{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-archive-page-jsx","path":"/archive/51/","result":{"pageContext":{"strings":{"about":"About","additional_articles":"Additional Articles","administration":"Administration","africa":"Africa","all_bahaiorg_sites":"All Bahai.org Sites","all_sites":"All sites","all_sites_arising_serve":"Arising to Serve","all_sites_arising_serve_caption":"A film recounting highlights of the 41 regional Bahá’í conferences called by the Universal House of Justice in 2008","all_sites_bahai_org":"The official website of the worldwide Bahá’í community","all_sites_bahai_org_library":"Bahá’í Reference Library","all_sites_bahai_org_library_caption":"The authoritative online source of Bahá’í writings","all_sites_bahaullah_org":"The Life of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_bahaullah_org_caption":"A photographic narrative of the life of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_bic":"Bahá’í International Community Representative Offices","all_sites_bic_caption":"The official website of the Bahá’í International Community’s Representative Offices. The site contains news and information about recent activity and provides access to BIC statements, reports, and other publications","all_sites_bicentenary":"Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_bicentenary_bab":"Bicentenary of the Birth of The Báb","all_sites_bicentenary_caption":"The official international website for the bicentenary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_frontiers_learning":"Frontiers of Learning","all_sites_frontiers_learning_caption":"This film captures the insights and experiences of people from four communities across the world whose efforts to build vibrant communities are at the frontiers of learning","all_sites_light_to_the_world":"Light to the World","all_sites_light_to_the_world_caption":"A feature film about the life and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_media_bank":"Bahá’í Media Bank","all_sites_media_bank_caption":"Photographs available for downloading","all_sites_national_communities":"National Bahá’í Communities","all_sites_national_communities_caption":"A page containing links to the websites of many national Bahá’í communities from around the world","all_sites_news_bahai_org_caption":"The official news website of the worldwide Bahá’í community","all_sites_title":"Official Bahá’í Sites","all_sites_universalhouseofjustice_org":"The Universal House of Justice","all_sites_universalhouseofjustice_org_caption":"Information about the Universal House of Justice and selected statements and letters","all_sites_widening_embrace":"A Widening Embrace","all_sites_widening_embrace_caption":"A documentary film about the community-building efforts of the Bahá’í world","americas":"Americas","android":"Android","archive_results_to_of_a":"Results","archive_results_to_of_b":"to","archive_results_to_of_c":"of","asia":"Asia","back_to_story":"Back to Story","bahai_international_community":"Bahá'í International Community","bahai_media_bank":"Bahá’í Media Bank","bahai_reference_library":"Bahá’í Reference Library","bahai_world_centre":"Bahá’í World Centre","bahai_world_news_service":"Bahá’í World News Service","bahai_world_news_service_bwns":"Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","bahaiorg_home":"Bahai.org Home","bahais_semnan":"The Bahá’ís of Semnan","battambang_cambodia_house_worship":"House of Worship in Battambang, Cambodia","battambang_cambodia_temple":"Battambang, Cambodia Temple Inauguration","before_downloading_terms":"Before downloading please refer to the [Terms of use](/legal/).","bic_un_office":"Bahá’í International Community\nUN Office","brief_history":"Brief history","bwns_noTranslation":"BWNS","cdn_documentlibrary_path":"http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/","cdn_images_path":"//bwns.imgix.net/","chile_house_worship":"Chile House of Worship","chile_temple":"Chile Temple Inauguration","close":"Close","closed_doors_denial_education_iran":"Closed Doors: Denial of Education in Iran","comma":",","comprehensive_report":"Comprehensive report","contact":"Contact","contact_h1":"Contacting the Bahá’í World News Service","contact_h2":"Contacting Bahá’í institutions","contact_h3":"Reporting technical problems","contact_information":"Contact Information","contact_p1":"General inquiries about BWNS can be directed to [news@bahai.org](mailto:news@bahai.org). Information regarding news and media contacts is available in the [Media Information](/media-information/) section.","contact_p2":"The Bahá’í Faith is established in more than 100,000 localities in virtually every country and territory around the world. At the national level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are guided by National Spiritual Assemblies, and a list of websites for many national Bahá’í communities can be found at the [National Communities page](https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/) on Bahai.org.","contact_p3":"To report a technical problem with this site, please send a detailed description and screenshot of the issue, along with the address of the page where it occurred, to [webmaster@bahai.org](mailto:webmaster@bahai.org). Please note that this email address exists to receive reports of technical problems with the site and it is not possible to respond to other queries through this facility.","copy_link":"Copy Link","did_not_match_any_documents_showing_results_for":"did not match any documents. Showing results for","did_you_mean":"Did you mean:","download":"Download","download_highest_resolution":"Download highest resolution","email":"Email","email_address":"Email Address","enlarge":"Enlarge","error_page":"Error Occurred","error_page_p1":"Sorry. An error has occurred with your request. It would help us if you let us know what you were trying to do when this error occurred by using our [contact form](https://www.bahai.org/contact/).","europe":"Europe","featured_stories":"Featured stories","featured_videos":"Featured videos","follow_updates_via_instagram_twitter":"Follow the Bahá’í World News Service on Twitter and Instagram for regular updates and stories","from_bwns_archive":"From the Bahá’í World News Service archive","get_notified_stories":"Get notified of stories","highest_resolution":"Highest resolution","historical_photographs":"Historical photographs","homepage_feature_audio_h2":"Recent podcast episodes","homepage_feature_audio_h3":"Audio versions of stories","homepage_feature_audio_p1":"Selected audio content from around the globe","homepage_feature_h1":"Subscribe to BWNS Updates","houses_worship":"Houses of Worship","human_rights_iran":"Human Rights in Iran","images":"images","ios":"iOS","iran_news_stories":"Iran News Stories","key_terms_facts":"Key terms and facts","latest_headlines":"Latest headlines","latest_video_category":"Latest","legal":"Legal","legal_h1":"Privacy","legal_h2":"Terms of Use","legal_information":"Legal Information","legal_li_1":"They must at all times be attributed to the Bahá’í World News Service.","legal_li_2":"Photographs and stories cannot be used in any way (including, without limitation, suggesting an association with or endorsement of any product, service, opinion or cause) that conflicts with the intent and premise of the original source.","legal_li_3":"Photographs may be edited for size only. Captions must remain with the photographs at all times.","legal_li_4":"The Bahá’í World News Service will not be responsible to any person or organization for any liability for any direct, incidental,  consequential, indirect, or punitive damages that may result from any access to or use of the stories and/or photographs on our site.","legal_li_5":"Although this blanket permission to reproduce BWNS material is given freely such that no special permission is required, the Bahá’í World News Service retains full copyright protection for its stories and photographs under all applicable national and international laws.","legal_p1_1":"On this Web site we try to ensure your privacy. We collect only personal information provided by you on a voluntary basis, in order to respond to your queries and to send you any additional information and material that you request.","legal_p1_2":"Visitors to this Web site are not tracked, except to produce aggregate statistical data that does not identify individual users. Where we must use cookies to provide essential functionality, these are not used to track your use of the site or to store personally-identifiable information. Steps have been taken to ensure that all information collected from you will remain secure, free from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. Please keep in mind that if you leave this site via a link, the other site may have a different policy regarding privacy.","legal_p1_3a":"We occasionally update this privacy policy and encourage you to review it periodically. If you wish to correct your personal information, or have questions regarding this policy, please send an email message to","legal_p1_3b":"or call the Bahá’í World News Service at +972 (4) 835-8412, between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. GMT +2, Sunday through Thursday.","legal_p2_1":"All stories and photographs produced by the Bahá’í World News Service may be freely reprinted, e-mailed, posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization, subject to the following restrictions:","legal_p2_2":"The Bahá’í World News Service is an agency of the Bahá’í International Community, a nongovernmental organization that represents and encompasses the five million members of the Bahá’í Faith.","links_other_websites":"Links to other Web sites","listen":"Listen","listen_bwns":"Listen to BWNS","load_more_results":"Load more results","media_bank":"Media Bank","media_information":"Media Information","media_information_about_bwns":"About BWNS","media_information_administration_h2":"International","media_information_administration_h3":"National","media_information_administration_h4":"Local","media_information_administration_p1":"The Bahá’í Faith is administered by a series of elected bodies at the local, national, and international levels. There is no class of ecclesiastics or clergy.","media_information_administration_p2":"The Universal House of Justice is the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith. It is the supreme administrative body ordained by Bahá’u’lláh in His book of laws. The Universal House of Justice is elected every five years at the International Bahá’í Convention, where members of the National Spiritual Assemblies (see below) around the world serve as delegates. The Universal House of Justice was first elected in 1963. Its permanent seat is on Mount Carmel in Haifa.","media_information_administration_p3":"At the national level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the National Spiritual Assembly, a nine-member elected council responsible for guiding, co-ordinating, and stimulating the activities of Local Spiritual Assemblies and individual members of the Bahá’í community within a given country. The responsibilities of a National Spiritual Assembly include channelling the community’s financial resources, fostering the growth and vibrancy of the national Bahá’í community, supervising the affairs of the community including its social and economic development activities and its properties, overseeing relations with government, resolving questions from individuals and Local Spiritual Assemblies, and strengthening the participation of the Bahá’í community in the life of society at the national level.","media_information_administration_p4":"At the local level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the Local Spiritual Assembly. Each Local Assembly consists of nine members who are chosen in annual elections. As with all other elected Bahá’í institutions, the Assembly functions as a body and makes decisions through consultation. The responsibilities of the Local Spiritual Assembly include promoting the spiritual education of children and young people, strengthening the spiritual and social fabric of Bahá’í community life, assessing and utilizing the community’s resources, and ensuring that the energies and talents of community members contribute towards progress.","media_information_administration_p5":"In addition, the Bahá’í Faith has **counsellors**, appointed to five-year terms by the Universal House of Justice, who serve as advisers in countries and regions around the world. Currently there are 90 such counsellors assigned to specific countries or regions, and an additional nine counsellors who constitute the membership of the International Teaching Centre at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa.","media_information_administration_p6":"The Bahá’í International Community is a non-governmental organization that represents the worldwide Bahá’í community. It has been registered with the United Nations (UN) as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_a":"the Seat of the Universal House of Justice,","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_b":"the International Teaching Centre,","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_c":"the Centre for the Study of the Texts,","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_d":"the International Archives Building.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p1":"The spiritual and administrative center of the Bahá’í Faith is permanently established in the Acre-Haifa area of northern Israel, following the explicit instructions of Bahá’u’lláh.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p2":"The burial place, or shrine, of Bahá’u’lláh near Acre and that of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa are the holiest spots on earth for Bahá’ís. Other sites associated with the life of Bahá’u’lláh as well as the burial site of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are revered by Bahá’ís as holy places.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p3":"The shrines are the object of pilgrimage for thousands of Bahá’ís each year.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p4":"The administrative offices are positioned in an Arc across Mount Carmel in Haifa and include:","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p5":"Also in Haifa are the Bahá’í International Community’s Secretariat and Office of Public Information.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p6":"The Bahá’í World Centre is known for the gardens surrounding the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh near Acre, and also for the gardens and terraces surrounding the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p7":"At this time the Shrine of the Báb is open to the public.","media_information_brief_history_p1":"The Bahá’í Faith traces its origin to 1844 and the announcement by a young man, Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad, in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran), that He had been sent by God to prepare humanity for a new age and the imminent appearance of another Messenger even greater than Himself.","media_information_brief_history_p10":"During the 40 years of His exile, Bahá’u’lláh revealed a series of books, tablets, and letters that today form the core of the **holy writings of the Bahá’í Faith**. Comprising the equivalent of some 100 volumes, the writings of Bahá’u’lláh describe the nature of God and the purpose of human existence, give new religious laws, and outline a vision for creating a peaceful and prosperous global society.","media_information_brief_history_p11":"In His will, Bahá’u’lláh named His eldest son, ‘Abbás Effendi (1844-1921), as the head of the Bahá’í Faith and authorized interpreter of His teachings. ‘Abbás Effendi, known to Bahá’ís as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (“Servant of Bahá”), became well-known in the Haifa/Acre area for his charitable works, and he also traveled through Europe and North America to encourage nascent Bahá’í communities and to proclaim Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to the general public. The writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are considered part of the sacred scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_brief_history_p12":"‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in 1921. In his will he had designated his grandson **Shoghi Effendi** (1897-1957) as his successor, with the title of **Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith**. During the ministry of Shoghi Effendi, the religion spread around the world, and its local and national administrative institutions were established. With the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957, the line of hereditary leaders of the Bahá’í Faith came to an end.","media_information_brief_history_p13":"Following provisions established by Bahá’u’lláh, in 1963 the **Universal House of Justice** was elected to direct the affairs of the worldwide Bahá’í community. The nine members of the Universal House of Justice are elected every five years by the members of the Bahá’í national administrative bodies around the world.","media_information_brief_history_p2":"Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad took the title of the **Báb** (meaning “Gate” in Arabic) and said the one whose coming He foretold would be the universal Manifestation of God sent to inaugurate an age of peace and enlightenment as promised in all the world’s religions.","media_information_brief_history_p3":"The Báb’s teachings, which spread rapidly, were viewed as heretical by the clergy and government of Persia. More than 20,000 of His followers, known as Bábís, perished in a series of massacres throughout the country.","media_information_brief_history_p4":"The Báb Himself was publicly executed in the city of Tabriz on 9 July 1850.","media_information_brief_history_p5":"Bahá’ís consider the Báb to be both an independent Messenger of God and the forerunner of **Bahá’u’lláh** (“the Glory of God” in Arabic), who is the founder of the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_brief_history_p6":"Bahá’u’lláh, whose name was Mírzá Husayn ‘Alí, was born into a noble family in Tehran on 12 November 1817. In His mid-20s, He declined a life of privilege and became one of the leading disciples of the Báb.","media_information_brief_history_p7":"In 1852, in the course of the persecution of the Bábís, He was arrested, beaten, and thrown into an infamous dungeon in Tehran. After four months, He was released and banished from His native land – the beginning of 40 years of exile and imprisonment.","media_information_brief_history_p8":"He was first sent to Baghdad, where He and His companions stayed for 10 years. In 1863, on the eve of His further banishment to what is now Turkey and then to the Holy Land, Bahá’u’lláh announced that He was the Universal Messenger of God foretold by the Báb.","media_information_brief_history_p9":"In 1868, Bahá’u’lláh arrived in the Holy Land with about 70 family members and followers, sentenced by the Ottoman authorities to perpetual confinement in the penal colony of Acre. The order of confinement was never lifted, but because of the growing recognition of His outstanding character, He eventually was able to move outside the walls of the prison city. He lived His final years at a country home called Bahjí, where He passed away in 1892. He was interred there, and His shrine is the holiest place on earth for Bahá’ís.","media_information_description":"Contacts, facts, style guide,\ngeneral information, and