intense social upheavals destined to accompany humanity’s transition to
a fundamentally new stage in its development. In an age when the
abilities to function harmoniously in groups and to build relationships
marked by service, interdependence, and reciprocity are essential, the
family must provide the kind of environment in which such capacities are
developed.

Other parts of the world where Bahé’is explored the relationship between
families and society included Sri Lanka, where a public meeting
commemorating the focused on this theme; the Netherlands, Where the
Téhirih Institute cooperated With the Utrecht UN-City Foundation to
organize a day of the family called “The Family, Cradle of Democracy?”;
Uruguay, Where a

7. The “Lesser Peace" is a political peace to be established by the
nations of the World in order to bring about an end to war,

representative of the National Spiritual Assembly spoke on “The Family:
Microcosm of Humanity” during a regional gathering organized by Calidad
de Vida (Quality of Life); and Hungary, where the Budapest Symposium on
Families as Educators for Global Citizenship was attended by a
representative of the

Baha’i International Community Office for the Advancement of Women.

A range of activities

communities on every continent arranged gatherings to examine the
interrelated issues that bear on family life. Some brought together
Bahé’is to study and improve their own understanding of the subject in
light of Baha’i teachings, some provided opportunities for Bahé’is to
explore the issues with members of the wider community, and some were
organized to inform the public about Baha’i teachings on the family.

conferences on family life were held in Bolivia, Botswana, Colombia, the
Philippines, Spain, and Sri Lanka. “The Family: Our Hopes and
Challenges” was the theme of the national conference of the Association
for Studies— Australia held in July, and “The Family: A Bahr'l’i
Perspective” was the theme of the Association for Studies—Russia
conference in October. More than 50 diverse Bahél’i families from
seventeen communities in New Zealand came together in November for a
regional conference in honor of the IYF.

Public events such as conferences, seminars, meetings, and panel
discussions were organized by Baha’is in Cape Verde, Costa Rica, El
Salvador, India, and Trinidad and Tobago. Hand of the Cause of God
Amatu’l—Baha Ruhiyyih Khénum attended a conference in Turkey in April
1994 which drew 350 people. Portions of the conference were aired on
television, and supportive telegrams congratulating the Bahzi’i efforts
were received from the Prime Minister, the: Deputy Prime Minister, and
five other government ministers.

An International Year of the Family conference sponsored by the Baha’i
community of Ireland in January 1994 attracted 200 people representing
30 different organizations. Dr. Agnes Ghaz

navi, a of Switzerland, was the main speakar at a national

conference in Mauritius attended by 400 people. During her visit to that
country, Dr. Ghaznavi presented books on the family to the President of
the Republic and the Minister of Education, and she was interviewed for
a two-hour television program. State and local government dignitaries in
Australia were among those attending an open meeting on the theme of the
family held during Australia’s National Baha’i Convention in May.
Monthly talks at a library in France and a series of presentations at
schools in Gambia also helped keep the subject in the public eye.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Equatorial Guinea organized five-day
seminars in Bata and Malabo, both of which were covered on television.
Baha’is spoke about family as the basis of society, the importance of
education in the family, and the equality of men and women, while a
representative of UNICEF spoke about preschool education, and a
representative of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities
addressed family planning. Summaries of the talks were published in a
book produced by the National Spiritual Assembly.

A banner across Independence

Avenue in

mndhaek, Namibia, announces Baha '1' observance afthe Year

ofthe Family.

Counsellor Lally Warren addresses a gathering of dignitaries at the
Namibia National Theater 15 Jane 1994. The event was hosted by the Local
Spiritual Assembiy of mndhoek to celebrate the Year ofthe Family

Hg HAM-1 WORLD

discussion, a statement on the subject was prepared on behalf of the
National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand and distributed to community
leaders; quotations were distributed to the media in Greece on
International Day of the Family; and a public exhibition displayed in
four cities in Mauritius attracted 1,000 visitors. Hand of the Cause of
God ‘Ali-Akbar Furl'ltan, author of the book Mothers, Fathers, and
Children, received numerous letters from Russia attesting to the
usefulness of the Russian edition of his book, which addresses the
spiritual education of children.

A fifteen-minute Weekly radio program called “Consejos para la F amilia”
[Family Counsels] began broadcasting in Equatorial Guinea in July 1994.
Produced, directed, and conducted by Bahé’is, the program covers issues
such as health, interpersonal relationships, consultation, equality of
the sexes, and children’s education.

Baha’i communities around the world also cooperated with other agencies
to cosponsor International Year of the Family events and were invited to
participate in activities organized by other groups.

In September, the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Russia,
Georgia, and Armenia cosponsored an international symposium called
“Family Beyond the Year 2000” along with the Russian Ministry of Health,
the Russian Association for Humanistic Psychology, the International
Center for Positive Psychotherapy and Transcultural Family Therapy,
Moscow State University, the Russian Academy of Education, the Russian
Orthodox Church, and the International Association for Ontopsychology.
The symposium examined topics such as the elements

Members of Australia ONE. Dance

Theater prepare to perform at a Year ofthe Family event.

60

of a family-friendly society, the rights and responsibilities of family
members, and the relationship between families and larger networks.

The Baha’is of Mauritius worked with eight other religious groups to
mount a travelling exhibition on the family that was visited by several
thousand people. The exhibit was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, the
Minister for Women, and other government officials. The project was one
of several initiated by the “Committee of the Wise,” a group of 35
representatives of religious organizations—including the Association of
Women— appointed by the Ministry of Women to coordinate activities to

improve the quality of Mauritian family life.

A Baha’i exhibit called “The Family in a World Community,” which
conveyed the principle of unity in diversity in relation to family life,
was developed in the Mariana Islands to accompany a travelling exhibit
from the Smithsonian Institution. The display included a quilt entitled
“Family Reunion” made by the Guam Women’s Association from fabric
contributed from 50 countries, with all pieces chosen as representative
of various indigenous cultures. A “Universal Family Tree” sculpture was
created by the children’s class of the village of Chalan Pago.
Constructed from plaster casting, with masks depicting many different
races hanging on the tree, it portrays the diversity of the human
family. The unity of the human family was represented through a large
book containing family pictures from around the world and quotations
from ‘Abdu’l-Baha, such as this statement: “Simply enlarge the circle of
the household and you have the nation. Enlarge the circle of nations and
you have all humanity.”8

The Ministry of Community Development of Singapore invited the Baha’is
to participate in a family day exhibition with a booth, and two
quotations were selected for printing on the posters in the Ministry’s
own display. The Bahel’i community of Ornagh, in Northern Ireland,
responded to the request by the Omagh District Council that its members
create a display to be mounted in the Omagh Leisure Center in honor of
IYF. The

8. Foundations of World Unity, p. 100.

Partr'cipanrs in a class held during the Rabbani Trust social and
economic development conference on Ihefamily, held December 1994 in
Oriandc, F Zcrida,

USA.

Ministry of Social and Women’s Affairs in Cameroon also invited the
Baha’i community to display books, photographs and artwork as part of a
govemment—sponsored exhibition on the family.

Baha’is provided guest speakers and panel participants for family
conferences in the Cook Islands, New Zealand, and Zambia. They
participated in events such as the National Forum for Family Support
held in The Hague and attended by 600 people; a Workshop on “Family: the
Future of Humanity” held during the Academy for the Study of World
Religions seminar in Romania; a forum on the family and human rights
organized in Spain by the Federation of Associations of Defence and
Promotion of Human Rights; and the government launch of IYF in Zambia.
In Ethiopia, Baha’i youth sang before government officials, ambassadors,
and NGO representatives on the occasion of the Day for the International
Year of the Family.

Baha’i presentations about the issues facing families all approached the
topic with the perspective that Baha’u’llah’s Revelation has transformed
all social institutions. With His advent, humanity entered a new stage
and became both capable of, and responsible for, reevaluating existing
systems in light of the concept of oneness. The family will prosper and
produce healthy individuals to the extent that We also learn to orient
the larger system—of education, employment, recreation,
information—toward this goal. This context, which is essential for
understanding Baha’i teachings on the family, was spoken of during 1994
in such diverse locations as Namibia and Sweden.

In Namibia, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa,
Lally Warren, addressed a public meeting on the significance
ofBaha’u’llah’s Revelation and its solution to the varied problems
confronting humanity, including the importance 0 f the family. Thousands
of miles to the north, the participants at a Baha’i summer school in
Sweden studied the broader meaning of the word “family” by looking at
“the seven families of human experience: the interior family, the daily
family, the family of friendships, the national family, the
international family, the global family, and the Baha’i family.”

Looking ahead

In 1933, in a letter written on behalf of the Guardian of the Baha’i
Faith, Shoghi Effendi, by his secretary, the following was stated: “We
cannot segregate the human heart from the environment outside us and say
that once one of these is reformed everything will be improved. Man is
organic with the world. His inner life moulds the environment and is
itself also deeply affected by it. The one acts upon the other and every
abiding change in the life of man is the result of these rnutual
reactions.”9 Possibly no institution exemplifies this truth more than
the family. The more individuals understand the elements of healthy
family life, the more they will be equipped to create healthy families
that will benefit entire communities. These communities will, in turn,
support families in their efforts to embody unity, consultation,
equality, and spirituality.

Given the pivotal role played by families in society, the Bahél’i
community will certainly continue its efforts to promote family
development long past 1994. Bahé’is will continue to share vision of
unity and work with others to make this vision take shape in the world.

9. From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effcndi to an individual
dated 17 February 1933, cited in Conservation of the Earthls' Resources
(London: Publishing Trust, 1990), p

Against the backdrop of the Shrine of the Bdb and the International
Baha' '1' Archives, the service tunnel which will link the buildings on
the Arc can be

seen under construction.

OUNT CAR PROJE

Progress 19

he period between 1994

eral exciting developments

Carmel. On the one hand, a major h

Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in his capacity as the acting Minister of

the Interior, approved the revised to

modating Bahai’f plans for const

this final stamp of authority,

construction of the Seat of the

MEL CTS;

and Riglvén 1995 saw sevthe projects on Mount urdle was passed when Prime

wn planning scheme accom

motion on Mount Carmel: with

a long process spanning several years of seeking official assent forth

fully consummated. On the othe

is undertaking was successr hand, commencement of the

International Teaching Centre widened the scope of the work ceeding on
all the buildings on the raised in the immediate years ah increase in
the volume of work th mately 220 laborers and about 60 supervisors
working for vario Carmel Projects management team 1

The Seat of the International Tea

, with construction now proArc which are planned to be

ead. To handle the tremendous

is entailed, a team of approxiengineers, architects and

us contractors and the Mount

abored incessantly. ching Centre, one of the five

buildings around the Arc, is located northeast of the Seat of the
Universal House of Justice. Its foundations consist of many large and
deep footings ranging in length from 1 meter to 1.8 meters, to
accommodate heavy loads and seismic movement of the earth. Excavation of
some of these footings and their concreting was carried out between
Ridvén 1994 and Ridvén 1995. As well, concreting of the foundations of
the perimeter walls of the build— ing and drilling of bore holes for

three hydraulic elevators, going q

nineteen meters, were also unfler- Centre were Complete andits

w". v .. -. v WM m taken. The structural deslgn 0f the base walls had
begun to rise by Teaching Centre, like the Centre 32 March 1995

for the Study of the Texts, takes into account the fact that the
building is to last 500 years. The

perimeter walls, elevator and shear walls are the main structural
elements which provide lateral stability for the building.

To generate momentum for the construction of the Centre for the Study of
the Texts, the work schedule provided for engineers, backed by a
professional project management team, to chart “critical path
activities” and to constantly monitor execution. By April 1995 the
optimum target of 1,000 cubic meters of concrete pour within a single
month was achieved at this site. The structure

Hand of the Cause of God Amatu Rdllujzyih Khdnum visits the Centrefor
the Study of of the Centre for the Study of the

the Texts 17March 1995. Texts steadily began to rise, and

in some areas reached level six, out of the nine levels which constitute
the building. The contract for the marble for this building, as well as
for the International Teaching Centre, was also signed during this
period, signalling a new phase in these projects—commencement of
finishing works for the buildings on the Arc. The procurement of the
other finishing materials for the electrical and mechanical services
also commenced around the same time.

Construction of the main portion of the Centre for the Study of the
Texts and the parking building, a facility shared by and connected to
both the extension to the existing International Baha’i Archives and the
Centre for the Study of the Texts, proceeded simultaneously. Of the five
levels of the parking building, three were constructed during this
period, and excavations were made for a tunnel which will provide
vehicular access.

The extension being built to the Archives Building is to provide
accommodation for the central office of the ever-growing

The complex of structures comprising the Centre for the Study cfthe
Texts, the Archives Extension and the parking building

cover approximately 1 6,5 60 square meters of floor area, in nine storeys.

Eight marble columns in the Ionic style will bcauiijj) the circular
entrance Portico ofthe Cenrrefor the Stndyef the Texts when it is complete.

Archives at the World Centre. It will be set up with state-of-theart
conservation equipment for the preservation of the sacred Writings and
holy relics of the Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith. The Archives
Extension is a four-storey underground building juxtaposed between the
Centre for the Study of the Texts and the International Baha’i Archives.
Its roof will eventually be landscaped to blend with the gardens around
the upper Arc path. By April 1995 all the four floors were completed and
work commenced on putting its roof in place.

Rapid progress was made in pursuance of one of the goals of the Three
Year Plan to complete seven terraces below the Shrine of the Bab. In
particular, terrace nine immediately below the Shrine presented a
preview of what the terraces will look like when completed, with the
stone balustrades in place on its contour walls, along with the
ornamental planter urns and other stone stat— uary. The central stairway
which constitutes the “Kings’ Pathway” was also covered with stone from
terraces nine to five, and the water pools were constructed in concrete
and laid with stone. The shape of terraces three and four became clearly
delineated when the precast gutters and geometric curves were put in
place. In co‘njunction With A view of the Shrine of the Ba'b showing the
archufectural work’ the trees and wilaylowers planted on the the greemng
of the area terraces below. was done simultane

Balustrades from Israeli stone cut and polished in Italy comprise one of
the principal adornments for the terraces of the Shrine of the Bab.

ously, and the areas on both sides of the central stairway were laid
with sod. Trees and wildflowers were also planted on the west side of
the stairway.

Work proceeded expeditiously on the terraces above the Shrine of the
Bab, and the entire site began to take shape. The construction of the
concrete mechanical rooms was completed on terraces fifteen to eighteen,
and extensive drainage work on the inner zone of these terraces as well
as the east side was completed. Work then began on the west side where
irrigation lines and electrical duct banks were laid out. In addition,
due to the steepness of the mountain ranging from 45° to 60°, gravity
walls were constructed along with the underground retaining walls to
provide these terraces’ gravity support

An important step in the Terraces Project was the development of the
design of the bridge over Hatzionut Avenue which Will link the terrace
of the Shrine of the Bélb with terrace eleven just above. The bridge is
designed in the shape ofa trapezoid with the wide end towards terrace
eleven and the Are The edges of the bridge are located in such a way
that when one walks down the outermost path, one’s sight is focused on
the majestic

Shrine, and attention is also drawn to the historic grove of cypress
trees Where stood and pointed out to

Bahé the spot where the remains of the should be laid to rest.

The basic idea for its design is to make the bridge appear as a
continuation of the gardens, which have been raised up and extended
across the road in such a way that a person crossing it

may not notice the traffic on the road below. There will be wide lawn
areas and flower beds, and along the two edges of the bridge sheared
cypress trees will be planted in a raised planting bed. Several
ornaments will adorn this new garden design.

The building of this bridge will require the lowering of Hatzionut
Avenue by several meters. This in itself will be a major undertaking,
and coordination has begun with various municipal departments, as
several underground services, such as Water pipes, drains, telephone and
electrical cables, need to be relocated.

The preparation of designs for two spaces—a public information center
and security center, to be located under terrace eleven—were also being
pursued during this period.

Another very significant development on the Terraces Project was the
razing of several buildings on property at the foot of Mount Carmel,
“thus opening the way for the completion of the lower terraces of the
Shrine of the Bzib.”1 According to the Universal House of Justice, “The
action...taken With the full cooperation of the city authorities
harmonizes with the intention of the beloved Guardian: it clears the
site for the monumental entrance to the majestic path leading from the
southern end of Ben Gurion Avenue up to the central edifice of the
Shrine and beyond to the crest of God’s Holy Mountain.”2

Simultaneous with the Baha’i building program, the Land Authority of
Israel, the Ministry of Tourism and the Municipality of Haifa are
together carrying out a project Which conjoins the site of terrace one
at the foot of Mount Carmel. The project

involves the restoration of the German Templer houses along Ben Gurion
Avenue and a general beautification of the area——“a

1. Letter from the Universal House of Justice dated 4 April 1995 to all
National Spiritual Assemblies.

2. Ibid.

MOUNT CARMEL PROJECTS

scheme that Will ensure,” in the words of the Universal House of
Justice, “an uninterrupted vista of splendor northward from the
'l'crraces to the sea, towards Bahji.”J It may be recalled that the

On 3] March 1995, Several buildings on Bahé ’fproperty were razed 2‘0
make way for the construction of the first two terraces below the Shrine
of the Btib.

German Templers foregathered in the Holy Land in the very year of
declaration in Baghdad (1863) to await the return of Christ.

Along with the restoration of the German Templer Colony, Israeli
authorities also plan to open up the harbor front, which in reality
fulfils the vision of ‘Abdu’l-Baha who envisaged the Kings’ Pathway
beginning from the sea and leading up to the Shrine of the Bab.

Project details for the restoration Were taken up in earnest and a
steering committee was constituted by the government of Israel to
expedite its implementation. The architect and project manager of the
terraces, Fariborz Sahba, was invited to serve as a member of this
committee and as the chief advisor of the municipality of Haifa for the
restoration project. The other four members of this committee are the
city engineer of Haifa, the general manager of the Ministry of Tourism,
the general manager of the Israeli Land Authority and the general
manager of Haifa Economic Corporation.

Throughout the year, the Mount Carmel Projects received dignitaries and
officials from Israel and overseas. On 13 June 1994, the Prime Minister
of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, accompanied

3. Ibid.

by the Mayor of Haifa and several other dignitaries, viewed the models
of the terraces and was escorted to terrace nine below the Shrine of the
Bab which provides a perspective of the lower terraces right down to the
Templer Colony avenue. On 4 August 1994 Shimon Peres, Israel Foreign
Minister, with his entourage, , 1 e ' M "a", was joined by the Mayor of
Haifa in touring the construction site of the terraces. A slide
presentation and a tour of the models in the Seat of the Universal House
of Justice were also included during this visit. Later in the year, the
Minister of Tourism in Egypt and the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel came
to see the site in the company of the Minister of Tourism in Israel, the
Mayor of Haifa, and 22 other officials from Egypt, the Ministry of
Tourism, and the Haifa Municipality. An eminent economist from Jerusalem
was commissioned by the Haifa Economic Corporation to study tourism
prospects in Haifa in the immediate future and its impact on the economy
of the city; the Terraces Project was considered a major factor
providing one of the most attractive opportunities to contribute to the
prosperity of the city. He visited the Baha’i World Centre and viewed
the models of the projects.

Inasmuch as the Mount Carmel Projects have been undertaken to realize
the spiritual vision of the Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith, their
physical grandeur has caught the attention of the people at large.
Hence, the projects continued to be reported in the media during the
year. The interest that the projects have generated among the residents
of Haifa in particular was

During his visit to the Bahd ’1' World Centre on

4 August 1994, Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister of Iereel, views one of
the modeis ofthe Terraces Project.

72

A view of the finished terraces below the Shrine Beib.

highlighted by an article which appeared in one of the national
newspapers of Israel with the headline “Hundreds of investors are
interested in the projects of Haifa.” The article continued: “One of the
projects attracting them is the...Hanging Gardens project, which is
being built by the Baha’is and shall turn Haifa into a national tourist
center.”

For the Bahé’is of the world, the implications of the developments on
Mount Carmel can be summed up in the vision of Shoghi Effendi, the
Guardian of the Faith, given more than 60 years ago. “This vast and
irresistible process,” Shoghi Effendi wrote when explaining the
Significance of the raising up of buildings that will constitute the
World administrative seat of the Faith of Baha’u’llr'lh, “. . .will
synchronize with two no less significant developments—the establishment
of the Lesser Peace and the evolution of Baha’i national and local
institutions.”4

4. From a letter of Shoghi Effendi dated 27 November i954, published in
Messages to the Bahd'i World 1950—1957, 2d ed. (Wilmette: Pub

lishing Trust, 1971), p. 74.

From top to bottom: Audience members at the International Music and
Drama Festival

in Harare, Zimbabwe, enjoy the performances; children attend a summer
program

or the Green Acre Bohci ’1' School in Eliot, Maine, USA; and students
learn agriculrural skills at the New Era Development Institute in
Panchgani, India, all during 1994—95.

YEEIAER I RE V

idvén 1995 marked the end of Year Plan for expansion and wide community.
The ra undertaken to further the aim making it increasingly difficult
events. The following is not intende

sive but rather includes news which Bah

variety of cultures in

siastic supporters and t0 provi efforts being made to apply thcs

the day.

The material has been arranged dignitaries and media representa sharing
the message of Baha’u peoples, book fairs, Baha’i scholar

race unity, advancement of wome

education, other areas of involve dialogu

and agencies, interfaith

IEW

the second year of the Three consolidation of the World

nge and number of activities of the Plan expanded rapidly, to render a
eemplete record of

d therefore to be comprehen

ms chosen to reflect the Wide principles are finding enthuide highlights
of the manifold principles to the challenges of

under the following headings:

tives visit Bahél’i World Centre, prominent people, indigenous

ship, community life, n, environment, health care,

ment, development conferences and recognition.

Several areas of activity which would generally be included in “The Year
in Review” are this year covered in separate articles: the formation of
seven new National Spiritual Assemblies (pp. 25—36), Baha’i
contributions to the World Summit for Social Development (pp. 37—46),
Baha’i contributions to the International Year of the Family (pp.
47~63), activities of the Baha’i International Community (pp. 139—150;),
media coverage of the Baha’i Faith (pp. 151—166), Baha’i youth (pp. +1”.
13.1.“: 1am 1‘1

,7 1 1 H“ ""11 and the Faith and the arts (pp. 243—272).

Dignitaries and Media Representatives Visit Bahd World Centre During the
period under review, there was a sharp increase in the number of visits
to the World Centre of high-ranking government officials, other
dignitaries, and media representatlves. Such a trend reflects the
growing significance of the spiritual and administrative center of the
Faith in the eyes of the world.

On 22 and 23 July 1994, the President of the Republic of the Seychelles,
His Excellency France Albert Rene, was welcorned to the World Centre for
consultations with the Universal House of Justice. These discussions,
requested by President Rene, lasted just under two hours and dealt with
issues affecting global peace and challenges facing the Seychelles, the
Indian Ocean, and the world.

The President was accompanied by his Wife, Sarah, their young daughter,
Ella, It and Mrs. René’s parents,

His Excellency France Albert Rene', Abdul .Rahnlan and Munlra President
ofthe Republic of the Zarqam' D unng the Course Of Seychelles (right),
leaving the Shrine the two days Spent at the ofBaha'! 'lldh. World
Centre, the presidential

party visited the Shrines of both Baha’u’llah and the Bab, as well as
several other Baha’i holy places. A formal dinner, graced by “10
presence of the Hands of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Baha Khanum and
‘Ali-Akbar Fun'ltan, was offered in His I‘Ixcellency’s honor in the
banquet hall of the Seat of the House of Justice. On this occasion, as
throughout the visit, President René expressed a lively appreciation of
the relevance of the Baha’i teachings and of the contribution that the
Seychellois Baha’i community is making to his country.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, visited the Baha’i World
Centre briefly on 13 June to view models of the Terraces Project
underway on Mount Carmel (see also p. 72). He was escorted during his
visit by project manager and architect Fariborz Sahba and the Deputy
Secretary General of the International Community, Albert Lincoln. Shimon
Peres, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, made an official visit to
the World Centre on 4 August 1994. Following an audio-visual presenta—

tion on the status of the - Mount carmel_ Pro] ects’ Project manager
Fariborz Sahba shows Mr. Peres was 1ntroduced Israeli Prime Minister
Htzhalc Rabin to members of the Uni- models of the Terraces Project
during Mr.

versal House of Justice Rabin's visit to the Bahci '1' World Centre. and
invited to a luncheon in his honor in the banquet hall of the Seat. The
party was joined by the Mayor of Haifa, Amram Mitzna. Mr. Peres ended
his visit by viewing the Terrace Projects in progress and paying his
respects at the Shrine of the Bab.

The Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Jacinto Peynado, visited
the Baha’i World Centre with his Wife and a special delegation in
February 1995.

Among the other government officials who visited the World Centre during
l994~95 were Israel’s Minister of Education and Culture, Professor Amnon
Rubinstein, in May 1994; Egypt’s

Minister of Tourism, Mamdouh Lel Beltagi, in September 1994; Russia’s
Minister of the Interior, Viktor Yen'n, in October 1994; a group of
Canadian members of Parliament in November 1994; and New Zealand member
of Parliament Geoffrey Braybrooke in January 1995.

Ambassadors from Bolivia, Egypt, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the
Slovak Republic, the United States, and Venezuela were also welcomed. In
addition, special visits were conducted for a variety of prominent
people representing different sectors of society, such as the business
and arts communities. In January 1995 a delegation from the Shanghai
People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries was received.

Among the media representatives to visit were a film crew from Austrian
National Television (ORF), a film crew from the Discovery Channel based
in the United States, the head of media services for the government of
Vanuatu, a journalist for Romania’s daily state newspaper, a writer from
the magazine The World and I (produced in the United States), and the
president of the Jerusalem Post.

Sharing the Message of Bahd

For eight years, the villages of Iku I and Iku II in Nigeria vowed not
to share anything in common, including farming, trading, and drinking
from the same stream. In December 1994, the Local Spiritual Assembly of
Owom determined to bring these villages the Baha’i message of the unity
of mankind. After its representatives visited every house, including
those of the village heads, the two villages decided to become one and
formed one Local Spiritual Assembly to govern their affairs.

It is such experiences with the unifying power of the Revelation of that
inspire Bahé’is as they carry out their duty to share His teachings with
a conflict-ridden World. Having M "UM" L17 . , .. .. it" """ no clergy,
the Faith grows through the efforts of individual Bahé’is to educate the
public about the principles and divine power brought by

Although Bahé’is are forbidden to proselytize, they are enjoined to be
systematic in their presentation of the Faith to as

many receptive people as possible. Thus regular “teaching

Baha information booth in Perth, Western Australia, in January 1995.

conferences” are held to study this duty and to make plans of action.
Teaching projects bring together groups of Bahé’is, often from disparate
locations, to proclaim the Faith. In addition, all believers are
responsible for striving to demonstrate the truth of the Faith through
their behavior and for explaining the divine origin of their beliefs to
those with whom they come in contact.

Among the numerous teaching conferences held in 1994—95 were the first
national teaching conference in Cambodia and the first regional
conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The 500 Baha’is attending a national
teaching conference in Kienibeu, south Tarawa, Kiribati, in October,
were honored by the presence of the country’s President. During the
opening ceremony, President Teburoro Tito said that he and his
government support the work of the Baha’is because he believes that
Baha’i initiatives are not done only for the religion but for the
improvement of the nation as a whole.

Various creative approaches were used to share the message of
Baha’u’lléh as widely as possible' In April 1994, the National Office of
External Affairs of the Baha’is of Peru placed an article called “A
Message to Peru” in the newspaper El Comercio and in the magazine Somos,
inviting people to contact the Baha’i community for information. During
the month of June, nine African American women travelled throughout
southern Africa as part of the Zlmarian Walker Sister-to—Sister Travel
Teaching Project. In South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, and Botswana, they
spoke to students’ and women’s groups, met with local leaders,

appeared on radio and television shows, and gave presentations
concerning the Baha’i Writings relating to the United Nations Year of
the Family. Also during the summer of 1994, a group of Bahél’is sailed
their boat Wind Dancer to small communities in southeastern Alaska,
speaking about the Faith and giving away copies of prayers at each stop.

The Call of the Hands Teaching Project brought travelling Baha’i
teachers, many of Whom are professionals in the fields of education and
the environment, to Siberia, the Ukraine, and Moldova for nearly two
months during the summer of 1994. teachings were offered through public
forums on “Family, Education, and the Environment,” and meetings were
arranged

Members of the Sister-£0Sister Travel

Teaching Group taught the Bahd ’1' Faith in southern in June 1994.

with professors, government officials, school administrators, and
environmental groups. Numerous press interviews took place, many lasting
more than three hours.

Teaching continued in areas of the world associated with images of War
and political instability. In Croatia, information displays were staffed
and public talks presented in at least two regions throughout the year.
In May, Baha’is from four cities travelled to Split for the project; in
September Baha’is from as far away as Zimbabwe and the United States
arrived to help distribute open letters and make presentations to city
officials. In February 1995, the city of Rijeka was the site for public
lectures on “The Spiritualization of Society: What Can the Individual
Do?”, “A Spiritual Family in the Modern World: Is it Possible?”

Four ofthefive members czfa reaching team in Fougamou, Gabon, in 1994.

and “Global Social and Economie Development: Do We Need a New Ethic?”

Despite conditions in Tajikistan such as lack of safety and lack of food
following civil wars, the Baha’i community actively promulgated the
message of Baha’u’lléh. The first Baha’i summer school of Tajikistan was
held in August, the National Spiritual Assembly printed and distributed
5,000 copies of The Hidden Words in the Tajiki language, and 29 Baha’is
from Tajikistan pioneered or travelled to teach

In the wake of the tribal conflict in Rwanda which erupted into
massacres of disastrous proportions, the Baha’i community of Bukavu,
Zaire, responded by doubling its efforts to spread Baha’u’llah’s message
about the oneness of mankind. Groups were formed to proclaim the Baha’i
teachings to journalists, to visit and teach people in hospitals, to
organize youth activities, and to celebrate the International Day of
Women. With the approval of the headmaster of one secondary school, the
Baha’is of this community began visiting classes to discuss peace,
reaching 500 students by Ridvan 1995.

Some of the most dramatic responses to teaching efforts occurred in Asia
and Africa. When 50 Bahé’is visited Twante, Myanmar, for three days, a
total of 340 individuals in sixteen localities declared their faith in
Baha’u’llah. In March 1995, a

group of 60 Bahé’is taught the Faith for two days in the Nyaun

gon Yangon Division, and 255 people in eighteen localities enrolled in
the Baha’i community. Another teaching trip in March resulted in the
declarations of faith of 115 people.

In India, Where there are more than 2.5 million Baha’is, enrollments
continued. When the Bahé’is of Tamil Nadu, for example, proclaimed the
Baha’i teachings to ten villages in the Sivakasi area, 175 people joined
the community. In Turkey IMWULHUL -M 1 1 1 -- - 7 - hundreds attended
public meetings organized to educate people about the Baha’i Faith. A
forum on “The World of the Future” held in November at the Cultural and
Art Center in Kadikoy, Istanbul, drew 200 people, including several
reporters. “Women in the New World Order” was the theme of the second
meeting held in December in Bursa and attended by 150 people. Cables
were received from the Deputy Prime Minister and several other
government ministers with warm wishes for the forum.

Receptive souls in Gabon, Niger, Togo, and Zambia were among those in
Africa who responded enthusiastically to Baha’i teachings. In Gabon,
five teaching teams were formed as part of the Muhajir Teaching Project,
and 200 people joined the Faith. The Baha’is of Niger reached the
midpoint of the Three Year Plan with 500 more members in their community
after pursuing a systematic teaching plan. In Togo, just eight Baha’is
brought the Faith to more than 500 new believers during two Weeks of
teaching in the N’gamgam tribal area. More than 220 people enrolled in
the Baha’i community in Zambia during a six-week period in the Isobel
Sabri Teaching Campaign.

The Dr. Muhajir South Plateau Long-Term Teaching Project in Nigeria was
responsible, as of March 1995, for bringing 2,000 people into the Baha’i
community and helping to form 42 Local Spiritual Assemblies. “Lots of
people are now really falling in love with the Baha’i Faith,” related a
message from

A mobile '1' Information Center in Hamilton

USA.

the Board of Counsellors. “When asked why, they maintain that the Faith
does not condemn their good cultures but rather has a lot in common with
their cultures...”

Many teaching projects around the World were organized or carried out
primarily by youth. For more information on these aclivities, see Youth:
‘A New Kind Of People,” pp. 167—190.

Numerous people first became aware of the Faith through hearing of the
persecutions of Bahé’is in Iran which intensified beginning in 1979. The
world’s continuing concern since that time and efforts made by
governments to condemn the persecutions are partially responsible for
keeping the Faith in the public consciousness. The 1993 book Olya ’s
Story, written by a woman who endured imprisonment and narrowly escaped
execution in Iran for her religious beliefs, touched the hearts of many
as it described the strength of faith which allowed love to survive
despite severe physical and emotional tests. During 1994—95, Olya
Roohizadegan continued travelling to speak about the themes of her book,
In the United States, at least 110 people embraced the Baha’i Faith as a
result of her extensive speaking tour. “Her story,” noted a fellow
Baha’i, “the triumph of love over bigotry, hatred, and intolerance, is a
miracle of the spirit of the Blessed Beauty, Baha’u’lléh.”

Prominent People As leaders of thought in all sectors of society
struggled to address the problems confronting humanity at this critical
stage in history, Bahé’is arose to inform them of the principles which
they are convinced must enter the conversation if solutions are to be found.

The President of the Marshall Islands, Amata Kabua, who visited the
Baha’i World Centre in 1990, was greeted by Baha’i communities during
his 1994 travels to Hawaii, Korea, and Papua New Guinea. During a
luncheon with Baha’is in Hawaii, the President spoke highly of his hopes
for Baha’i involvement in the educational system of the Marshall
Islands, urged the Baha’is to develop a regular radio program in the
Marshall Islands, and paid tribute to the Baha’i teachings. During a
reception in Papua New Guinea for the President, which was attended by
officials

In India, Where there are more than 2.5 million Baha’is, enrollments
continued. When the Bahé’is of Tamil Nadu, for example, proclaimed the
Baha’i teachings to ten villages in the Sivakasi area, 175 people joined
the community. In Turkey IMWULHUL -M 1 1 1 -- - 7 - hundreds attended
public meetings organized to educate people about the Baha’i Faith. A
forum on “The World of the Future” held in November at the Cultural and
Art Center in Kadikoy, Istanbul, drew 200 people, including several
reporters. “Women in the New World Order” was the theme of the second
meeting held in December in Bursa and attended by 150 people. Cables
were received from the Deputy Prime Minister and several other
government ministers with warm wishes for the forum.

Receptive souls in Gabon, Niger, Togo, and Zambia were among those in
Africa who responded enthusiastically to Baha’i teachings. In Gabon,
five teaching teams were formed as part of the Muhajir Teaching Project,
and 200 people joined the Faith. The Baha’is of Niger reached the
midpoint of the Three Year Plan with 500 more members in their community
after pursuing a systematic teaching plan. In Togo, just eight Baha’is
brought the Faith to more than 500 new believers during two Weeks of
teaching in the N’gamgam tribal area. More than 220 people enrolled in
the Baha’i community in Zambia during a six-week period in the Isobel
Sabri Teaching Campaign.

The Dr. Muhajir South Plateau Long-Term Teaching Project in Nigeria was
responsible, as of March 1995, for bringing 2,000 people into the Baha’i
community and helping to form 42 Local Spiritual Assemblies. “Lots of
people are now really falling in love with the Baha’i Faith,” related a
message from

A mobile '1' Information Center in Hamilton

USA.

the Board of Counsellors. “When asked why, they maintain that the Faith
does not condemn their good cultures but rather has a lot in common with
their cultures...”

Many teaching projects around the World were organized or carried out
primarily by youth. For more information on these aclivities, see Youth:
‘A New Kind Of People,” pp. 167—190.

Numerous people first became aware of the Faith through hearing of the
persecutions of Bahé’is in Iran which intensified beginning in 1979. The
world’s continuing concern since that time and efforts made by
governments to condemn the persecutions are partially responsible for
keeping the Faith in the public consciousness. The 1993 book Olya ’s
Story, written by a woman who endured imprisonment and narrowly escaped
execution in Iran for her religious beliefs, touched the hearts of many
as it described the strength of faith which allowed love to survive
despite severe physical and emotional tests. During 1994—95, Olya
Roohizadegan continued travelling to speak about the themes of her book,
In the United States, at least 110 people embraced the Baha’i Faith as a
result of her extensive speaking tour. “Her story,” noted a fellow
Baha’i, “the triumph of love over bigotry, hatred, and intolerance, is a
miracle of the spirit of the Blessed Beauty, Baha’u’lléh.”

Prominent People As leaders of thought in all sectors of society
struggled to address the problems confronting humanity at this critical
stage in history, Bahé’is arose to inform them of the principles which
they are convinced must enter the conversation if solutions are to be found.

The President of the Marshall Islands, Amata Kabua, who visited the
Baha’i World Centre in 1990, was greeted by Baha’i communities during
his 1994 travels to Hawaii, Korea, and Papua New Guinea. During a
luncheon with Baha’is in Hawaii, the President spoke highly of his hopes
for Baha’i involvement in the educational system of the Marshall
Islands, urged the Baha’is to develop a regular radio program in the
Marshall Islands, and paid tribute to the Baha’i teachings. During a
reception in Papua New Guinea for the President, which was attended by
officials

In Palau, Mr. Chang was invited to dinner by the President, Kuniwo
Nakamura, and he met with two of the country’s High Chiefs. A
Well-attended public meeting in Guam preceded his travels to the Eastern
Caroline Islands, where he met with traditional leaders of Kapinga, Pohnpei.

Mr. Chang’s travels were part of an ongoing campaign called “Ocean of
Light” taking place throughout the Pacific. As part of this campaign,
the Baha’is of Samoa welcomed the Queen of Mangaia in the Cook Islands
and 32 members of her entourage who visited Princess To’oa Tosi Malietoa
and the rest of the Baha’i community in May 1994. The Ocean of Light
Conference in Kiribati in October Was marked by elaborate traditional
dancing and joyful singing and was honored with the participation of
Knight of Baha’u’llah Elena Marsella. Mrs. Marsella opened the four-day
event by presenting Baha’i literature to President Teburoro Tito and
Vice President Tewareka Tentoa. Traditional leaders in Papua New Guinea
also learned about the Baha’i Faith through a series of projects in the
Karkar Islands, Lende, and Mt. Brown.

When a group of Maori Baha’is from New Zealand took the initiative to
visit Vancouver, Canada, in May, they found common ground among Native
Canadians, who were touched by the spirit of the visitors. Similarly, a
gathering of Hopi elders in Arizona, USA, warmly received a Baha’i
teacher from a Lakota Sioux background who spoke to them about the
message of Baha’u’llah. A group called INKA (Intertribal Native American
Kit of Artists) spent much of the year proclaiming the teachings of the
Baha’i Faith throughout the Chicago area using Native American music and
dance.

Many members of indigenous groups not only listened receptively to
presentations about the Baha’i Faith but fully embraced their truth,
often recognizing the coming of Baha’u’llah as fulfilment of an age-old
expectation. An historic moment occurred in New Zealand when nine Maori
members of the Ratana Church discovered the truth of teachings.
According to Ratana tradition, which began earlier this century as
people began following the call of T.W. Ratana to respiritualize their
lives, a number of young people are chosen in each generation

Participants in the Niaih Spiritual Gathering of the Tribes, held at
Soto, near Yakutsk, Siberia, in June 1994, wear traditional Sakha attire.

to be fully educated in the Faith and become leaders of their time.
Recently, in order to build bridges of friendship and to look at what
other religions could offer their own, these “apostles” began
investigating other religions. Upon discovering the Baha’i Faith, three
of the apostles and several other Ratana members requested a nine-day
institute to become immersed in its teachings. By the end, nine,
including the three apostles, had declared their faith in Baha’u’llah
and arisen to take the religion to the rest of their people.

As more members of indigenous cultures accepted the Baha’i Faith, Baha’i
community life increasingly reflected their unique contributions. The
Hawaii National Teaching Conference held in September 1994 was marked by
an unprecedented level of par— ticipation by indigenous believers. The
Ninth Spiritual Gathering of the Tribes in Siberia united indigenous
peoples, including Baha’is, from Alaska, Canada, the United States, and
Siberia for eight days of sharing traditions and perspectives.

Baha’i communities tried to serve indigenous communities by supporting
their efforts to unite in harmony with people of other backgrounds While
maintaining the right to express their own cultures. In May 1994, a
special service was held at the House of Worship in Australia in honor
of the Week of Prayer for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Before the service,
an Aborigine gave a talk about the history and culture of the Aborigines
and their need to live in a harmonious society. Later in the year, the
National Spiritual Assembly of Australia presented to the chairman of the

Aboriginal Reconciliation Council a statement on the Baha’i approach to
Abon'ginal reconciliation.

300k Fairs

In efforts to familiarize more leaders of thought and book buyers with
Baha’i literature, and to make it more widely available to the public,
Baha’i Publishing Trusts and communities took part in book fairs. I

Books on education, personal and social development, philosophy, and the
arts were selected for the Baha’i exhibit on the theme of “civilization”
at the Beijing International Book F air. Senior representatives of
government agencies, national and international press, academic
institutions and the publishing world, writers, artists, students and
members of the general public all attended the Fair, which was held in
September 1994. The International Association of Baha’i Publishers
arranged the Baha’i display, which included colorful banners with
quotations from the writings of Baha’u’llah in Chinese and maps showing
the distribution of Baha’i publishing agencies around the World.

The Baha’i author of the book Nova Ordem Mundial, Novos Paradigmas [New
World Order, New Paradigms]; Washington Araujo, was one of 62 Brazilian
Writers who participated in the 46th Frankfurt International Book Fair
in Germany, which focused on Brazil. The fair, held in October 1994,
provided Mr. Araujo an opportunity to present his book to the Brazilian
minister of culture, other government authorities, prominent Writers and
editors, and two professors of Brazilian-literature. The book presents
many issues related to the Baha’i Faith and dedicates a chapter each to
and to divinely revealed laws.

In March 1995, the Baha’i Publishing Trust of the United Kingdom was
represented at the 12th International Book F air of Radical Black and
Third World Books, held in London. The biennial event provided a chance
for more than 2,000 publishers, writers, media commentators and
booksellers from Britain, North America, the West Indies, and Africa to
become more familiar with Baha’i publications, particularly those
addressing racial harmony and equality.

In Zaire, an exhibit of Bahd ’1’ books and photographs was visited by
more than 1,500 people during the were en

ga therz'ng organized by A frieen Horizons at the People 1'9 Palace.

The Zimbabwe International Book Fair held in Harare in August 1994
focused on the theme “Science and Technology.” The Baha’i exhibit
included a large double-sided timeline showing the parallel relationship
between the events marking the developrnent of science and the Divine
Revelations of the world’s religions. Also in Africa, Baha’is put
together an exhibit for Tanzania’s National Book Fair held in Dar es
Salaam in November/December 1994.

The Baha’is of India continued to take part in a number of regional and
local book fairs, including the 100th annual Poush Mela Fair in
Shantiniketan, West Bengal, an event organized for people of different
faiths to share their thoughts and ideals; the State Book Fair of
Manipur which was organized by the State Central Library; and the first
Shreekshetra Book Festival in Puri Town, Orissa, which was inaugurated
by the Governor of the state, the Honorable Shri B. Satyanarayan Reddy.

Baha' S cholarship

“Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its
acquisition is incumbent upon everyone... In truth, knowledge is a
veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of
exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him...”1 Theee words of were
included in a compilation of Writings on scholarship prepared by the
Research Department of

the World Centre at the request of the Universal House of Justice. The
covering letter dated 10 February 1995, which was

sent with the compilation to National Spiritual Assemblies, stated:

The House of Justice calls upon the members of the community ofthe
Greatest Name, young and old, men and women alike, to strive to develop
and offer to humanity a new model of scholarly activities along the
lines set out in this compilation, animated by the spirit of inquiry
into the limitless meaning of the Divine Teachings. This scholarly
endeavor should be characterized by the welcome it offers to all who
wish to be involved in it, each in his or her own Way, by mutual
encouragement and cooperation among its participants, and by the respect
accorded to distinguished accomplishment and outstanding achievement.

Efforts made to fulfill this mandate ranged from local community study
classes to university level courses on the Baha’i Faith. Some classes,
conferences, permanent institutes, and Baha’i schools were primarily
aimed at helping Baha’is to deepen their understanding of the Baha’i
teachings and apply them to the issues of the day. Although many of
these gatherings were open to interested members of the public, more
formal attempts were also made to invite public participation in Baha’i
scholarship through symposia, seminars, courses at non-Baha’i
institutions, and publications. Baha’is also participated in academic
events organized by others, increasingly because they were invited to
give talks or present papers.

The Association for Baha’i Studies in North America held several
conferences during the year. “Anarchy into Order: Understanding
Humanity’s Role and Destiny” was the theme of the Association’s 18th
annual conference held in Cambridge Massachusetts, in August 1994. About
700 Baha’is and their friends spent three and a half days discussing the
Baha’i vision of a new global civilization, the gathering enhanced by
the presence of Dr. David Ruhe, former member of the Universal House of
Justice, six members of the Continental Board of

Counsellors for the Americas, and several members of the Harvard
University faculty.

The annual conference was divided into three sections: a day of special
interest seminars, a day devoted to study sessions involving both
lectures and courses, and a series of plenary meetings and panels
addressing the world’s major problems. Interspersed throughout Were
artistic presentations, including a choral concert, dramatic monologues
and poetry readings, and dance performances. Dr. Ruhe delivered the
Hasan Balyuzi Memorial Lecture in the Ames Courtroom of Harvard Law
School, Where John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X had
been invited over the years to speak on the state of the World.

The annual conference of the Association for Studies for
English-Speaking Europe was held at the London School of Economics and
Political Science in October. Entitled Bahé in London,” the event
included lectures on the station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, His talks while in
London in 1912, and His divine philosophy. Workshops were conducted on
writings on spirituality, on women, and on Christianity.

Among the conferences held by other Associations for Bahé.’i Studies
were two in Australia—one in July on “The Family: Our Hopes and
Challenges” and one in October focused on the Kitébi-Aqdas—and a
national symposium in India entitled “Oneness of Mankind.” At a
conference organized in December in Switzerland by the Association for
Studies for Francophone Europe, nine youth presented commentaries on the
papers presented at the Association’s annual meeting, thus providing the
youth an opportunity to study intensely the topic of social and moral
issues.

The Fourth and Fifth Scripture Studies Colloquia, both focusing on the
Kitéb-i-Aqdas, took place in the Netherlands and the United States,
respectively. The fourth colloquium, held at De Poort Conference Center
in November, drew more than 70 participants from ten countries who heard
presentations such as “The Terms Revelation, Interpretation and
Elucidation in the Baha’i Writings” and “The History of Writing and
Transmission of the Kitab-i-Aqdas.” Nine research papers were presented
at the fifth colloquium, held at the Baha’i National Center in Wilmette,
Illinois, in March 1995. The colloquia are sponsored

by the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund to promote deeper and more
systematic study of the holy writings, provide opportunities for
interaction between various views and understandings of the Faith in an
atmosphere of tolerance and loving unity, and to encourage those
interested in scholarly studies to pursue this interest.

“A Celebration of the Centenary of the Faith in North America” was the
theme of a Baha'l’i history conference held in Wilmette, Illinois, in
June 1994. Scholarly papers were presented on topics related to the
Faith’s growth in North America, and four Baha’i women shared their
insights into different eras of the Faith’s development as part of an
oral history panel. University level study of the Baha’i Faith took
place in Korea as part of a comparative religion course at Chunnam
University; in Azerbaijan as part of the History of Religions course at
Baku North University; and in the United States, where a full~credit
student-organized seminar was offered at Northwestern University and a
summer credit course was offered at DePaul University. At Dhaka
University in Bangladesh, Baha’i law was approved as a subject of study
in the law curriculum. The University Senate of the University of Fort
Hare in South Africa approved inclusion of the Baha’i Faith in the
curriculum of the Faculty of Theology beginning in 1996. Advanced
research on the Baha’i Faith continued at India’s University of Indore,
home of one of two Baha’i Chairs in the world. (The other is the Baha’i
Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland in the United
States.) One of four indi— viduals pursuing doctorates in religious
studies with a focus on the Baha’i Faith completed his thesis and was
awarded his degree.

In October 1994, URANIA, an organization in Austria that helps shape
public opinion by providing courses and seminars, decided to hold a
course on the Baha’i Faith. The four-part course on the nature and
history of the Baha’i Faith was structured to include two lectures by
Baha’is and two by a professor at the Faculty of Religious Studies at
the University of Graz. One-time presentations, such as lectures,
symposia, or exhibits, were also offered at universities to familiarize
academics with the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. In Panama, an exhibition

entitled “Towards a New World Order” was displayed for two weeks at the
Simon Bolivar Library of the University of Panama. About 35 professors
from the university also attended a series of seminars on Baha’i
concepts of education, presented by a member of the Auxiliary Board. In
southern Africa, monthly talks were presented at the University of
Swaziland on topics such as “Does Religion contradict Tradition?” and
“The Need for Education Towards a Violence-Free Society.” The University
of the Philippines was the site of a symposium organized by the
university Baha’i club entitled “World Religions: Sources of Moral
Values for Peace and Development in Society.” When Professor Suheil
Bushrui of the Baha’i Chair for World Peace at the University of
Maryland visited France in April 1995, he spoke at a conference in Paris
on “The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race, the Foundation of a World
Civilization.”

The Baha’i Faith was represented at the annual conference of the
American Academy of Religion held in Chicago in November 1994. For four
days almost 8,000 professors and graduate students of religious studies,
clergy, and other researchers gathered to hear talks about religion,
view exhibits by publishers, and attend receptions. The Studies Colloquy
included four talks, and the Publishing Trust provided an exhibit.

Presentations on the Baha’i Faith were made at the Pedagogieal Institute
in Barnaul, Russia, and at the university. The chairman of the
philosophy department of the Pedagogical Institute then introduced the
Baha’i Faith into the examination program and suggested it as a topic of
research. Also in Russia, Bahé’is spoke at a scientific conference
called “Religion and Culture” held at the Ural University in June.

Dr. Udo Schaefer, a scholar from Germany, was invited to make a
presentation on Einheitsparadigma— Grundlage eines Ethos ohne falsche
Vereinnahmung”2 on 30 September 1994 at an international interfaith
congress organized by the University of Erlangen/Nuremberg on The
Project Global Ethic in Education. The gathering was initiated by a leading

2. The presentation was later translated into English as “Bahé’u’llah’s
Unity Paradigm—A Contribution to Interfaith Dialogue on a Global Ethic.”

member of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, Protestant
theologian Professor Johannes Lahnemann, and eminent Catholic theologian
Dr. Hans Kiing. Some 300 people, including university professors, church
leaders, and representatives of various faith communities, took part.

A Baha’i paper on the harmony between science and religion was presented
in Romania as part of panel discussion at a seminar sponsored by the
Academy for the Study of World Religions. The September 1994 seminar,
entitled “Interculturalism in the Study of World Religions,” drew a
large number of academics and representatives from Romanian cultural,
diplomatic, and religious circles. It was held in collaboration with the
World Conference on Religion and Peace, the UNESCO Center for Higher
Learning, and the United Nations Information Center. A booklet composed
of abstracts of the papers sub mitted for the seminar showed that
another presenter, Professor Constantin Cucos of the University of Iasi
, who is not a Baha’i, had written a paper entitled “Educational
Dimensions of Religious Globalism” in which he analyzed principles
ofBaha’i education and suggested them as the most valuable ones for the
spiritualization and development of mankind.

Dr. Wilma Ellis, member of the Board of Counsellors for the Americas,
was invited to deliver the baccalaureate address for the class of 1994
at Stanford University in the United States. Before 4,000 students and
visitors, she called upon the graduating seniors to turn away from the
“false values” of selfishness, separatism, exclusivism, and greed. She
then urged them to “remember the great imperatives of our age” and to
reject the hatreds, the pettiness, and the cowardice that divide. The
address Was enthusiastically received.

Intensive study of the Faith by Baha’is continued to take place in
venues ranging from Weekly classes in homes, to seasonal schools, to
permanent institutes. In July 1994, the Green Acre Baha’i School in
Eliot, Maine, USA, celebrated a triple anniversary: the centenary of its
founding, the grand reopening and dedication of the newly remodeled
Sarah Farmer Inn, which was the school’s original building, and the
100th anniversary of the raising of the world’s first known “peace

flag.” Nearly 800 Bahél’is and their guests gathered to pay tribute to
this institution which has provided a venue for exploration of the Faith
to thousands of people over the decades.

In January 1995, the first ten-day residential session of Yerrinbool
Baha’i School’s three-year Certificate Program in Baha’i Studies took
place in Australia; the Vivian Wesson Institute opened in Togo in
November 1994 to provide courses for local believers; and a new
Permanent Teachin€ Institute was estabHOLQA “AIL; nun“ z... nirmml. 1 nn:

lished in New Delhi, India, in March 1995.

Bahd’i Community Life

In the midst of the horrors which plagued Rwanda during 1994, ten
Baha’is managed to gather at the Baha’i National Center in Kigali on 20
October to pray together and read the sacred writings in commemoration
of the Anniversary of the Birth of the As the fight for survival
understandably consumed the attention of most of the nation, these souls
gave priority to the spiritual nurturing which they knew would sustain
them and which forms the heart of Baha’i community life.

The aim of social transformation towards which Baha’is work is viewed as
dependent on individual spiritual progress, a process which must be
continually sustained through private worship and community support. The
Nineteen Day Feast is the regular local gathering at which Baha’is pray
and read the sacred writings together, discuss community development,
and get to know each other; holy day commemorations constitute another
vital element of Baha’i devotional life. The pattern provided by these
mainstays is then embellished in different ways by different communities
as the talents, needs, and creative energies of the believers emerge.

