{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-archive-page-jsx","path":"/archive/61/","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":61,"archiveTotalPages":80,"totalStories":1596,"archiveList":[{"storyNumber":547,"evergreenUrl":"bahais-celebrate-anniversary-their-faith","title":"Baha'is celebrate anniversary of their faith","description":"May 23 marks the anniversary of the night in 1844 when a young man in Persia named Siyyid Ali-Muhammad quietly announced that He was a Messenger...","date":"2007-05-21","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477755-bwns8004-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477755-bwns8004-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The house of the Bab in Shiraz, Iran, where the Bab announced that He had come to herald a new age for humanity, was destroyed by Revolutionary Guardsmen in 1979. It was one of the most holy sites to Baha'is.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"May 23 marks the anniversary of the night in 1844 when a young man in Persia named Siyyid Ali-Muhammad quietly announced that He was a Messenger of God, come to herald a new age for the world of humanity that would fulfill prophecy for Christians, Muslims, and followers of other religions.\n\nFor the people who are now Baha'is, it was the birth of their religion.\n\nBaha'i communities around the world celebrate the anniversary with special devotional programs and gatherings on the evening of May 22. Believers suspend work, and children and youth take off from school.\n\nA 25-year-old merchant at the time of His declaration in 1844, Siyyid Ali-Muhammad became known as the Bab, which is Arabic for \"gate.\" He said His mission was to prepare the way for a universal Messenger of God who would soon appear, as predicted in the scriptures of the world's major religions. One of the followers of the Bab, later known as Baha'u'llah, announced in 1863 that He was that Messenger.\n\nBaha'is consider both the Bab and Baha'u'llah to be founders of their faith.\n\nThe Bab's declaration of His station was made in the city of Shiraz in what is now Iran. He almost immediately attracted a large following, which governmental and religious authorities found threatening. Some 20,000 of His followers were killed, and the Bab Himself was executed by firing squad in 1850 in the northern Iranian city of Tabriz.\n\nHis remains are entombed in Haifa in a beautiful, golden-domed shrine surrounded by gardens on the side of Mount Carmel."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":544,"evergreenUrl":"bahais-elect-national-assemblies","title":"Baha'is elect national assemblies","description":"Surrounded by a tent community of refugees from the recent earthquake and tsunami, the Baha'is of the Solomon Islands forged ahead with their...","date":"2007-05-16","customDateline":null,"city":"GIZO","country":"SOLOMON ISLANDS","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477739-bwns8002-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477739-bwns8002-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The new National Assembly of the Baha'is of the Solomon Islands, shown here, was elected at the annual convention held in late April 2007 in Gizo, near villages devastated by a recent earthquake and tsunami.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Surrounded by a tent community of refugees from the recent earthquake and tsunami, the Baha'is of the Solomon Islands forged ahead with their annual convention where they elected the nine members of the national governing council of their faith.\n\nWhen the earthquake hit the South Pacific on April 2 and the resulting tsunami crashed into the Solomon Islands, a number of people from the area were at a meeting at the Baha'i center in Gizo, a small provincial capital.\n\nThe Baha'i center there happens to be on a mountain -- the highest point on that particular island -- so no one at the meeting was hurt, but a number of participants returned home to find their villages destroyed. The young granddaughter of a Baha'i couple was among the 28 people who died.\n\nSince then, families have camped on the property of the Baha'i center -- which had already been designated the venue for the annual national Baha'i convention April 27-29. Delegates to the convention said that far from dampening the spirit of the meeting, the presence of the refugees created a warm and loving atmosphere for the gathering.\n\n\"The friends have manifested nobility, patience, and radiant acquiescence in enduring their hardship,\" the delegates wrote in a message from the convention. The refugees -- who are receiving aid from their national Baha'i organization, from the government and from international relief agencies -- are now in the process of rebuilding their homes or looking to relocate.\n\nThe newly elected governing council, called the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Solomon Islands, was one of 178 similar institutions formed in nations and territories around the world in recent weeks. Baha'i annual conventions are traditionally held in late April during the period known as Ridvan, commemorating Baha'u'llah's declaration of His mission in 1863.\n\nAt national conventions in other countries:"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"-- In Auckland, New Zealand, Baha'is marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their National Spiritual Assembly. At a special event held at the Auckland Museum, 600 people - including a number of international visitors and guests - heard congratulatory remarks by the governor general, Anand Satyanand, and a keynote address by a Baha'i speaker, Murray Smith.\n\n-- In Paraguay, special note was made that some of the elected delegates were very young; similarly, a message from the convention in Venezuela said their new National Assembly \"shines for the diversity of the age and ethnicity of its members.\"\n\n-- Delegates at a number of the conventions sent messages conveying support for Baha'is in Iran and Egypt, where government persecution is resulting in the denial of education and other rights of citizenship to followers of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nAt virtually all the conventions around the globe, participants read and consulted about the annual message from the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i Faith. Referred to as the [Ridvan 2007 message](http://info.bahai.org/ridvan-2007.html), it stressed the importance of teaching the Baha'i Faith and of systematic grassroots programs that involve increasing numbers of people in study circles, devotional programs, and activities for children and young teenagers.\n\nIndividuals in each country who this year were elected to their Baha'i National Assembly will serve next year as delegates to the International Convention, held every five years in Haifa, Israel, where the world headquarters of the Baha'i Faith is located. The purpose of that gathering is to elect the nine members of the Universal House of Justice and to consult on the affairs of the Baha'i Faith."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477739-bwns8001-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":543,"evergreenUrl":"funeral-memorial-service-planned-samoan-head-state","title":"Funeral and memorial service planned for Samoan head of state","description":"A state funeral is planned for 18 May for the Samoan head of state, His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, to be followed on 20 May by a...","date":"2007-05-14","customDateline":null,"city":"APIA","country":"SAMOA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477721-bwns7997-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477721-bwns7997-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Painting of His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II done by Duffy Sheridan for 25th anniversary of Samoan independence. Copyright Duffy Sheridan. Used by permission.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A state funeral is planned for 18 May for the Samoan head of state, His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, to be followed on 20 May by a memorial service at the Baha'i House of Worship near Apia. He passed away on the evening of 11 May in a hospital in Apia.\n\nA follower of the Baha'i Faith, he was one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world. He was 94 years old.\n\n\"His service to the people of Samoa as Head of State was distinguished by the high principles, genuine compassion and personal humility that characterized the constancy of his concern for the welfare of all,\" the Universal House of Justice, the international Baha'i governing body, said in a statement to the National Spiritual Assembly of  the Baha'is of Samoa.\n\n\"As the first reigning sovereign to accept the Message of Baha'u'llah, he set a record that will forever illumine the annals of our Faith, one that future generations will increasingly extol,\" the House of Justice said. \"His great interest for well-nigh four decades in the Faith's progress was reflected in the enthusiastic affirmation of his belief whenever the opportunity presented itself and in the abiding joy with which he regarded the construction in 1984 of the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands in Samoa....\"\n\nHe himself participated in the dedication of that temple, one of only seven such Baha'i houses of worship in the world. The other six, located in Australia, India, Germany, Uganda, the United States, and Panama, will also hold services in his memory.\n\nHe had been head of state since the country gained independence from New Zealand in 1962.\n\nThe state funeral will be at 10 a.m. on 18 May in front of the Parliament Building, with a government-organized prayer service the day before. Entombment will be in the Malietoa Family crypt a few meters from the Parliament building.\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The memorial service at the Baha'i House of Worship near Apia will be on 20 May, organized by the Baha'i  assembly. Earlier, on 13 May, a prayer service was held, attended by more than 200 Baha'is, family, friends, government officials, and representatives of churches and the diplomatic community.\n\nNew Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was one of the first to offer condolences. \"Throughout his long reign as Head of State, Malietoa represented Samoa with wisdom, humor, and insight,\" she said in comments published in the New Zealand Herald.\n\nHis Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II was born on 4 January 1913. His wife, Lili Tunu, died in 1986. They have two sons and two daughters.\n\nSamoa comprises several islands in the South Pacific about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. The population is about 200,000."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477721-bwns7996-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, center, head of state of Samoa, died on 11 May 2007. He is pictured at the dedication in 1984 of the Baha'i House of Worship in his country. At right is his wife, Lili Tunu, and at left, Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":531,"evergreenUrl":"government-slovakia-recognizes-bahai-faith","title":"Government of Slovakia recognizes the Baha'i Faith","description":"The government of Slovakia has officially registered the Baha'i Faith as a religious community, guaranteeing the group the right to own property,...","date":"2007-05-13","customDateline":null,"city":"BRATISLAVA","country":"SLOVAKIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477712-bwns7994-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477712-bwns7994-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i representative Jitka Spillerova signs documents for the Baha'i application for state recognition. At right is Jan Juran of the Ministry of Culture. The signing took place on 19 April 2007.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The government of Slovakia has officially registered the Baha'i Faith as a religious community, guaranteeing the group the right to own property, observe holy days, disseminate literature and engage in a host of other activities.\n\nThe recognition was the result of an application submitted by the Baha'is which was supported by signatures of some 28,000 residents of the country.\n\n\"The registration will enable us to more effectively help and serve all Slovak residents and make our programs more accessible to both children and adults,\" Jitka Spillerova, a spokeswoman for the Slovakian Baha'is, said. \"The state guarantees registered churches and religious communities the legal status and possibility of functioning in public life.\"\n\nRecognition by the state also allows a religion to request government funds, but Mrs. Spillerova said the Baha'is will not request such money now or in the future because their activities are financed strictly through voluntary contributions of enrolled members.