# The Baha'i World: Volume 27 (1998-1999)

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Universal House of Justice, The Baha'i World: Volume 27 (1998-1999), Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 2000, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> THE B AHA f WORLD
> 
> 1998-99
> 
> 155 OF THE BAHA'I ERA
> THE,,
> BAHA'I ,,
> WORLD
> 1998á99
> AN
> INTERNATIONAL RECORD
> 
> BAHA'I WORLD CENTRE
> HAIFA
> ©2000 World Centre Publications
> 
> Order department: 46 High Street
> Kidlington
> Oxford OX5 2DN
> England
> 
> Photo credits : cover, pp. 71 , 251 , and 252- Francisco Gonzalez Perez; pp.
> 69, 70, 94, 95, 148 and 149-courtesy One Country magazine; pp. 124 and
> 135-Robert Novak; p. 114 (bottom)- Mieke Schlaman; p. 90---courtesy the
> American Bahti 'i; p. 129- courtesy Bahti 'i Canada; p. 250---courtesy Nur
> University; p. 97, 133 and 134----courtesy the Baha'i International Community
> United Nations Office. Other photos provided by the Audio-Visual Department
> of the Baha'i World Centre.
> 
> ISBN 0-85398-981-8 (Hardcover)
> ISBN 0-85398-982-6 (Softcover)
> 
> A Cataloguing-in-Publication number
> is available from the British Library.
> 
> BTHE,,
> AHA'I
> ,
> WORLD
> 1998á99
> 
> Printed and bound in Great Britain by
> Biddies Ltd, Guildford and King's Lynn
> CONTENTS
> Introduction to the Baha'i Community                        7
> 
> WRITINGS AND MESSAGES
> Baha'i Sacred Writings                                     21
> From the Universal House of Justice                        29
> 
> EVENTS 1998-99
> Eighth International Baha'i Convention                     39
> Conference of Baha'i Counsellors                           49
> New National Spiritual Assemblies                          53
> Mount Carmel Projects: Progress 1998-99                    59
> The Year in Review                                         67
> 1998-99: A Year of Retrospect and Prospect                121
> The Baha'i International Community: Activities 1998- 99   131
> Baha'i Involvement in the Royaumont Process               145
> Update: The Situation of the Baha'is in Iran              151
> 
> ESSAYS, STATEMENTS, AND PROFILES
> Russia and the Baha'i Faith: A Historic Connection
> by Nancy Ackerman and Graham Hassall                    157
> Dimensions of Unity in an Emerging Global Order
> by Martha Schweitz and Bill Barnes                      193
> World Watch, by Ann Boyles                                229
> Profile:
> Nur University, Bolivia                          249
> Statements by the Baha'i International Community:
> Who Is Writing the Future?
> Reflections on the Twentieth Century             255
> Religious Values and the
> Measurement of Poverty and Prosperity            269
> Current Situation of the Baha'is in Iran         279
> The Baha'i Institute for Higher Education:
> A Creative and Peaceful Response to
> Religious Persecution                            287
> Promoting Women's Health                         295
> Protection of Minorities                         299
> 
> INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
> Obituaries                                          305
> Statistics                                          317
> Directory                                           321
> Selected New Publications                           329
> A Basic Baha'i Reading List                         333
> Glossary                                            337
> 
> Index                                               343
> INTRODUCTI9N
> TO THE       B AHA'I
> C OMMUNITY
> 
> A       group of Greek and Turkish Cypriots gather joyously for a
> Holy Day feast, their obvious delight in each other's company
> contrasting with the ethnic tensions on that divided island. Young
> people in Angola, unable to attend school because of the war, participate in a workshop that gives them a vision of the important role
> they have to play in society. A princess from Western Samoa travels
> to Fiji to offer tribal chiefs and elders a document outlining a process
> of development that respects the dignity of all peoples. Women and
> men gather in Garoua Boulai, a rural region of eastern Cameroon,
> to discuss how they can work together to alleviate some of the
> burdens placed on the women with regard to child care. A young
> Mongolian woman who has never before left her province walks
> seventy kilometers in the snow, then travels by truck, and finally
> catches a plane to Ulaan Baatar, where she participates in the election of her religion's national administrative body. A youth group
> performs a dance about the terrible consequences of racism to a rapt
> audience of children in a school auditorium on Vancouver Island,
> Canada. In Colombia, a conga musical group imbues its traditional
> Latin rhytluns with a spiritual message about the unity of humankind,
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> to the delight of listeners in open-air venues. After two weeks of
> basic health-care training, a woman in Zambia returns to her village
> and shares what she has learned with her neighbors. These people,
> though they have in all probability never met one another, share a
> united view of the world and its future, as well as their own role in
> shaping that future. They are Baha'is.
> The Baha'i international community, comprising members of
> the Baha'i Faith from all over the globe, now numbers some five
> million souls. They represent 2, 112 ethnic and tribal groups and
> live in more than 127,000 localities in 190 independent countries
> and 45 dependent territories or overseas departments. What was
> once regarded by some as a small, obscure sect was reported by
> the Encyclopaedia Britannica 1992 Yearbook to be the secondmost widely spread independent religion in the world, after Christianity. Its membership cuts across all boundaries of class and race,
> governing itself through the establishment of local and national
> elected bodies known as Spiritual Assemblies. Its international
> center and the seat of its world-governing council, known as the
> Universal House of Justice, are located in the Holy Land, in Haifa,
> Israel.
> From what source do the members of the Baha'i Faith draw
> their spiritual strength and their organizational structure? What are
> the tenets of faith that can so attract and unify such a diverse group
> of people? How do they see the future? This brief introduction to the
> Baha'i community, its history, its spiritual teachings, and its aims
> and objectives, provides information in response to these questions.
> Origins
> In 1844, in Persia, a young siyyid (a descendant of the Prophet
> Mul:tammad) named Mirza 'Ali-MuI:tammad declared Himself to
> be the Promised Qa'im awaited by Shi'ih Muslims. He adopted
> the title "the Bab," which means "the Gate," and His teachings
> quickly attracted a large following. Alarmed by the growing numbers of "Babis," as His followers were known, the Muslim clergy
> allied themselves with ministers of the Shah in an effort to destroy
> the infant Faith. Several thousand Babis were persecuted, tortured,
> and killed over the next number of years, but the growth of the
> new religion continued even after the Bab Himself was imprisoned
> 
> THE BAHA'f COMM UNITY
> 
> and later executed in July 1850. The horrific treatment of the Babis
> at the hands of the secular and religious authorities was recorded
> by a number of Western diplomats, scholars, and travelers, who
> expressed their admiration for the character and fortitude of the
> victims of the persecution.
> The Babi religion sprang from Islam in the same manner that
> Christianity sprang from Judaism or Buddhism from Hinduism. It
> was apparent early in the Bab's ministry that the religion established by Him was not merely a sect or a movement within Islam
> but an independent Faith. Furthermore, one of the main tenets ofBabi
> belief was the Bab's statement that He had been sent by God to
> prepare the way for One greater than Himself, who would inaugurate
> an era of peace and righteousness throughout the world, representing the culmination of all the religious dispensations of the past.
> Mirza l:fusayn- 'Ali was one of the leading adherents of the Babi
> Faith who was arrested and imprisoned during the tumultuous years
> of the Bab's brief ministry. He was spared from execution but was
> banished from Persia to Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople, and
> finally the penal colony of Acre in Palestine. Thus, the Persian
> government, which had secured the support of the rulers of the
> rival Ottoman empire in suppressing the new movement, expected
> that His sphere of influence would be severely limited. During His
> initial imprisonment Mirza l:fusayn- 'Ali had received the first divine
> intimations that He was the Promised One of whom the Bab had
> spoken. He adopted the title Baha'u'llah, which means "the Glory
> of God,'' and publicly declared His mission on the eve of His exile
> from Baghdad, in April 1863.
> Baha'u'llah was still nominally a prisoner when He passed away
> some forty years later in Acre, in May 1892, although the authorities
> had gradually loosened their restrictions as they became acquainted
> with Hirn and the nature of His teachings. During the long years of
> His exile Baha'u'llah revealed the equivalent of over one hundred
> volumes of writings, consisting of the laws and ordinances of His
> dispensation, letters to the kings and rulers of the East and the
> West, mystical teachings, and other divinely inspired writings.
> In His Will and Testament, Baha'u'llah appointed His eldest son,
> 'Abbas Effendi, who adopted the title 'Abdu'l-Baha ("the Servant
> ofBaha"), as His successor and sole authoritative interpreter of His
> 
> THE BNiA'f W ORLD
> 
> teachings . 'Abdu'l-Baha had shared His Father's long exile and
> imprisonment and was freed only after a new regime was installed
> by the "Young Turk" movement in 1908. Shortly thereafter, at an
> advanced age, He embarked on an arduous journey to Europe and
> America where, from 1911 to 1913, He proclaimed Baha'u'llah's
> message of universal brotherhood and peace to large audiences,
> consolidated fledgling Baha'i communities, and warned of the
> potential catastrophe looming on Europe 's darkening horizon. By
> the outbreak of World War I in 1914, 'Abdu ' l-Baha had returned
> to His home in Haifa, just across the bay from Acre, and devoted
> Himself to caring for the local people, fending off famine by
> feeding them from stores of grain He had safeguarded for just
> such an eventuality. ' Abdu'l-Baha's humanitarian services and His
> promotion of intercultural harmony were recognized by the British
> government, which, at the end of the war, conferred upon Him a
> knighthood, a title He acknowledged, although He declined to use
> it. He passed away in 1921 and is buried on Mount Carmel in a
> vault near the spot where He had interred the remains of the Bab
> some years before.
> Among the legacies that ' Abdu ' l-Baha bequeathed to history
> was a series of letters called the Tablets of the Divine Plan, which
> He had addressed to the Baha'is of North America during the years
> of World War I. These fourteen letters directed the recipients to
> scatter to countries on all continents and share with their populations the teachings of Baha'u'llah- a mandate that led to the
> global expansion of the Baha'i community.
> Another of ' Abdu'l-Baha's legacies was His Will and Testament,
> which Baha'is regard as the charter of the administrative order conceived by Baha'u'llah. In this document, 'Abdu'l-Baha appointed His
> eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as His successor, to act as Guardian
> of the Baha' i Faith and authorized interpreter of its teachings .
> During the period of his Guardianship, from 1921to1957, Shoghi
> Effendi concentrated his attention on four main areas: the development of the Baha' i World Centre in the environs of Haifa; the
> translation and interpretation of the Baha'i sacred writings; the rise
> and consolidation of the institutions of the Baha'i administrative
> order; and the implementation of' Abdu '1-Baha's plan for the
> propagation of the Baha'i Faith around the world.
> 
> TH E B AHA'I C OMMUNITY
> 
> At the Baha' i World Centre, Shoghi Effendi effected the construction of a superstructure for the mausoleum containing the
> remains of the Bab, which had been brought secretly from Persia
> and interred by 'Abdu'l-Baha in a spot designated by Baha'u'llah
> on Mount Carmel. Shoghi Effendi beautified and expanded the
> simple native stone structure, which is today a site of pilgrimage for
> Baha'is from all over the world. He enhanced the Baha'i properties,
> particularly the site ofBaha'u 'llah's grave near Acre, with gardens
> of striking beauty, and initiated construction of the International
> Baha'i Archives building to house artifacts from the early days of
> the Baha'i Faith. This building, the first structure built along the
> arc-shaped path on the site designated as the world administrative
> center of the Baha' i community, was completed in 1957.
> In concert with the actions he took to develop the Baha'i World
> Centre and lay the foundations , literally and figuratively, for the
> further course of that development, Shoghi Effendi was also instrumental in interpreting the writings ofBaha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha
> and in translating them from the original Persian and Arabic into
> English. The Guardian had served as secretary to 'Abdu'l-Baha for
> a number of years and was a student at Oxford University at the
> time of His passing. Shoghi Effendi 's mastery of Persian, Arabic,
> and English, coupled with the authority conferred upon him as the
> appointed interpreter of the Baha'i writings, made him uniquely
> qualified to undertake their translation. He also translated a history
> of the Babi Faith, authored a history of the first century of the Baha'i
> Faith, God Passes By, and wrote thousands of letters to communities and individuals around the world, elucidating passages
> from the writings and thus giving direction and impetus to Baha'i
> activities.
> Development of the Administrative Order
> Shoghi Effendi 's work in developing the Baha'i administrative order is one of the most dramatic legacies of his years as Guardian.
> The first step in this development was to encourage the organized,
> planned expansion of Baha'i communities in places where local and
> national Baha' i councils , known as Spiritual Assemblies, would
> eventually be established. The Guardian effected this global expansion of Baha'i communities through a series of international
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> plans of varying duration, during which twelve National Spiritual
> Assemblies were elected.
> At the time of Shoghi Effendi's sudden passing in 1957, the
> Baha'i community was in the middle of a global plan of expansion
> and consolidation called the "Ten Year Crusade." During this
> period, which concluded in 1963- the centenary of Baha'u'llah's
> declaration of His mission in the Garden of Ri<;lvan in Baghdadthe goal was to open 132 new countries and major territories to
> the Faith and expand existing communities in 120 countries and
> territories that had previously been opened to the Faith. These
> ambitious targets were actually exceeded by the end of the plan,
> in spite of the difficulties posed by the Guardian's death.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, in His Will and Testament, had authorized the
> continuation of the Guardianship through the appointment by
> the Guardian of a successor from among his own sons, should
> he have them, or other direct descendants ofBaha'u'llah. Such a
> designation was dependent upon the decision of Shoghi Effendi as
> to whether an individual could be named who met the demanding
> spiritual qualifications specified by Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> Shoghi Effendi had no children and died without designating such
> a Guardian to follow him. He had, however, taken steps toward the
> election of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing
> body of the Baha'i Faith which was to function, with him, as one
> of the two authorized successors provided for in the writings of
> Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu ' l-Baha. He had also appointed a number of
> individual Baha'is to an auxiliary institution of the Guardianship
> called "Hands of the Cause of God." These individuals had been
> charged with the duty of protecting the unity of the faith and collaborating with the National Spiritual Assemblies around the world
> to ensure that the goals of the Ten Year Crusade were won. Upon
> Shoghi Effendi 's passing, these men and women guided the Baha'i
> community to complete the plan initiated by the Guardian and to
> hold the first election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.
> Conceived by Baha'u'llah Himself, the institution of the Universal House of Justice is established on principles laid down in
> the Baha'i sacred writings. Its election, by the members of the
> fifty- six National Spiritual Assemblies that existed in April 1963,
> clearly demonstrated the principle of unity so central to the Baha'i
> 
> THE B M IA'i COMMUNITY
> 
> Faith, with the nine members coming from four continents and
> representing a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds.
> Based on the authority conferred on it by the Founder of the
> Faith, the Universal House of Justice stands as the acknowledged
> central authority in the worldwide Baha'i community and has,
> during the past thirty-six years, launched six global plans for the
> advancement of the Faith. From a worldwide population of 408,000
> in 1963, the Baha' i community has grown to approximately five
> million members; the number of National and Regional Spiritual
> Assemblies has grown from 56 to 179; and the number of Local
> Spiritual Assemblies has increased from 3,555 to some 12,500.
> Baha'is live in 235 countries and territories around the planet.
> Spiritual and Moral Teachings and Baha'i Community Life
> The force that unites this diverse body of people is a unity of vision
> achieved through belief in Baha'u'llah as a Manifestation of God,
> in the social and administrative structures He established, and in the
> spiritual and moral teachings He propagated. Central to these
> spiritual teachings is the concept that there is only one God and that
> the world's great religions have been established by Messengers or
> Manifestations of this one Divine Reality-Abraham, Krishna,
> Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, and MuI:iammad-who have
> been sent by the Creator throughout history to deliver a divine
> message commensurate with humanity's stage of development. The
> spiritual essence of all the major religions, in the Baha'i view, is the
> same: humanity has been created to know and to worship God.
> Only the religions' social teachings change through this process of
> progressive revelation. The Baha'i perspective is optimistic, seeing
> the cumulative benefits of progressively revealed religions as fundamental to an "ever-advancing civilization." What divides various
> religious communities, Baha'is believe, comes not from God but
> from humanity and its accretions to the essential religious teachings
> brought by each divine Messenger.
> At this stage of humanity's development, the unity of the human
> race must be recognized, the equality of women and men must be
> established, the extremes of wealth and poverty must be eliminated,
> and the age-old promise of universal peace must be realized.
> Likening the development of the human race to that of a child, the
> 
> THE BAHA'f W ORLD
> 
> Baha'i writings say that we have passed through stages analogous
> to infancy and childhood and are now in the midst of a tumultuous
> adolescence, on the threshold of maturity. Baha'u'llah taught that
> humanity is destined to come of age , but the course it takes to
> achieve that goal is entirely in its own hands.
> To promote the development of a society in which Baha'i ideals
> can be fully realized, Baha'u'llah established laws and moral teachings that are binding on Baha'is. Central to these is daily obligatory
> prayer. Study of and meditation upon the Baha'i sacred writings
> each morning and evening is also enjoined upon believers. Baha'is
> between the ages of fifteen and seventy, with certain exceptions ,
> observe an annual nineteen-day, dawn-to-dusk fast. Baha'u'llah
> referred to prayer and fasting as the "twin pillars" of faith, an
> indication of their importance and the benefits to be gained from
> them . He also raised work to the level of worship. The main
> repository of Baha'u'llah's laws is a volume entitled the Kitab-i-
> Aqdas , or the Most Holy Book.
> There are no dietary restrictions in the Baha'i Faith, but the consumption of alcohol and the use of narcotic and hallucinogenic
> drugs are forbidden, as they affect the mind and interfere with
> spiritual growth. Baha'u'llah counseled Baha'is to be honest and
> trustworthy, to render service to humanity with an abundance of
> deeds rather than mere words, to be chaste in their relationships
> with others, and to avoid gossip and backbiting. He forbade lying,
> stealing, adultery, sodomy, and promiscuity. The importance of the
> family is central to Baha'i community life, as is the moral and
> spiritual education of children.
> Baha'is often gather together in their communities to study the
> sacred writings of their faith and to pray, but a central feature in
> Baha'i community life is a meeting called the "Nineteen Day Feast,"
> at which all members join in worship, consult about community
> affairs, and socialize. Pending the further development of Baha'i
> communities, these meetings often occur in rented facilities, people's
> homes, or in the local Baha'i center. The Baha'i writings call for
> the erection in each community of a beautifully designed House of
> Worship, set in exquisite gardens and functioning as a spiritual
> center of activity. A variety of social and humanitarian institutions
> are also to be established around it. A Baha'i House of Worship
> 
> TH E B AH.k l C OM MUNITY
> 
> presently exists on each continent, and sites have been purchased
> around the world for the construction of many more. They are open
> to people of all faiths-or those professing no particular faith-for
> prayer and meditation. Services are nondenominational. There are no
> sermons, only readings and prayers from the Baha'i writings and
> scriptures of other world faiths and music by an a capella choir.
> This preserves for worshippers the sacredness of the experience of
> hearing and meditating upon the Holy Word without the interference
> of man-made concepts .
> Aims, Objectives, and Activities
> As the Universal House of Justice stated in a message addressed to
> the peoples of the world, written in October 1985 on the eve of the
> United Nations International Year of Peace, "Acceptance of the
> oneness of mankind is the first fundamental prerequisite for the reorganization and administration of the world as one country, the
> home of humankind." The ultimate aim of the Baha'i Faith is the
> establishment of unity among all the peoples of the world, and it is
> because of its orientation towards unity on an international scale
> that the Baha'i community has been active at the United Nations
> since that organization's inception. Today the Baha'i International
> Community, an extremely active non-governmental organization
> (NGO) that represents the collective voice of the national Baha'i
> communities around the world, enjoys special status with the
> Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is particularly involved
> in addressing human rights issues, the needs of women and children,
> and environmental concerns, as well as pursuing sound, sustainable
> development policies. To coordinate its international efforts in these
> areas, the Baha' i International Community's United Nations Office
> and Office of Public Information, as well as Offices of the Environment and for the Advancement of Women, collaborate with
> National Spiritual Assemblies around the world in various projects
> and representations at international gatherings. The Baha'i International Community's activities at the United Nations have earned
> it a reputation as one of the most effective religious NGOs in the
> UN system. Its national and international representatives have
> taken active roles in the major world summits and NGO forums
> sponsored by the United Nations during the past decade.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> Baha'is look towards a day when a new international order will
> be established, a commonwealth to which all the nations of the
> world will belong. As Shoghi Effendi wrote in 1936,
> 
> The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha'u'llah,
> implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which
> all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members
> and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that
> compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This
> commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of
> a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of
> the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources
> of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall
> be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the
> relationships of all races and peoples. A world executive, backed
> by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived
> at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and
> will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth.
> A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory
> and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between
> the various elements constituting this universal system. 1
> 
> Shoghi Effendi went on to describe the tremendous benefits
> to humanity resulting from such a world order:
> 
> The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether
> economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will
> extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the
> extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research,
> to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation
> of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the
> prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other
> agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual
> life of the entire human race. 2
> 
> To make its aims and objectives widely known and to promote
> 
> 1. Shoghi Effendi , The World Order of Baha 'u '!!ah: Selected Letters, 2d ed.
> (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1991), p. 203.
> 2. Ibid., p. 204.
> 
> THE B AHA'I C OMMUNITY
> 
> its perspective on various issues, the Baha'i International Community
> not only collaborates with like-minded organizations in and out of
> the United Nations, but it engages in public information efforts to
> bring the spiritual and social principles of the Faith to the attention
> of people everywhere. The persecution of the Baha'is in Iran since
> the 1979 Iranian revolution has prompted wide dissemination of
> information about the Baha'i Faith in the international news media.
> More than two hundred members of the Faith have been executed
> for their belief, considered as heresy by the regime, and thousands
> more have been imprisoned, fired from their jobs, or have had their
> homes confiscated or their pensions cut off as a result of government
> orders. Baha'is around the world have responded in unity to this
> ongoing persecution in Iran- the land in which their religion was
> born-by petitioning their governments to take action against this
> injustice; it is, to some degree, as a result of these efforts that the persecutions have not been more extreme, although Iran's Baha'is still
> face the possibility of arbitrary imprisonment and execution, and
> are still denied fundamental rights and freedoms .3
> The Baha'i community has also taken a proactive approach in
> promulgating its views. The statement on peace issued by the
> Universal House of Justice in 1985, entitled The Promise of World
> Peace, sparked a worldwide campaign of presentations and public
> education projects throughout the International Year of Peace and
> since, aimed at government figures, leaders of thought, and the
> general population. The centenary ofBaha'u'llah's passing in 1992
> was commemorated, in part, with the publication of a statement
> detailing His life, teachings , and mission, designed to increase
> knowledge of the Baha' i Faith among members of the public.
> Other events of that signal year included a gathering in the Holy
> Land in May, involving some three thousand participants from all
> over the world, and the Baha'i World Congress, held in New York
> City in November, which brought together some 27,000 Baha'is
> from all regions of the globe. A statement presenting the Baha'i
> perspective on social development, The Prosperity of Humankind,
> was disseminated at the World Summit for Social Development in
> 
> 3. See pp. 151 - 54, 279- 86, and 287- 93 for further information on the continuing persecution of Iran 's Baha'i community.
> 
> Copenhagen in March 1995, and later that year a statement entitled
> Turning Point for All Nations was released as a contribution to
> discussions on the future of the United Nations that marked the
> organization's fiftieth anniversary. Most recently, the Baha'i International Community has released Who Is Writing the Future?
> Reflections on the Twentieth Century.
> The Baha'i community has also been continually engaged in a
> series of international teaching plans. It has seen rapid expansion in
> different parts of the world, perhaps most notably in Eastern Europe
> and the former Soviet Union, where national Baha'i communities
> have been established in recent years following the collapse of
> long-standing political barriers. New national governing bodies are
> also being formed elsewhere, as the Universal House of Justice
> deems communities to have reached a sufficient level of maturity.
> The existence and growth of the Baha'i community offers irrefutable evidence that humanity, in all its diversity, can learn to live
> and work together in harmony. While Baha'is are not unaware of
> the turmoil in the world surrounding them, their view is succinctly
> depicted in the following words, taken from The Prosperity of
> Humankind:
> 
> A world is passing away and a new one is struggling to be
> born. The habits, attitudes, and institutions that have accumulated over the centuries are being subjected to tests that are as
> necessary to human development as they are inescapable. What
> is required of the peoples of the world is a measure of faith and
> resolve to match the enormous energies with which the Creator
> of all things has endowed this spiritual springtime of the race. 4
> 
> The source ofthis faith and resolve is the message of hope offered
> to humanity by the teachings of Baha'u'llah. It is a message that
> deserves the thoughtful consideration of all those who yearn for
> peace and justice in the world.
> 
> 4. Baha'i International Community Office of Public Information, The Prosperity of Humankind (1995). See The Baha 'i World 1994- 95, pp. 273- 96, for
> the complete text of this statement.
> 
> WRITINGS
> MESSAGES
> BAHA'I
> SACRED
> WRITINGS
> 
> From the Writings of Baha' u'llah
> T    his is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the
> Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to
> expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We
> have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace
> unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.
> This is the Day whereon the unseen world crieth out: "Great is
> thy blessedness, 0 earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of
> thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne." The
> realm of glory exclaimeth: "Would that my life could be sacrificed
> for thee, for He Who is the Beloved of the All-Merciful hath established His sovereignty upon thee, through the power of His Name
> that hath been promised unto all things, whether of the past or of the
> future." This is the Day whereon every sweet smelling thing hath
> derived its fragrance from the smell of My garment-a garment
> that hath shed its perfume upon the whole of creation. This is the
> Day whereon the rushing waters of everlasting life have gushed
> out of the Will of the All-Merciful. Haste ye, with your hearts and
> souls, and quaff your fill , 0 Concourse of the realms above!
> 
> Say: He it is Who is the Manifestation of Him Who is the
> Unknowable, the Invisible of the Invisibles, could ye but perceive
> it. He it is Who hath laid bare before you the hidden and treasured
> Gem, were ye to seek it. He it is Who is the one Beloved of all
> things, whether of the past or of the future. Would that ye might set
> your hearts and hopes upon Him!
> 
> Justice is, in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth
> beneath the yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have
> darkened the face of the earth, and enveloped its peoples. Through
> the movement of Our Pen of glory We have, at the bidding of the
> omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame,
> and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things
> proclaim the evidences of this worldwide regeneration. This is the
> most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by the Pen of this
> wronged One to mankind. Wherefore fear ye, 0 My well-beloved
> ones? Who is it that can dismay you? A touch of moisture sufficeth to dissolve the hardened clay out of which this perverse
> generation is molded. The mere act of your gathering together is
> enough to scatter the forces of these vain and worthless people .. .
> Every man of insight will, in this day, readily admit that the
> counsels which the Pen of this wronged One hath revealed constitute the supreme animating power for the advancement of the
> world and the exaltation of its peoples. Arise, 0 people, and, by
> the power of God's might, resolve to gain the victory over your
> own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified
> from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies-gods that have
> inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of, their
> wretched worshipers. These idols form the obstacle that impedeth
> man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection. We cherish
> the hope that the Hand of Divine power may lend its assistance to
> mankind, and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement.
> 
> Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the
> Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God
> hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted
> up upon men. It behoveth every man to blot out the trace of every
> 
> BAHA'I S ACRED WRITINGS
> 
> idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze , with an open
> and unbiased mind, on the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of
> His Mission, and the tokens of His glory.
> Great indeed is this Day! The allusions made to it in all the sacred
> Scriptures as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every
> Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this
> wondrous Day. All the divers kindreds of the earth have, likewise,
> yearned to attain it. No sooner, however, had the Day Star of His
> Revelation manifested itself in the heaven of God's Will, than all,
> except those whom the Almighty was pleased to guide, were found
> dumbfounded and heedless.
> 0 thou that hast remembered Me! The most grievous veil hath
> shut out the peoples of the earth from His glory, and hindered them
> from hearkening to His call. God grant that the light of unity may
> envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, "the Kingdom is God's,"
> may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples.
> 
> He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart
> the desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one
> body. Haste ye to win your share of God's good grace and mercy
> in this Day that eclipseth all other created Days. How great the
> felicity that awaiteth the man that forsaketh all he hath in a desire
> to obtain the things of God! Such a man, We testify, is among God's
> blessed ones.
> 
> 0 friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have
> been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer
> not your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which
> certain hearts have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing
> waters upon which must depend the very life of all men, the letters
> inscribed upon His sacred scroll. With the utmost unity, and in a
> spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves, that ye may be enabled
> to achieve that which beseemeth this Day of God . Verily I say,
> strife and dissension, and whatsoever the mind of man abhorreth
> are entirely unworthy of his station. Center your energies in the
> propagation of the Faith of God . Whoso is worthy of so high a
> 
> calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty
> to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation,
> whose power hath caused the foundations of the mightiest structures
> to quake, every mountain to be crushed into dust, and every soul to be
> dumbfounded. Should the greatness of this Day be revealed in its
> fullness , every man would forsake a myriad lives in his longing to
> partake, though it be for one moment, of its great glory-how much
> more this world and its corruptible treasures!
> Be ye guided by wisdom in all your doings, and cleave ye tenaciously unto it. Please God ye may all be strengthened to carry out
> that which is the Will of God, and may be graciously assisted to
> appreciate the rank conferred upon such of His loved ones as have
> arisen to serve Him and magnify His name. Upon them be the glory
> of God, the glory of all that is in the heavens and all that is on the
> earth, and the glory of the inmates of the most exalted Paradise,
> the heaven of heavens.
> From the Writings and Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha
> Do ye know in what cycle ye are created and in what age ye
> exist? This is the age of the Blessed Perfection and this is the time
> of the Greatest Name! This is the century of the Manifestation, the
> age of the Sun of all horizons and the beautiful springtime of the
> Eternal One!
> The earth is in motion and growth; the mountains, hills and prairies are green and pleasant; bounty is overflowing; mercy universal;
> rain is descending from the clouds of compassion; the brilliant sun
> is shining; the full moon adometh the ethereal horizon; the great
> ocean-tide is flooding every little stream; gifts and favors follow
> one upon the other and a refreshing breeze is blowing, wafting the
> :fragrant perfume of the blossoms.
> If we are not happy and joyous at this season, for what other season shall we wait and for what other time shall we look?
> Boundless treasure is in the hand of the King of Kings! Lift the
> hem of thy garment to receive it.
> This is the time for growing; the season for joyous gathering!
> Take the cup of the Testament in thy hand; leap and dance with
> ecstasy in the triumphal procession of the Covenant! Place your
> confidence in the everlasting bounty, tum to the presence of the
> 
> B AHA'I S ACRED WRITI NGS
> 
> generous God ; ask assistance from the kingdom of Abha; seek
> confirmation from the Supreme World; tum thy vision to the horizon of eternal wealth; and pray for help from the Source of Mercy!
> Soon shall ye see the friends attaining their longed-for destination and pitching their tents, while we are but in the first day of our
> Journey.
> 
> Thank divine Providence that thou hast been assisted in service
> and hast been the cause of the promulgation of the oneness of the
> world of humanity, so that the darkness of differences among men
> may be dissipated, and the pavilion of the unity of nations may
> cast its shadow over all regions. Without such unity, rest and comfort, peace and universal reconciliation are unachievable. This
> illumined century needeth and calleth for its fulfillment. In every
> century a particular and central theme is , in accordance with the
> requirements of that century, confirmed by God. In this illumined
> age that which is confirmed is the oneness of the world of humanity.
> Every soul who serveth this oneness will undoubtedly be assisted
> and confirmed.
> 
> Soon will the Western regions become as radiant as the horizons of the East, and the Sun of Truth shine forth with a refulgence
> that will cause the darkness of error to fade away and vanish. Great
> is the multitude who will rise up to oppose you, who will oppress
> you, heap blame upon you, rejoice at your misfortunes, account
> you people to be shunned, and visit injury upon you; yet shall your
> heavenly Father confer upon you such spiritual illumination that
> ye shall become even as the rays of the sun which, as they chase
> away the sombre clouds, break forth to flood the surface of the
> earth with light. It is incumbent upon you, whensoever these tests
> may overtake you, to stand firm, and to be patient and enduring.
> Instead of repaying like with like, ye should requite opposition with
> the utmost benevolence and loving-kindness, and on no account
> attach importance to cruelties and injuries, but rather regard them
> as the wanton acts of children. For ultimately the radiance of the
> Kingdom will overwhelm the darkness of the world of being, and
> the holy, exalted character of your aims will become unmistakably
> 
> apparent. Nothing shall remain concealed: the olive oil, though
> stored within the deepest vault, shall one day bum in brightness
> from the lamp atop the beacon. The small shall be made great, and
> the powerless shall be given strength; they that are of tender age
> shall become the children of the Kingdom, and those that have
> gone astray shall be guided to their heavenly home.
> 
> This period of time is the Promised Age, the assembling of the
> human race to the Resurrection Day and now is the great Day of
> Judgement. Soon the whole world, as in springtime, will change
> its garb. The turning and falling of the autumn leaves is past; the
> bleakness of the wintertime is over. The new year hath appeared
> and the spiritual springtime is at hand. The black earth is becoming a verdant garden; the deserts and mountains are teeming with
> red flowers; from the borders of the wilderness the tall grasses are
> standing like advance guards before the cypress and jessamine
> trees; while the birds are singing among the rose branches like the
> angels in the highest heavens, announcing the glad-tidings of the
> approach of that spiritual spring, and the sweet music of their voices
> is causing the real essence of all things to move and quiver.
> 0 my spiritual friend! Dost thou know from what airs emanate the
> notes sung by those birds? They are from the melodies of peace and
> reconciliation, of love and unity, of justice and security, of concord
> and harmony. In a short time this heavenly singing will intoxicate all
> humanity; the foundations of enmity shall be destroyed; unity and
> affection shall be witnessed in every assembly; and the splendors of
> the love of God will shine forth in these great festivals.
> Therefore, contemplate what a spirit of life God hath given that
> the body of the whole earth may attain life everlasting! The Abha
> Paradise will soon spread a pavilion in the midmost heart of the
> world, under whose shelter the beloved shall rejoice and the pure
> hearts shall repose in peace.
> 
> In the estimation of historians this radiant century is equivalent
> to one hundred centuries of the past. If comparison be made with
> the sum total of all former human achievements, it will be found
> that the discoveries, scientific advancement and material civilization
> 
> BAHA'I S ACRED WRITINGS
> 
> of this present century have equaled, yea far exceeded the progress
> and outcome of one hundred former centuries. The production of
> books and compilations of literature alone bears witness that the
> output of the human mind in this century has been greater and more
> enlightening than all the past centuries together. It is evident, therefore, that this century is of paramount importance. Reflect upon
> the miracles of accomplishment which have already characterized
> it: the discoveries in every realm of human research. Inventions,
> scientific knowledge, ethical reforms and regulations established
> for the welfare of humanity, mysteries of nature explored, invisible
> forces brought into visibility and subjection-a veritable wonderworld of new phenomena and conditions heretofore unknown to
> man now open to his uses and further investigation. The East and
> West can communicate instantly. A human being can soar in the
> skies or speed in submarine depths . The power of steam has linked
> the continents. Trains cross the deserts and pierce the barriers of
> mountains; ships find unerring pathways upon the trackless oceans.
> Day by day discoveries are increasing. What a wonderful century
> this is! It is an age of universal reformation. Laws and statutes of
> civil and federal governments are in process of change and transformation. Sciences and arts are being molded anew. Thoughts are
> metamorphosed. The foundations of human society are changing and
> strengthening .. .it is our duty in this radiant century to investigate the
> essentials of divine religion, seek the realities underlying the oneness of the world of humanity and discover the source of
> fellowship and agreement which will unite mankind in the heavenly bond of love. This unity is the radiance of eternity, the divine
> spirituality, the effulgence of God and the bounty of the Kingdom.
> We must investigate the divine source of these heavenly bestowals
> and adhere unto them steadfastly. For if we remain fettered and
> restricted by human inventions and dogmas, day by day the world of
> mankind will be degraded, day by day warfare and strife will
> increase and satanic forces converge toward the destruction of the
> human race.
> 
> 0 ye handmaids of the Lord! In this century- the century of the
> Almighty Lord- the Day-Star of the Realms above, the Light of
> 
> Truth, shineth in its meridian splendor and its rays illuminate all
> regions. For this is the age of the Ancient Beauty, the day of the
> revelation of the might and power of the Most Great Name- may
> my life be offered up as a sacrifice for His loved ones.
> In the ages to come, though the Cause of God may rise and grow
> a hundredfold and the shade of the Sadratu'l-Muntaha 1 shelter all
> mankind, yet this present century shall stand unrivaled, for it hath
> witnessed the breaking of that Morn and the rising of that Sun.
> This century is, verily, the source of His Light and the dayspring of
> His Revelation. Future ages and generations shall behold the diffusion of its radiance and the manifestations of its signs.
> Wherefore, exert yourselves, haply ye may obtain your full share
> and portion of His bestowals.
> 
> 1. One of the titles of Baha' u' llah, literal ly meaning "the tree beyond which
> there is no passing."
> 
> FROM THE
> UNIVERSAL
> HOUSEoF
> JUSTICE
> 
> T     he establishment of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Baha'i Faith, was called
> for in the writings of Baha'u'llah, Who vested the institution with
> authority "to take counsel together regarding those things which
> have not outwardly been revealed in the Book, and to enforce
> that which is agreeable to them." 1
> While the Universal House of Justice does not have the right to
> nullify laws or alter teachings revealed by Baha'u'llah, it is authorized to legislate on matters not dealt with in the Baha'i writings,
> and it can abrogate its own laws. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'u'llah's Son
> and appointed successor, explained this right of abrogation thus:
> "The wisdom of this is that the times never remain the same, for
> change is a necessary quality and an essential attribute of this
> world, and of time and place. Therefore the House of Justice will
> 
> 1. Tablets of Baha 'u 'llah Revealed aft er the Kitab-i-Aqdas (Wilmette: Baha'i
> Publishing Trust, 1994), p. 68.
> 
> take action accordingly." 2 In His Will and Testament, 'Abdu'l-Baha
> affinned it to be "incumbent" upon members of the Universal House
> of Justice to "deliberate upon all problems which have caused
> difference, questions that are obscure and matters that are not
> expressly recorded in the Book," concluding that "Whatsoever
> they decide has the same effect as the Text itself." 3 Consequently,
> since the Universal House of Justice was first elected in 1963, the
> Baha'i community has turned to it with respect and trust, regarding
> obedience to its decisions as obedience to the will of God.
> Since its establishment, the Universal House of Justice has carried
> on a voluminous correspondence with individuals, institutions, the
> Baha'i community as a whole, and other organizations. By this
> means it provides clarification and elucidation of issues relating to
> the development of the Baha'i community, guidance concerning
> the gradual application of Baha'u'llah's laws, encouragement to
> believers to arise and promulgate their Faith, and directives concerning the further development of the Baha'i administrative system.
> Ri<f,van 155 B.E. Message
> The Ric;lvan 155 B.E. message (April 1998) of the Universal House
> of Justice to the Baha'is of the world reviewed the community's
> accomplishments at the midpoint of the Four Year Plan, analyzed
> this moment in history, and focused on what is necessary in order
> for the Baha'i community to move ahead.
> Highlighted accomplishments included the following: a strengthened faith, spiritual identity and commitment to service seen in
> Baha'is who have participated in training institute courses around
> the world; the maturation of the institution of the Local Spiritual
> Assembly, now elected only on the first day of Ric,ivan by local
> communities around the world; new confidence and an increase in
> the methodical approach to teaching among Baha'is throughout
> the world; rapid progress on the construction projects on Mount
> Carmel in Haifa; the establishment in May 1998 of three new
> 
> 2. Cited in Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963- 1986: The
> Third Epoch of the Formative Age (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust,
> 1996), p. 85.
> 3. The Will and Testament of 'Abdu 'l-Baha (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing
> Trust, 1971 ), p. 20.
> 
> National Spiritual Assemblies-in Sabah, Sarawak and Slovakiaand the re-establishment of the National Spiritual Assembly in
> Liberia. 4
> The House of Justice noted that the "widespread desolation of the
> human spirit," so prevalent at this moment in history, has prompted
> masses of people to search for spiritual truth. At the same time, "a
> growing sense of an irresistible movement towards global unity
> and peace" is evident in developments such as the United Nations'
> increasing involvement-backed by powerful governments-in
> urgent world problems, and world leaders' recognition of the
> interconnectedness of their countries in areas such as trade and
> finance. Thus, the House of Justice points out, the Major Plan of
> God, while "associated with turbulence and calamity," is nevertheless "inexorably driving humanity towards unity and maturity."
> Given this confluence of factors, Baha'is find themselves, at
> the midpoint of the Four Year Plan, in a dynamic situation. To
> capitalize on it and bring about significant and sustained growth
> and development of their community, they must not only rely on
> faith, prayer, and divine assistance, but be realistic and systematic
> in their approach. In pursuing the systematic development of human
> resources that can maintain a balance of continuous expansion and
> consolidation of the community, the House of Justice points out
> that training institutes are invaluable.
> In the last analysis, however, teaching the Baha'i Faith is the
> sacred duty of each member, in fulfillment of which he or she is
> directly responsible to Baha'u'llah. Thus, the individual occupies
> an "irreplaceable role in the advancement of the Cause" and must
> consciously decide what, how, where, and when to contribute to the
> Plan. The House of Justice further urges individuals to acquire
> the habit of reflection upon actions they have taken, which "lends
> meaning and fulfillment" to their lives. This is the moment, the
> House of Justice states, for all Baha'is "to be consciously involved
> in a vast historic process, the like of which has not ever before
> been experienced by any people," and in which the Baha'i community has an "inescapable responsibility."
> 
> 4. See pp . 53- 58 for further information on the establishment of these
> National Spiritual Assemblies.
> 
> The Eighth International Baha'i Convention
> On the occasion of the Eighth International Baha' i Convention,
> held in Haifa, Israel, in April 1998, the Universal House of Justice
> addressed two letters to the delegates. The first, dated 23 April
> 1998, welcomed them and drew their attention to the "extraordinary
> conjunction of Baha'i Holy Days" occurring during the gatheringthe Birthdays of the Bab and of Baha'u'llah falling, according to
> the lunar calendar, on 28 and 29 April (the latter coinciding with
> the Ninth Day of Ri<;ivan) . The House of Justice further highlighted the opportunity given to delegates to visit the Baha' i holy
> places, preparing them to take up the "sacred responsibility of
> electing the Universal House of Justice" and engage in consultations on "vital issues" of concern to the Baha'i community.
> At this Convention, while consultation would not be limited
> to specific topics and delegates were urged to "open [their] minds
> and hearts" on the topics that seemed to them to be most vital, the
> House of Justice also asked them to remain conscious of the central aim of the Four Year Plan: namely, advancing the process of
> entry by troops. In this regard, the House of Justice noted, analysis
> of circumstances leading to and maintaining that process would be
> especially useful, as would evaluations of different programs and
> methods adopted by permanent training institutes and suggestions
> regarding effective ways of mobilizing individuals, communities,
> and institutions in teaching the Baha'i Faith.
> In sum, Convention consultations should help delegates "deepen
> [their] understanding of the aim and processes of the Plan, and
> acquire ideas and perspectives that will reinforce the ability of
> [their] National Spiritual Assembly to play its full part in the collective enterprise which is preparing the Cause of God to meet the
> challenges of a new century."
> At the conclusion of the International Convention, on 2 May, the
> House of Justice addressed a second letter to the delegates , commenting particularly on how their conduct reflected "a degree of
> love and unity rare for so variegated a gathering of humanity" and
> seeing in the "clarity, cogency and discipline" of the consultations
> "indications of an accelerated process of maturation ... that must
> in the fullness of time play a major role in guiding the destiny of
> nations." Identifying the Convention as "the defining moment for
> 
> THE U NIVERSAL HOUSE OF J US TICE
> 
> the Four Year Plan"-a turning point at which "the full range of
> its aim and possibilities" were realized-the House of Justice
> expressed the hope that the unity experienced at the Convention
> would permeate all Baha'i institutions in every country. Thus it
> would be evident that "in contrast to the contentious attitudes of
> the world, the unity of the Baha'i community is an outer reflection
> of that inner reality that motivates the divinely ordained institution
> charged with directing and coordinating the community's affairs."
> On 3 May, the Universal House of Justice sent a brief message
> to all National Spiritual Assemblies, announcing the results of
> the election carried out at the International Convention, in the
> following words: "NEWL y ELECTED MEMBERS UNIVERSAL HOUSE
> OF JUSTICE 'ALI NAKHJAVANi, PETER KHAN, ADIB TAHERZADEH,
> GLENFORD MITCHELL, IAN SEMPLE, HOOPER DUNBAR, F ARZAM
> ARBAB, DOUGLAS MARTIN, HUSHMAND FATHEAZAM." 5
> Counsellors' Conference and the International Teaching Centre
> Immediately following the International Convention, the members
> of the Continental Boards of Counsellors from around the world
> held a conference in the Holy Land, and on 3 May 1998 the Universal House of Justice addressed a letter to that gathering. The
> House of Justice noted the "dramatic advance in maturity" evident
> in the prosecution of the Plan and stated, "Your work has brought
> honor to your institution and immense joy to our hearts."
> Reviewing the Counsellors' activities since their previous
> conference in December 1995, at which the Four Year Plan and
> its objectives were announced, the House of Justice noted how their
> "selfless, inspiriting and intelligent contributions" had prepared
> the Baha'i world to develop detailed national plans and praised
> the ways in which they and the members of their Auxiliary Boards
> had promoted systematic and focused action on the Plan's goals.
> Now the energies generated and skills developed through training
> institute programs must be used to meet the needs of the Plan, and
> the Counsellors' experience must be "examined and correlated" to
> foster further progress throughout the world and in the institutional
> capacity of the Counsellors themselves.
> 
> 5. For a full report on the Eighth International Baha'i Convention, see pp. 39-47.
> 
> Shortly after the conference, on 13 May, an electronic mail
> message announced the appointment of the Counsellor members
> of the International Teaching Centre for the five years beginning
> 23 May 1998 and thanked the outgoing members for their "distinguished self-sacrificing labors."
> On 2 July, a letter from the House of Justice to all National
> Assemblies reported that the newly appointed Counsellor members of the International Teaching Centre, Hands of the Cause of
> God Amatu'l-Baha Rul)iyyih Khanum and 'Ali-Akbar Furutan,
> and members of the Universal House of Justice had met to pray
> at the Shrine of Baha'u'llah on 13 June, followed by a week of
> "intense consultation" about the work ahead. The International
> Teaching Centre-the twenty-fifth anniversary of which was
> noted-was described as a "cardinal institution" that has "exercised increased responsibility in relation to the protection of the
> Faith," has "stimulated pioneering and travel-teaching, as well as
> the production and distribution of literature and audiovisual aids,"
> and has "imparted a fundamental impetus to the establishment
> and sound functioning of training institutes."
> Other Letters
> In its efforts to educate and raise the Baha'i community's consciousness on particular issues, the Universal House of Justice
> this year distributed several important documents to National
> Spiritual Assemblies, including one entitled "Training Institutes"
> and compilations on "The Importance of the Arts in Promoting
> the Faith" and "Aspects of Traditional African Culture"; the latter
> was intended to assist Baha'is in Africa to understand how to deal
> with certain traditional practices in light of the Baha'i teachings.
> In February 1999, the Secretariat of the Universal House of Justice
> released a statement prepared by the Baha'i International Community's Office of Public Information entitled Who Is Writing the
> Future?, which reflects on the twentieth century through the lens of
> Baha'u'llah's teachings and looks ahead to the challenges humanity
> faces as it enters a new century.7
> 
> 6. See pp. 49- 52 for further infonnation about the Counsellors' conference
> and the appointment of the International Teaching Centre.
> 7. For the full text of this statement, see pp. 255---68 .
> 
> A letter dated 29 March 1999 to National Spiritual Assemblies
> around the world announced the establishment of a Chair of
> Baha'i Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, following
> a brief signing ceremony at the Baha'i World Centre. The House
> of Justice remarked that this "concluded discussions initiated by
> the University nearly a year ago" and cited the University's recognition of "the importance of the field and of the need to provide
> an institutional basis for the continuation and development of this
> work on both the teaching and research levels." As a historical
> note, the House recalled that in 1925 Shoghi Effendi had written
> a letter "of warm encouragement" to the University's founders upon
> the establishment of the institution. 8
> 
> 8. For further information about the establishment of the Baha'i Chair at the
> Hebrew University in Jerusalem , seep. 74.
> 
> EVENTS
> 1998-99
> The Eighth International Bahri 'i
> Convention, held to elect the Universal
> House of Justice, took place in the spring
> of 1998 in Haifa, Israel.
> 
> EIGHTH
> INTERNATIONAL
> BAHA'f               cONVENTION
> B     etween 29 April and 2 May 1998, Baha'i representatives
> from 161 countries gathered in Haifa, Israel, to elect the
> Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of
> the Baha'i Faith. The Eighth International Baha'i Convention
> was marked by focused consultation, universal participation, and
> warm fellowship among the delegates, whose task was to elect
> the members of the institution that will continue to guide the
> Baha'i world in the work of building a global community. Held
> every five years since the establishment of the Universal House
> of Justice in 1963, the International Baha'i Convention is an integral component of the process that safeguards the unity and strength
> of the worldwide Baha'i community.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha first specified how the Universal House of Justice
> was to be established, writing, "At whatever time the beloved of
> God in each country appoint their delegates, and these in turn elect
> their representatives, and these representatives elect a body, that
> body shall be regarded as the Supreme House of Justice." This
> process begins at the grassroots of the Baha'i community, when
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> Baha'is establish governing councils called Local Spiritual Assemblies. Local communities of each country, in tum, elect delegates
> who vote for the members of their national Baha'i governing body,
> the National Spiritual Assembly. The members of the world's
> National Spiritual Assemblies constitute the electorate of the
> Universal House of Justice. Local and National Spiritual Assembly elections occur annually, while the election of the Universal
> House of Justice takes place every five years, when members of
> the National Spiritual Assemblies serve as delegates to the International Convention. Believers in local Baha' i communities
> throughout the world thus contribute to the process that ultimately
> results in the election of the head of their Faith.
> The first International Baha' i Convention, in 1963, was attended
> by representatives of 56 National Spiritual Assemblies; the
> Eighth Convention involved 175, each comprising nine members.
> The full membership of many National Assemblies journeyed
> from nearly every territory on earth to come to Convention, some
> at great personal sacrifice. In all, 986 delegates representing 161
> Assemblies were able
> to come to Haifa; others mailed their ballots.
> The sacrifices made by
> many members in order
> to participate was a
> source of inspiration to
> their fellow attendees. ""--~
> Armen Khachatryan, Delegates from all over the world, in Haifa to elect
> the Universal House ofJustice, gathered in front of
> for example, was the the Pilgrim House near the Shrine of the Bab.
> only member of the
> Armenian National Spiritual Assembly able to come to Israel.
> Traveling via several different countries and methods of transportation, it took him more than two weeks to arrive. Edna
> Banda from Zambia, the only female member of her National
> Assembly, was able to represent her country through the lastminute financial support of her fellow Africans. Jesus Coba, of
> Cuba, was another lone representative. "This is a miracle of God,"
> 
> EIGHTH I NTERNATIO NAL B AHAáf   cONVENTION
> 
> During the Convention, delegates
> and invited guests from around the
> world were able to meet, consult,
> and visit the Baha 'i holy places.
> 
> he said. "It was a miracle that I could even leave my country and
> come to participate in this Convention."
> Five days were set aside prior to the Convention for delegates
> to visit the Baha'i shrines and holy places in and around Acre and
> Haifa. To prepare spiritually for the important task lying ahead
> of them, delegates prayed and meditated in the resting places of
> the Bab and Baha'u'llah and were able to see the history of their
> Faith preserved in the houses occupied by Baha'u'llah, His prison
> cell, the gardens He frequented in His later years, and relics preserved in the International Baha'i Archives. Tours of the unfinished
> terraced gardens and the Centre for the Study of the Texts were
> also included in their program.
> Throughout the Convention, delegates seized the opportunity to
> consult closely with their fellow Baha'is from around the world.
> During the main sessions, two microphones were placed in the
> main hall for delegates to report on events in their countries and
> raise issues of concern with
> the entire assembly. Simultaneous translation was provided via radio headphones .
> Some were able to learn that
> problems and challenges
> facing them at home had
> been overcome elsewhere in
> the world, or could offer so-
> During one of the Convention s main ses- lutions that could be implesions, a delegate from India shared his mented in other countries.
> community s experience in implementing       One of the distinguishing
> the training institute process.    features of the Eighth International Convention was the dramatic increase in participation
> by indigenous believers, enabling National Spiritual Assemblies
> of large Baha'i communities to learn from the experiences of
> their newly-established counterparts, particularly regarding the
> Baha'i community 's ongoing effort to systematically develop its
> human resources. Indigenous participation was evident not only in
> the membership of many Natim)al Assemblies, but also in frequent
> contributions of these delegates to the formal consultative sessions
> and meetings of the Convention. Many delegates represented
> 
> EIGHTH I NTERNATIO AL B AHA'I CO NVENTION
> 
> Delegates-many
> from newly established National
> Spiritual Assemblies- listen
> during one ofthe
> Convention :S
> main sessions.
> 
> newly formed National Assemblies. The National Spiritual Assemblies of Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Eritrea, Sicily, Sao Tome and
> Principe, Slovenia and Croatia, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia,
> Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Moldova have all been established
> since the last International Convention, making this the first Convention in which representatives from these countries were able
> to participate. Counsellor Lee Lee Ludher of Asia commented,
> "I'm so glad to see the diversity, the number of women that have
> come to Convention, and the number of young people. I think it
> is great to see the maturity of the new National Assemblies."
> The Baha'i International Community's Office of Public Information produced a video called Creating a Culture of Growth
> specially for the Convention, which chronicled the way eight Baha'i
> communities around the world are expanding and developing the
> spiritual and material resources of their populations . It was
> shown to the delegates on the Convention's second day.
> The Election
> As an electoral institution, the International Baha'i Convention is
> an example of democracy at the global level. Delegates, who are
> freed from the hindrances of campaigning and electioneering, elect
> the members of the Universal House of Justice by secret ballot. No
> one is nominated. Male Baha'is aged twenty-one or over are eligible
> to be elected. The Baha'i writings state that delegates should vote
> for the nine men who they feel have the requisite experience,
> 
> spiritual insight, and capacity to serve on the House of Justice. 1
> The Eighth International Baha'i Convention began on 29 April
> 1998 with an opening address by Hand of the
> Cause of God Amatu'l-Baha Rlli:llyyih Khanum.
> She began by praising the delegates for their
> achievements, noted the state of the Baha'i community, and exhorted them to "begin to enroll
> humanity under the banner
> 
> Amatu 'l-Baha
> ofBaha'u'llah." Later during the Convention
> proceedings, Hands of the
> Cause of God Mr. 'Ali-
> Akbar FurUtan and Dr.
> Ruf;iyyih Khanum 'Ali-Mulfammad Varga ~á-
> . I
> •«         '
> 
> .
> also addressed the Convention. Mr. Fumtan
> spoke of the importance of educating children,                  ~
> 
> and Dr. Varga spoke of the institution of
> I:Iuququ'llah.
> A bouquet of ninety- Mr. 'Ali-Akbar Fur.utan
> five red roses, sent to the
> Convention from the still-circumscribed
> Baha'i community oflran, was placed at the
> front of the stage for the duration of the proceedings, serving as a reminder of the
> persecution still endured by those living in the
> birthplace of the Baha'i Faith. In a letter
> accompanying the bouquet, the Baha'is of
> Dr. 'Ali-Muf;ammad Varqa Iran, "though deprived for a third successive
> occasion, through God's great wisdom, from participating in the
> International Convention,'' sent their "deepest heartfelt greetings
> and felicitations" to the assembly. "Though physically distant, yet
> in the world of spirit," they wrote, they were "united and at one
> with that sacred gathering." A brief counterpoint to the poignancy
> 
> 1. While women serve in every other arena of Baha'i administration,
> Baha'u'llah ordained membership of the Universal House of Justice to be
> restricted to men. The reason for the restriction, 'Abdu'l-Baha stated, will
> later become "as manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon."
> 
> EIGHTH I NTERNATIONAL B AHAáf                c O NVENTION
> 
> of their letter was occasioned by a letter of
> greetings and encouragement sent from
> His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, the
> Head of State of Western Samoa who
> accepted the Baha'i Faith more than two
> decades ago , which was read to the assembly. His daughter, a member of the
> National Spiritual Assembly of Samoa,
> attended the Convention as a delegate.
> The election itself was ushered in by
> prayer; ballots were distributed, and dele- _...
> gates sat in a silent, reverent attitude to
> ____
> reflect on the names they would write on        Her Highness Susuga
> their ballots . When the voting had been         To 'oa Tosi Malietoa,
> completed, all delegates walked to the daughter of His Highness
> stage, in alphabetical order according to Malietoa Tanumafili II of
> their country of origin, and deposited their Western Samoa, attended
> ballots in a lockbox. The procession made the Convention as a member
> of the National Spiritual
> a powerful display of the diversity of the
> Assembly of Samoa.
> human family as the delegates appeared
> in the variety of their native costumes.
> 
> Baha 'is from the Central African Republic cast their ballots during the Convention.
> 
> As the results of
> the election were
> announced, the
> members of the
> Universal House of
> Justice, elected to
> serve for the next
> five years, gathered
> _ on the main stage.
> -----"'----
> 
> Penelope Walker, chief teller for the Convention and a delegate
> from the Nepalese National Assembly, announced the election
> statistics and results the next day. Farzam Arbab, Hooper Dunbar,
> Hushmand Fatheazam, Peter Khan, Douglas Martin, Glenford
> Mitchell, 'Ali Nakbjavaru, Ian Semple, and Adib Taherzadeh were
> elected to serve as members of the Universal House of Justice from
> Ridvan
> .      1998 to Ridvan
> .     2003.
> On 2 May, 1998, the Universal House of Justice sent a message to the assembled delegates. "We hail," the body said, "with
> uplifted hearts, what you have done
> here. For through your participation in a uniquely conceived electoral
> process, you have fortified the crown
> of that world-embracing administrative structure of which your
> Assemblies are the indispensable
> pillars. But what has impressed us
> even more deeply is that the manner of your conduct has reflected a
> degree of love and unity rare for so
> variegated a gathering of humanity
> as you represent."
> No fewer than four Baha'i holy
> days fell during this International
> Convention. The anniversary of the The First Lady ofthe Seychelles,
> birth of the Bab fell the day before Mrs. Sarah Rene, attended the
> Convention began, on 28 April, and         Convention as a delegate.
> 
> E IGI-ITH I NTER NATIONAL BAHA'f c ONVE NTIO N
> 
> the anniversary of the birth of Baha'u 'llah was celebrated on 29
> April. 2 The ninth day of Ric;lvan, 3 on 29 April, also áfell during
> the Convention, and three days later- on the final day of the
> Convention-the twelfth day of Ric;lvan was celebrated. It seemed
> appropriate that such a notable advancement in the affairs of the
> worldwide Baha'i community as was demonstrated during the
> Convention should be mirrored by such a concentration of sacred
> anniversaries; the final International Baha'i Convention of the twentieth century-a century 'Abdu'l-Baha called "the century of
> light"-will be remembered as a celebration not only of the
> strength and unity of the Baha'i community, but also of the noble
> history of its Founders.
> 
> 2. In the Holy Land, the twin holy days commemorating the birthdays of
> Baha' u' llah and the Bab are celebrated according the lunar calendar, which
> moves forward eleven days a year relative to the Gregorian calendar.
> 3. The Ric;!van festival is the name given to the twelve days Baha'u ' llah spent
> in Baghdad just before His exile to Adrianople, the first time Baha' u' llah
> publicly announced His prophetic mission. The first, ninth, and twelfth
> days of the Ric;!van festival are celebrated as Baha' i holy days.
> 
> This article reports on the Conference of
> Bahri 'i Counsellors held 3- 6 May 1998
> in Haifa, Israel, following
> the Eighth International
> Baha 'i Convention.
> 
> CONFERENCE
> of BAHA'I
> COUNSELLORS
> 
> S    ince Ri<;lvan 1996 the Baha'i world community has been
> engaged in a comprehensive process unlike any it had previously undertaken-the systematization of the approach taken to
> the development of its human resources. The process began with a
> single letter. On 26 December 1995, the Universal House of Justice
> addressed the members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors
> gathered ata special conference in the Holy Land, informing
> them of the imminent inauguration of the Four Year Plan and outlining the goals that the Baha'i world would be pursuing for the
> final four years of the twentieth century. "The development of human
> resources on a large scale," the House of Justice said, "requires that
> the establishment of institutes be viewed in a new light." The time
> had come for the Baha'i world to extend its planning work into the
> field of community education.
> The Plan, as called for by the Universal House of Justice, has as
> its primary goals the training of Baha'is to manifest more completely the teachings of Baha'u'llah in their daily lives, to create
> vibrant, unified Baha'i communities "characterized by tolerance and
> love and guided by a strong sense of purpose and collective will,"
> 
> and to stimulate the maturation of Baha'i institutions, whose purpose is to further these processes of growth with wise, loving
> guidance. On 3 May 1998, under the aegis of the International
> Teaching Centre, seventy-six members of the Continental Boards
> of Counsellors gathered again in the Holy Land to evaluate the
> progress of the goals outlined in the December 1995 letter and to
> consult on ways of consolidating and expanding the victories
> achieved in the first two years of the Four Year Plan. Held immediately following the Eighth International Baha' i Convention, 1
> the six-day-long conference was an opportunity for the Counsellors
> to engage in intensive consultation with their fellow Counsellors
> in the field, members of the Universal House of Justice, and the
> International Counsellors serving at the World Centre, and to
> visit the Shrines and holy places at the Baha'i World Centre.
> The members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors serve as
> vital channels of stimulation and advice to the rank and file of the
> Baha' i community. They offer encouragement to individual Baha'is
> and communities, consult and collaborate regularly with National
> Spiritual Assemblies on matters related to community development,
> and act as representatives of the Universal House of Justice at inaugural National Conventions and other special occasions. Counsellors
> are in a unique position to identify trends and opportunities, assess
> often quickly changing conditions, and share their observations with
> National Spiritual Assemblies and the Baha'i World Centre. Living
> and serving all over the world, they come from a wide range of racial
> and ethnic backgrounds, as do the Baha'i communities they serve.
> Their effectiveness is further enhanced by the fact that one third of
> all Counsellors are women. The International Teaching Centre, based
> at the Baha'i World Centre, coordinates the activities of the Continental Counsellors and serves as the liaison between the Counsellors
> and the Universal House of Justice.
> In a 3 May 1998 letter addressed to the Counsellors' conference,
> the Universal House of Justice praised the "ardor and effectiveness"
> of the Counsellors' response to the Four Year Plan, citing the proceedings of the Eighth International Baha'i Convention and the
> 
> 1. See pp. 39-47 of this volume for an account of the Eighth International
> Baha'i Convention.
> 
> C ONFE RENCE O F B AH A:f C OUNSELLORS
> 
> "clarity and vigor with which the National Spiritual Assemblies are
> addressing the tasks of the Plan" as proof of a dramatic advance in
> the capacity of the Baha'i world community to undertake systematic
> planning and action. The House of Justice also advised that the
> Baha'is must "take advantage of the momentum thus achieved,''
> noting that every measure must be taken to ensure that training is
> undertaken by the Baha'i community on a scale commensurate to
> its expanding needs .
> Consultation at the Counsellors' conference centered around
> the work of Auxiliary Board members and their assistants , how
> the relationship between the International Teaching Centre and
> Counsellors in the field could be profitably developed, and the
> defense of the Baha'i community from those inimical to it. A significant amount of time was spent analyzing different training
> methods and curricula used in Baha'i communities and correlating lessons learned in one part of the world to those in another.
> Attention was also given to administrative details related to the
> Counsellors' jurisdiction and functioning . One of the emphases
> of the Four Year Plan is on systematic planning that, in the words
> of the House of Justice, goes " beyond the mere enumeration of
> goals to include an analysis of approaches to be adopted and
> lines of action to be followed." The Counsellors' conference was
> an opportunity to evaluate the success of various approaches of
> systematization used around the world and to consider how the
> capacities and needs of different regions affected these goals .
> Consultation during the conference was greatly aided by a document
> on training institutes-dated 8 April 1998, given to all Counsellors
> and delegates to the Eighth International Convention, and prepared
> under the auspices of the Universal House of Justice- which deals
> specifically with questions of regional planning and systematization
> in the institute process.
> Hands of the Cause of God Amatu ' l-Baha Rlli:llyyih Khanum,
> Mr. 'Ali-Akbar Furutan, and Dr. 'Ali-Mu}:larnmad Varqa- themselves
> members of the International Teaching Centre- attended the conference and contributed to its proceedings. Dr. Varqa, as Trustee of
> the institution of J::Iuququ'llcih, was particularly interested in hearing
> about the Baha'i community's evolving response to the law of
> J::Iuququ'llah and the development of its administration.
> 
> In the December 1995 letter to the Counsellors announcing
> the Four Year Plan, the House of Justice called upon the Continental
> Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies to deepen their
> consultative relationship, especially in the organization and operation of training institutes. Training institutes are to be agencies of
> National Spiritual Assemblies, but their planning and operation will
> benefit from the advice of the Continental Counsellors and cooperation with Auxiliary Board members, who, through their intimate
> relationship with local and regional communities, are in a unique
> position to assist in the development of institutes. The fact that
> more than 344 training institutes have already been established
> and more than 70,000 Baha'is have completed institute courses
> provides ample testimony to the strengthened relationship between
> Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies and the organizing
> power of the institute boards .
> International Baha'i Conventions also mark the time that the
> Universal House of Justice
> renews the membership of the
> International Teaching Centre .
> Ten days after the start of the
> Counsellors ' conference , the '
> House of Justice announced that
> Mr. Kiser Barnes, Mr. Rolf von
> Czekus , Mr. Hartmut Grossmann, Mrs. Violette Haake, Dr.
> Firaydoun Javaheri, Mrs . Lauretta King, Mrs. Joan Lincoln,
> Dr. Payman Mohajer, and Dr.
> Penelope Walker would constitute the Counsellor members of
> the International Teaching Centre
> for the nex.t five year s, and
> thanked outgoing members Mr. Newly appointed members of the
> Shapoor Monadjem, Mr. Donald International Teaching Centre with
> Rogers, Mr. Fred Schechter, Mrs. Hands of the Cause Amatu 'l-Bah6.-
> Ruhiyyih Kh6.num and 'A li-Akbar
> Kimiko Schwerin, and Mrs. Joy                      Furntan .
> Stevenson for their services.
> 
> New
> NATIONAL
> SPIRITUAL
> ASSEMBLIES
> 
> I   n the spring of 1998, the Baha'i communities of Slovakia, Sabah,
> and Sarawak gathered to participate in their communities' first
> national Baha'i Conventions. In Africa, the Baha'is of Liberia held
> their first national Convention in seven years, postponed due to the
> protracted civil war in that country. At these annual gatherings
> Baha'i communities elect the governing councils responsible for
> supervising and organizing their affairs at the national level. The
> establishment of these National Spiritual Assemblies brings the
> total number of these institutions, as of Rid van 1998, to 179.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha began the process ofBaha'i administration building more than seventy-five years ago, when He first called for the
> establishment of "secondary Houses of Justice," whose members act
> as the electors of the Universal House of Justice and which function
> as the national governing institutions of the Faith in their respective
> countries. In 1923, Shoghi Effendi began to establish secondary
> Houses of Justice in communities which were sufficiently developed,
> and temporarily designated them "National Spiritual Assemblies."
> Now the Universal House of Justice decides when a Baha'i community is ready to establish its own National Assembly.
> 
> Through their close association and communication with the
> Baha'i World Centre, National Spiritual Assemblies provide the
> link binding national communities to the House of Justice. As
> bodies charged with directing, coordinating, and unifying the affairs
> of the Faith throughout their respective jurisdictions, they have
> the flexibility to adapt to changing native conditions, designing
> plans and imparting guidance appropriate to the needs and
> strengths of their Baha'i population. The National Assembly is
> also the official representative of its community in relation to its
> national government and to other national Baha'i communities; it
> plans and coordinates national teaching programs, sponsors and
> guides national institute programs, approves and supervises nationallevel social and economic development projects, disseminates and
> supervises the translation of Baha'i literature into local languages, and is the trustee of national Baha'i funds and properties.
> The establishment of a National Spiritual Assembly is a signal
> point in the growth of a Baha'i community, one that casts a wide
> net of spiritual and administrative benefits.
> Liberia
> Africa's first independent black republic, Liberia saw its first
> Baha'i settlers arrive in the early 1950s. Julius Edwards from
> Jamaica pioneered to Liberia and Guinea for over twenty-three
> years, contributing significantly to the development of the Liberian
> Baha'i community. In 1954, the country's Baha'is were brought
> under the jurisdiction of the newly established National Spiritual
> Assembly of North-West Africa, an evolutionary step which no
> doubt helped influence the Liberian government to grant legal
> recognition, in the 1950s, of Baha'i holy days and marriages
> and, iri 1957, to the Local Spiritual Assemblies of Monrovia and
> Bomi Hills. President William V. S. Tubman of Liberia in 1962
> visited the Baha'i World Centre, becoming the first foreign Head
> of State to do so. 1
> In 1971 the Monrovian Baha' is hosted the first Baha'i Continental Conference of Africa, which was attended by Hands of the
> 
> 1. President Ben Zvi of Israel had previously visited the Bah a' f World Centre
> in 1954.
> 
> NE W NATIONAL SPIRITUAL A SSEMBLIES
> 
> Cause of God Amatu'l-Baha Rul:iiyyih Khanum and Rahmatullah
> Muhajir. Monrovia hosted another significant gathering, the West
> African Baha'i Women's Conference, in 1978. By 1975 the Baha'i
> communities of Liberia and Guinea had developed sufficiently to
> require their own Regional Spiritual Assembly, which operated until
> 1982. That year witnessed the election of Liberia's own National
> Spiritual Assembly, which existed until the civil war of 1991-1998
> forced the suspension of its operations. Even in the midst of that
> conflict, however, Liberian Baha'is continued to establish Local
> Spiritual Assemblies and hold Baha'i activities within their refugee
> camps. The first Baha'i radio station in the eastern hemisphere,
> which began broadcasting from Monrovia in 1986 and contributed
> to the nascent process of Baha'i social and economic development in
> Western Africa, was destroyed during the war.