photos","media_information_h1":"National and local","media_information_h2":"International","media_information_h2_a":"Bahá’í World News Service","media_information_h2_b":"Bahá’í International Community","media_information_h2_c":"Bahá’í International Community - United Nations Offices:","media_information_h2_e":"For languages other than English:","media_information_houses_worship_li_1":"Wilmette, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1953.","media_information_houses_worship_li_2":"Kampala, Uganda. Opened in 1961.","media_information_houses_worship_li_3":"Sydney, Australia. Opened in 1961.","media_information_houses_worship_li_4":"Frankfurt, Germany. Opened in 1964.","media_information_houses_worship_li_5":"Panama City, Panama. Opened in 1972.","media_information_houses_worship_li_6":"Apia, Samoa. Opened in 1984.","media_information_houses_worship_li_7":"New Delhi, India. Opened in 1986.","media_information_houses_worship_li_8":"Santiago, Chile. Opened in 2016.","media_information_houses_worship_li_9":"Battambang, Cambodia. Opened in 2017.","media_information_houses_worship_li_10":"Norte del Cauca, Colombia. Opened in 2018.","media_information_houses_worship_li_11":"Matunda Soy, Kenya. Opened in 2021.","media_information_houses_worship_li_12":"Tanna, Vanuatu. Opened in 2021.","media_information_houses_worship_li_13":"Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Opened in 2023.","media_information_houses_worship_li_14":"Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Opened in 2024.","media_information_houses_worship_p1":"Bahá’u’lláh designated Bahá’í Houses of Worship as spiritual gathering places for prayer and meditation around which will cluster social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific institutions. Eight continental, two national, and four local Bahá’í Houses of Worship have been built.","media_information_houses_worship_p2":"The physical structure of a House of Worship comprises a central building—a House of Worship—along with several dependencies. While the House of Worship forms the focal point of worship in a geographical area, its purpose is not solely to provide a place for prayer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that, through the provision of education, healthcare and other services it is also to support the social and economic progress of the community and afford shelter, relief and assistance to those in need. In this connection, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá anticipated that subsidiary branches—such as a hospital, school, university, dispensary, and hospice—would gradually be added to a House of Worship. Bahá’u’lláh refers to the House of Worship as a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Arabic for “dawning place of the mention of God.”","media_information_houses_worship_p3":"Bahá’í Houses of Worship are located in:","media_information_houses_worship_p4":"Plans are underway to build a national House of Worship in Brazil, Canada, and Malawi. A local House of Worship is also being constructed in Batouri, Cameroon; Bihar Sharif, India; Kanchanpur, Nepal; and Mwinilunga, Zambia. At the local level, meetings for worship are held regularly in Bahá’í centers and in the homes of believers all over the world.","media_information_key_terms_facts_h1":"Name of the religion and of the organization – the Bahá’í Faith","media_information_key_terms_facts_h2":"Founder of the Bahá’í Faith – Bahá’u’lláh","media_information_key_terms_facts_h3":"Year of founding – 1844","media_information_key_terms_facts_h4":"Head of the religion – the Universal House of Justice","media_information_key_terms_facts_h5":"Number of Bahá’ís – more than 5 million","media_information_key_terms_facts_h6":"Description of the religion and key beliefs","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_a":"the unity of the races and elimination of prejudice,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_b":"the equality of women and men,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_c":"universal education,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_d":"the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_e":"a spiritual solution to economic problems,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_f":"establishment of a universal auxiliary language,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_g":"the harmony of science and religion,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_h":"the independent investigation of truth,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_i":"the creation of a world commonwealth of nations that will keep the peace through collective security.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p1_a":"The Bahá’í Faith is an independent world religion.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p1_b":"A member is called a Bahá’í (plural: Bahá’ís). It is also correct to say that someone is a “member of the Bahá’í Faith,” a “follower of the Bahá’í Faith,” a “follower of Bahá’u’lláh,” or a member of the Bahá’í community of a given locality.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p1_c":"The term “Bahá’í International Community” refers to the non-governmental organization that represents the worldwide Bahá’í community. It has been registered with the United Nations (UN) as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p2":"Bahá’ís consider Bahá’u’lláh to be the most recent in a line of great religious teachers, or Messengers of God, that includes Abraham, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Krishna, Muhammad, Moses, Zoroaster, and others. Bahá’u’lláh—the name is Arabic for “Glory of God”—was born in 1817 in Tehran, Iran, and passed away in 1892 in Acre, Israel. The coming of Bahá’u’lláh was announced by the Báb (Arabic for “Gate”), also considered by Bahá’ís to be a divine Messenger.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p3":"There are a number of important dates in the establishment of the Bahá’í Faith, but the first announcement by the Báb of the new religion came in 1844.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p4":"The Universal House of Justice is the international governing council of the Bahá’í community, an elected body of nine men. Its seat is at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Around the world, in almost all countries, a National Spiritual Assembly oversees the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith in that country, and Local Spiritual Assemblies oversee local affairs.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p6_a":"The Bahá’í Faith is an independent, monotheistic religion established in virtually every country of the world. Bahá’ís believe that the world’s major religions represent unfolding chapters in God’s teachings for humankind, and that the writings of Bahá’u’lláh represent God’s guidance for this age.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p6_b":"Bahá’u’lláh’s central teaching is the unity of humanity under one God.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p6_c":"Among the many Bahá’í principles are the following:","media_information_key_terms_facts_p7":"For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org).","media_information_li_a_1":"Phone (office): +972 (4) 835-8412","media_information_li_a_2":"E-mail, for news inquiries: [news@bahai.org](mailto:news@bahai.org)","media_information_li_b_1":"Mr. Saleem Vaillaincourt (London)","media_information_li_b_2":"Senior information officer","media_information_li_b_3":"Phone (office): +1 (212) 803-2544","media_information_li_b_4":"E-mail: [media@bic.org](mailto:media@bic.org)","media_information_li_c_1":"Ms. Bani Dugal (New York)","media_information_li_c_2":"Principal Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations","media_information_li_c_3":"Bahá’í International Community","media_information_li_c_4":"Phone: +1 (212) 803-2500","media_information_li_c_5":"After-hours phone: +1 (914) 329-3020","media_information_li_c_6":"E-mail: [uno-nyc@bic.org](mailto:uno-nyc@bic.org)","media_information_li_d_1":"Ms. Simin Fahandej (Geneva)","media_information_li_d_2":"Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations","media_information_li_d_3":"Bahá’í International Community","media_information_li_d_4":"Phone: +41 (27) 798-5400","media_information_li_d_5":"After-hours phone: +41 (78) 880-0759","media_information_li_d_6":"E-mail: [geneva@bic.org](mailto:geneva@bic.org)","media_information_li_e_1":"Persian – Simin Fahandej, +41 (27) 798-5400","media_information_li_e_2":"French – Rachel Bayani, +32 (475) 750394","media_information_li_e_3":"To arrange other languages +972 (4) 835-8412","media_information_media_contacts":"Media Contacts","media_information_p1":"Editors, journalists, and other media professionals are encouraged to contact the National Office of the Bahá’ís of their own country. See [National Communities](https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/).","media_information_p2":"BWNS reports on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","media_information_p3":"Information about the Bahá’í Faith is available at [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org/)","media_information_p_native":"The website for BWNS is located at [news.bahai.org](https://news.bahai.org/)","media_information_photographs_p1":"To arrange for photographs, you are encouraged to contact the office of the National Spiritual Assembly of the  Bahá’ís of your country. See [National Communities](https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/).","media_information_photographs_p2":"For more information, or for international photographs, contact the Bahá’í World Centre:","media_information_photographs_p3":"Phone: +972 (4) 835-8412  \n            E-mail: [news@bahai.org](mailto:news@bahai.org)","media_information_photographs_p4":"Photographs here may be downloaded and published, with photo credit given to the Bahá’í World Centre. [Terms of use](https://news.bahai.org/legal/).","media_information_photographs_p5":"Additional photos are available through the [Bahá’í Media Bank](https://media.bahai.org/). Images attached to articles in the [Bahá’í World News Service](https://news.bahai.org/) main site may also be downloaded.","media_information_photographs_p6":"Photographs of Bahá’ís imprisoned in Iran are available in the [Iran Update](/human-rights/iran/iran-update/photos.html) section of this Web site.","media_information_sidecontent_h1":"Bahá’ís in Iran","media_information_sidecontent_li":"Updates, background, photos","media_information_statistics_p1":"There are more than 5 million Bahá’ís in the world.","media_information_statistics_p2":"The Bahá’í Faith is established in virtually every country and in many dependent territories and overseas departments of countries. Bahá’ís reside in well over 100,000 localities. About 2,100 indigenous tribes, races, and ethnic groups are represented in the Bahá’í community.","media_information_statistics_p3":"There are currently 188 councils at the national level that oversee the work of communities. A network of over 300 training institutes, offering formal programs of Bahá’í education, span the globe.","media_information_statistics_p4":"Of the several thousand Bahá’í efforts in social and economic development, more than 900 are large-scale, sustained projects, including more than 600 schools and over 70 development agencies.","media_information_statistics_p5":"There are currently 14 Bahá’í Houses of Worship – in Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Germany, India, Kenya, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Uganda, the United States, and Vanuatu. Plans are underway to build a national House of Worship in Brazil, Canada, and Malawi. Local Houses of Worship are also being constructed in Batouri, Cameroon; Bihar Sharif, India; Kanchanpur, Nepal; and Mwinilunga, Zambia. At the local level, meetings for worship are held regularly in Bahá’í centers and in the homes of believers all over the world.","media_information_statistics_p6":"The Bahá’í International Community has been registered with the United Nations as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York.","media_information_statistics_p7":"Bahá’í writings and other literature have been translated into more than 800 languages.","media_information_statistics_p8":"Each year, around one million people visit the Bahá’í Shrine, terraces, and gardens on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.","media_information_statistics_p9":"In Iran, where the Bahá’í Faith originated, there are now about 300,000 Bahá’ís, constituting the largest religious minority in that country.","media_information_style_guide_h1":"Pronunciation guide","media_information_style_guide_h2":"Style guide and glossary","media_information_style_guide_p1":"**Bahá’í:**   Ba-HIGH  \n            **Bahá’u’lláh:**   Ba-ha-ul-LAH  \n            **Báb:**   Bahb (Bob)  \n            **‘Abdu’l-Bahá:**   Abdul ba-HAH  \n            **Naw-Rúz:**   Naw Rooz  \n            **Ridván:**   REZ-vahn","media_information_style_guide_p2_1":"**‘Abdu’l-Bahá** (1844-1921) – The son of Bahá’u’lláh who was the head of the Bahá’í Faith from 1892 to 1921. Bahá’u’lláh in His will had designated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá occupies a special station as the authoritative interpreter of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and as the perfect example of how a Bahá’í should live. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá traveled widely through Europe and North America from 1911-1913, explaining his Father’s teachings in talks, interviews, and addresses at universities, churches, temples, synagogues, and missions for the poor. (Bahá’ís capitalize pronouns—for example, “He”—that refers to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá out of respect for his special station. Such pronouns are not capitalized in this guide in deference to international journalistic style and also to avoid confusion with Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, who are considered to be divine Prophets.) For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_10":"**Bahá’í Faith** – The correct term for the religion is the Bahá’í Faith. It is an independent, monotheistic religion established in virtually every country of the world. It is not a sect of another religion. In a list of major religions, it would look like this: Hinduism, Zoroastrianism,  Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_style_guide_p2_11":"**Bahá’í International Community** – The Bahá’í International Community is a non-governmental organization that represents the worldwide Bahá’í community. It has been registered with the United Nations as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York. For more information, see [bic.org](https://www.bic.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_12":"**Bahá’í World Centre** – The spiritual and administrative center of the Bahá’í Faith, comprising the holy places in the Haifa/Acre area in northern Israel and the Arc of administrative buildings on Mount Carmel in Haifa. The Bahá’í World Centre itself uses the spelling “Centre”; elsewhere both “Centre” and “Center” are used, depending on the custom of the country.","media_information_style_guide_p2_13":"**Bahá’u’lláh** – The founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who lived from 1817 to 1892, considered by Bahá’ís to be the most recent divine Messenger, or Manifestation of God, in a line of great religious figures that includes Abraham, Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Moses, Muhammad, Zoroaster, the Báb, and others. Bahá’u’lláh was born in Tehran in present-day Iran, and passed away near Acre, in what is now Israel. “Bahá’u’lláh” is a title that means the “Glory of God” in Arabic; His name was Mírzá Husayn-‘Alí. His writings, which would equal about a hundred volumes, form the basis of the Bahá’í teachings. For more information, see [Bahai.org](http://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_14":"**Bahjí** – The place near Acre where the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh (His burial place) is located, as well as the mansion that was His last residence and surrounding gardens. It is a place of pilgrimage for Bahá’ís. The word “Bahjí” is Arabic for “delight.”","media_information_style_guide_p2_15":"**children’s classes** – Classes in moral education, open to all, that are provided for children, operated at the community level by the Bahá’í training institute.","media_information_style_guide_p2_16":"**Convention** – See [International Bahá’í Convention](#internationalbahaiconvention) and [National Bahá’í Convention](#nationalbahaicconvention).","media_information_style_guide_p2_18":"**counsellor** – An adviser appointed by the Universal House of Justice who serves in a particular geographic area or at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa. At present, there are 90 counsellors assigned to specific countries or regions, and nine counsellors who form the membership of the International Teaching Centre at the  Bahá’í World Centre. Appointments are for five years.","media_information_style_guide_p2_19":"**devotional meetings** – Gatherings, often in people’s homes, for prayers and to read the sacred writings of the Bahá’í Faith and other religions. Usually undertaken as an individual initiative.","media_information_style_guide_p2_2":"**accent marks** – Bahá’í, Bahá’u’lláh, and other names are written with accent marks, but many publications and websites do not have the facility for using such marks.","media_information_style_guide_p2_20":"**fast, the** – A period during which Bahá’ís abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown during the Bahá’í month of ‘Alá’, from 2 March to 20 March. Bahá’u’lláh enjoined His followers to pray and fast during this period. The sick, the traveler, and pregnant women, among others, are exempt.","media_information_style_guide_p2_21":"**feast** – See [Nineteen Day Feast](#nineteendayfeast).","media_information_style_guide_p2_22":"**Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith** – See [Shoghi Effendi](#shoghieffendi).","media_information_style_guide_p2_23":"**Haifa** – The city in northern Israel that, along with nearby Acre, is the location of the Bahá’í World Centre. The international administrative buildings of the Bahá’í Faith (including the Seat of the Universal House of Justice), the Shrine of the Báb, and surrounding terraces and gardens are all located on Mount Carmel in the heart of Haifa.","media_information_style_guide_p2_24":"**Holy days** – Eleven days that commemorate significant Bahá’í anniversaries. The nine holy days on which work is suspended are the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, the Birth of the Báb, Declaration of the Báb, Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, Martyrdom of the Báb, Naw-Rúz, Ridván (a 12-day festival, of which the first, ninth and 12th days are holy days). The other two holy days are the Day of the Covenant and the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. *See names of individual holy days.