\n\n\"We would like to thank the thousands of people who supported our registration,\" Mrs. Spillerova said.\n\nThe law governing the recognition of a religious community bestows the right to become a legal corporation; for adherents to teach their faith to others, including as religious education in schools; to have their own schools and universities; to hold meetings without informing the authorities; to operate certain social or cultural establishments, including hospitals; to publish literature; and generally to carry out activities throughout the greater society.\n\nJan Juran, part of the government office involved in reviewing applications for recognition, said factors include not only whether a religious group is law-abiding and promotes good health and morality but also whether the religion supports humanitarian principles and tolerance of others.\n\nMrs. Spillerova noted that Baha'i belief includes respect for other religions and appreciation of diverse cultures. She said activities of the Slovakian Baha'i community include programs of moral education for children and youth, study courses for adults, and devotional meetings for people of every belief.\n\n\"Our intention is to create an opportunity for people to pause in their daily rush and think about the timeless truths that are taught by all the world's religions and how people can apply these truths in their life,\" she said.\n\nThe Baha'i Faith has had followers in what is now Slovakia since the early 20th century. It joins 17 other religious communities – the others are Christian or Jewish – currently recognized by the government."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":530,"evergreenUrl":"climate-change-creates-moral-issues-says-panel","title":"Climate change creates moral issues, says panel","description":"As the scientific consensus on global warming grows, it's time to look more closely at how to share the economic, social, and humanitarian burdens...","date":"2007-05-09","customDateline":null,"city":"UNITED NATIONS","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477699-bwns7993-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477699-bwns7993-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Panel members at a discussion of moral questions resulting from climate change included, from left, Don Brown of the Collaborate Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change, Arthur Lyon Dahl of the International Environment Forum, and Rabbi Lawrence Troster of GreenFaith.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"As the scientific consensus on global warming grows, it's time to look more closely at how to share the economic, social, and humanitarian burdens that climate change will likely bring.\n\nThat was the main message of a panel discussion on \"The Ethical Dimension of Climate Change,\" organized by the Baha'i International Community and held here on 30 April 2007 during this year's UN Commission on Sustainable Development.\n\n\"If sea levels rise at the rates they are predicting, we may see hundreds of millions of refugees,\" said Arthur Lyon Dahl, president of the International Environment Forum, a Baha'i-inspired organization.\n\n\"Where will they go? Who will take them in? What does it mean about immigration regulations?\" asked Dr. Dahl, noting that these were only some of the moral and ethical questions that are being posed by the looming effects of climate change.\n\nSponsored by the nations of Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, with assistance from the UN Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), the event became one of the most talked-about side events at the Commission this year, said Tahirih Naylor, a representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\n\"The timing of the event on the opening day of the Commission really helped to bring attention to the ethical issues surrounding climate change, helping to frame discussions at the Commission, at least among nongovernmental organizations and major groups,\" said Ms. Naylor.\n\nThe panelists included Enele Sopoaga, former Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the UN; Om Pradhan of the UN-OHRLLS; Don Brown, project coordinator of the Collaborate Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change; Tony Barnston of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University; Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Fellowship Program Director of GreenFaith; and Dr. Dahl, who is a Baha'i and also the coordinator of the UN Environment Programme environmental diplomacy program at the University of Geneva.\n\nDr. Brown, who is at the Rock Ethics Institute at Pennsylvania State University, said the moral and ethical issues that accompany rising sea levels or widespread crop failures will be matters of life and death for many people.\n\n\"How much warming should we tolerate?\" he asked. \"What is the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases that the world should identify as a target? There is no more obvious moral and ethical issue than this issue. It will literally determine who lives and who dies, whether Tuvalu survives, whether the Marshall Islands survive.\"\n\nSuch issues, Dr. Brown said, will force multilateral institutions like the United Nations to rethink international law and norms.\n\nAmbassador Sopoaga said the issues for nations like Tuvalu are particularly stark.\n\n\"The future will be catastrophic for all communities, for all countries, but particularly for those who have already been identified as particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,\" he said, noting that some forecasts suggest that small island states will disappear entirely under the rising ocean.\n\n\"It is a moral obligation, beyond political obligation or economic obligation, to help countries like Tuvalu and small island developing states, and of course the least developed countries,\" he said. \"We have to do something urgently.\"\n\nMr. Pradhan of the UN-OHRLLS said that the latest predictions indicate that small island nations would be \"simply wiped out.\"\n\n\"This is the time to remind the international community that ethics and morality do play a very important role in any human activity, especially when we have a situation where climate change is affecting such a large number, especially the poor and vulnerable,\" he said.\n\nAll the panelists agreed the release of recent studies by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the UK's Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change have established a high level of confidence that climate change is real and that the consequences will be great.\n\n\"Some of the people against acceptance of global climate change demand something like at least 98 percent certainty,\" said Mr. Barnston. \"We have somewhere around 90 percent or the low 90s. To me that's pretty high. It's not 75 percent like it was a decade ago.\"\n\nAll of the panelists also agreed that preventing the most drastic consequences of climate change would require that many people change their behavior - such as by driving fuel-efficient cars, shifting to renewable energy, and the like.\n\nThe question now, Mr. Barnston said, is how to motivate humans to change their behavior.\n\n\"When we discover something inconvenient to our lifestyle, it takes years to adjust to it, years to accept it, to believe it, and then to do something about it,\" he said, giving as examples the discovery that smoking is harmful or sunburns are not healthy. \"We have to shorten the time lag before all levels of society accept that climate change is a danger just like cigarette smoking is a danger.\"\n\nDr. Dahl and Rabbi Troster both said that religious belief could be an important factor in providing the motivation for ethical behavior.\n\n\"How do we create a willingness to make the sacrifices that are going to be necessary,\" asked Dr. Dahl. \"How do we build a sense of global solidarity when we are all facing the same common challenges?\n\n\"Religion is that dimension of society that has traditionally been responsible for morality and ethics,\" he answered. \"We have to look at moderation. And all religions have taught about being content with very little.\"\n\nRabbi Troster said religious communities believe that the attitude in which humanity views itself in relation to creation is fundamental in changing behavior.\n\n\"This is central to the concept of moral action,\" he said. \"If we change our attitudes, we will change our behavior.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":526,"evergreenUrl":"what-respect-says-about-women","title":"What 'Respect' says about women","description":"A hundred years ago, popular songs about women tended to reflect their dependence on men, Dr. Dorothy Marcic, a former university professor,...","date":"2007-05-01","customDateline":null,"city":"BRISBANE","country":"AUSTRALIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477660-bwns7989-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477660-bwns7989-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"\"The show is about the emerging equality of women,\" says Dorothy Marcic. She has always liked her presentations to appeal to the emotions as well as the intellect.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A hundred years ago, popular songs about women tended to reflect their dependence on men, Dr. Dorothy Marcic, a former university professor, says. And most of the time, women themselves didn't even do the singing -- men did.\n\n\"It wasn't really until the 1920s that women sang in any numbers,\" she says, noting that this coincided with women getting the vote in the U.S. and other countries.\n\nThe oldest song in her musical \"Respect\" is \"Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home,\" from 1902. The lyrics relate how Bill Bailey's wife threw him out of the house, apparently because he beat her, then \"moans the whole day long\" for him to come home.\n\n\"I'll do the cookin', darlin', I'll pay the rent, I know I done you wrong,\" the song goes.\n\nThe tune \"I Wanna Be Loved by You\" came out in 1928 and became famous as the song of animated superstar Betty Boop.\n\n\"Basically it says that the only thing I want in life is to fulfill your desires,\" Dr. Marcic says, adding that the same idea appears in many songs, all the way through to the 1960s. \"There was a blip in the 1940s when the men went off to war and women took over factory and office work. But after the war women lost their jobs when men returned and they were sent back to the kitchen.\"\n\nFeminine domesticity continued in the 1950s - \"If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake\" is one famous song from the time. But Dr. Marcic points out that this was also the decade of Rosa Parks' famous refusal to give up her seat in the front of an Alabama bus, and this event helped inspire a new feeling among women.\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"'You Don't Own Me' came out in 1964, and it was really the first song to push back,\" she says. Helen Reddy's \"I Am Woman,\" with its famous declaration \"I am strong, I am invincible,\" was No.1 in 1972.\n\nThen there was Janis Ian's \"At Seventeen,\" the No.3 song in 1975, talking about the disappointments of love, and Madonna's \"Material Girl\" from 1985, when cynicism has taken over.\n\nA turning point came in the 1980s, Dr. Marcic says, with songs like Whitney Houston's \"Greatest Love of All,\" referring to the love of oneself and the attendant responsibility for one's own successes and failures. Later came \"Hero\" by Mariah Carey, \"Independent Woman\" by Destiny's Child, and \"Video\" by India.Arie, all reflecting a stronger, more confident woman."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477661-bwns7988-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The playbill cover."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":525,"evergreenUrl":"successful-musical-got-its-start-bahai-conference","title":"Successful musical got its start at Baha'i conference","description":"Management consultant Dorothy Marcic always tried to make her seminars entertaining as well as informative. This time she outdid herself. She...","date":"2007-05-01","customDateline":false,"city":"BRISBANE","country":"AUSTRALIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477652-bwns7985-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_VideoRecord","videoUrl":"https://player.vimeo.com/video/199818572","videoStyle":"large-right","videoDescription":"Video: Dorothy Marcic, in pink, poses with singers from one of the casts of \"Respect.\" The singers are, from left, Paulette Dozier, Emily Price, and Jeanette Fitspatrick."}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Management consultant Dorothy Marcic always tried to make her seminars entertaining as well as informative.\n\nThis time she outdid herself.