> After an enforced seven-year hiatus, the Liberian Baha'i community gathered for its twenty-seventh national Baha'i Convention,
> which was held 23- 24 May 1998 in an atmosphere of joyous celebration at the Radio Baha'i building in Monrovia. The sixteen
> delegates who were able to attend elected the National Assembly
> on 23 May. Counsellor Beatrice Asare, who represented the Universal House of Justice at the Convention, praised the spirit
> animating the delegates , who "until recently were embroiled in
> tribal conflicts" and were "now dancing together in a spirit of love
> and unity under the umbrella of Baha'u'llah." The following day
> the Convention attendees consulted on the Ric;Ivan message from
> the Universal House of Justice. The Convention was preceded by a
> two-day training institute on topics such as the role of the individual in the Baha'i community, Baha'i history and administration,
> and prayer.
> Slovakia
> When Czechoslovakia achieved independence in 1991 with the
> fall of the Soviet Union, the rapid expansion of the country's
> Baha'i community moved the Universal House of Justice to call
> for the establishment of a National Spiritual Assembly. Two years
> later, when Czechoslovakia split into the ethnically distinct Czech
> and Slovak Republics, the National Assembly became a Regional
> Spiritual Assembly, with its jurisdiction unchanged. During the
> 
> past decade, the Slovakian Baha'i community advanced to a point
> of requiring its own National Assembly, and in 1997 the House
> of Justice called for its establishment. When the new National
> Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Slovakia was formed in
> 1998, the existing Regional Spiritual Assembly became the
> National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the Czech Republic.
> Between 22 and 24 May 1998, nine delegates from various communities throughout Slovakia gathered in Bratislava to elect the
> country's first National Spiritual Assembly. Hand of the Cause of
> God Dr. 'Ali-Mul).ammad Varqa represented the Universal House of
> Justice at the occasion. Also attending were Counsellor Shapour
> Rassekh, four members of the Auxiliary Board, members of the outgoing Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Czech and Slovak
> Republics, and almost 150 Baha' is from neighboring countries.
> During the evening of 22 May the assembled delegates and observers first celebrated the anniversary of the declaration by the Bab of
> His prophetic mission and gathered the next day to elect the National
> Spiritual Assembly. The election, wrote one attendee, "took place in
> a charged atmosphere of deepest devotion, and its results were
> announced amidst many tears of gratitude to the Blessed Beauty."
> The Assembly and delegates then consulted on how to build the
> Slovakian community's vision of its collective future and other vital
> topics.
> Throughout the years of its development, the Czech and Slovak
> Baha'i communities have reached out to leaders of government,
> undertaken programs of systematic training, and sought to reach
> out to the wider community. For their part, Czech and Slovak leaders have long responded positively to contact with Baha'is,
> beginning in the early decades of this century with the efforts of
> Baha'i traveling teacher Martha Root, who met personally with
> Presidents Masaryk and Benes. As part of its response to the Four
> Year Plan, the Slovak community has been engaged in building a
> nation-wide system of training institutes. In addition to the day-today activities taken to proclaim the Baha'i Faith to the Slovak people, on 8 February 1999 the National Assembly launched the
> official website of the Slovak Baha'i community. 2
> 
> 2. Accessible at <www.bahai.sk>.
> 
> NE W NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES
> 
> Sabah and Sarawak
> The roots of the Baha'i community of Malaysia reach back to
> 1951, when Jamshed and Parvati Fozdar arrivedá as permanent
> settlers in Kuching, in the Malay state of Sarawak. The Spiritual
> Assembly of the Baha'is of Malaysia was established in 1964. More
> recently, the high level of Baha'i activity in Sabah and Sarawak
> prompted the Universal House of Justice to call for the establishment of separate administrative bodies in each state, called the
> Spiritual Assembly of Sabah and the Spiritual Assembly of
> Sarawak.
> Delegates elected the first Spiritual Assembly of Sabah on 23
> May 1998 in Kota Kinabalu. Present at the Convention were
> Counsellor Vicente Samaniego, representing the House of Justice;
> Dr. Inderjit Singh Ludher of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
> of Malaysia; six members of the Auxiliary Board; and more than
> one hundred Baha'i observers. The Universal House of Justice, in
> its message to the Convention, wrote, "this gathering will be
> looked upon by future generations as one of the turning points in the
> history of the Cause of God in your land," and expressed the hope
> that "the Baha'i community in Sabah will flourish like a beautiful
> 
> The members of the.first Spiritual Assembly of the Baha 'is ofSabah, elected
> on 2 3 May 1998 in the state's capital, Kot a Kinabalu.
> 
> garden, abundant with flowers of many kinds, all watered from
> the clouds of bounty ofBaha'u'llah."
> Twenty-eight delegates traveled to Kuching to elect the first
> Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Sarawak during a Convention
> held 22-24 May 1998 . This event was attended by Counsellor
> George Soraya, representing the Universal House of Justice; Dr. P.
> Sreedharan, representing the Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia; five
> members of the Auxiliary Board in Asia; and more than three
> hundred Baha'i observers from throughout the state. Following
> the announcement of the election results on 23 May, delegates
> offered the newly elected Spiritual Assembly suggestions regarding
> the Convention, training institutes, the extension and development of the Sarawak Baha' i community, the holding of children's
> classes and adult literacy classes, and the translation of the Baha'i
> writings into local languages. The assemblage also gave generously to the Sarawak Baha'i fund . The Universal House of Justice,
> in its message to the Convention, called upon "all the Baha'is of
> Sarawak to rally around their newly formed Spiritual Assembly
> and to give it all possible support, to enable it to carry out its Godgiven responsibility of raising the banner of the unity of mankind
> to new heights. "
> 
> MOUNT
> CARMEL
> PROJECTS:
> Progress 1998-99
> 
> T     o the more than five million followers of Baha'u'llah around
> the world, the edifices and terraces being built on Mount
> Carmel represent not just another construction project, but the
> fulfillment of a divine promise. When Baha'u'llah visited Mount
> Carmel in the late 1800s, a prisoner of the Ottoman Empire, He
> stood on the mountain and not only chose the spot where the Shrine
> of the Bab would be built, but also stated that Mount Carmel
> would become the center of the Baha'i administrative order. Today
> His followers are laboring to enhance the beauty of the Bab 's
> shrine and to build structures that will befittingly house the highest
> Baha' i administrative institutions.
> The Eighth International Baha'i Convention in April 1998
> gave Baha' is from around the world the opportunity to witness
> firsthand the progress made on the Mount Carmel Projects at the
> Baha' i World Centre since work began in May 1990. Prior to the
> formal Convention program, delegates from more than one hundred and sixty countries toured the terraces above the Shrine of
> the Bab and sections of the Centre for the Study of the Texts. The
> 
> Universal House of Justice later noted in its Ric;lvan message to
> the Baha'is of the world that" .. . the construction projects on
> Mount Carmel, beheld with such thrilling astonishment by the
> delegates to the International Convention, press onward to their
> scheduled completion at the end of the century."
> Terraces of the Shrine of the Bab
> Since its completion in 1953, the unique architecture of the Shrine
> of the Bab, blending Eastern and Western design principles, has
> attracted the interest and admiration of hundreds of thousands of
> pilgrims and visitors each year. Its surrounding gardens, whose
> blend of structure and spontaneity also draws close attention, have
> recently undergone major renovation and expansion, with the construction of nine terraced gardens above and nine below the Shrine.
> With Hatzionut Street lowered and repaved, facilitating better
> traffic flow and creating additional space between the street and
> the projects, sections of the former road were then freed up for
> incorporation into the gardens adjacent to the Shrine. In the process,
> ducts for water and telephone lines were also installed.
> More than one hundred and fifty tons of steel reinforcement
> and approximately one thousand cubic meters of concrete were
> 
> A view of the Shrin e of the Bab fro m one of the lower terraces,
> showing the vibrant colors fo und throughout the gardens.
> 
> M OUNT C ARMEL P ROJECTS
> 
> This detail of one
> of the lower
> terraces shows
> the exquisite
> design f eatures
> that characterize
> each level.
> 
> used to raise the structure of the trapezoid-shaped bridge over
> Hatzionut Street. A five-pointed star made from the structural
> beams, each point fitted with a light fixture, is now visible from
> the street underneath. By March 1999 all stonework on the bridge
> was finished, including the delicately carved pedestals and balustrades, at which point landscaping of the bridge's surface began.
> With most of the street-level work completed, normal traffic was
> restored on the thoroughfare.
> As the terraces approach completion and the mountain is transformed from stone to garden, more and more areas become ready
> for planting. In all, more than fifty thousand square meters of gardens on the terraces were brought under cultivation this year. To
> meet this suddenly larger demand for plants, an additional nursery
> was established to support the planting carried out on several of
> the terraces. As a tribute to the Bab, two seedlings propagated
> from an orange tree planted by Him in the courtyard of His house
> in Shiraz, Iran, were placed on the ninth terrace. Stone for some of
> the large ornamental fountains on the upper terraces was sent to
> Italy for cutting, while kilometers of stone that had been cut for
> stairs, runnels, inner paving, and fountain pools were installed.
> The final stage of the projects, the entrance plaza, lies at the
> foot of the terraces where Ben Gurion Street meets Mount Carmel.
> In keeping with the significant role that water plays in the overall
> design of the terraces, pools, fountain jets, and cascades are all
> planned for this area. After the successful testing of a full-scale
> mockup of the plaza's elaborate central fountain, which features á
> 
> This landscaped
> courtyard leads to the
> tunnel connecting the
> Louis Promenade on
> Yefe Nof Street to
> the nineteenth
> terrace.
> 
> two concentric star-shaped bowls, detailed drawings were prepared for its production.
> Appreciation for the Terraces
> As the terraces are completed, revealing by degrees their grace
> and majesty, the residents of Haifa are paying increasing attention.
> In response to a request by the Mayor of Haifa, and with approval
> from the Universal House of Justice, the nineteenth terrace at the
> top of Mount Carmel was opened to the public in September 1998.
> Since then, thousands of people have visited the site, which affords
> a clear view of the entire mountain.
> Shortly after the opening, the Municipality of Haifa released a
> brochure on the city, which prominently features the terraced
> gardens and buildings on the Arc and describes the Baha ' i
> projects as "the eighth wonder of the world. " The brochure was
> soon followed by a twenty-page booklet entirely devoted to the
> Baha' i projects, entitled The Baha 'i Shrine and Gardens on
> Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel. Published in English by the Municipality of Haifa, with the assistance of the Mount Carmel Baha'i
> Projects office, the booklet is directed at tourists visiting the city
> and features beautiful photographs of the Shrine of the Bab, the
> terraces , and the buildings on the Arc. It also provides basic
> information on the Baha'i Faith, introducing it as an independent
> world religion and explaining its historical connection to the
> Holy Land. By April 1999, French, German, Hebrew, Russian,
> and Spanish editions were also available, and Arabic , Chinese,
> Italian, and Japanese translations were in preparation. Baha'is
> 
> M OUNT C ARMEL PROJECTS
> 
> around the world have ordered more than sixty thousand copies,
> and Haifa's Tourist Board is distributing it widely.
> The Baha'i projects and their contribution to the beautification
> of Haifa were also recognized through the presentation of the 1998
> Ephraim Lifshitz Award of the City of Haifa, to the Baha'i World
> Centre. Instituted in the name of an esteemed citizen of Haifa, this
> prestigious award is granted annually for outstanding work in the
> fields of education and culture.
> 
> The Shrine of the Bab and lower terraces, as seen from the air, with the city of
> Haifa and the German Templer Colony in the background.
> 
> Buildings on the Arc
> When Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, initiated construction of the International Baha'i Archives, he envisaged that the
> other buildings which would eventually be built nearby would be
> designed in a harmonious style of architecture. The establishment of
> the Seat of the Universal House of Justice was the first step in the
> realization of the Guardian's vision. With the construction of the
> Centre for the Study of the Texts and the progressive completion of
> the International Teaching Centre, the harmony of the buildings on
> the Arc is now visible. Designed and constructed according to the
> highest building standards, equipped in all areas with state-of-the-art
> 
> With its
> surroundings
> landscaped, the
> Centre for the
> Study of the
> Texts appears
> as a delicate
> pavilion in the
> gardens.
> 
> technology, and incorporating the latest requirements for the disabled,
> the administrative buildings on the Arc have been built to withstand
> the tests of time and use by the hundreds of staff who will eventually
> occupy them.
> The Centre for the Study of the Texts
> During the spring of 1999, the electrical infrastructure for lighting
> control, fire alarms, closed circuit television, and access control
> was installed in the Centre for the Study of the Texts and the
> Archives Extension, in preparation for occupation. The nerve
> center for the telephone and computer systems for the Terraces and
> Arc buildings, located to the west of the International Teaching
> Centre building in a small structure known as the Arc and Terraces
> Communication Centre, was also completed. Office partitions,
> furniture, computers, and maintenance equipment were ordered,
> while the design of fitouts like chandeliers and carpets was
> finalized and production commenced.
> Outside, landscaping around the buildings began in earnest.
> The ground in front was graded to a gentle slope, topsoil was
> added, and vistas of green gradually began to emerge. By April
> 1999, more than sixteen thousand square meters of land around
> and above the Centre for the Study of the Texts and the Archives
> Extension was under cultivation. A panorama of different shades,
> from the emerald green of the grass and silver green of the olive
> trees to the various shades and textures of junipers and cyads, dotted in between with the reds, purples, lavenders, blues, pinks, and
> 
> M OUNT CARMEL PROJECTS
> 
> yellows of flowering plants, began to dot the landscape. The
> mountain's colors, muted throughout the winter, became more
> vibrant with the approach of spring. To prevent erosion and consequent soil run-off into the buildings , an extensive network of
> shallow depressions was created to provide drainage on the slopes
> above.
> On the roof of the Centre for the Study of the Texts, green
> tiles similar to those on the roof of the International Teaching
> Centre building and the Seat of the Universal House of Justice
> were installed. Marble pedestals, which will eventually receive
> ornamental vases, were put in place, and the roof garden was
> graded, covered in gravel, and made ready for planting.
> The International Teaching Centre
> The International Teaching Centre building is located at the east end
> of the Arc path and oriented towards the Shrine of the Bab. The
> installation of marble cladding on its vaulted roof finished efforts to
> complete most of the building's external marble work by the end of
> 1998. Cladding on the front and rear fac;ades and the walls of the
> 
> The entrance p ortico of
> the Centre for the Study
> of the Texts.
> 
> An interior view of one
> of the levels of the
> Archives Extension.
> 
> east and west wings had been completed earlier, and window
> frames, entablature above the columns, and precast marble soffit
> panels had been put in place. External wooden windows were
> installed before onset of the rainy season, making the building
> weatherproof for internal finishing work on all levels. By March
> 1999, the entrance portico was also paved with marble.
> Inside, all finishing items such as drywall partitions, glazing,
> windows, doors, hardware , and ceilings were completed on the
> first level of the building, with similar work well underway on
> the next two levels. Stonework on the walls and columns inside
> and outside the auditorium was completed and made ready for
> wood panelling, and light fixtures were placed in the ceiling. The
> auditorium, which occupies levels four and five and has a seating capacity of about four hundred, will be equipped with the
> latest audiovisual equipment, translation tools, and a satellite
> broadcast system. Also on level four is a communal kitchen and
> dining area, now almost complete. The dining room will provide
> an audiovisual link to the auditorium, enabling larger audiences
> access to programs taking place there .
> 
> The completion of external marble work reveals the International Teaching
> Centre building in its pristine beauty.
> 
> v:;THE
> iEARrN
> REVIEW
> 
> B     aha'is around the world, operating within the administrative
> framework outlined by Baha'u'llah, are working to initiate
> social and economic development projects; advance the status of
> women; promote the cause of peace and intergovernmental cooperation; implement programs of moral education; develop human
> resources through training institutes; increase racial, ethnic, and
> tribal harmony through dialogue and cooperation; support human
> rights; foster use of the arts in all their endeavors; promote scholarship; and propagate the ideals of the Baha'i world community.
> The "Year in Review" explores how these activities are being carried out across the world, details some of the ways Baha'is are
> being recognized by the world at large, and highlights landmark
> achievements in the development of Baha'i communities. The
> sheer volume of Baha'i activities prevents the "Year in Review"
> from being a comprehensive record; it instead aims to provide a
> general survey of their evolving range and sophistication, and
> perhaps some insight into the challenges of building a global
> community.
> 
> During the year between Ric;lvan 1998 and Ric;lvan 1999, local
> Baha'i communities took more responsibility for initiating
> development projects and adapting national plans to their own
> skills and capacities; many national communities saw greater
> participation by indigenous peoples in administrative affairs; the
> relationship between the media and the Baha'i community in
> many parts of the world saw significant signs of evolution; and
> greater attention was paid to the proposals and ideas of the Baha'i
> International Community by other non-governmental organizations.
> Social and Economic Development
> In the Baha'i view, social and economic development is a collaborative process designed to empower individuals, families, and
> communities to support themselves materially, progress spiritually,
> and create new patterns of social interaction. Through consultation,
> action, and reflection, Baha'i development strives to inspire
> communities to discover and capitalize on their own potential. By
> sharing knowledge and experience, establishing schools, literacy,
> and health projects-some small, some large; some permanent,
> others designed to last only a short tirne-Baha'is engage in social
> and economic development. Seminars, conferences, and workshops
> focusing on development are also part of the process of learning
> through consultation.
> The Azemikhah Institute has its permanent quarters near Bangui
> in the Central African Republic. In 1996, a national training program was established for the institute. The courses of study follow
> two main tracks. The first series helps the participants develop
> their capacities to combine study of the Baha'i writings with scientific research in order to stimulate the spiritual and material
> development of the community. Particular attention is given to
> the education of children, youth, and women. In 1996 and 1997,
> eighteen communities organized literacy classes for five hundred
> participants; classes have continued throughout 1998. Another
> focus of the Azemikhah Institute is to encourage and assist rural
> communities to plan and implement their own social and economic
> development projects. During the program's first year, thirty communities and over four hundred individuals took part in grassroots
> development efforts. Of these communities, thirteen operate literacy
> 
> Y EAR IN R EVIEW
> 
> classes with three hundred adults and one hundred youth attending.
> In addition, more than two hundred and fifty people have been
> involved at the local level in formal education programs for children as a result of their participation in the institute's courses.
> In Kenya, approximately twenty Baha'i women have been chosen to travel to Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. Two of these
> 
> Women ofMatinyani,
> Kenya, have
> achieved economic
> independence in part
> through the use of
> devices such as these
> mango driers, which
> have increased their
> income as much as
> four hundred percent.
> 
> participants will report on how their villages have achieved economic
> independence through Baha'i-inspired development projects,
> which for twelve years have promoted literacy and children's
> classes, the construction of a health center and bakery, and businesses based on fruit drying and candle making.
> The Unity Center, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles,
> California, United States, and functions under the aegis of the
> Local Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, is now home for two
> ambitious projects. The Multicultural Organization for Neighborhood Arts is a non-profit organization which, since 1996, has
> sought to provide a safe harbor for youth to develop skills and
> become involved in community service. The Children's Enrichment Program is another non-profit organization which has been
> offering tutorial classes to children since 1992 and has just
> moved its operations to the Unity Center.
> Mel Chester, a former resident of Los Angeles, moved to
> Namibia several years ago as a Baha'i pioneer. He has for some
> time been collecting leftover food from restaurants and grocery
> stores every week and bringing it to the homeless children of
> Swakopmund. Mr. Chester now feeds five hundred children a
> 
> week and has recently begun to feed the elderly. Several African
> dignitaries , in Namibia for the Southern African International
> Development conference, visited the Mondesa Clinic, now the
> center of his efforts, during their stay.
> Guyana's "On the Wings of Words" literacy project began in
> 
> ---
> 1994 as a cooperative effort on the part of nine Local Spiritual
> The training offered
> by "On the Wings of
> Words " makes use of
> the arts, such as
> songs, skits, and
> dance, to convey
> ideas. Here a singing
> group prepares to
> demonstrate songs at
> a training session for
> facilitators.
> 
> Assemblies, committed to eradicating illiteracy from their communities. It has since expanded to include the entire country,
> attracted significant media attention, and enlisted over nine hundred volunteer facilitators to help train Guyanese youth aged ten
> to sixteen to develop literacy skills. An editorial in the Guyana
> Chronicle noted that the Baha'i initiative was exceptional because
> "along with teaching the mechanics of reading, facilitators help
> their charges to develop a spiritual and moral consciousness." 1
> The Civilization Advancement Center, or CAC, in Sabah,
> Malaysia, coordinates several schools for rural students-those
> without access to any other form of formal education-and teaches
> standard elementary school subjects within a moral framework .
> The organizers of the Center envision a future in which every
> rural child will have easy access to education and view the three
> tutorial schools they operate as part of that future. They plan to
> operate tutorials schools soon in six other villages. The State
> Advisory Council for Religious Affairs invited the CAC to conduct
> 
> 1. See The Baha 'i World 1996- 97, pp. 236- 39, for more information on the
> " Wings of Words" project.
> 
> courses in four major towns of Sabah on "Women and Savings," the
> training module for which was developed by a group of Baha'is
> commissioned by the Central Bank of Malaysia and the Ministry
> for National Unity and Social Development.
> In a short-term effort, more than two hundred people were
> given dental treatment in Bangladesh for two weeks in November
> by volunteer Baha'i dentists . The project was aided by Bangladesh's National Baha' i Development Institute.
> International conferences on social and economic development
> were held in Bolivia, where Baha'is from twelve countries gathered,
> and in Malaysia, where representatives from fourteen countries
> reported on the progress and aims of different development projects,
> participated in workshops, consulted on the role of native peoples in
> development, and gave talks on related subjects. On the occasion of
> the first UNESCO Business Forum on Enterprise, Human Development and Culture, held
> in Stockholm, Sweden,
> the European Baha'i
> Business Forum (EBBF)
> brought together nearly
> one hundred leading
> practitioners, specialists,
> donors, NGOs, financial
> institutions , and business people from some
> Baha'i radio stations, like this one in Caracollo, twenty-five countries
> Bolivia, are one wcy ofstrengthening social and for a three-day "Global
> economic developm ent at the regional level.
> Dialogue on Microfinance and Human Development." Microfinance is the burgeoning
> science of granting small loans to individuals in developing
> areas, with the aim of stimulating sustainable, flexible, grassroots
> development. This strategy of empowering families, individuals,
> and small businesses is meeting with success in areas such as
> Bangladesh. Although the EBBF is not a development organization, the Forum saw an opportunity to expand the horizons of
> microfinance by emphasizing cultural and social development as
> goals that are equally as important as the alleviation of poverty.
> 
> Scholarship
> Scholarship, as described in the Baha'i writings, is an integral
> part of humanity's attempt to arrive at an understanding of the
> nature of God, human beings, and the natural world, and gains its
> greatest vitality, creativity, and relevance when directed towards
> the service of humanity. According to 'Abdu'l-Baha, the teachings
> of Baha'u'llah "are not merely theoretical and intended to remain
> in books. They are the principles of action ... When practical
> activity has been manifested, the teachings of God have borne
> fruit." 2 Animated by the belief that social and spiritual advancement flows from the generation and application of knowledge, a
> goal of the Baha'i community is to foster new patterns of scholarship devoted to a holistic approach to scholarly investigation.
> Publications
> For many years, one of the only accepted sources on the history
> and teachings of the Baha'i religion extant in German was the
> book Der Baha 'ismus-Weltreligion der Zukunft? Geschichte,
> Lehre und Organisation in Kritischer An/rage (Baha 'ism-
> World Religion of the Future? History, Teachings, and Administration in Critical Terms). Written by a self-described "embittered
> enemy" of the Faith and replete with inaccuracies and distortion,
> Der Baha 'ismus was authored by Francesco Ficicchia, who in
> 1978 chose to leave the Baha'i community and devote his life to
> "fight[ing]" the Baha'i administration "by all means whenever
> possible." In 1995, three German Baha'i scholars-Udo Schaefer,
> Nicola Towfigh, and Ulrich Gollmer-wrote Desinformation als
> Methode: die Baha 'ismus-Monographie des F Ficicchia (Disinformation as Method: The Monograph on the Baha 'is by F
> Ficicchia). Published by Georg Olms Verlag as volume six of its
> "Religionswissenschaftliche Texte und Studien" ("Theological
> Texts and Studies") series, the book is a systematic response to not
> only Ficicchia's book, but also to several other points of contention
> raised by writers opposed to the Baha'i Faith. Desinformation
> 
> 2. Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Baha During
> His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912 (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 155.
> 
> has recently been reviewed positively in several publications,
> including the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society and the Journal
> of Contemporary Religion, welcomed not only for its correction
> of the untruths propagated by Ficicchia's book, but also for
> addressing such topics as the role of the Kitab-i-Aqdas in Baha'i
> literature, the reliability of certain early chronicles of Baha'i history, the relationship of E.G. Browne to the Baha'i Faith, and
> Baha'i conceptions of possible systems of world governance.
> The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society says the book "authentically and in the best scholastic tradition responds to the largest
> accumulation of issues raised in polemical writings against the
> Baha'is ... during the last one hundred years," and the Journal of
> Contemporary Religion marks the book as "an important contribution to the critical study of the Baha'i religion in the history of
> religions." An English edition of the book is in translation.
> In the spring of 1999, two graduates of the Order of St.
> Augustine in Spain published La Fe Baha'i: Una Nueva Religion
> Mundial? (The Bahri 'i Faith: A New World Religion?). Aldo
> Marcelo Caceres and Luis Javier Reyes wrote the book as their
> thesis for their Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology, as part of
> their studies to become Catholic priests. The three hundred and
> twenty pages of the book explore in detail the history and teachings
> of the Baha'i religion, including the Faith's perspective on several
> theological topics significant to Catholics. The authors' seminary
> advisor, Father Jose Demetria Jimenez, writes in the book's introduction, "What the authors of this book offer us is the possibility of
> an enriching dialogue which invites us to listen before making
> controversy, to make the effort to understand what the other person
> wants to tell us about his beliefs, and to let us be known by him."
> The book focuses mainly on similarities between the two Faiths,
> reserving only the last chapter for a discussion of the differences
> between Christianity and the Baha'i Faith. La Fe Bahri 'i is available for ordering directly from the Augustine Fathers.3
> 
> 3. Augustine Fathers, Ediciones Religion y Cultura, Cl Columela 12, 28001
> Madrid, Spain. E-mail : olandia@hotmail.com .
> 
> Establishment of Chair in Baha'i Studies
> A milestone in the institutionalized study of the Baha'i Faith was
> reached on 29 March 1999 when the first academic Chair
> devoted to the study of the writings and history of the Baha'i
> Faith was created by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A ceremony to mark the occasion was held at the Baha'i World Centre
> and was attended by Baha'i representatives, University President
> Menachem Magidor and other senior officers, including the University's Rector and Vice-President, and Professor Moshe Sharon,
> the first incumbent of the Baha'i Chair. 4 At the ceremony, President Magidor spoke of the significance of the Chair's establishment
> to The Hebrew University, which fulfilled the University's aim of
> promoting interreligious dialogue and reconciliation. The Secretary-General of the Baha'i International Community, Mr. Albert
> Lincoln, delivered a few remarks on behalf of the Baha'i World
> Centre, briefly outlining the history behind the creation of the
> Baha'i Chair and noting the potential for scholarly advancement
> inherent in such a cooperative institution.
> Baha'i Chair for World Peace
> The Baha'i Chair for World Peace was established at the University
> of Maryland, in the United States, in 1993 and operates under the
> aegis of the University's Center for International Development
> and Conflict Management. The purpose of the Baha'i Chair is
> "to promote alternatives to the violent resolution of conflict through
> conflict management, global education, international development,
> spiritual awareness, and world trade; to share the experience of
> the Baha'i world community in building a global society; and to
> offer that community as a model for study."
> 
> 4. Professor Sharon, who earned his Doctorate from the Hebrew University
> of Jerusalem in 1971 , now teaches in the University's Islamic and Middle
> Eastern Studies department, and has published extensively in Arabic,
> Hebrew, and English. His research interests include the early Baha'i Faith,
> Islamic history with an emphasis on the birth of Islam , the origins and
> development of Shf'ih Islam, the history of the Holy Land under Islam,
> messianic thought in Islam, Arabic epigraphy and papyrology, desert rock
> drawings and architecture, and the interaction between Judaism , Christianity, and Islam.
> 
> The fifth annual Lecture of the Baha'i Chair took place on 7
> May 1998 at the University of Maryland, College Park, when
> more than three hundred and fifty attendees gathered to listen to
> H.E. Amine Gemayel, former President of Lebanon, for whom
> the Chair's incumbent, Dr. Soheil Bushrui, was the principal Cultural Advisor during the President's tenure. During his address,
> President Gemayel expounded upon the goals of the Baha'i Chair
> by speaking of the need for a "synthesis of religious tenets" as
> "an essential prerequisite for conflict resolution on a global scale"
> and stating decisively that "it is the spiritual dimension that governs humanity's conduct and behavior."
> The Baha'i Chair recently inaugurated the Spiritual Heritage
> series, which is devoted to interfaith studies. The first book published in the series is Essays on Hinduism by H .E. Dr. Karan
> Singh, a prominent Indian intellectual and political leader.
> In other university news, Canada's network of Campus Associations for Baha'i Studies played a key role in mobilizing Canadian
> university faculty and staff to take action in support of the Baha'i
> Institute for Higher Education in Iran 5 and in organizing the threemonth-long cross-Canada university speaking tour of Baha'i
> author Dr. William Hatcher in the fall of 1998. Dr. Hatcher spoke
> on "authentic morality," the necessity of determining whether
> one's moral standard is reckoned according to a higher authority
> or merely self-conceived.
> Schools
> "The greatest means," wrote Baha'u'llah, "to the advancement of
> the world of being and the uplift of souls,'' is the "education of the
> child." 6 Baha'is around the world are affirming the cardinal position of the principle of education by establishing and organizing
> permanent universities, primary and secondary schools, seasonal
> schools, children's classes, training institutes, and programs of
> religious and moral education.
> 
> 5. See pp. 151 - 54, 279- 84, and 287- 93 of this volume for more on the
> attempted closure of the Baha' i Institute for Higher Education.
> 6. Cited in Education: A Compilation (Thornhill , Ontario: Baha'i Community
> of Canada, 1977), p. 4
> 
> Students at the New Dawn Model Nursery and Primary School in Benin City,
> Eda State, Nigeria. The school is operated by the Local Spiritual Assembly of
> the Baha 'is of Benin.
> 
> Permanent Schools
> Several Baha'i or Baha'i-inspired permanent schools underwent
> notable points of development, including expansion in enrollment
> and courses offered and the passing of significant anniversaries.
> In April 1998, the Ric;lvan School in Colon, El Salvador, celebrated
> nine years of recognition by the El Salvadoran Ministry of Education as one of the country's official schools. The surrounding
> rural population has reacted positively to the school's diversity of
> curriculum, and enrollment has grown to include one hundred
> pupils from kindergarten through grade six. Ethiopia's Baha'iinspired Unity College, which until late 1998 was the only private
> college in the country, saw its enrollment swell to five thousand
> students during the year. Courses offered include accounting,
> business administration, marketing, personnel management, hotel
> management and hospitality, and language training in Amharic,
> English, and Arabic. The Baha'i Study Center in Papua New Guinea
> graduated thirty-five grade ten students in December, the highest
> number since the school's establishment fourteen years ago. The
> 
> Secretary for Agriculture and the Provincial Minister of Education
> both spoke at the graduation ceremony. The Center is registered
> with the College of Distance Education in Papua New Guinea
> and is financially self-sufficient.
> 
> The Baha'i-run
> Santitham school in
> Yasathon, Thailand, was
> recently declared by the
> Ministry ofEducation to
> be the second best
> medium-sized school in
> northeast Thailand.
> 
> The Baha'i-inspired Landegg Academy in Switzerland, which
> began granting academic degrees in 1988, expanded its course
> catalog this year. Landegg offers undergraduate and graduate
> programs of study in consultation and conflict resolution, the
> integrative study of religion, economics, ethics and development,
> and "applied spirituality," and has affiliations with universities in
> the United States and China. Its status as an institution of higher
> learning was affirmed in November 1998 by the Ministry of Education of the Swiss Canton of Appenzell Ausserhoden. More than
> one hundred students from all around the world have attended
> Landegg since 1996, when it began offering master of arts degrees
> through a combination of distance-learning and in-residence study.
> Seasonal Schools
> Held usually during the summer or winter, the seasonal school offers
> Baha'i individuals and families the opportunity to gather in fellowship and study for several days or more. Many Baha'i communities
> held seasonal schools during the past year, some for the first time.
> The Baha'is of the Czech Republic, for example, held their first
> Baha'i summer school in the village of Trojanovice from 5 to 9
> August 1998. The eighty-three attendees studied 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> book Some Answered Questions, practiced their public speaking
> skills, and engaged in recreational activities in the surrounding
> 
> mountains . In July, the Baha'i community of the Western Caroline Islands held its first Baha'i summer school, in Yap. The first
> Macedonian Baha'i winter school was attended by fifty-three
> people in Bitola, and the Baha' is of Slovenia and Croatia held
> their winter school in December, near Cerknica, Slovenia. Most
> of the forty-three participants were attending for the first time.
> The twenty-five participants of Denmark's winter school , held
> from 24 December 1998 to 1 January 1999, gathered at the
> Baha'i center in Hellerup and studied the balance between the
> physical and spiritual aspects of life.
> Timed to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the passing of Queen Marie of Romania, who had acclaimed Baha'u'llah
> in her published writings , the Baha'i summer school in the
> Romani an town of
> Sinaia was attended
> by eighty-five people . Also in July,
> 150 Baha'is from
> several parts of the
> world gathered in
> Riga, Latvia, for the
> - regional summer
> school of the Baltic
> States. The school
> Participants in the Romanian summer school,   was preceded by a
> held July 1998 in Sinaia.
> training institute
> course and was notable for its evening music and the warm fellowship of the participants . The arts were emphasized in the
> series of three summer schools held in August in the Guyanan
> towns ofBerbice, Demerara, and Essequibo, where between fifty
> and one-hundred youth and children attended. Thirty Baha'is
> gathered at the Baha'i winter school in Hisarya, Bulgaria, in January 1999 , which featured dramatic performances, artistic
> workshops , and a panel discussion concerning the goals of the
> Four Year Plan with members of the Bulgarian National Spiritual
> Assembly.
> Four hundred Baha'is composed Zimbabwe's International
> Summer School in Harare. Lectures, study sessions , artistic
> 
> workshops and performances left the participants feeling inspired
> and invigorated. Baha'i author Adib Taherzadeh, a member of
> the Universal House of Justice, attended and shared his perspective on the Covenant of Baha'u'llah and the Baha'i World
> Centre. A successful summer school was held in the war-torn
> African nation of Angola, where thirty-six Baha'is were able to
> gather. In Uruguay, 109 people from eight countries came
> together at the regional winter school in February, where twelve
> youth accepted the Baha'i teachings. The Baha'i community of
> Myanmar held a small, focused summer school for three days in
> April, and one hundred Baha'is in Japan attended their own summer school.
> Moral Education
> Governments and school systems around the world are increasingly awakening to the society-building power of moral education.
> Throughout March and April 1999, two Baha'is, Dr. Farzin Davachi and his wife Nancy, toured Botswana, Kenya, and Swaziland
> and consulted with officials there about ways of improving their
> AIDS prevention programs through moral education. In
> Botswana, they met with President Fetes Mogae, Government
> ministers, the Bishop of the Catholic Church, educators, and
> addressed a session of the Parliament; in Kenya, they met with
> the Ministers of Health and Education, university professors, and
> the Council of Bishops of the Anglican Church; in Swaziland,
> the Baha'is met with the Queen Mother, several Government
> ministers, UN officials, and educators. The Davachis spoke of
> AIDS as a public health issue intimately bound up with society's
> 
> Farzin and Nancy
> Davachi met with the
> Queen Mother of
> Swaziland and other
> African leaders in the
> spring of 1999 to
> consult about the
> relationship between
> moral education and
> Africa :SAIDS crisis.
> 
> moral health. Moral education, they said, particularly when
> directed at children, is the most effective way a society can be
> convinced of the benefits of refraining from promiscuity, adultery,
> and drug abuse. Many influential officials, including President
> Mogae and the Queen Mother, reacted enthusiastically to these
> ideas and expressed a desire to shift the emphasis of their activities
> to spiritual, rather than exclusively material, values.
> In September and October, Sandra Rowden-Rich, an Australian
> Baha'i, traveled to five cities in Russia conducting moral education workshops based on the popular book The Virtues Guide.
> Students, business and civic leaders, and educators deepened
> their understanding of the role that strong morals play in a
> healthy society through role-playing, study, and consultation.
> Later in the year, Linda Kavelin Popov, the author of the The Virtues
> Guide, and her husband Dan Popov traveled to the Cook Islands
> to conduct a three-day intensive training session on the topic
> "Awakening the Gifts Within," in which thirty people participated. Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi, a Baha'i sociologist from the United
> States, traveled throughout Belize to speak about moral education in November. She facilitated workshops on moral education
> for teachers and school principals, visited organizations such as
> the Belize National Teachers Union, the National Organization
> for the Prevention of Child Abuse, the National Department for
> Women, and various United Nations offices.
> With increased governmental recognition and approval of
> Baha'i-inspired curricula, Baha'is and Baha'i ideas are increasingly becoming involved in the creation of curricula for use in
> state school systems. In January 1999 the Finnish National Board
> of Education approved the official Baha'i curriculum for religious education at the secondary school level. By promoting
> universal values andáa spiritual understanding of reality, Finnish
> Baha'is hope to prepare students for life in an evolving global
> society. Upon completion of a sixteen-hour training program,
> 550 facilitators were asked on 6 August 1998 to conduct training
> sessions in the 415 municipalities of Bahia, Brazil, using a manual entitled "Colegiado Escolar na Bahia-Gestao Participativa"
> (School Board in Bahia-Participatory Management). The aim of
> the one-day training session, held 27 August 1998, was to reach
> 
> y EAR IN REVIEW
> 
> twenty-thousand school board members in the state of Bahia,
> who represent teachers, parents, students, and staff members of
> all the state's schools. The textbook used was published by the
> Secretary of Education of the Government of the State of Bahia
> and contains selections from the writings of Baha'u'llah and
> 'Abdu'l-Baha regarding the art of consultation. Nearly twentyfive thousand copies of the manual were distributed. Teachers in
> the Nicaraguan Department of Carazo completed eight Baha'isponsored seminars on such subjects as "the teacher as an agent
> of change," "global prosperity," "laws for a new world order,"
> "environmental challenges and solutions," and "family life."
> Other governments also have expressed interest in Baha'i perspectives on moral education. In Liberia, the Education Ministry
> has invited Baha'i representatives to join Christians and Muslims
> in generating moral and religious curricula for the country's schools.
> In November, Baha'is in India were asked to train school teachers
> in moral education in five hundred schools in the state of Maharashtra. The following month Chile's Ministry of Education
> approved a Baha'i religious education curriculum for use in public
> schools, and extensive contacts with the Ministry of Education have
> been made in Jamaica, where the Governor General is interested in
> establishing a nation-wide teacher training program under the
> stewardship of the Baha'is and modeled on Baha'i moral education
> programs already functioning in Ecuador.
> Training Institutes
> Training institutes are the tool through which the Baha'i community
> systematically promotes the development of its own human
> resources. Through carefully designed curricula and activities,
> believers are trained in how to contribute effectively to the spiritual and administrative development of their local communities,
> participate in interfaith activities, express their faith through the
> arts and music, and teach their faith. Training institutes also
> focus on promoting such vital goals as literacy, primary health
> care, and the equality of men and women. Three hundred and
> forty-four national and regional Baha'i training institutes are
> now in operation throughout the world and have trained over one
> hundred thousand Baha'is in the past three years alone.
> 
> THE B AI-IA'f W ORLD
> 
> Songs enlivened the atmosphere of a training institute course held from 24 to
> 30 July 1998 at the Laos National Baha 'i center.
> 
> An example of a well-functioning permanent training institute
> can be seen in the Dominican Republic, where for ten years the
> Olinga Institute has been conducting courses on the Baha'i teachings. Last year the Institute refined its administrative structure
> and expanded its course offerings. In Africa, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Eritrea decided that all Baha'is
> in that country should complete at least one institute course by
> Ric;lvan 2000. Attendance has increased over the past year, with
> ten courses organized in towns where many Baha' is live. In Chad,
> several graduates of a training institute were able to use their
> increased faith in and knowledge of the Baha'i teachings to welcome over one thousand of their fellow citizens to membership
> in the Baha'i community. After years of financial sacrifice, the
> Baha'is of Sarawak were finally able to open the building housing their permanent "Apau Institute." More than four hundred
> Baha'is gathered in September for a conference to dedicate the
> building. The Baha'is of Guatemala, Cape Verde, the East Leeward Islands, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tonga also exerted
> special efforts to develop their permanent institutes.
> 
> The first training course at the national Auki Baha'i institute
> in the Solomon Islands was held in January, using curriculum
> developed at the Yerinbool Baha'i Center of Leaming in Australia.
> Twenty-four Baha'is, including several facilitators of regional
> institutes from around the islands , gathered to spend a week
> studying a course on
> _ ,.....,,..,..... the Baha'i teachings
> before administering
> the same curriculum
> in their local communities. Similar courses
> were held for four days
> in September in Sri
> Lanka and throughout
> the year in the Mariana
> Islands . The National
> Spiritual Assembly of
> Participants in an institute course held at the
> the Baha' is of Papua
> Bahci 'i center of Funafuti, Tuvalu, in April 1999.
> New Guinea expanded its network of training institutes by appointing boards of directors for three more permanent institutes to augment the four
> already in operation. Counsellor George Allen convened similar
> weekend conferences in Gabon and the Republic of Congo in September and November, respectively. Members of the National
> Spiritual Assemblies, members of the Auxiliary Board, and other
> Baha' is consulted on how to improve their country's institute
> process.
> Advancement of Women
> To the degree that women are empowered to take their rightful
> place in the organization and enrichment of society, humankind
> will achieve its Jong-awaited unity, stability, and prosperity.
> Although the role that women must play in the establishment of
> world peace has as yet been only dimly realized, it is possible to find
> women and men working together to promote equality all around
> the world. From informal study circles and home visits among
> women in Senegal to a formal round table discussion on the role
> of women in a global civilization for leaders in Brazil, Baha'is
> 
> around the world are promoting the advancement of women, well
> aware of the gender gap but confident of the reality of equality.
> A five-day workshop in Kenya in April 1998 called "Traditional
> Media as Change Agent" trained Baha'is to use folk theater,
> songs, storytelling, and dance to promote the equality of men and
> women. The conference was part of a long-term project, initially
> sponsored by the United Nations Development Fund for Women
> and now led by the African Baha'i community, designed to
> empower women through the use of traditional media. 7 An identical
> conference was held later in the summer in Zimbabwe, and a
> similar one on the role of women in social and economic development was held in Chad near the end of 1998.
> The first South American Baha'i conference devoted to the
> advancement of women, called "Men and Women United for the
> Development of the World of Women" was held in Rosario,
> Argentina, for three days in November. More than 230 men,
> women, youth, and children from seven countries, both Baha'is
> and non-Baha'is, consulted on past and future contributions of
> women to society and the creation of a program of social and economic development
> for South American
> women. Baha'is in
> the Andoman and
> •
> Nicobar Islands
> sponsored a conference entitled "The
> Role of Women in
> Imparting Moral
> Education to Children" in October, in
> which eighty peo- 1, ,.,..'he 8 aha"'1 womensá group o1,r the L ocaISp1ntua
> á á IA ssemp 1e t O Ok Part.            bly ofLumumbashi, Katanga, Republic of Congo.
> Another important
> conference was held for women in the Sahel, the southern fringe of
> the Sahara desert, in August. Forty Baha'i women from Benin,
> 
> 7. See The Baha 'i World 1996- 97, pp. 294- 97, for more information on this
> project.
> 
> Burkina, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo gathered
> for a week in Bamako, Mali, to discuss their role in promoting
> the Baha'i teachings in the region. Organized by the Women of the
> Sahel Regional Committee, the conference was notable for the
> spirit of empowerment and animation present among the participants, and the continued, coordinated action it inspired. Twelve
> women met in the Baha'i center of Latrikunda-Sabij i, Gambia, in
> March to consult on similar topics. They studied the curriculum
> "Leaming at Home and at School, a Baha'i Program for Mothers,"
> which addresses parenting and moral education issues.
> Several activities took place in March to commemorate International Women's Day, including conferences, public discussions,
> seminars, and workshops. In India, the Baha'i Office for the
> Advancement of Women played a critical role in sponsoring and
> organizing some of these activities, which were designed to be
> 
> On 21 December
> 1998, the India
> Bahti 'i Office
> for the
> Advancement
> of Women held
> afull day
> seminar on the
> theme of the
> Girl Child.
> 
> accessible to both the public and leaders of thought and government. Baha'is in Cameroon celebrated International Women's
> Day with a parade, special T-shirts and brochures, an exhibition
> stand, and a public meeting, which included an interfaith prayer
> gathering, public talks, and a dance exhibition. The Baha'i communities of Uganda and Trinidad and Tobago marked the occasion
> with similar activities. Baha'i representatives from the latter country
> appeared on national television and radio to offer their perspective on gender relations.
> Baha'is are also involved in the activities of like-minded
> peace organizations. Baha'is have provided input to the Turkish-
> 
> Greek Women's Peace Initiative (WINPEACE), for instance, since
> its inception. Founded by Margarita Papandreou, former First
> Lady of Greece, and several prominent Turkish journalists, the
> Initiative is designed to bring together Greek and Turkish women
> in dialogue about their role in promoting peace between their
> countries. Fifteen Greek and fifteen Turkish delegates, including
> several Baha'is , attended the spring meetings in Greece and
> Turkey.
> A 16 October 1998
> observance of World
> me:!~~ Food Day in eastern
> Uganda, with the theme
> of " Women Feed the
> World, " was organized
> by the Ugandan Baha 'i
> National Committee fo r
> the Advancement of
> Women.
> 
> To learn how to support and enforce legislation designed to
> prevent domestic violence, a delegation from the Modem Women's
> Foundation of Taiwan visited other women 's organizations in the
> United States in February. Jan Huang of the National Spiritual
> Assembly of the Baha'is of Taiwan was the only religious representative invited to be part of the delegation, which included
> parliamentarians, judges, other representatives from the judiciary, and officers from the Ministries of Justice, the Interior, and
> Foreign Affairs. The Baha'is of Taiwan have long supported the
> Foundation's activities.
> The Baha'i community of Mauritius was among ten non-governmental organizations invited as observers to the third Conference
> of African Women Ministers and Parliamentarians, a follow-up
> meeting to the 1994 UN International Conference on Population
> and Development. Baha'is found the meeting a good opportunity
> to establish cordial relations and acquaint government representatives with the work that African Baha'is are performing to
> promote gender equality. Thirty-eight countries were represented
> at the conference, the purpose of which was to assess the role of
> 
> YEAR L REVIEW
> 
> female Ministers and parliamentarians in influencing policy development in the fields of population, sustainable development, women's
> empowerment, and legislative reform. Baha'is contributed three
> statements to the proceedings. Similar Baha'i representation
> occurred at the Thai Women's Forum, attended by more than one
> thousand women leaders from all parts of the country in October;
> and in the spring of 1999, three Baha'i women in the East Leeward
> Islands submitted a statement to a Parliamentary Committee
> responsible for drafting a bill on domestic violence.
> The International Council of Women (ICW), the oldest international mainstream women's non-governmental organization,
> convened its International Seminar on Women's Leadership from
> 18 to 23 October in Haifa, Israel. Held at the Golda Meir Mount
> Carmel International Training Center, the seminar was attended by
> two Baha' is , Mrs . Lee Lee Ludher, a member of the Continental
> Board of Counsellors for Asia, and Mrs . Janak McGilligan from
> India. The Secretary-General of the Baha' i International Community, Mr. Albert Lincoln, attended the opening ceremony, along
> with other representatives of the Baha'i World Centre.
> Institutional Commitment
> As part of their commitment to advancing the station of women,
> several national Baha'i communities operate full-time Offices for
> the Advancement of Women. New offices were established last
> year in Malawi, South Africa, Taiwan, and Trinidad and Tobago,
> and three local task forces were formed in Mexico to coordinate
> their communities ' responses to International Women's Day. The
> recently created National Association of Baha'i Women in Ireland,
> an initiative of the Irish National Spiritual Assembly, was formed
> to foster a sense of identity among Irish Baha'i women and to
> provide a platform for the sharing of Baha'i principles regarding
> the relationship of women to society at large . On the regional
> level , the European Task Force for Women was created in 1992
> with the aim of encouraging cooperation and consultation among
> European Baha'i women. Since its inception, the Task Force has
> annually sponsored international seminars for female representatives
> from each European country. The Task Force's third International
> Women's Training Seminar was held in June in Acuto, Italy, and,
> 
> like the other seminars and workshops sponsored by the Task
> Force, has inspired a number of activities throughout Europe.
> Seminar participants afterwards held similar gatherings for their
> compatriots in Cyprus, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Iceland,
> Italy, Portugal, several regions in Russia, and Switzerland.
> Human Rights
> The Baha'i International Community has been involved in the
> human rights work of the United Nations since its inception, and as
> a non-governmental organization since 1948. The fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was especially
> significant to the Baha'i community; it represented an important
> landmark in the quest to create a universal moral ethic and a structure
> of governance appropriate for such an ethic. Baha'i communities
> the world over promote human rights by working in collaboration
> with United Nations agencies and affiliates, organizing campaigns
> of public education, and contributing to conferences, public events,
> and other consultative forums.
> In collaboration with the United Nations and the Ministry of
> Education and Culture, Baha'is in Paraguay initiated a human
> rights education project among Asunci6n's thirty thousand secondary school students. The project is the first of a four-stage
> program that will eventually encompass all two hundred thousand
> secondary school students in the country. UN representatives have
> said this may be the first project of its kind in the world and are
> giving it their enthusiastic support. Another notable instance of
> Baha'i/governmental collaboration occurred in Australia, where
> the Baha'i Office of External Affairs wrote to the Australian Local
> Government Association to suggest ways that local governments
> could celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Seventeen local councils in Australia are
> known to have followed the suggestions, which included adopting
> resolutions, mounting public displays, and publicizing the anniversary through local media.
> Public celebrations of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal
> Declaration of Human Rights were organized or supported by a
> number of national Baha'i communities, including Belgium, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Hawaii, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the
> 
> Y EAR IN R EVIEW
> 
> Philippines, Turkey, and Zambia. In December the Baha'i community of Zambia issued a special statement, "The Spiritual
> Foundations of Human Rights," to all of Zambia's major media
> outlets. The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Burkina
> wrote a similar public declaration in March.
> In Norway, two hundred delegates from a number of religions,
> including a Baha'i delegation, attended the Oslo Conference on
> Freedom of Religion or Belief in August. Sponsors of the conference
> included the Norwegian government and the Church of Norway.
> The Norwegian Minister of International Development and Human
> Rights opened the conference with a plea for greater respect for
> human rights by saying, "Every government needs to examine
> the status of human rights within its own jurisdiction. In fact, the
> call to start with yourself, by critically examining your own behavior from a moral perspective, is a central tenet of all of history's
> great religious teachers, such as Confucius, Buddha, Moses, Jesus
> and Muhammad." The Baha'i presentation, which focused on justice, unity, and equality as the basis for conflict resolution, was
> made particularly poignant by the religiously-motivated execution
> of Mr. Ruhu'llahRawhani, a Baha'i in Iran, only a few days before.
> Race Unity and Indigenous Peoples
> The past century has seen a sea change in humanity's understanding of itself: definitions of concepts such as race, ethnicity, and
> culture have evolved in the face of the global melding of civilizations, and barriers to unity have been tom down by the recognition
> of the material and spiritual oneness of humanity. As community
> after community steadily awakens to the possibility of unity in
> diversity, the pain caused by centuries of racial and ethnic violence
> is being openly acknowledged and addressed, and the first glimmerings of healing can be discerned.
> Two important steps towards racial reconciliation and unity
> were taken in the Pacific region last year. In Australia, two thousand people attended the "Healing Humanity Festival" in the
> Canberra Convention Center at the end of 1998. Billed as a celebration of Australian cultural diversity, the festival was an opportunity
> to explore the challenges facing the individual, the community,
> and the nation, especially concerning racial harmony. At one point
> 
> a Maori Baha'i from New Zealand spoke to the assembly, calling
> for dispassionate reflection and collective atonement on the part
> of Australian society. "Each one of us here," she said, "has an
> interest in the process of healing. There are many problems
> plaguing our society but the biggest is the recognition and
> accomplishment of the oneness of humanity." Baha' is also participated in the second "World Indigenous People's Pathways
> Conference" in Queensland during the same period. In New
> Zealand, the National Spiritual Assembly took a leading role in
> the process of racial reconciliation by authoring a paper entitled
> Indigenous Peoples and Minorities in the Baha 'i Faith and distributing it to all of New Zealand's Baha'is. The document
> frankly acknowledged the struggle facing the Baha'is of New
> Zealand in promoting racial unity within their community, lovingly
> called for new patterns of behavior based on an understanding of
> the oneness of humanity, and addressed from a Baha'i perspective attempts to promote the advancement of indigenous peoples
> through political activism.
> 
> Four Bloomington,
> Indiana, Baha 'i
> children at a race
> unity event in the
> United States wearing T-shirts reading
> "No room in my
> heart fo r prejudice. "
> A nationally coordinated campaign
> to raise awareness
> of issues related to
> race unity in the United States, sponsored by the Baha'i community, has been underway since March 1998. A specially produced
> television program, "The Power of Race Unity," has aired on
> several national and many local and regional stations; the document "Race Unity: The Most Challenging Issue," written by the
> National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States,
> has been mailed, along with an information packet, to several
> thousand households; and calls to the toll-free information hotline
> 
> On 25 November 1998, Ruth Rydstedt presented American civil rights hero
> Rosa Parks with a copy of "Race Unity: the Most Challenging Issue, " a
> statement authored by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States.
> and visits to the American Baha'i website 8 have been steadily
> increasing. Some eighty percent of local Baha'i communities in
> the United States have sponsored activities in support of the campaign, including private viewings of the video, workshops, and
> public discussions about race unity.
> Twelve years ago, several black Baha'i men, concerned about
> the state of race relations in the United States and unity among black
> Baha'is, met for a weekend to consult, reflect, and pray. Empowered and inspired by that first meeting, they met again the following
> year and invited others to join them. Since then, the Black Men's
> Gathering, as it became known, has been held annually at various
> locations, including the Louis Gregory Institute in Hemingway,
> South Carolina, and the Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot, Maine.
> Through focused consultation, augmented by music and prayer,
> the men have become unified in their desire to support one another
> in the work of achieving race unity and the equality of men and
> 
> 8. 1-800-22-UNITE and <www.us.bahai.org>, respectively.
> 
> women, both within the Baha'i community and in society at large.
> In its Ri9van 1996 message to the Baha'is of North America, the
> Universal House of Justice exhorted Baha'is of African descent to
> travel to Africa, where they could be a "unique source of encouragement and inspiration to their African brothers and sisters." In
> obedience to the House of Justice, groups of Baha'i men from the
> Black Men's Gathering have gone on teaching trips to Africa
> every year for the past three years. In the summer of 1998, a group
> of twenty began their trip by visiting the Baha'i House of Worship
> in Kampala, Uganda, and journeyed elsewhere by foot, bus, and
> truck to capital cities and small villages alike, visiting the local
> Baha'is and telling others about Baha'u'llah.
> The first national meeting of the Rom and Sint Gypsy groups,
> an "extraordinary event in the history of the Gypsy peoples" that
> has been awaited "for six hundred years," in the words of one
> Gypsy leader, was held for two days in Lanciano Terme, Italy, in
> June 1998. Baha'i representation was specially requested by the
> participants, who consider the European Baha'i community to be
> the " standard bearer and an example to follow for the unity principle it pursues" and who were inspired by the Baha'i teachings
> on unity to form their own "Transnational Federation" of the
> Gypsy peoples . Spanish Baha'is have long been aware of the
> vital role that music plays in preserving Romani culture. In collaboration with Miguel Hernandez University, Baha' is gathered
> top musicians to help organize a course entitled "Music as a Cultural Feature of the Gypsy People," designed to build a bridge
> between Gypsy musicians and the academic world. The course
> took place for ten days in July and was the first time the University
> had sponsored an activity for the exclusive benefit of the Gypsy
> peoples.
> Baha'is in Canada's Northwest Territories released a compact
> disc of the Baha'i sacred writings in the Innuinaqtun language,
> the translation of which was two and a half years in the making.
> Designed to make the Baha'i teachings available to the Cambridge
> Bay community, the CD was presented by Baha'i representatives
> to an Inuit elder at a special ceremony in July, who accepted it on
> behalf of all Inuit elders in the area. Later, 360 copies were distributed among the community's 1,200 residents. Baha'is in Peru
> 
> translated a book of prayers, institute materials, and biographies
> of the central figures of the Baha'i Faith into the indigenous languages of Aymara and Quechua.
> The Arts
> Poetry, calligraphy and music all played vital roles in early Baha' i
> history, and different forms of arts and crafts continue to be cultivated in Baha'i communities. 'Abdu'l-Baha is reported to have said,
> " It is natural for the heart and spirit to take pleasure and enjoyment
> in all things that show forth symmetry, harmony, and perfection ...
> all things that have in them grace or beauty are pleasing to the
> heart and spirit." 9
> Two volunteer choir groups undertook major tours last year:
> the "Voices of Baba" choir continued its annual practice of travel
> with a March- April concert tour through several countries in
> Europe. The sixty-eight member group, with singers from seventeen countries , sang to large audiences in England, Portugal,
> Spain, France, Italy, and Greece with a repertoire of spirited
> devotional songs from all over the world . Many of the show's
> proceeds went to local charities. The summer concert tour undertaken by the "Lights of Unity" group brought together more than
> fifty Baha'is from sixteen countries, most from the former Soviet
> Union. The performers
> gathered in Almaty,
> Kazakhstan, to perform
> the first concert and continued on to tour Russia,
> Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
> Armenia, Azerbaijan,
> Georgia, and Uzbekistan.
> The program combined
> fourteen choral pieces, a
> A marimba band played on the opening night of slide show documenting
> a Baha'i-sponsored "Unity in Diversity " arts the history of the Central
> f estival in Capetown, South Africa.     Asian Baha'i community,
> 
> 9. Quoted in A Brief Account of My Visit to Acea (Chicago: Baha'i Publishing Society, 1905), pp. 11 - 14.
> 
> THE B AHA'f W ORLD
> 
> and dance. Audience
> responses to both tours
> were enthusiastic and
> often deeply emotional,
> with many people witnessing their own hopes
> expressed in the artists'
> message of beauty,
> unity, and spiritual transcendence.
> Several smaller per- Noted Baha 'i artist and development specialist
> forming arts groups Geraldine Robarts stands with some of her art in
> also toured: in May,             an exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya.
> the Turkish "Sound of Unity" group gave four performances in
> Ankara to nearly eight thousand people and later that summer
> took its dance and music to audiences in Romania and Moldova;
> the "Patchwork" choir from Belgium spent two weeks in July
> touring several towns in Hungary; the "Generation of Hope"
> choir performed in several Russian cities for the sixth year running; and the first Portuguese dance workshop was formed and
> toured the entire country during July and August. In response to
> the performances of the "Light of Unity" musical group in
> Ghana, thirty-six people declared their faith in Baha'u'llah in two
> regions of the country in August. An estimated twenty thousand
> people saw Reunion's newly launched "Unity Power" dance
> group perform in a parade held in December to celebrate the
> anniversary of the abolition of slavery.
> Native American Baha'i performing artist Kevin Locke toured
> Suriname and French Guiana for two weeks in January. He visited
> several Baha'i communities, met with religious and governmental leaders, granted interviews to the media, and facilitated arts
> workshops in Baha'i centers.
> An institute course designed to train Baha'is capable of creating and performing music in the service of their Baha'i communities
> was held for three days at the end of May in Kinshasa, Democratic
> Republic of Congo. Held at the Baha'i national center, the twentysix participants spent the conference studying musical theory
> and the Baha'i writings on music and gained skills concerning
> 
> the organization and successful performance of choirs. The
> weekend ended with a public concert at the national center with
> music composed and performed by the participants. The first
> arts, music and drama workshop took place at the national Baha'i
> center in Nairobi, Kenya, on 24-25 January. Twenty-two people
> participated, including eight members of the Auxiliary Board and
> Baha'is from other countries.
> In May, Baha'is took part in a religious musical competition
> organized by the Association for Peace between Religions in
> Romania. One of the prizes went to a former Baha'i pioneer to
> Romania, Arsham Evoghli. Prizewinners were invited to perform
> their music at a gala concert, and several European National
> Spiritual Assemblies were also invited to participate. The writings of Baha'u'llah featured prominently in the concert, which
> was broadcast on Romanian television. The work of Bijan Khadem-
> Missagh, an Austrian Baha'i author and musician, led to his
> involvement in Allegro Vivo, a prestigious annual chamber
> music festival in Austria. The 19 August opening concert was
> dedicated to the theme of"Unity in Diversity" and featured excerpts
> 
> One ofNorway's top classical composers, Lasse Thoresen is known for writing
> music with spiritual themes. During a visit to the home of Edvard Grieg,
> Norway's most famous composer, Dr Thoresen was invited to play Grieg's piano.
> 
> from the Baha'i writings and an award ceremony, during which
> Mr. Khadem-Missagh received the Austrian Cross for Sciences
> and Arts from Thomas Klestil, President of the Austrian Republic .
> The Queen of Sweden opened "Warsaw Autumn," an annual
> Polish music festival held in September, which included in its
> program Fire and Light, an opera/ballet inspired by the Baha'i
> martyrs in Iran that was written by Norwegian Baha' i composer
> Lasse Thoresen.
> American Baha'i jazz pianist Bob Bellows spent most of September and part of October making new jazz fans in the heart of
> Mongolia. He visited three cities, performed at universities, cultural
> centers, an orphanage, and schools, and conducted a workshop at
> a music college. The visit culminated in a collaborative concert with
> the State Philharmonic Orchestra and other Mongolian musicians
> in Ulaan Baatar. An estimated three hundred thousand television
> viewers in Panama watched a documentary on Jamboree '98, a
> Panamanian arts festival. The show included segments profiling
> the Baha'i community, including footage of dances from Panama's
> Baha'i art workshop.
> Youth
> The Baha'i community counts as one of its special responsibilities
> that of nurturing the spiritual life of its youth, whose energy and
> enterprising spirit enables them to make special contributions to
> the establishment of world peace. Baha'i youth are often called
> upon to organize workshops, conferences, and other development
> projects. Many youth are suited to express the ideals of their Faith
> through the arts, prompting some to participate in dance or music
> workshops. Several travels and performances of such workshops
> took place over the course of the year. A Hawaiian dance workshop toured the Mariana Islands in June, sixty members of the
> Sarawak Baha'i youth workshop traveled throughout southeast
> Asia in December after completing a training course, and the
> Irish Diversity Dance Workshop performed for several summer
> days in the city of Cork. On 6 February 1999, the Anchorage,
> Alaska, Baha'i youth workshop was one of several recipients of the
> "Spirit of Youth" award. Presented by the city of Anchorage to
> youth who had made outstanding contributions to the community
> 
> The Third World
> Youth Forum of the
> United Nations
> System, held in
> Braga, Portugal,
> from 2 to 7 August
> 1998, included
> Bahd '[International
> Community representatives from Canada, Sudan/Sweden,
> and the United
> States.
> 
> during the previous year, the award was given in the category of
> Dance Theater. The Baha'i youth group in the Eastern Caroline
> Islands garnered an arts award in November, winning the Pohnpei
> Youth Talent Show with its performance of drama, dance, and
> music. The Badi Youth Group of Macau won a similar Youth
> Service Award, and three Canadian Baha'i youth living for a year
> in the Bahamas formed the first youth dance workshop there,
> which performed in two schools on the island of North Andros.
> Youth from Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique also formed a
> performing arts group and, after completing a training course on
> the arts in December, performed at a youth club and arts center in
> Abymes, Guadeloupe, in March 1999 to an enthusiastic audience.
> An example of the power of the spirit of Baha'i youth occurred
> in Mexico, where six Mayan youth, all under the age of sixteen,
> on their own initiative, organized and carried out a local community development project. The youth systematically chose the
> methods through which they intended to achieve their goals,
> which were to witness an increase in the number of Baha'is,
> study circles, children's classes, and activities on the part of the
> Baha'i Local Spiritual Assembly. Through their efforts, which
> lasted thirteen days, all these goals were achieved. In Sri Lanka, ten
> Tamil youth created and performed dramatic skits that depicted
> the harmful effects of alcohol and explored family issues for
> audiences in two neighboring towns. Following a visit of the
> Scottish Diversity Dance Theater to Alford Academy in Aberdeenshire, two Baha' i youth returned to the school for two weeks
> in October to lead dance theater workshops. At the end of the
> 
> Children in Pakistan hold up signs with Baha 'i principles written on them
> during a Baha 'i event.
> 
> process, while watching a performance by the newly trained students, the Academy's headmaster reportedly exclaimed, "This is
> what I call education!"
> The first national youth conferences of Cuba, Mexico, and
> Zambia were held during the spring and summer of 1998. Using
> workshops, collective study, consultation, dance, and drama,
> attendees explored the role that youth can play in the development
> of their Baha'i communities. Thirty-five Baha'i youth attended the
> first youth training institute course in American Samoa in March,
> where they studied the Baha'i writings and created artwork, songs,
> and short plays. Other international youth conferences were held
> in Cameroon, India, Luxembourg, the Mariana Islands, Sweden,
> and Venezuela. Some focused on the arts, others on community
> development. Through these conferences, youth have been able to
> identify four key areas in which they have gained wide experience: teaching children's classes, using the arts in service to their
> Baha'i communities, facilitating institute courses and local study
> circles, and spreading the Baha'i teachings in areas populated by
> indigenous peoples.
> 
> YEAR IN R EVIE W
> 
> Involvement in the
> Life of Society
> Baha'is strive to contribute to the discourse
> of society by participating in activities and
> dialogue of governments, other religions,
> .          .
> progressive orgamza- ...,,....,..,.
> tions, and leaders of
> thought. As part of a
> governmental sym-           Bahri 'i youth ofIringa, Tanzania, with sf!Veral
> posium on "Poverty        Baha  'iyouthfrom other parts of the world, after
> and Consumerism-           six months   of teaching in the summer of 1998.
> 
> Rallying for Change," the non-Baha'i author of a report entitled
> "Our Future Prosperity" included in her report to the government
> of Trinidad and Tobago an appendix containing the full text of a
> relevant statement prepared by the Baha'is of that country and
> included suggestions for further reading in Baha'i literature. The
> document was sent to all government ministries, UN and NGOs,
> and the University of the West Indies. In South America, Baha'is
> provided input and organizational support to the formation of El
> Salvador's "Plan for the Nation," a long-term social and cultural
> development plan for the country. The Baha'i view on the theme
> "The Earth, One Village" was solicited by the Office of the President of Senegal for its December panel presentation on the
> subject. The Baha'i member was the panel's only religious
> representative.
> Throughout the spring of 1999, the government of Sierra
> Leone invited all civic groups, including religious organizations,
> to provide concrete recommendations on how to further the
> peace process aimed at ending the political unrest that has raged
> in the region for years. The Baha'i community was given a
> unique opportunity to provide input when two of its representatives were invited to participate in a thirty-minute interview on
> state television, during which they spoke about Baha'i strategies
> of conflict resolution, recounted what the Baha'is had been doing to
> support peace in the region, and outlined the history of the
> 
> Baha'i community in
> Sierra Leone. North,
> in Guinea-Bissau, the
> newly sworn-in Prime
> Minister sought the
> i,. ...
> á.., ~                        views of the Baha' i
> community when the
> 
> ~
> BAHA'I FAITH
> country's transitional
> government was
> formed in February.
> On I May 1998, the S aha.'is of S amenda, Cameroon,    Hurricane Mitch,
> were invited, along with other groups who have     the worst Atlantic
> radio programs on the provincial radio station, to storm in the last two
> participate in a Labor Day p arade through the
> center of town. The banner mentions the Saha 'is' hundred years, swept
> broadcasts: "Mothers, Fath ers and Children " and through Honduras in
> "Living the Life. "              October 1998. Honduran Baha'is assisted in directing aid to those areas most badly
> hit by the storm and accurately informed aid organizations and
> the government of the rapidly changing situation. One aid
> worker commented, "The Baha'is have been instrumental in
> helping us clarify where the help was needed most and how to
> distribute it well." The national Baha' i center, because of its
> proximity to an airport, served as a focal point for the distribution of food and vital medical supplies to the region's citizens, as
> did Baha' i buildings elsewhere in the country. Following the
> storm, Baha'is around the world initiated an informal fund-raising
> campaign on the internet, sending more than sixty thousand dollars
> and eight thousand kilograms of food and supplies to the country's
> peoples.
> Interfaith Activities
> "Consort with the followers of all religions," is Baha'u'llah's
> exhortation, " in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship." 10 Interfaith activities are critical to the creation of a world defined by
> justice, unity, and understanding. In what may be a world first, one
> 
> I 0. Tablets of Saha 'u 'llah Revealed afler the Kitab-i-Aqdas (Wilmette, Baha' f
> Publishing Trust, 1997), p. 22.
> 
> nation's religious leaders gathered to discuss ways of combating
> the decline perceived in their country's morality. Traditional
> African leaders and representatives from the Baha'i, Buddhist,
> Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Faiths in South Africa met in October at a Moral Summit to prepare and sign a collective "code of
> conduct" aimed at preventing violence , corruption, and other
> signs of moral decay in their country. President Nelson Mandela
> attended the signing. A similarly diverse panel discussion, broadcast
> on Austrian radio, was held over the Easter holidays to discuss
> the words " It is done," the purported last utterance of Christ.
> The organization of the May conference in Kenya of the All
> African Council of Churches was aided by the participation of
> Baha'is, who were asked to coordinate the components that dealt
> with unity, peace, and justice. Representatives of the Baha'i community of Germany were invited to take part in two important
> interfaith events : the "Mainz Dialogue,'' at which high-ranking
> religious officials met to discuss interreligious cooperation and
> the creation of a joint statement, and the "Inter-Cultural Council
> of Germany," an initiative of the Lutheran Church with similar
> aims . Baha'i artists participated in the 25 May ecumenical concert organized by the Association for Peace Between Religions
> in Romania.