*","media_information_style_guide_p2_25":"**Holy Land** – The area associated with present-day Israel, which is holy to a number of religions, including to Bahá’ís. The resting places of Bahá’u’lláh near Acre and of the Báb in Haifa are, to Bahá’ís, the holiest spots on earth.","media_information_style_guide_p2_26":"**International Archives Building** – One of the buildings at the Bahá’í World Centre on Mount Carmel in Haifa. The repository of many sacred relics of the Bahá’í Faith, it is visited by thousands of Bahá’í pilgrims each year.","media_information_style_guide_p2_27":"**International Bahá’í Convention** – A gathering every five years of delegates from around the world to consult on the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith and elect the members of the Universal House of Justice. Members of the National Spiritual Assemblies serve as delegates.","media_information_style_guide_p2_28":"**International Teaching Centre** – One of the institutions at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa. The International Teaching Centre has nine members, all counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice. Appointments are for five years.","media_information_style_guide_p2_29":"**Local Spiritual Assembly** – At the local level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the Local Spiritual Assembly. Each Local Assembly consists of nine members who are chosen in annual elections. As with all other elected Bahá’í institutions, the Assembly functions as a body and makes decisions through consultation. The responsibilities of the Local Spiritual Assembly include promoting the spiritual education of children and young people, strengthening the spiritual and social fabric of Bahá’í community life, assessing and utilizing the community’s resources, and ensuring that the energies and talents of community members contribute towards progress.","media_information_style_guide_p2_3":"**Acre**– English rendering of the name of the city north of Haifa where Bahá’u’lláh was exiled in 1868. He lived in or near the city until His passing in 1892. Bahá’ís often use the Arabic name, ‘Akká, which was the name in general use during the time of Bahá’u’lláh. In Hebrew the name is Akko.","media_information_style_guide_p2_30":"**Mount Carmel** – In Haifa, Israel, site of the Bahá’í World Centre, including several Bahá’í holy places, the most important of which is the Shrine of the Báb, and the buildings housing the administrative offices of the Bahá’í World Centre.","media_information_style_guide_p2_31":"**National Bahá’í Convention** – In each country, the annual gathering of elected delegates to discuss the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith in their jurisdiction and to elect the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.","media_information_style_guide_p2_32":"**National Spiritual Assembly** – At the national level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the National Spiritual Assembly, a nine-member elected council responsible for guiding, co-ordinating, and stimulating the activities of Local Spiritual Assemblies and individual members of the Bahá’í community within a given country. The responsibilities of a National Spiritual Assembly include channelling the community’s financial resources, fostering the growth and vibrancy of the national Bahá’í community, supervising the affairs of the community including its social and economic development activities and its properties, overseeing relations with government, resolving questions from individuals and Local Spiritual Assemblies, and strengthening the participation of the Bahá’í community in the life of society at the national level.","media_information_style_guide_p2_33":"**Nineteen Day Feast** – An administrative gathering at the local level. The term refers to a spiritual “feast” of prayers,  consultation and fellowship. It is held every 19 days, on the first day of each Bahá’í month.","media_information_style_guide_p2_34":"**pilgrimage** – Each year thousands of Bahá’ís undertake pilgrimage, during which they forge a profound and lasting connection with the spiritual and administrative centre of their Faith, located in the Haifa-Acre area of what is now northern Israel. Bahá’í pilgrims pray and meditate at the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Shrine of the Báb, as well as in the beautiful gardens that surround them. They also draw inspiration from the time spent at various historical sites associated with the lives of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, as well as from visits to the edifices dedicated to the worldwide administration of the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_style_guide_p2_35":"**progressive revelation** – The central belief that Manifestations of God have successively provided the guidance necessary for humanity’s social and spiritual evolution.","media_information_style_guide_p2_36":"**Regional Bahá’í Council** – In some countries, the National Spiritual Assembly assigns certain of its functions to Regional Bahá’í Councils, which serve a designated geographical area within the land in question. The responsibilities of a Regional Council may include carrying out policies of the National Spiritual Assembly, supervising progress of particular plans and projects, and taking steps to stimulate and coordinate the growth of the Bahá’í community within the region.","media_information_style_guide_p2_37":"**Shoghi Effendi** (1897-1957) – The head of the Bahá’í Faith from 1921 to 1957. His title is Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. He is the grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the great-grandson of Bahá’u’lláh. For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_38":"**Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh** – The resting place of the mortal remains of Bahá’u’lláh, located near the city of Acre in what is now Israel. The shrine is the holiest spot on earth to Bahá’ís and a place of pilgrimage.","media_information_style_guide_p2_39":"**Shrine of the Báb** – The resting place of the mortal remains of the Báb, located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. It is a sacred site to Bahá’ís and a place of pilgrimage.","media_information_style_guide_p2_4":"**‘Akká, Akko** – See entry above for “[Acre](#acre)”.","media_information_style_guide_p2_40":"**study circles** – A study circle is one of the principal elements of the process of distance education offered by the [Bahá’í training institute](https://www.bahai.org/action/response-call-bahaullah/training-institute). It is a small group that meets regularly to study the institute course materials.","media_information_style_guide_p2_41":"**Universal House of Justice** – The international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith. It is the supreme administrative body ordained by Bahá’u’lláh in His book of laws. The Universal House of Justice is elected every five years at the International Bahá’í Convention, where members of the National Spiritual Assemblies around the world serve as delegates. The Universal House of Justice was first elected in 1963. Its permanent seat is on Mount Carmel in Haifa.","media_information_style_guide_p2_5":"**Arc** – An area on Mount Carmel in Haifa, shaped like an arc, where the major international administrative buildings of the Bahá’í Faith, including the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, are situated.","media_information_style_guide_p2_6":"**Báb** – The title, meaning “Gate,” assumed by Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, the Founder of the Bábí Faith and the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh. Considered by Bahá’ís to be one of the twin Manifestations of God associated with the Bahá’í Faith. Born on 20 October 1819, the Báb proclaimed Himself to be the Promised One of Islam and said His mission was to announce the imminent coming of another Messenger even greater than Himself, namely Bahá’u’lláh. Because of these claims, the Báb was executed by firing squad in the public square in Tabriz on 9 July 1850. His remains were hidden in Iran for many years before being taken to Haifa/Acre in 1899 and buried on Mount Carmel in 1909. For more information, see [Bahai.org](http://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_7":"**Bábí Faith** – The religion founded by the Báb. After 1863 and the announcement by Bahá’u’lláh that He was the Messenger whose coming had been foretold by the Báb, the Bahá’í Faith gradually became established and most followers of the Báb began to call themselves Bahá’ís.","media_information_style_guide_p2_8":"**Badí‘ calendar** – The Bahá’í calendar, consisting of 19 months of 19 days each, with the addition of intercalary days known as Ayyám-i-Há. The number of these intercalary days varies according to the timing of the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere in successive years. The first day of the year corresponds to the spring equinox. The Bahá’í era (B.E.) begins with 1844, the year of the Báb’s declaration. For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org/action/devotional-life/calendar).","media_information_style_guide_p2_9":"**Bahá’í** – (1) A noun referring to a member of the Bahá’í Faith. The plural is Bahá’ís. (2) An adjective describing a person, place, or thing related to the Bahá’í Faith. Examples: a Bahá’í book, the Bahá’í community, a Bahá’í holy day, a Bahá’í holy place.","media_reports":"Media Reports","menu":"Menu","meta_description_bwns":"The Bahá’í World News Service - BWNS - The official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community, reports on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","minutes_short":"min","mobile_app":"Mobile app","national_bahai_communities":"National Bahá’í Communities","news_email":"news@bahai.org","news_service_home":"BWNS Home","no_matches_for":"No matches for","no_results_for":"No results for","number_of":"of","oceania":"Oceania","official_news_site":"Official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community","one_country":"One Country","other_bahai_sites":"Other Bahá’í Sites","other_sites":"Other sites","other_stories":"Other Stories","overview_section":"Overview of this Section","page_link":"Page link","photographs":"Photographs","photographs_download":"Photographs for download","podcast":"Podcast","podcast_available":"Podcast available","podcast_description_bwns":"Reporting on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","podcast_p1":"The Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS) podcast reports on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","podcast_subscribe":"Subscribe to the BWNS podcast for additional audio content.","print":"Print","privacy":"Privacy","recent_articles":"Recent Articles","recent_headlines":"Recent headlines","recent_media_reports":"Recent media reports","recieve_stories_email":"Receive stories via email","related_stories":"Related Stories","results":"Results","return_top":"Return to top","rss":"RSS","search":"Search","search_bahai_reference_library":"Search the Bahá’í Reference Library","search_bahaiorg":"Search Bahai.org","search_news_service":"Search the News Service","section_shrine_of_abdulbaha_description":"Read reports on the progress","section_shrine_of_abdulbaha_title":"Coverage of Construction Work of the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá","see_all":"See All","seven_bahais_leaders":"The Seven Bahá’í Leaders","share":"Share","share_this_article":"Share this article","share_this_page":"Share this page","show_more":"Show more","sign_up":"Sign Up","slideshow":"Slideshow","social_media_name_instagram":"Instagram","social_media_name_instagram_account":"bahaiworldnewsservice","social_media_name_twitter":"Twitter","social_media_name_twitter_account":"bahainews","special_reports":"SPECIAL REPORTS","special_reports_shrine_construction":"Coverage of construction work for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá","statistics":"Statistics","story_archive":"Story Archive","style_glossary_pronunciation_guide":"Style guide, glossary and pronunciation guide","subscribe":"Subscribe","subscribe-confirmation-message":"Thank you for your interest in Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe-souble-optin-email":"You will receive an email shortly, asking you to confirm your subscription.","subscribe_bot_submission":"This doesn't look like a human submission.","subscribe_check_email":"Please check your email to confirm your subscription!","subscribe_email_exists":"This email already exists! 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Please try again later.","subscribe_unsubscribe_bwns":"Unsubscribe from BWNS","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_client":"Something went wrong, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_no_email":"We do not have this email in our database, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_server":"Something went wrong on our server, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_h1":"Unsubscribe - Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_h1":"You have been unsubscribed from the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p1":"Your email address has been removed from the mailing list.","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p2":"Thanks for having been a subscriber.","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p3":"(If you unsubscribed by accident and prefer to continue receiving emails from the Bahá’í World News Service, please [click here](./).)","tenth_international_bahai_convention":"Tenth International Bahá’í Convention","the_bahai_faith":"The Bahá’í Faith","thirteenth_international_bahai_convention":"Thirteenth International Bahá’í Convention","twelfth_international_bahai_convention":"Twelfth International Bahá’í Convention","united_nations":"United Nations","unsubscribe":"Unsubscribe","updated_content":"UPDATED CONTENT","updates_via_social_media":"Updates via social media","url_copied_to_clipboard":"URL copied to clipboard","video":"Video","view_all":"View all","view_all_articles":"View all articles","visit_page":"Visit page","watch_next":"Watch next","watch_video":"Watch video","what_bahais_believe":"What Bahá’ís Believe","what_bahais_do":"What Bahá’ís Do","texterify_timestamp":"2023-09-10T10:15:38Z"},"archivePageNumber":51,"archiveTotalPages":80,"totalStories":1596,"archiveList":[{"storyNumber":774,"evergreenUrl":"irish-president-makes-historic-visit-bahai-centre","title":"Irish President makes historic visit to Baha'i Centre","description":"The President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, has praised the universality of the Baha'i teachings and the contribution its members...","date":"2010-05-28","customDateline":false,"city":"DUBLIN","country":"IRELAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570795-77400.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570795-77400.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Irish President Mary McAleese addresses the gathering at the Dublin Baha'i Centre","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, has praised the universality of the Baha'i teachings and the contribution its members make to the life of their nation.\n\n\"You are marked out as people with values that are worth observing, worth learning from, worth looking at, worth imitating and so never be in any doubt of the value you are every single day in this world,\" President McAleese told a gathering of some 60 Baha'is during her first ever visit to the national Baha'i Centre in the Irish capital.\n\n\"Something you probably do not know, and I am sure it is true of many of you, is that in and through your lives, you are extraordinary ambassadors for your Faith,\" she said in impromptu remarks.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"President McAleese, first elected as Ireland's President in 1997, made her special visit to the Baha'i Centre on 30 April to mark the Festival of Ridvan, the anniversary of Baha'u'llah's declaration in 1863 that He is the most recent in a line of divine Messengers that includes Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Mohammed, Moses, Zoroaster, and others.\n\nThe President also expressed concern about the persecution of Baha'is in other countries. She said it was both sad and remarkable that a Faith with such principles would attract, in any shape or form, violence from others.\n\n\"And on this evening I think we just keep in our hearts those who are paying such a dear price for their fidelity to that simple human and divine charism that reaches right into the heart of humanity,\" said President McAleese.\n\n\"How fortunate all Irish people are to live in a State where followers of all religions or none are free to practice,\" she added, according to The Irish Times, which covered her visit.\n\nDuring the reception, President McAleese was presented with a specially bound edition of the Baha'i book, The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, in both English and the Irish language.\n\nBrendan McNamara, the Chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Republic of Ireland, described the President's visit as \"a milestone - a very joyous occasion.\"\n\n\"She was very generous and spoke with everybody present,\" said Mr. McNamara, \"particularly taking time to encourage the youth - in whatever they were doing - to make a contribution to the future of Ireland.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570795-77401.jpg"},"imageDescription":"During her visit, President McAleese, right, spoke with young Baha'is from the Dublin area"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570795-77402.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The President, right, was presented with a specially bound copy of The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, in both English and the Irish language. She is pictured here with its translator, Dr. Seosamh Watson."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570800-77403.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, left, talks with two members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Ireland - Mr. Brendan McNamara and Mrs. Alison Wortley."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the Baha'i World News Service archive"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":384,"relatedStoryCaption":"Challenge of establishing unity in diversity explored at Dublin conference on contemporary issues."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":234,"relatedStoryCaption":"Una Dean, daughter of distinguished Baha'i, George Townshend dies aged 81."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":752,"relatedStoryCaption":"Youth examine their lives at a time when they can shape the kind of world they want to live in."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":773,"evergreenUrl":"human-rights-abuses-iran-focus-global-campaigns","title":"Human rights abuses in Iran focus of global campaigns","description":"A global day of action demanding an end to human rights abuses in Iran has been called for Saturday, 12 June. The initiative – coordinated by...","date":"2010-05-24","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570739-7730012june.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570739-7730012june.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Two of the websites announcing the day of action on 12 June.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A global day of action demanding an end to human rights abuses in Iran has been called for Saturday, 12 June.\n\nThe initiative – coordinated by human rights group United4Iran – is being cosponsored by numerous organizations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Nobel Women's Initiative, the Baha'i International Community, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, FIDH (Federation Internationale des ligues des Droits de l'Homme), and Pen International.