3. The term “Teaching Institute” is used with reference to a variety of
programs of varying length and complexity aimed at developing the human
resources of communities through study of the teachings and through
service. A “Permanent Teaching Institute” is an agency of the National
Spiritual Assembly that provides an ongoing series of such courses and
activities. Two of these agencies are the Ruhi Institute in Puerto
Tejada, Colombia, and the Baha’i Academy in Panchgani, India.

Seasonal schools, conferences, and study gatherings have become standard
events in most national communities, providing opportunities for Bahé’is
to study the sacred Writings intensely together, to share their artistic
talents, and to consult in more depth than they can during briefer
events. Such gatherings also allow Baha’is from diverse locations to
meet and share perspectives and experiences. Examples of such gatherings
held in

[994—95 include a spring school in Split, Croatia, which brought

Members El Ere-canto, Venezuela, Bake ’1' eommunig) consult on their
goals during a workshop given

by members of the Aaxil i ary Board.

together Bahé’is for study and presentation of public talks as soon as a
main road reopened following fighting in the area; a winter school held
in the United Nations-monitored zone between northern and southern
Cyprus during which participants studied individual and collective
transformation, the power of the Word of God, and 'the art of
consultation; and the first Baha’i Life Conference in the Bahamas at
which performances of a choir were interspersed throughout the program
of study.

The central importance of the Baha’i sacred writings as the basis for
all community life was beautifully demonstrated in Papua New Guinea when
the first English translation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book) was
released. When the residents of the village of Medene were told of the
imminent arrival of the book, they prepared a temporary meeting house
and a program of prayers, readings and speeches of welcome. They
constructed a dignified flower-decorated bower beside the river two
kilometers from the village where they knew those carry

ing the Aqdas over the mountain would need to place it while they
rested. The footpath leading to the village was widened and decorated
with palm fronds and fragrant flowers. Baha’i youth composed songs in
the local languages to mark the occasion.

An entourage of 50 immaculately-dressed Bahé’is carried one copy of the
Book over the mountain. One elderly Woman bent with age insisted on
Witnessing the historic occasion and made the journey even though she
knew it might be her last. When the procession finally arrived, the
speeches reiterated the theme that now the village would become a true
Baha’i village functioning in accordance with the teachings of Baha’u’llah.

Similar scenes could be witnessed in other regions of Papua New Guinea.
In Mt. Brown, Central Province, roads were cleared and decorated and
special songs composed. More than 600 Bahé’is gathered, some traveling
four days on foot to be present. A special center was constructed to
house a copy of the Aqdas. As additional copies were presented to
chairmen of Local Spiritual Assemblies in the area, each kissed the book
and placed it reverently over his or her head.

Significant anniversaries are cause for community celebration,

The Baha 'is of Goodenough Island, Papua New Guinea, celebrate the
arrival of the Kitdb-i-Aqdas by carrying it to the Bahd '1' Center on a
bed of

too. A gala banquat in Chicago in June 1994 marked the 100th anniversary
of the arrival cf the Baha’i Faith in North America. Chicago is where
the first Americans to become Baha’is

in Wentiane, Laos, in Februaljil 1995. where the name of

Baha’u’llah was mentioned publicly for the first time in the Western
hemisphere. The 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Baha’i Faith in
Australia was commemorated in April 1995 by a

special service at the House of Worship and numerous local gatherings.

Race Unig)

In the spring of 1994, just as the Republic of South Africa was in the
process of holding its first multiracial elections after a long history
of apartheid, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahé’is of South
Africa issued a statement called Overcoming Racial Prejudice: South
Africa 3 Most Challenging Issue. In it, the Assembly shared its vision
of the new South Africa, a vision of unity in diversity, and offered
itself as an example of the unifying power of spiritual principles. The
statement was presented to mayors, other government officials, newspaper
editors, and the general public.

South Africa was just one of many regions of the world suffering from
racial and ethnic conflict and struggling to find its way past this
age-old stumbling block to progress. Baha’is found their efforts to
share the essential Baha’i principle of the oneness of mankind more
welcome than ever.

A statement called “Conquer Racism” was prepared by the National
Spiritual Assembly of Switzerland to provide a Bahél’i

perspective on an upcoming vote on an antiracism article of the penal
code. The Swiss news agency and several newspapers printed the statement.

The Baha’i community of Bermuda was encouraged by the public’s reaction
to the contributions made by the National Spiritual Assembly to
legislative developments related to race unity and justice. When the
government created a new Ministry of Human Affairs and Information to
lead the War against institutional racism, the Ministry called for
submissions to assist in the formation of a strategy. The National
Spiritual Assembly, in collaboration with the Baha’i International
Community United Nations Office, developed a statement calling for the
establishment of the Council for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE). The
government adopted this recommendation, and a committee of the National
Spiritual Assembly continued to work with the government and CURE.

Unity in Diversity Week in Canada, 6—12 November, was celebrated by
communities all across the country. Among the events were a three~day
display and musical celebration in the City Center Mall of East York,
Ontario; a week of events featuring discussion on “Fostering Unity and
Community” in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia; an exhibit and
discussion at the civic center in St. Albert, Alberta; and visits to
schools in Taché, Manitoba, to discuss how differences enrich our lives.

The Baha’i community of the United States continued to pay particular
attention to working toward a vision of racial unity, having been
instructed by Shoghi Effendi as long ago as 1938 to view racial
prejudice as the most vital and challenging issue it faces, one which
requires “ceaseless exertions,” “sacrifices,” “care and vigilance,” and
“moral courage and fortitude.” Efforts ranged from steps taken to help
communities and individuals change ingrained habits of prejudice, to
celebrations of Race Unity Day, to conferences for making plans of action.

“Calling All Colors: An Invitation to Raise the First Generation of
Prejudice-Free Children” was the theme of the seventh annual Children’s
Peace Conference held in the winter of 1994 in Pasadena, California. The
first “Calling All Colors” conference,

which was held in 1992 in South Carolina and was originated and planned
by a nine-year-old Baha’i girl named Anisa Kintz, has inspired similar
gatherings in various locations. At the California event, more than 350
children and youth, a mixture of Bahé’is and children of other religious
backgrounds, participated in workshops on the theme while the 75 adults
present consulted on “Creating a Prejudice-Free Home.” Several school
superintendents and principals observed the conference, and two
requested the organizers to repeat the program in their schools.

The original program had inspired singer-songwriter Susan Lewis Wright
to compose a song entitled “Calling All Colors,” which she introduced
during a conference of the same name held in Castle Rock, Colorado, in
November 1994. After copies of her song were sent to the Denver mayor’s
office, Ms. Wright was invited to serve on the Martin Luther King Jr.
Colorado Holiday Commission. Among the many race unity activities she
was able to arrange, in cooperation with the commission, was a
performance of the Diversity Children’s Choir—composed of children from
Cambodian, Mexican, African, Korean, Persian and European
ancestry—before President Clinton and an audience of 40,000 for the
area’s largest commemoration of Martin Luther King Day.

Open-ended dramatic presentations which challenged audiences to find
alternatives to conflict were among the methods used by New York City
Baha’is and friends to help people learn new behaviors. The New York
City Baha’i Center was the venue for performances of the One People
Conflict Resolution Theater Workshop, 21 project of the Symposium for
the Healing of Racism which was formed by interfaith minister Laura
Gabriel and a local Baha’i, Jan Smith. The group of professional actors
performed scenes of racially charged incidents that were stopped right
before violence broke out; then the audience dispersed into discussion
groups that spent an hour with trained facilitators analyzing the
sources of theiconflict and options for resolving it. When the best
alternative solution was selected, the actors improvised the new final
scene.

The initial performances of One People were very well received and the
project shows promise of continuing. The Symposium for

100

the Healing of Racism received funding for the project from the New York
City Community Assistance Unit’s “Stop the Violence” fund.

Baha’is also played a leading role organizing a seminar at the
Springfield (Massachusetts) Technical Community College entitled “Unity
’94: A Dialogue on Racism.” Keynote addresses by two Bahé’is, Dr. Paul
Herron of the University of Tennessee Medical School and Dr. John
Woodall, a psychiatrist at Harvard University, were followed by a panel
discussion and smaller Workshops for the 600 people attending.

Invitations for Baha’is to assist with local efforts to improve race
relations were extended in several cities. The mayor of Edwardsville,
Illinois, asked the Baha’is to spearhead a race unity campaign, leading
sensitivity workshops for city employees, speaking at the Rotary Club,
the high school, and before other groups, and serving on the human
relations panel at City Hall. In Rapid City, South Dakota, city
officials invited the Local Spiritual Assembly to take a leadership role
making the Central State Fair a showcase of diversity.

The 1994 Racial Justice Award for groups/agencies was bestowed upon the
Baha’i community of Decatur, Illinois, by the Decatur YWCA in November.
The Baha’i community was nominated for “upholding the standard of the
fundamental unity of the human race and promoting this principle in the
Decatur area through a variety of activities over a span of some 30
years.” Among the activities cited were Race Unity Day picnics, a
Workshop on racism, a race unity forum, the Baha’i Youth Workshop, and a
wealth of information campaigns.

Race Unity Day commemorations began in '1957 (originally called Race
Amity Day) when the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States
designated the second Sunday in June for this purpose. In 1994 there
were picnics, parades, arts festivals, speeches, proclamations, and
exhibits all asserting the oneness of humanity while celebrating its
diversity. Among the highlights were an exhibit in San Diego,
California, which addressed the issue of race unity, took participants
through the history of the Baha’i Faith, and presented prospects for
raising a prejudice-free generation; preparation for a series of musical
events and activities

Baha ’11s in Dallas, Texas, display their aaa er about race aaity

uriag a parade.

Kingsley and

Suzanne Swan

the Dawning" conference honoring African Americans. The gathering was
held in Chicago, November

I994.

Jacksonvilie (F lorida) Bahd march in the Kaamba Festival Parade, May 1994.

102

for children in Lafayette, Indiana, which led to the formation of a new
Race Unity Coalition to plan future events; a workshop on cultural
diversity for the officials of Lake County, Illinois; presenlation of
Race Unity Day awards at Columbia University’s Earl Hall in New York
City; and a picnic in Lee County, Virginia, which drew 400 people of
diverse backgrounds.

The celebration of Race Unity Day and a multicultural arts festival
sponsored by the Baha’is of Walla Walla, Washington, attracted 3,500
people—one-tenth 0f the city’s residents. Prepa

rations were made in cooperation and community organizations, wh Walla
Walla Race Unity Com supported by local businesses created a day full of
music and American Indian, Irish, Gerrna

American performers, story-t

children, and international board g About 600 Baha’isfi-Afric Asian,
Caucasian, Hispanic, and Pa States and from as far away as S November
1994 for “Vanguard Baha’i conference focusing on the The deeply
spiritual gathering, music, drama, and dance, provided share their
experiences and emot erlc to reach higher levels of achieveme uniquely
God—given contribution w rippling waves love, acceptance, beauty,
wonderment, and yes, asto

proud destiny of African Am

force reportad.

On 11 May 1994, the Nation F0

testimony before the Senate support of United States ra

tifi Convention on the Elimination of tion. The Convention establishes
that prohibits discrimination on

with a number of other religious ose representatives formed the mittee,
and the event itself was and the mayor. The community cultural dances by
Hispanic,

n, Middle Eastern, and African ing, hands-on projects for the amcs and
food booths.

American, American Indian,

rsian—from all over the United outh Africa came together in of the Dawning,’

African American community. which was filled with poetry,

a national

participants an opportunity to

ions, to affirm and celebrate the ans, and to challenge each other nt
and unity. “As each person’s

as laid before us, there came in

self-esteem, respect, comfort, nishment,

the conference task

Spiritual Assembly presented

reign Relations Committee in ieation of the United Nations All Forms of
Racial Discriminaan international legal standard the basis of race,
ethnicity or

national origin in all aspects of public life including the politi— cal,
economic, social, and cultural arenas.

Advancement of Women

“And among the teachings of is the equality of women and men. The world
of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men. Not until both
wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain
weak, flight is impossible. Not until the World of women becomes equal
to the World of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can
success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.”4

During 1994—95, the Baha’i community worked toward the goal of full
equality by focusing its efforts on three main areas: preparing for the
United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing in
September 1995; sharing Baha’i teachings on the status of women with a
range of like-minded women’s organizations and developing Working
relations with them; and encouraging Baha’i women to fulfill their
gotential through better understanding their true spiritual station.

Representatives of the Baha’i International Community became involved in
preparations for Beijing from the moment the conference was announced,
having also participated exten— sively in the previous three world
conferences on Women. The director of the International Community’s
Office for the Advancement of Women, Mary Power, served as a member of
the global NGO Facilitating Committee organizing the NGO Forum on Women
’95, to be held in conjunction with the Beijing conference. During the
current period under review, delegations attended all five Regional
United Nations Preparatory Conferences and the four remaining Regional
NGO Forums leading to Beijing.

4. ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahd (Haifa:
World Centre, 1978), p. 302.

5. For an historical overview of efforts to promote the advancement of
women, see “Towards the Goal of Full Partnership: One Hundred and Fifty
Years of the Advancement of Women,” The Bahd ’1' World 1993—94, pp. 237—275.

104

Delegations ranging from one to as many as ten Baha’is represented the
community at the intergovernmental preparatory conferences held in
Jakarta, Indonesia (June 1994); Mar del Plata, Argentina (September);
Vienna, Austria (October); Amman, Jordan (November); and Dakar, Senegal
(November). The delegations were diverse according to age, ethnic
background, and profession, and were distinctive for the participation
of men, demonstrating Baha’i commitment to true partnership in the quest
for equality.6

In addition, a Baha’i from Nigeria was appointed by that country’s
National Council of Women’s Societies to lead a team of Women to the
regional conference for Africa, held in Senegal. The woman appointed for
this task, Florence Assam, is the president of the Baha’i Office for the
Advancement of Women in Nigeria.

On the national level, the Baha’i community of Cote d’Ivoire was the
only religious community to be a member of that country’s Beijing ’95
National Preparatory Committee. Members Worked to prepare materials on
the role of women in the peace process. In Finland, the community
contributed extensively to the Nordic Forum, a regional conference
arranged in August 1994 at the initiative of the Nordic Council of
Ministers to prepare for Beijing. The community staffed an information
booth, organized an art exhibition called “The Female Voice: Baha’i
Women in Art,” and provided lectures and seminars on topics such as
women’s contributions to the advancement of civilization and unlocking
the potential of women.

In the United States, Baha’is participated in ten regional conferences
sponsored by the government to enable individuals and NGOs to contribute
to the national report being prepared for the Beijing conference. Baha’i
participation focused on partnership between men and women, the role of
women in peace, and ratification by the United States of the UN
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

64 For more detailed information on participation in the preparatoiy
conferences and the Regional NGO Forums held in conjunction with them,
see the article on Baht'l’i International Community activities, pp. 146*147.

F 200 participants.

The Baha'i’i Office for the Advancement of Women in India made efforts
to discuss the status of Women and to share principles with NGOs and
government agencies preparing India’s report for Beijing. Also in Asia,
the Singapore Baha’i Women’s Council (SBWC) was one of five
organizations represented on the Singapore Council of Women’s
Organizations’ NGO Committee for the Fourth World Conference on Women. In

April 1994, this Committee organized a workshop on “Women, Economics,
and Sustainable

Development” at which booklets containing write~ups 0n the SBWC were
given to the

In addition to preparing for the World Conference on Women, Bahz'l’is
continued to share ideas and work together with organizations having
similar concerns. As they became more recognized for this work, they
were increasingly invited to participate and offer their views.

Invitations to speak at

gfltherings related to W()-

men’s issues Came from, Children in Macau make their handamon Others
the: Council prints on a banner that will be sent to

g _ the Fourth World Conference on of Europe, whlch Included Women in
Beijing.

a lecture by a on

“Women as Educators for Peace” in its program for a seminar entitled
“The Role of Women in Politics and Society” held in Budapest, Hungary,
in November 1994; a leading women’s organization in Sri Lanka which
sponsored the Sri Lanka Women’s Conference on the theme “Education,
Empowerment, and Environment”; and a group of 40 prominent women in
Cheongju City, Korea, who requested an address by the visiting director
of the Bahél’i International Community’s Office for the Advancement

106

of Women, an event which was covered by the press.

The Baha’i Women’s Committee of Hong Kong was invited by the Working
group of the Hong Kong Non-Governmental Organizations’ Forum to help
plan a “Vision for the 21st Century Conference” for February 1995.
Representatives from 40 women’s groups attended, and speakers addressed
topics such as women’s rights and the law, violence against Women, and
health and welfare. A member of the Baha’i Auxiliary Board, May Chan
Borumand, spoke on “Hong Kong’s Environmental Crisis—What Can Women Do?”

A representativeof the Committee for the Advancement of Women of the
Republic of Ireland and a who serves as a member of the executive
committee of the Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform participated
in discussions at a conference called “Women Shaping the Future:
Political, Economic, and Social Development in the Island of Ireland.”
The gathering was put together by the Council for the Status of Women,
the Northern Ireland Women’s European Platform, United States Ambassador
Jean Kennedy-Smith, and the Head of the European Commission office in
Dublin to formulate a women’s perspective on issues relating to the
future in light of moves toward peace.

International Women’s Day, 8 March 1995, was celebrated in Guyana with
two weeks of activities jointly planned by sixteen organizations, one of
which was the National Spiritual Assem—

bly. Baha’is were asked to chair the interfaith service which launched
the program of even

ts, to make a presentation on the

Members efthe Centerfor the Development of Women, in Bangui, Central
African Republic, demonstrate their" newly-acquired sewing skills during
a parade in 1994.

plight of Amerindian women on a radio program entitled Viewpoint, and to
explain Baha’i principles related to women on a radio program called
Letis‘ In Saint Lucia, Baha’i quotations on the equality of women and
men were read at the official observance of International Women’s Day.
The Baha’is were invited to present a short message in their capacity as
a member organization of the National Council of Women. The event was
attended by the Governor-General, the Prime Minister, most of the
government ministers, and members of the diplomatic corps.

When the Association for Women’s Interests, Women’s Work, and Equal
Constitutional Rights in the Netherlands hosted a centenary celebration
in June 1994, a Baha’i representative helped present a Workshop
conveying Baha’i teachings to an international audience. The celebration
began with a reception in The Hague attended by Queen Beatrix. On behalf
of the Baha’i International Community, a decorated card with text from
The Promise of World Peace related to women was presented to the
chairperson.

After the Baha’i community of Guinea-Bissau participated in a workshop
at which the Faith’s views on the role of Women and their participation
in social and economic development were presented, the country’s
Minister of Women’s and Social Affairs invited representatives of the
National Spiritual Assembly to meet with her. Baha’i principles related
to Women in society, education, and development were among the topics
discussed during the 45-minute interview.

“Universal Values for the Advancement of Women and the Baha’i Faith” was
the title of a paper presented at an interna— tional conference on
women, the environment, and development held in New Delhi, India. The
Center for Environmental and Management Studies organized the event
Following the Baha’i presentation, a number of representatives of NGOs
approached the Baha’is to discuss starting collaborative projects.

In Zaire, a delegation of Baha’is contributed a photographic exhibit of
Baha’is from around the world and a display of Baha’i literature to a
Women’s gathering held at the People’s Palace in Kinshasa. The
gathering, held in August 1994, was sponsored by

103

In Bhubaneswan Orissa, India, the State Minister for

Health and Family Welfare, the Honorable Dr. Kamala Das, holds
devotional audio cassettes er a Band ’1' Women f9 Development Institute
held in December 1994.]

an organization called African Horizons, and attracted mcre than 1,500
visitors.

A member of the Baha’i community of Hawaii, Florence Kelly, attended the
19th International Conference of Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women’s
Association in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, at the end of August 1994.
Representatives of the nineteen member countries around the Pacific
Basin and India were all present

In the spring of 1995, the National Women’s Committee of the United
Kingdom was approved as an associate member of the Women’s National
Commission. The membership in this organization is reassessed only every
five years. In Nigeria, the National Council of Women’s Societies, Delta
State, granted a certificate of affiliation to the Baha’i Office for the
Advancement of Women.

Presentations and gatherings organized by Baha’i communities for the
public included a reception hosted by l’Association bahé’ie de Femmes in
France in honor of the Triennial Conference of the International Council
of Women in June; a public meeting organized by Baha’is in Islamabad,
Pakistan, with talks on the life of Iahirih, who has been called the
first Woman suffrage martyr; a reception for about 45 people of
prominence from various Women’s organizations sponsored by the Local
Spiritual Assembly of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in honor of the
visiting President of the All-India Women’s Conference; and a talk
called “Men’s Rights, Women’s Rights, Who is Right?”

sponsored by Bahé’is at the University of Swaziland.

A Baha’i living in Albania received support from the director of the
United Nations Development Program to put together the first
international Women’s conference to be held in Tirana. More than 200
women from fourteen cities of Albania and ten other countries gathered
in the national museum in October 1994 to share information and
discussion about the status of women.

Baha’is recognize that although the reality of equality was fully
established by Baha’u’llah, individuals and communities must exert great
effort to bring human understanding and practice into accord with this
spiritual truth. Thus Baha’i communities see themselves on the path to
equality, possessing the necessary maps and an ever-evolving vision of
the goal but always aware that they have far to go. While efforts must
be made to share the vision with as many people as possible, equal
attention must be given to developing the reality of equality among
those who have accepted Baha’u’llah’s teachings.

Much of this work involves encouraging women to understand their true
station and manifest their capacities, as the lack of education and
opportunity caused by discrimination has hampered the full development
of half of the human race. ‘Abdu’l-Baha asserts that in addition to the
critical role to be played by Women in establishing peace and in
educating future generations, the advancement of women is necessary for
bringing about the progress of humanity in general. “As long as women
are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will
men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.”7

A number of conferences and seminars were organized during

Tribal wam Daags, India, attend a class at the Gujarat Bahai ’1' Winter
School in Vansda, India, January 1995.

110

[994—95, some to provide women with opportunities to explore the issues
and others to create forums for women and men to examine their common
responsibility for equality.

The Task Force on Women appointed by the Continental Board of
Counsellors in Europe arranged a series of seminars for women to explore
the concept of service in the Baha’i Faith and how it can unlock the
potential of women. These seminars on service followed earlier
gatherings on the topics of encouragement and transformation. The
seminar held at De Poort, Netherlands, in January 1995 drew 37 women
from fifteen countries. In February a similar seminar brought 22 women
from Germany, Austria, Albania, France, Greece, and Luxembourg to
Karlsruhe, Germany. In an atmosphere of love and beauty, the Women
prayed together, consulted and made individual plans of action, studied
Baha’i teachings on the capacities of Women, and formed networks of support.

Similar gatherings for women included a three-day institute in Bakong,
Malaysia, which was particularly successful in creating an awareness
among the 74 women present of the importance of eradicating illiteracy;
a conference in Kwaloai, Solomon Islands, which attracted 250 Baha’is;
the final institute in a one—year series for women in Taiwan; weekend
institutes to empower women in Zambia and in South Africa; a seminar in
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia; and a national women’s annual convention in
Nigeria.

Opportunities were also created for men and women to examine together
the issues related to equality. A wide range of viewpoints was expressed
and a dynamic group of artists, performers, and musicians displayed
their talents during the Conference on Women in Baha’i Perspective held
at the United States Baha’i National Center. The January 1995 event was
arranged to provide an intimate, unified setting for new and creative
thinking about the subject.

During the same month, 0n the other side of the world held a national
conference with the theme “Partnership of Men and Women: A New Reality.”
The Office for the Advancement

of Women in India organized the conference in Lucknow to raise awareness
of the importance of following the spiritual principles of the Baha’i
Faith which pertain to equality and to determine action plans that would
cause girls and women to advance. Participants discussed the importance
of the education of girls, incorporating women into all Baha’i
activities, consultation, and the role of youth in establishing
equality. Women and men in New Zealand also consulted together about the
advancement of women at a conference held in February 1995 in Christchurch.

Environment

When world leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 for the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or “the Earth
Summit”), they were unable to reach agreement on a legally binding
Convention on preservation of the world’s forests, so they settled for
adopting a nonbinding set of Forest Principles. In 1994, the Baha’i
International Community helped to bring together representatives from
government, business, environmental, and religious sectors to lay the
groundwork for moving to adoption ofa Convention. This was just one of
the actions taken by Baha’is during the period under review to continue
steadily advancing the cause of environmental protection.

His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Hand of the
Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahé Ruhiyyih Khanum were the principal speakers at
the World Forestry Charter Gathering held 28 July 1994 at the Palace of
St. James, London. More than 200 distinguished guests from over 30
countries attended, and messages of support and encouragement were sent
from seventeen governments. “As with so many environmental challenges we
face, there are no borders when it comes to the protection and
sustainable management of the- earth’s forests,” Wrote United States
President Bill Clinton, echoing the theme of the gathering. As organizer
Guilda Walker stated, “We were especially hoping to address the issue of
forestry in a global context, to further the idea that the World’s
forests must be considered the common heritage of all humanity if they
are to be

112

effectively preserved and sustainably managed.”

The World Forestry Charter Gatherings were first convened in 1945 by
noted ecologist and Baha’i Richard St. Barbe Baker and were revived by
the Baha’i International Community in 1989, acting in collaboration With
Baker’s literary executor and several environmental organizations. This
year’s event was supported by the International Tree Foundation, the
World Wide Fund for Nature, and the United Nations Environment Program.8

The Earth Summit in Rio was also the occasion for public dedication of a
peace monument commissioned by the Baha’i International Community, with
particular involvement of Brazilian Baha’is. On the final day of the
Summit, soil from 40 nations was deposited in the hourglass-shaped
monument as a symbol that all humanity shares one planet and that time
is running out. On World Environment Day in 1993, soil from 15
additional nations was added, and on 5 June 1994, samples were deposited
from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Kiribati, Liberia, Mauritius,
Mexico, Norway, Suriname, and Uganda. “It is our intention to add soil
from the nations of the World each year on World Environment Day until
all nations are represented,” said Lawrence Arturo, Director of the
Baha’i International Community Office of the Environment.

During the days preceding the I994 ceremony, the Bahé’is of Brazil also
took part in Rio de Janeiro’s celebrations of “Environment Week.” The
community played a key role in organizing a Citizens’ Forum on the
issues and participated in a conference for government and NGO
representatives on improving the quality of life in modern cities.

World Environment Day was also commemorated by Baha’is in other parts of
the globe. The Pakistan National Center and the Interfaith Society for
Environment Education (an NGO based in Hyderabad) invited a Baha’i
representative to speak and to distribute copies of the statement “The
Environment—A Baha’i View.” Many local and national newspapers published
full reports of the event. The Baha’is 0f Mbale, Uganda, were invited to
lead a march on World Environment Day, and their efforts to

protect the environment were singled out during a speech by the deputy
central government representative. In Zaire, the Baha’i Regional
Committee for Social and Economic Development collaborated with other
NGOs to plan two conferences to educate youth about the state of the
environment.

Bahé’is shared their views on the relationship between environmental
protection, global cooperation, and spiritual principles with a variety
of audiences. “The Social Roots of the Global Ecological Crisis,”
“Values as the Driving Force for Achieving Sustainable Development,” and
“New Approaches to Integrating Ecological, Economic, and Spiritual
Factors in Society” were the

A government oflicial in Uganda plants a tree at the Gala Baha ’1'
Teaching Institute on the occasion of World Environment Day,

5 June 1994.

names of the presentations made by Arthur Lyon Dahl at a seminar
organized by the Institute of Spiritual Foundations for World
Civilization in Kiev, Ukraine. In Italy, a Baha’i declaration on nature
and preservation of the earth’s resources was presented to a large group
of scientists attending the Venice International Forum for a World
Government for the Environment. In Costa Rica, Baha’is created an
exhibit and were represented at the plenary sessions of the
International Society for Ecological Economics’ third annual conference,
“Down to Earth: Practical Applications of Ecological Economics.” The
gathering was attended by more than 1,300 academics, students, and
representatives of NGOs.

Bahél’is in Peru contributed an exposition on natural resources to the
first Ecology Festival sponsored by the Institute of Ecology in
September 1994. In Japan, after a Bahzi’i offered a workshop

114

on environmental problems transcending borders, a 90-minute video of the
presentation was aired seven times on cable television. Baha’i interest
in environmental protection Was recognized in New Zealand, Where the
Ministry for the Environment asked the Baha’i community to comment on a
discussion document entitled “Exploring the Options for Reducing Net
Emissions of Carbon Dioxide.” The Baha’i Office of External Affairs
submitted a report which focused on the need for international
cooperation and global unity to adequately address the carbon dioxide
emission problem, the need to recognize humanity’s role as guardian of
the Well-being of the planet and future generations, and the fundamental
need for changes in value systems as a prerequisite for a long-term
solution.

A representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United
States, Peter Adriance, was among the 200 people from NGOs on five
continents who attended “Two Years After UNCED: Exploring Partnerships
for Sustainable Development” in Iowa in July. The conference focused on
cooperative efforts by busi

ness, government and NGOs to development following the 1992 conference,
the National Spiritual entitled Unity and Consultation Development, and
Mr. Adriance mo

progress toward sustainable Earth Summit. As part of the Assembly
submitted a paper Foundations for Sustainable

derated a workshop on con

sultation and cooperation.

A number of national communities focused on the importance of educating
children to love and protect the planet. The third Ecological Camp
sponsored by the Baha’i community of Colombia was held in January 1995
on a farm in Cachipay. The children attending studied the beauty of
diversity and made posters for a children’s art exhibition on the
environment held annually in Taiwan. The 1994 exhibit featured the best
220 drawings of 2,250 entries from 38 countries on the theme “Our
Fragile Environment.” It was seen by more than 10,000 people

In July 1994, a mini-Chikyukan (“Earth House”) opened on the island of
Shodoshima, Japan, to teach people about nature. The upper elementary
Baha’i children’s class of Takamatsu prepared a program for the children
attending the opening festival, and posters about the environment were
created for

display in the Chikyukan. The Science Center in Singapore, which is
visited by school groups, was the site of a display of Baha’i
environmental materials and a slide show prepared for Earth Day in April
1994. Copies of various environment-related statements were donated to
the Center’s library.

In early April 1995, the first of a two-session Summit on Religions and
Conservation was held in Atarni, Japan, to be followed by the second
meeting in Windsor, England, in May. The Summit was sponsored by MOA
International, the Pilkington Foundation and the World Wide Fund for
Nature. The Baha’i Faith was one of nine religions to be represented,
each offering a written statement on its theological teachings regarding
conservation and sustainable development, a review of past activities,
and a prospectus of future initiatives. Kimiko Schwerin, Counsellor
member of the Baha’i International Teaching Centre, made the Baha’i
presentation in Japan. (Details on the session in the United Kingdom
will be included in The Bahd ’1' World 1995—96.)

Health Care

The period 1994—95 saw the formation of the Baha’i Health Association
for Central and Eastern Europe and a European Baha’i Dental Association,
and the first meeting of the Association of Baha’i Doctors in India.
These new organizations joined others, such as Health for Humanity,
which are striving to address health care needs in a spirit of service
and to provide arenas for consultation on long-term solutions to the
health care crisis.

The new European associations were established during the second
European Baha’i Health Conference held in De Poort, Netherlands, in
October 1994. Representatives of 25 countries gathered to hear lectures,
participate in Workshops, and view demonstrations of health projects
that addressed the spiritual dimension of health care Work. The first
meeting of the Association of Baha’i Doctors and Health Professionals in
India took place in January 1995.

Free or low-cost medical services were provided volunteers around the
world. For example, three representa

tives of Health for Humanity brought the latest equipment and

YEAR m REVIEW

techniques in cataract surgery to Dominica in March 1995 and spent one
week performing surgery, seeing patients, and giving lectures to
students of the Ross University School of Medicine and staff at the
island’s major hospital.

Eight British medical specialists representing the Baha’i Health Agency
UK travelled to Bucharest, Romania, in September 1994 to distribute
medical aid and meet with colleagues to discuss plans for future
distribution of aid, exchange visits for medical personnel, and twinning
of hospitals In Guyana, a member of the Baha’i Health Partnership
Program, Dr. J amshid Aidun, received the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris
Fellow Award for his work in the Rupununi region.

More than 700 men, women, and children in the region of Korcé, Albania,
received free dental care from visiting Baha’i dentists in April 1995.
The project was proposed by the European Association of Baha’i Promoters
of Oro-facial Health to give free dental treatment to a rural population
with no local dentist and to analyze the dental needs of the residents
and propose a more continuous project. Courses were also given in
village schools about prevention of dental problems. The project was
authorized by the Ministry of Health and the village mayors.

In India, two day-long free medical camps at Ussgao, organized by the
State Baha’i Council of Goa, and a one-day camp in the village of Muhana
organized by the Baha’i community of Jaipur were among the services
rendered. In Malaysia, the Baha’i community of Muar worked with the
Lions Club of Tangkak to

Dr: Ardishir Vehidi poses with the Gypsy children in Chirileu, Romania,
he visited to teach health and hygiene rechniqaes.

A mother holds her child while o staff member or the mobile health
clinic in the region of Menu, Kenya, gives an innocularion.

sponsor a blood donation campaign and to offer free eye examinations. A
similar service was offered the following month in Serendah, Hulu Selangor.

Education

n is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however,
deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess. . . . Regard man
as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value... Education can, alone,
cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit
therefrom.”9 Baha’is continued this year to act upon this truth by
devoting particular attention to the need for moral education and by
establishing and operating schools offering full academic programs.

Humanity’s crying need for workable concepts and practices in the area
of moral education was responded to in a variety of Ways by Baha’is.
Eschewing the idea that one “modeF' of moral education currently exists
but still believing in the need for theory to be informed by practice,
communities embarked on journeys of action and reflection. They offered
courses to meet the immediate requirements of children, and they
participated in ongoing discussions on the subject to continually refine
their understanding of this evolving field.

Moral education classes are an integral part of the curriculum at the
Bahz'l’i-run Rabbani School in India, and students learn to

118

conduct such classes in nearby villages. Likewise, students at the New
Era Development Institute (NEDI) in Panchgani, India, learn these
skills, and in October they provided lessons related to virtues for more
than 1,000 children. NEDI also offered a teacher training program for
approximately 70 villagers interested in starting ongoing classes. Moral
education seminars are offered to local schools by the Local Spiritual
Assembly of Lucknow, which this year arranged a three-day course for 150
teachers of the City Montessori School.

Seventy high school teachers from the western region of Paraguay
participated in a course on moral education given by two Baha’is from
Fernando de la Mora after they were invited to do so by the Ministry of
Education and Religion. The workshops were so successful that the
Bahzi’is were requested to conduct two more courses for 75 additional
teachers. In Brazil, the directors of ten schools in the municipality of
Socorro created a “Vision of Socorro for the Year 2000” during a course
on moral education offered by a Bahé’i. Martha Jalali was invited by the
Nucleus of Integration

and Development of the

Federal University of Sergipe to give the course, and she later spoke at
a gathering of 600 youth organized by the course participants to discuss
the role of youth in realizing the “Vision.’7

Baha’is from Brazil offered seminars on moral education at a university
and other venues in Arkhangelsk, Russia. Also in Russia, Shamil
Fattakhov, a Baha’i journalist, developed a television program called
“Zi-Po-Po” which explores moral issues in a format suited for youth.
Each episode centers around a theme—such as backbiting, theft, alcohol
abuse—Which is illustrated by a short drama. Then the youth in the
audience are engaged in consultation about the principles involved in the

Salad ’1' children is classes in Plaplaya, a Gargima village in Honduras.

dilemma portrayed. Russian Bahél’is Alexandra Lopatina and Maria
Screbtsova Wrote and published a book on the spiritual education of
children which is proving quite popular.

High school students in Puno, Peru, completed a four-monthlong moral
leadership class in December 1994 offered by the staff of Radio Baha’i
in Lake Titicaca. The course will be taught again. In Angola, the
National Spiritual Assembly was invited to be a member of the National
Institute of Religious Affairs Council to coordinate the activities of
the country’s religious groups. The first meeting concentrated on how
the organizations can “create a new race of men” given that children
received virtually no moral education during 20 years of civil war.

Baha’is tried to advance the conversation about moral education in a
variety of Ways. In Brazil, “Moral and Ethical Leadership: A New
Framework” was the theme of an October 1994 seminar cosponsored by the
Baha’i community of Salvador and the University of the State of Bahia.
The same month Regional Symposia on Moral and Ethical Leadership took
place at Londrina State University and in Manaus, the latter with the
cooperation

of several government and non-governmental organizations and the
participation of over 250 people representing 61 groups.

In July 1994, Dr. Stephen Viekers presented a Bahél’i per~ speetive 0n
spiritual and moral education to the Roehampton Conference on Education,
Spirituality and the Whole Child, which was held in the United Kingdom.
Addressing the distinction between spiri

tual and moral education, he

said, claims that

A. the human being has twin roles The Ootcm Marawa Bahd '1' School to
play’ distinct but of equal

Opens in Kiribati in April value. One is to know and to

120

Students and their teacher at the Lamshiya preschool in Swaziland.

A new dormitory at the New Era High School in Paachgam', Maharashtra,
India, was opened by the National Spiritual Assembly an 16 January 1995.

worship God... The second role laid upon human beings is to carry forth
an ever—advancing civilization, and corresponds to the development of
moral qualities.”

A symposium on the psychology of morality was conducted by Dr. Iraj
Ayman and several colleagues at the International Congress of Applied
Psychology held in Madrid. Participants from Japan, Mexico, Hawaii,
India, China, the Philippines, and various countries of Europe expressed
interest in pursuing further joint studies in moral psychology and
education.

The National Spiritual Assembly of Ecuador translated into Spanish the
booklet Exploring a Frameworkfor Moral Education and distributed it to
prominent people throughout the country, including the deputies of the
National Congress, district superintendents and supervisors of
education, school principals, and teachers. In the East Leeward Islands,
a booklet called A New Framework for Moral Education, the documented
proceedings of a national symposium held in Albania in 1993, was sent to
the Minister of Education for the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

Schools from the preschool to the university level are operated by
Bahé’is according to Baha’i principles but open to all. Universidad
Ni'lr in Bolivia, for example, offers a variety of academic programs to
facilitate community development. One of its many projects under way
this year was a distance education effort to train 500 rural school
teachers as agents for community development; the University published
six textbooks on themes such as moral leadership, community
participation, and training of adults to use in this program.

Other milestones this year in the area of education include the opening
in September 1994 in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, of the Nancy Campbell

Collegiate Institute, a secondary school which emphasizes the fine and
performing arts, moral leadership, and studies in world order issues;
the inauguration in January 1995 of Universidad Técnica Privada de Santa
Cruz (the Private Technical University of Santa

Cruz), Bolivia, which has teachings registered in its constitution: and
the official opening of the Ootan Marawa School in Na’a, North Tarawa,
Kiribati in April 1995.

In the area of preschool education, two new schools were approved by the
Minister of Education in Nicaragua, three Baha’i preschools in Colombia
graduated their first classes, and a book entitled Pre-Primary Schools:
A Bahd Teacher Guide, published by the Central and East African Baha’i
Regional Development Committee, was received enthusiastically by
educators throughout Africa and Asia.

The Baha’is of Chita, Russia, were asked to provide teachers and a
program for a children’s summer camp held in 1994. They prepared
activities, games, and workshops for 500 children on the topics of world
religions, physical and spiritual health,

Participants in a literacy project training course, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

122

human relationships, and the environment, as well as teaching some
dance, music, theater, crafts, and puppetry. Another camp was organized
by Baha’is for children in Chiayi, Taiwan The program included a variety
of indoor and outdoor activities and emphasized the importance of
developing virtues, the elimi

nation of prejudices, and the unity of humanity.

Other Areas ofIn valvem ent

In addition to focusing their energies on promoting race unity, the
advancement of women, environmental protection, health care, and
education, Baha’is involved themselves in addressing other issues facing
local communities, nations, and the world through participating in and
sponsoring exchanges of ideas.

A delegation from the National Spiritual Assembly of Ethiopia was
received by the Constitution Drafting Commission in May 1994 and offered
a statement on principles that would benefit the nation. Similarly, when
a Draft Constitution was being debated in Uganda, the National Spiritual
Assembly ofthat country

submitted a statement to the Uganda Constitutional Commission.

When the federal government of Parliamentary Committee to Rev officials
in the Department of Fore Trade encouraged the Baha’i comm June 1994, a
three-member delegat

Canada set up a Special Joint iew Canadian Foreign Policy, i gn Affairs
and International unity to present its views. In ion representing the
National

Spiritual Assembly met with the committee and presented an oral version
of the written statement A Sakai '1' Perspective on the Future of
Canadian Foreign Policy

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Republic of Ireland was invited
to submit its views on the future of Irish foreign policy when the
Minister for Foreign Affairs announced that his department would develop
a White Paper on the topic. The Baha’is’ contribution was forwarded to
the Department of Foreign Affairs in September 1994, and in January two
Bahé’is joined over 200 ministers of state, department heads, religious
representatives, foreign ambassadors and media representatives for a
conference on the White Paper.

A government study in Ecuador on “Free Education for Ecuadorian
Families” prompted the Baha’i community to contact

75 government officials and brief them on the Bahé’i viewpoint on
religious education in the schools.

In November, the Baha’i community of the United Kingdom was invited by
the One World Trust to assist with a meeting to reestablish the
Parliamentary Group for World Government. The meeting took place in the
Moses Room of the House of Lords under the chairmanship of Lord Archer
of Sandwell.

The European Baha’i Business Forum (EBBF) responded to the growing need
for exploration of the issues involved in raising the ethical standards
practiced in business. In May 1994, the EBBF supervised a three-day
seminar on integrating ' 7 --- business ethics into the curriculum of
the College of Management, Trade, Export, and Marketing in Sofia,
Bulgaria, after being invited to do so by the dean of the college. In
June a representative of EBBF spoke in Romania on the topic of business
and ethics at the Center for Business Excellence, a consulting and
training center, and at the University Polytechnic Center. The annual
meeting of the EBBF, on the theme “Corporate Mor~ alization in Europe,”
brought together 55 people from 20 countries in September. In 1995 the
EBBF published two monographs: Ethics After Socialism—Now or Ever? and
Ethics and EntrepreneurshiptAn Oxymoron? The Transition to a Free Market
Economy in Eastern Europe.

Business ethics were also addressed by a member of the Continental Board
of Counsellors in the Americas when he spoke at two professional
institutes in Peru. Eloy Anello gave talks on business leadership at the
Peruvian Institute of Business Administration and at the Higher Learning
Center.

A World press exhibition to mark International Day of Peace in El
Salvador was one of many events sponsored by Baha’i communities to
promote peace. A SOD-kilometer relay run from Hiroshima to Nagasaki,
Japan, called “Peace, Pass It On!” was organized in August; the Baha’i
community of Edenvale, South Africa, hosted a National Peace Day
celebration which included the presentation of prizes for a “peace arts”
competition; and the Bahé’is of San José, Costa Rica, continued to
produce a weekly radio program on peace-making, with the support of the UN.

In July 1994, the World Center for Peace, end Human

124

Rights was inaugurated in Verdun, France, the site of one of the
bloodiest battles of World War I. Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khénum was among
the first 50 international religious, cultural, and political figures to
cosponsor the creation of the Center, which Will house a peace museum,
at center for cultural and scientific research, a documents archives,
and an international conference site.

All over the World, Baha’i communities tried to stimulate conversation
about the vital issues facing society and raise these conversations to
the level of principle. The Baha’i Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
was the site of a Seminar on Global Change in July which included
meetings on development, the status of women, sustainable agriculture,
and international peace. Baha’is provided a book exhibit and four
speakers to the Polish Congress on Universalism held at Warsaw
University in September. An international conference on the topic
“Transition to a Global Society” was held at the Scientific and
Technical Research Authority of Turkey in Ankara in November. The
Baha’is of Baguio City, Philippines, organized talks on AIDS awareness,
crime prevention, ecology, and consultation at local high schools. The
Baha’is of Auckland, New Zealand, hosted ongoing forums on important
issues of the day. The Baha’i community of Brazil was extensively
involved in the second Educational Congress for the Integration of Latin
America (11 CEPIAL), an effort aimed at “fostering the formation of new
mechanisms to promote relations between regions and countries, seeking
to initiate exchange, promotion, study,

research, and human resource formation.” Approximately 7,000 people from
business, media, universities, and human rights organizations attended
the six-day event. Baha’i contributions included speakers, panelists,
art and book exhibits, official notetakers, and planning resources.

Also in Brazil, Bahzi’i statements were presented at the International
Congress of Economists, held in $50 Paulo in July 1994; a Conference on
Food Security which gathered 2,000 people in September 1994 to prepare
strategies for lessening hunger in Brazil; and the
AFRO-Portuguese-Brazilian Summit held in October 1994 to discuss
creation of a Community of PortugueseSpeaking Countries.

Baha’is formed part of a delegation to China representing the Pacific
Rim Institute for Development and Education (PRIDE) in June 1994. The
cultural and traditional exchange program extended to five cities and
included visits to schools, hospitals, institutes, universities, and
Buddhist temples. educators and doctors presented lectures on topics
such as “Education and Its Role in Human Progress” and “The Current
Trend in US Medical Education.”

In December 1994, the deputy director of the Office of External Affairs
of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States was invited to
be a panelist at a symposium called “The United Nations at Fifty:
Creating a More Democratic and Effective UN,” held at the University of
Notre Dame

Development Conferences and Agencies

Baha’is currently operate more than 1,300 social and economic
development projects, each of which is evolving as the participants
reflect on their practice, exchange ideas with others, and reach higher
levels of understanding of Baha’i principles. News of the individual
projects is obviously too extensive to be reported here, but some
examples can be cited of recent efforts to deepen the conversation about
development and to systematize the practice of what is being learned.

Organizations such as the Uganda Baha’i Institute for Development,
established by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Uganda
to consolidate and guide Baha’i development

126

activities; the William Mmutle Masehla Foundation in Zambia, which has
evolved into an NGO guiding a number of programs such as a secondary
school for young women and a health care project; the Bayan Indigenous
Social and Economic Develop— ment Association in Honduras, which has the
object of raising up healthy and active Baha’i communities through
social and economic development projects among indigenous groups; and
the Guyana Office of Social and Economic Development are examples of
some of the new organizations that have emerged from Baha’is’
experiences Within the field of development.

Workshops on education, the environment, health, family and youth, the
role of money in development, and the role of Baha’i development with
native peoples were all part of the annual North American Baha’i
Conference on Social and Economic Development sponsored by the
Eshraghieh and Mahmoud Rabbani Charitable Trust. More than 600 people
attended the four-day event in Florida in December, discussing the
issues and listening to speakers such as Mona Grieser, Canadian Deputy
Prime Minister technical coordinator for the giggly” Oflimgmg'ielntl

r V - V 1 apps vlSl S e 10 a Baha l Commumty/ Eghmri Rural Polytechnical
InstiUNIFEM Project “Traditional trite in Iranduba, Amazon, Brazil.
Media as Change Agent”; Holly

Hanson, author of Social and Economic Development: A Bahd ’1'
Perspective; and Dr. David Ruhe and his Wife, Margaret, who received the
Award of Excellence for their work in this field.

December was also the time for the first conference of the Baha’i Agency
for Social and Economic Development (BASED), a new organization formed
in the United Kingdom. Some 40 Baha’is dedicated to development met in
Manchester, England,

to examine the future role of the agency and how it could work

with other organizations. A new association for social and economic
development was also created in South Africa in 1994.

In Kenya, the Central and East African Baha’i Regional Development
Committee was asked by the organizers of the Third International Social
Studies Conference to present a talk on “The Challenging Role of Social
Studies Education in the SocioEconomic Development Process Towards World
Order and World Peace.” The Baha’i community was also offered 40 places
at the conference, which took place in June in Nairobi

In response to the problem of illiteracy, the Office of Social and
Economic Development at the Baha’i World Centre has begun to consolidate
Baha’is’ experience into systematic programs, beginning with pilot
literacy projects in Cambodia, the Central African Republic, and Guyana.

In 1993, the National Spiritual Assembly ofthe Baha’is ofthe Marshall
Islands assumed responsibility for the administration and management of
five elementary schools in the Majuro Atoll, acting upon proposals from
local and national governments and from the country’s President that the
Baha’is take a role in upgrading the quality of the nation’s education.
In October 1994, the remaining two public elementary schools on Majuro
were also placed under the supervision of the National Spiritual
Assembly—an indication of the government’s positive response to the work
accomplished thus far.

In anticipation of national education reform in Cameroon, the National
Spiritual Assembly of that country submitted a statement entitled
“Education: Foundation of Sustainable Development” in French and English
to the Minister of National Education and to provincial delegates for
national education

Interfaith Dialogue

In accordance with Baha’i belief that the world’s major religions are
all divinely revealed and share the same essential spiritual teachings,
communities initiated and participated in interfaith gatherings to
promote the idea that religion is the basis of unity. Baha’is began
celebrating the third Sunday in January as

World Religion Day in the United States in 1950, and by 1995 it

was being commemorated all over the World. More than 1,000

128

people attended the first observance in Singapore this year, held at the
Singapore Conference Hall. Ambassadors, high commissioners,
representatives of diplomatic circles, and others listened as speakers
from nine religious communities spoke about how their faiths could
promote peace and unity. The event was opened by Professor Tommy Koh,
Singapore’s ambassador-at-large, director of the Institute of Policy
Studies, and permanent repre— sentative to the United Nations.

In Mozambique, the Minister of Justice, Dr. Jose Ibraimo Abudo, declared
the observance of World Religion Day open by lighting nine oil lamps
offered by the Hindu community for the occasion. Speakers from the
Baha’i, Christian, Hindu, and Jewish communities addressed the packed
amphitheater on the theme “The Fundamental Oneness of Religion.”

In Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Catholics, Protestants, Baha’is, and
Sikhs shared prayers, readings, and music during a World Religion Day
commemoration at Oakgrove Integrated College. In Johannesburg, South
Africa, four Baha’i panelists answered questions on a radio call-in show
about World Religion Day. In India, the Local Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha’is of Delhi collaborated with the New Delhi YMCA to organize a
panel discussion on unity in diversity to observe the day.

In honor of the International Year of Tolerance, the Baha’is in Spain
organized a roundtable discussion 011 “Religious Tolerance” at the
National Baha’i Center, which was chaired by the distinguished
theologian Enrique Miret Magdalena. Representatives from the Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish and Baha’i Faiths drafted a statement on religious
tolerance which was sent to the media.

Baha’is participated in interfaith gatherings organized by other
religious communities, such as the fourth Interreligious Prayer Meeting
in Luxembourg during which each religious representative put flowers of
different colors in a vase and lit a candle as a symbol of light in the
darkness of intolerance. Smaller groups then discussed how individuals
can “spread the seed of reconciliation.” In February 1995, the Baha’is
of Brazil took part in the Fourth Encounter for a New Consciousness, an
ecumenical gathering of 1,500 people from diverse backgrounds. A Baha’i
Was also a member of the official Italian delegation to the Sixth

World Assembly of the World Conference on Religion and Peace held in
November in Rome. In Sierra Leone, Bahél’is became members of the
Multi-Religious Council for Peace and Justice.

An important corner was turned in terms of public recognition of the
Baha’i Faith in the United Kingdom in April 1995. The Dean of
Westminster, the Very Reverend Michael Mayne, wrote to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom confirming that in the future
the Baha’is Will be allotted time to present a reading during the Annual
Commonwealth Observance held in Westminster Abbey in the presence of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and broadcast via BBC World Service.

A special triumph for interfaith cooperation occurred in Germany in
October 1994, due to the efforts of a group that included Baha’is. In a
project eventually supported by all the major religious communities
represented in Berlin and the Senate of Berlin, a “Room of Tranquillity”
was dedicated in the northern gatehouse of the Brandenburg Gate to
provide a place for quiet reflection for all visitors to the former
Berlin Wall.

Recognition

As public understanding of the nature and teachings of the Baha’i Faith
continued to spread and deepen and Baha’i communities grew, public
institutions afforded greater legal and social recognition to the Baha’i
community. This took various forms, such as government registration of
the Baha’i Faith, approval of school or work absences 0n Baha’i holy
days, or official invitations for Baha’i representation at major events.

A unique form of recognition came from the Supreme Court of India, which
cited Baha’i teachings as guidelines for solving religious disputes in
its judgement on such a dispute between Hindus and Muslims. The
judgement, dated 24 October 1994, related to mob violence that occurred
in early 1993 sparked by controversy over a 16th century mosque said to
stand on the ruins of an ancient Hindu temple honoring Lord Rama. A
portion of the Supreme Court decision read, “A neutral perception of the
requirement for communal harmony is to be found in the Baha’i Faith. In
a booklet, Communal Harmony—India 15' Greatest

Challenge, forming part of the Bahz'l’i literature, it is stated thus:

130

‘...Lasting harmony between heterogeneous communities can only come
through a recognition of the oneness of mankind, a realization that
differences that divide us along ethnic and religious lines have no
foundation. Just as there are no boundaries drawn on the earth of
separate nations, distinctions of social, economic, ethnic and religious
identity imposed by peoples are artificial...” In total, three
paragraphs from the booklet on communal harmony were quoted.

The status of the Baha’i Faith as a major religion was indirectly
affirmed in Bulgaria, where four Baha’i holy days were recognized by the
Bulgarian Parliament. This means that believers are entitled to be
absent from work or school without penalty on the First Day of Ridvén,
Naw-Ruz, the Declaration of the Bab, and the Birthday of Baha’u’llah. In
the Netherlands, the official Dutch Public Library Classification System
(SISO) corrected its classification of the Baha’i Faith as a sect and
gave it its own classification number. In Albania, the 1995 edition of
the country ’s Encyclopedical Calendar devotes an entire page to the
Baha’i Faith.

On 29 November 1994, the London Borough of WandsWorth’s Standing
Advisory Council on Religious Education produced a new Agreed Syllabus
for the teaching of religious education in all the borough’s schools
which contains a page section on the Baha’i Faith. Included are an
introduction to the Faith, a glossary of 70 terms, and a curriculum for
teaching about the Faith at each stage of primary and secondary school.