> On the three-hundredth anniversary of an important Sikh holiday, five million Sikhs gathered in Punjab , India, for a major
> At a 6 March 1999
> UN celebration of
> international
> Womens Day,
> several Cypriot
> Saha 'is distributed ll~i
> carnations with "a
> message ofp eace
> and hope" attached
> to them, and were
> able to meet with
> Dame Ann Hercus
> (2nd left), Chief of
> Mission of the UN
> Peacekeeping
> Force in Cyprus.
> 
> Refugee children listen to a concert organized by the Ba ha' is of Manukau
> City, New Zealand, for residents of the Government's Mangere Refugee
> Hostel. Left to right: Jerome from Rwanda, Mustafa from Somalia, and Saiid
> from Ethiopia. Two Baha 'is from Tonga sit behind them.
> 
> celebration. Mrs. Lee Lee Ludher, a member of the Continental
> Board of Counsellors in Asia, Dr. I. S. Ludher from the National
> Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia, and Dr. Ali Merchant from the
> National Spiritual Assembly of India represented the Baha'i
> International Community at the gathering's Conclave of Spiritual Leaders. The Baha'i delegation was given the opportunity to
> speak during the closing ceremony, which was attended by nearly
> one million people. Mrs. Ludher and Dr. Merchant chose to
> address the assemblage together, he in Hindi, she in English.
> Other Activities
> Administrators of the Baha'i-run Montessori school program in
> Western Samoa were invited by the government to contribute
> ideas to the National Seminar on Early Childhood Education in
> November. Some of the more than one hundred and fifty highranking participants in the seminar were clearly enthused by the
> Baha'i presentation and by their visits to the Montessori schools
> 
> operated by the Baha'is. The Government of Samoa also asked
> the Baha'i educators to help create a standard curriculum for all
> Samoan pre-schoolers. Two government-owned radio stations in
> Liberia have contacted the Liberian Baha'i information center
> requesting Baha'i participation in their religious programs. In
> January the Baha'is of Antigua/Barbuda were asked by a committee of the Antigua/Barbuda Parliament for their feedback on a
> proposed domestic violence bill. The Baha' is were the only religious group to make a presentation in support of the bill, thus
> contributing a spiritually grounded perspective to the debate.
> A Baha' i-sponsored "Peace and Unity Rally" attracted more
> than three thousand of Fiji's residents. After the march, talks
> were given by the local Mayor, representatives from Government
> ministries, and a Baha'i. During the 6 February 1999 Proclamation
> for Justice in Equatorial Guinea, Baha'is recited selections from
> the Baha' i writings on peace. A Baha' i in the village of Slabodka,
> Belarus, organized a well-received celebration of International
> Children's Day in June, which included sports, games, exhibitions
> of children's art work, contests, and a concert. As a result, several other villages have invited the Baha' is to organize similar
> events in their areas .
> 
> The ceremony granting the fo urth annual World Citizenship Awards, sp onsored
> by the Bahri 'i community of Brazil, was held I 5 December I 998 in Brasilia. The
> winners, from 3rd left to 2nd right, were Rabbi Henry Sobel, Mrs. Raimunda of
> the Women s Education Network, Dr. Silvestre da Silva of the Brazilian Bar
> Association of Silo Paulo, and Mr. Marcia Gontijo ofAmnesty International.
> 
> The European Baha'i Business Forum (EBBF) and the Baha'i
> community of Bulgaria participated in the Sixth International
> Conference on Moral and Ethical Principles in a Social Market
> Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria, in October 1998. Sponsored by the
> EBBF, the Bulgarian National Spiritual Assembly, and eight
> other organizations, the conference brought together more than
> one hundred business leaders, academics , NGOs, journalists, and
> students to discuss business ethics, corruption, organized crime,
> microfinance, and corporate social responsibility.
> Following the tragic 15 August bombing in Omagh, Baha'is
> in Northern Ireland organized a memorial evening for the victims and their families in October. As each victim 's name was
> read aloud, a rose was placed in a vase, followed by a minute of
> silence. The program ended with prayers and readings from the
> 
> Parade float made
> by the Bah6 '[
> communities of
> Port Coquitlam
> and Langley,
> Canada, on the
> theme 'A Violence-
> Free Family' in the
> spring of 1998.
> 
> Baha'i writings . Baha'is in Canada organized a conference for
> the deaf and hard-of-hearing in St. John's , Newfoundland, in
> October. The "Points of Contact" conference hosted 153 people
> and featured not only keynote talks, but also an original dramatic
> work and extensive consultation among the participants on social
> issues facing the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Throughout last year, Korean Baha'is were very much involved in the
> preparations for the first global NGO forum in South Korea, to
> be held in 1999 in Seoul. Representatives from NGOs, universities,
> and the media were expected from all over the world to consult
> on ways of achieving social peace.
> 
> YEAR IN REVIEW
> 
> As part of commemorations honoring the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic, the Baha'i Women's
> Community of Adana, Turkey, in cooperation with the local government and the Adana Women's Union, organized a day-long
> festival. The Baha'is also participated in the main parade in
> Adana, bringing the largest number of participants. On 24 January
> President Cassam Uteem of Mauritius gave the keynote address at
> the World Religion Day observance sponsored by the country's
> Baha'i community. Talks by representatives of several world Faiths,
> centering around the theme "Towards a Caring and Prosperous
> Community," followed the address.
> Community Development
> The work of creating distinctive Baha'i communities involves a
> wide variety of activities, such as establishing local and national
> Baha'i centers, gaining legal recognition for Baha'i institutions,
> strengthening relationships with other religions and leaders of
> thought, translating and disseminating the Baha'i writings, gathering in regional and national Baha'i conferences to consult and
> build wider bonds of unity, training Baha'i administrators, and
> sharing the Baha'i message with society through public exhibitions,
> meetings, and other activities. Baha'i community development is
> designed to stimulate creativity and capacity at the grassroots level
> and is intimately bound up with the work of developing new patterns of society.
> Throughout the year under review, Baha'is in Cambodia saw
> their community grow noticeably in strength and maturity. In cities
> Participants in a
> 30 August 1998
> consultative conference in Kampot
> province, Cambodia, drew up plans
> for the development oftheir Baha 'i
> community. Such
> gatherings help
> promote unity and a
> sense ofshared
> responsibility.
> 
> such as Seam Reap, Kampot, Battamban, and Sihanoukville,
> where special efforts at community development have been
> made since summer 1998, Baha'is are now hosting training institute courses using standardized Baha'i curricula, holding regular
> Nineteen Day Feast gatherings, enjoying stronger relationships
> with local government, witnessing an increase in the attendance
> of children's classes, and an expansion in the number of Baha'is.
> Poverty, ethnic and political strife, and environmental degradation are just a few of the challenges that have inspired daily
> occasions of sacrifice and dedication by Bahci'is in different parts
> of the world. Unrest in the Congo Republic has upset traditional
> patterns of life, but the Baha'is of Dolisie report rapid progress
> in the functioning of their community. Strong interest in the
> Baha'i teachings is being shown by the local population, fueled
> by frequent public meetings, a series of training courses, public
> showings of Baha'i films, and an exhibition in a youth cultural
> center of Baha'i writings concerning education and the role of
> women. In a nearby village, the government has banned all gatherings except Baha'i ones. In spite of the unrest that has racked
> Rwanda in recent years, Baha'is there have made great strides in
> continuing their activities. On 19 April 1999 the Baha'i Radio
> program in Rwanda resumed its regular broadcast schedule after a
> five-year hiatus. In Costa Rica, the Regional Conference of Talamanca was scheduled to be held on a piece of forested land
> recently cleared by the community. As the Baha'i center planned
> for the space had not yet been built and no other suitable meeting
> place existed, the local Baha'is spent the day before the conference building benches, a simple kitchen, and a meeting room
> from the felled trees.
> In 1995 , Hurricane Marilyn devastated parts of the Virgin
> Islands , causing many to lose their jobs and homes. Many
> Baha'is were forced to leave the islands, and the national Baha'i
> . center was destroyed. Three years later, in August, the community
> held the first teaching conference since the 1995 storm. Held at
> the reconstructed national Baha'i center, the conference marked
> a turning point in the process of reconstruction. Attendees studied
> the most recent Ric;ivan message from the Universal House of
> 
> Justice, consulted on ways of meeting the needs of their community, and shared their love of music and the arts.
> The Baha'is of Canada marked the ten-year anniversary of
> Baha'i programming on the Vision TV network, a nationally broadcast channel that reaches more than seventy percent of Canadian
> homes. Baha'i program highlights include the four-hour broadcast
> of the Second Baha'i World Congress in New York in November
> 1992, which attracted an audience of more than three hundred
> thousand viewers; a documentary about the construction of the
> Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, India; and the first Baha'i
> video image broadcast via satellite, of Amatu'l-Baha Rul:iiyyih
> Khanum walking through the gardens surrounding the Shrine of
> Baha'u'llah for the program Baha 'u 'llah: A Glimpse of His Life
> and Teachings. One hundred and twenty-two broadcasts of sixtyseven Baha'i programs have aired on Vision TV since 1988.
> Conferences
> Local, national, and regional Baha'i conferences are designed to
> raise participants' awareness of shared goals and to foster consultation, fellowship, and bonds of unity among people who live
> far apart. Inspired by the long-running Black Men's Gatherings
> organized by Baha'is in the United States, Botswanan Baha'is
> held their first similar gathering in May. Participants explored
> their role as black men from a Baha'i perspective by studying the
> Baha'i writings to and about the black race, and afterwards spoke
> of regaining their "sense of nobility." They also consulted about
> ways of better supporting their Baha'i sisters and plan to incorporate
> the gatherings into the larger process of community transformation. The Malaysian Baha'i community's "Mid-Point Congress,"
> so named because it fell during the mid-point of the Four Year
> Plan, was held in August 1998. The conference brought together
> some thirteen hundred Baha'is, a member of the Continental
> Board of Counsellors, five Auxiliary Board Members, and all
> members of the Malaysian Spiritual Assembly. The Spiritual
> Assembly prepared for the congress by organizing a nine-day
> prayer vigil among all ninety-seven of the country's Local Spiritual
> Assemblies.
> 
> Training conferences for Baha'is serving in administrative
> positions are used to systematize and streamline the day-to-day
> functioning of Baha'i administrative bodies and build a unified
> vision among their members. In the fall of 1998, such a conference
> was held in Taraz, Kazakhstan, and was attended by forty Kazakh
> Baha'is from eleven communities. In Kiribati, for eleven days in
> mid-summer, nearly eighty members of the Auxiliary Board ,
> their assistants, and other Baha'is studied the principles that govern the Baha'i administrative system. Ten assistants to Auxiliary
> Board members in Laos met for a one-day training session in
> September to learn how to facilitate local, informal study groups
> on the Baha'i teachings. In Lesotho , Counsellors Garth Pollock
> and Daniel Ramoroesi led a conference for two days in December, where they explored ways of inspiring growth, action, and
> reflection in Baha'i communities and also outlined budgeting
> methods and other organizational concerns. Twenty-five Baha'is
> attended, including Auxiliary Board members, members of
> National and Local Spiritual Assemblies and members of the
> Lesotho Institute Board. Twenty-five Baha'is in St. Vincent and
> the Grenadines, including six members of the National Spiritual
> Assembly, attended a conference to learn more about the law of
> I:Iuququ'llah in March.
> Baha'i Writings
> The writings ofBaha'u'llah, the Bab, and 'Abdu'l-Baha form the
> sacred textual basis not only for the existence of the worldwide
> Baha'i community, but for its continued development and spiritual
> vitality. Study of the Baha'i writings is an integral part of community life and access to them is promoted through translations
> into local languages. Several communities have underscored the
> importance of increased availability of the Baha'i writings through
> formal ceremonies honoring the launch of new publications . One
> hundred and forty Baha'is attended a two-day devotional meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, in November, at which Gleanings
> from the Writings of Baha 'u 'llah, recently translated into Icelandic, was formally presented to the Icelandic community. A
> public presentation to a Russian audience of the Russian translation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the most important book of the Baha'i
> 
> u mpur
> 1998
> r.ontinue to ac'
> r?"
> 
> The thirty-f ifth National Convention of the Bahri 'is of Malaysia, held
> 29- 31May 1998, witnessed the presentation of the newly completed Tamil
> translation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas to Counsellor Rosalie Tran, who accepted it
> on behalf of the Universal House ofJustice.
> 
> revelation, took place in November. More than three hundred
> prominent guests filled the hall at the House of Friendship in Moscow to listen to a presentation by Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh , a
> member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the
> United States, Professor Emeritus of Yale University, and an
> expert in Russian history, as he described the content, significance, and history of the Kitab-i-Aqdas . Other segments of the
> program included the formal presentation of the book to the
> Director of the Library of the Duma, the President's Human
> Rights Commission, and the Parliamentary Committee on Religious Affairs ; performances of classical music; readings from the
> Kitab-i-Aqdas; the performance of a scene from a play written by
> an early Baha'i; and a choral quintet set to a selection from the
> writings of Baha'u'llah. A similar ceremony was held in September in Pakistan to introduce the Kitab-i-Aqdas to the residents of
> Azad Kashmir, Muzaffarab , with the respected Muslim scholar
> Allama Siyyid Kifayat Hussain N a.qvi presenting the keynote
> speech.
> 
> Baha'i Centers
> National, regional, and local Baha'i centers fulfill several important functions and are designed to serve the communities in
> which they are established through a diverse array of activities,
> including devotional and religiou s gatherings , classes, public
> service projects, art and music exhibitions, and public health and
> literacy initiatives. Several new local and national Baha'i centers
> were established this year. The Baha'i community of Thailand
> 
> Dr. Utairat
> Chaumrattanakul
> of the Spiritual
> Assembly of Th ailand presented the
> Kitab-i-Aqdas, the
> Peace Statement,
> and a copy of The
> Hidden Words to
> HRH Princess
> Soamsawali at the
> inauguration of the
> new Thai national
> Baha'i center.
> 
> was honored by the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess
> Soamsawali at the official opening of the Thai national Baha'i
> center in Bangkok on 26 November, 1999. Upon her arrival, the
> Princess was welcomed by members of the Thai National Assembly
> and then opened the curtain covering the center's front door to
> mark the center's inauguration. This was the first royal visit to a
> Baha'i event in Thailand, which was also attended by representatives of the Japanese, Malaysian, and Singapore National Spiritual
> Assemblies and by Zena Sorabjee, a member of the Continental
> Board of Counsellors in Asia.
> The Baha'i communities of Albania, Bermuda, Sicily, St.
> Helena, and the West Leeward Islands all opened the doors of
> their new national Baha'i centers last year as well. The Albanian
> Baha'i center is located in downtown Tirana near the Tirana
> International Hotel, the most prominent of the city's landmarks;
> the ceremony marking the expansion of Bermuda's Baha'i center,
> which occurred on the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the
> 
> The role that Bahci 'i
> centers play in the
> development of the '
> local community is
> considered to be
> very important. On
> 9 April 1998 in
> Talamanca, Costa
> Rica, a group of Bri
> Bri Indians held a
> prayer gathering at ,
> the site on which
> they plan to build
> their Bahci 'i center.
> 
> Members of the
> St. Helena Baha 'i
> community, along
> with several y outh
> volunteers from
> abroad, held a
> special celebration
> on 20 June 1998 to
> commemorate the
> opening of St.
> Helenas new
> Baha 'i center.
> 
> Bermudan Baha'i community, was attended by several highranking officials, including the Premier, the Governor, and the
> Roman Catholic Bishop of Bermuda; Sicily's inauguration coincided with the occasion of the community's first Baha'i summer
> school; and St. Helena's building had been constructed the previous
> summer largely by the volunteer labor of Baha'i youth, several of
> whom came from overseas to help. The inauguration of the
> national Baha'i center for the West Leeward Islands occurred during the National Convention in April 1998. Ground was also
> broken for the construction of a new national center in Trinidad.
> Other local Baha'i centers were established last year in places as
> far flung as Lubaini, Malawi; Arto Atoll, in the Marshall Islands;
> Patangata, Tonga; and Keningau, Sabah.
> 
> Legal Recognition
> The Baha'i communities of Austria, Georgia, and Russia all
> achieved long-sought goals of legal recognition during the year.
> In January 1999, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
> Russia received formal recognition as a "centralized religious organization" under a new law passed in the fall of 1997 governing
> religions in Russia. This legal recognition enables the Russian
> Baha'i community to rent and own property, and to publish, import,
> and distribute Baha'i literature. Similar privileges were granted
> to the Austrian and Georgian Baha'i communities through their
> registrations.
> After a long period of trying to acquire land for a Baha'i cemetery, the Baha'is of Colombo, Sri Lanka, received a letter in
> November from their local government, allocating a plot of land
> to be set aside as "Baha'i Burial Ground."
> Contact with Prominent People
> Several meetings took place between representatives of the Baha'i
> community and royalty, heads of state, traditional chiefs and
> leaders of thought last year. During a special campaign in April,
> each of Fiji's Paramount Chiefs received a copy of The Prosperity
> of Humankind, a statement of the Baha'i International Community, to inaugurate the next stage in the Baha'i community's
> efforts to raise the Chiefs' awareness of the Baha'i teachings. More
> than twenty-five Chiefs of American Samoa attended the dedication ceremony in honor of the newly reconstructed national
> Baha'i center in December and, during one part, led a traditional
> ceremony in honor of the center and the gathering. In August, two
> Chiefs on the Ni-Vanuatu island of Tanna wrote strongly-worded
> letters to Vanuatu's National Spiritual Assembly regarding the
> July execution of a Baha'i in Iran. 11 Governor Roy Schneider of
> the Virgin Islands met with a Baha'i delegation on 15 April. During the meeting, after reading Baha'i literature and speaking
> with the Baha'i representatives, he instructed his aide to ensure
> that Baha'i information sheets would be distributed to all government agencies, schools, and libraries for posting and suggested
> 
> 11. See pp. 151-54, 279- 86, and 312 for more on,the Baha'is in Iran.
> 
> to members of the delegation that they coordinate a public information campaign throughout the islands to raise people's awareness
> of the Baha'i teachings.
> Meetings with heads of state in various countries have served
> to strengthen relationships between Baha'i communities and their
> governments and as a way of acquainting leaders with the goals
> of the Baha'i community. The first instance of Baha'i representation at a meeting with a Malaysian head of state occurred on 27
> November in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, when Prime Minister
> Mahathir Mohamad, along with several chief ministers , met with
> 
> On 23 March 1999,
> Baha 'i representatives met with Mr.
> Cassam Uteem,
> President of
> the Republic of
> Mauritius.
> 
> religious leaders from around the country. Mr. Young Syh Fwu,
> Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bah a' is of Sabah, represented the Baha'i community. During the meeting the Prime
> Minister stressed the importance of religious tolerance, and Mr.
> Young Syh Fwu spoke of the Baha'i principle of obedience to
> government, afterwards presenting the Prime Minister with Baha'i
> literature.
> Several other meetings took place in Europe, Africa and Asia:
> During the "Women and Work" exhibition of the Dutch Women's
> Council on 27 November, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited several booths , including that of the Baha'is. The Queen
> spoke with the Baha'is there for several minutes about world
> peace, education, and human rights and accepted a copy of the
> latest edition of The Baha'i World. President Yoweri Museveni
> of Uganda likewise accepted Baha'i literature during his visit to
> 
> the Baha'i booth at the International Women's Day commemoration in Kampala on 8 March. Several members of the Spiritual
> Assembly of the Baha'is of Hong Kong met with the Honorable
> Secretary for Home Affairs David Lan on 2 September. The Secretary was interested in learning about the Baha'i teachings and
> requested more Baha'i literature to augment his office's research
> library. On 13 December, a Baha'i delegation made a courtesy
> call to the Honorable Hilarion Davide, newly appointed Chief
> Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. In the course of
> the forty-five minute conversation, the Chief Justice made several references to possible word-plays between the word "Baha'i"
> and similar words in the Philippine language, likening the Baha'i
> Faith to a dwelling ("bahay" in Filipino) which houses all the
> religions under one roof, and the first two syllables of Baha'u'llah
> (baha) to the Visayan term of the same pronunciation, which
> means "flood," saying the Baha'i teachings could be considered a
> "flood of love, justice, and grace."
> As a representative of the
> Universal House ofJustice,
> Mr. Giovanni Ballerio
> toured the southern Pacific,
> meeting with Kings and
> Heads of State, including
> His Majesty King To/a 'ahau
> Tupou 1V of Tonga.
> 
> Her Majesty
> Queen Beatrix
> of the
> Netherlands
> visited the
> Baha'i stand at
> an exhibition in
> Amsterdam in
> November
> 1998. The
> Queen was presented with the
> latest copy of
> The Baha'i
> World.
> 
> Public Recognition
> Several notable instances of an increasing respect accorded to the
> Baha'i community and its teachings by the media occurred in
> Europe last year. To commemorate the one hundredth anniversary
> of the founding of the Baha' i community in France, the Baha'is
> organized several events , including a gala concert, an interfaith
> colloquium entitled "France, a Land of Faith," and a public celebration of France's Baha' i centenary. French media coverage of the
> celebrations was substantial. National publications such as Le
> Monde, Liberation, L 'Express, Panorama, Notre Histoire, Phosphore, and La Vi e all took advantage of the occasions to write
> about the Baha'i community; national radio stations broadcast
> interviews and news reports about centenary activities, and several
> television stations repeatedly aired similar segments. The British
> Broadcasting Corporation aired a twenty-five minute interview
> with Olya Roohizadegan, a Baha'i from Iran, four times in July
> and August. Mrs. Roohizadegan spoke of her experiences as a
> Baha'i living under the post-revolution Iranian government, the
> Baha'i women martyrs of her home town, and the Baha' i teachings. A milestone was reached in Greece when the best-selling
> newspaper To Vima positively portrayed the Baha'i Faith in an
> interfaith article, "Five gods in the same city: People begin from
> different starting points and end up with common values."
> Two multidenominational schools in Limerick and Cork City,
> Ireland, both now close each year for a Baha'i holy day. One of
> the schools ' calendars marks 12 November, the anniversary of
> the birth of Baha'u 'llah, as "Baha'i Day," and suspends operations on that day. The other school closes for a different Baha'i
> holy day each year. In both schools, prior to the closure, Baha'i parents are invited by the school to speak to students about the Faith.
> In April, the national television station in Barbados and the
> Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation contacted the Baha'is of
> Barbados to tape readings of the Baha'i writings for regular
> broadcast on radio and television, under the titles "Thoughts for
> Today" and "Evening Meditations. " For ten to fifteen minutes
> every Sunday morning, Namibia's Radio Ovambo airs a presentation on some aspect of the Baha'i teachings. Each program is first
> translated into the local language by the National Broadcasting
> 
> Corporation. On 15 May Norwegian Radio broadcast a new composition by Baha' i composer Lasse Thoresen of selections from
> the writings ofBaha'u'llah set to music.
> In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Singapore's
> Inter-Religious Organization, a body formed to promote peace,
> understanding and goodwill among people of different faiths ,
> three specially-designed stamps were issued in January 1999,
> depicting nine of the major religions in Singapore. The Baha' i
> Faith was honored through its inclusion. Elsewhere, the post office
> of Hungary issued a one-day franking stamp on 21 November
> 1998 to celebrate the eighty-fifth anniversary of the establishment
> of the Baha'i Faith in that country.
> 
> Muslim                      Muslim
> Sikh                        Sikh
> Baha'i                      Bah"'.~
> 
> Three stamps which f eature Singapore s main religions were issued by the lnter-
> Religious Organization of Singapore in honor of its fiftieth anniversary.
> 
> Slovenia's national TV 1 network aired a half-hour program
> about the Baha'i Faith in February. The program was commissioned
> by the Office of Religious Affairs and contained three interviews
> with Baha'is, a Baha'i dance workshop performance, excerpts
> from a moral education initiative, and photographs of Baha'i
> holy places in Israel. In September, Evangelische Kommentare , a
> Protestant publication in Germany, published an article profiling
> Germany's religious minorities. Members of the Jewish, Muslim,
> Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i communities had the opportunity to
> write about their experiences with Germany's Christian majority.
> The article was a product of the increasing dialogue between the
> Baha'i community and established churches in Germany, attained
> after a long period of misunderstanding. In the words of the magazine's editor, after the German Baha'i community "succeeded in
> correcting incorrect representations that had been circulated
> about it among the general public, the Baha'is have more recently
> been appreciated as religious partners, by the churches as well."
> 
> The Yad Vashem ("Righteous among the Nations") award is the
> most prestigious award given to a gentile, honoring those who
> risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The award for
> 1998 was given on 17 December in San Francisco, California, to
> Martha Forgeur-Henkart, a Baha'i living in Sacramento. Mrs.
> Forgeur-Henkart provided shelter for a number of Jews in Belgium
> fleeing from the Nazi regime by establishing safe houses and distributing false identity papers. Her name is to be engraved on a special
> Wall of Honor at the Yad Vashem memorial center in Jerusalem.
> Sharing the Baha'i Message
> Over the course of the year in review, many communities have
> developed their educational and cultural lives and the functioning
> of their administrative institutions; other Baha'i communities
> have broken through barriers in the way of dialogue and understanding between them and their governments and countrymen.
> Still others have initiated large increases in the size of their communities, and other smaller communities, like the Baha'is in
> Greenland, have seen an exponential rise in Baha'i activity this year
> in the form of traveling teachers and regular public talks. An integral part of Baha'i life is teaching the Faith ofBaha'u'llah, both in
> organized campaigns and on an individual basis.
> Among the countries that have witnessed a substantial expansion
> of their Baha'i communities during the course of the year is Ethiopia, where more than one thousand new believers were enrolled
> during the month of March. Many were members of two tribes,
> the Agnwak and Gniwar, which had spent years fighting each
> other. Their newfound adherence to the Baha'i teachings, however, enabled them to set aside their traditional animosity and
> begin living in peace. The government noted the change in the
> tribes' attitude and has now granted permission for them to live in
> the same area. Tribal members are now bringing the Baha'i message to other warring factions, as far south as the Sudan. Colombia
> is another country in which large-scale expansion took place; more
> than fourteen hundred people accepted the Baha'i teachings in
> thirty-two of the country's departments during the summer.
> A teaching campaign in Madagascar during two weeks in
> August succeeded in reaching more than seventy-two thousand
> 
> Udaga Narayan Singh, left, Knight of Baha 'u 'llah for Tibet, who is now
> pioneering in Biratnagar, Nepal, with Kalsang Ranzun, a new Tibetan Baha'i
> who traveled from Lhasa to Kathmandu to visit Udaga.
> 
> people, including three thousand prominent people and leaders
> of thought. Nearly five hundred of those contacted became Baha'is.
> The Baha'i community of Bangladesh welcomed 620 new members in a campaign lasting from July to September. The Baha'i
> teachings were first introduced to the local government, which then
> assented to the Baha'is' activities. A Baha'i from the United States
> spent twelve days touring the southeast and north-central areas of
> Guinea in November. He met with the many Baha'is there, gave
> public talks, and facilitated the establishment of children's classes.
> Mozambique is home to more than six hundred new Baha'is,
> thanks to the efforts of ten Baha'is who traveled throughout
> twelve provinces in March, informing people of the teachings of
> Baha'u'llah. Two new Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed, one
> of which has already built a Baha'i center. Projects to strengthen the
> new believers' understanding of the Baha'i teachings are underway.
> Members of a traveling group of local Baha'is in Haiti slept on
> woven mats, endured extremely hot temperatures, daily torrential
> rains, mosquitos, and illness with patience and good humor. They
> succeeded in attracting sixty-four people to the Haitian Baha'i
> community during July and August.
> 
> YEAR IN REVIEW
> 
> Following the success of the Baha'i booth at the first International Book Fair held last year in Puerto Rico , the Baha'is were
> invited by the Puerto Rico Museum of Religious Anthropology
> to organize a booth in its exhibition at the largest shopping mall
> in the area. The Baha'is have been invited to participate in several
> subsequent exhibitions sponsored by the Museum. This has proven
> to be an unprecedented opportunity for the Puerto Rican Baha'i
> community to proclaim the Baha'i message and has resulted in
> several opportunities to raise the public's awareness of the Baha'i
> teachings. The Baha'is of the Canary Islands used the occasion
> of a book fair in Los Cristianos, Arona, to make Baha'i literature
> available to the public for the first time.
> After twenty-six Baha'is completed a one-month training
> course at the Enoch Olinga Institute in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, two
> groups were formed to undertake a two-week-long public awareness campaign in February. One group traveled to the west and
> the other to the north of the country, where they organized children's classes, public classes on the life of Baha'u'llah, interviews
> with several radio stations and newspapers, and youth workshop
> presentations in public and on television. Thirty-seven people
> declared their belief in Baha'u'llah during the course of the campaign. Audiences in Mbozi, Tanzania, were treated to several
> performances of the Ruaha Secondary School Dance Workshop
> for eight days in June and July. Seventy-one people felt inspired
> to join the Baha'i Faith during the workshop's tour, which was
> augmented by public talks and children's classes. There was
> near-constant teaching activity in the Central Asian country of
> Moldova, where one hundred people became Baha'is over the
> course of the year. Thirteen travel teachers from within the country
> and twenty-nine from elsewhere contributed to the growth.
> Some of the smaller campaigns and teaching conferences that
> took place around the world are indicative of the type of activities
> that thousands of local Baha' i communities undertook during the
> year. Among these were the efforts made for three days in April
> by ten Baha'is from five communities in Nepal. They traveled to
> the southern Chitwan district, a region without any Baha 'is,
> where they set up a Baha' i book stall, distributed literature, and
> held public meetings as part of a public information campaign.
> 
> Seven people became Baha'is, thus establishing the district's
> first Baha'i community. In the Seychelles, twenty people joined
> the Baha'i community during a nine-day September campaign,
> and in New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, fifty new Baha'is
> were welcomed between August and September. Baha'is in
> lquique, Chile, proclaimed their community's allegiance to
> achieving the goal of world peace through an organized proclamation campaign in the fall, and a Baha'i from Barbados spent
> two and one-half weeks in July in Dominica traveling and telling
> people about Baha'u'llah.
> 
> The Baha 'i communities ofBelgium, Canada,
> France, Germany, Ireland, and the United
> Kingdom celebrated notable anniversaries
> this year. Robert Weinberg reports on their
> commemorative activities.
> 
> 1998-1999
> A Year of Retrospect
> and Prospect
> 
> W        bile a large proportion of humanity has taken the opportunity
> during the past year to anticipate the turn of a century and
> the beginning of a new millennium, several national Baha'i communities have spent the period reflecting on their origins, celebrating
> their achievements , and initiating dialogue on their country'sindeed the whole planet's-future.
> The last twelve months saw significant celebrations of the centenary of the establishment of the Baha'i Faith on the European
> continent, most particularly in France and the United Kingdom.
> Germany, meanwhile, acknowledged the seventy-fifth anniversary of
> the foundation of its Baha' i community, Belgian Baha' is marked
> their fiftieth birthday, and in Ireland, events were held to celebrate
> half a century of the establishment of Baha' i institutions in that
> country. Canada, meanwhile, observed a double commemoration,
> marking the centenary of the arrival of the Baha'i Faith in Canada
> and the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Canadian
> National Spiritual Assembly.
> Millennia, centenaries, and anniversaries are all, of course, a
> human invention. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist Thomas Mann
> wrote, "Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never
> a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of
> a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only
> we mortals who ring bells or fire off pistols." Yet, for Baha'is, a
> significant anniversary is something to celebrate. It gives community members an opportunity to contemplate how far they have
> come, who their spiritual forebears were, and how they managed
> to achieve what they did. Anniversaries can provide a lesson in
> how to transmit the experiences of the past to the future.
> The first Baha'i center in Europe was established by May
> Maxwell (nee Bolles). Born in 1870 in the United States, Mrs.
> Maxwell spent many years resident in Paris with her mother and
> brother. In February 1899, she was among the first group of
> western pilgrims to go to Acre (in what was then Palestine) to visit
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, the son of Baha'u'llah and leader of the Baha'i
> Faith, who was still being held as a prisoner of the Ottoman
> Empire. On her return to the French capital, she began to tell others
> of the new religious movement she had discovered. A significant
> group of Baha'is emerged around her, among them a number of
> 
> Jn I 9 I 3, 'A bdu 'f-Bahil visited Paris for approximately jive months.
> He is pictured here with His companions al the Eiffel Tower.
> 
> RETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
> 
> Jn November 1998, more than one thousand Bahri'is gathered beneath the
> Eiffel Tower to commemorate 'Abdu 'l-Baha :S visit to Paris in 1913
> and to inaugurate a conference marking the centenary of
> the Baha'i Faith in Paris.
> 
> artists and artisans, and believers of various nationalities, including
> the early English Baha'i Thomas Breakwell.
> To mark the centenary of these momentous events, the Baha'i
> community of France held an ambitious conference in Paris from
> 27 to 29 November 1998. The celebrations began when more than
> one thousand Baha'is gathered beneath the Eiffel Tower for a
> photograph, on the same spot where 'Abdu'l-B aha had been photographed during His historic visit to Paris in 1913. Later, the
> conference opened with the participation of two thousand people,
> including more than two hundred guests of the Baha'is and six
> hundred Baha'is from outside France. The structure of the program, which was modeled on the Second Baha'i World Congress
> held in New York in 1992, included talks, film and video presentations, and theatrical and musical segments. A high point of the
> conference was the colorful public concert "La Nuit de l' espoir"
> ("The Night of Hope"), held at the Salle de la Mutualite, one of
> the largest halls in Paris. Before the event, more than two hundred and fifty special guests, including ambassadors, politicians,
> religious and civil dignitaries, journalists, and representatives of
> 
> Civic dignitaries and
> Saha 'is in the north of
> England gathered in
> Liverpool s St Georges
> Hal/for a regional
> celebration of the
> centenary of the Baha'i
> Faith in the
> United Kingdom.
> 
> major non-governmental organizations attended a reception and
> expressed great interest in and admiration for the work of the
> Baha'i community. Another highlight of the event was a dedication and reception held immediately after the conference at the
> Paris apartment where 'Abdu'l-Baha had stayed.
> Also marking the French centenary, a colloquium entitled
> "France, a Land of Faith," was held on 5 December in the prestigious Palais du Luxembourg. The goal of the event was to show
> how spiritual values have played an important role in the nation's
> growth and to point out the necessity, if France is to meet the
> challenges posed by the accelerating pace of global development,
> for balance between material civilization and spiritual values.
> Nine speakers representing the main religions of the country took
> part, including the Grand Mufti of Marseilles and the Director of
> the Institute of Science and the Theology of Religions at the Catholic Institute of Paris. Some one hundred and seventy people
> attended the colloquium.
> Media coverage of the centenary celebrations was unprecedented for the French Baha'i community, with a three-minute
> report shown on one of France's major television stations, a
> dozen radio programs, and a large number of newspaper articles,
> including a lengthy piece in Le Monde and another in the weekly
> L'Express.
> Among the participants in the French festivities were many
> visitors from the United Kingdom who, on their side of the English
> Channel, spent much of the past year celebrating the centenary of
> the establishment of the Baha'i Faith in Britain. The first Baha'i
> 
> R ETROSPECT AND PROSPECT
> 
> A production tracing the history of Britain :S relationship with
> the Baha'i Faith was held at London:S historic
> Hackney Empire Theatre.
> 
> of the British Isles, the American-born Mary Virginia Thomburgh-
> Cropper, was among the first party of Western pilgrims to visit
> 'Abdu'l-Baha. Soon after returning from her visit she taught Ethel
> Jenner Rosenberg, a distinguished painter of miniatures, about
> the Baha'i teachings. The two of them formed the nucleus of the
> first Baha'i community in Britain. Many of the dedicated early
> British believers were upper-class women who expressed their
> newfound faith through involvement in humanitarian and charitable causes. The most distinguished of them- Sara Louisa, Lady
> Blomfield-was an avid supporter of women's suffrage, campaigned for the rights of prisoners, animals and children, and was
> an active early participant in the formation of the Save the Children Fund. As part of the United Kingdom's centenary activities ,
> plans have been developed to restore the grave of Lady Blomfield in London.
> The extraordinary achievements of these women inspired dozens of gatherings throughout the year, as communities all around
> the United Kingdom held celebratory events. A special centenary
> website was established featuring useful information, historical
> 
> Irish President 4",
> Mary McA leese
> attended a
> reception in
> •m•
> Dublin Castle :S St.
> Patrick:s Hall on
> 22 April 1998 to
> celebrate the f tftieth anniversary of
> the founding of
> Bahci 'i institutions
> in Ireland.
> 
> To mark the seventyf tfth anniversary
> of the establishment of the
> National Spiritual
> Assembly, a
> Baha'i delegation
> met with
> German President
> Roman Herzog
> (far left).
> 
> articles , and illustrations for communities to draw upon. Many of
> the year 's activities made use of the exceptional artistic talent to
> be found in the United Kingdom's Baha'i community. The inspiring multinational choir "One World Rhythm" performed throughout
> the country; a youth dance workshop based in Northeast England,
> "Express Freedom,'' impressed audiences around the region; and a
> creative and often comical celebratory production written by Baha'is
> was performed at London 's historic Hackney Empire Theatre.
> Youth also featured in the celebrations, as one hundred and seventy-five young Baha'is and their friends attended a centenary
> conference in Warrington.
> In Northern Ireland, more than two hundred Baha'is gathered in
> Belfast for a program that included a presentation on the history
> of the Faith in the territory. Participants also looked to the future
> and discussed methods by which the Baha'i teachings could be
> more effectively applied to the problems troubling the region.
> 
> R ETROS PECT AND PROSPECT
> 
> On 22 March 1999, Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed a letter
> to the United Kingdom's National Spiritual Assembly, saying. "I
> congratulate the Baha'i community on the centenary of its establislunent in this country. I share your principle of equality between
> all people and welcome your encouragement of dialogue between
> those from different faiths and cultures. I hope your Centenary and
> New Year celebrations are a great success."
> On 22 April 1998, Irish President Mary McAleese attended a
> reception in Dublin Castle's St. Patrick's Hall to celebrate the fiftieth
> anniversary of the founding of Baha'i institutions in Ireland. Representatives of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of
> Ireland attended, along with dignitaries from the Methodist Church,
> the Sikh, Jewish, and Buddhist communities, the Department of
> Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Ambassador, the Bulgarian Charge
> d' Affaires, local schools, and several Irish non-governmental organizations. The President delivered a heartfelt and moving speech
> about the Baha'i teachings and the history of the Irish Baha'i community, enlivened by spontaneous comments and reflections,
> speaking far beyond the time originally scheduled. This was the
> 
> Jn commemoration oftheftftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Baha 'i
> Faith in Belgium, a conference entitled "Spiritual Sources and a New Order of
> Values fo r the 21st Century" was held at Brussels ' Palais des Congres.
> 
> first time an Irish President had attended a Baha'i event, an occasion
> which coincided with the first time other Irish religious representatives had officially acknowledged a Baha'i presence in the country
> by participating in Baha'i activities.
> Elsewhere in Europe, to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of
> the establishment of Germany's National Spiritual Assembly, a
> Baha'i delegation met with President Roman Herzog. For threequarters of an hour the three Baha'i representatives talked with
> the President about the writings of Baha'u'llah, Baha'i social
> and economic development projects, the situation of the Baha'i
> community in Iran, and Baha'i involvement in the United Nations.
> In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Baha'i
> Faith's introduction to Belgium, a conference entitled "Spiritual
> Sources and a New Order of Values for the 21st Century" was
> held at Brussels' Palais des Congres. One hundred and fifty people
> attended, of whom half were guests of the Baha'is. The keynote
> speaker of the evening was Chingiz Aitmatov, the Kyrghyz
> Ambassador to Belgium and the European Community. Aitmatov
> is one of the most widely read contemporary writers, with novels
> translated into more than one hundred and fifty languages. During the colloquium he gave an inspiring presentation in which he
> offered an analysis of the world's religions and contemporary
> cultures. He referred to competition among the religions and
> bemoaned the afflictions occasioned when "each religion endeavors to affirm itself at the expense of the others." Other speakers
> at the event included Andraz Laszlo of the Club of Budapest, Professor William Hatcher from Canada, Professor Anne Morelli from
> the Institute of the History of Religions of the Universite Libre
> de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels), and Dr. Christine
> Samandari-Hakim of the Baha'i International Community's Office
> of Public Information in Paris.
> Many of these European Baha'i communities owe much to
> their coreligionists from North America, whose pioneering efforts
> in many instances brought about the birth and subsequent growth
> of the Baha'i Faith in European territories. While May Maxwell's
> historic role in establishing the first Baha'i center in Paris was
> being remembered during the past year, her adopted home in
> Canada had its own occasion to celebrate.
> 
> R ETROS PECT AND PROS PECT
> 
> Canada's Baha'is took the opportunity of their National Convention in Montreal, held from 14 to 18 May 1998, to mark the
> fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the country's first National
> Spiritual Assembly. A number of invited guests who had rendered
> distinguished service to the community, as well as those who had
> been at the Convention in 1948, were present. In a special message to the gathering the Universal House of Justice called upon
> the Canadian Baha'is to maintain their position in the forefront
> of the development of the worldwide Baha'i community and particularly emphasized the need to involve the First Nations people
> of Canada in the unfolding processes towards world unity.
> A heartfelt letter was also received from May Maxwell's daughter, Amatu'l-Baha RuJ:iiyyih Khanum, the Baha'i community's
> foremost dignitary. "My ardent hope," she wrote, "is that the new
> generation, as well as those who have recently embraced the
> Divine Message of Baha'u'llah and entered into the tabernacle of
> His world-protecting, world-guiding teachings, may distinguish
> themselves , at home and abroad, in its service, and prove themselves worthy of the many blessings they have received as one of
> the oldest Baha'i communities in the Western World, whether of
> Europe or the American continent.
> We all know that the fastest runner,
> the most valiant exponent, the most
> steadfast protagonist is in any event
> likely to win the palm of victory."
> The other cause for celebration
> in Canada during the year was the
> one hundredth anniversary of the
> introduction of the Baha'i Faith to
> the country. In September 1898 a
> young woman named Edith Magee
> returned as a Baba' i to her home in
> London, Ontario after learning about
> the Baha'i Faith in Chicago. During
> the anniversary year, local communities around the country took the Mrs. Francoise Smith, center, who
> opportunity to hold public birth- attended the first National Convention in Canada, with members of
> day celebrations and show special the current National Assembly.
> 
> archival displays about the history of the Faith in Canada. Dr. Will
> van den Hoonaard, author of The Origins of the Baha'i Community
> of Canada 1898- 1948, also traveled to various towns and cities to
> lecture about Canadian Baha'i history.
> In reflecting during this year of anniversaries on their past glories and achievements, these Baha'i communities have not simply
> been paying nostalgic tribute to their spiritual forebears. All these
> events have served to remind Baha'is of the responsibilities they
> will shoulder in the coming years when, it is anticipated, more and
> more of humanity will turn to the Baha'i community for the insights
> and guidance to be found in Baha'u'llah's teachings. Remembering
> the achievements of the past reminds Baha'is of the foundation of
> sacrifice and dedication that built the good standing and reputation
> of the Baha'i community in the world today. Baha'is all over the
> world know that no less a sacrificial outpouring of commitment is
> required to continue the movement towards world peace and
> unity called for and initiated by the revelation of Baha'u'llah.
> 
> THEBAHA,f
> INTERNATIONAL
> COMMUNITY
> Activities 1998-99
> 
> T     he Baha' i International Community (BIC) is the non-governmental organization that represents the more than five million
> Baha'is living in at least 235 countries and dependent territories
> around the world . Its 179 national and regional affiliates work
> through a variety of forums to give practical expression to the
> Baha'i Faith 's central principles of peace and justice. Among the
> wide range of issues it addresses, the BIC is especially concerned
> with four major themes: human rights , moral development, the
> advancement of women, and global prosperity. Whether at the
> local, national, or international level , these foci give shape and
> substance to the Baha'i International Community's activities.
> Both the Baha'i International Community's United Nations
> Office and its Office of Public Information play important roles in the
> promotion of this work. The United Nations Office, with fifty years
> of diplomatic experience offering Baha'i perspectives on global
> issues and supporting UN programs , has in recent years worked
> with its national affiliates to enhance their efforts in these four focal
> areas. The Office of Public Infonnation, which also represents the
> 
> - - -- -- -- -- -- --        - - - --       - - - - - - - - --
> 
> Baha'i community internationally, disseminates information about
> the Baha'i Faith around the world, oversees production of the
> award-winning newsletter One Country, and maintains the official
> Baha'i web site.
> United Nations
> The Baha'i International Community maintains offices at the United
> Nations in New York and Geneva, as well as representations to
> United Nations regional commissions in Addis Ababa, Bangkok,
> and Santiago, and to UN offices in Nairobi, Rome, and Vienna. In
> 1988 the BIC established an Office of the Environment, and in 1992
> added an Office for the Advancement of Women as departments
> of its United Nations Office.
> As part of the community of international non-governmental
> organizations (NGOs) in special status (formerly called "consultative status") with the United Nations Economic and Social Council
> (ECOSOC) since 1970 and with the United Nations Children's
> Fund (UNICEF) since 1976, the Baha'i International Community
> participates in a wide range of UN activities. It offers Baha'i perspectives on the work of the UN and its agencies and works with
> both its national affiliates and other NGOs.
> During the 1990s, the base of Baha'i diplomatic work has
> broadened to rely more heavily on National Spiritual Assemblies,
> as a result of the involvement of a number of national Baha'i communities in various United Nations conferences. Since then national
> Baha'i communities, with the support of other like-minded organizations, have been finding ways to ensure that the promises of
> those conferences are translated into reality. As national Baha'i
> communities have begun to take on responsibility for influencing
> governmental attitudes and policies on matters of global, not merely
> national, importance, the Baha'i International Community's United
> Nations Office has sought to provide them with support and
> training.
> Human Rights
> The Baha'i International Community has been associated with the
> UN since 1947, and its focus on human rights education is part of
> its long-term efforts to promote respect for and understanding of a
> full range of basic human rights and responsibilities. In the Baha'i
> 
> B AHA' I I NTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
> 
> view, a willingness to respect and safeguard the rights of all people
> is essential to the establishment of global order and sustainable
> peace in the world.
> The Human Rights Education initiative, a global campaign
> involving Baha'i National and Local Spiritual Assemblies in an
> effort to influence the processes towards world peace, was launched
> by the Baha'i International Community in 1997 and gathered
> momentum during 1998-99. National Spiritual Assemblies that
> have chosen to participate in the campaign have begun finding
> ways to encourage their governments, often in cooperation with
> other organizations, to undertake activities in support of the UN
> Decade for Human Rights Education (1995-2004).
> The Human Rights Education Reference Manual, recently
> developed by the Baha'i International Community's United Nations
> Office, was distributed to 145 National and Regional Spiritual
> Assemblies. The manual, which discusses both Baha'i diplomatic
> work generally and human rights education specifically, is being
> used as the basis for a systematic program of diplomatic training
> offered to external affairs personnel of National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the world. The first such seminar was held at the
> Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot, Maine, USA, in October 1998.
> At UN Headquarters in New York, the Baha'i International
> Community cosponsored a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary
> of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, at which the need
> for human rights
> education was addressed by a number of prominent
> officials. The
> United Nations
> High Commissioner for Human
> Rights, H.E. Ms.
> Mary Robinson,
> acknowledged in
> H.E. Ms. Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for her keynote ad-
> Human Rights, speaking at the 30 October 1998
> symposium "Towards a Universal Culture of Human
> dress the contri-
> Rights: the Role of Human Rights Education. " butions of the
> 
> TKE BAHA:f WORLD
> 
> Graduates of a diplomatic training seminar, sponsored by the
> Bah6 'i international
> Community s UN office
> and designed to train
> Baha 'is to influence
> . the processes towards
> j world peace at the gov-
> . ernmental level, held
> 11- 17 October 1998 at
> the Green Acre Baha'i
> School in Eliot, Maine,
> United States.
> 
> Baha'is towards human rights education and mentioned the arrests
> of Baha'i university professors in Iran. The meeting was co-sponsored by the NGO Committees on Human Rights, the Status of
> Women, and Freedom of Religion or Belief.
> At the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on Human Rights,
> held March-April 1999, three Baha'i International Community statements were circulated as official UN documents. One addressed
> the protection of minorities; another the human rights situation of
> the Baha'i community in Iran in general; and the third the creation
> and subsequent crackdown on the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education in Iran. 1 The plight of the Baha'is in Iran was also addressed
> in an oral intervention during the Commission's deliberations.
> With other NGOs, the BIC signed joint statements on the Girl
> Child, the Draft Report of the Working Group on the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and
> Related Intolerance, and on the need for a Special Rapporteur on
> Human Rights Defenders.
> Protecting the religious freedom of Baha'is throughout the
> world is an important aspect of the work of the Baha'i International
> Community's office in New York and the primary focus of work
> for the BIC office in Geneva. Working through the UN offices,
> commissions and committees that monitor compliance with the
> various UN human rights agreements, the Baha'i International
> 
> I. These statements appear on pp. 299- 302, 279-86, and 287- 93 of this volume,
> respectively.
> 
> B AHA' f I NTERNATIONAL C OMMUNITY
> 
> Community has for twenty years directed international attention
> towards the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran by providing the UN
> and national governments with reliable information regarding the
> current status of the beleaguered Iranian Baha'i community. 2
> Interest in religious freedom is growing among governments
> and NGOs , and the situation of the Baha'is in Iran is seen by some
> as a perfect example of intolerance and discrimination based solely
> on belief. At the August 1998 Oslo Conference on Freedom of
> Religion or Belief, for example, held to create an international coalition to fund programs that support religious freedom, the situation
> of the Baha'is was considered. In his address to that conference,
> the Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community's United Nations Office, Mr. Techeste Ahderom, described the
> Baha'is as "a peaceful community whose members strictly adhere
> to the teachings of their Faith, which enjoins them to avoid partisan
> political involvement, subversive activity and all forms of violence.
> The Baha'i community," he assured those gathered, "is not aligned
> with any government, ideology or opposition movement." After
> offering an overview of the situation of Iran's Baha'i community,
> the country's largest religious minority, Mr. Ahderom narrated
> briefly the circumstances surrounding the execution of Mr. Ruhu'llah
> Rawhani, noting that during the last nineteen years more than two
> hundred similar executions have taken place, all in the name of the
> Islamic Revolution.
> Environment, Development, and Global Prosperity
> The World Faiths and Development Dialogue, initiated jointly by the
> President of the World Bank and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
> began in February 1998 at Lambeth Palace and continued this year
> with two meetings: one in Rome in December 1998 and the other in
> Johannesburg in January 1999. The Lambeth Palace gathering
> brought together development experts and spiritual leaders from nine
> major religions for two days of consultation on the relationship
> between material and spiritual development. The Rome meeting continued themes raised at Lambeth Palace and also set the framework
> 
> 2. See pp. IS 1- 54, 279- 86, and 287- 93 for further information regarding
> recent developments in the human rights situation of the Baha' is in [ran .
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> for the faiths' participation in the larger meeting in Johannesburg
> between World Bank officials, organizations from African civil society, and various religious groups, which was held by the World Bank
> to garner ideas and suggestions for the World Development Report
> 2001(WDR2001).
> Because the Rome meeting was small the fifteen participants
> were able to present ideas directly to members of the WDR 2001
> drafting team but also to discuss issues in some detail. The Baha'i
> International Community representatives in both Rome and Johannesburg emphasized the importance of basing development work
> on a broadly conceived and widely shared positive vision for the
> future instead of focusing on narrowly defined problems. For
> example, the faiths were encouraged first to define prosperity (or
> progress or development) and only then to seek to define poverty.
> Similarly, drafters of the WDR 2001 were urged to define social
> harmony and well-being before trying to measure social exclusion
> and vulnerability. Moreover, it was proposed that any approach to
> development must be animated by the conviction that, since
> humanity is one, each child born into the world is a trust of the
> entire human race.
> At the Johannesburg meeting the question of how to measure
> the application of spiritual principles in development was addressed
> by the Baha'i International Community in the form of the statement Religious Values and the Measurement of Poverty and
> Prosperity. This paper was presented at a workshop sponsored
> jointly by the World Faiths and Development Dialogue, Cornell
> University, the MacArthur Foundation, the Swiss Development
> Corporation, and the World Bank. 3
> Baha'i youth are also active participants in UN activities around
> the world. Representatives of the Baha'i International Community
> at the Third World Youth Forum of the United Nations System,
> held in August 1998 in Braga, Portugal, facilitated one of eight
> working groups . Representatives of the European Baha'i Youth
> Council and the Baha'i Youth Committee of Portugal were also
> active participants in the working groups, contributing substan-
> 
> 3. See pp. 269- 77 for the full text of this statement.
> 
> B AHA'f I NTERNATIONAL C OMMUN ITY
> 
> tially to the Braga Youth Action Plan, the document prepared by
> the forum for ultimate presentation to the UN General Assembly.
> The BIC also participated in the historic First World Conference of
> Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon in August 1998.
> Advancement of Women
> In keeping with the trend toward greater activity at the national
> level, the number of national Offices for the Advancement of Women
> grew this year to forty-nine, an increase of almost twenty-five percent since last year. The efforts of these offices are encouraged by a
> newsletter circulated by the Baha'i International Community's
> Office for the Advancement of Women, which includes stories of
> Baha'i projects, news from the UN, and information about opportunities for involvement in regional activities to promote equality.
> The BIC has been active in a variety of different activities pertaining to women at the UN . Since 1988, it has convened the
> Advocates for African Food Security: Lessening the Burden for
> Women; it was invited to attend the International Conference on
> Educating Girls: A Development Imperative, sponsored by UNICEF,
> the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the
> Inter-American Development Bank, held in May 1998 in Washington , D .C. ; and the Baha'i International Community was the
> only religious NGO present at an invitational seminar held in
> Beijing in June 1998, hosted by the All China Women's Federation
> (ACWF). The seminar, which was attended by approximately one
> hundred and eighty NGO participants, was called to discuss follow-up actions to the Fourth World Conference on Women and
> featured reports on largely grassroots activities to implement the
> Beijing Platform for Action.
> One topic of interest noted by some members of the ACWF was
> strengthening national mechanisms for the advancement of women,
> one of the issues addressed at the Commission on the Status of
> Women held in March 1999 in New York. At the request of the UN
> Division for the Advancement of Women, the Baha'i International
> Community organized an evening panel discussion during the Commission entitled "Building National Machinery for the Advancement
> of Women: The Role of Civil Society." It was cosponsored by the
> Division and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women. The
> 
> THE B AHA'I W ORLD
> 
> BIC also signed a joint statement by the NGO Committee on the
> Status of Women's Task Force on Institutional Mechanisms for the
> Advancement of Women. As convenor of the Task Force on
> National Machineries for the Advancement of Women for the NGO
> Committee on the Status of Women, the Director of the Baha'i
> International Community's Office for the Advancement of Women,
> Ms. Bani Dugal-Gujral, attended the expert group meeting on that
> topic, held in September 1998 in Santiago, Chile, where she presented to the experts the Task Force's recommendations.
> Women and health, the second topic considered at this year's
> Commission, has long been a concern of the Baha'i International
> Community. The expert group meeting on that topic, held in September 1998 in Tunis, Tunisia, to prepare for the Commission,
> focused on providing assistance to governments wishing to design
> and implement gender-sensitive national action plans for the
> health sector. BIC representatives attended the expert group meeting and contributed a written statement. 4
> Tlze Future of tlze United Nations
> As the United Nations moves into the new millennium, it is taking
> full advantage of what Secretary-General Kofi Annan calls "a
> unique and symbolically compelling moment for Member States
> to articulate and affirm an animating vision for the United Nations
> in the new era." 5 The General Assembly session convened in the
> year 2000, designated "The Millennium Assembly," will include a
> "Millennium Summit" for heads of state and government and will
> be preceded in May 2000 by a "Millennium Forum," through which
> organizations of civil society can have input into the Millennium
> Assembly. The Baha'i International Community, as Co-Chair of the
> organizing committee, hopes that through the Millennium Forum
> organizations of civil society will contribute to a new vision for
> the future of the United Nations and an organizational structure
> whereby the peoples of the world can participate effectively in
> global decision-making.
> 
> 4. See pp. 295- 97 for the text of this statement.
> 5. From a report to the UN General Assembly (A/52/850).
> 
> B AHA' f I NTER ATIONAL C O MMU NITY
> 
> Meetings
> The Baha'i International Community chaired five NGO committees
> and task forces in New York and Geneva this year: the NGO Committees on Human Rights, on UNIFEM, and on Freedom of
> Religion or Belief, and the Task Force on UN-NGO Relations for
> CONGO (Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations in
> Consultative Status with ECOSOC). In Geneva the Community
> chaired the Sub-Group on Education, Literacy and Mass Media of
> the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The
> BIC attended a seminar of experts on an Islamic Perspective on the
> Universal Declaration of Human Rights held November 1998 in
> Geneva, which followed Sub-Commission Working Groups on
> Indigenous Populations, Minorities, and Contemporary Forms of
> Slavery. Other meetings and UN sessions monitored by the Baha'i
> International Community this year include the seventh session of
> the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice;
> the twenty-seventh session of the Economic Commission for Latin
> America and the Caribbean; the fifty-first World Health Assembly;
> UN General Assembly Special Session Devoted to the Fight against
> the Illicit Production, Sale, Demand, Trafficking and Distribution
> of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances; United Nations
> Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment
> of an International Criminal Court; the fifty-fifth session of the
> Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; the
> Substantive Session of the United Nations Economic and Social
> Council; meetings of the UNICEF Executive Board; the Executive
> Committee of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR)
> Programme; the second session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the
> Elaboration of a Convention Against Transnational Organized
> Crime; and the seventh session of the Commission on Sustainable
> Development.
> 
> Public Information
> Based at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel, with a bureau in
> Paris, the Baha'i International Community's Office of Public
> Information stimulates public information work throughout the
> worldwide Baha'i community.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> The major publication of the Office during the year was Who is
> Writing the Future? Released in February 1999, this statement
> both reflects upon the events of the twentieth century in the light of
> Baha'i teachings and relates global developments during the past
> one hundred years to the challenges now facing humanity, providing a Baha'i perspective on events at this critical point in human
> history. 6
> The visitors' program at the Baha'i World Centre continued to
> grow. Between RiQvan 1998 and Ri9van 1999, the Office of Public Information coordinated and welcomed more than two hundred
> visits and welcomed some 2,595 visitors from eighty-five countries.
> The Speaker and several members of Israel's Knesset, the State
> Comptroller, senior officials from several government ministries,
> and a former Supreme Court justice were among the Israeli guests.
> Ambassadors from Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, Spain, Thailand, the Ukraine, and the
> United States, and Embassy officials from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
> China, Korea, and Thailand visited, as did government ministers
> and officials from Australia, China, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Thailand, the
> Ukraine, Uruguay, and Zimbabwe. Visitors from the field of academia included the Dean of the Catholic Faculty of the University
> of Vienna and several delegations from the Hebrew University of
> Jerusalem, including the President, the Vice President, the Dean of
> the Faculty of Humanities, professors, and students. In October
> 1998, at the time of a seminar on the theme "Women's Development,
> Help Women Help Themselves," sponsored by the International
> Council of Women, the executive committee of the ICW and conference participants visited the Baha'i World Centre. Journalists,
> media representatives, mayors from cities in the United States and
> Cyprus, and others also came during the year.
> The Office, which was responsible for the production of the
> video Creating a Culture of Growth, shown at the Eighth International Baha'i Convention in April 1998, subsequently distributed
> copies of the video to Baha'i communities throughout the world.
> Another initiative of the Office was the establishment of a pilot
> 
> 6. For the full text of this statement, see pp. 255---68.
> 
> BAl-J.A'f J NTERNATIO AL C OMMUNITY
> 
> video bureau in the Congo
> Republic, which has produced
> short videos on Baha'i projects
> in Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania,
> and Uganda.
> The Bahri 'i World website,
> now in its third year, added two
> new sections-one on social
> action, focusing on human
> rights, moral education, and
> the situation of the Baha'is in
> Iran, and the other featuring
> perspectives and profiles. The
> number of visits to the site doubled during the year. Plans are
> underway for the launch of an
> Arabic language version of the
> site. 7
> One Country, the official HE. Dr. Specioza Wondira Kazibne,
> Vice-President of the Republic of
> newsletter of the Baha'i Inter- Uganda and Minister of Agriculture,
> national Community, entered            Animal Industry, and Trade,
> its tenth year of publication .     shown with the Secretary-General
> Published quarterly in English, of the Baha 'i International Community,
> Mr. Albert Lincoln, visited
> French, Spanish, Chinese, Rus-           the Baha'i World Centre
> sian and German, One Country                 on 18 April 1998.
> reached an estimated 50,000
> subscribers in more than 180 countries and garnered many more
> readers through its site on the World Wide Web. 8 During 1998-99,
> One Country won an "Award of Excellence" for its overall content
> and design in the Apex '98 Awards for Publication Excellence.
> During the year, One Country reported on major international conferences , including the Oslo Conference on Freedom of Religion or
> Belief (Norway, August 1998), which brought together governments , academics and non-governmental organizations to talk
> 
> 7. The URL for the Baha'i World website is <www.bahai.org>.
> 8. The URL for the One Country website is <www.onecountry.org>.
> 
> about religious tolerance, and the Global Dialogue on Microfinance and Human Development (Stockholm, April 1998), which
> was co-sponsored by the European Baha'i Business Forum. Major
> feature stories during the year focused on the highly successful
> "On the Wings of Words" literacy project sponsored by the Baha'i
> community of Guyana; a distinctive grassroots community vegetable growing project undertaken by the Baha'i community of
> Mongolia, which has become a model for the nation; and the global approach of the Santitham School, a Baha'i-sponsored primary
> school in provincial Thailand. One Country also carried major
> news features on the efforts of the Honduran Baha'i community to
> marshal international aid and disaster relief assistance following
> Hurricane Mitch in November 1998 and on the efforts of the Iranian
> government to shut down the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education.
> The Paris bureau of the Baha'i International Community's
> Office of Public Information was engaged in a wide variety of
> activities during the year. The office assisted the French Baha'i
> community in its centenary celebrations, particularly in connection with the artistic evening "La nuit de l' espoir," and continues
> to liaise with the company "9 Productions" on a number of projects,
> including the organization of a second "Nuit de l' espoir." "9 Productions" is a joint effort of Baha'i and non-Baha'i artists with the
> aim of promoting the universal message contained in the teachings
> of the Baha'i Faith to large audiences.
> One of the Paris bureau's other major undertakings during the
> year was coordination of the "Promoting Positive Messages through
> the Media" project, which operates through the Royaurnont Process.
> Office staff made preparatory visits to Bosnia Herzegovina and the
> Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and received approval
> from the Government of Luxembourg to undertake the second phase
> of the project, including a multinational seminar to be held in Romania in the fall of 1999 and pilot projects in a selected number of
> schools in Albania, Bulgaria, and Romania. 9
> Training Baha'i communities to undertake public information
> work is another thrust of the bureau's activities. This year, it
> hosted a three-day public information training program in Paris for
> 
> 9. For a full account of this initiative, see pp. 145- 50.
> 
> B AHA'I I NTERNATI ONAL C OMM UN lTY
> 
> representatives from Baha'i communities in the francophone
> world and provided ongoing public information support to European and French-speaking National Spiritual Assemblies outside
> Europe, the European Baha'i Business Forum (EBBF), and the
> German National Assembly in conjunction with the Expo 2000
> project in Hannover.
> Conclusion
> More than a century ago, Baha'u'llah called for the creation of a
> system of international governance, based on the principle of collective security, which would encompass all of the nations of the
> world and lay the foundations for a lasting and universal peace. The
> Baha'i International Community, through both its United Nations
> Office and its Office of Public Information, actively promotes this
> concept and seeks to engender justice, peace and prosperity at the
> international level. The Community's activities during 1998-99
> bear witness to its commitment to these world-unifying ideals.
> 
> This article reports on the Bahri 'i
> contribution to a European Unionsponsored moral education
> initiative now underway in
> Southeastern Europe.
> 
> BAHA'I
> INVOLVEMENT
> IN THE ROYAUM ONT
> PROCESS
> 
> A      fter the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the
> 1992-1995 war in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the
> European Union pledged to mobilize civil society in a "soft" diplomatic effort to relieve the ethnic tensions that had roiled the religious,
> cultural, and economic landscape of the continent, and in particular,
> Southeastern Europe. Beyond the military and economic initiatives
> that successfully ended the fighting, other measures are necessary
> to end the war against intolerance; one can bring pressure to bear on
> a militia leader to lay down his weapons, but one cannot force him
> to stop hating his neighbor. The Dayton Agreements thus raised
> an age-old dilemma: in the quest to create a culture conducive to
> democracy and ethnic harmony, how can governments eradicate
> divisive attitudes and prejudice? Out of the crucible of this question
> was born the Royaumont Process.
> Named after the French town in which the Process was created,
> the Royaumont initiative was established on 12 December 1995
> by the European Union with the goal of creating a "framework of
> dialogue and cooperation" in order to "promote stability and good
> 
> THE B AHA'f W ORLD
> 
> neighborliness" among the nations of Southeastern Europe. Since
> much of the past and present conflict in the area is based on ethnic
> tension, Royaumont has focused on using non-governmental organizations to relieve ethnic strife through the promotion of interethnic
> dialogue and cross-border cooperation and promotes initiatives in
> such fields as education, art and culture, religion, science, technology,
> and recreation. The Royaumont administration is responsible for
> establishing projects in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
> Croatia, Hungary, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
> Romania, Slovenia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Russia,
> Turkey, the United States, and all fifteen European Union member states are also active members of the initiative. The Process is
> coordinated by Panagiotis Roumeliotis, a Greek diplomat. 1
> After the creation of the Royaumont Process, a two-year search
> ensued to find suitable projects to fulfill its goals. In 1997, the Baha'i
> International Community-an accredited NGO with the United
> Nations--offered its expertise to the organizers of the Royaumont
> Process, proposing that a moral education initiative created by a
> Baha'i in Russia might be adapted to fit the Process's goals . For
> several years the "ZIPOP0" 2 program- in English, "The Happy
> Hippo Show"-had been successfully motivating Russian audiences to consider the application of moral principles to their day-today problems. "The Happy Hippo Show" is a unique drama-based
> interactive tele-vision/radio program that has been developed and
> implemented by Shami! Fattakhov, a television journalist from
> Kazan, Russia. With "The Happy Hippo Show," Mr. Fattakhov
> has been using broadcast media to explore points of ethnic and
> cultural unity and to stimulate public dialogue on the unifying
> power of morality. The English name of the program alludes to a
> 
> 1. Dr. Roumeliotis was appointed to coordinate the Royaumont Process by the
> Council of the European Union. Other organizations involved in the planning
> and implementation of the Royaumont agreement include the European
> Commission, the European Parliament, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eastern
> Europe , the Central European Initiative, and the Black Sea Economic
> Cooperation collective.
> 2. "ZlPOPO" is an acronym of the Russian words "Zaochniy institut pozitivnovo
> povedeniya," or "The Academy of Positive Behavior."
> 
> B AHA'I I NVO LVE ME NT IN THE R OYAU MONTpROCE SS
> 
> remark attributed to 'Abdu'l-Baha, who is reported to have said to
> a crying child, "Don't be sad, be a happy hippopotamus!" 3
> On 1 April 1998, representatives of all countries involved in
> the Royaumont Process gathered at a summit in Athens, Greece,
> to discuss potential Royaumont projects. There, the details of the
> Baha'i initiative-"Promoting Positive Messages through the Media:
> 'The Happy Hippo Show'"-were first presented and approved for
> financing. In the words of Dr. Roumeliotis, "'The Happy Hippo
> Show' was one of the first projects to be submitted for evaluation to
> the Member Summit since it was the first to be so well prepared and
> comprehensive. " 4
> Baha'i involvement with the Royaumont Process is coordinated
> through the Paris Branch of the Baha'i International Community's
> Office of Public Information and is funded by the Grand Duchy of
> Luxembourg. Ambassador Ronald Mayer of the Grand Duchy of
> Luxembourg, who has been involved with the Baha'i project, has
> said that it "fits perfectly with the objectives of Royaumont, as its
> aim is precisely to promote values, messages, and ideas encouraging reciprocal understanding and comprehension." "The Happy
> Hippo Show" has also received high praise and enthusiastic pledges
> of support from Balkan host governments.
> "The Happy Hippo Show" draws upon the power of drama and
> consultation, presenting brief, evocative sketches that spark discussion between the host and audience. One play performed last year
> in Zagreb, Croatia, was called simply "Cold Coffee." Set in a
> local coffeehouse, the piece featured three Croatians-two men
> and a woman. During their meal , they speak several times in
> derogatory terms about their Serb waiter. At the drama's climax, the
> waiter accidentally spills coffee on one of the Croatians, and the
> 
> 3. See pp. 229- 33 of The Baha 'f World 1996- 97 for further information on
> the ZIPOPO project.
> 4. More than twelve other projects under the Royaumont Process have since
> been established, including a program to strengthen ties between Southeastern European human rights NGOs (sponsored by the Internationa l
> Helsinki Federation for Human Rights), an educational initiative to train
> culturally sensitive leaders (sponsored by the Hellenic Foundation for
> European Foreign Policy), and a plan to encourage cooperation among
> Southeastern European universities.
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> To fulfill the Royaumont Process s goals of stimulating public dialogue and
> consultation on ethnic issues, graduates of the November 1998 Happy Hippo
> training seminar in Zagreb, Croatia, performed the short play
> "Cold Coffee" for the public and media.
> 
> two men rise to attack him. At that point in the performance, the
> host shouted "Freeze!"; the drama stopped and the host and the
> audience took over. The following segment of the show was
> devoted to discussion among audience members, with the host
> asking questions and occasionally interjecting ideas or quotations
> to spur discussion. The exchange that followed the performance
> centered around ethnic relations between Serbs and Croats, with
> audience members offering everything from simple pleas for tolerance to the observation that ethnic differences are an undeniable
> reality with ramifications that demand careful attention. The program ends with the actors presenting one or two possible positive
> solutions. One audience member, a university student from Zagreb,
> said of the show, "I thought it was excellent in that it was actually
> trying to solve the issue, and people were speaking openly. Sometimes in your family, you are not allowed to speak, but if you can
> come here, to events like this , you can be heard."
> The basic format of "The Happy Hippo Show,'' with its live
> drama, audience response, and spontaneous discussion between the
> host and audience is remarkably adaptable. Virtually any subject,
> 
> B AHA'f I NVO LVEMENT IN THE R OYAUMONT PROCESS
> 
> from the causes of local ethnic conflicts to premarital sex, can be
> explored in depth, and more than two hundred scripts for the show
> have already been written. The format welcomes grassroots participation and is designed to be particularly accessible to youth. The
> goal of Baha'i involvement in the Royaumont Process is to train
> journalists, education professionals, members of non-governmental organizations, those who work with youth, and other interested
> people to work towards the fulfillment of the Royaumont objectives. One of the ways of doing that is by establishing "Happy
> Hippo" programs throughout Europe.