\n\n\"In our support for this nonpartisan initiative, we are standing together with ordinary citizens throughout the world to draw attention to the continuing and widespread abuse of human rights in Iran,\" said Diane Ala'i, representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.\n\nThe prominent nongovernmental organizations are joining with a wide range of local, student and Internet-based groups to host simultaneous events in cities and on campuses around the globe. Online initiatives include sending messages to specific recipients in support of individual prisoners of conscience. The campaign website can be visited [here](http://12june.org).\n\n**An \"overwhelming\" response**\n\nEarlier this month, United4Iran marked the second anniversary – on 14 May – of the jailing of seven Baha'i leaders in Tehran's Evin prison, calling for individuals to show support by replicating the size of the small jail cells and taking a photograph.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"The response was overwhelming,\" reported the United4Iran website. \"Notes, emails, video, old photographs of the leaders, former students, (and) community representatives from all the world participated.\"\n\nAs a gesture of solidarity, supporters were asked to mark off the size of the cells shared by the Baha'i prisoners then occupy the space, so as to better appreciate their suffering.\n\nThe cells of the Baha'is in Evin prison do not have beds, forcing the prisoners to sleep on the concrete floor.\n\nA video was posted online to show some of the photos the organization received.  View the video [here](http://united4iran.com/2010/05/replicating-the-prison-conditions-of-the-7-bahai-video-of-worldwide-solidarity).\n\nUnited4Iran also published an old photograph of one of the jailed Baha'is, Fariba Kamalabadi, with one of her former students. The student sent the picture to United4Iran along with words from a letter she wrote to her teacher: \"Now that you are in prison ... for making the world a better place, ... it brings tears to my eyes. And all I can do is pray. The things you taught me I will always know.\"\n\n\"We are grateful for this outpouring of sympathy being offered to the people of Iran who are subject to oppression,\" said Ms. Ala'i.\n\nThe website of United4Iran can be viewed [here](http://united4iran.com).\n\n**Other initiatives**\n\nSeveral other organizations have recently launched campaigns in support of Iran's oppressed Baha'i community.\n\nThe latest newsletter of the French branch of the organization Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT-France) includes a call for action in support of the seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders, as well as 12 other Baha'is who have been recently detained.\n\nOn 14 March, Amnesty International requested messages of goodwill be sent to prisoners of conscience in Iran in order to mark the traditional Persian new year holiday.\n\nThe detained leaders of Iran's Baha'i community were included among seven cases selected by Amnesty International.\n\nTo date, almost 600 messages have been received for the Baha'i prisoners – both individually and collectively – from as far afield as Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United States. More details of Amnesty International's campaign can be found [here](http://livewire.amnesty.org/2010/03/16/supporting-iranian-prisoners-of-conscience/#more-1795).\n\nThe seven Baha'i leaders jailed in Tehran for the past two years are among about 36 Baha'is currently imprisoned in Iran because of their religion."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570741-77301liechtenstein.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Supporters of the United4Iran campaign on 14 May outlined the cramped dimensions of the cells of the seven Baha'i leaders in Tehran's Evin prison. This photograph is from Liechtenstein."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570741-77302kamalteacherphoto.jpg"},"imageDescription":"One of the imprisoned Baha'i leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi, left, is pictured with a former student. This old photograph was sent by the student to the United4Iran campaign."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Recent articles on Iran"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":771,"relatedStoryCaption":"New details emerge of harsh prison conditions."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":767,"relatedStoryCaption":"Concern over supposedly closed hearing."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":757,"relatedStoryCaption":"Countries voice strong concerns at UN Human Rights Council."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":772,"evergreenUrl":"rethinking-prosperity-is-topic-panel-united-nations","title":"'Rethinking Prosperity' is topic for panel at United Nations","description":"Professor Tim Jackson doesn't hold back when describing today's consumer culture: \"We are encouraged to spend money we don't have, on things...","date":"2010-05-12","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570710-77200consumer.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570710-77200consumer.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Baha'i International Community hosted a discussion at its New York offices on 10 May for delegates attending the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Professor Tim Jackson doesn't hold back when describing today's consumer culture:\n\n\"We are encouraged to spend money we don't have, on things we don't need, to create impressions that don't last, on people we don't care about.\"\n\nProfessor Jackson, a member of the Sustainable Development Commission of the United Kingdom, made his comments at a panel discussion held this week in conjunction with the current session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.\n\nThe Baha'i International Community cosponsored the discussion, titled \"Rethinking Prosperity: Forging Alternatives to a Culture of Consumerism.\"\n\nCountries are being driven further into debt – not to mention potential environmental catastrophe – by levels of consumerism that do not contribute to sustainability, Professor Jackson said.\n\nThe answer, the panelists proposed, is to reconsider the nature of the consumer culture that relentlessly urges people to adopt a lifestyle based on the acquisition of new and more material goods.\n\nA representative of Consumers International, Luis Flores Mimica of Chile, observed that there are many people in the \"developing world\" who have not yet taken up the consumer-based lifestyle, which he said was largely filled with \"empty aspirations.\"\n\n\"There is no way they can continue to follow the path of 'development' as labeled that way in the 1950s,\" he said.\n\n**'Redefining progress'**\n\nJeff Barber, executive director of Integrative Strategies Forum in the United States, said one place to start \"redefining progress\" would be to consider the vast research about what really makes people happy. Much of that shows that material consumption does not necessarily lead to a feeling of well-being.\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Victoria Thoresen, of the Norwegian Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living, suggested that a way to help humanity make the shift to a system of sustainable values is to recognize our essential oneness – and to consider that humanity is now collectively moving from an adolescent stage towards maturity.\n\n\"Constructive change depends upon individuals being able to recognize spiritual principles and to identify patterns and processes of development in society,\" said Ms. Thoresen, who is a Baha'i.\n\nDuncan Hanks, a representative of the Baha'i International Community to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, announced the publication of the new Baha'i statement, also titled \"Rethinking Prosperity: Forging Alternatives to a Culture of Consumerism.\"\n\n\"At a time when oil spews forth uncontrolled in the Gulf of Mexico, we feel both the immediacy and urgency to rethink what fair and just progress is,\" he said. \"We have been rethinking what true prosperity looks like.\"\n\nWhat is needed first, Mr. Hanks said, is public discourse on the nature and purpose of human development, along with the recognition that each individual has a contribution to make in building a more just and peaceful social order.\n\nProfessor Jackson agreed. \"We need a better concept of prosperity, a shared prosperity, a lasting prosperity, a prosperity built around the concept of people's capacity to flourish, within the confines of a finite planet,\" he said.\n\nThe discussion, held on 10 May at the New York offices of the Baha'i International Community, was cosponsored by UNESCO – the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization - and the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations. The 2010 session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development runs through 14 May.\n\nRead more about the statement, \"Rethinking Prosperity: Forging Alternatives to a Culture of Consumerism\" [here](/story/770)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570713-77000commsusdevstatement.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Cover of the Baha'i statement issued for the 2010 session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Recent UN-related articles"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":770,"relatedStoryCaption":"Document challenges idea that humans are slaves to self-interest."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":761,"relatedStoryCaption":"How the media depict women and girls discussed at UN event."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":758,"relatedStoryCaption":"Statement promotes new model of consultation among different cultures."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":771,"evergreenUrl":"calls-action-iranian-bahai-leaders-enter-third-year-prison","title":"Calls for action as Iranian Baha'i leaders enter third year in prison","description":"As seven Baha'i leaders in Iran enter their third year of imprisonment, new details about the harsh conditions of their incarceration have emerged,...","date":"2010-05-10","customDateline":false,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570696-69900.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570696-69900.jpg"},"imageDescription":"On 14 May, the Iranian Baha'i leaders enter their third year of imprisonment without having been convicted of any crime. They are, top from left, Behrouz Tavakkoli, Fariba Kamalabadi, Vahid Tizfahm, and Mahvash Sabet; bottom from left, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Saeid Rezaie, and Afif Naeimi.","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"As seven Baha'i leaders in Iran enter their third year of imprisonment, new details about the harsh conditions of their incarceration have emerged, prompting renewed calls for their immediate release.\n\nThe prisoners are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm.\n\n\"These innocent Baha'is have now been locked up for two full years in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, under conditions which clearly violate international standards,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. \"We call on the Iranian authorities to release them now, and ask the international community to join us in this plea. The dictates of justice demand no less.\"\n\nThe prisoners, former members of an informal group known as the Yaran, or \"Friends,\" used to attend to the spiritual and social needs of the several hundred thousand Baha'is of Iran. They have been held in Evin prison since they were arrested in 2008 – six of them on 14 May and one of them two months earlier.\n\nNo court hearing was held until 12 January this year when they appeared in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court. Charges including espionage, propaganda activities and \"corruption on earth\" were all denied. Further appearances took place on 7 February and 12 April.\n\n\"In the three trial sessions that have so far taken place, no evidence has been provided whatsoever of wrongdoing – making it all the more obvious that the prisoners are being held only because of their religious belief,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\n\"If their freedom is not immediately granted, at the very least they should be released on bail. Steps should be taken to ensure that their trial is expedited and conducted fairly, in accordance with international standards,\" she said.\n\n**Severe prison conditions**\n\nFriday marks the second anniversary of the group's imprisonment, and details continue to emerge about the severe conditions under which they are being held. It is known, for example, that the two women and five men are confined to two cells which are so small that they restrict adequate movement or rest.\n\n\"They have neither beds nor bedding,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nThe place has a rancid smell, and they are permitted to have fresh air for only two hours each week. They have a light that if turned off during the day makes it impossible for them to see anything.\n\n\"Contact with their loved ones is restricted to one 10-minute telephone call a week, or visits which are mostly conducted through a glass barrier,\" Ms. Dugal said.\n\n\"Such inhumane conditions show no regard for the principles outlined in international agreements for the treatment of prisoners, which provide that no one may be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment,\" she said.\n\n\"The prisoners' own requests for modest improvements to their conditions remain unaddressed, and as a consequence their health is suffering.\n\n\"These people are innocent, and there is no reason they should be made to suffer like this,\" she said.\n\nAccording to the journalist Roxana Saberi – who shared a cell for three weeks with two of the Baha'i prisoners – the women are confined in a small space. \"They roll up a blanket to use as a pillow,\" she said. \"The floor is cement and covered with only a thin, brown carpet, and prisoners often get backaches and bruises from sleeping on it. ... When I was with them, we were allowed into a walled-in cement yard four days a week for 20 to 30 minutes.\"\n\n*See section below for \"Glimpse inside Evin prison.\"*\n\n**International action**\n\nThe Universal House of Justice – the head of the Baha'i Faith – has called for the worldwide Baha'i community to host special prayer meetings across the globe this Friday, to remember the Baha'is of Iran and all their compatriots who are similarly subject to oppression.\n\n\"It grieves our hearts to contemplate the passing of yet another year in which the seven former members of the Yaran remain imprisoned on baseless charges for which the authorities have no evidence whatsoever,\" the House of Justice has written.\n\nThe second anniversary, they say, calls to mind the \"multifarious forms of oppression\" being faced by Iran's Baha'i community, including \"interrogations, summary arrests and imprisonment, deprivation of the means to a livelihood, wanton destruction of property, and the denial of education to Baha'i students.\"\n\nA collective gesture of solidarity with the imprisoned Baha'i leaders has also been called for by the human rights network United4Iran. They are asking sympathizers worldwide to replicate the dimensions of the cells in Evin prison, and document themselves confined to the space. Photographs and video clips will be then shared on the Internet to bring the international community's attention to the ongoing arbitrary imprisonment being endured by the seven.\n\nDetails about the United4Iran campaign can be found [here](http://united4iran.com/2010/05/may-14th-2010-2-years-since-the-arbitrary-arrests-of-the-7-baha%E2%80%99i/).\n\nDuring her time in Iran's Evin prison, journalist Roxana Saberi met a number of fellow women prisoners who gave her strength and inspiration as she faced the interrogations of her keepers and the harsh conditions of the jail itself.\n\nAmong these were the two women Baha'i leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet, with whom Ms. Saberi shared a cell for about three weeks in early 2009.\n\n\"Fariba and Mahvash were two of the women prisoners I met in Evin who inspired me the most,\" said Ms. Saberi in a recent interview. \"They showed me what it means to be selfless, to care more about community and beliefs than about oneself.\"\n\nMs. Saberi's description of the conditions facing the two Baha'i women offers considerable insight into what it is like to be unjustly incarcerated in Iran today – a situation experienced not only by Baha'is, but by hundreds if not thousands among the journalists, women's activists, and human rights defenders who are currently held in Iran.\n\nAccording to Ms. Saberi, the two Baha'i women are confined in a small cell, with two little, metal-covered windows and no beds.\n\n\"They must sleep on blankets,\" said Ms.Saberi. \"They have no pillows, either. They roll up a blanket to use as a pillow. They use their chadors as a bed sheet.\n\n\"The floor is cement and covered with only a thin, brown carpet, and prisoners often get backaches and bruises from sleeping on it.\n\n\"The bathroom is down the hall, and prisoners must get permission to use it,\" she said.\n\nExercise periods were also limited. \"When I was with them, we were allowed into a walled-in cement yard four days a week for 20 to 30 minutes,\" she said. \"We were allowed to take a shower and wash our clothes by hand on the other three days of the week.\"\n\nBefore she joined them, the two had for a time each been kept in solitary confinement, and they had no access to outside news or books – save for the Qur'an and a few Islamic prayer books.\n\n\"When I was with Mahvash and Fariba, they tried to keep a routine of reading those books that are allowed in prison, watching the state-run TV news, exercising in place in the cell, and praying,\" Ms. Saberi said.\n\n\"I believe they always kept in mind the fact that their behavior in prison could have consequences for the wider Baha'i community. They seemed to feel this was both a responsibility but also a blessing, something that gave them strength to carry on,\" she said.\n\n*Comments from Ms. Saberi adapted from an interview in One Country, the newsletter of the Baha'i International Community, Volume 20, Issue 3.*"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Further information"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[BWNS Iran Update](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[List of BWNS articles ](http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Photos](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/photos.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Recent BWNS articles about Iran"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":767,"relatedStoryCaption":"Another hearing passes with no progress in the proceedings."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":757,"relatedStoryCaption":"Countries from around the world have voiced strong concern before the UN Human Rights Council."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":743,"relatedStoryCaption":"General Assembly confirms measure expressing concern at serious ongoing violations."