A book called Na Kade Chuveche? [Where Are We Heading'P], written by a
member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Mr. Georgi Bliznakov, to
explore the current problems of Bulgaria and their possible solutions,
discusses the Baha’i Faith as one solution in a chapter devoted to its
teachings. The book was publicly introduced during a reception for
leaders of thought at Museum of Earth and Man in April 1995.

A number of invitations to high-level official functions also signalled
growing recognition of the status of the Baha’i Faith. In South Africa,
the office of President Nelson Mandela sent an invitation for a
representative of the Baha’i Faith to attend the state banquet given by
the President for Queen Elizabeth II. The

Baha’i Faith was also represented at a reception hosted by the President
of Romania in honor of the tricentenary of the University of Bucharest.
In Turkmenistan, the chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly of
Ashkhabad represented the Baha’i community at a reception hosted by the
President for government, embassy, and religious officials. At the
conclusion of the banquet, a presidential decree Was issued in which the
Baha’i Faith was mentioned, thus giving it an official status.

For the first time in the history of the Baha’i Faith in Pakistan, the
government invited members of the community, as an NGO, to attend a
senior officers’ meeting to present their views. The meeting was held in
preparation for the World Summit for Social Development. In Ethiopia,
the National Spiritual Assembly Was invited to attend the ceremony to
mark final delivery of the approved draft of the new Ethiopian
constitution to the head of state.

Legal recognition was formally granted the Baha’i Faith in several
countries this year. The government of Mexico approved registration of
the Baha’i Faith in that country in June 1994, and the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Mexico was registered 20 January
1995. The Baha’i Faith was officially recognized in Serbia 18 October
1994. In December 1994, the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan
was registered as a religious body with the Ministry of Justice. The
national Baha’i community of Nepal was legally registered in February 1995.

132

Update: The Sitga’cifgn of THEBAHA’IS IN IRAN

ince 1979, the Baha’i community in Iran, numbering some

) 350,000, has been systematically persecuted, harassed, and
discriminated against in a variety of ways by the governing regime. More
than 200 Baha’is have been killed or have disappeared and are presumed
dead, and as of August 1994 seven Baha’is were still held in prisons
because of their religious beliefs; three death sentences still stand.

It is now estimated that some 15,000 Baha’i graves were dese— crated in
the summer of 1993, when authorities bulldozed the oldest Baha’i
cemetery in Tehran to make way for an Islamic cultural center, leaving
the Babe? 1’s only a wasteland for their use where they are not
permitted to mark graves of their loved ones.1 Many other Bahzi’i
properties, some belonging to widows of Bahzi’is who have been executed,
have also been seized by the government.

can expect little satisfaction in the country’s Islamic

legal system. In one case, two Muslims who killed a were

1. For further details, see The Baha' '1' World 1993—94, pp. 139—145.

released from prison because the person they killed was “an unprotected
infidel.” Baha’i marriages and divorces are not recognized, and Baha’l's
may not legally inherit property. It is extremely difficult for them to
obtain passports and exit visas to travel outside the country. With
regard to education, youth are systematically barred from institutions
of higher education such as colleges and universities. Bahé’is even
experience difficulties in circulating literature Within their own
community.

The Faith’s members in Iran also suffer great economic hardship. More
than 10,000 have been dismissed from positions in government and public
education, pensions have been revoked, and in some cases Baha’is have
been required to return salaries and pensions received. Baha’i farmers
are prevented from joining farmers’ cooperatives, often the only source
of credit, seeds, pesticide, and fertilizer. Private companies have
often been compelled to discharge members of the Faith, and in some
locations Baha’l's have been prevented from operating their own businesses.

In 1993 the Special Representative of the United Nations Human Rights
Commission revealed the existence of a secret official document
asserting that the government will treat Baha’is “such that their
progress and development shall be blocked” and urging the development of
a plan to uproot the cultural foundations of the Baha’i community
outside Iran. This official policy statement provides ample
demonstration that the international community must continue to monitor
the situation to ensure that the treatment of Iran’s Bahé’is does not
deteriorate even further. During 1994—95, both the United States and the
United Nations acted to keep the spotlight of international pressure on the

government of that country.

In the United States Following on the US Senate resolution “Concerning
the Emanci

pation of the Iranian Baha’i Community,” passed unanimously by both the
Senate, in November 1993, and the House of Representatives, in April
l994—the sixth such concurrent resolution

passed since 1982—a group of five Senators from both major

134

parties wrote a letter to President Clinton on 21 July 1994. In it, they
expressed their concern over the “officially~sponsored repression that
has been directed against Baha’i's since the Iranian Revolution” and
urged the US administration “to continue its leadership and diplomatic
efforts on the issue of the Baha’is and to continue to speak out in
support of the cause of tolerance and freedom in Iran through the Voice
of America and other appropriate public channels.” The letter noted that
the Baha’is of Iran “continue to be singled out for persecution based on
their religious beliefs.”

In response, a 23 August 1994 letter from President Clinton to the
Chairman of the Senate expressed concern over the situation of the
Baha’is in Iran, praising the Senate resolution as “a useful reminder
that we must continue to be vigilant in calling attention to the plight
of the and promising that his administration “Will continue to work to
create an international consensus to influence Iran to change its
behavior on human rights.”

United Nations

The interim report of the Special Representative on Iran, Professor
Reynaldo Galindo Pohl, to the United Nations General Assembly included
eight paragraphs on the Iranian Baha’i community. Canada, Ireland,
Sweden, and Germany (representing the European Union) made specific
mention of the Baha’is in their oral presentations to the Third
Committee, the General Assembly’s social, humanitarian, and cultural
committee that includes all United Nations members. On 13 December 1994,
the Third Committee of the 49th session of the United Nations General
Assembly adopted another strongly-worded resolution on Iran, with
specific mention of the Bahzi’is. The resolution was adopted with a vote
of 68 in favor and 23 against, with 56 abstentions.

Shortly after, on 23 December 1994, the United Nations General Assembly
passed a resolution condemning human rights abuses in Iran, with
specific mention of the Baha’r’s in two paragraphs, noting the
“discriminatory treatment of minorities for reason of their religious
beliefs, notably the Baha’is, whose

existence as a viable religious community is threatened.” The

General Assembly also resolved to “continue examination of the situation
of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran including the situation
of minority groups, such as the Baha’is, during its fiftieth session
under the item entitled ‘Human Rights Questions’ in the light of
additional elements provided by the Commission on Human Rights and the
Economic and Social Council.” The resolution was cosponsored by 27
countries, with 74 voting in favor, 25 against, and 55 abstentions. A
further 31 countries did not participate in the vote.

The International Community was active at the Slst session of the UN
Human Rights Commission, making an oral statement during its meeting in
Geneva between 29 January and 10 March 1995. The statement reviewed the
unrelenting economic strangulation to which the Baha’i community has
been subjected, the barring of Baha’is from institutions of higher
learning in Iran, the destruction and desecration of Baha’i properties,
including cemeteries and holy places, and the denial of basic economic,
social, and civil rights. On 8 March 1995, by a vote of 28 to 8, the UN
Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution condemning the continued
violation of human rights in Iran, taking particular note of the
situation of the Baha’i community there. Like the General Assembly
resolution, the Human Rights Commission resolution noted that the
Baha’is’ “existence as a viable religious community...is threatened.”
This was the thirteenth resolution since 1983 expressing concern over
human rights violations in Iran and taking note of the Baha’i
community’s special situation. Before the General Assembly and the
Commission acted, resolutions concerning the human rights situation in
Iran, that included specific mention of the Bahé’fs, were passed by both
the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Sub-Commission on the
Prevention of Discrimination and the Protection of Minorities.

In the News

Newspapers around the world continued to mention the Iranian Baha’i
community, particularly with regard to the country’s human rights
situation. Some highlights of this coverage follow.

The persecution of Iran’s Bahé’is was mentioned as a matter

of course in numerous newspaper articles focusing on abuses perpetrated
against other religious leaders, notably Christians, in that country
during 1994. Publications such as the International Herald Tribune, the
New York Times, and London’s newspapers the Guardian, the Universe, and
the Times mentioned the community in this connection. Egypt’s newspaper
Al-Ahrcim reported on the UN Human Rights Commission resolution
condemning Iran’s human rights violations and specifically mentioned the
Baha’is, as did Belgian newspapers such as Le Soir. Papers in Taiwan and
Ireland also mentioned the per~ secution of Iran’s Baha’is.

A report about the US Senators’ letter and President Clinton’s reply
appeared in the Iran Times International of Washington, DC, in September
1994 and was reprinted elsewhere, including in France’s Revue de la
presse arabe, iranienne at turque later the same month. The Voice of
America Persian Service also broadcast an editorial about the Senators’
resolution, which drew an angry response from one ayatollah the
following Friday in his prayer sermon at Tehran University.

Olya Roohizadegan, whose book Olya’s Story chronicles her imprisonment
with other Baha’i women following the Islamic Revolution in 1979,
continued to travel widely during 1994—95 to promote the publication.
Among the newspapers covering her visits in the US were the Los Angeles
Times, the Phoenix Gazette, the Dallas Morning News, and the San Jose
Mercury News. During her travels in Ireland, the Evening Press and
Ulster’s Sunday World, as well as other papers, printed stories about
her experiences.

Conclusion

Principles of the Baha't’i Faith require Bahé’is to be obedient to the
government of the country in which they live, and so the community has
never posed, nor does it now pose, any threat to the authorities. In
1983, when ordered to disband its elected administrative system that
organizes community life, Iran’s community obeyed. The persecution is
based solely on the members’ religious beliefs, and the Bahé’is have
been consistently

offered their lives, their freedom, and the return of their property

if they will recant their faith. The Baha’is of Iran, who desire only
their basic rights as outlined in the International Bill of Human
Rights, have suffered for fifteen years. In support of their spiritual
brothers and sisters, Baha’l's around the world have made use of the few
avenues of appeal open to them, including the UN human rights system and
direct access to governments through National Spiritual Assemblies. In
1994—95, there was ample evidence that both governments and
international agencies were still keenly aware of their situation.

THEBAHM INTERNATIONAL CQMMHN I? Y

Activities 1994—95

he International Community has a long history of

involvement with the United Nations in its capacity as a
non-governmental organization (NGO).l With 172 national affiliates
around the world, offices in New York, Paris, and Geneva, and
representations to Regional United Nations Offices in Addis Ababa,
Bangkok, Nairobi, Rome, Santiago, and Vienna, the Baha’i International
Community is one of the most diverse and global NGOs in the world.
Addressing issues such as peace, human rights, the equality of women and
men, the environment, health, education, and social and economic
development, the Baha’i International Community has in recent years
established an Office of the Environment and an Office for the
Advancement of Women in addition to its permanent United Nations Office.
An Office of Public Information, based at the Baha’i World

Centre and with branches in Paris and London, disseminates

l. The history of the International Community’s work at the United
Nations is described in The Bahd '1' World, vol. 19 (1983—86), pp.
378—397. See also The Bahd World 1993—94, pp. 131—138.

information about the Faith around the world and oversees the production
of an awardnwinning quarterly newsletter, One Country.2

Highlights

During 1994—95, the Baha’i International Community was involved in a
wide variety of activities around the globe, but among all these several
stand out as highlights.

The first, an international symposium sponsored by the Baha’i
International Community on “Strategies for Creating Violence-Free
Families,” was held 23—25 May 1994 at UNICEF House, New York, as a
contribution towards the observance of the International Year of the
Family. The symposium was initiated by the Baha’i International
Community Office for the Advancement of Women, with the collaboration of
both the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Bringing together 50
international experts in the area of family violence, including senior
NGO officers and those working in the legal, medical, psychological, and
sociological fields, representing all regions of the world, the Office
for the Advancement of Women sought to develop positive, coordinated,
action-oriented solutions to what is now recognized as a global problem.
The concrete objective of the gathering was to create a document and
plan of action to be shared with governments, non-governmental agencies,
and educational institutions worldwide. Keynote speaker for the event
was Dr. H.B. Danesh, currently director of the Institute for
International Education and Development in Wienacht, Switzerland, and
author of The Violence-Free Society: A Gift for Our Children and other
Works. Dr. Danesh, an international consultant with over 30 years of
experience in the fields of psychiatry, community development, ethics,
and world order studies, said:

Of all the forms of violence that are committed by people against one
another, two demand particular attention. First is

2. An article about One Country appears on pp‘ 305—310 of this volume.

140

violence against women, which is global, occurring across lines of
culture, race, educational attainment, religion, and economic status,
affecting the very foundations of human civilization. In this
destructive drama, women of the world suffer levels of pain,
humiliation, injustice, and misery that cannot be tolerated by any
civilized community.

Second is the violence against the children and youth of the world.
Never in recorded history have so many children been reported victims of
direct or indirect violence. In addition to millions of children caught
in the war zones between nations and in the inner cities in all
countries of the world, there are many times more children living in
homes where abuse takes place routinely; where no parenting is done, no
healthy example is set, no education except for the violent input of
television, radio, and other audiovisual productions is provided.

In addition to the principal victims of violence, there is yet a third
group whose psyche and spirit are profoundly damaged by the prevalence
of violence in our world, yet who are almost totally unaware of it. To
this group belong the perpe~ trators of violence themselves.

Because family is the building block of the society and the first and
main place for the upbringing and education of every new generation, it
is therefore no exaggeration to state that the key to the establishment
of a peaceful, prosperous, and civilized world is the violence-free family.

The organizers and participants all deemed the symposium a valuable
contribution to dialogue on this subject. A videotape of the plenary
sessions was produced, and UNICEF published a symposium summary report
that has been widely distributed at national and international
conferences such as the International Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo and at regional preparatory meetings for the Fourth
World Conference on Women (FWCW) in Argentina, Jordan, and Austria
Copies were also circulated at a major international conference on
family violence sponsored by the International Council of Women in the
Netherlands. The report and Dr. Danesh’s keynote speech were published
as a booklet, entitled The Violence-Free Family: Building Block of a
Peaceful Civilization, in the spring of 1995 by the Association for
Studies in collaboration with the

Office for the Advancement of Women. The International

Community’s role in initiating the symposium demonstrated the Faith’s
clear vision of family life that eliminates the need for violent
communication, and showed how this vision is grounded in spirituality.
Participants were not hesitant to acknowledge the spiritual dimension of
the solution to the problems of violence and the relationship between
healing the family and eventual world peace. Further collaboration among
the Baha’i International Community, UNICEF, and International Women’s
Rights Action Watch resulted in the sponsorship of a workshop on family
violence at the regional preparatory meeting of the Economic Commission
for Europe (ECE) in Vienna, entitled “Bringing Human Rights Home:
Creating Violence-Free Families and Communities.” Collaborative
workshops also took place at various prepcoms for the FWCW.

A second highlight of the year occurred in London on 28 July 1994, with
the holding of the World Forestry Charter Gathering at St. James’s
Palace. This initiative of the Baha’i International Community Offices of
the Environment and Public Information brought together diverse
personalities representing aristocratic, business, environmental, and
religious sectors of society in order to give stimulus to the issue of a
legally binding agreement on forestry for all countries. The effort
arose from the non-binding set of Forestry Principles formulated at the
Earth Summit in Rio de J aneiro in 1992. It was hoped that the coming
together of representatives from various sectors would lay the
groundwork for a binding Convention as well as contribute to discussions
of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which was to take up
the issue of forests in 1995. His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke
of Edinburgh, who is president of the World Wide Fund for Nature,
addressed the gathering, as did Amatu’lBaha Ruhi'yyih Khanum, leading
dignitary in the Baha’i Faith.

The World Forestry Charter Gatherings were originally instituted by
early environmentalist Richard St. Barbe Baker in 1945. Continuing
through the 1950s and 19605, they inspired a number of efforts at global
cooperation in environmental matters, The Gatherings were revived by the
Baha’i International Community Office of Public Information in 1989, the
100th anniversary of St. Barbe Baker’s birth, to honor their fellow

HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, welcomes Amatu ’l-Bahd
Rilhlyyih Khdnum to St. Jamesls" Palace, London, venue for the 1994
World Forestry Charter Gathering. Looking on are Ms, Guilda Walker,
left, who organized the event for the Bahd International Community, and
Mrs. Violette Nakhjavdm', extreme right.

Baha’i’s commitment to the environment. Some 200 ambassadors,
businesspeople, and NGO representatives attended the diplomatic
luncheon, representing more than 30 countries. In addition, some
seventeen governments sent official messages to the Gathering, including
eight heads of state or government.

A third highlight of the year was the Baha’i International Community’s
participation in the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen
in March 1995‘ Activities undertaken during this event were so numerous
that a separate article has been devoted to them.3

Aside from highlights such as these, the Baha’i International Community
was involved in many other activities, a brief survey of which follows.

Meetings During 1994—95, Baha’i International Community representatives
chaired two important meetings on Human Rights at the

United Nations. The first was the International Non-Governmental
Organizations Committee on Human Rights, held 18 May 1994 on the theme
“An Overview of the 50th Session of the Commission on Human Rights” and
including over 50 NGOs and representatives of twelve UN missions. The
second was a conference organized by the UN Commission on Human Rights,
entitled “Women’s issues in the UN human rights machinery— latest
developments.” It was held 15 June, with speakers from the Permanent
Mission of Canada to the United Nations, a representative of the UN
Division on the Advancement of Women in New York, and an expert who is a
consultant to UNICEF. The Baha’i International Community also attended
as observer the extraordinary session of the UN Commission on Human
Rights held 24—25 May 1994 in Geneva to consider the situation in Rwanda. 4

Other meetings and UN sessions monitored by the International Community
included the World Health Assembly in Geneva, 2-12 May 1994; the
Commission on Sustainable Development in New York, 16—27 May 1994; and
the 1994 Substantive Meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC), 27 June—29 July 1994. A Bahzi’i International
Community representative currently holds the chair of the United Nations
NGO Committee on the Family.

Publications

Aside from the numerous statements made by the Baha’i International
Community during the year, a number of publications by the Office of
Public Information were released in various languages. The journalists’
handbook The Bahd’l's, already available in English and French, is now
published in Spanish as well. The Prosperity of Humankind, released by
the Baha’i International Community in late January 1995, was available
in English, French, Spanish, and Danish at the World Summit for

4. For details on the Bahz'l’i Intamational Community’s activities with
regard to the human rights situation of the community in Iran, see pp.
133*138.

144

Social Development5 and was subsequently translated into numerous other
languages. The booklet The Balui’i Question, prepared by the United
Nations Office and detailing the persecution of the Iranian Baha’i
community, was made available in French and Spanish. In collaboration
with the International Council of Jewish Women and the World Federation
of United Nations Associations, the Baha’i International Community also
produced a booklet entitled Education on the Convention on the Rights of
the Child on behalf of the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of
the Child. Published in English, French, and Spanish, the book is being
distributed by UNICEF to all its regional branches throughout the world.

Activities of the Oflicefor the Advancement of Women

In addition to the symposium on violence in the family, the Office for
the Advancement of Women engaged in a number of other projects and
activities, some new and some ongoing.

The video Two Wings, based on the Traditional Media as Change Agent
project with UNIFEM and including an interview with Marjorie Thorpe,
Deputy Director of UNIFEM, was released and has been extremely popular
with a wide range of audiences. Much of the footage in the video, which
was filmed by the project participants themselves, documents this unique
communication project that was designed to raise the status of women in
three countries: Bolivia, Cameroon, and Malaysia. Employing traditional
music, dance, and folktales to demonstrate the obstacles that women face
every day, both women and men examined the spiritual, cultural, and
social values that determine men’s and women’s status, in order to
develop community action for change. They then began the first tentative
steps towards making a deliberate change in their behavior and acquiring
new values more in line with their vision of their community.6 The
Traditional Media as Change Agent project will continue, with

5. The full text of this statement appears on pp. 273—296. 6. For a
description of this project, see The Bahd'i World 1993—94, pp. 259—263.

additional financial support from UNIFEM, and the National Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha’is of Cameroon has signed a contract with the UNDP
for a grinding mill to be used in the villages where the traditional
media project took place.

The Office for the Advancement of Women undertook a survey of women’s
participation in Baha’i community life, producing a report on the survey
for the in Beijing. In other preparations for the conference, the
director of the Office for the Advancement of Women served as Chair of
the New York Commission on the Status of Women and took a major role in
the planning process for the NGO Forum, traveling a number of times to
China in the course of the year. The Office also did a number of
mailings to National Spiritual Assemblies around the world, informing
them about the conference and the Baha’i International Community’s role
in it. Early in 1994, Baha’i International Community representatives
attended the Inter-session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women,
the focus of which was to continue drafting the Platform of Action for
the FWCW. In August 1994, a Baha’i International Community
representative to the NGO preparatory meeting in Turku, Finland, made
presentations and did a workshop on the Traditional Media as Change
Agent project. At the conclusion of the meeting, UNIFEM’s Marjorie
Thorpe spoke for approximately ten minutes about the project during her
address to the conference. Workshops on the project occurred at other
Regional Preparatory Conferences around the world as well. A Baha’i
International

Lois Hainsworth UK member Bahci ’1' Inter

national Communigz delegation to the E CE Prep Com for the F WCPK greets
Queen Febiole of Belgium, as Eleonora HonorRono of the Ansirion National
Council of Women looks on.

146

Community representative also attended the regional Youth Consultation
of the European Regional Preparatory Conference for the Fourth World
Conference on Women, held in Vienna 13—17 October; other such Youth
Consultations had previously taken place in the Asia—Pacific and Latin
American regions, where were also present.

The Office for the Advancement of Women made a statement to the 39th
Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, 15
March—4 April 1995, on the promotion of literacy, education, and
training, including technological skills, and a Baha’i International
Community representative attended as an observerparticipant the Budapest
Symposium on “Families as Educators for Global Citizenship,” held 15—17
December 1994 and sponsored by the Institute of Family and Environmental
Research. The Baha’i Faith was the only religion represented at the
event, which involved 30 experts in the field from over 20 countries.

Activities of the Office of the Environment

Among the activities undertaken by the Office of the Environment was the
addition of soil from thirteen countries to the peace monument in Rio de
Janeiro on World Environment Day in June 1994. The peace monument is
ajoint, ongoing project of the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahei’i’s of Brazil and the International Community Office of the
Environment, with the support of the Mayor’s Office of Rio de Janeiro. The

onument was originally created as an enduring symbol of the new spirit
of global cooperation that characterized the Earth Summit and the ’92
Global Forum. Soil from 40 countries was deposited in the
hourglass-shaped monument during the official closing ceremonies of
those twin events, and soil from a further 15 nations was added the
following year. With the contributions this year, the total stands at
68. Soil from other countries will be added each year until the time
when all the world’s countries will have contributed to the monument.7

7. For a more detailed look at the inaugural ceremonies and the Inter—
national Community’s activities during the Earth Summit and NGO Forum in
Rio de Janeiro, see The Bahd World 1992—93, pp. 177—189.

The Bahé’i International Community’s statement World Citizenship: A
Global Ethic for Sustainable Development continued to receive strong
positive feedback from around the World during the year.8 The executive
director of the US Coalition of Education for All requested 500 copies
which were sent out to all Coalition members with a cover letter stating
that the ideas in the statement should be promoted worldwide in the
Education for All movement. An NGO in Cameroon showed interest in
further exploring the 'concepts set forth in the statement, while the
international relations department at the University of Pittsburgh
reproduced the statement for use in a seminar on equipping cities with
essential knowledge and attitudes in preparation for an interdependent
world.

The Office of the Environment worked with the National Spiritual
Assembly of the United Kingdom on its involvement in the “Global Forum
’94: Cities and Sustainable Development” held in Manchester, United
Kingdom, 24 June—3 July 1994, and advised the National Spiritual
Assembly of Barbados, which was involved in organizing the parallel NGO
Forum to the United Nations Conference on the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States, held in Barbados 25 April—6 May 1994.
Baha’i International Community representatives also took part in the NGO
Forum occurring in conjunction with the United Nations Conference on
Population and Development in Cairo in September 1994, conducting
workshops at the event.

On the other side of the globe the following spring, Counsellor Kimiko
Schwerin and Mr. Lawrence Arturo, director of the Office of the
Environment, represented the Baha’i Faith at the first session of the
Summit on Religions and Conservation in Japan. Other participants
included Buddhist leader and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Somdech Preah Mah
Ghosananda; His All Holiness The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Head
of the world’s four million Orthodox Christians; Jain representative and
Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom His Excellency Dr, L.M.
Singhvi; Rabbi Professor Nahum Rakover

For the full text of this statement, see The Bahd ’1' World 1993—94, pp.
295— 304.

148

The giant puppets "Hope " and "Horror" greeted participants at the
entrance to the N GO display area at the United Nations Conference on
the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held in
Barbados in the spring 0f1994. “Hope, " made ofsailcloth and natural
materials, symbolized nature and the human spirit. "Horror, " made of
discarded auto parts, a broken television, and other refuse, symbolized
greed, suspicion, and selfishness.

Ute puppets were contributed to the Conference by members of the Bahci
community

of the Jewish community, who is the Associate Director General of the
Israel Justice Ministry; and Taoist representative Mr. Zhang Ji Yu, Vice
Secretary of the People’s Republic of China Taoist Association. One of
the three sponsoring organizations, MOA International (Mokichi Okada
Association), seeks to promote a new global civilization based on a
harmonious balance between the spiritual and the material realities. The
Baha’i delegation shared various Baha’i presentations during the working
sessions, was represented during the official opening and closing
ceremonies, and interacted extensively with conference participants,
members of MOA International, and members of the Japanese Diet,
discussing Baha’i theology, administration, development efforts, and
external affairs activities.

Conclusion

The Baha’i International Community, working with National Spiritual
Assemblies around the world, undertook numerous and varied activities
during 1994—95, mainly focusing on women, the environment, and human
rights. This was done through publications, sponsorship of symposia,
collaboration with other organizations, ongoing projects, and diplomatic
work. Certain highlights, such as the World Forestry Charter Gathering
in London, the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, and
the symposium on family violence in New York, marked the year, but
numerous other endeavors, enacted on a smaller scale in various parts of
the globe, also helped the Baha’i International Community pursue its
cherished goals of promoting the establishment of a peaceful planetary
civilization.

150

This article highlights print media, television, and radio coverage of
the Baha Faith during 1994—95.

The Baha’i Faith in the

ES

OF THE

WORLD

his year’s survey of worldwide media coverage of the

Baha’i Faith includes print media, radio, and television.I In a year
without the kind of major news events that have in the past attracted
significant attention from the press, such as the second Baha’i World
Congress or the desecration of Baha’i graves in Iran, coverage still
proved steady.

Print Media

Of particular note this year was an increase in the number 01 articles
devoted to Baha’i work in the area of community development. Local
papers all over the world reported on actions being taken by Bahé’is to
promote racial unity, improve education, protect the environment,
address health care needs, and raise to the level of principle current
debates about critical

1. For an historical overview of media coverage of the Baha't’i Faith
since its inception, see The Bahd World 1992e93, pp. 147L167. The media
survey in The Bahd ’1' World 1993*94, pp. 151—168, concerns itself with
print media only during that period.

issues facing society. Other topics receiving significant enough
coverage to Warrant their own categories were Baha’i involvement in the
Inteinational Year of the Family, promotion of the advancement of women,
Baha’i community life, Baha’i artists, interfaith dialogue, teaching the
Baha’i Faith, Baha’i properties, and response to attacks and
misrepresentation.

Community Development

Faced with Baha’u’llah’s command to evolve a new world civilization,
Baha’is engaged in a wide variety of activities aimed at finding
practical expression for such principles as justice, equality, and
excellence. Their initiatives in community development, particularly in
the areas of education, health care, environmental protection, and
racial unity, were judged Worthy of press coverage by a range of
publicationsi

“Baha’is host reception to honor region’s educators” was the headline of
one article in the Marianas Variety News and Views; “Baha’i prize
distribution held” in India’s Free Press described the conclusion of an
essay contest on the importance of moral education; and “Baha’i inst.
listed by UNESCO journal” in The Garha Chronicle of India reported on
the listing of the Baha’i Vocational Institute for Rural Women, Indore,
in UNESCO’s yearly journal noting organizations that introduce and
implement innovative methods of education in rural areas. Other examples
of education-related stories include reporting on a Baha’i—sponsored
program for teachers on world citizenship in Mauritius, the visit ofa
Baha’i to help establish a technical college in Malaysia, and the trip
to the United States of the cofounder of Brazil’s School of the Nations.

eye team donate skills and money” printed in Dominica’s Tropical Star
was one of many articles documenting

the volunteer efforts of Baha’i health professionals. Reporter; wrote
about Baha’i initiatives to renovate a hospital and establish a mobile
care project in Guyana and provide free medical examinations and basic
treatment in India, Romania, and Malaysia. A roundtable discussion on
health sponsored by the Baha’is of the Canary Islands was reported, and
the annual European Baha’i Medical Conference held in the Netherlands
was noted in

a newspaper in Hungary.

152

On the subject of environmental protection, the international children’s
art exhibit sponsored by the Baha’i Office of the Environment for Taiwan
garnered excellent press coverage The exhibit, which included 220
paintings from around the world on the topic “Our Fragile Environment,”
was reported in the China Post, Free China Journal, China News, the
magazine Free China Review, and by Reuters news service. The China Post
also ran a profile of Taiwan’s Office of the Environment under the
headline faith spreads peace and justice.” The Bahé’i—sponsored World
Forestry Charter Gathering in London Was reported in locations as far
away as Ghana and Guyana. The deposit of soil from eleven more nations
into Brazil’s Peace Monument on World Environment Day was reported in El
Salvador, celebrations of Earth Day were reported in Peru, and
activities for Environment Day were noted in the Canary Islands.

Readers of the Traverse City Record-Eagle (Michigan) on I0 September
1994 saw the headline “Baha’is Work for multicultural harmony,” one of
numerous such stories printed in the United States. An interfaith
discussion on racism was reported in the Louisville (Kentucky) Defender,
a Martin Luther King Jr. Day forum on the topic in the Times-News (North
Carolina), and a regular supper club devoted to cultural exchange in the
Sioux City (Iowa) Journal. Efforts by Baha’is in other countries to
build unity between peoples of different backgrounds also appeared in
print; these included an international understanding celebration in
Germany which resulted in at least five articles, an international
cultural evening in Norway, a cultural exchange program arranged for
high school students in Australia, and an editorial by a Baha’i in
Panama calling for tolerance.

In addition to working on education and health care, ele— ments of
community development, Baha’is contributed to public conversations at
all levels about the interwoven issues that collectively constitute
social and economic development. At the international level, Baha’i
participation in the United Nations Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo was mentioned in the New York Times and by Reuters
news service. Baha’i involvement in the World Summit for Social Develop
ment in Copenhagen was reported in a number of countries,

including Uganda, where a press conference held near the Baha’i House of
Worship in Kampala following the Summit resulted in an article with the
headline “Baha’i community says new global economic models required for
dev’t.” Among the articles printed in Denmark Was one featuring a large
photograph of the Baha’i booth at the NGO Forum.

On local and national levels, Baha’i-sponsored editorials on the
applicability of Baha’i teachings t0 the challenges of the day appeared,
for example, in India, Panama, Hawaii, and New Zealand. Journalists
covered seminars and public meetings addressing topics such as violence
(Pacific Daily News in Guam), the prosperity of humankind (Macau Daily
News), and human rights (the Star in Pakistan). They also Wrote about
seminars on the role of the media in society held in Honduras and El
Salvador, the latter taking place during a Baha’isponsored World Press
Exhibition which itself received much coverage. The Ethiopian Herald and
Addis Zemen Wrote about the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is
of Ethiopia submitting a document to the Constitution Drafting Commission.

One project initiated to meet an immediate community need was a concert
organized in the Canary Islands to raise money for Rwandan refugees. At
least five articles reported on this event.

International Year ofthe Family

Baha’i-sponsored exhibits, lectures, seminars, conferences,
celebrations, and publications in observance of the International Year
of the Family (IYF) all received press coverage.2 Advocate For Strong
Family Bonds” was the headline of one article in Namibia (New Era, 2
June 1994) Which explained that “Baha’is believe it is possible to
combine traditional values with progressive social principles in a way
that could provide a bulwark against the forces of social disintegration
in the modern age. And this must start with family unity.”

The importance of family unity as a basis for unity in communities and
among nations and the need for that unity to rest on a foundation of
equality and justice were among the

2. For a more thorough overview of contributions to IYF, see pp. 47*63.

Baha’i teachings expressed through different vehicles during the year. A
large number articles on Baha’i activities were published in New
Zealand, where an art and poetry competition on the subject Was held,
local lectures Were presented, seminars offered, and a statement by the
National Spiritual Assembly on domestic violence prepared. Other
countries where Baha’is received a substantial amount of press coverage
include Australia, the site of the Gold Coast Family Expo, and India,
where a seminar on the important relationship between the education of
Women and healthy families was reported in five newspapers.

“Bahé’is teach value of family,” printed in the Times ofPapua New
Guinea, provided almost a full page of background material on Baha’i
teachings as part of an article announcing an upcoming family life
seminar. A full-page article outlining the Baha’i perspective on the
family was printed in Panama’s La Prensa. The commemoration of IYF by
the Baha’is of Macau generated a two-page article with photographs
explaining teachings on the family and other subjects. In Salt Spring
Island, Canada, a “celebration of the human family,” resulted in an
article entitled, “Family is base of world, speaker says, as Baha’is
mark international year.”

Advancement of Women

The press demonstrated interest in conferences, seminars, and lectures
sponsored by Baha’is to address issues related to the advancement of
women. A significant amount of coverage was received by one three-day
national conference in India on the role women will play in establishing
peace. Other events reported include seminars in Hawaii and Australia on
domestic violence, a Baha’i institute on equality in Cameroon, a
gathering in Singapore in preparation for the Fourth World Conference on
Women, a talk in the Czech Republic on Women of the future, and a speech
in the US by Judge Dorothy Nelson on the role of women in bringing about
universal peace.

The participation of Baha’i delegates from Macau in the first East Asia
Women’s Discussion held in Japan was noted in five articles in Macau.
Baha’is also took part in an exchange of views and experiences between
Women from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which was
reported in the Irish Times.

The work of the Vocational Institute for Rural Women in Indore, India,
continued to become better known, with extensive profiles of its work
printed in the Star (a national newspaper in Malaysia) and in the Sunday
Observer (Sri Lanka). The former article, under the headline “The heart
of self-help” begins with the words, “In the heart of India, beats the
pulse of an institute that has helped revolutionise the status of women
in rural areas.” The latter article, entitled “A novel way to uplift
rural Women,” is introduced this way: “Baha’i International Community
Asian Counsellor, Zena Sorabjee talks about breaking down prejudices
among rural Indian and tribal Indian women via a novel education and
training program which could be adopted for the emancipation of our
rural women too.”

Bahd ’1' Community Lij’e

The aspects of Baha’i community life most reported in the press were
cornmemorations of holy days and elections of Local and National
Spiritual Assemblies This year marked the 150th anniversary of the
Declaration of the Bab, and this fact was noted in a number of newspapers.

Several large articles on Baha’i holy days, accompanied by photographs,
appeared in the United States. The Houston Chronicle printed a feature
on the local community’s celebration of the anniversary ofthe Birth of
Baha’u’llah and the 100th anniversary of the first public mention of the
Faith in North America. The article included interviews with interracial
couples about unity, an explanation of the basic teachings of the Faith,
and photographs of dancers at the celebration of the 100th anniversary.
A full-page article in the Daily Californian entitled “Celebrating
Paradise” described a commemoration of Ridvan. The piece included a map
showing the route Baha’u’llah took following his exile from Persia. An
overview of basic Baha’i teachings was included in a Las Vegas
Review-Journal and Sun article on the community’s commemoration of the
Birth of Baha’u’lléh there.

Holy days were reported in Widely diverse locations. Readers in Greece
and Pakistan, for example, learned about the Martyrdom of the Bab; in
the Czech Republic and New Zealand about the period of the Fast; and in
Zaire, India, and El Salvador about

the Birth of The holy day most reported was NawR112, the Bahe't’i New
Year (March 21). Articles about this festive day appeared in Guyana,
Hungary, St. Vincent, Belgium, Botswana, the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, and in Singapore, where the celebration was attended by the
former president of the country, Dr. Wee Kim Wee.

The 150th anniversary of the Baha’i Faith was celebrated on 23 May 1994,
and it attracted the attention of journalists in France, Panama, Norway,
Ethiopia, New Zealand, the Dominican Republic, and Ireland, among other
places. Numerous articles Were printed by local papers throughout
Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia. The national newspaper of
Cyprus, Alithea, printed a large feature on the Baha’i Faith, including
an interview With a member of the community and a photograph of Baha,
after being notified of this significant anniversary.

Among the many articles which reported on elections of Local Spiritual
Assemblies and National Conventions, several stand out. The first Baha’i
election in Cambodia was reported in the Phnom Penh Post. Following the
National Convention in Samoa, the Samoa Observer carried a large
photograph of all the participants under the headline, “May peace be
with you!” In Sri Lanka, the front page of the Island Saturday Magazine
on 7 May 1994 was covered with photographs and information about the
Baha’i Faith, based on an interview with a participant in the National
Convention there.

Sakai Artists

“Baha’i faith to celebrate the human spirit” was the headline of an
article in Canada’s Cowichan News Leader which began, “Art and belief in
human potential will meet in Spirit Works 1995 on Feb. 24 and 25 at the
Native Heritage Centre.” The event, described by organizers as a
collaboration by Island artists who share a common vision of a peaceful
global society based on spiritual principles, resulted in several large
articles with photographs of performers. Another artistic presentation
which received considerable local press coverage was the performance in
Norway of a street theater piece called Prisoner ofAkka. The drama deals
with the differences between eastern and Western Worldviews,
particularly regarding the relative value given to

religion and science. It was performed by Youth Theater with support
from the Norwegian Cultural Office.

Other performances or exhibits drawing the attention of the press
included two showings of photographer Donald Camp’s portraits of African
American men at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Delaware County Daily
Times), the Sande Webster Gallery and Swarthmore College’s List Gallery
(Philadelphia Inquirer); Wildfire World Theater’s show in the Czech
Republic; and exhibitions of paintings by artists George Fleming in
Ireland, Nasrin Gjergzi in Denmark, Tooraj Djahangirloo in Norway (three
articles), and Keith Eldridge in Canada. Actor and comedian Omid
Djalili’s one—man performances ofA Strange Bit of History, written by
Annabel Knight, and Short Fat Kebab-Shop Owner is Son at the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival and in Copenhagen drew rave reviews. The Stage called
the first piece “World Class,” and the reviewer for the Scotsman said,
“Every character is realised in brilliantly distinct detail with the
poet’s verses; a cunning mix of merciless send-up and underlying
seriousness.” Writing about the latter piece, the Independent reviewer
said, “This is a bravura, hilarious, physical performance,” and the
Scotsman wrote, “Ornid Djalili had us in the aisles from the moment he
swept on stage...”

Bahél’i Youth Workshops, groups which use dance, drama, and music to
express the principles of the Faith, also received press coverage. The
Vancouver (Canada) Workshop’s travels to the Cook Islands and Hawaii
resulted in several articles, and one of the many articles about local
performances of New Zealand’s Youth for One World began, “YOW! They were
brilliant, they were talented, they were entertaining and they Were from
the Baha’i faith.” A front page article in the Simi Valley (California)
Enterprise about performances of the Los Angeles Baha’i Youth Workshop
at a junior high school began with the headline, “Dancers promote racial
harmony.”

Interfaith Dialogue

The celebration of World Religion Day was one type of interfaith
activity covered by the media. Singapore’s first observance of this day,
which drew 1,000 people to a day—long conference with representatives of
nine faiths, was reported by United Press

International and at least three Singapore papers. In the United States,
the Baltimore Sun ran a story with the headline “Other faiths to help
Baha’is mark World Religion Day.” In Mozambique, the Minister of Justice
spoke at the World Religion Day observance, which was reported in Noticias.

Baha’is participated in many interfaith prayer services, and one that
received prominent coverage took place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The
front page of the Atlanta Constitution on 9 January 1995 carried a
photograph of the joyous Atlanta Baha’i Choir performing at the
nineteenth annual interfaith service honoring the birth of Martin Luther
King Jr., and an article inside described the event.

One example of interfaith cooperation that caught the attention of
journalists was a year-long project in Norway to Write an ecological
manifesto that could be agreed upon by followers of different faiths.
Representatives of eight religious groups, including Baha’is, worked
together to write “A Living Earth in a Crisis—A Common Calling to a
Spiritual Awakening.” At least four large articles in Oslo covered the
project.

Press clippings related to major religions revealed growing public
awareness and recognition of the Faith. A weekly paper in the United
Kingdom reported that Baha’is were invited to take part in the
International Sacred Literature Trust launched by HRH the Prince Philip,
Duke of Edinburgh, in July 1994, a project aiming to publish the
“spiritual heritage” of the world’s different faiths. In Norway, a
children’s ombudsman called for replacing the school system’s exclusive
teaching of Christianity with an approach that includes education about
many religions, and he specifically mentioned the Baha’i Faith. When
American columnist Ann Landers responded to a letter about a Christian
movement to promote chastity among young people, she mentioned her
regret that the movement was for Christians only and did not acknowledge
other religions, such as the Baha’i Faith, that also “promote family
values.”

Journalists demonstrated their increasing recognition of the
significance of the Baha’i Faith by including it in articles about major
religions. A chart showing major religious holidays which was printed in
a Swiss newspaper included explanations of

Baha’i holy days. Also in Switzerland, it was reported that a flyer
about six major religions being sent to schools included information on
the Baha’i Faith. An article in Ireland about traditional commemorations
of the birth of children mentioned Baha’i practices. The Baha’i
ringstone symbol Was explained in

an Italian newspaper outlining various religious symbols. Teaching the
Bahd '1' Faith

Much of the reading public became aware of Baha’i principles through
articles about community service activities or celebrations of Baha’i
events, but some also read about efforts by Baha’is to explicitly
educate people about their Faith. Campaigns of teaching about the Baha’i
Faith through public meetings, distribution of literature, or
participation in book fairs were reported in Belgium, Botswana, the Cook
Islands, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, Poland, and
Portugal. A poster campaign in the area of Hamilton, Canada, resulted in
a large photograph of one participant above the headline, “Baha’is
launch poster campaign inviting people to explore faith” in the
Spectator. In Norway, a similar article in Romsa'als Budstikke included
a large photo of a Baha’i holding a poster and described the teachings
he Was promoting.

Bahzi Properties

“Baha’i edifices are admired the world over for their magnificent
architecture,” states the quotation introducing an article in India’s
the Pioneer about the buildings which make up the Baha’i World Centre in
Haifa, Israel. The article, accompanied by photographs of the Shrine of
the Bab, goes on to say, “The Baha’i World Centre in Haifa and the grave
of Bahé’u’llah, after whom the movement is named, near Akko, impress the
visitor as much with the elegance and magnificence of construction as by
the intense faith these evoke among the followers around the globe.”

The buildings that constitute the Baha’i World Centre were also
described in newspapers in England and Belgium. Most of the other
articles related to Baha’i properties concerned Houses of Worship, seven
of which exist around the World. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary
of the dedication of the House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany, at
least eight articles were

160

printed. Also in Germany, a piece on the Indian Temple was carried in
the architectural magazine Stein. An award for restoration of ornamental
concrete bestowed by the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois
resulted in mention of the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, USA,
in Skyline. Other pieces related to Baha’i Houses of Worship include an
article in Hungary describing the Temples around the world and three
articles in Panama about the House of Worship in Panama City.

Response to Attacks and Misrepresentation

Although the overwhelming majority of articles on the Baha’i Faith
conveyed a positive or impartial tone, some attacked the principles or
activities of the Baha’is or incorrectly classified the Faith as a sect.
For example, an article in Malaysia’s Berita Alinggu (2 April 1995)
calls the Baha’is a fanatical group which must be eliminated; an article
in Switzerland’s Tribune de Gene‘ve (20 October 1994) defines the Baha’i
Faith as a sect, including it in a chart of sects in the country; and a
piece in a Samoan Islands magazine called Talamua mentions the Faith in
the context of a study claiming new “churches” are “a new opium for the
people.”

Defense of the Faith took various forms. After reports of the
abovementioned study were printed in New Zealand, including the claims
that the Baha’i Faith and other religions are oppressive, paternalistic,
and advocate white supremacy, an article speaking to these claims was
printed in the Wanganui Chronicle. A Baha’i representative was quoted as
saying, “The faith has been a potent force for social change as members
activate its teachings in their daily lives... Far from being
paternalistic, these teachings include the equality of men and women and
the duty to educate daughters as Well as sons, a radical idea in Persia
at the time and still so in many areas today... Far from being
white-skinned westerners, the majority of members are people of colour.”
The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Botswana responded to
allegations leveled against it in the Southern Post by writing a lengthy
letter to the editor. After a series of attacks on the Baha’i Faith in
local papers of Bulgaria, one reporter Wrote an article which stated,
“The Bahé’is are neither a sect, nor a cult, but a message as old as the
World.” An important Spanish

magazine on contemporary issues, Epoca, ran an article in November 1994
mentioning the Baha’i Faith as one of several religions mistakenly
viewed as sects.

General cavemge

A concise description of the history, activities, and principles of the
Faith published in the November issue of the French review L’Actualité
Religieuse dans le Monde [World Religious News] is one example of a type
of general overview carried in numerous papers and magazines throughout
the world. Some general pieces were prompted by a particular event, such
as the Irish Baha’i summer school, or were printed because of
significant milestones, such as the 100th anniversary of the Baha’i
Faith in North America or its 40th anniversary in Papua New Guinea.
Others, such as two articles printed in Uruguay (La Mafiana) accompanied
by photographs of Baha’i edifices, simply assumed public interest in a
Faith which is still completely new to some. Articles of both kinds were
printed on every continent.

Another common type of piece was the personal profile of an individual
member of the Baha’i Faith. Articles were written on prominent members
of the community, such as Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih
Khanum, whose visit to Thailand was reported in the Bangkok Post and the
Nation and whose travels to Turkey resulted in an interview being
printed in a leading paper. The visit of well-known Canadian artist Otto
Donald Rogers to Macau was reported in that country, as were the visits
of member of the Universal House of Justice Houshmand Fatheazam to India
and traditional leader and Baha’i Counsellor Moli Chang to Guam.
Coverage continued of the book Olya 19 Story, which chronicles the
religious persecution experienced by its author, Olya Roohizadegan, in
Iran. The book was selected by the British magazine Everywoman as one of
the top ten nonfiction books of the year in June 1994, and it was
featured in the magazine Marie-Claire in November.

The New York Times (Westchester Weekly) printed a halfpage story With
photographs about the Work of photographer Mark Sadan and his recent
project capturing on film the people in Eastern Europe who had adopted
the Bahél’i Faith after the

fall of communism. In New Zealand, local papers ran stories about the
Baha’i beliefs of American composer-arranger Russell Garcia and his
wife, singer Gina Garcia, and about popular television actress Ilona
Rodgers.

Less well-known Bahél’is were also profiled. “A Woman for All Seasons”
was the title of an article in Singapore’s Straits Times describing the
Work and beliefs of linguistics expert Phyllis Chew, and “From bar
mitzvah to in Canada’s Toronto Star recounted the spiritual journey
which led one man to accept the teachings of The story of a Woman from
Norway who spent three weeks teaching at a children’s summer camp in
Siberia run by Baha’is was told in a Norwegian paper, and the
experiences of a family who moved from the United Kingdom to the Soviet
Union in 1982 and lived through the radical changes in that region were
chronicled in Wales.

The reading public also became informed about teachings through regular
columns written by Bahé’is. Such features were carried in New Zealand
Forum” in Northland Age Courier), Swaziland Corner” in the Swazi News),
the Azores (Correio dos Aoores), and Saint Martin (a weekly column in
the Chronicle). A series of articles outlining beliefs was also printed
in the Czech Republic.

Radio

The listening public learned about Baha’i principles and activities
through numerous radio interviews, special programs or segments on the
Faith, and regular programs produced by Baha’is.

The radio station Europe 1 broadcast a 15-minute interview with Bahé’is
at prime time on 10 May 1994; the first two programs of Canada’s new
national program on religion, “Tapestry,” included interviews with
Baha’is; two one-hour interviews about an Association for Baha’i Studies
conference in Australia were aired on ABC National Radio; and in the
United Kingdom, interviews with Baha’is were aired on BBC Radio Foyle’s
“Face to Faith,” as part of BBC Radio 2’s World Faith Week, on BBC Radio
Leicester’s current affairs program “Talkback,” and in Northern Ireland,
where the author of the

book Olya 's Story spoke on three popular stations. Other significant
interviews took place in Bulgaria, where Baha’is spoke with journalists
from four stations on the occasion of International Women’s Day; in New
Zealand, where National Radio’s “Faith and Works” program included
conversations with Bahé’is on at least five different occasions; in
Paraguay, where seven interviews were conducted regarding the statement
The Promise of World Peace and two two-hour conversations aired about
women and development; and in Jordan, where the director of the Baha’i
International Community’s Office of the Environment spoke about the
World Summit for Social Development. Numerous radio interviews with
Baha’is were aired in Zimbabwe and in Zambia, particularly on the topics
of peace, the advancement of Women, and literacy. Other countries
broadcasting conversations with Baha’is on national stations included
Equatorial Guinea, Finland, and Namibia.

Special programs on the Baha’i Faith were aired in Cote d’Ivoire (a
one—hour introduction on national radio), Tonga (coverage of an
International Year of the Family seminar organized by Baha’is), Italy (a
series of discussions of Baha’i teachings), and India (talks and musical
programs by Baha’is).

Regular programs on the Baha’i Faith and issues related to its
principles, produced by Bahé’is, were aired in Cameroon, the Congo, the
Cook Islands, Malaysia, and the West Leeward Islands. The Baha’is of
Zaire received permission from the government for a weekly time slot on
national radio, like those granted to the country’s other religions, and
the first program was aired in March 1995. Baha’i-owned and operated
stations continued to broadcast in the United States, Peru, Ecuador,
Bolivia, Chile, and Panama.

Television

Information about the Baha’i Faith was broadcast on television as part
of national news programs, programs on religion, and other feature
programs. Baha’i-produced videotapes were aired in their entirety in a
number of countries, and regular Baha’iproduced series were broadcast.

The celabration of Ridvén held by the Bahai’i community of

164

Tirana, Albania, in April [994 was mentioned on all the national news
programs. On 23 May 1994, the French national station, TF1, announced
the 150th anniversary of the Baha’i Faith during the prime time news.
The anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah, 12 November, was the
occasion for an interview with a Baha’i on national television in
Mauritius and the broadcast of pictures of the Baha’i World Centre. In
Angola, Naw-Ruz 1995 (21 March) was reported on the national station.
Other events warranting national news coverage were the visit of a
Baha’i delegation to the Constitution Drafting Commission of Ethiopia
(the lead story); a symposium in India commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the United Nations; and a Walk for World peace and a
seminar on the rights of Women held in Pakistan.

In Romania, the essentials of the Baha’i Faith were explained during a
three-hour television program produced by a large private channel, TV
7ABC. The program was inspired by the dance performances of a group of
Baha’i youth who presented the principles of the Faith during their
visit to Romania in July 1994. It included an introduction, a ten-minute
clip of a Baha‘i study program, interviews with several Baha’is, and a
panel discussion with representatives of other Faiths. In Bulgaria, a
twelve-minute segment on the Baha’i Faith, including interviews and
excerpts from the Baha’i World Congress held in 1992, was aired as part
of a weekly show on religions and mysticism. The segment proved so
popular that the following week, 30 more minutes of interviews and
additional World Congress excerpts were broadcast Ghana’s national
television program “About Life,” a series dealing with fundamental
existential questions, aired a 45-minute interview with two Baha’i
representatives.

Interviews with Baha’is and stories about their beliefs were also
telecast as special features or included in current affairs programs.
Mr. Mas‘ud Khamsi, a former member of the International Teaching Centre,
was interviewed for 20 minutes by Global Television in Peru during a
conference on “The Future of Humanity.” A seven-minute interview with a
Baha’i in Italy was broadcast on the country’s first channel, RAI l. A
Baha’i pioneer to Cyprus was interviewed in Greek about himself and his
beliefs

On the program “Studie l” on RIK/CBC 1. In Namibia, the

popular program “After 9” carried a brief summary of a public meeting
about the Baha’i Faith attended by many prominent people. When Olya
Roohizadegan, author of Olya ’s Story, visited Reno, Nevada, USA, a
70-minute program was taped for local audiences. The program later won
three awards for excellence in religious broadcasting and for best talk
show programming. A Baha’i from the Basque region of Spain who attended
the World Summit for Social Development was interviewed for five minutes
during prime time on ETB—Z. An interview conducted in Saipan with Andre
Brugiroux, author of the book La Terre n ’est qu ’un seul pays [later
published as One People, One Planet], was picked up by CNN and broadcast
all over the world.

Baha’i videotapes broadcast on television include Prisoner of Akka in
the Congo, the Cook Islands, the Czech Republic, and Hungary (dubbed in
Hungarian); Bahd ’lldh—Secret of our Century in Equatorial Guinea; and
Approach to a Sacred Place and Anarchy into Order in Canada. Regular
Baha’i programs continued to be shown in Canada (monthly on Vision TV)
and the Cook Islands (weekly), and a new weekly slot was granted on
Portuguese State Television. In India, the contract was finalized for
Jain Satellite Television to telecast thirteen episodes of a program on
the Baha’i Faith.

