Baha'i communities:

Baha'i community in Turkey:

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Didem Akyüz
Adana

Yaşadığım şehirde düzenli olarak yapılan birçok çocuk sınıfı vardır. Çok istememe rağmen uzun bir süre hiç cesaret edemedim bir çocuk sınıfı oluşturmaya. Ta ki sınıflardan birinin öğretmeni beni arayıp yardım isteyene kadar… Sınıfının çocuk sayısı fazlaydı ve benimle birlikte yapmak istediğini söyledi. Hiç düşünmeden “tamam” dedim. Çünkü biliyorum ki tüm çocukların ihtiyaçlarıyla ilgilenip onlara ruhani yetilerini geliştiren, asil ve dürüst bir karakterin temellerini atan bu dersler hem çocuklar hem de içinde yaşadıkları toplumlar için çok önemlidir. Ve ben de bu çabanın bir parçası olmayı çok istiyordum. Sonra içimi bir telaş kapladı, “Çocuklar acaba beni severler mi?” “Çocukların hassas kalp ve akıllarını besleyen bir ders yürütebilecek miydim?” Yol boyunca aklımda bu gibi sorularla sınıfın yapılacağı eve ulaştım. Öğretmenleriyle içeri girip çocukları görene kadar bu endişem devam etti, sonra o endişe yerini tarifi olmayan bir duyguya bıraktı…

Çocuk S?n?flar?
 
Vietnamese Baha'is

There's a Baha'i community in Vietnam today..

C?ng ??ng Tôn giáo Baha'i Vi?t Nam | Baha'i Vietnam | ?ây là trang web chính th?c c?a c?ng ??ng Baha'i Vi?t Nam.

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Vietnam recognizes Baha’is as religious community

31 July 2008
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — The government of Vietnam has given full recognition to the Baha’i community as a religious organization.
A certificate was presented to representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Vietnam at a ceremony on 25 July.
It was the final act in a series of steps that included the election four months ago of the Baha’i Assembly – itself a landmark event in that it was the first time in many years that elections for the governing council were held. Government representatives were on hand to observe the balloting.
The head of the central government’s Committee for Religious Affairs, Nguyen The Doanh, officiated at last week’s ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City.
The official government news agency reported the event and referred to comments by the chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is, Mr. Nguyen Thuc: “(He) said the Government's recognition of the Baha'i religion ‘charts a new course of development for the entire Baha'i community’ and motivates followers to make more contributions to social and humanitarian activities and to drive to preserve traditional spiritual values.”
The Baha’i Faith was established in the country in 1954, and the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Vietnam was elected 10 years later. In the mid-1970s, formal activities of the community were suspended.
The Vietnam News Agency said last week’s ceremony means that “the Government's Committee for Religious Affairs has recognized the Baha'i Community of Vietnam as a religious organization able to operate on an equal footing with other religions.”

Vietnam recognizes Baha?is as religious community - Bahá'í World News Service
 
Iceland Baha'i community

Volume 18, Issue 3 / October-December 2006


Bahá’ís help found Interfaith Forum in Iceland

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — The Bahá’í community of Iceland has joined with twelve other faith groups and collaborative partners here to form the country’s first national interfaith forum.​

The Iceland Forum for Interfaith Dialogue was officially founded on 24 November 2006 in ceremonies at the Reykjavik City Hall in the presence of Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, the president of Iceland.​

“The object of the Forum is to promote tolerance and respect between persons of different religions and religious organizations with differing outlooks on life as well as to protect religious freedom and other human rights,” said Ingibjorg Danielsdottir, secretary of the Bahá’í community of Iceland.
This initiative was put together by the Intercultural Center in Reykjavik, a human rights advocacy organization that, among other things, strives to facilitate exchange between different cultures and groups.
The founding groups drafted and signed an “Interfaith Dialogue Policy Statement” that calls for the building of understanding and respect, as well as the upholding of religious freedom.
“As Bahá’ís we feel that we have a unique perspective to offer this type of dialogue,” said Bridget McEvoy, a member of the Bahá’í community. “A central feature in the Bahá’í Faith is the unity of religion and we want to be involved in any activity that promotes this idea.”
Ms. McEvoy said one goal of the Forum will be to maintain Iceland’s traditional openness to different cultures, which has become an important issue. “With the inclusion of Iceland into the European Economic Area and the European Single Market many people have chosen to move to Iceland to work. We have lots of cross border work opportunities, a good standard of living and have traditionally thought of ourselves as being an open society,” said Ms. McEvoy.​