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":770,"evergreenUrl":"alternatives-consumer-culture-focus-new-bahai-document","title":"Alternatives to consumer culture focus of new Baha'i document","description":"A new statement challenging the common assumption that human beings are slaves to self-interest and consumerism has been issued by the Baha'i...","date":"2010-05-05","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570688-77000commsusdevstatement.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570688-77000commsusdevstatement.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Cover of the Baha'i statement issued for the 2010 session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.","imageStyle":"canvas-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A new statement challenging the common assumption that human beings are slaves to self-interest and consumerism has been issued by the Baha'i International Community.\n\nA more profound look at human nature would reveal the ability to respond to a higher calling, suggests the document – issued this week for the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development as it began its annual two-week session.\n\n\"The culture of consumerism ... has tended to reduce human beings to competitive, insatiable consumers of goods and to objects of manipulation by the market,\" it says.\n\nIn fact, \"the human experience is essentially spiritual in nature: it is rooted in the inner reality – or what some call the 'soul' – that we all share in common,\" it states.\n\nThe document, titled \"Rethinking Prosperity: Forging Alternatives to a Culture of Consumerism,\" challenges the view that there is an intractable conflict between what people want – which supposedly is to consume more – and what humanity needs.\n\n\"Much of economic and psychological theory depicts human beings as slaves to self-interest,\" it says. \"The faculties needed to construct a more just and sustainable social order – moderation, justice, love, reason, sacrifice and service to the common good – have too often been dismissed as naive ideals. Yet, it is these and related qualities that must be harnessed. ...\"\n\nPeter Adriance, a member of the Baha'i International Community's delegation to the Commission, said the statement is a contribution to a dialogue on the development of a 10-year framework to encourage new programs that advance sustainable consumption and production.\n\n\"The document deals with the issue of consumerism by reflecting on the question of what is human nature,\" he said. \"We must look at who we are and what our purpose in life is.\n\n\"The transition to sustainable consumption and production is one of the great challenges of our times, and to achieve it will require a transformation in both thought and action. The cultural forces at play are powerful and demand re-examination if we are to move forward,\" he said.\n\nThe statement can be read at http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic-statements/10-0503.htm.\n\n**Panel discussion**\n\nAs a further contribution to the work this year of the Commission on Sustainable Development, the Baha'i International Community will cosponsor a panel discussion on 10 May on the same topic as the statement.\n\nPanelists will include Tim Jackson of the United Kingdom's Sustainable Development Commission; Victoria Thoresen of the Norwegian Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living; Jeff Barber of the U.S.-based International Coalition on Sustainable Production and Consumption; and Luis Flores Mimica of Consumers International, based in Chile.\n\nThe discussion will be moderated by Duncan Hanks of the Canadian Baha'i International Development Agency. It is cosponsored by UNESCO and the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the BWNS archives"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":729,"relatedStoryCaption":"World leaders must examine moral dimensions, says IPCC head Rajendra Pachauri."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":758,"relatedStoryCaption":"Statement presented to Commission for Social Development."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":736,"relatedStoryCaption":"Religious leaders gather at historic Windsor Castle to launch long-term effort."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":769,"evergreenUrl":"latin-america-marks-key-anniversary-establishment-bahai-faith","title":"Latin America marks key anniversary in establishment of Baha’i Faith","description":"El Salvador and 20 other nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are this month electing their national Baha'i assembly for the 50th time....","date":"2010-04-28","customDateline":null,"city":"SAN SALVADOR","country":"EL SALVADOR","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759251-76900elsalvador.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759251-76900elsalvador.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A delegate to this year’s national convention in El Salvador casts her vote for the National Spiritual Assembly. It was the 50th such Baha'i convention in that country, and special events were planned to mark the occasion. (Photos courtesy of the Baha'i Community of El Salvador)","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"El Salvador and 20 other nations in Latin America and the Caribbean are this month electing their national Baha'i assembly for the 50th time.\n\nThe anniversary not only marks a milestone in the establishment of the Baha'i Faith in the Western Hemisphere, but the formation of those 21 assemblies in 1961 helped pave the way for the election two years later of the Universal House of Justice, the nine-member body that is now the worldwide head of the Baha'i Faith.\n\n\"To be able to elect the House of Justice, we first had to elect national assemblies,\" explained Gabriel Torres, who was a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of El Salvador.\n\nMr. Torres shared his memories at a special session during El Salvador's 50th national convention, held this past weekend at the new Baha'i center in the capital city of San Salvador.\n\nOthers who spoke were Quentin and Jeanne Farrand – also among the nine people elected to the first Salvadoran Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"It was such an emotional moment when (we learned) that 21 countries in Latin America would all form their national assemblies in 1961,\" Mrs. Farrand said.\n\nAt the time, added Mr. Farrand, there were just 24 active Baha'is in El Salvador. \"I remember that there were only 11 people at the first summer school we had. Now our Baha'i Institute is too small to hold all the people.\"\n\nThere are several thousand Baha'is in El Salvador now, despite upheavals caused by civil war in the 1980s and early '90s that forced many people from their homes and significantly reduced the size of the Baha'i community.\n\nMore important than numbers, however, is the progress being made at the grassroots level to work with the wider community in contributing to the betterment of society, said Gabriela Velis, 32.\n\n\"Our work is aimed at raising the capacity of people to take charge of their own spiritual, social, and intellectual development,\" she said.\n\nActivities include gatherings that strengthen the devotional character of the community; classes for children; groups that channel the energies of young people; and study circles where participants explore the application of spiritual teachings to their lives.\n\n**Festival of Ridvan**\n\nNational Baha'i elections are held during the 12-day Festival of Ridvan, which begins each year on 21 April. Ridvan marks the anniversary of Baha'u'llah's declaration in 1863 that He is the Messenger of God for this age, the most recent in a line of divine educators that includes Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Mohammed, Moses, Zoroaster, and others.\n\nIn its annual message for the Ridvan period addressed to the Baha'is of the world, the Universal House of Justice observed the growing ability of National Spiritual Assemblies across the globe to think and act strategically in nurturing community-building processes at the local level.\n\nAs core activities multiply, the message noted, they will be sustained by \"men and women eager to improve material and spiritual conditions in their surroundings.\"\n\nIn addition to El Salvador, other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where Baha'is are electing their National Spiritual Assembly for the 50th year include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.\n\nHistorical photographs from the first national Baha'i election in each of these countries may be seen at https://news.bahai.org/story/ridvan2010/photographs.html."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759250-76901elsalvador1.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The first National Spiritual Assembly of El Salvador was elected in 1961. All nine members appear in this official photograph. In back from left are Napoleon Gonzalez, Quentin Farrand, Marcia Steward de Matamoros, Rafael Garcia, Marco Antonio Martinez, and Jeanne de Farrand. In front, Jose Maria Padilla, Marta de Herrador, and Gabriel Torres."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759251-76902elsalvador5.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Three members of the first National Spiritual Assembly of El Salvador share their memories of the first national convention. At left is Gabriel Torres and at right, Jeanne and Quentin Farrand. Second from left is Rodrigo Tomas, a member of the Continental Board of Counselors who attended this year’s convention and hosted this conversation."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759251-76903elsalvador1o.jpg"},"imageDescription":"During the 50th convention, the new national Baha'i center in San Salvador was officially dedicated. The Baha’i community of neighboring Guatemala sent a beautiful congratulatory bouquet that greeted the visitors."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759250-76904elsalvador15o.jpg"},"imageDescription":"This year's national convention opened with a special program in the garden of the new Baha'i center for distinguished guests, including officials from the national government and representatives of the diplomatic corps in El Salvador, various religious communities, and other groups."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759251-76905elsalvador10o.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The youth presented a religious unity dance for the guests, who joined Baha'is in celebrating both the inauguration of the new Baha'i center and the 50th election of the National Spiritual Assembly. Displays chronicled the 70-year history of the Baha'i Faith in El Salvador."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759252-76906elsalvador3o.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The tellers count the ballots during the 50th election of the National Spiritual Assembly of El Salvador."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759252-76907elsalvador19o.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Members of the National Spiritual Assembly prepare to have their first photograph taken as a group following their election on 24 April 2010."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759251-76908domrep.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Dominican Republic celebrated its 50th national convention this year with the participation of three early members of its National Spiritual Assembly. Ana Daisy Garcia, center, was elected in 1961, and she is also serving as a member now. At left is Felix Gomez, a member of the first assembly who later moved to Puerto Rico and served on the assembly there, too. At right is Rafael Benzan, a member of the regional assembly for the Caribbean that preceded the individual national assemblies. He was first elected to the national assembly in the Dominican Republic in 1962."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759254-76909panama.jpg"},"imageDescription":"In Panama, Raquel Constante, center front, a member of the first National Spiritual Assembly elected in 1961, joins those elected this year for a photograph. Seated second from left is Carmen Elisa Sadeghian, a member of the Continental Board of Counselors who attended the convention. So far the only Baha'i House of Worship in Latin America is located in Panama, and a special devotional service was held there to celebrate the 50th national convention."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Historical photos"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[A look at all 21 National Spiritual Assemblies elected in 1961.](https://news.bahai.org/story/ridvan2010/photographs)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the BWNS archive"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":712,"relatedStoryCaption":"Like Iran's, it was first elected in 1934."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":709,"relatedStoryCaption":"Bahia, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, were the first local Baha'i assemblies in South America."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":617,"relatedStoryCaption":"Baha'i convention in 2008 was the first since unification of North and South Vietnam in 1975."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":768,"evergreenUrl":"work-advances-restoration-haifas-golden-domed-shrine","title":"Work advances on restoration of Haifa's golden-domed shrine","description":"With great care and patience, a dozen trusted workers are going over the entire stone surface of Haifa's renowned Baha'i shrine, mending and...","date":"2010-04-23","customDateline":false,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570560-76800shrine-of-the-babready.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570560-76800shrine-of-the-babready.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa is illuminated at night, but the familiar golden dome is covered by a shroud while restoration work is under way. (Baha’i World Centre photo. All rights reserved.)","imageStyle":"canvas-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"With great care and patience, a dozen trusted workers are going over the entire stone surface of Haifa's renowned Baha'i shrine, mending and cleaning every spot that shows damage from half a century exposed to the elements.\n\nThe stone restoration of the burial place of the Bab – one of two divine Messengers associated with the Baha'i Faith – is only one part of a four-year project that is bringing the benefits of 21st century engineering and building expertise to a structure whose first rooms were completed in 1909.\n\nThe initial phase of the work – structural reinforcement to increase resistance to earthquakes – began in 2008 and is virtually finished.\n\n\"A new concealed steel structure, masonry reinforcements, and concrete work are largely complete,\" said Saeid Samadi, architect and manager for the project. \"The stone restoration should be finished by the end of the summer, and other work is well under way.\"\n\nIn addition to stonework and structural reinforcement, the painstaking restoration includes replacing the golden tiles on the dome, gilding anew the elements that feature gold leaf, replacing the red floor tiles inside the shrine, restoring the original ornamental balustrades, refurbishing the wood and metal doors and windows, installing new electrical and environmental control systems, and waterproofing.\n\nThe entire project is scheduled for completion in April 2012, but the exterior should be finished sooner, Mr. Samadi said. The refurbishing includes both the original one-story building that was completed a century ago and the outside colonnade, superstructure, and golden dome that were finished in 1953.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"The expectation is that by early October 2011, when the Baha'i pilgrimage season begins, visitors will be able to see the shrine in its full beauty and grandeur,\" Mr. Samadi said. \"At the moment much of the exterior of the building is blocked from view.\"\n\nIn fact, extraordinary care has been taken to shield the restoration work from the public so that pilgrims and other visitors can continue to enter the shrine for prayer and also experience the beauty and peacefulness of the gardens.\n\nAccess to the tomb itself is suspended only during three summer months when no formal Baha'i pilgrimages are scheduled.\n\nThe Baha'i shrine on Mount Carmel is one of the most visited sites in the Holy Land. The building, overlooking Haifa Bay and the Mediterranean Sea, is known for its beauty and for the adjacent gardens that stretch up and down the mountain.\n\nIn 2008, the Shrine of Baha'u'llah north of Haifa, near Acre, and the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel were chosen for the UNESCO World Heritage list, sites of \"outstanding universal value\" that should be considered part of the \"cultural heritage of humanity.\"\n\nThe restoration work will not result in any change in the design or general appearance of the Shrine of the Bab.\n\nBehind the massive scaffolding and the custom-fitted mesh that currently shrouds the upper portion of the Shrine of the Bab, members of the stone restoration team are well along in their task.\n\nWork actually began five years ago, when experts in Italy were consulted about the stone, its particular qualities, and possible techniques for restoration. Then came laboratory tests, research into the causes of deterioration, experimentation with restoration methods and materials, and commissioning of experts from England, the Netherlands, and the United States to come to Haifa and work with the Baha'is in refining the techniques to be used.\n\nThe methods were applied first on another restoration project – that of the International Archives Building which stands near the Shrine of the Bab at the Baha'i World Centre. That project, now finished, required 30,000 man-hours for the stone restoration alone.\n\nCurrently, the staff is gearing up for the replacement of the gilded tiles on the dome of the Shrine of the Bab. Removal of the original tiles has begun, and an agreement has been finalized for the fabrication of new ones.\n\nIt represents the final stretch of a five-year process involving in-depth studies and laboratory tests on how best to manufacture high-performance ceramics that in appearance resemble the original tiles. (See previous article at https://news.bahai.org/story/513).\n\nAll aspects of the project have received the same careful scrutiny, Mr. Samadi said.\n\n\"We have sought the best expertise available, used the most sophisticated methods, and studied and tested every element. It took us two years to find exactly the right red floor tiles – in France – to replace the damaged ones in the shrine. Restoring the balustrades has taken us 2,000 to 3,000 hours of work,\" he said. \"This is a very big project.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570569-76801sb-35-076.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Workers are going over the entire stone exterior of the shrine and repairing every spot that shows signs of damage from 50 years of exposure to the elements. Jubin Nakhai, shown here, is an experienced stone carver from Canada. (Baha’i World Centre photo. All rights reserved.)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570564-76802resizedimg2217.