166

In the context of a survey of Bahd youth activities during 1994—95, some
of the unique qualities and challenges

ofyouth are presented. -

BAHAT' YOUTH;

he crises affecting all of society always have a particularly

devastating impact on its youngest members, who are still in the process
of forming the attitudes that will guide their lives. At this turning
point in history, when the forces of disintegration are accelerating and
the forces of integration still too little understood, many youth feel
caught in a maelstrom, unsure of how and Why they should respond with
hope when their experiences are so fraught with pain. In the past ten
years, more children than soldiers have been killed or disabled in the
wars around the world, While some five million children have been forced
into refugee camps, and twelve million have been left homeless.1 In
1995, UNICEF reported that more than half a million of Asia’s children
were working in sweat shops, brothels, or on the streets.2 Among
children between the ages of five and fourteen, murder is now reported
to be the third leading cause of death in industrial

l. UNICEF, State of the Worldlv Children, 1995 (Oxford University
Press). 2. International Herald Tribune, 16 December 1994.

countries.3 In the United States, nearly four million youth and children
live in “distressed neighborhoods” characterized by high poverty and
unemployment rates.4 Suicide has become the second leading cause of
youthful death in that country.5

While many children and youth valiantly struggle not to be victims of
their circumstances, too many learn the lessons of apathy and violence.
A study by the US Centers for Disease Control released in 1993 showed
that American teenagers were killing each other with guns at the highest
rate since the government began recording such deaths 30 years earlier:
an average of eleven youths between 15 and 19 were killed this way every
day.6 A US Justice Department study released in 1995 showed that
juvenile arrests for major violent crimes grew from 83,400 in 1983 to
129,600 in 1992.7 According to a leading educator reviewing the status
of youth in 1995, practically all the indicators of youth health
andobehavior have declined year by " J "J year for well over a
generation,8 and this crisis is not confined to a particular social
class, ethnic group, gender, or other social grouping.9 In the 1990s,
the time of youth has become less and less associated with innocence and
optimism and too often linked with disaffection, hopelessness, and violence.

youth, who live all over the world and come from every social grouping,
are not unaffected by this crisis. They are among those suffering in
War-torn countries, poor neighbor— hoods, and violent cities. How does
being Bahél’is shape their responses to the current state of the world?
Like many other youth Who have not relinquished their responsibility for the

3. William Damon, Greater Expectations: Overcoming the Culture of
Indulgence in America Iv Homes and Schools (New York: The Free Press,
1995), p. 9.

4. Kids Count Data Book 1994, Center for the Study of Social Policy. Avail

able: CYFERNET.

Damon, p. 10.

6. The National Update on America's Education Goals (American Political
Network, Inc., 1993). Available: MN Children Youth and Family Consortium
Electronic Clearinghouse.

7. International Herald Tribune, 9—10 September 1995.

Damon, p. 7.

9. Damon, p. xiii.

168

future, Baha’i youth try to view the problems as challenges to be
overcome. They understand from the writings of the Baha’i Faith that
calamitous events arc to characterize this age but find in the same
teachings a call to view these disturbances as a stimulus to action, an
opportunity to create unity where disunity exists. Youth are extolled in
the writings of as possessing a spirit of adventure and enterprise,
eagerness, optimism, vigor, and vitality. They are encouraged to channel
these qualities into lives of service, shining as lights of hope in an
age of desperation and “rejecting the low sights of medi0crity...[t0]
scale the ascending heights of excellence in all they aspire to do.”10

For any number of reasons, too many modern youth remain blind to their
own potential or cynical about the future. The Baha’i Faith offers youth
a charter and hope for the future, an opportunity to become “a new kind
of people, people who are upright, kind, intelligent, truthful, and
honest.”11 In January 1984, the Universal House of Justice addressed the
Baha’i youth of the world with characteristic certitude, saying,
“Undoubtedly, it is within your power to contribute significantly to
shaping the societies of the coming century; youth can move the world.”
The stories in the following pages recount some of the experiences of
those who have taken up this challenge to demonstrate the positive power
of faith, unity, and service.

Sharing the Message of Bahd

Conscious of the gift of understanding they have been given through the
Faith, Baha’i youth are eager to share this vision with others. The
Universal House of Justice has reinforced this eagerness, urging them
“to impart to their despairing fellow youth the restorative joy, the
constructive hope, the radiant assurances of stupendous Revelation.”12
Such an act, of guiding

10. Universal House of Justicc, letter dated 8 May 1985 to the youth of
the world‘

11. From a letter dated 25 August 1944 Written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi cited in Unrestrained as the Wind: A Life Dedicated to Bahd
'u'lldh (Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1985), pp. 23—24.

12. Universal House of Justice, letter dated 8 May 1985 to the youth of
the world.

Youth traveling in Mongolia in 1994 to reach the

a sacred human heart to the Source of its illumination, requires the
highest standards of purity, integrity, detachment, and sacrifice. Young
people, still being relatively free of worldly attachments, are uniquely
suited to arise to this challenge and carry the message throughout the
world.

From June through September 1994, 24 youth from the United States,
Canada, and Europe contributed to the growth of the Baha’i communities
in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. These participants in the Martha Root
Project—named after a wellknown Baha’i who traveled around the world
several times during the early part of this century to teach the
Faith—dedicated themselves to educating people about Baha’u’llah,
encouraging local Baha’is to deepen their understanding of the teachings
and to appreciate the privilege of sharing these teachings with others,
and nurturing the development of Local Spiritual Assemblies.

Under the guidance of the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of
the Baltic States, the youth conducted well-attended public meetings
about the Baha’i Faith, assisted social service organizations such as
orphanages, and helped to provide needed community services. They also
participated in the International Youth Unity Festival in Kraslava,
Latvia, organized by the Regional Spiritual Assembly.

During the same summer, the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia was visited by
a group of youth from the United States taking part in the Marion Jack
VI Project.13 The sixth such visit to take

13. Marion Jack was a distinguished teacher who settled in Bulgaria in
1930 and remained there until her death in 1954.

170

place since the trips began in 1990, the project matched American youth
with local Baha’is to create small teams which taught the Baha’i Faith
in areas along the Yenisey River.

In Australia, the National Youth Committee initiated and planned the
Collis Featherstone Teaching Campaign to teach the Baha’i Faith in the
name of the deceased Hand of the Cause of God from that country. At a
gathering filled with beautiful music, inspiring addresses, slides, and
reminiscences of Mr. Featherstone, the project was launched in
Wollongong in October 1994. Then the youth, working with the Baha’i
institutions, began to tell the people of Wollongong about Baha’u’llah.
They visited thousands of homes, distributing invitations to Workshops
about the Faith. They set up displays about unity and about the family.
They staffed a new Baha’i bookshop and information center at the
Wollongong City Mall, sharing literature and conversation. They hosted a
series of arts nights to provide opportunities for spirits to be
uplifted through poetry and music.

Youth from India organized book exhibitions in Nepal, conducted public
meetings in the villages of Himachal Pradesh, and visited schools and
colleges in Uttar Pradesh, all as part of a youth teaching project begun
in May 1994. At one village in Punjab, at least 60 people decided to
join the Baha’i community.

In Chile, musical presentations, classes for children, panel
discussions, newspaper and radio interviews, and puppet shows were among
the media used by the youth to inform people about Baha’u’llah. The
group of 80 young people who spent one month together organizing and
carrying out these activities gathered at the end for a four-day
conference to reflect on their work and plan for the following year.

The adaptability, flexibility, and consultation skills of five Canadian
youth were noted with appreciation by the National Spiritual Assembly of
Greenland following their visit. Members of the Wildfire Youth Institute
spent six weeks in Greenland in July and August 1994. During their visit
to Nuuk, the Baha’i Center was filled with inquiring people, and when
they traveled to a settlement of 150 inhabitants near Itilloq, one-third
of the residents attended a public meeting. The youth spent time
encouraging and invigorating their fellow Baha’is, some of them

in isolated locations, and they inspired one believer to write an
article for the national newspaper.

In the United States, the summer of 1994 witnessed the launch of the
Army of Light Teaching Campaign. Youth teams and Baha’i Youth Workshops
(see below) formed the nucleus of this effort to bring the Baha’i
message to a Wide variety of people. More than 1,000 young people took
part in over 100 projects. At an Army of Light National Youth Conference
held in Arizona in December 1994, the 2,000 young participants
rededicated themselves to “act upon the principles which direct our
inner development and private character, and which guide our active life
of teaching and service,” and each one signed a special scroll to be
sent to the Baha’i World Centre.

The power of the arts to connect hearts and to communicate concepts
despite barriers of language or culture make dance, drama, and music
ideal vehicles for sharing the principles and spirit of the Faith This
power is beihg hainessed by the youth of the World in a unique way
through the Youth Workshop.

In 1974, a Baha’i in Los Angeles, seeing how the intense energies,
emotions, and need for camaraderie among youth were too often being
channeled into negative, destructive activities, created a vehicle for
focusing those energies on positive ends. Oscar DeGruy created the first
Baha’i Youth Workshop, defined as a group of youth who use contemporary
dance styles, music, and drama to convey messages of universal peace,
unity in diversity, and spiritual awareness. l4

By the summer of 1994, there were approximately 70 Baha’i Youth
Workshops in the United States and another 30 scattered throughout the
world. A National Office for Baha’i Youth Workshops had been created in
the United States to encourage

14. Although youth have held workshops on many topics, including the
performing arts for many years, and many performing arts groups have
existed, the term Youth Workshop” has come to be used for the particular
kind of activity described in the following pages.

172

and advise new groups and create a facility for sharing ideas and news.
An international mailing list on the Internet had also sprung to life.
The art forms used by each group—drama, dance, music, stepping—varied
ac:0rding t0 the group’s strengths, but all Workshops held in comnon a
commitment to unity, prayer, consultation, and study of tie Baha’i
teachings in preparation for delivering the message of Biha’u’llah.

About 130 youth from 13 Youth Workshops around the mid~ western United
States descended on Indianapolis and other

T he Atlanta Baha' ’1' Youth Workshop performsfor the thirdyear at the
Dekalb County (Georgia) Super Summer Family

F estr'vai.

Indiana cities in August 1994 and shared their talents, enthu— siasm,
and beliefs with audiences at the State Fair and in public parks. In
Indianapolis, the youth taped a segment of a cable television series
called Praceworks, impressing the initially skeptical producer and crevr
with their professional behavior and quality performances.

“Arise, O Army of Light” was the theme of a step dance performed by the
Atlanta Youth Workshop at the Martin Luther King “I Have a Dleam”
National Youth Assembly in Little Rock, Arkansas. The performance was
given at a luncheon for Coretta Scott King before an audience of 1,200.
Following another performance the 1ext day—a rap on the equality of
women and men and an introduction to the Baha’i Faith—people crowded
onto the stage, waiting to know more. During the year, the Atlanta
Workshop was also invited to perform at the annual conference ofthe
National Association for the Education of Youth and Children; the second
annual Festival of African American Literature and the Arts at Clemson
University; and the

Children’s Interfaith Service at the First Presbyterian Church in
Atlanta, sponsored by the Atlanta/Fulton County Commission on Youth and
Children.

A Martin Luther King Jr. holiday celebration in Oklahoma City featured a
performance by Orenda, the local Baha’i Youth Workshop. Orenda is a
Seneca Indian Word meaning “flame of eternal love.” After one of the
youth recited a prayer for humanity, the group performed three pieces
for the more than 1,200 people attending the interfaith program. They
received a standing ovation.

The 24 youth from various cultural backgrounds who make up Arizona’s
Eternal Flame Bahél’i Youth Workshop spent three Weeks during the summer
performing locally and in Los Angeles at community centers, youth clubs,
and in shopping malls, attracting between 50 and 120 people per show.
The final event of the trip was a performance at Arizona State
University which incorporated singing, acting, and dancing on the themes
of unity, the oneness of humankind, and the elimination of all forms of
prejudice. It elicited a standing ovation.

Arizona Was also treated to the performances of the Los Angeles
Workshop, which visited the Native American Baha’i Institute in Houck
and the mostly Navajo communities of the surrounding area. Powerful
messages about the world’s need for racial harmony, equality of the
sexes, and spirituality were conveyed by the 22 youth, who also shared
the concept of the Baha’i Youth Workshop with their peers at the
Institute. The local youth enthusiastically studied the elements of a
Workshop—such as consultation, prayer, disciplined practice, and
constant focus on unity—and a month later a Workshop for the Navajo
Nation and Gallup area was formed.

Upon returning to southern California, the Los Angeles Workshop spent an
intense four days performing 11 times in such locations as a junior high
summer school, a community teen center, a day camp, and public parks.
Three school principals attended performances and invited the troupe to
perform at their schools. Each of the communities organized
informational meetings to answer the questions of those moved to seek
greater understanding of the Baha’i Faith.

The Washington Slate-based Diversity Dance Workshop traveled to Europe
to spread its message of harmony. The thirteen youth volunteered to
spend their summer teaching about the Baha’i Faith full-time by
performing in public squares, marketplaces and street malls, despite
IOU-degree heat, lack of adequate drinking water, and costumes soaked
with perspiration. For six weeks, they traveled throughout Germany and
Switzerland, overcoming language barriers by communicating their message
through movement.

The Frankfurt performance of the Diversity Dance Workshop Was part of
the city’s 1,200th anniversary celebration. As the dancers performed on
an outdoor stage, program director Anna Powers recounts watching the
crowds, their eyes fixed on the movements and their faces reflecting
understanding of the message. The sound system was so strong that the
quotations read could be heard by people sitting in cafés blocks away.
Reflecting on the power of the trip, one participant, Shahani
Porushotma, said, “I will never forget the tears in the eyes of a young
Bosnian refugee as she approached me after the Racism Dance to express
her appreciation to the Workshop. She had experienced firsthand in her
own war-torn country the problems We were depicting... Nor can I forget
the reaction of the 200 prison inmates at a performance in Schwabisch
Hall after the Dance of Betrayal (about drug abuse). I later found out
that all the prisoners were there for drug offenses. I was so moved to
hear the comments of one of the inmates: ‘I realized through your dance
that the solution to all my problems lies not in drugs, but it is a
spiritual solution that I am seeking.”

The Youth Workshop concept proved to be adaptable to a wide variety of
cultures Baha’i Youth Workshops formed in Africa generated great
enthusiasm among both performers and audiences. After one Baha’i youth
from the United States traveled to Ghana and Cameroon and shared the
Workshop idea, local Baha’is adapted the concept to include their own
dance and music traditions and to portray how Baha’i principles apply to
the issues facing their people. During performances of the Ghana Baha’i
Youth Workshop in sixteen villages, more than 130

people came to accept the teachings of Bahz'i’u’llah and three new Local
Spiritual Assemblies were formed. The youth in Cameroon created four
skits to include in their initial 36 performances in schools,
universities, and public squares. Eighteen youth from Kenya, Uganda,
Ethiopia, and Tanzania joined together to form Youth in Motion, a drama
and dance group aimed at expressing the message brought by Baha’u’llzih.
The group traveled for four months, performing before a total of more
than 50,000 people in three countries. The Baha’i Youth Workshop of
Yakutsk, Siberia, formed after the Vancouver (Canada) Workshop spent
time in this region of Russia. The trip marked the first time any Youth
Workshop had traveled to this area to teach about the Baha’i Faith
through the arts. A major performance was held for the dignitaries of
the Yakutian Region, followed by a reception. The youth were also
honored to be included on the program of an event held at the Russia
Theater for the dignitaries of the Sakha Republic. Before the Vancouver
youth returned home, they performed together with the new Yakutian
Workshop that they had trained. Some months later the Yakutia youth were
still performing, distributing information to other youth eager to
understand the sources of their inspiration.

The Vancouver Workshop also traveled to the Cook Islands, where it
received extensive media coverage. The troupe was the featured guest at
the National Song Quest Finals which were attended by the Prime Minister
and the Queen’s Representative. The youth at a homeless refuge in
Australia were visited by the Sydney Dance Workshop, whose members
performed, taught some dances, and shared their feelings about the
Baha’i Faith.

Bahd youth in Korea [earn a dan CE about prayer entitled

"Supplication.

176

Also in Australia, Baha‘i youth from Perth traveled to OnslowNorth West
Australia to conduct performing arts workshops for their peers. Dance
and theater classes, music and rhythm sessions, and study sessions all
focusing on the themes of unity and consultation were offered to twenty
youth. Baha’i youth in Tasmania formed a dance group called The Farsight
which performed in high schools in several cities and at the Human
Rights Day activities in Hobart

The Ryogen-no-hi Dance Workshop of Japan undertook a proclamation tour
of the western part of the country in the summer of 1994. The 30
participating youth found that their dancing created an openness which
allowed them to share ideas. Some audience members wept and said the
dances “spoke to their hearts.” After some Baha’i youth from Japan
attended the Korean Baha’i summer school, Baha’i university students
from both Japan and Korea united to form a group called the Ocean Waves
to provide a chance for youth from various cultures to interact and
express themselves through the arts.

The European Bahci’i Youth Council

Since 1989, the activities of Baha’i youth in Europe and collaboration
with other youth organizations which share their aims have been
coordinated by the European Baha’i Youth Council. A five-member body
appointed annually by the Universal House of Justice, the Council
initiates projects for Baha’is, arranges Bahél’i youth participation in
events related to important principles, and responds to requests for
representation at various youth consultations. During 1994—95, two
highlights of Council activities were the “Shaping Europe” conferences
and participation in the World Summit for Social Development.

From 20 to 25 July 1994, Baha’i youth gathered in five locations across
Europe to consult about the future of the continent and their own role
in shaping its destiny. Sponsored by the European Baha’i Youth Council,
the conferences drew 850 participants from 20 countries to Berlin; 400
from 20 countries to Bucharest; 340 from 19 countries to St. Petersburg;
950 from 26 countries to Barcelona; and 400 from 22 countries to
Wolverhampton, England. “...[W]e have rededicated ourselves to our

common movementutaking on our shoulders the high responsibility of
shaping the future of Europe,” reported the youth in Berlin. They
further recounted that “the conference culminated in a European linkup
in which We were able to share With our Eastern and Western European
brothers and sisters the excitement at the prospects of this movement.”

Similar expressions of excitement, dedication, and joy came from each of
the conference sites. At every location, youth arose to take practical
action toward the goals being discussed, some traveling from the
conference to teach others about the Baha’i Faith, some offering a year
of full-time volunteer service, and some formulating personal plans for
action upon their return to their home communities Also at every
gathering, new souls joined the Baha’i community, having found truth in
the teachings of Baha’u’lléh.

In March 1995, members of the European Baha’i Youth Council and other
Baha’i youth were able to share their ideas With representatives of
various youth organizations during the " "- ' U WM.-- “Hug me
International Youth Consultation on Social Development in Copenhagen, an
event the Council helped to plan. The gathering was chiefly organized by
the World Assembly of Youth to take place in conjunction with the United
Nations World Summit for Social Development. The European Baha’i Youth
Council served on the executive steering committee with representatives
of four other organizations.

Youth from 70 countries came together to consult on issues such as
“Youth—A Dynamic Force for Social Change,” “The Social Responsibility of
Youth,” and “Reforming the United '7“ ' “ammo m- WNW Nations.” Two
working groups, addressing the themes of global consciousness and the
role of education in social development, were offered by the European
Baha’i Youth Council to explore concepts such as unity in diversity,
world citizenship, and the spiritual dimension of human nature. Baha’i
youth also chaired two plenary sessions and contributed significantly to
the Copenhagen Youth Declaration, a six-page statement drafted during
the gathering and presented on behalf of the International Youth
Consultation to the World Summit itself.

The European Baha’i Youth Council’s presence was also felt

at the Non-Governmental Organization (/NGO) Forum accompanying the World
Summit. Youth distributed literature and answered questions at a
European Baha’i Youth Council booth, and they participated in special
Youth Caucus meetings held during the course of the Forum.

Surrounding these two high water marks of the Youth Council’s year—the
Shaping Europe conferences and the Summit in Copenhagen—a number of
other significant events occurred, two of them in May 1994. During that
month, a representative of the Youth Council, Dr. Kishan Manocha,
addressed a large workshop group on the topics “What Can Youth Do to
Create a New System of Values?” and “From Spirit Into Action:
Implementing Agenda 21” during the International Youth Forum in
Novosibirsk Akademgorodok, Siberia. The “Interweek” forum drew 250
people from 26 countries to examine the theme “The Choice of the Future:
New Tasks for Individual and Collective Responsibility.” The aim of the
event was to draw global problems to the attention of European youth,
identify strategies for their resolution, and discuss the role of future
leaders in the decision-making process, particularly with regard to Russia.

That same month, in Geneva, another representative of the Youth Council,
Inder Manocha, attended a meeting called “The Contribution of Youth to
Lasting Peace” held under the auspices of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies. The gathering was the third follow-up meeting to the 1990
World Summit for Children and brought together chief executive officers
of humanitarian and development NGOs to further develop the goals of
that Summit. A statement prepared by the Youth Council to address the
issues concluded with the following: “It is youth, from all cultures and
backgrounds, who must look upon their differences as a reason for
delight and upon their common humanity as the basis for discovering
peace, justice, and equality. Peace is not merely the absence of war in
the same Way that war is not the absence of peace. It is a decision, a
dynamic, and a vision. It needs youth on its side as much as youth need it.”

In September 1994, the Council cooperated with the Landegg Academy in
Switzerland to organize a forum called “The Creative Resolution of
Conflict.” The 35 people attending the

four-day event developed a statement on conflict resolution and made
plans to establish an international network of youth committed to
supporting the oneness of mankind. The forum was held under the auspices
of the Council of Europe, the European was.” 1 1' 1 -- VT m- Hamper.“
Youth Foundation, and the Youth Parliament of Appenzell. In October,
representatives of the European Baha’i Youth Council participated in the
International Young Leadership Camp organized by the youth section of
the World Conference on Religion and Peace and held in Riva del Garda,
Italy.

Finally, the sixth annual conference of European national and regional
Baha’i youth committees took place in Brno, Czech Republic, in February
1995. Reporting on the atmosphere created by the 80 representatives of
26 countries Who attended the Youth Council Wrote, “The sheer urgency of
the times and the swift action that must needs be realized by all the
youth of Europe in order to achieve the mighty purpose of this
stupendous Revelation were clear in the hearts and minds of all present.”

Representation at Youth Events

In addition to the significant representation at youth events achieved
by the European Youth Council, youth in other regions of the world
cosponsored or took part in youthrelated consultations organized by
other groups.

Two young Baha’is were among the 200 delegates from 86 nations to travel
to Canada for an international conference for young leaders organized by
the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation. The Foundation was created by the former
Governor-General of Canada to provide young people with a permanent
international forum in which to discuss important issues and create a
network of contacts, regardless of political, cultural, ideological, or
other differences. In May 1994, the youth met in Montreal to discuss
globalization and education.

The Baha’i participants were invited to present workshops called
“Family: the Cornerstone of Society” and “A New Framework for Moral
Education.” They set up an exhibition from which they distributed
pamphlets, prayers, and books on education, development, environment,
race unity, peace, and Women. They also shared their personal
experiences of living as Baha’is in

180

Albania, Italy, Iran, the United States, and Central America.

A young Samoan Baha’i, Vaisualao Lauvao, was selected by the Western
Samoan National Youth Council to represent his country at the fifth
International Youth Forum in Seoul, Korea, in July. “Youth and the
Family—All for One and One for All” was the forum theme, which Vaisualao
addressed in the speech he delivered. “The youth phase is the most
critical stage of our individual and collective development,” he stated.
“...It is the testing stage of ideas, habits, attitudes and life-styles.
The time to acquire a livelihood, and to adopt those qualities which
will mould our perspectives and approaches towards the issues of our
age. It is essential therefore for the youth to acquire a clear and
unifying vision of human society and their destiny... In our age this
vision is nothing less than the realization...of the truth that We are
all members of one family, the family of the human race.” In December
1994, two Samoans represented the country’s Baha’i youth at a South
Pacific Methodist Youth Convention organized to challenge Pacific youth
to pray, reflect, and contribute toward making a peaceful, just, and
healthy world.

The reputation made by Baha’i youth who participated in a National Youth
Leadership Forum called “Don’t Hate...Communicate” in New York City led
to invitations for further Baha’i involvement in Chicago and Atlanta.
The forum series was begun by American Telephone and Telegraph to help
young people build alliances with peers of different backgrounds who are
working toward positive change. After the first weekend conference in
New York, at which youth put together personal and group action plans,
the organizers were so impressed with the Baha’i participants that they
accepted all Baha’i applicants for the Chicago forum. The Chicago youth
had been encouraged to apply by the youth task force of the Chicago
Human Rights Commission, which was familiar with the Chicago Baha’i
Youth Workshop’s diverse makeup and community efforts. This Workshop
performed as part of the AT&T Forum’s evening program and was so well
received that when the Forum moved to Atlanta, the program coordinator
invited that city’s Baha’i Youth Workshop to perform. During each city’s
forum, Baha’i youth shared sacred Writings about overcoming prejudice
and offered

guidance on developing consultation skills. In a thank you note to the
Baha’is, the forum coordinator wrote: “...if only the World at large
could capture the love and sensitivity that seems to be instilled in the
youth of the Baha’i Faith, our problems would be far closer to being
solved.”

At the United Nations Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small
Island Developing States, held in Barbados in April/May 1994, a Youth
Ecofest ’94 Tent was set up for the exchange of information and ideas.
Two Baha’i youth made presentations on the topic of spiritual principles
and sustainable development In August 1994, eight Baha’i youth took part
in an international youth forum in Singapore planned in cooperation with
UNESCO to prepare for the tenth anniversary of the United Nations
International Year of Youth in 1995.

The Bahél’i Youth Movement of Costa Rica Worked with representatives of
UNICEF and the Children of the Earth to organize a conference called
“Youth and the United Nations—A Vital Connection,” in June 1994. The
event was one of a series of gatherings held around the World in
preparation for the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. About 35
youth from Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua attended workshops,
dramatic presentations, and video showings on consultation, rnoral
leadership, the United Nations, and the rights of children. The
conference, which took place at the Charles Wolcott Youth Institute in
Santa Ana, Costa Rica, helped establish bonds between youth from
different parts of Central America.

Community S ervice

“Aside from teaching the Cause, the greatest service the Baha’i Youth
can render is to exemplify in their lives the teachings and especially
to be promoters—within the Baha’i communities and in the World at
large—of love and harmony, qualities so sadly lacking in these days of
hatred, suspicion, vindictiveness and prejudice.”15 As mentioned above,
a number of youth

15. From a letter Written on behalf of Shoghi to the Louhelen School,
Youth Session, 15 October 1944, cited in "Youth,” Compilation
ofCompilations, vol. 2 (Mona Vale: Publications Australia, 1991), p. 432.

The 1994 graduating class of the Maxwell International Bohci ’1' School
in Vancouver; British Columbia, Canada.

made efforts to carry out this duty by serving as representatives at
youth gatherings and sharing Baha’i ideals. Other attempts to be
champions of unity took a variety of forms.

A reputation for being promoters of racial harmony is being earned by
students at the Maxwell International Baha’i School in Shawnigan Lake,
British Columbia, Canada. When the nearby Native Heritage and Friendship
Centers organized a drama group to perform interactive skits about
racism in area schools to stimulate discussion, eight Maxwell students
were the only nonNative youth invited to help. Maxwell School is known
for its Baha’i Youth Workshop which uses dance and drama to promote race
llIllW.

e unity.

The elimination of prejudice was one of the topics addressed by youth
during a summer school in El Salvador focused on “Shaping a Model of a
New Society.” Baha’i youth served as panelists, speakers, and seminar
chairpersons throughout the program for the school. Approximately 350
people attended. Following the “Shaping Europe” conferences organized by
the European Baha’i Youth Council in the summer of 1994, a group of
youth in Portugal put together a series of gatherings for their peers to
discuss social issues. The positive response generated radio and
newspaper coverage of the events. Baha’i youth in the West Leeward
Islands spoke about topics such as unity and purity during a regular
five-minute radio program called “Youth Speak Out.” The radio station
offered the program to the Bahé’is free of charge as it is considered a
public service broadcast

In Korea, the Peace Club formed by Baha’is at the Taejon National
University of Technology in 1992 continued promoting the ideals of World
peace, cultural understanding, and global thinking. The Club sponsored
weekly presentations and dis— cussions, invited guest speakers,
presented speeches to other clubs, and organized cultural tours to Japan
to establish bonds with fellow students. In December 1994, seven Peace
Club members visited the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan and
participated in a workshop led by Kyushu Professor Judith Johnson.
Baha’i writings on peace were studied and discussed.

Many youth devoted a year or more to full-time community service,
responding to a recommendation made by the Universal House of Justice in
a letter to the Baha’i youth of the world dated 3 January 1984. Since
that time, the “Youth Year of Service” concept has inspired youth to
undertake a range of services as fiill-time volunteers. Some teach the
Baha’i Faith, others Work in development projects such as hospitals or
schools, and others volunteer at the Baha’i World Centre in Haifa,
Israel. Such experiences help youth to internalize the idea that the
life of a Baha’i is a life of service to humanity.

Education for Service

“...0 ye illumined youth, strive by night and by day to unravel the
mysteries of the mind and spirit, and to grasp the secrets of

Young Bahci ’11? from Mbale and Kabale,

Uganda, embark on a one-week trzp 2‘0 share their Faith with neighbors
throughout the district.

184

the Day of God,” counselled ‘Abdu’l-Bahe'ul6 His successor, Shoghi
Effendi, likewise urged youth to develop equally both their intellectual
and spiritual capacities, with the aim of preparing themselves to apply
Baha’i teachings to the needs of society.

To this end, a variety of educational settings are used to foster
ever-increasing levels of understanding among youth. At special camps,
institutes, schools, and retreats organized for, and sometimes by,
youth, such understanding of the Baha’i Faith is approached
intellectually through serious study of its Writings, spiritually
through prayer and meditation, and socially through the practice of
consultation, service, and fellowship.

During 1994—95, youth camps were particularly popular in a variety of
locations. The youth in the greater Auckland region of New Zealand
helped to prepare sessions for presentation to their peers during the
Baha’i Regional Youth Camp in Hunua. Papakura, in June 1994. The camp
came about through the cooperation of five Local Spiritual Assemblies.
In Botswana, the community’s desire to bring Baha’i youth together as
one spiritual

amily to demonstrate cooperation and love resulted in the

country’s first youth camp. For one week, youth gathered at the Baha’i
Institute in Mahalapye and studied the life of Baha’u’llah, the
Kitab-i-Aqdas, chastity and marriage, and the immortality of the soul.
In a report from the participants, the youth related their recognition
that “they have a special role in the social and administrative
activities of the Faith and that they are the carriers of the lamp which
can illumine the people...”

Weekend youth camps became a regular feature of life in Venezuela,
where, as of August 1994, a series in La Guajira had involved nearly 400
participants. During the camps, youth learn songs, memorize prayers and
quotations, and study Writings. Youth camps also became regular in
regions of Malaysia. The fourth Sabah Bahél’i Youth Camp took place in
June I994

l6. ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, from a tablet translated from the Persian, cited in
"Youth," Compilation ofCompilations, v01. 2, p. 415.

with 50 participants, and another camp was organized in Port Dickson in
August with the theme “Youth——A Time for Service.”

Youth institutes——0pp0rtunities for intensive study of the Baha’i Faith
ranging from one day to several Weeks—also attracted eager
participation. Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of South
Africa and members of the Auxiliary Board for that region joined Baha’i
youth for a five-day institute during the summer of 1994. The program
was developed through con--77 r " Hr" "new," Wusultation among
participants, and each evening topics that had been studied during the
day were shared through music, song, and drama. In nearby Zambia,
thirteen youth from Burundi, Rwanda, and Zambia completed a four—week
course held at the William Masethla Baha’i Institute. Fired with
enthusiasm to share the teachings they had studied, five of the youth
volunteered to undertake a 45-day teaching trip in Zaire, traveling by
bicycle. Several weekend youth institutes also took place in the
Seychelles during the year.

The spirit that animated the nine~day Ndorna Institute for Youth in the
Solomon Islands was beyond description, related the organizers, who saw
youth deeply engrossed in in-depth pre— sentations on the unfoldment of
the Baha’i Faith, witnessed the presenters become energized by the
enthusiasm of the 50 students, and experienced the potential of love and
unity as they mm, M“ M .. . .. - V , a “A- mm, as we, took part in an
event that truly linked the hearts of indigenous believers and foreign
pioneers. One ofthe highlights of the institute was a public meeting
held to proclaim the Baha’i Faith; after devotional readings and a main
talk, the youth provided entertainment for the 200 guests. In addition
to camps and institutes, other educational structures were found to be
successful. The Baha’i youth of Mongolia gave talks with confidence and
love for the Faith and consulted together with maturity during the first
National Youth School held in that country in June. In Alaska, the
fourth ALCAN Youth Training Program brought together youth from Alaska
and Canada for two weeks of training and one week of service to the
community.

Although many Baha’i youth educational gatherings are open to other
interested youth, some are explicitly aimed at serving the

186

needs of the wider youth population. The Youth Development Institute at
Chandigarh, India, for example, which was created by Bahé’l's in 1991,
continued to assist both and other youth to prepare for their futures.
The institute exists to encourage youth to develop virtues such as
confidence, tolerance, and patience, to provide opportunities for young
people to serve the community, and to counsel youth in career planning.
During 1994, a library was established for the area, many students who
had dropped out of school were assisted with continuing their education,
career guidance was given, and Baha’i youth conducted classes for
younger children

Youth Conferences One particular form of education that has become a
regular feature in the lives of many Baha’i youth is the conference.
Youth conferences—national, regional and
intemational—provide'opportunities for education, inspiration, exchange,
and socializing. Increasingly youth themselves have taken the lead in
planning and conducting such gatherings.

Among the many national youth conferences that took place during 1994—95
were two in Chile which demonstrated the initiative being taken by the
young Bahé’is of that country. At the first conference, held in August
1994 in Talca, all talks and workshops were prepared and presented by
youth to give them opportunities to develop their skills. The conference
focused on evaluating the past year’s projects and planning for the
future. The second national conference, in February 1995, was the
culmination of a month-long teaching project undertaken by the youth in
sixteen cities of Chile (see p. 171).

“At this time of trouble and confusion, who can offer a greater
demonstration than the Baha’i youth of the power of righteous living to
restore hope to the hopeless and confidence to the fearful among their
disillusioned peers?” Such was the challenge put before the 2,000
participants attending the United States’ national youth conference in a
message from the Universal House of Justice to the gathering. Each of
the four days spent in Phoenix, Arizona, focused on one of the Central
Figures of the Baha’i Faith, further preparing the youth to continue
teaching in

the “Army of Light” projects around the country.

The national youth conference in Colombia in July focused on “The
Family: Organic Base of a Healthy World.” The conference also launched a
nationwide two-year tour of the Baha’i AfroCuban musical group Millero
Congo. New Zealand’s annual national youth conference, held in
Silverstream, Upper Hutt, in August, generated a spirit of fellowship,
love, and service that contributed to the declarations of faith by two
participants. National youth conferences were also held in July 1994 in
Sri Lanka, at the Baha’i Teaching Institute, Kadugannawa, and in
February 1995 in Uruguay, where youth studied “World Crisis and the Role
of Baha’is.” Many of the Malaysian youth attending a conference in Kuala
Lumpur in February 1995, organized by the National Youth Committee,
arose to pledge periods of service ranging from one month to one year.

An historic youth conference occurred in the Eastern Caroline Islands in
December 1994. For the first time, second generation Baha’is from
indigenous groups made up the majority of the participants, coming from
the islands of Kosrae, Chuuk, and Pohnpei. For one Week, the youth
focused their attention on prayer, methods of studying the sacred
writings, and the life of Bahé’u’llah and memorized passages and history
to prepare for presenting the Faith. In the evenings they developed
artistic performances for upcoming events.

In Costa Rica, the Baha’is of Villa Palacio spent fifteen days clearing
away an old structure that had served as a Baha’i Center and building a
pavilion twice its size in preparation for a youth conference. Visitors
were welcomed by a traditional Guaymi chanter and musician who led
singing and dancing. During the conference, the youth presented dramatic
portrayals of early believers in the Faith such as Lua Getsinger and
Howard Colby Ives, and they acted out skits to demonstrate the
differences between problem-solving with and without consultation.

In the African nations of Zaire, Ethiopia, and Liberia, Baha’i youth
held conferences to prepare themselves for contributing to positive
change in their countries. In Zaire, 112 young Baha’is gathered in
August at a farm outside of Lubumbashi to explore how youth-can
contribute to spiritualizing and changing the

188

World. They studied Baha'i teachings on morality and each evening
gathered around a fire with interested friends to discuss What they had
learned and answer questions. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, youth attended a
training conference to prepare for resettling to different regions of
the country to take the Baha’i teachings there. In Liberia,
approximately 75 young men and Women rose above difficult circumstances
to gather for a threeday national youth conference consisting of
discussion, prayers, lectures, songs, and games.

Regional youth conferences took place in Latin America, Asia, Europe,
and Australasia. The Latin American Baha’i Youth Conference, held in
Brazil in July, drew 200 participants from fourteen nations and included
a walk for biodiversity through the central park of Brasilia. The
Association of South East Asian Nations Baha’i Youth Conference
attracted almost 250 youth from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The October

Young people from Gardnersville, Monrovia, and Paynesville, Liberia,
attending thefirsi National Youth Conference held in Liberia, 1'
September 1 994 .

gathering in Thailand revolved around the theme “Unique Challenges and
Opportunities.” In Europe, simultaneous conferences on the theme of
“Shaping Europe” were organized in England, Germany, Romania, Russia,
and Spain by the European Baha’i Youth Council (see pp. 177—178). The
first regional youth conference to be held in the Mariana
Islands—conceived, planned, and carried out by the Marianas National
Youth Committee— attracted young Baha’is from the Eastern Caroline
Islands, the Western Caroline Islands, Australia, and Guam.

youth from the Dominican Republic raported a

particular sense of triumph when they were allowed to attend Haiti’s
international youth conference, crossing a border that is often closed
because of political and economic considerations. The youth studied and
consulted together and overcame language barriers through music and
dance and “by so many gestures from the heart.”

Conclusion

“Blessed is he who in the

prima of his youth and the Youth in costume to perform a Thai

heyday of his life will arisa dance ata holy day celebration in Ch‘ ', T
‘l d.

to serve the Cause of the langmm hm an

Lord of the beginning and of

the end, and adorn his heart with His love,” wrote I7 Bahél’i youth in
1995, assailed by the same turbulent forces of change affecting all
humanity at this critical hour, found their refuge in this assurance. As
they faced the daily struggle all people face to understand their place
in the world and to manifest the potential Within them, they discovered
strength, guidance, and vision in the teachings of Baha’u’llzih. To the
extent that they

acted upon this precious discovery, they found themselves trulS/ blessed.

17. From a tablet translated from the Persian, cited in “Youth,"
Compilation of Compilations, vol. 2, p. 415.

190

ESSAYS, TATEMENTS,

AND

PRCSUEILES

Douglas Martin considers the Revelation of the Ed!) in the context of
its impact

on Western writers ofthe period and

its subsequent influence.

THE WPSEIIEON BAB;

Retrospective, 1844—1 994

he year 1994 marked the 150th anniversary of the declaration of His
mission by the Bab (Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, 1819—1850), one of the two
Founders of the Baha’i Faith. The moment invites an attempt to gain an
overview of the extraordinary historical consequences that have flowed
from an event little noticed at the time outside the confines of the
remote and decadent society within which it occurred. . The first half
of the nineteenth century was a period of messianic expectation in the
Islamic world, as was the case in many parts of Christendom. In Persia a
wave of millenialist enthusiasm had swept many in the religiously
educated class of Shi‘ih Muslim society, focused on belief that the
fulfillment of prophecies in the Qur’an and the Islamic traditions was
at hand. It was to one such ardent seekerl that, on the night of 22-23
May 1844, the Bab

The Shrine of the Bcib on Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel

Author’s note: I am indebted to Dr. Muhammad Afnan and Ms. Elizubulh
Martin for advice and assistance in the preparation of this article.

192

(a title meaning “Gate”) announced that He was the Bearer of a Divine
Revelation destined not only to transform Islam but to set a new
direction for the spiritual life of humankind.

During the decade that followed, mounting opposition from both clergy
and state brought about the martyrdom of the Bab, the massacre of His
leading disciples and of several thousands of His followers, and the
virtual extinction of the religious system that He had founded. Out of
these harrowing years, however, emerged a successor movement, the Baha’i
Faith, that has since spread throughout the planet and established its
claim to represent a new and independent world religion.

It is to Baha’u’llah (Mirza Husayn-‘All', 1817—1892), that the worldwide
Baha’i community looks as the source of its spiritual and social
teachings, the authority for the laws and institutions that shape its
life, and the vision of unity that has today made it one of the most
geographically widespread and ethnically diverse of organized bodies of
people on the planet. It is from Baha’u’llah that the Faith derives its
name and toward Whose resting place in the Holy Land that the millions
of Baha’is around the World daily direct their thoughts when they turn
to God in prayer. These circumstances in no way diminish, however, the
fact that the new Faith was born amid the bloody and terrible
magnificence surrounding the Bab’s brief mission, nor that the
inspiration for its worldwide spread has been the spirit of
self-sacrifice that Baha’i's find in His life and the lives of the
heroic band that followed Him. Prayers revealed by the Bab and passages
from His voluminous writings are part of the devotional life of
everywhere. The events of His mission are commemorated as annual holy
days in tens of thousands of local Baha’i communities.2 On the slopes of
Mount Carmel, the golden~domed Shrine where His mortal remains are
buried dominates the great complex of monumental buildings and gardens
constituting the administrative center of the Faith’s international
activities.

In contemporary public awareness of the Baha’i community and its
activities, however, the life and person of Baha’u’llah

2. The anniversary of the birth of the Bab is commemorated 20 October;
His declaration, 23 May; and His 9 July.

194

Pilgrims approaching the Shrine on Mount Carmel where ihe remains ofihe
Bab, secretly carried out of Persia following His

    execution in 1850, were inferred by ‘Abdu M” Bahzi in 1909.

have largely overshadowed those of the Bab. In a sense, it is natural
that this should be the case, given the primary role of Baha’u’llah as
the fulfillment of the Bab’s promises and the Architect of the Faith’s
achievements. To some extent, however, this circumstance also reflects
the painfully slow emergence of the new religion from obscurity onto the
stage of history. In a perceptive comment on the subject, the British
historian Arnold Toynbee compared the level of appreciation of the
Baha’i Faith in most Western lands with the similarly limited impression
that the mission of Jesus Christ had succeeded in making on the educated
class in the Roman Empire some 300 years after His death.3 Since most of
the public activity of the Baha’i community over the past several
decades has focused on the demanding task of presenting Baha’u’llah’s
message, and elaborating the implications of its social teachings for
the life of society, the Faith’s nineteenth-century Persian origins have
tended to become temporarily eclipsed in the public mind.

Indeed, Baha’r's, too, are challenged by the implications of the
extraordinary idea that our age has witnessed the appearance of two
almost contemporaneous Messengers of God. Bahzi’u’llfth describes the
phenomenon as one of the distinguishing characteristics of the new
religion and as a mystery central to the plan of God for the unification
of humankind and the establishment of a global civilization.4

3. Arnold Toynbee, A Study of History, vol. 8 (London: Oxford, 1954), p.
1 l7. 4. Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahd Selected Letters, 2d
rev. ed. (Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1974), pp. 123—124.

Fundamental to the Baha’i conception of the evolution of civilization is
an analogy to be found in the writings of both the Bab and Bahé’u’llah.
It draws a parallel between the process by which the human race has
gradually been civilized and that whereby each one of its individual
members passes through the successive stages of infancy, childhood, and
adolescence to adulthood. The idea throws a measure of light on the
relationship which Bahé’l’s see between the missions of the two Founders
of their religion.

Both the Bab and Baha’u’llah—-the former implicitly and the latter
explicitly—describe the human race as standing now on the brink of its
collective maturity. Apart from the Bab’s role as a Messenger of God,
His advent marks the fmition of the process of the refining of human
nature- which thousands of years of Divine revelation have cultivated.
It can be viewed, in that sense, as the gateway through which humankind
must pass as it takes up the responsibilities of maturity. Its brevity
itself seems symbolic of the relative suddenness of the transition.5

At the individual level, no sooner does one cross the critical threshold
of maturity in his or her development than the challenges and
opportunities of adulthood beckon. The emerging potentialities of human
life must now find expression through the long years of responsibility
and achievement: they must become actualized through marriage, a
profession and family, and service to society. In the collective life of
humanity, it is the mission of Baha’u’llah, the universal Messenger of
God anticipated in the scriptures of all the world’s religions, to seize
up our age’s emerging consciousness of universal brotherhood and to
generate the unity of thought and of collective action that will be the
distinguishing characteristic of the maturity of the race. This alone
can lay the foundations of global civilization.

Even as late as the end of the nineteenth century, however, it was the
Bzib who figured as the central Personality of the new

5. I owe this interesting suggestion to Dr. Hossain Danesh.

196

religion among most of those Westerners who had become aware of its
existence. Writing in the American periodical Forum in 1925, the French
literary critic Jules Bois remembered the extraordinary impact which the
story of the Bib continued to have on educated opinion in Europe as the
nineteenth century closed:

All Europe was stirred to pity and indignation... Among the littérateurs
of my generation, in the Paris of 1890, the martyrdom of the Bab was
still as fresh a topic as had been the first news of His death [in
1850]. We wrote poems about Him. Sarah Bernhardt entreated Catulle
Mendés for a play on the theme of this historic tragedy.6

Writers as diverse as Joseph Arthur de Gobineau, Edward Granville
Browne, Ernest Renan, Aleksandr Tumanskiy, A.L.M. Nicolas, Viktor Rosen,
Clément Huart, George Curzon, Matthew Arnold, and Leo Tolstoy were
affected by the spiritual drama that had unfolded in Persia during the
middle years of the nineteenth century. Not until the early part of our
own century did the name the “Baha’i Cause,” which the new religion had
already adopted for itself as early as the 18605, replace the
designation of “Babi movement” in general usage in the West.7

That this should have been the case was no doubt a reflection of the
degree to which the brief but incandescent life of the Bib seemed to
catch up and embody cultural ideals that had dominated European thought
during the first half of the nineteenth century, and which exercised a
powerful influence on the Western imagination for many decades
thereafter. The concept commonly used to describe the course of Europe’s
cultural uml intellectual development during the first five or six
decades of

6. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By (1944; reprint, Wilmette: Publishing
Trust, 1974), p. 56 and The Bahd‘i World, vol. 9, l940—l944 (I945;
reprint, Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1981), p. 588.

7. Persistent use of the term “Bibi” in Iranian Muslim attacks on the
Faith over the years has tended to be a reflection of the spirit of
animosity incited by its original nineteenth-century clerical opponents.

French scholar ALA/I. Nicolas, authority on the Babz' movement

the nineteenth century is Romanticism. By the century’s beginning,
European thought had begun to look beyond its preoccupation with the
arid rationalism and mechanistic certainties of the Enlightenment toward
an exploration of other di— mensions of existence: the aesthetic, the
emotional, the intuitive, the mystical, the “natural,” the “irrational.”
Literature, philosophy, history, sic, and art all responded strongly and
gradually exerted a sympathetic influence on the popular mind.

In England, where the tendency was already gathering force as the

century opened, one effect was to produce perhaps the most spectacular
outpouring of lyrical poetry that the language has ever known. Over the
next two to three decades these early innI-J-d... 1 "

past were summoned up to ser Ideal:

ve as vehicles for this heroic

To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite;

To forgive wrongs darker than

Death or Night;

T0 defy Power which seems Omnipotent;

To love, and bear; to hope, till From its own wreck the thing

Hope creates it contemplatens...

This alone is Life, Joy, and Vicforyg

The same longings had awakened in America in the decades immediately
preceding the Civil War and were to leave an

indelible imprint on public consc

dentalists became deeply attract the Orient: the Bhagavad shads, as well
as the works of t Hafez, and Sa’adl'. The effect can writings of Emerson
as the Divin

I look for the hour when t

iousness. All of the transcened by the mystical literature of

Gita, the Ramayana, and the Upani

he major Islamic poets, Rumi',

be appreciated in such influential

ity School Address:

hat supreme Beauty which

sights were to find powerful echoes throughout Western Europe. A new
order of things, a whole new world, lay within reach, if man would only
dare what was needed. Liberated by the intellectual upheaval of the
preceding decades, poets, artists and musicians conceived of themselves
as the voice of immense creative capacities latent in human
consciousness and seeking expression; as “prophets” shaping a new
conception of human nature and human society. With the validity of
traditional religion now shrouded in doubt, mythical figures and events
from the classical

Cambridge scholar E. G. Brown e, attired in Persian dress

ravished the souls of those ea the Hebrews, and through the shall speak
in the West also shall follow so far these sh come full circle;... shall
see soul; shall see the identity of t of heart; and shall show... th
with Beauty, and with Jay.9

As the century advanced, t itself increasingly mired in t defeats 0f the
revolutionary the pressure of scientific and philosophical materialism
to had originally given rise grad

8. Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheu Divinity School Address,” Selections
Wricher, ed. (Boston: Houghton

9. Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Ralph Waldo Emerson, SE. 1960), pp. 115—116.

stern Men, and chiefly those of ir lips spoke oracles to all time, .. I
look for the new Teacher that

ining laws that He shall see them

the world to be the mirror of the he law of gravitation with purity

at Duty is one thing with Science,

he early Romantic optimism found he successive disappointments and
fervor it had helped arouse. Under technological change, the culture 0|

ually consolidated itself. The wars

and revolutionary upheavals of the middle years of the century
contributed further to a mood of “realism,” a recognition that great
ideals must somehow be reconciled with the obdurate circumstances of
human nature.

Even in the relatively sober atmosphere of Victorian public discourse,
however, Romantic yeamings retained a potent ence in Western
consciousness. They produced a susceptibility to spiritual impulses
which, while different from that which had characterized the opening
decades of the century, now affected a broad public. If the
revolutionary figure of Prometheus no longer spoke to English
perceptions of the age, the Arthurian legend caught up the popular hope,
blending youthful idealism with the insights of maturity, and capturing
the imagination of millions precisely on that account:

The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God himself in many
ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the World. I 0

It is hardly surprising that, on minds formed in this cultural milieu,
the figure of the Bab should exert a compelling fascination, as
Westerners became acquainted with His story in the latter years of the
century. Particularly appealing was the purity of His life, an
unshadowed nobility of character that had won the hearts of many among
His fellow countrymen who had come as doubters or even enemies and
stayed to lay down their lives in His cause. Words which the Bab
addressed to the first group of His disciples suggest the nature of the
moral standards He held up as goals for those who responded to His call:

Purge your hearts of Worldly desires, and let angelic virtues be your
adorning... The days when idle worship was deemed sufficient are ended.
The time is come when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds
of stainless purity, can ascend to the throne of the Most High and be
acceptable unto Him.... Beseech the Lord your God to grant that no
earthly entanglements, no worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits,

10. Alfred Lord Tennyson, Idylls of the King: The Passing of Arthur, 1].
408— 410.

200

may tarnish the purity, or cmbitter the sweetness, of that grace which
flows through you.l I

Purity of heart was coupled with a courage and willingness for
self-sacrifice that Western observers found deeply inspiring. The
commentaries of Ernest Renan and others drew the inescapable parallel
with the life of Jesus Christ. As the extraordinary drama of His final
moments convincingly demonstrated,12 the Bab could have at any moment
saved Himself and achieved mastery over those who persecuted Him by
taking advantage of the folly of His adversaries and the superstition of
the general populace. He scorned to do so, and accepted death at the
hands of His ene

mies only whan satisfied that His mission had been completed in

lI. Muhammad-i-Zarandi (Nabil-i-A‘gam), The Dawn-Breakers: Nabz'l's
Narrative of the Early Days of the Bahd'z' Revelation, translated from
the Persian by Shoghi Effendi (1932; reprint, Wilmette: Publishing
Trust, 1974), p. 93.

12. The Béb, together with a young follower, was suspended by ropes from
a courtyard wall in the citadel in Tabriz, and an Armenian Christian
regiment, whose commander had expressed great uneasiness about the
assignment, was ordered to open fire on the prisoners. When the smoke
from the 750 rifles had cleared, near pandemonium broke out among the
crowd of spectators thronging roofs and walls. The Bab’s companion was
standing uninjured at the foot of the Wall, and the Bab Himself had
disappeared from view. The entire volley had done no more than sever the
ropes. The had returned to the room in which He had been held, in order
to complete instructions to His amanuensis, which had been interrupted
by His jailers.

The Armenian regiment immediately left the citadel, refusing any further
participation. It would have taken only a gesture of encouragement from
the Bab for the crowd, now in a state of intense excitement aroused by
what they regarded as “a miracle,” to have delivered Him from His
captors. When He did not take advantage of this opening, the aulho
eventually recovered their composure and summoned a regiment of Muslim
soldiers who carried out the planned execution.

Though dramatic, the incident was not an isolated event in the Bzib's

ministry. Four years earlier, the wealthy and powerful Governor of
Mamichir Khzin, who was the host and warm admirer, had offered to march
on the capital with his army and induce Persia’s feeble ruler, Muhammad
Shzih, meet the and listen to His message. The offer was courteously
declined, and Manflehir Khén’s subsequent death led directly to the
Bzib’s arrest, imprisonment, and execution.

barracks“ square in T abrfk, Persia, where the Ba'b was executed on

9 July 1850.

its entirety and in conformity with the Will of God. His followers, who
had divested themselves of all earthly attachments and advantages, were
barbarously massacred by adversaries who had

sworn on the to spare their lives and their honor, and who

shamefully abused their wives and children after their deaths. Renan writes:

Des milliers de martyrs sont accourus pour lui avec l‘allégresse au
devant de la mort. Un jour sans pareil peut-étre dans l’histoire du
monde fut celui de la grands boucherie qui 56 fit des Bébis, 2‘1
Téhéran. “On vit ce dans les rues et les bazars de Téhéran," dit un
narrateur qui a tout su d’original, “un spectacle que la population
semble devoir n’oublier jarnais.... Enfants et femmes s’avanc;aient en
cihantant un

verset qui dligz En vérité nous venons de Dieu ct nous retournA." A T ..:

13.Ernest Renan, Les Apétres, translated from the French by William G.
Hutchison (London: Watts & Co., 1905), p. 134. “For his sake, thousands
of martyrs flocked to their death. A day unparalleled perhaps in the
World’s history was that of the great massacre of the Bébis at Teheran.
‘On that day was to be seen in the streets and bazaars of Teheran,’ says
a narrator, who has first-hand knowledge, ‘a spectacle which it does not
seem that the populations can ever forget....Women and children
advanced, singing a verse, which says: “In truth we come from God, and
unto him we return.”’” The narrator referred to is J.A. de Gobineau, 3d
ed., Les

Religions et les Philosophies dans l 'Asie Centrale (Paris: Ernest
Leroux, 1900), p. 304 et seq,

202

Purity of heart and moral courage were matched by an idealism with which
most Western observers could also readily identify. By the nineteenth
century, the Persia to which the Bab addressed Himself and which had
once been one of the world’s great civilizations, had sunk to an object
of despair and contempt among foreign visitors. A population ignorant,
apathetic, and superstitious in the extreme was the prey of a profoundly
corrupt Muslim clergy and the brutal regime of the shahs. Shi‘ih Islam
had, for the most part, degenerated into a mass of superstitions and
mindless legalisms. Security of life and property depended entirely on
the whims of those in authority.

