{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-archive-page-jsx","path":"/archive/71/","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! Check your email to confirm your subscription.","subscribe_error":"Subscribe Error","subscribe_error_p1":"Sorry. An error has occurred with your subscription request to the Bahá’í World News Service. Please try again. If this problem persists, please use our [contact form](https://www.bahai.org/contact/).","subscribe_h1":"Stories via email","subscribe_h2":"Mobile app","subscribe_h3":"Updates via Twitter","subscribe_h4":"Podcast","subscribe_label_email":"Email","subscribe_label_email_fill":"Please enter a valid email address.","subscribe_label_first_name":"First name","subscribe_label_first_name_fill":"Please enter your first name.","subscribe_label_last_name":"Last name","subscribe_label_last_name_fill":"Please enter your last name.","subscribe_missing_fields":"Please fill in all required fields!","subscribe_p1":"Receive emails from the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS) when new articles are published.","subscribe_p2":"Receive updates and notifications from the BWNS app.","subscribe_p3":"Follow the Bahá’í World News Service on Twitter for regular updates and stories.","subscribe_p4":"Subscribe to the BWNS podcast for additional audio content.","subscribe_success_h1":"You have been subscribed to Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe_success_p1":"Your email address has been added to our mailing list.","subscribe_success_p2":"Thanks for becoming a subscriber.","subscribe_to_bwns":"Subscribe to BWNS","subscribe_unknown_error":"Sorry, an unknown error has occurred. Please try again later.","subscribe_unsubscribe_bwns":"Unsubscribe from BWNS","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_client":"Something went wrong, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_no_email":"We do not have this email in our database, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_server":"Something went wrong on our server, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_h1":"Unsubscribe - Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_h1":"You have been unsubscribed from the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p1":"Your email address has been removed from the mailing list.","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p2":"Thanks for having been a subscriber.","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p3":"(If you unsubscribed by accident and prefer to continue receiving emails from the Bahá’í World News Service, please [click here](./).)","tenth_international_bahai_convention":"Tenth International Bahá’í Convention","the_bahai_faith":"The Bahá’í Faith","thirteenth_international_bahai_convention":"Thirteenth International Bahá’í Convention","twelfth_international_bahai_convention":"Twelfth International Bahá’í Convention","united_nations":"United Nations","unsubscribe":"Unsubscribe","updated_content":"UPDATED CONTENT","updates_via_social_media":"Updates via social media","url_copied_to_clipboard":"URL copied to clipboard","video":"Video","view_all":"View all","view_all_articles":"View all articles","visit_page":"Visit page","watch_next":"Watch next","watch_video":"Watch video","what_bahais_believe":"What Bahá’ís Believe","what_bahais_do":"What Bahá’ís Do","texterify_timestamp":"2023-09-10T10:15:38Z"},"archivePageNumber":71,"archiveTotalPages":80,"totalStories":1596,"archiveList":[{"storyNumber":291,"evergreenUrl":"festivities-honor-community-service","title":"Festivities honor community service","description":"Jubilee festivities here provided a fitting opportunity for the Baha'i community to reinstate a popular community service award. The Baha'is...","date":"2004-03-01","customDateline":null,"city":"HONIARA","country":"SOLOMON ISLANDS","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5258-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5258-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Keithie Saunders (left) and Bruce Saunders (right) with recipients of the Blum's Community Service Award, 1993: (second from left) Abraham Bainasia, representing the Solomon Islands Development Trust, and (second from right) Onyx Oifuru.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Jubilee festivities here provided a fitting opportunity for the Baha'i community to reinstate a popular community service award.\n\nThe Baha'is announced the re-launch of the \"Blum's Community Service Award\" during celebrations held between 27 February and 1 March 2004 to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Baha'i Faith in these islands.\n\nThe Blum's award, which was suspended in 1999 due to ethnic conflicts in the country, is given to individuals for their outstanding services to the wider society.\n\nFounded in 1993, the award pays homage to the memory of Alvin Blum (1912-1968) and his wife, Gertrude Blum (1910-1993).\n\nOriginally from the United States, they introduced the Baha'i Faith to the country on 1 March 1954 and subsequently won renown for their invaluable services to their adopted country.\n\nThe official function at the jubilee celebrations attracted some 500 participants from all over the country.\n\nGuests included the Governor-General, the deputy Prime Minister, together with government ministers, ambassadors and high-commissioners from all diplomatic missions, a High Court judge, and many prominent members of the community. Participants also came from Australia and Papua New Guinea.\n\nEvents were held at the national Baha'i center in Honiara, and in Malaita, Gizo, and Hareapa. Guests in Kwaio and Langa Langa also celebrated the jubilee."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Keithie Blum Saunders, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Blum, announced the re-launch of the award as part of the jubilee celebrations. The names of the recipients will be announced in September.\n\nMrs. Saunders, who lives in Honiara with her husband, Bruce, and other family members, gave an account of the life of her parents.\n\n\"My parents were real pioneers,\" said Mrs. Saunders, who was with them as a seven-year-old child when they first set foot in the Solomons.\n\n\"They came to an unknown land, used their skills to help the people develop; taught their teachings of love and peace, and lived their life as example to others.\"\n\nFor their services in establishing the Baha'i community in the Solomon Islands Mr. and Mrs. Blum received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.\n\nAmong their many contributions to the Solomon Islands was the opening of various businesses, such as a bakery, an ice cream shop, a laundry and dry cleaning business, a taxi service, a general store, and a hotel. Many of these services were new to the country.\n\nGertrude Blum helped to establish the National Council of Women and the Red Cross Society. For her active support of these organizations and her considerable community service, Mrs. Blum was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1989.\n\nAlvin Blum had been a member of the United States medical corps in the Solomons during the Second World War. After his return to the Solomon Islands with his family nearly a decade later, he served as a member of the Honiara Town Council, a chairman of the Medical Board, and was one of the founders of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Scout Movement. He was a member of the Civil Aviation Committee and acted as the financial adviser to the Young Farmers Club.\n\nMr. and Mrs. Blum had served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Australia and New Zealand in the early 1950s.\n\nIn 1960 Mr. Blum was elected to the first Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the South West Pacific Ocean. In 1963 he participated in the first election of the Universal House of Justice.\n\nThe guest of honor at the jubilee was Governor General Sir John Ini Lapli, who commended the Baha'i community for \"endlessly and untiringly promoting unity, peace, and the brotherhood of mankind in the country over these 50 years of (the country's) life.\"\n\n\"We thank God for your good contribution in the development of the Solomon Islands,\" Sir John said.\n\n\"May you continue to be commendable partners, together with the Government, the churches and non-governmental organizations, in the building up of good character in the people of the Solomon Islands,\" he said.\n\n\"We are with you in your desire and mission to promote peace and unity in the Solomon Islands, and indeed the world.\"\n\nThe acting Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Snyder Rini, also paid tribute to the Baha'is and thanked the community for the re-launch of the Blum's award.\n\n\"The Baha'i community has initiated interdenominational services on many occasions, as well as giving continual support to the Government by participating in projects like trade fairs, peace and reconciliation initiatives,\" Mr. Rini said.\n\nMr. Rini encouraged the Baha'is to continue their work, and he concluded his talk by quoting from a prayer from Baha'u'llah for the unity of mankind.\n\nA member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Solomon Islands, Whitlam Saeni, also read to the guests a message from that body to the people of the country.\n\nAnother distinguished guest at the jubilee was a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia Jalal Mills of Papua New Guinea. Dr. Mills is a son of John and Ruhengiz Mills. Mr. Mills worked with Mr. Blum and was the first expatriate to become a Baha'i in the country. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mills were present for the jubilee celebrations.\n\nLocal Baha'i youth performed some of their songs from a recently released album, produced specially for the jubilee. Copies were presented to dignitaries and other guests at the event.\n\nParticipants also enjoyed an international dance spectacular.\n\nA photo exhibition featured images of the history of the Baha'i community in the Solomons from the mid-1950s to the present day, including photographs of some of the early Baha'is. The first Solomon Islander to accept the Faith was Billy Gina.\n\nAnother early Baha'i was a traditional chief from the Are Are region of Malaita. Hamuel Hoahania was attracted by the racial equality practiced by the Blums -- they invited islanders like him into their home to dine with them -- not the usual practice by Europeans living there.\n\nHis conversion was the start of large-scale enrolment in the Baha'i Faith by residents of Malaita. Mr. Hoahania  traveled widely in the country, carrying the teachings of the Baha'i Faith to many parts of the Solomon Islands.\n\nIn 1978, Mr. Hoahania, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Solomon Islands, was present at the election of the Universal House of Justice at the Baha'i World Centre. He passed away in 1986.\n\nJubilee participants visited the gravesite of Mr. and Mrs. Blum, where they offered prayers in their memory. Later, during an emotional five-hour session, longtime Baha'is shared inspiring stories with participants at the national center. The program ended with a feast for 500 people.\n\nThe media gave the jubilee extensive coverage. Both main national newspapers published articles (including the full text of the speech by Mrs. Saunders), and the national radio, SIBC (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation), also broadcast reports.\n\nThree thousand copies of a brochure about the Baha'i Faith were inserted into a nationally-circulating newspaper on March 1.\n\nTwo large banners about the jubilee were hung across the main street of Honiara for three weeks.\n\nThe first Local Spiritual Assembly in the Solomons was formed in 1957 and the first National Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1971. Today there are 38 Local Spiritual Assemblies. Baha'is all over the island are active in holding children's classes, prayer gatherings, and study circles.\n\nSince 1996 the Virtues Project, a Baha'i-inspired initiative, has been successfully implemented throughout the country. The classes promote moral and spiritual development and assist individuals in nurturing and practicing virtues in everyday life. Some schools in Honiara and also in the countryside have been supportive in adopting this program.\n\nThe Solomon Islands has welcomed distinguished Baha'i guests on its shores during the past 50 years. The country was visited by Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani and other Hands of the Cause, including Collis Featherstone, Rahmatullah Muhajir, Enoch Olinga, and John Robarts."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424373-bwns5257-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424373-bwns5256-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gertrude Blum (1910-1993)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5255-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Alvin Blum (1912-1968)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5254-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Baha'is of Ngalibui with Gertrude Blum (at front, right) and Barbara Hunt (partly obscured), 1977."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5253-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the Baha'is at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424372-bwns5252-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Togori, Makira, Eastern Solomon Islands, at the jubilee, with Dr. Mills (at left)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424373-bwns5251-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Sir Allan Kemakeza, (left) receiving a jubilee publication and album from a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, Whitlam Saeni."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5250-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hand of the Cause of God Enoch Olinga, with a local baby, on a visit to the Solomon Islands."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5249-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i children at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424373-bwns5248-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Acting Prime Minister Synder Rini (second from right) with the Mills family."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424373-bwns5247-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Alvin Blum (back row third from left) and Gertrude Blum (front row second from left) with other members of first Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Honiara, 1957."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424374-bwns5246-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Keithie Saunders (left) presenting an album by the Baha'i youth choir of Honiara to John and Ruhengiz Mills."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424373-bwns5245-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Solomon Islands with (at rear right) Dr. Jalal Mills, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":290,"evergreenUrl":"trainees-use-tools-teaching","title":"Trainees use tools for teaching","description":"The sweet smell of cedar sawdust fills the air, and the rhythmic back-and-forth of a lone hacksaw harmonizes with an insistent tap-tap-tapping...","date":"2004-04-09","customDateline":null,"city":"CHIRIQUI PROVINCE","country":"PANAMA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424343-bwns5244-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424343-bwns5244-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Teacher trainee Lineth Montezuma making items to assist in teaching mathematics.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The sweet smell of cedar sawdust fills the air, and the rhythmic back-and-forth of a lone hacksaw harmonizes with an insistent tap-tap-tapping of oversized tropical raindrops announcing an imminent downpour.\n\nSuddenly, all clouds burst, and the entire sky becomes a waterfall, its deafening beat thundering off the corrugated tin roof of the Ngabe-Bugle Cultural Center in Soloy.\n\nVictorino Rodriguez is hard at work, along with 15 other indigenous schoolteachers. Oblivious to the rain outside, the teachers continue preparing instructional materials to take back to their schools. One is on government salary; the rest are volunteers, serving full-time as teachers for the native children who live in the remote mountain communities of Chiriqui.\n\nThe teachers are attending an intensive two-week training, where they will earn three credits towards the 14 required to become government-certified and receive a salary.\n\nRoberto Palacio has been serving as a volunteer for eleven years.\n\n\"This was the best training we have ever had,\" said Mr. Palacio of Alto Naranjo.\n\n\"We were given an opportunity to design our own educational materials and to bring these back to our own communities to teach the children. For us, teaching is a labor of love.\"\n\nHis wife, Maria Teresa Bejerano, also a teacher, is participating in the workshop as well."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The training is sponsored by FUNDESCU (a Baha'i-inspired non-governmental organization in Panama) with assistance from the Mona Foundation (a Baha'i-inspired non-profit organization based in the United States).\n\nIt includes classes in curriculum development, lesson planning, teaching strategies for active learning, methods of teaching elementary math, and the production of hands-on materials.\n\nMost of the teachers are members of the Baha'i Faith, who are learning to set instructional goals that meet Ministry of Education requirements, and that are in harmony with Baha'i teachings as well as local cultural values.