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The golden dome of the Shrine of the Bab is one of Haifa's most prominent landmarks. This photograph was taken at the start of the current work, before the building was shrouded. The restoration will not alter the appearance of the building. (BWNS photo)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570561-76803resizedsb-17-116.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The tiles that cover the dome of the Baha'i shrine will soon be replaced, restoring the original golden luster. (Baha’i World Centre photo. All rights reserved.)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570561-76804sb-35-0840.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Saeid Samadi, right, architect and project manager for the shrine restoration project, and Enayat Rohani, engineer and site supervisor, confer as the work at the shrine progresses. (Baha’i World Centre photo. All rights reserved.)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570570-76805shrinerestore097resized.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The current restoration project at the Baha'i property on Mount Carmel began with the International Archives Building. Work at that site is finished, and the gleaming white building reopened last year. (BWNS photo)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570560-76806dsc0377bready.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Volunteers were specially chosen for the meticulous stonework at the Baha'i shrine. Specialists from Europe and the United States developed the methods and then trained the technicians, who have spent thousands of hours on the detailed work. “Mainly what you need is patience,” said team leader Jubin Nakhai. (Baha’i World Centre photo. All rights reserved.)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570570-76807ready4nov09-6-djr.jpg"},"imageDescription":"One of the early phases of the shrine restoration was structural reinforcement to increase resistance to earthquakes. Local firms were contracted for the work, which is now virtually finished. (Baha’i World Centre photo. All rights reserved.)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570567-76808readydsc0188djr.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Refurbishing the ornamental metal balustrades required lowering them by crane and transporting them to a workshop. Staff members have devoted 2,000 to 3,000 hours to restoration of the original pieces. (Baha’i World Centre photo. All rights reserved.)"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570560-76809readyimg2304resizeddjr.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Although the exterior of the Shrine of the Bab is shrouded (shown in the background), visitors can still experience the peace and harmony of the gardens and can enter the burial chamber for prayer. Entry is suspended only during three summer months when Baha’i pilgrims are not present. (BWNS photo)"}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the BWNS archive"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":513,"relatedStoryCaption":"Dutch museum specializes in roof tiles from around the world."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":704,"relatedStoryCaption":"In 1909, 'Abdu'l-Baha laid to rest the mortal remains of the Bab."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":705,"relatedStoryCaption":"Hours, directions, and descriptions of Baha'i gardens in Haifa and Acre can be found on the Web."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":767,"evergreenUrl":"update-third-trial-session-iranian-bahai-leaders","title":"Update on third trial session of Iranian Baha'i leaders","description":"Details are emerging from yesterday's court appearance in Tehran of seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders. The Baha'i International Community...","date":"2010-04-13","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Details are emerging from yesterday's court appearance in Tehran of seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders.\n\nThe Baha'i International Community has learned that when the prisoners arrived at the court, their families were not allowed to enter, signaling a closed hearing.\n\nInside the courtroom, however, the prisoners saw numerous officials and interrogators from the Ministry of Intelligence – along with a film crew which had already set up its cameras.\n\nConcerned over the presence of non-judicial personnel in a supposedly closed hearing, the Baha'is – with the agreement of their attorneys – declined to be party to the proceedings.\n\nThe judge adjourned the session and did not announce a date for continuing the trial.\n\n\"The Islamic Republic of Iran should immediately set free these seven innocent prisoners,\" said Diane Ala'i, Baha'i representative to the United Nations in Geneva.\n\n\"The dictates of justice demand no less,\" she said. \"They are now about to enter the third year of their incarceration on baseless charges which they have categorically denied and for which the government has no evidence whatsoever.\n\n\"At the very least, they should be released on bail and steps be taken to ensure that their trial is conducted fairly, in accordance with international standards of jurisprudence.\n\n\"If their confinement is to continue, the harsh conditions under which they are being held must be improved,\" she said.\n\nYesterday's session was the third in the ongoing trial of the seven Baha'is, who have been accused of espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, and \"corruption on earth,\" among other charges. Their first court appearance was 12 January this year.\n\nThe seven defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 and the others on 14 May 2008."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":766,"evergreenUrl":"third-court-session-held-bahai-leaders-iran","title":"Third court session held for Baha'i leaders in Iran","description":"The seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders were called to court today in Tehran for a third session in their trial. The hearing was again closed,...","date":"2010-04-12","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders were called to court today in Tehran for a third session in their trial. The hearing was again closed, and no details are available.\n\n\"We know that a session did take place, but we do not have any specific information from reliable sources,\" said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.\n\n\"These seven innocent Baha'is will soon enter their third year of imprisonment,\" she said. \"At the very least, they should have been released on bail pending the outcome of the tortuous judicial process they have been subjected to. This is unacceptable in light of international human rights law.\"\n\nThe seven have been held in Tehran's Evin prison since they were arrested in 2008. No court hearing was held until 12 January this year when they appeared in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court and charges were read.\n\nAccusations include espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, and \"corruption on earth.\"\n\nA second court session on 7 February was largely procedural.\n\nThe seven defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 and the others on 14 May 2008.\n\nThey have categorically denied all the charges."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Recent articles about the trial"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":756,"relatedStoryCaption":"Seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders appeared in court in Iran for a second session of their trial."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":749,"relatedStoryCaption":"Iran's decision to begin the trial of seven Baha'i leaders has triggered a strong international reaction."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":748,"relatedStoryCaption":"Initial reports indicated that the trial was marked by numerous violations of legal due process."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":765,"evergreenUrl":"court-date-iranian-bahai-leaders-is-12-april","title":"Court date for Iranian Baha'i leaders is 12 April","description":"The Baha'i International Community has learned that there was a miscommunication as to the date of the trial of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders...","date":"2010-04-10","customDateline":null,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Baha'i International Community has learned that there was a miscommunication as to the date of the trial of seven Iranian Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Tehran.\n\nA court session believed to have been scheduled for today is set for Monday, 12 April."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Recent articles about the trial"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":756,"relatedStoryCaption":"Seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders appeared in court in Iran for a second session of their trial."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":748,"relatedStoryCaption":"The trial of seven Baha'is imprisoned in Tehran has begun."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":745,"relatedStoryCaption":"Recent developments in Iran have raised grave concern about the ultimate fate of the seven."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":764,"evergreenUrl":"next-trial-session-iran-bahais-set-tomorrow","title":"Next trial session in Iran for Baha'is set for tomorrow","description":"A third session of the court proceedings against seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders is scheduled for tomorrow in Tehran. It is unknown whether...","date":"2010-04-09","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A third session of the court proceedings against seven imprisoned Iranian Baha'i leaders is scheduled for tomorrow in Tehran.\n\nIt is unknown whether the hearing – scheduled in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court – will be open to families of the defendants and other observers. The first two sessions were closed.\n\nThe seven defendants, who have been imprisoned for two years, were responsible for tending to the spiritual and social needs of Iran's 300,000 Baha'is.\n\nIn January of this year they were finally presented with formal charges, which include espionage and \"corruption on earth\" – accusations that they categorically deny.\n\nFor more information, see recent news stories at https://news.bahai.org/story/760 and https://news.bahai.org/story/759. For further background and photographs, see https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Related articles"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":757,"relatedStoryCaption":"United Nations Human Rights Council reviews situation. Countries and NGOs voice concern."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":753,"relatedStoryCaption":"Trial of 16 individuals violates \"all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.\""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":756,"relatedStoryCaption":"Initial reports indicated that the trial was marked by numerous violations of legal due process."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":763,"evergreenUrl":"two-members-universal-house-justice-leaving-after-decades-service","title":"Two members of Universal House of Justice leaving after decades of service","description":"Two members of the Universal House of Justice, Mr. Hooper Dunbar and Dr. Peter Khan, are leaving Haifa after decades of service at the Baha'i...","date":"2010-03-22","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570533-76300twohousemembers.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570533-76300twohousemembers.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dr. Peter Khan, left, and Mr. Hooper Dunbar","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Two members of the Universal House of Justice, Mr. Hooper Dunbar and Dr. Peter Khan, are leaving Haifa after decades of service at the Baha'i World Centre.\n\nThe results of a by-election to replace them on the nine-member House of Justice were announced on 20 March, with the change effective immediately. The Universal House of Justice, which has its permanent seat in Haifa, is the head of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nThe last regular election of the nine members took place in 2008. All have five-year terms, but the House of Justice gave permission to Mr. Dunbar and Dr. Khan to relinquish their positions owing to their advanced age and the burden of work associated with membership.\n\nMr. Dunbar, 72, has served in Haifa since 1973 when he was called to the Baha'i World Centre as a member of the International Teaching Centre. He was first elected to the Universal House of Justice in 1988 and since then has been elected to successive terms.\n\nOriginally from Los Angeles, as a young man he was an actor on stage, screen and television, making films with Columbia, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Twentieth Century-Fox. In 1958 he began 15 years of residence in Latin America, where he worked as a translator and educator. Mr. Dunbar served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Nicaragua before being named to the Auxiliary Board for Protection. In 1968 he was appointed to the Continental Board of Counselors in South America and served in that position five years until moving to the Holy Land.\n\nHe is an accomplished painter whose works have been shown in Europe and elsewhere. He is the author of a book-length study guide to the Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude), one of the major works of Baha'u'llah, and of \"Forces of Our Time: The Dynamics of Light and Darkness,\" published last year. Mr. Dunbar and his wife, Maralynn George Dunbar, have one son. They will be establishing their new residence in California.\n\nDr. Khan, 73, was first elected to the Universal House of Justice in 1987 and has served as a member since that time.\n\nBorn in New South Wales, Australia, he earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Sydney and then went to the University of Michigan in the United States as Fulbright postdoctoral fellow before becoming a member of the faculty there. He returned to Australia in 1975 to professorial positions, first at the University of New South Wales and then at the University of Queensland.\n\nDr. Khan has published widely in his profession and from 1978 to 2000 was a member of the editorial board of the journal \"IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory.\" He is a fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and a senior member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.\n\nHis Baha'i service included membership on the Auxiliary Board, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Australia, and the Continental Board of Counselors for Australasia before his appointment in 1983 as a member of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa. He served in that capacity until his election to the House of Justice.\n\nDr. Khan has lectured widely on Baha'i subjects and has written numerous articles on the Baha'i Faith. With his wife, Dr. Janet Khan, he is the author of \"Advancement of Women: A Baha'i Perspective.\" They will now make their home in Australia.\n\nThe next regular election of all nine members of the Universal House of Justice will be at the International Baha'i Convention in Haifa in 2013."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the archives"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":762,"relatedStoryCaption":"The Universal House of Justice has announced the results of a by-election for two of its nine members."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":629,"relatedStoryCaption":"The results of the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice have been announced."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":622,"relatedStoryCaption":"Mr. Hartmut Grossmann and Mr. Glenford E. Mitchell relinquish membership on House of Justice."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":762,"evergreenUrl":"two-new-members-elected-universal-house-justice","title":"Two new members elected to Universal House of Justice","description":"The Universal House of Justice has announced the results of a by-election for two of its nine members. The new members are Stephen Birkland and...","date":"2010-03-20","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Universal House of Justice has announced the results of a by-election for two of its nine members.\n\nThe new members are Stephen Birkland and Stephen Hall, elected in balloting in which members of national Baha'i governing bodies around the world serve as electors. The voting was done by mail, and results were conveyed today to all Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies.\n\nThe Universal House of Justice is the head of the Baha'i Faith. Its permanent seat is at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, and all members reside here for the duration of their service.\n\nThe regular election of the nine members of the House of Justice occurs every five years at an international convention, held in Haifa. The most recent election was in 2008.\n\nThe by-election was necessary to fill two vacancies created when the House of Justice approved the request of two members, Mr. Hooper Dunbar and Dr. Peter Khan, to relinquish their positions owing to their advanced age and the heavy burden of work involved in membership."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the archives"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":629,"relatedStoryCaption":"The results of the election of the nine members of the the governing body of the Baha’i Faith have been announced."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":627,"relatedStoryCaption":"Ceremony combines spiritual dignity with global diversity as a thousand Bahá’ís from 153 countries cast ballots ..."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":358,"relatedStoryCaption":"The Universal House of Justice announces the election of two new members."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":761,"evergreenUrl":"media-portrayal-women-is-focus-panel","title":"Media portrayal of women is focus of panel","description":"When Jan Floyd-Douglass decided to buy a new car, she bypassed suitable models from eight different manufacturers – and then wrote to tell them...","date":"2010-03-04","customDateline":false,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570500-76100cws20101163.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570500-76100cws20101163.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baroness Joyce Gould, left, chair of the UK Women's National Commission, and Jan Floyd-Douglass, right, who is on the board of the same commission, were among the speakers at a panel discussion held 3 March in conjunction with the UN Commission on the Status of Women. They are shown with Zarin Hainsworth-Fadaei, also of the UK.","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"When Jan Floyd-Douglass decided to buy a new car, she bypassed suitable models from eight different manufacturers – and then wrote to tell them why.\n\n\"I love your car but I didn't buy it because I don't like your advertisements because they demean women,\" wrote Ms. Floyd-Douglass, who is on the board of the Women's National Commission in the United Kingdom.