> In the initial phases of the project, Mr. Fattakhov conducts local
> training workshops for prospective hosts. In a few days of intense
> instruction, participants are taught the basics of organizing and
> managing a television or radio show, how to write and solicit
> scripts, direct actors, and serve as their show's host. As facilitators
> of the discussion segment of the show, hosts are trained in the art
> of successful consultation and are encouraged to adapt the "Happy
> Hippo" format to the needs and capacities of their own communities.
> 
> After "Cold Coffee" was halted, audience members discussed issues related to
> inter-ethnic tolerance. Seen in the center of the photo, to the right ofthe white
> signboard, a host wearing the Happy Hippo costume rewarded audience
> members who made positive statements.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> Training seminars have been conducted in six countries thus far:
> Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovenia,
> with more planned for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
> Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In
> addition to airing on television, the show has been produced in the
> business community, in kindergartens, youth camps, schools, hospitals, and universities. In Croatia, the weekly "Happy Hippo" radio
> program, which addresses such issues as multiculturalism and
> women's rights, was nominated best radio talk show of the year
> in the spring of 1999.
> Of the seminars, Dr. Roumeliotis writes, "The implementation of
> this project was a success and the reports we have been receiving
> demonstrate a profound interest by the target countries in the work
> proposed by the Baha'i International Community." In countries
> where seminars have taken place, plans are in process to identify
> and support promising follow-up projects, to produce "The Happy
> Hippo Show" on television, to implement "Happy Hippo"-inspired
> moral education curricula in the school system, and to hold additional, more comprehensive training seminars.
> The "Happy Hippo" format has also been adapted for use in
> moral education programs in countries as diverse as China, Finland,
> India, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, the Malay states
> of Sabah and Sarawak, Sweden, the Ukraine, and the United States.
> 
> Update: The Situation of
> THEBAHA'fS
> rN!RAN
> 
> T     he situation of the Baha'is in Iran during 1998-99 was marked
> by several major crises. The first of these was the execution of
> Mr. Ruhu'llah Rawhani in July 1998, and the second was the government's attempted closure of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education
> (BIHE) in October. In addition, government authorities confirmed death sentences on two Baha'is.
> Two comprehensive written statements by the Baha'i International Community, presented at the United Nations Commission
> on Human Rights in the spring of 1999, summarize these events
> and are included in this volume. 1
> The execution of Mr. Rawhani brought condemnation from all
> comers of the globe. The United Nations Commissioner for Human
> Rights, Mary Robinson; the President of the United States, Bill
> Clinton; the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Australia, Alexander
> Downer; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Canada, Lloyd
> 
> I. One, a report on the Baha' i Institute of Higher Education, appears on pp.
> 287- 93 ; the other, an update on the current situation in Iran, can be found
> on pp. 279- 86 .
> 
> Axworthy, all issued statements expressing their disapproval.
> Mr. Axworthy stated, "This brutal action is a grave disappointment," while the White House Press Secretary's statement said,
> "The United States condemns this action, which violates the most
> basic international norms and universal standards of human rights."
> Media coverage of the execution was extensive, with articles
> appearing in the International Herald Tribune; France's Le
> Monde, Liberation, and La Croix; London's Sunday Telegraph;
> Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Tageszeitung;
> Australia's Sydney Morning Herald and the West Australian;
> Canada's Globe and Mail and the Montreal Gazette; and other
> newspapers in India, Uganda, Botswana, Malta, and Turkey. The
> Tehran Times printed a denial of the execution, while the headline in the independent paper the Iran Times, published in
> Washington D.C., read "First Baha'i is reported executed in six
> years." A Jerusalem Post editorial mentioned the execution in
> the context of hard-line opposition to reform in Iran. Wire services around the world, including AP (the Associated Press), UPI
> (United Press International), Reuters, Agence France Presse, dpa
> (the German press agency), the BBC Newsfile, and ARGUS in
> Switzerland also followed the story.
> Radio coverage included pieces on a number of BBC stations,
> Radio France Internationale and Radio Orient (an Arab radio
> service in Paris), Radio Canada (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's French-language radio service), Voice of America, a
> number of Australian Broadcasting Commission stations, and radio
> stations in Uganda and Botswana. The Australian Broadcasting
> Commission carried the story as a major item on its television
> news broadcasts in Western Australia and Victoria, and Botswana's
> only television channel reported on the execution in both Setswana
> and English.
> In late August several European newspapers-notably Liberation in France and Neue Zurcher Zeitung in Switzerland-again
> focused on the situation oflran's Baha'is, referring to the "brutal
> persecution of the Baha'i religious community" in the context of
> France's efforts at rapprochement with Iran.
> When the raid on the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education
> (BIHE) occurred at the end of September, the White House Press
> 
> B AHA'fs IN I RAN
> 
> Secretary again issued a statement of condemnation, as did Canada's
> Minister of Foreign Affairs. The government of the United Kingdom
> also expressed its support for the Institute through an Early Day
> Motion in the House of Commons.
> The raid, which was preceded by the confirmation of death
> sentences against more members of Iran's Baha'i community,
> again attracted significant media attention. In late September and
> early October, the Times of London, the Luxemburger Wort and
> the Journal, and the Irish Times all reported on the death sentences. UPI in Washington and Reuters in Washington and Paris
> picked up the story, as did dpa.
> The New York Times, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the
> Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the Iran Times all did stories
> on the raid, and the Washington Post published an op-ed piece
> protesting Iran's treatment of the Baha'is. The Times of London
> published a letter to the editor, signed by five senior professors at
> Oxford University, expressing their distaste at the actions of the
> Iranian government in relation to the BIHE. The Statesman in
> India published an article on the closure, as did Le Monde and La
> Chronique d 'Amnesty International. Several Brazilian newspapers
> also ran articles.
> Wire service coverage came from UPI in Toronto and Reuters
> in Paris, which both reported on the action, while AP and dpa did
> dispatches based on U.S. State Department spokesman James
> Rubin's statement condemning this latest suppression of the Baha'i
> community in Iran. The Voice of America broadcast an editorial
> report in support of the Institute and of Iran's Baha'is, which
> reached Iran, and the BBC World Service issued a press release
> based on the U.S. State Department's statement. An interview on
> the situation took place on German national radio.
> Later, when prison sentences were pronounced against four
> faculty members of the BIHE in April 1999, AP in Washington
> again reported the story.
> In response to the closure of the Baha'i Institute for Higher
> Education, Baha'is around the world developed a campaign to
> bring the situation to the attention of university administrators,
> academics, students, and journalists, urging them to take action
> to publicize the denial of human rights to the Baha'is and to express
> 
> their support for the Institute. As a result, twenty-six university
> and college presidents, rectors, and deans took action; prominent
> academics and administrators wrote letters of support; influential
> academic and administrative unions wrote letters and informed
> their membership of the situation; student and faculty senates
> passed resolutions concerning the situation oflran's Baha'fs; and
> a number of media events took place. Other kinds of responses
> included candlelight vigils, petitions, open letters, information meetings, and interfaith expressions of solidarity. While the campaign
> involved many countries, Canada, the U.S.A., Australia, Brazil,
> Germany, Ireland, and Norway were particularly involved in it.
> At the United Nations, UNESCO Director-General Federico
> Mayor wrote several responses to appeals directed to his office
> as a result of the campaign, assuring correspondents that the
> agency "is taking its responsibility very seriously in this matter,"
> and the most recent report of the Special Representative on Iran
> to the UN Commission on Human Rights cited the "orchestrated
> raid" on the Institute as evidence of a deterioration of the situation oflran's Baha'is.
> 
> EssAYS,
> STATEMENTS    I
> 
> PRoANFr1Es
> Nancy Ackerman and Graham
> Hassall recount the historical
> connections binding the Baha '[
> Faith to Central Asia and,
> specifically, to Russia.
> 
> RussIA AND THE
> BAHA'f FAITH
> A Historic Connection
> 
> 0      ver the past decade, the world has watched with a mixture
> of fascination and dismay as the countries of the former
> Soviet Union have emerged from the yoke of totalitarian regimes,
> in most of which religion was either banned altogether or barely
> tolerated. Within those countries , the reaction which greeted the
> restoration of many religious communities was characterized at
> first by immense curiosity and excitement that was later replaced
> by a more wary skepticism. This article traces the historic relationship of the Baha'i community to the largest of these countries,
> Russia, 1 which has enjoyed a special relationship to the Baha'i
> Faith from the religion's earliest beginnings in the mid-nineteenth
> century.
> 
> 1. Both Russia before the October 1917 revolution and the Soviet Union from
> 1917- 1991 included many territories which are now independent countries.
> Several of them are mentioned in this brief sketch, although the detailed history of the development of the Baha' i communities in each of them has yet
> to be written.
> 
> The record of Russia's involvement has earned for her a rank in
> Baha'i history enjoyed by only three other countries of the world. 2
> Her role in the early history of the new religion may be seen as an
> index of her spiritual and cultural potentialities. In 1852, alone
> among the nations of that day, Russia offered refuge to the Faith's
> Founder, Baha'u'llah, when He was unjustly imprisoned; in the
> 1880s, a Russian court was the first to recognize the independent
> character of the Baha'i Faith and to defend the rights of its persecuted
> believers; a number of Russia's nineteenth and early twentieth
> century scholars and artists played a role in acquainting the West
> with the existence of the new religion; and it was under a Russian
> administration in Turkestan, in the first decade of the twentieth
> century, that the first Baha' i House of Worship in the world was
> erected, and one of the most outstanding early Baha'i communities
> enjoyed the freedom to develop.
> Witnesses to the Persecution of Baha'is in Persia
> It should not be surprising, given their proximity to Persia, the
> birthplace of the Baha'i Faith, that Russia and its territories should
> have been among the first areas of the world to be informed about
> the new religion. The presence of representatives of the Russian
> government in Persia during the ministries of both the Bab and
> Baha'u'llah meant that Russian observers were witness to crucial
> early episodes of the community's evolution.
> In 1844, when the Bab declared His mission, the Russian legation
> was one of a very few European diplomatic missions in Teheran. 3
> One diplomat, Prince Dmitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, Russian Minister to the Persian court from 1846 to 1854, was well aware of the
> commotion which the Bab's teachings were creating in Persia as
> well as of the atrocities committed against followers of the new
> movement. Dolgorukov frequently included information about these
> historic events in his reports to his superiors in St. Petersburg.
> 
> 2. The other three are Iran , the birihplace of the Faith , the Holy Land , where
> its Founders are buried and the spiritual and administrative headquarters
> of the Faith are located, and North America, because of its special role in
> the establishment of the Baha ' i pattern of administration.
> 3. For a list of Russian Ministers from 1839 to 1916, see Mooj an Momen ,
> Th e Babi and Baha 'i Religions, 1844- 1944, Some Contemporary Western
> Accounts (Oxford: George Ronald, 1981), p. 483 .
> 
> Dolgorukov was apparently aware of the religious nature of the
> movement, but as he lacked firsthand knowledge of the teachings
> of either the Bab or, later, Baha'u'llah, his accounts are frequently
> distorted, as were almost all early accounts of the Faith written by
> outside observers in Iran . As one historian explained:
> 
> Until the time when, in the early years of the twentieth century,
> Baha' i communities arose in the West and were able to publish
> accurate accounts of the new religion , it was rare to find an
> undistorted statement of its history and teachings, for the most
> part, because in the Persia of the latter half of the nineteenth
> century it was very difficult to obtain firsthand information about
> the religion. Severe persecutions had virtually driven the movement underground; even the words "Bab" and "Baha'i" could
> not be mentioned in public. Thus Westerners travelling or residing
> in Persia found it almost impossible to contact the Baha'is .. . the
> majority of writers were forced to borrow accounts from other
> writers. This resulted in fabrications and inaccuracies being perpetrated and through much repetition becoming regarded as the
> truth. 4
> 
> Moved by a desire to avoid disturbances, real or imagined,
> within or near Russian territory, Dolgorukov made representations to the Shah asking that the Bab's place of imprisonment be
> moved away from the borders of Russia. However, the interest of
> foreign observers in the new religious movement was growing and
> the Russian Consul in Tabriz was ordered by the Tsar (Nicholas I) to
> obtain as much information as possible about the Bab and His
> followers. However, this instruction could not be carried out, as
> the Bab was executed in 1850. The Russian Consul in Tabriz,
> perhaps sensing the historic significance of this dramatic event,
> himself went to view the Bab 's remains as they lay in a moat outside
> the city, bringing along with him an artist, whom he commissioned
> to make a drawing of them. This sketch was apparently later sent to
> the court in St. Petersburg and may still be kept in historical archives.
> It is clear from Dolgorukov's later actions that he deplored the
> torture and gruesome public executions of the Babis. In 1852,
> when Baha'u ' llah was sentenced to exile by the Shah of Persia,
> 
> 4. Mom en , The Ba bi and Baha 'i Religions, p. 3.
> 
> Prince Dolgorukov, who "left no stone unturned to establish the
> innocence ofBaha'u'llah," 5 offered Him refuge on Russian territory
> and every assistance for His safe removal from Persia. Baha'u 'llah
> chose instead exile to Iraq. On His three-month journey to Baghdad,
> He was accompanied, by order of Dolgorukov, by an official representing the Russian Legation.
> While Baha'u'llah and His followers proceeded on their journey from Baghdad to Constantinople and Adrianople, and finally
> to the penal colony of Acre in Palestine, diplomats and orientalists
> continued to correspond on what they regarded as an intriguing
> contemporary religious movement. On rare occasions they even
> provided the Baha'is within Iran protection from the continuing
> persecution of the government and clergy. 6
> Russian diplomats, among others, continued to extend protection
> to Baha'is in later years, prior to the revolution of 1906. In I~fahan
> in 1903, Baha'is took refuge from mobs in the Russian Consulate,
> and the acting Consul, M. Voronovskii, petitioned the Persian
> authorities on their behalf. 7 It was out of such humanitarian assistance to both Baha'u'llah and to the later Baha'is, that the accusation
> was made by religious authorities in Persia of "Russian support
> for the Baha'is." In an irony of history, this same false chargebut more generally of"foreign support"- was adopted by the later
> Soviet regime against its own Baha'i community. When the Shah
> expressed his displeasure to Russian diplomats, blaming them
> for showing favoritism to the Baha' is, the official reply came
> that "the [Russian] government shows no favoritism to the Baha'is,
> but also does not persecute them."
> Growth of the Early Baha'i Communities
> The teachings of the Baha'i Faith spread into Russia, the Caucasus
> and Central Asia, brought largely by travellers, 8 pilgrims on their
> way to the Holy Land through Turkey, and by Persian Baha'is
> 
> 5. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By (Wilmette: Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1970),
> p. 104.
> 6. For details and other instances, see Momen, The Babi and Baha 'i Religions ,
> pp. 378- 85 .
> 7. Momen, Th e Babi and Baha 'i Religions, pp. 376, 378- 85 .
> 8. See H.M . Balyuzi, Eminent Baha 'is in the Time of Bah6 'u 'llah (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 1985), p. 180.
> 
> seeking refuge from the continuous persecution by the clergy and
> authorities in their homeland. By 1938, records show that Baha'i
> Assemblies had been established in at least fourteen cities, including
> Moscow, Bukhara, Ashgabat, Tashkent, Baku and Tiflis, although
> some ceased to exist during the Soviet era. Smaller groups ofBaha'is
> had formed in at least twenty-two other localities, including Orel,
> Leningrad, Samarkand, Erevan and Batum. The most developed
> of these centers was , without doubt, Ashgabat, in what is today
> Turkmenistan.
> In the 1880s, the newly established city of Ashgabat became the
> administrative center of the Russian-administered Transcaspian
> District. The first Baha'is to settle there, in 1882, were refugees
> from Sabzivar who were escaping religious persecution in Persia.
> Baha'u'llah Himself encouraged Baha'i settlement in Ashgabat, 9
> and within a short time some four to five hundred Baha'is had emigrated from Iran. By 1890 that number had reached one thousand.
> The Baha'i community established a cemetery and constructed
> buildings for community functions; one eminent Baha'i from Yazd,
> I:Iaji Mirza Mul).ammad-Taqi, who had for some time been a
> commercial agent in Yazd, bought a large tract of land, a part of
> which Baha'u'llah requested be reserved for a Baha'i House of
> Worship. Many of the Baha'is in the city were skilled masons
> and construction workers and so contributed not only to the construction of the Temple, but to the building of the rapidly growing
> city. In a relatively short period of time, they became known as
> hardworking, honest, and reliable.
> In September 1889 an event occurred which was to be of great
> significance for members of the Baha'i community and for the Russian government under which they lived. Imitating the killings of
> Baha'is in Persia, a group of Shi'ite Muslims residing in Ashgabat
> 
> 9. The existence of this settlement in neighboring Russia may be connected to
> one of the favorite early charges against the Baha'i Faith by its antagonists:
> that of supposed "favoritism" by foreign powers, first laid by the Faith 's enemies in Persia, and later imitated by other individuals and regimes. Baha'is
> were not favored by Russian authorities in the Romanov period, neither were
> they discriminated against. This neutrality of interest was quite possibly a
> major reason for Baha'u'llah's encouragement for this settlement; cited in
> Momen, The Bab[ and Baha 'f Religions, pp. 299- 300.
> 
> murdered a prominent Baha'i of the city, "stabbing him in 32 places,
> exposing his liver, lacerating his stomach and tearing open his
> breast," 1o in full view of a crowd of five hundred who cheered the
> murderers on. The Baha'is, with Mirza Abu'l-Fac,11-i-Gulpaygini as
> spokesman, sought the protection of the authorities in the person of
> the governor, General Komarov, who gave orders to put down the
> disturbances caused by the attack and brought the ruffians to trial for
> the murder.
> The reaction of the Baha'is must have been remarkably restrained, for Baha'u 'llah Himself praised the actions of His followers,
> who refused to seek revenge, adding that "none of the faithful
> transgressed My commandment, nor raised his hand in resistance." 11
> The trial took place in November 1890. Recognizing the distinctness of the Baha'i religion, the judges at the trial required
> the Baha'i and Muslim communities to sit in separate sections,
> with the Baha'is receiving full recognition as an independent
> religious community. The court's verdict was death for two of
> the accused and Siberian exile and banishment for the rest. The
> Muslim community then begged the Baha'is to enter a plea for
> clemency. The Baha'is agreed to intercede, and their appeal for
> clemency came as a great surprise to the authorities . 12 Over the
> protests of the defendants, who were apparently unwilling to be
> spared death on a plea by Baha'is, the sentences were commuted
> to Siberian exile. Russia thus became the first country whose legal
> system extended a measure of justice, recognition and protection
> to the followers of the Baha'i religion.
> This dramatic episode attracted the attention of Russian orientalist-academicians Baron Viktor Rosen and Captain Alexander
> Tumanskii, and its details appeared also in the correspondence of
> British diplomats of the period. 13
> In 1902, the Son ofBaha'u'llah, 'Abdu'l-Baha, gave instructions
> for the erection of a House of Worship in Ashgabat-the first in the
> 
> 10. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 202-03.
> 11. Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Baha' i Publishing
> Trust, 1986), p. 338.
> 12. See Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, pp. 202- 03.
> 13. Momen, The Bab[ and Baha 'i Religions , pp. 40-43.
> 
> world-on land which had been reserved by Baha'u'llah. 'Abdu'l-
> Baha Himself approved the design, and its final execution was carried
> out by a Russian architect named Volkov. The foundation stone
> was laid in November 1902, in the presence of General Subotich, the
> Military Governor of Transcaspia, who represented the Tsar at the
> ceremony.
> Over the thirteen-year period between 1907 and 1920, before the
> completion of the dome, the exterior, and the interior, the temple
> was open for weekly prayers and Baha'i holy day observances. The
> stories of devotion and sacrifice entailed in its construction became
> legend: ordinary believers sold their most precious possessions; a
> 
> General Subotich,
> Military Governor of
> Transcaspia, served
> as a representative of
> the Tsar at the laying
> of the fo undation
> stone of the Bahci 'i
> House of Worship in
> Ashgabat, November .
> 1902. }-~;
> 
> businessman committed his entire fortune; a widow in Persia lovingly offered half of the tiny daily sum she earned for herself and
> her children. 14 Erection of this temple ranked as "one of the most
> brilliant and enduring achievements in the history of the first
> Baha' i century." 15
> Ashgabat was one of the first Baha'i communities anywhere
> in the world to achieve a high level of social development. By
> 1918 the Baha'is had not only erected a House of Worship, but
> had also planted extensive gardens, had built a meeting hall, a
> pilgrim house, medical facilities and a cemetery, and were operating two elementary schools, one for girls and another for boys ,
> as well as two kindergartens . These schools, open to children of
> all religious backgrounds and giving special emphasis to the
> 
> 14 .Star of the West, Vol. 13 , No. IO (January 1923), pp. 263- 64.
> 15 . Shog hi Effendi , God Passes By, p. 300.
> 
> ....................
> á~           equal education of girls , eliminated illiteracy within the Baha'i
> community and contributed sigl nificantly to raising the general
> ~ level of education among the
> ,       surrounding population, of which
> only fifteen percent of males and
> ~~-- virtually no women could read
> and write. There were also libraries and a public reading room,
> The community published the
> first Baha'i magazine on the Asian
> continent, entitled Khurshid-i-
> Khavar (Sun of the East). There
> were active Baha'i youth soci-
> Entrance to the Baha'i House
> of Worship in Ashgabat.
> eties, open to all irrespective of
> belief and engaging in social and
> humanitarian activities. Reflecting the fundamental Baha'i teaching
> of tolerance towards others , the Baha' is of Ashgabat showed
> respect for the traditions and customs of the local largely Muslim
> community, with which they enjoyed warm relations. In other
> centers where they were free to speak about their beliefs, 16
> Ashgabat's Baha' is held open meetings where large numbers of
> people of various ethnic backgrounds could engage in vigorous
> dialogue on spiritual matters. Many of the community's younger
> members traveled to other cities and towns throughout the Caucasus
> and Central Asia to hold similar meetings with interested people
> of the region. And in the early years of the Revolution, Baha'is were
> active with others in the public defence of freedom of conscience
> which was coming under increasing attack by the authorities.
> Thus, for its outstanding philanthropists, for the early growth
> and maturation of its Baha'i institutions, the building of the first
> Baha'i House of Worship in the Baha'i world, the remarkable
> social and educational advancement of its members , the stimulation and promotion of youth and women's activities , the initiation
> of Baha' i publications, and for the contributions of leading Baha'i
> 
> 16. Reported in Star of the West, Vol. 14, No. 1 (February 1924), p. 346.
> 
> scholars to the advancement of the society around them, Ashgabat,
> even in the early 1920s, could indeed be considered a leading
> center of learning and intellectual life in the Baha'i world. 17
> Elsewhere in the region, for example in Tashkent, the Baha'is
> undertook projects somewhat more modest in scale, such as
> opening libraries and language schools and publishing literature.
> The members of these communities supported themselves through
> honest work and trade, practicing their spiritual and social principles in complete freedom.
> Although personal memoirs abound and much archival material remains, little has been published about the detailed Baha'i
> history in Azerbaijian, Armenia, Georgia, and the countries of
> Central Asia. But there is ample documentation that by the time
> of the passing of Baha'u'llah in 1892, there were adherents not
> only throughout Persia, the Ottoman territories and as far east as
> India and Burma, but that the number of Baha'is was increasing
> throughout Asiatic Russia as well. 18 In the 1880s Baha'is were
> living in Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan, and other communities, where
> they also had greater freedom than in Persia itself. The Baha'is in
> these regions, while not possessing a House of Worship and its
> dependent institutions, established Baha'i administrative bodies
> and maintained small facilities for publishing Baha'i materials.
> Russian and Soviet Literary Figures and Orientalists
> Along with the development of Baha'i communities within Russia's
> borders, knowledge of the Babi and Baha'i religions spread in
> Russian-speaking intellectual, literary, and artistic circles. This, in
> tum, resulted in research papers, voluminous correspondence
> discussing the new religious movement, translations of Baha'i
> 
> 17. For a detailed description of the Baha'i community of Ashgabat, its history
> and achievements, see Moojan Momen, "The Baha'i Community of Ashkhabad; its Social Basis and Importance in Baha'i History," in S. Akiner,
> ed., Cultural Change and Continuity in Central Asia (London: Kegan Paul
> International, 1991), pp. 278- 305.
> 18. This documentation is found in early newsletters, correspondence from
> ' Abdu'l-Baha, travelers' accounts, historical literature such as Walter
> Kolarz's Religion in the Soviet Union (London: Macmillan and Co., 1961)
> and in The Bahri 'i World volumes for the relevant years .
> 
> literature into Russian and other languages, and artistic interpretations of heroic episodes in Baha'i history. All these efforts played
> an important part in spreading information about the religion
> throughout Europe as well as within Russia itself. The excellence
> of some of this work is remarkable when one remembers that most
> source material on the Baha'i Faith during this early period originated with biased governments, antagonistic clergy and missionaries,
> inveterate enemies, and Western travelers who viewed events in
> Iran through the prism of their own prejudices and misconceptions.
> The distinction of being the first to have an entire book published
> on the Babi religion belongs to Mirza Aleksandr Kazem-Big, Professor of Persian Literature at the University of St. Petersburg
> from 1849 to 1860. 19 His work Bab i Babidy appeared in 1865 and
> °
> was printed one year later in French. 2 Kazem-Big recounted the
> experience of a learned man (a siyyid, descendant of the Prophet
> MuJ:iammad) who had become a Babi in Iraq and subsequently
> traveled in the Caucasus, attracting several individuals to the
> Faith. For this the Babi was arrested by the Russian government
> and exiled to Smolensk, as it was at that time against the law for
> Russian citizens to convert from Christianity. 21 Kazem-Big appears
> also to have inspired a later French writer, de Bellecombe, to write
> an article about the great Babi heroine Tahirih. 22
> In 1869, after the young emissary named Badi' was tortured and
> executed at the order of Na~iri'd-Din Shah for having attempted to
> present him with a Tablet from Baha'u'llah, the document was
> acquired by Russian consular officials in Persia and sent to St.
> Petersburg, where the original is now preserved in the archives
> of the University's Department of Oriental Studies. Through the
> 
> 19. Mirza Aleksandr Kazem-Big, 1802- 1870; Lecturer in Oriental Languages
> at Kazan University 1827- 1844; Professor of Persian Literature, University of St. Petersburg 1849- 1860; Dean, Faculty of Oriental Languages ,
> University of St. Petersburg, which he helped found .
> 20. Published in Journal Asiatique, 1866, cited in Momen , The Babi and
> Baha 'i Religions, p. 26.
> 21. See Momen, " The Baha'i Community of Ashkhabad . .. ," p. 284 .
> 22. A. de Bellecombe, " Une Reformatrice Contemporaine: La Belle Kourret
> oul Ain , ou La Lumiere des Yeux ," which appeared in L 'fnv estigateur in
> 1870; cited in Mom en , The Ba bi and Baha'i Religions, p. 27.
> 
> diligence of Russian diplomats and the interest of contemporary
> scholars, notably M. Gamazov 23 and Baron Viktor R. Rosen,24 the
> exact text of the letter conveyed by Badi' to the Shah was preserved
> and widely circulated. It was Rosen who forwarded a catalogue
> containing Baha'u'llah's Tablet to the Shah to the Cambridge
> orientalist Edward Granville Browne, one of the greatest early
> scholars of the Babi and Baha'i Faiths, further contributing to the
> English scholar's interest in the Babi movement. Browne was
> later to become one of very few Westerners ever to meet with
> Baha'u'llah.
> Rosen also translated Baha'u'llah's "Bisharat" ("Glad-Tidings"),25
> among many other works, 26 and supervised the preparation of
> Pervyi sbornik poslanii Babida Bekhaullakha, a collection of
> sixty-three Tablets by Baha'u'llah, which was published in 1908,
> after Rosen's death, by the Oriental Department of the Russian
> Imperial University in St. Petersburg.
> In the early 1890s, Captain Alexander Tumanskii 27 first learned
> of the Baha'is from a geography text he was studying during his
> officer's course at the military Oriental Languages Training Section. When he learned of the murder of Haji MuJ:iammad-Ric;la in
> Ashgabat and of the intervention of the Baha'is on behalf of the
> murderers, he was inspired to investigate their Faith more closely.
> Having received special permission to proceed to Transcaspia, he
> met the Baha'is of Ashgabat and, after studying the Faith more
> intensively, began to publish Baha'i works, including the Arabic
> 
> 23. Head of the Oriental Languages Section of the Asiatic Department of the
> Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
> 24. Baron Yiktor Romanovich Rosen, 1849- 1908; lecturer at the University of St.
> Petersburg, 1872; Founder of the Oriental Section of the Imperial Russian
> Archaeological Society and Editor of the Notes of the Oriental Division of the
> Russian Imperial Archaeological Archives, 1886-1908.
> 25 . "Blagiya Yesti," Zapiski vostochnogo otdelenie russkogo imperatorskogo
> arkheologicheskogo obshchestvo, Vol.7, 1892, pp. 183- 92.
> 26. See list in Momen, The Babi and Baha 'i Religions, p. 42.
> 27. Captain A lexander G. Tumanskii, died 1920, soldier and orientalist; spent
> several years in Ashgabat, where he came into contact with some of the
> great early scholars of the Faith, including Mirza Abu'l-Fac;ll-i-Gulpaygani;
> after a number of missions into Persia, he taught Arabic in Tbilisi.
> 
> text and a Russian translation of Baha'u'llah's Kitab-i-Aqdas
> (Most Holy Book), 28 with a forty-eight-par introduction, and
> the Kitab-i-Ahd (Book of the Covenant). 2 These represented
> the first translations of these works into any foreign language.
> The former was first presented to the faculty of the History and
> Philology Department of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St.
> Petersburg in 1894. When Tumanskii visited the Baha'is in Ashgabat again, one month after the passing of Baha'u' llah in 1892,
> he touchingly described their sadness on this occasion, the moving
> memorial ceremony and readings and even their warm hospitality
> and delicious refreshments.30
> Among the other noted orientalists in Russia who contributed
> descriptions of Babi and Baha'i historical events was a German,
> Professor Johann Albrecht Bernhard Dom, 31 Conservator of the
> Imperial Russian Library and Director of the Asiatic Museum in St.
> Petersburg in 1842. During his travels in Persia in 1860, he obtained
> firsthand accounts of the upheaval at Fort Shaykh Tabarsi. In his
> assessment of these documents, he describes the intricacies of
> weighing the testimonies of those trying to exterminate the Babis
> and of the victims themselves.
> Professor V.A. Zhukovski not only wrote about the executions
> of a number of prominent Baha'is in Yazd, 32 but also produced an
> important article 33 about Consul F.A. Bakulin, the diplomat who
> served at the Russian missions in Astarabad and Tabriz at the time
> of the Bab's execution.
> In 1904, the Russian writer S.I. Umanets made an important
> contribution by refuting the allegation of contemporary Russian
> 
> 28. "Kitabe Akdes," Zapiski Akadem ii Nauk St. Petersburg, 8th ser., Vol. 3,
> No. 6, 1899.
> 29. " Poslednee slovo Bekha-ully," Zapiski, Vol. 7, 1892, pp. 193-203.
> 30. " Poslednee slovo Bekha-ully," pp. 1- 3.
> 31. Johann Albrecht Bernhard Dom , German orientalist, 1805- 1881 , Professor of the History and Geography of Asia at the Oriental Institute at St.
> Petersburg in 1835.
> 32. "Nedavnya kazni babidov v gorode Ezde," cited in Momen , The Babi and
> Baha 'i Religions, p. 43 .
> 33. "Rossiskii Imperatorskii Konsul F.A. Bakulin v istorii izucheniya babizma,"
> in Zapiski, Vol. 24, 1916, pp. 33- 90.
> 
> newspapers that the assassina-              S.lllllC6U HMllEl'.11'01'()~011 UiA,J,f.Hlll 11"11i'L.
> ~OrRES
> tion of Nasiri'd-Din Shah had                                                               II~:
> J,'.AOADf:~lll:: l~Jl'f:IUALE ))fo.:8 st::U:'\Ct;~ llL :ST.-1'&'1'1'J!lSTIOUH(l.
> 
> been carried out by a Babi. He                                                 \ ' Ill • fiF.ttná~
> 
> UO llt'TllPllMO~IUO.l••Ml~lt'Cllllr f1TA•UIUKI         Olo•~ltll   Hl9'.l'ORl!Xi-l'fl/l,(11AA!1\1U11.
> ár ,, ...... 111 . á'" o • •ou••ol•                ,.,..,,,,.,, 1 n .   .!\~   u "4'1'1!1o"
> describes the evolution of the
> Babi movement into the Baha'i                                   lt YITABE ACtJi; CC'b
> 
> Faith , calling it a "separate              ,,CBRUIEHH1iHWAR KHH fA" CGBPEMEHHWrh WHAGB li
> 
> religion." 34
> r . '.l "Y>f.llU c.! l<lU--0
> The Soviet period is character-                                  A   .
> 
> ized by an almost complete
> absence of research conducted
> with a fair-minded perspective or                                                 .,~, 0~";:,'""':::-:á:::2:áá
> based on factual sources . Men-                                 ,~"''-á'--''"""'"'.:":.~.:-',;'..:,;;'"""'""
> tion can be made of Mikhail S.                         u.-Jlh'TEl'IJYl'C"b              1hm        sT.-1•1oáF,1is1""'"'
> I vanov, w h ose 193 9 t h es1s on
> 0          llpoJ.0,.,..,.01~=::~l;•tlU'~t•"'2t<lil(\.01.i..,lt&aJ1"<ool<~i.::~:~'á bU•oHO
> 
> '"''"""'"'""'' "g.. ""á '"áá~á"'"'m""á"'""'"'
> II.I.~=~~ ~l:r~~ M<>«~t
> ..        lar~il1.J't'~~1 11!itn
> •   J,I~...,.
> ),                              ,,..,,,         tt
> 
> Bahaism [sic] at the University of          ~i:.;;:~""..c;;..n:i!.~~~ 10•k. ~--~..~~..::Já~~~,,
> ~;:'1.~~:r~.,......__.
> ..., ~
> ;:.1-::\!.~1 :á(, ~-l)•h•~"'I
> 1 .. , ..
> 
> Leningrad relies on wholly inac-                ,,...,,, ..... ,~,.,,
> curate and antagonistic sources Title page ofTumanskii's translation of
> and is couched in Marxist-Lenin- the Kitab-i-Aqdas, thefirst foreign transist ideological terms. He dis- lation of Baha 'u 'llah's Book oflaws.
> misses the Babi movement as an "uprising"- a characterization
> which, unfortunately, still persists in the work of some contemporary orientalists. Ivanov's work does, however, contain the text of
> some important dispatches of Prince Dolgorukov. 35
> Perhaps the only exception to this record is Evgenii E. Bertels
> (1890- 1957), whose 1925 review of a work by a Baha'i named
> Mirza 'Abdu'l-I:Iusayn Avarih36 contains an unusually concise and
> unprejudiced description of the Baha'i Faith. A specialist in Persian
> language at the Oriental Institute in Moscow until his death in
> 1957 and a prolific author of works on Persian and Tadjik literature
> as well as an analysis of Sufism, Bertels writes with a combination
> of scholarly restraint and keen psychological insight about the
> motives of the enemies of the Baha'i Faith, who were jealous of the
> 
> 34. Cited in Momen , The Babi and Baha'i Religions, p. 59.
> 35. Mikhail Sergeevich Ivanov, Babidskie vosstaniva v lrane 1848- 1852,
> (Moscow: Akademia Nauk SSSR, 1939).
> 36. Evgenii E. Bertels, "A Baha' i on the History ofBabism," in Vostok, Zhurnal
> literatury, nauki i iskusstva, Vol. 5, 1925 , pp . 202-07 .
> 
> THE BAHA:f WORLD
> 
> rising authority and influence of Baha'u' llah and later of' Abdu'l-
> Baha, and urges his colleagues to undertake a dispassionate and fair
> analysis of all sources.
> A prominent member of the early Russian Baha'i community
> was the St. Petersburg poet and playwright Isabella Grinevskaya,
> of the then fashionable Philosophical, Oriental and Biblical Society.
> In the early years of the twentieth century, already a poet of considerable reputation, she wrote two dramas based on episodes in
> the lives of the Bab and Baha'u'llah. With her keen interest in
> things Eastern, she had first learned of their teachings and about
> the dramatic early history of the Faith through the writings of
> Kazem-Big, Gamazov, and Tumanskii.
> The first play in verse, entitled Bab: Dramaticheskaya poema
> iz istorii Persii (The Bab: A Dramatic Poem from the History of
> Persia), was published in 1903. 37 The second was called Bekhaulla: Poema tragediia v stikhakh iz istorii Persii (Baha'u'llah: A
> Tragic Poem in Verse from the History of Persia), 38 published in
> 1912. Although the play about Baha'u'llah was never performed,
> the somewhat shorter drama about the Bab was staged in the
> Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg in 1904 and 1917, and later, in
> translation, in both London and Paris.
> Not only did the performance itself cause a stir-the author being
> called out onto the stage after each act and showered with flowersbut the work also caused something of a sensation in literary and dramatic circles both in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities,
> including Ashgabat. Dozens of newspapers and journals devoted
> lengthy articles to a detailed analysis of the style, subject matter, and
> dramatic presentation. Writers, playwrights, and critics wrote ecstatically about the "rare subject matter," the author's "originality,"
> "beauty and refinement of humanitarian thought," and her "depth,
> seriousness and warmth of feeling," calling it a "work of rare artistic
> beauty," "the best play of the current season," "deserving of the
> attention of Western as well as our own theatregoers and critics."
> 
> 37. Isabella Grinevskaya, Bab: Dramaticheskava poema iz istorii Persii (St.
> Petersburg: Khudozhestvennoi Pechati, 1903), izd.2-e .
> 38. Isabella Grinevskaya, Bekha-ulla: Poema tragediia v stikhakh iz istorii
> Persii (St. Petersburg: I. G. Braude, 1912).
> 
> One Professor Khakhanov, writing in the Russian News, after
> praising the author's sensitive portrayal of a subject "foreign to her
> own culture and spirit," predicted that "when the wider public
> becomes familiar with the teachings of the Bab, they will discover
> the means by which Christians and enlightened Muslims can reach
> out to each other." Under the pseudonym "Homunculus," another
> writer responded warmly to the universality of the subject matter:
> "In the message of this as yet unknown hero--coming as he does
> from an unfamiliar people-in this passionate idealist, there is yet
> something close and common to us all, perhaps because he sought
> to lead us to that which is true for all people." In an Odessa newspaper, L.E. Obolenskii devoted a lengthy feature article to the play,
> in which he wrote: "I shall not speak about the idea of the play; but
> it is well able to raise the spirit of the reader or listener to such
> heights such as one rarely feels in recent times from literary or theatrical works." Gabriel de Wesselitsky, president of the Foreign
> Press Association, writing in English, French, German, and Russian, described how he was "accosted by a lady who begged to
> present me with a book of poetry" and that when he finally read it,
> he was "at once struck by the rare combination of philosophical
> thought with a great power of expression, beauty of imagery and
> harmony of verse. I keenly felt the delight of reading a new great
> poem and of discovering a new first-rate poet. .. Amidst the sorrows
> of disastrous war ...that book was my only happy impression, and
> it has remained since a permanent source of joy and comfort as a
> manifest proof of the vitality of Russia and its creative genius." 39
> In 1914, Grinevskaya attended a research conference dedicated
> to the tenth anniversary of the opening of the play and spoke of a
> somewhat different reaction to her work: "One very well-known
> professor told me that the name of my poem, "Bab," is not suited
> to the Russian ear. I answered him that the names of people who
> teach the ideals of love and for which they have given their lives,
> should be suited to all who hear them. Noble ideals are so rare
> 
> 39. All quotations are from Otzyvy pechati o dramaticheskoi poeme 'Bab' Jsabelly
> Grinevskoi (Reviews in the press of the dramatic poem 'Bab' by Isabella
> Grinevskaya), compiled by I. Sh. (St. Petersburg, 1910). (Translation
> N.A.)
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> these days, that it has been necessary to stage the play again, so
> as to reawaken the memory of these ideals. We, the people of the
> West, awaken to such things too slowly and yet we know that it is
> in the East that the sun rises." 40
> Leo Tolstoy was reported to have given the play "The Bab" to
> one of his visitors at Yasnaya Polyana for night-time reading, 41
> and himself wrote to Grinevskaya that he was delighted with the
> play, adding "I have known about the Babis for a long time and have
> a long-standing interest in their teachings: Because (Babism) has
> set aside the old superstitions and not substituted new ones which
> divide people ... and because it strives to create one religion for all
> mankind ... and has as its main goal the transformation of people's
> world view, it has a great future: I wholeheartedly sympathize
> with Babism to the extent that it teaches people brotherhood and
> equality and the sacrifice of worldly life for the service of god
> . ) ,,42
> ( SlC .
> Her success brought Grinevskaya into contact with members of
> the Baha'i community, the first of whom was 'Ali-Akbar Nakhjavani of Baku. Through these contacts, she received permission
> from 'Abdu' 1-Baha to visit Him in Alexandria in 1911. Later she
> wrote a memoir of her two-week stay, describing it as "the realization of my secret wish, my most cherished dream, to see with my
> own eyes those people about whom I had written and who love all
> humankind ... When I left Russia in December of 1910, I already
> had a draft of my manuscript for the poem 'Baha'u'llah' and my
> goal was to see the object of my dreams-to see Abdu'l-Baha!"
> After her departure, 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote to Grinevskaya, praising
> her "services to the world of humanity" and expressing the hope
> that the seeds she was sowing would bear fruit. "Although the
> conditions may not be appropriate now," He continued, "no doubt
> they will be in the future."
> Grinevskaya completed a five hundred-and-fifty page book
> about her meeting with 'Abdu'l-Baha, entitled Travels to the
> 
> 40. The Baha 'i World, Vol. VI , p. 707.
> 41. The Bahil 'i World, Vol. VI, p. 6.
> 42. L. N. Tolstoy, letter to Isabella A. Grinevskaya, in Po/nae sobranie sochinenii
> (PSS) , Vol. 74 (Moscow, 1954), pp. 207-08 .
> 
> Land of the Sun. But the war intervened,
> and then the Revolution, and the book
> was never published. She also had the
> good fortune to meet Shoghi Effendi,
> with whom she corresponded devotedly for many years. Grinevskaya was
> the initiator of Baha'i activities in Leningrad well into the 1930s.
> Both Russia's literary giants Ivan
> Turgenev 43 and Leo Tolstoy knew of
> the Baha'i Faith, but much more is
> known about the latter author's longstanding interest. Tolstoy first heard
> about the Babis in 1894 from O.S. Leb-          Isabella Grinevskaya
> edova. His correspondence and diaries over a span of sixteen years
> until his death in 1910 contain a number of references to his investigation of the Babi and Baha'i teachings, prompted by his
> fascination with spiritual matters and his search for a religion based
> on reason. Tolstoy's relationship to the Faith is only now becoming
> more clearly understood by contemporary researchers. 44
> With so few direct sources at his disposal, it is understandable
> that Tolstoy had difficulty differentiating the terms "Babi" and
> "Baha'i." Moreover, his own inner contradictions and philosophical
> attachments led him to make comments about the Faith ranging
> from high praise verging on personal commitment to outright dismissal, when he found it did not conform to certain of his own
> cherished beliefs. In one letter he calls the Baha'i Faith "the highest
> and purest form of religious teaching" 45 and in another says that he
> 
> 43 . Turgenev, who was in Oxford in 1879 to receive an honorary degree, apparently mentioned the Faith " often" to the Countess of Wemyss, one of the
> European intellectuals who took an interest in the Baha'i Faith following the
> publication of Count de Gobineau's book Les Religions et !es Philosophies
> dans L 'Asie Centrale in 1865. During his 1879 visit to Oxford, he conversed
> about the new religion to the head of Balliol College, Dr. Benjamin Jowett;
> cited in Momen, The Babi and Baha '£Religions, p. 52.
> 44. William P. Collins and Jan T. Jasion, " Lev Tolstoi and the Babi and Baha ' i
> Faiths, A Bibliography," published in The Journal of Baha '£Studies , Vol.
> 3, No. 3 ( 1991 ), Association for Baha'i Studies, Ottawa, Canada.
> 
> THE BAHA'f WORLD
> 
> is "disenchanted with the teachings of Baha'u'llah." 46 Within one
> two-month period he extols the "y,ure and lofty teachings of the
> disciple of the Bab-Baha'u'llah" 7 and then tells another correspondent that the more he becomes acquainted with the Baha'i
> teachings, the less he "appreciates it. "48
> In his corre~ondence with a number ofBaha'is as well as fellow
> investigators , 9 Tolstoy pursued an active discussion on many
> specific issues, such as the nature of God, patriotism, the station
> of the Messengers of God, the unity of religion and the relationship between reason and spirituality. He was spurred in his quest
> by the urgent conviction that a world religion was necessary for
> humanity, but one shorn of ritual and based on the individual
> search for truth. As he stated in his reply to the Persian Ambassador in Russia, who had sent him one of his own poems, entitled
> "Peace," Tolstoy believed that "the cause of evil is selfishness
> and ignorance .. .ignorance of the true religion ... I believe that
> everywhere, like the Babis in your homeland, Persia, there are
> people who profess the true religion and that, despite the persecutions to which they are always and everywhere subjected, their
> ideas will increasingly spread and triumph in the end over the
> barbarity and ferocity of governments ... " 50
> One of the Baha'is who had the privilege of an interview with
> Tolstoy, describing it in minute and humorous detail, asked the
> famous author, at the end of their lengthy discussion, what his
> opinion was ofBaha'u'llah, to which Tolstoy replied: "How could I
> deny him? ... Obviously this cause will conquer the whole world.
> 
> 45. L. N. Tolstoy, Pisma (Fridun Khan Badalbekov), 1908, 12.28. PSS, Vol. 78, pp.
> 306--D7; cited in Collins and Jasion, "Lev Tolstoi and the Babi and Baha'i
> Faiths," p. 7.
> 46. To Hippolyte Dreyfus, an early French Baha' i, cited in Luigi Stendardo,
> Leo Tolstoy and the Baha'i Faith (Oxford: George Ronald, 1985), p. 34.
> 47. L. N. Tolstoy, Pisma (Fedor Alekseevich Zheltov), 1909, 10.12, PSS, Vol.
> 80, pp. 138-39; cited in Collins and Jasion, "Lev Tolstoi and the Babi and
> Baha'i Faiths," p. 2.
> 48. Letter to Na~avani ; cited in Collins and Jasion , "Lev Tolstoi and the
> Babi and Baha'i Faiths," p. 2.
> 49. This correspondence is reviewed in detail by Stendardo, Leo Tolstoy and
> the Bah6 'i Faith, chapters 3 and 4.
> SO. Stendardo, Leo Tolstoy and the Baha'i Faith, pp. 20- 21.
> 
> I myself have already accepted Muhammad" and ended with the
> request, "Send me more writings. " 51
> Despite his own ambivalence, and because of his own stature
> among literary figures, Tolstoy can be credited, through this correspondence, with introducing a number of contemporary writers,
> philosophers, and fellow-seekers to the Baha'i teachings. He is
> recorded as having received a number of books on the Baha'i Faith,
> which he immediately read or sent to some of his correspondents
> who were also interested in religious subjects.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha was aware of Tolstoy's interest and knowledge
> of the Faith and encouraging a number of Baha'is to contact him.
> 'Ali-Akbar Nakbjavani from Baku, mentioned earlier, was one of
> those who entered into correspondence with him and sent him literature. In his reply to Nakhjavani, 52 Tolstoy mentions that he
> was contemplating the publication of a book on the Babi-Baha'i
> religion. Through another Baha'i, Mirza Azizu'llah Jadhdhab of
> Khurasan, 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself sent a message to Tolstoy in
> which He said, "Act that your name may leave a good memory in
> the world of religion. Many philosophers have come, each one
> raising a flag, let us say five meters high. You have raised a flag
> ten meters high; immerse yourself in the ocean of unity, so that
> you may remain confirmed eternally." 53
> Although never himself accepting the Faith, Tolstoy, toward the
> end of his life, came to the conclusion that the teachings of the
> Bab had found their fullest development in the works ofBaha'u'llah,
> that they "present us with the highest and purest form of religious
> teaching," 54 and that "they are deep. I know of no other religion that
> is so deep." 55
> Instead of seeing the range of Tolstoy's commentaries about
> 
> 51. Report of Mirza Azizu' llah Jadhdhab Khurasani in Stendardo, op. cit., p. 30.
> 52. L. N . Tolstoy, PSS, Vol. 80, p. 102; cited in Stendardo, Leo Tolstoy and the
> Baha'i Faith, p. 50.
> 53. Cited in Stendardo, Leo Tolstoy and the Baha'i Faith, p. 30.
> 54. L. N. Tolstoy, Pisma, Fridum Khan Badalbekov, 1908.12.28, PSS, Vol. 78,
> pp. 306- 07; cited in Stendardo, Leo Tolstoy and the Baha'i Faith, p. 7.
> 55. D. P. Makovitskii, "U Tolstovo (With Tolstoy): 1904-191 O," Yasnopolyanskie
> zapiski (Notes from Yasnaya Polyana), Vol. 4 (Nauka, 1979), p. 255.
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> the Baha'i Faith in the context of his own individual spiritual
> search, antagonists of the Baha'i Faith have tended to fasten on
> one or another of Tolstoy's negative remarks to lend weight to
> their charges, just as its proponents and friends have emphasized
> his more admiring statements. But whatever case may be made
> for his own commitment, which we will never know, it is clear
> that his view of the Faith as "prophetic" and "profound," and the
> span of his continuing involvement, indicate the depth of his fas -
> cination with the new religion.
> Mention of Russia in the Baha' i Writings
> Beginning during His exile in Adrianople, and continuing through
> His incarceration in the barracks in Acre, Baha'u'llah addressed
> majestic letters to the individual kings and rulers of mid-nineteenth
> century Europe and America, among them Tsar Alexander II of
> Russia. Baha'u ' llah warns him, as He did the other sovereigns,
> not to ignore the Messenger of God and to arise with justice "in
> the name of this all-compelling Cause." But in contrast to His
> powerfully-worded exhortations to the other rulers , Baha'u'llah
> begins His Tablet to the Tsar in a more intimate tone : "We, verily,
> have heard the thing for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord ,
> whilst secretly communing with Him," referring evidently to the
> Tsar's earnest prayer for military victory over the Ottomans. In
> another significant passage, Baha'u'llah warns him not to "barter
> away" the "sublime station" which God has ordained for him as a
> result of the magnanimous offer of refuge made by his "minister"
> (Dolgorukov) when Baha'u'llah was unjustly imprisoned.
> The Baha'i view of the explosive political and ideological ferment of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in
> which the early Baha' i communities were growing, bears close
> examination because of the insight it offers into contemporary
> events. Although the overwhelming majority of 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> writings and talks deal with explanations, interpretation, and the
> specific application of Baha'i teachings and principles, He was
> deeply concerned about the cataclysmic changes that were taking
> place in Russian society and in her political thinking.
> However, it was the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi
> Effendi, who wrote extensively over the next two decades about
> these events, including the fall of the Russian monarchy. His wide-
> 
> ranging analysis of the historical events of the late nineteenth and
> early twentieth centuries sets them in the context both of Baha'i
> teachings in general and of Baha'u'llah's stem warnings to the
> kings and rulers of His day and their responses to His communications. Shoghi Effendi observed with deep anxiety the impact of
> communism on re ligion and on the whole fabric of Russian (later
> Soviet) society.
> In keeping with the universal nature and humanitarian goals of
> the Baha'i teachings, Shoghi Effendi's interpretation of events in
> both Tsarist Russia and the communist regime are unequivocal and
> consistent. He describes the later policies of Alexander II as "retrogressive," proving "fatal to both himself and his dynasty" and
> causing widespread disillusionment, giving rise to nihilism, terrorism of unexampled violence, leading ultimately to the several
> attempts on his life, and culminating in his assassination. 56
> His successor, Alexander III, is characterized as having "assumed
> an attitude of defiant hostility to innovators and liberals." 57 The
> continuation of his repressive policies "paved the way for a revolution which ... swept away on a bloody tide the empire of the Tsars,
> brought in its wake war, disease and famine, and established a militant
> proletariat which massacred the nobility, persecuted the clergy,
> drove away the intellectuals, disendowed the state religion .. . and
> extinguished the dynasty of the Romanovs." 58
> Outlining the progression of events that ultimately exploded
> in revolution, Shoghi Effendi wrote in 1944:
> 
> The tradition of unqualified absolutism, of extreme religious
> orthodoxy was maintained by the still more severe Nicolas II,
> the last of the Czars, who, guided by the counsels of a man who
> was "the very incarnation of a narrow-minded, stiff-necked
> despotism," and aided by a corrupt bureaucracy, and humiliated
> by the disastrous effects of a foreign war, increased the general
> discontent of the masses, both intellectuals and peasants. Driven
> for a time into subterranean channels, and intensified by military
> 
> 56 . Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Com e (Wilmette : Baha' i Pub lishing
> Trust, 1941 ), p. 56.
> 57 . Shoghi Effendi , Promised Day is Come, p. 57 .
> 58. Shoghi Effendi , God Passes By, pp. 226- 27.
> 
> reverses, it exploded at last in the midst of the Great War, in the
> form of a Revolution which, in the principles it challenged, the
> institutions it subverted, and the havoc it wrought, has scarcely
> a parallel in modem history.
> A great trembling seized and rocked the foundations of that
> country. The light ofreligion was dimmed. Ecclesiastical institutions of every denomination were swept away. The state religion
> was disendowed, persecuted, and abolished. A far-flung empire
> was dismembered. A militant, triumphant proletariat exiled the
> intellectuals, and plundered and massacred the nobility. Civil
> war and disease decimated a population, already in the throes
> of agony and despair. And, finally, the Chief Magistrate of a
> mighty dominion, together with his consort, and his family, and
> his dynasty, were swept into the vortex of this great convulsion,
> and perished. 59
> 
> The decline ofreligion in society in general (and at the hands of
> the Revolution in particular) became one of Shoghi Effendi's
> enduring themes, reflecting and emphasizing the importance of
> Baha'u'llah's command to His followers to "uphold the cause of
> religion. " 60 During the Second World War the Guardian wrote
> about the condition of religious institutions, deploring the "steady
> deterioration of their influence, the decline of their power, the
> damage to their prestige, the flouting of their authority . ..the relaxation of their discipline, the restriction of their press, the timidity
> of their leaders, the confusion in their ranks, the progressive confiscation of their properties ... " 61
> He noted the "dechristianization of the masses in many Christian
> countries" and held accountable the "forces which the Communist
> movement has unloosed, reinforced by the political consequences
> of the last war, accelerated by the excessive, the blind, the intolerant, and militant nationalism which is now convulsing the nations,
> and stimulated by the rising tide of materialism, irreligion, and
> .     ,,62
> pagamsm .. .
> In a passage vividly describing the effects of these forces
> 
> 59. Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day is Come, p. 57 .
> 60. Baha'u ' llah, Tablets of Bahri 'u 'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
> (Haifa : Baha'i World Centre, 1978), p. 63.
> 61. Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day is Come, p. I 07 .
> 62. Shoghi Effendi , Promised Day is Come, p. I 08 .
> 
> throughout the world, Shoghi Effendi identifies the humiliation
> inflicted upon the religious institutions in Russia, the swift, conscious and organized assault launched against the Orthodox Church,
> the creed of "religious irreligion" which
> 
> precipitated the disestablishment of the state religion, that massacred a vast number of its members, ... that pulled down, closed
> or converted into museums, theatres and warehouses, thousands upon thousands of churches, monasteries, synagogues
> and mosques, that stripped the church of its six and a half million acres of property, and sought, through its League of
> Militant Atheists and the promulgation of a "five-year plan of
> godlessness," to loosen from its foundations the religious life
> of the masses. 63
> 
> Finally, in one of his most celebrated passages, the Guardian
> describes the communist creed, "which, by its negation of God,
> His Laws and Principles, threatens to disrupt the foundations of
> human society," 64 and names it one of "those false idols, untruths
> and half-truths, which are obscuring its religions, corrupting its
> spiritual life, convulsing its political institutions, corroding its
> social fabric, and shattering its economic structure." 65
> Speaking ofreligion as the source of true civilization, he says:
> 
> This vital force is dying out, this mighty agency has been
> scorned, this radiant light obscured, this impregnable stronghold abandoned, this beauteous robe discarded. God Himself
> has indeed been dethroned from the hearts of men, and an idolatrous world passionately and clamorously hails and worships
> the false gods which its own idle fancies have fatuously created, and its misguided hands so impiously exalted. The chief
> idols in the desecrated temple of mankind are none other than
> the triple gods of Nationalism, Racialism and Communism, at
> whose altars governments and peoples, whether democratic or
> totalitarian, at peace or at war, of the East or of the West, Christian
> or Islamic, are, in various forms and in different degrees, now
> worshiping. Their high priests are the politicians and the worldly-
> 
> 63. Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day is Come, p. 108.
> 64. Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha 'u '!!ah, 1st pocket ed. (Wilmette:
> Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1993), p. 31 .
> 65. Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day is Come, p. 112.
> 
> wise, the so-called sages of the age; their sacrifice, the flesh and
> blood of the slaughtered multitudes; their incantations outworn
> shibboleths and insidious and irreverent formulas; their incense,
> the smoke of anguish that ascends from the lacerated hearts of
> the bereaved, the maimed, and the homeless.
> The theories and policies, so unsound, so pernicious, which
> deify the state and exalt the nation above mankind, which seek
> to subordinate the sister races of the world to one single race,
> which discriminate between the black and the white, and which
> tolerate the dominance of one privileged class over all othersthese are the dark, the false, and crooked doctrines for which
> any man or people who believes in them, or acts upon them,
> must; sooner or later, incur the wrath and chastisement of
> God. 06
> 
> From the October Revolution of 1917 to 1928
> The overthrow of the Tsarist government by the communists and
> the consolidation of Bolshevik power at first had the effect of
> assisting the growth of the Baha'i communities that were flourishing
> inside Russia's borders, but eventually led to their subjugation.
> With the victory of the Bolshevik forces and the end of the civil
> war, the Baha'is throughout the country found themselves in a
> period of unprecedented freedom. The Faith had already expanded
> outside of the Persian ethnic community and had now been embraced
> by ethnic Russians, Tatars, and others. Active communities had
> been founded in both Petrograd-Leningrad and Moscow, 67 the
> latter having a Local Spiritual Assembly.
> In its early years, the new Soviet government did not interfere with
> the Baha'i community or oppose its organization and meetings,
> despite the early "anti-religious" decrees which nationalized ,
> without compensation, all land, including that of churches, prohibited religious instruction in state schools, and denied recognition
> of religious marriage and divorce. In 1922, the Soviet Union's
> official gazette published an article stating that Baha'is were
> 
> 66. Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day is Come, pp. 117- 18.
> 67. Documentation, in both reports and photographs, of the early communities
> may be found in the volumes of The Baha '£ World and Star of the West covering the years in question.
> 
> turning the thoughts of Soviet youth away from Bolshevism and
> toward Baha'i beliefs and suggesting that Baha'i efforts be stopped.
> It was almost ten years, however, before the full impact of the
> communist regime's opposition was felt by the Baha'is. 68 The
> first indication came in 1926 when a Baha'i visited Moscow on a
> tour to speak to Baha'i and public audiences about the religion.
> The speaker was summoned by an official of the political bureau
> (the State Political Directorate or G.P.U.- the political police that
> conducted state terrorism against those the Bolsheviks regarded
> as enemies) and directed to cease all Baha'i meetings. The G.P.U.
> spokesman especially questioned why members of the public were
> attending. The visitor explained that Baha'i meetings are not secret
> and are open for all to inspect; therefore, the Soviet authorities
> should have nothing to fear about Baha'is holding any secret
> meetings. Moreover, he explained, the Baha'is are expressly forbidden by the principles of their Faith to interfere in political matters,
> nor do they allow anyone to speak against government affairs .
> The official, nevertheless, insisted that the public be prohibited
> from attending any Baha'i meetings in Moscow. A few days later the
> police entered a Baha'i home and confiscated a printing press that had
> been placed in this house, with government permission, in order
> to print Baha'i books. Two people attending a Baha'i meeting
> were also arrested and sentenced to prison terms of four years.
> Beginning in 1926, Baha'is of Iranian background were expelled
> from the country on the charge of belief in the Baha'i religion. The
> systematic harassment and deprivation of the most basic rights of
> Baha'is throughout the territories under Soviet rule had begun in
> earnest. Meetings were broken up , and those attending were
> arrested and held for questioning. Prohibitions were placed on
> the raising of funds. Documents and books were confiscated by
> the G.P.U. Though the police found, after careful examination, that
> the Baha'is were not guilty of any subversive, anti-Soviet, or political
> 
> 68 . Walter Kolarz, in Religion in the Soviet Union (London : Macmillan , 1961),
> posits that what attracted the authorities' attention was not the threat of the
> Baha ' i communities ' numerical strength , but the fact that the characteristic
> tolerance, broad-mindedness and internationalism of the members of the
> community contradicted the prevailing communist view that religion is an
> outmoded remnant of the past.
> 
> activity, they nevertheless ordered that Baha'i meetings not be held
> without police permission. Ironically, the meetings at which the
> Baha'is were arrested had been held only after such government
> permission had been obtained.
> The printing press belonging to the local Baha'i council in Ashgabat was confiscated. The magazine Khurshid-i-Khavar, printed
> in Ashgabat, was heavily censored and then finally suspended.
> Baha'i mail, both incoming and outgoing, was confiscated, read,
> copied, and then sent on to the addressees. Agents sent by the
> G.P.U. to pose as inquirers at Baha'i meetings would arrest the
> Baha'is for speaking about their religion with others.
> In April 1928, after the election of Local Spiritual Assemblies in
> the Central Asian and Caucasian republics, the government unilaterally abrogated the Baha'i Assemblies' constitutions and substituted
> a text not in harmony with the responsibilities and functions of
> these councils as defined in the Baha'i teachings. After lengthy
> negotiations and the rejection by both sides of clauses deemed
> unacceptable, a constitution was imposed that dissolved all Baha'i
> committees, called for copies of all minutes and proceedings of
> meetings to be submitted to the authorities, and required that Baha'i
> children not be instructed in their religion until the age of eighteen. 69 Baha'i schools were proscribed and all Baha'i teachers
> were gradually expelled and replaced, despite the fact that in the
> classes of the Baha'i schools, in accordance with the requirements
> of the law, there was no religious content or instruction.
> During the same year, the government issued an order that all
> synagogues, churches and other places of worship must be considered state property. Subsequently, after lengthy negotiations, the
> Baha'is were permitted only to "rent" their House of Worship
> from the state, for five-year periods, with the Baha'i community
> forced to bear all the costs of upkeep and repair. 70
> 
> 69. The closure of Baha'i schools in Ashgabat, Merv, and Qahqahih is
> described in detail, along with the effects on the general education in the area,
> in The Baha'i World, Vol. V (1932-34), pp. 41--43.
> 70. In 1930 Shoghi Effendi called on the National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Baha'is of the United States and Canada to appeal to the Soviet authorities,
> stressing the international character of the House of Worship in Ashgabat,
> but their efforts had no effect on Soviet policy.
> 
> In February 1928, a devoted Baha'i, I:Iusayn Big Qudsi, who had
> corresponded with Shoghi Effendi and who in earlier years had
> taken the Baha'i teachings to many parts of Russia, was arrested.
> In October, two members of the Ashgabat Local Assembly were
> also arrested and held for three months; another twenty-four Baha'is
> were detained the following July. One of these, Ashraf Big, was
> not heard of again and was presumed murdered; a further sixteen
> were released after six months. During the same period, Baha'is
> from Tashkent, Baku and Burda were either interrogated or imprisoned. Two believers from Baku were banished for three years to
> the Arctic Circle, while Aqa I:Iabibu'llah Bagirov of Tashkent was
> sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. 71 Numerous other believers
> were deported to Iran. 72
> One might assume that under such oppressive conditions the
> Baha'is would simply dissemble their Faith or "go underground."
> However, even in this chaotic, unpredictable and unjust situation,
> the Baha'is were bound by the laws of their Faith, among which
> are non-involvement in politics (non-partisanship) and civil obedience. In accordance with these principles, the Baha'is were
> required to be law-abiding citizens, to be trustworthy and obedient to the civil authority of the country in which they lived, and
> to refrain from taking sides in or making statements on political
> matters. This principle applies even in situations where civil law
> restricts the observance of some aspect of the Faith, such as Baha'i
> burial laws or the holding of the Nineteen Day Feast, the regular
> monthly community meeting. Baha'is must abide by the requirements of civil law so long as it does not require them to violate a
> fundamental spiritual principle. "Dissimulation," or recantation
> under conditions of danger or pressure, is forbidden by the Baha'i
> teachings as a violation of the principle of honesty. A fundamental
> distinction is made between the legitimate rights of governments
> to set necessary regulations, to ensure order and administer justice
> 
> 71. Letters from survivors of this persecution were reproduced in The Baha'i
> World, Vol. IV ( 1928- 30).
> 72. The authors wish to express their grateful acknowledgement of the work of
> Feizullah Namdar in supplying valuable information covering the Soviet
> period .
> 
> within their jurisdictions, and the realm of individual conscience.
> In strict conformity with these principles, the Baha'is of the
> Soviet Union continued throughout this dark period to negotiate
> with the duly constituted local and national authorities for the
> right and permission to carry out their spiritual and humanitarian
> activities. When the authorities required that the Baha'is disband
> their administration and change the nature of meetings (or cease
> meeting altogether), the Baha'is obeyed the requirements of the law
> while seeking freedom, under the terms of the federal constitution,
> to function as a religious community. They abstained entirely from
> political activity and agitation, seeking redress instead through
> appeal to the legally constituted authorities. The Baha'i representatives in Ashgabat, Moscow, and Baku, for example, explained the
> nature of their organization and activities to these authorities, to no
> avail. 73
> From 1928 to the Early 1960s
> Throughout what he called the "momentous convulsions" of the
> early 1920s, Shoghi Effendi provided a steady stream of loving
> reassurance to the Baha'is that their patience and forbearance
> would ultimately "brighten the eyes of the faithful throughout the
> world." 74 He told the Baha'is of the world that in these disturbing
> current events there lay "mighty and consummate mysteries"
> which would be "revealed to men's eyes in the days to come,"
> that Russia would in the future become a "delectable paradise,"
> and that the Baha'i Faith would eventually continue to develop
> in that land "on an unprecedented scale." 75
> With far-seeing confidence, he wrote in 1929 to the Baha'is of
> the West, that the persecuted Baha'is in Russia were possessed of
> a "hope that no earthly power can dim, and a resignation that is
> truly sublime" and that they had
> 
> 73 . Shoghi Effendi , letter to the Baha' is of the West, 1 January 1928 ; cited in
> Baha 'i Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932 (Wilmette: Baha' i
> Publishing Trust, 1974) , p. 160.
> 74. Shoghi Effendi, unpublished letter to the Baha ' is of Ashgabat, 11 January
> 1923, quoted in a letter dated 21 November 1990 from the Universal House
> of Justice to a December 1990 Baha ' i conference in Moscow.
> 75. Shoghi Effendi , letter to the Baha ' is of Ashgabat, 2 January 1930, Australian Bahci 'i Bulletin (March , 1991 ), p. 4.
> 
> committed the interests of their Cause to the keeping of that
> vigilant, that all-powerful Divine Deliverer, Who, they feel
> confident, will in time lift the veil that now obscures the vision
> of their rulers , and reveal the nobility of aim, the innocence of
> purpose, the rectitude of conduct, and the humanitarian ideals
> that characterize the as yet small yet potentially powerful Baha'i
> communities in every land and under every govemment. 76
> But there were even darker days ahead. The Baha'i communities
> continued to operate, insofar as possible under these oppressive
> conditions, maintaining the very limited organization of Assemblies
> in Ashgabat and in Baku. It was apparent, however, during the
> 1930s, that plans were being laid to remove the Baha'is from these
> locations.
> Official publications misrepresenting the Baha'i Faith as a bourgeois, anti-socialist movement began to appear. The first, in 1930,
> was Bekhaizm-novaya religia vostoka (Bahaism-New Religion
> of the East) by I. Darov, printed in Leningrad by the Oriental Institute, and "Bekhaizm," by A. Arsharuni, printed in Bezbozhnik (the
> "Atheist" newsletter) in Moscow. Later, in 1938, the same Arsharuni
> wrote "Babizm-Istorichesky Ocherk" (an historical essay) for the
> journal Moskovskii rabochii (The Moscow Worker). These pamphlets
> claimed, according to the authorized Marxist-Leninist interpretation,
> that Baha' i beliefs represented a "bourgeois" ideology, adding the
> fantastic allegation that Baha'is claimed their own teachings as
> the "source of socialism" and were camouflaging themselves as
> socialists! 77
> The Small Soviet Ency clopaedia, published in 1933, repeated
> these same fabrications , adding an imaginative twist, to the effect
> that the "new religion" was a fashionable front in the fight against
> the ideas of socialism and communism. 78
> The years 1934-1936 saw a brief respite from government intimidation. Religious buildings could be leased by their owners,
> and the Baha'is came into full possession once more of the Ashgabat
> 
> 76. Shoghi Effendi, letter to the Baha' is of the West, 1January1929, in Baha'i
> Administration, p. 162.
> 77. Kolarz, Religion in the Soviet Union, p. 471 .
> 78 . Small Soviet Encyclopaedia, I st ed., Vol. 1 (Moscow, 1933), p. 895 ; cited
> in Kolarz, Religion in the Soviet Union, p. 472 .
> 
> House of Worship, having first fulfilled the requirement that
> extensive repairs be made within six months. Assembly elections
> and public activities also resumed.
> However, this unexpected moment of leniency by the Soviet
> regime came to an abrupt end in 1936 with fierce new attacks
> against the Baha'is. By February 1938, all members of the central council in Ashgabat and about five hundred other Baha'is
> had been arrested, and their books and Baha'i records confiscated. All were detained on "political" charges of having "worked
> to the advantage of foreigners." Those arrested were ordered to
> sign confessions, which they refused to do. Some five hundred
> believers, including some women, were imprisoned and sent to
> camps. From the fact that large numbers of the men were never
> heard from again and no trace of them could be found, it appears
> that many died. The overwhelming majority of their wives and
> children were exiled to Iran.
