{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-archive-page-jsx","path":"/archive/69/","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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At far right is Sohrab Payman, and at far left, Tabandeh Payman.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Prominent government officials paid tribute to the Baha'i community at a gala dinner celebrating the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Baha'i Faith to this country.\n\nThe anniversary was \"a very special and important occasion,\" the Secretary of State for Industry, Claudio Felici, told 100 prominent citizens of San Marino and their Baha'i hosts at the event held on 25 September 2004.\n\nConveying greetings from the government, Dr. Felici spoke about the Baha'i attitude towards peace and how it moved beyond just rhetoric and good intentions to dialogue, cooperation, and human relations.\n\nThe activities of the Faith in seeking peace and religious unity are well known in San Marino, a country surrounded by Italy and a member of the United Nations since 1992. It lays claim to the description of \"the world's oldest republic.\"\n\nLast year, the captains regent, two leaders who hold the positions of head of state and government, accepted delivery of a message from the Universal House of Justice which called for decisive action to eradicate religious intolerance and fanaticism in the world.\n\nThe government of San Marino has also intervened internationally in defense of the Baha'i community of Iran, which has suffered persecution at the hands of the authorities in that country."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A message read to the jubilee dinner from the captains regent, Paolo Bollini and Marino Riccardi, said the Baha'is had helped to draw attention to the values of belonging, tolerance, and solidarity that permeate San Marino.\n\n\"The presence of the Baha'i community in San Marino is consequently of great significance and will help bring a future of certainty and peace,\" they said in their message.\n\nA prominent member of the Italian Baha'i community, Julio Savi, then delivered an address to the gathering in which he outlined the history of the Baha'i Faith in the country.\n\nDr. Savi described how in 1953 Tabandeh (\"Toby\") Payman of Iran was attending a Baha'i conference in Stockholm when she decided to introduce the Faith to San Marino as part of a ten-year plan to take the teachings around the world.\n\nWithout returning to her home in Tehran, she moved directly to San Marino, where her husband, Sohrab, and their daughter Ghitty joined her some months later.\n\nDr. Savi said that after their arrival in San Marino they established friendships, and soon the Baha'i ideas and thoughts became better known in the country.\n\n\"San Marino is a special place,\" Dr. Savi said.\n\n\"The republic was founded many years ago by a saint, someone who was also spiritually motivated,\" he said.\n\n\"In this country, Toby gave her contribution, a contribution of ideas, which, I believe, coincide with those of the San Marino people, the defenders of freedom.\"\n\nThe head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, bestowed on Mr. and Mrs. Payman the accolade of Knight of Baha'u'llah for their service in introducing the Baha'i Faith to San Marino. The couple still reside there and were honored participants at the jubilee festivities.\n\nAt a celebration on 26 September 2004 attended by Baha'is from San Marino, Italy, Monaco, and the United States, a message from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'is of San Marino was read to the participants.\n\nCongratulations also came the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'is of France, Italy, and the United States and from many other Baha'i communities around the world.\n\nLater that day, the secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of San Marino, Ghitty Payman, welcomed Baha'is and guests to a concert in the Titano theatre where a prominent singer from Ghana, Ranzie Mensah, performed.\n\nMs. Mensah, who has performed with Miriam Makeba and appeared on numerous television shows as well as entertained at international governmental events, was accompanied on the piano by Alfredo Matera and by singers Stefy Piovesan, Aurelio Pitino, and Lidia Genta Rigamonti.\n\nAfter she sang songs with lyrics including the words of Baha'u'llah, the audience gave her a standing ovation.\n\nA buffet dinner brought the joyous jubilee celebrations to a close.\n\nFor an earlier article about the Baha'i community of San Marino, see [https://news.bahai.org/story/200](/story/200)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431207-bwns5587-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Tabandeh and Sohrab Payman."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431207-bwns5586-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Ranzie Mensah."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431209-bwns5585-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the children at the festivities."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431206-bwns5584-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dr. Julio Savi."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431206-bwns5583-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431207-bwns5582-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the participants at the jubilee celebrations. Sohrab Payman and his wife, Tabandeh, who introduced the Baha'i Faith to San Marino, are pictured at right."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431207-bwns5581-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"San Marino's secretary of state for industry, Claudio Felici (left), with the secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of San Marino, Ghitty Payman."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431206-bwns5580-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Golden jubilee of the Baha'i community of San Marino...Tabandeh Payman cuts the birthday cake."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":331,"evergreenUrl":"peoples-theater-begins-new-season","title":"People's Theater begins new season","description":"An award-winning Baha'i-inspired theater project began a new season of performances this week aimed at preventing violence and promoting social...","date":"2004-11-04","customDateline":null,"city":"OFFENBACH","country":"GERMANY","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5571-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5571-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"People's Theater representatives, Erfan Enayati (second from right) and Curtis Volk (right), with the mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke (third from right), and some members of the cast.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"An award-winning Baha'i-inspired theater project began a new season of performances this week aimed at preventing violence and promoting social skills among school students.\n\nEarlier, representatives of People's Theater outlined the program to the mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke, who has been a strong supporter of the project.\n\nAs well as being well known and appreciated in this city, People's Theater has won favor this year at the highest levels of the federal government.\n\nThe German Minister for Family and Youth, Renate Schmidt, awarded two representatives of People's Theater, Curtis Volk and Erfan Enayati, a financial grant to assist the further development of the theater.\n\nPeople's Theater was one of 25 winners selected from 560 entrants in a competition initiated by the Office of the Chancellor to select the projects with the most promise of  benefiting society.\n\nAt a reception for award recipients in July 2004, the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder said to the winners: \"We need more people like you, people who know how to transfer their knowledge and talents into service for the community.\"\n\nPeople's Theater was founded by Erfan Enayati, a Baha'i from Offenbach, who was inspired by \"The Happy Hippo Show,\" a television program in Russia created by Shamil Fattakhov to help youth deal with moral and ethical situations in their everyday lives.\n\nThe Baha'i inspiration behind the People's Theater is seen not only in its selection of the social topics that are the themes of its performances, but also because in its guiding principles such as honesty and sincerity, and the decision-making process used on a daily basis by those involved in the project."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Called consultation, this method is used by Baha'is to dispassionately examine different points of view before coming to a consensus.\n\nIn addition, the Baha'i principles of the underlying unity of world religions and respect for all ethnic groups play a fundamental role in every show.\n\nPresentations by the People's Theater combine the elements of a talk show with those of a theater. A twist is that its outcome is largely influenced by the audience. (See an article about \"The Happy Hippo Show\" [http://www.onecountry.org/e103/e10304as.htm](http://www.onecountry.org/e103/e10304as.htm).)\n\nEach show illustrates a conflict that exists in the school where the show is being performed.\n\nThe theater portion of the show portrays the problem to the audience. Then, in the talk show section that follows, the audience discusses constructive solutions to the problem through dialog, discussion, and role-play.\n\nThe moderator begins the show by explaining the rules. The actors then illustrate a conflict in a scene that focuses on such issues as violence, backbiting, and dishonesty.\n\nThe moderator stops the scene and asks the audience such questions as: \"What just happened?\", or \"How do the actors feel?\", or \"What could be done to change the situation?\"\n\nAfter a discussion by audience members, the moderator chooses a student to replace one of the actors. The student is then encouraged to try to change the situation by using ideas from his or her peers.\n\nThe scene lasts up to about five minutes and then begins again. After several attempts by the audience, the scene is then repeated one last time by the initial actors who follow the advice of the audience. The moderator then sums up.\n\nThe first performance of People's Theater was at a primary school in 2001 with the support of the Mayor of Offenbach, Gerhard Grandke.\n\n\"I was convinced and excited about the prospects of this project and its underlying concept from the beginning so I gladly sponsored it,\" Mr. Grandke said.\n\nThe project also has the support of local government offices dealing with education, community integration and crime prevention, and it has received a warm reception in the public school system.\n\nDuring the last two years the People's Theater has performed more than 700 shows in more than 40 schools. In the past school year, five youth dedicated their time to  working in the theater as a social service, and now more youth have offered to follow them for a year of service.\n\nParticipation in the People's Theater is recognized as social and civil service, and as such, it may be substituted for the mandatory military service required in Germany. It is supported by a pedagogical association and has a board of trustees.\n\nA principal at Gutenberg Primary School, one of the schools where People's Theater has performed, Heike Burger, said that working with People's Theater was an enjoyable experience.\n\n\"The program was praised by all participants; parents, teachers, and pupils,\" Ms. Burger said.\n\nA teacher at the Adolf-Reichwein High School, Elke Kunkel, said that the children were inspired to think by the themes of the show and were motivated to search for positive solutions.\"\n\n\"The young actors and actresses have a special understanding of the language which speaks to the youth --they are able to get their attention and motivate them to work with the show,\" Ms. Kunkel said.\n\n\"The work with the young actors and actresses is a worthwhile investment in our pupils,\" she said.\n\nA teacher at the Helen-Keller Primary School, Christina Kutzmann, said that working with People's Theater is very constructive for the pupils.\n\n\"They are able to work with abstract ideas, for example 'Conflicts from Boredom' or 'Dealing with Provocation' in a very creative fashion that realistically brings the problems (to the attention of) the children in an appealing manner.\"\n\nReport by Jennifer Wiebers.\n\nFor more about People's Theater see [http://www.peoples-theater.de/](http://www.peoples-theater.de/)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5577-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"People's Theater at a primary school."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5576-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The German Minister for Family and Youth, Renate Schmidt, with People's Theater representatives Erfan Enayati (left) and Curtis Volk (right) at the award ceremony."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5575-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Primary school children participating in the People's Theater."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5574-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Students and cast members after a successful performance."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5573-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"People's Theater in action. Elements of the scene are outlined on blackboard."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5572-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with Erfan Enayati (left) and Curtis Volk (right)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431190-bwns5578-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":330,"evergreenUrl":"obstacles-no-match-pioneer-spirit","title":"Obstacles no match for pioneer spirit","description":"When Elise Lynelle arrived in this West African country in 1954 to introduce the teachings of the Baha'i Faith, she faced two major obstacles....","date":"2004-08-21","customDateline":null,"city":"MALABO","country":"EQUATORIAL GUINEA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431154-bwns5570-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431154-bwns5570-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'is in Oveng, Equatorial Guinea.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"When Elise Lynelle arrived in this West African country in 1954 to introduce the teachings of the Baha'i Faith, she faced two major obstacles.\n\nThe first was a restriction on free association between whites and blacks. The second was that she was allowed only a one-month visa, barely enough time to get settled, let alone explain the teachings of a world religion.\n\nNevertheless, she was able to help establish the Faith in this country, then known as Spanish Guinea. Fifty years later, she described those early days to participants in the jubilee celebrations, which the Baha'i community held here on 20-21 August 2004.\n\nA young journalist from the United States, Ms. Lynelle (then Elise Schreiber) arrived in Bata, Spanish Guinea, on 17 May 1954.\n\nNormally it would have been difficult to obtain a visa but, fortunately, her arrival coincided with a festival, and the military authorities allowed her to stay for a month.\n\nWhile in Bata, Ms. Lynelle was unable to make contact with black Africans because of restrictions on association between the races, and any new religion was frowned upon. However, a Spaniard, Jose Ramos Espinosa, accepted the Faith.\n\nWith Mr. Espinosa's help, Ms. Lynelle joined a group of surveyors who were traveling in the colony looking for places to build lighthouses.\n\nIn June 1954 she sailed with them to the island of Corisco. Here she met the elderly King of the island, Santiago Uganda Mdelo and his nephew, Edward Robinson, both of whom readily accepted the Baha'i teachings. King Uganda told Ms. Lynelle that he had had a premonition about someone who would come to him with a message."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"For introducing the Baha'i Faith to Equatorial Guinea Ms. Schreiber received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.\n\nHer arrival in this country contributed to the achievements of the Ten Year Plan (1953-1963) to establish the Faith in countries where there were no Baha'is. By the end of the decade the number of national communities had more than doubled.\n\nReturning to the country for the first time in 50 years, Ms. Lynelle said she was impressed at the changes that had taken place in Equatorial Guinea and the progress of the Baha'i community. The country now has four Local Spiritual Assemblies.\n\nOther speakers at the jubilee festivities to describe the early days were Alberto Ntutumu, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Equatorial Guinea, and Miguel Bielo, a member of the Auxiliary Board.\n\nAlso present was Jose Maria Fierro Cueto (also known as Dr. Pepe), who came from Mexico to Equatorial Guinea in the 1980s to assist the Baha'i community.\n\nA slide presentation about the history of the Faith paid tribute to other early members of the community, among them Joseph Enonguene and Johanna Ngompex, who came from Cameroon in the 1960s.\n\nAt the celebrations, a member of the Auxiliary Board in Cameroon, Christine Tchameni, represented the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa.\n\nSome prominent non-Baha'i officials attended the celebrations, including the Health Minister, Dr. Justino Obama Nve, and Mrs. Obama.\n\nTheatrical and musical presentations entertained the participants, a highlight being traditional dances by members of the biggest tribe of Equatorial Guinea, the Fang.\n\nIn a message to the participants at the golden jubilee celebrations, the Universal House of Justice expressed its hope that \"this occasion, besides giving pause for reflection on what has so nobly been attained to date, will provide inspiration to each individual present to see his own role in advancing this world-embracing Cause.\"\n\nThe national television channel, RTV (Radio Television Malabo), covered the event. A monthly magazine, La Gazeta, later published an article about the celebrations.