\n\nShe took a presentation about the equality of the sexes, filled it with Top 40 songs that reflect the status of women, and made a Broadway-type show out of it.\n\nThe musical has played successfully in a half dozen U.S. cities - current runs in Boston, Detroit and Atlanta have been extended - and now it has made its international commercial debut in Australia. Some 600,000 people have seen it, and more are coming each day.\n\n\"Respect: A Musical Journey of Women\" traces the women's movement through the lyrics of  songs - \"I Will Follow Him,\" \"Someone To Watch Over Me,\" \"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend,\" \"I Am Woman,\" \"I Will Survive,\" and dozens of others.\n\nThe songs span more than a century and illustrate the modern history of women with startling accuracy, says Dr. Marcic, 57, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States.\n\n\"The show is about the emerging equality of women,\" she explains. \"At the beginning of the 20th century, the songs show women who are all pretty codependent.\"\n\nBy the time the century ended, many songs were about strength and independence -- \"Hero\" by Mariah Carey, \"Independent Woman\" by Destiny's Child, \"A Woman's Worth\" by Alicia Keys.\n\nIn between, Dr. Marcic says, came stages of anger and rebellion (\"You Don't Own Me\" by Leslie Gore, \"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'\" by Nancy Sinatra) and cynicism (\"Material Girl\" by Madonna).\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"In the musical, Dr. Marcic makes it all fun, but she does have genuine academic credentials. A faculty member at Vanderbilt University before devoting herself full-time to the musical, she has written 11 books, including \"Respect: Women and Popular Music.\"\n\nOne reviewer called it a \"highly creative book that uses the musical history of women throughout the past century as a springboard to synthesize cultural, political and world events, as well as business, psychology, and spirituality.\"\n\n**Baha'i conference**\n\nDr. Marcic, whose doctorate is in organizational behavior and communication, is a member of the Baha'i Faith, a key principle of which is the equality of men and women. A presentation for a Baha'i conference in Florida in 1999 was the genesis of the musical. She was already experimenting with music in her seminars and decided to expand on the idea, putting the songs front and center for that appearance.\n\nThe Florida audience \"went crazy,\" she recounts. When people demanded a repeat performance, \"I realized I was onto something.\"\n\nOver the next several years, Dr. Marcic developed what originally was a one-woman show - she was the woman - into a four-person musical with professional singers. Several producers purchased rights to the show for different U.S. cities, and when a top Australian producer saw a performance in Boston, he signed on, too.\n\nDr. Marcic looks at \"Respect: A Musical\" as a means of communicating to many people one of her key religious beliefs - that women and men are equal in the sight of God.\n\n\"It's kind of my way of bringing the spirit of the Baha'i Faith to a larger audience,\" she says. \"Music is so powerful.\"\n\nThroughout her career she has tried to combine an appeal to the intellect with an appeal to the emotions. The musical, she says, does this.\n\nReviewers agree. \"A soaring message of strength and confidence shines through by the final moments, leaving the audience with a lasting smile and a connection to (the) characters - women of their past and potential role models for the future,\" wrote Stephanie Angelyn Casola in Detroit, where the director is Hinton Battle, winner of three Tony Awards including best actor for \"Miss Saigon.\"\n\nChristine Howey of Cleveland Scene, wrote: \"This time the You go, girl! shouts are being triggered by a musical march through the 20th century, tracing the travails and triumphs of women as they have clawed their way from second-class citizenship to empowerment. ... Imaginative staging and a relentlessly effusive cast make it all work disarmingly well.\"\n\n\"Respect\" is now more than half-way through its eight-week run in Brisbane, Australia, and tickets are being sold for performances elsewhere in Australia and in New Zealand. Future plans include Minneapolis and Green Bay in the U.S., England and possibly Ireland. Negotiations are under way for 20 more countries.\n\nPeople often ask Dr. Marcic if the show will ever make it to Broadway. She has sold the rights for New York City to a producer, but at the moment there are no particular plans.\n\n**'Respect' Down Under**\n\nThe Australian producer, Jim McPherson, who has some 400 previous shows to his credit, was enthusiastic about \"Respect\" from the moment he saw it.\n\n\"I loved the music, I loved the treatment of the music, I loved the story,\" said Mr. McPherson, who with co-producer Michael Lasky and the production company GFOUR put up his own money for the Australian version. The songs in the show are well known in Australia, he said, but the narrative was altered to appeal to local audiences.\n\n\"The music transcends boundaries,\" he said. He noted that Dr. Marcic's creation is family entertainment, unlike the risque - and hugely popular - \"Menopause, the Musical,\" which he also brought to Australia.\n\n\"'Respect' is definitely more powerful, more empowering, more respectful of women,\" Mr. McPherson said, explaining that it illustrates how over the past century, women have gone from being afraid of and subservient to men, to being equal and independent.\n\n\"That interests me no end,\" said Mr. McPherson, who is the father of five - four of them daughters. On top of that, he said, the show is fun.\n\n\"It's a joyous night in the theater,\" he said."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477652-bwns7985-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Once a full-time college professor, Dorothy Marcic now devotes herself to \"Respect.\" The musical is playing in the U.S. and Australia, with negotiations under way for 20 more countries."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477652-bwns7986-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The lyrics of Top 40 hits accurately chronicle the women's movement, according to Dorothy Marcic, who wants audiences to have fun as they listen to all the songs she compiled."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":524,"evergreenUrl":"german-town-re-erects-monument","title":"German town re-erects monument","description":"A Baha'i memorial removed when the Nazis were in power has been restored by municipal authorities in this resort town in southern Germany. The...","date":"2007-04-25","customDateline":false,"city":"BAD MERGNTHEIM","country":"GERMANY","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477638-bwns7983-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477638-bwns7983-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"This is the inscription on the new monument.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A Baha'i memorial removed when the Nazis were in power has been restored by municipal authorities in this resort town in southern Germany. The stone commemorates the visit in 1913 of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the successor of Baha'u'llah as head of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nThe original memorial was erected in 1916 but removed in 1937 at a time when the Baha'i Faith was outlawed by the Nazis.\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha took an extended trip to Europe, North America and back to Europe between 1911 and 1913 and took a side trip from Stuttgart to Bad Mergentheim - a small, quiet town known for its health spa - on April 7-8, 1913.\n\nHe spent the night there at the invitation of Consul Albert Schwarz, a government official who was the owner of the hotel and mineral bath and also a member of the Baha'i community.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The new memorial was unveiled earlier this month, on 7 April, by Mayor Lothar Barth accompanied by Bahman Solouki, a representative of the Baha'i community of Germany.\n\n\"Bad Mergentheim can be proud that 'Abdu'l-Baha came here,\" the mayor said at the ceremony. \"The Baha'i Faith is one of the six major world religions -- there is no other way to put it -- and this should be honoured accordingly.\"\n\nHe continued: \"I consider this a good sign. It shows that in Bad Mergentheim we are a tolerant society, that we integrate people of different faiths in our town and are cosmopolitan enough for that.\"\n\nDr. Solouki noted that the German Baha'i community two years ago marked its 100th anniversary, and that 'Abdu'l-Baha's time in their country was a significant part of their history.\n\n\"'Abdu'l-Baha's visit of 1913 was a milestone for us German Baha'is,\" he said. \"We are greatly blessed by it. He was in Stuttgart; He was in Esslingen twice, each time for a week, and two days of that time He spent here in Bad Mergentheim.\"\n\nSussan Rastani, a Baha'i who lives in Bad Mergentheim, thanked local authorities for putting up the monument.\n\n\"In these times of religious intolerance and even religious fanatism, it is exemplary of the town authorities and the resort administration to re-erect this memorial stone in remembrance of 'Abdu'l-Baha, who served as an example of love and tolerance towards all religions and people,\" she said.\n\n-- German Baha'i News Service"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477637-bwns7982-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The original monument in Bad Mergentheim, pictured here, was removed during the Nazi regime."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477637-bwns7981-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The new memorial to the visit of 'Abdu'l-Baha to Bad Mergentheim, Germany, was unveiled on 7 April 2007. At the ceremony, from left, are resort-director Katrin Lobbecke, Mayor of Bad Mergentheim Lothar Barth, and Sussan Rastani, a member of the Baha'i community of Bad Mergentheim."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":520,"evergreenUrl":"religion-could-help-fight-aids-says-study","title":"Religion could help fight AIDS, says study","description":"Strategies to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people could be more effective if they tapped into the power of religious belief and...","date":"2007-04-24","customDateline":null,"city":"GEORGETOWN","country":"GUYANA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477624-bwns7977-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477624-bwns7977-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Brian O'Toole trains people to help collect data for a study about the spread of HIV/AIDS in Guyana. He credits the network of young helpers for a higher-than-usual rate of response to the questionnaire.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Strategies to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people could be more effective if they tapped into the power of religious belief and practice.\n\nThat is the finding of researchers who studied the knowledge and attitudes of young people in relation to HIV/AIDS and sexual behavior.\n\nThe study, sponsored by UNICEF and conducted by the Varqa Foundation here, found that young people who knew and followed the teaching of their religion were much less likely to have engaged in sexual intercourse than those who did not, by a rate of 18 percent to 45 percent respectively.\n\n\"Prevention strategies for the spread of HIV/AIDS should harness religious belief and practice, especially in societies such as Guyana where religious affiliation remains strong,\" wrote the study's authors in an article published in the March 2007 issue of the International Journal of STD and AIDS.\n\nGuyana has the third highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, which is the second-most afflicted region in the world.\n\n\"Many specialists working in international development are somewhat uncomfortable with faith-based efforts at personal and community transformation -- such as to prevent HIV-AIDS,\" said Brian O'Toole, the lead author in the study, in an interview.\n\n\"But this study suggests that in a country like Guyana, where many people have strong faith-based beliefs, it might be possible to draw on spiritual inspiration to address some of the problems facing society,\" said Dr. O'Toole, who is also director of the Varqa Foundation, which is a Baha'i-inspired social and economic development agency based in Guyana.\n\nOther authors included Roy McConkey, a professor in the health promotion group at the Institute of Nursing Research at the University of Ulster; Karen Casson, also of the University of Ulster; Debbie Goetz-Goldberg, a researcher with Health for Humanity, another Baha'i-inspired agency; and Arash Yazdani, a youth volunteer.