> Survivors of the period recount their experiences searching for
> those who disappeared. One such account tells of a promising
> young cellist at the Moscow Conservatory named Haji 'Abdu'l -
> Rasul Sarrafi, who was abducted from his residence. Years later,
> when his passport was finally discovered, it was learned from a
> fellow prison-camp inmate who survived that, in an effort to force
> him to confess his "crimes," his tormentors, before killing him,
> had broken each one of his fingers. 79
> In order to petition authorities for official recognition, Soviet
> Jaw required any religious community to have fifty members of
> over the age of eighteen, and so the imprisonment and deportation
> of such great numbers of Baha'is left the community depleted .
> The Baha'i communities throughout the Soviet Union were, to
> all intents and purposes, reduced to remnants after 193 8, and
> little is yet known of their fate. An October 1939 report in Baha'i
> News stated:
> 
> The National Assembly (of the Baha'is of the United States
> and Canada) has learned with deep grief of the sufferings of
> the Baha'i communities in Turkestan (sic) and the Caucasus.
> 
> 79. Private communication from Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh.
> 
> Some years ago their Assemblies and Committees were dissolved, as reported at that time, and their literature and records
> confiscated. At present many of the friends have been imprisoned, including women, and some have died in incarceration,
> while the majority have been deported to Iran, and a few to
> Siberia. Baha'i activities and teaching are forbidden. 80
> 
> In the post-World War II years, Baha'i principles continued to be
> attacked in Soviet literature. The Large Soviet Encyclopaedia now
> charged the Baha'is with denying the principle of national independence and state sovereignty, of advocating the abolition of
> national boundaries and the creation of a "united world state." 81
> In this article there appeared another novel invention, the charge
> that the Baha'is were supported by "British and American imperialists," that they received support in the form of"foreign subsidies,"
> and, reflecting the political alliances of the period, that "Bahaism"
> was an "instrument serving the spiritual disintegration of the peoples
> of the Middle East." 82
> The House of Worship in Ashgabat was seized in 193 8 on the
> pretext of the Baha'is' failure to maintain the building, whereupon
> it was used, for the next ten years, as a museum of cotton culture.
> The violent earthquake of 1948 severely damaged the building,
> and yearly rains further weakened it. In the early 1960s, the Soviet
> authorities demolished the edifice and cleared the site. Shortly
> after its establishment in April 1963, the Universal House of Justice
> appealed to the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the
> USSR, Nikita Khrushchev, to set aside as a public park the land on
> which the House of Worship had stood and to erect a suitable
> marker pointing out the significance of the site to the worldwide
> Baha'i community. No reply was ever received, but the site is now a
> public park.
> 
> 80. Bahci 'i News , October 1939, p. 2. For a more detailed account of the situation
> of the Baha' is in the Caucasus and Russia, see the 1938- 39 Annual Report
> of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha' is oflran, reprinted in The
> Baha 'i World, Vol. VIII (1938--40), p. 181.
> 81. Large Soviet Ency clopaedia, 2nd ed. (Moscow, 1950), Vol. V, p. 129.
> 82. N. A Kuznetsova, "K istorii izucheniya babizma i bekhaizma v Rossii ,"
> Ocherki po istorii russkogo vostokovedeniya, Vol. VI (1963), pp. 89- 133.
> 
> The Restoration of the Baha'i Community in Russia
> While the Baha'i communities inside Soviet Russia were being
> forcibly dispersed and repressed, the rest of the Baha'i world,
> from the late 1940s until 1963, was engaged in a coordinated
> universal effort to bring the Baha'i teachings to an increasing
> number of countries and to specific regions, cities and towns.
> In his letters to the North American Baha'is written during the
> First World War, 'Abdu'l-Baha had mentioned Russia, Byelorussia, and Asiatic Russia among those regions to which he hoped
> Baha'is would travel to share the message of Baha'u'llah with
> those interested in learning more about it. During the ministry of
> Shoghi Effendi, and under his guidance, Baha'i communities around
> the world continued systematically to implement 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> "Divine Plan," establishing new Local and National Spiritual
> Assemblies.
> This worldwide undertaking required sustained and detailed
> planning and much sacrifice on the part of the members of existing
> Baha'i communities and their administrative institutions, which
> were given specific international goals, and on the part of the individual "pioneers" who responded to this call and voluntarily settled
> in far-flung and remote parts of the world, thus opening new areas
> to the Baha'i Faith and strengthening earlier beginnings.
> With a vision of world unity that transcended the limited political
> and socio-religious ideologies of the 1940s and 50s, as well as full
> confidence in the ultimate opening of the communist countries
> about which he had written with such clarity almost twenty years
> earlier, the Guardian included objectives within Soviet territory
> with the aim of establishing a nucleus, however small, in those
> republics and islands (all in Europe) where there were still no
> Baha' is. Because of the exceedingly precarious situation of the
> Baha'is living in countries under communist rule, their participation
> in this endeavor, deprived of all means of community sustenanceliterature, fellowship, institutions, communication-and in the
> face of every conceivable external threat, called for extraordinary
> courage.
> By 1963, isolated centers had been reactivated in Azerbaijan,
> Armenia, and Georgia, in addition to the five remaining centers in
> 
> Turkmenia, as it was then known. Through the sacrificial efforts
> of the Persian Baha'i community, centers were also strengthened
> in Kirgizia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
> Despite the severe limitations placed on any religious activities
> during the period of the communist regime, opportunities to promote the Baha'i teachings were nonetheless explored during the
> 1970s in various republics of the Soviet Union. With the assistance
> of the Baha'i communities of Austria, Canada, Finland, Germany,
> Iran, Sweden, and the United States, Baha'is gradually returned to
> or settled in the Baltic States, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Ukraine.
> The gradual relaxation of travel restrictions, beginning in the
> 1980s, and the dismantling of communist rule made possible the
> strengthening of many Baha'i communities throughout the Soviet
> Union. Citizens who identified themselves as Baha'is, some of them
> after decades of enforced silence, began to rebuild and form new
> communities, which then elected their Local Spiritual Assemblies.
> The historic passage of the law on freedom of religion in August
> 1990 made possible the election of the first National Spiritual
> Assembly of the Baha'is of the USSR in May 1991. The establishment of the new state boundaries of the Commonwealth of
> Independent States following the coup attempt of August 1991
> resulted in the formation in spring 1992 of four new regional
> bodies to administer the religious affairs of the Baha'is: one in
> Russia, Georgia, and Armenia; a second in the three Baltic States;
> a third for Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova; and a fourth in Central
> Asia. The fifth, a new National Assembly, was elected in Azerbaijan. In 1993, the Regional Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
> Russia, Georgia, and Armenia was duly registered under federal
> law as a recognized religious organization. It was in this year that
> all the members of this Spiritual Assembly participated for the
> first time in the International Baha'i Convention, during which
> the Universal House of Justice is elected every five years. The next
> year, 1994, saw the inauguration of separate National Spiritual
> Assemblies in each of the Central Asian republics. Over the succeeding three years, as the number of local Baha'i communities
> expanded sufficiently to permit the establishment of National Spiritual Assemblies, an additional four were elected in the remaining
> states of the former USSR, for a total of fifteen, which now take
> 
> The first National
> Spiritual Assembly of
> the Bahir 'is of the
> Soviet Union, elected
> in April 1991.
> 
> their place alongside their sister National Assemblies in 164
> other nations. What better witness to the promise, written by
> Shoghi Effendi, in 1923, that
> 
> There is no doubt that the day will come when the very people
> who are now engaged in destroying the foundations of faith in
> God and promoting this baseless doctrine of materialism will
> arise and, by their own hand, snuff out the flame of this commotion. They will sweep away the entire structure of their
> unrestrained godlessness and will arise with heart and soul, and
> with hitherto unmatched vigor, to atone for their past failures.
> They will join the ranks of the followers of Baba 'u 'llah and
> arise to promote His Cause ... If the friends remain steadfast ...
> the veils of God's inscrutable wisdom will be lifted and extraordinary events will be witnessed.83
> 
> In 1997, the Baha'i community of Russia faced the challenging
> task of reregistering its National Spiritual Assembly after the
> passage of a new law on "Freedom of Conscience and Religious
> Organizations," which replaced the law of 1990. In January 1999,
> the Baha'i community was accorded the status of a centralized
> religious organization, providing a continuation of the legal
> framework for the registration of its now fifty Local Spiritual
> Assemblies. At the time of this printing, there are approximately
> 3,500 Baha'is living in more than 330 localities across Russia, from
> 
> 83 . Shoghi Effendi , letter to the Baha ' is of Ashgabat, 11 January 1923; cited
> in the Australian Baha'i Bulletin, March 1991 , p.3.
> 
> the far east in Kamchatka,
> throughout the vast reaches
> of Siberia, to the southern
> regions of the Caucasus, to
> the North Sea in the Murmansk region . 84 Almost
> sixty-three percent of the
> Baha'is of Russia are women and a wide variety of
> Russia's ethnic groups are
> currently represented in the Several members of the Bahri 'i community of
> community's membership. the Russian Federation with government
> .        .                    officials, shortly after the Assembly s legal
> An mterestmg feature of             re-registration in January 1999.
> its present growth (approximately six-and-a-half percent per year) is the fact that more than
> fifty-five percent of the Baha'i population is situated in the Asian
> part of the country, which represents more than seventy-five percent
> of its overall land mass but less than twenty percent of its entire
> population.
> Gradually, the inherent cultural diversity of these national
> communities is becoming more and more apparent, as they each
> address in their own unique ways the major challenges of community development: the moral development of all its individual
> members, the strengthening of family life, the recognition and
> promotion of human rights and responsibilities, the implementation
> of the principle of equality of women and men, new processes of
> community decision-making and problem-solving, and the application of such spiritual principles as justice, trustworthiness and
> moderation to economics, agriculture and environmental protection.
> The opening up of the whole of Eastern Europe and Asia to
> communication with the wider world provides an unprecedented
> challenge to reinvigorate the spiritual life of Russia, with her rich
> diversity of peoples and cultures. Human sensitivity, responsiveness,
> concern for the common weal-such are the values cherished by
> many of her great thinkers, such as Berdyaev, Solovyev, Bulgakov,
> 
> 84. It is estimated that fifteen thousand Bah a' is live in all countries of the
> former USSR.
> 
> Florensky, Leontiev, and others, whose works, long hidden, are
> taking their rightful place alongside the more familiar classics.
> The return of such spiritual values at the core of education and
> development will, no doubt, enable the peoples of Russia to
> make unique and long-awaited contributions not only to the
> rebuilding of this great nation, but also to the establishment of a
> global civilization.
> 
> Martha Schweitz and Bill Barnes examine
> the increasing use of codes of conduct
> among non-governmental organizations,
> and compare this process of unitybuilding with the experience of the
> Bahci 'i community.
> 
> DIMENSIONS
> of UNITY
> in an Emerging Global Order
> 
> I   n the middle of the last century Baha'u'llah proclaimed that a
> new spirit of unity had entered the world, which would, paradoxically, as one of its effects, upset the world's equilibrium. 1
> Unification of the family, the tribe, the city, and the nation had
> been successfully achieved. The next stage in human social evolution
> must be, He announced , unity on a global scale: "The winds of
> despair are, alas , blowing from every direction, and the strife that
> divideth and afflicteth the human race is daily increasing. The
> signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned,
> inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably
> defective." 2
> These words, issued at a time when many imagined only enlightened peace and prosperity increasing through the spread of the great
> civilization of the West, must have sounded hollow and strange.
> They were, in fact, to prove prophetic.
> 
> 1. Baha' u' llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha 'u'llah (Wilmette:
> Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1994), p. 136.
> 2. Baha' u' llah, Gleanings, p. 216 .
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> The State System and Civil Society
> Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, writing between
> the convulsions of two world wars, more specifically defined the
> fierce storm gathering on the near horizon of state relations and
> indicated what humanity had to do to protect itself from its sweeping, chaotic winds of despair:
> 
> World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is
> striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy
> inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A
> world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize
> the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinerj that can best incarnate this
> fundamental principle of its life.
> 
> While it is difficult to foresee how humanity will mature to
> reach the condition of world unity, it is clear that current structures
> and values must change. It is also clear that people--ordinary citizens- must take a large measure of the responsibility for bringing
> about this change.
> In its February 1999 statement, Who Is Writing the Future ?
> Reflections on the Twentieth Century,4 the Baha'i International
> Community concluded that unprecedented opportunities are opening to every individual, institution, and community to participate in
> shaping the collective future of humanity. In its 1995 statement,
> The Prosperity of Humankind, it identified the "efflorescence of
> countless movements and organizations of social change at local,
> regional , and international levels" as "likely the most important
> social phenomenon of our time." 5 It observed the "transformation in
> the way that great numbers of ordinary people are coming to see
> themselves" in the process of social change and further anticipated
> a recasting of present conceptions of what is natural in relationships between members of society and its institutions.
> This essay first examines the role of "ordinary people" in
> 
> 3. Shoghi Effendi , The World Order of Saha 'u 'fl ah, 2nd rev. ed. (Wilmette:
> Bah a' i Publishing Trust, 1974), p. 202.
> 4. See pp . 255- 68 of this volume for the full text of this statement.
> 5. Baha' i International Community, Office of Public Information, The Prosperity
> of Humankind (London : Baha ' i Publishing Trust, 1995), pp. 4- 5.
> 
> DIMENS IONS OF U NITY
> 
> governance in the context of the present moment in history, as the
> global system struggles to transcend narrowly conceived nationalism.
> It then considers one highly promising process, the adoption of codes
> of conduct by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in
> social and economic development. The codes-a useful window to
> understanding how people are "writing the future"-explicitly
> state the NGOs' chosen values, goals, and methods . Finally, the
> essay compares this code process to the approach of the Baha'i community by focusing on unity as its operating principle and describes
> how that community achieves, promotes, and expresses unity.
> Imperatives in a Disintegrating Order
> In 1985, on the eve of the United Nations Year of Peace, the Universal House of Justice issued a statement entitled The Promise of
> World Peace. The document addresses many problems associated
> with global breakdown and refers to "the achievement since the
> Second World War of independence by the majority of all the
> nations on earth, indicating the completion of the process of nation
> bmá1dámg ... " 6
> This statement implies not only that national statehood is finished as a socially integrating process, but, more threateningly, that
> the "anarchy inherent in state sovereignty" referred to by Shoghi
> Effendi has reached its climax or full measure of danger for
> destroying the human community. Humanity must move to the
> next stage in its collective social evolution-the stage of a global
> civilization-or suffer dire consequences. While the global
> imperative is to build a world civilization that fully embodies the
> oneness of humanity, to construct a society on this ideal necessitates
> "an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a
> change such as the world has not yet experienced." 7 The upheavals
> affecting every aspect of human life today are symptomatic of
> that organic change and characteristic of times of rapid social
> evolutionary advance- the dying of an old order through the
> emergence of a new one.
> The sovereignty of the nation state is under pressure from all
> 
> 6. The Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace (Haifa:
> Bah a' f World Centre Publications, 1985), p. I.
> 7. Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha 'u '!!ah, p. 43.
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> sides, undermined from below by "nationalistic" forces in the
> form of ethnic or other groups asserting their desire for autonomy
> and pressured from above through participation in treaties, international organizations, and other transnational structures necessary
> for dealing with urgent global problems but that also impinge on a
> nation's independent decision-making power. Forces of economic
> globalization, both in trade and capital, also exert pressure, driven
> forward by the collective actions of transnational business, investors, and the governments of the major trading powers, but still
> immune to control or even direction by the publics most affected.
> Structurally, the state is at the same time both too large and too
> small to solve modern problems.
> To relieve such pressures, the modern state system must evolve
> and develop structurally in two different directions.
> It must grow upwards to encompass larger unities within one
> commonly accepted system. Similar developments have occurred
> in past epochs, but in each case the smaller entity had to cede
> some of its sovereignty and governing responsibility to a higher
> emerging entity in the name of a larger collective good.
> The modern state must also grow in its connection to the people
> and communities it is intended to serve. The great surge in democracy during the 1990s, as measured by the number of relatively
> free and fair, multiparty electoral systems at the national level, is
> accompanied by increasingly strident demands for government at
> all levels to be more representative of and accountable to the electorate on a continuing basis-and accountable to all, not just the
> majority, the elite, or the influential.
> Beyond these two directions of growth, the present state system
> faces the imperative of development on the inner plane. The system
> of nation states is more than the drawing of boundaries, the establishing of sovereign governments, or the creation and application
> of laws and economic regulations. More than the sum of its social
> and material arrangements, it has a spiritual dimension of values,
> beliefs and principles-a cultural and religious dynamic that has
> reached exhaustion. Each nation and people has its own inner tradition, but, in their current form, these cannot co-exist in tolerance
> and separation in a globalizing world where interaction is forced
> on them. Through the resulting friction and mutual influence, a
> 
> DIME SIONS OF UNITY
> 
> new consciousness of human rights has made old inequalities and
> discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or
> other grounds totally unacceptable. Values and ethical principles
> that respect humanity and promote the well-being of all people
> must be found or forged, agreed upon, and assimilated. Growth in
> consciousness and values can be achieved only if sustained attention is paid to articulating global goals and universal principles,
> that is, to promoting a unifying moral discourse.
> Hence, to erect a new order, spiritual and material dimensions
> of life must be united, higher and lower pressures met, and smaller
> and larger problems solved. While it is impossible to predict the
> exact steps that need to be taken in our collective human social
> evolution, certain points are obvious.
> First, it is unrealistic to expect that, acting on their own initiative, existing state structures and those centers of power associated
> with them in the cultural, economic, and social realms will respond
> soon to the challenges posed to their own power. The nation state
> system cannot forge a global order of peace and prosperity as long
> as it is also driven by the contradictory purpose of keeping national
> identity, sovereignty, and prerogatives intact in the process. As the
> Baha'i International Community has written, "It is obvious that,
> whatever its past contributions, the longer the nation state persists
> as the dominant influence in determining the fate of humankind,
> the longer will the achievement of world peace be delayed and the
> greater will be the suffering inflicted on the earth's population." 8
> Yet, since sovereignty currently resides with the nation state, the
> task of determining the form and dynamic of the emerging world
> order is an obligation that rests in great part with heads of state and
> with governments.
> Second, the failures of the present state system provide unprecedented opportunities for people to arise and shape their own future.
> The world's peoples must seize these opportunities and take the
> initiative to transform the existing order.
> 
> 8. Baha'f International Community, Who is Writing the Future? Reflections
> on the Twentieth Century. (New York: Baha' i International Community,
> Office of Public Information, 1999), p. 8.
> 
> Civil Society Responds
> Civil society refers to the totality of all the groups and organizations,
> formal and informal, organized by people outside of government
> structures. 9 It has been described as a mosaic. Viewed at close
> range, all one can see are separate and irregular, sometimes
> peculiar, shapes and colors . Standing back, however, one sees
> designs and forms emerge that wholly transcend the sum of the
> parts. The depth of civil society has been linked to the strength
> of democratic traditions and has been identified as a nation's
> "social capital." 10 Because the work and activities of most civil
> society organizations are motivated by shared goals or shared
> needs, it is where most people pursue what matters most to them
> and where they develop the abilities for participating in collective efforts . For this reason, civil society has been described as
> comprising the character-forming institutions of human society. 11
> Fueled by the aspirations of ordinary people working at the
> grassroots to create more responsive social programs, however
> small, multifarious independent groupings must at first organize
> themselves outside the centers of power of the present order, creating a kind of parallel community that impacts upon established
> society and whose goal is the establishment of a just human society. They create social pressure from below on established centers
> of power, stemming, in turn, from humanity's impulse to demand its
> right to dignity and respect, and knowing its own value irrespective of social or political position or status. Relationships between
> 
> 9. in many contexts, "civil society" includes all commercial, for-profit enterprises; in others it may not. Civil society includes groups of every description:
> bowling leagues, farmers' cooperatives, religious organizations, human rights
> advocacy groups, charities, academic institutions, professional associations,
> PTAs, labor unions . Many are created to serve a public purpose. Some can
> successfully bridge deep, traditional divisions in pluralistic societies. A few
> represent the worst elements in a society, such as racist or hate groups.
> 10. See the writings of Robert D. Putnam, including Making Democracy Work:
> Civic Traditions in Modern Italy (Princeton, N.J: Princeton University
> Press , 1992).
> 11. Don E. Eberly, Americas Promise: Civil Society and the Renewal of
> American Culture (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield Publisher,
> 1998), p. 128 .
> 
> DI MENS IONS OF U NITY
> 
> members of society and its institutions are being recast from the
> ground up as a result of this transformation in how great numbers
> of people are coming to see themselves.
> Neither the concept of civil society nor its existence is new.
> What is new is the rapid growth in developing countries in the
> number of CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) created to serve
> local or national development purposes, the increasing professionalism of many CSOs created to serve a public purpose, the growth
> in the number of CSOs operating internationally, and the linkages
> and networks developing among CSOs within nations or internationally. Although some CSOs have a long tradition of being
> actively involved with governments through lobbying or other
> activities , a much wider range of organizations is now seeking
> some sort of "partnership" relationship with governmental bodies,
> from the local level through to the organs of the United Nations.
> They work on economic and social development, human rights
> and humanitarian assistance, relief of the hungry, and the rescue of
> refugees. CSOs (including what are often known as NGOs, voluntary or non-profit organizations, or humanitarian groups) are a
> major new force in global society. They represent a powerful initiative taken by citizens to structure their own lives and set their
> own goals.
> This kind of social grassroots activity in so many places at the
> same time is unprecedented in human history, reflecting a deep
> desire on the part of individuals everywhere to take a hand in shaping their own destiny. It holds out the hope of the emergence of
> new moral vision and forms of leadership in human governance,
> through which new civil capacities can be built.
> Yet this is not the whole picture, for these multifarious, energetic,
> and important movements often work at odds or in competition
> with each other, since each has its own agenda, goal, and vision.
> One danger in this situation is the potential for these groups simply
> to evolve into another form of that which they are attempting to
> replace. They are prey to many of the same shortcomings of the
> governments they criticize, as can be seen when large NGOs
> become increasingly politicized, or when conditions imposed by
> funders are allowed to dictate a CSO's policies. That is to say, to
> 
> the extent that CSOs come to resemble existing structures of power
> they, too, will become increasingly anarchic.
> Nevertheless, as a whole, the proliferating roles of CSOs in public
> affairs represent experiments in governance with the potential to
> permanently reshape the way our governing processes are understood. One indication of the impending shift is the recent popularity
> of the term "governance" in place of "government." The latter, as
> generally (and rather narrowly) used in public discourse, refers to
> the hierarchical structure and set of institutions that wield political
> power in a nation, at the local, subnational, or national level, and
> how they function. The term "governance" includes this structure
> but focuses first on how public affairs are, in fact, managed. Such
> focus leads to a heightened emphasis on informal over formal
> structures and processes, on change over time, and on the participation and roles of non-governmental actors, such as private
> organizations, for-profit business, CSOs, media, academia, citizens'
> movements, transnational corporations, and even the global capital
> market. 12 Using the term "governance" implies a change in perception, away from our government-centered way of imagining the
> world, which has never been entirely accurate and is becoming
> less so every day.
> Forgoing preoccupation with governments and state sovereignty,
> people can open the way to promoting the evolution of the state
> system both upwards toward more inclusive structures and downwards towards the citizenry. CSOs are a major force in both of
> these processes, as they develop methods to hold governments
> accountable to the public and promote global arrangements to
> address urgent problems. They are also central to meeting the
> challenge faced by the state system on the inner, moral plane.
> 
> 12. The Commission on Global Governance defines governance generally as
> "the sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private,
> manage their common affairs." Our Global Neighborhood: The Report of
> the Commission on Global Governance (New York: Oxford University
> Press, 1995), p. 2. Implicit in the term "governance" is a choice not to accord
> privilege to the formal, legal, and structural. In other words, when one discusses "governance" (at the local through global levels), one is looking at
> how an issue or a geographic area is managed or governed without assuming
> that the government is central to it.
> 
> DIME NSIONS OF UNITY
> 
> One can see how this challenge is being met in recent codes of
> conduct that have been adopted by NGOs working in social and
> economic development. Many NGOs have grown mature enough
> to start defining themselves in terms of codes of conduct that identify
> their aims, goals, and purposes, as well as their ethical standards of
> conduct. Principles and standards are agreed upon as the basis for
> bringing about desired social change, thereby creating civil structures
> that form character-perhaps initially a national character, but gradually a more universal, ethical character.
> Currently, these codes are in a very early, transitional stage. They
> address concrete problems. Although there are many universal elements within them, they also retain much that is culture-specific or
> that reflects the local com1ptions against which they define themselves. This is inevitable at this stage in their evolution, but universal
> codes will gradually emerge as the world increasingly unites.
> 
> Non-Governmental Codes of Conduct
> Origins and Character
> Recent non-governmental codes of conduct or codes of ethics
> have been developed primarily within national groups of organizations (national networks), but in some cases by transnational or
> sector-specific networks. They will be referred to here as "NGO
> codes," because most of the participating organizations define
> themselves as non-governmental organizations dedicated to serving a development-oriented purpose. Codes currently in effect
> include the following: 13
> 
> Code of Conduct for Non-Government Development Organisations of the
> Australian Council for Overseas Aid;
> Code of Ethics of the Union of Bulgarian Foundations and Associations ;
> Code of Ethics of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation;
> •   Declaration of Principles of Non-Governmental Organizations of the NGO
> Confederation of Colombia;
> 
> 13 . The codes are listed here alphabetically by the name of the country of the
> adopting NG Os or, in the case of the last three, by the name of the transnational organization. They will be referred to hereafter simply by the country
> or organization name.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> Voluntary Development Organisation: The Guiding Principles of the Voluntary
> Action Network India;
> Code of Conduct of the Japanese NGO Center for International Cooperation;
> Code of Conduct of the Lesotho Council of Non-governmental Organizations;
> •   NGO Code of Conduct of the NGO Federation of Nepal;
> •   NGO Code ofEthics for Social Development Organizations in the Philippines;
> Code ofEthics for NGOs of the South African National NGO Coalition;
> •   InterAction PVO [Private Voluntary Organization] Standards of the American Council of Voluntary International Action in the United States;
> •   NGO Guidelines for Good Policy and Practice of the Commonwealth
> Foundation;
> •   Relations Between Southern and Northern NGOs: Policy Guidelines of
> the International Council for Voluntary Organizations; and
> Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
> and Non-Governmental Organizations in Disaster Relief.
> 
> Similar codes are in various stages of preparation by other networks, including the Arab Network for NGOs and emerging
> groups in the former Soviet Union.
> It should be noted that these codes have all been adopted by
> NGO networks, that is, by established organizations whose members themselves are NGOs. They are not codes adopted by a single
> NGO for its own purposes (although those also exist in various
> forms) but have been drafted and negotiated among the member
> organizations of a particular network. In all cases, the negotiating
> process has been highly participatory, generally lasting at least a
> couple of years, and involving repeated discussions among the
> member organizations followed by redrafting and further discussion. After a code has been adopted, in most cases the member
> organizations are requested to certify that they are complying or
> bringing their practices into compliance with the code. In many
> cases, complying with the code has become a requirement of
> membership in the network. Some codes, such as that of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation, include highly
> developed implementation procedures by which a standards committee can review the practices of a member organization or even
> receive complaints that a particular organization is not complying.
> 
> DIMENSIONS OF U NITY
> 
> The experience with the Philippine code is notable, in that a few
> member organizations have been expelled from the network for
> noncompliance.
> As evident from the names of some of the adopting networks
> listed above, they are generally networks of NGOs dedicated to
> "social development. " The networks adopting codes in Australia,
> Canada, Japan and the United States are composed ofNGOs that
> work primarily in overseas aid and development. In developing
> countries, the organizations in the adopting networks are, generally
> speaking, more diverse in their aims and purposes, but are mostly
> working on domestic social and economic development issues ,
> including human rights and environmental problems. Many of the
> member organizations are themselves networks or associations of
> much smaller, local, grass roots "people's organizations."
> Traditional charitable organizations have a long history of selfregulation , dating back to the post-World War I era. For example,
> standards for charities in the United States were developed to
> assure the public that charitable contributions for the benefit of
> veterans were being put to their intended use and were not being
> wasted or diverted. The recent NGO codes, most of which have
> been adopted within the past ten years, are also intended to increase
> public confidence in the non-profit sector and thus encourage
> financial contributions. NGOs are dependent on financial support
> from the public, from foundations , and from other donors , sometimes including governments. The codes all include standards for
> responsible use of funds and disclosure of financial records . These
> range from the simple statement "We shall exercise scrupulous
> management of goodwill donations from fellow citizens and
> finances from public sources, make effective use thereof and report
> on their use properly" (Japan), to extremely detailed accounting
> forms and requirements (Australia).
> While in some cases building on this experience with self-regulation of charities , the recent NGO codes go far beyond this
> purpose in directions that reflect the rapidly evolving role of the
> non-profit sector in public service, both domestically and internationally, and in policy-making. As non-governmental actors
> increasingly seek to participate in activities and processes that
> have in the past been the exclusive domain of government, they
> 
> are being called upon to identify themselves more fully and to justify their participation. The legitimacy of the governing process in
> an era of increasing democratization requires as much. NGOs
> have typically been very reluctant to risk compromising their own
> individual missions and identities by entering into close association with other organizations and have been very protective of
> their right of independent decision and action. For many, circumstances are now requiring that this change. While continuing to
> capitalize on their uniqueness as separate organizations, and still
> entirely free to choose and pursue any legal purpose or mission,
> NGOs are coming to understand the necessity for and means to
> achieve common positions, strategic alliances, coordinated action,
> and proof of accountability in order to work effectively as "partners" of governments and intergovernmental organizations. 14
> The recent codes are an exercise in self-identification for the
> groups subscribing to them. Some also begin to describe desired
> types of relationships between governmental and non-governmental
> actors and set forth substantive principles and goals for directing
> collaborative development work. As a whole, these codes represent
> an early attempt to define the nature and purpose of non-governmental participation in governance in the development field. In the long
> term, they may also be seen as early steps to advance governance
> generally by promoting moral values and approaches to decision
> making and institutional development that mark a substantial
> improvement over current practices.
> Common Themes
> The way in which a number of common themes are treated illustrates the foregoing conclusions about the nature and significance
> of the NGO codes. Such treatment varies, of course, from code
> to code. What is more surprising, and highly promising in terms
> of establishing patterns for a new era in governance, is that they
> are often so similar. 15
> 
> 14. The code in Colombia stresses that NGOs should join "NGOs of higher
> rank" (network and umbrella organizations) for the sake of " higher cohesion, cooperation, and projection ."
> 15. The codes were not, of course, developed in isolation from each other.
> NGO networks learned from each other in the process of developing the( cont.)
> 
> DIMENSION S O F U NITY
> 
> Nature of the Development Process
> The NGO codes present a view of social and economic development that is participatory, people-centered, sustainable, and focused
> on both the immediate and long-term needs of the poorest and
> most marginalized segments of societies. In other words, development is not something that is done "to" a "target population" but
> "by" people for themselves , in cooperation with others, as they
> develop over time both individual and group capacities for responsible decision making and joint action. The codes in Japan and
> Nepal, for example, emphasize the goal of promoting self-reliance
> rather than dependency among the socially disadvantaged. The
> code in Canada has an extensive section on development principles
> that address "the urgent demands of fundamental human rights, the
> natural environment and the peaceful management of conflict,"
> that focus on the "root causes of global inequality and not merely
> its symptoms," and that aim to "promote social justice through the
> equitable distribution of power, wealth and access to resources."
> The code in the United States provides that even when material
> assistance is given in emergencies, the goal should be to avoid creating dependencies and to lay the basis for longer term development.
> Value ofNGOs in Development
> The NGO codes are founded on the assumption that NGOs are
> critical in achieving the goals of development. The code in South
> Africa states that "South African society is characterized by inequality" and that "the government will not be able to implement effective
> reconstruction and development without strong, informed and
> effective NGOs." More explicit than most of the others, the code in
> India states:
> 
> India, as a nation, is firmly committed to Democracy, and Voluntarism is an essential pillar for Democracy ... There is a visible
> erosion of ethics in public life and within the institutions of
> governance. This distressing situation, compounded with the
> large scale of poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, demands
> 
> 15. (cont.) present codes. A few are very closely related to each other and use
> some similar language, but even these have significantly distinctive features .
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> proactive social action to ensure the advancement of the deprived
> sections in particular and the well being of the people in general.
> At this juncture, Voluntary Organisations, upholding the
> basic principles for the general good of the common people,
> would be able to play a very crucial role in safeguarding public
> interest and advancing human development. Such organisations
> with the power of conviction, knowledge and ability, [have]
> already demonstrated the viability of voluntary development
> action and are dedicating themselves to the task and the challenge of building a nation based on values such as transparent
> and accountable governance, social justice, equity and dignity
> and respect for diversity.
> 
> The code in Nepal defines a social development organization as
> a "process of systematic initiatives carried out by the people with
> their own decision and desire to improve their quality of life utilizing the human potential to the fullest extent." The guidelines of the
> International Council of Voluntary Agencies states that "creation
> and strengthening of development institutions at the grass-roots
> and national level should be one of the major priorities in development today."
> Accountability
> Most of the NGO codes make some reference, brief or extensive,
> to the concept of "accountability." An "unaccountable" organization would be, for example, one in which decisions are made
> behind closed doors by the founders or hereditary leadership,
> who in tum are under no duty to the members or anyone else to
> justify or explain their actions, use of funds, etc. While this may
> be acceptable with members' consent in a private organization
> that serves only the interests of its members, it is not acceptable
> in an organization that is seeking to participate in governance in
> some way. NGOs dedicated to development are making a claim
> on the public trust, not only for financial support but also as they
> help communities organize and participate in all aspects of development work. Publics are entitled to demand-and they are
> demanding-that such NGOs be accountable for their actions .
> The most basic requirements of accountability are that the
> organization have a clearly specified purpose or mission and a
> transparent internal management system, free of conflicts of interest,
> 
> DIMENS IONS OF UNITY
> 
> discrimination, favoritism, secrecy, corruption, and all other unethical practices . Some of the codes explicitly require an elected,
> independent board of directors and specify its responsibilities .
> Another critical aspect of accountability is proper, complete, and
> open financial accounting which, as mentioned above, is stressed
> in all of the codes but with varying degrees of specificity.
> Beyond these questions of how an organization is managed,
> accountability refers to duties owed by the organization to all
> "stakeholders ,'' that is , to everyone who has an interest in or is
> affected by the organization's work. The code of the International
> Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, for example, says that,
> "We ... hold ourselves accountable to both constituencies," meaning those who wish to assist during disasters and those who need
> assistance. The code in Bulgaria states that "accountability due to
> society goes beyond the narrow requirements of the laws ." The
> Commonwealth Foundation guidelines state that an NGO is accountable to the public, to its members , to its beneficiaries, and to its
> funders .
> In practical application, accountability to all of these stakeholders
> generally means that the NGO must report regularly on its activities, publish its financial information, have a system for evaluating
> the results of its work, hold meetings where all aspects of its functioning can be discussed, and employ other means as necessary so
> that its operations will be transparent to all concerned. Over time,
> if an organization is seen to be conducting itself ethically, remaining true to its mission, managing its funds responsibly, and making
> progress towards achieving its purposes, trust will be established.
> As trust grows , an organization will usually find itself presented
> with opportunities to expand its responsibilities and influence. The
> converse will be true if an organization is held to account and is
> consistently found lacking.
> 
> Relationship to Governments
> It is quite common for NGOs to be "implementers" of government programs, that is, to receive government funds to carry out
> a designated project. Beyond this role , many NGOs wish to have
> a say in project design and to participate in general policy-making
> 
> as well. The code in the Philippines states that, in relation to governments, the member organizations will "strive to create an atmosphere
> of openness and mutual respect based on the perspective that
> people's organizations and non-government organizations are
> important components of any democratic society, ... foster a continuing dialogue ... [and] insist on mutually agreed upon objectives
> and methodologies for specific projects." Some of the codes specifically include advocacy (lobbying or trying in other ways to
> influence government decisions or policy through persuasion) as
> an appropriate NGO activity. The code in Colombia includes, as
> a duty of NGOs, "to respect legitimately constituted authorities"
> and "to participate in the design of public policies at all levels, in
> order to solve the problems of the country." The Commonwealth
> Foundation guidelines, 16 in a section on "good policy and practice
> on the part of governments,'' state that "Governments should at all
> times endeavor to work in partnership with NGOs." They suggest several governmental structures to facilitate government/
> NGO consultation "in the general policy making process and in
> the planning and design of relevant government programmes,"
> such as desk officers for NGO/government relations in each
> ministry and NGO representation on advisory committees.
> 
> Participation
> "Participatory development," in its broadest sense, means that
> people should be in control of their own course of development
> at all stages, from determining goals and priorities to actually carrying
> out development work. At a minimum it means that the people most
> affected by a particular development project should participate in
> decision making, as protagonists rather than as a "target population." This generally requires building the capacity oflocal people's
> groups, which, as mentioned, should itself be a priority goal of
> development. As the code in the United States says, "Participants
> 
> 16. The Commonwealth Foundation is not in itself an NGO but a govemmentfunded organization. It convenes a Commonwealth NGO Forum every four
> years-an NGO "summit" attended by representatives ofNGOs in all Commonwealth countries. Ln 1995, this Forum "endorsed" the guidelines, intended
> not only for NGOs but for governments and funding organizations as well.
> 
> DIMENSIONS OF U NITY
> 
> from all groups affected should, to the maximum extent possible,
> be responsible for the design, implementation and evaluation of
> projects and programs ... A member should give priority to working
> with or through local and national institutions and groups, encouraging their creation where they do not already exist, or strengthening
> them where they do ." The code in India, in its footnote defining
> "beneficiary participation,'' explains that "Participation refers to
> power and can be acquired through training. Merely being present
> in a decision-making process cannot be called Participation. One
> has to contribute to its formulation. Similarly, doing an activity is
> not Participation. Taking responsibility for an effective action will
> be Participation." The guidelines of the International Council of
> Voluntary Agencies recognize that "Participatory development
> takes a long time, it is unpredictable, and the long-term impact is
> difficult to measure. Donor and intermediary NGOs must allow
> sufficient time, funds and flexibility to enable community groups
> to carry out their own needs assessment, programme formulation,
> implementation and evaluation."
> 
> Diversity and lntercultural Relations
> Most of the codes include the principle of respecting the diversity of the peoples with whom the organizations work, including
> their culture, religion, values , traditions, and history. Many codes
> aim for a model of "partnership" among groups, as well. Several
> focus on the messages and images conveyed in communications
> to the public. The code in South Africa aims to build an organizational culture that will "recognise all cultural groups as equal
> Partners in developing the organisation." The Commonwealth
> Foundation guidelines require that agencies operating in countries other than their own "avoid acting in paternalistic, sexist,
> racist or elitist ways." The code in Japan aims to "establish equal
> partnership with people and NGOs of developing countries and
> elsewhere." It continues, "Cognizant that we in the North share
> responsibility for the problems faced by the people in the South,
> we shall promote the learning to be global citizens, so as to deepen
> our understanding of the problems of global scale, including the
> North-South issues , and reexamine the way we live and [think]."
> 
> THE BAHA:1W ORLD
> 
> The code in Canada requires organizations to avoid, in their public communications, "messages which generalize and mask the
> diversity of situations; messages which fuel prejudice; messages
> which foster a sense of Northern superiority; [and] messages
> which show people as hopeless objects for our pity, rather than
> as equal Partners in action and development." The code in Lesotho
> adds to a similar list "idyllic messages (which do not reflect reality,
> albeit unpleasant) or 'adventure' or exotic messages; ... apocalyptic
> or pathetic messages."
> Potential of the Code Process
> Admittedly, the NGO codes are not purely an exercise in enlightened governance. In some cases the motivation for adopting them
> has been the hope of forestalling restrictive government regulation or redeeming the reputation of the non-governmental sector
> after highly publicized incidents of embezzlement or other unethical
> and/or illegal conduct. Many of the codes use vague terms without
> defining them, few are written as carefully or specifically as a law,
> and the adopting organizations may well have varying interpretations of the same code. Although some codes may be enforced
> through the sanction of loss of membership in the NGO network,
> this is more likely to occur for violating financial reporting requirements than for ignoring a more vague injunction concerning,
> for example, participatory decision making or respect for other
> cultures.
> In spite of all of this, however, the NGO codes remain highly
> promising. Since most have been in effect for only a few years, it
> is too early to evaluate their impact on the member organizations
> or on the non-governmental sector as a whole, let alone any more
> far-reaching effect. But the pace at which new codes are being
> drafted and adopted is accelerating, and the older codes such as the
> one in the United States, now almost ten years old, are spawning
> efforts by their networks to raise performance standards further. At
> least in the near future, it seems highly likely that efforts toward
> non-governmental self-regulation in the development field will
> continue to spread, deepen, and produce increasingly enforceable
> standards.
> 
> DIMENS IONS OF UNITY
> 
> In the longer term, the evolution of NGO codes may signal both
> the beginning of maturation of certain segments of civil society
> and a new stage in relations between government and civil society
> organizations. Instead of dismissing CSOs as "special interest
> groups" (in a pejorative sense) "lobbying" for their own particular
> cause, some governmental institutions at the local, national, and
> international levels are coming to view CSOs as vital and indispensable actors in the democratic process. CSOs link people with
> their governments and with international institutions in ways that
> can ultimately serve the public good. They give voice to public
> concerns and priorities that they feel governments are not addressing adequately. The perception, backed by the reality, that the
> CSOs are conducting their affairs ethically, openly, for a declared
> public purpose and based on explicit human values cannot help but
> raise their credibility and strengthen their influence. CSO self-regulation through codes of conduct may also be seen as staking a
> claim to the moral high ground, placing human well-being above
> private interests and all ideologies, a claim that cannot be ignored
> indefinitely by governments and business. 17
> It is not suggested, of course, that the present NGO codes will
> themselves lead the world to a new era of humane governance. It is
> suggested, however, that the perceived need in every region to adopt
> such codes, the ability of networks of diverse NGOs to negotiate
> and adopt them successfully, and the similar visions and principles
> enunciated in codes in radically different societies signify that a
> new era is already upon us.
> Unity as Operating Principle
> Baha'is believe that this new era is one in which old structures are
> collapsing and new ones conducive to world unity are being born.
> 
> 17. At the February 1999 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
> United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan challenged the business community to enter into a Global Compact to embrace core values in human
> rights , labor standards, and environmental practices. The International
> Chamber of Commerce, which has taken upon itself the role of the "voice of
> business" at the UN, responded in July 1999 in a meeting with Annan that
> the business community had taken up this challenge.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> The Baha'i writings state that the coming of Baha'u'llah has
> imbued humanity with "a new and regenerating Spirit" that "is
> manifesting itself with varying degrees of intensity through the
> efforts consciously displayed by His avowed supporters and indirectly through certain humanitarian organizations." 18 Given the
> impending "organic change in the structure of present-day society,"19 it is not surprising to see in the NGO codes indications of
> things to come and striking conceptual parallels to Baha'i teachings.
> It is also instructive to explore how the codes and the Baha'i
> teachings differ, focusing the analysis on the principle of unity.
> Unity First
> The one word that stands most closely associated with the Baha'i
> Faith, its beliefs, principles, and institutions, is unity. The Baha'i
> Faith proclaims that there is one God, that all religions are one in
> essence, and that humanity is one people. As Shoghi Effendi
> wrote in 1931 :
> 
> Let there be no mistake. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind-the pivot round which all the teachings ofBaha'u'llah
> revolve-is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an
> expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be
> merely identified with a reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the
> fostering of harmonious cooperation among individual peoples
> and nations. Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than
> any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its
> message is applicable not only to the individual, but concerns
> itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships
> that must bind all the states and nations as members of one
> human family. It does not constitute merely the enunciation of
> an ideal, but stands inseparably associated with an institution
> adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its influence. It implies an organic change in the
> structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has
> not yet experienced. 20
> 
> 18. Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahci 'u'l/ah, p. 19.
> 19. World Order of Bahci'u'llah, p. 43.
> 20. World Order of Baha 'u '!!ah, pp. 42-43.
> 
> DlMENSlONS O F U NITY
> 
> In the latter part of the nineteenth century, Baha'u 'llah wrote,
> "So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole
> earth .. .This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is
> the monarch of all aspirations. " 21 Most who promote peace would
> agree that unity in some form is the goal towards which humanity
> is striving. But Baha'u'llah also made this startling declaration:
> "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." 22 How can
> unity be both the precondition and the goal?
> The Universal House of Justice has written that the "oneness of
> mankind ... is at once the operating principle and ultimate goal" of
> the Faith ofBaha'u'llah. 23 In Who Is Writing the Future?, the Baha'i
> International Community wrote that one of the most deeply entrenched, unexamined assumptions of the twentieth century is that
> 
> unity is a distant, almost unattainable ideal to be addressed
> only after a host of political conflicts have been somehow
> resolved , material needs somehow satisfied, and injustices
> somehow corrected. The opposite, Baba 'u' llah asserts, is the
> case. The primary disease that afflicts society and generates
> the ills that cripple it, He says, is the disunity of a human race
> that is distinguished by its capacity for collaboration and
> whose progress to date has depended on the extent to which
> unified action has, at various times and in various societies,
> been achieved. 24
> 
> Unity, then, is the primary quality that must characterize any
> successful effort to overcome political conflict, material need,
> injustice, and other ills of society. Any collective effort at any level,
> from the family through international affairs, must be grounded
> in unity as its "operating principle" if the effort is to contribute to
> the healing of the "primary disease that afflicts society and generates the ills that cripple it."
> 
> 21. Cited in World Order of Baha 'u 'I/ah , p. 203.
> 22 . Cited in World Order of Bahci 'u 'I/ah , p. 203.
> 23 . Universal House of Justice, Letter to the Baha'is of the World, October 20,
> 1983 , reprinted in Helen Hornby (ed.), Lights of Guidance, 4th rev. ed.
> (New Delhi: Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1996), # 1848, pp . 545--46 .
> 24. Wh o ls Writing the Future? , p. 7.
> 
> Dimensions of Unity
> To the extent that collaborative action in the past has led to lasting
> human progress, at least some degree of one or more of the following
> dimensions of unity has been present:
> 
> • Knowledge of unity: participants know that they are somehow
> connected, interdependent, or sharing a fate.
> • Feeling of unity: participants feel unified on some level due to
> group identification (family, ethnicity, race, religion, nationality,
> gender, etc.), common interests, geography, the presence of
> other dimensions of unity in the group, or other circumstances.
> • Ethical unity: participants share their most fundamental values
> (ethical, moral, spiritual).
> • Unity of purpose: participants are agreed on the purpose of
> their joint effort.
> • Unity of methods: participants subscribe to common methods
> for making decisions and resolving conflict.
> • Organizational unity: participants are joined in some agreedupon institutional structure.
> 
> All of these dimensions of unity are interrelated, but they are
> also distinct from each other and one can exist without another. It
> is instructive to look again at the NGO codes with this framework
> in mind.
> An essential aim of the codes is to create or strengthen the basis
> for unified, collective action, not only by the adopting NGOs themselves but by the communities and other groups and institutions
> with which they work. A Baha'i view would suggest that the most
> meaningful measure of the value of the NGO codes is the extent to
> which they effectively promote these dimensions of unity. They
> are all evident to some extent.
> Organizational unity within the existing NGO networks gives
> the member groups the institutional framework within which to
> create the codes. Unity of purpose and unity of methods are evident in the codes' nearly unanimous espousal of certain essential
> goals for development and a participatory approach, broad as
> these may be. The essentials of a rudimentary ethical unity are
> 
> DI ME SIONS OF U NITY
> 
> also apparent, necessarily beginning with primary human virtues:
> honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, and respect for others who are
> different. The value system is dominated by concern for the wellbeing of those most in need.
> The feeling of unity is strong within, and sometimes among,
> certain NGOs, due to the deep sense of shared commitment to a
> noble purpose, which is at once the source of strength and energy
> of effective NGOs and which often distinguishes them from other
> sectors or groups in society. Some civil society organizations have
> had remarkable success-relative to typical experience in our fractured world-in overcoming traditional barriers between groups in
> societies through their focus on a shared purpose that transcends
> those differences. Feelings of unity derived from common purpose
> may also have a longer term effect in wearing down prejudice and
> creating habits of cooperation across barriers.
> As for knowledge of unity, the codes' injunctions to respect
> other cultures and traditions, to work on a basis of partnership
> rather than paternalism, and to present realistic but not pitying or
> prejudicial images of those in need all support a world view in
> which every individual and group is to be respected, valued, and
> treated as an equal. This approach is generally within the stream
> of the "multiculturalism" movement, which consists of developing personal character traits, social values, and human relations
> that reflect the idea of globalism and can bridge gaps between
> cultures. Again, given the experience of our fractured world, this
> is a tremendous stride towards creating a climate of mutual tolerance and respect.
> The potential for extending all of these dimensions of unity is
> evident in the codes, as NGOs carry out their work in countless
> communities and endeavor to influence governmental policies.
> Development work that does not promote unity within families
> and communities, among social groups and organizations, or
> across cultural and national lines, may temporarily ameliorate some
> of the suffering but will not be able to heal the "primary disease
> that afflicts society and generates the ills that cripple it." Future
> generations will owe a great debt of gratitude to those who now
> have grasped this reality and are struggling to transcend prejudice,
> hatred, and suspicion.
> 
> Another observation that can be made in looking at the NGO
> codes in light of Baha'i principles is that the world is "backing into"
> the dimension of unity that the Baha'i Faith places before all else:
> consciousness of the oneness of humanity. States and peoples are
> willingly or unwillingly being drawn into ever-increasing contact,
> with resulting conflict or cooperation, by the forces of environmental
> interdependence, technological progress, economic globalization,
> and armed threats. Isolation is no longer an option. Excessive competition is destructive to all, and the effects of severe conflict cannot
> be contained. One need not be especially prescient to realize that
> people need to get along with each other on both a domestic and a
> global scale, but this is not possible if a group maintains its superiority to others, its inherent right to special privileges, or its entitlement
> to exercise disproportionate or unaccountable authority. Because
> the fate of each nation and group is intertwined with that of all others
> and with the fate of humanity as a whole, initiatives like multiculturalism, world citizenship movements, people-to-people diplomacy,
> and interfaith dialogues have emerged that generally deserve high
> praise and broad support and participation.
> From a Baha'i point of view, these initiatives must culminate in
> a still more all-encompassing and transforming conviction in the
> oneness of humanity, as described above by Shoghi Effendi. 25
> While the Baha'i community itself can as yet only partially grasp
> the implications of this principle, all of its efforts are directed
> towards understanding it, living it, and building institutions to
> embody it.
> "The bedrock of a strategy," writes the Baha'i International
> Community in The Prosperity ofHumankind, "that can engage the
> world's population in assuming responsibility for its collective
> destiny must be the consciousness of the oneness of humankind."
> The statement continues:
> 
> Deceptively simple in popular discourse, the concept that
> humanity constitutes a single people presents fundamental
> challenges to the way that most of the institutions of contemporary society carry out their functions. Whether in the form
> 
> 25. See quotation in text at note 20 above.
> 
> DIM EN SIONS OF U NITY
> 
> of the adversarial structure of civil government, the advocacy
> principle informing most of civil law, a glorification of the
> struggle between classes and other social groups, or the competitive spirit dominating so much of modem life, conflict is
> accepted as the mainspring of human interaction. It represents
> yet another expression in social organization of the materialistic interpretation of life that has ~rogressively consolidated
> itself over the past two centuries. 2
> 
> Consciousness of the oneness of humanity is the only basis for
> unity that cannot itself generate disunity. Many forms of the dimensions of unity mentioned above-in particular, unity based on group
> identification----can divide people, creating "us" and "them," "self'
> and "other." Some groups and organizations even find their primary
> identity in defining themselves in opposition to others. It is only by
> recognizing and living the oneness of humanity that all divisions
> and all prejudices can be permanently obliterated.
> Moreover, the "watchword" of the law of Baha'u'llah is "unity
> in diversity," 27 which "distinguishes unity from homogeneity or
> uniformity." 28 While an individual can no more live apart from
> humanity than a cell can from the body, cells are differentiated ,
> and it is their distinction that enables the body as a whole to become
> something transcending a collection of parts. This is the organic
> unity of humankind.
> The Bahll 'i Approach
> Because it incorporates all the dimensions of unity discussed earlier, the Baha'i community provides an unusually developed
> model of unity from the grassroots to the global level. The Baha'is'
> world-wide unity in all the essential dimensions makes their
> community a powerful society-building force that addresses the
> outer and inner challenges posed by the crumbling nation-state
> system.
> Baha'is understand that humanity's great task is to transform by
> stages the separate nations and peoples of the earth into an organically and spiritually unified world. But while Baha'is share many
> 
> 26. Prosperity of Humankind, p. 6.
> 27. Shoghi Effendi , World Order of Bahd 'u 'I/ah, p. 42.
> 28. Prosperity of Humankind, p. 7.
> 
> goals and principles with other people striving to advance society,
> the Baha'i approach to realizing these goals stands in contrast to
> their approaches, which start from some point within the increasingly anarchic state system and attempt to weld disparate interests
> together. While the work of these groups is highly laudable, internal
> and inter-group clashes often occur over methods, organization,
> procedures, values, and purposes because the participants are not
> fully unified in essentials.
> In contrast, the Baha 'i community's approach begins from a
> state of internal unity and seeks, by developing its understanding
> of the Baha'i message and administrative order, to extend the
> range and strengthen the bonds of the unity that characterizes it. In
> terms of the dimensions of unity listed previously, the Baha'is'
> knowledge of unity stems from their shared belief in Baha'u'llah
> and His vision of world unity. 29 Their feeling of unity flows from
> this belief and vision but also, at the most profound personal level,
> from nurturing a love for each person as a spiritual creation and
> expression of God's love for us all. Their ethical unity results from
> following the universal values enshrined in Baha'u'llah's teachings. Their unity of purpose comes from their common plan of
> development for the global Baha'i community, which each local
> Baha'i community helps construct and carry out. Their unity of
> method, which allows them to act in concert to realize their vision
> and plan, originates from the same fundamental principles of action
> and decision making found in every Baha' i community. The source
> of their organizational unity is the global Baha'i administrative
> order. Thus, the Baha'i community's precondition for action is an
> established internal unity, its operations are united and unifying,
> and its goal is a greater, more developed unity.
> The difference between approaches that do not put unity first
> and the Baha'i approach is analogous to the difference between
> making a necklace by placing pearls in a row and attempting to
> string a thread through them, or stringing the pearls one by one
> 
> 29. Wendy Heller, in her article "Covenant and the Foundations of Civil Society" (The Baha 'i World 1995- 96, pp. 185- 222) explains the historical and
> potential role of the religious covenant in organizing "civil society," there
> meaning non-religious social institutions.
> 
> DIMENSIONS OF U NITY
> 
> along the thread. While the goal and final product of each approach
> is the same, the organization of the two efforts to complete the
> necklace is vastly different. The first method engenders conflict
> and frustration and will likely fail, while the second will certainly
> end in success.
> Global unity must be built in every area in which the existing
> nation state system is disintegrating. Shoghi Effendi stated that in
> order to stem the anarchy resulting from the breakdown of the state
> system, the oneness and wholeness of human relationships must be
> established. These relations, being a "fundamental principle oflife,"
> create a new dynamic in all areas of social life. Such a dynamic
> motivates a broadbased rebuilding of civil society's character-forming
> institutions in such a way that they will embody the oneness of
> humanity, the pivot of all Baha'u'llah's teachings. 30
> These relationships are not new. Social advances never occur in
> the absence of unity, and previous societies obviously valued some
> form of oneness and wholeness in their relationships. The oneness
> of human relationships, arising out of the urge of human beings to
> form groups, unifies individuals in a purposeful collective social
> experience. The wholeness of human relations allows full play to
> humanity's creative drive and fosters expression of the entire range
> of human potentialities, because these relations develop in response
> to the challenges of novel situations. While there are now and have
> been relationships within all societies that meet these definitions,
> today, for the first time, the scale is global.
> What, then, would the oneness and wholeness of human relationships look like and how would they operate on a global scale?
> Though no complete answer to this question can be given, certain
> aspects of these relations can be understood because they are
> already functioning embryonically within the social order established by Baha'u'llah.
> 
> 30 . " The Baha'i Faith upholds the unity of God, recognizes the unity of His
> Prophets, and inculcates the principle of the oneness and wholeness of the
> entire human race." Shoghi Effendi, from his statement prepared for presentation to the United Nations Special Palestine Committee in 1947, cited in
> The Bah<i 'i World 1992-93, p. 294.
> 
> THEB AHA'I WORLD
> 
> The Emergent Baha'i Model
> At the foundation of the Baha'i administrative order are the stable,
> unchanging forms of the Local Spiritual Assembly, elected everywhere by the same direct method, and the Baha'i Nineteen Day
> Feast, which is the common institution of Baha'is around the globe.
> National Spiritual Assemblies and the Universal House of Justice
> are elected by indirect representation. Members of the appointed
> institutions-the Continental Boards of Counsellors and Auxiliary
> Board members-serve in their individual capacities as advisors to
> Baha'i communities and to the elected institutions at every level,
> fulfilling a critical role in the moral education and development of
> the community as a whole. Universality of values within this system
> (e.g., absence of prejudice, equality of the sexes, truthfulness,
> trustworthiness) and purposes (e.g., spiritual development, unity
> of all human beings, justice) are essential elements of each part of
> this order and its functioning, and the touchstone of its stability
> and simplicity. Yet, because each level of the order has its own
> sphere of jurisdiction and individuality, it can also continually
> modify its secondary aspects to respond innovatively to change.
> Besides these formal institutions of the Baha'i administrative
> order, 31 a number of experiments in social organization, such as
> social and economic development projects, are being organized by
> Baha'is on the local, national, and international levels to serve the
> needs of their larger communities. Yet this diverse growth occurs
> within what the Universal House of Justice calls "a single social
> organism, representative of the diversity of the human family,
> conducting its affairs through a system of commonly accepted
> consultative principles." 32 The diversification that results from
> experimentation within social structures shows the dynamic aspect
> of oneness and wholeness. The Baha'i community is one example
> of this process. 33 But there is more to the concept.
> 
> 31 . While these are not the only institutions of the Baha ' i administrative order,
> others such as the annual Convention and the Baha ' i fund are subsidiary to
> our discussion.
> 32. Promise of World Peace, p. 19.
> 33. The work ofrebui lding civil society, particularly as exemplified in the rise of
> NGOs, can be seen to complement the efforts of the Baha'i community.
> 
> DIMENS IONS OF UN ITY
> 
> Creating the oneness and wholeness of human relations marks,
> historically, the end of an era when separate societies evolved
> more or less independently of each other, and the dawn of a global
> society that will advance as one unit. The oneness and wholeness
> of human relations means that all human beings will be incorporated within a single framework of social relationships, without
> sacrificing expression of the diversity of cultural influences. Thus,
> the primary identity of every individual will be as a member of the
> human race, and all cultural, national, ethnic and racial identities
> will be subordinated to and derive their meaning from this . The
> Baha' i administrative order exemplifies this aspect of the oneness
> and wholeness of human relationships since it is part of the world
> order of Baha'u' llah, which "encompasses all units of human society; integrates the spiritual, administrative and social processes of
> life; and canalizes human expression in its varied forms towards the
> construction of a new civilization." 34
> For example, the Baha'i Nineteen Day Feast "may well be seen
> in its unique combination of modes as the culmination of a great
> historic process in which primary elements of community lifeacts of worship, of festivity, and other forms of togethemess--over
> vast stretches of time have achieved a glorious convergence. The
> Nineteen Day Feast represents a new stage in this enlightened age
> to which the basic expression of community life has evolved." 35
> Another primary element of these relations, the incorporation of
> spiritual reality into social relations , is conspicuous by its decline in
> culture everywhere. Relationships without a spiritual foundation
> developed by acts of prayer and meditation as expressions of devotion to and worship of a Sacred Reality cannot nurture the whole
> human being. If human relations are truly whole, the inner world
> of individual searching for spiritual transcendence, the collective
> human world of social interaction, and the natural world of the
> body must all be found in them.
> At the basic level of Baha'i society, the Baha'i Feast, with its
> devotional, administrative and social components, embraces all of
> 
> 34. Compilation on the Nineteen Day Feast, compiled by the Universal House
> of Justice (Thorn.hill , Ontario : Baha' i Can ada Publications, 1990), p. 1.
> 35. The Nineteen Day Feast, p. 2.
> 
> these worlds. Likewise, the Local Spiritual Assembly, operating as
> the fundamental unit of the Baha'i administration, is a focal center
> of the community's spiritual, social, and material activity.
> Since the relationship between the individual and society is a
> reciprocal one, entering into social institutions that embrace the
> spiritual, social and material worlds of human existence entails an
> enlargement of individual social responsibilities. Few societies
> today aside from the Baha'i community give individuals so much
> responsibility or educate them in the requirements of participation
> in these new responsibilities. It is their "divine" institutions that
> make the Baha'is an organized moral force. The Feast, for example,
> because of its threefold purpose and through the process of community consultation,
> 
> links the individual to the collective processes by which a society
> is built or restored ... the Feast is an arena of democracy at the
> very root of society, where the Local Spiritual Assembly and
> the members of the community meet on common ground, where
> individuals are free to offer their gifts of thought, whether as
> new ideas or constructive criticism, to the building processes of
> an advancing civilization. Thus it can be seen that aside from its
> spiritual significance, the common institution of the people combines an array of elemental social disciplines which educate its
> participants in the essentials ofresponsible citizenship.36
> 
> Fuelling these institutions to function effectively as communitybuilders in every part of the world are three closely related and
> unifying operative principles of unity: the right of every individual to
> an unfettered search for truth; consultation on any and all problems;
> and universal participation.
> While the independent search for truth implies the right of each
> person to his or her own opinion based on that search, these differences must be harmonized ifunity of perception, purpose and action
> is to be achieved. Thus, "[ c ]onsultation, frank and unfettered, is
> the bedrock of this unique Order." 37 But consultation is not just a
> 
> 36. The Nineteen Day Feast, p.3 .
> 37. Shoghi Effendi, cited in Consultation. A Compilation, in The Compilation
> of Compilations: Prepared by the Universal House of Justice 1963- 1990
> (Mona Yale: Baha'i Publications Australia, 199 l ), Vol. l, # 192.
> 
> DIMENS ION S OF U NITY
> 
> forum for exchanging thought and opinion, facts and ideas; it is both
> a means to and a form of decision making.
> As a means of decision making, consultation brings different
> individual perspectives together in a spirit of collective search to
> discover the whole truth in any situation. The consultative environment is created within an atmosphere of mutual trust and regard on
> the part of the participants, regardless of their age and experience.
> In true consultation there are no individual leaders and private
> interests, because the well-being of everyone is the real object of
> discussion. With open discussion welcomed, people can more easily
> agree on the true nature of any problem, the desired solution, and
> the approach to this end. Hence the Baha'i writings state that "the
> shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing
> opinions." 38 In full and frank consultation, which is nevertheless
> courteous in tone and spirit, individuals find their common mind,
> united upon the truth. Thus, consultation is a process of collective
> transformation, turning individual insights and perceptions into the
> common possession of all.
> In short, the consultative process harmonizes the rights of individuals to express their opinions and the requirements of the
> collectivity for the stability of a working consensus. It brings out
> the cooperative side of human nature, yet does not sacrifice individuality in the process. Baha'u'llah states: "No power can exist
> except through unity. No welfare and no well-being can be attained
> except through consultation," and "Consultation bestoweth greater
> awareness and transmuteth conjecture into certitude. It is a shining
> light which, in a dark world, leadeth the way and guideth." 39
> The intellectual dynamics of coming to an understanding and
> agreement about truth have profound social effects within Baha'i
> communities. The process of consultation produces people with an
> understanding of public tasks and facilitates their involvement in
> larger public affairs because it develops the skills required to participate in solving social problems . Moreover, since each local
> Baha'i community sees itself as one part of the world order of
> 
> 38. 'Abdu ' l-Baha, cited in Shoghi Effendi , Baha 'i Administration (Wilmette:
> Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1953), p. 21 .
> 39. Baha ' u'llah , cited in Consultation: A Compilation, Vol. 1, # 167, p. 168.
> 
> THE BAHA'f WORLD
> 
> Baha'u'llah and applies to the local situation His universal ethical
> and social principles, the work of all communities easily interconnects, thereby developing the collective capacity to solve problems
> beyond the local level as well.
> The third principle, universal participation, implies that every
> individual, regardless of age, social position, educational or family
> background, has a right to contribute whatever he or she can to
> the community's development, while for its part the community
> has the obligation to create opportunities for individuals to contribute. It also implies that every individual has a spiritual and
> moral obligation to be of service to the community, for the spiritual strength of any community is measured by the breadth of
> participation in the services performed within it.
> The last point to be made about the Baha'i model of the oneness
> and wholeness of human relationships is its global integration.
> Organizational and spiritual unity is achieved structurally and purposively because everywhere in the world, at the local , national
> and international levels of Baha'i society, the interconnected institutions of the Baha'i social order function according to like
> practices, are constituted by the same set of procedures and make
> and communicate decisions through similar channels. Like every
> cell and organ of the human body, every Baha'i institution is itself
> a ground plan of the complete order. This unity of structure and
> harmony of function in Baha'i social institutions both enable and
> define new kinds of collective action. From the local through the
> regional and national to the global levels of organization, there is a
> transfer, accumulation and reorganization of energy, making an
> increasingly powerful moral force for unity that seeks to find
> greater social expression, while from the global Baha'i institutions
> flow the coordinating vision, the inspired guidance and detailed
> plans that link and combine every Baha'i purpose with every other.
> In light of this organizational structure and purpose, Shoghi
> Effendi describes how the Baha'i community's "world-embracing,
> continually consolidating activities constitute the one integrating
> process in a world whose institutions, secular as well as religious, are
> for the most part dissolving."40 This community is weaving an orderly
> 
> 40. Shoghi Effendi, World Order ofBaha 'u 'llah, p. 194.
> 
> DIMENS IONS OF U NITY
> 
> world polity that "constitutes the one hope for a stricken society."41
> Conclusion
> More than one hundred years ago, Baha'u'llah wrote that the "prevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective." 42 Today this
> has become obvious. The defects and limitations of the nationstate system are generating ethical and structural challenges to
> governance and spawning numerous attempts to either repair the
> rifts or create a new order.
> The next stage in the collective social evolution of humanity is
> world unity- as yet only a dimly foreseen system of governance
> in which diversity is protected and valued, centralization is kept to
> the necessary minimum, and human loyalties and identities are
> world-embracing. To move in that direction from our present anarchic nation-state system, current governments need to evolve
> upwards into larger functional structures, downwards into stronger
> association with the public, and inwards by shifting their ethical
> foundation to one that can support global unity. Groups of citizens
> dedicated to promoting human well-being are actively responding
> to these needs and contributing immensely to both structural and
> ethical transformation. Networks of NGOs involved in this work
> around the world have matured to the point of being able to agree
> on codes of conduct articulating shared goals, values, operating
> principles, and ethics. The striking similarities among these codes
> and the global outlook and perspective they embrace are promising
> signs of a new global order struggling to be born.
> Recently, the positive and well-publicized contributions of civil
> society to better governance have generated tremendous enthusiasm
> for the potential of NGOs to remedy the ills of humanity in the
> face of state governments ' incapacity and too-narrow perspective.
> This confidence in civil society should not, as some cynics say, be
> regarded as a passing fad, but neither should it be espoused without deep consideration of the reasons for non-governmental success
> to date. Establishing unity is the prerequisite to solving humanity's
> problems at any level , and the more profound and encompassing
> 
> 41 . World Order of Baha 'u '!!ah , pp. 194-95 .
> 42 . Baha' u' llah, Gleanings, p. 216.
> 
> THE B AHA'f W ORLD
> 
> the unity, the more successful any effort for human progress. This
> is the fundamental standard by which to evaluate the worth and
> potential of modem social movements.
> Organizations of civil society will succeed in their efforts to
> the extent that they create unity among diverse participants in
> order to promote the public good. Since the concept of unity is
> susceptible to so many understandings, the six dimensions of
> unity outlined in this essay are offered as a way to make the idea
> more tangible and to identify degrees and types of unity relevant
> to building stable and just social structures. Ultimately, it is the
> consciousness of the reality of the oneness of humankind that
> can inform the social institutions and patterns of behavior necessary
> for a new global order. In contrast, efforts that lack an encompassing framework of unity threaten to dissolve into the same chaos
> that characterizes the nation-state system. Evaluating the NGO
> codes of conduct from this perspective shows that, to their great
> credit, the adopting organizations have generally committed themselves to achieving broader and more inclusive levels of unity than
> exist otherwise in their societies.
> Examined from the same standpoint, the experience of the
> worldwide Baha'i community shows that its teachings require
> and are in fact inspiring an unparalleled global system, unified in
> all of its essential aspects, both structural and ethical. Each local,
> or national, Baha' i community is not an independent social entity
> with its own self-defined code of conduct, attempting to link
> with others who have undergone a similar process of development.
> Each Baha'i community sees itself, and identifies its essential
> nature, as constituting one part of the collective reality of the world
> order ofBaha'u'llah through the local application of the universal
> ethical, social and organizational principles of the Baha'i teachings.
> The unifying power of Baha'u'llah's principles enables the Baha'i
> community to exhibit perhaps a greater diversity than any other
> group in the world .43 It demonstrates a new paradigm of unity
> that connects inner spiritual reality with outer social relations and
> 
> 43 . Baha ' is live in more than 127,000 localities worldwide, and inc lude members of over 2,000 tribes, races, and ethnic groups. See pp. 31 7-20 of this
> volume for complete stati stical inform ation .
> 
> DIME NS IONS OF U NITY
> 
> harmonizes the purposes of the individual with those of the community. Stretching from the grassroots to the global level, the Baha'i
> order provides a powerful model of the kind of social structure and
> action required to build a new global order upon a comprehensive
> ethical foundation .
> It is due largely to this tight link between the local and the global that individual Baha'is put such priority on attending Local
> Spiritual Assembly meetings and the Nineteen Day Feast, that
> they study the Baha'i writings together, that they are committed
> to applying Baha' i consultation in all community endeavors, and
> that they reach out to the community at large to collaborate in
> efforts to promote gender equality and to overcome racism. They
> know that their efforts to build and strengthen the Baha'i administrative institutions and to live according to their ethical principles
> are directly related to writing humanity's future.
> The work of Baha'i individuals and communities is still a quiet
> drama, operating at the level of essentials, but it is so indispensable
> that the Universal House of Justice has stated: "A Baha'i community
> which is consistent in its fundamental life-giving, life-sustaining
> activities will .. .exert irresistible influence, will set a new course in
> human evolution."44 Baha'is seek opportunities both to learn from
> and to teach others in this great endeavor.