\n\nThe Baha'is of Equatorial Guinea organize various activities which are also open to the wider public, including regular moral educational classes for children and pre-youth, prayer gatherings, and study circles aimed at building individual capacities.\n\nAs part of the jubilee celebrations, a graduation feast for study circle participants will be held in November 2004."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431150-bwns5569-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'is in Luba, Equatorial Guinea, 1990."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431149-bwns5568-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'is in Ntobo, Equatorial Guinea, 1994."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431148-bwns5567-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i children at a Naw-Ruz (New Year) celebration in Equatorial Guinea, 1989."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431148-bwns5566-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Elise Schreiber, 1954."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431148-bwns5565-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431151-bwns5564-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some Baha'is of Equatorial Guinea at the Ntobo Baha'i Center, 2004."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431149-bwns5563-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the Baha'is who celebrated the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431154-bwns5562-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Violeta Rabat and Francisca Ntutumu at the celebrations."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431154-bwns5561-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some participants at the festivities."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431149-bwns5560-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i songwriter Mama Anita of Ntobo, Equatorial Guinea, at the celebrations."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431152-bwns5559-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Josefina Mikue at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431154-bwns5558-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Valentin Nsue contributed to the musical entertainment."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431152-bwns5557-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Jubilee participants Francisca Renedo and her daughter, Ruth Suzane."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431154-bwns5556-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A dance by members of the Fang tribe."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431151-bwns5555-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Christine Tchameni addressing the participants. At left is the master of ceremonies, Valeriano Ebang."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431151-bwns5554-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Baha'i choir of Equatorial Guinea at the celebrations. At left, top, is a picture of King Santiago Uganda."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431150-bwns5553-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Elise Lynelle (center), who introduced the Baha'i Faith to Spanish (now Equatorial) Guinea, with some participants in the jubilee celebrations. Photo by Jose Maria Fierro Cueto."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":329,"evergreenUrl":"togo-bahais-celebrate-jubilee","title":"Togo Baha'is celebrate jubilee","description":"A message from one of the Baha'is who introduced the Baha'i Faith to Togo was a highlight of the jubilee celebrations held here. \"I love you...","date":"2004-08-22","customDateline":null,"city":"LOME","country":"TOGO","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431119-bwns5552-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431119-bwns5552-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mavis Nymon, 2002.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A message from one of the Baha'is who introduced the Baha'i Faith to Togo was a highlight of the jubilee celebrations held here.\n\n\"I love you all so much, pray for your spiritual growth and that you may continue in faith and teaching the Cause of Baha'u'llah -- the Cause of God,\" wrote Mavis Nymon, 82, who now lives in the United States and was unable to attend the celebrations in this West African country.\n\nMs. Nymon, originally from Fargo, North Dakota, was 32 years old when she and 59-year-old Vivian Wesson of Chicago, Illinois, took the message of the Baha'i Faith to what was then called French Togoland on 2 May 1954.\n\nIn her letter, which was read to the jubilee participants, she vividly described their dramatic landing by large dugout canoe in Ghana and then their subsequent night journey across the border, ending with their arrival in  the capital city of Lome just before midnight.\n\n\"What an unspeakably joyous occasion for us,\" she said. They had accomplished their goal of contributing to the Ten Year Plan (1953-1963) to establish the Faith in countries where there were no Baha'is. By the end of the decade the number of national communities had more than doubled.\n\nIn her letter Ms. Nymon described the help she and Ms. Wesson received from Togolese people and how, about one month after their arrival, they met another Baha'i there, David Tanyi, from Cameroon.\n\nFor introducing the Baha'i teachings to French Togoland, the three received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.\n\n\"I wanted to go to Africa since I was 16, and it was the great fulfillment of my life,\" Ms. Nymon later said."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Later Ms. Nymon and Ms. Wesson moved to Liberia to assist the Baha'i community there.\n\n\"In 1964 I visited Togo again but now I am amazed to know of  the progress of the Baha'i community there,\" she said. Mrs. Wesson and Mr. Tanyi have since passed away, though the three were reunited at the Baha'i World Centre in 1992.\n\nFifty years after their arrival more than 300 participants gathered in the capital city of Togo to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Baha'i community.\n\nGuests came from 20 countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, France, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Iran, Mali, Martinique, Niger, Senegal, and the United States.\n\nThroughout the jubilee celebrations youth groups and choirs from Togo provided entertainment, and many groups of  guests contributed songs.\n\nThe jubilee festivities, celebrated 20-22 August 2004, were held not only in Lome but also at the Vivian Wesson Training Institute in Djidjole.\n\nA representative of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Togo, Philip Smith, welcomed the participants.\n\nIn an address to the participants and their guests, Komi N'Sougne, an Auxiliary Board member, said the jubilee was also a celebration of unity in diversity, one of the main principles of the Baha'i Faith and one that is evident in  the Togo Baha'i community. The Faith here is established in 665 localities and there are 108 Local Spiritual Assemblies.\n\n\"For the Baha'is it is not a question of building uniformity but rather to create unity and an environment where potentials [of individuals] can develop,\" Mr. N'Sougne said.\n\nA message from the National Spiritual Assembly, presented by its secretary, Akakpo Yaovi Kougblenou, described the early days of the Togo Baha'i community, and it named those who first accepted the message of the Faith there, among them being Emmanuel Ocloo, Bruno Adjakly, Samuel Ggogbo, Michel Kokou Negble Attigah, and the first Togolese woman to become a Baha'i, Patience Adjakly.\n\nLeyla Moustapha from Togo and Amrullah Khelghati from Guinea spoke to the participants about the history of the Baha'i Faith in Togo. A slide show by Thelma Khelgati also brought back many memories of the early days.\n\nAttending as a representative of the Cameroon Baha'i community was Mary Tanyi, the wife of Enoch Tanyi, who is the son of the late David Tanyi. She also addressed the celebrants.\n\nA member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa, Antoinette Ziehi from Cote d'Ivoire, spoke on the role of the youth in the Baha'i community.\n\nOther members of the Continental Board of Counsellors present at the celebrations were Moussa Kamaye and Ibrahim Galadima from Niger.\n\nAn integral part of the jubilee was a regional Baha'i youth conference, the main theme of which was unity in diversity.\n\nPerformances came from the Henri Montra dance group, the La Voix de l'unite (Voices of Unity) choir of Djidjole, a choir from Yoyovi Kondji, the Rossignols d'Akka (Nightingales of Akka) choir, and a dance group from Niamey, Niger.\n\nThe jubilee received extensive coverage in the local and  national media. The event was covered by Television Togolaise (a national television channel), Radio Lome (a national radio station), the Grand Quotidien National d'Information Togo-Presse (a national daily newsletter), and some private news organizations.\n\nThe first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Lome, in 1955. Many Baha'is from other countries have come to live in Togo to assist local Baha'is develop their community.\n\nDuring the past 50 years the Togo Baha'i community has welcomed some distinguished Baha'i guests, among them Hands of the Cause Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani and Rahmatullah Muhajir."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431134-bwns5551-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"At the Tanyi residence, 1955: Vivian Wesson (left), David Tanyi (standing rear), Esther Tanyi (right), and the Tanyi children, Mbu and Enoch."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431120-bwns5550-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i youth in Lome, Togo, at a training course for tutors of study circles, 2001."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431121-bwns5549-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Togolese Baha'is, Mr. and Mrs. Daliwa of Nigmtougou and their children, who introduced the Baha'i Faith to Tambiwe, Togo, 1982."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431120-bwns5548-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'is at a training institute in Togo, 1982."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431131-bwns5547-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Performers from Korbongon at the national Baha'i convention, Togo, 2000."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431130-bwns5546-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the children at the jubilee festivities."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431130-bwns5545-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Daughter-in-law of David Tanyi, Mary Tanyi, addressing the jubilee participants."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431119-bwns5544-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i guests from Cote d'Ivoire performing at the jubilee celebrations."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431119-bwns5543-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431129-bwns5542-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the participants at the jubilee celebrations."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431131-bwns5541-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Yoyovi Kondji choir from Togo at the jubilee festivities. Photo by Sebastien Amodeo."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431131-bwns5540-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mavis Nymon, 1956."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431120-bwns5539-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The people who introduced the Baha'i Faith to Togo: (left to right) David Tanyi, Mavis Nymon, Vivian Wesson. Baha'i World Centre, Haifa, Israel, 1992."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":328,"evergreenUrl":"official-urges-study-noble-principles","title":"Official urges study of 'noble principles'","description":"The principles of the Baha'i Faith \"could shed light on what steps our society should take to improve our social and economic life,\" a senior...","date":"2004-08-28","customDateline":null,"city":"ACCRA","country":"GHANA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431089-bwns5536-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431089-bwns5536-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The principles of the Baha'i Faith \"could shed light on what steps our society should take to improve our social and economic life,\" a senior government official told participants at the Baha'i jubilee celebrations in this West African nation.\n\nThe theme of the 27-29 August 2004 celebrations, which commemorated the establishment of the Faith here 50 years ago, was \"Spiritual Solutions for Social and Economic Problems.\"\n\n\"I sincerely believe that the theme chosen for this celebration is to engender our whole society to reflect on the principle that human nature is fundamentally spiritual,\" said Kwaku Agyeman Manu, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.\n\n\"I urge the rest of us who are non-Baha'is to exhibit some of the good principles of religious humility, to examine the noble principles of the Baha'i teachings,\" Mr. Agyeman Manu said.\n\nDuring the past 50 years, the Baha'is of Ghana have been active in social and economic development programs.\n\nA recent example is the work of the Olinga Foundation for Human Development, founded in 1999.\n\nThe foundation has been involved in promoting literacy and moral education classes in primary and junior secondary schools in rural areas of Ghana.\n\nIn the Western region of the country, for example, more than 5,000 children, in 150 schools participated in such classes with the help of the foundation."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Another feature of the jubilee was the awarding of prizes in a student essay competition organized by the Baha'i community.\n\nStudents throughout Ghana were asked to discuss four principles shared by at least four of the world's main religions.\n\nOn behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Ghana, Thelma Khelgati, a former member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa, congratulated the winners and handed out the prizes.\n\nA special feature of the celebrations was the launching of the book titled \"Conquering the Hearts, A Brief History of the Baha'i Faith in Ghana from 1951-1995.\"\n\nIntroducing the book, Diana Heymann-Adu, the managing director of Meridian FM radio station, said that \"the Baha'i Faith has much appeal and relevance to the modern world.\"\n\nShe said that the book, which tells about the lives of the early Baha'is in Ghana, will offer many insights to future generations.\n\nThe Baha'i teachings were first brought to Ghana (then under British rule and called \"the Gold Coast\") in 1951 when Ethel Robertson Stephens, an African-American Baha'i from Virginia came to Accra. Mrs. Stephens stayed one year in the Gold Coast.\n\nIn the early 1950s Baha'i pioneers established Baha'i communities in the Northern Territories, Ashanti Protectorate, and British Togoland. Those three regions, together with the Gold Coast, became the independent nation of Ghana in 1957.\n\nAmong the first Baha'is in those three regions were three young Baha'is from Cameroon, Benedict Eballa (Ashanti Protectorate), Edward Tabe (British Togoland), and Martin Manga (Northern Territories).\n\nOther pioneers were Julius Edwards, a Jamaican tailor from Liberia (Northern Territories) and the first Baha'i from the Gold Coast, Albert Buapiah (British Togoland).\n\nFor their services in establishing Baha'i communities in these regions the five men later received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.\n\nAnother Cameroonian Baha'i, who assisted the Baha'i community in Ghana in the early days was David Tanyi.\n\nIn 1954, Mr. Tanyi had been named a Knight of Baha'u'llah for introducing the Baha'i Faith to Togo (then French Togoland).\n\nIn 1957 he moved to Tamale (Northern Territories), and with his wife,Esther, and their children remained in Ghana for more than three decades.\n\nDuring the celebrations, some of the first believers, among them Blanche Fredua-Agyemang, Emmanuel Budu, Ernest Bentsil, and Prince Abaidoo gave accounts of the early years of the Faith in Ghana.\n\nOver the course of three days, the jubilee festivities were held at three locations: at the Hotel Novotel in Accra, in Kumasi, and at the Baha'i institute in Gyankama.\n\nDuring the three days, participants enjoyed a variety of artistic performances, including presentations by the local Baha'i youth choir, Flight 009, accompanied by Yoofi Nketsiah, and songs and dances by the Bawdie Baha'i youth group.\n\nOthers whose musical performances entertained the jubilee crowd were George Olinga of Uganda with Ekua Mensah from the United States, and Pinnock Casely-Hayford, a local Baha'i.\n\nAlso present at the celebrations were members of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa Beatrice Asare, who presented the message of the Continental Board to the participants, and Kobina Amissah Fynn.\n\nAfter the celebrations, participants said prayers at the gravesites of two of the early believers, Joseph Musah and Beattie Casely-Hayford.\n\nFollowing the events in Accra and Gyankama, the celebrations continued in the other nine regions of the country.\n\nThe Baha'i community, which has 63 Local Spiritual Assemblies, is currently organizing study circles, children's classes, and prayer gatherings, all of which are open to the wider public.\n\nThe Baha'i community of Ghana has welcomed many distinguished Baha'i guests throughout the years, among them Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani and other Hands of the Cause, including Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, Jalal Khazeh, Rahmatu'llah Muhajir, Enoch Olinga, and John Robarts."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431093-bwns5535-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Ghana at the Baha'i World Centre, Haifa, Israel, 1998."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5534-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone (extreme left) and Mrs. Featherstone with Baha'is in Ghana, 1979."