In addition to the Bahá’í community of Iceland, founding members of the Forum are: the Cross, Reykjavik Free Church, the Buddhist Association of Iceland, the Lutheran State Church of Iceland, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWU), the Muslim Association of Iceland, the Icelandic Asatru Society, the Parish of St. Nicholas of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Way Free Church.

http://www.onecountry.org/e183/e18307as_Iceland_interfaith_story.htm​
 
A general perspective on Baha'i communities...

The Rhythms and Routines of Bahá'í Communities

As a worldwide community, with individuals from more than 2,100 ethnic and tribal groups who reside in more than 230 countries and territories, the Bahá'í Faith is certainly among the most diverse bodies of people on earth.
More often than not, such diversity extends to the local and national levels, as people from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages, professions, and educational levels come together in more than 132,000 localities around the world with common aims: to worship the Creator, promote peace and unity, and serve humanity.
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A Bahá'í preschool in the Bolivian Andes. ​

Yet whether in an isolated African village or a cosmopolitan center in North America, the structures that govern the rhythms and routines of Bahá'í community life are both flexible enough to accommodate this diversity and yet strong enough to maintain the essential unity of the Faith, which, unlike the world's other major religions, has resisted splitting into sects and sub-groups.
The result is a rich community life. Not only do most Bahá'í communities of any significant size sponsor a wide range of activities -- from social events to economic development projects -- individuals within Bahá'í communities also find a joyful and supportive group of friends who, despite the sometimes wide difference in their backgrounds, find common ground in the high ideals and principles of the Faith.

Roberto Eghrari of Brazil recalls an encounter at a national Bahá'í meeting recently that illustrated this sense of unity in diversity. "I was watching three people standing together, discussing issues of community development," said Mr. Eghrari, who is a member of the national Bahá'í governing body of the Bahá'ís of Brazil. "One was a woman ticket seller for a circus, from Bahia, in the north. She is illiterate, but is nevertheless quite articulate. Another was an indigenous person, from the Kariri-Xoco tribe in the state of Alagoas, in the Northeast. And another was a man of Iranian background, who has a PhD in nuclear engineering.

"And it struck me how unusual this would be in many places, where it is often felt that only highly educated people are articulate and able to discuss important issues," Mr. Eghrari said, who is himself trained as an electronics engineer. "But that is not true among Bahá'ís. It is accepted that everyone is equal, and that everyone -- whether highly educated or not -- can and should participate in discussions about such things as the future of their communities."

For more read:

The Rhythms and Routines of Bahá'í Communities
 
Romanian Baha'is

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Queen Marie of Romania

Prima Adunare Spirituală Naţională a Bahá’ílor din România a fost aleasă în timpul primei Convenţii Naţionale, în aprilie 1991. S-au adunat delegaţi din toată ţara pentru a forma, în prezenţa lui Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, văduva Păzitorului Religiei Bahá’í, instituţia alcătuită din nouă membri şi care conduce treburile comunităţii.
Religia Bahá’í este înregistrată legal încă din 1991 cu statut de Asociaţie Religioasă, de către Secretariatul de Stat pentru Culte prin hotărâre judecătorească.
În anii care au urmat, Religiei Bahá’í i s-au asociat prin declaraţie peste 7.000 de români, răspândiţi în mai mult de 670 de localităţi din toate judeţe ale României.

www.europeanbahai.org
 
Baha'is of Malta:

1965​

In late April, Hand of the Cause Mr. John Ferraby visit Malta.

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1966​

In February, Hand of the Cause Mr. A. Q. Faizi visit Malta.