> 
> 44. The Universal House of Justice, 1984 Ri9van Message to the Baha'is of
> North America.
> 
> Ann Boyles looks at issues surrounding the
> entrance of women into leadership roles at
> the local, national, and international levels
> around the world.
> 
> WTWORLD
> wATCH
> 
> A       lthough they continue to face many extremely serious problems, it is clear that women have made great progress
> towards achieving equality with men during the twentieth century.
> It is remarkable to think that less than a hundred years ago women
> still did not have the right to vote and had only recently entered the
> realm of higher education, while today women comprise half of the
> undergraduates in Western universities and in 1993 earned fortyfour percent of doctoral degrees in American universities. They
> have moved in large numbers into many professions, such as
> medicine, law, and scientific research, that were not previously
> open to them. Between 1983 and 1996, the percentage of women
> lawyers and judges in the U.S . doubled to twenty-nine percent, and
> the percentage of female physicians rose from sixteen to twentysix percent. Yet there is still much progress to be made . While
> women now vote in most of the world's countries, women politicians
> are still vastly outnumbered by men; in business, only one in ten
> corporate officers is a woman, and fewer than three percent of all
> chief executive positions are held by women. The exclusion of
> 
> women from these influential areas of civil life means that their
> voices and views are still not widely heard.
> In many places in the world, however, such problems would be
> enviable. While the economic, social, and political situations of
> women have improved in some countries, the global picture is
> sobering. Of the more than one and a half billion people on the
> planet identified as the "rural poor," women comprise at least
> seventy percent of this number. And while women make up
> approximately half of the world's population and perform twothirds of the work, they earn only one-tenth of the world's income
> and hold in their own names less than one-hundredth of the world's
> property. 1 Girls make up sixty percent of the 140 million children
> around the globe who never attend frimary school, and two-thirds
> of the 100 million school dropouts.
> Addressing the challenges women face at the close of the twentieth
> century is central to the well-being of all, whether the challenge be
> the "glass ceiling" in a business corporation or the means to feed
> their children even one meal. As Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM),
> has said:
> 
> The current international system has constructed a world of
> inequality, instability and conflict. To change this, the international co1mnunity must generate new development thinking and
> practice, a new ethics of governance and new processes of
> leadership. Women must be part of this new process in order for
> it to work. Women have a high stake in creating new mechanisms
> and systems that are equitable and sustainable. Until they are
> present at the decision-making table, their concerns will remain
> marginalized 'special interests'. 3
> 
> This observation recalls 'Abdu'l-Baha's words in 1912, when
> 
> 1. Janet Momsen, Women and Development in the Third World (London:
> Routledge, 1991 ), pp. 1-2.
> 2. John Rowley, "Judgement Day," People and the Planet, Vol. 7, No. 5 (1998),
> p. 3.
> 3. Noeleen Heyzer, "Bringing a Gender Perspective to Global Governance:
> An interview with Noeleen Heyzer," in Development 1995 :4 Journal of
> SJD, pp. 44-45 ; p. 45.
> 
> He stated unequivocally, "Women have equal rights with men upon
> earth; in religion and society they are a very important element. As
> long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which
> might be theirs." 4 It is a grave mistake, then, to relegate women's
> concerns to the realm of "special interests." In 1985 the Universal
> House of Justice wrote of the pernicious effects of inequality, saying:
> 
> The denial of. .. equality perpetrates an injustice against one half
> of the world 's population and promotes in men harmful attitudes
> and habits that are carried from the family to the workplace, to
> political life, and ultimately to international relations. There are
> no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such
> denial can be justified. Only as women are welcomed into full
> partnership in all fields of human endeavor will the moral and
> psychological climate be created in which international peace
> can emerge. 5
> 
> Following from this statement, we may well ask what form
> women's greater involvement in wider society will take in order to
> create such a moral and psychological climate, and how they will
> change the way that society and its institutions function. Central to
> such questions is the role of women as peacemakers.
> Since the early years of this century, when women struggled to
> gain the vote, the expectation has always been that their participation in politics would usher in a new era of peace. Francis Fukuyama
> takes up this issue in his essay "Women and the Evolution of World
> Politics," published in the September/October 1998 issue of Foreign
> Affairs. Women, he asserts, have made a difference in the political
> sphere, but the "feminization" of politics in developed countries is
> not necessarily a good thing. But while feminization has made these
> nations less aggressive, violent, competitive, and adventurous ,
> 
> 4. ' Abdu ' l-Baha, Paris Talks, 10th British ed. (London: Baha'i Publishing Trust,
> 1961 ), p. 133 ; cited in Women.á Extracts from the Writings of Baha 'u 'llah,
> 'Abdu 'l-Bah6, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House ofJustice, compiled by
> the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice (Thornhill: Baha' i
> Canada Publications, 1986), No. 20, p. 11.
> S. The Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace (Haifa:
> Baha ' i World Centre Publications, 1985), pp . 11 - 12 .
> 
> Fukuyama worries that "even if the democratic, feminized, postindustrial world has evolved into a zone of peace where struggles
> are more economic than military, it will still have to deal with
> those parts of the world run by young, ambitious, unconstrained
> men." Thus, "in anything but a totally feminized world, feminized
> policies could be a liability," 6 and "masculine policies will still be
> required, though not necessarily masculine leaders." 7 At the base
> of Fukuyama's argument is the premise that men are inherently
> more violent than women, a trait that socialization cannot eliminate
> and that dominates leadership paradigms in developing countries.
> But are women, in fact, "hardwired" to be less violent and aggressive than men? And do women, if given the opportunity to lead,
> lead differently than men? Discussions about the gendered brain
> and evolutionary psychology have occupied a central place in many
> contemporary discussions about women, the nature of equality,
> and leadership. While the subject is hotly debated, Karin Klenke, a
> scholar in the field of leadership studies, explains the difficulties in
> drawing conclusions on this question from the studies that have
> been conducted:
> 
> Some traits like aggression or dominance which have been
> linked to leadership are also believed to be sex-linked. In other
> words, American men presumably are more aggressive than
> American women. The biological basis of aggression is derived
> from the presence of the Y chromosome and the sex hormone
> testosterone, both of which convey maleness. However, behavioral manifestations of aggression in boys and girls, or men and
> women, can also be explained culturally and socially, since both
> sexes display a variety of aggressive behaviors ranging from
> aggressive verbal acts to criminal behavior. 8
> 
> Katha Pollitt, in her response to Fukuyama's article, notes that
> even for supposedly sex-linked traits, each gender falls along a
> bell curve, and the curves mostly overlap. (In the case of aggression
> 
> 6. Francis Fukuyama, "Women and the Evolution of World Politics," in Foreign
> Affairs, Vol. 77, No. 5 (September/October 1998), p. 36.
> 7. Fukuyama, p. 37.
> 8. Karin Klenke, Women and leadership: A Contextual Perspective (New
> York: Springer Publishing Co., 1996), p. 137.
> 
> W ORLD W ATCH
> 
> and dominance, which are believed to be genetically based and
> which have been linked consistently to male-female differences,
> some studies have found that biology or sex accounts only for five
> percent of the variability between people.) Such findings, Pollitt
> points out, contradict Fukuyama's argument that men are violent
> and competitive and women are not. 9 With genetic differences
> between men and women in regard to aggressiveness under question, she contends, there is no basis for the conclusion that men and
> women, inherently, lead differently. While Fukuyama may worry
> "that the girls are about to seize power and tum the United States
> into an international wimp," Pollitt says:
> 
> American women have had the vote for nearly 80 years. So
> far, they have not even won paid maternity leave or affordable
> daycare, things taken for granted in other industrialized countries. In light of these failures, the assertion that women will be
> transfonning American foreign policy anytime soon, against
> the wi 11 of those now in control, strikes me as a fantasy second
> only to the notion that genetics will bring it about. It is more
> likely that as women become more enmeshed in politics and business, with all their compromises and rewards, whatever modest
> inclination they may now possess toward nonviolent conflict
> resolution will be swamped by other factors: vanity, §reed,
> fear, perceptions of national interest, lust for cheap oil. 1
> 
> In some ways her argument, with its speculative assumptions
> about women's easy capitulation to forces such as vanity and greed,
> is as unsatisfactory as Fukuyama's. Her view of the future, while
> different from his, is equally pessimistic.
> A much more positive view of the future and women's role in
> shaping it can be found in a great deal of the popular literature
> recently published on the topic of women and leadership, including
> titles such as The Female Advantage: Womens Ways ofLeadership
> by Sally Helgesen and Helen Fisher's 1999 best-seller The Natural
> Talents of Women and How They Are Changing the World. These
> books are based on the premise that women possess special qualities
> 
> 9. Katha Pollitt, "Father Knows Best," in Foreign Affairs, Vol. 78, No. 1 (January/February 1999), p. 124.
> 10 . Pollitt, p. 125.
> 
> that will be a great advantage to them in assuming leadership roles
> in the coming era. Fisher's take on the gendered brain is that women
> think contextually, take a more holistic view of problems and issues,
> gather pertinent information and connect various details more
> quickly, weigh more variables and points of view in their decisionmaking process, and see more options for action than men. Men, on
> the other hand, tend to focus on one thing at a time, compartmentalize
> their attention, tune out extraneous stimuli, channel their thinking,
> focus on the immediate situation rather than the larger picture, and
> move in a linear path towards the solution to a dilemma. Fisher
> characterizes the women's process as "web thinking" and the men's
> as "step thinking." 11
> To see how such differentiation translates into "the female advantage," one need only browse through the business section of any
> bookstore. Much of the popular business literature is based on the
> premise that effective organizations in the coming century will
> abandon the hierarchical pyramidal structure, in which most of the
> real control resides at the top. Instead, organizations will be composed of a web of interlaced systems in which power is diffused
> and there are many centers of decision making. Fisher, Helgesen,
> and others contend that women are ideally suited to this new environment and will, in fact, bring further change as they assume more
> positions of authority, both in business and in wider society. 12
> While this view makes for best-selling books, support for the
> argument of women's superior leadership qualities based on the
> gendered brain argument (like the argument about male aggressiveness) is unproven . Again, factors such as culture, environment,
> and societal norms must be considered in discussions of men's and
> women's leadership characteristics. Klenke contends that gender
> differences in actual leader behavior are "few and negligible" and
> that "the scientific evidence fails to support the notion of a distinctive
> 'feminine' leadership style portrayed by the popular literature." 13
> An alternative to dwelling on gender differences, she suggests, is
> 
> 11. Helen Fisher, Th e First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How Th ey
> Are Changing the World (New York: Random House, 1999), pp . 5- 6.
> 12. See, for example, Fisher, p. 53 .
> 13 . Klenke, pp. 159- 60 .
> 
> W ORLD W ATCH
> 
> the active pursuit of equality, which will lead us towards making
> changes in the social values and organizational structures that comprise the leadership fabric. 14
> Here, then, we have a broad spectrum of positions on male/female
> leadership differences: Fukuyama argues that there is difference in
> male and female leadership styles, arising incontrovertibly from
> biology. Fisher and others also affirm genetic differences underlying
> distinctive masculine and feminine leadership styles, but see the
> world evolving to a state that accommodates "the female advantage ." Pollitt, on the other hand, argues that no real sex-based
> differences have been proven to exist in behavioral traits such as
> aggressiveness, so there is no basis for the assumption that men
> and women will lead differently, and if put in leadership positions,
> women will quickly become as corrupt as the men who now occupy
> them. Finally, Klenke contends that it is impossible to disentangle
> genetic, social, and cultural factors in the development of behavioral
> traits. Furthermore, it is more important to move beyond arguments
> about them, which ultimately result in new gender stereotypes,
> towards the pursuit of equality.
> Klenke's emphasis on pursuing equality between women and
> men is a welcome contribution to the leadership discussion. The
> promotion of equality is a central principle of the Baha'i Faith,
> originating from Baha'u'llah's statements that "women and men
> have been and will always be equal in the sight of God" 15 and that
> God "hath conferred upon all a station and rank on the same plane." 16
> Thus, the Baha'i belief in equality of the sexes rests on a spiritual
> foundation, which forms the basis of all efforts made within the
> Baha'i community to promote the advancement of women. Believing
> that women and men are equal before God, Baha'i communities the
> world over strive to practice that spiritual reality on the material plane.
> It is important to understand that, for Baha'is, equality does not
> mean "sameness." In their efforts, Baha'is promote recognition of
> the complementarity, rather than sameness, of men's and women's
> roles. Differences in biological functions of the sexes are obvious,
> 
> 14. Klenke, pp. 162-63 .
> 15 . From a previously untran slated tablet, in Women, No. 54, p. 26.
> 16. From a previously untranslated tablet, in Women, No. 2, p. 2.
> 
> but Baha' is believe that such differences in no way imply inferiority
> or superiority of one sex or the other. Women's roles, functions,
> and views must be valued in any society that hopes to achieve full,
> meaningful participation of both sexes in its affairs. Social structures that value qualities such as nurturing and caring in both
> women and men play an important role in promoting equality and
> avoiding the limitations that gender stereotyping has imposed on
> human advancement. Equality is not an end in itself, after all; the
> goal of achieving "full partnership" of women and men is, ultimately, the progress of all of humanity-"an age in which the
> masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly
> balanced." 17
> "Feminine elements" identified by 'Abdu 'l-Baha include moral
> courage and the ability "to govern in moments of danger and crisis." 18 And while women should "strive to show in the human world
> that women are most capable and efficient," they should also not
> cease to demonstrate "that their hearts are more tender and susceptible than the hearts of men, that they are more philanthropic and
> responsive toward the needy and suffering, that they are inflexibly
> opposed to war and are lovers of peace." 19 'Abdu'l-Baha stated
> many times that men are more inclined to war than women and that
> "a real evidence of woman's superiority will be her service and
> °
> efficiency in the establishment of universal peace." 2 Furthermore,
> He said, "as woman advances toward the degree of man in power
> and privilege, with the right of vote and control in human government, most assuredly war will cease." 21
> Whether, in the final analysis , these qualities are innate or
> socialized is less important than the assertion that the entrance and
> acceptance on the world stage of women who manifest these qualities will "assuredly" bring peace.
> Education and training on various levels are key in effecting the
> kinds of changes that will create a climate in which peace can
> 
> 17. Women, No. 25 , p. 13 .
> 18. Cited in Women, No. 87, p. 40 .
> 19. ' Abdu ' l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, rev. ed. (Wilmette,
> Illinois: Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 284; cited in Women, No. 84, p. 39.
> 20. Promulgation, p. 284; cited in Women, No. 84, p. 39.
> 21. Women, No . 85 , p. 39 .
> 
> emerge. A key element in such a process is the education of girls,
> which is given great emphasis in the Baha'i teachings. 'Abdu'l-
> Baha said, "there must be no difference in the education of male
> and female in order that womankind may develop equal capacity
> and importance with man in the social and economic equation."22
> He absolutely rejected arguments against equality based on women's
> supposed inferiority of capacity, saying, "Even granted that woman
> is inferior to man in some degree of capacity or accomplishment,
> this or any other distinction would continue to be productive of
> discord and trouble. The only remedy is education, opportunity;
> for equality means equal qualification." 23
> Taken in a contemporary Western context, 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> statement could well be interpreted as referring to women's access
> to higher education or their entrance into "male" professions in
> greater numbers. In the context of developing countries, however, the
> practice of such a principle might entail widespread literacy training
> and family planning, as smaller families allow women opportunities
> to better their own lives and those of their families, and to contribute in arenas from which they have traditionally been excluded.
> The urgent need for basic education for women is borne out by
> the fact that, according to the 1995 World Education report of the
> United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
> (UNESCO), two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults, or some 565
> million people, are women. And the gap between male and female
> literacy rates seems likely to widen, as almost 25% of primaryschool-aged girls compared to 16.4% of boys in developing countries
> do not attend school. In regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, fewer
> than half of primary-school-aged girls attend school, and the rate
> drops dramatically for older girls .24 The reasons for non-attendance vary, whether they arise from the family's inability to pay for
> school fees, uniforms, or books, or from the need for daughters to
> work in the home to assist the mother or in the fields to help support
> 
> 22. Women , No. 79, p. 37.
> 23 . Women, No. 78, p. 37.
> 24. Cited in Learning: The Treasure Within , Report to UNESCO of the international Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century (Paris:
> UNESCO Publishing, 1996), p. 75.
> 
> the family. In many instances, however, the basic fact is that parents
> regard daughters as a liability. In China, for example, since government subsidies for schools were removed some ten years ago,
> the dropout rate in poor rural areas has risen exponentially, and in
> some locations three-quarters of the dropouts are girls. One mother
> states categorically, "In our village, girls are not as important." 25
> And since, according to tradition in rural China, girls become part
> of their husband's family when they marry, parents see little point
> in investing in their futures , when their sons are the ones who will
> stay at home and support them. In contrast, the Baha'i teachings
> stress the importance of educating the girl child, since she will be
> the first educator of the next generation. In fact, if parents lack the
> means to educate both sons and daughters, the Baha'i writings say
> that priority should be given to the education of the girls.
> Campaigns around the globe specifically set up to send girls to
> school and keep them there as Jong as possible have begun to
> address the basic problem of illiteracy, as experts acknowledge the
> correlation between women's educational levels and such societal
> improvements as health and nutrition and smaller family size. 26
> The UNESCO report asserts: "The vicious circle linking poverty
> to inequality between men and women has to be broken. In more
> general terms , the education of girls and women would appear .. .to
> be the basic precondition for active ~articipation by the population
> at large in development activities." 7 Such campaigns address the
> issue of women and leadership development at the most basic level.
> But even where illiteracy rates are high, other options exist for
> training women to be leaders. In India, for example, authorities have
> instituted a ~uota system for women's participation in village-level
> governance. 8 In 1993 , a constitutional amendment set aside onethird of all village council seats and vill age chiefs ' positions for
> women. Of those, a certain percentage is reserved for women from
> 
> 25 . See " In China, School Fees Keep Many Children Away," in the New York
> Tim es Web edition <www.nytimes.com>, I November 1999 .
> 26. Learning: The Treasure Within , p. 75.
> 27. Learning: The Treasure Within , p. 76.
> 28. See " In Indi a, Lower-Caste Women Turn Village Rul e Upside Down," in
> th e New York Times Web edition , 3 May 1999.
> 
> the lowest castes, according to their percentage of the population.
> More than five hundred thousand villages and more than six hundred million people are affected by this change, designed to help
> break down the traditional hierarchical caste system. Women who
> had never previously been given the opportunity to participate in
> determining the affairs of their villages have been given a voice
> and a forum to bring their concerns to their local councils- an innovation that Noeleen Heyzer of UNIFEM has called "one of the best
> innovations in grassroots democracy in the world."
> While the system is not working in all cases-estimates indicate
> that about one-third of the women council members are simply
> obeying their husbands' directions-the other two-thirds are gaining
> valuable experience in governance, seeking funds for community
> halls, lobbying for medical clinics, fixing hand pumps to ensure a
> clean water supply, overseeing the installation of streetlights, and
> other projects to improve community life. Many of the lower caste
> women serving on the councils are illiterate, but they are gaining
> confidence and are not afraid to ask others for assistance, whether
> in reading documents, speaking to the men of the village, dealing
> with officials, or keeping record books.
> While some people object to such affirmative action quotas, it
> is clear that in the case of the lower caste women in India, there is
> no other means by which they would be able to serve as village
> council members or chiefs. The quota system can thus be credited
> for pushing villages far ahead of where they would be otherwise
> on the path to achieving equality of the sexes. Other countries,
> including Peru, Argentina, Germany, and Belgium, are also experimenting with quotas to achieve more participation by women in
> the public sphere.
> But even in countries where the basic educational needs of girls
> and women are met and where women can pursue education to the
> highest levels, barriers still remain to positions of leadership. Looking
> at the culture of Western business corporations, and the "glass ceiling"
> women find blocking their advancement to the upper echelons of
> power, a growing number of observers see a need to change the way
> that leaders are trained, to promote greater acceptance of different
> leadership styles. Klenke writes:
> 
> Corporations, educational institutions, government agencies,
> and community organizations must be responsive to the development needs, including leadership development, of both
> women and men, and incorporate diversity into training programs. They must make a commitment to identify, encourage,
> and develop individuals with the desire and motivation to lead,
> and promote new and different thinking about leadership so
> that women and men can discover pathways to lead themselves
> and others effectively. 29
> 
> In her view, "women's only" leadership training programs, while
> well intentioned, are off the mark. The real issue is "challenging
> the dominant cultures in our organizations and institutions" to the
> point where both men and women leaders will be comfortable in
> affirming the humanitarian values that have long been associated
> with women, as well as demonstrating "male" qualities of toughness and drive when appropriate. In such a culture, emphasis on
> gender stereotypes will be replaced by a genuine consideration of
> individuals. One writer describes it as developing a leadership that
> "thinks globally, seeks to embrace all of humanity socially, and acts
> to create a future out of the particular situation in which it finds
> itself. " 30
> It is a small step from the kind of training described above to
> that based on the concept of "stewardship," which introduces the
> moral element into the leadership discussion. Most notable of the
> volumes written on this theme are Robert K. Greenleaf's Servant
> Leadership and On Becoming a Servant-Leader, and Stephen R.
> Covey's Principle-Centered Leadership. Covey, for example,
> identifies aligning oneself with "correct principles," or "self-evident,
> self-validating natural laws," as central to one's life and actions "at
> all times in all places." To Covey, "principle-centered leadership
> is based on the reality that we cannot violate these natural laws
> with impunity." 31 Furthermore, he argues, "profound, sustainable
> 
> 29. Klenke, p. 260.
> 30. R . Burnside, " Leading creatively into the 21 st century," paper presented at
> the International Conference on Creativity and Leadership, Lappeenranta,
> Finland, August 22- 24 1990, p. 3; cited in Klenke, p. 264.
> 31. Stephen R. Covey, Principle-Centered l eadership (New York: Simon and
> Schuster, 1991), p. 19.
> 
> W ORLD WATCH
> 
> cultural change can take place within an organization ... only when
> the individuals within the organization first change themselves from
> the inside out. Not only must personal change precede organizational change, but personal quality must precede organizational
> quality." 32 Such value-focused approaches to leadership promote a
> new organizational culture -in which a "principle-centered compass"
> and a sense of stewardship can guide leaders' actions. 33
> Just as education and training play an important role in the
> advancement of women and thus in changing perceptions of leadership, economic issues are also key. Without economic means,
> how can women advance? The question raises a matter of increasing
> concern. Women in developing countries have been most adversely
> affected by the changes in the world economic system that have
> resulted from changes in technology and industry, the rise of market
> economies and global financial markets, and trade deregulation.
> All of these factors have contributed to the growing "feminization
> of poverty." 34
> The Baha'i teachings place great importance on the principle
> that everyone-both men and women-should acquire the means
> to become economically independent. Baha'u'llah wrote in one of
> His tablets, "It is enjoined upon every one of you to engage in some
> form of occupation," 35 and 'Abdu'l-Baha urged women to "assist
> mankind in that which is most needful," thereby demonstrating
> capability and ensuring "recognition of equality in the social and
> economic equation." 36 It is then clear that efforts in this area must
> go beyond the mere means to earn a living, as important as that is,
> and must address the whole relationship between material and
> spiritual well-being.
> In the 1995 statement The Prosperity of Humankind the Baha'i
> International Community identified "a commitment to the establishment of full equality between men and women, in all departments
> of life and at every level of society" as "central to the success of
> 
> 32 . Covey, p. 265.
> 33. See Covey, pp. 20 and 22.
> 34. Heyzer, p. 44.
> 35. Women , No. 76, p. 36.
> 36. Wom en, No. 83 , p. 39.
> 
> efforts to conceive and implement a strategy of global development. "3 7 While the extent to which women have access to "all
> avenues of economic endeavor" is an obvious indication of whether
> or not a global development strategy is working, it is not the ultimate
> goal. "In a world motivated by ideals of unity and justice," the
> statement continues,
> 
> Society will find itself increasingly challenged to develop new
> economic models shaped by insights that arise from a sympathetic understanding of shared experience , from viewing
> human beings in relation to others, and from a recognition of
> the centrality to social well-being of the role of the family and
> the community. Such an intellectual breakthrough-strongly
> altruistic rather than self-centered in focus-must draw heavily
> on both the spiritual and scientific sensibilities of the race, and
> millennia of experience have prepared women to make crucial
> contributions to the common effort. 38
> 
> Some small steps have already been taken in the direction.
> Recent development initiatives such as the microfinance movement
> and the promotion of entrepreneurship have helped women to
> escape from the vicious cycle of poverty. At the Grameen Bank in
> Bangladesh, founded in 1976, for example, ninety-four percent of
> the clientele are women who borrow small amounts of money to
> invest in some asset capable of generating immediate income.
> Borrowers repay their loans in small weekly installments; when
> one loan is paid off, a client is free to take out another. The bank's
> founder, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, finds that "lending to women,
> who traditionally have the least economic opportunity in Bangladeshi society, was much more beneficial to whole families ; and
> that women were more careful about their debts." 39 By achieving the
> financial means to feed their children and provide for their families,
> the women served by the Grameen Bank experience enhancement
> of their feelings of self-worth.
> 
> 37. Baha' i International Community, Office of Public Lnformation, The Prosp erity of Humankind (1995), p. 15.
> 38. Prosperity, p. 16.
> 39. Alan Jolis, "The Good Banker," in The independent on Sunday Supplement 5
> May 1996; available on the Gran1een Bank website at <www.grameen-info.org>.
> 
> The Baha'i community has also initiated microfinance projects
> and has found that in these, as well as in other development initiatives, women have consistently demonstrated their capacities to
> use resources wisely- in investment, repayment of credit, savings,
> and particularly the use of money, which goes to educate their children, and provide their families with food, medical care, and better
> housing. As a result, the women have not only improved their sense
> of self-worth and standard of living but have also raised their status
> in the eyes of their families, their communities, and the world. 40
> A unique feature of a microfinance project begun by FUNDAEC
> (Fundaci6n para la Aplicaci6n y Ensefianza de las Ciencias, or the
> Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences), a
> Baha'i-inspired development agency in Colombia, is its emphasis
> on community solidarity. One drawback of many programs is that
> "the primary focus of most implementing agencies remains on the
> progress of the individual rather than community. They tend to laud
> the success of each woman, each borrower, rather than seeing the
> individual within the context of community."41 FUNDAEC, on the
> other hand, has developed training modules on unity, solidarity,
> responsibility, honesty, conflict resolution, and the attitude of service
> to family and community. These are required pre-credit training for
> potential borrowers, and since their inception repayment rates have
> improved significantly. In this project, women and men are accorded
> equal status, according to the Baha'i principle, and are learning to
> work together both for their own individual betterment and for that
> of the community.
> Another facet of the contribution of women to the community is
> their "confident" and "capable" entrance into "the great arena of
> laws and politics." The Baha'i writings are filled with passages
> exhorting women to enter with men into "full partnership in all
> fields of human endeavor," to "participate fully and equally in the
> affairs of the world," to "advance and fulfill their mission in all
> departments of life." 'Abdu'l-Baha foretold, "They will enter all
> 
> 40. For a Baha' i perspective on microfinance, see "Microfinance: A Powerful
> Tool for Social Transformation ," One Country 8.3 (October- December
> 1996), pp. 2- 3.
> 41 . "Microfinance," p. 3.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> the administrative branches of politics. They will attain in all such a
> degree as will be considered the very highest station of the world of
> humanity and will take part in all affairs." 42 In some parts of the
> world women's emergence in the field of governance has occurred
> through the efforts of women's groups, as in the women's movement
> in the West. In other places it is occurring through the intervention
> of the government, as in the village councils in India. In even other
> areas of the globe, circumstances-often tragic-have dictated
> women's increased political involvement.
> Such is the case in the villages of the Ayacucho Province of Peru,
> where the "Shining Path" guerilla movement was bom. 43 The traditional lifestyle of the villages was disrupted with the abduction
> or murder of great numbers of the men; as a result the women have
> become the de facto heads of thousands of families, assuming much
> more responsibility than had traditionally been their lot. Taking part
> in local government, farming the fields, and playing a central role in
> village life, the women have banded together to form "mothers'
> clubs," which grow food communally, distribute donated food, form
> village banks that provide small loans to farmers and entrepreneurs,
> and refer women to government medical clinics where they are
> learning about family planning. They are reconstructing their
> destroyed villages in a tightly organized grid so that health, sanitation, and educational services can be delivered more easily.
> The fact that the women took the lead in resisting the terrorists
> has changed men's attitudes and shifted the balance of power in the
> region. Women now serve in greater numbers on village councils,
> where they can lobby for tougher laws against family violence and
> more job opportunities for their female constituents. More than ten
> thousand women were widowed during the Shining Path struggle,
> but they have acquired confidence and have taken action to provide
> for their families and better their communities.
> While changes are occurring slowly at the grassroots level of
> governance in countries throughout the world, progress is also
> apparent at the national level in a number of countries. Throughout
> 
> 42. Women, No. 91, p. 42.
> 43. See "A Revolution Peru 's Rebels Didn't Intend," in the New York Times
> Web version, 29 August 1999.
> 
> W O RLD W ATCH
> 
> the twentieth century, only twenty-two women have served as heads
> of state or government around the world; 44 the world's first woman
> prime minister, Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, was elected only in
> 1960. Other women who have risen to top positions in their national
> communities in the years since include Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir,
> Isabel Peron, Margaret Thatcher, Benazir Bhutto, Corazon Aquino,
> Vigdis Finnbogadottir, Gro Harlem Bruntland, Mary Robinson, and
> Mary McAleese. The number, while small, continues to grow, and
> women are assuming other senior government posts as well. As of
> 1999, for example, some fourteen foreign ministers of various countries were women, and leaders of both parties in New Zealand's
> Parliamentary elections were women.
> Of all the regions of the globe, Scandinavia, Germany and the
> Netherlands have the highest percentage of female politicians in
> their legislatures, averaging more than twenty-five per cent. In contrast, figures in the United States are much lower. Even after "The
> Year of the Woman" in 1992, when a record number of female candidates sought elected office, women held only six of one hundred
> Senate seats and 47 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
> One explanation for such low numbers is that even in countries
> where more women are entering the political arena, they are still
> perceived as not "tough enough" to hold office, not as good as men
> at handling crises, and not as capable at handling big budgets. On
> the more positive side, voters do regard women as more in touch with
> and caring about people, better listeners, and better negotiators. 45
> It is, perhaps, not surprising that advances are slowest to occur
> on the national level. National institutions are more entrenched than
> newly evolving international structures, and the smaller size of
> local-level structures makes them more adaptable to grassrootsinspired change. The uncertainty of nation states regarding their role
> in the emerging new international order may also result in greater
> conservatism as they attempt to maintain the status quo.
> At the international level, women have had somewhat more success in rising to higher-level positions in organizations such as the
> 
> 44. Fisher, p. 152.
> 45 . C. Lake and L. DiYall, " Voter cynicism is a boon for women," USA Today
> ( 18 November, 1993), p. l 5A ; cited in Klenke, p. 209.
> 
> United Nations, the European Union (EU), the Organization for
> Economic Cooperation and Development, and the International
> Labour Organization, where they have been instrumental in pursuing women's issues .46 Why have women been able to rise more
> quickly in these fora? Some writers posit that where women depend
> on the broad support of the public for election to public office, it is
> more likely for their aspirations to be frustrated by an electorate
> still under the sway of gender-based stereotypes. On the other
> hand, women stand a greater chance of success in organizations
> where people are appointed to senior positions on the basis of their
> abilities and experience. Another factor in women's advancement
> in this arena is that international organizations are generally perceived as lacking power, and so have been less attractive to men.
> This was seen clearly in a 1980 study focusing on the significant
> number of women in high-level positions in the European Parliament, where they have had success in raising issues of concern to
> them and have influenced policy in the EU institutions.47
> At the United Nations, a 1999 survey revealed that women direct
> the agencies responsible for human rights, health, refugees, children,
> population growth, and food aid. Women also serve as representatives in troubled areas such as Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina,
> and as Deputy Secretary-General. 48 And while even in the United
> Nations organization women lag behind men in top administrative
> positions, the situation is better than in business organizations or
> the political sphere around the world. Whatever the shortcomings
> of its staffing, the vital role of the United Nations in fostering the
> advancement of women at the grassroots level throughout the
> world, and thus in promoting the well-being of all the world's peoples, is widely recognized. Noeleen Heyzer notes: "Sustainable
> human development cannot even be conceptualized, much less
> implemented, when the costs and benefits of development are borne
> 
> 46. Klenke, p. 215.
> 47. H. Horburger and F. Rath-Horburger, Europa's Frauen Gleichberechtigt?
> Die Politik der EG Lander: Gleichberechtigung der Frau im Arbeitsleben
> (Hamburg: Verlag Otto Heinvetter, 1980); cited in Klenke, pp. 220-2 1.
> 48. See Nina Darnton, " It's a Woman's World," Civilization magazine Web
> edition (June 1999) at <www.civmag.com> for brief profiles of each of
> these women.
> 
> inequitably by men and women. The UN has a key role to play in
> advocating for global policies that benefit women and in building
> consensus for the implementation of such policies. " 49
> Civil society, which is exerting an increasingly strong influence
> upon governments and international organizations such as the UN,
> provides another new leadership context for women, as Helen
> Fisher points out:
> 
> Governments are being supplemented, even somewhat undermined, by new social forces . Extragovernmental entities such
> as multinational corporations, the global financial marketplace,
> the Internet, international judicial tribunals, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are increasingly able to control
> huge sums of money, sway public opinion, and influence the
> policies of national governments ....
> Of all these forces that challenge the state, the one that
> will give women the most access to power and leadership is
> the growth of nongovernmental, nonprofit organizations: civil
> society. 50
> 
> The rise in influence of organizations of civil society, particularly
> NGOs, has provided a globally networked forum in which women
> can effectively present their views and promote action on issues of
> concern, powerfully extending their range of influence. Says
> Fisher: "With their people skills, their compassion, their penchant
> for web thinking, and their networking abilities, female leaders in
> civil society will bring hope to children, minorities, the disadvantaged, the sick, the elderly, and other women. And they will focus
> their attention on far-reaching societal and environmental illsconcems of the female mind." 51
> It is a truism to say that today the stage of the world is set for a
> new social order based on values such as the global recognition
> and protection of human rights, freedom, democracy, free trade,
> privatization of industry, sustainable development, and protection
> of the environment. In such order, women must both contribute to
> and benefit from such development on an equitable footing to men,
> 
> 49. Heyzer, p. 45 .
> 50 . Fisher, p. 140.
> 51. Fisher, p. 166.
> 
> and their role in bringing about the development of all peoples,
> without regard to gender, ethnicity, race, social class, or religion, is
> critical.
> The Baha'i writings are clear about the effects consequent to
> the participation of women in human affairs. During His travels in
> the West, 'Abdu'J-Baha said, " ... it is well established in history
> that where woman has not participated in human affairs the outcomes have never attained a state of completion and perfection.
> On the other hand, every influential undertaking of the human world
> wherein woman has been a participant has attained importance." 52
> At this stage in our evolution, what is more urgent than achieving
> sustainable human development?
> In 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha commented that "force is losing its weight
> and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love
> and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy.
> Hence the new age will be an age less masculine, and more permeated with the feminine ideals-or, to speak more exactly, will be an
> age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization
> will be more evenly balanced." 53 From the lowest to the highest
> levels of human society, in all walks oflife and professions, we are
> slowly moving towards the achievement of such a balance. It is
> clear that women, with, as The Prosperity of Humankind says,
> their "millennia of experience" in caring for family and community,
> are making a profound difference, as they are welcomed as equals
> at all levels in the global forum.
> 
> 52. Wom en, No . 80, p. 37 .
> 53 . Wom en, No. 25, p. 13.
> 
> PROFILE:        NOR
> U NIVERSITY,
> B OLIVIA
> 
> N      ur University, a private, non-profit university located in Santa
> Cruz, Bolivia, not only gives its students the intellectual tools
> to reach the top of their fields , but it transforms them into agents
> of social change by teaching them about the reciprocal relationship
> between the individual and the community. Nur teaches that in order
> to better society, each person must be committed to a process of personal transformation. Through this process, individuals will have
> an impact on the social groups to which they belong. Conversely,
> participating in a group in which the majority of the members are
> committed to the twin processes of individual and collective transformation strengthens people's resolve to better themselves.
> Nur University was founded to serve the rural needs of Bolivia.
> Established in Santa Cruz because the city has a population base
> large enough to support a private university, Nur has always had
> the goal of expanding its programs into rural areas. Currently, in
> collaboration with public and private institutions, the university
> provides services that respond to the needs of rural communities.
> Initiatives include training in moral leadership, youth leadership,
> 
> public administration and just governance; literacy programs; the
> Latin American Master's Program in Social Development; and the
> training of rural schoolteachers as community development agents.
> In reflection papers written by students in Nur's program that
> trains rural schoolteachers to be community development agents,
> participants share their perceptions of the course's positive impact
> on their personal transformation, family life, approach to leadership, and attitude to people from different cultures. One student
> writes:
> 
> I used to consider that women were specialists in raising children, taking care of the house, cooking, and caring for their
> husbands. They could also work professionally, but their first
> obligation was to fulfill these traditional responsibilities, which
> I considered as predetermined from time immemorial, as if
> established by the will of God. My relationship with my wife
> and children was based on extreme machismo. As husband and
> father I considered that I was always right and should always
> make the decisions in the family ... Now I consider that women
> are equal in potential to men and that the relationship between
> 
> Students outside Nur University in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
> 
> N UR   u l VE RSITY
> the two is interdependent. I try to relate to my wife and children
> horizontally. I consider my wife as my companion and as a person that has her own needs and feelings that should also be
> considered. As a family, we make deci sions using consultation
> and have elaborated a 'Covenant of Shared Responsibilities' in
> which we have tried to equitably distribute family responsibilities. As a result of these changes in my attitudes, our home is
> much happier and united. I am currently trying to encourage
> my wife to develop her own potentialities, but sometimes it is
> hard because of the dependency and lack of self-esteem which
> my former attitudes have engendered in her.
> 
> Nur was founded , in large part, to help create leaders who
> would be grounded in this process of self and social transformation.
> Having opened its doors to just ninety-seven students in 1985, it
> is now the second largest private university in Bolivia and the first to
> be granted a Presidential Decree authorizing it to function as a
> degree-granting institution.
> In addition to providing community college and undergraduate
> university programs, Nur has gained a reputation for taking bold
> educational development initiatives in response to regional and national needs. In 1986, the university opened Bolivia's first graduate
> 
> Nur sfl exible curriculum allows students who cannot study full-time
> to continue their studies at a manageable pace.
> 
> school. It has also led the way in alternative methodologies in
> higher education in Bolivia, including modular format master's
> degrees, distance education, virtual education, and seminars
> combining cooperative learning groups with practical field work.
> Fourteen years after its founding , Ntir has more than 2,600
> undergraduate and 500 graduate students working towards formal
> degrees or certification in fields such as accounting, education,
> social communications, agricultural economics, commercial engineering, computer science, administration, public relations ,
> international relations, international commerce, business administration, public health administration, marketing, social development
> and sustainable development. Forty-four percent ofNur's students
> are women, a figure rare in Bolivia's system of higher education.
> Nfu 's philosophy advocates the integration of academic knowledge with both practical experience and the teaching of basic
> moral principles, while emphasizing community service, social
> justice, global development, and a respect for human diversity.
> This educational philosophy is based on universal principles found
> in the Baha'i teachings, such as the individual's duty to independently investigate truth, the need for the elimination of prejudice,
> the equality of women and men, the unity of humankind, and the
> elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty.
> This philosophy is evident in the curriculum structure of Nur 's
> undergraduate program, which integrates four complementary
> elements that it considers central to professional development:
> Degree Specific Studies, which are courses that pertain specifically
> to the students' fields of study; Development Studies, which are
> courses taken by students in all faculties and provide a perspective
> 
> Since 1990, undergraduate students
> have been required
> to complete 120
> hours of community
> service prior to
> graduation. The
> UNlRSE program
> has the objective of
> fostering an attitude
> of service.
> 
> N UR U NIVERSITY
> 
> on personal, community, and societal development; Transdisciplinary Studies, courses in which students work in interdisciplinary
> teams that focus on resolving complex social problems associated with development; and a community service component that
> requires students to complete a minimum of one hundred and
> twenty hours of community volunteer work as part of their degree
> requirements .
> Nur 's moral leadership program teaches participants that they
> have the obligation to search for, adopt, and live by moral principles,
> by which they should also shape their communities' institutions.
> Leadership is shown to be a responsibility that is exercised by all
> members of society and requires the development and exercise of
> moral capabilities. This program has been made available to public
> health workers, management and field staff of non-governmental
> workers, and women's organizations. It has expanded to reach
> many rural communities in Bolivia and more than a dozen Latin
> American countries, including Argentina, Paraguay, and Honduras.
> In 1998 Nur signed an agreement with the Mayor of Santa
> Cruz to train 4,800 public high school students in youth leadership
> over a three-and-a-half-year period, with the goal of diminishing
> growing trends of gang activity, prostitution, violence , juvenile
> crime, and alcohol and drug consumption. Like the moral leadership program, this project is directed specifically towards youth
> in order to prepare them for active community service and the
> promotion of the good of humanity.
> The goal of Nur's public administration and just governance
> training program is the strengthening of administrative capacities at
> different government levels, creating a shared vision for the future
> development of the state and developing decision-making capacities
> in the public sector. Most of the municipalities and subdivisions of
> the Santa Cruz state government have already taken part in this
> program.
> In conjunction with institutions in eight other countries, Nur
> has developed and is carrying out the Latin American Master 's
> Program in Social Development. This program, which has been in
> operation for the past five years , has involved three hundred students and faculty from eleven countries.
> The training of school teachers as community development agents
> 
> began in 1993 with the concurrent goals of training school teachers
> to fulfill the role of community development agents and to improve
> the quality of teaching in the classrooms in rural communities.
> The program consists of twenty courses offered in a distance education format. To date, more than two thousand schoolteachers
> from Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina have participated in this
> program, which has received positive feedback from its participants. One student wrote,
> 
> The study of this course has helped me, above all, to understand
> the importance of guiding my life according to principles. I
> now try to serve those in need without expecting recognition,
> to forgive those who may have offended me without holding
> grudges and to share with others what I have learned, and
> thereby contribute to my own happiness and theirs .
> 
> This statement explores the implications of
> 'Abdu 'l-Baha :S characterization of the
> twentieth century as the "Century of
> Light. " It was released by the Bahit 'i
> International Community s Office of Public
> Information in February 1999.
> 
> WHO is
> WRITING
> THE F UTURE?
> Reflections on the Twentieth Century
> 
> 0      n May 28, 1992, Brazil's Chamber of Deputies met in special
> session to commemorate the centenary of the passing of
> Baha'u'llah, whose influence is becoming an increasingly familiar
> feature of the world's social and intellectual landscape. His message
> of unity had clearly struck a deep chord with the Brazilian legislators. During the course of the proceedings, speakers representing
> all parties in the Chamber paid tribute to a body of writings which
> one deputy described as "the most colossal religious work written
> by the pen of a single Man," and to a conception of our planet's
> future which, "transcending material frontiers," in the words of
> another, "reached out to humanity as a whole, without petty differences of nationality, race, limits, or beliefs." 1
> The tribute was all the more striking because of the fact that, in
> the land of His birth, Baha'u'llah's work continues to be bitterly
> 
> 1. Remarks by Deputy Luis Gushiken and Deputy Rita Camata. "Sessao
> Solene da Camara Federal em Homenagem ao Centenario da Ascensao de
> Baha'u'llah," Brasilia, 28 May 1992.
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> condemned by the Muslim clergy who rule Iran. Their predecessors
> had been responsible for His banishment and imprisonment in
> the middle years of the nineteenth century, and for the massacre
> of thousands of those who shared His ideals for the transforming
> of human life and society. Even as the proceedings in Brasilia
> were under way, refusal to deny beliefs that have won high praise
> throughout most of the rest of the world was bringing the three
> hundred thousand Baha'is living in Iran persecution, privation,
> and, in all too many cases, imprisonment and death.
> Similar opposition characterized the attitudes of various totalitarian regimes over the past century.
> What is the nature of the body of thought that has aroused
> such sharply divergent reactions?
> I
> The mainspring ofBaha'u'llah's message is an exposition ofreality
> as fundamentally spiritual in nature, and of the laws that govern
> that reality's operation. It not only sees the individual as a spiritual
> being, a "rational soul," but also insists that the entire enterprise
> that we call civilization is itself a spiritual process, one in which the
> human mind and heart have created progressively more complex
> and efficient means to express their inherent moral and intellectual
> capacities.
> Rejecting the reigning dogmas of materialism, Baha'u'llah
> asserts an opposing interpretation of the historical process. Humanity, the arrowhead of the evolution of consciousness, passes through
> stages analogous to the periods of infancy, childhood, and adolescence in the lives of its individual members. The journey has
> brought us to the threshold of our long-awaited coming of age as
> a unified human race. The wars, exploitation, and prejudice that
> have marked immature stages in the process should not be a
> cause of despair but a stimulus to assuming the responsibilities
> of collective maturity.
> Writing to the political and religious leaders of His own day,
> Baha'u'llah said that new capacities of incalculable power- beyond
> the conception of the generation then living-were awakening in
> the earth's peoples, capacities which would soon transform the
> material life of the planet. It was essential, He said, to make of these
> 
> wHo     rn WRITI NG THE puTuRE?
> 
> coming material advances vehicles for moral and social development. If nationalistic and sectarian conflicts prevented this from
> happening, then material progress would produce not only benefits,
> but unimagined evils. Some of Baha'u'llah's warnings awaken grim
> echoes in our own age: "Strange and astonishing things exist in
> the earth," He cautioned. "These things are capable of changing
> the whole atmosphere of the earth and their contamination would
> prove lethal." 2
> II
> The central spiritual issue facing all people, Baha'u'llah says, whatever their nation, religion, or ethnic origin, is that of laying the
> foundations of a global society that can reflect the oneness of human
> nature. The unification of the earth's inhabitants is neither a remote
> utopian vision nor, ultimately, a matter of choice. It constitutes the
> next, inescapable stage in the process of social evolution, a stage
> toward which all the experience of past and present is impelling us.
> Until this issue is acknowledged and addressed, none of the ills
> afflicting our planet will find solutions, because all the essential
> challenges of the age we have entered are global and universal, not
> particular or regional.
> The many passages of Baha'u'llah's writings dealing with
> humanity's coming of age are permeated by His use of light as a
> metaphor to capture the transforming power of unity: "So powerful
> is the light of unity," they insist, "that it can illuminate the whole
> earth." 3 The assertion places current history in a perspective sharply
> different from the one that prevails at the end of the twentieth
> century. It urges us to find- within the suffering and breakdown
> of our times-the operation of forces that are liberating human
> consciousness for a new stage in its evolution. It calls on us to reexamine what has been happening over the past one hundred
> years and the effect that these developments have had on the heterogeneous mass of peoples, races, nations, and communities who
> have experienced them.
> 
> 2. Baha' u' llah , Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
> (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1997), p. 69.
> 3. Baha' u ' llah , Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing
> Trust, 1988), p. 14.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> If, as Baha'u'llah asserts, "the well-being of mankind, its peace
> and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly
> established,"4 it is understandable why Baha'is view the twentieth
> cenh1ry-with all its disasters- as "the century of light. " 5 For
> these one hundred years witnessed a transformation in both the way
> the earth's inhabitants have begun to plan our collective future
> and in the way we are coming to regard one another. The hallmark
> of both has been a process of unification. Upheavals beyond the
> control of existing institutions compelled world leaders to begin
> putting in place new systems of global organization that would
> have been unthinkable at the century's beginning. As this was
> occurring, rapid erosion was overtaking habits and attitudes that had
> divided peoples and nations through unnumbered centuries of
> conflict and that had seemed likely to endure for ages to come.
> At the midpoint of the century, these two developments produced
> a breakthrough whose historic significance only future generations
> will properly appreciate. In the stunned aftermath of World War
> II, far-sighted leaders found it at last possible, through the United
> Nations organization, to begin consolidating the foundations of
> world order. Long dreamed of by progressive thinkers, the new
> system of international conventions and related agencies was now
> endowed with crucial powers that had tragically been denied to the
> abortive League of Nations. As the century advanced, the system's
> primitive muscles of international peacekeeping were progressively
> exercised in such a way as to demonstrate persuasively what can
> be accomplished. With this came the steady expansion throughout the world of democratic institutions of governance. If the
> practical effects are still disappointing, this in no way diminishes
> the historic and irreversible change of direction that has taken
> place in the organization of human affairs.
> As with the cause of world order, so with the rights of the world's
> people. Exposure of the appalling suffering visited on the victims
> 
> 4. Baha'u ' llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha 'u 'llah (Wilmette:
> Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 286.
> 5. ' Abdu ' l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by
> 'Abdu '/-Bah6 during His Visit to the United Stat es and Canada in 1912 ,
> rev. ed. (Wilmette: Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 74, 126.
> 
> of human perversity during the course of the war produced a
> worldwide sense of shock-and what can only be termed deep
> feelings of shame. Out of this trauma emerged a new kind of
> moral commitment that was formally institutionalized in the work
> of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and its
> associated agencies, a development inconceivable to the nineteenth century rulers to whom Baha'u'llah had addressed Himself
> on the subject. Thus empowered, a growing body of nongovernmental organizations have set out to ensure that the Universal Declaration
> of Human Rights is established as the foundation of normative
> international standards and is enforced accordingly.
> A parallel process took place with respect to economic life.
> During the first half of the century, as a consequence of the havoc
> wrought by the great depression, many governments adopted legislation that created social welfare programs and systems of
> financial control, reserve funds, and trade regulations that sought
> to protect their societies from a recurrence of such devastation.
> The period following World War II brought the establishment of
> institutions whose field of operation is global: the International
> Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the General Agreement on Tariffs
> and Trade, and a network of development agencies devoted to
> rationalizing and advancing the material prosperity of the planet.
> At century's end-whatever the intentions and however crude the
> present generation of tools-the masses of humanity have been
> shown that the use of the planet's wealth can be fundamentally
> reorganized in response to entirely new conceptions of need.
> The effect of these developments was enormously amplified
> by the accelerating extension of education to the masses. Apart
> from the willingness of national and local governments to allocate
> greatly increased resources to this field and the society's ability
> to mobilize and train armies of professionally qualified teachers,
> two twentieth century advances at the international level were
> particularly influential. The first was the series of development
> plans focused on educational needs and massively financed by
> such bodies as the World Bank, government agencies, major
> foundations and several branches of the United Nations system.
> The second was the information technology explosion that has
> 
> TH13 B AHA'I W ORLD
> 
> made all of the earth's inhabitants potential beneficiaries of the
> whole of the race's learning.
> This process of structural reorganization on a planetary scale
> was animated and reinforced by a profound shift of consciousness.
> Entire populations found themselves abruptly compelled to face
> the costs of ingrained habits of mind that breed conflict-and to
> do so in the full glare of worldwide censure of what were once
> considered acceptable practices and attitudes. The effect was to
> stimulate revolutionary change in the way that people regard one
> another.
> Throughout history, for example, experience seemed to demonstrate- and religious teaching to confirm-that women are
> essentially inferior in nature to men. Overnight, in the historical
> scheme of things, this prevailing perception was suddenly everywhere in retreat. However long and painful may be the process
> of giving full effect to Baha'u'llah 's assertion that women and
> men are in every sense equal, intellectual and moral support for
> any opposing view steadily disintegrates.
> Yet another fixture of humanity 's view of itself throughout
> past millennia was a celebration of ethnic distinctions which, in
> recent centuries, had hardened into various racist fantasies. With a
> swiftness that is breathtaking in the perspective of history, the
> twentieth century saw the unity of the human race establish itself
> as a guiding principle of international order. Today, the ethnic
> conflicts that continue to wreak havoc in many parts of the world
> are seen not as natural features of the relations among diverse
> peoples , but as willful aberrations that must be brought under
> effective international control.
> Throughout humanity's long childhood, it was also assumedagain with the full concurrence of organized religion-that poverty
> was an enduring and inescapable feature of the social order.
> Now, however, this mind-set, an assumption that had shaped the
> priorities of every economic system the world had ever known,
> has been universally rejected. In theory at least, government has
> come to be everywhere regarded as essentially a trustee responsible to ensure the well-being of all of society's members.
> Particularly significant- because of its intimate relationship with
> the roots of human motivation- was the loosening of the grip of
> 
> wHo    rn WRITING THE puTuRE?
> 
> religious prejudice. Prefigured in the "Parliament of Religions"
> that attracted intense interest as the nineteenth century was drawing
> to a close, the process of interfaith dialogue and collaboration
> reinforced the effects of secularism in undermining the once impregnable walls of clerical authority. In the face of the transformation
> in religious conceptions that the past hundred years witnessed,
> even the current outburst of fundamentalist reaction may come, in
> retrospect, to be seen as little more than desperate rear-guard
> actions against an inevitable dissolution of sectarian control. In the
> words of Baha'u'llah, "There can be no doubt whatever that the
> peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their
> inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one
> God." 6
> During these critical decades the human mind was also experiencing fundamental changes in the way that it understood the
> physical universe. The first half of the century saw the new theories
> of relativity and quantum mechanics-both of them intimately
> related to the nature and operation of light-revolutionize the
> field of physics and alter the entire course of scientific development.
> It became apparent that classical physics could explain phenomena
> within only a limited range. A new door had suddenly opened
> into the study of both the minute constituents of the universe and
> its large cosmological systems, a change whose effects went far
> beyond physics, shaking the very foundations of a world view
> that had dominated scientific thinking for centuries. Gone forever
> were the images of a mechanical universe run like a clock and a
> presumed separation between observer and observed, between
> mind and matter. Against the background of the far-reaching
> studies thus made possible, theoretical science now begins to
> address the possibility that purpose and intelligence are indeed
> intrinsic to the nature and operation of the universe.
> In the wake of these conceptual changes, humanity entered an
> era in which interaction among physical sciences-physics, chemistry, and biology, along with the nascent science of ecologyopened breathtaking possibilities for the enhancement of life.
> 
> 6. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahir'u'llah (Wilmette:
> Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 217.
> 
> The benefits in such vital areas of concern as agriculture and
> medicine became dramatically apparent as did those brought
> about by success in tapping new sources of energy. Simultaneously,
> the new field of materials science began providing a wealth of
> specialized resources unknown when the century opened-plastics, optical fibers, carbon fibers.
> Such advances in science and technology were reciprocal in
> their effects. Grains of sand-the most humble and ostensibly
> worthless of materials-metamorphosed into silicon wafers and
> optically pure glass, making possible the creation of worldwide
> communications networks. This, together with the deployment
> of ever more sophisticated satellite systems, has begun providing
> access to the accumulated knowledge of the entire human race
> for people everywhere, without distinction. It is apparent that the
> decades immediately ahead will see the integration of telephone,
> television, and computer technologies into a single, unified system
> of communication and information, whose inexpensive appliances
> will be available on a mass scale. It would be difficult to exaggerate
> the psychological and social impact of the anticipated replacement of the jumble of existing monetary systems- for many, the
> ultimate fortress of nationalist pride-by a single world currency
> operating largely through electronic impulses.
> Indeed, the unifying effect of the twentieth century revolution
> is nowhere more readily apparent than in the implications of the
> changes that took place in scientific and technological life. At
> the most obvious level, the human race is now endowed with the
> means needed to realize the visionary goals summoned up by a
> steadily maturing consciousness. Viewed more deeply, this
> empowerment is potentially available to all of the earth's inhabitants, without regard to race, culture, or nation. "A new life,"
> Baha'u'llah prophetically saw, "is, in this age, stirring within all
> the peoples of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause
> or perceived its motive." 7 Today, more than a century after these
> words were written, the implications of what has since taken
> place begin to be apparent to thoughtful minds everywhere.
> 
> 7. Baha' u' llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha 'u 'llah (Wilmette:
> Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 196.
> 
> wHo     rn WRITI NG THE p u Tu RE?
> 
> III
> To appreciate the transformations brought about by the period of
> history now ending is not to deny the accompanying darkness
> that throws the achievements into sharp relief: the deliberate
> extermination of millions of helpless human beings, the invention
> and use of new weapons of destruction capable of annihilating
> whole populations , the rise of ideologies that suffocated the
> spiritual and intellectual life of entire nations, damage to the
> physical environment of the planet on a scale so massive that it
> may take centuries to heal, and the incalculably greater damage
> done to generations of children taught to believe that violence,
> indecency, and selfishness are triumphs of personal liberty. Such
> are only the more obvious of a catalogue of evils, unmatched in
> history, whose lessons our era will leave for the education of the
> chastened generations who will follow us.
> Darkness, however, is not a phenomenon endowed with some
> form of existence, much less autonomy. It does not extinguish
> light nor diminish it, but marks out those areas that light has not
> reached or adequately illumined. So will twentieth century civilization no doubt be assessed by the historians of a more mature
> and dispassionate age. The ferocities of animal nature, which
> raged out of control through these critical years and seemed at
> times to threaten society's very survival, did not in fact prevent
> the steady unfoldment of the creative potentialities which human
> consciousness possesses. On the contrary. As the century advanced,
> growing numbers of people awakened to how empty were the
> allegiances and how insubstantial the fears that had held them
> captive only short years before.
> "Peerless is this Day," Baha'u'llah insists, "for it is as the eye
> to past ages and centuries, and as a light unto the darkness of the
> times." 8 In this perspective , the issue is not the darkness that
> slowed and obscured the progress achieved in the extraordinary
> hundred years now ending. It is , rather, how much more suffering
> and ruin must be experienced by our race before we wholeheartedly accept the spiritual nature that makes us a single people, and
> 
> 8. Baha'u' llah , quoted in Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice (Wilmette: Baha'f Publishing Trust, 1990), p. 79.
> 
> T HE B AHA'I W ORLD
> 
> gather the courage to plan our future in the light of what has been
> so painfully learned.
> IV
> The conception of civilization's future course laid out in Baha'u'llih's
> writings challenges much that today imposes itself on our world as
> normative and unchangeable. The breakthroughs made during the
> century of light have opened the door to a new kind of world. If
> social and intellectual evolution is in fact responding to a moral
> intelligence inherent in existence, a great deal of the theory
> determining contemporary approaches to decision-making is fatally
> flawed. If human consciousness is essentially spiritual in nature- as
> the vast majority of ordinary people have always been intuitively
> aware-, its development needs cannot be understood or served
> through an interpretation of reality that dogmatically insists otherwise.
> No aspect of contemporary civilization is more directly challenged by Baha'u'llah 's conception of the future than is the
> prevailing cult of individualism, which has spread to most parts
> of the world. Nurtured by such cultural forces as political ideology,
> academic elitism, and a consumer economy, the "pursuit of happiness" has given rise to an aggressive and almost boundless sense
> of personal entitlement. The moral consequences have been corrosive for the individual and society alike- and devastating in terms
> of disease, drug addiction and other all-too-familiar blights of century's end. The task of freeing humanity from an error so fundamental
> and pervasive will call into question some of the twentieth century's
> most deeply entrenched assumptions about right and wrong.
> What are some of these unexamined assumptions? The most
> obvious is the conviction that unity is a distant, almost unattainable ideal to be addressed only after a host of political conflicts
> have been somehow resolved, material needs somehow satisfied,
> and injustices somehow corrected. The opposite , Baha'u'llah
> asserts , is the case. The primary disease that afflicts society and
> generates the ills that cripple it, He says, is the disunity of a human
> race that is distinguished by its capacity for collaboration and
> whose progress to date has depended on the extent to which unified
> action has, at various times and in various societies, been achieved.
> To cling to the notion that conflict is an intrinsic feature of human
> 
> wHo      rn WRITI NG THE puTuRE?
> 
> nature, rather than a complex of learned habits and attitudes, is to
> impose on a new century an error which, more than any other single
> factor, has tragically handicapped humanity's past. "Regard the
> world," Baha'u'llah advised elected leaders, "as the human body
> which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted,
> through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies." 9
> Intimately related to the issue of unity is a second moral challenge
> that the past century has posed with ever increasing urgency. In
> the sight of God, Baha'u'llah insists, justice is the "best beloved
> of all things." 10 It enables the individual to see reality through
> his or her own eyes rather than those of others and endows collective decision making with the authority that alone can ensure
> unity of thought and action. However gratifying is the system of
> international order that has emerged from the harrowing experiences of the twentieth century, its enduring influence will depend
> on acceptance of the moral principle implicit in it. If the body of
> humankind is indeed one and indivisible, then the authority exercised by its governing institutions represents essentially a trusteeship.
> Each individual person comes into the world as a trust of the whole,
> and it is this feature of human existence that constitutes the real
> foundation of the social, economic and cultural rights that the
> United Nations Charter and its related documents articulate. Justice and unity are reciprocal in their effect. "The purpose of
> justice," Baha'u'llah wrote, "is the appearance of unity among men.
> The ocean of divine wisdom surgeth within this exalted word,
> while the books of the world cannot contain its inner significance." 11
> As society commits itself-however hesitantly and fearfullyto these and related moral principles, the most meaningful role it
> will offer the individual will be that of service. One of the paradoxes
> of human life is that development of the self comes primarily
> through commitment to larger undertakings in which the self-
> 
> 9. Baha ' u' llah , Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u 'llah (Wilmette:
> Baha ' i Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 254- 55 .
> 10. Bah a' u' llah , The Hidden Words ofBaha 'u 'llah (Wilmette: Baha'f Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 3.
> 11. Baha' u' llah , Tablets of Bahii 'u 'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
> (Wilmette: Baha ' f Publishing Trust, 1997), p. 67 .
> 
> even if only temporarily-is forgotten. In an age that opens up to
> people of every condition an opportunity to participate effectively in the shaping of the social order itself, the ideal of service
> to others assumes entirely new significance. To exalt such goals
> as acquisition and self-assertion as the purpose of life is to promote chiefly the animal side of human nature. Nor can simplistic
> messages of personal salvation any longer address the yearnings
> of generations who have come to know, with deep certainty, that
> true fulfillment is as much a matter of this world as it is of the next.
> "Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in," is
> Baha'u'llah's counsel, "and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements." 12
> Such perspectives have profound implications for the conduct
> of human affairs. It is obvious, for example, that, whatever its past
> contributions, the longer the nation-state persists as the dominant
> influence in determining the fate of humankind, the longer will the
> achievement of world peace be delayed and the greater will be
> the suffering inflicted on the earth's population. In humanity's
> economic life, no matter how great the blessings brought by globalization, it is apparent that this process has also created unparalleled
> concentrations of autocratic power that must be brought under
> international democratic control if they are not to produce poverty
> and despair for countless millions. Similarly, the historic breakthrough in information and communication technology, which
> represents so potent a means to promote social development and
> the deepening of people's sense of their common humanity, can,
> with equal force, divert and coarsen impulses vital to the service
> of this very process.
> v
> What Baha'u'llah is speaking of is a new relationship between
> God and humankind, one that is in harmony with the dawning
> maturity of the race . The ultimate Reality that has created and
> sustains the universe will forever remain beyond the reach of the
> human mind . Humanity's conscious relationship with it, to the
> 
> 12 . Baha ' u ' llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha 'u 'llah (Wilmette:
> Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 213.
> 
> wHo     rn WRITING THE p uTuRE?
> extent that one has been established, has been the result of the
> influence of the Founders of the great religions, Moses, Zoroaster,
> Buddha, Jesus , MuJ:iammad and earlier figures whose names are,
> for the most part, lost to memory. Through responding to these
> impulses of the Divine , the earth's peoples have progressively
> developed the spiritual , intellectual, and moral capacities that
> have combined to civilize human character. This millennia-long,
> cumulative process has now reached the stage characteristic of
> all the decisive turning points in the evolutionary process, when
> previously unrealized possibilities suddenly emerge: "This is the
> Day," Baha'u'llah asserts, "in which God's most excellent favors
> have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty
> grace hath been infused into all created things." 13
> Viewed through Baha'u'llah's eyes, the history of tribes, peoples,
> and nations has effectively reached its conclusion. What we are
> witnessing is the beginning of the history of humankind, the history
> of a human race conscious of its own oneness . To this turning
> point in the course of civilization, His writings bring a redefinition of the nature and processes of civilization and a reordering
> of its priorities. Their aim is to call us back to spiritual awareness
> and responsibility.
> There is nothing in Baha'u'llah 's writings to encourage the
> illusion that the changes envisioned will come about easily. Far
> otherwise. As the events of the twentieth century have already
> demonstrated, patterns of habit and attitude which have taken root
> over thousands of years are not abandoned either spontaneously or
> in response simply to education or legislative action. Whether in
> the life of the individual or that of society, profound change
> occurs more often than not in response to intense suffering and to
> unendurable difficulties that can be overcome in no other way.
> Just so great a testing experience, Baha'u'llah warned, is needed
> to weld the earth's diverse peoples into a single people.
> Spiritual and materialistic conceptions of the nature of reality
> are irreconcilable with one another and lead in opposite directions.
> As a new century opens, the course set by the second of these
> 
> 13 . Baha' u' llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahci'u 'llah (Wilmette:
> Saha' f Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 6.
> 
> two opposing views has already carried a hapless humanity far
> beyond the outermost point where an illusion of rationality, let
> alone of human well-being, could once be sustained. With every
> passing day, the signs multiply that great numbers of people everywhere are awakening to this realization.
> Despite widely prevalent opinion to the contrary, the human
> race is not a blank tablet on which privileged arbiters of human
> affairs can freely inscribe their own wishes . The springs of the
> spirit rise up where they will, as they will. They will not indefinitely
> be suppressed by the detritus of contemporary society. It no
> longer requires prophetic insight to appreciate that the opening
> years of the new century will see the release of energies and aspirations infinitely more potent than the accumulated routines, falsities,
> and addictions that have so long blocked their expression.
> However great the turmoil, the period into which humanity is
> moving will open to every individual, every institution, and every
> community on earth unprecedented opportunities to participate
> in the writing of the planet's future. "Soon,'' is Baha'u'llah's confident promise, "will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new
> one spread out in its stead." 14
> 
> 14. Baha' u' llah, Gleanings fro m the Writings of Bahci 'u 'llah (Wilmette:
> Baha' i Publi shing Trust, 1982), p. 7.
> 
> The Baha 'i International Community prepared this paper for the Workshop on
> Values, Norms and Poverty held in
> Johannesburg, South Africa,
> 12- 14 January 1999.
> 
> RELIGIOUS
> VALUES
> and the Measurement of
> Poverty and Prosperity
> 
> T     he processes of change now shaping hwnan affairs portend an
> inevitable transition to a global society. A major challenge
> inherent in this transition is creating conditions of social and economic equity among and within the nations of our global community.
> Lifting the burden of poverty from the world will require a deep
> moral commitment and a fundamental reordering of priorities. But
> perhaps most importantly, the materialistic criteria now guiding
> development thinking must give way to a new conceptual framework that explicitly acknowledges the spiritual, cultural, and social
> forces that define individual and community identity. In this regard,
> the World Faiths and Development Dialogue held at Lambeth Palace
> in February 1998 and similar initiatives examining the roles of
> religion and spirituality in advancing human well-being represent
> important contributions to the discourse on social and economic
> development. 1
> 
> I. The International Development Research Centre (lDRC) has been exploring
> the relationship between religion and science and its impact on development.
> The Centre recently brought together Dr. Farzam Arbab, a theoretical (cont.)
> 
> Over the past several decades workers in the development
> field have gradually become cognizant of the complexity of the
> development process. This evolution in development thought
> can be seen in the shift in focus from capital-intensive programs
> aimed at promoting industrialization, to programs emphasizing
> health care, new agricultural methods, traditional technology and
> environmental preservation, to initiatives promoting participation
> and community organization. Yet, despite this growing awareness of the many interrelated factors underlying development,
> the international development agenda continues to be governed
> by a limited set of assumptions and approaches that fail to take
> into account much of what has been learned.
> It is clear that another dimension of complexity must now be
> incorporated into the development equation. Attention must now
> be focused upon that which lies at the heart of human purpose
> and motivation: the human spirit. In the Baha'i view, nothing short
> of an awakening of the human spirit can create a desire for true
> social change and instill in people the confidence that such change
> is indeed possible. While pragmatic approaches to problem solving
> obviously play a central role in development initiatives, tapping
> the spiritual roots of human motivation provides the essential
> impulse that ensures genuine social advancement. When spiritual principles are fully integrated into community development
> activities, the ideas, values, and practical measures that emerge
> are likely to be those that promote self-reliance and safeguard
> human dignity, thus avoiding patterns of dependency and progressively eliminating conditions of gross inequality. Broadening
> the development process to take into account people's spiritual
> perceptions and aspirations represents an essential step toward
> creating the conditions necessary for global stability and prosperity.
> !. (cont.)
> physicist and a Baha' i; Dr. Azizan Baharuddin, a biologist, philosopher of
> science and a Muslim ; Dr. Gregory Baum, philosopher, social ethicist and
> a Roman Catholic; Dr. Promilla Kapur, a sociologist and a Hindu; and
> Father Bill Ryan , a Jesuit priest working in economics and labor relations ,
> to begin a consultative process to examine the effectiveness of current
> working models and the poss ibility that religion is a critical missing factor
> in the development process . The ideas presented herein are in consonance
> with the substance of these consultations.
> 
> R ELIGlOUS v ALUES AN D PRO SPERITY
> 
> Through the teachings and moral guidance of religion, great
> segments of humanity have learned to discipline their baser propensities and to develop qualities that conduce to social order and
> cultural advancement. Such qualities as compassion, forbearance,
> trustworthiness, generosity, humility, courage, and willingness to
> sacrifice for the common good have constituted the invisible yet
> essential foundations of progressive community life. Recognition
> and cultivation of humanity's spiritual nature have ennobled and
> enriched the lives of peoples everywhere, and have engendered
> cohesion and unity of purpose within and across societies. 2 True
> civilization does not arise merely from material progress, but rather
> is defined by and based upon the transcendent values that hold
> society together. Religion, then, in a very real sense provides the
> bricks and mortar of society-the shared beliefs and moral values
> that unite people into communities and that give tangible direction
> and meaning to individual and collective life. "In truth," Baha'u'llah
> avers, "religion is a radiant light and an impregnable stronghold
> for the protection and welfare of the peoples of the world ... Should
> the lamp of religion be obscured, chaos and confusion will ensue,
> and the lights of fairness and justice, of tranquillity and peace cease
> to shine. " 3
> Individual progress and community development require both
> spiritual awareness and material resources. Material advancement is,
> therefore, best W1derstood not as an end in itself, but rather as a vehicle
> for moral, spiritual, and social progress. Meaningful social change
> results not so much from the acquisition of technical skills as from
> the development of qualities and attitudes that foster cooperative
> 
> 2. It may be argued that, since spiritual and moral issues have historically
> been bound up with contending theological doctrines which are not susceptible of objective proof, these issues lie outside the framework of the
> international community 's development concerns. To accord them any significant role would be to open the door to precisely those dogmatic
> influences that have nurtured social conflict and blocked human progress.