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431093-bwns5533-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"David Tanyi (back row, fourth from left in white shirt) with Baha'is in Tamale, Northern Ghana, 1960."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5532-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Two of the Baha'is who introduced the Faith to Ghana, David Tanyi (standing) and Benedict Eballa (left), with Samuel Njiki, one of those who took the Faith to Cameroon, 1954."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431093-bwns5531-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Festival participants Ekua Mensah (left) and Blanche Fredua-Agyemang."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5530-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Young performers...(left to right) Tahereh Fynn and siblings Mihdi and Bahiyyih."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5529-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i youth from Canada, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Togo, and the United States with a jubilee cake. Photo by Yoofi Nketsiah."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5528-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"One of the first Baha'is of Ghana, Prince Abaidoo, spoke of the early days of the Faith in the country."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5527-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Local Baha'i Pinnock Casely-Hayford (left) and friends during a musical performance at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431097-bwns5526-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Jubilee participants saying prayers at the gravesites of Joseph Musah and Beattie Casely-Hayford, two of the early Baha'is of Ghana. Photo by Sebastien Amodeo."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431093-bwns5525-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the participants at the jubilee celebrations in Gyankama. Photo courtesy of Sebastien Amodeo."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5524-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Julius Edwards, one of the five people who introduced the Baha'i Faith to Ghana, pictured in 1953 (left) and in later years (right)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5523-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Essay competition...Thelma Khelgati (left) gives a prize to a student during the jubilee celebrations."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431090-bwns5522-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dignitaries at the official table included (left to right) Kwaku Agyeman Manu, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Agatha Gaisie-Nketsiah, an Auxiliary Board member, and Kobina Amissah Fynn, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Africa. Photo by Adwoa Ulzen."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":327,"evergreenUrl":"creativity-theme-summer-schools","title":"Creativity a theme of summer schools","description":"Participants at a Baha'i summer school here visited the summer residence of Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938), the first monarch to embrace...","date":"2004-08-20","customDateline":null,"city":"TOHANU NOU","country":"ROMANIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5521-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5521-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Romanian summer school was held near Bran castle, a summer residence of Queen Marie.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Participants at a Baha'i summer school here visited the summer residence of Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938), the first monarch to embrace the Baha'i Faith.\n\nThe excursion to her castle in the scenic region of Bran was part of a program characteristic of a string of summer schools across Europe this year.\n\nBaha'i summer schools worldwide balance devotional, study, and recreational aspects.\n\nThe visit to the castle was an opportunity to remember and be inspired by historic figures of the faith such as Queen Marie, and the Baha'i who introduced her to the Faith, Martha Root.\n\nCommon themes of schools held in countries such as Romania, Norway, Ireland, Slovakia, and Croatia were the creative ways of approaching devotional meetings, study circles and children's classes -- the \"core activities\" now being carried out by Baha'is throughout the world.\n\nIn Romania, the emphasis was on workshops, and how Baha'is and their friends could improve the way they carried out the community's core activities.\n\n\"Workshops involved participants preparing skits, decorating prayer books, making invitations for devotional meetings and study circles and learning how to tell stories,\" said Della Marcus, a participant.\n\nOne of the sessions, presented by Chris Ruhe, was on how to write songs, and another, by Ehsan Erfanifar, was about the importance of holding devotional meetings."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"**Norway**\n\nMore than 300 Baha'is gathered for Norway's summer school at Beitostolen, where they enjoyed recreational walks in that spectacular mountainous region.\n\nA guest speaker, Dr. Hossain Danesh of Canada, addressed the topic of how to mature as human beings within the context of family, work, and Baha'i service.\n\nOne session explored the case study of a social and economic development project, and another focused on the importance of agriculture in society.\n\n\"In the afternoons there were different choices of activities and there were specific programs for children, junior youth and senior youth all throughout the school,\" said a participant, Britt Thoresen.\n\n**Ireland**\n\nIn Ireland too there were programs for the younger members of the Baha'i community.\n\nJunior youth built a large wooden swing and a \"watch tower\" as part of the recreational program at the country's summer school, attended by more than 500 people in Waterford city, 14-22 August 2004.\n\nOther recreational activities included soccer, swimming, face painting, and tie-dying.\n\n\"Awakening the Spirit\" was the theme of the school, which mixed panel sessions and workshops with traditional lecture formats. Visiting speakers included scholars and writers Wendy and Moojan Momen, and Rita and Viv Bartlett.\n\nTo mark the 10th anniversary of the United Nations International Year of Family, the school invited the people of Waterford to participate in an open day that had the theme \"Celebrating the Family.\" That event followed a talk on the topic in the City Hall and a visit to the school by the Mayor of Waterford, Councillor Seamus Ryan.\n\n**Slovakia**\n\nThe principal guest speaker at the national summer school  was Dr. Firaydoun Javaheri, a member of the Universal House of Justice, who spoke about the role of the Baha'i Faith in the 21st century.\n\nActor and comedian Omid Djalili and his wife, Annabel, presented a drama workshop. Known for his roles in such movies as \"The Mummy,\" \"Spy Games,\" and \"Gladiator,\" Mr. Djalili was on a return visit with his family to Slovakia, where he lived from 1991-93.\n\nHe drew widespread media attention -- television channels, radio stations, and newspapers covered aspects of the event, which was held in the Low Tatras from 31 July to 5 August.\n\nOther speakers included Raymond and Furugh Switzer, who talked about marriage, family life, and managing time and money.\n\n**Croatia and Slovenia**\n\nThe summer school of Croatia and Slovenia was held 21-28 August in Seline, Croatia.\n\nThe participants came from the host countries of Croatia and Slovenia, as well as nearby Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro. Others came from Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, United Kingdom, and the United States.\n\nThe theme of the sessions was \"Living by the will of God,\" and the titles of the presentations included \"Baha'i family identity,\" \"Spirituality at work,\" \"Marriage and finding a partner,\" \"Baha'i burial laws and writing a will,\" and \"Prayer.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431042-bwns5520-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A presentation at the summer school in Romania. Photo by Della Marcus."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431037-bwns5519-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The junior youth at the Irish summer school printed special T-shirts for the occasion. Photo by Eoghan Megannnety."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431037-bwns5518-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"An art workshop at the summer school in Croatia. Photo by Davor Prezel."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5517-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A performance at the summer school in Slovakia."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5516-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of those attending the summer school in Iceland held 3-8 August 2004 in Hlidardalsskoli, about 35 km from Reykjavik. As well as from the host country, the participants came from Albania, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom. The main sessions were about study circles, devotional meetings, and Baha'i history."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5515-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Foad Vojdani teaches a children's class at the Baha'i summer school held in Viljandi, Estonia, July 2004. Photo courtesy of Valguskiir, the newsletter of the Baha'i community of Estonia."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5514-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the participants at the Baha'i summer school in Slovakia."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5513-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431036-bwns5512-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Participants at the summer school of Croatia and Slovenia. Photo by Davor Prezel."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431039-bwns5511-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Pupils and teachers at one of the children's classes held at the Baha'i summer school in Ireland. Photo by Eoghan Megannnety."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431037-bwns5510-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A group of Baha'is on a recreational walk at the Norwegian summer school."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431043-bwns5509-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Presentation of drawings by children at the Baha'i summer school in Romania."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":326,"evergreenUrl":"speakers-urge-spiritual-intellectual-solutions","title":"Speakers urge spiritual and intellectual solutions","description":"Spiritual ideas are an essential component in solving the world's complex problems, according to the opening speaker at the annual conference...","date":"2004-09-05","customDateline":null,"city":"CALGARY","country":"CANADA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5508-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5508-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"One of the many artistic performances at the conference. (Left to right) Michael Bopp, Janet Youngdahl, Ralph Meier, Judie Bopp.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Spiritual ideas are an essential component in solving the world's complex problems, according to the opening speaker at the annual conference of the Association for Baha'i Studies-North America.\n\n\"The global problems of the contemporary world make interdisciplinary research a necessity,\" said Harold Coward, founding director of the Centre for Studies of Religion and Society at the University of Victoria in Canada.\n\nThe inclusion of religious and spiritual ideas in any such interdisciplinary approach is important, Dr. Coward told the conference, held here 3-6 September 2004.\n\nDr. Coward, who is not a Baha'i, said his own center was established to ensure \"that the wisdom of the religious traditions is included alongside the best that science, social science and the humanities have to offer when major global problems are addressed.\"\n\nContributions by the other 58 major presenters addressed various aspects of the theme of the conference -- \"Spirit and Intellect: Advancing Civilization\" -- to the more than 1,200 participants. It was the association's 28th annual conference.\n\nIn an address titled \"The New World Disorder: Obstacles to Universal Peace,\" scholar Andy Knight outlined how insights from the Baha'i teachings could help in developing solutions to conflict and other problems affecting the planet.\n\nAlthough the world yearns for peace, an exercise of volition and action is required to bring it about, said Dr. Knight, the McCalla Research Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta.\n\n\"It is not ephemeral, it won't fall from the sky into our laps because we hope for it -- it requires extraordinary effort and it will require fundamental change to the present world order,\" said Dr. Knight, who is a Baha'i."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Baha'i writings, said Dr. Knight, provide the most comprehensive view of the requirements for peace to be established. Primary among them is the recognition of the unity of the human race.\n\n\"We have to reach out to the non-Baha'i world, not to proselytize, but to let them know what is possible in terms of world order,\" said Dr. Knight.\n\nOther speakers and sessions covered a wide range of issues, including the arts and architecture, issues affecting indigenous peoples, spiritual and moral principles, and community in the workplace.\n\nSiamak Hariri, a partner in Hariri Pontarini Architects in Toronto, spoke of the process involved in designing the first Baha'i Temple of South America, to be located in Santiago, Chile.\n\nMr. Hariri described how the concept for the temple emerged from a broad collaboration among a team of Baha'i and non-Baha'i designers. The process was in marked contrast to the milieu in contemporary architecture, which he said fixates on deconstruction and frenetic experimentation.\n\n\"In a sense, we tried to abandon what we knew. We wanted a structure that is whole, with a sense of its completeness that leaves exploration of disharmony to others, without going back to pastoral expression,\" said Mr. Hariri.\n\nMr. Ali Nakhjavani, who until recently served as a member of the Universal House of Justice, presented the Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture.\n\nMr. Nakhjavani described how the former head of the Faith Shoghi Effendi carefully prepared the Baha'is of the world for a ten-year plan (1953-1963), which achieved its aim of opening the majority of the nations and territories of the world to the Baha'i Faith.\n\nKimberley Naqvi, one of the conference's organizers, said  that part of the importance of the conference was that it expanded the Baha'i community's world view and its knowledge of critical social issues -- and directed it toward action.\n\nConference chairman Ridvan Moqbel said that Baha'i scholarship involves a community of learning, where everyone -- with or without academic credentials -- can learn from each other and contribute to the betterment of the world.\n\n\"The association strives to promote diverse approaches to scholarship that apply the insights of the revelation of Baha'u'llah to the critical problems facing humanity,\" said Mr. Moqbel.\n\n[Paul Hanley contributed to this report.]\n\n[Photos by Michael Adachi and Omid Rahimzadeh.]\n\nFor more information, see [http://www.bahai-studies.ca/](http://www.bahai-studies.ca/)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5507-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dr. Kimberley Naqvi, one of the organizers of the conference."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5506-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Siamak Hariri, who designed the first Baha'i Temple of South America, to be located in Chile."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5505-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the participants at the conference."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5504-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Shahla Maghzi Ali, who was a member of the panel discussing the role of young Baha'is on university campuses."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5503-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mr. Ali Nakhjavani, who presented the Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5502-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dr. Andy Knight, who delivered an address titled \"The New World Disorder: Obstacles to Universal Peace.\" Photo by Omid Rahimzadeh."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431022-bwns5501-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dr. Harold Coward, the opening speaker at the conference. Photo by Michael Adachi, courtesy of the Canadian Baha'i News Service."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":325,"evergreenUrl":"windows-open-bahai-gospel-music","title":"Windows open to Baha'i gospel music","description":"Residents here flung open their windows to listen to gospel-style music being sung on the streets below by an international Baha'i choir. The...","date":"2004-07-05","customDateline":null,"city":"STUTTGART","country":"GERMANY","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430996-bwns5500-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430996-bwns5500-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Choir members Walter Heath (left) and Ed Peace with Marianne Kemmere, who was the MC for the concerts in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Residents here flung open their windows to listen to gospel-style music being sung on the streets below by an international Baha'i choir.\n\nThe choir had completed a concert in an historic church and continued outside, as its director Van Gilmer later explained.\n\n\"The audience followed the choir out of the church to the sidewalks as it continued to sing -- people opened their windows to enjoy the impromptu concert we gave,\" he said.