\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"More than 2,000 people aged 12-20 were surveyed for the study. They completed anonymous, self-reporting questionnaires about sexual behavior, their understanding of HIV/AIDs and the way it spreads, and attitudes towards issues like virginity and condom use.\n\nNinety-five percent of respondents were aware that HIV could be contracted from sexual contact with someone who was HIV positive. However, less than a third (29.5 percent) were able to state up to three other ways that HIV could spread and only 37 percent were able to name three ways of self-protection.\n\nThe survey also found that in Guyana, nearly 25 percent of young people aged 12-14 were sexually active, a percentage that rose to more than 33 percent for those 15 and older. Nearly half of the males over the age of 15 were sexually active, according to the survey.\n\nRespondents were asked if they were aware of their religion's teaching on sexual matters and whether they followed it. Just over 35 percent of the young people said they did, with another 22 percent knowing the teaching but not following it.\n\nThe authors also concluded that peer education should be another element in any strategy of HIV/AIDS prevention.\n\n\"The content and delivery of educational inputs must be capable of being adapted to local contexts preferably by persons who are very familiar with those situations,\" wrote the authors. \"In this respect, peer education would appear to offer some promise.\"\n\nDr. O'Toole noted that the study was carried out by a network of young people who themselves had been inspired by a faith-based, peer-education leadership training program known as Youth Can Move the World (YCMTW), also sponsored by the Varqa Foundation.\n\n\"Usually in this type of survey you get a couple of hundred responses,\" said Dr. O'Toole. \"We were able to get several thousand because of the network of young people established by the Youth Can Move the World project.\"\n\nFounded by Varqa in 1997, the YCMTW program has used peer education methods to train more than 7,000 Guyanese young people in strategies to prevent alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence.\n\nAmong other things, the program uses inspirational passages from the holy writings of the major religions in Guyana to help young people draw on their spiritual heritage in an effort to prevent risky behavior. In Guyana, about 50 percent of the population is Christian, 35 percent is Hindu, 10 percent is Muslim. The remaining five percent of the people belong to other religions, including the Baha'i Faith."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477624-bwns7976-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Young people in Guyana involved in a program called Youth Can Move the World helped collect data to study the correlation between religious belief and the spread of HIV/AIDS."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":519,"evergreenUrl":"bahais-celebrate-king-festivals","title":"Baha'is celebrate 'King of Festivals'","description":"Baha'is around the world are celebrating the Festival of Ridvan, which marks the anniversary of Baha'u'llah's declaration in 1863 that He was...","date":"2007-04-23","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477612-bwns7980-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477612-bwns7980-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Children and adults gather for a Ridvan program near the Baha'i house of worship outside Frankfurt, Germany. The Festival of Ridvan lasts 12 days, with most countries holding special events on the first, ninth and 12th days of the period.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Baha'is around the world are celebrating the Festival of Ridvan, which marks the anniversary of Baha'u'llah's declaration in 1863 that He was a new messenger of God.\n\nRidvan – 21 April to 2 May each year – commemorates the 12 days that Baha'u'llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha'i Faith, camped on the banks of the Tigris River near Baghdad and, while there, proclaimed his mission to a small group of followers.\n\nEvery year, on the first day of Ridvan, Baha'is in thousands of localities around the globe vote for their local governing councils. Also during the festival, national conventions are held in some 180 countries and territories, during which delegates vote for the national governing bodies of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nBaha'u'llah called Ridvan the \"King of Festivals\" and the \"Festival of God,\" among other names.\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"In 1863, He was in Baghdad, already exiled from His native Iran for a decade, when authorities ordered Him to move to Constantinople (now called Istanbul).\n\nBefore leaving, He spent 12 days by the Tigris in a garden which he called Ridvan (Arabic for \"paradise\") while preparations were made for the journey and farewells said to people in Iraq.\n\n\"The thoroughfare to the riverside brimmed with people, men and women, young and old, from all walks of life, who had gathered to see Him go and bewail His departure,\" wrote H.M. Balyuzi in a biography of Baha'u'llah.\n\nIt was during this time that Baha'u'llah announced to His companions that He was the promised one of God, foretold in the religions of the past.\n\nToday, in addition to electing local and national governing bodies, followers of Baha'u'llah often celebrate Ridvan with devotional meetings, artistic and musical presentations, or other types of gatherings, depending on the country."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477612-bwns7973-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"In Budapest, Hungary, people break into small groups to study a message from the Universal House of Justice about the nature of Baha'i elections. Participants then elected their local governing council for the coming year. (Photograph by Edit Kalman)"}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":518,"evergreenUrl":"new-bahai-world-volume-published","title":"New 'Baha'i World' volume published","description":"A new volume of \"The Baha'i World\" is now available, offering three new essays, a profile of an outstanding development project, and a wealth...","date":"2007-04-18","customDateline":false,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1547986771-7970-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_VideoRecord","videoUrl":"https://player.vimeo.com/video/199818271","videoStyle":"large-right","videoDescription":"Video: The dust cover of the new \"Baha'i World,\" available from Baha'i distribution outlets in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S."}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A new volume of \"The Baha'i World\" is now available, offering three new essays, a profile of an outstanding development project, and a wealth of information about the Baha'i Faith today.\n\nThe book is the latest in a series of annual volumes that survey activities of the Baha'i community during the previous year.\n\n\"It covers events throughout the world, digests major communications and statements from Baha'i institutions, provides up-to-date facts, figures and information, and showcases some of the exciting advances in the field of social and economic development,\" said Robert Weinberg, senior editor of the publication.\n\nThe 288-page book contains three new essays, one of which questions whether Western liberal democracy can be a model for a future world order. Another focuses on climate change and its ethical challenges, while a third explores the concept of identity and how our own identity influences our attachments and loyalties.\n\nThe new publication also includes: (1) a profile of Baha'i-inspired development programs in Cambodia; (2) a directory of major Baha'i websites; (3) an update on the situation of Baha'is in Iran and Egypt; (4) a description of new translations of Baha'u'llah's writings found in \"The Tabernacle of Unity,\" as well as a list of new books in English; (5) obituaries; (6) basic Baha'i reading list and glossary.\n\n\"I am particularly excited by the report on Cambodia,\" Mr. Weinberg said, referring to a chapter about grassroots tutorials and health and agricultural programs in that country.\n\n\"The project really opened my mind up to the idea of civilization-building,\" he said. \"Within the program are the seeds to raise up a new generation of people. You can see that the Baha'i community is creating a whole new way of living that is touching thousands of people.\"\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":1},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The book is ideal for presentation to libraries and organizations, and for communities to keep as a historical record for their own reference, Mr. Weinberg said.\n\n\"It presents the Baha'i community and teachings in a way that is very relevant to the world and the current issues in society,\" he said.\n\n\"The Baha'i World\" can be ordered from the Baha'i Distribution Service in the United States and Australia and from Baha'i Books UK in the United Kingdom."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477598-bwns7971-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"This year's \"Baha'i World\" includes photos and quotes at the beginning of each chapter."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477598-bwns7972-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The book includes a review of the past year, including a rundown of activities by the Baha'i International Community and an update on the situation in Iran and Egypt."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":517,"evergreenUrl":"cyprus-arts-music-festival-planned-june","title":"Cyprus Arts and Music Festival planned for June","description":"The Cyprus Arts and Music Festival planned for June will feature Baha'i musicians, actors, visual artists and speakers at a venue on the shores...","date":"2007-04-16","customDateline":null,"city":"LIMASSOL","country":"CYPRUS","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477587-bwns7969-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477587-bwns7969-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Bijan Khadem-Missagh (pictured) and his two daughters, Dorothy and Shirin, will perform at the festival. Mr. Khadem-Missagh and his family played at the opening of the Mount Carmel terraces in 2001.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Cyprus Arts and Music Festival planned for June will feature Baha'i musicians, actors, visual artists and speakers at a venue on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.\n\nThe event -- which will include a film festival -- will be held from 23 to 29 June 2007 at a hotel in Limassol on the island nation of Cyprus.\n\n\"The festival is a multidimensional cultural event focusing on the performing and graphic arts, music, films, literature and drama,\" said Khosrow Afkhampour, program director for the event. \"It aims to provide a platform for the proclamation of Baha'i ideas through artistic expression.\"\n\nPerformers will include violinist Bijan Khadem-Missagh, actress Beverly Evans, pianists Nancy Lee Harper and Alfredo Matera, and singers Ahdieh Bahiee and Ranzie Mensah, among others. Ariana Economous, artistic director of a modern dance company on Cyprus, will perform a solo act.\n\nSuheil Bushrui will present a session on the literary study of the Baha'i writings. Other literary topics will include the poetry of Rumi and the work of Kahlil Gibran, author of \"The Prophet\" who in 1912 met with 'Abdu'l-Baha, at that time the head of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nThe festival will also feature arts workshops, planned in collaboration with the Baha'i Academy for Arts in the United Kingdom. Sarah Clive, Rob Weinberg, Aidan Mathews, and Shirin Maanian will be among the participants.\n\nThe film festival, planned in collaboration with the Harmony Film Festival in Australia, will feature works produced or directed by Baha'i filmmakers from around the globe."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477586-bwns7968-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Classical singer Ranzie Mensah will perform in Cyprus, accompanied by pianist Alfredo Matera."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":516,"evergreenUrl":"combating-peer-pressure-focus-bahai-program","title":"Combating peer pressure a focus of Baha'i program","description":"Like young teens everywhere, Jani Song often feels social pressure to conform – even when the things that are fashionable may also be harmful....","date":"2007-04-09","customDateline":null,"city":"PERTH","country":"AUSTRALIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477569-bwns7966-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477569-bwns7966-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Games form an important part of the learning.