1972​

25 August - First local declarations by Paulette and Cecil Crockford.
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1972​

First Bahá'í marriage in Malta between Charles Sciberras Vassallo (a Bahá'í ) and Tanya Francalanza Grech (non-Bahá'í) at the Malta Hilton Hotel, Paceville at 10.30a.m. on December 27.


1973​

Monday, 29 January, Hand of the Cause Dr.Ugo Giachery and Mrs. Giachery visit Malta. The next day Dr. Giachery visited the Tal-Virtu Training College and gave a talk on the Faith to about twenty female students. He also had several meetings with the Bahá'ís of Malta. Dr. Giachery and his wife left Malta on Thursday 8 of February.
​

1973​

First Local Spiritual Assembly formed.


1978​

First National Hazira tu'l-Quds in the village of Attard. Built and donated to the Malta community by the Jarrah family.
Read the History of Bahá'í Centres in Malta Visit the Malta National Bahá'í Centre






History of Malta Community
 
Baha'is in Argentina...

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From an article in 9 July 2002

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Last November, the people of this vast and cosmopolitan city took to the streets, banging on pots and pans, protesting the sudden economic collapse that sent one of Latin America's richest countries into a deep and continuing crisis.

In January, the protests took on a new form as people in many areas created "neighborhood assemblies" to talk about what they themselves can do to solve some of the problems troubling the society. Neighborhood assemblies have undertaken projects ranging from the bulk purchase of food at reduced prices to the creation of neighborhood banks.

Whether or not the phenomenon persists, the spontaneous organization of people in neighborhood parks and plazas in this city of 12 million reflects an increasing conviction that only with the active participation of civil society can Argentina's economic and social problems be addressed.

It is an idea that has long been advocated by UNIDA, a Baha'i-inspired non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on training to strengthen civil society and promote participatory development. UNIDA has seen an upsurge in interest in its programs since the crisis began, reaching its highest level of enrollments ever in June 2002.

In Argentina, a Baha'i-inspired NGO works to strengthen civil society in a time of crisis - Bahá'í World News Service

The Baha'is of Argentina have a website in Spanish at

Comunidad Bahá'í de Argentina - Sitio Oficial
 
Updates on the Baha'i community in Iran:

Last updated: 16 January 2013

Note: This report is provided as a service to news media and others desiring current information about the Baha'is in Iran. All details have been verified by the Baha'i International Community.
Words in italics have been altered or added since the previous update on 7 December 2012.

Summary of latest news

  • Raids, arrests and convictions: Since August 2004, some 676 Baha'is have been arrested in Iran. There are about 110 Iranian Baha'is currently in prison because of their religion. To date, the cases of some 549 Baha'is are still active with authorities. Recently the Baha'i International Community has learned of three instances in which young babies have been imprisoned along with their mothers.
  • Economic pressure: Economic pressure on Iran’s Baha’i community is acute, with both jobs and business licenses being denied to Baha’is. Government jobs, including not only in the civil service but also in such fields as education and law, have been denied to Baha’is since the years immediately following the Revolution and Muslims often are pressured to fire Baha’is in their employment in the public sector. All shops, except one, owned by the Bahá’ís in Semnan have been closed down and sealed by the authorities. On 16 November, the government authorities sealed all Baha’i businesses in Hamadan province.
  • International Reaction: Governments, organizations and individual supporters around the world are calling for the release of jailed Baha'i leaders and Baha’i educators, and an end to the persecution of the Baha’is in Iran. On 27 November, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly expressed "deep concern" over "ongoing and recurring" human rights violations in Iran. In Hungary, a host of well-known personalities have joined a campaign to show support for victims of human rights abuses in Iran. In a written statement on 14 November, German Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Markus Löning, condemned the persecution of Baha'is in Iran, in particular in the city of Semnan.
  • Persecution by educational institutions : Baha’i school children at all school levels continue to be monitored and slandered by officials in schools. Recently, a Baha’i student was expelled from Isfahan University and forbidden to continue his doctoral studies.
Summary - Iran Update - Bahá'í World News Service

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Baha’i homes and automobiles have been the target of arsonists, who often act with legal impunity. This home in Kerman was gutted by fire in July of 2008. The family had received threatening phone calls, and someone also tried to burn their car
 
Arthra:
this thread seems to be exclusively for your use, but my seams come apart easily...
Have you heard of the Baha'i Church of Calabar?