\n\nThat enthusiastic response by the citizens of this southern German city was replicated in different ways across Europe this northern summer.\n\nAudiences in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, as well as in Germany, gave standing ovations to the Baha'i Gospel Choir, which included 103 members of many different backgrounds and  from 12 countries including Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Uganda, and the United States.\n\n\"There was no concert where the audiences did not stand up and sway, clap, and even stomp their feet for encores,\" said Mr. Gilmer, who said the singers were often as affected by the music as the audience.\n\n\"This is often true with gospel when the depths of one's beliefs are captured in the expression of the music,\" he said.\n\nChoir member Tahirih Olinga of Uganda agreed. \"Gospel music is very uplifting,\" Ms. Olinga said.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"The spirituals, the words, and the style of the songs are very powerful. They had a big impact on us and the audiences as well.\"\n\nMs. Olinga said that as well as enjoying the music, the audiences appeared to be inspired by the message of their songs -- the Baha'i principles of peace and unity.\n\n\"The power of God's word bound us together as a choir and also with the audience,\" she said.\n\nThe group's repertoire comprised 14 items -- gospel songs and spirituals, as well as Baha'i writings put to music in the gospel style.\n\nEach one-and-a-half-hour performance started with the Baha'i song \"We Have Come to Sing Praises,\" and then the choir went on singing other well-known gospel songs including \"I'm so Glad,\" \"If We Ever Needed Love,\" and \"Amazing Grace.\"\n\nThe concerts finished with \"Love Me That I May Love Thee,\" the last verse of which the choir sang in the language of the country in which it was performing.\n\nThe choir gave six concerts in four countries, finishing with a performance in the Baha'i House of Worship in Langenhain, Germany.\n\nAlthough this was the first tour of the Baha'i Gospel Choir, some members were in the gospel choir that sang at the Baha'i World Congress in New York in 1992 and 10 years later at the Baha'i Festival of Arts, also in New York.\n\nAmong those in the 2004 Baha'i Gospel Choir who had sung in the 2002 performance were professional musicians Joyce Garrett, and Patrick Lundy, who are not Baha'is.\n\nDr. Garrett, well-known in gospel circles in the United States, was the musical director of the tour. She is a member of the Naval Academy Gospel Choir and the Eastern High School Choir, which has won international awards.\n\nFounder of the Ministers of Music choir, Mr. Lundy is an accomplished pianist and the director of several gospel choirs. He was the assistant music director during the tour.\n\nAnother choir member was veteran drummer Lester Saucer, who regularly performs with leading gospel groups in the United States.\n\nMr. Gilmer has sung gospel as part of the repertoire of another Baha'i choir, \"Voices of Baha,\" in Asia, North America, and Europe.\n\nPhotos by Vic Voytek.\n\nFor more information see, [http://www.bahaigospel.org](http://www.bahaigospel.org).\n\nFor a report of a concert by \"Voices of Baha\" see [https://news.bahai.org/story/235](/story/235)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430996-bwns5499-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Roya Yazhari (second from left) and fellow soprano Katrina Davis (right) with Jada Davis (left), Jasmine Davis (center), and Sydney Ewing-Roush (front)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430999-bwns5498-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Gilmer family on tour: (Left to right) Sean, Kim, Cookie and her husband, Van."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431002-bwns5497-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Choir members Krisia Haynes and Evelyn Delgado."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431000-bwns5496-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Choir members: Slam Baker (right) and his brother, Wes."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430996-bwns5495-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Tahirih Olinga, a soprano with the Baha'i Gospel Choir."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430996-bwns5494-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Alto Kay Yoder and her husband, Robert."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430996-bwns5493-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i Gospel Choir soprano Katrina Davis with her husband Dennis, a bass singer, and their daughter Jada."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430998-bwns5492-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Director, Van Gilmer, singing with members of the Baha'i Gospel Choir."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543431002-bwns5491-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Singing of peace and unity...Sean Gilmer."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430996-bwns5490-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A soloist in full voice...Adrienne Ewing-Roush of the Baha'i Gospel Choir. Photo by Vic Voytek."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":324,"evergreenUrl":"a-special-place-rose-garden","title":"A special place in the rose garden","description":"Less than a week before Sirus Naraqi passed away, his medical colleagues at the University of Sydney held a well-attended symposium in his honor....","date":"2004-08-18","customDateline":null,"city":"SYDNEY","country":"","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430975-bwns5478-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430975-bwns5478-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi (1942-2004).","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Less than a week before Sirus Naraqi passed away, his medical colleagues at the University of Sydney held a well-attended symposium in his honor.\n\nDelivering the opening address, Papua New Guinea heart specialist Professor Sir Isi Kevau described Professor Naraqi as a \"special chapter in the history of medicine in Papua New Guinea.\"\n\nThat chapter is a story of training medical students and doctors, of effective research into prevalent diseases, and of major contributions to improving the country's health system.\n\n\"I thank God that we in Papua New Guinea were given the opportunity to cherish the knowledge and wisdom that this very special individual exuded in the 18 years he lived in the country -- he has a very special place in God's garden of roses,\" said Sir Isi, the first Papua New Guinean medical professor, who was trained by Professor Naraqi.\n\nProfessor Naraqi, 61, died on 18 August 2004 after a prolonged illness. More than 700 mourners of many religious, racial, and professional backgrounds attended his funeral.\n\nBorn in Iran in 1942, Sirus Naraqi demonstrated his caliber by placing first in university entrance examinations in Iran out of 80,000 students nationwide.\n\nHe completed his postgraduate medical training in the United States where he later practiced as a specialist in internal medicine. He was named \"best attending physician\" and \"best teacher of the year\" at the University of Illinois teaching hospital.\n\nBecause of his spiritual beliefs and his humanitarian nature, he then chose to devote his intellect and expert medical skills to some of the world's most materially disadvantaged  people by working in Papua New Guinea from 1977-79 and 1983-98."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"He spent much of his free time -- weekends and vacations -- visiting remote villages to provide treatment for those with little access to medical care.\n\nHis main role was combining practice as a specialist in internal medicine with his duties as professor of medicine at the University of Papua New Guinea.\n\nHis special attention to training local undergraduate and postgraduate students meant that by the time he moved to Australia in 1998, he left behind so many highly competent and trained doctors and specialists that expatriate doctors were no longer so crucially in demand.\n\nIn 1999, on the recommendation of the government of Papua New Guinea, Queen Elizabeth awarded him the high honor of Commander of the British Empire (CBE).\n\n\"Sirus was a shining example of the committed and dedicated pioneers who came from afar to heal and educate,\" said a former prime minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Julius Chan.\n\n\"He developed friendships with our people, as well as built lasting institutions and learning for future generations of Papua New Guineans,\" Sir Julius said.\n\nAs professor of medicine and associate dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney's western clinical school, Professor Naraqi co-established a research foundation and quickly demonstrated his remarkable abilities as a teacher.\n\n\"He is... a well-loved academic among medical students who have respected his dedication to his profession and his generosity of spirit in the training and mentoring of professionals,\" read a tribute published at last month's symposium that also mentioned his achievement in publishing more than 100 scientific and medical papers.\n\nA deeply knowledgeable, eloquent and highly capable Baha'i, Sirus Naraqi served as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Australasia since 1985, providing advice and encouragement to the Spiritual Assemblies and believers as he traveled widely in that region.\n\n\"We feel intensely privileged to have known him and served with him,\" said Jalal Mills, a member of the Continental Board based in Papua New Guinea.\n\nDr. Mills said Sirus Naraqi firmly believed that people even in the most humble of circumstances could understand profound concepts and live as spiritual people.\n\n\"He had the ability to see the potential and to patiently and lovingly nurture this potential,\" he said.\n\nAnother of his Baha'i colleagues, Stephen Hall, a member of the Continental Board, said he admired Professor Naraqi's  highly developed intuitive wisdom, his ability in an instant to go to the core of a matter and hone in on the relevant spiritual principles.\n\n\"Sirus never seemed rushed and he always had time for anyone who needed his guidance and advice,\" he said.\n\nIn a message of condolence, the Universal House of Justice said the devoted services to the Baha'i Faith by Dr. Sirus Naraqi will long be remembered.\n\nDr. Naraqi played a \"pre-eminent role in the propagation of the Cause to all parts of the country and the establishment of Baha'i institutions on a secure foundation,\" the message said.\n\n\"He was renowned for his commitment to encouraging and nurturing capable indigenous believers to take responsibility for the work of the Cause and for the love and kindness he showered on all members of the community,\" the message said.\n\nThe Universal House of Justice advised the National Spiritual Assemblies of Australia and Papua New Guinea to hold memorial gatherings in his honor and asked that memorial meetings be held in the Baha'i Houses of Worship in Australia and Samoa.\n\nSirus Naraqi is survived by his wife, Mitra, four children, and a grandson."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430979-bwns5488-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi (left) with his professor at medical school, Iran, 1967."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430977-bwns5487-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi spent much of his free time visiting remote areas of Papua New Guinea, providing medical treatment and giving advice to Baha'i communities."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430979-bwns5486-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some members of the Papua New Guinean Baha'i community, including Sirus Naraqi."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430975-bwns5485-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi (right) with Sir Julius Chan (center), acting Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, 1994."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430980-bwns5484-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hand of the Cause Ali-Akbar Furutan (left) with Sirus Naraqi at the Baha'i World Centre, Haifa, Israel."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430974-bwns5483-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi (front row, third from left) with other members of the Continental Board of Counsellors in Australasia, 1991."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430975-bwns5482-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Professor Naraqi leading a Baha'i youth class in Sydney, Australia, 1999."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430978-bwns5481-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi and his wife, Mitra."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430975-bwns5480-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi receiving the CBE from the Governor General of Papua New Guinea, Sir Silas Atopare, Port Moresby, 1999."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430975-bwns5479-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Professor Naraqi providing medical care in a remote village in Papua New Guinea."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430975-bwns5489-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sirus Naraqi (rear, left) with his parents and siblings, Iran, 1962."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":323,"evergreenUrl":"bahais-decry-cultural-cleansing-iran","title":"Baha'is decry cultural cleansing in Iran","description":"The destruction of yet another Baha'i holy place in Iran has prompted an outcry by Baha'is around the world, who see that the Iranian Government...","date":"2004-09-12","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5477-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5477-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Under destruction...the houselike structure marking the resting place of Quddus, Babol, Iran, April 2004.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The destruction of yet another Baha'i holy place in Iran has prompted an outcry by Baha'is around the world, who see that the Iranian Government is persisting in a campaign of persecution so extreme in the fanaticism driving it that it even jeopardizes invaluable assets of the country's cultural heritage.\n\nThe demolition in June of an historic house in Tehran, which followed the leveling of a Baha'i holy place in Babol earlier this year, has spurred national Baha'i communities in several nations to place a statement in major newspapers decrying the destruction.\n\nThe statement, which ran in the *New York Times* today, is set to run soon in newspapers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.\n\nThe Baha'i community of Iran, with about 300,000 members, is that country's largest religious minority.\n\nWith some five million members in more than 180 countries worldwide, the Baha'i Faith is an independent religion that promotes such teachings as the oneness of humanity, the underlying unity of the religions, the equality of women and men, and the need to eliminate prejudice.\n\nSince 1979, despite their peaceful character, more than 200 Iranian Baha'is have been killed, and hundreds more have been tortured and imprisoned. Tens of thousands have lost jobs, pensions, and access to education, all solely because the clerics who rule Iran declare them heretics.\n\n\"The hatred of the extremist mullahs for the Baha'is is such that they, like the Taliban of Afghanistan who destroyed the towering Buddhist sculptures at Bamiyan, intend not only to eradicate the religion, but even to erase all traces of its existence in the country of its birth,\" says the statement, which took the form of a paid advertisement in the *New York Times.*\n\nThe house that was destroyed in June had been owned by Mirza Abbas Nuri (also known as Mirza Buzurg), the father of Baha'u'llah, Who founded the Baha'i Faith. Mirza Abbas Nuri was an eminent provincial governor and was widely regarded as one of Iran's greatest calligraphers."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The statement in the *Times* notes that Mirza Abbas Nuri's house was an \"historical monument, a precious example of Islamic-Iranian architecture, 'a matchless model of art, spirituality, and architecture.'\"\n\n\"In their determination to rid Iran of the Baha'i community and obliterate its very memory, the fundamentalists in power are prepared even to destroy the cultural heritage of their own country, which they appear not to realize they hold in trust for humankind,\" the statement continues.\n\n\"Surely the time has come for Iranians everywhere to raise their voices in protest against such willful desecrations,\" concludes the statement.\n\nPlacing the statement in newspapers around the world is part of a coordinated effort by Baha'is outside of Iran to call the world's attention to the destruction of cultural landmarks that are part of the heritage of the entire world, said Glen Fullmer, director of communications for the Baha'i community of the United States.\n\n\"The places that are being demolished are significant to all humanity,\" said Mr. Fullmer. \"They reflect unique elements of Iran's cultural history. So we are calling on Iranians around the world to protest the destruction of their own culture.\"\n\nThe statement will also be printed in one of France's premier newspapers, said Brenda Abrar, a spokesperson for the Baha'i community there.\n\n\"There are a great many Iranians in France,\" said Ms. Abrar. \"We want to alert them that their own cultural heritage is in danger. The house that was demolished in June actually represents a great work of Islamic architecture.\"\n\nIn July, the Iranian newspaper *Hamshahri* published a lengthy article about the life of Mirza Abbas Nuri and the architecture of his house.\n\n\"As he had good taste for the arts and for beauty, he designed his own house in such a style that it became known as one of the most beautiful houses of that period,\" wrote Iman Mihdizadih in *Hamshahri* on 13 July. \"The plasterwork and the tile-work in the rooms as well as the verdant veranda, the courtyard with its central pool, and the trees planted in the flowerbeds, all created a tranquil atmosphere in this house.