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Like young teens everywhere, Jani Song often feels social pressure to conform – even when the things that are fashionable may also be harmful.\n\n\"When you're in high school, you see the popular, or cool, group and they often take drugs,\" said Jani, who is 14 and in 10th grade. \"You see people drinking or doing other sorts of stuff. And you kind of just want to do it because you want to follow the crowd.\"\n\nA program established by the Baha'i community here for youths aged 12 to 15 is helping Jani and others like her develop tools to resist such influences and establish their own values.\n\nSome 160 young people, about half of them members of the Baha'i Faith, belong to small groups that follow a specially developed curriculum, part of which involves learning to avoid harmful behavior.\n\n\"When you do these classes, and you really know the reason why not to do it, your brain automatically tells you not to do it,\" Jani said.\n\nThat kind of impact is one reason that about 20 of the Baha'i-sponsored groups – designed for youths aged 12 to 15 – have sprung up in Perth over the past three years.\n\nThe program is designed to empower young people both spiritually and morally, said Shirin Reyhani, the coordinator for the state of Western Australia for what the Baha'is call \"junior youth groups.\"\n\n\"It gives them the tools needed to recognize the moral issues underlying the choices they make,\" Ms. Reyhani said of the program. \"It also develops in the youth a power of expression.\"\n\nThe curriculum is designed to achieve specific goals, including step-by-step problem-solving, nurturing virtues, and social awareness. Organizers say the activities also foster improvement in reading, writing, mathematics and science.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The groups typically meet once a week, and participants play games, discuss issues, study literature and organize service projects. The sessions are facilitated by an older person, called an animator, who serves as a moderator rather than a teacher.\n\nYouths who have become involved say the gatherings are not only spiritually enriching but also fun.\n\n\"It's a pretty good course,\" 14-year-old Calvin Martin said of the group he attends. \"You get to learn lots of new stuff, and I've met lots of new people. ... It's pretty fun – lots of different activities to do.\"\n\nYann Vissac, 14, agrees. \"I come to these classes because they teach me things which are interesting. And my friends are here. A lot of people don't feel certain about themselves these days. They don't have much self-confidence. Maybe these classes can help those people.\"\n\nJani Song said the classes are more effective at helping her see the value in good behaviors because the discussion points come from peers.\n\n\"We get lectures in class about drugs, but what's the point?\" she said. \"I don't listen to that kind of stuff. I think that if you take this class you'll really understand why it's necessary not to do things [that are bad].\"\n\nParents say the program helps equip youngsters to make choices based on their own values rather than on what their peers are doing.\n\n\"My main concern is that my son has a strong sense of self to know how to deal with the demands of his social environment and issues that he's up against. That's what I feel he gets from this course,\" said Vivian Vissac, the mother of Yann.\n\n\"I like the emphasis on developing the wholeness of the students – their inner resources, their sense of self, their sense that they can do and contribute,\" she said.\n\nGayle Corbauld has two daughters in the program and feels it has enhanced their best personal qualities.\n\n\"They are reflective, and they have a sense of responsibility about what they are doing,\" she said of her girls. \"They feel they have control of what they are able to manage in a social situation. Rather than just repeating behavior, they can improve and make things better for themselves and for others.\"\n\nThe curriculum for the program was developed over the past decade at various Baha'i institutions around the world, and by one estimate, Baha'i communities worldwide now operate some 3,000 junior youth groups involving 25,000 people.\n\nThe animators are volunteers who receive special training. Ms. Reyhani, 24, a schoolteacher as well as a junior youth coordinator, said that many of the animators in Perth are themselves alumni of an older junior youth program.\n\n\"These groups work because they put young people in a group with their friends,\" Ms. Reyhani said. \"They feel like they are in a safe environment.\"\n\nShe said the learning that takes place in the groups is different from regular school.\n\n\"The focus in the classroom is one of competition,\" she said. \"Competition with yourself to do better than you did last time. Competition with your classmates to be the best in the class, that type of thing. In the junior youth groups we try to get the kids to focus on their own personal development rather than comparing themselves to others.\"\n\nAlso, in regular school the teacher must be an authority figure that maintains discipline; in a junior youth class, the animator is more a friend, she said.\n\n\"The children themselves love coming to the classes,\" added Mrs. Corbauld. \"They like the interaction with other people. They like also to sound out some of the difficulties they might have had in school, or somewhere else during the week. They can bring them along to the group and they know they can open it up and discuss it.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477568-bwns7965-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"One of the aims of the curriculum is to develop in young people their ability to express themselves well."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477570-bwns7964-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'is of Perth, Western Australia, sponsor more than 20 groups for \"junior youth.\""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477568-bwns7963-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Calvin Martin and Bill Anderson say they enjoy their group, for both learning and for recreation."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":515,"evergreenUrl":"bahai-schoolchildren-iran-increasingly-harassed-abused-school-authorities","title":"Baha'i schoolchildren in Iran increasingly harassed and abused by school authorities","description":"Baha'i students in primary and secondary schools throughout Iran are increasingly being harassed, vilified, and held up to abuse, according to...","date":"2007-04-05","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","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":"Baha'i students in primary and secondary schools throughout Iran are increasingly being harassed, vilified, and held up to abuse, according to recent reports from inside the country.\n\nDuring a 30-day period from mid-January to mid-February, some 150 incidents of insults, mistreatment, and even physical violence by school authorities against Baha'i students were reported as occurring in at least 10 Iranian cities.\n\n\"These new reports that the most vulnerable members of the Iranian Baha'i community -- children and junior youth -- are being harassed, degraded, and, in at least one case, blindfolded and beaten, is an extremely disturbing development,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\n\"The increasing number of such incidents suggests a serious and shameful escalation in the ongoing persecution of Iranian Baha'is,\" said Ms. Dugal. \"The fact that school-aged children are being targeted by those who should rightfully hold their trust -- teachers and school administrators -- only makes this latest trend even more ominous.\"\n\nMs. Dugal said the Baha'i International Community has been aware of scattered reports of abuse directed at schoolchildren but has only recently learned that young Baha'is are now widely being forced to identify their religion -- and are also being insulted, degraded, threatened with expulsion, and, in some cases, summarily dismissed from school.\n\n\"They are also being pressured to convert to Islam, required to endure slander of their faith by religious instructors, and being taught and tested on 'Iranian history' in authorized texts that denigrate, distort, and brazenly falsify their religious heritage,\" said Ms. Dugal. \"They are also being repeatedly told that they are not to attempt to teach their religion.\"\n\nAccording to Ms. Dugal, one Baha'i has reported that the school-age children of a relative in Kermanshah were called to the front of the classroom, where they were required to listen to insults against the Faith.\n\n\"Another student, accepted at an art institute, has been followed by the authorities and on three occasions seized, blindfolded, and beaten,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\n\"While a few of these may be isolated attacks, the extent and nature of this reprehensible activity has led the Baha'is in Iran to conclude that this is an organized effort,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nOf special concern, she added, was the fact that a high proportion of the attacks against high school students have been against girls.\n\n\"While the attacks reported to have taken place in elementary and middle schools were leveled evenly against boys and girls, those at the high school level targeted girls to a far greater degree: of 76 incidents, 68 were against Baha'i girls,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nMs. Dugal added that the ages of the children and junior youth affected are as follows: at the elementary school level, grades 1-5, students 6 to 11 years old; at the middle school level, grades 6-8, students 11 to 13 years old; and at the high school level, grades 9-12, students 14 to 17 years old.\n\nThe reports of attacks on innocent Baha'i schoolchildren come at a time when a growing number of older Baha'i students seeking to enter Iranian universities have been expelled after being identified as Baha'is.\n\nSo far this year, at least 94 college-age Baha'i students have been expelled from institutions of higher education. That figure is up from 70 as reported in late February.\n\nSince the Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1979, the 300,000-member Iranian Baha'i community has faced ongoing and systematic persecution. In the early 1980s, more than 200 Baha'is were killed, hundreds were imprisoned, and thousands were deprived of jobs and education.\n\nAt the present time, more than 120 Baha'is are out on bail and awaiting trial on false charges, solely because of their religious beliefs and activities. Over the last year, as well, international human rights groups have expressed concern at the Iranian government's efforts to step-up their covert monitoring and identification of Baha'is."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":514,"evergreenUrl":"bahais-celebrate-new-year","title":"Baha'is celebrate new year","description":"Baha'is around the world celebrated their new year this week, with those in Vietnam holding a special ceremony to mark the government's issuing...","date":"2007-03-23","customDateline":null,"city":"LONDON","country":"ENGLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477555-bwns7961-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477555-bwns7961-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"At a reception at the House of Commons in London, Lord Avebury delivers messages for the Baha'i new year from Prime Minister Tony Blair and from David Cameron, leader of the opposition.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Baha'is around the world celebrated their new year this week, with those in Vietnam holding a special ceremony to mark the government's issuing a certificate of operation for their activities.\n\nIn London, the All-Party Parliamentary Friends of the Baha'is hosted a reception at the House of Parliament. British Prime Minister Tony Blair sent a message referring to the \"unique contribution\" of the Baha'i community.\n\n\"The words of your founder, that 'the earth is but one country and mankind its citizens,' have perhaps an even greater resonance in 2007 than ever before,\" Mr. Blair wrote. \"The universal challenges of climate change, and its potentially disastrous impact on millions of people across the globe, remind us forcefully that we are all fellow citizens of the world, all sharing in its destiny.\n\n\"As we confront these challenges I have no doubt that you, and your fellow Baha'is in other countries, have much to contribute to the debate and the pursuit of possible solutions, drawing on the tradition of working for social justice of which Baha'is can rightly be so proud,\" Mr. Blair wrote.\n\nOpposition leader David Cameron also sent a message, remembering that Baha'is in some countries face persecution because of their faith. \"Freedom to worship and to hold religious belief is a fundamental right which we must always cherish,\" Mr. Cameron stated.