\n\nThey have generated a list of topics which they feel are of high importance such as moral values, practical skills for useful work, preservation of traditional culture.\n\nAfter setting goals, the teachers practice writing educational objectives using an integrated thematic approach. They work in teams to design interesting lessons based on those objectives, and they demonstrate a variety of teaching strategies, including the use of art, music and drama.\n\nIn the math workshop each afternoon, participants use the hacksaw, the drill, and other tools to craft practical, inexpensive materials that will help their students learn to sort, classify, count, understand the decimal system, and perform basic math operations. These items must be produced using hand tools, since there is no electricity in the area.\n\nIt is an impressive sight: young Ngabe women in their colorful floor-length naguas (the traditional dress), cutting wood and measuring right angles with a T-square, a pencil tucked behind one ear.\n\nThe trainees are making the short numerical rods used in the Montessori system of education.\n\n\"The Montessori methodology learned in the seminar has been of great assistance to me in teaching the children in my school -- we should continue with this method to facilitate their learning,\" said trainee Julio Moreno of Cerro Bolo.\n\nAfter two intensive weeks, the training course comes to an end, and a photo session is scheduled for the last afternoon.\n\n\"This training has been in tune with the reality faced by the teachers, the children and the communities,\" said trainee Ismael Atencio of Quebrada Molejon School.\n\n\"The trainers showed us how to develop a coherent and integrated curriculum model that truly meets our needs.  The seminar was dynamic, interactive and collaborative. It was also systematic and practical.\"\n\n\"For me, this two-week training was extraordinary,\" said trainee Alexis Bejerano, of Bocas del Toro.\n\n\"I learned about curriculum development, and many different methods of teaching and learning,\" Mr. Bejerano says.\n\nThat night, a small closing ceremony begins with prayers and singing in three languages (Spanish, English and Ngabere). There are eloquent speeches, an exchange of gifts, laughter and a few tears.\n\nTheir official certificates are being signed by the Ministry of Education, and won't be delivered for several days. But the teachers are undaunted. They are already making plans for the next course.\n\n[Report and photos by Randie Gottlieb.]\n\n(For part one of this story see\n\n[https://news.bahai.org/story/186](/story/186))"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424343-bwns5243-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Teacher trainee Tahireh Sanchez displaying her handiwork."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424343-bwns5242-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Teacher trainees (from left to right) Lineth Montezuma, Victorino Rodriguez, and Deidamia Bejerano."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424343-bwns5241-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Teacher trainee Lineth Montezuma making fabric squares."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424343-bwns5240-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Schoolteachers attending the training course."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":289,"evergreenUrl":"magazines-win-high-praise","title":"Magazines win high praise","description":"Two Baha'i publications have won awards from the Religion Communicators Council (RCC), an interfaith association at work in print and electronic...","date":"2004-03-26","customDateline":null,"city":"BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424306-bwns5238-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424306-bwns5238-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The cover of the issue of One Country with the award-winning story.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Two Baha'i publications have won awards from the Religion Communicators Council (RCC), an interfaith association at work in print and electronic communication, marketing, and public relations.\n\nBrilliant Star, a magazine for children and junior youth published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, won an Award of Excellence -- and a Best of Class Award -- in the category for national magazines.\n\nThe awards were accepted by the magazine's editor, Amethel Parel-Sewell, on behalf of the Brilliant Star staff.\n\nOne Country, the newsletter of the Baha'i International Community, also won an Award of Excellence.\n\nThis was given to editor Brad Pokorny in the newspaper features category for a story titled \"In Vanuatu, a proving ground for coconut oil as alternative fuel,\" which was published in the April-June 2003 issue.\n\nThe awards, known as the DeRose-Hinkhouse awards, were presented on 26 March 2004 at the Council's annual convention, held this year in Birmingham.\n\nThe awards recognize the achievements of RCC members who demonstrate excellence in their fields. Entries in various categories are judged by peers in local chapters across the country. The awards honor the late Victor DeRose and Paul M. Hinkhouse, leading lithographers in New York City.\n\n\"These awards validate the imagination and originality so plentiful in our RCC family,\" said Ronald T. Glusenkamp, chair of the DeRose-Hinkhouse awards and vice president of customer outreach for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Board of Pension in Minneapolis."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"They demonstrate the high quality of work that institutions receive from our RCC members.\"\n\nBoth award-winning publications have a presence on the World Wide Web.\n\nMore information about Brilliant Star can be found at [http://www.brilliantstarmagazine.org](http://www.brilliantstarmagazine.org). This year, Brilliant Star celebrates its 35th anniversary. The Award of Excellence and the Best of Class Award go to the magazine for its entire year of issues for 2003.\n\nThe Web address for One Country is [http://www.onecountry.org](http://www.onecountry.org), and the winning story can be read at [http://www.onecountry.org/e151/e15101as_Deamer_profile.htm](http://www.onecountry.org/e151/e15101as_Deamer_profile.htm).\n\nThat story tells of the efforts of Tony Deamer, a Baha'i on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, to invent and promote a new technology that makes it feasible to operate diesel automobiles on coconut oil instead of petroleum, which will help protect the environment. The Baha'i World News Service published a condensed version of the story at [http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=238](http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=238).\n\nMore information about the RCC can be found at its website at: [http://www.religioncommunicators.org](http://www.religioncommunicators.org), where a complete list of DeRose-Hinkhouse Award winners can be found.\n\nEstablished in 1929, the Council is celebrating its 75th anniversary as the oldest association of religion communicators in the United States.\n\nThere are eleven local chapters around the country which promote excellence in the communication of religious faith and values as well as understanding among diverse faith groups."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424308-bwns5237-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The cover of the latest issue of Brilliant Star."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":288,"evergreenUrl":"four-islands-unite-celebrations","title":"Four islands unite in celebrations","description":"Representatives of Baha'i communities in four Indian Ocean islands gathered here to celebrate the 50th jubilee of the arrival of the Faith in...","date":"2003-12-21","customDateline":null,"city":"ANTANANARIVO","country":"MADAGASCAR","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424292-bwns5239-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424292-bwns5239-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Official opening ceremony at the Hilton Madagascar... representatives of the four National Spiritual Assemblies (left to right): Randrianarivelo Roger Florentin (Madagascar), Olivia Faranirina (Madagascar), Jimmy Servina (Seychelles), Lila Andriambalo (Madagascar), Daisy Robert (Reunion), Lala Rakotoarivelo (Madagascar), Mialy Rasandratanarivo (Madagascar), Chantal Morille (Reunion) holding microphone, Parmanand Sanicharane (Mauritius), Homa Mungapen (Mauritius), Moutou Jose (Madagascar), Peggy Baichoo (Reunion).","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Representatives of Baha'i communities in four Indian Ocean islands gathered here to celebrate the 50th jubilee of the arrival of the Faith in the region.\n\nBaha'is came from Reunion, Mauritius, and Seychelles to join with the Baha'i community of Madagascar for three days of festivities.\n\nMalagasy government ministers, local government leaders, and religious representatives were guests at the opening ceremony in the Hilton hotel in the heart of the capital.\n\nThose attending the opening ceremony viewed an exhibition that depicted the growth of the Baha'i Faith throughout the world in the last half century. It also portrayed the garden terraces that embellish the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in Haifa.\n\nOne of the guest speakers, the Interior Minister of the government of the Republic of Madagascar, General Soja, outlined the world-embracing principles of the Faith and noted how its teachings were introduced to Madagascar by Meherangiz Munsiff in 1953.\n\nMrs. Munsiff first set foot in Madagascar on 21 April 1953. She was able to stay through the hospitality of a local Muslim family, the Ismails, and later with the Robert family, of Tananarive (now Antananarivo), who were among the first to become Baha'is in Madagascar and who later played an outstanding role in the history of the Faith here.\n\nSuffering ill health, Mrs. Munsiff left in January 1954 a day after Danile Randrianarivo, 29, accepted the Faith, becoming the first Malagasy Baha'i.\n\nThe first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Tananarive was formed in April, 1955, and the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Madagascar was elected in 1972. There are now 33 Local Spiritual Assemblies."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Fifty Baha'is from the other three islands joined 120 Malagasy Baha'is and Baha'i visitors from North America, Europe, and Africa at the jubilee festivities, held from 19 to 21 December 2003. Among those present were Baha'is who had been members of the community for more than four decades.\n\nDuring one of the sessions of the jubilee, the daughter of Mrs. Munsiff, Jyoti Munsiff, told anecdotes of the history of the Faith in Madagascar. Daisy Robert, one of the first Baha'is of the island and the widow of Gilbert Robert, who had served as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors, related stories of the growth of the Baha'i community on the island.\n\nMusical groups from the four islands sang spiritually uplifting songs from their respective homelands.\n\nAt the closing ceremony two ministers from the Malagasy government gave speeches praising the faith for its teachings of universal unity and peace.\n\nThe media gave extensive coverage to the celebrations. Several newspapers published articles about the events, and the national television channel covered the closing ceremony.\n\nAfter the celebrations, a group of Baha'is from the four participating islands went to Ansirabe, about 250 kilometers from the capital, to teach the Faith."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424292-bwns5236-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424292-bwns5235-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Children of Ambano singing at the Naw-Ruz (New Year) celebration, 1991."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424292-bwns5234-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Daniel Randrianarivo."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424292-bwns5233-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Meherangiz Munsiff."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424292-bwns5232-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i children of Farafangana at the Naw-Ruz (New Year) celebration, 1991, with (at right) Gilbert Robert."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":287,"evergreenUrl":"bahai-world-volume-focuses-key-issues","title":"'Baha'i World' volume focuses on key issues","description":"The need for religious tolerance, the role of the individual in building society, and HIV/AIDS are among the topics addressed in the newly released...","date":"2004-03-29","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424279-bwns5231-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424279-bwns5231-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The cover of \"The Baha'i World 2002-2003\" features Baha'is in Ntambo, Zambia, singing at a devotional gathering.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The need for religious tolerance, the role of the individual in building society, and HIV/AIDS are among the topics addressed in the newly released volume of \"The Baha'i World\".\n\n\"The Baha'i World 2002-2003\" is the 11th volume in an annual series aimed both at Baha'i readers and the general public. Its pages describe the aims and activities of local and national Baha'i communities around the world.\n\n\"If people want to understand the forces that cause the Baha'i community to act and the results of those actions, then this volume is the place to look,\" said Ann Boyles, the book's senior editor.\n\n\"The articles in the book provide striking evidence of the Baha'i community's involvement in issues of serious and global importance,\" said Dr. Boyles.\n\nFor example, said Dr. Boyles, the volume reprints the full text of the recent message of the Universal House of Justice to the world's religious leaders. That message called for decisive action to eradicate religious intolerance and fanaticism, warning that with \"every day that passes, danger grows that the rising fires of religious prejudice will ignite a worldwide conflagration the consequences of which are unthinkable.\"\n\nThe full text of the message of the Universal House of Justice is published in the volume, as is a report of the distribution of the message to religious leaders by Baha'i communities around the world.\n\nOther major articles include \"Facing the Growing HIV/AIDS Epidemic: A Baha'i Perspective,\" by Dawn Smith, \"Obligation and Responsibility in Constructing a World Civilization,\" by Hoda Mahmoudi, and a \"World Watch\" essay by Dr. Boyles on the role of the individual in building society.\n\nDr. Smith's article says Baha'is have taken a different tack in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Not only have Baha'is begun to apply the distinctive spiritual principles of their Faith on an individual level, they have also launched a number of small scale educational projects to address the epidemic's root causes, she writes.\n\nThe overarching approach is one of unity, she says. \"Too often members and representatives of the world's religions have used the HIV/AIDS epidemic to promote discord, insisting that it is solely a problem of the irreligious or that this illness is a punishment from God, meted out to 'sinners' or the 'unfaithful,'\" she says.\n\n\"'Abdu'l-Baha emphasized the role of religion in promoting unity and in working in harmony with science,\" she says.\n\n\"HIV-related stigma and discrimination are not only unjust and unkind at the individual level, they are themselves a contributor to new infections.\"\n\nDr. Mahmoudi's article examines the nature of a spiritualized society founded on altruism and reciprocity, based on the principles in the Baha'i sacred writings.\n\n\"The Baha'i teachings recognize that the transformation of individuals into altruistic persons cannot take place outside the social context, which must provide a matrix for that transformation,\" she says.\n\nOther reports featured in the book include an account of the Baha'i participation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the annual \"Year in Review\" survey, and an update on the situation of the Baha'i communities in Iran and Egypt.\n\nAlso printed in the book are a selection of major statements by the Baha'i International Community and a statement on social cohesion by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United Kingdom.\n\nThis 320-page book is prepared by the Baha'i International Community's Office of Public Information. It contains numerous color photographs, and is available for US$18.00. It can be ordered from World Centre Publications through the United States Baha'i Distribution Service, 4703 Fulton Industrial Boulevard Atlanta, GA 30336-2017, USA (telephone: (800) 999-9019; e-mail: [bds@usbnc.org](mailto:bds@usbnc.org))."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"Discourse"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":286,"evergreenUrl":"tongan-bahais-parade-palace","title":"Tongan Baha'is parade to the palace","description":"Hundreds of Baha'is paraded through the streets of this capital city as they celebrated the golden anniversary of the Baha'i Faith in Tonga....","date":"2004-01-28","customDateline":false,"city":"NUKU'ALOFA","country":"TONGA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5229-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5229-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Hundreds of Baha'is paraded through the streets of this capital city as they celebrated the golden anniversary of the Baha'i Faith in Tonga.