\"\n\nThe house was demolished over a period of about one week in June. The demolition order was issued in April by Ayatollah Kani, director of the Marvi School and the Endowments Office, ostensibly for the purpose of creating an Islamic cemetery. When the demolition started on 20 June, officials from the Ministry of Information were present, and by 29 June more than 70 percent of the structure had been destroyed. [See photographs]\n\nThe destruction of Mirza Abbas Nuri's house represents just the latest in a series of demolitions that appears to be aimed at systematically destroying Baha'i holy sites, said Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\nIn April, despite international protest, the gravesite of an early apostle of the Faith was destroyed in Babol. The house-like structure marked the resting place of Mulla Muhammad-Ali Barfurushi, known as Quddus.\n\nQuddus was the foremost disciple of the Bab, the Prophet-Herald of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nIn 1993, more than 15,000 graves were bulldozed at the well-kept Baha'i cemetery of Tehran on the pretext of constructing a municipal center.\n\nIn 1979, shortly after the Islamic revolution, the house of the Bab in Shiraz, one of the most sacred sites in the Baha'i world, was demolished. The house of Baha'u'llah in Takur, where the Founder of the Baha'i Faith spent his childhood, was also demolished soon after the revolution and the site offered for sale to the public.\n\n\"We see all this as part of a concerted plan on the part of the Iranian government to gradually extinguish the Baha'i Faith as a cultural force and cohesive entity,\" said Ms. Dugal. \"Over the years, the government's strategy has changed, from outright killing to methods that are less likely to attract international attention, such as the destruction of holy sites.\n\n\"But the end result is the same: to completely destroy the Baha'i community of Iran, along with its history and heritage,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nTo see a copy of the statement placed in the *New York Times,* see\n\n[http://www.bahai.org/pdf/ad20040912.pdf](http://www.bahai.org/pdf/ad20040912.pdf).\n\nTo see a press release from the Office of Public Information of the Baha'i community of the United States, see [http://www.bahai.org/pdf/pr20040912.pdf](http://www.bahai.org/pdf/pr20040912.pdf).\n\nFor information in French see [http://www.bahai.fr/article.php3?id_article=122](http://www.bahai.fr/article.php3?id_article=122).\n\nFor background article on the situation of the Baha'is in Iran, see [http://bahai.org/article-1-8-3-6.html](http://bahai.org/article-1-8-3-6.html).\n\nFor the history of the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran, see [http://bahai.org/article-1-8-3-7.html](http://bahai.org/article-1-8-3-7.html).\n\nFor an article on Iran's secret blueprint for the destruction of the Baha'i community, see\n\n[http://bahai.org/article-1-8-3-14.html](http://bahai.org/article-1-8-3-14.html).\n\nFor an August 2004 news story on the ploy to deprive Baha'is of higher education, see\n\n[http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story/317](http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story/317)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5476-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"An interior courtyard of the historic House of Mirza Abbas Nuri (Mirza Buzurg), Tehran, June 2004."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5475-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Destruction of a Baha'i holy place...inside the House of Mirza Abbas Nuri (Mirza Buzurg), Tehran, June 2004."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5474-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Entrance to the House of Baha'u'llah in Takur, which was destroyed after the 1979 revolution in Iran."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5473-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The House of the Bab, Shiraz, Iran, before its destruction in 1979."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5472-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The House of the Bab in Shiraz, Iran, one of the holiest sites in the Baha'i world, being destroyed by revolutionary guardsmen in 1979. It was later razed by the Government."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5471-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gravesite of Quddus, an early apostle of the Baha'i Faith, during its demolition, Babol, Iran, April 2004."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5470-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Destruction of cultural heritage...interior of the House of Mirza Abbas Nuri (Mirza Buzurg) during demolition, Tehran, June 2004."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5469-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Historic photograph of the entrance to the House of Mirza Abbas Nuri (Mirza Buzurg), Tehran."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5468-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543430955-bwns5467-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Demolition underway...the House of Mirza Abbas Nuri (also known as Mirza Buzurg), Tehran, Iran, June 2004."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":322,"evergreenUrl":"unveiling-new-world-learning","title":"Unveiling a new world of learning","description":"Learning about masks unveiled new layers of self-confidence for a participant at the Baha'i Academy for the Arts. \"The very positive attitude...","date":"2004-08-05","customDateline":null,"city":"WINSCOMBE","country":"ENGLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425184-bwns5466-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425184-bwns5466-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Alison Scrutton (right) displays a mask she used in a performance.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Learning about masks unveiled new layers of self-confidence for a participant at the Baha'i Academy for the Arts.\n\n\"The very positive attitude towards the students shown by all the tutors is a powerful way of improving both self-confidence and self-expression,\" said Alison Scrutton, who attended a workshop on performing with masks.\n\nMs. Scrutton, who is not a Baha'i, said that the academy far exceeded her expectations.\n\nShe was one of some 280 amateur and professional artists who attended the academy, held 31 July-7 August 2004.\n\nMs. Scrutton, a schoolteacher by profession, said the encouragement given to students helped them achieve more than they had thought possible at the beginning of the week.\n\n\"The tutors worked hard to develop confidence and artistic growth in their students and everyone's contributions were always valued,\" she said.\n\n\"The course was brilliant,\" she said. \"After a week I felt far more confident about my abilities to express myself through movement and mask work.\"\n\nHeld annually for 12 years, the academy attracted participants came from a variety of countries, including Bulgaria, Greece, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A British Baha'i, Anne Wong, said that the academy provided an ideal environment for learning.\n\nParticipants could work for the highest standard of excellence in their selected courses, said Ms. Wong, who was attending the academy for the first time.\n\n\"I enjoyed watching the unveiling of confidence and creativity in people. [At the academy] everyone is engaged in some kind of art whether it be singing, drumming, sculpture, painting, textiles, drama,\" Ms. Wong said.\n\n\"The whole ethos of the academy is based on a profound statement from Baha'u'llah that we are 'mines rich in gems of inestimable value,' and art is a means by which we can manifest these gems,\" she said.\n\nSome of the courses introduced this year for adults included abstract painting, textile art, black and white photographic printing, drumming, and computer presentations. Junior youth (ages 12-15) were offered new courses in theater arts, creative painting, and dance.\n\nAnother new feature was the \"Art of Living\" class. Drawing on the Baha'i writings on health, hygiene, and the environment, as well as on the results of scientific research in these fields, students learned how to integrate spiritual concepts and the arts into how they looked after their health and managed their lives.\n\nThis year's artist-in-residence was pianist Nancy Lee Harper, assistant professor of piano at the University of Aveiro in Portugal.\n\nDr. Harper taught a master class for experienced artists, including a singer, a violinist, two pianists, and a flamenco guitarist.\n\n\"Remaining open to the moment and using consultation as the basis of our work, [we found] the results were truly staggering and far beyond anyone's imagination,\" Dr. Harper said.\n\nIn addition to developing their own individual work, the group created a musical narrative titled \"The Journey,\" which they performed as part of the evening program.\n\nThe piece portrayed the dramatic story of the transfer of the remains of the Bab in the late 1800s from Persia (now Iran) to the Holy Land, where they were laid to rest on Mt. Carmel in 1909.\n\nDr. Harper said that as opposed to some other art courses, academy students are not judged for their abilities, and there is no negative criticism -- quite the opposite.\n\nShe said that peer teaching is a very strong element of the academy and that the artists naturally respond to such a helping and encouraging environment.\n\nEvening sessions were also a source of inspiration. A new feature was the screening of films and documentaries, many of them focusing on the artistic creative process.\n\nLondon-based architect and designer Sabiha Foster gave a lecture on the development of humanity's relationship with architecture, using such examples as the earliest remnants of architecture through to the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, India, which opened in 1986.\n\nTheater artist Bill George and his daughter, Anisa, from the United States, used a dramatic performance to explore the relationship of the Baha'i Faith and the theater.\n\nThe academy also offered space for students to work independently on their own projects.\n\nPhotos by Rob Weinberg.\n\nFor more information, see [http://www.bahai-artsacademy.com/](http://www.bahai-artsacademy.com/).\n\nFor a story about last year's academy, see [http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=245](http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=245)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425184-bwns5465-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Students display puppets made for use in story-telling in Baha'i children's classes."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425184-bwns5464-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Drumming tutor Oliver Heath (left) with students."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425184-bwns5463-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Tutor Sarah Clive (right) teaches Nirvana Farhoumand craft skills in a course on using the arts in Baha'i community life."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425185-bwns5462-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Theater artist Bill George (right) and actor Shirin Youssefian-Maanian (left) show puppets to a young participant."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425185-bwns5461-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Artist-in-residence, Nancy Lee Harper (third from left), with her masterclass."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425185-bwns5460-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Neisan Dehghani, 13, (left) shows the fruit of his painting class with tutor Payam Beint (right)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425184-bwns5459-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Participants in the workshop \"Performing with Masks.\" Photo by Rob Weinberg."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":321,"evergreenUrl":"mystical-work-inspires-playwright","title":"Mystical work inspires playwright","description":"After watching a play called \"The Seven Valleys,\" drama teacher Hanna-Mari Aflatuni said she wished she could have joined the actors on stage....","date":"2004-07-06","customDateline":null,"city":"NAANTALI","country":"FINLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425168-bwns5458-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425168-bwns5458-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The cast of \"The Seven Valleys.\"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"After watching a play called \"The Seven Valleys,\" drama teacher Hanna-Mari Aflatuni said she wished she could have joined the actors on stage.\n\n\"It was deeply moving and thought provoking,\" she said of the play, which was written by Tuula Kuitunen and performed by the Naantali Amateur Theater troupe.\n\n\"It was wonderful how devotedly all the participants took part in the performance,\" she said.\n\nThe play is based on \"The Seven Valleys,\" a work by Baha'u'llah that depicts the journey of the human soul.\n\nAfter its premiere won a highly favorable review in a Finnish newspaper, the play has been repeatedly performed to enthusiastic audiences, most recently in Lappeenranta in July.\n\nThe play has been staged several times at the renowned Naantali Theatre, which was awarded the Naantali city art prize in 2001.\n\n\"The Seven Valleys\" includes seven songs, each symbolizing a different spiritual stage described by Baha'u'llah -- the valleys of search, love, knowledge, unity, contentment, wonderment, and true poverty and absolute nothingness.\n\nIn the play, two narrators guide the traveler as he arrives at different stages of his journey. Quotations from Baha'u'llah depict the valleys and the challenges the traveler goes through in order to reach his goal. Songs and dances portray his feelings throughout the production.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"In his review of the November 2003 premiere for the regional newspaper \"Rannikkoseudun sanomat,\" Pentti Narvanen wrote that \"even in the most pious church events one cannot experience such harmony of spiritual elements.\"\n\n\"I have never experienced a similar feeling in theatre or in any other event,\" Mr. Narvanen said. \"This was food for the soul, unbelievably touching.\"\n\nMr. Narvanen said \"the symphony of visual effects, music, voice, and the lighting\" of the play seemed to have had a great impact on the audience.\n\nPlaywright Tuula Kuitunen, a Baha'i, also composed the music. She said that the performance presents the audience with the opportunity to have a spiritual experience in a new and refreshing manner.\n\n\"An artistic experience goes deeper to the core of an individual; it touches the senses, the emotions, the heart, the mind, the spirit, and the intellect,\" Mrs. Kuitunen said.\n\n\"As a piece of art, I feel 'The Seven Valleys' expresses the same universal and spiritual themes from which all cultures, performing arts, literature, and sciences have originated,\" she said.\n\nMrs. Kuitunen, is a pharmacist and a mother of four children, is from Naantali, on the southern coast of the country. She has previously composed songs for children's classes as well as for adults, based on Baha'i history.\n\nThe idea of the play came when she and other members of a Baha'i study circle started holding devotional gatherings that are open to the public.\n\nStudy circles, devotional gatherings, and as children's classes are organized throughout the world by Baha'i communities, who invite attendance by all, regardless of background.\n\n\"In the beginning we used recorded classical or other music, but little by little I began to use my own,\" she said.\n\n\"I have noticed that the combination of the holy word and music can be a very spiritual experience.\"\n\nMrs. Kuitunen first read Baha'u'llah's work \"The Seven Valleys\" when she joined the Baha'i community in 1972 and ever since she has wanted to explore its themes.\n\nHer family assisted her to realize her dream. Directing the play is her husband, Mikko Kuitunen, 53, who is also one of the actors. He has been the director and producer of the Naantali Theatre for 10 years.\n\nTheir daughter, Elina Kuitunen, 16, is one of the cast, while her brother, Jarkko, 26, is responsible for the technical aspects of the play.\n\nOne of the performers, Timo Hokkanen, 43, who is not a Baha'i, said that the play made him think about the real meaning and purpose of life.\n\n\"The play uses silence, melody, and harmony as a road to relaxation,\" said Mr. Hokkanen, whose wife, Sirkka, and their two children, are among the 15-strong cast.\n\nHe said that many audience members have told him they want to see the performance again."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425169-bwns5457-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425167-bwns5456-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Playwright Tuula Kuitunen (right) and her husband, Naantali theater director, Mikko Kuitunen."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":320,"evergreenUrl":"international-cast-musical-theater","title":"International cast in musical theater","description":"A multinational musical theatre troupe enjoyed a positive reception here this month during a two-week tour organized by the Local Spiritual Assembly...","date":"2004-08-10","customDateline":null,"city":"VILNIUS","country":"LITHUANIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425131-bwns5447-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425131-bwns5447-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A dance from a performance of \"Quest of the Spirit.\" Tahmina Kakenova (left), Kazakhstan, and Penina Smith, Papua New Guinea. Photo by Kevin McLoughlin.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A multinational musical theatre troupe enjoyed a positive reception here this month during a two-week tour organized by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Vilnius.