> There is doubtless a measure of truth in such an argument. To conclude,
> however, that the answer lies in discouraging the investigation of spiritual
> reality and ignoring the deepest roots of human motivation , is untenable.
> 3. Baha ' u' llah , Tablets of Bahli'u 'llah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
> (Wilmette : Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1988), p. 125 .
> 
> THE B AHA'f WORLD
> 
> and creative patterns of human interaction. In short, the material and
> spiritual aspects of daily life are inseparably connected and must
> both be addressed.
> This understanding of development anticipates the emergence of
> communities in which the application of spiritual values such as
> justice, trustworthiness and kindness will enhance material wellbeing. At the same time, material resources and advances will make
> possible new avenues of spiritual endeavor that will promote both
> the development of individual potential and the collective good.
> Religion, Science, and Capacity Building
> How then can spiritual principles be infused into our understanding, practice and assessment of development? The challenge is not
> a new one. Throughout past decades, development thinkers have
> repeatedly encountered issues related to values and beliefs. Too
> often, however, they have backed away from a thorough examination of the subject.
> If the development discourse is to address properly the issue
> of values, a rigorous dialogue will be required between the work
> of science and the insights ofreligion.4 Such a dialogue is crucial
> to the enterprise of building human capacity, an enterprise that is
> increasingly recognized as the fundamental purpose of development.
> When viewed as capacity building, development is concerned
> 
> 4. That both science and religion have roles to play in the development process
> can no longer be a matter of debate. Sociological and organizational questions relating to social and economic development must, of necessity, refer
> to spiritual perspectives and values. However, the manner in which spiritual
> perspectives are integrated into development activities must involve the
> same logical and rigorous methods employed by science. This will ensure
> that development efforts are anchored to tangible and objective outcomes.
> Indeed, if religion is to be the partner of science in the development arena,
> its specific contributions must be carefully scrutinized. It is unfortunately
> the case that established religion is often burdened by doctrines and practices that militate against efforts to improve material conditions. Sectarian
> teachings that encourage passivity, acceptance of poverty, social exclusion
> or inequality between the sexes must be weighed against more universal
> spiritual concepts that emphasize the importance of justice and service to
> others. Therefore, a new approach to development must also seek to identify
> traditions of paternalism and other patterns of behavior that serve to undermine development initiatives.
> 
> R ELIGIOUS V ALUES AND pROSPERITY
> 
> principally with the generation, application, and diffusion of knowledge. If it is accepted that knowledge is both spiritual and material,
> religion and science can be understood as two interacting knowledge
> systems that provide the fundamental organizing principles by which
> individuals, communities and institutions function and evolve.5
> Placing the generation and application of knowledge at the center
> of development planning and implementation makes it possible
> to study the practical implications of religious values, including
> the role that such values have in alleviating poverty.
> It is generally accepted that the materially poor must participate
> directly in efforts to improve their own well-being. But the nature
> of that participation has yet to be fully explored. From the Baha'i
> perspective, this participation must be substantive and creative; it
> must allow the people themselves access to knowledge and encourage them to apply it. Specifically, it is not sufficient for the people
> of the world to be engaged in projects as mere beneficiaries of
> the products of knowledge, even if they have a voice in certain
> decisions. They must be engaged in applying knowledge to create
> well-being, thereby generating new knowledge and contributing
> in a substantial and meaningful way to human progress. 6
> The ability of any group to participate fully in its own development process depends on a wide range of interrelated capacities at
> the personal and group level. Among the most important are the
> capacities to participate effectively in the planning and implementation of development activity ; to use methods of decision making
> 
> 5. Collaboration between religion and science in the development field can
> take many forms. One obvious example is in the area of moral education.
> Since moral behavior is a concrete expression of humanity 's spiritual nature,
> the formulation of educational theories and methods that systematically
> promote moral development is of particular importance. Learning to apply
> moral and spiritual concepts to achieve material progress could, in fact, be
> regarded as the essential prerequisite of all social and economic initiatives.
> 6. A first important step in this direction is to foster awareness and respect of
> the existing knowledge base ofa community or culture. This will assist the
> community to develop confidence in its ability to conceive and implement
> innovative solutions to difficult problems. When such confidence exists,
> science and technology can more readily be used as tools for prese rving
> and extending cultural identity.
> 
> that are non-adversarial and inclusive; to think systematically
> about problems and search for solutions; to deal efficiently and
> accurately with information rather than respond unwittingly to
> political and commercial propaganda; to take initiative in a creative
> and disciplined manner; to make appropriate and informed technological choices; to organize and engage in ecologically sound
> production processes; to contribute to the effective management of
> public programs and projects; to promote solidarity and unity of
> purpose, thought, and action; to replace relationships based on dominance and competition with relationships based on reciprocity,
> collaboration, and service to others; to interact with other cultures
> in a way that leads to the advancement of one 's own culture and not
> to its degradation; to encourage recognition of the essential nobility
> of human beings; to put into place and to participate in educational
> processes conducive to personal growth and to the transformation of
> society; to maintain high standards of physical, emotional and mental health; to imbue social interaction with an acute sense of justice;
> and to manifest rectitude in private and public administration.
> Incomplete as it is, this list is suggestive of the constellation
> of capacities necessary for building up the social, economic, and
> moral fabric of collective life. The list highlights the vital role of
> both religious and intellectual resources in promoting development.
> It also points us to the types of indicators that might provide useful
> insight into the overall well-being of communities.
> Measuring Poverty and Prosperity
> If development is primarily a process in which individuals and communities become the principal actors in promoting their own physical,
> spiritual and social well-being, how can it be measured? Is it even
> reasonable to expect to be able to measure an ongoing process of
> action, evaluation, and adjustment: one in which communities
> gradually improve their ability to define, analyze, and meet their
> own needs? In the Baha'i view, the answer is "yes." While concrete
> action in any project should be directed toward visible, and therefore
> measurable, improvement in some aspect of life, the capacity of a
> community to address development issues at increasingly higher
> levels of complexity and effectiveness can also be measured, although
> perhaps not by traditional means.
> 
> R ELIGIOUS V ALUES AND p ROS PERITY
> 
> One vital measure of a community 's progress is the extent to
> which participation and cooperative methods of decision making are
> used to guide the development process. As an illustration, Baha' i
> development activities have, from their inception, emphasized collective decision making and collective action at the grassroots
> level. Improvement in the ability of all the members of a community
> to consult is a primary measure of success in every Baha'i development project. Both the process and the outcomes are observable
> and, therefore, in some way measurable. The use of consultative
> methods of decision making can lead to novel solutions to community
> problems; they can result in greater fairness in the distribution of
> community resources; and they tend to involve and uplift those who
> have historically been excluded from decision making, such as
> women and minorities. Experience has shown that consultation
> enables communities to sustain and modify development initiatives,
> contributing, thereby, to self-sufficiency and a higher quality of
> life. The ability of people to come together in these new and constructive patterns of participation and interaction is, in some respects,
> a more important outcome-and, therefore, more important to
> measure-than the quantifiable goals traditionally associated with
> development projects.
> Development initiatives might be assessed on the basis of concrete application of a number of spiritual principles to individual
> and community life: among them, unity in diversity; equity and justice;
> equality of the sexes; trustworthiness and moral leadership; and
> independent investigation of truth. While these are by no means
> the only principles to consider, these five contain a sufficient diversity
> of concepts to allow a broad overview of community progress. In
> their full expression, these spiritual precepts capture many of the
> intangible factors that conduce to social and economic advancement.
> For example, the principle of unity in diversity as applied to
> the area of education could lead to curricula that foster concepts
> of tolerance, understanding, compassion and world citizenship.
> The principle of the equality of women and men could lead to
> policies that unlock capacities of both women and men that have
> been hitherto suppressed. The principle of the independent investigation of truth as applied to development projects could ensure that
> problems are correctly identified and defined and that solutions
> 
> reflect the true needs of the people involved. A detailed discussion
> on how these principles might form the basis of tangible indicators
> of development can be found in the concept paper, "Valuing Spirituality in Development: Initial Considerations Regarding the Creation
> of Spiritually Based Indicators for Development." This paper was
> presented by the Baha'i International Community to the World
> Faiths and Development Dialogue at Lambeth Palace in 1998. 7
> The creation of broad qualitative measures of development
> progress will have direct implications for the types of projects
> that get funded. Experience has shown that innovative projects
> are often deprived of needed funding when evaluation formulas
> emphasize a few specific economic or physical parameters. For
> example, before pursuing income generating activities, it may be
> more important to first engage in goal setting and consultations
> regarding community needs and well-being. The adoption and
> application of rigid evaluation criteria cannot be considered scientific, especially if they prematurely prescribe optimal outcomes.
> In a given community or cultural setting, there may, in fact, be a
> variety of pathways that could achieve the same material ends
> while promoting other goals such as social cohesion or moral
> development.
> Clearly the design and evaluation of development projects must
> give consideration to a broad set of parameters that go beyond
> simple categories of economic performance. Conventional indices
> of such factors as economic growth, health, or education are capable
> of conveying only a very narrow snapshot of community wellbeing. The most important indicators of successful development
> activity might well be whether the views and talents of all members
> of a community are utilized, whether consultative processes are
> used to formulate and implement community projects, or whether
> an atmosphere of dignity, optimism and commitment characterizes
> the lives of the people involved. Although such qualitative factors
> may, at first, prove difficult to measure, the participants in development endeavors will no doubt be able to assist development
> specialists in creating meaningful benchmarks that take account
> of these qualitative variables.
> 
> 7. See The Baha 'i World 1997-98, pp. 233- 59, for the full text of thi s paper.
> 
> R ELIGIOUS V ALUES AN D pROSPER fTY
> 
> In the final analysis, the measurement of poverty and prosperity
> can best be determined by those who are most directly affected.
> Certainly, traditional measures can offer valuable insights and can
> be used to help identify where resources should be deployed, but by
> themselves they are insufficient. Existing development indices fall
> far short of bringing into relief the essential spiritual and social
> dimensions of life, so fundamental to human welfare. Without a
> way to identify and track these essential elements of prosperity,
> our development efforts will continue to be dictated by mainly
> material considerations and true progress will prove to be illusory. It
> is, therefore, not only timely but critical that organizations of civil
> society and religious communities be engaged with development
> agencies in charting new measures of social progress.
> 
> The Baha'i International Community
> presented this statement to the 55th
> Session of the United Nations Commission
> on Human Rights, held in Geneva
> 22 March- 30 April 1999.
> 
> CURRENT
> SITUATION
> OF THE       BAHA'I s
> rNIRAN
> 
> W        ith approximately three hundred thousand members, the
> Baha' i Faith, Iran's largest religious minority, is not recognized as a religion by the Iranian Constitution. The Islamic regime
> refers to it as a heresy and a conspiracy and designates its followers "unprotected infidels," who have no legal rights, although
> Iran is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and
> Political Rights which guarantees freedom of religious belief
> A secret Iranian Government document published by the United
> Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1993 confirms that
> Iran 's anti-Baha'i actions reflect deliberate government policy.
> Produced by Iran's Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council on 25
> February 1991 and approved by the Islamic Republic's Supreme
> Leader, this document sets forth specific guidelines for dealing with
> "the Baha'i question" so that Baha'i "progress and development
> shall be blocked." It is no less than a blueprint for the slow strangulation of the Baha'i community.
> The Baha' i community in Iran poses no threat to the authorities.
> The principles of the Baha'i Faith require Baha'is to be obedient
> 
> to their government and to avoid partisan political involvement,
> subversive activity, and all forms of violence. The Baha'i community in Iran is not aligned with any government, ideology or
> opposition movement.
> The Baha' is seek no special privileges. They desire only their
> rights under the International Bill of Human Rights, of which Iran
> is a signatory.
> Recent Changes in the Situation
> The most recent and notable change in the situation of the Baha'is
> in Iran has occurred in Mashhad, the capital of the Khurasan
> province. On 21 July 1998 a Baha'i prisoner, Mr. Ruhu'llah
> Rawhani, was executed; shortly thereafter the death sentences of
> two other Baha'i prisoners in Mashhad were confirmed.
> Furthermore, there has been a widespread assault on Baha'i
> educational activities in Iran, including the arrest of more than
> thirty-six faculty members of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education and confiscation of materials, records, and educational
> equipment. More than five hundred Baha'i homes throughout Iran
> were also recently raided.
> In September 1996 we were informed that Baha'i students
> had been barred from the final year of high school, which had
> been designated a pre-university year. We are now able to report
> that this discrimination against Baha'i youth appears to have been
> lifted, and they are now able to register for the pre-university
> year at their high school.
> Executions, Death Sentences and Imprisonment
> Since 1979, more than two hundred Baha'is have been killed,
> and fifteen others have disappeared and are presumed dead.
> Mr. Ruhu'llah Rawhani, executed by hanging on 21July1998
> after having served nine months in solitary confinement, stood
> accused of converting a woman to the Baha'i Faith. The woman
> concerned refuted the accusation, stating that her mother was a
> Baha'i and she herself had been raised as a Baha'i. There is no
> evidence that Mr. Rawhani was accorded any legal process or
> access to a lawyer, and no sentence was announced prior to his
> execution.
> 
> B AH A' fs I N   IRAN: C URRENT SITUATION
> 
> Moreover, we have been informed that the death sentences of
> two prisoners recently condemned in Mashhad, Messrs. Sirus
> Dhabihi-Muqaddam and Hidayat Kashifi-Najafabadi, have been
> confirmed, and that they may very soon meet the same fate as
> Mr. Rawhani. When confronted by the international community,
> the Government of Iran declared these cases to be crimes concerning national security, charges which had not been raised before the
> public condemnation of these sentences.
> Arbitrary arrests of Baha'is continue, with a marked increase
> in the number of short-term arrests in various areas of the country. During the past three years more than two hundred Baha'is
> have been arrested and detained for periods ranging from fortyeight hours to six months.
> The seventeen being held in prisons because of their religious
> beliefs, as of December 1998, are as follows:
> 
> Name                  Date of Arrest     Charge                Sentence
> Mr. Bihnam Mithaqi    29 April 1989      Zionist Baha'i        Death
> activities
> Mr. Kayvan            29 April 1989      Zionist Baha ' i      Death
> Khalajabadi                              activities
> Mr. Musa Talibi       7 June 1994        Teaching the Faith,   Death
> apostasy
> Mr. Dhabihu ' llah    6 September        Apostasy              Death
> Mahrami               1995
> Mr. Mansur            29 February        Holding children's    3 years
> Haddadan              1996               art exhibition
> Mr. Arman             Early 1996         Misconduct (refused   8 years
> Damishqi                                 to recant)
> Mr. Kurush Dhabihi    Early 1996         Misconduct (refused   8 years
> to recant)
> Mr. Nasir Qadiri      5 November         Continuing "Family    3 years
> 1997               Life" Meetings
> Mr. Sirus Dhabihi-     Oct.IN ov. 1997    Continuing "Family    Death
> Muqaddam                                  Life" Meetings
> Mr. Hidayat Kashifi-   Oct.IN ov. 1997    Continuing " Family   Death
> Najafabadi                                Life" Meetings
> Mr. Ata'u ' llah       Oct.IN ov. 1997    Continuing " Family   10 years
> Hamid Nasirizadih                         Life" Meetings
> Mrs. Sonia Ahmadi      1May1998           Holding youth         3 years
> meetings
> 
> Name
> Mr. Manuchehr
> Ziyai
> Date of Arr~ harge
> I May 1998 _µ,Holding youth
> meetings
> =          SenteilCe
> 3 years
> 
> ,_,M
> ~r.~z=ia-u~l~
> la~
> h ---+-=
> E- ar~ly-O
> ~otob" Relotod to the BIHE U nknown I
> Mirzapanah           1998
> Mr. Farzad Khajeh    Early October   Related to the BIHE unknown
> 1998
> Dr. Sina Hakiman     Early October   Related to the BIHE- u nknown I
> 1998                                             I
> 
> l  Mr. Habibullah ---+--
> Ferdosian
> Early October
> 1998
> Related to the BIH E- unknownl
> 
> --
> 
> Denial of the Right to Organize as a Peaceful Religious
> Community
> Since 1983 the Baha'i community has been denied both the right
> to assemble officially and the right to maintain its administrative
> institutions, those democratically elected governing bodies which in
> other countries organize and administer the religious activities of
> the community. Since the Baha'i Faith has no clergy, the denial of the
> right to elect these institutions threatens the very existence of a
> viable religious community. These sacred institutions perform many
> of the functions reserved to clergy in other religions and are the
> foundational element of Baha'i community life.
> The latest events in Khurasan suggest an intensification of
> efforts to terrorize members of the Faith and to suffocate the
> spiritual life of the Baha'i community in the region by further
> curtailing activities aimed at providing education to Baha'i children and youth. A recent example of this abuse was the arrest,
> detention, and summary sentence of two teachers in Mashhad ,
> the capital of Khurasan, to three years' imprisonment, while their
> students were given suspended sentences, to be carried out should
> the young people again commit the "crime" of participating in such
> classes. In the middle of September, three more Baha'is, Mrs. Nahid
> Sabeti, Mr. Manouchehr Sharifi and Mr. Hushrnand Sanani, were
> arrested, this time in Bujnurd, northern Khurasan, for participating
> in Baha'i "Family Life" gatherings. After spending six days in
> prison, they were released, having also been given suspended sentences of five years' imprisonment.
> 
> B AHA'fS I N I RAN: C URREN T SITUATION
> 
> Confiscation and Destruction of Community Properties
> Baha'i cemeteries, holy places, historical sites, administrative centers
> and other assets were seized shortly after the 1979 revolution. No
> properties have been returned and many have been destroyed.
> Seizure of cemeteries throughout Iran has created problems for
> Baha'is, who have difficulties burying their dead and identifying
> gravesites. They are permitted access only to areas of wasteland,
> designated by the Government for their use, and are not permitted
> to mark the graves of their loved ones.
> Confiscation of Properties Belonging to Baha 'is
> The property rights of Baha'is are generally disregarded. Since
> 1979, large numbers of private and business properties belonging
> to Baha'is, including homes and farms , have been arbitrarily
> confiscated.
> Recently over five hundred Baha'i homes throughout Iran have
> been raided at the hands of intelligence officers . When queried
> about the seizure of personal household effects like television sets
> and pieces of furniture , these officers claimed that they had been
> authorized by the Attorney General to take anything they wished.
> Denial of Employment, Pensions and Other Benefits
> The confiscation of property is only one of the ways in which the
> government is systematically weakening the economic base of the
> Baha'i community. Many Bahci'is in Iran have also been deprived
> of the means to earn a living. In the early 1980s more than ten
> thousand Baha' is were dismissed from positions in government
> and educational institutions because of their religious beliefs .
> Many remain unemployed and receive no unemployment benefits.
> The pensions of Baha'is dismissed on religious grounds were
> terminated; some of the Baha'is have even been required to return
> salaries or pensions paid to them . Baha'i farmers are denied
> admission to farmers' cooperatives , which are often the only
> sources of credit, seeds, pesticide and fertilizer.
> Denial of Access to Education
> An entire generation of Baha'is has been systematically barred
> from higher education in legally recognized public and private
> institutions of learning in Iran.
> 
> Having been denied access to higher education for years, in 1987
> the Baha'is established their own higher education program to meet
> the educational needs of as many of their young people as resources
> would allow. Since 1987 almost a thousand young people have
> been enrolled and a number have graduated with the equivalent
> of a bachelor's degree. Several are presently pursuing graduate
> studies in Western colleges and universities.
> In late September, more than thirty-six faculty members of the
> Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) were reported to
> have been arrested in cities across the country. It is understood
> that most of these have now been released, but that four in Isfahan remain in custody. The arrests were carried out by officers of
> the Iranian Government's intelligence agency, the Ministry of
> Information, and also involved the seizure of textbooks, scientific
> papers and documentary records, some seventy computers , and
> items of furniture useful to students, including tables and benches.
> Those arrested were asked to sign a document declaring that BIHE
> had ceased to exist as of 29 September and undertaking that they
> would no longer cooperate with it. The detainees refused to sign
> any such declaration.
> Denial of Civil Rights and Liberties
> Unlike Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, the Baha'i Faith
> is not recognized in the Iranian Constitution; therefore , Baha'is
> fall into the category of "unprotected infidels," whose rights can
> be ignored with impunity. In general , the pressures placed on
> Baha' is by the judicial system have increased.
> Neither Baha'i marriage nor divorce is legally recognized in Iran,
> and the right of Baha'is to inherit is denied. For example, a Baha'i
> was recently prevented from receiving her rightful share in the
> inheritance following the death of her daughter. The Ministry of
> Justice, Tehran Civil Court, issued a Certification of Inheritance
> which states that the only heir of the deceased is her husband, a
> Muslim, "because the other inheritors are Baha'is, and subject to
> Article No . 881 of the Civil Law." On appeal , the Central Public
> Court ruled that this woman's objection to the previous verdict "is
> unfounded because she has frankly admitted to the court that she
> is a Baha'i." Until 1995, attempts to gain probate were permitted
> 
> B AH A.' fs rN I RAN : C URRE NT SITUATION
> 
> if carried out in a special way; however, since 1996, Baha'is have
> been strictly forbidden to seek probate.
> The freedom of Baba' is to travel outside or inside Iran is often
> impeded by Iraruan authorities and sometimes denied. Although the
> last year has witnessed an increase in the number of Iranian Baha'is
> given passports, it is too soon to judge whether there has been a
> change of policy on the part of the Iranian government on this
> issue.
> Such treatment is not confined to Iran itself. Baha'is applying to
> Iranian embassies abroad to renew their passports or to obtain visas
> to return to Iran have often found officials similarly uncooperative.
> However, the Iranian embassies in some countries do not require
> the applicants to state their religious affiliation ; in such countries ,
> Baha'is are more likely to be able to obtain visas or to renew their
> Iranian passports. Passport application forms which require applicants to declare their affiliation with a "recognized religion" have
> been used to pressure Baha'is to recant their religious beliefs.
> Furthermore, in a number of communities the practice of summoning Baha'is to the security offices on various specious pretexts
> and insulting and belittling them, so as to create fear in their families and weaken their spirits, continues unabated.
> No Improvement in Situation Since the Election of President
> Khatami
> Regrettably, since President Mohammad Khatami took office, there
> has been no discernible improvement in the situation of the Baha'is
> in Iran. Recent events in Mashhad indicate that the persecutions
> of Baha' is have indeed intensified . With the execution of Mr.
> Ruhu' llah Rawhani on 21 July 1998 , and subsequent confirmation
> of death sentences of two more Baha'i prisoners , Messrs. Sirus
> Dhabihi-Muqaddam and Hidayat Kashifi-Najafabadi , no other
> conclusion can be drawn.
> The current circumstances are best understood in the context of
> the unique nature of the persecution to which Iranian Baha'is
> have been subjected for over a century. The Iranian Baha'i community has frequently served as a scapegoat, used by various factions
> struggling for political ascendancy. This has been the case regardless
> of the changes in political or dynastic regime. Whenever political
> 
> leaders have felt a need to divert public attention from some economic , social , or political issue , they have found the Baha'i
> community an easy target because of the senseless hostility and
> prejudice inculcated in the public by generations of ecclesiastical
> propaganda. It is, therefore, not the actions of the Baha' is but the
> circumstances of Iranian history that have conspired to make the
> "Baha'i case" a litmus test of sincerity for Iranian public figures
> who represent themselves as voices of reform and progress.
> 
> The Baha 'i International Community
> presented this statement to the 55th
> Session of the UN Commission on
> Human Rights, held in Geneva
> 22 March- 30April 1999.
> 
> BAHA'I
> INSTITUTE
> FOR HIGHER
> 
> EDUCATION
> A Creative and Peaceful Response
> to Religious Persecution
> 
> S    ince 1980, as part of a government-directed attempt to destroy
> the intellectual and cultural life of the 300,000-member Baha'i
> community, young people who declare their Baha'i identity have
> been systematically excluded from colleges and universities in Iran.
> Deeply concerned at seeing an entire generation of its best and
> brightest languish without the opportunity for higher learning, the
> Baha'i community of Iran launched a creative and wholly nonviolent response: the establishment of its own independent, fullfledged, yet completely decentralized, university system. The New
> York Times , in an article about the university published on 29
> October 1998, called this effort "an elaborate act of communal
> self-preservation."
> Founded in 1987, the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education
> (BIHE) had, until September 1998, an enrollment of more than
> nine hundred students , a faculty of more than one hundred and
> fifty first-rate academics and instructors , and an "infrastructure"
> composed of various classrooms, laboratories and libraries scattered throughout Iran in private homes and buildings.
> 
> As has been widely reported in the international news media,
> agents of the Iranian government staged a series of sweeping
> raids in late September and early October, arresting at least thirtysix members of the BIHE's faculty and staff and confiscating
> equipment and records located in over five hundred homes.
> As the New York Times noted, "The materials confiscated were
> neither political nor religious, and the people arrested were not
> fighters or organizers. They were lecturers in subjects like accounting and dentistry; the materials seized were textbooks and laboratory
> equipment."
> Those who were arrested, many of whom have now been
> released, were asked to sign a document declaring that BIHE had
> ceased to exist as of 29 September and that they would no longer
> cooperate with it. The detainees refused to sign any such declaration.
> To informed observers, the recent arrests and confiscations are
> clearly part of a long-standing and centrally orchestrated campaign by Iranian authorities to deal with Iran's Baha'i community
> "in such a way that their progress and development are blocked."
> This is the stated intent of the policy set forth in a secret 1991 government memorandum that instructed authorities in how to deal
> with "the Baha'i question." The actions against the BIHE, likewise,
> reflect a new and dangerous period for Iran's Baha'i community.
> This period was ushered in by the summary execution of Mr.
> Ruhu'llah Rawhani, a 52-year-old medical supplies salesman who
> was hanged in Mashhad on 21 July 1998 solely for religious reasons, and the subsequent confirmation of death sentences against
> two other Baha'is in Mashhad in September.
> The secret government memorandum, drawn up by the Supreme
> Revolutionary Cultural Council in February 1991 , was obtained
> and made public in 1993 by Mr. Reynaldo Galindo Pohl, the
> United Nations' Special Representative investigating the human
> rights situation in Iran. Signed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali
> Khamenei, the memorandum established a subtle government policy aimed at essentially grinding the community into non-existence
> by forcing Baha'i children to have a strong Islamic education,
> pushing Baha'i adults to the economic periphery and forcing them
> from all positions of power or influence, and requiring that Baba' i
> youth "be expelled from universities, either in the admission
> 
> B AI-IA' f I NSTITUTE FO R HIGHER EDUCATION
> 
> process or during the course of their studies, once it becomes
> known that they are Baha'is."
> Not an "Underground" University
> It would be incorrect to call the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education an "underground university," since its existence was well
> known to the authorities from its earliest years. In fact, in 1996
> Iranian authorities conducted far-reaching raids against BIHE
> sites, confiscating records and equipment but not moving to shut
> down the operation. In keeping with Baha'i religious teachings
> on obedience to government, the Baha'is in Iran always answered
> forthrightly questions about the Institute and any other activities
> when asked. Nevertheless, inasmuch as the Baha'is of Iran have
> been blocked from operating their institutions freely and normally,
> they resorted to the concept of running an "open university" that
> was both highly decentralized and carefully circumspect in its
> operation.
> Until the government raids at the end of September 1998, the
> Institute offered bachelor's degrees in ten subject areas: applied
> chemistry, biology, dental science, pharmacological science, civil
> engineering, computer science, psychology, law, literature, and
> accounting. And within these subject areas , which were administered by five university "departments," the Institute was able to
> offer more than two hundred distinct courses each term. In the
> beginning, courses were based on correspondence lessons developed by Indiana University, which was one of the first institutions
> in the West to recognize the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education. Later on, course offerings were developed internally.
> The teaching was done principally via correspondence, or, for
> specialized scientific and technical courses and in other special
> cases , in small-group classes that were usually held in private
> homes.
> "At the beginning, the students did not even know the names of
> their professors," said one BIHE professor, who, like most others
> interviewed, wanted to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety
> and that of his relatives in Iran. Even after three or four years, the
> students did not know the names of their professors. They had
> never seen them because it was very dangerous. If somebody
> 
> THE BAHA'l WORLD
> 
> knew a professor's name, he or she might tell a friend. So all
> courses were conducted by correspondence at the beginning of
> this plan.
> Over time, however, the Institute was able to establish a few laboratories, operated in privately owned commercial buildings in and
> around Teheran. These laboratories included a computer science
> laboratory, a physics laboratory, a dental science laboratory, a
> pharmacological laboratory, an applied chemistry laboratory and
> a language study laboratory. The operations of these laboratories
> were kept prudently quiet, with students cautioned not to come and
> go in large groups that might give the authorities a reason to object.
> An All-Volunteer, Unpaid Faculty
> At its peak, the Institute had more than one hundred and fifty faculty
> members. Approximately twenty-five or thirty were professors who
> were fired from government-run universities after the 1979 Islamic
> Revolution . Other faculty members included doctors, dentists,
> lawyers and engineers who gave of their time to teach students.
> The majority were educated in Iran, but a good number have degrees
> from universities in the West, including the Massachusetts Institute
> of Technology, Columbia University, the University of California at
> Berkeley, and the Sorbonne. None of the Baha'i faculty members
> were paid for their time; all gave it freely as a form of community
> service.
> "These youth are very precious people," said a faculty member,
> explaining why they were willing to take such risks, without monetary remuneration, to establish the Institute. "We all care about
> them. They have been through tests and trials and they had no
> hope. They have been deprived of many things, so if there is any
> chance for us to get something better for them, we did it."
> Each of the five departments drew not only on these volunteer
> professors for their academic expertise but also on a small and anonymous group of Baha'i academics in North America, Europe, and
> Australia. These outside academicians sent in the latest textbooks
> and research papers, occasionally made visits to Iran as guest lecturers, and otherwise provided instructional and technical support.
> "The Baha'i youth are all raised to want to study and become
> professionals," said one of the academics involved in supporting the
> 
> B AHA' f I NSTITUTE FOR HIGHER E DUCATION
> 
> Institute. "So to sit around and do nothing is a very serious psychological pressure. And before the Open University really got going,
> the youth were in a hopeless position." The academic, who is Iranian
> born and still has family in Iran, also asked that his name not be used.
> High Academic Standards
> Entrance examinations for the BIHE were required, and the Institute
> established high standards. Of the roughly fifteen hundred students
> who applied for admission in its first year of operation, two hundred
> and fifty were accepted for the first semester of study. By 1996, a
> total of six hundred students had enrolled in the Baha'i Institute
> for Higher Education and were pursuing their studies, and, by 1998,
> approximately nine hundred students were enrolled.
> One former student, who is now living outside of Iran, likened
> the attitude of many of the students to Gandhi's attitude of nonviolent resistance. Denied the right to an education by the authorities,
> students were determined to study to show the government that
> they could study.
> Among the indications of the Institute's surprisingly high academic standards and instructional level was the success that a few
> Institute graduates had in gaining admission to graduate schools
> outside Iran, including major universities in the United States and
> Canada. It should be noted, however, that some Institute graduates
> and students outside Iran have had a difficult time getting their
> credits recognized. Such challenges, which are a fact of life for
> Institute graduates , stem directly from the Iranian government's
> policy of blocking their access to education and its refusal to recognize the Institute officially.
> "In Iran, you have to apply for an examination to go to college,''
> said one former BIHE student, who also asked to remain anonymous. "If you are successful at your exam, you can go to university."
> The student described the examination form as having a place
> which asks , "What is your religion?" The possible answers listed
> are "Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism." When the
> Baha'i students either didn't write anything or wrote "Baha'i" off to
> the side, they were not given an entrance card to go to the examination hall. So they couldn't even take the exam.
> 
> Complex Administration
> In its day-to-day operation, the Institute functioned basically like a
> correspondence school, but with its own delivery service. In its
> early years, students and faculty sent homework assignments and
> lessons back and forth via the state-run postal system. But the
> packages often did not arrive and were assumed to have been
> intercepted as part of the government's attempt to interfere with
> Baha'i education.
> Since professors could not deliver lectures openly, they prepared
> their own written notes and compiled textbooks for distribution
> to the students. Again, as noted above, some of these texts were
> based on the latest Western research. One student in civil engineering , for example , was studying the construction of
> earthquake-proof earthen silos-and the Institute's overseas contacts were able to get for him some of the latest research on this
> topic from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
> "Our aim was to offer the best courses available in Iran," said a
> faculty member.
> The entire operation relied heavily on the use of extensive photocopying, and one of the biggest blows in the recent raids was the
> confiscation of several large photocopying units.
> The Institute system also featured a network of special depository libraries around the country. Numbering more than forty-five,
> these libraries existed in the private homes of Baha'is and enabled
> students in each district to obtain access to the necessary textbooks for the courses. Some of these libraries were seized in the
> recent raids.
> Shut Down
> Over time, as Institute officials began to feel increasing confidence
> about their operation, they started to organize many group classes
> along with independent study in private homes . The Institute also
> began to publish sophisticated course catalogues, listing not only
> course offerings but the qualifications of the faculty members .
> Through the international network of Baha'i communities worldwide,
> the Institute also began to establish the means by which its
> graduates might become fully recognized by other institutions of
> higher education outside Iran.
> 
> BAHA' I I NSTITUTE FO R HIGHER EDUCATION
> 
> It is not clear to the Baha'i community of Iran why the raids
> and confiscations were launched in late September. And Iranian
> government officials have not been forthcoming with explanations
> when asked about the actions. According to the New York Times,
> Iranian officials made no comment when asked about the raids
> and arrests .
> Among other significant human rights conventions, Iran is a
> party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations General
> Assembly on 16 December 1966. Parties to this Covenant "recognize the right of everyone to education" and more specifically
> that "higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on
> the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means."
> The exclusion of Baba' is from access to higher education in Iran
> certainly constitutes a gross violation of the Covenant. These latest steps taken to shut down the Iranian Baha'i community's creative
> and peaceful response only increases public outrage regarding the
> Iranian government's attempt to strangulate the Baha'i community.
> 
> The Baha'i International Community
> presented this statement to the 43rd
> Session of the UN Commission on the
> Status of Women, held in New York City
> 1- 19 March 1999.
> 
> PROMOTING
> WOMEN'S
> HEALTH
> 
> T     he Baha'i International Community is pleased that women's
> health was identified as a critical area of concern in the Beijing
> Platform for Action and that the Commission on the Status of
> Women is focusing global attention on this vital issue. The Baha'i
> International Community, which actively collaborates with the World
> Health Organization, UNICEF, UNIFEM, and other UN agencies
> and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on promoting
> women's health, participated most recently in the Expert Group Meeting on Women and Health: Mainstreaming the Gender Perspective
> into the Health Sector, held in Tunisia in September-October 1998.
> As the Commission consults about actions that governments, UN
> agencies, and NGOs might take to improve the health of women,
> and to empower women to participate fully in the affairs of the
> world, we offer the following points for consideration.
> 
> • When women enter the arenas of law and politics and when their
> voices are heard in the council chambers of the world, they will
> be instrumental in ending war and freeing vast resources for
> 
> peaceful pursuits. "The enormous energy dissipated and wasted
> on war," the Baha'i writings assert, "will be consecrated to such
> ends as ... to the extermination of disease . ..to the raising of the
> standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of
> the human brain .. .to the prolongation of human life, and to the
> furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral , and spiritual life of humanity." 1
> • Women's health is important not only to women but to their
> families, their communities, and the world as a whole. In the
> Baha'i view, the very progress of civilization depends on the
> unconstrained participation of women in all aspects of social
> life. Participation requires that women and girls be assisted and
> encouraged to develop all of their capacities and that they
> maintain the ongoing physical, emotional, and spiritual health
> essential to contribute as equal partners with men to the
> advancement of civilization.
> • Avoidable causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, HIV-
> AIDS , tuberculosis, depressive disorders, and violence against
> women take a heavy toll on the whole community. Women play
> fundamental roles in the education of children and in promoting
> the health of the family both in the home and through organizations that promote and protect the health and wellbeing of the
> community. Healthy families and communities cannot be
> achieved without careful attention to creating conditions conducive to sustaining healthy girls and women.
> • Consideration must be given to the health of women throughout
> their life span. They must be ensured adequate nutrition, especially in the early years, and protected from harmful traditional
> practices through the teenage years and into adulthood. The
> health of older women must also be paid special attention. With
> the marked increase in life expectancy for women, their right to
> physical, mental and spiritual health must be safeguarded.
> 
> 1. Shoghi Effendi , The World Order of Baha 'u 'llah: Selected Letters (Wi lmette, Baha' f Publi shing Trust, 1982), p. 204.
> 
> W OME 'S H EALTH
> 
> The Baha' i International Community has been active in the process of improving the health of women and girls . Much of this
> work includes raising awareness of the rights of women and girls,
> raising the discussion of issues to the level of principle, and applying those standards at the local, national, and global levels. We
> stand ready to continue to protect and promote the health of women
> and girls and are eager to collaborate with the Commission on the
> Status of Women, other UN agencies and NGOs in doing whatever will enable women to contribute their share to the advancement
> of civilization.
> 
> The world of humanity has two wings-one is women and the
> other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the
> bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. 2
> 
> 2. Selections from the Writings of 'A bdu 'l-Baha (Wilmette: Baha' f Publishing
> Trust 1997), p. 316.
> 
> The Baha 'i International Community
> presented this statement to the 55th
> Session of the UN Commission on
> Human Rights, held in Geneva
> 22 March- 30 April 1999.
> 
> PROTECTION
> OFM INORITIES
> 
> A      s conflicts within countries become increasingly prevalent
> throughout the world, the international community is awakening to the critical need to address the question of minorities .
> Because every country has minorities of some sort, governments are
> realizing that the potential for instability may be more widespread
> than previously imagined. It is, therefore, highly appropriate that
> the issue of minorities should be on the agenda of the United
> Nations at this time. The Declaration on the Rights of Persons
> Belonging to National, or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, adopted more than five years ago, has already made a major
> contribution to this discussion by articulating international standards. It states not only that minorities should not be targets of
> discrimination but that cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity
> within a country should actually be encouraged and safeguarded.
> Now that the standard has been articulated, the next step is implementation. The Baha'i International Community is pleased to note
> that the Working Group on Minorities, established by the Sub-
> Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of
> 
> Minorities, is gradually putting into place the means to review the
> implementation of the Declaration and to address the issues its
> implementation will raise.
> In the view of the Baha'i International Community, the responsibility for ensuring equal rights for minorities falls on both
> minorities and majorities. The ruling groups (whether they be the
> majority or a minority) have a special responsibility, for the sake of
> justice, to bring about the social and political adjustments which
> will enable the other components of their society to exercise, to the
> fullest extent possible, their common and fundamental rights. Those
> groups not in power, on the other hand, have a moral responsibility
> to respond honorably to genuine efforts made toward them and to
> recognize, accept, and fulfill their responsibilities toward society
> at large. As issues arise, both majorities and minorities must view
> them in the context of an increasingly interdependent world,
> where the advantage of the part is best served by ensuring the
> advantage of the whole , and where the whole cannot flourish
> when parts are oppressed or deprived.
> Governments need to take the lead by proving their determination to accord to minorities the same rights accorded to other
> citizens. This they can do by identifying the conditions that tend to
> disenfranchise certain minorities and by enacting legislation that
> will address those conditions. Such legislation is an important step,
> but legislation alone will never, in and of itself, end discrimination
> against minorities. Attitudes must change. Groups must learn to
> view one another in fundamentally different ways . They must
> see each other as partners, as co-workers, as worthy of respect and
> just treatment. Majorities must rid themselves of the assumption of
> entitlement, and minorities must eventually break free of the helplessness and suspicion induced by prolonged discrimination.
> Legislation can actually facilitate changes in attitude by placing
> legal sanctions on behavior that was once considered acceptable .
> By motivating people to change the way they behave, legislation
> can stimulate an examination of the beliefs underlying the old
> behavior and consideration of the principles that support the new
> behavior. But only a change of both heart and mind will permanently eradicate the willingness to hate those we perceive as
> different from ourselves. Such a profound change can be effected
> 
> P ROTECTION OF M INORITIE S
> 
> only through the influence of spiritual and moral principles. The
> foundation for peace, harmony and stability in the world is the
> principle of the oneness of humanity. Ignorance of the oneness of the
> human family makes one vulnerable to irrational fears and hatreds
> that can be easily stirred up by lies, half-truths, distortions and
> inflammatory accusations proffered by unscrupulous leaders for
> their own benefit.
> But unity is not uniformity; the oneness of the human family
> implies respect for the diversity within that family. In order to move
> toward a world characterized by unity in diversity, children must be
> taught to recognize diversity as a source of enrichment, not as a
> threat. The Baha' i International Community, therefore, commends
> the Working Group for its attention to the promotion of multicultural and inter-cultural education. In our view, an understanding of
> cultural diversity as the varied expression of our common humanity
> is one of the keys to the peaceful and lasting resolution of conflicts
> involving minorities. School curricula should aim at rendering
> obsolete old animosities, based upon ethnic, linguistic and religious
> differences , by providing instruction about the various cultures
> present in each country in a way that highlights those common aspirations that bind us all together as members of the human family.
> When children are taught to recognize fundamental human qualities
> in a wide variety of cultural forms , they will be able to regard each
> culture as enriching society as a whole. They will also be much less
> vulnerable to manipulation by those who would pit one group
> against another for political reasons .
> The Baha'i International Community is convinced that, if the
> human rights efforts being made by the United Nations and Governments are to bear fruit , the combined force of political and
> legal, spiritual and moral influences must be employed. For its part,
> the Baha 'i International Community is attempting to address the
> challenge of nurturing the minorities within its own membership
> throughout the world. Baha'i communities are obliged by the teachings of their faith not just to tolerate but to nurture , encourage
> and safeguard every minority belonging to any faith, race, class or
> nation within it. For that reason, the Baha'i writings suggest that
> if any discrimination at all is to be tolerated, it should be in favor of
> the minority. Guided by the unifying principles of world order
> 
> brought more than a century ago by Baha'u' llah, Baha'i communities worldwide are attempting to integrate people of all racial,
> national and religious backgrounds into a singe community-a
> community that is both unified and diverse.
> The Baha'i International Community will continue to collaborate
> with the Working Group on Minorities , and it stands ready to
> offer its experience in establishing unified communities characterized by respect for diversity.
> 
> INFORMATION
> REsOURcEs
> OBITUARIES
> 
> Grace Dean                               Mayan people of Mexico. Mrs. Dean
> 4 September 1998 in Ohio, United         moved to Panama in l 971 and Mex-
> States. Catherine Grace Dean wa s        ico in 1979, and in 1989 she pioneered
> born 21 December 1913 in Arizona,        to Belize, where she taught literacy
> United States , and embraced the         courses. When too ill or short of
> Faith ofBaha'u'llah there in 1951.       money to remain in Central America,
> She earned a B.A. in Social Studies      she would sojourn in the United
> and was trained as a fire safety spe-    States to rest and earn the funds neccialist and elementary school teacher.   essary to return. The Universal House
> Soon after her discovery of the Baha'i   of Justice wrote to her in 1974, "Your
> Faith, she moved to an Apache reser-     outstanding record of teaching the
> vation outside Gallup, New Mexico        Indians of Central America and Panin order to spread the Baba' i teach-    ama under trying and frustrating
> ings. Because of her knowledge of        conditions is well known to us and
> Spanish, she was later encouraged to     deeply appreciated." Ill health forced
> pioneer to Latin America. Mrs. Dean      her to return to her family in Ohio
> settled in Honduras in 1958 and dis-     three months before her death. After
> covered that she loved living among      her passing the House of Justice
> the indigenous peoples of Central        wrote that her "heroic work over
> America. She spent much of her time      period four decades" was marked
> with the Garifuna Indians of Hondu-      by "sacrificial detachment and selfras, the Guaymi of Panama, and the       effacing service in remote regions ...
> 
> TI::LE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> The modesty and courage of such a           success in the service of our beloved
> life provide an enduring example of         Faith, your true brother, Shoghi."
> devotion to the needs of the world's        Tove Deleuran passed away in 1996. 1
> poor and downtrodden."
> Rouhollah Golmohammadi
> Jean Deleuran                               16 February 1999 in Uppsala, Sweden.
> 7 December 1998 in Provence, France.        Rouhollah Golmohammadi was
> Jean Pierre Louis Deleuran was born         born in 1929 in Tehran, Iran, to a
> l April 1911 in Copenhagen, Den-           Baha'i family. Dr. Golmohammadi
> mark, to Emil and Valborg Deleuran.         arrived in Sweden on 12 January
> In 1934 he graduated from the Royal         1960 as a pioneer, accompanied by
> Academy of Fine Arts as an archi-           his sister's family. He became a
> tect, but soon contracted polio.            member of the first Local Spiritual
> Despite his limited mobility-he             Assembly of the town of Uppsala
> used crutches or a cane for the rest        the same year, and two years later
> of his life-Mr. Deleuran was active         was elected to the first National Spirin the French Resistance during the         itual Assembly of Sweden. Building
> Second World War and later devoted          on his experience in Iran as head of a
> the majority of his life to serving the     textile factory, Dr. Golmohammadi
> Baha ' i Faith. In 1944, he married         earned his doctorate in organic chem-
> Tove Larsen, with whom he raised            istry at the University of Uppsala ,
> one daughter. They became Baha' is          where he also lectured. Dr. Golmoin 1949 and were the first Baha'is to       hammadi married Elizabeth Beven
> settle in the Balearic Islands, in          in 1964. They had two children. In
> 1953 , thus earning the title Knights       1994, they pioneered to Hungary,
> ofBaha'u ' llah. The four years spent       where Dr. Golmohammadi soon
> in the Balearic Islands interrupted         became a member of that National
> Mr. Deleuran 's successful career as        Spiritual Assembly. He remained on
> an architect, a career later resumed        the Assembly until his passing. Dr.
> in East Pakistan where the family           Golmohammadi was able to attend
> lived for six years until 1963 . Mr.        the first Baha' i World Congress held
> Deleuran served on several Spiritual        in London in 1963 and the first eight
> Assemblies in the Balearic Islands,         International Baha'i Conventions as
> Denmark, France, and Pakistan,              a delegate. The Universal House of
> including the first Local Spiritual         Justice wrote that his "dedication to
> Assemblies of the Balearic Islands          the Faith, his many years of devoted,
> and Denmark and the National Spir-          persevering service in both the teachitual Assemblies of Denmark and             ing and administrative spheres .. . in
> Pakistan. Appended to a letter dated        Sweden and latterly in Hungary, his
> 29 September 1953 written on behalf         gentle, loving, unifying spirit, all
> of the Guardian to express his happi-       combine to win for him an enduring
> ness that Mr. Deleuran had decided
> to pioneer, the following was written
> in the Guardian's own hand: "Assur-         I. See The Baha'i World 1996-97,
> ing you of my loving prayers for your          p. 307, for her obituary.
> 
> OBITUARIES
> 
> place in the annals of the Baha'i          places. Later, Mr. Hautz served for
> communities of those countries."           several years as a member of the
> National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Louise Groger
> Baba ' is of the United States and on
> 22 March 1999 in California, United        several national committees. Shortly
> States. Louise A. Groger was born          after attending the fourth Interna-
> 11 April 1907 in San Francisco, Cal-      tional Baha'i Conference in New
> ifornia, to a Catholic family. She         Delhi, Mr. Hautz and his wife Carol
> became a Baha'i in 1936 and served         pioneered to Southern Rhodesia (now
> on the Local Spiritual Assembly of         Zimbabwe), where they bought a plot
> San Francisco from 1938 to 1949.           of land and in time founded a motel,
> After the untimely passing of her hus-     snake park, and an elementary school.
> band in 1950, Mrs. Groger pioneered        Beginning with about twenty stuto Puntas Arenas, at the southern tip      dents, the school's student body grew
> of Chile. She remained there for two       in time to over four hundred. About
> years before returning to the United       this school, the National Spiritual
> States. After the launch of the Ten        Assembly of Zimbabwe wrote, "In
> Year Crusade, Mrs. Groger decided          the height of racial discrimination in
> to return to Chile . She settled on        then Rhodesia, Larry took a bold step
> Chiloe Island- the first Baha'i to do      and against all odds established the
> so- and thus became the Knight of          first school on the supposedly 'white
> Baha' u ' llah. She offered her home       owned' property for the indigenous
> to young boarders, and sold fruit,         children." Mr. Hautz also served on
> jam, vegetables, and flowers to earn       the first Local Spiritual Assembly of
> her living. The Universal House of         Harare. Carol Hautz passed away in
> Justice wrote after her passing,           1971. "WE SHARE YOUR DEEP SENSE
> "DEEPLY SADDENED LOSS VALIANT              OF LOSS IN PASSING DEARLY LOVED
> KNIGHT BAHA'U'LLAH FOR CH ILO E            LARRY HA UTZ," wrote the Universal
> ISLAND GREATLY LOVED LOUISE A.             House of Justice to the National Spir-
> GROGER. H ER SETTLEMENT AND                itual Assembly of Zimbabwe, a
> LONG YEARS PION EER ING THIS               "FAITHFUL, GENEROUS, ENERGET IC
> REMOTE ISLAND WILL EVER ADORN              SERVANT BLESSED BEAUTY."
> ANNALS BAHA'I HISTORY."
> 
> Larry Hautz                                Tahereh Madjzoub
> Lawrence Albert Hautz was born 19          8 March 1999 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
> August 1908 in Ohio, United States.        Tahereh Hezari was born 16 January
> He became a Baha'i in 1939, at the         1925 in Qazvin, Iran, to a Baha'i famage of 31. He made his living as an        ily. She married Rahrnatollah Madjzinsurance salesman and was able to         oub in 1943. In 1954, in response to
> visit the Holy Land as a pilgrim after     the call of the Ten Year Crusade, Mrs.
> the Second World War. He was asked         Madjzoub and her husband pioneered
> to stay for a total of ninety days to      to Turkey, where they remained until
> assist the Guardian to acquire prop-       1964, at which time they moved to
> erty surrounding several Baha'i holy       Germany. In 1983 Mrs. Madjzoub
> 
> THE BAHld WORLD
> 
> joined her family at their pioneer post     Indian and Inuit communities. After a
> in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she              three-month fellowship with the
> resided until her passing. Throughout       World Health Organization, spent
> her life, Mrs. Madjzoub traveled fre-       studying health programs for indigequently throughout Europe and Africa        nous people in the United States,
> in service to the Faith, was a member       Mexico, and Guatemala, she returned
> of several Local Spiritual Assemblies       to Canada and founded a nationwide
> and national and local committees,          program to train community health
> and was active in organizing Baha ' i       workers. She earned her doctorate from
> activities wherever she lived. She kept     the University of Saskatchewan in
> her home open to all and was known          1973, based on research done during
> as "dear mother" by the Baha'is of          the course of her work with indige-
> Zimbabwe. The Madjzoubs had three           nous Canadians. Dr. Martens traveled
> children. After her passing the Uni-        to more than eighty countries in the
> versal House of Justice wrote that her      service of both her profession and the
> "STAUNCH FAITH, HER LONG-SUFFER-            Baha'i community. She was instru-
> ING ATTITUDE IN HER ADVERSITIES,            mental in developing health education
> AND HER SACRIFICIAL ATTITUD ES IN           programs in Cameroon under the
> TEA C HING FIELD WERE TRULY                 auspices of the Canadian Interna-
> EXEMPLARY."                                 tional Development Agency, was the
> Baha'i representative to the World
> Ethel Martens
> Health Organization, and after her
> 10 December 1998 in Canada. Dr.
> retirement in 1979 was one of the
> Ethel Gertrude Martens was born 19
> July 1916 in The Pas, Manitoba, Can-        founders of the Baha' i International
> ada. The Martens family was one of          Health Agency, serving as its Executive Secretary until 1986. During and
> the first Anglo families to live in The
> after that period, she assisted Baha'i
> Pas, a small northern town built
> development projects around the
> around a Hudson Bay trading post.
> world to develop and implement pri-
> During her undergraduate years, at
> the suggestion of a fellow Baha'i stu-      mary health care programs.
> dent at the University of Manitoba,         Mary Elizabeth Martin
> Dr. Martens began studying the bur-         19 February 1999 in Haifa, Israel.
> geoning field of health education .         Elizabeth Martin was born in Toronto,
> After graduating, she worked as a           Canada, on 26 January 1931. From
> Health Educator for Manitoba's Min-         the time of her enrollment as a Baha'i
> is try of Health and later gained a         in 1954 until her passing Mrs. Martin
> master's degree in public health. Dr.       made memorable contributions to
> Martens began studying the Baha'i           the promotion of the Baha'i Faith.
> Faith during World War II but did           Noteworthy among these are the assisnot declare her belief in Baha'u'llah       tance she rendered on behalf of the
> until 1953. In 1958 she was recruited       National Spiritual Assembly to the
> by the government of Canada to be           development of Canadian Local Spirithe first national Health Educator,         tual Assemblies; the editing and
> with responsibility for indigenous          publishing of 'Abdu 'l-Baha in Canada
> 
> OBITUARIES
> 
> and Messages to Canada (the latter           as an opera singer and gave his first
> being the first compilation of the           profess ional concert in February 1953,
> Guardian 's letters to the Canadian          but in September of that same year
> Baha ' i community); the contribu-           he gave up hi s career to pioneer to
> tions she made as a writer and director      Cyprus. He and his mother Violet
> in the field of film production ; her        were the first Baha'is to move there,
> role in the formation of the National        thus earning the title Knights of
> Spiritual Assembly of Iceland ; her          Baha ' u ' llah. After living for a short
> work as a photographer in the pro-           period in Ireland, Mr. McKinley pioduction of such items as a national          neered next to Greece , where he
> advertising camp a ign in the mid-           became the literary editor of the Ath-
> 1980s; the ass istance she gave to the       ens Daily Post for over a decade. Mr.
> National Assembly of Canada in orga-         McKinley was known in the European
> niz ing both national and international      literary community as an accom-
> Baha' i conferences, as well as a series     pli s he d poet and editor and wa s
> of National Conventions; as assistant        included in the Intern ational Who s
> to the National Secretary, with corre-       Who in Poetry. He edited the book
> spondence and other special projects;        The Earth Is But On e Country by
> and her services as a Baha ' i pioneer.      John Huddleston in the 1970s, trans-
> These, and the aesthetic contribu-           la ted a n abridged version of The
> tions she made to the second Baha' i         Da wn-B reakers from Persian into
> World Congress in New York, as well          Greek in 1973, and also translated the
> as her efforts at the Baha'i World           German writings ofOndra Lysohorsky,
> Centre, will make her warmly remem-          a friend and fellow writer from Czechbered. In a message written at the time      oslov ak ia . Mr. McKinley married
> of her passing, the Universal House          Deborah Waterfield in 1979. In its
> of Justice paid tribute to Mrs. Mar-         message after his passing, the Unitin's "MORE THAN FOUR DECADES                versal House of Justice said that " 1-11 s
> CEASELESS DEVOTION CAUSE                     INDEFAT IGABLE LAB ORS PIONEER -
> BAHA'U'LLA1-1," and wrote that they          ING FIELD, HIS TEAC HING ACTIV!TlES
> "GRATEFULLY RECALL INTEG RITY                COUPLED WITH PROFOUND KNOWL-
> Tl-IA T CHA RACTER IZE D HER MANY            EDGE OF THE l-I OL Y WRITINGS AND
> SERVICES."                                   FIRMNESS IN THE COVENANT BROUGHT
> Hugh McKinley                                GREAT VICTORJES TO THE CAUSE."
> 9 February 1999 in Suffolk, England.
> Hugh McKinley was born 18 February           Hedi Moani
> 1924 to a Baha 'i family in Oxford,          October 1999 in Devenport, New Zea-
> England. In the course of his life-long      land . Hediatollah Moani was born in
> serv ice to the Faith, he pioneered to       1944 in Mahmoudabad, Iran, a Cas-
> Cyprus, Greece, and Wales, went on           pian Sea town to which hi s family
> frequent travel teaching trips through-      had pioneered. Mr. Moani came from
> out western Europe, and was a member         a family of pioneers, six of his eight
> of seve ral different Local Spiritual        brothers having left home to serve in
> Assemblies. Mr. McKinley was trained         that capacity. Mr. Moani pioneered
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> first to Indonesia and then moved to        by the Universal House of Justice
> Australia in 1963, where he obtained        who said also that "his commitmen~
> a degree in architecture from Mel-          to the upliftment of the Maori peobourne University. He lived in several      ple of New Zealand ... will long serve
> Australian cities before moving in          as an encouragement to others."
> 1978 to the United States, and then
> Jose Moucho
> later to New Zealand, where he lived
> 14 October 1998 in Adelaide, Austhe last seventeen years of his life.
> tralia. Jose Maria Marques Moucho
> Mr. Moani felt so close to the Maori
> was born 13 May 1917 in the Alentejo,
> people that he changed the spelling of
> Portugal. He became a Baha' i in 1950
> his last name-Ma'ani- to resemble
> and was named a Knight ofBaha'u'llah
> theirs. He was well loved and widely
> in 1954 when he pioneered to East
> known by the Australasian Baha ' i
> Timor, then governed by Portugal.
> community, and was described by the
> Soon after his arrival, he was impris-
> National Spiritual Assembly of New
> oned by the local authorities for his
> Zealand as one with a "well trained
> Baha'i activities. He was able, howmind, an eloquent tongue, and a quick
> ever, to smuggle a telegram to the
> wit. .. underpinned with warmth, a love
> Baha'i World Centre, which enabled
> for people, an instant recognition for
> Shoghi Effendi to effect Mr. Moucho's
> their disposition, and an accepting
> release. Mr. Moucho encountered
> humanity." In addition to his service
> further difficulty as a result of dison several Local Spiritual Assemblies,
> crimination by the Catholic Church
> he served for a time on the National
> and the local government, and found
> Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand
> it difficult to gain employment. He
> and was completing his Ph.D in relirema ined in the country, however,
> gious studies at the time of his death.
> founded his own coffee plantation,
> Mr. Moani was beaten to death in
> and was eventually accepted by his
> his New Zealand home sometime
> neighbors as one of their own. He
> between 13 and 17 October 1999. A
> lived in East Timor for nineteen years,
> member of the predominantly Maori
> where he served at different times as
> Ratana church, dismayed at the death
> the Secretary, Chairman, Vice-Chairof his church's leader and angry at the
> man, and Trea s urer of the Local
> conversion of several members of the
> Spiritual A ssembly of Dili, East
> church to the Baha ' i Faith, pleaded
> Timor's capital. Mr. Moucho married
> guilty to killing Mr. Moani but was
> Maria Olga in 1957. Together they
> later declared not guilty by reason of
> had four children.
> insanity. Among the seven hundred
> people present at Mr. Moani 's funeral      Ali-Akbar Nadji
> were members of the Ratana Ringatu          4 December 1998 in Ashgabat,
> Anglican, and Muslim faith~, as well        Turkmenistan. Ali-Akbar Nadji was
> as a large number of Ba ha ' is from        born on 5 February 1914 to a Baha'i
> around the region. Due to the reli-         family in Ashgabat. Mr. Nadji was a
> gious motivation behind his death           student at the Leningrad Mining In-
> Hedi Moani was declared a marty;            stitute in 1938 when he was arrested
> 
> OBITUARIES
> 
> for his ties to the Baha 'i community         States. Mr. O'Brien became a Baha'i
> and sent to Siberia. He lived there           in 1961 and one year later was elected
> eighteen years before returning to            to the Local Spiritual Assembly of
> his home, where he began working              Beverly Hills, California. In 1963 he
> in the Turkmen Academy of Sciences            was invited to become the coordinaas a photographer. He married Malike          tor ofactivites at the Baha'i House of
> Nadji a year later, in 1957. They had         Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, a positwo children. Beginning in 1960, he           tion which he occupied until 1966, at
> began traveling to Moscow and Len-            which time he pioneered with his wife
> ingrad in order to educate officials          to Ireland. Mr. 0 'Brien served on Lothere about the Baha'i Faith, in the          cal Spiritual Assemblies in America,
> hopes of gaining official recognition         Ireland, and England. Mr. O'Brien
> and legal registration of the Baba 'i         also served on the National Spiritual
> communities in the Soviet Union. He           Assembly of Ireland from 1972 to
> did not achieve the national recogni-         1979, save for one year in 1975. He
> tion he sought, but the Baha'i com-           was known by his friends for his sharp
> munity of Ashgabat was eventually             intellect, by his colleagues for his prorecognized at the state level as a result     fessional ism and skill as an actor,
> of his efforts. He was a member of            and although socially shy, as a comthe first Local Spiritual Assembly of         pelling and energetic public speaker.
> Ashgabat, formed in 1989, and partic-         He married Jane Moore. The couple
> ipated in the first National Convention       had four children. The Universal
> of the Baha 'is of the USSR in 1991.          House of Justice lovingly remem-
> In the words of the Universal House           bered his many achievements in
> of Justice, his "EXEMPLARY STEAD-             service to the Faith, noting also that
> FASTNESS AND DEVOTION KEPT                    "HIS INDOMITABLE FAITH COUPLED
> BANNER FAITH ALOFT FOR DECADES                WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR PRODUCED
> DURING DIFFICULT TIMES IN REG ION,"           A JOYOUS AND GALVAN IZING EFFECT
> and his "LOVE AND ATTACHMENT TO               UPON THE FRIENDS."
> THE CAUSE HELPED REVIVAL BAHA 'j
> INSTITUTIONS TURKMENISTAN."                   Hassan Pishrow
> Philip O'Brien                                9 June 1998 in Ashgabat, Turkmeni-
> 9 January 1999 in London, England.            stan. Hassan Pishrow was born 15
> Philip O'Brien was born 23 May 1927           November 1936 in Ashgabat, and was
> in Troy, New York, United States, to          Assistant Professor of Persian at the
> Irish Catholic parents. After com-            State Institute of World Languages
> pleting degrees in Theater Studies            of Turkmenistan. He became a Baha'i
> and Psychology, he began working              in 1989, at the age of53, and was soon
> in the perfom1ing arts industry in New        an active promoter of the Baha'i
> York City and Los Angeles. An actor,          Faith. Mr. Pishrow was a member of
> producer, and director, Mr. O'Brien           the Local Spiritual Assembly of the
> was a well-known figure in the theat-         Baha'is of Ashgabat from 1989 until
> rical world in Ireland and the United         1992, at which time he was elected
> 
> THE BAHA'I W ORLD
> 
> to the Regional Spiritual Assembly          of Abdu'l-Rahman Rushdy, one of
> of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. He          the early Egyptian Baha'is. After comattended the seventh International          pleting commercial school at the age
> Baha' i Convention as a delegate and        of sixteen, Mr. Rushdy began working
> also served as a member of the Aux-         as an accountant. In the years that
> iliary Board. In its message after his      followed, he undertook further studies
> passing, the Universal House of Justice     until he became a member of the
> said "HIS SERVICES TO RENEWAL               French Institute of Chartered Accoun-
> BAHA'I ACTIVITIES [in Turkmeni-             tants, and later the Chief Accountant
> stan) LOVINGLY REMEMBERED."                 with the British Company in Alexandria. Mr. Rushdy married Hoda
> Ruhu'llah Rawhani
> Enayatallah Ibrahim Ali in 1952, and
> 21 July 1998 in Mashhad , Iran .
> in 1955 the family pioneered to Ethio-
> Ruhu ' llah Rawhani was born in
> pia , where Mr. Rushdy worked as
> 1946 in Najafabad, Iran. He was
> Chief of the Finance Division of the
> executed by the Iranian government
> Imperial Highway Authority. In addiunder questionable circumstances.
> tion to serving on the Local Spiritual
> He was kept in solitary confinement
> Assembly of Addis Ababa, Mr.
> for the ten months preceding his
> Rushdy served on the Regional Spirexecution, denied a proper trial as
> itual Assembly of the Baha 'is of
> defined by Iran 's Constitution, and
> North-East Africa from 1962 to 1966.
> hanged. The Rawhani family was
> Having survived an attempt on his
> notified after the fact. Mr. Rawhani
> life in 1964, and feeling confident
> had been an-ested and imprisoned on
> that the Ethiopian Baha 'i commutwo prior occasions for participating
> nity was firmly established, in 1967
> in Baha'i activities. The Iranian gov-
> Mr. Rushdy pioneered with his famernment initially denied that it had
> ily to Burundi. They remained there
> executed Mr. Rawhani, calling him
> until 1989. While in Burundi , Mr.
> "an imaginary individual," but later
> Rushdy served as the legal representaconfirmed it, saying he was guilty of
> tive of the Burundi Baha'i community,
> "criminal acts against national secuas an Auxiliary Board member, and
> rity." Mr. Rawhani was accused of
> as a member of the National Spiriconverting a young Muslim woman
> tual Assembly of Burundi, from the
> to the Baha'i Faith. She later stated
> time of its establishment in 1974.
> that she was not a convert but had
> One of Mr. Rushdy's most significant
> been a Baha'i all her life. Mr. Rawhani
> accomplishments in Burundi was
> supported his family as a medical supachieving the legal recognition of
> plies salesman and was the father of
> that country's Baha 'i community, in
> four children.
> the face of repeated bans and restric-
> Gamal Rushdy                                tions on Baha'i activity by the gov-
> 8 February 1999 in London, England.         ernment. After twenty-three years in
> Gama! Rushdy was born 6 July 1923           Burundi, the Rushdys moved to Lonin Alexandria, Egypt, the third son         don, where Mr. Rushdy coordinated
> 
> OBITUARIE S
> 
> the Baha' i Office of Arab Affairs until      married Qodratullah Soltani in 1948
> his passing. The Rushdys had three            and later moved with him to Iran. In
> children. The Universal House of Jus-         1955 she and her husband left Iran to
> tice wrote of its deep grief at the news      pioneer to Brazil. They settled in Sao
> of his p assing, and said that "HIS           Caetano, in Sao Paulo state, where
> DEVOTED SERVICES TO CAUSE OF GOD              Mrs. Soltani served on the Local
> EV ER SI NC E HIS YO UTHFUL                   Spiritual Assembly for two years . In
> YEA RS ... REMEMB ERED WITH HI GH             1963 , they moved to Mogi Mirim. In
> ADMIRATION."                                  addition to serving on the Local Spiritual Assembly of that city, Mrs .
> John Sargent
> Soltani contributed greatly to the con-
> 12 August 1998 in Zimbabwe. John
> struction and operation of the Centro
> Sargent was born 18 January 1923 in
> Educacional Baha'i Soltanieh, serving
> the United States and was a prospecton the school 's administrative council
> ing geologist and curator by trade. He
> and board. The Soltanis had two chilentered the Baha' i Faith in 1962 and
> dren. The Universal House of Justice
> three years later pioneered to what was
> wrote that " HER DEVOTED SERVICES
> then Southern Rhodesia (now Zimba-
> NEARLY FOUR DECADES IN PROMOT-
> bwe). Edith Anderson, his first wife,
> ING VITAL INTER ESTS FAITH BRAZIL
> passed away in 1961. They had one
> HI GHLY VA LUED. "
> son. In 1968, Mr. Sargent married Aili
> Honkanen, with whom he had a daugh-           Peggy True
> ter. Hi s work allowed him to travel          27 May 1998 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
> often, an opportunity he used to              Canary Islands. Marguerite Elizabeth
> spread the teachings of the Faith. Mr.        Trauger was born 24 October 1912 in
> Sargent served on the National Spiri-         Middletown, New York, United States.
> tual Assembly of the B a ha ' is of           She married George True in 1934 and
> South-Central Africa from 1967 to             became a Baha'i in 1936. In 1953
> 1969 and on the National Spiritual            the Trues were the first Baha ' is to
> Assembly of Zimbabwe from 1970 to             settle in the Canary Islands, thus earn-
> 1977, and again from 1980 to 1985.            ing the title Knights ofBaha'u'llah.
> Before he passed away, Mr. Sargent            Mrs . True served on the Local Spirihad completed much research in prep-          tual A s sembly of Santa Cru z de
> aration for the writing of the first          Tenerife and the National Spiritual
> Baha ' i history of Zimbabwe, and he          Assembly of the Canary Islands. She
> had established the country 's first          was an author of a guide book and
> Baha' i library. He was also the first to     several children's books, and was also
> successfully introduce the Baha'i Faith       a fashion designer and dressmaker.
> to a Zimbabwen chief.                         The Trues raised two children.
> Ferdosieh Soltani                             Peter Vuyiya
> 26 September 1998 in Mogi Mirim ,             7 June 1998 in Eldoret, Kenya. Peter
> Brazil. Ferdosieh Badii was born in           Vuyiya was born in Kenya 16 March
> Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on 2 Feb-             1922 to a Quaker family. He was eduruary 1929 to a Baha'i family. She            cated at Makarere University in Uganda
> 
> THE BAHA'f WORLD
> 
> and subsequently earned a bachelor's          Local Spiritual Assembly. After the
> degree in agriculture from Cambridge          passing of the Guardian in 1957, Mr.
> University in England and a master's          Wade and his wife became the caredegree in agricultural education from         takers of Shoghi Effendi's resting
> Oregon State University in the United         place in London. They raised three
> States. From 1948 until his retirement        children. In 1965, while he was serving
> in 1972, he served with the Kenyan            on the National Spiritual Assembly
> Civil Service as District Agricultural        of the Ba ha' is of the British Isles,
> Officer and Provincial Agricultural           Mr. Wade was asked to come to the
> Officer. Later, with the Ministry of          Baha'i World Centre to serve as the
> Lands and Settlements, he was Chief           first Secretary-General of the Baha'i
> Technical Officer at the Ministry's           International Community, a position
> Nairobi headquarters. He embraced             which he filled for fifteen years. Mr.
> the Baha'i Faith in 1953, after hearing       Wade helped organize the first Baha'i
> a passage from the book Baha 'u 'llah         World Congress in London in 1963
> and the New Era read by a Baha'i to           and, while serving in Haifa, the Interone ofMr. Vuyiya's colleagues. "There         national Baha'i Conventions of 1968,
> was something far-reaching in the             1973, and 1978 . Rose Wade passed
> passage on the unity of mankind,"             away in 1987. Following his return
> Mr. Vuyiya later recalled. Mr. Vuyiya         to England, Mr. Wade and his secwas elected to the National Spiritual         ond wife, Carolyn , took up the
> Assembly of the Baha'is of Kenya in           editorship of the Baha 'i Journal, the
> 1969, was appointed by the Universal          newsletter of the United Kingdom's
> House of Justice as a Continental             Baha'i community. After Mr. Wade's
> Counsellor for Africa in 1973, and in         passing, the Universal House of Justice
> 1988 was asked by the House of Jus-           wrote that "HIS INDOMITABLE FAITH,
> tice to serve as a Counsellor member          HIS WISDOM, HIS LOVING SPIRIT AND
> of the International Teaching Centre          TIRELESS S ERVI CE S CAUSE SPAN-
> in the Holy Land, a post he held until        NI NG OV ER FO UR DEC AD ES WER E
> 1993. He had four children with his           MOTIVAT ED PASSI ONAT E DEVOTION
> wife Ruth. The Universal House of             BAHA'u'LLAH."