\n\nEscorted by the local police band, more than 400 Baha'is set off from the newly renovated national Baha'i center for their destination, the royal palace of Tonga.\n\nThey wore traditional Tongan woven clothing and carried flags and banners proclaiming such principles of the Baha'i Faith as the oneness of religion and the unity of mankind.\n\nAt the palace, the Crown Prince Tupouto'a, the first son of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, welcomed the parade.\n\nBaha'is presented traditional gifts of roasted pigs, root crops, fine woven mats, tapa cloth, and other handicrafts as a sign of respect.\n\nA local Baha'i dance troupe presented a traditional Tongan dance, called Lakalaka, which had been choreographed specially for this event and had been rehearsed for months.\n\nNative American artist Kevin Locke, who represented the Baha'i community of the United States at the jubilee, performed a hoop dance at the gathering. His performance was shown on the national television news.\n\nFollowing royal protocols, traditional orators Masila and Leka -- both of them Baha'is -- spoke on behalf of the Baha'i community and expressed their appreciation to the royal family."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"In response, the Prince's orator, Vakalahi, assured the Baha'is that the Faith would continue to be under the blessing of the royal family.\n\nHe also noted many of the positive contributions of the Baha'i community to Tonga, such as the establishment of the Ocean of Light International School.\n\nThe school, located on the outskirts of Nuku'alofa, first opened in 1996 with nine students.\n\nNow there are about 300 children at the school, 80 per cent of them from Tonga. Students also come from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States.\n\nThe school provides elementary and secondary education, emphasizes high ethical standards, and offers a moral educational program.\n\nThe highlights of the jubilee, held from 24 to 28 January 2004, included a welcoming ball, with 600 in attendance, a morning devotional gathering attended by 500, and a luncheon attended by some 800 Baha'is and guests, including a member of the royal family.\n\nBaha'is from various Tongan island groups, such as Vavau, Eua, and Haapai, gathered for the jubilee. Others came from Samoa, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, and the continental United States.\n\nAmong the special guests was Stanley Bolton, who arrived  from Australia as the first Baha'i in the country on 25 January 1954.\n\nThe day of the luncheon was the anniversary of Dr. Bolton's arrival in Tonga a half century earlier.\n\nFor his services in bringing the Faith to Tonga, Dr. Bolton received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, as did two other pioneering Baha'is, Dudley Moore Blakely, and his wife Elsa (Judy) Blakely, who arrived from the United States on 12 July, 1954.\n\n\"I could never dream 50 years ago that such a gathering of Tongan Baha'is in the name of Baha'u'llah was ever possible,\" said Dr. Bolton at the luncheon.\n\n\"Much has transpired since the seed was planted 50 years ago. With the flow of pioneers the seed was watered, nurtured and steadily grew to become such a strong tree,\" he said.\n\nThe guest of honor at the event was the Hon. Ma'atu, the second son of the King. (The Hon. Ma'atu passed away on 17 February 2004 after suffering a heart attack. Representatives of the Baha'i community accepted an invitation to offer prayers at the memorial service held on 24 February.)\n\nAlso present at the jubilee luncheon were retired speaker of the parliament, Hon. Fusitu'a, accompanied by his daughter; Donald Blanks, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia; representatives of the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'is of Samoa, Hawaii, Australia, and New Zealand; and many government officials, community leaders, and members of the Christian community of Tonga.\n\nThe evening program featured a choir competition. Seven groups -- from Tonga, New Zealand, and Australia -- competed. The songs were based on the Baha'i sacred writings and the themes of \"Reflections on the Life of the Spirit,\" a course aimed at understanding prayer, life after death, and the spiritual nature of human beings.\n\nOn 27 January, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Australasia, Heather Simpson, spoke about the progress of devotional meetings, study circles, and children's classes, activities now being focused on by Baha'i communities worldwide.\n\nParticipants improved their skills in workshops on media and video, the use of the arts and of music, and community development.\n\nDuring a presentation about the growth of the Faith in Tonga from just a few souls in the 1950s to 29 Local Spiritual Assemblies today, participants heard about visits from such prominent Baha'is as Hands of the Cause Collis Featherstone, Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, Rahmatu'llah Muhajir, Enoch Olinga, Ruhiyyih Rabbani, and John Robarts, and a member of the Universal House of Justice, Hugh Chance. Some 45 Baha'is from other countries have lived in Tonga for various periods of time to assist in the development of the Baha'i community.\n\nThe Tongan Baha'i community has a rich, courageous and dramatic history, growing amidst a society that was not initially receptive to a new religion. Among the early Baha'is were Latu and Mele Tu'akihekolo, Peni and Lupe Tutu'ila (Lupe being the first Tongan woman to accept the Faith), Tevita Tu'ipulotu and Seini Toutaiolepo, Lisiate Maka (who became a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors), Tevita Halaholo and Hesekaia Vaohingano.\n\nTonga has also sent out many Baha'is from its borders to help establish the Faith in other lands. For example, Mosese Hokafonu travelled extensively for the Faith throughout the kingdom and the Pacific, and Suliana Halaholo Korean, a notable translator of the Baha'i writings, lived as a Baha'i pioneer with her husband Masao in the Marshall Islands. She passed away there in 1982.\n\nThe first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Nuku'alofa in April 1958. Tonga established its own National Spiritual Assembly in 1970.\n\nThe five-day jubilee celebrations ended with a picnic and a dance: \"Island Night.\" Participants from different islands wore their traditional local costumes as they performed dances.\n\nThe jubilee was an occasion of unprecedented media coverage of the Faith in Tonga, with the national TV channel and radio covering three nights of the jubilee. Reporters from two newspapers also covered the events.\n\n(Sione Tuitahi and Sohrab Bolouri contributed to this report.)\n\n(Jubilee photos by Daska Babcock-Halaholo, George Taufui Halaholo, and Ian Schutz.)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424253-bwns5228-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Visit of Hand of the Cause of God John Robarts to Tonga, April 1972. (From left to right) Vilatu Tu'akihekolo, Mr. Robarts, 'Asita Fielea, Andrew Fielea."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424253-bwns5227-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Elsa (Judy) and Dudley Moore Blakely."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424253-bwns5226-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Tonga, 1970."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5225-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Jubilee participants at the palace...Sione Tuitahi, Tupou Tuitahi, Soheyla Bolouri, and Heather Simpson."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5224-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"One of the jubilee participants, Manu Schutz."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424253-bwns5223-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Young members of the Baha'i Lakalaka dance group."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5222-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A Tongan traditional dance, Tau'olunga."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5221-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"At the palace after the parade."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424259-bwns5220-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Nuku'alofa, 1958."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5219-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Inside the refurbished national Baha'i center after its dedication...Ofa Mosese Hokafonu."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5218-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Stanley Bolton."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5217-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Tongan Baha'i Lakalaka dance group at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424252-bwns5216-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some participants in the parade to the palace."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":285,"evergreenUrl":"learning-singing-harmonize","title":"Learning and singing harmonize","description":"Participants in a choral concert tour here also conducted intensive training on the use of the arts and choral music for both the Baha'i community...","date":"2003-12-30","customDateline":null,"city":"SAN JOSE","country":"PHILIPPINES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5215-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5215-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Choir members Bonnie Ellis (right) and Noly Parocha rehearsing a song.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Participants in a choral concert tour here also conducted intensive training on the use of the arts and choral music for both the Baha'i community and the wider society.\n\nThe tour by members of the international Melody of Carmel Baha'i choir ran from 20 to 30 December 2003.\n\nThe conductor of the choir and one of those involved in the training sessions was Franco Aquino, whose great-grandfather, Felix Ricardo Maddela was the first Filipino to become a Baha'i, in 1938.\n\nThe training project, originally planned only for participants from the Nueva Vizcaya region, soon became a national one because of widespread interest.\n\nMany amateur singers, ranging from the age of 11 to 57, came from all parts of the country to learn how to enhance their musical skills, and the practical steps of starting a choir.\n\nOther sessions were dedicated to chanting and to the role of music in children's classes, devotional meetings, and other activities of the Baha'i community.\n\n\"Following the workshops and seeing the impact of the tour, the local Baha'i youth felt inspired to start choirs in their own communities,\" said Mr. Aquino, who lives in Haifa, Israel where he is a volunteer at the Baha'i World Centre and conducts its choir.\n\n\"Other participants are also planning to perform in the provincial fair in Solano,\" he said."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Members of the newly formed Melody of Carmel Baha'i choir came from Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, the United States, and Zambia, as well as from many regions of the Philippines.\n\n\"With 60 singers, this is the largest Baha'i choir ever to have performed in the Philippines,\" said Mr. Aquino.\n\nThe members of the choir spent five days preparing together for the tour and learning the 16-song repertoire.\n\nEntitled \"Echoes of Love,\" the tour featured choral arrangements of Baha'i prayers and other Baha'i holy texts set to music.\n\nChoir member, Bonnie Ellis, a librarian from Canada, who has been a staff member at the Baha'i World Centre since 2001, said that the Baha'i writings have a unique potency, firstly because they are the word of God, and secondly because when set to music, they move the hearts of people.\n\n\"Baha'u'llah says that music is like a ladder whereby man gets closer to God,\" said Ms. Ellis. \"People always remember the music most [from an event] because it moves them.\"\n\nThe group also sang songs that arose from a variety of ethnic traditions, as well as some pop songs and folk tunes, including a song in Filipino.\n\nThe concerts also featured a traditional dance from Fiji, performed by the Iloilo Baha'i Youth Dance troupe, and a solo violin performance.\n\nMelody of Carmel's three public performances were in San Jose, Solano, and Cabarroguis. A colorful parade welcomed the choir to the town of Solano.\n\nLocal dignitaries attended the events, and admission to the concerts was free for the general public.\n\nThe concert in San Jose was recorded and will be broadcast in the near future by the Radio Baha'i Philippines. Local radio stations also interviewed some of the members of the choir."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424238-bwns5214-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some members of the choir."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5213-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Children learning a Baha'i song from choir members."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424236-bwns5212-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Singers from the Baha'i World Centre, Haifa, Israel."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5211-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Before a performance...conductor Franco Aquino."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5210-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A dance included in the performance."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5209-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Preparing for a concert."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5208-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Choir members."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5207-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Choir conductor Franco Aquino (right) with choir member Bonnie Ellis."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424236-bwns5206-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Melody of Carmel Baha'i choir."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424235-bwns5205-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Exuberant choir members after a performance."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":284,"evergreenUrl":"womens-award-bahai-representative","title":"Women's award to Baha'i representative","description":"The Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations, Bani Dugal, has received a \"Women Helping Women\" award...","date":"2004-02-11","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424227-bwns5204-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424227-bwns5204-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Yannina Varvitsiotes (left) and Bani Dugal.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations, Bani Dugal, has received a \"Women Helping Women\" award from Soroptimist International.\n\nThe award came in the weeks leading up to International Women's Day on March 8, an occasion which is widely observed by Baha'i communities throughout the world.\n\n\"Women Helping Women\" is one of three awards offered under an umbrella program, \"Making a Difference for Women,\" established in 1986 by the Soroptimists to acknowledge those who work to improve the status of women in society. Soroptimist International is a 70-year-old volunteer service organization for women.\n\nMs. Dugal received the award on 11 February 2004 at the Williams Club in Manhattan.\n\n\"Her sensitivity and success at gender and intercultural relations are at the center of her ability not only as a woman helping women, but also helping women, collaboratively, to help other women,\" said Linda Stillman, chairperson of the awards ceremony.\n\nNoting that Ms. Dugal was recently selected to chair the NGO Committee on the Status of Women at the United Nations, Ms. Stillman called her \"a testament to diplomatic decorum steeped in her spiritual soul.\"\n\nMs. Stillman is the representative of Soroptimist International to the United Nations. She nominated Ms. Dugal for the award, which honors \"women who consistently and effectively use their resources, talents and influence to help other women achieve their potential.\""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Ms. Dugal accepted the award \"in the name of all the women in the world that are working to assist one another to advance and enjoy an equal status with men.\"\n\nShe spoke about the importance of using international mechanisms of human rights to assist women in their advancement.\n\n\"Many women are unaware of their human rights, and others see them as abstract and unattainable,\" said Ms. Dugal. \"Thus, while activism in past years has drawn attention to women's rights, the challenge is now to make them more accessible by implementing agreed strategies and commitments made by governments.\"\n\nThe key to improving the rights of women, said Ms. Dugal, lies with an educational process that also promotes a \"conscious awareness that the interests of men and boys are linked with those of women.\"\n\n\"I quote from the Baha'i writings: 'As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibility, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.'