\n\nThe Inspirit Performing Arts group, with members from 14 countries including Lithuania, presented three performances of a musical play, \"Quest of the Spirit,\" to enthusiastic audiences in the Elfu Theater in Vilnius.\n\nDuring the tour from 31 July to 13 August 2004, the 16-member cast performed songs, dances, and instrumental pieces in a production that depicted aspects of the world's religions. The show's theme was the path of a wayfarer in his search for spiritual truth.\n\nSome of the cast also presented a show in a local cafe, as well as offering impromptu performances of dances and songs in outdoor venues.\n\nOther activities included a public photographic exhibition held in a hall located near the city center. This well-attended display featured the work of Ineta Alvarado, a Baha'i from Vilnius. It included photographs of the Shrine of the Bab and the surrounding terraced gardens.\n\nOn six evenings, members of the troupe gave public talks on a variety of topics including Baha'u'llah's mission, the Baha'i Faith's relationship to other religions, and what it means to be a Baha'i. These talks were followed by discussions.\n\nThe activities of Inspirit sparked the interest of audience members in the Baha'i Faith and they have since begun attending Baha'i study circles, devotional meetings, youth and children's classes, and discussion meetings.\n\nInspirit is a performing arts group formed by volunteer staff at the Baha'i World Centre, in Haifa, Israel. Members come from Australia, Estonia, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Portugal, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and the United States."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The self-funded troupe undertook the tour during the vacations of its members as a service to the people of Lithuania. They were assisted in their activities by Baha'is from Estonia and Latvia.\n\nThis was the second visit by Inspirit to Lithuania. The troupe originally traveled to Vilnius in 2002 and the reception was so enthusiastic that it made plans to return this year.\n\nThe reaction proved to be positive again. Among local youth attracted to the show were Lijana Juodzbalyte and Aidas Alionis, who subsequently attended many of Inspirit's activities including the morning devotional sessions.\n\nAt the conclusion of the project, the two were obviously touched by the performers and their message.\n\n\"This was the best summer of my life,\" Aidas said.\n\nLijana said the songs and dances looked very professional.\n\n\"It was great to see so many flags on the stage -- it was a show of unity, \" she said.\n\n\"There were many kinds of art on the same stage at the same time, including singing, acting, dancing -- and beautiful photos shown on the screen.\"\n\nEugene Van Zanten of Ukmerge said that even though the cast members were from so many different countries and spoke almost as many languages, they were able to perform in complete unity.\n\nAt the tour's conclusion, Lijana summed up the reactions to the performances.\n\n\"Inspirit's activities,\" she said, \"have touched the hearts of many Lithuanians.\"\n\n(Kevin McLoughlin contributed to this report and provided photographs.)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425132-bwns5454-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Inspirit troupe."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425132-bwns5453-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"During the tour: (left to right) Kertu Laur, Estonia, Corinne Padilla, Philippines, Ieva Kacinskyte, Lithuania."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425132-bwns5452-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Cast members (left to right) Sapu Kobbewela, Sri Lanka, and Manfred Bold, Germany, helped deliver invitations to Inspirit activities."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425129-bwns5451-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A scene from \"Quest of the Spirit\"... (left to right) Corinne Padilla, Philippines, and Nemat Hossieny, India."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425131-bwns5450-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"(Left to right) Aleksej Nazarovas, Vladas Mackevic, both of Lithuania, performing at the photo exhibition."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425132-bwns5449-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Among the tour organizers...Lithuanian Baha'is Aiste Elijio and her husband James Elijio."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425133-bwns5448-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Inspirit organizer Eileen Maddocks (far right) with some members of the troupe."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425129-bwns5455-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":319,"evergreenUrl":"youth-enjoy-learning-together","title":"Youth enjoy learning together","description":"A Baha'i youth conference here attracted participants from Baha'i, Muslim, Christian, and traditional African religious backgrounds. They gathered...","date":"2004-07-24","customDateline":null,"city":"N'ZEREKORE","country":"GUINEA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425101-bwns5439-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425101-bwns5439-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the musicians at the national Baha'i youth conference in Guinea. (Photo by Mandy Morgan)","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A Baha'i youth conference here attracted participants from Baha'i, Muslim, Christian, and traditional African religious backgrounds.\n\nThey gathered at the University of N'Zerekore in the forest region of this French-speaking country to learn about the teachings, history, and administration of the Baha'i Faith through presentations, workshops, and dramatic art performances.\n\nThe third annual national Baha'i youth conference, held 23-25 July 2004, opened with greetings from the regional governor's representative and the rector of the university.\n\n**History**\n\nThe history lessons focused on the lives of the Central Figures and early heroes of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nOne Baha'i youth said he was moved by a story about how 'Abdu'l-Baha showed great kindness to a man who chose to mistreat Him. \"The story of 'Abdu'l-Baha helped me to love the people who reject me and to show them that I truly love them,\" said Abdoulaye Bangoura, 19, a teacher of Baha'i children's classes.\n\n\"If I try to be like 'Abdu'l-Baha, who is the perfect exemplar of the Baha'i Faith, I must accept the pain and the problems, and continue forward -- this story has given me courage...,\" he said.\n\nFor Mohamed Diaby, a 19-year-old Muslim, it was the story of the Baha'i Faith's Forerunner, the Bab, that caught his attention, and he was attracted to teachings of the oneness of humanity."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"You could say we are all from the same family and worship the same God,\" said Mr. Diaby.\n\nAfter studying quotations by Baha'u'llah, Bernadette Traore, a 19-year-old Catholic, drew attention to the message they contained about the need to live in harmony with one's beliefs.\n\n**Administration**\n\nAfter a presentation on the structure and functioning of\n\nBaha'i administrative institutions, participants divided into groups so they could learn about how to serve as members of Local Spiritual Assemblies.\n\nThe groups studied the duties of a secretary and chairperson and then held mock elections for those office-holders. They also appointed an advisor (the equivalent of an Auxiliary Board member.)\n\nFunctioning along the lines of a Local Spiritual Assembly, the groups consulted on topics such as assisting illiterate people to study the Baha'i writings, counseling alcoholics, dealing with criticism from local leaders of other religions, and competently looking after Baha'i funds.\n\nOne of the participants, Bruce Mukumbi, a Congolese Baha'i now living in Guinea, said the youth learned that the office-holders of the Assembly, such as secretary or chairman, are not allowed to impose their opinions on the group.\n\n\"Because of this workshop, everyone understood that each person can freely give his opinion and then the decision that's made belongs to the whole Assembly -- that is the principle of consultation,\" Mr. Mukumbi said.\n\n**Theater**\n\nThe youth worked in groups to create short plays about Baha'i history and Baha'i teachings such as consultation, the oneness of religion, and the equality of women and men.\n\n\"The Baha'i Faith in Guinea has a great future with these youth,\" said Jean Jacques Yem, a high school arts teacher from Mali who attended the conference. Mr. Yem has visited many French-speaking African countries since 1992, presenting plays based on various Baha'i themes and training Baha'i performing arts groups in the use of the arts in promoting the Faith.\n\nMr. Yem, said he had never seen such enthusiasm from youth as he had observed after spending a month forming theater arts workshops in Guinea.\n\n**Organization**\n\nMr. Yem said he was also impressed that a six-member National Baha'i Youth Committee organized the conference.\n\n\"I saw these young people stand up and take into their own hands the organization of the entire conference,\" he said. \"The programs, the security -- they organized almost everything themselves.\"\n\nMr. Bangoura, a member of Guinea's National Baha'i Youth Committee, said the plan for next year's conference is to boost even further the number of youth from different religious backgrounds and countries.\n\n\"It is a conference for youth who are both Baha'is and not Baha'is,\" he said. \"Since the main teaching of the Baha'i Faith is the unity of humankind, this teaching is brought to life with participants from other religions -- with Muslims, Christians, and Baha'is.\"\n\n**Institute**\n\nAfter the conference, 41 youth and five facilitators stayed for an intensive two-week training  program using the Ruhi Institute materials, which focus on different aspects of the Baha'i teachings and history.\n\nAn integral part of the Ruhi learning method requires students to memorize quotes from the Baha'i writings.\n\nMr. Yem said that in the first week of the training sessions, the youth had developed a memorization competition.\n\n\"They even adopted a little game where each time someone moved away from courteous behavior, they would respond to that person with a quote,\" Mr. Yem said.\n\n\"For example, a girl said something rude to a boy, and someone started reciting the words [of Baha'u'llah] 'A kindly tongue...' and everyone chimed in together 'is the lodestone of the hearts of men.... It clotheth the words with meaning.' It is so moving to see them living like that.\"\n\n(Report and photos by Mandy Morgan.)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425101-bwns5445-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Participants at the national Baha'i youth conference in N'Zerekore, Guinea."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425100-bwns5444-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A local boy peeks at the Baha'i youth conference taking place in his neighborhood in N'Zerekore."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425101-bwns5443-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Olinga Daliwa, 18, a Baha'i from Togo, who has lived with his family in Gueckedou, Guinea, for the past three years."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425101-bwns5442-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Salematou Kouyate, 21, of Conakry (right), and Sebastien Amodeo, 32, of Canada, in a dramatic performance."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425101-bwns5441-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Jean Jacques Yem telling stories from the lives of the Bab and Baha'u'llah."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425101-bwns5440-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Augustine Doualamou, 26, a Baha'i from Conakry, takes notes during a presentation on the lives of the Central Figures of the Baha'i Faith."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425100-bwns5446-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":318,"evergreenUrl":"author-introduced-faith-generation","title":"Author introduced Faith to a generation","description":"Gloria Faizi introduced the teachings of Baha'u'llah to a whole generation of inquirers through her pocket-sized introduction to the Baha'i Faith....","date":"2004-06-29","customDateline":null,"city":"BRISBANE","country":"AUSTRALIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425070-bwns5432-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425070-bwns5432-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gloria Faizi (1921-2004).","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Gloria Faizi introduced the teachings of Baha'u'llah to a whole generation of inquirers through her pocket-sized introduction to the Baha'i Faith.\n\nFirst published in 1971, \"The Baha'i Faith: An Introduction\" is published in 21 languages. The inexpensive and easy-to-read book has sold more than 200,000 copies.\n\nRight up until she passed away here aged 83, on 29 June 2004, Gloria Faizi was intent on using her literary gifts to tell people about Baha'u'llah.\n\nHer book, \"Baha'u'llah -- The Promised One\" has just been published, its initial draft dictated by her while ill in bed.\n\nAt the time of her death, she was writing her ninth book, a biography of her late husband, Abu'l-Qasim Faizi (c. 1906-1980), a Hand of the Cause of God.\n\nIn a message of condolence to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Australia, the Universal House of Justice said Gloria Faizi had \"rendered outstanding services to the Cause of Baha'u'llah throughout her life.\"\n\n\"Her distinguished record of accomplishment includes a number of books translated into many languages which have proved most valuable in attracting inquirers to the Faith and in conveying a deeper understanding of the Baha'i teachings.\"\n\nThe Universal House of Justice said they remembered with appreciation \"her many contributions to the progress of the Baha'i communities, including her pioneering in Bahrain with her illustrious husband, her work at the Baha'i World Centre, and her devoted travels far and wide as a teacher of the Cause.\"\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Gloria Faizi was born into the Ala'i family, distinguished for its service to the Faith. She met the head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, when she accompanied her father to the Holy Land as a child.\n\nWhen she was 17, she married Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, and together they assisted Baha'i communities in a remote rural area of Iran before settling in Bahrain in the mid-1940s. Their two children, Naysan and May, were born during their 15 years there.\n\nFamily members heard no complaints about the conditions there from Mrs. Faizi, and it was only later that they learned of the extreme difficulties she and her husband encountered in the early years -- initial unemployment, malnourishment, the lack of relief from intense heat, discomfort, and hostility. Over the years the couple were of great assistance and inspiration to Baha'is in the region.\n\nLater, Mr. Faizi's duties required them to move to the Holy Land. After Mr. Faizi passed away, Mrs. Faizi lived for two more years in Haifa and then moved to India where she traveled widely in service to the Faith.\n\n\"Her love for India and the Indian community was immense,\" said a longtime secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, Mr. Ramnik Shah.\n\n\"Her great contribution to the development of the Faith in India was her assistance in not only writing but supervising the printing of books and booklets that were required for the proclamation and deepening of the Faith,\" Mr. Shah said.\n\nMrs. Faizi set up residential institute programs to teach and train Baha'is in Tamil Nadu and in Solan, in Himachal Pradesh.\n\nIn more recent years she was resident at the Rabbani School in Gwalior, where her deep knowledge of the Baha'i Faith and her brilliance in communication were demonstrated in memorable classes for both faculty and students.\n\nA Fellow of the Institute of Linguists, Mrs. Faizi was fluent in Persian, English, Arabic, French, and Turkish, and she had a working knowledge of Hindi.\n\nHer literary gifts enabled her to write not only her immensely popular introductory book but also another best-seller, \"Fire on the Mountain Top,\" a collection of stories about early members of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nMore and more books were to pour from her pen. Among them was \"Flowers of One Garden,\" which is now being distributed to government educational institutions throughout India.\n\nMeticulous to a high degree in everything she did, she would painstakingly pore over her manuscripts until convinced they were free from faults.\n\nShe was in demand as a speaker and teacher of the Faith internationally.\n\nIn a eulogy delivered at her funeral, her literary assistant Vafa Fakhri said Mrs. Faizi was a scholar, writer, and teacher to the end.\n\nMr. Fakhri referred to her \"almost superhuman focus, determination and perseverance\", her \"gentle and endearing sense of humor\" and her vast knowledge of the Baha'i Faith and other religions.\n\nGloria Faizi is survived by her two children, and  four grandchildren."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425071-bwns5437-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gloria Faizi (center, rear) with her mother Najmieh (left), her father Rahmatu'llah Khan 'Ala'i (right), and her brother, Manuchihr."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425070-bwns5436-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gloria Faizi (center) with students of her Baha'i class in Najafabad, Iran, early 1940s."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425070-bwns5435-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hand of the Cause Tarazu'llah Samandari with Gloria Faizi, New Era High School, Panchgani, India, 1967."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425070-bwns5434-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hand of the Cause Keith Ransom-Kehler (seated at left) and the parents of Gloria Faizi, Rahmatu'llah Khan 'Ala'i (standing at right) and Najmieh (standing at left), with Gloria (right) and her brother, Manuchihr."