\n\nIn Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, about 280 people attended a reception where the government Committee for Religious Affairs presented a certificate giving recognition to Baha'i activities.\n\nThe state news agency announced the reception and quoted Ngo Yen Thi, head of the Committee for Religious Affairs, as saying, \"The State policy on religion respects and ensures freedom of belief and religion for all Vietnamese citizens as stipulated in the country's first constitution in 1946 and in revised versions.\"\n\nIn Singapore, members of the Baha'i Faith invited hundreds of guests to join them for food, music and cultural dance performances to celebrate the new year. Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan was the guest of honor, according to an article in The Straits Times.\n\nThe Baha'i new year - called Naw Ruz, literally \"new day\" in the Persian language - falls on March 21, and usually is celebrated that day or the evening before. The Baha'i calendar, now in year 164, has 19 months of 19 days each, with intercalary days added to reach the 365 days of the solar year. The Baha'i Faith originated in 1844.\n\nThe Faith has about 5 million followers, who live in some 235 countries and territories."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":513,"evergreenUrl":"golden-tile-from-bahai-shrine-goes-display-museum","title":"Golden tile from Baha'i shrine goes on display in museum","description":"The Baha'i community of the Netherlands has given a golden tile from one of its sacred shrines to a museum that specializes in roof tiles. In...","date":"2007-03-20","customDateline":null,"city":"ALEM","country":"NETHERLANDS","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477530-bwns7956-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477530-bwns7956-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Huub Mombers, left, receives a gilded tile from the Shrine of the Bab for his museum in Alem, in Holland. Offering the tile on permanent loan, on behalf of the Baha'is of the Netherlands, are Elaheh Verhey-Shahgholi, center, and Jelle de Vries. The ceremony was on 3 February 2007.","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Baha'i community of the Netherlands has given a golden tile from one of its sacred shrines to a museum that specializes in roof tiles.\n\nIn a ceremony last month, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Netherlands gave the tile on permanent loan to the Dutch Roof Tile Museum in Alem, a small riverside village in the heart of Holland.\n\nMuseum owner Huub Mombers said the tile - from the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa, Israel - is the only one among the 3,000 tiles in his collection that is gilded - covered with a glaze made with real gold.\n\n\"I have never seen one like this before,\" Mr. Mombers said, explaining that most \"gold\" tiles are simply painted a gold color.\n\nThe tile given to the museum was actually created more than 50 years ago, one of more than 12,000 golden tiles custom-made to cover the dome of the Baha'i shrine on Mount Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.\n\nMr. Mombers opened the museum two years ago to showcase a collection of tiles from around the world that he had amassed over 20 years.\n\n\"We are familiar with gold roof tiles,\" he said, \"but they are all paint. With this tile, it is pure gold. ... I have seen a factory in Germany that has made gold roof tiles for rich people in Saudi Arabia, but they are all paint.\"\n\nTrue gilded tiles are so unusual that the Baha'is had trouble finding a factory that would fill their order, wrote Ugo Giachery, a prominent Baha'i from Rome who in 1948 was given the task of locating such a company. He had already been turned away from factories in several European countries when he decided to try the Netherlands, known worldwide for its ceramics.\n\n\"Our inquiries were either received with incredulity or were declined for technical reasons,\" wrote Dr. Giachery in his book titled \"Shoghi Effendi: Recollections.\"\n\nBut when he reached the last Dutch company on his list, he struck gold. It was a small factory called Westraven, near Utrecht. The tile business had been founded by two brothers named Ravesteyn in 1844 (although the firm's predecessor had roots in tile-making as far back as 1661).\n\n\"At the time, Westraven was in a unique position,\" said Marcel Hermens, author of a history of the company. \"They had a man in the factory who had been experimenting with glazes, especially golden glaze. They also had a manager who searched constantly for new markets and challenges.\"\n\nThe manager, Robert de Brauw, was a chemical engineer by profession and was struggling to make a success of the factory. Mr. de Brauw told Dr. Giachery the factory had only made flat gilded tiles for vertical suspension, never curved tiles for a dome. \"But we are willing to try,\" he said.\n\n**Months of research**\n\nThus began months of research to determine the exact materials for the tiles and the glaze, as well as the optimum procedure for firing in the kiln.\n\n\"Not only did the tiles and their golden coating have to be able to withstand all weather conditions, their shape and size also posed a problem,\" said Jelle de Vries, who researched the history of the Baha'i Faith in the Netherlands for his doctoral thesis.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"Since it is not possible to saw glazed tiles once they have come out of the kiln, one has to calculate in advance what changes will occur during the firing process. And this had to be done not once, but 50 times since so many different shapes and sizes were needed to cover the surface of the dome.\"\n\nDr. de Vries is the one who discovered the coincidence that Holland was home to both the factory that made the Baha'i tiles, and a museum that exhibits roof tiles. Thus it was arranged to bring a spare golden tile that had been in storage in Haifa to give to the museum, which is located in an old church in Alem.\n\nMr. Mombers said his new exhibit, which includes a photo of the Baha'i shrine along with the tile, is displayed prominently in the center of the museum.\n\n\"This tile is very special,\" he said. \"I have seen gold on pottery but never on tiles. With pottery, you have a couple of pieces. With these tiles you had to do it with 13,000.\"\n\nThe Westraven factory was rare, Mr. Mombers said, because even companies that might have had the technical know-how to make the tiles would have declined because the job was too risky financially.\n\n\"Everyone was afraid to do this because it was gold,\" he said. \"No one was willing to guarantee it. You can imagine that if you don't get the job right, working with gold you can be financially ruined.\"\n\nMr. Mombers' tile collection includes specimens from many countries and regions - Europe, China, Nepal, Africa and more. But not one of his other tiles is gilded.\n\n\"I know of a building in Athens with copper, but I have never seen a building with gold tiles,\" he said.\n\n**The Westraven factory**\n\nEncountering Robert de Brauw, director of Westraven Faience and Tile Making, was like \"finding a ray of light on a dark sea of uncertainty,\" wrote Dr. Giachery, the Baha'i representative who had been searching for a tile maker.\n\n\"From the very beginning of our conversation he won my confidence and trust, and relieved me of all my anxiety,\" Dr. Giachery wrote.\n\n\"He was a chemical engineer by profession, a member of the nobility, and had taken on the management of this modest factory at the end of the war, and he was struggling to make it successful,\" Dr. Giachery stated.\n\n\"That Mr. de Brauw had been trained as a chemist was a great asset to our project, because three of the four problems in the production of the Shrine's tiles were of a chemical nature: namely, the composition of the tiles, the golden coating, and the glazing. The fourth issue consisted of several material aspects which physics and engineering were to solve and in which Mr. de Brauw was also very proficient,\" Dr. Giachery wrote.\n\nCalculating the size and shape of each tile was a monumental task. The dome is a partial sphere -- with both horizontal and vertical curve - but it straightens to a drum toward the bottom. The size and shape of each tile depended on its position on the dome.\n\nWestraven had to come up with about 200 different sizes and shapes to properly cover the surface.\n\nThe calculations had to take into account that tiles change slightly when fired -- and the beige clay tiles were baked three times, first with a clear glaze, then with the prime orange glaze and finally with a 15 percent gold solution.\n\n\"It took months of experimentation and testing,\" said Mr. Hermens, the Westraven company historian. The contract for the work was signed in Utrecht in September 1952.\n\nMr. de Brauw was willing to take on the project partly because he had a works manager named Karel Bazuine who had been experimenting with a golden glaze for use on outdoor surfaces, the historian said.\n\nWhen preparations were complete, the tiles were hand-formed out of clay, likely out of different plaster casts for the different sizes, Mr. Hermens said. They were \"biscuit baked\" in a big stone peat oven, and glazed in a special enameling oven.\n\nThe tiles were shipped to Haifa in early 1953, and the first ceremonial tiles laid in April of that year. By August, the shrine was finished, complete with golden dome.\n\nMore facts:\n\n-- The tiles do not overlap when laid. Each tile is tapered from a thickness of 20 millimeters at one end to 6 millimeters at the other.\n\n-- Records say that Westraven made more than 12,000 tiles for the Shrine of the Bab. About 10,500 full tiles were actually laid on the dome, along with a number of partial tiles. Extras are still in storage.\n\n-- On each of the 18 segments of the dome, there are approximately 600 tiles in 70 rows.\n\n-- The tiles at the bottom of the dome are 188 by 176 millimeters, the ones at the top 188 by 70 millimeters.\n\n**The shrine itself**\n\nThe shrine is the resting place of the Bab, regarded by Baha'is as a Messenger of God and forerunner to Baha'u'llah. This building, and the resting place of Baha'u'llah located near Acre, north of Haifa, are considered by Baha'is to be the holiest spots on earth.\n\nThe Bab was executed by the authorities in Persia, now Iran, in July 1850, and His remains hidden in that country until 1899 when they were brought to Acre. In March 1909, the remains were interred at their present site.\n\nFor many years, the shrine consisted of a simple, four-sided building with nine rooms. In the early 1940s, Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Baha'i Faith, directed the design of an arcade around the shrine and a superstructure above it to be crowned with a golden dome. William Sutherland Maxwell was the architect. Construction began in the late 1940s.\n\nShoghi Effendi's construction manager in Haifa was Leroy Ioas, who in turn worked with Ibraham Lahim, known as Abu Khalil, a local stone mason. Abu Khalil was credited with the difficult job of getting the gilded tiles placed quickly and correctly on the dome."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477532-bwns7959-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Dutch Roof Tile Museum is located in an old church and contains several thousand roof tiles. Shown here are owner Huub Mombers, in center holding the gilded tile, and others present for the ceremony last month."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477533-bwns7958-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Shrine of the Bab, with its golden dome, stands on the side of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477530-bwns7957-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The tile is exhibited alongside a photo of the shrine, the construction of which was completed in 1953."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477530-bwns7960-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Robert de Brauw, left, manager of the Westraven tile factory, was the one who agreed to take on the job of making more than 12,000 gilded tiles. His works manager, Karel Bazuine, right, had been experimenting with gold glaze and undoubtedly figured in Mr. de Brauw's decision."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51305.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51306.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51307.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51308.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477530-51309.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51310.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51311.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51312.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51313.