\"\n\n\"Our task is clear and, together, helping one another, we can realize our dreams for a better tomorrow for women and men,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nTwo other awards, \"Advancing the Status of Women,\" and \"Woman of Distinction,\" were also presented the same evening.\n\nYannina Varvitsiotes, who heads a group called Face the Challenge, received the \"Advancing the Status of Women\" award, also part of the \"Making a Difference for Women\" program. Face the Challenge seeks to improve the self-image and self-esteem of disabled people, said Ms. Varvitsiotes, a social worker affiliated with the Jerome Bellson Center in the Bronx, who is herself a person with cerebral palsy.\n\nThe \"Advancing the Status of Women\" award \"recognizes businesses and organizations that have helped advance the status of women, and have used their positions to promote recognition of women's issues.\"\n\nThe \"Woman of Distinction\" award was given to Eva H. Richter, a retired university educator who speaks five languages and now serves as UN representative for the International Federation of Business and Professional Women.\n\n\"Women of Distinction\" honors \"women who have made outstanding achievements in their professional, business or volunteer activities\" and who are \"ideal role models.\"\n\n[Report and photos by Veronica Shoffstall.]"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424227-bwns5203-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"At the podium...Bani Dugal at the award ceremony."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424227-bwns5202-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Bani Dugal with her award."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":283,"evergreenUrl":"national-communities-celebrate-together","title":"National communities celebrate together","description":"Baha'i communities of former French West Africa have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Baha'i Faith to the region. Participants...","date":"2003-12-28","customDateline":null,"city":"DAKAR","country":"SENEGAL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424204-bwns5201-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424204-bwns5201-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Baha'i communities of former French West Africa have celebrated the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Baha'i Faith to the region.\n\nParticipants in the festivities, held here between 26 and 28 December 2003, came from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea, Togo, and Ivory Coast.\n\nThere were also Baha'i guests from other parts of Africa, Europe, North and South America, and the Middle East.\n\nPresentations using slide shows and photographs prepared by Chahine Rassekh from Mali and Thelma Khelgati from Guinea, informed the participants about the Baha'i history of the region, including the first Baha'is there -- Labib and Habib Isfahani.\n\nLabib Isfahani arrived from Egypt in December 1953, followed by his brother, Habib Isfahani, in April 1954. For their introduction of the Faith to the region they both received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from the then head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi.\n\nThe presentations also depicted in photographs the visits to the region of some outstanding Baha'is, among them five Hands of the Cause of God: Abu'l-Qasim Faizi, Rahmatu'llah Muhajir, Enoch Olinga, Ruhiyyih Rabbani, and Ali-Muhammad Varqa.\n\nSome early Baha'is in the region gave accounts of the major events involving the Faith during the past 50 years, and Parvine Djoneidi of Niger, spoke on the establishment of the Faith there and its potential for the future."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"One of the highlights of the event was the screening of the video, \"Building Momentum.\"\n\nThe film, distributed by the Baha'i World Centre, portrays Baha'i communities throughout the world engaged in community-building activities that are open to the general public: study circles, children's classes, and devotional meetings.\n\nAfter the screening of the video, participants held discussion groups and exchanged their experiences on the subjects portrayed.\n\nTwo distinguished guests at the celebration were Ibrahim Galadina, and Moussa Kamaye, members of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa.\n\nIn his address, Mr. Kamaye encouraged the Baha'is to carefully study and follow the messages of the Universal House of Justice. He also spoke about the significant role of Baha'i youth in building the Baha'i communities of the future.\n\nThe festivities were marked by joyous artistic performances by a variety of groups. A theatrical troupe from Mali performed dramatic stories about the early believers in Persia.\n\nThe Baha'i choirs of Dakar, Kaolack, and Burkina Faso entertained guests with their dances and songs, and a Baha'i dance group from Dakar, Les Etincelles, performed two well-received shows.\n\nThe National Radio broadcast two interviews in connection with the jubilee.\n\nBaha'is live in 382 localities in Senegal, and there are 54 Local Spiritual Assemblies. Social and economic development projects include teacher training, and providing literacy classes for women.\n\nAmong other Baha'i development activities in the region are the establishment of schools in Guinea, Mali, and Niger."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424209-bwns5200-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i traveling teacher Elbahi Aziza (right) visiting local Baha'is."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424205-bwns5199-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Two members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Keur Sembene, Senegal, 1985."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424205-bwns5198-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Pupils of a Baha'i class in Senegal, 1995."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424205-bwns5197-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Young Baha'is at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424206-bwns5196-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Narrator for the Mali theatrical troupe."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424206-bwns5195-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Burkina Faso choir rehearsing."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424205-bwns5194-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Moussa Kamaye (second from right) with Baha'is at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424206-bwns5193-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Habib Isfahani."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424206-bwns5192-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some participants from former French West Africa and guests at the jubilee."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":282,"evergreenUrl":"scholar-receive-interfaith-honor","title":"Scholar to receive interfaith honor","description":"Professor Suheil Bushrui, who holds the Baha'i chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland, is to receive an award previously bestowed...","date":"2004-03-01","customDateline":null,"city":"COLLEGE PARK, Maryland","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424187-bwns5191-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424187-bwns5191-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Amine Gemayel, former president of Lebanon (second left, front row), was a guest speaker in May 2001 at a class of Prof. Bushrui (left, second row), at the University of Maryland.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Professor Suheil Bushrui, who holds the Baha'i chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland, is to receive an award previously bestowed on such luminaries as Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama.\n\nOn March 1 2004, Professor Bushrui will be honored with the Juliet Hollister Award from the New York-based Temple of Understanding, a global interfaith organization.\n\nThe award is in recognition of Prof. Bushrui's \"exceptional service to interfaith understanding.\"\n\nAs well as the former South African president, Mr. Mandela, and the Dalai Lama, recipients have included Queen Noor of Jordan, and the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. Also receiving the award this year are Coleman Barks, and Cokie and Steven V. Roberts.\n\n\"What we are looking for are people who carry the interfaith message to a large audience, and Prof. Bushrui has certainly done that,\" said Alison Van Dyk, executive director of the Temple.\n\nProf. Bushrui has a long record of promoting intercultural and interreligious understanding.\n\nIn large part, this work has been built on two main themes -- the commonality of all religions and the essential oneness of the human family.\n\nFor the last 10 years, Prof. Bushrui's platform for the promotion of such ideas has been the Baha'i Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland, a professorial post endowed largely by the worldwide Baha'i community."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Prof. Bushrui has organized conferences promoting international and interfaith dialogue. He has lectured in the United States and Europe on globalization and human rights, and has sponsored prominent guest lectures.\n\nProf. Bushrui is also known for the quality of his teaching -- another factor in the Hollister Award.\n\n\"Many teachers are good,\" said Maynard Mack, director of the Honors Program at the University of Maryland. \"But Suheil is life-changing. We hear this over and over again, that students' whole attitude towards education, their whole attitude towards life, changes in his class.\"\n\nIn 1999, Prof. Bushrui was chosen \"teacher of the year\" at the University, a significant honor on a campus with more than 2,800 full time faculty.\n\nElie Teichman, a 21-year-old senior at the University who is considering rabbinical school after graduation, said that Prof. Bushrui's honors seminar on \"The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race\" was \"one of my most treasured academic experiences in college.\"\n\nCynthia Roberts Hale, assistant dean in the College of Behavior and Social Sciences, where the Baha'i Chair resides, said Prof. Bushrui has had an \"enormous impact\" on the campus, despite some initial skepticism about him.\n\n\"But he has developed relationships all over the campus, and he has won the respect of many people, first because he is a scholar in his own right and second because he is a citizen of the world.\n\n\"So often, academics have a message that is only for each other. But Suheil has the capacity to communicate with everyone, whether a child, a student, a scholar, or the House of Lords,\" said Dr. Hale. \"And Suheil wants you to know that he believes in God, that there is a world order, and that there is a code of human behavior -- and he is constantly translating that into a formula for world peace.\"\n\nBorn in Nazareth\n\nBorn 74 years ago in Nazareth, Suheil Bushrui went to Arab primary schools and then to St. George's College in Jerusalem.\n\n\"I had a foundation in Qu'ranic, Arabic studies, but then I moved to an English school, and the literature fascinated me,\" Prof. Bushrui said.\n\n\"In particular, I was fascinated by the romantic poets, Keats, Shelley, and Byron. They appealed to my Arab imagination, I think.\"\n\nHe obtained a doctorate in English literature at the University of Southampton. He taught there and later at universities in Nigeria and Canada.\n\nIt was in the junction of two worlds -- of his Arab childhood and of his English education -- that he found a great resource for intercultural harmony.\n\n\"The link between the two cultures is that tremendous area -- where I think many cultures meet -- that is commonly referred to as the 'perennial philosophy,'\" said Prof. Bushrui. \"My whole work on Yeats has always been about the perennial philosophy, about his search for a universal religion.\"\n\nPopularized by Aldous Huxley, the term \"perennial philosophy\" encompasses the idea that there is one Divine reality underlying all religions and cultures, even though it has been revealed to humanity at different times and in different forms.\n\nThe other main influence on Prof. Bushrui's thinking has been his practice of the Baha'i Faith. Born into a Baha'i family, he has lived by the Baha'i teachings since childhood. Its themes of religious and human oneness are clearly found throughout his writings and lectures.\n\n\"For me,\" said Prof. Bushrui, \"the Baha'i religion -- which does not emphasize a narrow religious perspective -- opened up tremendous vistas of acceptance of other traditions in such a way that it emphasized the commonalities between the various cultures and religions of the world.\"\n\nLebanon and Gibran\n\nProf. Bushrui accepted a position at the American University of Beirut in 1968.\n\n\"In part, my return to Lebanon stemmed from a tremendous desire to publish in Arabic and to express myself in the language I have loved from childhood,\" said Prof. Bushrui. \"It was in Lebanon that I began to work assiduously on Gibran.\"\n\nAs with Yeats, Prof. Bushrui found in the work and life of Kahlil Gibran a profound repository of universal thinking that he believed could be a great source of healing in the world.\n\n\"Gibran was perhaps one of the foremost promoters of world unity and the unity of religions,\" said Prof. Bushrui.\n\nProf. Bushrui published several books on the Lebanese poet, including, in 1998, \"Kahlil Gibran: Man and Poet,\" which he coauthored with Joe Jenkins.\n\n\"His words went beyond the mere evocation of the mysterious East but endeavored to communicate the necessity of reconciliation between Christianity and Islam, spirituality and materialism, East and West,\" wrote Bushrui and Jenkins.\n\nOne of his recent projects, a book entitled \"The Wisdom of the Arabs,\" which compiles traditional sayings from throughout Arab culture, takes a popular approach to promoting cross-cultural understanding.\n\n\"It's a critically important book,\" said Arab cultural specialist Mounzer Sleiman, who calls Prof. Bushrui a \"super ambassador\" for Arab culture.\n\nProf. Bushrui also has \"real world\" experience at promoting cross-cultural harmony. In the 1980s, Lebanon's President Amine Gemayel, one of his former students, appointed Prof. Bushrui as his non-partisan cultural advisor, bringing him directly into the field of international politics and conflict resolution.\n\n\"In Lebanon at the time, of course, the main concern was how do you create understanding and resolve conflict between the various religious groups there, especially between Christians and Muslims,\" said Prof. Bushrui. \"I believe that it was possible to do this through the arts, through the great works of literature, and particularly through the works of Gibran himself.\"\n\n\"You see, what most people don't appreciate is that literature is a holistic study,\" said Prof. Bushrui. \"It encompasses psychology, history, culture, and politics. And what has interested me is how culture and religion have interacted towards one another. And how they can be reconciled.\"\n\n\"In poetry, for example, whether the poet is aware of it or not, there is a sacred knowledge, which is transmitted from generation to generation,\" said Prof. Bushrui. \"And that sacred knowledge, which is the basis of all great poetry, is what makes poetry universal.\"\n\nIn one of his speeches, \"The Spiritual Foundation of Human Rights,\" Prof. Bushrui argued that since all religions recognize \"the existence of individual souls and the relationship between that soul and its Creator,\" every religion in essence agrees that \"human beings enjoy certain inalienable rights that no worldly authority may capriciously or systematically abrogate.\"\n\nProf. Bushrui has addressed many prominent audiences. In 2000 and 2001, he addressed the House of Lords in Great Britain, and in 2001 he spoke at the US Library of Congress on the topic of \"Globalization and the Baha'i Community in the Muslim World.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424187-bwns5190-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Prof. Bushrui delivering a lecture in association with an exhibition by the Baha'i International Community, at the European Parliament in Brussels, June 2003."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424187-bwns5189-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Prince of Wales (left) with Professor Bushrui (foreground, right), at Highgrove, the Prince's estate, July 2002, on the occasion of a Temenos Academy function. In the background are Nicholas Parson (left) and David Cadman, both of the Temenos Academy. Photo by Paul Burns Photography."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424188-bwns5188-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Professor Suheil Bushrui in his office at the University of Maryland."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":281,"evergreenUrl":"inspiring-young-people-serve-others","title":"Inspiring young people to serve others","description":"A six-day gathering to inspire Baha'i youth to make their contribution to the welfare of humanity attracted participants from more than 30 countries....","date":"2004-01-01","customDateline":null,"city":"HLUBOKÁ NAD VLTAVOU","country":"CZECH REPUBLIC","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424166-bwns5182-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424166-bwns5182-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hamid Peseschkian.