> Justice wrote that his decades of se1vice
> "BEAR ELOQUENT TESTIMONY STER-                Dora Wedge
> LING QUALITIES WHICH CHARAC-                  3 December 1998 in Whitehorse,
> TERIZED HIGHLY VALUED EFFORTS                 Yukon , Canada. Alice Dora Wedge
> THIS DISTINGUISHED PROMOTER                   was born 29 July 1916 in the southern
> FAITH. "                                      Yukon. Mrs. Wedge was a highly
> respected, widely loved elder of the
> John Wade                                     Tlinget/Tagish Nation who played a
> 26 November 1998 in Bristol, England.         key role in the expansion and devel-
> John Wade was born 20 April 1910              opment of the indigenous Canadian
> in London. He joined the Baha'i Faith         Baha'i community. She became a
> in 1955, along with his wife Rose,            Baha'i in 1961 and thereafter shared
> and was soon elected to London's              the Baha'i teachings with many First
> 
> OBITUARIES
> 
> Nations peoples, and was a member            written after Mr. Whitehead's passing,
> of the Local Spiritual Assembly of           the Universal House of Justice said
> Carcross for thirty-three years. "Auntie     that Mr. Whitehead's "LONG YEARS
> Dora's" home was always open to              SELF-SACRIFICrNG DEVOTION TO THE
> travelers and for Baha'i meetings .          CAUSE OF GOD ... CONSTITUTE IMPER-
> Around 1950, she married Harold              ISHABLE RECORD LIFE EXEMPLARY
> Wedge. They had four children.               SERVICE."
> 
> O.Z. Whitehead                               Ruhiyyih Zahrai
> 29 July 1998 in Dublin , Ireland.            19 July 1998 in Verdun, Quebec,
> Oothout Zabriskie Whitehead was              Canada. Ruhiyyih Zahrai was born
> born 18 March 1911 in New York               Ruhiyyih al-Tahhan on 1 October
> City, United States. Mr. Whitehead-          1928 in Damascus, Syria, to a Baha'i
> called "Zebby" by those who knew             family. Mrs. Zahrai settled in several
> him-grew up in upper-class Man-              countries throughout the Arab world
> hattan, and defied his family's wishes       in order to serve their nascent Baha'i
> by dropping out of Harvard University        communities. She pioneered to Iraq
> to pursue an acting career, becoming         in 1949 and married Shahab Zahrai in
> an accomplished stage and screen             1955. They had five children. After
> actor. From the 1930s through the            their marriage they moved to Oman and
> 1960s he worked with severa l notable        then in 1959 to Kuwait. The following
> dramatists, including Noel Coward,           year they moved to Qatar and finally to
> Lillian Gish and John Ford. He was           Lebanon in 1967. Mrs. Zahrai worked
> probably most famous for hi s role as        most of her life as a skilled tailor and
> Al in the 1940 film version of The           was known for her honesty and integ-
> Grapes of Wrath. Mr. Whitehead               rity. In 1986, in the midst of the
> became a Baha'i in 1950 and was              Lebanese civil war, her husband was
> able to meet Shoghi Effendi while on         kidnapped in Beirut. For three years
> pilgrimage in 1955, an experience            Mrs. Zahrai stayed in Beirut, trying
> about which he spoke of the rest of          to find him. In the the interviews she
> his life. In 1963, after serving on the      conducted about her husband, Mrs.
> Local Spiritual Assemblies of both           Zahrai did not hesitate to affim1 her
> New York and Los Angeles, he left the        belief in the Baha'i Faith in front of
> United States to pioneer to Ireland. He      people from groups often very hostile
> served on that country's National Spir-      to the Baha ' i Faith and its teachingsitual Assembly from 1972 to 1974             Syrian am1Y officers, Iranian Embassy
> and from 1975 to 1987. Mr. Whitehead         officials, and local militia leaders.
> wrote three collections of biographies       During the war, her neighbors would
> of early Baha'is-Some Early Bahri 'is        often gather in her apartment and ask
> of the West, Some Bahri 'is to Remem-        her to chant prayers to end the conber, and Portraits of Some Baha 'i           stant bombardment. She never found
> Women. He also contributed regularly         her husband. Finally, in 1989, the
> to Baha'i journals. In a letter to the       Zahrai family moved to Quebec.
> Irish National Spiritual Assembly,
> 
> S TATISTICS
> General Statistics
> 
> Worldwide Baha'i population              More than 5 million
> Countries/dependent territories where         190 countries/
> the Baha'i Faith is established                45 territories
> Continental Counsellors                                   81
> Auxiliary Board members serving                         990
> throughout the world
> National/Regional Spiritual Assemblies                   179
> Local Spiritual Assemblies                           12,535
> Localities where Baha'is reside                     127,683
> Tribes, races and ethnic groups
> represented in the Baha'i community                    2,112
> Languages into which Baha'u' llah's
> writings have been translated                           802
> Baha'i Publishing Trusts                                  31
> 
> Geographic Distribution of Local Spiritual Assemblies
> by Continent
> 
> Africa 3,713
> 
> Australasia 815
> Europe 947                                                  Americas 3,282
> 
> Growth in the Number of Localities Where Baha'is Reside
> 
> 140,000 ~-------------
> I
> 120,000 , _ _ _ _ _ __
> 100,000
> 
> 80 ,000               ----á--                            ---
> 
> 60 ,000
> 
> 40 ,000 + - - - - - - - -
> 
> 20,000 -l- - - - - - -
> 
> 0        nnnnnnnnnn~~
> b"::!    bro   bOJ   R:>'l.-   Ki~   K>C/J    ~" ~~ ~'\ ~<:::J ~"::! ~<o ~OJ R>'l.- R>~ R>C/J
> ~         0 0 0 0 0                            ~ ~ 0 0 ~ ~ 0 0 0 0
> 
> STATISTICS
> 
> Growth in the Number of National and
> Regional Spiritual Assemblies
> 
> 200    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> 0 ........                                                                                                                              ........,........,.....,.,._._.,.....,......,.,
> .,.....,......,.....,......,......,........,..,....,._....,._....,._....,.....,......,........,........,........,......,......,~
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 00000000000000000000000000
> 
> Social and Economic Development
> Baha'i development activities are initiated either by Bah<i 'i administrative institutions or by individuals or groups. Together, these activities
> contribute to a global process of learning about a Baha'i approach to
> social and economic development. They presently fall into three general
> categories.
> 
> Activities of Fixed Duration
> Most Baha'i social and economic development efforts are fairly
> simple activities of fixed duration in which Baha'is in villages and
> towns around the world address the problems and challenges
> faced by their localities through the application of spiritual
> principles. These activities either originate in the Baha ' i communities themselves or are a response to the invitation of other
> organizations. It is estimated that in 1998- 99 there were some
> 1,500 endeavors of this kind, including tree-planting and cleanup projects, health camps, workshops and seminars on such
> themes as race unity and the advancement of women, and
> short-term training courses.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> Sustained Projects
> The second category of Baha'i social and economic development consists of approximately 290 ongoing projects. The vast
> majority are academic schools, while others focus on areas
> such as literacy, basic health care, immunization, substance
> abuse, child care, agriculture, the environment, or microenterprise. Some of these projects are administered by nascent
> development organizations which have the potential to grow in
> complexity and in their range of influence.
> 
> Organizations with Capacity to Undertake Complex Action
> Certain Baha'i development efforts have achieved the stature
> of development organizations with relatively complex programmatic structures and significant spheres of influence.
> They systematically train human resources and manage a number of lines of action to address problems of local communities
> and regions in a coordinated, interdisciplinary manner. Also
> included in this category are severa l institutions- especially
> large schools-which, although focusing only on one field,
> have the potential to make a significant impact. In this category
> there are currently 43 such organizations, which are located in
> all continents of the globe.
> 
> DIRECTORY
> 
> Associations for Baha'i             CHILE
> Studies                             Asociacion de Estodios Baha'is
> Casilla 3731, Santiago 1
> ARGENTINA                           Chile
> Centro de Estudios Baha 'is         E-mail: uninet@chilepac.net
> Otamendi 215                        COLOMBIA
> 1405 Buenos Aires                   Asociacion de Estodios Baha'is
> Argentina                           Apartado Aereo 513 87
> Santa Fe de Bogota 12
> AUSTRALIA                           Colombia
> Association for Baha'i Studies      E-mail: bahaicol@colombianet.net
> c/o Colin Dibdin, Secretary
> P.O. Box 319                        EAST, CENTRAL AND
> Rosebery, NSW 2018                  SOUTHERN AFRICA
> The Baha'i Study Association
> Australia
> c/o Dr. C. Rouhani, Secretary
> E-mail: abs@bahai.org.au
> P.O. Box 82549
> CAMEROON                            Mombasa, Kenya
> Association for Baha 'i Studies     ECUADOR
> c/o Mr. Enoch Tanyi                 Asociacion de Estudios Baha'is
> B.P.4230-Yaounde                    Apartado 869-A
> Cameroon                            Quito
> E-mail: camabs@hotmail.com          Ecuador
> 
> ENGLISH-SPEAKING EUROPE                  ITALY
> Association for Baha' i Studies          Associazione Italiana per gli
> c/o Nazila Ghanea-Hercock                  Studi Baha'i
> 27 Rutland Gate                          Via Stoppani, 10
> London, SW7 lPD                          00187 Roma
> United Kingdom                           Italy
> E-mail: seena.fazel@                     Email: segreteria@bahai.it
> psychiatry.oxford.ac.uk
> JAPAN
> FRANCOPHONE EUROPE
> Association d 'etudes baha 'ies          Association for Baha'i Studies
> c/o Tokyo Baha'i Center
> c/o Centre baha'i
> 24 Route de Malagnou                     7-2-13 Shinjuku
> Geneva, CH-1208                          Shinjuku-ku
> Switzerland                              Tokyo 160
> Japan
> Email: dalai@geneva.bic.org
> E-mail: sfotos@gol.com
> GERMANY
> Nationaler Geistiger Rat der             MALAYSIA
> Baha ' i in Deutschland e.V.            Association for Baha'i Studies
> Eppsteiner Str. 89                       4 Lorong Titiwangsa 5
> 65719 Hof11eim                           Setapak 53000
> Germany                                  Kuala Lumpur
> Malaysia
> E-mail: gbs@bahai.de
> Email: nsa_sec@nsam.po.my
> GHANA
> Association for Baha ' i Studies         NEW ZEALAND
> P.O. Box 7098                            Association for Baha'i Studies
> Accra-North                              c/o Paul Friedman
> Ghana                                    40 Malcolm Street
> Hamilton
> HAWAII                                   New Zealand
> Association for Baha ' i Studies         E-mail: b.mclellan@auckJand.ac.nz
> c/o Robert McClelland
> 2142 Aluka Loop                          NORTH AMERICA
> Pearl City                               Association for Baha'i Studies
> Hawaii 96782-1317                        34 Copernicus Street
> USA                                      Ottawa, Ontario KlN 7K4
> E-mail: ramabm@aloha.net                 Canada
> E-mail: as929@freenet.carleton.ca
> INDIA
> Association for Baha ' i Studies         PHILIPPINES
> c/o Mangesh Teli , Secretary             Association for Baha'i Studies
> C-12, Vidyanagari                        c/o Humaida A. Jumalon
> Mumbai University                        20-D Macopa St
> Santacruz (East)                         Basak Engineering
> Mumbai 400 098                           6000 Cebu City
> India                                    Philippines
> 
> DIRECTORY
> 
> PUERTO RICO                               WEST AFRICA
> Asociacion de Estudios Baha'is            Association for Baha'i Studies
> c/o Cesar Reyes, Secretary                P.O. Box 2029
> Chemistry Dept., University of            Marina-Lagos
> Puerto Rico                             Nigeria
> Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00708
> USA                                       Baha'i Publishing Trusts
> RUSSIAN FEDERATION                        ARGENTINA
> Association for Baha'i Studies
> Ed itorial Baha'i Indolatino-
> Uralskaya St. 6-1 -66
> Moscow 107207                              americana
> Russia                                    Otamendi 215
> E-mail : ackerman@glasnet.ru              1405 Buenos Aires
> Argentina
> SINGAPORE                                 E-mail: ebila@ciudad.com.ar
> Association for Baha ' i Studies
> c/o Dr. Anjam Khursheed                   AUSTRALIA
> B, #09-02, Kent Vale                      Baha'i Publications Australia
> l 05 Clementi Road                        173 Mona Vale Road
> Singapore 129789                          Ingleside NSW 2101
> E-mail: khur@po.pacific.net.sg            Australia
> E-mail: bpa@bahai.org.au
> SPAIN
> Asociacion de Estud ios Baha'is           BELGIUM
> c/o Rima Sheennohamadi-Motlaq             Maison d'Editions Baha'ies
> Cl Padilla 312 2 2
> 205 rue du Trone
> Barcelona 08025
> B-1050 Brussels
> Spain
> E-mail: du7202@cc.uab.es                  Belgium
> E-Mail: centre.bahai@skynet.be
> TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
> Association for Baha'i Studies            BRAZIL
> 3 Petra St.                               Editora Baha'i do Brasil
> Wood brook                                Caixa Postal 198
> Trinidad, West Indies                     13800-000 Mogi Mirim, SP
> E-mail: hfarabi@carib-link.net            Brazil
> E-mail: editbahai@mogi.com.br
> VENEZUELA
> Association for Baha'i Studies            CAMEROON
> c/o Donald R. Witzel                      Baha'i Publishing Agency
> Apartado 934                              P.O. Box 145
> Barquisimeto, Edo. Lara                   Lim be
> 3001-A                                    Cameroon
> Venezuela                                 E-Mail: niazbushrui@
> E-ma il : dwitzel@sa.omnes. net            compuserve. com
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> C6TE D'IVOIRE                                JAPAN
> Maison d'Editions Baha' ies                  Baha'i Publishing Trust
> 08 B.P. 879                                  7-2-13 Shinjuku
> Abidjan 08                                   Shinjuku-ku
> Cote d'Ivoire
> Tokyo 160-0022
> Japan
> FIJI ISLANDS
> E-mail : nsaj pn@tka.att.ne.jp , or
> Baha'i Publishing Trust
> schwerin@mail4.alpha-net.ne.jp
> P.O. Box 2007
> Government Buildings                         KENYA
> Suva                                         Baha'i Publishing Agency
> Fiji Islands
> P.O. Box 47562
> Nairobi
> GERMANY                                      Kenya
> Baha' i-Verlag
> E-mail: mehrazehsani@hotmail.com
> Eppsteiner Strasse 89
> D-65719 Hofheim
> KOREA
> Germany
> E-mail: verlag@bahai.de                      Baha' i Publishing Trust
> 249-36 Huam-Dong
> Yongsan-ku
> HONGKONG
> Baha'i Publishing Trust                      Seoul 140-190
> C-6 11th Floor, Hankow Centre                Korea
> IC Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui                E-mail: nsakorea@nuri .net
> Kowloon
> LEBANON*
> Hong Kong
> MALAYSIA*
> E-mail: bahaihk@asiaonline.net
> NETHERLANDS
> INDIA                                        Stichting Baha'i Literatuur
> Baha'i Publishing Trust                      Riouwstraat 27
> P.O. Box 19                                  NL-2585 GR The Hague
> New Delhi 110 001                            The Netherlands
> India
> E-mail: nsaneth@tref.nl, or
> E-ma i1: bptindia@del3 .vsnl.net. in
> milani@gironet.nl
> ITALY                                        NIGERIA
> Casa Editrice Baha'i                         Baha'i Publishing Trust
> Via Filippo Turati, 9                        P.O. Box 2029
> I-00040 Ariccia (Rome)                       Marina-Lagos
> Italy                                        Nigeria
> E-Mail: ceb.italia@pcg.it                    E-mail: nakhsh@hyperia.com
> 
> *Address communications to Baha'i World Centre, P.O. Box 155 ,
> 31 00 I Haifa, Israel.
> 
> DIRECTORY
> 
> NORWAY                                    SPAIN
> Baha'i Forlag                             Editorial Baha'i de Espana
> Drammensveien 110 A                       Bonaventura Castellet 17
> N-0273 Oslo                               ES-08222 Terrassa
> Norway                                    Spain
> E-mail: bahaiforlag@c2i.net               E-mail: edibahai@arrakis.es
> 
> PAKISTAN*                                 SWEDEN
> Baha ' i forlaget AB
> PHILIPPINES                               Box 60
> Baha'i Publishing Trust                   S-194 21 Upplands Vasby
> P.O. Box 4323                             Sweden
> 1004 Manila                               E-mail: bahaiforlaget@swipnet.se
> Philippines
> TAIWAN
> E-mail: nsaphil@skyinet.net
> Baha'i Publishing Trust
> Ta Hsueh Road, Lane 18, No. 26
> POLAND
> Tainan, 701
> Baha'i Publishing Trust
> TaiwanROC
> ul. Nowogrodzka !Sa m4
> E-mail: bahaiptt@pristine.com. tw
> P0-00-511 Warsaw
> Poland                                    UGANDA
> E-mail: bahainsa@medianet.com.pl          Baha'i Publishing Trust
> P.O. Box 2662
> PORTUGAL                                  Kampala
> Editora Baha'i de Portugal                Uganda
> Avenida Ventura Terra, No. 1              E-mail: bahai@starcom.co.ug, or
> 1600-780 Lisbon                           olinga@starcom.co.ug
> Portugal
> E-mail: aen@bahai.pt                      UNITED KINGDOM
> Baha'i Publishing Trust
> ROMANIA                                   6 Mount Pleasant
> Casa de Editura si Tipografia Baha 'i     Oakham
> C.P. 124 O.P. 1                           Leicestershire
> 3400 Cluj-Napoca                          LEIS 6HU
> Romania                                   United Kingdom
> E-mail: bahai@mail.soroscj.ro             E-mail: bpt@bahai.org.uk
> 
> RUSSIAN FEDERATION                        UNITED STATES
> Unity Baha'i Publishing Trust             Baha'i Publishing Trust
> P.O. Box 288                              415 Linden Avenue
> 198 013 St. Petersburg                    Wilmette, IL 60091
> Russia                                    USA
> E-mail: unity@mail.wplus .net             E-mail: bpt@usbnc.org
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> Miscellaneous Addresses                 Baha'i International Community,
> New York Offices:
> • United Nations Office
> Association medicate baha'ie
> • Office for the Advancement of
> c/o Mirabelle Weck
> 26 rue de Paris                           Women
> F-78560 Paris                           • Office of the Environment
> 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120
> France
> New York, NY 10017-1822, USA
> Bahaa Esperanto-Ligo (BEL)              E-Mail: bic-nyc@bic.org
> P.O. Kesto 500133                       Web: <www.onecountry.org>, and
> D-60391 Frankfurt                       <www.bic-un.bahai.org>
> Germany
> E-mail: bahaaeligo@aol.com              Baha'i International Community,
> Geneva Office:
> Baha'i Association for the Arts         •United Nations Office
> Dintel 20                               Route des Morillons 15
> 7333 MC                                 CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneva
> Apeldoorn                               Switzerland
> Netherlands                             E-Mail: bic@geneva.bic.org
> E-Mail: abuys@wxs.nl
> Baha'i International Community,
> Baha'i Computer and                       Paris Office:
> Communications Association            • Office of Public Information
> c/o New Era Communications              45 rue Pergolese
> attn : Don Davis                        F-75116 Paris, France
> 5 Ravenscroft Drive                     E-Mail : opiparis@club-intemet.fr
> Asheville, NC 28801
> USA                                     Baha'i Justice Society
> E-mail : bcca-cc@bcca.org               c/o Dru Waren, Secretary
> P.O. Box 1251
> Baha'i Health Agency                    Poteau, OK 74953
> 27 Rutl and Gate                        USA
> London
> SW7 lPD                                 Baha'i Medical Association of
> United Kingdom                            Canada
> E-mail: bahai.health@alton.com          931 Beaufort Ave
> Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3X8
> Baha'i International Community,         Canada
> Haifa Offices:                        E-mail: joanne.langley@dal.ca
> • Secretariat
> •Office of Public Information           Baha'i Office of the Environment
> P.O. Box 155                              for Taiwan
> 31 001 Haifa                            149-13 Hsin Sheng South Road
> Israel                                  Section 1, Taipei 10626
> E-mail : opi@bwc.org                    Taiwan, ROC
> Web : <www.bahai.org>                   E-mail: tranboet@asiaonline.net. tw
> 
> DIRECTORY
> 
> European Baha'i Business Forum           Hong Kong Baha'i Professional
> c/o George Starcher, Secretary            Forum
> 35 avenue Jean-Jaures                    C-6, 11th Floor, Hankow Centre
> F-73000 Chambery                         Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
> France                                   Kowloon
> E-mail: GS 12@calva.net                  Hong Kong
> 
> European Baha'i Youth Council            Landegg Academy
> c/o Neissan Besharati, Secretary         CH-9405 Wienacht/AR
> 14, Briar Close                          Switzerland
> Palmers Green ,                          E-mail: info@landegg.edu,or
> London N 13 5NL                          rector@landegg.org
> United Kingdom
> E-mail: ebyc@dawn.joensuu .fi            Mottahedeh Development
> Services
> Health for Humanity                      750 Hammond Drive, Bldg. 12
> 467 Jackson Avenue                       Suite 300
> Glencoe, IL 60022                        Atlanta, Georgia 30328
> USA                                      USA
> E-mail: health@usbnc.org                 E-mail: mdssed@msn.com
> International Environment Forum
> World Community Foundation
> c/o Sylvia Karlsson
> 315 West 70th Street,
> Arrendagaton 65
> Suite 14C
> S-58335 Linkoping
> New York, NY 10023
> Sweden
> USA
> E-mail: ief@bcca.org
> 
> Selected       NEW
> PUBLICATIONS
> 
> A Companion to the Study of the Kitab-i-iqan
> Hooper C. Dunbar. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. 316 pp.
> Intended to stimulate the study of the book which, according to Shoghi
> Effendi, "occupies a position unequalled by any work in the entire range of
> Baha ' i literature, except the Kitab-i-Aqdas." Contains annotations to the
> fqan, major themes of the fqan identified by Shoghi Effendi, a new index,
> and a suggested course of study.
> 
> The Holy Passions
> Michael Fitzgerald. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. 384 pp.
> George Ronald's second major collection of poetry by Michael Fitzgerald.
> 
> Issues Related to the Study of the Baha'i Faith
> Universal House of Justice. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust,
> 1998. 45 pp.
> The letters in this compilation were written on behalf of the Universal
> House of Justice to Baha'is who, conscious of the importance Baha'u'llah
> attaches to the pursuit of knowledge and the use of reason, had raised
> questions regarding the scholarly study of the Baha' i Faith; specifically,
> the relationship between the truths of revelation and the demands of science.
> 
> THE BAHA'I WORLD
> 
> Leroy Ioas: Hand of the Cause of God
> Anita Ioas Chapman. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. 416 pp.
> Biography of eminent Baha'i Leroy Ioas, written by his daughter.
> Appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi in 1951, Leroy
> Ioas was Secretary-General of the Baha'i International Council until the
> Guardian's passing in 1957, and after that served as one of the nine Hands
> of the Cause resident in the Holy Land. Includes over seventy photographs.
> 
> Like Pure Gold: The Story of Louis Gregory
> Anne Breneman. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1998. 45 pp.
> Children 's book that explores the hardships and triumphs of the life of
> Hand of the Cause of God Louis Gregory. Illustrated.
> 
> Love, Power, and Justice: The Dynamics of Authentic Morality
> William S. Hatcher. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1998 .
> 155 pp.
> Drawing on the insights of philosophy, science, and religion, the book's
> aim is to promote critical thinking on the subject of morality; specifically,
> how to determine whether one's moral standard is "authentic"-reckoned
> according to a higher authority- and not merely self-conceived.
> 
> A Love Which Does Not Wait
> Janet Ruhe-Schoen. Riviera Beach: Palabra Publications, 1998.
> 312 pp.
> Explores the lives of nine Baha'is whose lives were transformed through
> their contact with ' Abdu ' l-Baha: Lua Getsinger, May Maxwell, Martha
> Root, Hyde Dunn, Keith Ransom-Kehler, Susan Moody, Dorothy Baker,
> Ella Bailey, and Marion Jack.
> 
> Mahmud's Diary
> Mirza Ma[.imud-i-Zarqani. (trans. Mohi Sobhani and Shirley
> Macias) Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. 530 pp.
> The long-awaited translation of the personal diaries of Mirza Mal)mud-i-
> Zarqani, who accompanied 'Abdu'l-Baha on His travels through America.
> Regarded by the Universal House of Justice as "a reliable account of
> ' Abdu ' l-Baha 's travels in the West and an authentic record of His utterances," it includes many newly translated public talks of' Abdu'l-Baha
> previously unavailable.
> 
> NEW P UBLICATIONS
> 
> Messages to Canada
> Shoghi Effendi. Thornhill, Ontario: Baha'i Canada Publications,
> 1999. 294 pp.
> The expanded second edition of Shoghi Effendi's messages to the Baha'i
> community of Canada, covering the years 1923 to 1957.
> 
> Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity
> and the Baha'i Faith
> Christopher Buck. Albany: State University of New York Press,
> 1998. 150 pp.
> A comparison and analysis of symbols and imagery found in the writings
> ofBaha'u'llah and the scriptures ofNestorian Christianity. Distributed by
> Kalimat Press as Volume Ten of the Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions series.
> 
> The Phenomenon of Religion
> Moojan Momen. Oxford: Oneworld Publishers, 1998. 640 pp.
> Arranged into three main fields of enquiry-the religious experience and
> its expression, conceptual aspects of religion, and religion in society-this
> study draws examples from all the major religious traditions to introduce
> students to the many-sided phenomenon of religion. Includes 350 illustrations.
> 
> A Pilgrim's Song
> Heather Niderost. Limoges, Ontario: September House, 1998. 114 pp.
> A series of personal sketches from the author's pilgrimage to the Holy
> Land and a primer on the specifics of the nine-day Baha'i pilgrimage program, including maps.
> 
> Planning Progress: Lessons from Shoghi Effendi
> June Manning Thomas. Ottawa: Association for Baha'i Studies,
> 1999. 208 pp.
> Explores the spiritual principles of effective planning and the methods that
> Shoghi Effendi used to direct the development of the worldwide Baha 'i
> community from 1921to1957.
> 
> Resonances
> Various authors; edited by Sylvie Nantais-Bourdeau. Limoges,
> Ontario: September House, 1998. 129 pp.
> Anthology composed of winning entries and honorable mentions from a
> short fiction contest held in 1997. It also includes twelve photographs.
> 
> The Servant, the General, and Armageddon
> Roderic and Derwent Maude. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. 158
> pp.
> Historical-fictional account of the clos ing years of the First World War,
> recounting the brief but significant linking of the lives of 'Abdu ' l-Baha
> and British General Sir Edmund Allenby. Published in time to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the liberation of Palestine.
> 
> Servant of the Glory: The Life of 'Abdu'l-Baha
> Mary Perkins. Oxford: George Ronald, 1999. 326 pp.
> A straightforward, easily readable account of the life of' Abdu' 1-Baha for
> young people. Companion to the author 's earlier biographies of the Bab
> and Baha'u'llah, Hour of the Dawn and Day of Glory.
> 
> Unlocking the Gate of the Heart
> Lasse Thoresen. Oxford: George Ronald, 1998. 352 pp.
> A thorough examination of the Baha'i writings on spiritual topics, designed
> to help readers gain an understanding of their place in creation, learn how
> to change attitudes and life styles, and discover methods to use in the
> search for greater perfection.
> 
> A Basic      BAHA'I
> R EADING List
> 
> The following list has been prepared to provide a sampling of works
> conveying the spiritual truths, social principles, and history of the Baha'i
> Faith. It is by no means exhaustive. For a more complete record of Baha'i
> literature, see Bibliography of English-language Works on the Babi and
> Baha'i Faiths, 1844-1985, compiled by William P Collins (Oxford: George
> Ronald, 1990) .
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS OF BAHA'U'LLAH
> 
> The Kitab-i-Aqdas
> The Most Hol y Book, Baha'u' llah's charter fo r a new world civilization. Written
> in Arabic in 1873 , the vo lume 's first authorized English translation was released
> in 1993 .
> 
> The Kitab-i-iqan
> The Book of Certitude was written prior to Baha'u ' llah's declaration of His
> mission as an explanation of progressive revelation and a proof of the station of
> the Bab.
> 
> The Hidden Words ofBah:i'u'll:ih
> Written in the form of a compilation of moral aphorisms, these brief verses
> distill the spiritual guidance of all the Divine Revelations of the past.
> 
> Tablets of Bah:i'u'll:ih Revealed after the Kit:ib-i-Aqdas
> A compilation of Tablets revealed between 1873 and 1892 which enunciate
> important principles of Baha ' u' llah 's Revelation, reaffirm truths He previously
> proclaimed, elaborate on some of His laws, reveal further prophecies, and
> establish subsidiary ordinances to supplement the provisions of the Kitab-i-
> Aqdas.
> 
> Gleanings from the Writings of Bah:i'u'll:ih
> A selection of Baha ' u'llah 's sacred writings translated and compiled by the
> Guardian of the Baha'i Faith to convey the spirit of Baha'u'llah's life and
> teachings.
> 
> WRITINGS OF THE BAB
> 
> Selections from the Writings of the Bab
> The first compilation of the Bab's writings to be translated into Eng lish.
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS OF 'ABDU'L-BAHA
> 
> Paris Talks: Addresses given by' Abdu'l-Bah:i in Paris in 1911-1912
> Addresses given by 'Abdu'l-Baha to a wide variety of audiences in Paris in
> 1911 - 1912, explaining the basic principles of the Baha'i Faith.
> 
> The Secret of Divine Civilization
> A message addressed to the rulers and people of Persia in 1875 illuminating the
> causes of the fall and rise of civilization and elucidating the spiritual character
> of true civilization.
> 
> Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bah:i
> A compilation of selected letters from 'Abdu' l-B aha's extensive correspondence
> on a wide variety of topics, including the purpose of life, the nature of love, and
> the development of character.
> 
> Some Answered Questions
> A translation of' Abdu'l-Baha's answers to a series of questions posed to Him
> during interviews with Laura Clifford Barney between 1904 and 1906. The
> topics covered include the influence of the Prophets on the evolution of
> humanity, the Baha'i perspective on Christian doctrine, and the powers and
> conditions of the Manifestations of God.
> 
> B AHA'f R EADING LlST
> 
> SELECTED WRITINGS OF SHOGHI EFFENDI
> 
> God Passes By
> A detailed history of the first one hundred years of the Baha ' i Faith .
> 
> The Promised Day Is Come
> A commentary on Baha' u' llah's letters to the kings and rulers of th e world .
> 
> The World Order ofBaha'u'llah: Selected Letters
> An exposition on the relation between the Baha ' i community and the entire
> process of social evolution under the dispensation of Baha'u'llah, in the form of
> a series of letters from the Guardian of the Baha' i Faith to the Baha'is of the
> West between 1929 and 1936.
> 
> INTRODUCTORY WORKS
> 
> Baha'u 'llah
> Baha' i Internationa l Community, Office of Publi c Information, 1991.
> 
> A brief statement detailing Baha ' u'llah 's life and work issued on the occasion of
> the centenary of His passing.
> 
> Baha' u'llah and the New Era
> John Esslemont. 5th rev. paper ed . Wilmette: Baha' i Publishing Trust, 1990.
> The first comprehensive account of the Baha ' i Faith, written in 1923 and
> updated for subsequent editions.
> 
> The Baha'i Faith: The Emerging Global Religion
> W i lli a m S. H a tc her and J. Douglas Martin. rev. ed . Wilme tt e: Baha ' i
> Publi shing Trus t, 1998.
> 
> Tex tbook providing an overview of Baha'i history, teachings, administrative
> strn cture, and community life.
> 
> All Things Made New
> John F e rraby. 2d rev. ed . London : Baha ' i Publis hing Trust, 1987.
> 
> A comprehensive outline of the Baha ' i Faith.
> 
> Most of the books listed above have been published by various Baha 'i
> Publishing Trusts and are available in bookshops, libraries, or from
> the Trusts. Please see the Directory for addresses.
> 
> G LOSSARY
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Baha: (1844-1921) Son ofBaha'u'llah, designated His successor and authorized interpreter of His writings. Named 'Abbas after His
> grandfather, 'Abdu'l-Baha was known to the general public as ' Abbas
> Effendi. Baha'u'llah gave Him such titles as "the Most Great Branch,"
> "the Mystery of God," and "the Master." After Baha'u'llah's passing,
> He chose the name' Abdu ' l-Baha, meaning " Servant of Baha' u'llah."
> 
> Administrative Order: The system of administration as conceived by
> Baha 'u'llah, fonnally established by ' Abdu ' l-Baha, and realized during the Guardianship of Shoghi Effendi. It consists, on the one hand,
> of a series of elected councils, universal, national, and local, in which
> are invested legislative, executive, and judicial powers over the Baha ' i
> community, and, on the other hand, of eminent and devoted Baha'is
> appointed for the specific purpose of propagation and protection of the
> Faith under the guidance of the Head of that Faith, the Universal House
> of Justice.
> 
> .
> Amatu'l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum:
> -
> Mary Sutherland Maxwell, an eminent North American Baha'i who became the wife of Shoghi Effendi
> Rabbani, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, in 1937, after which she became
> 
> 33 7
> known as Ruhiyyih Khanum Rabbani. (Amatu'l-Baha is a title meaning " Handmaiden of Baha' u 'llah. ") She served as the Guardian's
> secretary during his lifetime and was appointed a Hand of the Cause
> of God in 1952. She is the most prominent dignitary of the Baha'i
> community.
> 
> Arc: An arc cut into Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, along which the international administrative buildings of the Baha'i Faith are being built.
> 
> Auxiliary Boards : An institution created by Shoghi Effendi in 1954 to
> assist the Hands of the Cause of God. When the institution of the
> Continental Boards of Counsellors was established in 1968 by the
> Universal House of Justice, the Auxiliary Boards were placed under
> its direction .
> 
> Bab, the: The title, meaning "Gate,'' assumed by Siyyid 'Ali-Mu]:iammad,
> who was the Prophet-Founder of the Babi Faith and the Forerunner
> ofBaha 'u'llah. Born 20 October 1819, the Bab proclaimed Himself
> to be the Promised One of Islam and announced that His mission
> was to alert the people to the imminent advent of "Him Whom God
> shall make manifest,'' namely, Baha 'u' llah. Because of these claims,
> the Bab was executed by order ofNa~iri'd-Din Shah on 9 July 1850.
> 
> Baha'i Era: The period of the Baha 'i calendar beginning with the Declaration of the Bab on 23 May 1844, and expected to last until the
> next appearance of a Manifestation (Prophet) of God after the expiration of at least one thousand years.
> 
> Baha'i International Community: A name used generally in reference
> to the worldwide Baha 'i community and officially in that community 's external relations. In the latter context, the Baha'i International
> Community is an association of the National Spiritual Assemblies
> throughout the world and functions as an international non-governmental organization. Its offices include its Secretariat at the Baha'i
> World Centre, a United Nations Office in New York with a branch
> in Geneva, an Office of Public Information, an Office of the Environment, and an Office for the Advancement of Women.
> 
> Baha'i World Centre: The spiritual and administrative center of the
> Baha ' i Faith, located in the twin cities of Acre and Haifa, in Israel.
> 
> GLOS SARY
> 
> Baha'u'llah: Title assumed by Mirza I:Iusayn-'Ali, Founder of the Baha'i
> Faith. Born on 12 November 1817, He declared His mission as the
> Promised One of all Ages in April 1863 and passed away in Acre,
> Palestine, on 29 May 1892 after forty years of imprisonment, banishment, and house arrest. Baha'u'llah 's writings are considered by
> Baha ' is to be direct revelation from God.
> 
> Consultation: A form of discussion between individuals and within groups
> which requires the subjugation of egotism so that all ideas can be
> shared and evaluated with frankness, courtesy, and openness of mind,
> and decisions arrived at can be wholeheartedly supported. Its guiding
> principles were elaborated by 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> 
> Continental Boards of Counsellors: An institution created in 1968 by
> the Universal House of Justice to extend into the future the work of
> the institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, particularly its
> appointed functions of protection and propagation. With the passing
> of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, there was no
> way for additional Hands of the Cause to be appointed. The duties
> of the Counsellors include directing the Auxiliary Boards in their
> respective areas, advising and collaborating with National Spiritual
> Assemblies, and keeping the Universal House of Justice informed
> concerning the conditions of the Faith in their areas. Counsellors are
> appointed for tenns of five years.
> 
> Convention: A gathering called at a regional, national, or international
> level for consultation on matters affecting the we lfare of the Baha' i
> community and for the purpose, respectively, of electing delegates to
> a National Convention, electing the members of a National Spiritual
> Assembly, or electing the members of the Universal House of Justice.
> 
> German Templer Colony: Group of houses with red-tiled roofs at the
> foot of Mount Carmel that once housed members of the Society of
> the Temple, founded in Germany in the mid-l 800s. Tempters foregathered in Haifa in 1863 to await the second coming of Christ.
> 
> Hands of the Cause of God: Individuals appointed first by Baha'u' llah,
> and others named later by Shoghi Effendi, who were charged with the
> specific duties of protecting and propagating the Faith. With the passing of Shoghi Effendi there is no further possibility for appointing
> 
> Hands of the Cause; hence, in order to extend into the future the
> important functions of propagation and protection, the Universal House
> of Justice in 1968 created Continental Boards of Counsellors and in
> 1973 established the International Teaching Centre, which coordinates
> their work.
> 
> Holy Days: Eleven days commemorating significant Baha'i anniversaries, on nine of which work is suspended.
> 
> ~uququ'llah: Arabic for "the Right of God." As instituted in the Kitabi-Aqdas, payment to "the Authority in the Cause to whom all must
> tum" (at present, the Universal House of Justice) of nineteen percent
> of what remains to one's personal income after one's essential expenses
> have been covered. Funds generated by the payment of I:Iuququ 'llah
> are used for the promotion of the Faith and for the welfare of society.
> 
> International Teaching Centre: An institution established in 1973 by
> the Universal House of Justice to bring to fruition the work of the
> Hands of the Cause of God in the Holy Land and to provide for its
> extension into the future . The duties of the International Teaching
> Centre include coordinating, stimulating, and directing the activities
> of the Continental Boards of Counsellors and acting as liaison between them and the Universal House of Justice. The membership of
> the Teaching Centre comprises all the surviving Hands of the Cause
> and also nine Counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice. The seat of the International Teaching Centre is located at the
> Baha ' i World Centre in Haifa, Israel.
> 
> Knight of Baha'u'llah: Title initially given by Shoghi Effendi to those
> Baha' is who arose to open specified new territories to the Faith during
> the first year of the Ten Year Crusade (1953-1963) and subsequently
> applied to those who first reached the remaining unopened territories
> on the list at a later date.
> 
> Lesser Peace: A political peace to be established by the nations of the
> world in order to bring about an end to war. Its establishment will
> prepare the way for the Most Great Peace, a condition of permanent
> peace and world unity to be founded on the spiritual principles and
> institutions of the World Order of BaM'u' llah and signalizing humanity's coming of age.
> 
> GLOSSARY
> 
> Local Spiritual Assembly: The local administrative body in the Baha'i
> Faith, ordained in the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The nine members are directly
> elected by secret ballot each year at Ric;lvan from among the adult
> believers in a community.
> 
> Monument Gardens: Beautifully landscaped gardens at the heart of the
> Arc on Mount Carmel where befitting monuments have been erected
> over the graves of the daughter and wife of Baha'u'llah, His son who
> died in prison in Acre, and also the wife of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> 
> Mount Carmel: The mountain spoken of by Isaiah as the "mountain of
> the Lord." Site of the Baha'i World Centre including several Baha'i
> holy places, the most important of which are the Shrine of the Bab
> and the Monument Gardens.
> 
> National Spiritual Assembly: The national administrative body in the
> Baha' i Faith, ordained in the Baha'i sacred writings, with authority
> over all activities and affairs of the Baha' i Faith throughout its area.
> Among its duties are to stimulate, unify, and coordinate the manifold
> activities of Local Spiritual Assemblies and of individual Baha'is
> within its jurisdiction. The members of National Spiritual Assemblies
> throughout the world constitute the electoral college for the Universal House of Justice. At Ri~van 1998, there were 179 National or
> Regional Spiritual Assemblies. See also Regional Spiritual Assembly.
> 
> Nineteen Day Feast: The principal gathering in each local Baha' i community, every Baha'i month, for the threefold purpose of worship,
> consultation, and fellowship.
> 
> Pioneer: Any Baha' i who arises and leaves his or her home to journey to
> another country for the purpose of teaching the Baha ' i Faith. "Homefront pioneer" is used to describe those who move to areas within
> their own country that have yet to be exposed to the Baha' i Faith or
> where the Baha ' i community needs strengthening.
> 
> Regional Spiritual Assembly: An institution identical in function to the
> National Spiritual Assembly but including a number of countries or
> regions in its jurisdiction, often established as a precursor to the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly in each of the countries it
> encompasses .
> 
> Ri<,lvan: Arabic for "Paradise." Twelve-day festival (from 21 April through
> 2 May) commemorating Baha'u'llah's declaration of His mission to
> His companions in 1863 in the Garden of Ri<;!van in Baghdad.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi Rabbani: (1897-1957) The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith
> after the passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1921 , designated in His Will and
> Testament as His successor in interpreting the Baha'i writings and as
> Head of the Faith.
> 
> Shrine of Baha'u'llah: The resting place of Baha ' u'llah 's mortal remains, located near the city of Acre, Israel. The Shrine is the holiest
> spot on earth to Baha'is and a place of pilgrimage.
> 
> Shrine of the Bab: The resting place of the Bab 's mortal remains, located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, a sacred site to Baha'is, and
> a place of pilgrimage.
> 
> Tablet: Divinely revealed scripture. In Baha' i scripture, the tennis used
> to denote writings revealed by Baha'u'llah, the Bab, and 'Abdu'l-
> Baha.
> 
> Universal House of Justice: Head of the Baha'i Faith after the passing
> of Shoghi Effendi, and the supreme administrative body ordained by
> Baha 'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, His Book of Laws. The Universal House of Justice is elected every five years by the members of
> all National Spiritual Assemblies, who gather at an International
> Convention. The House of Justice was elected for the first time in
> 1963. It occupied its permanent Seat on Mount Cannel in 1983.
> 
> Adapted from A Basic Baha'i Dictionary, Wendi Momen, ed.
> (Oxford: George Ronald, 1989).
> 
> I NDEX
> 
> A                                            Arbab, Farzam 46
> 'Abdu'l-Baha 9, 122, 172, 175, 337           Argentina 84, 239, 253 , 321, 323
> in Paris 122, 123                        ARGUS 152
> letter to Leo Tolstoy 175                Annenia 40, 43, 93
> view on equality of women and            arts 34, 93- 96
> men 230, 236- 237                      Associated Press 152
> writings and utterances of 24- 28,       Association for Baha'i Studies 75
> 334                                        directory of321 - 23
> advancement of women 83- 88                  Association medicale baha'ie 325
> institutional commitment 87- 88          Australia83,88,89, 140, 151, 154,
> Agence France Presse 152                         321 , 323
> Aitmatov, Chingiz 128                        Austria 95, 101, 112
> Alaska 96                                    Auxiliary Boards 338
> Albania 110, 142, 146, 150                   Axworthy , Lloyd 152
> Alexander II, Tsar of Russia                 Azemikhah Institute 68
> Baha ' u'llah's Tablet to 176            Azerbaijan 93
> Shoghi Effendi's characterization        B
> of 177                                 Bab i Babidy, first book published on
> Alexander III, Tsar of Russia                   Babism 166
> Shoghi Effendi's characterization        Bab , the 8, 11 , 338
> of 177                                    Shrine of 342
> 'Ali-MuJ:iammad, Mirza                          terraces of the Shrine of 60- 63
> See the Bab                                 writings of 334
> All China Women's Federation                 Badi, Baha' i martyr 166
> (ACWF) 137                               Baha ' i Association for the Arts 326
> Amatu ' l-Baha RuJ:iiyyih Khanum             Baha' i Chair for World Peace, University
> See Hands of the Cause of God               of Maryland 74
> American Samoa 98, 112                       Baha'i community 14- 15
> Andaman and Nicobar Islands 84                  model of unity 217- 27
> Angola 7                                     Baha ' i community life
> Annan , Kofi , Secretary-General of the         Baha'i centers 110- 11
> United Nations 138, 211                     Baha'i writings 108- 09
> Anniversaries, Baha'i 121 - 30                  development of 105- 12
> celebrations in Belgium 127, 128            conferences 107- 08
> interreligious conference 128           legal recognition 112
> celebrations in Canada 128- 30           Baha'i Computer and Communications
> celebrations in France 123- 24              Association 326
> interreligious colloquium 124        Baha'i Era 338
> media coverage 124                   Baha ' i Esperanto League 326
> celebrations in Germany 128              Baha'i Faith
> celebrations in Ireland 126, 127- 28        administrative order of 11 - 13,
> celebrations in the United Kingdom             220- 24,337
> 125- 26                                   aims of 15- 18
> Antigua/Barbuda 103                             basic reading list 333- 35
> Aquino , Corazon 245                            history of 8- 13
> 
> holy days 46, 340                       Bahamas 97
> laws and moral teachings 14             Banda, Edna 40
> public recognition of 115- 17           Bangladesh 71 , 118 , 242
> sacred writings of 21 - 28              Barbados 115 , 120
> spiritual teachings 13- 14              Barnes, Kiser 52
> view on equality of women and           BBC Newsfile 152
> men 235- 37, 241-43, 248             Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands 113 ,
> Baha ' i Health Agency 326                     114
> Baha ' i Institute for Higher Education    Beijing Platform for Action 137, 295
> 75 , 134, 142, 151, 280, 284, 287- 93   Belarus43, 103
> See also Iran, situation of Baha ' i    Belgium 88 , 94, 121 , 128, 239, 323
> community in                         Belize 80
> Baha ' i International Community 8,        Bellows, Bob 96
> 15- 17, 131-43 , 146, 150,241 , 338     Benes , Eduard 56
> Geneva Office 139, 326                  Benin 84
> Office for the Advancement of           Bermuda 110, 111
> Women 15, 137- 38, 326               Bhutto, Benazir 245
> Office of Public Information 139-4 3,   Black Men ' s Gathering 91, 92, 107
> 326                                  Blair, Tony 127
> Paris Office 139, 142 , 147        Blomfield, Lady Sara Louisa 125
> Office of the E nvironment 15, 326      Bolivia 71, 140, 249- 54
> Secretariat 326                         Bosnia-Herzegovina 142, 146, 150,
> statements of 255- 68, 287- 93             246
> United Nations Office 15,88, 132- 39,   Boston Globe 153
> 326                                  Boston Herald 153
> Baha ' i Justice Society 326               Botswana 79, 107, 152
> Baha'i Medical Association of Canada       Brazil 80 , 83 , 103 , 140, 154, 255, 323
> 326                                     Breakwell , Thomas 123
> Baha ' i Office of the Environment for     Breneman, Anne 330
> Taiwan 326                              Browne, Edward Granville 167
> Baha'i Publishing Trusts, directory of     Bruntland, Gro Harlem 245
> 323- 25                                 Buck, Christopher 331
> Baha'i schools 75- 79                      Bulgaria 78, 104, 142, 146, 150
> permanent 76- 77                        Burkina 85, 89
> seasonal 77- 79                         Bushrui, Soheil
> Baha'i Studies, Chair in, Hebrew Uni-         See Baha'i Chair for World Peace,
> versity of Jerusalem 74                       University of Maryland
> Baha'iWorldCentre8 , 10, 11,338              c
> Baha 'i World website 141                    Cambodia 43, 105
> Baha'u'llah 17, 235, 339                     Cameroon 7, 85 , 88 , 98 , 100, 321 , 323
> conception of future 255- 68              Canada 7, 75 , 92, 97, 104, 107, 121,
> earliest translations of His writings        128- 30, 151, 154, 322, 326
> 167- 68                                Canary Islands 119
> Shrine of 342                             Canterbury, Archbishop of 135
> writingsof21 - 24,257,333- 34             Cape Verde 82
> 
> I NDEX
> 
> Central African Republic 45 , 68           Dean , Grace 305- 06
> Centre for the Study of the Texts 63- 65   Deleuran , Jean 306
> Chad 82 , 84                               Denmark 78
> Chapman , Anita loas 330                   development 68- 71 , 195
> Chile 81 , 120, 138, 140, 321                  religious values in 269- 77
> China 140, 238                                 statistics 319- 20
> Chronicle of Higher Education 153          Dhabihi-Muqaddam, Sirus 281, 285
> Chronique d 'Amnesty International         Die Tageszeitung 152
> 153                                   directory of Baha'i agencies 321 - 27
> Church of Ireland 127                      Dolgorukov , Dmitri Ivanovich
> civil society                                  See Russia , history of Baha'i comdefinition of 198- 99                        munity
> Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)         Dominica 120
> 199- 219                               Dominican Republic 82, 140
> civili zation , global 195                 Downer, Alexander 151
> Clinton, William 151                       dpa 152
> Coba , Jesus 40                            Dunbar, Hooper 46, 329
> Colombia 7, 117, 243 , 321                 E
> Commission on Global Governance            East Leeward Islands 82 , 87
> 200                                    Eastern Caroline Islands 97
> CONGO (Committee of Non-Govern-            Ecuador81, 119,321
> mental Organizations in Consultative   education , moral 79- 81
> Status with ECOSOC) 139                Edwards, Julius 54
> Congo Republic 83 , 106, 141               Effendi , Shoghi 310
> Congo, Democratic Republic of 84, 94       El Salvador 76 , 99 , 140
> consultation 39, 42, 222- 24, 227 , 339    Encyclopaedia Britannica 8
> Continental Counsellors 339                England 93
> conference of 33- 34, 49- 51           environment
> Conventions, Baha'i 339                        See Baha' i International Community,
> Cook Islands 80                                  Office of the Environment
> Cornell University 136                     Equatorial Guinea I 03
> Costa Rica 88 , 106, 111 , 140             Eritrea 43 , 82
> Cote d ' Ivoire 85 , 324                   Ethiopia 76, 117
> Covey, Stephen R. 240                      European Baha'i Business Forum
> Creating a Culture of Growth 43 , 140          (EBBF) 71 , 104, 142, 143 , 326
> Croatia 78 , 140, 146, 147-48, 150         European Baha ' i Youth Council 136,
> Cuba 40, 98                                    327
> Cyprus 7, 88, IOI, 140, 246                European Task Force for Women 87
> Czech Republic 56, 77                      European Union (EU) 145 , 146, 246
> Czechoslovakia 55                              European Parliament 246
> Czekus, Rolf von 52                        Evoghli , Arsham 95
> D                                          Expo 2000 , Hannover 143
> Davachi, Farzin and Nancy 79               F
> Davide, Hilarion 114                       Faroe Islands 88
> Dayton Peace Accords 145                   Fatheazam , Hushmand 46
> 
> Fattakhov, Shami! 146                            Bekha-ulla: Poema tragediia v
> Fiji 7, 103, 112, 324                              stikhakh iz istorii Persii 170
> Finland 80 , 88 , 245                            Travels to the Land ofthe Sun 172- 73
> Finnbogadottir, Vigdis 245                       See also Russia, history of Baha'i
> First World Conference of Ministers                community
> Responsible for Youth 13 7               Grossmann, Hartmut 52
> Fisher, Helen 233- 35 , 247                   Guadeloupe 97
> Fitzgerald, Michael 329                       Guardian of the Baha ' i Faith
> Forgeur-Henkart, Martha 117                      See Shoghi Effendi
> Four Year Plan 30- 33, 49- 52, 107            Guardianship 12
> Fozdar, Jamshed and Parvati 57                Guatemala 82 , 140
> France 88, 93, 115 , 121, 123- 24 , 325 ,     Guinea 54, 55 , 118
> 326                                       Guinea-Bissau 100
> FranA.furter Allgemeine Zeitung 152           Gulpaygani , Mirza Abu'l-Fa91162,
> French Guiana 94                                 167
> Fukuyama, Francis 231 - 33, 235               Guyana 70, 78 , 142
> FUNDAEC (the Foundation for the               Gypsy peoples
> Application and Teaching of the              See Romani peoples
> Sciences) 243                             H
> Furutan , ' Ali-Akbar                         Haake, Violette 52
> See Hands of the Cause of God             Haiti 97 , 119
> G                                             Hands of the Cause of God 12, 44, 339
> Gabon 83                                         Amatu ' l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum
> Gambia 85                                           34, 44, 51 , 55, 107, 129, 337
> Gandhi, Indira 245                               Furutan , 'Ali-Akbar 34, 44, 51
> Gemayel, H. E. Amine 75                          Muhajir, Rahmatullah 55
> General Agreement on Tariffs and                 Varqa, 'Ali-Mu~ammad 44, 51, 56
> Trade 259                                 "Happy Hippo Show, The" 142, 145- 50
> Georgia 43 , 93, 112                             See also Royaumont Process
> German Templer Colony 339                     Hatcher, William 75, 128, 330
> Germany 69 , 101, 116, 121, 128, 140,         Hautz, Larry 307
> 143, 154, 239, 322, 324, 326              Hawaii 88 , 96, 322
> Ghana 94, 141, 322                            Health for Humanity 327
> Globe and Mail (Toronto) 152                  Hebrew University of Jerusalem 74,
> glossary of Baha'i terms 337-42                   140
> God                                              Chair of Baha ' i Studies 35
> relationship to humanity 267              Helgesen , Sally 233- 35
> Golmohammadi , Rouhollah 306- 07              Herc us, Dame Ann 101
> Grameen Bank 242                              Herzog, Roman 128
> Greece 86, 93 , 115                           Heyzer, Noeleen 230 , 239 , 246
> Green Acre Baha ' i School 91                 Honduras I 00, 142, 253
> Greenland 11 7                                Hong Kong 114, 324, 327
> Greenleaf, Robert K. 240                      Hong Kong Baha'i Professional Forum
> Grinevskaya, Isabella                            327
> Bab: Dramaticheskaya poema iz              HouseofWorship, Ashgabat 158, 161,
> istorii Persii 170- 72                      162- 65
> 
> I NDEX
> 
> Houses of Worship 14                         Javaheri , Firaydoun 52
> human rights 88- 89                          Jerusalem Post 152
> Hungary 94, 116, 140, 146, 150               justice 22, 265
> f::!uququ ' llah 51, 108, 340
> K
> f::!usayn- 'Ali, Mirza
> Kashifi-Najafabadi, Hidayat 281, 285
> See Baha'u'llah
> Kazakhstan 93, 108
> Kazemzadeh, Firuz 109
> Iceland 88, 108
> Kenya 69, 79, 84, 94, 95 , 101, 321, 324
> India 81, 85, 98, IOI, 107, 140, 152,
> Khachatryan, Armen 40
> 238- 39,322,324
> Khadem-Missagh , Bijan 95
> indigenous peoples 89- 93
> Khan, Peter 46
> individualism 264
> Khurshid-i-Khavar (Sun of the East)
> International Baha'i Archives 11, 63
> 164, 182
> Archives Extension 64
> King, Lauretta 52
> International Baha'i Convention
> Kiribati 108
> 32- 33,39-47, 50 , 59, 140
> Kitab-i-Ahd 168
> consultation in 32- 33, 42
> Kitab-i-Aqdas 109, 168
> participation by indigenous
> Klenke , Karin 232, 234, 235 , 239
> believers in 42
> Klestil , Thomas 96
> International Children's Day 103
> Knight ofBaha'u'llah 340
> International Council of Women
> Korea 140, 324
> (ICW) 87, 140
> Kyrgy zs tan 43 , 93
> International Development Research
> Centre (!DRC) 269                        L
> International Environment Forum 327          la Croix 152
> International Herald Tribune 152             "La Nu it de l 'espoir"
> International Labour Organization 246            See Anniversaries, celebrations in
> International Monetary Fund 259                    France
> International Teaching Centre 33- 34,        Lan, David 114
> 50- 52,63,65- 66,340                     Landegg Academy 77, 327
> International Women's Day 85, 87,            Laos82 , 108
> 101, 114                                Laszlo, Andraz 128
> involvement in the life of society 99- 105   Latin American Master's Program in
> interfaith activities 100- 02                Social Development 250
> Iran 89, 96, 115 , 256                       Latvia 78
> situation of the Baha'i community        Le Monde 115 , 152, 153
> in 17, 44 , 135, 151 - 54 , 279- 86,   League of Nations 258
> 287- 93                                Lebanon 324
> Iran Tim es 152, 153                         Lesotho 108
> Ireland 87, 96, 115, 121 , 126, 154          liberation 152
> Israel 140, 326                              Liberia 31, 53- 55, 81, 103
> Italy 88, 92, 93, 322, 324                   Lincoln, Joan 52
> J                                            Local Spiritual Assembly 222
> Jamaica 54, 81                               Locke, Kevin 94
> Japan 79, 110, 322, 324                      Louis Gregory Institute 91
> 
> Ludher, Lee Lee 43                            Mogae, Fetes 79
> Luxembourg 98 , 140, 142                      Mohajer, Payman 52
> M                                             Mohamad, Mahathir 113
> MacArthur Foundation I 36                     Moldova 43, 94, I 19
> Macau 97                                      Momen, Moojan 331
> Macedonia, Fonner Yugoslav Republic           Momsen, Janet 230
> of78 , 142, 146, 150                       Monadjem , Shapoor 52
> Madagascar 118                                Mongolia 7, 43 , 96 , 142
> Madjzoub, Tahereh 307                         Montessori schools 102
> Magee, Edith 129                              Montreal Gazette I 52
> Mahmoudi , Hoda 80                            Monument Gardens 341
> Mainz Dialogue 101                            Morelli , Anne 128
> Malawi 87 , 111                               Mottahedeh Development Services
> Malaysia 57- 58 , 70, 71 , 102, 107, 109,        327
> 110, 113, 322, 324                         Moucho, Jose 310
> Mali 85                                       Mount Carmel 34 I
> Malietoa, His Highness Tanumafili II 45          Baha'i projects on 59- 66
> Malietoa, Princess Susuga To'oa Tosi          Mozambique 1 I 8
> 45                                         Mu~ammad-Taqi , f:laji Mirza 161
> 
> Malta 152                                     Museveni,Yoweri 113
> Mandela , Nelson 101                          Myanmar 79
> Manifestations of God 13                      N
> Mann , Thomas 12 I                            Na~iri'd-Din Shah 166
> Mariana Islands 83, 96, 98                  Nadji, Ali-Akbar 3I1
> Marie, Queen, of Romania 78                 Nakhjavani , 'Ali-Akbar 172, 174, 175
> Marshall Islands 111                        Nakhjavani , 'Ali 46
> Martens, Ethel 308                          Namibia 69 , 115
> Martin, Douglas 46                          Nantais-Bourdeau , Sylvie 331
> Martin, Mary Elizabeth 308- 09              Naqvi , A llama Siyyid Kifayat Hussain
> Martinique 97                                   109
> Masaryk, Tomas Garigue 56                   nation state, development of 195- 97 ,
> materialism 256                                 266
> Maude, Roderic and Derwent 332              National Spiritual Assemblies, estab-
> Mauritius 86, I 05 , 113                        lishment of 53- 58
> May Maxwell 122, 128                        Nepal 118, 120
> Mahmud-i-Zarqani, Mirza 330                 Netherlands 88 , 113 , 114, 324, 326
> Mayor, Federico 154                         New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands
> McAleese, Mary 127, 245                         120
> McKinley, Hugh 309                          New York Times 153, 293
> Meir, Golda 245                             New Zealand 88 , 90, 102, 140, 322
> Methodist Church 127                        Nicaragua 81
> Mexico 87 , 97 , 98                         Nicholas l, Tsar of Russia 159
> minorities, protection of299- 302           Niderost, Heather 331
> Mitchell , Glenford 46                      Niger 85
> Moani, Hedi 310                             Nigeria 76, 323 , 324
> 
> I NDEX
> 
> Nineteen Day Feast 221, 341               Promoting Positive Messages through
> non-governmental codes of conduct            the Media
> 195 ,201 - 11                             See Royaumont Process
> compared to Baha'i teachings 212- 27   Prosperity ofHumankind, The 18, 112,
> Northern Jreland 104                         194,2 16,2 17
> Norway89,95, 116, 141, 154,245,325        Puerto Rico 119, 323
> Nur University 249- 54                      Q
> 0                                           Qudsi, l:f usayn Big 183
> O'Brien, Philip 311                       R
> Obituaries 305- 16                        race unity 89- 93, 260
> "On the Wings of Words" literacy          Rawhani, Ruhu'llah 89, 135, 151, 280,
> project 70, 142                             288,312
> One Country 141                           reading list of basic Baha'i books 333- 35
> oneness of humanity 257- 58               religious prejudice 261
> Open University                           Rene, Sarah 46
> See Baha'i Institute for Higher Ed -   Reunion Island 94
> ucation                              Reuters 152
> Organization for Economic Cooperation     Ric;lvan 342
> and Development, 246                   Robarts, Geraldine 94
> Oslo Conference on Freedom ofReligion     Robinson , Mary 133, 151, 245
> or Belief89, 135, 141                  Rogers, Otto Donald 52
> Ottoman Empire 122                        Roman Catholic Church 127
> p                                         Romani peoples 92
> Pakistan 98, 109, 325                     Romania 94, 95 , 101, 142, 146, 150, 325
> Panama 96, 140                            Roohizadegan, Olya 115
> Papua New Guinea 76, 83                   Root, Martha 56
> Paraguay 88 , 253                         Rosenberg, Ethel Jenner 125
> Parks, Rosa 91                            Roumeliotis, Panagiotis 146
> Parliament of World Religions 261         Rowley, John 230
> peace 9, 17                               Royaumont Process
> Lesser Peace 340                          See also "Happy Hippo Show"
> Perkins, Mary 332                                145- 50
> Peron, Isabel 245                         Ruaha Secondary School, Tanzania 119
> Peru 92, 239, 244                         Ruhe-Schoen,Janet330
> Philippines 89, 114, 322, 325             Rushdy , Gama I 3 12
> physical sciences, changes in 261         Russia 80, 88, 93, 108, 112, 146, 323, 325
> pioneer 341                                   communist revolution 164, 177- 81
> Pishrow, Hassan 312                           history ofBaha'i community 157- 92
> Poland 96, 325                                    Dolgorukov, Dmitri lvanovich
> Pollitt, Katha 232- 33, 235                          158 , 159, 169, 176
> Popov, Linda Kavelin and Dan 80                   legal registration of 190
> Portugal 88, 93 , 94, 97, 136, 325                persecution by Soviet authorities
> poverty 260                                         180- 87
> Promise of World Peace, The 17, 195 ,             social and economic development
> 220                                             in 164- 65
> 
> THE BAHA:f WORLD
> 
> Tolstoy, Leo 172, 173- 76              Singapore 110, 116, 323
> Turgenev, Ivan 173                     Singh, H. E. Karan 75
> mentioned in the Baha'i writings          Sixth International Conference on
> 176- 80                                      Moral and Ethical Principles in a
> Russian scholars of the Baha'i Faith           Social Market Economy 104
> Dom, Johann Albrecht Bernhard          Slovakia 31 , 53 , 55- 56
> 168                                  Slovenia 78, 116, 146, 150
> Gamazov, M. 167, 170                   Slovenia and Croatia 43
> Ivanov, Mikhail S. 169                 Soamsawali, Princess of Thailand 110
> Kazem-Big, Mirza Alexandr              social and economic development
> 166, 170                                  See development
> Rosen, Baron Viktor Romanovich         Solomon Islands 83
> 162, 167                             Soltani, Ferdosieh 313
> Tumanskii,Alexander 162, 167,          South Africa 87, 93, 101
> 170                                  South Korea I 04
> Zhukovski, V.A. 168                    Southeastern Europe 145- 50
> Rwanda 106                                  Soviet Union
> s                                                See Russia
> Sabah 31, 53, 57, 70, Ill, 113              Spain 73, 92, 93, 140, 323, 325
> Samandari-Hakim, Christine 128              Spiritual Assembly, Local 220, 227,
> Santitham School 142                             341
> Sao Tome and Principe 43 , 82               Spiritual Assembly, National 220, 341
> Sarawak 31, 53 , 57- 58, 82, 96             Spiritual Assembly, Regional 341
> Sargent, John 313                           Sri Lanka 83, 97, 112, 245
> Scandinavia 245                             St. Helena 110, 111
> Schechter, Fred 52                          St. Vincent and the Grenadines 108
> scholarship 72- 75                          Statesman 153
> Baha'i Chair for World Peace 74- 75     statistics of the Baha'i world community
> Chair in Baha'i Studies 74                   317- 20
> publications of 72- 73                  Stevenson, Joy 52
> Schwerin, Kimiko 52                         Sudan 97 , 117
> science and technology 261 - 62             Sunday Telegraph 152
> Scotland 97                                 Suriname 94
> Semple, Ian 46                              Swaziland 79
> Senegal 83,85,99                            Sweden 71, 96, 97, 98, 245, 325, 327
> Seychelles 120                              Switzerl and 77, 88, 322, 326, 327
> Sharon, Moshe                               Sydn ey Morning Herald 152
> See Baha'i Studies, Chair in, He-       T
> brew University of Jerusalem          Tablet 342
> Shoghi Effendi 10- 12, 16, 331, 342         Taherzadeh, Adib 46
> writings of 176- 80, 184, 190, 335      Taiwan 86, 87, 325, 326
> Sicily 43 , 110, 111                        Tajikistan 43 , 93
> Sierra Leone 99                             Tanzania 99, 119, 141
> Sikh Conclave of Spiritual Leaders          teaching the Baha'i Faith 18, 117- 20
> 101-02                                  Tehran Tim es 152
> 
> INDEX
> 
> Thailand 77, 87, 110, 140, 142                      Third World Youth Forum of the
> Thatcher, Margaret 245                                United Nations System 97, 136
> Thomas, June Manning 331                            UNESCO Business Forum on En-
> Thoresen , Lasse 95, 96, 116, 332                     terprise, Human Development
> Thornburgh-Cropper, Mary Virginia 125                 and Culture 71
> Tibet 118                                           United Nations Children's Fund
> Times, The of London 153                              (UNICEF) 132 , 137, 295
> Tofa 'ahau Tupou IV 114                             United Nations Development Fund
> Togo 85                                               for Women (UNIFEM) 84, 230,
> Tolstoy, Leo                                          239,295
> See Russia, history of Baha ' i com-            United Nations Economic and Social
> munity                                          Council (ECOSOC) 132, 139
> Tonga 82, 111 , 114                                 United Nations Educational, Scien-
> "Traditional Media as Change Agent" 84                tific and Cultural Organization
> training institutes 31, 34, 56, 58, 81 - 83           (UNESCO) 154, 237, 238
> Trinidad and Tobago 85 , 87, 99, l 11, 323          United Nations International Con-
> True, Peggy 314                                       ference on Population and Devel-
> Tubman , William V. S. 54                             opment 86
> Tunisia 138, 295                                    Universal Declaration of Human
> Turkey 86, 89, 105, 146, 152                          Rights
> Turkish-Greek Women 's Peace Initiative                 fiftieth anniversary of 88 , 133
> (WINPEACE) 85- 86                               World Health Organization 295
> Turning Point for All Nations 18                    World Summit for Social Develop-
> Tuvalu 83                                             ment 17
> u                                               United Press International 152
> Uganda 85, 86, 92 , 113, 141 , 152 , 325        United States 69, 74, 90, 91, 97, 107,
> Ukraine 140                                         109, 118 , 140, 146, 151 , 154, 229,
> United Kingdom 121 , 124- 28 , 322,                 233,245,325 , 326, 327
> 325 , 327                                    unity
> Baha 'i community of 124- 27                     Baha'i community model of217- 27
> early Baha' is 125                           dimensions of, for emerging global
> United Nations 15 , 31, 88, 246, 247 ,                order 193- 227
> 258 , 259                                    unity of mankind 23
> charter of 265                                   as prerequisite for material advance-
> Commission on Human Rights                         ment 264- 65
> 134, 151 , 259                            Universal House of Justice 8, 12, 329,
> Commission on the Status of                      342
> Women 137, 295                                 election of 39-4 7
> fiftieth anniversary of 18                       establishment of 39
> Fourth World Conference on                       messages of29- 35, 46
> Women 137                                      view on equality of women and
> International Covenant on Economic,                men 231
> Social and Cultural Rights 293             Uruguay 79, 140
> Millennium Forum, Summit, and                Uteem, Cassam 105, 113
> Assembly 138                               Uzbekistan 43, 93
> 
> v                                               See also Baha'i International Comvan den Hoonaard, Will 130                      munity, Office for the Advance-
> Vanuatu 112                                     ment of Women
> Varqa, 'Ali-Mu~ammad                        World Bank 135 , 136, 259
> See Hands of the Cause of God            World Community Foundation 327
> Venezuela 98, 323                           World Development Report 2001 136
> Vienna, University of 140                   World Economic Forum 211
> Virgin Islands 106, 112                     World Faiths and Development Dia-
> Virtues Guide 80                              logue 135- 36, 269, 276
> Vision TV 107                               World Religion Day 105
> Vuyiya, Peter 314                           World War II 258, 259
> w                                           y
> Wade, John 314                              Yad Vashem award 117
> Walker, Penelope 46, 52                     youth 96- 98
> Washington Post 153                            youth workshops 7
> West Australian 152                         Yugoslavia , Federal Republic of 145,
> West Leeward Islands 110, 111                 146, l 50
> á Western Caroline Islands 78                Yunus, Muhammad 242
> Western Samoa 7, 102                       z
> Whitehead , 0. Z. 315                      Zahrai , Ruhiyyih 315
> Who Is Writing the Future? 34, 140,         Zambia 8, 40, 89, 98 , 141
> 194,213,255-68                           Zimbabwe 78, 84, 140
> women 7                                     ZIPOPO
> equality of 260                              See " Happy Hippo Show"
> health of 295- 97
>
> — *The Baha'i World: Volume 27 (1998-1999) (Used by permission of the curator)*