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477531-51314.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51315.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477530-51316.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477529-51317.jpg"},"imageDescription":""}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":511,"evergreenUrl":"bahai-women-girls-active-dynamic-un-womens-meeting","title":"Baha'i women and girls \"active and dynamic\" at UN women's meeting","description":"Last autumn, Anisa Fadaei started a discussion group on women's issues at her high school. Meeting every two weeks at lunch, about a dozen girls...","date":"2007-03-18","customDateline":null,"city":"UNITED NATIONS","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477507-bwns7955-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477507-bwns7955-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Ahenleima Koijam, a 16-year-old student from Imphal, India, who has been working with children and youth groups since 2003, speaks at a workshop on \"Gender-Based Violence: Consequences Across the Life Span,\" held on 1 March at the UN Church Center during the 2007 Commission on the Status of Women.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Last autumn, Anisa Fadaei started a discussion group on women's issues at her high school. Meeting every two weeks at lunch, about a dozen girls discuss issues like domestic violence, unequal pay rates, and trafficking in girls.\n\nThe topics were unfamiliar to most of the participants, which is the point.\n\n\"Before we started, most of the others didn't have a clue about gender equality issues or violence against women,\" said Anisa, who is 17 and lives in the town of Stroud, in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. \"We live in quite a nice area and so most of my friends didn't realize that such problems with inequality were going on around the world.\"\n\nThough young, Anisa is committed to raising awareness about gender issues. She is involved in the youth caucus of the UK National Alliance of Women's Organizations, and she has been the featured speaker at several school-wide assemblies on women's topics. She was recently profiled in a UNICEF newsletter that focuses on how young people can get involved with global issues.\n\nAnisa was one of at least 12 girls and 36 women and men from 27 countries who came to represent their national Baha'i communities at the 2007 UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which ended on 9 March. The group represented the largest delegation of Baha'is ever at the annual meeting of the Commission, which has in recent years become a global rallying point for activists on women's issues.\n\nAn examination of the Baha'i delegation offers a snapshot of how Baha'is around the world are striving in their local and national communities to promote the equality of women and men, which is a basic principle of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nAmong those attending the Commission this year, for example, were:\n\n-- Ahenleima Koijam, a 16-year-old student from Imphal, India, who has been working with children and youth groups since 2003, and has also participated in a public hearing on human rights, where she talked about problems facing girls in the province of Manipur.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"-- Mitra Deliri, a 48-year-old teacher who recently founded a school for underprivileged girls in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The school, the Chipua Institute for Social Transformation, tutors some 70 girls in English, math, and science, and also vocational skills.\n\n-- Ruth Montgomery-Anderson, a 49-year-old midwife from Greenland, who has recently completed several films for the Ministry of Health on issues that touch the lives of women in Greenland. One film, for example, explores family life in Greenland, while another discusses issues of rape and sexual abuse.\n\n-- Jutta Bayani, a 52-year-old businesswoman from Mamer, Luxembourg, who was recently appointed by her city's mayor to a consultative commission on gender issues. \"The appointment came, I believe, as a result of my longstanding involvement in women's activities, especially at the national level,\" said Ms. Bayani.\n\n\"The United Nations is looking for models about how to implement its various programs, and in the case of these Baha'i women from around the world you have some concrete examples of effective activities at the local and national levels to promote the advancement of women,\" said Fulya Vekiloglu, director of the Baha'i International Community's Office for the Advancement of Women.\n\nThis year's Commission meeting drew nearly 2,000 people, representing some 334 organizations. Among them were some 200 girls from around the world, a response to the theme of this year's Commission, which was \"The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child.\"\n\nIn addition to the main meeting by governments to discuss that theme and other issues, the UN, government missions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) sponsored more than 170 \"parallel events\" - panel discussions, workshops, briefings and other activities aimed at exploring issues facing women and girls around the globe.\n\n\"The Baha'i delegation's participation in all aspects of the Commission was active and dynamic,\" said Ms. Vekiloglu, who is also one of the Community's representatives to the United Nations. \"The delegates were observers in official meetings, speakers in panel discussions, and active members of various caucuses. They also made many interventions in workshops, presenting Baha'i perspectives and experiences at the grassroots level.\"\n\nAhenleima Koijam, the girl from India, for example, was a featured panelist at a workshop titled \"Gender-Based Violence: Consequences Across the Life Span,\" held on 1 March at the UN Church Center.\n\nSide by side with older women from around the world, many of them acknowledged experts, Ahenleima told the audience about the conditions faced by women and girls in rural areas outside Imphal.\n\n\"Many girls are forced to get married at an early age,\" said Ahenleima, saying that girls face various forms of violence, both physical and psychological, even from before birth. \"Early marriage often results in the birth of a low-weight child. Fifty-six percent of girls suffer from anemia, and 40 percent suffer from stunted growth.\"\n\nAhenleima's answer to this and other problems was to increase support for education, especially for girls. \"A girl's most important influence is on her family,\" noting that even when young girls have children, their role in raising the next generation is nevertheless powerful. \"The mothers need to be educated properly, as they are the first line of educators.\"\n\nOther activities that featured specific involvement by Baha'is included a 2 March panel discussion on \"Ethical Perspectives on Transitional Justice and the Girl Child,\" which was sponsored by the UN office of the Baha'i community of the United States; a 25 February workshop on CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Kinds of Discrimination Against Women) and the CRC (Child Rights Convention), which was moderated by Ms. Vekiloglu; and a 2 March \"Girls' Perspective\" meeting with Yakin Erturk, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, which was held at the Baha'i International Community's offices.\n\n\"I think the meeting with Yakin Erturk, which gave her and other UN officials a chance to hear directly from girls, really captured the spirit of the Commission this year, with its focus on girls and their concerns,\" said Ms. Vekiloglu, noting that the meeting was co-sponsored by the Community and the NGO Committee on UNICEF's Working Group on Girls.\n\nMs. Vekiloglu also said the Baha'i delegation held a one-day planning session during the Commission to discuss how Baha'is can further promote the advancement of women in their own countries. \"We looked at what Baha'is are doing in their regions, and also what they can do in the future,\" said Ms. Vekiloglu.\n\nAnisa Fadaei, the Baha'i girl from Stroud, participated in a panel discussion on 1 March titled \"Eliminating Violence across Generations.\" Held in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium at the UN building, the discussion featured not only Anisa but also her mother, Zarin Hainsworth Fadaei, and her grandmother, Lois Hainsworth. The event was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the UN and the Baha'i International Community, and also featured a performance of the Children's Theater Company.\n\nIn her presentation, Anisa stressed the need for young women to educate their male peers about the equality of women and men.\n\n\"We need to tell more boys what is going on,\" said Anisa, when asked by someone in the audience about how to promote the kinds of social changes need to end violence against women and to promote their advancement.  \"For me, personally, we need to raise awareness.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477513-bwns7951-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Forty-eight women, men, and girls from 27 countries composed the Baha'i delegation to the 2007 United Nation Commission on the Status of Women, the largest ever delegation of Baha'is to the annual meeting. This group photograph does not show the entire delegation."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477508-bwns7948-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Anisa Fadaei, 17, left, on stage at the UN's Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, with her mother, Zarin Hainsworth Fadaei, for a discussion on 1 March 2007 at the Commission on the Status of Women on the topic of \"Eliminating Violence across Generations.\" Anisa and her mother were among the some 48 Baha'is who attended the Commission this year."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":510,"evergreenUrl":"official-character-bahai-expulsions-iranian-university-revealed","title":"Official character of Baha'i expulsions in Iranian university revealed","description":"The Baha'i International Community has obtained a document that appears to confirm double-dealing by Iran in its policy towards Baha'i students...","date":"2007-03-07","customDateline":false,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477500-bwns7941-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477500-bwns7941-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A 2 November 2006 letter from Payame Noor University's \"Central Protection Office,\" issued on the letterhead of Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, states that it is official policy that \"Baha'is cannot enroll in universities and higher education centers\" and \"if they are already enrolled they should be expelled.\" The letter was recently obtained by the Baha'i International Community.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Baha'i International Community has obtained a document that appears to confirm double-dealing by Iran in its policy towards Baha'i students seeking higher education.\n\nThe document, a 2 November 2006 letter from the headquarters of Payame Noor University to its regional branches, states that it is government policy that Baha'i students \"cannot enroll\" in Iranian universities and that if they are already enrolled, \"they should be expelled.\"\n\n\"This document provides proof of Iran's duplicitous behavior regarding Iranian Baha'i students,\" said Bani Dugal, the Baha'i International Community's principal representative to the United Nations.\n\n\"In its public face, Iran claims that it has finally opened the doors to Baha'i students, after some 25 years of keeping them out of public and private universities in Iran,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\n\"But, as evidenced by this confidential memorandum from the Payame Noor central office, the real policy is apparently to simply expel Baha'is as soon as they can be identified.\"\n\nIndeed, the content of the letter sharply contradicts denials issued last week by an Iranian government spokesperson when asked to comment on figures released by the Baha'i International Community showing that a large number of Baha'i university students have been expelled so far this year, solely because of religious discrimination.\n\nAccording to a report by Reuters on 28 February 2007, a spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the United Nations, who had requested his name not be used, was asked about the high percentage of expelled students and replied: \"No one in Iran because of their religion has been expelled from studying.\"\n\nUntil two years ago, all Baha'i students were kept out of universities by the requirement that everyone list their religion on entrance examination forms. Baha'is were automatically rejected.