\n\nShe told the story during a panel discussion titled \"Portrayal or Betrayal: How the Media Depicts Women and Girls\" held at the UN offices of the Baha'i International Community. The event was planned in conjunction with the annual session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women which began on 1 March.\n\nAlong with the other panelists, she noted that sexualized images of women in advertising are so commonplace as to seem innocuous.\n\n\"My message is, if we don't actually do anything about this, we are complicit in it,\" said Ms. Floyd-Douglass.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Also on the panel was Sarah Kasule, director of the Mother's Union for Uganda, who said that the way women are portrayed in the African media can be equally negative.\n\n\"They are depicted as symbols of sex. Or as something to do with making men comfortable, or giving care,\" she said.\n\nThis trend in the media is a result of both individual choices and institutional forces, added Dr. Michael Karlberg, who is an associate professor in the department of communications at Western Washington University.\n\n\"On one hand,\" he said, \"people everywhere are choosing to consume media that feeds base appetites that we have inherited from our animal nature. On the other hand, media institutions have been constructed in ways that purposefully stimulate, reinforce, and exploit these base appetites.\"\n\nThe result is a \"feedback cycle\" that has created a media environment that is \"unjust, unhealthy, and unsustainable,\" observed Dr. Karlberg.\n\nHe said any effort to address the problem must consider the structure of media institutions.\n\n\"The assumption is that the media is just another commodity. But the media is not just another commodity. It is a process that facilitates democratic deliberations. It is a process that creates culture.\"\n\nPart of the problem, he said, is that the media's real product is not content but the delivery of an audience to advertisers. The result is that the media strives to manufacture audiences in the cheapest way possible, through a \"high-sex, high-violence, high-conflict content. It doesn't take talent or research or investigative journalism. Yet it stimulates the appetites, much the same way that a high-salt, high-sugar, and high-fat junk food diet does.\"\n\nThe discussion, held on 3 March, was moderated by Baroness Joyce Gould, chair of the UK Women's National Commission.\n\nShe said recent studies show that images demeaning to women are increasingly used in the mass media and have an unhealthy impact on the psychological development of both girls and boys.\n\n\"For girls, it is about being told they need to be more attractive to men. And for boys, it is about looking upon girls as sexual objects,\" said Baroness Gould.\n\nDr. Karlberg spoke of efforts the Baha'i community is making to try to counter the ill effects of exposure to such images in the media by offering moral education for children and young people.\n\n\"Baha'is, like people everywhere, are struggling to raise and educate children,\" he said. \"They are trying to do this in a way that cultivates their inherent nobility, that releases their spiritual potential, and that helps them recognize the deep sources of purpose, meaning, and happiness in life.\n\n\"It is clear that such spiritual education can be a very important factor in making children less susceptible to messages in their media environment. It is also a very important factor in making children more likely to make thoughtful choices about media consumption as they grow older.\"\n\nSome counter trends in Uganda may be helpful, said Ms. Kasule, who described how literacy and education levels of women and girls are rising in that country.\n\n\"There are many programs for girls to read and write. This is important because they will be able to access information, to access media reports, and then they can respond.\n\n\"So I believe things are changing for the better,\" she said."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570500-76101cws20101130.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Michael Karlberg of Western Washington University speaks at a discussion titled \"Portrayal or Betrayal: How the Media Depicts Women and Girls.\" The Baha'i International Community hosted the event at its UN offices in New York."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the archives"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":609,"relatedStoryCaption":"That was one of the themes presented at annual UN commission."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":592,"relatedStoryCaption":"Government and NGOs call for renewed attention to the problem."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":487,"relatedStoryCaption":"Symposium in Tanzania marks United Nations Day."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":760,"evergreenUrl":"court-date-bahai-leaders-now-announced-10-april","title":"Court date for Baha'i leaders now announced as 10 April","description":"The third court session for seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran is scheduled for 10 April, a day earlier than originally announced. Diane...","date":"2010-02-22","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The third court session for seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran is scheduled for 10 April, a day earlier than originally announced.\n\nDiane Ala'i, representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, said attorneys in Iran have now received written notice of the court date, confirming it as 10 April, a Saturday. The earlier notification was oral.\n\nThe seven defendants have been imprisoned since 2008 and only last month were presented with formal charges – including espionage and \"corruption on earth\" – which they categorically deny."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Related articles"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":757,"relatedStoryCaption":"United Nations Human Rights Council reviews situation with countries, NGOs voicing concern."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":753,"relatedStoryCaption":"Trial of 16 individuals violates \"all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.\""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":756,"relatedStoryCaption":"The session was once again closed, and family members were not permitted in the courtroom."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":759,"evergreenUrl":"next-court-date-bahai-leaders-will-be-11-april","title":"Next court date for Baha'i leaders will be 11 April","description":"A third court date has been announced for seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran, the Baha'i International Community has learned. The trial...","date":"2010-02-19","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A third court date has been announced for seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran, the Baha'i International Community has learned.\n\nThe trial proceedings – begun on 12 January after the seven had been incarcerated in Tehran's Evin prison for 20 months – will continue on Sunday, 11 April, according to information conveyed orally to their attorneys.\n\nGovernment-sponsored news media reported that at the first hearing, the seven were charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and corruption on earth.\n\nThe defendants categorically deny all accusations.\n\nA second hearing, held on 7 February, was concerned mainly with procedural matters.\n\nThe seven are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. They were responsible for tending to the spiritual and social needs of Iran's 300,000 Baha'is, after formal Baha'i institutions were dissolved in 1983.\n\nThe court proceedings have come at the same time as more Baha'is have been arrested in Tehran. About 13 individuals were rounded up on 3 January, with 10 of them still in custody, and another 13 were detained last week, with 11 of them still jailed.\n\nThere are at present about 60 Baha'is in detention in various cities in Iran."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Further information"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[BWNS Iran Update](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Profiles of the seven prisoners](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/yaran-profiles.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[List of BWNS articles ](http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Photos](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/photos.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Previous articles"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":757,"relatedStoryCaption":"United Nations Human Rights Council reviews situation with countries, NGOs voicing concern."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":753,"relatedStoryCaption":"Trial of 16 individuals violates \"all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.\""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":756,"relatedStoryCaption":"The session was once again closed, and family members were not permitted in the courtroom."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":758,"evergreenUrl":"bahais-offer-decision-making-model-un-commission","title":"Baha'is offer decision-making model at UN commission","description":"A new model of decision-making among peoples of different cultures would contribute to integration \"at this time of transition to a new social...","date":"2010-02-16","customDateline":false,"city":"UNITED NATIONS","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570480-75800.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570480-75800.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Ming H. Chong of Singapore read a summary of the Baha'i statement at the 48th session of the U.N. Commission for Social Development. The statement was titled \"Transforming Collective Deliberations: Valuing Unity and Justice.\" Mr. Chong is pictured outside the United Nations Building in New York.","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A new model of decision-making among peoples of different cultures would contribute to integration \"at this time of transition to a new social order,\" according to a new Baha'i statement.\n\nThe statement was prepared for the 48th United Nations Commission for Social Development, which concluded on 12 February. The commission is the chief UN body charged with following up on the World Summit on Social Development held in 1995 in Copenhagen, where world leaders outlined principles that would characterize a new \"society for all.\" These principles included respect for diversity and participation of all people.\n\nThe Baha'i International Community said in its statement that it was offering its experience in the method of consultation used by Baha'i communities around the world – a key component in creating unity among people.\n\nThe consultative process, the Baha'i statement said, rests on the understanding that all human beings are essentially noble – \"they possess reason and conscience as well as capacities for inquiry, understanding, compassion, and service to the common good.\"\n\nMr. Ming H. Chong of Singapore, a delegate to the commission who presented a summary of the Baha'i statement, said afterward that understanding the nobility of all humans prevents people from dismissing others as needy rather than being in charge of their own development.\n\n\"If you start with (this) understanding, then you have a different perspective, one that avoids labels like 'marginalized' and 'poor,'\" he said. He explained that he was a child of immigrants to Singapore and had learned that such labels create the wrong impression of entire groups of people.\n\n\"Language shapes the way we think,\" he said. \"It creates mental pictures of how we see the world. Some of these mental pictures are not always positive – those that dehumanize migrants, for example.\"\n\nThe Baha'i statement to the UN commission suggested that the human body can serve as a model for comparing the integration of the world's cultures and peoples. \"Within this organism, millions of cells, with extraordinary diversity of form and function, collaborate to make human existence possible. Every least cell has its part to play in maintaining a healthy body,\" the statement said.\n\nThis image can be used to envision the world's peoples as one human family and understand how each culture plays a part in the functioning of the whole, Mr. Chong explained.\n\nIn consultation as practiced in Baha'i communities, great value is placed on the diversity of perspectives and contributions that individuals bring to the discussion.\n\n\"Actively soliciting views from those traditionally excluded from decision-making not only increases the pool of intellectual resources but also fosters the trust, inclusion, and mutual commitment needed for collective action,\" the Baha'i statement said.\n\nA key feature of Baha'i consultation is that ideas belong to the group rather than to individuals.\n\n\"Detachment from one's positions and opinions regarding the matter under discussion is imperative – once an idea has been shared, it is no longer associated with the individual who expressed it, but becomes a resource for the group to adopt, modify, or discard,\" the statement said.\n\nA diversity of opinions, however, is not sufficient – it \"does not provide communities with a means to bridge differences or to resolve social tensions,\" it continued.\n\n\"In consultation, the value of diversity is inextricably linked to the goal of unity. This is not an idealized unity, but one that acknowledges differences and strives to transcend them through a process of principled deliberation,\" the statement said. \"It is unity *in* diversity.\"\n\nThe Baha'i International Community participated in or cosponsored several other activities during the Commission for Social Development, which ran from 3 February to12 February. Among other things, Baha'is sponsored a panel discussion on freedom of religion or belief, offered a presentation on \"Child Participation for Social Integration\" featuring the New York-based Children's Theater Company, and contributed to NGO consultations leading to a Civil Society Declaration to the Commission.\n\nThe panel discussion – titled \"Freedom of religion or belief: A forgotten pillar of social integration?\" – was held at Baha'i offices on 5 February. It featured presentations by Brian Grim, a senior researcher at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life; Dr. Anupam Ray of the mission of India to the UN; John Mosoti of the mission of Kenya to UN; and Azza Karam, a senior researcher with the United Nations Population Fund.\n\nParticipants discussed how freedom of religion contributes to social integration, focusing in part on the success of multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies like India and Kenya in achieving relative harmony.\n\n\"To the extent that efforts towards social integration will reflect the diverse voices and aspirations of the world's people, governments will need to tackle one of the most challenging and neglected issues of our time – ensuring every individual's freedom of conscience, religion or belief,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the UN, who introduced the discussion."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the BWNS archive"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":735,"relatedStoryCaption":"The program seeks to promote lifestyle changes that will help slow global warming."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":714,"relatedStoryCaption":"Youth prepare statement for full session."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":609,"relatedStoryCaption":"U.N. session focuses on financing for gender equality and empowerment of women."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":757,"evergreenUrl":"nations-rally-defend-human-rights-iran","title":"Nations rally to defend human rights in Iran","description":"Countries from around the world have voiced strong concern at the United Nations Human Rights Council over Iran's deteriorating human rights...","date":"2010-02-16","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570465-75700.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543570465-75700.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The UN Human Rights Council focused on the situation in Iran in a session on 15 February at the Palace of Nations, the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Countries from around the world have voiced strong concern at the United Nations Human Rights Council over Iran's deteriorating human rights record.\n\nIn speeches yesterday and in documents filed with the Council, nations and human rights groups described the degree to which Iran has failed to live up to its obligations under international human rights law.\n\n\"The good news is that governments and organizations are rallying to defend innocent Iranians, who have over the last year seen their human rights so gravely violated,\" said Diane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.\n\n\"The bad news is that Iran continues to ignore such appeals,\" she said, speaking after yesterday's session of Council, which specifically focused on Iran's human rights record.\n\nMuhammad Javad Larijani, secretary general of the Islamic Republic of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, told the session that there is religious freedom in Iran and that no Baha'i is persecuted for his beliefs. If any Baha'is are imprisoned, he said, it is because of \"illegal activities\" as a cult.\n\n\"Put bluntly, Iran once again completely discredited itself before the eyes of the international community,\" said Ms. Ala'i, noting that last week Iran arrested at least 14 more Baha'is.\n\nAmong those arrested, she said, was Niki Khanjani, the son of one of the seven Baha'i leaders who are currently on trial on false charges.\n\n\"As the Nobel laureate Mrs. Shirin Ebadi has recently stated in an open letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Iran is now trying to increase pressure on prisoners by taking their relatives hostage,\" said Ms. Ala'i. \"Jamaloddin Khanjani is 76. He has been incarcerated for almost two years – and then they arrested his granddaughter at the beginning of January and now, his son.\"\n\n\"These are the desperate acts of a regime that is frantically lashing out to blame others for its troubles and to suppress any viewpoint that is different from its own ideology,\" she said.\n\nThe majority of countries who spoke out against Iran focused on the violence following last June's presidential election and also on the situation of the country's religious minorities.\n\nBrazil called for Iran to extend rights to all religious groups in the country, saying Baha'is should enjoy the same rights as everyone. Mexico said all minorities – particularly the Baha'i community – must be able to practice their religion.\n\n\"Romania and Slovenia devoted almost the entire allotment of their time to discussing the increasing repression of Iran's Baha'i community,\" reported Ms. Ala'i.\n\nHuman rights groups, in documents filed with the Council, made similar points.\n\n\"Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, individuals belonging to minorities in Iran are subject to an array of discriminatory laws and practices,\" wrote Amnesty International in its statement. \"Minorities suffering persecution include ethnic and linguistic minorities such as Kurds, Arabs, Azerbaijanis, Turkmen and Baluchis, and religious minorities such as Baha'is and the Ahl-e Haq.