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425070-bwns5433-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hand of the Cause Abu'l-Qasim Faizi and Gloria Faizi, approximately 1980."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425070-bwns5438-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gloria Faizi and Lutfu'llah Hakim, member of the Universal House of Justice (1963-1968), outside the Shrine of the Bab, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":317,"evergreenUrl":"new-ploy-iranian-government-deprive-bahais-higher-education","title":"New ploy by Iranian Government to deprive Baha'is of higher education","description":"In yet another clear violation of the human rights of the Baha'is of Iran, nearly 1,000 Baha'i university-age students in Iran have been told...","date":"2004-08-11","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"","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":"In yet another clear violation of the human rights of the Baha'is of Iran, nearly 1,000 Baha'i university-age students in Iran have been told they must accept identification as Muslims in order to enter university this year, the Baha'i International Community has learned.\n\nRepresentatives of the Baha'i International Community heard yesterday about the action, which involves pre-printing the word \"Islam\" in a slot listing a prospective student's religious affiliation on national college entrance examination results, which were distributed to students recently.\n\nThe move comes after Baha'i students were led to believe, through Government pronouncements in the news media and private assurances, that their religion would not be an issue on university entrance forms this year in Iran.\n\n\"The Iranian Government is, in effect, attempting to force Baha'i youth to recant their faith if they want to go to university,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\n\"This action goes against all the assurances that Iran has been giving the international community about its desire to respect religious freedom, and, indeed, against international covenants on human rights to which Iran is a party,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nFor more than 20 years, Baha'is have been banned from institutions of higher education solely because of their religious beliefs -- a violation that has been condemned in numerous international human rights forums.\n\nThe Government's move effectively extends this ban, inasmuch as Baha'is, as a matter of principle, do not deny their faith.\n\nIn the past, entrance forms required that applicants list themselves as followers of one of the only four religions that enjoy official recognition in Iran -- Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or Zoroastrianism. These being the only choices given them, Baha'is, who refused to lie about their affiliation, were excluded from university.\n\nThis year examination forms had no such slot for religious affiliation. Instead, university applicants were merely asked to designate which of four approved religious subject examinations -- on Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or Zoroastrianism -- they chose to take as part of overall university entrance examinations.\n\nRepresentatives of the Baha'i community were assured that by selecting Islam as the subject for examination there would be no implication that the students were members of that faith.\n\nHowever, according to reports from Iran, now that Baha'i students have taken the exam, officials are saying that their action amounts to a de facto declaration of faith in Islam.\n\nIn that light, Baha'i students in Iran are unable to enter university, since it would amount to a renunciation of their faith, and would be used by the authorities as evidence of such renunciation.\n\n\"For more than a year, the Government has held out the promise that Baha'is would, for the first time in some 20 years, be allowed to attend national institutions of higher education,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\n\"Now, in what amounts to a devious 'catch-22,' the Government is saying 'You can come, but you must pretend you are a Muslim.' But that is something Baha'is cannot do. And the Government knows that.\"\n\nThe Baha'i community of Iran, with some 300,000 members, is Iran's largest religious minority. Since 1979, when the Islamic Republic was established, more than 200 Baha'is have been killed, hundreds have been imprisoned, and thousands have been denied education, employment, and other rights in an ongoing episode of systematic religious persecution."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":316,"evergreenUrl":"top-sportsmen-find-support-faith","title":"Top sportsmen find support in faith","description":"When Nelson Evora hurtles through the air during the Olympic Games this month, he will know that his fellow Baha'is will be with him in spirit....","date":"2004-08-11","customDateline":null,"city":"LISBON","country":"PORTUGAL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425044-bwns5431-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425044-bwns5431-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Khalil Greene. Photo: San Diego Padres.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"When Nelson Evora hurtles through the air during the Olympic Games this month, he will know that his fellow Baha'is will be with him in spirit.\n\nNelson Evora, who will represent Portugal in the triple jump, has often expressed his gratitude for the support of the Baha'i community in his adopted homeland.\n\n\"The Baha'i community has helped me, supported me, and given me confidence to strive to do my best in sports and in aspects of life,\" he said just before heading for Athens.\n\nHe is one of a group of Baha'i professional sportsmen competing at the top levels who have expressed their views about the influence of their faith on their participation in their sport.\n\nOthers are tennis player Miles Kasiri (United Kingdom), baseballer Khalil Greene (United States), and footballer Luke McPharlin (Australia).\n\nMr. Evora, 20, has won gold medals in the triple and long jump events as a junior in recent European athletic meetings and he holds the Portuguese record for the triple jump (under 23) event.\n\nBorn in Cote D'Ivoire where his parents had gone to live from Cape Verde, Nelson relocated to Portugal when he was five.\n\nThe family moved into an apartment that happened to be on the floor above Nelson's future coach, trainer and mentor, Joao Ganco, a member of the Portuguese Baha'i community.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Mr. Ganco, who introduced Mr. Evora to the Baha'i Faith, describes the young star as a talented athlete and as responsible, humble, good-humored, and helpful.\n\nAfter the Olympics, Mr. Evora will study in the faculty of management at the University of Lisbon.\n\n**Miles Kasiri, tennis**\n\nMiles Kasiri, 18, this year became the first British player in 32 years to make the boys' (under 19) final at Wimbledon.\n\nHe finished as runner up, and came close to achieving an upset win over number one seed, Gael Monfils, of France.\n\nMr. Kasiri will compete in the junior tournament at the United States Open in New York next month.\n\nHe says the Baha'i Faith's strong emphasis on self-discipline has influenced his participation in his sport.\n\n\"That's essential if you are going to be a good athlete -- it helps me to have a good work ethic and really strive to do my best.\n\n\"And the fact that the Baha'is don't drink alcohol is very important if you are going to keep physically fit.\"\n\nMr. Kasiri said his Faith also gives him a very positive outlook. A spiritual perspective, he said, also keeps the game in perspective.\n\n\"At the moment I don't do much else except play tennis but being a Baha'i gives me something else to think about, and the consciousness that there is, of course, more to life than the sport.\"\n\nHe said his aim was to be the best he can be in his sport at an international level.\n\n\"The Faith puts a lot of emphasis on striving for excellence, and that is what I am doing.\"\n\nMr. Kasiri grew up as a Baha'i in Margate, Kent, with his English mother and Iranian father.\n\nHe competed in his first international competition at 11. At 13, he won a scholarship to train at the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida that produced tennis stars such as Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Anna Kornikova, and this year's ladies Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova. Mr. Kasiri is currently based at the Queens Club headquarters in London.\n\n**Khalil Greene, baseball**\n\nA member of the United States Baha'i community, Khalil Greene has received extensive media coverage for his skills and temperament as he competes in the National League, one of North America's two major baseball competitions.\n\nIn April Mr. Greene, 24, from Key West, Florida, was named the league's \"rookie of the month,\" less than two years after being named the top amateur player of the year in the United States, and college baseball's player of the year.\n\nMr. Greene plays shortstop for the San Diego Padres, a position requiring quick reflexes and intense concentration. In the US sports media, veteran players have been tipping Mr. Greene as a potential star of the future.\n\nDirector of scouting (talent spotting) with the San Diego Padres, Bill Gayton, told the \"San Diego Union-Tribune\" newspaper that Mr. Greene is \"not very excitable\" -- unusual in a game known for its extroverted culture.\n\n\"He's hard to get to know but once you get to know him, everyone loves him. He's humble.\"\n\nExplaining his quiet off-the-field presence, Mr. Greene told the newspaper \"faith and background\" are a big part of his approach to life.\n\n\"I have a perspective on it,\" he said. \"You look at the overall of why you are here. You try to find a happy medium...not overly excitable and not too upset.\"\n\n\"I tried to fit in as a team player more than as an individual player, and in doing so I was able to achieve a lot of individual feats.\"\n\nRaised as a Baha'i by his parents, Jim and Janet Greene, he makes prayer and reading the Baha'i Writings as much a part of his daily life as his training.\n\nA feature article in the \"Anderson (South Carolina) Independent-Mail\" portrayed Greene as disciplined in eating and exercise, devoted to the Baha'i Faith and faithful to its moral standards, and respected by coaches and teammates alike.\n\n**Luke McPharlin, football**\n\nAnother Baha'i professional sportsman in the media spotlight is Luke McPharlin, 22, who plays Australian Rules football for the Fremantle Dockers team in Fremantle, Western Australia.\n\nMr. McPharlin formerly played for the Hawthorn football club in Melbourne but was later recruited back to his home city of Perth, where his new team has since experienced a dramatic rise in fortunes. Commentators cite his contribution as one of the reasons for the change.\n\nThe game is unique to Australia and is known for its almost continuous action, its high leaps for the ball and skills in kicking and catching while running at speed.\n\nPlaying at center half-back, Mr. McPharlin is responsible for preventing thrusts by the attacking forwards of the opposition and for setting up counter attacks.\n\nAsked how being a Baha'i affects his role as a professional sportsman, Mr. McPharlin said he always had \"an awareness that I'm representing the Baha'i community in all on-field exploits so I've always tried to play the game fairly.\"\n\nBeing a Baha'i also affects the way he looks at football: \"Sport is just one aspect of life -- as Baha'is we should endeavor to develop all our capacities.\"\n\nHe says initially he was discreet about his beliefs but as time has gone on he has opened up and now teammates respect his no alcohol policy.\n\n\"It certainly helps with fitness but more importantly recovery, as alcohol has been linked with lengthening recovery from injury.\"\n\nAlthough his football commitments involve a working week of six to seven days -- with an average of five contact hours daily -- he is half way through a degree in biomedical science.\n\nBrought up in a Baha'i family by his parents, Ian and Marion McPharlin, he is a member of a Baha'i Local Spiritual Assembly and is involved with study circles using the Ruhi Institute material.\n\n\"I endeavor to visit Baha'i junior youth groups as often as I can and give talks.\"\n\nMr. McPharlin, who plays the guitar, writes songs and sings, has also produced with friends two CDs of music inspired by the Baha'i Faith. \"The idea was to create positive music that could fall into a commercial bracket.\"\n\nSome of the music has been played on a popular television sports program and the CD is a brisk seller at his football club.\n\n(EDITOR'S NOTE: Nelson Evora won the Olympic gold medal in August 2008 at the Olympics in Beijing, China. This note appended 21 September 2008.)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425045-bwns5430-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Nelson Evora with his coach, Joao Ganco."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425045-bwns5429-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Luke McPharlin. Photo: Fremantle Dockers."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425045-bwns5428-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Luke McPharlin in action for the Fremantle Dockers. Photo: Fremantle Dockers."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425045-bwns5427-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Khalil Greene, shortstop for the San Diego Padres. Photo: San Diego Padres."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425045-bwns5426-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Miles Kasiri."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425045-bwns5425-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Miles Kasiri at Wimbledon."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425045-bwns5424-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Nelson Evora who is competing in the triple jump for Portugal, at the Olympic Games in Athens."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":315,"evergreenUrl":"author-linked-psychology-spirituality","title":"Author linked psychology and spirituality","description":"Baha'i author and psychologist Erik Blumenthal said that human beings have two important tasks -- to become more conscious and more spiritual....","date":"2004-07-27","customDateline":null,"city":"LANGENHAIN","country":"GERMANY","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5422-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5422-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"\"His kind and gentle manner served as an example...\" (The Universal House of Justice). Erik Blumenthal, 1988.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Baha'i author and psychologist Erik Blumenthal said that human beings have two important tasks -- to become more conscious and more spiritual.\n\nTo assist people carry out those tasks, Erik Blumenthal wrote a series of profound and easy-to-read books that offer practical advice on marriage, child education, the meaning of life, encouragement, and aging.\n\nThe far-reaching influence of his wisdom was demonstrated after he passed away in Germany aged 89 on 27 June 2004, when messages of mourning and sympathy poured in from many countries.\n\nAmong those tributes was a message from the Universal House of Justice, which praised the selfless devotion of this \"dearly loved\" Baha'i in his service as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Europe since its inception in 1968 until 1985.\n\n\"The guidance he provided as a prominent psychologist, the high standard of personal excellence he set, and his kind and gentle manner served as an example for all those with whom he interacted,\" the Universal House of Justice said.\n\nIn accordance with the advice of the Universal House of Justice, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Germany will hold a memorial meeting in his honor at the Baha'i House of Worship here on 5 September 2004.\n\nErik Blumenthal based the advice in his books on the teachings of the Baha'i Faith and on the findings of his psychological research. Among his most popular books were \"Peace with Your Partner: A Practical Guide to Happy Marriage\" and \"Believing in Yourself: A Practical Guide to Building Self-Confidence.\"\n\nTranslated from the original German into many languages including English, French, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese, his books are still popular worldwide."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Mr. Blumenthal traveled extensively to offer the teachings of the Baha'i Faith and to elaborate the findings of his psychological research.\n\nThe secretary of the German Baha'i National Spiritual Assembly, Foad Kazemzadeh, told the hundreds of people at his funeral that Mr. Blumenthal was a very sought-after speaker. \"He not only had a lovely personality but he could connect psychology and religion in a way that always put man's spiritual development in the foreground,\" Mr. Kazemzadeh said.\n\nIn a eulogy, Dr. Stefan Blumenthal, Erik's son, said that his father gave strength to his family and to thousands of people all over the world, fostering peace in families and partnerships. \"Characteristic for him was his sense of ethics and his encouragement of his fellow human beings, attitudes which governed his life,\" Dr. Blumenthal said.\n\nWhen he faced difficulties, Erik Blumenthal lived up to his own beliefs in the power of faith, a positive attitude, and a realistic optimism -- themes of his book \"The Way to Inner Freedom.\" Because of his father's Jewish origins, he was forbidden entry to university, where he wanted to study medicine. During World War II he was forced to go into hiding for a while to escape harassment by Nazis.\n\nAt 38, Erik Blumenthal began his study of psychology, reviewed his life, and became a Baha'i.\n\nAmong those who taught him the Faith was Adelbert Muhlschlegel, a Hand of the Cause. Dr. Muhlschlegel later appointed Mr. Blumenthal as an Auxiliary Board member. Mr. Blumenthal was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Germany from 1955-63.