I know for a fact that you have not heard of the Vici Community Christian Church pastored by a Baha'i Christian Pastor, me.

This is in all respects a Baha'i community. I would be interested in Baha'i opinion concerning this church. Christian opinion in this county tends toward thinking it is pastored by Satan.
 
cliftor said:
Arthra:
this thread seems to be exclusively for your use, but my seams come apart easily...
Have you heard of the Baha'i Church of Calabar?

I know for a fact that you have not heard of the Vici Community Christian Church pastored by a Baha'i Christian Pastor, me.

This is in all respects a Baha'i community. I would be interested in Baha'i opinion concerning this church. Christian opinion in this county tends toward thinking it is pastored by Satan.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your post..

Actually the thread was begun by me but is hardly "exclusively" for my use...

There is an article on the "Baha'i Church of Calabar" at

The Bah' Church of Calabar, West Africa

An interesting article written by Anthony Lee ...

As to your comment about "Satan" you're probably aware we Baha'is do not regard "Satan" as having any ontological reality, but we also don't have any "pastors" either.

:)
 
Baha'is of Washington D.C.

The Baha'i s of Washington DC have a rich history and longstanding association with their city - read below for the exciting story.



The Baha'i Faith was established in Washington through the efforts of a woman who grew up on an estate in Princess Anne on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She was Charlotte Brittingham Dixon, descended from one of the oldest families of European settlers in New England.
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Louis Gregory, noted early DC Baha'i.
​
She was of a spiritual nature and her search for a deeper spiritual life led, through devotions and prayers, to an extraordinary spiritual experience, in which she was given certainty of a new dispensation and a new spiritual messenger on earth. Unable to communicate this in her conservative rural surroundings, she longed to find what this new dispensation was. Moving to Chicago she continued her search and through intense prayer, came across a woman who had been studying the Baha'i teachings. Immediately she joined the study circle and then returned home to Princess Anne.

Then she set out to share this with her family, all of whom, father, brothers and sisters, became believers in this new revelation. Her brother, James Brittingham , was the first Baha'i in New York City; his wife one of the outstanding teachers in the U.S.



When in 1898 she moved to Washington, she started the first group of Baha'is there, presenting the study lessons she had attended in Chicago, sharing what she had understood and aflame with enthusiasm.


History of the Washington DC Baha?i Community
 
Baha'i Faith in the Hebrides...

Rhiannon Sheppard shares her feelings on Naw R�z through a public talk this weekend.

Published on Saturday 23 March 2013 09:00


FIRST introduced to the Hebrides in 1953, the Bahà’i community in the Western Isles this year celebrates 60 years of the Faith and friendships through a series of events entitled ‘Homecoming’ beginning tonight, Saturday, March 23rd.


Since its introduction, the Bahà’i [COLOR=#446688 !important][FONT=inherit !important][COLOR=#446688 !important][FONT=inherit !important]Faith[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR] has existed in the islands, and attracted individuals to its teachings.
Many Bahà’is have visited the islands over the past six decades; Bahà’is have been born here, lived, attended school, worked, married, contributed, and passed away in the islands; and Bahà’is from as far apart as New Zealand and Canada who are descendents of islands, have returned to rediscover their roots and to connect with the local Bahà’i community.


And starting off the 60th anniversary events is a talk by Lewis born Rhiannon Sheppard. Brought up and educated in [COLOR=#446688 !important][FONT=inherit !important][COLOR=#446688 !important][FONT=inherit !important]Lewis[/FONT][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR], Rhiannon began a nursing career as a health care assistant in Blar Buidhe nursing home, Stornoway, and know works as the nurse Clinical Practice Education Facilitator for the Liver Intensive Care Unit, King’s College Hospital, London.


“Raised on Lewis in a Bahà’i family of mixed Persian and British heritage, and a descendant of several generations of Baha’i;s, I was strongly encourage to independently investigate religion for myself,” said Rhiannon.