Such was the society that the Bab summoned to reflection and
self-discipline. A new age had dawned; God demanded purity of heart
rather than religious formulae, an inner condition that must be matched
by cleanliness in all aspects of daily life; truth was a goal to be won
not by blind imitation but by personal effort, prayer, meditation, and
detachment from the appetites. The nature of the ac—

Gobineau, Browne, and Nicolas guised herselyas a boy tojoin were later
to hear from surviving in the defense of the Bdbl comfollowers of the
can be appre- m and d'ed m

ciated from the words in “hiiCh the siege

Mullé Husayn-i-Bushrfi’f described the effect on him of his first
meeting with the Béb:

I felt possessed of such oourag world, all its peoples and its pote
would, alone and undaunted universe seemed but a handful of to be the
Voice of Gabrie mankind: “Awake, for, 10! the m0

14. The Dawn-Breakers, p. 65.

e and power that were the mates, to rise against me,

withstand their onslaught. The

dust in my grasp. I seemed

ersonificd, calling untqall

ming Light has blrbkenTM

European observers, visiting the country long after the Bab’s martyrdom,
were struck by the moral distinction achieved by Persia’s Baha’i
community. Explaining to Western readers the success of Baha’i teaching
activities among the Persian population, in contrast to the ineffectual
efforts of Christian missionaries,

E.G. Browne said:

To the Western observer, however, it is the complete sincerity of the
Babis [sic], their fearless disregard of death and torture undergone for
the sake of their religion, their certain conviction as to the truth of
their faith, their generally admirable conduct towards mankind and
especially towards their fellow—believers, which constitutes their
strongest claim on his attention.15

The figure of the Bab appealed strongly also to aesthetic sensibilities
which Romanticism had awakened. Apart from those of His countrymen whose
positions were threatened by His mission, surviving accounts by all who
met Him agree in their description of the extraordinary beauty of His
person and of His physical movements. His voice, particularly when
chanting the tablets and prayers He revealed, possessed a sweetness that
captivated the heart. Even His clothing and the furnishings of His
simple house were marked by a degree of refinement that seemed to
reflect the inner spiritual beauty that so powerfully attracted His
visitors.

Particular reference must be made to the originality of the Bab’s
thought and the manner in which He chose to express it. Throughout all
the vicissitudes of the nineteenth century, the European mind had
continued to cling to the ideal of the ‘man of destiny’ who, through the
sheer creative force of his untrarnmeled genius, could set a new course
in human affairs. At the beginning of the century, Napoleon Bonaparte
had seemed to represent such a phenomenon, and not even the
disillusionment that had followed his betrayal of the ideal had
discouraged the powerful current of individualism that was one of the
Romantic

15.E.G. Browne, introduction to Myron H. Phelps, Live and Teachings of
Abbas Ejj’endi, 2nd rev. ed. (N ew York; London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons: The
Knickerbocker Press, 1912), p. xvi.

204

Green silk robe worn by the Bdb

movement’s principal legacies t0 the century and, indeed, to our own.

Out of the Bab’s writings emerges a sweeping new approach to religious
truth. Its sheer boldness was one of the principal reasons for the
violence of the opposition that His work aroused among the obscurantist
Muslim clergy who dominated all serious discourse in nineteenth-century
Persia. These challenging concepts were matched by the highly innovative
character of the language in which they were communicated.

In its literary form, Arabic possesses an almost hgpnotic beauty—a
beauty which, in the language of the Qur’an, attains levels of the
sublime which Muslims of all ages have regarded as beyond imitation by
mortal man. For all Muslims, regardless of their sect, culture, or
nation, Arabic is the language of Revelation par excellence. The proof
of the Divine origin of the Qur’an lay not chiefly in its character as
literature, but in the power its verses possessed to change human
behavior and atti~ tudes. Although, like Jesus and Muhammad before Him,
the Bab had little formal schooling, He used both Arabic and His native
Persian, alternately, as the themes of His discourse required.

To His hearers, the most dramatic sign of the Bab’s spiritual authority
was that, for the first time in more than twelve centuries, human ears
were privileged to hear again the inimitable accents of Revelation.
Indeed, in one important respect, the Qur’an was far surpassed. Tablets,
meditations, and prayers of LL "" thrilling power flowed effortlessly
from the lips of the Bab. In one extraordinary period of two days, His
writings exceeded in quantity the entire text of the Qur’an, which
represented the fruit of 23 years of Muhammad’s prophetic output. No one
among His ecclesiastical opponents ventured to take up His public
challenge: “Verily We have made the revelation of verses to be a
testimony for Our message to you.” [i.e., In the God had explicitly
established the “miracle” of the Book’s power as His sole proof.] “Can
ye produce a single letter to match these verses? Bring forth, then,
your proofs...”16

Moreover, despite His abilitgl to use traditional Arabic forms

16. The Béb, Selections from the Writings of the Bzib (Haifa: Bahél’i
World Centre, 1976), p. 43.

206

when He chose to do so. the Bab showed no hesitancy in abandoning these
conventions as the requirements of His message dictated. He resorted
freely to neologisms, new grammatical constructions, and other variants
on accepted speech whenever He found existing terms inadequate vehicles
for the revolutionary new conception of spiritual reality He vigorously
advanced. Rebuked by learned Shi‘ih mujtahicls at His trial in Tabri'z
(1848) for violations of the rules of grammar, the Bab reminded those
who followed Him that the Word of God is the Creator of language as of
all other things, shaping it according to His purpose.17 Through the
power of His Word, God says “BE,” and it is. -

The principle as old as prophetic religion;—is indeed, central to it:

In the beginning was the Word, and tha Word was with God, and the Word
was God....

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that
was made...

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew
him not. 18

The implications for humanity’s response to the Messenger of God at His
advent is touched on in a passage of one of Baha’u’llah’s major works,
The Four Valleys. Quoting the Persian poet Rumi, He says:

The story is told of a mystic knower, who went on a journey with a
learned grammarian as his companion. They came to the shore of the Sea
of Grandeur. The knowcr straightway flung himself into the waves, but
the grammarian stood lost in his reasonings, which were as words that
are written on water. The knower called out to him, “Why dost thou not
follow?” The grammarian answered, Brother, I dare not advance I must
needs go back again.” Then the knower cried, “Forget what thou didst
read in the books of [rhetoric and grammar], and cross the water.”

17. The Dawn-Breakers, pp. 321—322. 18. John 1:140, Authorized (King
James) Version.

The death of self is needed here, not rhetqric: Be nothing, then, and
walk upon the waves. 1)

For the young seminarians who most eagerly responded to Him, the
originality of the Bab’s language, far from creating an obstacle to
their appreciation of His message, itself represented another compelling
sign of the Divine mission He claimed. It challenged them to break out
of familiar patterns of perception, to stretch their intellectual
faculties, to discover in this new Revelation a true freedom of the spirit.

However baffling some of the Bab’s writings were to prove for His later
European admirers, the latter also perceived Him to be a unique figure,
one who had found within His own soul the vision of a transcendent new
reality and who had acted unhesitatingly on the imperative it
represented. Most of their commentaries tended to reflect the Victorian
era’s dualistic frame of mind and were presented as scientifically
motivated observations of what their authors considered to be an
important religious and cultural phenomenon. In the introduction to his
translation of A Traveller’s Narrative, for example, the Cambridge
scholar Edward Granville Browne took pains to justify the unusual degree
of attention he had devoted to the Babl’ movement in his research work:

...here he [the student of religion] may contemplate such personalities
as by lapse of time pass into heroes and demi-gods still unobscured by
myth and fable; he may examine by the light of concurrent and
independent testimony one of those strange outbursts of enthusiasm,
faith, fervent devotion, and indomitable heroism—or fanaticism, if you
will—which we are accustomed to associate with the earlier history of
the human race; he may witness, in a word, the birth of a faith

which may not imgossibly win a place amidst the great reli— gions of the
world. 0

The electrifying effect that the phenomenon exerted, however~ even on a
cautious and scientifically trained European intellect and

19. The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys (1978; reprint Wilmette:
Publishing Trust, 1984), pp. 51~52.

20. E.G. Browne, Introduction to A Traveller 's Narrative: Written to
Illilsz‘rate [he Episode of the Bdb, by ‘Abdu’l-Bahé. Trans. E.G. Browne
(New York: Publishing Committee, 1930), p. viii.

208

the passage of several decades—can be appreciated from Browne’s
concluding remarks in a major article in Religious Systems of the World,
published in 1892, the year of passing:

I trust that I have told you enough to make it clear that the objects at
which this religion aims are neither trivial nor unworthy of the noble
self-devotion and heroism of the Founder and his followers. It is the
lives and deaths of these, their hope which knows no despair, their love
which knows no cooling, their steadfastness which knows no wavering,
which stamp this wonderful movement with a character entirely its own....

It is not a small or easy thing to endure what these have endured, and
surely what they deemed worth life itself is worth trying to understand.
I say nothing of the mighty inwhich, as I believe, the Bébi faith will
exert in the future, nor of the new life it may perchance may breathe
into a dead people; for, whether it succeed or fail, the splendid
heroism of the Be'tbi martyrs is a thing eternal and indestructible. 2]

So powerful was this impression that most Western observers tended to
lose sight of the Bab’s purpose through fascination with His life and
person. Browne himself, whose research made him preeminent among the
second generation of European authorities on the movement, largely
failed to grasp the role the Bab’s mission played in preparing the way
for the work of Baha’u’llah or, indeed, the way in which the
achievements of the latter represented the eventual triumph and
vindication.22 The French writer A.L.M. Nicolas was much more fortunate,
in part simply because he lived long enough to benefit from a greater
historical perspective.

21.E.G. Browne, “Bébiism,” Religious Systems of the World, 3rd edition
(London: Swan Sonncnschein & Co. and New York: MacMilIan & (10., 1892),
pp. 352—353.

22. Browne’s objectivity appears to have been clouded, as well, by his
hope that the Bébis would focus their energies on the political reform
of Persia itself. criticizing what he saw as diversion of Bahn’i
energies from domestic politics to the cause of World unity, he
complained [hill “...just now it is men who love their country above all
else that Persia needs.” English introduction to the Nuq‘tatu cited in
HM. Balyuzi,

Edward Granville Browne and the Bahd '1' Faith (London: George Ronald,
1970), p. 88.

Promised One at His advent:

Illuminated tablet afthe Bab, concerning "Him Whom God shall make manifest"

25.11311, p. 91.

210

Initially antagonistic toward wh planting” of the Bath, he came fin that
the Bab was one of two su whose joint mission is the unificat

This brief historical frame standing the thrust of the Bab’s message is
abundantly clear. As purpose of His mission and the o the proclamation
of the imminent will make manifest,” that univers ticipated in religious
scriptures th history. Indeed, all of the laws reve simply to prepare
His followers

We have planted the Garden latien] in the name of Him Who and have
granted you

The Bab’s mission was to prep an age of transformation beyond heard Him
would be able to underst their hearts so that they could reco whole
world was waiting and 3 Kingdom of God. The Bab was t this long-awaited
universal theoph

At the time of the appearance 0

manifest the most distinguished lowliest of men shall both be ju most
insignificant of men have ac

the most learned have remained wrapt in veils.

23. The Bahd’i World, v01. 9, 194

24. Selections from the Writings of the

at he saw as “supally to appreciate the view ccessive Manifestations of
God ion and pacification of the planet.23

rk will be of assistance in under

teachings. In one sense, His

He repeatedly emphasized, the bjeet of all His endeavors was

advent of “Him Whom God a1 Manifestation of God anroughout the ages of
human aled by the Bab were intended to recognize and serve the

111 God will make manifest,

n to live therein until the time

are humanity for the coming of

anything the generation that and. Their duty was to purify gnize the One
for Whom the

erve the establishment of lhe hus the “Door

through which any would appear.

fHim Whom God will make

among the learned and the dged alike. How often the

4 (Wilmette: Publishing Trust.

Bail), p. 135.


Significantly, the initial references to the Promised Deliverer appear
in the Bab’s first major work, the Qayyflmu’l-Asma’, passages of which
were revealed by Him on the night of the declaration of His mission. The
entire work is ostensibly a collection of commentaries on the of Joseph
in the Qur’an, which the Bath interprets as foreshadowing the coming of
the Divine “Joseph,” that “Remnant of God” Who will fulfill the promises
of the Qur’e'm and of all the other scriptures of the past. More than
any other work, the Qayytimu’l-Asma’ vindicated for Babis the prophetic
claims of its Author and served, throughout

the early part of the Béb’s ministry, as the Qur’én or the Bible of His
community.

0 peoples of the East and the West! Be ye fearful of God concerning the
Cause of the true Joseph and barter Him not for a paltry price
established by yourselves, or for a trifle of your earthly possessions,
that'ye may, in very truth, be praised by Him as those who are reckoned
among the pious who stand nigh unto this Gate.26

In 1848, only two years before His martyrdom, the Béb revealed the
Bayén, the book which was to serve as the principal repository of his
laws and the fullest expression of His theo— logical doctrines.
Essentially the book is an extended tribute to the coming Promised One,
now invariably termed “Him Whom God will make manifest.” The latter
designation occurs some 300 times in the book, appearing in virtually
every one of its chapters, regardless of their ostensible subject. The
Bayan and all it contains depend upon His Will; the whole of the Bayz'm
contains in fact “nought but His mention”; the Bayan is “a humble gift”
from its Author to Him Whom God will make manifest; to attain His
Presence is to attain the Presence of God.

He is “the Sun of Truth,” “the Advent of Truth,” “the Point of Truth,”
“the Tree of Truth”27:

26. Selections the Writings of the Bail), p. 49.

27. Persian Bayén, unpublished manuscript: References to units and
chapters 7.1; 5.7; 4.1; and 7.11.

I swear by the most holy Essence of God—exalted and glorified be He—thut
in the Day of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest a
thousand perusals of the Bayan cannot equal the perusal of a single
verse to be revealed by Him Whom God shall make manifest.28

Some of the most powerful references to the subject are contained in
tablets which the addressed directly to Him Whom God would soon make
manifest:

Out of utter nothingness, 0 great and Omnipotent Master, Thou hast,
through the celestial potency of Thy might, brought me forth and raised
me up to proclaim this Revelation. I have made none other but Thee my
trust; I have clung to no will but Thy Will. Thou art, in truth, the
All-Sufficing and behind Thee standeth the true God, He Who
overshadoweth all things.”

Apart from this central theme, the Bab’s writings present a daunting
problem for even those Western scholars familiar with Persian and
Arabio. To a considerable degree, this is due to the fact that the works
often address minute matters of Shi‘ih Islamic theology which were of
consuming importance to His listeners, whose minds had been entirely
formed in this narrow intellectual world and who could conceive of no
other. The study of the organizing spiritual principles within these
writings will doubtless occupy generations of doctoral candidates as the
Baha’i community continues to expand and its influence in the life of
society consolidates. For the Babfs, who received the writings at first
hand, a great deal of their significance lay in their demonstration of
the Bab’s effortless mastery of the most abstruse theological issues,
issues to which His ecclesiastical opponents had devoted years of
painstaking study and dispute. The effect was to dissolve for the Bab’s
followers the intellectual foundations on which the prevailing Islamic
theological system rested.

A feature of the Béb’s writings which is relatively accessible

28. Selections from the Writings of the Bcib, p. 104. 29. Ibid., p. 59.

is the laws they contain. The Bab revealed what is, at first sight, the
essential elements of a complete system of laws dealing with issues of
both daily life and social organization. The question that comes
immediately to the mind of any Western reader with even a cursory
familiarity with history is the difficulty of reconciling this body of
law which, however diffuse, might well have prevailed for several
centuries, with the Bab’s reiterated anticipation that “He Whom God will
make manifest” would shortly appear and lay the foundations of the
Kingdom of God. While no one knew the hour of His coming, the Bab
assured several of His followers that they would live to see and serve
Him. Cryptic allusions to “the year nine” and “the year nineteen”
heightened the anticipation within the Bibi community. No one could
falsely claim to be “He Whom God will make manifest,” the Bab asserted,
and succeed in such aclaim.

It is elsewhere that we must look for the immediate significance of the
laws of the Bayan. The practice of Islam, particularly in its Shi‘ih
form, had become a matter of adherence to minutely detailed ordinances
and prescriptions, endlessly elaborated by generations of mujtahids, and
rigidly enforced. The sharf ‘a, or system of canon law, was, in effect,
the embodiment of the clergy’s authority over not only the mass of the
population but even the monarchy itself. It contained all that mankind
needed or could use. The mouth of God was closed until the Day of
Judgment when the heavens would be cleft asunder, the mountains would
dissolve, the seas would boil, trumpet blasts would rouse the dead from
their graves, and God would “come down” surrounded by angels “rank on rank.”

For those who recognized the Bab, the legal provisions of the

214

Bayan shattered the clergy’s institutional authority at one blow by
making the entire shari‘a structure irrelevant.30 God had spoken anew.
Challenged by a superannuated religious establishment Which claimed to
act in the name of the Prophet, the Bab vindicated His claim by
exercising, in their fullness, the authority and powers that Islam
reserved to the Prophets. More than any other act of His mission, it was
this boldness that cost Him His life, but the effect was to liberate the
minds and hearts of His followers as no other influence could have done.
That so many laws of the Bayzin should shortly be superseded or
significantly altered by those laid down by in the Kitéb-i-Aqdas3l Was,
in the perspective of history and in the eyes of the mass of the Bébi’s
who were to accept the new Revelation, of little significance once the
Bab’s purpose had been accomplished.

In this connection, it is interesting to note the way in which the Bab
dealt with issues that had no part in His mission, but which, if not
addressed, could have become serious obstacles to His work because they
were so deeply and firmly imbedded in Muslim religious consciousness.
The concept of jihdd or “holy war,” for example, is a commandment laid
down in the Qur’én as obligatory for all able-bodied male Muslims and
one whose practice has figured prominently in Islamic societies
throughout the ages. In the Qayylimu’l-Asma’, the Bab is at pains to
include a form ofjihad as one of the prerogatives of the station which
He claims for Himself. He made any engagement in jihad, however,
entirely dependent on His own approval, an approval which He declined to
give. Subsequently, the Bayan, although representing the formal
promulgation of the laws of the new Dispensalion, makes only passing
reference to a subject which had so long seemed fundamental to the
exercise of God’s Will. ln ranging

30. The challenge came into sharp focus for the leading followers at in
conference held at the small hamlet of Badasht in 1848. Interestingly,
the figure who took the lead in bringing about a realization of the
magnitude of the spiritual and intellectual changes set in motion by the
was a woman, the gifted poetess Téhirih, who was also later to suffer
for her beliefs.

31. “The Most Holy Book,‘9 charter for a new world civilization, written
in Arabic in 1873.

A small paisley wool . money purse which belonged to the Bcib.

across Persia to proclaim the new Revelation, therefore, the Bab’s
followers felt free to defend themselves when attacked, but their new
beliefs did not include the old Islamic mandate to wage war on others
for purposes of conversion. 32

In the perspective of history, it is obvious that the intent of these
rigid and exacting laws was to produce a spiritual mobilization, and in
this they brilliantly succeeded. Foreseeing clearly where the course on
which he was embarked would lead, the Bab prepared His followers,
through a severe regimen of prayer, meditation, self-discipline, and
solidarity of community life, to meet the inevitable consequences of
their commitment to His mission.

The prescriptions in the Bayzin extend, however, far beyond those
immediate purposes. Consequently, when took up the task of establishing
the moral and spiritual foundations of the new Dispensation, He built
directly on the work of the Bath. The Kitéb-i-Aqdas, the “Mother Book”
of the Baha’i era, while not presented in the form of a systematic code,
brings together for Baha’ls the principal laws of their Faith. Guidance
that relates to individual conduct or social practice is set in the
framework of passages which summon the reader to a challenging new
conception of human nature and purpose A nineteenth-century Russian
scholar who made one of the early attempts to translate the book
compared Baha’u’llah’s pen writing

32. In the Kitéb-i-Aqdas formally abolishes holy war as a feature of
religious life. See William S. Hatcher and J. Douglas Martin, The
Bahd'z' Faith: The Emerging Global Religion (San Francisco: Harper &
Row, Publishers, 1985), pp. 13-14.

the Aqdas to a bird, now soaring on the summits of heaven, now
descending to touch the homcliest questions of everyday need.

The connection with the writings of the Bab is readily apparent to
anyone who examines the provisions of the Aqdas. Those laws of the Bayan
which have no relevance to the coming age are abrogated. Other
prescriptions are reformulated, usually through liberalizing their
requirements and broadening their applications. Still other provisions
of the Bayén are retained virtually in their original form. An obvious
example of the latter is Baha’u’llah’s adoption of the Bab’s calendar,
which consists of nineteen months of nineteen days each, with provision
for an “intercalary” period of four or five days devoted to social
gather~ ings, acts of charity, and the exchange of gifts with friends
and family.

Apart from the specific laws of the Bayan, the Béb’s writings also
contain the seeds of new spiritual perspectives and concepts which were
to animate the worldwide Baha‘i enterprise.

A crystal Persian tea glass and china saucer with rose iasterflowers
belonging to the Bab.

Beginning from the belief universally accepted by Muslims that God is
one and transcendent, the Bab cuts sharply through the Welter of
conflicting doctrines and mystical speculations that had accumulated
over more than twelve centuries of Islamic history. God is not only One
and Single; He is utterly unknowable to humankind and will forever
remain so. There is no direct connection between the Creator of all
things and His creation.

The only avenue of approach to the Divine Reality behind existence is
through the succession of Messengers Whom He sends. God “manifests”
Himself to humanity in this fashion, and it is in the Person of His
Manifestation that human consciousness

can become aware of both the Divine Will and the Divine attributes. What
the scriptures have described as “meeting God,” “knowing God,”
“worshiping God,” “serving God,” refers to the response of the soul when
it recognizes the new Revelation. The advent of the Messenger of God is
itself “the Day of Judgment.” The Bab thus denies the

validity of belief in the pos

sibility of the individual’s mys

tical merging with the Divine Being through meditation and esoteric
practices:

A ring belonging to the Bdb

Deceive not your own selves that you are being virtuous for the sake of
God when you are not. For should ye truly do your Works for God, ye
would be performing them for Him Whom God shall make manifest and
wouldube magnifying His Name... Ponder awhile that ye may not be shut
out as by a veil from Him Who is the Dayspring of Revelation.”

Going far beyond the orthodox Islamic conception of a “succession” of
the Prophets that terminates with the mission of Muhammad, the also
declares the Revelation of God to be a recurring and never—ending
phenomenon whose purpose is the gradual training and development of
humankind. As human consciousness recognizes and responds to each Divine
Messenger, the spiritual, moral, and intellectual capacities latent in
it steadily develop, thus preparing the way for recognition of God’s
next Manifestation.

The Manifestations of God—including Abraham, Moses,

33. Selections from the Writings ofthe Bcib, p. 86.

Jesus, and Muhammad—arc one in essence, although their physical persons
differ, as do those aspects of their teachings that relate to an ever
evolving human society. Each can be said to have two “stations”: the
human and the Divine. Each brings two proofs of His mission: His own
Person and the truths He teaches. Either of these testimonies is
sufficient for any sincerely inquiring soul; the issue is purity of
intention, and this human quality is particularly valued in the Bab’s
writings. Through unity of faith, reason and behavior, each person can,
with the confirmations of God, reach that stage of development where one
seeks for others the same things that one seeks for oneself.

Those who sincerely believe in the Messenger whose faith they follow are
prepared by it to recognize the next Revelation from the one Divine
Source. They thus become instruments through which the Word of God
continues to realize its purpose in the life of humankind. This is the
real meaning of the references in past religions to “resurrection.”
“Heaven" and “hell,”I similarly, are not places but conditions of the
soul. An individual “enters” paradise in this world when he recognizes
God’s Revelation and begins the process of perfecting his nature, a
process that has no end, since the soul itself is immortal. In the same
way, the punishments of God are inherent in a denial of His Revelation
and disobedience to laws Whose operation no one can escape.

Many of these concepts in the Bab’s writing can appeal to various
references or at least intimations in the scriptures of earlier
religions. It will be obvious from what has been said, however, that the
places them in an entirely new context and draws from them implications
very different from those which they bore in any previous religious system.

The described His teachings as opening the “sealed winc" referred to in
both the and New Testament. The “Day of God" does not envision the end
of the world, but its perennial renewal. The earth will continue to
exist, as will the human race, whose potentialities will progressively
unfold in response to the successive impulses of the Divine. All people
are equal in the sight of God, and the race has now advanced to the
point where, with the imminent advent of Him Whom God will manifest,

there is neither need nor place for a privileged class of clergy.
Believers are encouraged to see the allegorical intent in passages of
scriptures which were once viewed as references to supernatu— ral or
magical events. As God is one, so phenomenal reality is one, an organic
whole animated by the Divine Will.

The contrast between this evolutionary and supremely rational conception
of the nature of religious truth and that embodied by nineteenth-century
Shi‘ih Islam could not have been more dramatic. Fundamental to orthodox
Shf‘ism—whose full impli— r-afinnn " ' i “W- H.“ cations are today
exposed in the regime of the Islamic Republic in Iran—was a literalistic
understanding of the Qur’an, a preoccupation with meticulous adherence
to the shari‘a, a belief that personal salvation comes through the
“imitation” of . Ul

clerical mentors, and an unbending conviction that Islam is

God’s final and all-sufficient revelation of truth to the world. For

so static and rigid a mindset, any serious consideration of the

teachings of the Bab would have unthinkable consequences. “Una, A

The teachings, like the laws of the Bayan, are enunciated not in the
form of an organized exposition, but lie rather embedded in the wide
range of theological and mystical issues a V 1 U n my“... wows addressed
in the pages of His voluminous writings. It is in the writings of that,
as with the laws of the Baya'm, these scattered truths and precepts are
taken up, reshaped, and integrated into a unified, coherent system of
belief. The subject lies Fr... LRUAMJ ‘L . . i v “w far beyond the scope
of this brief paper, but the reader will find in Baha’u’lléh’s major
doctrinal work, the Kitab-i-iqan (“Book of Certitude”), not only echoes
of the Bab’s teachings, but a coherent exposition of their central concepts.

Finally, a striking feature of the Bzib’s writings, which has emerged as
an important element of belief and history, is the mission envisioned
for “the peoples of the West” and admi— ration of the qualities that fit
them for it This, too, was in dramatic contrast to the professed
contempt forfarangi and “infidel” thought that prevailed in the Islamic
world of His time. Western scientific advancement is particularly
praised, for

220

example, as are the fairness of mind and concern for cleanliness that
the Bab saw Westerners on the whole as tending to display. His
appreciation is not merely generalized but touches on even such mundane
matters as postal systems and printing facilities.

At the outset of the Bzib’s mission, the called on “the peoples of the
West” to arise and leave their homes in promotion of the Day of God:

Become as true brethren in the one and indivisible religion of God, free
from distinction, for verily God desireth that your hearts should become
mirrors unto your brethren in the Faith, so that ye find yourselves
reflected in them, and they in you. This is the true Path of God, the
Almightym34

To a British physician who treated Him for injuries inflicted during his
interrogation in Tabri'z, the expressed His confidence that, in time,
Westerners, too, would embrace the truth of His mission.

This theme is powerfully taken up in the work of Bahé’u’llah. A series
of “tablets” called on such European rulers as Queen Victoria, Napoleon
III, Kaiser Wilhelm I, and Tsar Alexander I] to examine dispassionately
“the Cause of God.” The British monarch is warmly commended for the
actions of her government in abolishing slavery throughout the empire
and for the establishment of constitutional government. Perhaps the most
extraordinary theme the letters contain is a summons, a virtual mandate
to “the Rulers of America and the Presidents of the Republics therein.”
They are called on to “bind. . .the broken with the hands of justice”
and to “crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of the
commandments of [their] Lord.”35

Anticipating the decisive contribution which Western lands and peoples
are destined to make in founding the institutions of world order, wrote:

34. Selections from the Writings of the Bdb, p. 56. 35. The
Kiteib-i-Aqdas, paragraph 88.

A banquet held in 'Abdu 'l-Bahé It honor at the Great Northern Hotel,
New York, 23 November 1912. His visit to Europe and North America served
to reinforce the early Bahti communities there and ultimately led to the

expansion of the Baha '1' Faith around the globe.

In the East the Light of His Revelation hath broken; in the

West have appeared the signs of His dominion. Pondei this in your
hearts, 0 people...36

It was on ‘Abdu’l-Baha that responsibility devolved to lay the
foundations for this distinctive feature of the missions of the Bath and
Baha’u’lléh. Visiting both Western Europe and North America in the years
1911—1913, He coupled high praise for the

material accomplishments of the West with an urgent appeal that

they be balanced with the essentials of “spiritual civilization.” During
the years of World War I, after returning to the Holy Land, ‘Abdu’l-Baha
drafted a series of letters addressed to the small body of Baha’u’lléh’s
followers in the United States and Canada, summoning them to arise and
carry the Baha’i message to the remotest corners of the globe. As soon
as international

conditions permitted, these Bahé’Is began to respond. Their example has
since been followed by members of the many other Baha’i communities
around the world which have proliferated during subsequent decades.

To the North American believers, too, ‘Abdu’l-Baha confided the task of
laying the foundations of the democratically elected institutions
conceived by Baha’u’llah for the administration of the affairs of the
Baha’i community. The entire decision-making structure of the
present-day administrative system of the Faith at local, national, and
international levels, had its origins in these simple consultative
assemblies formed by the American and Canadian believers.

Baha’fs see a parallel pattern of response to the Divine mandate,
however unrecognized, in the growing leadership Western nations have
assumed throughout the present century in the efforts to bring about
global peace. This is particularly true of the endeavor to inaugurate a
system of international order. For his own vision in this respect, as
well as for the lonely courage that the effort to realize it required,
“the immortal Woodrow Wilson” won an enduring place of honor in the
writings of the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith.

Bahzi’is are likewise aware that it has been such governments as those
of Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia which have taken the
lead in the field of human rights. The community has experienced at
first hand the benefits of this concern in the successful interventions
undertaken on behalf of its members in Iran during the recurrent
persecutions under the regimes of the Pahlavi shahs and the Islamic
Republic.

Nothing of what has been said should suggest an uncritical admiration of
European or North A

merican cultures on the part of either the or nor an endorsement of the
ideological foundations on which they

rest. Far otherwise. warns in ominous tones of the suffering and ruin
that will he visited upon the entire human race if Western civilization
continues on its course of excess. During His visits to Europe and
America, ‘Abdu’l-Baha called on His hearers in poignant language to free
themselves, while time still remained, from racial and national
prejudices, as well as materialistic preoccupations,

whose unappreciated dangers, He said, threatened the future of their
nations and of all humankind.

Today, a century and a half after the Bab’s mission was inaugurated, the
influence of His life and words has found expression in a global
community drawn from every background on earth. The first act of most
Baha’i pilgrims on their arrival at the World Centre of their Faith is
to walk up the flower-bordered avenue leading to the exquisite Shrine
housing the Bab’s mortal remains, and to lay their foreheads on the
threshold of His resting place. They confidently believe that, in future
years, “pilgrim kings” will reverently ascend the magnificent terraced
staircase rising from the foot of the “Mountain of God” to the Shrine’s
entrance, and place the emblems of their authority at this same
threshold. In the countries from which the pilgrims come, countless
children from every background and every language today bear the names
of the martyred companions—Tahirih, Quddl'ls, Husayn, Zaynab, Vahid,
Am's— much as children throughout the lands of the Roman empire began
2,000 years ago to carry the unfamiliar Hebrew names of the disciples of
Jesus Christ.

choice of a resting place for the body of His Forerunner—brought with
infinite difficulty from Persia—itself holds great significance for the
world. Throughout history the blood of martyrs has been “the seed of
faith.” In the age that is witnessing the gradual unification of
humankind, the blood of the Babi' martyrs has become the seed not merely
of personal faith, but of the administrative institutions which are, in
the words of Shoghi Effendi, “the nucleus [andlthe very pattern” of the
World Order conceived by Bahzi’u’llaihg“7 The relationship is symbolized
by the supreme position that the Shrine of the occupies in the
progressive development of the administrative center of the Faith on
Mount Carmel.

Few there must be among the stream of Baha’i pilgrims entering these
majestic surroundings today whose minds do not turn to the familiar
words in which the Bab said farewell 150

years ago to the handful of His first followers, all of them bereft of
influence or wealth and most of them destined, as He was, soon to lose
their lives:

The secret of the Day that is to come is now concealed. It can neither
be divulged nor estimated. The newly born babe of that Day excels the
wisest and most venerable men of this time, and the lowliest and most
unlearned of that period shall surpass in understanding the most erudite
and accomplished divines of this age. Scatter throughout the length and
breadth of this land, and, with steadfast feet and sanctified hearts,
prepare the way for His coming. Heed not your weaknesses and frailty;
fix your gaze upon the invincible power of the Lord, your God, the
Almighty... Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be
assured of ultimate victory.38

Courtyard of the house of the Bab in Shiraz. The house was demolished by
the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in September 1979 and
the property used as a parking lot for an adjoining mosque.

38. The Dawn—Breakers, p. 94.

t . ORLD QTCH

D uring 1994—95, the world’s preoccupation with the pros~ pects and
challenges of emerging globalization further deepened. In one of a
number of notable documents released during the year, the ambivalence
felt by many people about globalizing trends and the polarizing effects
these trends are producing throughout the world is expressed:

The implications of globalization have...been contradictory— on the one
hand, disturbing signs of national and social disintegration, and on the
other, new forms of international cooperation. Since the processes of
globalization are likely to intensify in the years ahead—making people’s
life chances even more interdependent—the world will have to choose
which trends should predominate. The question is not whether there will
be a global community, but What kind of global community it should be. 1

1. States ofDisarray: The Social Ejj‘ects of Globalization, A United
Nations Research Institute for Social Development report for the World
Summit for Social Development (1995), pp. 167468.

Wrestling with this question of “What kind of global community it should
be” has occupied world leaders in various arenas over the past few
years. The grouping of nations through cultural links or economic and
trade ties is now commonplace, and horizons continue to expand But
attitudes must also change in order to accommodate a new global order,
and that is a challenging prospect for many.

To address both attitudes and practical concerns, the United Nations has
focused on the kind of global community that is desirable by holding a
number of large international gatherings. Beginning with the United
Nations Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro
in 1992, and continuing through the World Conference on Human Rights in
Vienna in 1993, the International Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo in 1994, the World Summit for Social Development in
early 1995, and the Fourth World Conference on Women scheduled for
September 1995, the United Nations has sought to bring both World
leaders and grassroots organizations of civil society together to
discuss the world’s most urgent problems— and to begin to devise
solutions for them.

Whatever shortcomings may be apparent in these conferences, including
the lack of binding agreements, the public wrangling, and the perception
by some that they are forums where there is much talk and little real
action, the mere fact that such global gatherings have occurred is in
itself momentous. Attracting an unprecedented number of World leaders
and demonstrating the emerging influence of non-governmental
organizations, they have afforded people opportunities to exchange ideas
and have moved topics such as the environment, human rights, population
control, poverty and unemployment, and women’s concerns to the center of
the world stage.

The meetings seem to have generated a new spiritiamong both participants
and the general population. It would be very shortsighted to denigrate
them because the World’s problems have not been resolved as a result.
The problems are complex, and difficult decisions about “what kind of
global community it should be” require a great deal more serious,
intense discussion. Future gatherings such as the UN 50 Observances
scheduled for New

228

York in October I995. an international conference on human settlements
to take place in I996, and the possible summit on global governance at
some point before the end of the century will continue the dialogue
commenced With such vigor in Rio in 1992.

As the discourse continues, however, the discussions will need to move
to more profound levels or momentum will be lost. The Commission on
Global Governance, in the opening pages of its report, clearly depicts
not only the climate in which we live during the closing years of the
twentieth century but outlines several distinct challenges in humanity’s
path:

A time of change when future patterns cannot be clearly discerned is
inevitably a time of uncertainty. There is need for balance and
caution—and also for vision. Our common future will depend on the extent
to which people and leaders around the world develop the vision of a
better world and the strategies, the institutions, and the will to
achieve it.2

It is significant that the Commission points to the development of a
vision, of strategies, of institutions, and will as necessary factors in
forging a new World. But the vision ofa united world is not new. It was
articulated by Baha’u’lléh during the last century; it was expounded by
His son ‘Abdu’l-Baha, particularly during the addresses He made to the
public and the press during His trip to the West in 1911—1913; and it
was developed even further by the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, Shoghi
Effendi, especially in his “World Order Letters” written between 1929
and 1936 as humanity hovered 0n the brink of the Second World War.

‘Abdu’l-Bahé’s views on the subject are succinctly stated in a letter
written by Him in prison in Acre, Palestine, in 1906:

...all the members of the human family, whether peoples or governments,
cities or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none is
self-sufficiency any longer possible, inasmuch as political ties unite
all peoples and

24 Our Global Neighborhood: The Report of the Commission on Global
Governance (Oxford University Press, 1995), p. 12.

nations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and
education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all
mankind can in this day be achieved. . .. Verily this is none other but
one of the wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious century. Of this
past ages have been deprived, for this century—the century of light—hath
been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory, power and
illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh marvel every day.

Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles will the assemblage of
man.3

The interdependence that was so clearly seen by ‘Abdu’lBahé in 1906 is
even more abundantly manifest in the closing decade of the century,
though humanity admittedly has some distance to travel before it
achieves the unity of which He wrote and the “glory, power and
illumination” that is accessible to it. However, ‘Abdu’l-Baha did not
stop with general statements. He

quickly went on to outline the differentielements necessary for the
establishment of unity in the world:

Behold how its light is now dawning upon the world’s darkened horizon.
The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings
of which can now be discerned. The second candle is unity of thought in
world undertakings, the consummation of which will ere long be
witnessed. The third candle is unity in freedom which will surely come
to pass. The fourth candle is unity in religion which is the cornerstone
of the foundation itself, and which, by the power of God, will be
revealed in all its splendor. The fifth candle is the unity of
nati0ns——a unity which in this century Will be securely established,
causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as citizens of
one common fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races, making of all
that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh candle
is unity of language, i.e., the choice of a universal tongue in which
all peoples will be instructed and converse. Each and every one of these
will inevitably come to pass, inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of
God will aid and assist in their realization.3

At first blush, it may appear that the elements of unity out

230

lined by ‘Abdu’l-Baht’i unity in the political realm, of thought in
world undertakings, in freedom, in religion, of nations, of races, and
of language—have little to do with events that occurred during 1994-—95,
but a survey of the major concerns and developments show that the
connection is, in fact, very strong indeed.

Governance was a central topic of concern for many social commentators
during the year. People became increasingly cynical of their
politicians, and major democracies suffered crises in confidence or
toyed with secessionisrn. While some people wanted less government and
espoused the doctrine of libertarianism, others saw problems with
liberal individualism and promoted alternatives such as
communitarianism. Ruthless dictators retained their stranglehold on
power in some countries, while other nations drifted into various states
of disorder, and militias wreaked havoc. People in many countries of the
world expressed disillusionment with their political leaders, a
sentiment inspired, in part, by increasingly widespread government
corruption. Still others complained that We are governed by people who
are artful in the ten-second sound~bite rather than those who understand
how the world works, or that the World is governed increasingly by
“happenstance” or by economic factors rather than by leaders setting
policies and taking action on them. Leaders were seen as lacking in
long-range vision. All of this demonstrated a basic discontent with
current systems of government and with leaders—but no consensus on what
should replace them.

In this context, in a speech given on 4 July 1994 as he was being
presented with the Philadelphia Liberty Medal at Independence Hall,
Czech President Vaclav Havel frankly declared that the values that have
shaped America and other modern democracies—in his words “respect for
the unique human being and his or her liberties and inalienable rights,
and the principle that all power derives from the people”—are not
sufficient for the creation of a new order in this postmodern age.
Pointing out that “our civilization has essentially globalized only the
surface of our lives,” he stated that a planetary civilization must be
established firmly on generally held values and claimed, “The central
political task of the final years of this century...is the creation of a new

model of co-existence among the various cultures, peoples, races and
religious spheres within a single interconnected civilization.” To forge
this new civilization and to find generally held values, he spoke of
“self-transcendence” as the key, saying: “Only someone who submits to
the authority of the universal order and of creation, who values the
right to be a part of it and a participant in it, can genuinely value
himself and his neighbors and thus honor their rights as Well.”

Havel went on to suggest two possible ways for humanity to anchor itself
in these new values, both coming from what he termed “post-modern
science”: the first is “the anthropic cosmological principle,” which
states that “we are mysteriously connected to the universe, we are
mirrored in it, just as the entire evolution of the universe is mirrored
in us”; the second is the “Gaia hypothesis,” which posits that the earth
is a living thing, a “mega-organism” that will rid itself of human life
in favor of life itself, if we do not tend it carefully.

These are Worthy concepts, but as the Bahzi’i International

Community pointed out in its statement The Prosperity ofHumankind,
released in January 1995:

The earnest hope that [the] moral crisis [facing humanity] can somehow
be met by deifying nature itself is an evidence of the spiritual and
intellectual desperation that the crisis has engendered. Recognition
that creation is an organic whole and that humanity has the
responsibility to care for this whole, welcome as it is, does not
represent an influence which can by itself establish in the
consciousness of people a new system of values. Only a breakthrough in
understanding that is scientific and spiritual in the fullest sense of
the terms will empower the

human race to assume the trusteeship toward which history impels it.4

American social thinkers, commenting on Havel’s speech, found it lacking
in “an emphasis on institutions that can ground his vision.”
Communitarianism’s leader Amitai Etzioni complained that Havel’s vision
is “too spiritual,” continuing on to say that “Values do not fly about
on wings. They need to be em

4. See p. 290 of this volume.

232

bodied.”5 To be fair, however, it is difficult to deal with both
theoretical and philosophical concepts and practical implementations in
a single brief speech like Havel’s. But such complaints do indicate the
degree to which the World is now searching for adequate social
institutions to address the needs of humanity.

Such institutions were foretold by Baha’u’llah more than 100 years ago,
and their development was elaborated upon by His appointed successors,
as seen in the following passage written by Shoghi Effendi in 1931:

Some form of a world super-state must needs be evolved, in Whose favor
all the nations of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to
make war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain
armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within
their respective dominions. Such a state will have to include within its
orbit an international executive adequate to enforce supreme and
unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the
commonwealth; a world parliament whose members shall be elected by the
people in their respective countries and whose elections shall be
confirmed by their respective governments; and a supreme tribunal whose
judgment will have a binding effect even in such cases where the parties
concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case to its
consideration. A world community in which all economic barriers will
have been permanently demolished and the interdependence of Capital and
Labor definitely recognized; in which the clamor of religious fanaticism
and strife will have been forever stilled; in which the flame of racial
animosity will have been finally extinguished; in which a single code of
international law—the product of the considered judgment of the world‘s
federated representatives—shall have as its sanction the instant and
coercive intervention of the combined forces of the federated units; and
finally a world community in which the fury of a capricious and militant
nationalism will have been transmuted into an abiding consciousness of
world eiti~ zenship—such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline, the
Order anticipated by Baha’u’llah, an Order that shall come to be
regarded as the fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age.6

5. Newsweek, 18 July 1994. 6. Shoghi The World Order of Bahd'u'lltih:
Selected Letters, 2nd rev. ed. (Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1974), pp.
40—41.

Forms seem to be gradually taking shape for the institutions envisaged
by Shoghi Effendi some 60 years ago: while not composed of elected
members, the United Nations is a kind of world parliament; the World
Court, based in The Hague, arbitrates international disputes, although
its rulings are not binding; United Nations peacekeepers have been seen
as a prototypical collective security force; and countries are banding
together into free trade zones throughout different regions of the world
in an attempt to remove economic barriers. What is often missing,
however, is the change in mindset necessary for the world to become a
truly global community. Nationalism, racism, religious intolerance, and
warmongering resulting from these causes, plague the world to a degree
at least equal to the influences working to unify humanity.

Some issues have brought home the urgency of the need to move beyond
national, racial, or religious boundaries—and beyond the superficial
globalism of which Havel spoke in Philadelphia. International crises
such as the AIDS epidemic, the volatility of economies and markets
around the world (Witness the effects of the collapse of the Mexican
peso), war atrocities, the proliferation of nuclear arms, and other such
factors have served such a role_

The struggle towards global consciousness can clearly be seen in the
United Nations’ efforts to stem the destructive forces of nationalism in
the Balkans and in its emergency work following the genocide fuelled by
tribal hatreds in Rwanda—and in reactions by some to those efforts.
While some reviled the United Nations and NATO for the failure of the
Bosnian peace mission, others recognized that the difficulties arose, in
no small part, from lack of unity among Security Council members and
their reluctance to take the risk of suffering some casualties to
prevent mass slaughter of the civilian populations. Dialogue has, as a
result, begun on the need for new forms, rules, and methods, including a
training system, to strengthen UN peacekeeping; the need for a
multinational force with authorization to intervene to prevent
large-scale civilian suffering; the necessity of better communications
between national capitals Where plans are made and the peacekeepers who
are trying to fulfil the international community’s mandate; and

234

the need for the world to move beyond the point where the participation
of the US, the world’s sole remaining superpower, is required to
maintain order. In spite of the horrific violence in evidence during the
year, these factors seem to lend some Weight to UN Secretary General
Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s assertion that “There are signs that the system
of collective security established in San Francisco nearly 50 years ago
is finally beginning to Work as conceived and that it is proving able to
respond flexibly to new challenges. We are on the way to achieving a
workable international system.”7

A number of other important steps were taken towards the establishment
of peace in various parts of the World. Israel signed a treaty with
Jordan and, in spite of suicide bus bombings and other acts of violence,
continued negotiations with the Palestinian Liberation Organization—an
effort for which Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin, Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat received the Nobel
Peace Prize. In Mozambique, the United Nations peacekeepers were
successful in helping to end a fifteen-year civil war, with the holding
of the first free and fair election in the country’s history.

Women’s rights and human rights in general continued to be a major issue
on the World stage, where basic rights enshrined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights have come under increasing attack. Studies
indicate that human rights violations are on the rise, often fuelled by
nationalism, tribalism, or religious intolerance, With current patterns
of abuse involving more mass killings, summary executions, and
“disappearancesn than ever before, according to Amnesty International.
War is particularly hard on women, who are often raped, tortured, or
made the objects of reprisal killings. In tandem with human rights
abuses the international refugee problem continues to grow; the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees is swamped, as statistics now
indicate that one in every 115 people on earth is in exile or somehow
displaced, and refugee camps have become havens for thugs who control
aid distribution and have forced humanitarian agencies to pull out—often
under threat.

7. International Herald Trz'buhe, 2 November 1994.

What has the world learned from these tragedies? The mass killings in
Rwanda and the “ethnic cleansing” in Bosnia have demonstrated an urgent
need for international monitors and an

international force potent enough to step in and enforce international
humanitarian law. In the Wake of these atrocities the United Nations has
set up a War crimes tribunal to punish perpetrators—perhaps the prelude
to the establishment of a world criminal court. On a wider level, recent
events have sparked discussion on and reevaluation of human rights.
While some have argued that they are subordinate to cultural concerns,
others such as the Burmese Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Sun Kyi have
asserted that human rights are universal. As she wrote in an opin, H m-
up.“ ion piece in the International Herald Tribune on 7 December 1994,
“It is precisely because of the cultural diversity of the world that it
is necessary for different nations and peoples to agree on those basic
human values which will act as a unifying force.” Such a view closely
echoes that voiced by Shoghi Effendi

in his 1931 discussion ofthe new world orde; tnwards which Bahé’l's are
working:

It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of
ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of
thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations ofthe
world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for 21 U, .. .. l 0 larger
aspiration than any that has animated the human race. It insists upon
the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative
claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization on one
hand, and disclaims all

attempts at uniformity on the other. Its watchword is unity in
diversity. . . . 8

In addition to peace-keeping and peace-making initiatives and dialogues
on governance and human rights, the world is moving towards
globalization on other fronts. The foundations of a code of
international law, arms agreements, and delineations of new economic
zones are steadily being laid with each passing year. United Nations
conventions such as those on the Law of the Sea and on Desertification
(the latter ratified by 100 countries in

October 1994) provide basis for settling international disputes and
address serious environmental concerns. Outside the United Nations,
talks continued on extending the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and
the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) was signed by 118
countries, while signatories to another international agreement sought
to make the fight against AIDS a top priority in their countries. Border
crossings came down in the countries of the European Union, and various
regions of the world look towards hemispheric free-trade accords

Another attempt to deal with urgent difficulties facing humanity was
embodied in the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen
in March 1995. This event was a first step by World leaders in
collectively addressing the very serious social problems, including
poverty, joblessness, and inequities in the global distribution of
wealth, facing large numbers of the human family in a climate where the
gap between the richest and poorest 20 percent of the world’s population
has doubled, from 30-fold to 60-fold, over the past 30 years; where of
the world’s people is responsible for four-fifths of the world’s
consumption; where projections of global economic growth do not see a
reduction in poverty; and where the growing population of the poor
causes increased environmental stress and social deterioration. While
some conference participants suggested that the UN should establish an
“economic security council” to deal with such issues, a more proactive
initiative was undertaken by the “Group of 77,” consisting of over 130
developing nations which signed a non-binding agreement following the
Summit that 20 percent of aid to their countries shall be marked for
basic social needs such as schools, hospitals, and women’s programs.

The previous September, the United Nations Conference on Population and
Development in Cairo had pointed out that when Women are empowered
through education, economic and social progress results and population
growth is curbed. Because studies show that births decline in societies
where women receive education and are able to take more control over
their lives, the Cairo Conference promoted the empowerment of women as a
major strategy in family planning. In a world where two-thirds of the
illiterate people in the world are women, where 90 million

girls are denied primary education, where dowry deaths in India have
increased 170 percent in the past decade, and where the widespread
practice of aborting female fetuses detectable through ultrasound
technology has resulted in a growing “gender gap,” particularly in Asia,
statistics from developing nations with falling birthrates indicate that
focusing on women as agents of change, working with community—based
family planning, and gaining the active support of local religious
leaders are effective in curbing population growth. Such an approach
recognizes that, in the words of The Prosperity ofHumankind, “The most
important role that economic efforts must play in development lies...in
equipping people and institutions with the means through which they can
achieve the real purpose of development: that is, laying foundations for
a new social order that can cultivate the limitless potentialities
latent in human consciousness.”9

Such empowerment provides challenges to traditional malefemale roles,
both within the family circle and in the Wider circle of the community,
but meeting such challenges is an essential element in the progress of
humanity. As ‘Abdu’l-Baha stated in America in 1912, “. . .until woman
and man recognize and realize equality, social and political progress
here or anywhere will not be possible. For the world of humanity
consists of two parts or members: one is Woman; the other is man. Until
these two members are equal in strength, the oneness of humanity cannot
be established, and the happiness and felicity of mankind will not be a
reality.”10

A cluster of other issues and developments highlighted during the year
also underlined the struggle towards global conscious— ness. For
example, the idea of “race”~—that concept underlying so many of the
world’s social ills—was labelled a “scientific antique” by scientists
and researchers, following release of results of a long-term scientific
study of DNA samples from around the world that revealed that races do
not have distinct genetic types.

9. See p. 288 of this volume.

10. ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered
by ‘Abdu'l-Bahd during His to the United States and Canada in 1912, 2nd.
ed. (Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 74*77.

Such findings effectively undercut the scientific basis of the
conclusion that race determines a view advanced by Charles Murray and
Richard Herrnstein in their book The Bell Curve. While racial prejudice
continued to fuel strife around the world, some countries such as South
Africa have begun to transcend such factors to focus on rebuilding a
society that will benefit all, and there is increasing recognition of
the need everywhere for a pluralism that, in the words of UNESCO
Secretary General Federico Mayor, “requires that a sense of cultural
differences be complemented by a recognition of wider cultural
affinities,” thus recognizing diversity but discovering within it a
unity capable of holding the human race together.

Likewise, in the area of religion, While some adherents practiced
intolerance and committed violent acts, interreligious activities
increased. Religious communities collaborated on a “global ethic”
following a meeting in Chicago commemorating the centenary of the 1893
Parliament of the World’s Religions. Participants at a gathering of the
World Conference on Religion and Peace on the theme “Healing the World:
Religions for Peace” at the Vatican in November 1994, heard Pope John
Paul II urge that the concept of “holy Warsn be denounced, saying,
“Religion and peace go together: to Wage war in the name of religion is
a blatant contradiction.” The Pope’s statement echoes a teaching of
Baha’u’llah, Who proclaimed to His followers over 100 years ago,
“Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness
and fellowship.”11

Because crime is taking on an increasingly international scope,
governments and international agencies are challenged to devise new
strategies to cope. Laws enabling men who engage in “sex tourism” to be
prosecuted once they return home, a new international anti—corruption
initiative with the goal of establish

ing an international convention on corruption and promotion of

standard international codes of ethics for businesses, and collab~
orative efforts to curb migrant trafficking in Europe are some steps
taken in the area.