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A six-day gathering to inspire Baha'i youth to make their contribution to the welfare of humanity attracted participants from more than 30 countries.\n\nThe world's suffering was a \"call to action,\" a keynote speaker told participants at the \"Changing Times\" seminar, which was held at the Townshend International School here from 26 December 2003 to 1 January 2004.\n\n\"Today we are witnessing the disintegration of international order,\" said Robert Henderson, the secretary-general of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.\n\n\"Sovereign states are unable to stop the spread of terrorism and war, to stabilize the world economy or to alleviate the sufferings of millions,\" said Dr. Henderson, drawing on analysis by Shoghi Effendi and messages from the Universal House of Justice.\n\nBaha'i youth, he said, should strive to become examples of the transforming power of Baha'u'llah.\n\nThey should \"elevate the atmosphere\" in which they live, face challenges with confidence and become the embodiment of excellence in their personal lives, academic training, professions, and spiritual qualities.\n\nThe atmosphere of the seminar was characterized by the joy and camaraderie of the some 220 participants. In addition to the many European Baha'is, attendees came from places as far away as Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.\n\nThe program also featured a talk by Hamid Peseschkian, a psychiatrist who spoke on marriage preparation, and Lesley Taherzadeh, who addressed aspects of Baha'i history."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Ms. Taherzadeh spoke about the heroes and heroines of the Faith -- and she offered a moving tribute to her late husband, Adib Taherzadeh, a renowned Baha'i author who served on the Universal House of Justice.\n\nArdawan Lalui, the project director of the Townshend School, spoke about applying Baha'i principles to the workplace.\n\nTopics by other speakers included the importance of ethics in business and the equality of men and women.\n\nWorkshops aimed at inspiring the youth to incorporate Baha'i principles into their lives included a focus on two current themes in Baha'i activities worldwide -- the arts in Baha'i community life (led by Inder Manocha), and the importance of devotional meetings (led by Katrina Modabber).\n\nBoth of those workshop topics were illustrated in the program itself. Among the artistic performances were those by international prize-winning violinists Martha and Vahid Khadem-Missagh, who performed with their father, Bijan, at the official opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa in May 2001.\n\nStand-up comedian Inder Manocha, who performed at the \"Best of the Edinburgh Festival Showcase\" and has appeared on BBC programs, provided an evening of comedy.\n\nA devotional meeting, in which music and the arts provided an uplifting atmosphere, was one of the highlights of the seminar.\n\nThe seminar was dedicated to two much beloved Baha'is who passed away in 2003 -- the Hand of the Cause of God Ali-Akbar Furutan, and former member of the Universal House of Justice David Hofman.\n\nThe Changing Times seminar, organized by European Baha'i youth, was first held in 2002 and is scheduled to become an annual event."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424167-bwns5181-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Vahid and Martha Khadem-Missagh."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424169-bwns5180-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Joy and camaraderie...youth from more than 30 countries attended the seminar."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424167-bwns5179-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Seminar participants with Reza Reyhani (second from right), founder of Townshend International School."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424167-bwns5178-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Making a point...a workshop in action."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424167-bwns5177-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Discussing the finer points...keynote speaker Robert Henderson (center) with some seminar participants."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424167-bwns5176-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Youth in unity...some of the participants at the seminar."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":280,"evergreenUrl":"secret-rendezvous-faith","title":"Secret rendezvous of faith","description":"The first Namibian to become a Baha'i told participants at jubilee celebrations here about how he joined the Faith after secret meetings with...","date":"2003-12-20","customDateline":null,"city":"WINDHOEK","country":"NAMIBIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5158-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5158-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hilifa Andreas Nekundi and Gerda Aiff at the jubilee celebrations in Namibia. Photo by Brigitte Aiff.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The first Namibian to become a Baha'i told participants at jubilee celebrations here about how he joined the Faith after secret meetings with the person who brought the teachings to this country.\n\nHilifa Andreas Nekundi said that because he was black and Englishman Ted Cardell was white, they had to have their meetings in secret to avoid becoming victims of the oppressive apartheid policies then in force.\n\nMr. Nekundi told his dramatic story as part of a gathering held from 19 to 21 December 2003 to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Baha'i Faith in Namibia (then called South West Africa).\n\nMr. Nekundi (also known as Tate Hilifa) first heard about the Baha'i teachings in 1955 from Mr. Cardell, who had arrived in the country two years earlier.\n\nThe first Baha'i to settle there, Mr. Cardell received the accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah from Shoghi Effendi.\n\nMr. Cardell first encountered Mr. Nekundi while looking for someone to translate a Baha'i pamphlet from English into Kwanyama, the language of one of the biggest tribes in the country. Mr. Nekundi, an official police translator, agreed to help.\n\nOver a period of six weeks the two men would drive to an isolated place outside the city in the evenings and work on the translation by torchlight.\n\nThe Baha'i writings attracted Mr. Nekundi, and shortly afterwards he sent a letter to the then-head of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"I am one of the smallest seeds of which the sower had sowed in the garden of South West Africa,\" he wrote.\n\n\"I am still a baby in this Spirit [Faith]. I have no roots yet. But to do my best is just to pray to God for it, and give myself into thy hands to guard my prayer to him who is the Divine God.\"\n\nShoghi Effendi replied: \"Assuring you of a most hearty welcome into the Baha'i Faith and of my loving and fervent prayers for your success and spiritual advancement.\"\n\nMr. Nekundi later served on the first Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Windoek, and the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Namibia.\n\nToday Baha'is live in 247 localities in Namibia, and there are 25 Local Spiritual Assemblies.\n\nAt the jubilee celebrations there were many local Baha'is, a prominent representative of the government, and Baha'i guests from Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States.\n\nThe participants also heard reminiscences from Gerda Aiff, who settled in Namibia with her husband, Martin Aiff, and their six young children in 1959.\n\nThe family lived a life that was split in two parts because of the need to protect the Baha'i community, Mrs. Aiff, 82, told the gathering.\n\nIf it were known that white and blacks were mixing, there would have been swift and devastating repercussions for a community whose fundamental teaching, the oneness of humanity, ran directly counter to the racist policies then prevailing.\n\n\"While the (white) women were sitting in front of the house pretending to be relaxed, in the background the men would hold study classes with the African friends.\"\n\nMrs. Aiff said that meetings of white and African Baha'is were generally impossible because of the segregation laws, so the Baha'is had to find a way of communicating with each other.\n\nA courier between the two groups was found in Martin Onesmus, an African Baha'i who was an employee of the Aiff's.\n\nBecause he lived on their premises, he could take messages from them to the African Baha'is.\n\nIn 1965 Mr. Onesmus was elected as one of the members of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Windhoek.\n\n\"Now seeing so many friends, free to teach (the Baha'i Faith) and be together -- my family, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren -- is an overwhelming joy,\" said Mrs. Aiff with great emotion.\n\nA guest of honor at the jubilee was a member of the local Baha'i community, Sandra Tjitendero. She read the speech of her husband, Dr. Mose Tjitendero, the speaker of the Namibian parliament, who was ill on the day he was due to speak.\n\nDr. Tjitendero praised the principles of the Baha'i Faith and said that they not only gave personal inspiration to him but they are also the highest aspiration of the government of Namibia.\n\n\"There is no doubt in my mind that this jubilee celebrates, among other things, the power of faith, the courage and spirit of those early Baha'is in Namibia, who despite the hostile political and social environment that existed at the time, persevered to demonstrate the principle of unity and oneness,\" Dr. Tjitendero said.\n\nDr. Tjitendero recovered from his illness and joined the festivities the following evening.\n\nAlso present at the event was Maina Mkandawire, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa who resides in Malawi, and Lally Lucretia Warren, a former member of the Board and now a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Botswana.\n\nBaha'i youth from different regions of the country entertained participants with musical and dance performances.\n\nThe 40-member Omaruru children's choir, from the Erongo area, sang songs in English and Otijherero. Also performing was a dancing choir from the Kavango region of Namibia.\n\nA slide presentation portrayed the history and growth of the Faith in the country. It told of the encouraging visits during the apartheid years by Hands of the Cause of God Ruhiyyih Rabbani, Adelbert Muhlschlegel, Rahmatullah Muhajir, and William Sears.\n\nNamibia television covered the jubilee during a Sunday morning religious program.\n\nSatellite celebrations were also held in the coastal towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.\n\n(Jubilee photos by Haynes McFadden and Brigitte Aiff.)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424140-bwns5174-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the participants at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424136-bwns5173-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Young musicians with Atieno Mboya-Samandari of Kenya at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424136-bwns5172-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Martin Aiff (left) with some Baha'is, on their way to a deepening seminar from Owambuland to Swakopmund, 1988."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5171-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Martin Onesmus, 1982."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424136-bwns5170-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Namibia, 1981."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5169-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Ted and Alicia Cardell with two of their children, 1960."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424136-bwns5168-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gerda Aiff."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424138-bwns5167-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Ubaid Davids, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Namibia, and Lally Warren of Botswana also joined in the music."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424136-bwns5166-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'i youth and children at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424136-bwns5165-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Maina Mkandawire (second from left) with Baha'i women from Omaruru."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5164-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mose Tjitendero, the speaker of the Namibian parliament."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5163-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sandra Tjiendero at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424143-bwns5162-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the members of the Omaruru children's choir."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424140-bwns5161-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Participants at the jubilee drum in joy and unity."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5160-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gerda and Martin Aiff with their six children, following their arrival in South West Africa, 1959."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5159-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Crista Ndjahara, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Namibia, addresses participants at the jubilee. Photo by Haynes McFadden."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424135-bwns5175-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"bwns_5175-0.jpg"}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":279,"evergreenUrl":"chile-temple-web-site-launched","title":"Chile Temple Web site launched","description":"The Baha'i International Community launched a Web site presenting the design of the Baha'i House of Worship to be constructed in Chile. The site...","date":"2004-02-12","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424126-bwns5156-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424126-bwns5156-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The night view of a model of the new Baha'i House of Worship to be built in Chile.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Baha'i International Community launched a Web site presenting the design of the Baha'i House of Worship to be constructed in Chile. The site is located at http://temple.cl.bahai.org.\n\nThe site, in both Spanish and English, features an animated tour, a slide show and \"fly-through\" of the Temple, accompanied by text.\n\nCanadian architecture firm Hariri Pontarini Architects received approval by the Universal House of Justice to develop its competition-winning scheme for the Temple in the environs of Chile's principal city, Santiago.\n\nIt is the final continental Baha'i Temple, taking its place among seven existing temples in Australia, Germany, Panama, Uganda, the United States, Western Samoa, and, most recently, India.\n\nThe starting point for the design was to create what architect Siamak Hariri calls \"a glowing temple of light, inviting to people of all faiths.\"\n\nAccording to Mr. Hariri, \"Light, the connecting force of the universe, shapes all aspects of the design. By day, light draws you into the building, and concentrates at the oculus. Light creates an interior experience of ever-changing texture and unpredictable iridescence as it is filtered through the inner tracery of wood.\n\n\"The stone shell glows with a dreamlike serenity at night. Golden light spills out between the leaves, and the inner form of the building is revealed.\"\n\nThe two-stage international call for design submissions attracted 185 entries from over 80 countries around the world. The Hariri Pontarini scheme was selected from a shortlist of four designs by architecture teams from Australia, Great Britain, the United States, and Canada.\n\nThe brief called for a nine-sided domed structure with nine entrances to symbolically welcome people from all directions of the earth for prayer and meditation.\n\nThe winning design is a glowing temple of nine gracefully torqued translucent alabaster \"leaves\" that floats over a large reflecting lily pool and nine prayer gardens.\n\nThe translucent leaves of stone form the Temple's outer shell, with a delicate wood tracery as an inner layer.\n\nSpace for communal and private meditation and prayer is provided by two distinct spaces: the area under the dome seating 600 people, and nine intimate, light-filled alcoves nestled between the wings beneath a mezzanine that rings the Temple perimeter.\n\nAlthough visually light, the building is structurally strong to respond to its location in a seismic zone. The structure is designed to accommodate ground movement and flex under lateral loads, with each wing composed like a leaf whose primary steel stem and secondary veins support the two layers. Three supporting bands tie the leaves into one integral whole.