\n\nAfter pressure from the international community and human rights organizations, Iran changed its policy and dropped the religious affiliation requirement.\n\nLast autumn, hundreds of Baha'is passed the examination and some 178 were admitted into the university of their choice. So far this school year, however, at least 70 Baha'i students have been expelled as universities have learned that they were Baha'is.\n\nThe 2 November letter was issued on the letterhead of Iran's Ministry  of Science, Research and Technology, and goes out from Payame Noor's \"Central Protection Office\" to directors of the university's regional centers.\n\n\"With respect, according to the ruling of the Cultural Revolutionary Council and the instructions of the Ministry of Information and the Head Protection Office of the Central Organization of Payame Noor University, Baha'is cannot enroll in universities and higher education centers,\" states the letter.\n\n\"Therefore, such cases if encountered should be reported, their enrollment should be strictly avoided, and if they are already enrolled they should be expelled.\"\n\nPayame Noor University is \"the largest state university in terms of student numbers and coverage,\" according to the university's website, with some 467,000 students in 74 degree programs at 257 study centers and units throughout the country.\n\nSo far this year, at least 30 Baha'i students have been expelled from Payame Noor.\n\n**To view the document in English, [click here](http://info.bahai.org/pdf/payame_noor_univ_memo_english.pdf).\n**\n(.pdf will open in a new window)\n\n**To view the document in Persian [click here](http://info.bahai.org/pdf/payame_noor_univ_memo_farsi.pdf).\n**\n(.pdf will open in a new window)\n\n**For more information about the expulsion of Baha'is from universities in Iran, [click here](https://news.bahai.org/story/507).**"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":508,"evergreenUrl":"bahais-begin-annual-period-fasting","title":"Baha'is begin annual period of fasting","description":"Venezuelan college student Oscar Ponte joined the Baha'i Faith last August and this month will observe its fasting period for the first time....","date":"2007-03-01","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477487-bwns7944-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477487-bwns7944-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'u'llah, Whose tomb near Acre, Israel, is shown here, established fasting as a law for his followers.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Venezuelan college student Oscar Ponte joined the Baha'i Faith last August and this month will observe its fasting period for the first time.\n\nWhen he told his mother about it, she was alarmed. After all, he is a young man of slight build, and she was worried his health would suffer.\n\n\"But it's a privilege to do the fast!\" he told her emphatically. \"It's only once a year, and it's a commandment of God.\"\n\nHis mother apparently understood, and, according to Mr. Ponte, she smiled her assent.\n\nAround the world, Baha'is age 15 to 70 begin their annual 19-day fast on 2 March, abstaining from food and drink from sunrise to sundown each day. They do it in obedience to a law established by Baha'u'llah, the founder of their faith. There are exemptions for people who are sick, pregnant women, nursing mothers and a few other categories.\n\n\"It's an evolution of the basic principle of fasting that has existed in previous religions,\" said Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani, co-author of a book titled \"Laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas.\"\n\n\"Vestiges of the ordinance of fasting can be found in almost all living religions except Zoroastrianism, which affirmatively prohibits fasting,\" the book states.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Mrs. Ma'ani, who has taught classes about the laws of God, says she feels that Baha'u'llah has made the fast easier than in some of the other religions.\n\nFor example, Jews fast only one day, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, but they abstain from food and drink for more than 24 hours at a single stretch, she explained.\n\nThe Muslim tradition is similar to the Baha'i practice, except that each day Muslims fast from dawn to dusk – a longer period than from sunrise to sundown. Also, Muslims follow a lunar calendar, meaning that the fast sometimes falls during the summer when the days are long and can be very hot, Mrs. Ma'ani said.\n\nThe Baha'i fast always comes just before the equinox in March so in most of the world there are only about 12 hours of abstention. In the few places where the days are appreciably longer, believers can go by the clock and fast about 12 hours rather than exactly from sun-up to sundown.\n\n\"Baha'u'llah doesn't want us to suffer just for the sake of suffering,\" Mrs. Ma'ani said.\n\nFasting is symbolic – \"a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires,\" according to the Baha'i writings.\n\n\"It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul,\" the writings say.\n\nAdditionally, Baha'u'llah said fasting helps people become better aware of the sufferings of the poor.\n\n'Abdu'l-Baha, the son and appointed successor of Baha'u'llah, described how the Prophets of God – including Moses, Jesus and Baha'u'llah – all fasted. Thus, he said, the Baha'i period of fasting allows believers to get closer to the founders of the great religions by experiencing the same thing.\n\nDuane L. Herrmann, compiler of a handbook about the Baha'i fast, notes that abstention from eating is not the real point. The point, he says, has to do with the \"inner spirit of detachment, of which eating (is) merely a symbol or outward reflection.\"\n\nAs Mr. Ponte in Venezuela summed up his own newfound understanding, \"During the fast, we make an effort to know God better.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543477485-bwns7943-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Oscar Ponte of Venezuela describes the fast as a time to try to know God better."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":507,"evergreenUrl":"iranian-bahais-face-continuing-discrimination-higher-education","title":"Iranian Baha'is face continuing discrimination in higher education","description":"A growing number of Baha'is admitted to Iranian universities this year have been expelled, powerful evidence that Baha'i students in Iran still...","date":"2007-02-28","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","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 growing number of Baha'is admitted to Iranian universities this year have been expelled, powerful evidence that Baha'i students in Iran still face severe discrimination and limited access to higher education.\n\nAfter more than 25 years during which Iranian Baha'is were outright banned from attending public and private universities in Iran, some 178 Baha'i students were admitted last fall to various schools around the country after the government changed its policies and removed religious identification from entrance examination papers.\n\nAs of mid-February, however, at least 70 students had been expelled after their universities became aware that they were Baha'is.\n\n\"The high percentage of expulsions - which are all explicitly connected to the students' identities as Baha'is - suggests at best that the government is turning a blind eye to discrimination in higher education, and, at worst, is merely playing a game with Baha'i students,\" said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva.\n\n\"While we are happy that for the first time since the early 1980s a significant number of Iranian Baha'i youth have been able to enter and attend the university of their choice, the government's long history of systematic persecution against Baha'is certainly calls into question the sincerity of the new policies,\" said Ms. Ala'i.\n\nShe noted, for example, that another 191 Baha'i students, having successfully passed national college entrance examinations last summer, were unable to enter university this year, either because of the limited number of places for the course of their choice or for other reasons unknown to them.\n\n\"International law provides that access to education is a basic human right, and Iranian universities have no excuse for denying students who have successfully passed their examinations the right to attend simply because they are Baha'is,\" added Ms. Ala'i.\n\n\"As long as any Baha'i is unjustly denied access to higher education, we can say that the years of systematic persecution and discrimination against Baha'i students has not yet ended, and we must call for this injustice to be rectified,\" she said.\n\nThe largest religious minority in Iran, Baha'is of all ages have faced systematic religious persecution since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. More than 200 Baha'is have been killed, hundreds have been imprisoned, and thousands have had property or businesses confiscated, been fired from jobs, and/or had pensions terminated.\n\nAccording to a secret 1991 government memorandum, Baha'is \"must be expelled from universities, either in the admission process or during the course of their studies, once it becomes known that they are Baha'is.\"\n\nOne of the chief means the government has used to enforce this policy was to require that everyone sitting for the national college entrance examination state their religion on the test registration forms. Test forms that listed \"Baha'i,\" or that had no listing, were rejected.\n\nIn 2004, apparently in response to continued pressure from the international community, the Iranian government removed the data field for religious affiliation. About 1,000 Baha'i students successfully sat for the examination that year and hundreds passed, many with very high scores.\n\nLater that same year, however, in an action that Baha'i International Community representatives characterize as a \"ploy,\" exam results were sent back to Baha'is with the word \"Muslim\" written in, something that officials knew would be unacceptable to Baha'is, who as a matter of religious principle refuse to deny their beliefs.\n\nGovernment officials argued that since the Baha'is had opted to take the set of questions on Islam in the religious studies section of the test, they should be listed as Muslims. Baha'is contested the action and were rebuffed; no Baha'i students entered university that year.\n\nThe same thing happened in 2005. Hundreds of Baha'i students took and passed the national examination, only to find that the government had listed them as Muslims. Baha'is again contested the action, but without successful redress, and no Baha'is matriculated in 2005.\n\nLast summer, again acting on good faith, hundreds of Baha'is took the national examination. This time, as indicated in the figures above, hundreds have passed, and some 178 were accepted into universities.\n\nThroughout the fall, reports came out of Iran indicating that many of those who had been accepted were being refused entry or expelled once the universities learned that they were Baha'is. As of February, the confirmed figure totaled 70 Baha'is expelled.\n\n\"Accounts we have received from those who have been expelled or denied registration at the university of their choice clearly indicate the issue is their Baha'i identity,\" said Ms. Ala'i.\n\n\"One student, for example, received a phone call from Payame Noor University on 18 October, asking whether he was a Baha'i. When he replied in the affirmative, he was told that he could not be enrolled.\n\n\"Later, after visiting the university, the student was told that the university had received a circular from the National Educational Measurement and Evaluation Organization, which oversees the university entrance examination process, stating that while it would not prevent the Baha'is from going through the enrolment process, once enrolled, they were to be expelled.\n\n\"Another Baha'i student at that same university was told that students who do not specify their religion on registration forms would be disqualified from continuing their education there,\" she said.\n\nMs. Ala'i also said that the Baha'i International Community has learned that all universities in Iran except one still include a space for religion on their own registration forms.\n\n\"This raises the grave concern that the 191 additional Baha'is who passed their examinations this year but were refused places may in fact be the subjects of discrimination,\" she said.\n\n\"We call on the international community to continue to monitor this situation closely,\" said Ms. Ala'i. \"We would also ask for the continued efforts of educators and university administrators around the world who have participated in a campaign to protest the treatment of Baha'i students in Iran.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null}],"lang":"en","language":"en","location":"/archive/61/"}},"staticQueryHashes":["2762707590"]}