As people struggle to come to terms with the attitude change required to
breathe life into the concept of globalism, the technology linking the
different regions of the world improves ever more rapidly—with the
capability of shaping behavior both positively and negatively. Satellite
technology, for example, has led to the establishment of regional and
global television networks that are beginning to focus more on the needs
of the populations they address than on importing Western programming'
In Russia, live television coverage of the war in Chechnya led Russian
mothers to flock to the war Zone to reclaim their soldier-sons, and in
Rwanda, action by the international community was spurred on, to no
small extent, by public reaction to the horrifying television images of
the massacres. Recognizing the role of “hate broadcasts” in promoting
massacres in Rwanda and Bosnia, some commentators suggested the media be
used, instead, for “electronic peacekeeping” through radio broadcasts in
wartom areas.

The Internet represents the fastest-growing technology of mass
communication—a technology heralded in the Baha’i writings almost 60
years ago when, in a letter to the Bahét’is of the West in 1936, Shoghi
Effendi envisioned “A mechanism of World inter-communication [that] will
be devised, embracing the Whole planet, freed from national hindrances
and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect
regularity.”12 While the Internet, with a 350,000 percent increase in
traffic during 1994, has become virtually indispensable for any global
organization, serious concerns such as crime, pornography, security of
personal information, and the use of the Internet technology for
subversive purposes have not been effectively addressed. And while in
the past the Internet has gloried in its lack of hierarchical structure,
experts are beginning to ponder how it can be transformed from the
current anarchic system into a global information infrastructure of
vital use to many more of the world’s people than now have access to it.

All of these factors, from technology to issues of governance,
leadership, peacekeeping and other global concerns, have made the world
more conscious than ever before of its increasing inter

240

dependence. While some forces are resisting this evolution, many of the
world’s peoples are attempting to come to grips with it and look forward
to the benefits that such interdependence can bring. The United Nations,
while imperfect because its member states are imperfect, plays an
important role in these changes. Thomas Homer-Dixon, director of the
Peace and Conflict Studies program at the University of Toronto, perhaps
best summed up the pragmatic approach to the UN in these words:

It is currently fashionable to believe that governments can’t do
anything right and should therefore be reduced in size. By this logic,
less government is better government. But global political and economic
affairs are becoming ever more com— plex. Populations are growing. The
gap between the poorest and the richest people on the planet is
widening. Knowledge, goods, diseases, financial instruments, pollution
and crime know no boundaries. Migrants and refugees are on the move in
unprecedented numbers. To deal with these converging and urgent
pressures, capable international government is essential. The United
Nations may be unruly, cumbersome and irresolute, but it is the only
international government we have. We must do what we can to reform it to
better serve humanity’s needs.13

Can the World turn its back on the factors that are moving it towards
greater and greater levels of international cooperation— and what would
be the consequences if it were to do so?

Over 100 years ago, Baha’u’llah wrote, “The well-being of mankind, its
peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is
firmly established.”14 In 1936, Shoghi Effendi elaborated upon this
sarne theme:

Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which
human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of
city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully
established. World unity is the goal

towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nationbuilding has come
to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a
climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish,
recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and
establish once for all

the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle ofits
life.15

The Worldwide community, with a membership spread over some 120,000
localities and including every country, stands

as an example that such unification is possible. IniShoghi é’ffendi’s words:

The Faith of Baha’u’lla'h has assimilated, by virtue of its creative,
its regulative and ennobling energies, the varied races, nationalities,
creeds and classes that have sought its shadow, and have pledged
unswerving fealty to its cause. It has changed the hearts of its
adherents, burned away their prejudices, stilled their passions, exalted
their conceptions, ennobled their motives, coordinated their efforts,
and transformed their outlook. While preserving their patriotism and
safeguarding their lesser loyalties, it has made them lovers of

mankind, and the determined upholders of its best and truest interests. 16

It is impossible for the world to retreat into nationalistic or
tribalistic enclaves at this stage in its history, and it will be
basically unstable if it remains globalized at only a superficial level.
But it will take a powerful motivating vision, unwavering implementation
of decisions reached through strenuous consultation among the world’s
leaders, and strong will on the part of both leaders and the peoples of
the world for ours to become a true global society. The benefits are
inestimable.

Boyles provides a basic outline of the Baha teachings concerning the
arts as ell as a brief survey of some expressions

given to them by members of the Faith, both historical and contemporary.

THE

LASIFQGUAGE THEI Arts in the Bahzi’i World Community

‘O ne of the names of God is the Fashioner. He loveth

craftsmanship.”l These words of Baha’u’llah accord an eminence t0 the
practice of arts and crafts that is unprecedented in any religious
dispensation. His Writings also allude to the central role of artists in
society, stating that “. . .the true worth of artists and craftsmen
should be appreciated, for they advance the affairs of mankind.”2 The
distinction and significance of a number of professions are extolled,
but Baha’u’llah’s specific mention of artists and craftsmen as advancing
the affairs of mankind opens a revolutionary perspective on their role
in society.

‘Abdu’l-Baha reiterated His Father’s teachings concerning the arts,
saying, “It is the commandment of the Blessed Beauty [Baha’u’llahLmthat
whosoever engageth in a craft, should

l. from a tablet translated from the Persian, cited in “Extracts from
the Writings Concerning Arts and Crafts," in The Compilation of
Compilations, vol. 1 (Mona Vale: Publications Australia, 1991),

endeavor to acquire in it utmost proficiency. Should he do so, that
craft becometh a form of worship.”3 ‘Abdu’l-Baha also counselled parents
to educate their children to become accomplished practitioners of the
arts, as seen in the following passage:

While the children are yet in their infancy feed them from the breast of
heavenly grace, foster them in the cradle of all excellence, rear them
in the embrace of bounty. Give them the advantage of every useful kind
of knowledge. Let them share in every new and rare and wondrous craft
and art. Bring them up to work and strive, and accustom them to
hardship. Teach them to dedicate their lives to matters of great import,
and inspire them to undertake studies that will benefit mankind.4

The mention of education in the arts in close proximity to phrases such
as “matters of great import” and “studies that will benefit mankind”
indicates that, in the Baha’i view, the arts are not at the periphery of
our existence but are rather at the very heart of it.

Contemporary Canadian painter Otto Donald Rogers has put it this way:

Art. . .has a fundamental role to play in the evolution of community
since artistic form is not simply the ornament of society but is an
important measurement of the progress made in reaching the ideal. The
creation of models of profound beauty have, by their very order,
educative effect; art becomes

in time a common experience of unity in the culture of a whole population.5

The “unity” of which Rogers writes is not the same as uniformity. One of
the fundamental principles taught by Baha’u’llah is “unity in
diversity,” and for this reason the Baha’i Faith has resisted the
tendency to force creative expression into specific rigid

3. ‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a tablet translated from the Persian, cited in
“Extracts

from the Writings Concerning Arts and Crafts,” in The Compilation of
Compilations, v01. 1, p. 4.

World Centre, 1978), p. 129.

5. Otto Donald Rogers, “The Moral Circumstance of Intent” (unpub

lished essay).

or characteristic forms. If the universality of the Faith is to be
safeguarded, it logically follows that there will be many different art
forms throughout the world, shaped by varying cultural factors but all
expressing a common faith. As one letter written on behalf of the
Guardian of the Baha’i Faith by his secretary in 1957 states: “The
believers are free to paint, Write and compose as their talents guide
them. The further away the friends keep from any set forms, the better,
for they must realize that the Cause is absolutely universal.” It is
exciting to contemplate the richness that such freedom brings to
artistic expression.

This principle of unity in diversity also signals an acceptance of
artistic contributions by community members who possess varying levels
of skill and training. Rogers points out, “...the gift of artistic
insight is not confined to the few Whose talent has been recognized and
educated, but it is generously spread by an allloving Creator throughout
the generality of mankind.”7 Once we recognize that we can all use this
gift of artistic insight to enrich our communities, we can accept and
welcome a wide diversity of artistic pursuits, at varying levels of
sophistication, and benefit from the new dimensions they add to our
community life.

In time, nurtured in an atmosphere Where the arts are a central part of
social life, the general population Will become more receptive to
artistic expression and new artists will arise with ever increasing
capacities to give voice to their vision—a vision that will transcend
many contemporary artistic expressions with their tendencies towards
self-referentiality

Since the inception of the Faith in 1844, the arts have played a
significant role. Himself wrote beauti

ful poems. Adib Taherzadeh, in his history The Revelation of

Bahd ’lldh, describes an event that occurred during Baha’u’llz'lh's
two-year sojourn in the mountainous area of Sulaymaniyyih:

6. From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National
Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada, 20 July 1946; cited
in “Compilation of Extracts from the Writings on Music,” in The
Compilation of Compilations, vol. 2 (Mona Vale: Publications Australia,
199 l ), p. 81.

7. Otto Donald Rogers, “Expanding and Consolidating the Cause of God:
The Contribution of the Arts,” in Bahd ’1' Canada (Kalimzit, BB 151), p. 36.

The divines of Sulaymz'miyyih requested to undertake a task, which no
one had previously accomplished, of writing a poem in the same rhyme as
one of the works of the celebrated Arabic poet Ibn-i-Fzirid.

Accepting their request, Baha’u’llah dictated no less than two thousand
verses as He sat in their midst. Amazed at such a revelation, those
present were spellbound and lost in admiration at His performance. They
acclaimed His verses as far superior in their beauty, lucidity and
profundity to the original poem by Ibn-i-Férid. Knowing that the
subject-matter was beyond the people’s comprehension, He chose one
hundred and twenty-seven verses and allowed them to be copied.8

Many eminent Persian figures in the arts were attracted to the new
Faith, most notably the poet Télhirih, whose works are still studied in
today’s Iran and elsewhere, in spite of her reputation as “heretical” to
the fundamentalist Muslim regime. Other poets “Jun 7 , 1,. .. is
embraced this new Faith as well and gave voice to their beliefs in their
Writing, according to their individual talent. In His book recording the
lives of distinguished early Baha’is, entitled Memorials of the
Faithful, ‘Abdu’l-Baha includes a number of poets: N abil~i-Zarandi,
often referred to as the ‘Poet—Laureate’ 0f the Baha’i Faith; Aqa Aqé
Muhammad Ibrahim; Ustéd ‘Ali-Akbar; and Ml'rza Aqa, Jinéb-i-Munib. Of
Nabil, ‘Abdu’l-Baha wrote: “This distinguished man was erudite, Wise,
and eloquent of speech His native genius was pure inspiration, his
poetic gift like a crystal stream. His ode ‘Bahé, Bahél! was Written in
sheer ecstasy.”9 Other Persian poets included Mirzz'l ‘Ali-Muharnmad,
titled Varqé or ‘Dove’ by Bahé’u’llaih, and Andalib. But poets were not
the only artists who featured in the early history of the Faith. One of
Baha’u’llah’s faithful followers into exile was the renowned Persian
calligrapher Mishkin-Qalam, Whose name means “musk-scented pen." He
created exquisite calligraphic renderings of many of Baha’u’llah’s
sacred Writings.

Trust, 1971), p.35.

The poet Jinéb-i-Munih was also a fine calligrapher.

Western writers and artists were attracted to the romance of the story
of the from the inception of His Faith, learning of it through the
sympathetic accounts of the French chroniclers A.L.M. Nicolas and the
Comte de Gobineau.10 The English poet Matthew Arnold mentioned the Bab
in “A Persian Passion Play,” his essay on Shi‘ih Islam. Sarah Bernhardt
was so enthralled with the story of Iahirih that she commissioned a play
on her life, though no extant copy has yet been found. Tolstoy learned
of the Baha’i Faith and commented positively on it, and the Russian
writer Izabella Grinevskaya penned a play on the life of the Bab that
was produced in Paris in 1912. These were among the earliest Western
artistic responses to this new religion.

During His travels in the West between the years 1911 and 1913,
‘Abdu’l-Baha offered specific words of encouragement to Bahei’is who
wished to pursue projects in the arts, in statements such as the
following: “All Art is a gift of the Holy Spirit. When this light shines
through the mind of a musician, it manifests itself in beautiful
harmonies. Again, shining through the mind of a poet, it is seen in fine
poetry and poetic prose. When the Light of the Sun of Truth inspires the
mind of a painter, he produces marvellous pictures. These gifts are
fulfilling their highest purpose, when showing forth the praise of
God.”11 From such passages, artists influenced by the Baha’i revelation
have drawn their inspiration and orientation. While Shoghi Effendi
indicated in 1957 that there can be no distinctive Baha’i cultural
expression at this early stage in the Faith’s history since fine music,
literature, art, and architecture are the flower of a mature society,12
one can certainly see development in the arts already. Throughout the
twentieth century, Baha’i artistic expressions have multiplied, have
become increasingly representative of the

10. For further details, see “The Mission ofthe pp. 193—225.

lLLady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway (Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1954),
p. 167‘

12. From a letter Written 21 September 1957 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the United States; cited in “Extracts from the Writings
Concerning Arts and Crafts” in The Compilation ofCompilations, vol. 1, p. 8.

vast cultural diversity of the planet’s peoples, and have achieved
greater and greater levels of sophistication. 13

One of the best-known twentieth-century visual artists to become a
member of the Baha’i Faith was Mark Tobey. As a young nnrfrail- ‘(r 1
fl... . n 77---]. i,“ .. ,Wng portrait-painter in New York City in 1918,
he was introduced to the religion by Juliet Thompson, another
portrait-painter who was an ardent Baha’i. Tobey remained a firm
believer throughout his life, and the effect of his religion on his art
was often noted, Clo in A". 4311-.“1" 7 r " J " as in the following
excerpt from William C. Seitz’s essay for Tobey’s Museum of Modern Art
exhibition, where he wrote: “Without doubt this [acceptance of the
Baha’i Faith] was the crucial spiritual redirection of Tobey’s life and
of his development as an artist.”14 In the 1930s, as he was teaching art
at Dartington Hall in gland, Tobey encountered Bernard Leach and
Reginald Turvey. Leach was a well-known potter who had heard about the
Baha’i Faith initially in 1914 from Agnes Alexander, an American Baha’i
who had settled in Japan. Leach and Turvey, good friends from sJ, Dev“
uuiu their days of study together at art school, both investigated the
Faith and became members. For Leach, it seemed a natural progression of
his desire to fuse the aesthetic and spiritual values and visions of the
East and the West, a goal of his since his early years. Turvey, too, had
long had an interest in spiritual matters, 0m! 1". n.“ Muir I -- - 7 a
_r--.-..... matters, and he was sustained throughout his artistic
career—a career in which his talent was not widely recognized until very
late—by the Baha’i teaching that artistic expression is a form of
Worship and service to humanity.

Contemporary Canadian painter Otto Donald Rogers has also 7 i 1100 drawn
inspiration for his work from the Baha’i writings. Over 1,000 pieces of
the work of Saskatchewan-born Rogers, a professor of Fine Arts at the
University of Saskatchewan from 1959—88, can be found in public,
private, and corporate collections throughout North America. In 1987 he
was invited to the

, y- .. ..... “Mun-l uauu 1 nl LISLS. 14. William C. Seitz, Mark Tobey
(New York: The Museum of Modem An, 1962), p. 437

248

Triangle Workshop hosted by Anthony Caro and the City of Barcelona.
Attributing the influence of his beliefs on his work, he has _d_escribed
art as “our human response to a voice from on high.”15 Critics have
commented that his paintings portray “spiritual quest” and convey a
sense of “mystic prairies washed by spiritual rains.” The year 1992 saw
the release of a one-hour video documentary, Approach to a Sacred Place:
The Art of Otto ~~7771,7777 11 i- 1 . n . a .. a Rogers, that explores
the connection between Rogers’ faith and art. Produced by Film Crew
Productions of Regina, Saskatchewan, it was shown on the Canadian
national television network in 1993.

On the literary front, American poet Robert Hayden received such honors
as the Grand Prize for Poetry at the first World Festival of the Arts in
Dakar, Senegal, in 1965 and was appointed as Consultant in Poetry to the
Library of Congress in Washington, DC, between 1976 and 1978. He also
sought to express IHGH 1”, 1x, I u- r- h 1 H, i. . his spiritual vision,
informed by his beliefs as a Baha’i, through his poetry. Of his work, he
wrote, “I think of the writing of poems as one way of coming to grips
with inner and outer realities—as a spiritual act, really, a sort of
prayer for illumination and perfection. The Baha'.’i Faith, with its
emphasis on the nnnAu-L-IA'I AMAllAAn. V J 1 '1 n 1 r I essential
oneness of mankind and its vision of World unity, is an increasingly
powerful influence on my 6poetry today—and the only one to which I
willingly submit.”1 Hayden, who died in 1980, is now recognized in the
literary World as a poet of outstanding technique, and critics are
beginning to appreciate the 4-H Lin “.AV", 7 I l .1 u -.1 1 - - extent
to which his poems are shot through with symbols informed by his
religious convictions. In 1984 the first full-length exploration of the
influence of the Baha’i Faith on Hayden’s work, From the Auroral
Darkness, appeared, authored by poet and critic John Hatcher.

Canadian Baha’i Roger White, who died in early I993, was a prolific and
much-loved poet. Versatile in a number of literary

genres, he produced four substantial volumes of poetry and poetic
sketches, numerous chapbooks and monographs, poetic sketches, a novel,
and critical essays. His works have been Widely read and performed
throughout the Baha’i world community. American writer Michael
Fitzgerald, himself a prolific poet, has also written of spiritual
themes and edited a 1989 volume of essays on the arts, entitled The
Creative Circle: Art, Literature, and Music in Bahd 'z'Perspective.17

The Association for Baha’i Studies in North America has encouraged the
arts, not only through artistic presentations at its conferences
throughout the years, but through a creative Writing award given
annually in conjunction with the Association’s essay contest. It has
also produced a number of publications on the arts, including a
monograph of poems in honor of the Baha’is persecuted and martyred in
Iran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and another volume containing
both poetry and articles by critics and writers such as Bahiyyih
Nakhjavz'mi and Geoffrey Nash. The Baha’i Association for Arts, based in
the Netherlands, is another organization that has actively supported the
development of Baha’i artists.

Contemporary Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen is a musician whose Work
has been intensely affected and directly shaped by his belief in
Baha’u’llah. Responding to an interviewer’s question about inspiration,
he commented:

As a and an artist, my ideal is of course L0 convey some spiritual
insight through my music, hopefully without my own ego too much in the
way. To purify the mental sources of inspiration, to open the right
channels, so to speak, one has to submit oneself to some spiritual
discipline, and the Baha’i Faith has offered me many means and
opportunities to do that. It still does—~this process never ends.18

Thoresen’s Work has been commissioned by the Norwegian Philharmonic
Orchestra and French National Radio, and has

17. Michael Fitzgerald, ed. The Creative Circle: Art, Literature, and
Music in Bahd '1' Perspective (Los Angeles: Kalimét Press, 1989).

18. “Ladder of the Soul: An Interview with Lassc Thoresen," with Trym
Bcrgsmo, in The Creative Circle, p. 194.

250

been critically acclaimed for its innovative incorporation of different
modern media. In early 1994, well-known Norwegian vocalist Anne-Lise
Berntsen performed several of his vocal works at the opening of the
first Norwegian exhibition of Mark Tobey’s paintings. In March 1995, she
performed two Baha’i prayers set to music by Thoresen at the opening of
the NonGovernmental Organizations’ Forum at the United Nations World
Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, Denmark. Thoresen’s
symphony “Carmel Eulogies” also premiered with the Oslo Philharmonic in
November 1994.19

Tolibkhan Shakhidi, former Vice-Minister of Culture and more recently
Artistic Director of the Opera in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, is a renowned
Tajik composer who has also found Ways to incorporate his belief in the
teachings of the Baha’i Faith into his work.

Eminent jazz trumpeter John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie was an active
proponent of Baha’i teachings from his acceptance of the Faith in 1968
until his passing in 1993. His “United Nations Band” was in its
diversity a model of the principle of racial unity. In his memoirs, he
wrote, “Becoming a Baha’i changed my life in every way and gave me a new
concept of the relationship between God and man—between man and his
fellow man—man and his family. It’s just all consuming. I became more
spiritually aware, and when (you’re spiritually aware, that will be
reflected in what you do.”2

Seals and Crofts, a popular music duo in the 1970s, represented
Baha’i-inspired art on another front. With songs such as “Summer Breeze”
receiving wide airplay on radio stations in the US and Canada and with
sell-out concerts across the continent, Jimmy Seals and Dash Crofts made
no secret of their adherence to the Faith. More recently, Dan Seals, a
popular pcrformer in country music circles, has written and performed
songs that reflect Bahé’i—inspired ideals.

In 1973, Michele Danesh, a former principal dancer with the

19. See p. 264. 20. Dizzy Gillespie, with Al Fraser, To Be, or Not...T0
Bop: Memoirs (New York: Doubleday, 1979), p. 474.

Canada 3‘ Ballet Shaya'a performing "Day of the bawm'ng, " a dance
depicting the heroism of Iranian Baha' 'is in the face of persecution.

National Ballet of Washington, DC, and the American Festival Ballet,
established Ballet Shayda—the first ballet company to present Baha’i
ideas through the medium of dance. Based in Ottawa and operating for
over ten years on a semi-professional basis with eighteen dancers, the
company toured Canada and the eastern US, appearing before large
gatherings of 10,000 people as Well as at more intimate settings such as
schools, hospitals, community centers, and camps. Ballet Shayda’s
repertoire, which consisted entirely of original works based on
universal themes, was choreographed by Danesh in both classical and
contemporary styles of dance. Two of the company’s pieces were “Earth
Moves,” a classical ballet dedicated to the preservation of the
environment, and “Day of the Dawning,” a modern drama-in-dance inspired
by the situation of the Iranian community and focusing on the themes of
heroism and martyrdom. Responding to this last piece, one critic
described it as “gripping dance-drama replete with highly original touches.”

On the African continent, a multidimensional theater group named Afrika
Bikonda was formed in Céte d’Ivoire in the mid

1980s, incorporating theater, poetry, dance, and drumming. Its Works
have been broadcast by television stations in Cote d’lvoire, Niger,
Guinea, and Mali, and one of its original plays, La Demande en Divorce,
won third prize at the First Festival of Popular Theater in Abidjan in 1992

As individual artists increasingly felt inspired to express their faith
in their creative pursuits, Baha’i administrative institutions began to
offer more specific encouragement and direction with regard to the
development of arts in the Baha’i community. The Universal House of
Justice has repeatedly emphasized that Baha’i youth around the world
should “consider the best ways in which they can use and develop their
native abilities for the service of mankind and the Cause of God,
whether this be as farmers, teachers, doctors, artisans, musicians, or
any one of the multitude of livelihoods that are open to them.”21 In
anticipation of the International Year of Peace in 1986, the Universal
House of Justice wrote that National Spiritual Assemblies should
encourage Baha’i artists and their non-Baha’i colleagues to give
expression the various arts to important themes relating to World
peace.”2 During the Six Year Plan for the expansion and consolidation of
the Baha’i community, the Universal House of Justice called once again
for increasing use of the arts—particularly drama—in the Baha’i community.

Such encouragement has borne fruit. In Canada, for example, the Baha’i
community sponsored two successful national Baha’i arts festivals in
1988 and 1989, and similar ventures have been launched in other
countries around the world. Arts forums and institutes have been founded
in places such as Wienacht, Switzerland, and Atlanta, Georgia.
Theatrical and musical groups have formed in locales as diverse as
Australia, Trinidad and 'I‘obago, and Northern Ireland. The first
International Music and Drama Festival in southern Africa, held in
Zimbabwe in December [994,

21. From a letter written by the Universal House of Justice to Bahil’i
youth in every land, 10 June 1966; in Wellspring 0f Guidance: Messages I
9631968 (Wilmette: Publishing Trust, 1969), p. 95.

22. From a letter written by the Universal House of Justice to all
National Spiritual Assemblies, 23 January

was hugely successful and promises to become an annual event in the region.

On 26 May 1992, an event called “Live Unity” took place at the venerable
Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada. Conceived by Canadian musician and
composer Jack Lenz as a celebration of music and entertainment from
around the world, it brought to— gether performers of diverse cultures
and talents before an audience of approximately 2,000. Singers Seals and
Crofts, Dan Seals, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, children’s performers Red
Grammer and Douglas John Cameron, East Indian dancer Nova Batticharya,
Russian tenor Renat Ibragimov, Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim, Native
American dancer Kevin Locke, and Chinese singer Ming Ying Zhu were some
of the artists on the program. A “Live Unity” concert for children was
given the same day, attracting some 1,200 young people. YTV, a national
television network aimed at youth, taped the entire evening concert and
aired it numerous times in the following months.

The role of arts in the Baha’i community was highlighted in November
1992, with the second Baha’i World Congress in New York City, where
music and drama formed a key part of the main program. Dramatic sketches
of early Western believers and their encounters with ‘Abdu’l-Baha moved
the 27,000 participants and taught them in memorable fashion about that
era of Baha’i history, as well as about spiritual principles underlying
the dramatic pieces. The original music, performed by a 400voice choir,
had precisely the effect on the audience that Baha indicated when He
said, “if there be love in the heart, through melody, it Will increase
until its intensity can scarcely be borne... .”23 Drama played a key
role in the youth activities held at the Congress, and evening concerts
comprising dance, drama, and every musical genre, from classical to jazz
to folk to country to rap to gospel, and music drawing upon traditions
from various parts of the world, were also featured Congress events

23. Words to Mrs. Mary L. Lucas, as quoted in “A Brief Account of My
Visit to Acca” (Chicago: Publishing Society, 1905), pp. 11—14; cited in
“Extracts from the Bahai’i Writings on Music” in The Compilation of
Compilations, vol. 2, p. '79.

254

Phillip Hinton, one of the actors in the drama that was performed in the
main Congress sessions, wrote afterwards of the experience, “I think we
all felt that our training, all our skills as artists had been for this
unique occasion. We each felt the power that is released when the
dramatic arts are harnessed to express the Baha’i message.”24 He also
commented that the event “seemed to represent a shift in thinking, a new
attitude on the part of the Baha’i community towards the arts and
artists and the role they must play in the unfoldment of Baha’u’llah’s
World Commonwealth”2 This “shift,” as Hinton terms it, is really the
fruition of long years of encouragement from Baha’i institutions.

The International Community has also been active in promoting the arts
at NGO Forums connected with major international conferences and
summits, such as the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development in Rio de J aneiro in June 1992 and the World Summit for
Social Development in Copenhagen in March 1995. At both gatherings
Baha’is organized evenings of cultural entertainment that were extremely
well

received by participants.

1994—95

During 1994—95, the number and range of Baha’i artistic endeavors in all
parts of the world increased markedly. Drama, visual arts, music, and a
host of arts events—large and small— Were in evidence, as seen in the
following survey of highlights.

ma

‘Abdu’l-Baha gave great weight to the dramatic arts. He is reported to
have said, for example, that “drama is of the utmost importance It has
been a great educational power in the past; it will be so again,”26 and
“The stage will be the pulpit of the future.”27 In 1912 ‘Abdu’l-Baha
also gave an outline of a play,

24. Phillip Hinton, “Art a gift of the Holy Spirit,” Herald of the South
(Aprilw 1993), p. 23.

25. Ibid., p. 23.

26. ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, Star ofthe West, vol. 19,110. 11 (February 1929), p. 341.

27. ‘Abdu’LBahé, quoted by Loulie Mathews in The Magazine of the
Chi/dren ofthe Kingdom, vol. 4, no. 3, (June 1923), p. 69.

entitled Dr'ama qf'the Kingdam, to Gabrielle Enthoven, a Baha’i who was
interested in drama. This original outline has been developed by several
different writers over the years, beginning with Mary Basil Hall whose
version was published in 1933. In 1994 an ambitious production, also
based on this outline, premiered at the Nexus Theatre, Murdoch
University, Perth, Australia, from 30 Sep

tember to 3 October. Titled

The Face of Glory: A Musical

the Australian musical Rendezvous with the Saul, drama The Face ofGlory.
the original musical Work involved a cast of 34 and an off-stage crew of
twelve. Featuring 20 original songs by Greg Parker written over a
three-year period, the play used symbolism to develop the themes of
spiritual awakening, development, and the mystery of martyrdom.
Approximately 1,000 people attended the five performances, and many were
profoundly moved by what they saw. As one young man wrote afterwards to
the director, “...‘enjoyed it thoroughly’ is something that might happen
when I have a good meal. It doesn’t begin to describe the manner in
which experiencing the musical touched me. . .. If there is a more
soul-wrenching experience to be had, I’m not sure I can face it. . .. I
have no doubt that the memory of The Face of Glory will become more dear
to me than any other.”

The drama group In-Theatre also had a number of successes during
1994—95. Taking the experimental play A Strange Bit of History by
Annabel Knight and Omid Djalili’s one-man stand-up comedy Show to the
1994 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, they walked away with “The Spirit of the
Fringe Award.” Reviewers called the first piece “an intelligent and
stylish piece of theatre on

256

an unlikely theme," “a witty and informed production,” and “‘World
Class?” Of the second they said, “this is a bravura, hilarious, physical
performance.” The message of the comedy piece, entitled Short, Fat
Kebab-Shop Owners Son, is that, in Omid Djalili’s words, “it’s not what
you look like that matters, but an awareness of the reality of Man as ‘a
mine rich in gems of inestimable value” that will help oppressed
individuals to ultimately throw off the stigma of outwardly looking like
a short, fat, Iranian kebab-shop owner’s son whilst inwardly feeling
like Sebastian Flyte from Brideshead Revisited.” A Strange Bit of
History parallels the Messianic fever in the West in the midnineteenth
century with the executions of 20,000 Babis in the East, “capturing the
spirit of the times and making the claim that the Messiah normally
associated with the return of Christ did in fact come.”

Aside from performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, In-Theatre toured and
performed in the Czech and Slovak Republics, the Netherlands,
Copenhagen, Prague, Berlin, and Brighton, England, premiering a new
piece called Sweet Dreams on the

Cast of The Face of Glory, produced in October 1994 in Perth, Australia.

Metro in Copenhagen in January and February 1995. This twoperson play
takes its inspiration from the Peace Statement released by the Universal
House of Justice in 1985. Set in a time 0f “post-calamity,” the piece
mixes film, dance, and theater to tell of a couple on the underground
lines. Omid Djalili also performed his one-man show at the World Summit
for Social Development in Copenhagen in March.

In Trinidad and Tobago, a Baha’i performing theater company was formally
launched at the Creative Arts Center in San

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nineteenth-century Messianic fever with the persecution of Iran Bdbi
community.

Fernando in November 1994. Some 130 people attended, viewing highlights
of a performance called Celebration of Life and Witnessing the premiere
of a production entitled Blendings.

The Los Angeles Baha’i Arts Council produced Prisoners of the Heart in
the fall of 1994, performing it in the Los Angeles area, the Santa Cruz
area, and in Sacramento and San Francisco over a period of several
months. The play recounts the story of ten Bahz'l’i women in Shirélz,
Iran, who were executed in 1983 for their belief in It also deals with
issues such as the equality of women and men and freedom of religious
expression.

Also in the US, Touchstone Theater produced a one-man play by William
George, entitled The Kingfisher is Wing: The Story of Bach", during the
fall of I994. Using puppetry, shadow work, and incorporating humor, the
piece tells the story of a young Persian man who journeyed to meet
Bahé’u’llah and was entrusted by Him to act as a messenger for a special
tablet to the Shah. George uses allusions to numerous literary sources
throughout the play, including the Bible, Shakespeare, Greek tragedy,
and twentiethcentury poet TS. Eliot to convey the play’s message, “that
we are all carrying something. The meaning of sacrifice is that we all
have some sort of burden to carry, we are all like Badi‘, We are no
different from him.”

In Australia, the Wildfire World Theater ensemble, formed in the late
1980s, continued to perform Baha’i-inspired dance and drama at home and
in other nations throughout the Australasian region. Wildfire has also
inspired many other groups to form, ineluding the New Era Singers in
Perth, the Farsight in Tasmania, and O.N.E. in Brisbane. In 1994 O.N.E.
received an International Year of the Family grant to perform its show
promoting the family at several high schools in the area.

A group of 27 Bahé’is, ranging in age from seven to 45, in Quebec,
Canada, who call themselves Québecarche devised a multimedia production
in French, called La Promesse ultime [Ultimate Promise], that was
performed in four different cities throughout the province during the
summer of 1994. The piece chronicles the quest of a spiritual seeker
encountering the various religions revealed progressively throughout
history by God’s messengers such as Noah, Abraham, and Christ. The
search ultimately ends with the Seeker’s discovery of Bahé'u’llilh.
Public reaction to the production was very positive, with one audience
member commenting that the presentation was much more than a “show”: “It
is love and we can feel it, we feel the unity between you.”

VisualArts The Native Heritage Center in Duncan, British Columbia,
Canada, was the venue for “Spiritworks l995—Art and Belief," a fine arts
show that featured the works of 20 visual artists, including sculptors,
watercolor and acrylics painters, and u

papermaker, as well as ten performance acts involving a further "41-4.-
11L 1 1 -

The Brilliant Stars Balzci children 3‘ enreriainmeiii group appeared on
Perth Channel 7 Is‘ relez‘hoh in Perth, Austmha, in October 1994.

“Spiritworks” arose from the monthly forums of a Baha’i arts institute
that seeks, through discussion about the Baha’i sacred writings on the
subject, to develop participants’ understanding of the true purpose of
art and the role and responsibility of the artist in society.

An art exhibition entitled “Art: An Act of Worship” was opened in
October 1994 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, touring throughout a number
of towns and cities until December and being viewed by between 500 and
1,000 people during those mafia." mi“ J I - e / . r" “Wm months. One
Work Was also included in a “Symbols” exhibition, organized by the
Cultural Traditions group, which seeks to explore religious, political,
and social symbols in Northern Ireland. Also in Northern Ireland, the
work of well—known Belfast artist George Fleming, depicting Orange Day
processions in Ulster J lll uiouA, has encouraged a less prejudiced and
more informed look at the Orange Order. Significantly, the exhibition
was launched at a college where Roman Catholic priests are trained.
Viewers initially attempted to determine whether the artist was
Protestant or Catholic, but the program clearly identified him as a member

of the Baha’i Faith attempting to bring understanding to different
traditions in the country.

260

In August, at one of the most important cultural centers in Uruguay, the
National Library in Montevideo, the paintings and sculptures of artist
Sima Baher went on display. cosponsored by the community of Uruguay, the
Cultural Circle of Literature, and the David Beresnitzky Foundation, the
7l-piece exhibition, entitled “The earth is but one country,” Was
inspired by the teachings of Baha’u’llah, particularly the statement,
“The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”

Ten thousand people passed through the Taipei City Zoo in Taiwan between
8 and 17 July 1994 to view the First International Children’s Art
Exhibition, sponsored by the Office of the Environment for Taiwan. The
exhibition’s main theme, “Our Fragile Environment,” featured 220
children’s paintings selected from among 2,250 entries submitted from 38
countries, including the US, Taiwan, Japan, Canada, and various
countries in Africa and South America.

Unity was the theme of the fifth Baha’i art exhibition held during the
annual National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa 1—9 July
1994. Three thousand people viewed the paintings, weaving, wood
sculpture, and calligraphy contributed by twelve artists. One painting
by Reginald Turvey was displayed, as were paintings by the two winners
of the Reginald Turvey Art Bursary for 1993 and 1994. One newspaper
article noted that the exhibition focused attention on what the artists
consider to be “the next phase in the reconstruction of South Africa”
and that “the unity of self, family, races, the world, with nature and
God, unity in diversity, are represented.” The exhibition was also shown
at the National Baha’i Center in Johannesburg during “Arts Alive” month
in September.

Cluj, Romania, was the site of an art exhibition organized by the
Association of Amateur Physician-Artists in November I994, to which a
Baha’i contributed calligraphic renderings of the Hidden Words of
Baha’u’llah done in Nasti‘aliq style. Each piece also contained a
Romanian translation of the text. Displayed in the first room of the
gallery, the works were seen by hundreds of people during the month-long
event, and two were included in another exhibition the following June in
Budapest.

Well—known Baha’i painter Ashraf Geibatov from Azerbaijan, living in
Moscow, visited Luxembourg in the summer of 1994, and the Baha’i
community there was able to organize an exhibition of his work at the
Baha’i Center. Tschingis Aitmatov, former Russian ambassador to
Luxembourg and internationally known writer, introduced the painter,
lauding him for his work that “perfectly combines Eastern and Western
cultures” and mentioning the universal character of the Baha’i Faith.

In Nuuk (Godthab), Greenland, the Baha’i community sponsored an art
exhibition called “Nearness Drawing Closer.” Held at the National
Museum, the show featured works by Canadian artist Gary Berteig and
Greenland resident Linda Milne. Firstday attendance was 380, and the
opening remarks made it clear that the figure of Baha’u’llah was the
animating force behind the artists’ work and the exhibition itself.

Local Bahél’i artists in Portimfio, Poltugal, contributed paintings and
materials to an exhibition on the life of and on The Hidden Words, held
in the fall of 1994. More than 3,000 people visited the display.

Seventy-five photos on the theme “The earth is but one country” were
exhibited in the library at Bergambacht in the Netherlands during
January 1995. The show, arranged by two Baha’is, was opened by the mayor
and depicted the seasons of the earth, children, people, and external
forms of religions.

Music

To musicians, ‘Abdu’l-Baha said, “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,”28while Baha’u’llah counselled,
“We, verily, have made music as a ladder for your souls, a means whereby
they may be lifted up unto the realms on high; make it not, therefore,
as wings to self and passion.”29 Given such statements about the value
of this

28. ‘Abdu’l-Bahzi, cited in “Extracts from the Writings on Music,” in
The Compilation of Compilations, vol. 2, p. 74. 29. The Kitéb-i-Aqdas,
paragraph 51.

art, it is no surprise [hill musicians were very active during [994-— 95.

The Northern Ireland Choir, for example, went from strength to strength,
performing at a variety of venues both for community events and for the
public. After a public concert at the Bridewell Arts Center for the
Magherafelt Arts Festival in late March 1995,

audience members com

mented, “Coma every yaar The Basic Brass quarter, from the Cowto the
festival!” ichan Valley in British Columbia, Canada,

563 the principles ofthe Baha'i ’1'

. expresses the principles ofthe Bah Also m the UK’ the Faith through
itspeljformances. London Ch01r recelved a special invitation in
September to do a performance before an audience of 400 at the Brahma
Kumaris Center, marking the International Year of the Family. The
following week, the choir also performed at an interfaith festival at
Middlesex University, attended by the Dalai Lama.

The Italian youth music group Light in the Darkness took part in a
European tour during the summer of 1994, performing at the Regional
Youth Conference in Berlin and then visiting Lithuania, Latvia, and
Estonia. The group, which has been in existence for a number of years
and has performed widely in eastern Europe, this year comprised ten
youth from Canada, England, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the US.

A Baha’i-owned music and art management company facilitated the holding
of a concert in Thessaloniki, Greece, by violinist Bijan Khadem~Missagh
and pianist Walter Delahunt, both Baha’is living in Vienna. The concert
was filmed by a crew from German National Television for inclusion in a
documentary

on Greece. During the same trip, the two musicians gave another public
concert for the benefit of a school for handicapped children, under the
sponsorship of the Greek Baha’i community and in honor of the 150th
anniversary of the founding of the Baha’i Faith.

In Norway, The Carmel Eulogies, a symphony by Norwegian composer and
Baha’i Lasse Thoresen, premiered in Oslo on 10 November, With a repeat
performance the following day. Commissioned by the Oslo Philharmonic
Orchestra on the occasion of its 75th jubilee, the symphony consists of
two parts, “Fragrances of Mercy” and “Circumambulations.” The rhythm of
(“God the All-Glorious”) is inherent in the Work, which is based on the
Tablet of Carmel. The symphony was critically acclaimed, and many
members of the audience were visibly moved during the performance. It
was broadcast live on national radio and taped for later airing on the
national television network.

In October two Bahz'l’i musicians, cellist Lev Evgrafov and

As part ofa twoyear tour cfSouth America, Mz'llero

Congo, playing Afio-Caribbean music based on the rhythmic interplay

ofdriims, visited Valle and Couco, Colombia, where they govefourreen
concerts in Deeem ber 1994.

vocalist Minoo Falahi, joined the Perm Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia
in a celebration of the International Day of Music. The recital of
classical music was performed before an audience of approximately 700,
while the local television station aired the entire concert.
Particularly well received was a lullaby composed by Alfredo Speranza,
an Italian Baha’i pianist and composer,

264

entitled “Viens, mon cnl'unt" in which a mother sings to her child to
come to pray to Baha’u’lléh, a beautiful Sun that will shine on her to
make her full ofjoy and happiness.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, was the
venue for a solo piano recital in September 1994 by Chris Keller, a
Baha’i musician living in the area. The program included original
compositions, jazz standards, and one piece that incorporated passages
from the Baha’i sacred Writings. Ms. Keller has also been awarded a
grant by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities to organize a
“Jazz for Peace” concert.

El Viento Canta, which has toured Europe, Africa, and Asia playing
traditional South American music with a Baha’i message, gave several
concerts in South and North Dakota during August. The group also sang at
the Annual Wakpala Celebration and three powwows while they were in the
area.

The Honduran folk music group Wind was invited by the community to
perform and present the Faith through music at three different
universities in the country. All Were highly successful.

In Tasmania, Australia, two Baha’i musicians from Melbourne gave a
series of performances entitled “Tribute to Baha’u’llah.” The three
concerts, in Hobart, Clarence, and Launceston, featured quotations from
the Baha’i Writings set to music. A newly-formed dance group in
Tasmania, called The Farsight, was also active, performing in high
schools and at Human Rights Day activities.30

July saw the official release of the double compact disc set of the
music of the second Baha’i World Congress. A special celebration in
Toronto, Canada, marked the event. The music was composed by a number of
individuals, including Jack Lenz, Tom Price, Jim Seals, and Graham Major
Barr. It represents a broad range of influences, including modern
classical, North American gospel, and Persian classical, and was composed in

30. Many other Bahzi’i youth dance groups, known as Youth Workshops,
have formed around the World. For a more detailed look at some of these,
see pp.172—177.

praise of Baha’u’lléh on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of His
passing. First performed in New York in November 1992, the music was
recorded the following October in Russia, with the Mila Moscow
Orchestra, by choir members from ten countries.

Arts Events

A Baha’i creative writers’ group in Ottawa, Canada, met monthly and also
sponsored a monthly Arts Night, involving visual artists, singers, and
musicians as well as members of the writing group. In Dallas, Texas, a
similar venture, called “Arts sponsored a Race Unity Day event at the
Dallas Baha’i Center, including visual art, cultural exhibits, a
reception, and a program of music, drama, dance, and short talks about
the contribution of art to the appreciation of diversity.

The Australian Baha’i community sponsored two youth who took part in an
international conference for young playwrights called “Interplay,” held
in Townsville, Australia in July 1994. The conference brought together
42 young people from 21 countries. Jedda Bradley’s play, Dare to Tango,
explored the theme of equality through the eyes of a group of men and
women Who work in a café. June Perkins’ play, Immigrant Mother, looked
at the issues of racism and family relationships by telling the story of
a new immigrant to Australia. Ms. Perkins also presented a paper for a
forum on indigenous drama on “Unity in Diversity: A Regional Drama of
the Pacific.”

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’i's of South Africa
established a Baha’i association for the arts, called “Arts for Unity,”
in 1994_ It invited the participation of artists and craftspeople of all
descriptions, with the goal of contributing towards unity in South Africa.

Two major arts events took place in Zimbabwe during the year. The first
was a national music and drama congress, held 12—14 August in Mhondoro,
with approximately 200 attending. Music and drama groups from all over
the country participated, with the drama group from Murewa and the
Epworth children’s choir winning in their respective categories. Choirs
were required to sing two songs, one for a funeral and a second
selection on any theme. Most of the songs were original. Zimbabwe’s second

266

major event ran from 26 to 3| December, when approximately 700 people
from 30 different countries gathered in Harare for the Zimbabwe Baha’i
International Summer School and Music and Drama Festival. In the music
competition of that event, a group called Voice of the Youth, from
Bulawayo, walked away with the first prize, the Murewa Choir came
second, and the Epworth Choir came third. All three winners are from
Zimbabwe In the drama category, Africa Awake from Malawi carried away top

Voice of the Youth, from Buiawayo, Zimbabwe, won the music competition
at the Zimbabwe International Music and Drama F estival, December 1994.

A fri ca Awake Malawi piace' in the drama competition at the
International Music and Drama Fels'n'vai held in Zimbabwe. December I 994.

honors, Botswana came second, and Namibia was third.

Kenya hosted a national contest in 1994, with the final stage held 20—21
August in Nakuru. Thirty-six teams participated in four categories of
competition: music, poetry, drama, and

memorization of passages from the writings. The Lutali community in
Kakamega Won first prize for drama and memorization, the Binyeny
community of Bungoma won the poetry prize, and a team from the Kisumu
community won for music.

In Zaire, approximately 2,500 youth gathered in Mboko City, South Kivu,
in April 1995 to attend the country’s fourth annual Baha’i music
festival. The theme was “Youth Can Move the World,” and about 40 groups
sang songs, danced, performed skits, and read poetry inspired by the
message of Baha’u’lléh.

The Landegg Academy in Switzerland hosted several significant arts
events during the year. One hundred and ten people from fifteen
countries gathered there 18—22 November for the institution’s fourth
annual Music Forum. Bijan Khadem-Missagh acted as artistic director of
the Forum, which included public concerts, spontaneous performances by
participating musicians, and Workshops on subjects such as composition,
the influence of African music, dances of the world, and improvisation
and the role of music in the corporate world. Other highlights included
addresses by best-selling author Dr. John Diamond, who challenged
participants with his unique music methodologies, and by Dr Susanne
Schaup, German author, who spoke on “Music Without Boundaries.” The
Landegg Music Forum Choir also held its first rehearsals during the
gathering, under the direction of Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen and
baritone Johan Walstrom. Just over a month later, Landegg hosted a
conference on “The Role of the Aesthetic in a Global Society,” which
brought together more than 100 people from 20 countries. The keynote
address for the event, the overall theme of which was “Art, the Artist,
and Unity,” was given by Otto Donald Rogers. Other speakers and
performers included artist and writer Anne Gordon Perry, dramatist and
puppeteer Bill George, Native American dancers Kevin and Kimimila Locke,
and pianist Mark Ochu, all of the US, as Well as dancer Arlette George
of Scotland, guitarist Conrad Lambert of England, and actor Omid Djalili.

A music institute on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, drew
together about 20 Baha’i youth from seven dif

Participants in an eight-day music institute an Tanna Island, Vanuatu,
in January I 995, studied Baha writings together; set pass ages from
them to traditional music, and learned how to play the guitar:

ferent communities for eight days at the end of January. The program
consisted of study classes on the Baha’i sacred writings, sessions to
work on the composition of melodies for passages from the writings using
traditional styles of music as well as to learn existing songs, and
lessons in guitar playing. In the evenings, participants joined in
social activities and were able to share what they were learning with
members of the Baha’i community and the public.

In Sri Lanka, a three-day music and drama program held 7—9 April 1995
featured a modern Oriental dance on the theme of peace and unity as well
as drama and music. The previous August, Colombo’s young people produced
a drama about Tahirih for a meeting commemorating her life.

Awards and Achievements The Australian Baha’i Business and Professional
Association has established an annual achievement award to recognize
individuals who achieve excellence in their business or profession. The
award for 1993, presented to the recipient at a brief ceremony at the
Sydney Baha’i House of Worship on 29 May 1994, went to well-known
Aboriginal artist Lorni l-Iyland, whose work has been exhibited
throughout Australia, including at Baha’i events and, notably, in a show
at Parliament House in Canberra. A banner designed by her was shown at
the second

Bahzi’i World Congress in New York in 1992.

Images Donald C amp I; owordi winning collection, “Dust Shaped Hearts, "
conceived to honor American men.

Donald Camp, a conceptual and experimental photographer from
Philadelphia, US, was named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim
Memorial Foundation—the fifth African American male visual artist to be
granted this fellowship in its 71—year history. He was also awarded a
1994 Fellowship in the Arts and was appointed Visiting Artist to the
American Academy in Rome by the Pew Charitable Foundation. The work for
which Mr. Camp received the Guggenheim Fellowship is titled “Dust Shaped
Hearts,” in honor of poet Robert Hayden’s first collection, Heart Shape
in the Dust. Conceived to honor African American men, the work consists
of full faces printed in light-sensitized earth pigments and casein on
lithographic paper, a process reclaimed from a nineteenth century
photographic process and enhanced by Mr. Camp. Of this exhibition, the
photographer has stated, “I’m often asked. . .why I don’t do women or
people who are not African American or men. The public image of black
men is very different. I Want to make prints that dance between the
public and the personal images of self. The prints evoke a mystery and
enigma that I hope will disappear over time. Not that I hope the modesty
of the prints will fade but that the present fear and distrust 0f the
men Will end. What I hope remains are the reflections of modesty,
humility, nobility, and perhaps the struggle that is evident in the
faces I’ve chosen. I wish them to be ‘...indieative of both the light

270

An arts endowment in memory of Gwen Wakeling Staudigl has been given to
the Bosch School in Santa Cruz, California, US, to promote education,
development, production, exhibition, and performance in various fields
of artistic endeavor. The endowment, a gift of her husband Henry J.
Staudigl shortly before his passing last year, also includes a research
and resource library. Henry Staudigl Was a prolific film critic, as well
as a writer and director for motion pictures, radio, television and
stage productions. Gwen Wakeling was a versatile and creative costume
designer, Winning an Academy Award in 1950 for best costume design for
Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and Delilah.

Architecture

An architecture exhibit entitled “New Architecture for a New World” was
held in the cultural center of Debrecen, Hungary, in late April 1994,
attracting some 1,500 visitors over a ten-day period. Photographs and
posters of Houses of Worship around the world and holy places at the
Baha’i World Centre in Israel were displayed in 24 frame panels set up
as a nine-pointed star. The success of the exhibit led to further
showings at universities, museums, and cultural centers throughout Hungary.

Looking toward the Future

In his essay “Aesthetics and Spiritual Education,” Glen Eyford has
characterized and analyzed the World in which we live at

present as follows:

Man is challenged to dedicate himself to ‘the emergence of a world
community, the consciousness of world citizenship, the founding of a
world civilization and culture....’ Because he was made in God’s image,
man constantly strives to create order from chaos, to find meaning and
purpose, to discover harmony, unity, and beauty. The instinctive
tendency operates in both the creation and the appreciation of the arts,
and, through intimate interaction with the creative word of God it

can be channeled to assist in the building of a new world order.32

Such a perspective is not fashionable in contemporary artistic circles.
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s statement that “It is natural for the heart and spirit to
take pleasure and enjoyment in all things that show forth symmetry,
harmony, and perfection”3 3 does not find much resonance in the late
twentieth century arts world, which tends to focus on expressions of
dissonance, disharmony, incongruities, shapelessness, randomness,
triviality, and/or ugliness. And who can blame artists, if their view is
limited to what they see immediately around them? It is because
Baha’u’llah has given Baha’is a vision of oneness that they feel
impelled to transcend current views and trends and Work out the
expression of that vision through their artistic pursuits, at whatever
level they may be able to do so.

Mark Tobey once wrote, “Of course we talk about international styles
today, but I think later on we’ll talk about universal styles...the
future of the world must be this realization of its oneness, which is
the basic teaching as I understand it in the Baha’i Faith, and from that
oneness, will naturally develop a new spirit in art, because that’s what
it is. It’s a spirit and it’s not new words and it’s not new ideas
only.”34 The healthy development of the arts in the Baha’i world
community is ample evidence that such a new spirit in art is in the
process of formulating itself.

32. Glen A. Eyford, “Aesthetics and Spiritual Education," in World Order
(Fall 1979), pp, 4849. Cited passage from Shoghi Effendi, The World
Order of Bahd ‘u 'lldh: Selected Letters, 2d. rev. ed. (Wilmette: Baha’i
Publishing Trust, 1974), p. 163.

33. words to Mrs. Mary L. Lucas, as quoted in “A Brief Account of My
Visit to Acca,” pp. 1144; cited in “Extracts from the Writings on
Music,” in The Compilation of Compilations, v01. 2, p. 78.

34. Cited by Althur Dahl in “The Fragrance of Spirituality: An
Appreciation of the Art of Mark Tobey,” in The Bahd ’1' World: An
International Record, vol. 16 (1963—76), p. 644.

Thefollowing statement by the Baha '1' International Community of Public
nformation was sent to all National Spiritual Assemblies 23 January
1995. It was prepared to facilitate greater understanding of the concept
of global prosperity in the context QfBahci teachings.

THE PROSPERITY OF I IUMANKIND

0 an extent unimaginable a decade ago, the ideal of world

0 an extent unimaginable a decade ago, the ideal of world Tpeace is
taking on form and substance. Obstacles that long seemed immovable have
collapsed in humanity’s path; apparently irreconcilable conflicts have
begun to surrender to processes of consultation and resolution; a
willingness to counter military aggression through unified international
action is emerging. The effect has been to awaken in both the masses of
humanity and many world leaders a degree of hopefulness about the future
of our planet that had been nearly extinguished.

Throughout the world, immense intellectual and spiritual energies are
seeking expression, energies Whose gathering pressure is in direct
proportion to the frustrations of recent decades. liveryWhere the signs
multiply that the earth’s peoples yearn for an end to conflict and to
the suffering and ruin from which no land is any longer immune. These
rising impulses for change must be seized upon and channeled into
overcoming the remaining barriers 77 II I P 1 I I rrsl that block
realization of the age-old dream of global peace. The effort of will
required for such a task cannot be summoned up merely by appeals for
action against the countless ills afflicting society. It must be
galvanized by a vision of human prosperity in

the fullest sense of the term—an awakening to the possibilities of the
spiritual and material well-being now brought within grasp. Its
beneficiaries must be all of the planet’s inhabitants, without
distinction, without the imposition of conditions unrelated to the
fimdamental goals of such a reorganization of human affairs. History has
thus far recorded principally the experience of tribes, cultures,
classes, and nations. With the physical unification of the planet in
this century and acknowledgement of the inter— dependence of all who
live on it, the history of humanity as one people is now beginning. The
long, slow civilizing of human character has been a sporadic
development, uneven and admittedly inequitable in the material
advantages it has conferred. Nevertheless, endowed with the wealth of
all the genetic and cultural diversity that has evolved through past
ages, the earth’s inhabitants are now challenged to draw on their
collective inheritance to take up, consciously and systematically, the
responsibility for the design of their future.