\n\nFor more on the Chile Temple see [http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=229](http://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=229)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"houses_of_worship"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":278,"evergreenUrl":"promoting-social-harmony-europe","title":"Promoting social harmony in Europe","description":"An exhibition on social harmony at the main building of the European Parliament was officially inaugurated at a reception here on 10 February....","date":"2004-02-10","customDateline":null,"city":"STRASBOURG","country":"FRANCE","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424111-bwns5157-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424111-bwns5157-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baroness Ludford with Michael Gahler (right), a German member of the European Parliament, and Baha'i representatives Barney Leith (left) and Daniel Wheatley (second from right). Photo by European Parliament.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"An exhibition on social harmony at the main building of the European Parliament was officially inaugurated at a reception here on 10 February.\n\nTitled \"The Baha'i International Community: Promoting Unity in Diversity throughout Europe for over a Century,\" the display will grace the first floor gallery of the Winston Churchill Building until 12 February 2004.\n\nMore than 150 people -- including some 30 members of the Parliament -- attended the reception, which featured an address by Baroness Sarah Ludford, a member of the European Parliament from the United Kingdom who sponsored the exhibition.\n\nThere are well-established Baha'i communities -- headed by national-level governing councils -- in all 15 member nations of the European Union, as well as in the ten acceding nations.\n\n\"I believe this little-known religion of global reach is of interest to people like ourselves who work in an international context in this expanding and enlarging European Parliament,\" said Baroness Ludford.\n\nShe said that Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith, \"warned of the dangers of unconstrained nationalism and called for a system of global governance, which has led Baha'is to be particular supporters of the United Nations.\"\n\n\"He would have applauded the success of the European Union in ensuring collective security and protecting human rights,\" said Baroness Ludford, who is not a Baha'i.\n\nThe exhibition was created by the Baha'i International Community to welcome the 10 new states that will join the European Union on 1 May 2004."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"It specifically showcases the contributions that Baha'i communities in Europe have made towards promoting unity among diverse peoples.\n\nAlso addressing the reception was Dr. Laszlo Farkas, a representative of the national governing council of the Baha'is of Hungary, which is one of the 10 new countries joining the EU.\n\n\"For us, the unification of different cultures and peoples is a natural process,\" said Dr. Farkas. \"Baha'is both in Europe and in the whole world are working for this unified human family.\"\n\nOther dignitaries at the reception included several judges from the European Court of Human Rights, representatives of the Council of Europe, members of the European Commission, and a number of ambassadors and diplomats. As well, a number of prominent personalities from the Strasbourg region were present.\n\nComposed of 17 panels, the display tells the story, through words and photographs, of how the Baha'i communities of Europe have sought to promote peace, cross-cultural integration, religious tolerance, and business ethics through a variety of concrete projects and actions.\n\n\"The idea of social harmony, which this exhibition seeks to promote, is of critical importance as the European Union becomes larger,\" said Lucien Crevel, chairman of the  National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of France, one of the 37 national Baha'i governing councils in Europe.\n\n\"Over the years, the Baha'i communities of Europe have sought to engender and encourage social harmony and progress, through a wide range of activities. It is this experience, which the exhibition seeks to highlight, that we hope will be helpful to the Parliament, and its members,\" said Mr. Crevel.\n\nThe exhibition, for example, takes note of projects like The Institute for Social Cohesion, which was established in 2001 by the Baha'i community of the United Kingdom to promote cross-cultural harmony.\n\nIt also highlights the Baha'i International Community's innovative collaboration with the Stability Pact for Eastern Europe (formerly known as the Royaumont Process) to strengthen stability and interethnic communication in Southeastern Europe.\n\nAnd it discusses projects in some of the new member-states, such as the Mesed (Story-telling Mothers) of Hungary, which empowers women to work for greater social harmony.\n\n\"Baha'is are convinced of the necessity of international collaboration and support the principles underlying the European Union,\" said Christine Samandari, representative of the Baha'i International Community, noting that the Baha'i Faith was first established in Europe in 1898.\n\nBaha'is reside in more than 6,000 localities throughout Europe, and they have established some 976 locally elected governing councils, which administer their communities at the local level. As noted, they have national governing councils in 37 European countries."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424111-bwns5155-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baroness Ludford (center) with Ronald Mayer, the ambassador of Luxembourg to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament (left) and Ulrich Bohner, chief executive of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (right). Photo by European Parliament."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424111-bwns5154-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Elmar Brok (center), a German member of the European Parliament and Baha'i representative Peter Amsler (left) with another attendant at the exhibition's opening."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424111-bwns5153-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baroness Sarah Ludford (second from right) standing with Baha'i representatives, Kazem and Christine Samandari (left) and Laszlo Farkas (right)."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":277,"evergreenUrl":"community-builds-its-first-bahai-center","title":"Community builds its first Baha'i center","description":"Devotional songs and prayers marked the inauguration of the first Baha'i center to be built in French Polynesia. After the local mayor and a...","date":"2004-01-07","customDateline":null,"city":"HUAHINE","country":"FRENCH POLYNESIA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424099-bwns5152-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424099-bwns5152-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Daniel Pierce of Tahiti (left) and Ato Tuhei, a pastor from the Keretitiano church.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Devotional songs and prayers marked the inauguration of the first Baha'i center to be built in French Polynesia.\n\nAfter the local mayor and a Baha'i representative cut a ribbon of flowers to open the center, the Baha'is sang in Tahitian \"Blessed is the spot,\" a song whose lyrics are a prayer by Baha'u'llah.\n\nThe event held on 7 January 2004 was attended by representatives of three other religions, as well as by Baha'is from Huahine, Tahiti, and Switzerland.\n\nThe ceremony also included Baha'i children singing selections from the Baha'i writings in French and Tahitian.\n\nFrancis Dubois, a Baha'i from Paea, summed up the feelings of those present when he rejoiced in seeing the physical presence of the Faith established: \"Our hearts are on fire and filled with joy,\" Mr. Dubois said.\n\nThe opening ceremony came only eight months after the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Huahine decided to undertake the project.\n\nHuahine, with a population of 8000, is an island in the Society Islands group, one of five archipelagoes in the territory of French Polynesia. Most of French Polynesia's 245,000 people live on the island of Tahiti, also one of the Society Islands.\n\nOnce the decision was made to build, the Baha'is -- three families and four individuals -- threw themselves into the task of constructing the center, which will be used for spiritual gatherings and study classes."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"One of the families provided the land, and Saturday was designated as work day. The Baha'is put in long hours.\n\nWorking together, they used coconut palm logs for the base of the building. The Baha'is built the walls of bamboo and made the roof of corrugated iron on a timber frame. They spread white sand to form the floor.\n\nThe construction proceeded so rapidly that the Local Spiritual Assembly decided to add a sleeping area, a kitchen and bathroom. Other Baha'i assemblies contributed generously to provide the funds for these extra projects.\n\nFor the inauguration ceremonies, the Baha'is prepared a feast of fruit -- coconuts, pineapples, watermelon, rock melon, banana, and grapefruit. They also cooked taro, fish, breadfruit, and bananas in a traditional earth oven.\n\nThey made the \"hei\" (headpieces) and the \"auti\" (necklaces) using the strongly scented Tahitian white gardenia, berries, ferns, and colored leaves.\n\nA member of the local Baha'i community, Tema Raurii, observed custom by welcoming the guests with traditional oratory before they entered the building. This was followed by a rousing song of greetings.\n\nOnce inside, the chairman of the Local Spiritual Assembly, Hubert Bremond, introduced all participants and issued another warm welcome.\n\nMr. Bremond, who is a well-known broadcaster, promoter of Tahitian culture and a community leader, emphasized the Faith's worldwide character and its principles.\n\nLater, he explained the origins of the project.\n\n\"We are only a handful of Baha'is, and we are families that are not very well off,\" Mr. Bremond said.\n\n\"By any human standards, it was probably impossible to take on this project and build a center, but each person made their contribution and brought along their piece of the building.\"\n\nAnother Baha'i speaker was Daniel Pierce, of Tahiti, who is a member of one of the two auxiliary boards assisting the Continental Board of Counsellors.\n\nMr. Pierce invited the guests to investigate the Baha'i message more closely, and he quoted the words of Baha'u'llah addressed to all humanity: \"Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.\"\n\nThe mayor, Marcelin Lisan, expressed his gratitude to the Baha'is for the invitation to the inauguration of the center.\n\n\"Thank you for the thoughts that have been shared today -- I will keep with me the idea that love, fellowship, and respect must come before all else,\" Mr. Lisan said.\n\nSpeakers from the Catholic, Protestant and Keretitiano churches also gave warm and encouraging addresses.\n\nA deacon of the Tahitian Protestant Church, Raoul Mare, said: \"My Baha'i brothers...hopefully we can share and help each other. There are things that we might lack that might be found with you. There are things that you are missing that we might have.\"\n\nThe guests then feasted on \"poe\" (sweet pudding with coconut cream), fresh fruit and the cooked food, all served on banana leaves and using coconut shells as plates.\n\nFollowing the opening ceremony, the Baha'is held a mini-conference about the environment, and then discussed the progress of capacity-building study circles.\n\nThe Baha'i community of Huahine is active in the three core activities of the Five Year Plan currently being carried out by Baha'is throughout the world -- study circles, devotional meetings and children's classes."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424099-bwns5151-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some of the members of a dance troupe from Huahine with Iraj Sabet from Switzerland."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424099-bwns5150-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424099-bwns5149-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Some local Baha'is pose together in front of the new center."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424099-bwns5148-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hubert Bremond, chairman of the Local Siritual Assembly of Huahine, welcomes guests at the opening ceremony."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424099-bwns5147-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'is from Huahine and their guests in front of the new Baha'i center."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":276,"evergreenUrl":"travel-writers-salute-floral-jewel","title":"Travel writers salute 'floral jewel'","description":"The Baha'i garden terraces surrounding the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel have received an award from the Society of American Travel Writers....","date":"2003-12-15","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424061-bwns5146-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424061-bwns5146-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Floral pathway towards the Shrine of the Bab.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Baha'i garden terraces surrounding the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel have received an award from the Society of American Travel Writers.\n\nThe society, comprising 1300 members in North America, named the garden terraces as one of six recipients of its Phoenix Awards for 2003.\n\nThe awards honor individuals or groups which \"have contributed to a quality travel experience through conservation, preservation, beautification or environmental efforts.\"\n\nIn its citation, the Society said: \"At the turn of the last century (19th), historic Mount Carmel, sacred to Jews, Christians, Muslims and Baha'is, was nothing more than another desolate hill, rock and scrub brush.\"\n\nBut with the creation of the garden terraces, the once barren face of the mountain that overlooks the city is now \"a magnificent floral jewel,\" the citation said.\n\n\"In a region where water is precious, the gardens use a combination of ancient and modern gardening practices, from mulching and composting to computerized irrigation systems. The noise of the city is masked by the gentle sound of water, which flows down the sides of the staircases and through a series of fountains. Water for the 70 fountains is recycled.\"\n\nAs of 24 January 2004 there have been 2,083,185 visitors to the terraces, which were first opened to the public on 4 June 2001.\n\n\"Some 465,000 of these visitors have taken a pre-reserved guided tour,\" said Eliza Rasiwala, Guided Tours Operation manager at the Baha'i World Centre."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"More than 12,200 tours have taken place since the opening in June 2001. At present, regular tours are available in Hebrew, Arabic, English, and Russian and there are occasional tours in French, German, Spanish, Danish, Norwegian, and Armenian,\" Ms. Rasiwala said.\n\nThe Baha'i World Centre provides the tours free of charge.\n\nThe terraces and two adjacent administrative buildings were completed in 2001 after 10 years of work at a cost of some $250 million in voluntary donations from the worldwide Baha'i community of some five million believers.\n\nThe terraces were built primarily to adorn the Shrine of the Bab and as a path of approach for Baha'i pilgrims to what is the second-most holy spot for Baha'is.\n\nThe terraces also offer a symbol of peace and hope to the world at large, and the guided tours come with a message: that harmony and co-existence are possible.\n\nFor more stories and photographs of the terraces see\n\nhttp://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=221\n\nhttp://www.bahaiworldnews.org/story.cfm?storyid=134\n\nhttp://www.bahaiworldnews.org/terraces."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424059-bwns5145-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"View from the informal gardens of the upper terraces. Photo by Rouhulah Ferdowsian."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424060-bwns5144-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A lower terrace."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424064-bwns5143-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Flowers adorn a bench on a terrace."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424064-bwns5142-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A pathway through the informal gardens."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424064-bwns5141-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A section of the upper terraces of the Shrine of the Bab. Photo by Don Myers."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424064-bwns5140-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mount Carmel and the Shrine of the Bab, 1909. The superstructure of the Shrine was completed in 1953."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424059-bwns5139-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The lower terraces of the Shrine of the Bab. Photo by Rouhulah Ferdowsian."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424060-bwns5138-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Gardens immediately behind the Shrine of the Bab. Photo by Dean Wilkey."