\"\n\n\"The government systematically denies rights associated with freedom of religion to members of the Baha'i faith, Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority. In most cases, including the persecution of the Baha'i community, the government uses 'security' as a pretext for detaining individuals and denying them basic due process rights,\" said a statement from Human Rights Watch.\n\nThe session was part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a relatively new procedure that seeks to review the human rights record of all 192 United Nations member states once every four years. This year is the first time Iran has come up for review."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Further information"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[BWNS Iran Update](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Profiles of the seven prisoners](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/yaran-profiles.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[List of BWNS articles ](http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Photos](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/photos.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Previous articles"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":753,"relatedStoryCaption":"Trial of 16 individuals violates \"all internationally accepted standards of legal due process.\""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":738,"relatedStoryCaption":"General Assembly identifies numerous violations, including the use of torture."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":731,"relatedStoryCaption":"A best-selling author and an Oscar-nominated actress are among those who have spoken out."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":756,"evergreenUrl":"bahai-leaders-make-second-court-appearance","title":"Baha'i leaders make second court appearance","description":"Seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders appeared in court today in Iran for a second session of their trial. The session was once again closed, and family...","date":"2010-02-07","customDateline":null,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders appeared in court today in Iran for a second session of their trial.\n\nThe session was once again closed, and family members were not permitted in the courtroom, the Baha'i International Community has learned.\n\nThe hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions.\n\nThe seven were arrested nearly two years ago and have been held in Tehran's Evin prison since that time, spending the first year there without formal charges or access to lawyers.\n\nAfter several postponements, their trial officially began on 12 January, when the seven were arraigned in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.\n\nThat session was also closed to the public, but accounts in government-sponsored news media said the defendants were formally charged with espionage, propaganda activities against the Islamic order, the establishment of an illegal administration, cooperation with Israel, sending secret documents outside the country, acting against the security of the country, and corruption on earth.\n\nAll the charges have been categorically denied. The defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Further information"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[BWNS Iran Update](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Profiles of the seven prisoners](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/yaran-profiles.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[List of BWNS articles ](http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Photos](https://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/iran-update/photos.html)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Earlier articles"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":751,"relatedStoryCaption":"Concern grows over lack of information about 10 Baha'is arrested in January in Iran."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":749,"relatedStoryCaption":"Iran's decision to begin the trial of seven Baha'i leaders has triggered a strong international reaction."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":748,"relatedStoryCaption":"Initial reports indicated that the trial was marked by numerous violations of legal due process."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":755,"evergreenUrl":"amid-wreckage-haiti-new-birth-brings-hope","title":"Amid wreckage in Haiti, new birth brings hope","description":"Little Tina Rose Wome came into the world on 28 January in a makeshift clinic, fashioned from a classroom at the Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School on...","date":"2010-02-05","customDateline":null,"city":"PORT-AU-PRINCE","country":"HAITI","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75500img8033.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75500img8033.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A volunteer doctor examines Tina Rose Wome shortly after her birth at a Baha'i school in Port-au-Prince. A medical team from Canada and the United States had set up a makeshift clinic at the school, and all 18 team members were on hand for the arrival of the baby, named after Dr. Tina Edraki and Rose Cabot, the doctor and nurse who delivered her. (Baha'i World News Service photographs)","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Little Tina Rose Wome came into the world on 28 January in a makeshift clinic, fashioned from a classroom at the Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.\n\nAn entire team of visiting doctors and nurses was on hand for her arrival – the first birth at the school in the 30 years since its founding.\n\nThe delivery was poignant in another way, too – Magdalah Wome had been pregnant three times previously but none of her other babies survived childbirth. Tina Rose is the first she has taken home – a home which now is no more than a tent pitched in front of the rubble that at one time was a house.\n\nInternational relief agencies have reported that dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince on 12 January is one of the biggest challenges they have ever faced. As many as 170,000 people are believed dead, and the number of homeless may top one million.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"Whatever you see on television, it is 10 times worse,\" said Dr. Munirih Tahzib, a pediatrician from New Jersey who helped organize the medical team. \"We would meet people whose entire family had been killed and their house destroyed. Yet they would just pick up and carry on. That is what kept us going.\"\n\nIndeed, the inspiration provided by the Haitian population is a common refrain in reports from the scene. \"The Haitians are not just sitting back with their hands out. They're doing a lot of the heavy lifting – so humble in its nature, it seems invisible,\" Time magazine said. \"They dig survivors out of the wreckage by hand, not with big yellow machines.\"\n\nThe 18 members of the particular medical team that welcomed Tina Rose into the world were from the United States and Canada. They had come to Haiti to deliver medical supplies and treat as many patients as possible during the week they were able to stay. Additional goals were to teach people how to recognize and treat infection, and assess needs for sustainability.\n\nThe 18 visitors, many of whom were Baha'is, had made arrangements to set up their tents in the yard at the Anis Zunuzi school and create a temporary clinic in the classrooms that were still standing.\n\nYves and Susanna Puzo, who have long been associated with the school, lost their home in the earthquake but helped arrange for food and logistical support for the medical team, which included two pediatricians, two orthopedic surgeons, four obstetricians/gynecologists, an intensive care specialist, a hospital doctor, a nurse, a respiratory therapist, and a fourth-year medical student.\n\nNow back home, members of the group have already had follow-up consultations about how they can provide ongoing assistance to efforts by Haitians – including the local Baha'is – to rebuild their country.\n\n\"We all learned the power of grassroots action,\" said Dr. Tahzib.\n\n*(The collection of 30 photographs accompanying this article provides more information about the efforts of the medical team.)*"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75501img8197.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dr. Munirih Tahzib, a pediatrician from Hoboken, New Jersey, treats a child next to a collapsed school in a village outside of Port-au-Prince. At a separate stop at an orphanage, Dr. Tahzib and other volunteers examined 150 children in need of medical attention."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75502img8274.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Local children stand in the ruins of a school in a village outside Port-au-Prince. A large number of the buildings in the Haitian capital were damaged or destroyed."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75503mg6843.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Knowing that no supplies would be available in Port-au-Prince and that the infrastructure of the country had collapsed, members of the medical team brought with them everything they needed for their makeshift clinics. Here Dr. Poya Azar is shown with an injured youth."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75504mg8285.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The medical team used the Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince both as its headquarters and the site of a makeshift clinic. The visitors camped out in the schoolyard with others who were staying there because they had lost their homes."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759203-75505mg6763.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Local residents accompany two visiting physicians, Dr. Munirih Tahzib and Dr. Jason Hitner, as they arrive in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Now back home in the United States, these two doctors and others are consulting about how they might continue to support the Haitians in their efforts to rebuild their country."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75506mg6917.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Near downtown Port-au-Prince, people have set up homemade tents to provide shelter. \"They use poles and sticks and rags, and they make their own home,\" explained one of the doctors who visited recently on the medical mission."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759197-75507copyofimg8223.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The medical team brought thousands of dollars in donated medical supplies to Haiti, including more than 2,000 packages of antibiotics and other medicine. All took commercial flights to the Dominican Republic and then traveled by bus to Haiti. \"We begged the airlines not to charge us the overweight,\" said one physician. \"I personally had 25 bags of medical supplies, and they only charged me $180 in overweight luggage.\""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759197-75508mg8175.jpg"},"imageDescription":"\"It was just incredible how everyone worked together,\" a member of the medical team said of their group and other aid organizations. \"Most of us did not know each other before.\" The visiting doctors said they tried to help train people to recognize and treat infection. They hope to have follow-up visits where health education would play a key role."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759202-75509mg8209.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A young girl waits to see a doctor at a makeshift clinic on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. The doctors in the team staying at the Zunuzi Baha'i school treated patients there and also traveled to other localities, including hospitals, orphanages, and temporary medical stations set up in nearby villages."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759197-75510mg8258.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A dehydrated baby, only a few days old, is examined by pediatrician Munirih Tahzib and Maryanne Fike, both of New Jersey. The infant and her mother were suffering from life-threatening infection and were rushed to a hospital for treatment."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759202-75511mg6924.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A typical street scene in Port-au-Prince shows some of the damage from the earthquake. About 170,000 people are believed dead, with one million now homeless in this Caribbean nation of nine million."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75512mg8340.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Nearly three weeks after the earthquake, a lone youth sits in a school that was severely damaged. The vastness of the destruction and the collapse of infrastructure hamper the clean-up efforts."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75513mg8319.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Women line up for a medical examination in a village near the Haitian capital. The 18-member medical team is now consulting about setting up a rotation in which a few of the members would return to Haiti for four days each month, partly to contribute to a program in health education at the two Baha'i schools in the Port-au-Prince area."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759197-75514mg8484.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Susanna Puzo, right, is a long-time resident of Haiti who helped the medical team and provided key translation assistance. The official languages of the country are Haitian Creole and French."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75515mg8472.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A young patient is photographed shortly after seeing a doctor in a village outside of Port-au-Prince. Nearly 40 percent of the population of Haiti is under 15 years of age."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759199-75516img7751.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Rose Cabot of New Jersey was the lone professional nurse on the 18-member relief team. Other medical personnel included two pediatricians, two orthopedic surgeons, four obstetrician/gynecologists, an intensive care specialist, a hospital doctor, a respiratory therapists, and a fourth-year medical student."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75517copyofimg7893.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Maryanne Fike and other members of the team were deeply touched by their visit to this orphanage, where they set up a temporary clinic to examine and treat the children."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75518img8215.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The medical team used the Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School as their headquarters, but they also visited a second Baha'i school in the Port-au-Prince area, shown here, where they assisted patients and where they are looking into doing ongoing work in support of the Haitian people's efforts to rebuild their country and improve health standards."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75519img7888.jpg"},"imageDescription":"This view shows the damage in the Petionville section of the Haitian capital. At the time of the earthquake, the population of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area was estimated at around 1.7 million people."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759197-75520img7866.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Caring for the people injured in the earthquake has been hampered by lack of facilities and infrastructure, including transportation. Thousands of vehicles were destroyed, and rubble has blocked many of the streets."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-7552121img7902.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the graffiti on the streets is written in English."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759198-75522img8172.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A young girl is captured by the camera at a makeshift clinic next to a collapsed school in a village near Port-au-Prince."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759202-75523img8183.jpg"},"imageDescription":"People rest in the shade of a tree as they wait their turn for a medical examination by volunteer doctors from the United States and Canada. The visitors were only able to stay for a week but hope to return periodically to provide ongoing assistance."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75524img8138.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The faces of the children and the hopeful spirit of the adults were a constant source of inspiration to the visiting doctors. \"We would meet people whose entire family had been killed and their house destroyed. Yet they would just pick up and carry on,\" said Dr. Munirih Tahzib, shown here with a young patient."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75525mg6732.jpg"},"imageDescription":"\"Whatever you see on television, it is 10 times worse,\" Dr. Tahzib said of the situation in Haiti."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759198-75526mg8441.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The visiting doctors saw hundreds of patients. These people are waiting in line at a clinic in a village near Port-au-Prince."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759200-75527img7736.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dr. Tina Edraki, an obstetrician/gynecologist from San Francisco, speaks with a patient at the makeshift clinic at the Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759199-75528mg6785.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Susanna Puzo, right, a long-time resident of Haiti who has been a director of Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School, helps with translation as Dr. Edraki makes preparations for the delivery of a baby."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543759201-75529img8115.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Little Tina Rose entered the world on 28 January. It was a poignant moment for the 18-member visiting medical team, all of whom were on hand for the event. Her mother had had three previous pregnancies, but Tina Rose was the first of the babies to survive."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"From the archives"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":490,"relatedStoryCaption":"On the remote Karkar Island off the coast of Papua New Guinea, a group of mothers decided to take action."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":664,"relatedStoryCaption":"The first unit in the UPLIFT literacy program tells how to treat malaria."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedArticleRecord","storyNumber":653,"relatedStoryCaption":"The program may help keep kids off the streets, but the goals are loftier than that."}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null}],"lang":"en","language":"en","location":"/archive/51/"}},"staticQueryHashes":["2762707590"]}