It is unrealistic to imagine that the vision of the next stage in the
advancement of civilization can be formulated Without a searching
reexamination of the attitudes and assumptions that currently underlie
approaches to social and economic development. At the most obvious
level, such rethinking will have to address practical matters of policy,
resource utilization, planning procedures, implementation methodologies,
and organization. As it proceeds, however, fundamental issues will
quickly emerge, related to the long-term goals to be pursued, the social
structures required, the implications for development of principles of
social justice, and the nature and role of knowledge in effecting
enduring change. Indeed, such a reexamination will be driven to seek a
broad consensus of understanding about human nature itself. Two avenues
of discussion open directly onto all of these issues, whether conceptual
or practical, and it is along these two avenues that we Wish to explore,
in the pages that follow, the subject of a strategy of global
development. The first is prevailing beliefs about the nature and
purpose of the development process; the second is the roles assigned in
it to the various protagonists

The assumptions directing most of current development planning are
essentially materialistic. That is to say, the purpose of development is
defined in terms of the successful cultivation in

all societies of those means for the achievement of material prosperity
that have, through trial and error, already come to characterize certain
regions the world. Modifications in development discourse do indeed
occur, accommodating differences of culture and political system and
responding to the alarming dangers posed by environmental degradation.
Yet the underlying materialistic assumptions remain essentially
unchallenged.

As the twentieth century draws to a close, it is no longer possible to
maintain the belief that the approach to social and economic development
to which the materialistic conception of life has given rise is capable
of meeting humanity’s needs. Optimistic forecasts about the changes it
would generate have vanished into the ever-widening abyss that separates
the living standards of a small and relatively diminishing minority of
the world’s inhabitants from the poverty experienced by the vast
majority of the globe’s population.

This unprecedented economic crisis, together with the social breakdown
it has helped to engender, reflects a profound error of conception about
human nature itself. For the levels of response elicited from human
beings by the incentives of the prevailing order are not only
inadequate, but seem almost irrelevant in the face of world events. We
are being shown that, unless the development of society finds a purpose
beyond the mere amelioration of material conditions, it will fail of
attaining even these goals. That purpose must be sought in spiritual
dimensions of life and motivation that transcend a constantly changing
economic landscape and an artificially imposed division of human
societies into “developed” and “developing.”

As the purpose of development is being redefined, it will become
necessary also to look again at assumptions about the appropriate roles
to be played by the protagonists in the process. The crucial role of
government, at whatever level, requires no elaboration. Future
generations, however, will find almost incomprehensible the circumstance
that, in an age paying tribute to an egalitarian philosophy and related
democratic principles. development planning should view the masses of
humanity as essentially recipients of benefits from aid and training.
Despite acknowledgement of participation as a principle, the scope of
the decision making left to most of the World’s population is at best

secondary, limited to a range of choices formulated by agencies
inaccessible to them and determined by goals that are often
irreconcilable with their perceptions of reality. This approach is even
endorsed, implicitly if not explicitly “411" h I -- ---. “Emmy, by
established religion. Burdened by traditions of paternalism, prevailing
religious thought seems incapable of translating an expressed faith in
the spiritual dimensions of human nature into confidence in humanity’s
collective capacity to transcend material conditions.

Such an attitude misses the significance of what is likely the most
important social phenomenon of our time. If it is true that the
governments of the World are striving through the medium '. U MUD“ me of
the United Nations system to construct a new global order, it is equally
true that the peoples of the world are galvanized by this same vision.
Their response has taken the form of a sudden efflorescence of countless
movements and organizations of social change at local, regional, and
international levels. Human rights, the advance of women, the social
requirements of sustainable economic development, the overcoming of
prejudices, the moral education of children, literacy, primary health
care, and a host of other vital concerns each commands the urgent
advocacy m, I - - - s mgnnwwwcy of organizations supported by growing
numbers in every part of the globe.

This response of the World’s people themselves to the crying needs of
the age echoes the call that Baha’u’llah raised over a hundred years
ago: “Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and
center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.” The
transformation in the way that great numbers of ordinary people are
coming to see themselves——a change that is dramatically abrupt in the
perspective of the history of civilization—raises fundamental questions
about the

role assigned to the general body of humanity in the planning of our
planet’s future.

I

T he bedrock of a strategy that can engage the world’s popuin aeenminn
ymmnnrqunhn r, I. .. . V

lation in assuming responsibility for its collective destiny must be the
consciousness ofthe oneness of humankind. Deceptively simple in popular
discourse, the concept that humanity

276

constitutes a single people presents fundamental challenges to the way
that most ol' the institutions of contemporary society carry out their
functions. Whether in the form of the adversarial

structurc of civil government, the advocacy principle informing

most of civil law, a glorification of the struggle between classes

and other social groups, or the competitive spirit dominating so

much of modern life, conflict is accepted as the mainspring of human
interaction. It represents yet another expression in social

organization of the materialistic interpretation of life that has

progressively consolidated itself over the past two centuries.

In a letter addressed to Queen Victoria over a century ago, and

employing an analogy that points to the one model holding

convincing promise for the organization of a planetary society,

compared the world to the human body. There is,

indeed, no other model in phenomenal existence to which we can

reasonably look. Human society is composed not of a mass of merely
differentiated cells but of associations of individuals,

each one of whom is endowed with intelligence and will; never

theless, the modes of operation that characterize man’s biological

nature illustrate fundamental principles of existence. Chief among these
is that of unity in diversity. Paradoxically, it is precisely the
wholeness and complexity of the order constituting the human body~—and
the perfect integration into it of the body’s cells—that permit the full
realization of the distinctive capacities inherent in each of these
component elements. N0 cell lives apart from the body, whether in
contributing to its functioning or in deriving its share from the
well-being of the whole. The physical Well-being thus achieved finds its
purpose in making possible the expression of human consciousness; that
is to say, the purpose of biological development transcends the mere
existence ol’ the body and its parts.

What is true of the life of the individual has its parallels in

human society. The human species is an organic whole, the leading edge
of the evolutionary process. That human consciousness necessarily
operates through an infinite diversity of individual minds and
motivations detracts in no Way from its essential unity. Indeed, it is
precisely an inhering diversity that distinguishes unity from
homogeneity or uniformity. What the peoples of the World are today
experiencing, said, is

their collective coming-otlage, and it is through this emerging maturity
of the race that the principle of unity in diversity will find full
expression. From its earliest beginnings in the consolidation of family
life, the process of social organization has successively moved from the
simple structures of clan and tribe, through multitudinous forms of
urban society, to the eventual emergence of the nation-state, each stage
opening up a wealth of new opportunities for the exercise of human capacity.

Clearly, the advancement of the race has not occurred at the expense of
human individuality. As social organization has increased, the scope for
the expression of the capacities latent in each human being has
correspondingly expanded. Because the relationship between the
individual and society is a reciprocal one, the transformation now
required must occur simultaneously mam“ 1m...“ MM» - l , v t Within
human consciousness and the structure of social institutions. It is in
the opportunities afforded by this twofold process of change that a
strategy of global development will find its purpose. At this crucial
stage of history, that purpose must be to establish enduring foundations
on which planetary civilization can gradually take shape.

Laying the groundwork for global civilization calls for the creation of
laws and institutions that are universal in both character and
authority. The effort can begin only when the concept of the oneness of
humanity has been wholeheartedly embraced Luau“. . . . i 7 "if Vlllul
(JUL/u by those in whose hands the responsibility for decision making
rests, and when the related principles are propagated through both
educational systems and the media of mass communication. Once this
threshold is crossed, a process will have been set in motion through
which the peoples of the World can be drawn into the task of formulating
common goals and committing themselves to their attainment. Only so
fundamental a reorientation can protect them, too, from the age-old
demons of ethnic and religious strife. Only through the dawning
consciousness that they constitute a single people will the inhabitants
of the planet be enabled to turn away from the patterns of conflict that
have dominated social organization in the past and begin to learn the
Ways of collaboration and conciliation. “The Wellbeing of mankind,”
Baha’u’llah writes, “its peace and security, are unattainable unless and
until its unity is firmly established.”

J ustice is the one power that can translate the dawning consciousness
of humanity‘s oneness into a collective will through which the necessary
structures of global community life can be confidently erected. An age
that sees the people of the world increasingly gaining access to
information of every kind and to a diversity of ideas will find justice
asserting itself as the ruling principle of successful social
organization. With ever greater frequency, proposals aiming at the
development of the planet will have to submit to the candid light of the
standards it requires.

At the individual level, justice is that faculty of the human soul that
enables each person to distinguish truth from falsehood. In the sight of
God, Baha’u’llah avers, justice is “the best beloved of all things”
since it permits each individual to see with his own eyes rather than
the eyes of others, to know through his own knowledge rather than the
knowledge of his neighbor or his group. It calls for fair-mindedness in
one’s judgments, for equity in one’s treatment of others, and is thus a
constant if demanding companion in the daily occasions of life

At the group level, a concern for justice is the indispensable compass
in collective decision making, because it is the only means by which
unity of thought and action can be achieved. Far from encouraging the
punitive spirit that has often masqueraded under its name in past ages,
justice is the practical expression of awareness that, in the
achievement of human progress, the interests of the individual and those
of society are inextricably linked. To the extent that justice becomes a
guiding concern of human interaction, a consultative climate is
encouraged that permits options to be examined dispassionately and
appropriate courses of action selected. In such a climate the perennial
tondencies toward manipulation and partisanship are far less likely to
deflect the decision-making process.

The implications for social and economic development are profound.
Concern for justice protects the task of defining progress from the
temptation to sacrifice the well-being of the generality of
humankind—and even of the planet itself the advantages which
technological breakthroughs can make available to privileged minorities.
In design and planning, it

ensures that limited resources are not diverted to the pursuit of
projects extraneous to a community’s essential social or economic
priorities. Above all, only development programs that are per— ceived as
meeting their needs and as being just and equitable in e fl- onus Just
uuu uqultuulti 111 objective can hope to engage the commitment of the
masses of humanity, upon whom implementation depends. The relevant human
qualities such as honesty, a Willingness to work, and a spirit of
cooperation are successfully harnessed to the accomplishment of
enormously demanding collective goals when -r ' ' ' I 7 V , fa, . Dvwlu
vvllbll every member of society—indeed every component group Within
society—can trust that they are protected by standards and assured of
benefits that apply equally to all.

At the heart of the discussion ofa strategy of social and economic
development, therefore, lies the issue of human rights. ThP n-P mud. " I
A “New U1 1151115. The shaping of such a strategy calls for the
promotion of human rights to be freed from the grip of the false
dichotomies that have for so long held it hostage. Concern that each
human being should enjoy the freedom of thought and action conducive to
his or her personal growth does not justify devotion to the cult of A1 I
J ......vuuu tu uiC UulL Ul individualism that so deeply corrupts many
areas of contemporary life. Nor does concern to ensure the welfare of
society as a whole require a deification of the state as the supposed
source of humanity’s well-being. Far otherwise: the history of the
present century shows all too clearly that such ideologies and the
parlicsm L1H - ' I V ‘0-“ cuiu LllC tisan agendas to which they give
rise have been themselves the principal enemies of the interests they
purport to serve. Only in a consultative framework made possible by the
consciousness of the organic unity of humankind can all aspects of the
concern for human rights find legitimate and creative expression.

Today, the agency on whom has devolved the task of creating this
framework and of liberating the promotion of human rights from those who
would exploit it is the system of international institutions born out of
the tragedies of two ruinous world wars and the experience of worldwide
economic breakdown. Mmf-lu HM: tom ' ' 3’ Ulslllll' cantly, the term
“human rights” has come into general use only since the promulgation of
the United Nations Charter in 1945 and the adoption of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights three years later. In these history-making
documents, formal recognition has been given to respect for social
justice as a

280

correlative of the establishment of world peace. The fact that the
Declaration passed without a dissenting vote in the General Assembly
conferred on it from the outset an authority that has grown steadily in
the intervening years.

The activity most intimately linked to the consciousness that
distinguishes human nature is the individual’s exploration of reality
for himself or herself. The freedom to investigate the purpose of
existence and to develop the endowments of human nah-nun LII-A‘- 14. t .
.- 4 I nature that make it achievable requires protection. Human beings
must be free to know. That such freedom is often abused and such abuse
grossly encouraged by features of contemporary society does not detract
in any degree from the validity of the impulse itself.

It is this distinguishing impulse of human consciousness that provides
the moral imperative for the enunciation of many of the rights enshrined
in the Universal Declaration and the related Covenants. Universal
education, freedom of movement, access ,.....14.L‘ 7-. l .- - . - - .
.... to information, and the opportunity to participate in political life

are all aspects of its operation that require explicit guarantee by

the international community. The same is true of freedom of

thought and belief, including religious liberty, along with the

right to hold opinions and express these opinions appropriately. 1- 1- -- .

Since the body of humankind is one and indivisible, each member of the
race is born into the World as a trust of the whole. This trusteeship
constitutes the moral foundation of most of the other rights—principally
economic and social—which the instru1“! i‘ . . .. . ‘i ments of the
United Nations are attempting similarly to define. The security of the
family and the home, the ownership of property, and the right to privacy
are all implied in such a trusteeship. The obligations on the part of
the community extend to the DFAMQIAUUuAML , 1 1 - 1 1 L. . . provision
of employment, mental and physical health care, social security, fair
wages, rest and recreation, and a host of other reasonable expectations
on the part of the individual members of society.

The principle of collective trusteeship creates also the right of every
person to expect that those cultural conditions essential to his or her
identity enjoy the protection of national and international law_ Much
like the role played by the gene pool in the biological life of
humankind and its environment, the immense

wealth of cultural diversity achieved over thousands of years is vital
to the social and economic development of a human race experiencing its
collective coming-of-age. It represents a heritage that must be
permitted to bear its fruit in a global civilization. On the one hand,
cultural expressions need to be protected from suffocation by the
materialistic influences currently holding sway. On the other, cultures
must be enabled to interact with one another in ever-changing patterns
of civilization, free of manipulation for partisan political ends.

“The light of men,” Baha’u’llah says, “is Justice. Quench it not with
the contrary winds of oppression and tyranny. The purpose of justice is
the appearance of unity among men. The ocean of divine wisdom surgeth
within this exalted word, while the books of the world cannot contain
its inner significance.”

III

In order for the standard of human rights now in the process of
formulation by the community of nations to be promoted and established
as prevailing international norms, a fundamental redefinition of human
relationships is called for. Present-day conceptions of what is natural
and appropriate in relationships— among human beings themselves, between
human beings and nature, between the individual and society, and between
the members of society and its institutions—reflect levels of
understanding arrived at by the human race during earlier and less
mature stages in its development. If humanity is indeed coming of age,
if all the inhabitants of the planet constitute a single people, if
justice is to be the ruling principle of social organization—then
existing conceptions that were born out of ignorance of these emerging
realities have to be recast.

Movement in this direction has barely begun. It will lead, as

it unfolds, to a new understanding of the nature of the family

and of the rights and responsibilities of each of its members. It

will entirely transform the role of Women at every level of soci

ety. Its effect in reordering people’s relation to the work they do

and their understanding of the place of economic activity in their

lives will be swaeping. It will bring about

in the governance of human affairs and in the institutions created

to carry it out. Through its influence, the Work of society’s

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rapidly proliferating non-governmental organizations will be
increasingly rationalized. It will ensure the creation of binding
legislation that will protect both the environment and the development
needs of all peoples. Ultimately, the restructuring or transformation of
the United Nations system that this movement is already bringing about
will no doubt lead to the establishment of a world federation of nations
with its own legislative, judicial, and executive bodies.

Central to the task of reconceptualizing the system of human
relationships is the process that Baha’u’llah refers to as consultation.
“In all things it is necessary to consult,” is His advice. “The maturity
of the gift of understanding is made manifest through consultation.”

The standard of truth seeking this process demands is far beyond the
patterns of negotiation and compromise that tend to characterize the
present-day discussion of human affairs. It cannot be achieved—indeed,
its attainment is severely handicapped—by the culture of protest that is
another Widely prevailing feature of contemporary society. Debate,
propaganda, the adversarial method, the entire apparatus of partisanship
that have long been such familiar features of collective action are all
fundamentally harmful to its purpose: that is, arriving at a consensus
about the truth of a given situation and the wisest choice of action
among the options open at any given moment.

What Baha’u’llah is calling for is a consultative process in which the
individual participants strive to transcend their respective points of
view, in order to function as members of a body with its own interests
and goals. In such an atmosphere, characterized by both candor and
courtesy, ideas belong not to the individual to whom they occur during
the discussion but to the group as a whole, to take up, discard, or
revise as seems to best serve the goal pursued. Consultation succeeds to
the extent that all participants support the decisions arrived at,
regardless of the individual opinions with which they entered the
discussion. Under such circumstances an earlier decision can be readily
reconsidered if experience exposes any shortcomings.

Viewed in such a light, consultation is the operating expression of
justice in human affairs. So vital is it to the success of collective
endeavor that it must constitute a basic feature of a viable

strategy of social and economic development Indeed, the participation
ofthe people on whose commitment and efforts the success of such a
strategy depends becomes effective only as consultation is made the
organizing principle of every project. “No man can attain his true
station,” is Baha’u’llah’s counsel, “except through his justice. No
power can exist except through

unity. No welfare and n0 well~being can be attained except through
consultation.”

T he tasks entailed in the development of a global society call for
levels of capacity far beyond anything the human race has so far been
able to muster. Reaching these levels will require an enormous expansion
in access to knowledge, on the part of individuals and social
organizations alike. Universal education will be an indispensable
contributor to this process of capacity building, but the effort will
succeed only as human affairs are so reorganized as to enable both
individuals and groups in every sector of society to acquire knowledge
and apply it to the shaping of human affairs.

Throughout recorded history, human consciousness has depended upon two
basic knowledge systems through which its potentialities have
progressively been expressed: science and religion. Through these two
agencies, the race’s experience has been organized, its environment
interpreted, its latent powers explored, and its moral and intellectual
life disciplined. They have acted as the real progenitors of
civilization. With the benefit of hindsight, it is evident, moreover,
that the effectiveness of this dual structure has been greatest during
those periods when, each in its own sphere, religion and science were
able to Work in concert.

Given the almost universal respect in which science is currently held,
its credentials need no elaboration. In the context of a strategy of
social and economic development, the issue rather is how scientific and
technological activity is to be organized. If the work involved is
viewed chiefly as the preserve of established elites living in a small
number of nations, it is obvious that the enormous gap which such an
arrangement has already created between the world’s rich and poor will
only continue to

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widen, with the disastrous consequences for the world’s economy already
noted. Indeed, if most of humankind continue to be regarded mainly as
users of products of science and technology created elsewhere, then
programs ostensibly designed to serve their needs cannot properly be
termed “development.” A central challenge, therefore—and an enormous
one—is the

expansion of scientific and technological activity. Instruments of
social and economic change so powerful must cease to be the

patrimony of advantaged segments of society, and must be so

organized as to permit people everywhere to participate in such

activity on the basis of capacity. Apart from the creation of pro

grams that make the required education available to all Who are

able to benefit from it, such reorganization will require the estab

lishment of viable centers of learning throughout the world,

institutions that will enhance the capability of the world’s peoples to
participate in the generation and application of knowledge.

Development strategy, while acknowledging the wide differences of
individual capacity, must take as a major goal the task of making it
possible for all of the earth’s inhabitants to approach on an equal
basis the processes of science and technology which are their common
birthright. Familiar arguments for maintaining the status quo grow daily
less compelling as the accelerating revolution in communication
technologies now brings information and training within reach of vast
numbers of people around the globe, wherever they may be, Whatever their
cultural backgrounds.

The challenges facing humanity in its religious life, if dif

ferent in character, are equally daunting. For the vast majority of the
World’s population, the idea that human nature has a spiritual
dimension—indeed that its fundamental identity is spiritual—is a truth
requiring no demonstration. It is a perception of reality that can be
discovered in the earliest records of civilization and that has been
cultivated for several millenia by every one of the great religious
traditions of humanity’s past. Its enduring achievements in law, the
fine arts, and the civilizing of human intercourse are what give
substance and meaning to history. In one form or another its promptings
are a daily influence in the lives of most people on earth and, as
events around the world today dramali~ cally show, the longings it
awakens are both inextinguishable and incalculably potent.

It would seem obvious, therefore, that efforts of any kind to promote
human progress must seek to tap capacities so universal and so immensely
creative. Why, then, have spiritual issues facing humanity not been
central to the development discourse? Why have most of the
priorities—indeed most of the underlying assumptions—of the
international development agenda been determined so far by materialistic
world views to which only small minorities of the earth’s population
subscribe? How much weight can be placed on a professed devotion to the
principle of universal participation that denies the validity of the
participants” defining cultural experience?

It may be argued that, since spiritual and moral issues have
historically been bound up with contending theological doctrines which
are not susceptible of objective proof, these issues lie outside the
framework of the international community’s development concerns. To
accord them any significant role would be to open the door to precisely
those dogmatic influences that have nurtured social conflict and blocked
human progress. There is doubtless a measure of truth in such an
argument. Exponents of the world’s various theological systems bear a
heavy responsibility not only for the disrepute into which faith itself
has fallen among many progressive thinkers, but for the inhibitions and
distortions produced in humanity’s continuing discourse on spiritual
meaning. To conclude, however, that the answer lies in discouraging the
investigation of spiritual reality and ignoring the deepest roots of
human motivation is a self-evident delusion. The sole effect, to the
degree that such censorship has been achieved in recent history, has
been to deliver the shaping of humanity’s future into the hands of a new
orthodoxy, one which argues that truth is amoral and facts are
independent of values. So far as earthly existence is concerned, many of
the greatest achievements of religion have been moral in character.
Through its teachings and through the examples of human lives illumined
by these teachings, masses of people in all ages and lands have
developed the capacity to love. They have learned to discipline the
animal side of their natures, to make great sacrifices for the common
good, to practise forgiveness, generosity, and trust, to use wealth and
other resources in Ways that serve the advancement of civilization.
Institutional systems have been devised to

286

translate these moral advances into the norms of social life on a vast
scale. However obscured by dogmatic accretions and diverted by sectarian
conflict, the spiritual impulses set in motion by such transcendent
figures as Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, and Muhammad have
been the chief influence in the civilizing of human character.

Since, then, the challenge is the empowerment of humankind through a
vast increase in access to knowledge, the strategy that can make this
possible must be constructed around an ongoing and intensifying dialogue
between science and religion. It is—or by now should be—a truism that,
in every sphere of human activity and at every level, the insights and
skills that represent scientific accomplishment must look to the force
of spiritual commitment and moral principle to ensure their appropriate
application. People need, for example, to learn how to separate fact
from conjecture—indeed to distinguish between subjective views and
objective reality; the extent to which individuals and institutions so
equipped can contribute to human progress, however, will be determined
by their devotion to truth and their detachment from the promptings of
their own interests and passions. Another capacity that science must
cultivate in all people is that of thinking in terms of process,
including historical process; however, if this intellectual advancement
is to contribute ultimately to promoting development, its perspective
must be unclouded by prejudices of race, culture, sex, or sectarian
belief. Similarly, the training that can make it possible for the
earth’s inhabitants to participate in the production of wealth will
advance the aims of development only to the extent that such an impulse
is illumined by the spiritual insight that service to humankind is the
purpose of both individual life and social organization.

I t is in the context of raising the level of human capacity through the
expansion of knowledge at all levels that the economic issues facing
humankind need to be addressed. As the experience of recent decades has
demonstrated, material benefits and endeavors cannot be regarded as ends
in themselves. Their value consists not only in providing for humanity’s
basic needs in housing, food, health care, and the like, but in
extending the

reach of human abilities. The most important role that economic efforts
must play in development lies, therefore, in equipping people and
institutions with the means through which they can achieve the real
purpose of development: that is, laying dations for a new social order
that can cultivate the limitless potentialities latent in human
consciousness.

The challenge to economic thinking is to accept unambiguously this
purpose of development—and its own role in fostering creation of the
means to achieve it. Only in this way can economics and the related
sciences free themselves from the undertow of the materialistic
preoccupations that now distract them, and fulfill their potential as
tools vital to achieving human well~ being in the full sense of the
term. Nowhere is the need for a rigorous dialogue between the work of
science and the insights of religion more apparent.

The problem of poverty is a case in point. Proposals aimed at addressing
it are predicated on the conviction that material resources exist, or
can be created by scientific and technological endeavor, which will
alleviate and eventually entirely eradicate this age-old condition as a
feature of human life. A major reason why such relief is not achieved is
that the necessary scientific and technological advances respond to a
set of priorities only tangentially related to the real interests of the
generality of humankind. A radical reordering of these priorities will
be required if the burden of poverty is finally to be lifted from the
world. Such an achievement demands a determined quest for appropriate
values, a quest that will test profoundly both the spiritual and
scientific resources of humankind. Religion Will be severely hampered in
contributing to this joint undertaking so long as it is held prisoner by
sectarian doctrines which cannot distinguish between contentment and
mere passivity and which teach that poverty is an inherent feature of
earthly life, escape from which lies only in the world beyond. To
participate effectively in the struggle to bring material Well-being to
humanity, the religious spirit must find—in the Source of inspiration
from which it spiritual concepts and principles relevant to an age that
seeks to establish unity and justice in human affairs.

Uncmployment raises similar issues. In most of contemporary

288

thinking, the concept of work has been largely reduced to that of
gainful employment aimed at acquiring the means for the consumption of
available goods. The system is circular: acquisition and consumption
resulting in the maintenance and expansion of the production of goods
and, in consequence, in supporting paid employment. Taken individually,
all of these activities are essential to the well-being of society. The
inadequacy of the overall conception, however, can be read in both the
apathy that social commentators discern among large numbers of the
employed in every land and the demoralization of the growing armies of
the unemployed.

Not surprisingly, therefore, there is increasing recognition that the
world is in urgent need of a new “Work ethic.” Here again, nothing less
than insights generated by the creative interaction of the scientific
and religious systems of knowledge can produce so fundamental a
reorientation of habits and attitudes. Unlike animals, which depend for
their sustenance on whatever the environment readily affords, human
beings are impelled to express the immense capacities latent Within them
through productive work designed to meet their own needs and those of
others. In acting thus they become participants, at however modest a
level, in the processes of the advancement of civilization. They fulfill
purposes that unite them with others. To the extent that work is
consciously undertaken in a spirit of service to humanity, Baha’u’llah
says, it is a form of prayer, a means of worshiping God. Every
individual has the capacity to see himself or herself in this light, and
it is to this inalienable capacity of the self that development strategy
must appeal, whatever the nature of the plans being pursued, whatever
the rewards they promise. N0 narrower a perspec— tive will ever call up
from the people of the world the magnitude of effort and commitment that
the economic tasks ahead will require.

A challenge of similar nature faces economic thinking as a result of the
environmental crisis. The fallacies in theories based 0n the belief that
there is no limit to nature’s capacity to fulfill any demand made on it
by human beings have now been coldly exposed. A culture which attaches
absolute value to expansion, to acquisition, and to the satisfaction of
people’s wants is being compelled to recognize that such goals are not,
by themselves,

realistic guides to policy. Inadequate, too, are approaches to economic
issues whose decision-making tools cannot deal with the fact that most
of the major challenges are global rather than particular in scope. The
earnest hope that this moral crisis can somehow be met by deifying
nature itself is an evidence of the spiritual and intellectual
desperation that the crisis has engendered. Recognition that creation is
an organic whole and that humanity has the responsibility to care for
this whole, welcome as it is, does not represent an influence which can
by itself establish in the consciousness of people a new system of
values. Only a breakthrough in understanding that is scientific and
spiritual in the fullest sense of the terms will empower the human race
to assume the trusteeship toward which history impels it. All people
will have sooner or later to recover, for example, the capacity for
contentment, the welcoming of moral discipline, and the devotion to duty
that, until relatively recently, were considered essential aspects of
being human. Repeatedly throughout history, the teachings of the
Founders of the great religions have been able to instill these
qualities of character in the mass of people who responded to them. The
qualities themselves are even more vital today, but their expression
must now take a form consistent with humanity’s coming-of-age. Here
again, religion’s challenge is to free itself from the obsessions of the
past: contentment is not fatalism; morality has nothing in common with
the life-denying puritanism that has so often presumed to speak in its
name; and a genuine devotion to duty brings feelings not of
self—righteousness but of self-worth.

The effect of the persistent denial to women of full equality with men
sharpens still further the challenge to science and religion in the
economic life of humankind. To any objective server the principle of the
equality of the sexes is fundamental to all realistic thinking about the
future Well-being of the earth and its people. It represents a truth
about human nature that has waited largely unrecognized throughout the
long ages of the race’s childhood and adolescence. “Women and men,” is
Baha’u’llah’s emphatic assertion, “have been and will always be equal in
the sight of God.” The rational soul has no sex, and Whatever social
inequities may have been dictated by the survival require

ments of the past, they clearly cannot be justified at a time when
humanity stands at the threshold of maturity. A commitment to the
establishment of full equality between men and women, in all departments
of life and at every level of society, will be central to the success of
efforts to conceive and implement a strategy of global development.

Indeed, in an important sense, progress in this area will itself be a
measure of the success of any development program. Given the vital role
of economic activity in the advancement of civilization, visible
evidence of the pace at which development is progressing will be the
extent to which women gain access to all avenues of economic endeavor.
The challenge goes beyond ensuring an equitable distribution of
opportunity, important as that is. It calls for a fundamental rethinking
of economic issues in a manner that will invite the full participation
of a range of human experience and insight hitherto largely excluded
from the discourse. The classical economic models of impersonal markets
in which human beings act as autonomous makers of self-regarding choices
will not serve the needs of a world motivated by ideals of unity and
justice. Society will find itself increasingly challenged to develop new
economic models shaped by insights that arise from a sympathetic
understanding of shared experience, from viewing human beings in
relation to others, and from a recognition of the centrality to social
well-being of the role of the family and the community. Such an
intellectual breakthrough— strongly altruistic rather than self-centered
in focus—must draw heavily on both the spiritual and scientific
sensibilities of the race, and millenia of experience have prepared
women to make crucial contributions to the common effort.

VI

To contemplate a transformation of society on this scale is to raise
both the question of the power that can be harnessed to accomplish it
and the issue inextricably linked to it, the authority to exercise that
power. As With all other implications of the accelerating integration of
the planet and its people, both of these familiar terms stand in urgent
need of redefinition.

Throughout history—and despite theologically or ideologically inspired
assurances to the contrary—power has been largely

interpreted as advantage enjoyed by persons or groups. Often, indeed, it
has been expressed simply in terms of means to be used against others.
This interpretation of power has become an inherent feature of the
culture of division and conflict that has characterized the human race
during the past several millenia, regardless of the social, religious,
or political orientations that have enjoyed ascendancy in given ages, in
given parts of the world. In general, power has been an attribute of
individuals, factions, peoples, classes, and nations. It has been an
attribute especially associated with men rather than women. Its chief
effect has been to confer on its beneficiaries the ability to acquire,
to surpass, to dominate, to resist, to win.

The resulting historical processes have been responsible for

both ruinous setbacks in human well-being and extraordinary advances in
civilization. To appreciate the benefits is to acknowledge also the
setbacks, as Well as the clear limitations of the behavioral patterns
that have produced both. Habits and attitudes related to the use of
power which emerged during the long ages of humanity’s infancy and
adolescence have reached the outer limits of their effectiveness. Today,
in an era most of whose pressing problems are global in nature,
persistence in the idea that power means advantage for various segments
of the human family is profoundly mistaken in theory and of no practical
service to the social and economic development of the planet. Those who
still adhere to it—and who could in earlier eras have felt confident in
such adherence—now find their plans enmeshed in inexplicable
frustrations and hindrances. In its

traditional, competitive expression, power is as irrelevant to the

needs of humanity’s future as would be the technologies of railway
locomotion to the task of lifting space satellites into

orbits around the earth.

The analogy is more than a little apt. The human race is being

urged by the requirements of its own maturation to free itself from its
inherited understanding and use of power. That it can do

so is demonstrated by the fact that, although dominated by the
traditional conception, humanity has always been able to

conceive of power in other forms critical to its hopes. History provides
ample evidence that, however intermittently and

292

ineptly, people of every background, throughout the ages, have tapped a
wide range o‘l'crcative resources within themselves. The most obvious
example, perhaps, has been the power of truth itself, an agent of change
associated with some of the greatest advances in the philosophical,
religious, artistic, and scientific experience of the race. Force of
character represents yet another means of mobi-lizing immense human
response, as does the influence of example, Whether in the lives of
individual human beings or in human societies. Almost Wholly
unappreciated is the magnitude of the force that will be generated by
the achievement of unity, an influence “so powerful,” in words, “that it
can illuminate the Whole earth.”

The institutions of society will succeed in eliciting and directing the
potentialities latent in the consciousness of the World’s peoples to the
extent that the exercise of authority is governed by principles that are
in harmony with the evolving interests of a rapidly maturing human race.
Such principles include the obligation of those in authority to win the
confidence, respect, and genuine support of those whose actions they
seek to govern; to consult openly and to the fullest extent possible
with all whose interests are affected by decisions being arrived at; to
assess in an objective manner both the real needs and the aspirations of
the communities they serve; to benefit from scientific and moral
advancement in order to make appropriate use of the community’s
resources, including the energies of its members. No single principle of
effective authority is so important as giving priority to building and
maintaining unity among the members of a society and the members of its
administrative institutions. Reference has already been made to the
intimately associated issue of commitment to the search for justice in
all matters.

Clearly, such principles can operate only within a culture that is
essentially democratic in spirit and method. To say this, however, is
not to endorse the ideology of partisanship that has everywhere boldly
assumed democracy’s name and which, despite impressive contributions to
human progress in the past, today finds itself mired in the cynicism,
apathy, and corruption to which it has given rise. In selecting those
who are to take

collective decisions on its behalf, society does not need and is not
well served by the political theater of nominations, candidature,
electioneering, and solicitation. It lies within the capacity of all
people, as they become progressively educated and convinced that their
real development interests are being served by programs proposed to
them, to adopt electoral procedures that will gradually refine the
selection of their decision—making bodies.

As the integration of humanity gains momentum, those Who are thus
selected will increasingly have to see all their efforts in a global
perspective. Not only at the national, but also at the local level, the
elected governors of human ’ehould, in Baha’u’llah’s view, consider
themselves responsible for the welfare of all of humankind.

VII

The task of creating a global development strategy that will nnnelemfp
,mmz...» -r A , . . ..

accelerate humanity’s coming-of-age constitutes a challenge to reshape
fundamentally all the institutions of society. The protagonists to Whom
the challenge addresses itself are all of the inhabitants of the planet:
the generality of humankind, members of governing institutions at all
levels, persons serving in agencies of international coordination,
scientists and social thinkers, all those endowed with artistic talents
or with access to the media of communication, and leaders of
non-governmental organizations. The response called for must base itself
on an unconditioned recognition of the oneness of humankind, a
commitment to the establishment of justice as the organizing principle
of society, and a determination to exploit to their utmost the
possibilities that a systematic dialogue between the scientific and
religious genius of the race can bring to the building of human
capacity. The enterprise requires a radical rethinking of most of the
concepts and assumptions currently governing social and economic life.
It must be wedded, as well, to a conviction that, however long the
process and whatever setbacks may be encountered, the governance of
human affairs can be conducted along lines that serve humanity’s real needs.

Only if humanity's collective childhood has indeed come to an end and
the age of its adulthood is dawning does such a prospect represent more
than another utopian mirage. To imagine that an effort of the magnitude
envisioned here can be summoned up by despondent and mutually
antagonistic peoples and nations runs counter to the Whole of received
wisdom. Only if, as Baha’u’llah asserts to be the case, the course of
social evolution has arrived at one of those decisive turning points
through which all of the

phenomena of existence are impelled suddenly forward into new

stages of their development, can such a possibility be conceived. A
profound conviction that just so great a transformation in human
consciousness is underway has inspired the views set forth in this
statement. To all who recognize in it familiar promptings from within
their own hearts, Baha’u’llah’s words bring assurance that God has, in
this matchless day, endowed humanity with spiritual resources fully
equal to the challenge:

O ye that inhabit the heavens and the earth! There hath appeared what
hath never previously appeared.

This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured
out upon men, the Day in Which His most mighty grace hath been infused
into all created things.

The turmoil now convulsing human affairs is unprecedented, and many of
its consequences enormously destructive. Dangers unimagined in all
history gather around a distracted humanity. The greatest error that the
World’s leadership could make at this juncture, however, would be to
allow the crisis to cast doubt on the ultimate outcome of the process
that is occurring. A world is passing away and a new one is struggling
to be born. The habits. attitudes, and institutions that have
accumulated over thc ccnturies are being subjected to tests that are as
necessary to human development as they are inescapable. What is required
of the peoples of the World is a measure of faith and resolve to match
the enormous energies with which the Creator of all things has endowed
this spiritual springtime of the race. “Be united in counsel,” is
Baha’u’llah’s appeal,

be one in thought. Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow
richer than its yesterday. Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and
not in the pageantry of wealth and riches. Take heed that your words be
purged from idle fancies and worldly desires and your deeds be cleansed
from craftiness and suspicion. Dissipate not the wealth of your precious
lives in the pursuit of evil and corrupt affection, nor let your
endeavors be spent in promoting your personal interest. Be generous in
your days of plenty, and be patient in the hour of loss. Adversity is
followed by success and rejoicings follow woe. Guard against idleness
and sloth, and cling unto that which profiteth mankind, whether young or
old, whether high or low. Beware lest ye sow tares of dissension among
men or plant thorns of doubt in pure and radiant hearts.

296

Thefollowing statement was submitted by

the Bahci International Community to the 51st session of the United Nations

Human Rights Commission,

29 January—1 0 March 1995.

RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE

mong the basic human rights, the right to follow one’s conscience in
matters of religion and belief is undoubtedly one of the most cherished,
so much so that people have been Willing to endure the severest trials
and even to lay down their lives rather than to surrender this
fundamental right. And yet throughout history this human right has been
frequently and openly violated. Strange indeed that the violators are
most often those who consider themselves faithful followers of a
religion. Their willingness to trample on the rights of those who
believe differently than they do may be best understood as the
consequenee of two fundamental misconceptions Widely perpetrated in the
name of religion. The first is that the various religions are separate
and competing entities, and that for one religion to be true the others
must be false. The second is that certain doctrines and practices held
to be false are threatening and must, therefore, be attacked.

The Baha’i International Community would like to suggest that a careful
reconsideration of both notions is long overdue. Some fresh thinking on
the subject would not only make religious

tolerance more palatable to those with strongly held religious beliefs,
but it could lead to a genuine appreciation of the various expressions
of faith.

The concept that all the great religions proceed from the same

Source merits serious contemplation. The Baha’i Writings point out that
certain important teachings are found in all religions. For example, the
injunction to love one’s fellow men echoes throughout all the holy
Writings. The Old Testament enjoins: “ULkii '1 1- I " i “thou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself (Lev. 19:18). The Bhagavad-Gita (12:13)
instructs: “A man should not hate any living creature. Let him be
friendly and compassionate to all.” These words sound not so different
from “love your enemies, bless them that curse you” as uttered by Jesus
(Matthew 5:44). Compassion, loving-kindness, sympathetic joy, and
equanimity are said by Buddhist scriptures to be divine conditions of
the mind. “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings J "was
first,” reads a well-known Islamic tradition. And the Prophet—Founder of
the Bahél’i Faith writes: “ye were created to show love to one another
and not perversity and rancor. Take pride not in love for yourselves. .
.but in love for all mankind.”1

So prominent is the teaching of universal love among all religions that
it could be viewed as a goal common to them all. That the basic human
virtues—kindness, generosity, humility, trust

worthiness—are taught by all religibns would also suggest a common origin.

Even given the premise that all religions originate from the

same Source, there are obvious differences among them which

require explanation. According to the writings, “It is the

outward practices of religion that are so different, and it is they
LL..L 7 >

1 that cause disputes and enmity—while the reality is always the

same, and one. The Reality is the Truth, and truth...1's God’s guidance,
it is the light of the world, it is love, it is mercy.”2

1. Tablets ofBahd 'lldh revealed after the Kitcib-i-Aqdas (Wilmette:
Publishing Trust, 1988), p. 138.

298

Many differences are caused by the accretion over time of conflicting
ideas and practices. The social teachings, the rituals and observances,
which give each religion its distinctive character, can best be
understood in the context of the time and place where the religion was
revealed. The ability to distinguish between the eternal spiritual
truths, on the one hand, and the social instruction specific to a time
and place, on the other, makes it possible to appreciate both the unity
of religions and their diversity.

Legislation can and does suppress both acts of religious persecution and
the attitude of religious intolerance itself. As Mr. Arcot Krishnaswami
indicates in his Study of Discrimination in the Matter of Religious
Rights and Practices, “Individuals are inclined to consider Wrong what
the law prohibits, and right what it enjoins them to do.”3 However, to
eradicate religious intolerance at its root, legislation must be
supported by education, beginning in primary school. “Schools must first
train the children in the principles of religion,” says Bahé’u’llah, “so
that the Promise and the Threat, recorded in the Books of God, may
prevent them from the things forbidden and adorn them with the mantle of
the commandments; but this in such a measure that it may not injure the
children by resulting in ignorant fanaticism and bigotry.”4 Religious
education should teach children to manifest the nobility with which they
were endowed by a loving God. It should encourage them to cultivate in
their own character such divine attributes as compassion, tolerance,
justice, righteousness, loyalty, truthfulness, Wisdom, and humility.
Children who learn to see in all religions the signs of the one Creator,
will consider all religions part of a common human heritage, worthy not
only of respect but of careful study.

The study of the history and culture, if based on the premise of the
oneness of humanity, should lead to a growing appreciation of the
diverse religious traditions. This appreciation will be strengthened by
interaction with people of different faiths, ifthc

3. A study prepared for the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention
of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (1958) E/CN.4/Sub.2/ZOO.
p. 63.

4. Tablets ofBahd ’lldh, p. 68.

purpose is to promote unity. An everyday familiarity with people of
different backgrounds will help each individual to lift the veil of
cultural difference and see beneath it the shared humanity of all the
peoples of the world. “0 people! Consort with the followers of all
religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship,” Baha’u’llah
commands His followers.5 “...[C]onsorting with people hath promoted and
will continue to promote unity and concord.”6

Those interested in these ideas may well find great encouragement in the
experience of the Baha’i communities. In attempting to put these ideas
into practice, the Baha’i communities are as living laboratories for
religious unity; people from every religious tradition meet with the
shared intention of establishing and strengthening the ties of unity
among them. They gather to worship, to deepen their understanding of
spiritual truths, to discover the requirements for social progress, to
solve common practical problems, to organize and carry out activities
for the Welfare of mankind, and, last but not least, simply to enjoy the
pleasures of friendship In these communities religious prejudice has
given way to interreligious brotherhood. They share a common goal: to
demonstrate through deeds that the oneness of mankind is a reality and
that its fruits are the material, intellectual and spiritual progress of
all those who live in its light.

As representatives of a community still distressed by intermittent
upsurges of religious intolerance, the Bahél’i International Community
would like to take this opportunity to thank the Special Rapporteur, Mr.
Abdelfatah Armor, for his work and assure him of our continued
cooperation. We urge the governments of the world to assist the Special
Rapporteur by responding to his questionnaire about methods for
combatting religious intolerance.

300

This oral statement by the Bahé

International Community was delivered to the 51st Session ofthe United
Nations Human Rights Commission,

held 30 January—1 0 March I 995.

he International Community Welcomes the appoint

ment last year of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women. By
urging the inclusion of this pivotal issue Within the UN human rights
framework, women’s organizations have made a critical contribution to
the promotion of human rights generally. For seeking to understand
violence against women as an issue of basic human rights will no doubt
shed light on the causes of other forms of violence and will facilitate
the discovery of strategies for curbing the disturbing rise of violence
across all levels our societies.

Violance against women is a yardstick by which one can mea

sure the violation of all human rights. It can be used to gauge the
degree to which a society is governed by aggressivity, dominated by
competition and ruled by force. Abusive practices against women have
frequently been and are still being justified in the context of cultural
norms, religious beliefs and unfounded “scientific theories” and
assumptions. But whatever its political or religious system, a society
patterned on dominance inevitably gives rise to such distortions of
power as violence against women.

It is becoming increasingly evident, however, that all forms of violence
against Women degrade not only the victim but the perpetrator as well.
Those Who inflict violence on Women are themselves among the casualties
of power-based systems. When unbridled competition, aggression and
tyranny destroy the fabric of society, everyone suffers. In the Baha’i
view, “the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the social order”
and violence against women is a grave symptom of this larger disorder.

Our challenge is to search out new strategies and adopt fresh models
that will encourage a healthier, more cooperative society at all levels.
We need to move consciously away from patterns of force and aggressivity
and towards methods of consultation and peace-making. Because of the
rise in crime and pornography, the increase in ethnic violence and the
collapse of the family, more and more individuals, organizations and
govern— ments are seeking alternatives to violence in managing conflict.

One of the essential Ways to encourage more cooperation is through
education. While economic disparity and legal inequality are known to
contribute to incidents of violence against women, it is obvious that
violence arises from ignorance—the failure to understand such
fundamental realities as the oneness of the human race and the mistaken
notion that force is the only honorable way to resolve conflicts.
Education—moral, material and practical—is therefore not only a
fundamental right but a practieal necessity in today’s World. Any
attempt to curb societal violence that does not educate individuals to
overcome gender prejudice will certainly fall short. At a time when
illiteracy is increasing among Women in the developing World and levels
of learning are falling for both sexes in industrial societies, it is
vitally important to reemphasize the role of education everywhere if
Violence against women is to be controlled.

Ironically enough, the place where women and girls are most subject to
violence and neglect is within their own homes, at the nerve center of
the family. If families educate their daughters, and the community
systematically encourages the education of girl children, both the
family and the community benefit. Bahé’u’llzih, the Prophet-Founder of
the Bahz'l’i Faith, has emphasized that mothers are the first educators
of the next generation,

in the broadest interpretation of those terms, and that where resources
are limited priority must, therefore, be given to education of girl
children But the problem of violence cannot truly be resolved unless men
are also educated to value women as equal partners. Any effort to
protect women against male aggression which does not involve the early
training of boys will necessarily be short-lived. Likewise, all attempts
to understand the causes and consequences of violence against women
which do not involve men are bound to fail.

The Baha’i International Community, therefore, warmly Welcomes the
inclusion of a full analysis of violence against women in the mandate of
the Special Rapporteur. It also welcomes the invitation by the
Commission on Human Rights to “recommend measures to eliminate violence
against Women and its causes, and to remedy its consequences.”

Since the Baha’i International Community has invested considerable
effort at the grass roots in the education and training of both men and
women in partnership, we would gladly offer to share our experience. For
example, our recent collaboration with UNIFEM in three projects using
traditional media as a change agent in society has drawn the attention
of UNICEF because one result of the project was a decline in family
violence. In this respect, we look forward to further collaboration with
the Special

Rapporteur.

NE 0 UN TR Y:

A Global Newsletter

his brief quotation from the writings of Bahé’u’llzih appears on the
masthead of the French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, German, and English
editions of the Baha’i International Community’s quarterly newsletter,
appropriately named One Counlry. Appearing first in English in 1989, it
now has a circulation, in six languages, of approximately 39,000,
including individuals and organizations in more than 174 countries.
Offering a Baha’i perspective on activities at the United Nations and
around the world, One Country presents its readers with a distinctive
way of looking at events and stories, a reference point that focuses on
consensus and achievement instead of conflict and

discord. With a mandate of service to the world community at large, it
seeks, in the best tradition of journalism, to cover those stories that
other publications have missed, underplayed, or overlooked. It reports,
for example, on the UN, sustainable development, H19 h" 4 I s i .,
uvvuiupulClll, the advancement of women, and human rights in ways that
tell of the emergence of consensus in the world community.

A recent issue of One Country covered the World Summit for Social
Development in Copenhagen and included a story about hnu: on Armand-“ e
A - U ,, inn-“Wu a otury aUUUI. how an organization called the European
Baha’i Business Forum is seeking to promote ethics and spirituality
among members of the business community. Another issue covered a two-day
symposium on strategies for creating violence-free families. The UN
action concerning human rights violations of Iran’s Baha’is "mum. a“ Til
- t v; ALLLII 0 UCLllG. lb under the Islamic Revolutionary Government
has received cov— erage. A unique project, cosponsored by the Baha’i
International Community and the United Nations Development Fund for
Women (UNIFEM), designed to promote social change around the issue of
gender equality, was covered in a feature article in 1nrm ALL in a“ -H.
.. lVuLI-AIU ul “LAC Ill 1993. Other United Nations conferences and
summits have also been featured, as have small local projects to assist
street kids in Brazil, help new immigrants in Australia, and care for
the environment in Japan. The January—March 1995 issue’s cover story
focused on the Guaymi' people of Panama and their efforts to mnb- aL ,
val U1 Lb LU make their own path to future progress while maintaining
their important traditional values.

The quarterly has a large readership in widely varying locations and
sectors of society, including prominent people working in the issue
areas covered by the newsletter. While some readers "M "Mm," p.. 1 ‘7
are members of the Baha‘i community, many are people who share the
Baha’l's’ vision of the world as depicted in the quotation that appears
on the cover of every issue. The newsletter is also circulated to and
displayed in a number of libraries, and it is frequently distributed at
major UN conferences. The fact that the viewpoint offered by One Country
is Widely appreciated is confirmed by the highly positive response and
large volume of mail that the newsletter receives from its readers,
including embassies and government offices in places as farflung as
Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, the Cook Islands, Israel

306

Versions ofOne Country are published in English, simplified Chinese,
French, Spanish, Russian, iradiiional Chinese, and German.

Mauritius, the Bahamas, Zimbabwe, the United States, and Australia.
Numerous United Nations Associations and non-governmental organizations
such as the International Council of Women in France, the Club of Rome
in Turkey, the Organizacion Panamericana de la Salud in Costa Rica, the
Rural Development Foundation in Pakistan, the Swedish Association for
World Federation, the Conflict Resolution Network in Australia, the
Secretariado Nacional de Instituciones Privadas de Bienestar C‘nninl 2“
13,-..." A..,l V r . .- I In .0 Social in Peru, and the Council on
International and Public Affairs in the United States have given
encouraging feedback, as have universities in the US, Lebanon,
Mauritius, Costa Rica, and Canada A number of UN agencies have also
written to express gratitude for receiving the newsletter.

Samples from One Country’s mailbag include the following two messages.
The first is from a representative of Physicians Against Nuclear War,
who was sent the Russian-language edition and responded by writing, “I
am deeply grateful for your journal. The goals and work of the Baha’i
International Community, towards peace and social welfare, find a
responsive chord in the hearts of many people and the information about
your activities promotes the understanding of peace and unity among 7,1
l A . . a differing cultural traditions. As a representative of PANW, I
hope that One Country will be used in our work and I will tell others
about it.” From Mali, a USAID worker wrote, “The article about ‘Street
Kids’ in Brazil was superb. I’ll try to share the coming issues with
other colleagues in my service. Keep going

the way you are...” Such correspondence, from NGOs, likeminded
organizations, diplomatic missions, governments, and individuals from
all walks of life and from all pans of the planet, shows the diversity
of the newsletter’s audience. The appeal of the subjects covered has
also prompted a number of other news organizations, journals, and
periodicals such as the Brundtland Bulletin, the New Road, the Bulletin
of Science, Technology, and Society, the Sunday Times of Zambia, and
Malaysia’s daily newspaper the Star to reprint various stories that
originally appeared in One Country. Prestigious Frenchlanguage
publications have reprinted articles from the French edition, and the
newsletter has been recommended by Le Monde cliplomatique. Articles have
also been extracted and placed in several electronic databases, and they
are being made available by third parties on both CD—ROM and over the
Internet. For example, TogetherNet carries the full text of One Country
as part of its on-line service. Likewise, Responsive Database Services,
Inc., recently sought and received permission to include the texts of
stories from One Country in its International Women’s Issues Database.

Stories appearing in One Country are also sent to the editors of various
Baha’i publications around the world for their possible use in covering
activities of the United Nations and in writing stories about other
topics included in the quarterly. Articles reprinted from One Country
have appeared in Baha’i publications in India, Alaska, and Germany, for
example, and are often carried by the Baha’i International News Service.

The first English-language issue of One Country came off the press in
February 1989. The French version appeared a few months later in
October, and the first Chinese edition, which is produced in both
traditional and simplified characters, came out in September 1990. The
year 1992 saw the release of the Russian edition and the Spanish
appeared in July 1993‘ A Germanlanguage version was in circulation by
early 1994. While all editions have the same basic focus, there is room
for articles of particular interest to the different parts of the world
and different language groups served by each. All have proven to be
popular. The English-language edition has a current print run of 20,000,
with a mailing list of approximately 17,000. The French print run

308

stands at 4,000, the Russian at 8,000, Spanish at 3,000, and German
2,000. The numbers of subscribers are continually expanding. For
example, the first Chinese version was sent to 250 addressees in 27
countries in 1990 and has since grown to circulate to some 2,000 in over
30 countries.

Written and produced in New York from the Baha’i International Community
Office of Public Information, the English version of One Country is the
work of one full-time writer/editor and an administrative assistant,
while the French, Spanish, German, and Russian editions are largely
realized through the efforts of volunteers coordinated from the Office
of Public Information in Paris. The Chinese edition is also produced by
volunteers.