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":275,"evergreenUrl":"drumming-dancing-delight","title":"Drumming and dancing in delight","description":"Musicians and dancers played a spectacular role during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Baha'i Faith in Zimbabwe....","date":"2003-12-12","customDateline":null,"city":"HARARE","country":"ZIMBABWE","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424013-bwns5137-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424013-bwns5137-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"(Front, left to right) Charles Zauyamakando, Dundusa Chisiza, Bernard Toni, Salvator (\"Sue\") Benatar, (middle, left to right) Shidan Fat'he-Aazam, Willie Msarurwa, Claire Gung (Knight of Baha'u'llah), Larry Hautz with Denny Fat'he-Aazam, Helen Hope, Masten Mganhiri, Carol Hautz, (back, left to right) Melvin Hope, Sylvia Benatar, Isaac Kachuwendi, Joan Chalker, Moses Makwaya, Florence Fat'he-Aazam, Nathan Shamuyarira.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Musicians and dancers played a spectacular role during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Baha'i Faith in Zimbabwe.\n\nA variety concert that followed the opening ceremony on 12 December 2003 showcased talents of Baha'is from throughout the country.\n\nAmong the performers was a Baha'i youth group from Bulawayo, \"Isitsha Sothando\" (\"Portal of Love\"), which performed the Ndebele tribe's traditional dance for community celebrations.\n\n\"Letters of the Living,\" a group from Mashonaland Central Province, danced to the traditional piano-like instrument, the mire, as they sang about the coming of Baha'u'llah and the subsequent introduction of His teachings to Zimbabwe.\n\nThe Chiweshe Baha'i Choir sang and danced as members of the group played drums that they had made themselves. The Harare Baha'i youth and children also sang during the event, and a Baha'i youth from Matabeleland, Sithule Moyo, recited a poem.\n\nBaha'is from all provinces of Zimbabwe and nine other countries attended the festivities that were held from 12 to 14 December 2003.\n\nThe event followed smaller regional congresses held throughout the nation in 2003 to mark the golden jubilee.\n\nTelevision, radio and newspapers provided extensive coverage of the event. For example, a newspaper, \"The Herald,\" which circulates nationwide, carried two major articles on the Faith."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"From the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel, came a congratulatory message from the Universal House of Justice, which said in part: \"Your assemblage is a testimony to your devotion and brings to mind those valiant souls whose sacrificial efforts laid the foundation of the Faith in your country.\"\n\nThose pioneering Baha'is were remembered as the program, chaired by master of ceremonies, Jonah Mungoshi, began with a slide show depicting the Baha'is who established the Faith in Zimbabwe (previously called Southern Rhodesia).\n\nThe most prominent of all the Baha'is who resided in the country was John Robarts, who was appointed by Shoghi Effendi as a Hand of the Cause in 1957. Mr. Robarts served as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa until 1959. With his wife Audrey, and their children, he lived in Bulawayo from 1957 to 1967.\n\nIn an opening speech, Beth Allen, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa, said there was nothing more joyful than to see the jubilee gathering.\n\n\"Today we are gathered here heart and soul to commemorate not only 50 years of the Faith in Zimbabwe but also to celebrate the coming together of people whose varied backgrounds and different cultures lend a beautiful diversity to the colorful flower garden God has created,\" Mrs. Allen said.\n\nIn the official opening address, the founder and acting vice-chancellor of the Women's University in Africa, Hope Sadza, called the 50th anniversary \"a remarkable landmark.\"\n\nDr. Sadza said she cherished the hope that the Baha'is would \"help Zimbabwe to become spiritually as beautiful as physically she is, so that our lovely country may become the abode of peace and tranquility and the envy of the rest of the world.\"\n\nAmong those in the audience were a former cabinet minister, a representative of the diplomatic corps, leaders from Christian churches, and other distinguished guests.\n\nA prominent government official, Nathan Shamuyarira, briefly addressed the conference, speaking about his high regard for the Faith's teachings and principles, and the great respect he has for Baha'is.\n\nHistory came alive at the jubilee when some of the early Baha'is of Zimbabwe were introduced to the participants. They included Izzat'u'llah Zahrai, Douglas Kadenhe, Nura Faridian (now Steiner), Enayat and Iran Sohaili, and former member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa Shidan Fat'he-Aazam and his wife Florence.\n\nMr. Zahrai was the first Baha'i to come to the country during a Ten Year plan to take the teachings of the Faith around the world. He was followed soon after by Claire Gung, Eyneddin and Tahirih Ala'i, and Kenneth and Roberta Christian. All six received the accolade of Knight of Baha'u'llah from Shoghi Effendi.\n\nMr. Zahrai told the participants that the \"sweetest moment\" of his life came shortly after his arrival when he received a cablegram from Shoghi Effendi which said, \"Fervently praying success.\"\n\nAnother speaker was prominent Harare businessman, Mr. Kadenhe. He became a Baha'i in 1958, one of tens of thousands of people from all major tribes of Zimbabwe who have joined the Faith from that time until the present day.\n\nBaha'is now live in more than 1,600 localities in urban and rural areas, and there are 43 Local Spiritual Assemblies. The National Spiritual Assembly was formed in 1970. There are Baha'i centers in Harare, Bulawayo, Chinamora, Mubaira, and Murewa.\n\nThe Baha'is have undertaken a range of social and economic projects in Zimbabwe. For example, there are three Baha'i pre-schools, most of whose pupils are not Baha'is. Baha'is have conducted agricultural programs devoted to improving cultivation of fruit and vegetables. There is also a pilot program by the Baha'is to combat HIV/AIDS.\n\nThe Baha'i community has co-sponsored workshops on women's rights, the family, and human rights with the University of Zimbabwe, the Teachers' Association, and government ministries.\n\nHistory of the community\n\nDuring intervals at the jubilee, an audio-visual presentation of historic photographs was screened, reminding Baha'is about the past difficulties and triumphs, and of their precious heritage.\n\nShoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, visited the country firstly by himself in 1929, and then with his wife, Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani, in 1941. He visited the Victoria Falls, Matopos, and Bulawayo.\n\nThe first indigenous person to accept the Faith was Morton Ndovi in January, 1955 (he left for Malawi, then Nyasaland, shortly afterwards). Other local people accepted the Faith soon afterwards, and in April that same year the first Local Spiritual Assembly was formed in Harare (then called Salisbury).\n\nThe first African woman to become a Baha'i in Zimbabwe was Mabel Chiposi, who accepted the Faith in 1957. She passed away two years later. Her husband, Leonard, continued serving the Faith until his death in 1993.\n\nMany local people were introduced to Faith in a primary school set up by two pioneers from the United States, Larry and Carol Hautz.\n\nThey had established a motel, service station, and a snake farm on the Bulawayo road just outside Salisbury (now Harare). The school was initially for the 20 children of the staff, but it eventually expanded to a total enrollment of 400.\n\nThe first people of European descent to become Baha'is in the country were the late Salvator (\"Sue\") Benatar, and his wife Sylvia Benatar. Mrs. Benatar, a pianist who has performed internationally, attended the jubilee and played a selection of classical pieces.\n\nAnother Baha'i pioneer working alongside the ever-increasing numbers of African-born members of the Faith was author and educationalist, Dr. Genevieve Coy, whose course on living a spiritually-based life was published as a widely-circulating book, \"Counsels of Perfection.\"\n\n(Jubilee photos by Dana Allen.)\n\n(Historical photos, except for last three portraits, courtesy of \"Heroes and Heroines of the Ten Year Crusade in Southern Africa,\" compiled by Lowell Johnson and Edith Johnson. Baha'i Publishing Trust, Johannesburg.)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424010-bwns5136-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Eyneddin Ala'i."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424009-bwns5135-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Tahirih Ala'i."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424009-bwns5134-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Leonard Chiposi."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424016-bwns5133-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Salvator Benatar."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424013-bwns5132-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sylvia Benatar."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424008-bwns5131-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Genevieve Coy."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424011-bwns5130-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Early Baha'i pioneers...(left to right) Roberta, Roger, and Kenneth Christian."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424010-bwns5129-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Festival participants. Photo by Devin Rychetnik."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424009-bwns5128-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Dancing to the music...a member of the Chiweshe group."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424011-bwns5127-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"(From left to right) Martha Chimwaza, Chenai Mungoshi, Derek Sithole."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424009-bwns5126-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"One of the participants, Godfrey Mhetu."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424010-bwns5125-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Shidan Fat'he-Aazam"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424009-bwns5124-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Guest of honor Dr. Hope Sadza."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424010-bwns5123-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Early Baha'is of Zimbabwe with the master of ceremonies... (left to right) Douglas Kadenhe, Jonah Mungoshi (MC), Nura Steiner (Faridian), Enayat Sohaili, Sylvia Benatar."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424010-bwns5122-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Youthful musician and friend at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424008-bwns5121-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424009-bwns5120-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mabel Chiposi."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424010-bwns5119-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Hand of the Cause John Robarts (right) with his wife, Audrey, and children, Patrick (left) and Nina (second from left)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424011-bwns5118-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Izzat'u'llah Zahrai (left) and Jonah Mungoshi."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424011-bwns5117-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Opening address by Beth Allen (right), pictured with master of ceremonies, Jonah Mungoshi."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424011-bwns5116-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Reciting a poem during the variety concert at the jubilee...Sithule Moyo."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543424011-bwns5115-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Enjoying the festivities...participants in the jubilee celebration in Zimbabwe, Mr. and Mrs. Mariapera. Photo by Dana Allen."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":274,"evergreenUrl":"handing-light-faith","title":"Handing on the light of faith","description":"Three generations demonstrated the growth of the Baha'i community in a moving presentation at the festivities marking the 50th anniversary of...","date":"2003-12-12","customDateline":null,"city":"PORT LOUIS","country":"MAURITIUS","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423965-bwns5114-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423965-bwns5114-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Mauritius with Poova Murday, Knight of Baha'u'llah for Chagos (third from right), and his wife, Patricia Murday (fifth from right).","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Three generations demonstrated the growth of the Baha'i community in a moving presentation at the festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Baha'i Faith here.\n\nIn the packed auditorium, representatives of the first generation of Baha'is appeared on the stage and lit candles held by some of the second generation of the Mauritian believers. Those Baha'is in turn passed on the light to the third generation.\n\nDuring the ceremony, two groups, Citoyens du Monde (Citizens of the World) and Melody Channel, sang songs of spiritual upliftment, their performances conducted by Subrata Sharma, the musical director of the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi.\n\nMany of those in the 500-strong audience were overcome with emotion at the depiction of the history of a community that grew from a solitary figure in 1953 to a vibrant community today.\n\nFive members of the first generation of Baha'is in the country spoke to the audience about events of the first years with all their difficulties and triumphs.\n\nA group of youth presented an Indian dance and then depicted in a short dramatic sketch the introduction of the Faith to Mauritius and the events that lead up to the current focus on children's classes, devotional meetings and capacity-building study circles.\n\nApplause filled the auditorium after the children performed a moving presentation reminding the audience of the presence of God in our lives. The Diversity Dance Workshop also received acclamation.\n\nSpeakers included Eddy Lutchmaya, a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa, Baha'i author Lowell Johnson, and longstanding Baha'is Sir Harry Tirvengadum, Paul Fabien, Retnon Muree, and Somoo Valayden."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The history of the community was also one of the themes of the opening ceremony for the festivities, which ran from 12 to 14 December 2003.\n\nNational Spiritual Assembly member Balram Appadoo introduced to the audience of some 700 Baha'is and their guests the chief guest speaker, Dr. Graham Walker of the United Kingdom.\n\nDr. Walker said that only three years after the 1953 arrival of Ottilie Rhein, the first Baha'i in Mauritius, there were more than 100 members of the Faith, and three Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed by 1956. There are now 100 Assemblies.\n\n\"In 1970, with astonishing energy and few resources, the Baha'is organized an Oceanic Conference at the Queen Elizabeth College in Mauritius,\" he said. \"This was attended by the Prime Minister at that time, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and 1000 (participants) from 30 different countries.\"\n\nDr. Walker said the Mauritian Baha'is helped the Faith develop in Reunion, Madagascar, and Seychelles, where National Spiritual Assemblies were formed in 1972.\n\nOutlining some of the Baha'i contributions to Mauritius, Dr. Walker said the Baha'is regularly distribute documents to about 500 organizations and individuals, generating a productive dialogue and elevating moral awareness.\n\n\"In January 2001, the Baha'is organized an interfaith council to identify the common values of all religions, and to encourage inter-religious and trans-cultural debate,\" he said.\n\nDr. Walker praised Mauritius for its many freedoms, offered the assistance of the Baha'i community to the social and economic development of the country, and called on the government to resume its support for the United Nations resolutions against the persecution of Baha'is in Iran.\n\nIn his address, the guest of honor, the vice-president of the Republic of Mauritius, Raouf Bundhun, offered the Baha'i community his best wishes for \"success and great achievements in the future.\"\n\n\"The Baha'i community has all the time been working assiduously, discreetly, and with a seriousness of purpose, and promoting the development of its members and the welfare of the people at large,\" Mr. Bundhun said.\n\n\"Inspired by the message of Baha'u'llah, they have been constantly promoting the key theme of unity and justice,\" he said.\n\nOn that same occasion, a large screen carried a message from the Universal House Justice that said in part that the Baha'i community of Mauritius had \"been blessed with a body of devoted believers whose consecrated efforts have, over the years, firmly accomplished the sustained growth of the Cause of God in Mauritius.\"\n\nOther events held during the jubilee celebrations included a public address by Dr. Walker on \"Science and Morality,\" an occasion opened by Dr. Chunnoo, president of the Medical Council of Mauritius.\n\nThe Minister of Arts and Culture, Motee Ramdass spoke highly of the Baha'i community when he opened an exhibition at the Baha'i Institute in Belle Rose on the history of the Baha'i Faith in Mauritius.