\n\nThe Baha'i principle that science and religion should be in harmony helped Mr. Blumenthal to select the school of psychology he found most appropriate, the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler.\n\nIn 1964 he became president of the Swiss Society for Individual Psychology, and in 2001 Mr. Blumenthal was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Guild of Counsellors of Individual Psychology.\n\nIn 1957 when his wife, Dolores, died, Mr. Blumenthal drew on his faith to carry on and care for their four dependent children.\n\nIn 1959, he married Marianne, who became his colleague in both Baha'i and psychological activities for more than four decades. They had two children.\n\nErik Blumenthal is survived by Marianne, four children, fourteen grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5421-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Family portrait. (Front right to left) Erik Blumenthal, Marianne Blumenthal. (Back right to left) son, Stefan Blumenthal; daughters, Dorothee Nicke, Fidelis Karina Brinz, and Roja Pelzer, 2002."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5420-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Erik Blumenthal held a private pilot's license and a glider pilot's license. 1937."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5419-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Erik Blumenthal, aged 15."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5418-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Erik Blumenthal as a young boy."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5417-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Silver wedding anniversary for Erik and Marianne Blumenthal, 1984."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5416-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Erik Blumenthal (standing left) with esteemed company. (Second row seated, left to right): Mrs. Anna Grossmann, Hand of the Cause Dr. Adelbert Muhlschlegel, Hand of the Cause Tarazu'llah Samandari, Hand of the Cause Dr. Hermann Grossmann, Elsa Maria Grossmann (sister of Dr. Grossmann). (Front row seated, left to right): Mrs. Annaliese Bopp and Dr. Mehdi Samandari. (Standing at right) Mrs. Dorothy Ferraby. At the home of Dr. and Mrs. Grossmann, March 14, 1968."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425023-bwns5415-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Erik Blumenthal at a Baha'i conference in Langenhain, 1974."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425022-bwns5414-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Erik Blumenthal (1914-2004)."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":314,"evergreenUrl":"study-circles-unite-outback-dwellers","title":"Study circles unite Outback dwellers","description":"When Maxien Bradley of Mt. Isa suggested forming a study circle, others who lived far away were quick to sign up. A resident of this mining town...","date":"2004-08-04","customDateline":null,"city":"MOUNT ISA","country":"AUSTRALIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425000-bwns5413-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425000-bwns5413-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"When Maxien Bradley of Mt. Isa suggested forming a study circle, others who lived far away were quick to sign up.\n\nA resident of this mining town Ms. Bradley had found a way for members of a study circle to meet regularly despite the desert and farmland that separated them in the vast \"outback\" (remote area).\n\nStudy circles are a feature of Baha'i communities worldwide. They involve self-directed training and learning in small groups.\n\nIn the sparsely populated regions of the Northern Territory and Queensland, regular meetings had not seemed possible until Ms. Bradley suggested a cheap form of telephone conferencing. She soon found enough participants to try out the method.\n\nMore than 1,200 km to the northwest, David and Sue Podger of Katherine in the Northern Territory, decided they wanted to be part of the innovation.\n\nAlso keen to join were Sandy Patton and Frances Avent, both residents of Longreach, 630 km south of Mt. Isa.\n\nSome 1,800 km away in Brisbane, Narelle Kinneally Tolstoff became a member. And in Warwick, 160 km south of that city, was Leila Deighton, another willing participant.\n\nThe first meeting of the study circle was in 2001 and they are still continuing."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The group decided on the \"Ruhi method\" that is being used by Baha'is in some 180 countries worldwide.\n\nThe method aims to develop the capacities of individuals to undertake activities such as teaching values to children, assisting people to independently investigate spiritual truths, and learning how to competently express one's own views.\n\nIn the first of a seven-book series, members discuss scriptural extracts on a given theme, such as prayer and meditation, and life after death.\n\nMrs. Podger agreed to be the \"tutor\" of the study circle. In the Ruhi method that role is not a traditional instructor but someone who helps the participants focus on the topic.\n\n\"Each member realizes that he or she is playing a part in molding the study circle, and in making it what it is,\" Mrs. Podger said.\n\n\"It works by group consensus, and not because I, as the facilitator, arrange everything.\"\n\nShe said that people in the outback are usually independent and want to learn by discovering things for themselves. So taking responsibility for their own learning -- an essential element of the Ruhi method --came naturally to them.\n\n\"They love to sing or play a musical instrument, tell a story or recite a poem to illustrate the point they are making, so it can get quite lively,\" Mrs. Podger said.\n\nThe group has even sung together over the phone. Sometimes members halt their discussion to listen intently to a moving poem or prayer.\n\n\"Hearing everyone's news is a special time,\" Mrs. Podger said.\n\nFor example, at one news session, a member told how she served food to people at camel races in western Queensland -- she saw it as a practical way to help the community. Another described encountering hundreds of kangaroos while driving to meet with Baha'is in Alice Springs.\n\n\"Sharing stories of one another's backgrounds promotes an understanding of each one and allows a warm affection to develop in the group,\" Mrs. Podger said.\n\nService to the community is a vital part of the Ruhi study circle method.\n\n\"Practice confirms the thought,\" Ms. Bradley said. \"It is pointless studying this if we're not going to do something.\"\n\nOne successful idea was to select an extract from the Baha'i writings and put it into practice before the next meeting. Another was to choose a virtue to demonstrate, with the deadline being the next time the phone rang for the study circle.\n\nThe results speak for themselves.\n\nSandy Patton has begun a youth class. Frances Avent attends Bible classes and sings Baha'i songs in local concerts.\n\nLeila Deighton holds information evenings on various subjects, while Narelle Kinneally Tolstoff recites her poetry on spiritual themes for a variety of audiences.\n\nMaxien Bradley continues to direct community choirs, and for the past three years has raised money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service by cooking at regional events. She also volunteers for the annual Rodeo and Mt. Isa Show.\n\nSome study circle participants, such as the Podgers, have become \"Outback Volunteers,\" visiting isolated people and helping when they can\n\nThe members of the study circle gathered in 2003 to train to be tutors -- four now tutor telephone study circles.\n\nTelephone study circles are also active on the other side of Australia. One based in the remote town of Tom Price in Western Australia has a participant 2,000 km away.\n\nMrs. Podger says the advantage of the telephone method over e-mail or chat rooms is the lively interaction, including rapid-fire discussion, laughter, and contemplative times.\n\n\"It all happens faster than written interactions can take place, making it possible to accomplish more.\n\n\"Also the audio factor makes many forms of expression possible, and many forms of art, which add to the great pleasure of the participants.\"\n\nMaxien Bradley said the phone enables nuances of the voice to be easily heard.\n\n\"You are virtually next to a person without seeing them,\" she said."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425000-bwns5412-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Among the hundreds of face-to-face study circles in Australia is an indigenous one in Western Australia. Pictured (left to right) are three of its members: Shona Earnest, Joyce Injie, and Tadgee Limerick."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424999-bwns5411-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Faces ring a bell...some members of the telephone study circle. (Left to right) Leila Deighton, Maxien Bradley, David Podger, Narelle Kinneally Tolstoff."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425000-bwns5410-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Frances Avent."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425000-bwns5409-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sandy Patton."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424999-bwns5408-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Maxien Bradley."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425000-bwns5407-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sue Podger."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425003-bwns5406-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Study circle member Leila Deighton, who edits \"Bush Honey,\" a magazine for Baha'is of the outback."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424999-bwns5405-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Most of the study circle members at a rare face-to-face meeting: (back row, left to right) Leila Deighton, Sandy Patton, Narelle Kinneally Tolstoff, Frances Avent. (Front row, left to right) Maxien Bradley, Sue Podger."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543425000-bwns5404-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"In Queensland, Australia, David Podger participates in a study circle meeting."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":313,"evergreenUrl":"fishing-project-yields-extra-dividends","title":"Fishing project yields extra dividends","description":"As a maker and seller of fishing nets, Ali Mahamat knew all too well that fish were slowly disappearing from the Chari River here in the southern...","date":"2004-07-27","customDateline":null,"city":"WALTAMA","country":"CHAD","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424966-bwns5395-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424966-bwns5395-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Netmaker Ali Mahamat (third from left) with fishermen from Waltama.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"As a maker and seller of fishing nets, Ali Mahamat knew all too well that fish were slowly disappearing from the Chari River here in the southern region of this sub-Saharan African nation.\n\n\"Fifteen years ago, the fishing was good,\" said Mr. Mahamat. \"But it gradually died out to the point where there was practically nothing.\"\n\nMr. Mahamat concedes that until a few years ago he had inadvertently contributed to the die-out.\n\nIn what he now realizes was a misguided effort to help fishermen here, he sold nets with increasingly smaller mesh, designed to catch the few immature fish that remained.\n\nThen, one day, he tried to sell his nets to the fishermen of this village, located about 50 kilometers southeast of Sarh, the regional capital.\n\nBut the fishermen here had other ideas. They had organized into a community-based group to revive the fishing and they had become serious about enforcing game laws.\n\n\"They said I can't sell small nets here,\" said Mr. Mahamat. \"They said I could only sell nets with large mesh. They said it was to protect the fish.\"\n\nToday, because of actions like that, the fish are returning to the Chari River in the Sarh region -- as are other signs of prosperity."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Much of the credit goes to APRODEPIT, a Baha'i-inspired non-governmental organization that has worked here for more than a decade to promote a variety of community-based, sustainable development practices. (For the meaning of its name, see below.)\n\nBased in Sarh, the organization's outward focus is to provide communities with training in improved fishing practices, fish farming, and the preservation of fish through smoking and curing.\n\nIt also promotes wildlife protection, reforestation, composting, and arboriculture.\n\nAlong the way, it has helped to organize more than 140 community groups in the region -- and dozens more in areas near N'Djamena, the national capital.\n\nFurther, because of its distinctive participatory methods of community organization and consultation, a number of the groups have branched out into other endeavors, such as the operation of community-based schools, women's literacy classes, and village granaries.\n\nGovernmental officials in Chad, the 11th-least developed nation in the world point to APRODEPIT as a model partner in the effort to promote sustainable development.\n\n\"The importance of using local knowledge as the starting point for initiating new technologies and constant contact in the field with the participating groups has given APRODEPIT an impressive success rate with its projects,\" said Nenodji Madingar, assistant director of Forestry and Desertification in the Ministry of Environment and Water.\n\nThe organization takes a distinctive approach to development that emphasizes the equality of women and men, environmental protection, systematic growth, and, above all else, close consultation with the local community -- principles that are all drawn from the Baha'i teachings.\n\n\"In reality, the training we give emphasizes how communities can develop themselves,\" said Yam-bel-yam Kosse Malla, the founder and director of APRODEPIT. \"Our underlying idea is to promote an organic process of community development.\n\n\"They start with fish farming, and they harvest the fish. Then they realize they have more money but their children aren't educated. So they decide to create a community school. Next, perhaps, they realize they have a problem with health. So we assist with health education. And by following this system, the village gradually raises itself up,\" said Mr. Kosse Malla.\n\nThis approach has certainly worked in Waltama, which formed its first group in 1995 and has since instituted a variety of sustainable fishing efforts, established a village school, created a village granary, and, most recently, launched a program of literacy classes for women.\n\n\"The groups are really helping the village from my point of view,\" said Gastone Allada, the 70-year-old chief of Waltama, who also acknowledged the organization's crucial role in the process.\n\n\"Before, there were no fish; now there are fish. Before there was no school; now there is a school. So I am very happy.\"\n\nLocal community groups in Waltama and neighboring villages have also established a protected zone for hippopotamuses -- an idea that also emerged from a process of community consultation.\n\nThe villagers noticed that there were more fish where there were also hippos -- and so, with the assistance of field managers from APRODEPIT, they set up signs declaring their section of the river a wildlife protection zone. They also formed surveillance patrols to drive away poachers.\n\nAs a result, since 1995 the population of hippos has gone from approximately two to about 200.\n\nThe increased presence of hippos, in turn, has improved the fishing. The manure from the hippopotamuses serves to breed small insects, which become food for the fish.\n\nAdditionally, the hippos act as natural fish wardens. Outsiders are afraid to mingle with them, while local fishermen have learned how to maneuver through the herd without upsetting them.\n\n(APRODEPIT, is an acronym for Action pour la Promotion des Ressources des Organisations de Dfense de l'Environnement et de la Pisciculture integree au Tchad (Action for the Promotion of Resources for Organizations Defending the Environment and Integrated Pisciculture in Chad.)\n\n(For a more extensive story on this project see [http://www.onecountry.org/e154/e15401as_Chad_story.htm](http://www.onecountry.org/e154/e15401as_Chad_story.htm))."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424964-bwns5401-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The women's group in Waltama has organized a literacy class, a by-product of APRODEPIT's process of community-based consultation."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424965-bwns5400-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"In Waltama, the men's group has organized a granary, which enables them to store grain until the market price is highest."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424965-bwns5399-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A sign indicating a protected zone for hippopotamuses established in association with APRODEPIT."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424966-bwns5398-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"David Ngakele, zone coordinator for APRODEPIT (second from right), examines the initial catch of fish in Kodjoguila."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424965-bwns5397-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"In Gnala, women stand in front of a fish smoker built with the help of APRODEPIT."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424967-bwns5396-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Yam-bel-yam Kosse Malla, the founder of APRODEPIT."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424963-bwns5402-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"bwns_5402-0.jpg"}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null}],"lang":"en","language":"en","location":"/archive/69/"}},"staticQueryHashes":["2762707590"]}