“The stark contrast between big city life and my Hebridean upbringing makes me feel very grateful to have been raised in a close knit island community that values spirituality.”
Following from last year’s series of public talks commemorating the Centenary of Abdu’l-Bahà’s Visit to Scotland, the new ‘Homecoming’ series of events begins with a public talk delivered by Rhiannon on Naw Rúz (New Day), the Bahà’i New Year celebrated every year on March 21st.
Rhiannon expanded: “Bahà’i do not have a fixed way of celebrating Naw Rúz; the New Year is welcomed by Bahà’i across the world, and the diversity of forms of celebration reflect the cultural diversity of the Bahà’i community across the globe.


“ Hebridean Naw Rúz celebrations tend to be ceilidhs in the traditional sense, involving the sharing of music, food, stories, gifts, devotionals and fellowships, with Bahà’is and friends alike.


“The broad theme of my presentation will be that of renewal; within this theme, the origins of Naw Rúz, and the Bahà’i calendar, will be explored. I will also be sharing what celebrating Naw Rúz means to me personally, in terms of identity and culture.”


She added: “I am so happy to be able to come home to such a beautiful place to be part of the 60th celebrations. The island Bahà’i community are like my extended family, and so it feels like I’m coming home for a special family occasion.”
....
Celebrating 60 years of Baha?i Faith in Western Isles - Lifestyle & Leisure - Stornoway Gazette
 
arthra said:
Baha'is in Afganistan...

Bahá'í Faith in Afghanistan ​
Afghanistan, although located in the neighboring of Iran, from which the Bahá'í Faith arose, has not been succeeded fully to speared the Bahá'í Faith within the country. This, indeed, is the result of the King, political and religious leader's gropingly prejudice. Even with this many hardships from the government and religious leaders, after 1919 many Afghans accepted the Bahá'í Faith within and outside the country. It was not until 1965 that the Bahá'í Faith started to spread throughout the country by Afghans themselves.
  • 1966 -First Afghan Bahá'í Community in Kabul was established
  • 1969 -First Afghan Local Spiritual Assembly of Afghanistan was elected.
  • 1970 -Four other Local Spiritual Assemblies were established nationwide.
  • 1972 -The First National Spiritual Assembly was elected.
  • 1978- By this time Bahá'ís Faith was spread into these provinces: Kabul, Herat, Qandahar, Helmand, Ghazni, Paktia, Nengarhar, Kondoz, Baghlan, Samangan, Mazar-e Sharif, Sheberghan, and Parwan.
  • 1978 -Bahá'ís were imprisoned during the USSR (Soviet Union) invasion of Afghanistan
  • 1978 -Bahá'ís were released from prison after 14 months.
After changes of government and civil wars, some (but not all) Afghan Bahá'ís left the country and went to the following lands: Iran, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Kouite, Dubai, Qatar, Germany, Holland, United States and Canada. There might be many Afghan Bahá'ís living in other countries, but they have not contacted us as of now.
​
  • 1979 - Due to civil war Afghan Bahá'ís lost contact within the provinces.
  • 1986 - A National Baha'i Committee (5 members) was created under the guidance of Universal House of Justice.
  • 1987 - Three Local Spiritual Assemblies were elected in Kabul province
  • 1995 - The Local Spiritual Assembly of Mazar-e Sharif was elected.
  • 1998 - (2nd of May) Under Taliban regime many Afghan Bahá'ís were imprisoned and the rest were forced to leave the country. A majority went to Pakistan . Some other Afghan Bahá'ís who were not in the initial arrest and did not leave the country were imprisoned and released within this period. These imprisonments included man women and children of all ages.
  • 1998 - (October) After the enforcement of International Community and Universal House of Justice the last Afghan Baha'i was released from prison.
  • 2002 - After the establishment of the new government many Afghan Bahá'ís returned to their homeland from all neighbor countries, mostly from Pakistan , Iran and India .
Afghan Bahá'ís
Click to expand...
Hello
The Afghan Bahá'ís website currently disabled, Is there any other website for Afghan Bahá'í community?
Thanks
 
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