The secret of One Country’s success lies, perhaps, in the dedication of
the people who produce it and—thanks to modern technology—in their
ability to collaborate from far-flung locations. The English-language
editor, Brad Pokorny, is a professional journalist with wide knowledge
of international organizations. He worked for more than seven years as a
staff writer for the Boston Globe, covering politics, government, and
issues related to nuclear power and science and technology prior to
starting up One Country. He travels several times a year to gather
material for upcoming issues but also relies on volunteers around the
world who can assist him in finding and writing stories. Use of global
communication networks such as the Internet facilitates this
collaboration and also allows for the production of a number of
different language editions without incurring substantial additional costs.

The editors of the various language editions enjoy working with others
from different social, cultural, and professional backgrounds all over
the world and claim a particular pride in the quality and reception of
the publication. Finding stories of special interest to their
readership, providing the best possible translation of articles from the
English version, and meeting deadlines for the production of the
newsletter on a regular quarterly basis have, in some cases, proven to
be acutely challenging, but not unattainable. So has operating with a
modest budget.

One obvious measure of excellence is recognition by one’s

peers, and One Country can boast a solid record on that front. Since
1991, the newsletter has received either one or two awards each year
from the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence issued by Communications
Concepts, a national writing and editorial consulting firm based in
Washington, DC. In 1991, One Country took the APEX grand award for
newsletters; in 1992 and 1993, for newsletter writing and feature
writing. Also in 1993, it received the genera] award for nonprofit
newsletters. In both 1994 and 1995 its newsletter and editorial writing
were recognized by APEX, particularly for the editorials “Human Rights
and Education” and “On Unity and Diversity.” In fact, One Country’s
feature article entitled “Helping Street Kids in Brazil Find a New Life”
won both an award from APEX and another for excellence in feature
writing from the Religious Public Relations Council, an interfaith,
professional association of religious communicators whose awards are
issued by juries of secular journalists and media professionals. The
Religious Public Relations Council also recognized One Country’s feature
on “Reconsidering Civic Responsibilities in Albania” with an award of
excellence in 1994.

Throughout One Country’s six-year history, the newsletter has
consistently expanded its readership, striven for higher levels of
excellence in its writing, and sought out interesting,
positively-focused stories from around the globe. It provides an
alternative perspective, realistic yet hopeful, to the news presented by
the mainstream press. Its success, whether measured by its growing
number of subscribers, the awards it has received, the number of its
articles picked up and reprinted by other publications, the “fan
letters” it receives, or the expansion of the different language
editions, is heartening. Such support and recognition from various
quarters show that the publication of a high-quality quarterly on a
budget that is comparatively modest to those of other similar worldwide
publications, is welcomed by diverse groups around the planet—an
indication of One Country’s success as a “global newsletter.”

310

I

AN

ES

ATION URGES

OBITUARIES

Alfred Owen Battrick

On 14 April 1995 in Tahiti. Owen Battrick was born in Middlesex,
England, on 6 December 1919 and enrolled in the Baha’i community in
1953. He rendered devoted services to the Baha’i Faith for four decades,
teaching primarily in Europe and Australasia and pioneering to New
Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in 1968 with his wife, Jeannette. His
contributions to administration include eleven years on the Board of
Counsellors in Australasia and service on the National Spiritual
Assemblies of the British Isles, the Southwest Pacific, New Caledonia,
and New Zealand. He passed away while on a teaching trip to Tahiti.

Salvator “Sue Ben afar

On 5 April 1995 in South Africa. Born in 1917, “Sue” Benatar was the
third Rhodesian and first white to become a Baha’i in the southern
African region, in 1955. He served as a member of the

Auxiliary Board for a broad region of southem Africa and a member of the
National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa. In 1977, he and
his wife, Sylvia, pioneered to South

Africa. A professional photographer, e served in this capacity for several

international Baha’i conferences.

Carmen dc Bumfato

In April 1994 in Mexico. Born in the United States and educated in the
US, Guatemala, and Mexico, Carmen de Burafato specialized in the arts,
languages, and business administration. She became a Bahzi'i in
California in 1953 and moved to Mexico in 1957 to fulfill a goal of the
Ten Year Plan. In that country, she served on the National Spiritual
Assembly (with her husband, Sam) and on the Auxiliary Board, and in 1968
she was appointed a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for
the Americas. In 1975 she represented the

Baha’i International Community at the first United Nations International
Women’s Conference. She traveled constantly throughout Central Ameriea
and the Caribbean and shared the Baha’i teachings with presidents and
ministers of state.

Pieter J. de Vogel

On 5 March 1995 in Australia. Born 28 December 1930 in Rotterdam,
Holland, he became a Baha’i in 1956. He played a crucial role in the
development of the Australian Baha’i community through his almost three
decades of service on the National Spiritual Assembly, culminating in
the establishment of the Office of Government Affairs. He served as the
first full-time secretary of the National Assembly, acted as national
treasurer, and presented the Baha’i Faith to a number of prominent
people, including two Prime Ministers. He and his wife, Kay, raised two
daughters.

Enos Epyeru

On 1 March 1995 in Uganda. Born in 1917 in Opet, Teso, Uganda, he was
the second of the Teso tribe to accept the Bahél’i Faith in that country
(1952), after the Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga. He served on
Local Spiritual Assemblies and on the National Spiritual Assembly of
Uganda, pioneered to Kenya during the Ten Year Plan, taught the Faith in
Monrovia, Liberia, and translated Baha’i literature into Ateso. A
teacher by profession, he and his wife, Edisa Ilemungolet, raised six
children.

Arthur Bonshaw Irwin

On 10 June 1994 in Canada. Arthur Irwin, born 6 June 1915 in Vancouver,
Canada, spent much of his 47 years as a Baha’i teaching the Faith t0 the
native peoples of Canada, Alaska, and the Caribbean. He and his wife,
Lily Ann, established the first Native

Indian Friendship Center in Calgary, Alberta; they introduced the
indigenous peoples of Barbados, Belize, and St. Lucia t0 the Faith while
pioneering there; and he was honored by the Blackfoot, Peigan, Blood,
and Morely tribes in Alberta for his honesty and integrity. A geologist
with a doctorate in the field, Irwin worked on Indian reserves in Canada
ensuring that fair market value was paid for leases on natural resources.

Andres Jachakollo

In November 1994. Born 10 November 1921 in Villakolo, Oruro, Bolivia, he
accepted the Faith at the age of 35. He was the country’s first
indigenous and he opened many indigenous communities. He attended and
spoke at the first World Congress in London in 1963. He was elected t0
the first National Spiritual Assembly of Bolivia in 1961 and in 1972 was
appointed to the Auxiliary Board, a service he performed to an advanced age.

Viva Elisa Lismore

On 29 November 1994 in France. Born Viva Elisa Carlstein in Villarica,
Paraguay, on 23 May 1901, she served the Baha‘i Faith extensively in
Cuba, Canada, Europe, and South America. After enrolling in the
community in 1946, she began a life of service that included membership
on the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Central America and the
National Spiritual Assembly of Cuba, and teaching in Argentina,
Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Germany, Sweden, England, Bermuda, and
throughout Canada. An interior decorator and furniture designer, she
raised four children with her husband, Major Francis Lismore.

Louisito Walter L. Maddela Jr. On 8 October 1994 in Russia. Walter
Maddela was born into a fam

ily on 9 June 1952 in Solanu, Nuuva Vizeaya, Philippines. He served on
numerous national committees and was elected to the National Spiritual
Assembly in 1974, the same year he became a pioneer among the Mangyan
Hanunuo Tribe of Mindoro Occidental and opened the first Baha‘i tutorial
school in the Philippines. He pioneered to Kiribati in 1979 and traveled
to teach the Baha’i Faith in Fiji, Samoa, Nauru, and the Solomon
Islands. In 1992 he pioneered to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, where he served
until his death.

Guy Mamlil

On 3 August 1994 in Martinique. Born in December 1927 in Martinique, he
became the first of the French Antilles when he accepted the Faith in
French Guiana in 1955. He served on the Spiritual Assembly of the French
Antilles, the Teaching Committee of Martinique, and the first National
Spiritual Assembly of Martinique, formed in 1984. He was a renowned
portrait photographer and cabinetmaker, and he and his wife, Constance,
raised four children.

Louella McKay

On 15 April 1995 in the United States. Louella McKay was born in
Portland, Oregon, USA, in October 1918 and became a Baha‘i at the age of
25. Named a Knight of Baha’u’llah for pioneering to Spanish Morocco in
1953, she stayed in that country until 1959, apart from five months
spent in Spanish Guinea (now Equatoria' Guinea). Back in the US, she estab

lished the first certified school of

cosmetology for inmates at the Detroit House of Corrections.

Muriel Auble Miessler On 18 October 1994 in Brazil. Muriel Miessler was
born 6 November 1901

in Forrest, Indiana, USA, and joined

the Baha’i Faith not long before her marriage in 1943. She and her
husband, Edmund, left the United States in 1946 to help establish a
Baha’i mrnunity in Brazil, a country she hen served for nearly half a
century. he was elected to the first National Spiritual Assembly of
Brazil in 1961 and continued to serve on that body

fer more than two decades. She

recorded the services of the first pio

neers t0 the area in the book Pioeering in Brazil.

Marthe Molitar

In 1995 in Belgium. Marthe Molitor as a painter and journalist who

received the Paris “Arts-Scienees-Literature" gold medal and an award
from the Academia Leonardo da Vinci in Rome. She discovered the Baha’i
Faith in 1947 during a trip to Belgium 'rom her home in Rwanda. Upon her
return, she began teaching the Faith and helped form the first Local
Spiritual Assembly of Brazzaville, in the Congo. She also taught in
Zaire and later in Belgium, where she worked for the newspaper L'Afrique
et le

onde and eventually settled permanently following the death of her

husband, George.

Aqd Mubammad-Sddiq Munjazeb

On 14 August 1994 in Uzbekistan. Born in 1902 in Mashhad, Persia (now
Iran), Muhammad-Sédiq MunjaZeb embraced the Faith in 1925. In 1929 he
pioneered to Samarkand, in the Soviet Union. Two terms f imprisonment,
for a total of twelve years, in Siberia did not deter this believer from
his devotion to the Faith. He traveled to teach the Faith in Azerbaijan,
Tajikistan, and Turk— menistan, and remained living in Uzbekistan until
his death. He and his wife, Masiha Nekbat, raised six children.

Horace Mozart Newton

In March 1995 in Barbados. He was the first Barbadian Baha’i, born in
Barbados 14 December 1923 and declaring his faith in 1963. He served on
the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Christ Church and continued to be
elected for approximately 20 years. He also served as a member of the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Barbados and the Windward
Islands for one year.

Sarah Martin Pereira

On 5 April 1995 in the United States. Raised in Ohio in one of the
earliest Baha‘i families of African American background, Dr. Sarah
Martin Pereira rendered outstanding Baha’i services over six decades,
including homefront and international pioneering and membership on the
first Auxiliary Board of the Western Hemisphere (1954—Ll964), the
National Spiritual Assembly of the United States (1960— 1973), and the
Continental Board of Counsellors in the Americas (1973— 1985). A
professor of romance languages, she held teaching positions at Shaw
University, West Virginia State University, Tennessee A and I Univer~
sity, District of Columbia Teachers College, and the University of the
District of Columbia. She also held administrative positions at a number
of these universities and published in a variety of professional journals.

Gilbert Robert

On 11 April 1995 in Réunion. Gilbert Rnbert was born 12 March 1922 in
Hell-Bourg, Réunion, and in 1953 he became the first person to accept
the Baha’i Faith in Madagascar. His rec0rd of service includes
membership on Auxiliary Boards in Madagascar and France, the National
Spiritual Assembly of France, and the Continental Board of Counsellors
in Africa. He was a doctor of naturopathy and a

writer, and he and his wife, Daisy, raised five children.

Irene Frances Williams

On 14 July 1994 in Fiji. Born 3 December 1920 in Australia, she spent 40
years of her life in Fiji. Her distinguished contributions to the Baha’i
Faith, following her enrollment in 1948, include service as a member of
the National Spiritual Assembly of Fiji, membership on the Auxiliary
Board and assistance with the estab— lishment and operation of the
Fijian Baha’i Publishing Trust. She worked as an accountant for the Fiji
Broadcasting Commission for 22 years.

Carole Woodard

On 5 November 1994 in Venezuela. She and her husband, Weldon, pioneered
from the United States to Venezuela, where they remained for 28 years,
raising five children. Despite life-long health problems, she served as
a member of the National Spiritual Assembly for many years and undertook
numerous teaching trips which led to the establishment of Local
Spiritual Assemblies. She was trained as a nurse and then became a
doctor, working in a clinic for the poor until her death at the age of 55.

On 25 September 1994 in the Seyehelles. Born 16 October 1923 in India,
he accepted the Baha’i Faith in 1945. He served as secretary of the
National Spiritual Assembly of India from 1952 to 1954, when he resigned
to pioneer with his wife, Munira, to the Seychelles. He was named a
Knight of Baha’u’llah for fulfilling this goal of the Ten Year Plan. Mr.
Zarqani spent the rest of his life in the Seychelles, rearing six
children and serving on both the first Local Spiritual Assembly and
first National Spiritual Assembly of the country.

316

STATISTICS

General Statistics

Worldwide population

Countries/dependent territories wh

the Bahz'l’i Faith is established

Continental Counsellors

Auxiliary Board members serving

throughout the world

More than 5 million

National/Regional Spiritual Assemblies

Local Spiritual Assemblies

Localities where Bahé’is reside

Tribes, races and ethnic groups

represented in the Bahél’i eomrnu

writings have been translated

Bahz'l’i Publishing Trusts

All Statistics as {If

189 countries/ 46 territories

172 17,730 1 19,276

30

Geographic distribution of Local Spiritual Assemblies by continent

(Africa 50Yl

Americas 4£71174 Europe 914

Australasia 891

Asia 6193

Growth in the number of localities where Bahzi’is reside

Growl h in the number of National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies

Social and Economic Development

radio stations Bahé’i schools

literacy programs

conservation/ environment projects

Bahz'l’i agricultural projects

Baha'l‘i health projects

Bahé’i women and youth projects Other development projects

Total number of Bahzi’i social and economic development projects in 1992

Academic: 178 Tutorial: 488

186

Geographic distribution of social and economic development projects by
continent

FMrica 286

Europe 30

320

IRECT

Asociacién de Estudios Chile

0/0 Casilla 3731

Santiago l

Chile

Asociacién de Estudios Colombia

0/0 Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de

los Bahé’is do Colombia Apartado Aoroo 51387 Bogota 12 Colombia

Asociacién de Estudios Ecuador

0/0 Peter Newton, secretary

Apartado 1 142

Cuenca

Ecuador

ORY

Asociacién de Estudios Bahé’is

Puerto Rico

c/o Cesar Reyes, secretary Chemistry Dept, University of

Puerto Rico

Mayaguez, Puerto Rico USA 00708

Asociacién de Estudios Bahzi’is dc

Espaiia

Associacao de Estudos Bahai’is (In

Brasil

Caixa Postal No. 11019 80421 Curitiba-Parana Brasil

Association d’Etudes Bahzi’ies Europe Francophone

24 route de Malagnou

CH- 1 208, Geneva

Switzerland

Association for Baha’i Studies— Australia

0/0 Natalie Mobini-Kesheh, secretary

PO. Box 4239, University of Melbourne

Parkville VIC 3052

Australia

Association for Bahzi’l' Studies— English-Speaking Europe

do 27 Rutland Gate

London SW7 lPD

England

Association for Baha'i’l' Studies— Ghana Chapter

c/o The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Ghana

R0. Box 7098

Accra-North

Ghana

Association for StudiesIndia

0/0 Prof. Mangesh Teli

C-12, Vidyanagari, Bombay University Campus

Santacruz (East), Bombay 400 098

India

Association for Bahzi’l' Studies— Japan

cfo Tokyo Center

7-2-13 Shinjuku

Shinj uku-ku

Tokyo 160

Japan

Association for Baha’i Studies— Malaysia

c/o The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Malaysia

4 Lorong Titiwangsa 5

Setapak

53000 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Association for Bahzi’l' Studies— New Zealand

do The National Spiritual Assembly

of the Bahzi’is of New Zealand P.O. Box 21-551 Henderson, Auckland New
Zealand

Association for Studies—North America

34 Copernicus Street

Ottawa, Ontario KIN 7K4

Canada

Association for Bahai’i StudiesRussia

Ibragimova St. 2-55

Moscow 105318

Russia

Association for Bahzi’i Studies— Trinidad and Tobago

0/0 The National Spiritual Assembly

of the Bahzi’is of Trinidad and Tbbago

3 Petra Street

Woodbrook

Trinidad, West Indies

Association for Bahai’l' Studies— West Africa

c/o Farhang Tahzib, secretary

P.O. Box 2029

Lagos

Nigeria

322

Association Médicale Balui’ie 45 rue Pergolése

13-75116 Paris

France

Associazione Italiana per gli Studi

0/0 The National Spiritual Assembly

Of the Bahé’is of Italy Via della Fontanella 4 I-00187, Roma

Italy

Bahaa Esperanto-Ugo (BEL) P.O. Kesto 500133

D—60391 Frankfurt

Germany

Association for Arts Dintel 20

7333 MC

Apeldoorn

Netherlands

Bahii’i Business and Professional Association

PO. Box 219

World Tradc Centre

Melbourne Victoria 3005

Australia

Computer and Communi

cations Association webmaster@www.bcca.0rg http://wwwbccanrg

Health Agency Villa Ola

Manor Drive Esher Surrey KT10 OBA United Kingdom

International Community Haifa Offices:

' Office of the Secretary General

of Public Information

P.O. Box 155

31 001 Haifa

Israel

Bahz'l’i International Community New York Offices:

' United Nations Office

- for the Advancement of Women

- Office ofthc Environment

- Office of the Administrator General

866 United Nations Plaza

Suite 120

New York, NY 10017-1822

USA

Bahai’i International Community Geneva Office:

- United Nations Office

Route des Morillons 15

CH-1218 Grand- Saconnex

Geneva

Switzerland

International Community Paris Office:

' Office of Public Information

45 rue Pergolése

F—75116 Paris

France

Bahai’i International Health Agency

PO. Box 510

Westmount, Québec

Canada

Bahzi’i Justice Society

6065 Lake Forrest Drive, Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30328

USA

Baha’i Medical Association of Canada

Box 143, RR #2

Dugald, Manitoba

Canada

Bahzi’l' Office of the Environment for Taiwan

149-13 Hsin Sheng South Road

Section 1, 10626

Taipei

Taiwan

Bahzi’i Study Association, East, Central and Southern Africa

0/0 Dr. C. Rouhani, secretary

R0. Box 82549

Mombasa

Kenya

Centre de Estudios Bahé’is, Argentina

Otamendi 2 15

1405 Buenos Aires, C.F.

Argentina

European Bahz'l’i Business Forum Secretariat

35 avenue J can-J aurés

73000 Chambéry

Franc-3

European Bahzi’i Youth Council 53 Ravenscroft Avenue

Wembley

Middlesex

United Kingdom

324

Gesellschaft Fur Bahzi’i-Studien c/o Bijan Sobhani

Pariser Str. 38

D-10707 Berlin

Germany

Health for Humanity 467 Jackson Street Glencoe, IL 60022 USA

Hong Kong Professional Society

(3-6, 11th Floor, Hankow Centre

Middle Road,Tsim Sha Tsui

Kowloon

Hong Kong

International Association of Publishers and Distributors

Riouwstraat 27

2585 GR The Hague

Netherlands

Landegg Academy CH-9405 Wienacht/AR Switzerland

Mettahedeh Development Services

866 United Nations Plaza

Suite 119

New York, NY 10017-1811

USA

World Community Foundation 315 West 70th Street

Suite 9B

New York, NY 10023

USA

ARGENTINA

Editorial lndolatinoamericana

Otamencli 215

1405 Buenos Aires, C.F.

Argentina

A US TRALIA

Baha’i Publications Australia P.O. Box 285

Mona Vale NSW 2103 Australia

BEL GI UM

Maison d‘Editions Bahé’ies 205 rue du

13-1050 Brussels

Belgium

BMZIL

Editora Brasil

Rua Conego Eugenio Leite, 350 05414 $50 Paulo

SP - Brazil

FIJI ISLANDS

Publishing Trust PO. Box 2007 Government Buildings Suva

Fiji Islands

  * Address communications to Bah

Haifa, Israel.

HONG KONG

Publishing Trust

C-6, 11th Floor, Hankow Centre Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon

Hong Kong

INDIA

Publishing Trust R0. Box 19

New Delhi 1 10 001 India

ITALY

Casa Editrice Via Filippo Turati, 9 I-00040 Ariccia (Rome) Italy

JAPAN

Publishing Trust 7-2-13 Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku

Tokyo 160

Japan

KENYA

Publishing Agency PO. Box 47562

Nairobi

Kenya

KOREA

Publishing Trust CRO. Box 991

Seoul 100-609 Korea

LE BAN ON *

MALAYSIA*

World Center, PO. Box 155, 31 001,

25

NETHERLANDS

Stichting Bahzi’i Literatuur Riouwstraat 27

2585 GR The Hague Netherlands

NIGERIA

Publishing Trust R0. Box 2029

Lagos

Nigeria

PAKISTAN*

PHILIPPINES

Publishing Trust P.O. Box 4323

1099 Manila Philippines

POLAND

Publishing Trust

ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 3/ 12 PO-3 0-074 Krakéw

Poland

PORTUGAL

Editora de Portugal Avenida Ventura Terra, N0. 1 1600 Lisbon

Portugal

RUSSIAN FEDERATION Unity Bahzi’i Publishing Trust Bolshaya Morskaya Str.
53-17 St. Petersburg

Russia

SPAIN

Editorial Bahél’i dc Espaf'ia Bonaventura Castellet 17 155-08222 Terrassa

Spain

SWEDEN

Ftirlaget AB

Box 468

3-194 04 Upplands Viisby Sweden

TAIWAN

Publishing Trust

 1. 149-13 Hsin Sheng South Road Section 1

Taipei 10626

Taiwan

ROC

UGANDA

Publishing Trust P.O. Box 2662 Kampala

Uganda

UNITED KINGDOM Publishing Trust 6 Mount Pleasant Oakham

Leicestershire LE15 6HU England

UNITED STATES Publishing Trust 415 Linden Avenue Wilmette, IL 60091 USA

Selected. PUBL

ICATIONS

d the "Bees Clapped their Hands: Stories of Bahz'l’i Pioneers

d by Claire Vreeland. Oxford Free-lance journalist Claire Vreela

women who faced the

uages, and lifestyles to take the

lson. Manotick, Ontario: Nine

book of poetry by a writer whose urban adult life and explore Bahzi’i

    George Ronald, 1994. 408 pp.

nd presents 38 inspiring stories of challenges of new cultures, jobs,
message of around the

Pines Publishing, 1994. 64 pp.

works draw from his rural roots and themes.

Faith in America, Volume 2: Early Expansion 1900—

rt H. Stockman. Oxford: George Ronald, 1995. 592 pp.

America: Origins 1892-1900 which

the second phase of the development of the North American

community from its early

expansion into the west and south, to its emergence as one of the ' ' '
The volume contains new authorized

communities in the world.

efforts at consolidation, through its , to its emergence as one of the key

  * Address communictions to World Centre, PO. Box 155, 31 001, Haifa,
    Israel.

326

Basic Truths Series

Bambi Betts. Oxford: George Ronald, 1995. 32 pp. and 15 line drawings
per book.

The third set in a popular series for young children, these books are
designed to help parents teach their children some of the ideas
enshrined in the teachings. I/Wngs ofa Bird addresses the concept of
equal:6-- "A e v‘

ity between Women and men, When I Die provides ideas for responding to
children’s questions about death, and I Agree is concerned with the
importance of the laws God reveals.

Behold Me: Writings on Unity

Based on a compilation originally prepiired by George Allen. London:
Publishing Trust, 1995. 144 pp.

The first truly comprehensive selection of more than 230 extracts from
the writings on the central theme of Revelation: the unity of the human
race. The selections, accompanied by photographs, LLlwiin' 1| " . .' are
thematically arranged to focus on different aspects of unity, such as
overcoming prejudices of race and color, the role of the community in
establishing world unity, foundations of unity, and Unifier.

Buddhism and the Bahzi’i Faith: An Introduction to the Bahé’i Faith for
Theravada Buddhists

Moojan Momen. Oxford: George Ronald, 1995. 128 pp.

An examination of the similarities between the teachings of Baha’u’llah
and the Buddha, with particular emphasis on ethical and moral teachings,
metaphysical teachings, social teachings, and laws, rituals, and
festivals. The volume also considers the prophecies of the Buddha and
the life

Dimensions in Spirituality: Reflections on the Meaning of Spiritual Life
and Tiansformation in Light of the Faith J.A. McLean. Oxford: George
Ronald, 1994. 336 pp.

J.A. McLean, who holds a master’s degree in the history of religions,
offers personal reflections and analysis of Writings, combined with
ideas gleaned from spiritual psychology, philosophical theology A“ n In
1- - , r . l "W and the world’s religions, to provide the contemporary
seeker with insights into the search for truth, the meaning of prophetic
faith, prayer and meditation, finding meaning in adversity, and the
dynamics of spiritual growth.

328

The Great Adventure Florence Mayberry. Manotick, Ontario: Nine Pines
Publishing, 1994, 217 pp.

Florence Mayberry tells the story of her life, from her earliest years
growing up in the Ozarks of the United States through her discovery of
the Baha’i Faith to her many years as a Baha’i Counsellor, including her
extensive travels and her appointment as a member of the International
Teaching Centre when that body was inaugurated in 1973.

Journey into Exile: The Story of Written and illustrated by Mary Firman.
London: Bahél’i Publishing Trust, 1994. 32 pp.

This activity book for children ages 7-12 provides insight into the
historical background of the life and times of giving facts about the
Middle East in the nineteenth century through puzzles and games.

A Key to Loving Betty Frost. Oxford: George Ronald, 1994. 72 pp. The
author looks for solutions in the writings to the diflicultics ol'

maintaining loving, creative relationships with spouses, family members,
and colleagues.

Knowing Yourself Fully Jimmi Shayne. Manotick, Ontario: Nine Pines
Publishing, 1994. 59 pp.

A first book of short verse by a well-loved teacher of the Bahe'l’i Faith.

Lectures on Bahé’i-Inspired Curricula Farzam Arbab. Riviera Beach,
Florida: Palabra Publications, 1994. 76 pp.

Dr. Farzam Arbab describes an approach to curricular development taken
by educators in Colombia and other nations to base a general curriculum
on Bahél’i teachings.

Life After Death: A Study of the Afterlife in World Religions Farnéz
Ma’sl'lmién. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 1995. 200 pp.

This investigation of the afterlife teachings of seven world religions
explores the nature of the soul and concepts such as heaven and hell,
examines the doctrines of reincarnation and transmigration, and compares
accounts of near-death experiences with religious beliefs about the
afterlife.

Life, Death, and Immortality: The Journey of the Soul Compiled by
Terrill G. Hayes, Betty J. Fisher, Richard A. Hill, Terry J. Cassiday.
Wilmette, Illinois: Publishing Trust, 1994, 193 pp.

A collection of writings on the soul and its development which explains
the purpose of life and includes prayers and meditations for spiritual
awakening and growth.

The Most Holy Tablet

Original photographs by Mark Sadan. London: Nightingale Books, 1995. 72 pp.

Mark Sadan’s photographs of scenes associated with Baha’u’llah’s exile
in the Holy Land accompany this tablet in which Bahé’u’llah reveals
parallels between His own life and the sufferings of Jesus and asserts
His claim to be Christ returned in the glory of the Father.

The Proofs of Bahai’u’llsih’s Mission

Compiled by Paul Lample. Riviera Beach, Florida: Palabra Publications,
1994. 234 pp.

Compiled from the writings of Baha’u’llah, the B511), ‘Abdu’l-Bahé,
Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice, this book presents
Baha’u’lléh’s own explanations and proofs supporting His station as the
Manifestation of God for this day.

Reflections Compiled by Akwasi O. Osei. Oxford: George Ronald, 1994. 128 pp.

A rich compilation of verses from the writings selected to inspire
reflection on such topics as the meaning of life, the mystery of love,
peace, virtue, and the new world envisaged by

Reflections on the Life of the Spirit Ruhi Institute. Riviera Beach,
Florida: Palabra Publications, 1994. 52 pp.

This book combines the three basic spiritual foundation courses of the
Ruhi Institute: understanding the Baha’i writings, prayer, and life
after death. The courses are specifically designed to develop the
capability to read and understand the writings and to eveke the
spiritual attitudes and behaviors that can serve as a means for service
to the Cause.

330

Sexuality, Relationships and Spiritual Growth Agnes Ghaznavi. Oxford:
George Ronald, 1995. 173 pp.

A practicing psychiatrist examines the age-old questions related to
sexuality and chastity within the paradigm brought by the Baha’i Faith,
offering a new understanding of the link between the spiritual and the
physical in marriage.

Songs for the Phoenix Michael Fitzgerald. Oxford: George Ronald, 1995.
224 pp.

Michael Fitzgerald’s eighth book of poetry focuses on the spirit in
daily life and the spirit Within. This collection of 150 new poems, as
well as a selection of previously published poems, is also a celebration
of collective life and the ideal mission of the divine Messenger.

Teaching Children’s Classes, Grade 1 Ruhi Institute. Riviera Beach,
Florida: Palabra Publications, 1995. 128 pp.

This volume includes three courses designed to develop the skills and
capabilities needed to conduct Baha’i children’s classes: some
principles of Baha’i education; lessons for children’s classes, grade 1;
and conduciing classes for children.

Twin Holy Days: Birthday of Birthday of the Béb

Los Angeles: Kalimét Press, 1994. 129 pp. This compilation includes
prayers and tablets revealed for these Holy Days, stories about the
birth and childhood of and the Bzib,

the history of the first Observances of these days, and quotations from
the writings of and the Bétb.

31

ABasich. I I

G List

The following list has been prepared to provide a sampling of works
conveying the spiritual truths, social principles, and history of the
Baha Faith. It is by no means exhaustive. F or a more complete record
ofBahd literature, see Bibliography of English-language Works on the
Bébi and Faiths, 1844—1985,c0mpiled by William R Collins

(Oxford: George Ronald, 1990).

SELECTED WRITINGS 0F BAH/f ’U’LLAH

The Kitéb-i-Aqdas “The Most Holy Book,” charter for a new world
civilization. Written in Arabic in 1873, the volume’s first authorized
English translation Was released in 1993.

The Kitéb-i-iqén “The Book of Certitude” was Written prior to
declaration of His mission as an explanation of progressive revelation
and a proof of the station of the Bib.

The Hidden Words of Written in the form of a compilation of moral
aphorisms, these brief Verses distill the spiritual guidance of all the
Divine Revelations of the past.

Tablets 0f revealed after the Kitzib-i-Aqdas A compilation of tablets
revealed between 1873 and 1892 which enunciate important principles of
Revelation, reaffirm truths He previously proclaimed, elaborate on some
of His laws, reveal further prophecies, and establish subsidiary
ordinances to supplement the provisions of the Kitéb-i~Aqdas.

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahé’u’llzih A selection of sacred
writings translated and compiled by the Guardian of the Faith to convey
the spirit of life and teachings.

WRITINGS OF THE BA B

Selections from the Writings of the Bzib The first compilation of the
Bélb’s writings to be translated into English.

SELECTED WRITINGS OF 2431) U’L-BAHA

Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahé in Paris in 1911-1912
Addresses given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahai to a wide variety of audiences in Paris
in 1911—1912, explaining the basic principles of the Faith,

The Secret of Divine Civilization A message addressed to the rulers and
people of Persia in 1875 illuminating the causes of the fall and rise of
civilization and elucidating the spiritual character of true civilization.

Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahé A compilation of selected
letters from extensive correspondence on a wide variety of topics,
including the purpose of life, the nature of love, and the development
of character.

Some Answered Questions A translation of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s answers to a
series of questions posed to Him during interviews with Laura Clifford
Barney between 1904 and 1906. The topics covered include the influence
of the Prophets in the evolution of humanity, the perspective on
Christian doctrine, and the powers and conditions of the

Manifestations of God.

SELECTED WRITINGS OF SH OGHI EFF ENDI

God Passes By A detailed history of the first one hundred years ofthe
Bahé’i Faith.

The Promised Day Is Come A commentary on letters to the kings and rulers
of the world.

World Order of Selected Letters An exposition on the relation between
the community and the entire process of social evolution under the
dispensation of in the form of a series of letters from the Guardian of
the Bahzi’i Faith to the Bahé’is of the West between 1929 and 1936.

INTRODUCTORY WORKS

International Community, Office of Public Information, 1991.

A brief statement detailing life and work issued on the occasion of the
centenary of His passing.

Bahé’u’llaih and the New Era John Esslemont. 5th paper ed. Wilmette:
Publishing Trust, 1990.

The first comprehensive account of the Faith, written in 1923 and
updated for subsequent editions.

The Faith: The Emerging Global Religion William S. Hatchet and J.
Douglas Martin. San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1985.

Textbook providing an overview of history, teachings, administrative
structures, and community life.

All Things Made New John Ferraby. 2nd rev. ed. London: Publishing Trust,
1987.

A comprehensive outline of the Faith.

Most of the books listed above have been published by various Bahd ’1'
Publishing Trusts and are available in bookshops, libraries, or from the
Trusts. Please see the Directory addresses.

GL0 s SARY

‘Abdu’l-Baha: (1844—1921) Son of designated His successor and authorized
interpreter of His writings. Named ‘Abbés after His grandfather, was
known to the general public as ‘Abbas Effendi. Bahé’u’llah gave Him such
titles as “the Most Great Branch,” “the Mystery of God,” and “the
Master.” After Baha’u’llah’s passing, He chose the name ‘Abdu’l-Baha,
meaning “Servant of Baha’u’lléh.”

Administrative Order: The system of administration as conceived by
formally established by ‘Abdu’l-Bahé, and realized during the
Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi. It consists, on the one hand, of a
series of elected councils, universal, national and local, in which are
invested legislative, executive, and judicial powers over the community,
and, on the other hand, of eminent and devoted Bahé’is appointed for the
specific purpose of propagation and protection of the Faith under the
guidance of the Head of that Faith, the Universal House of Justice.

Amatu’l-Bahzi Rl'lhiyyih Khz'mum: Mary Sutherland Maxwell, an eminent
North American who became the wife of Shoghi

Effendi Rabbe’ml', Guardian of the Faith, in 1937, after which she
became known as Riihl'yyih Khénum Rabbaini. (Amatu’l-Bahé is a title
meaning “Handmaiden 0f She served as the Guardian’s secretary during his
lifetime and was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God in 1952. She is
the most prominent dignitary 0f the Bahzi’i’ community.

Arc: An arc cut into Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel; along this path

way the international administrative buildings of the Baha’i Faith are
being built.

Auxiliary Boards: An institution created by Shoghi Effendi in 1954 to

assist the Hands of the Cause of God. When the institution of the
Continental Boards of Counsellors was established in 1968 by the
Universal House of Justice, the Auxiliary Boards were placed under its
direction.

Bib, the: The title, meaning “Gate,” assumed by Siyyid ‘Ali-Muham

mad, the Prophet-Founder of the Faith and the Forerunner of Born 20
October 1819, the proclaimed Himself to be the Promised One of Islam and
announced that His mission was to alert the people to the imminent
advent of “Him Whom God shall make manifest,” namely, Bahé’u’llzih.
Because of these claims, the was executed by order of Nz’lsiri’d-Di’n
Sheih on 9 July 1850.

Era: The period of the calendar beginning with the

Declaration of the on 23 May 1844, and expected to last until the next
appearance of a Manifestation (Prophet) of God after the expiration of
at least one thousand years.

International Community: A name used generally in reference

to the worldwide Baha’i community and officially in that community’s
external relations In the latter context, the Baha’i International
Community is an association of the National Spiritual Assemblies
throughout the world and functions as an international non-governmental
organization. Its offices include its Secretariat at the World Centre, a
United Nations Office in New York with a branch in Geneva, an Office of
Public Infonnation, an Office of the Environment, and an Office for the
Advancement of Women.

Baha'i’i World Centre: The spiritual and administrative center of the
Bahzi’l’ Faith, located in the twin cities of Acre and Haifa, in Israel.

Bahé’u’llaih: Title assumed by Mfrzé Husayn-‘Ali, Founder of the
Bahzi’i’ Faith. Born on 12 November 1817, He declared His mission as the
Promised One of all Ages in April 1863 and passed away in Acre,
Palestine, on 29 May 1892 after 40 years of imprisonment, banishment,
and house arrest. writings are considered by is to be direct revelation
from God.

Consultation: A form of discussion between individuals and within groups
which requires the subjugation of egotism so that all ideas can be
shared and evaluated with frankness, courtesy, and openness of mind, and
decisions arrived at can be wholeheartedly supported. Its guiding
principles were elaborated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahé.

Continental Boards of Counsellors: An institution created in 1968 by the
Universal House of Justice to extend into the future the work of the
institution the Hands of the Cause of God, particularly its appointed
functions of protection and propagation. With the passing of Shoghi
Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, there was no way for
additional Hands of the Cause to be appointed. The duties of the
Counsellors include directing the Auxiliary Boards in their respective
areas, advising and collaborating with National Spiritual Assemblies,
and keeping the Universal House of Justice informed concerning the
conditions of the Faith in their areas. Counsellors

are appointed for terms of five years.

Convention: A gathering called at a regional, national, or international
level for consultation on matters affecting the welfare of the community
and for the purpose, respectively, of electing delegates to a National
Convention, electing the members of a National Spiritual Assembly, or
electing the members of the Universal House of Justice.

German Templer Colony: Group of houses with red-tiled roofs at the foot
of Mount Carmel that once housed members of the Society of the Temple,
founded in Germany in the mid—1800s. Templers foregathered in Haifa in
1863 to await the second coming of Christ.

Hands of the Cause of God: Individuals appointed first by

and others named later by Shoghi Effendi, who were, charged with the
specific duties of protecting and propagating the Faith. With the
passing of Shoghi Effendi there is no further possibility for appoint~
ing Hands of the Cause; hence, in order to extend into the future the
important functions of propagation and protection, the Universal House
of Justice in 1968 created Continental Boards of Counsellors

and in 1973 established the International Teaching Centre which
coordinates their work.

Holy Days: Eleven days commemorating significant anniversa~

ries, on nine of which work is suspended.

Huqliqu’lléh: Arabic for “the Right of God.” As instituted in the

Kitz'lb-i-Aqdas, payment to “the Authority in the Cause to whom all must
turn” (at present, the Universal House of Justice) of 19 percent of what
remains to one’s personal income after one’s essential expenses have
been covered. Funds generated by the payment of

are used for the promotion of the Faith lanud for the welfare of society.

International Teaching Centre: An institution established in 1973 by

the Universal House of Justice to bring to fruition the work of the
Hands of the Cause of God in the Holy Land and to provide for its
extension into the future. The duties of the International Teaching
Centre include coordinating, stimulating, and directing the activities
of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and acting as liaison between
them and the Universal House of Justice. The membership of the Teaching
Centre comprises all the surviving Hands of the Cause and also nine
Counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice. The seat of the
International Teaching Centre is located at the Baha’i World Centre in
Haifa, Israel.

Knight of Bahzi’u’lléh: Title initially given by Shoghi Effendi to

those Baha’fs who arose to open new territories to the Faith during the
first year of the Ten Year Crusade (1953~l963) and subse

quently applied to those who first reached those remaining unopened
territories at a later date.

Lesser Peace: A political peace to be established by the nations of the

world in order to bring about an end to war. Its establishment will
prepare the way for the Most Great Peace, a condition of permanent peace
and world unity to be founded on the spiritual principles and
institutions of the World Order of Bahzi’u’llah and signalizing
humanity’s coming of age.

Local Spiritual Assembly: The local administrative body in the Baha’i
Faith, ordained in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The nine members are directly
elected by secret ballot each year at Ridvan from among the adult
believers in a community.

Monument Gardens: Beautifully landscaped gardens at the heart of the Arc
on Mount Carmel where befitting monuments have been erected over the
graves of the daughter, wife, and youngest son of Bahé’u’llzih, and also
the wife of

Mount Carmel: The mountain spoken of by Isaiah as the “mountain of the
Lord.” Site of the Bahei‘i’ World Centre including several holy places,
the most important of which are the Shrine of the Bib and the Monument
Gardens.

National Spiritual Assembly: The national administrative body in the
Baha’i Faith, ordained in the Baha’i sacred writings, with authority
over all activities and affairs of the Baha’i Faith throughout its area.
Among its duties are to stimulate, unify, and coordinate the manifold
activities of Local Spiritual Assemblies and of individual Baha’is
within its jurisdiction. The members of National Spiritual Assemblies
throughout the world constitute the electoral college for the Universal
House of Justice. At Ridvzin 1994, there were 172 National or Regional
Spiritual Assemblies. See also Regional Spiri

tual Assembly.

Nineteen Day Feast: The principal gathering in each local Baha’i

community, every Bahzi’f month, for the threefold purpose of worship,
consultation, and fellowship

Pioneer: Any Baha’i who arises and leaves his or her home to journey to
another country for the purpose of teaching the Baha’i Faith. “Homefront
pioneer" is used to describe those who move to areas

within their own country that have yet to be exposad t0 the Faith.

Regional Spiritual Assembly: An institution identical in function to the
National Spiritual Assembly but including a number of countries or
regions in its jurisdiction, often established as a precursor to the

formation of a National Spiritual Assembly in each of the countries it
encompasses.

Riglvz’m: Arabic for “Paradise.” The twelve-day festival (from 21 April
through 2 May) commemorating declaration of His

mission to His companions in 1863 in the Garden of Ridva’m in Baghdad.

Shoghi Effendi Rabbénl': (1897—1957) The Guardian of the Bahzi’i’ Faith
after the passing of in 1921, designated in His

Will and Testament as His successor in interpreting the Bahzi’l'
writings and as Head of the Faith.

Shrine of The resting place of Baha’u’lléh’s mortal remains, located
near the city of Acre, Israel. The Shrine is the holiest spot on earth
to Bahé’l's and a place of pilgrimage.

Shrine of the Béb: The resting place of the Bzib’s mortal remains,

located on Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel, and a sacred site to Bahé‘fs.

Tablet: Divinely revealed scripture. In Bahei’f scripture, the term is

Universal House of Justice: Head of the Baha’i Faith after the passing
of Shoghi Effendi, supreme administrative body ordained by Bahei’u’llzih
in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The Universal House of Justice is elected every
five years by the members of the National Spiritual Assemblies who
gather at an International Convention. The House

of Justice was elected for the first time in 1963 and occupied its
permanent Seat on Mount Carmel in 1983.

Adapted from A Basic Bahd Dictionary, Momen, ed. (Oxford: George Ronald,
1989).

24?, 254, 255, 262, 272 administrative order 7—9, 26—36, 157 AIESEC 44
Alaska 80, 87 Albania 42, 55, 84,110,111,117,121, 131,165

TT, 112, 125, 142,143,162 Ameriean Academy of Religion 93 Andaman and
Nienbar Islands 157 Anellu, Eloy 124 Angola 120, 165 Araujn, Washington
33 Am '1', 64, 66—68 Argentina 125

Army of Light Teaching Campaign 122

arts 32, 33, 45, 100, 105, 152—158, 243422 Association baha’ie dc Femmcs
42, 5|,

Association for Studies 58, 90—91, 14], 163,

Australia 32, 52, 53, 59,60, 79, 91, 95, 155, 157, 163, m, 176, 189,
263, 256, 259, 260, 265, 266,

Office for the Advancement of Women 12, 48,

Office ofPublic Information 12, 43, 43, 51, 139,

Office of the Environment 12, 43, H3, 139,

147—149 United Nations Office 11, 99, 139 Vocational institute for Rural
Woman 156 Baha’i World Centre 4, 6, 123,160, 184, 271 visits of
dignitaries 76—78, 83 visits of media representatives 7'8

Baha’i World Congress, second 14, 165, 254, 265

232, 233, 284, 239, 290, 293, 295, 299, 305 Bahamas 96 Ballet Shayda 252
Baltic States H0, 263 Bangladesh 92 Barbarlas M3

Bayén, The 212, 214, 215, 2115, 21?, 220

Beatrix (Quuan of the Netherlands) 108

Bclgium 137, 157, 160

Bermuda 99'

Bliznakuv, Guurgi I31

Bolivia 42, 58, 78, 122,155, 164

bunk fairs 88—39, 160

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, Regional Teaching
Committee of the Baha’is of 35

Botswana 58, T9, 157, 160,161, 185, 267

Buutrus-Ghali, Buutrns 235

1313111 42, as, 113,119,120,125,l26,129, 139, 306

Browne, E.G. 192, 190, 203, 204, 200, 200

Brugiruux, André 166

Bulgaria 3,55,113,124,]31,161,164,165

Burundi 136

Call of the Hands Teaching Project 30

“Calling All Culurs'hunference 99

Cambodia 25, 30, 3|, 128, I57, 139'

Cameroon 3, 55, 62, 128, 145, 146, 143, 155, 164, 175,176

Camp, Donald 158,

Canada 3, 32, 51, 53, 78, 86, 87, 99, 122, 123, 155, 157, 158, 160, 163,
166, 176, 180, 186, 252, 253, 254, 259, 265, 266

Canary Islands 42

Cape Verde 53

Central African Republic [01 123

Central Asia 28—30

Centre fur the Studyr of the Texts 66

Chang, Afemata Muli 35, I62

Chile 42, 164, WI, 13?

China 13, 33, 126

Clinton, Bill 112, 135

Cullis Featherstune Teaching Campaign 1T1

Columbia 3, 58, 115, 122, 138, 264

Commission on Global Governance 229

community develupm cut 15 2—] 54

community life, 10TH, 95—98, 156—157 anniversaries 97, 156, 162

community service, youth and 182—184

Cungu 164, 166

constitutions, contributing to 123, 165

consultation 43, 53, 60, 283—284 -

Cook Islands 62, 86, 158, 160, I64, 166, 176

Costa Rica 53, H4, 124, 132, 183

d‘IvuirE: 105, 164, 252

Croatia 80, 96, 113

Cur-05, Professor Cnnstantin 94

Cyprus 96, 113, 15?, 165

Czech Republic 42, 155, 156, 158, 160, 163, 166, 180

Danesh, H.B. 49, so, 140

Declaration of the Biib, 150th anniversary I, 156, 157, 165, 193

Denmark 42, 43,113, 158

development sec social and economic development

Djalili, Omicl 153, 256—258, 263 Dominica 34, ll?

Dominican Republic TI, 15?, 189 drama 255—259

East Leeward Islands 121

Eastern Caroline Islands 86, 188, 189

Ecuador 121,123, 164

education 80, I28, 184—137, 284—285, 302 Egypt H, 77, 1'3

El Salvador 56, 58, 124, 156, I83

Elizabeth II (Queen of England) 34, 130, I3] Ellis1r Dr. Wilma 94
environment 80, 112—] 16, 147, 289 see also International Community,
Office of the Environment equality between men and women 48, 5445, 104,
290—291, 306 Equatorial Guinea 59, 60, 85, 164, 166 Ethiopia 62, 123,
132, 15?, 165, 176, 183, 189 European Business Forum 43, 124, 306
European Bahsi’i Youth Council 43, 44, 1711—180

Fabiola (Queen of Belgium) 146 families 14'?

creating violence-free 49—51, 140—142, 306 family 30, 9], 130, 232

United Nations International Year 48—63, 80, 140, 154—155, 164, 263
Finland 42, 56, 105, 164 Fitzgerald, Michael 250 France 42, 51, 59,
93,109,111,125,157,162,l65 Furl'ltan, ‘Ali-Akbar 60, 77

Hung Kong 10?

Houses of Worship 11, 28, 87, 98, 160, 161, 269, 271

human rights 12, 53, I34, 136, 143—144, 145, 177, 223, 236, 265, 276,
280—282, 297, 30], 306

Hungary 53,106,15T,161,166, 2T1

India 3, 56, 58, 82, 89, 91, 92,95,106,108,169,110,
112,117,118,121,125,129,130,155,156, 160,164,166,17I,187 Supreme Court
decision mentioning Faith 130

indigenous peoples 33, 35—33

Indonesia 189

interfaith dialogue 128—130, 153—160

International Balni’i Arehivee Building extension to 6?

international order 12, 233—234, 283

International Teaching Centre 29, 30, 65, 66

Internet 240

Iran, persecution ofBahé’is in 13, 83, I45, 306

Ireland42,58,107,123,13?,155,157,158,160,162

Isobel Sabri Teaching Campaign 32

Italy' 42, 114, 164, 165, 180, 263

Lfihnemann, Professor Johannes 94 Landcgg Academy 263 Laos 98, 139

Leach, Bemard 248

Lesotho "f9

Lesser Peace: T3

Lays, J Ban-Marie 84

Liberia 113, 138, 189 literacy projects 128

“Live Unity” 254

Lucai Spiritual Assembly 26 Luxembourg 111, 129, 262

Macau 52, 5?, 155,162

Malawi 26?

Malaysia 31, 32, 57, m, m, 145, 156, 160, 161, 164,183,189

Malictoa, To’oa Tosi (Princess of Western Samoa) 86

Malta 43

Mandela, Nelson 131

Manifestations of God 9, 213

344

Mariana Islands 61, 189 Marion Jssk VI Prujsst l'IU marriage 55

Marshall Islands 33, 35, 123 Martha Rout Project 170

Martin Luther King Day 100, 159, I’M Mauritius 59, 60, 6] , 85, 113, 165
Maxwell International Baha’i Schnnl I83 media attacks and
misrepresentation 161 coverage of persecution of Baha’is in Iran 136—
137 general coverage 162-]63 print 151—163

see else radio and television Mexiee I13, 132 Miret Magdalena, Enrique
129 Mirzzi ‘Ali—Muhamniad see the Heb Mitzi: Husayn-‘Ali see

Moldova 80

Munadjem, Shapuor 30

Mongolia 25, 31—33, 170

moral education 118—123, 180, 2%, 286—287 Mount Carmel 6543, 194
Mozambique 129, 159

203 musical groups 32, 34, [88, 263—266 Myanmar 81, 189

Namibia 59, 62, 7'9, 154, 164, 165, 267

Nanasipau’u, Princess (of Tonga) 56

National Conventions 27, 29, 30, 31, 33, 157

National Spiritual Assembly 25, 26, 2?

Nepal 132, 111

Netherlands 42, so, 54, 5162,7831, 1011., 1 11, I16, 131,157,262

Newr Era Development Institute 119I

New Zealand 52, 58, 150,152, 7s, 36, 112, 115, 125, 155,
l56,157,158,161, 1153, 135,133

Nicaragua 122, 132

Nicolas, A.L.M. 19?, 193, 203, 209, 24?

Niger 82

Nigeria T8, 32,105,109,lll

Nineteen Day Feast 95

Northern Ireland 6|, 109, I29, 155, 160, 163,253 260,263

Norway 42, 43,45,113,157,158,159,160,163, 264

SOLIU] Africa 50, 79,612,951, 111, 124, 128, 129, 131-, 186,261,266

Spain 42,53,62,121,129,1151,166,1‘?11F

Sri Lanka 5?, 53, 106, 156, 15?, 133, 269

St. Vincent

Summit on Religions and Conservation 116, 148149

Suriname I I3

Swaziland 84, 93, 110, 121,163

Sweden 42, 43, 62

Switzerland 32, 42, 91, 98, 159, 161, 179, 253, 263

Uganda 113, 114, 123, 126-121 1%, 184 Ukraine 80, 114

Ukraine, Belarus and Maldnva 42 UNICEF 44, 49, I40, 141, 303 UNIFEM 49,
140, 145, 303, 306

United Kingdom 3, 42, S2, 53, 34, 88, 91, 109, 112, 11?, 120, 124, I27,
130, 131,148, 159, 160, I63, 177, 263 United Nations 11, 139, 234, 280,
305 50th anniversary 125, 126, 165, 228 Commission on the Status of
Women Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States 148, 149, 182

Earth Summit 12, 112, 228, 255

Environment Program 113

Human Rights Commission 134, 136, 29?, 301 International Conference on
Population and Development 50, I41, I48, 228, 23?'

International Year of Tolerance 129

World Conference on Human Rights 12, 228

see also women, Fourth World Conference on see afsa World Summit for
Social Development

United States 3, 31, 32, 42, 5?, 62, 78, 80, 82, 83, 86, 87, 91, 92, 93,
94, 98, 99—104, 105, 111, 115, 126, 128, 134, 155, 156, 158, 159, 164,
166, 172, 181, 187, 253, 258, 265, 270, 271

Universal House of Justice 8', 27, 28, 76, 77, 169, 184,253

Universidad Nin' 42, 122

university, study Faith at 92

Uruguay 162, 183, 26]

Uzbekistan 26, 29, 30

Wee, Dr. Wee Kim 34, 15'?

West Leeward Islands 164, 183 Western Caroline Islands 35, 189 Western
Samoa 85, 131 White, Roger 249

women 82, 104—112, 147, 155-156, 165, 2'76, 282, 301—303, 306
lntemational Day of 81, 107, 108, 164 United Nations Fourth World
Confcrence on 12, 50, 104-106, 147, 228 M60 Forum on Women ’95 104 see
aiso International Community, Office for the Advancement of Women and
equality between men and women World Center for Peace, Freedom and Human
Rights 124

world citizenship 42, 45, I48

World Conference on Religion and Peace 44, 94, I30

World Forestry Charter Gathering 112—1 13, 143

World Religion Day 128—129, 158

Werld Summit for Social Development 12, 14, 37— 4-5, 132, 143, 164, 173,
228,523.},2514, 255, 253, 306

Ycorinbool Bahii‘i School 95 youth 167—190, 263 activitics at the World
Summit for Social Development 44—45, 178 conferences 187490
representation at conferences 180-182 Yugoslavia 25, 34