\n\nDuring the half-century of the Faith in Mauritius there have many individuals of great capacity who arose to develop the Baha'i community in the country.\n\nAmong those was Miss Rhein, who was named by Shoghi Effendi as a Knight of Baha'u'llah for her service in being the first person to bring the Faith to Mauritius.\n\nMiss Rhein (1903-79), who had arrived in the United States from Germany as a young girl, set out during a global Ten Year Plan to take the teachings of the Baha'i Faith around the world.\n\nShe arrived in Mauritius on 11 November 1953, and on her first expedition to provide necessities for living there met the proprietor of a shop, Mr. Yim Lim, who became the first resident of the country to join the Faith.\n\nAnother prominent Baha'i was Seewoosumbur Appa (1912-1981). Mr. Appa became a Baha'i in 1956 and diligently served the Faith until the last day of his life. He was a member of Local and National Spiritual Assemblies and served as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors.\n\nConscientious, hardworking and orderly, he had a gentle, pure-hearted personality that led him to become known affectionately throughout Mauritius and the African countries he visited as \"Papa Appa.\" A schoolteacher by profession, he was also an outstanding teacher of the Baha'i Faith.\n\nAnother dynamic Mauritian Baha'i was Roddy Lutchmaya (1932-1999), a joyous and enthusiastic personality, who held the high-ranking post of Commissioner of Prisons in Mauritius. He served on Local and National Spiritual Assemblies and was also a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423965-bwns5113-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423970-bwns5112-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sir Harry Tivvengadum and his wife, Ilahih, in London, after his knighthood, 1987."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423967-bwns5111-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Governor General of Mauritius, Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, opening the national Baha'i Centre, 1987."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423964-bwns5110-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mr. Yim Lim, the first Baha'i in Mauritius."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423965-bwns5109-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Indian Ocean, 1969."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423970-bwns5108-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Members of Baha'i institutions in Mauritius, with Mr. Collis Featherstone, a Hand of the Cause, (third right, front row) and Mrs. Featherstone, 1987."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423967-bwns5107-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Roddy Lutchmaya (1932-1999)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423969-bwns5106-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Seewoosumbur Appa (1912-1981)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423971-bwns5105-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Ottilie Rhein (1903-1979)."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423965-bwns5104-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The Diversity Dance Workshop, who perfomed at the jubilee."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423973-bwns5103-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Viewing a display...Vice-President Raouf Bundhun and Baha'i guide, Chantal Servansingh."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423968-bwns5102-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Distinguished guests... (left to right) High Commissioner of India, Pripuran Singh Haer, Vice-President of Mauritius, Raouf Bundhun, chief guest Baha'i speaker, Dr. Graham Walker."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423966-bwns5101-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A birthday cake for the 50th anniversary of the Baha'i community of Mauritius was a centerpiece of a performance by youth and children."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":273,"evergreenUrl":"royal-recognition-services-women","title":"Royal recognition for services to women","description":"A member of the British Baha'i community, Lois Hainsworth, will receive the award of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Buckingham...","date":"2004-01-13","customDateline":null,"city":"LONDON","country":"","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423936-bwns5100-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423936-bwns5100-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mr. and Mrs. Hainsworth with their son, Richard, at the top of the Baha'i House of Worship in Kampala, Uganda, shorthly before it was completed in 1961. Mr. Hainsworth was one of the six Baha'is who founded the Baha'i community in Uganda in 1951.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A member of the British Baha'i community, Lois Hainsworth, will receive the award of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Buckingham Palace on 11 February 2004.\n\nThe announcement of the award for services to three organizations that promote the rights of women was made in the United Kingdom's New Year's Honours List.\n\nThe citation refers to Mrs. Hainsworth's services to the Women's National Commission, the Baha'i Office for the Advancement of Women, and UNIFEM UK.\n\nShe is currently a member of the international working group of the Women's National Commission, the official, independent, advisory body that gives the views of women to the Government of the United Kingdom.\n\nShe also chairs the Women of Faith Coalition, a partner organization of the Women's Commission.\n\nAs a Commissioner of the Baha'i Office for the Advancement of Women, which represents women from all walks of life throughout the United Kingdom, she has participated in conferences on such topics as people trafficking, human rights, and the European Union.\n\nHowever, her services to those organizations represent only part of her efforts in a myriad of women's groups dating back to 1958 when she represented the Baha'i community of Uganda on a subcommittee of the Uganda National Council of Women.\n\nShe has also served in senior positions on the International Council of Women, the National Council of Women of Great Britain, the European Women's Lobby, and the Women's Advisory Council of the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Mrs. Hainsworth has also been in the forefront in Britain in the fight against trafficking in women, and the spread of pornography and HIV/AIDS.\n\nA fellow of the Chartered Institute of Journalists, she became, in 1996, only  the second woman in 130 years to be elected president of the group.\n\nIn her early career, Mrs. Hainsworth was an accomplished classical singer.\n\nMrs. Hainsworth has served the Baha'i Faith in many capacities.\n\n\"I would not have been able to do any of these things had it not been for a loving, totally supportive husband,\" said Mrs. Hainsworth, referring to the late Philip Hainsworth, with whom she raised their three children, Richard, Zarin, and Michael.\n\nMr. Hainsworth, who passed away aged 82 in 2001, served on elected Baha'i institutions at a high level for almost five decades, was a noted speaker, and the author of several books and numerous articles.\n\nMrs. Hainsworth cites as her motivation for her service the following quotation from the Universal House of Justice: \"The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is one of the most important, though less acknowledged, prerequisites for peace.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423936-bwns5099-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mr. and Mrs. Hainsworth, 2000."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423936-bwns5098-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mrs. Hainsworth (back row, fourth from left) with Siberian women and members of the National Council of Women of Great Britain."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423936-bwns5097-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Mrs. Hainsworth. Photo by Kenneth J. A. Brookes."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":272,"evergreenUrl":"festivities-exceed-expectations-seychelles-celebration","title":"Festivities exceed expectations at Seychelles celebration","description":"A jubilant Baha'i community celebrated its 50th anniversary here in a week-long series of events which included the official opening of an impressive...","date":"2003-11-08","customDateline":null,"city":"VICTORIA","country":"SEYCHELLES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423888-bwns5096-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423888-bwns5096-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A jubilant Baha'i community celebrated its 50th anniversary here in a week-long series of events which included the official opening of an impressive new building as its center.\n\nThe prelude to the golden jubilee festivities was on 8 November 2003 as banners advertising the forthcoming official program were placed above all the main streets of the capital city.\n\nTelevision coverage at prime time and extensive reporting on radio and in the newspapers informed the nation about what was to take place, but at that time nobody predicted the unprecedented public interest that was to come.\n\nThe first formal event was a workshop on virtues education in schools, and a presentation of books to the Ministry of Education sponsored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Seychelles.\n\nThe response to the invitation to attend the workshop was overwhelming. More than 100 teachers from public and private schools attended. The media covered the event, and there were extensive inquiries from those in the public who wanted to obtain a publication on virtues for their own use.\n\nSpeaking at that event on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly, Sarah Rene, who is a member of the Assembly and also the First Lady of Seychelles, said \"educational systems must provide a more balanced education to our young souls, an education where the moral, ethical, and spiritual is given its due importance on a par with the intellectual and academic.\"\n\nIn response, the Minister of Education, Danny Faure, agreed that there was an urgent need to make the classroom curriculum more balanced. Mr. Faure also thanked the Baha'i community for its gift of books, and twice quoted what he described as a very profound statement by Baha'u'llah: \"The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.\"\n\nThe next day saw the official dedication ceremony in Victoria of the new national Baha'i center, an event attended by some 400 guests, including the President of the Republic, France Albert Rene, along with the vice-president, a former president, the leader of the opposition, and many other ministers and high ranking officials."},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Also present were Baha'i guests from India, Mauritius, the Maldives, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria. The national Baha'i choir provided uplifting music for the occasion.\n\nSpeeches by the chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, Antonio Gopal, and vice-chairman Selwyn Gendron, explained much about the Baha'i Faith and its history in Seychelles.\n\n\"May this building,\" said Dr. Gendron, \"provide the Baha'i community with a daily reminder that we need to strive for perfection in all aspects or our daily lives by adhering to the principles of our Faith.\"\n\n\"The Baha'i community of Seychelles is jubilant today to offer to our country what we believe to be a monument, and which we are sure will add to the richness of the architectural landscape of Seychelles,\" Dr. Gendron said.\n\nParticipating was one of the Baha'i community's historic figures, Munirih Zarqani, one of the first Baha'is to pioneer to the Seychelles and the widow of Abdu'l Rahman Zarqani, who was one of the two men named by Shoghi Effendi as a Knight of Baha'u'llah for bringing the Faith to the islands in January 1954.\n\nMrs. Zarqani unveiled the commemorative plaque with Dr. Badi Abbas, the son of the other Knight of Baha'u'llah, the late Kamil Abbas, who arrived in Seychelles from Iraq in November 1953.\n\nAlso present was the center's architect, Kamal Zarqani, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Zarqani. Mrs. Rene, a daughter of the Zarqanis, also attended.\n\nIn his design concept, which integrated Baha'i concepts with the local culture, he combined ancient Greek architecture on the ground floor with traditional Seychelles architecture on the upper floor.\n\nAfter the unveiling of the plaque, there was a two-hour pageant that depicted the history of the Baha'i Faith in Seychelles and an overview of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah.\n\nSome 100 performers in the pageant and the background crew presented a show of songs, video, dances and skits. So much interest was generated in the pageant that it was staged again the following day, and another four days later, both times to full houses.\n\nNational television also broadcast the complete two hours 15 minutes of the pageant at prime time.\n\nThe next stage of the festivities involved two open days at the Baha'i center where members of the public were guided throughout. They visited an exhibition and watched video programs. They also bought many books and posed questions to the Baha'is about their Faith.\n\nTwo well-attended devotional programs were held, and many of the visiting public also registered to join Baha'i study circles.\n\nDr. Gendron later addressed a public meeting on the topic \"Station and Teachings of Baha'u'llah.\"\n\nThe final event of the jubilee celebrations was the laying of the foundation stone of the Baha'i Centre of La Digue, the fourth biggest island of Seychelles, by a local Baha'i, Angela Sophola, and Mrs. Zarqani. Some 100 Baha'is as well as many local dignitaries attended the ceremony.\n\nThe national Baha'i choir sang, prayers were said, and Mr. Gopal addressed the gathering. National television news covered the event.\n\n**History of the community**\n\nParticipants at the jubilee events heard about the first Baha'i to set foot in Seychelles, Mr. Abbas. Although he had to leave after five weeks, he taught the Faith to a local teacher, Marshall Delcy, the first Seychellois to become a Baha'i.\n\nShortly after Mr. Abbas left, Mr. Zarqani (1926-1994) arrived from India where he had been the secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly. Answering the call of Shoghi Effendi for Baha'is to take the teachings of Baha'u'llah throughout the world, he traveled with great courage to Seychelles, having heard it was a place of exile and having been warned, mistakenly, that there were cannibals there. He had originally intended to settle in the Chagos Islands.\n\nHowever, when he landed he found Seychelles an exquisitely beautiful location and soon called for his young wife and daughter.\n\nIn mid-1954, Manuchihr Ma'ani Entessari arrived from Iran as a Baha'i pioneer bound for the Chagos archipelago. In 1955, Munir Wakil arrived from Iraq. He was joined by his family in 1956 and purchased land that is now the site of the national Baha'i center.\n\nWhen Mr. Wakil arrived, the fact there were now nine adult Baha'i meant that they were able to elect the first Local Spiritual Assembly. The election was carried out in the house of a local Baha'i family, the Deweas. Five of the nine members were locals. Seychelles now has 13 Local Spiritual Assemblies.\n\nDuring the 1960s, the Baha'i community inaugurated the observance in their country of international days celebrating Human Rights, the United Nations, Race Unity, World Peace, and World Religion.\n\nMany people, including religious and civil leaders, attended those celebrations organized by the Baha'is.\n\nIn 1969, programs about the Faith were broadcast on national radio, the first religion to do so."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423889-bwns5095-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Seychelles at the International Convention in Haifa, 1998."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423889-bwns5094-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Madame Ruhiyyih Rabbani, a Hand of the Cause and the widow of Shoghi Effendi (left), with Mr. Zarqani, 1994."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423888-bwns5093-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Abdu'l Rahman Zarqani."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423889-bwns5092-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Kamil Abbas."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423889-bwns5091-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The new national Baha'i center of Seychelles."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423888-bwns5090-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Member of the National Spiritual Assembly, Sarah Rene, addressing the participants."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423888-bwns5089-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, Antonio Gopal (right), presents books to Seychelles Minister of Education, Danny Faure."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543423888-bwns5088-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Unveiling the commemorative plaque of the new national Baha'i center... Munirih Zarqani (left) and Badi Abbas."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null}],"lang":"en","language":"en","location":"/archive/71/"}},"staticQueryHashes":["2762707590"]}