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The Bahai Cemetery at Najafabad

“Last night, at midnight, a number of plain-clothes officers attacked the Baha’i Cemetery in Qa’emshahr with a lorry and a bulldozer; and set out to remove the tombstones and to level the ground,  According to a report from the Human Rights Activists Group in Iran, electricity had been completely cut off in the whole area during this undertaking, and a shot was fired in the air when someone from the neighborhood was caught witnessing the activities.  The witness was then seized, his hands and feet were tied up, and he was left alone in this condition in a remote area of the cemetery

The attack and destruction that took place last night was the third in a series and, in a way, the fiercest of its kind since the destruction on 23 Oct and 22 Nov of this year; and the intent was to erase every trace of the Baha’i cemetery in this area.”  (Quoted from http://peykeiran.com/ 19 January 2009)

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UNITED NATIONS, — A Bahá’í-inspired program that has trained thousands of people in Honduras and Colombia to contribute to rural development was highlighted as a model for sustainable development at a major U.N. meeting this month.

The program, known as SAT -- an acronym for Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (Tutorial Learning System) -- was presented in a three-hour workshop during the 16th session of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development, held 5-16 May at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The Bahá’í International Community also sponsored two side events at this year’s session of the commission – a panel discussion on “The Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change: Implications for Africa’s Agricultural and Rural Development” and another titled “Sustainable Development Without Rural Women?”

Nineteen Bahá’ís from nine countries attended this year’s commission as civil-society participants, said Tahirih Naylor, a representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations.

“Occurring against a backdrop of both the food and climate change crises, the commission this year provided a key platform for Bahá’í delegates to emphasize the importance of agriculture … in our global development strategy,” said Ms. Naylor.

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Draft Iranian law threatens gross human rights violations

NEW YORK 22 February 2008 (BWNS)

(Correction appended)

The Iranian Parliament is considering legislation that would institutionalize a series of gross human rights violations, affecting not only Baha'is but many others, even outside of Iran, the Baha'i International Community said today.

Of greatest concern is a section that would mandate the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to another religion, a provision that would affect not only Baha'is but also Christians, Jews, and others. "This proposed law goes against all human rights norms and standards, including international treaties that Iran itself has agreed to," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations. "It is important for the international community to speak out, now, before it is too late and the draft code becomes Iran's law of the land." The proposed law also would extend the government's reach over alleged security violations outside the country, give legal effect to discriminatory practices already in wide use against Baha'is and others, and redefine a series of "religious" and other crimes so vaguely as to place in jeopardy virtually any group facing government disapproval. "If adopted, the code will permit the government and the clergy to act with impunity against Iran's citizens on the sole basis of their religious affiliation," said Ms. Dugal. "This is not only an affront to the people of Iran; it is an offense to all who seek to uphold fundamental human rights."

Ms. Dugal said the new section on religious conversion -- defined as apostasy -- is especially severe, in that its language mandates the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to another religion and does not immediately recant.

"The text uses the word Hadd, meaning that it explicitly sets death as a fixed punishment that cannot be changed, reduced or annulled," said Ms. Dugal. "In the past, the death penalty has been handed down -- and also carried out -- in apostasy cases, but it has never before been set down in law.

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"Iran is apparently not content with targeting those it considers its opponents only within its borders," said Ms. Dugal, explaining that Article 112 of the proposed code refers to actions "against the government, the independence and the internal and external security of the country."

"Since the notion of 'security' is not defined in the law, any action can be qualified as such," Ms. Dugal said. "Indeed, many Iranian Baha'is have been falsely accused of activities against the security of the state.

"If the new penal code is adopted, Iranian Baha'is -- and others -- all over the world would likewise be liable for actions taken outside Iran that are considered contrary to Iran's security."

The code's vagueness with respect to "offending the sacred" and other crimes would give the government free license to act against any group it disapproves of, said Ms. Dugal. "The code includes articles that refer to the commission of unspecified crimes or felonies, as well as articles referring to those guilty of 'corruption and mischief on the earth,'" she said.

"It would also institute capital punishment for anyone who 'insults the Prophet,'" Ms. Dugal explained. "Such provisions place many groups, including Baha'is, in an extremely vulnerable position, since an 'insult' to the Prophet can be defined in almost any context, especially where religious belief is concerned."

In related developments, the Presidency of the European Union recently expressed concern over the situation of the Baha'i community in Iran.

"The EU expresses its serious concern at the worsening situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, in particular to the plight of the Baha'i," said the EU Presidency in a statement on 7 February 2008.

"The EU is concerned about the ongoing systematic discrimination and harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the expulsion of university and high school students, restrictions on employment and anti-Baha'i propaganda campaigns in the Iranian media."

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I have become lodged here in New Delhi, India, between a rock and a hard place. My walk to the Iranian Embassy this morning revealed another impass. They require that I have a friend/contact in Iran before they can issue me their visa. I told them that I don't personally know of any one, and that this was never a requirement in either China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myamar, Malaysia, Singapore or India. Well, what could the poor consular official do? He was only following orders from Tehran government officials who set the laws.

Hopefully, some Baha'i will come through and help me; otherwise I will simply fly over into Dubai or Amman Jordan and continue west back to Canada from there.

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Returned to New Delhi just after midnight last night from Armitsar in the Punjab where I visited the Sikh Golden Temple; the day before that I was up in Dharamshala at 1740 meters elevation visiting the home-away-from-home of the Dalai Lama. There were a few Tibetans I saw who looked like him and I had to give a second look. This past winter has been the coldest in memory and the pipes burst at the Buddhist Monastery, rendering the toilets useless. I took photos of the snow-covered mountains in the background to Dharamshala [which is actually the upper town, with a longer name, because the lower Dharamshala several kilometers below has no monastery]. I had to pay an extra 7 rupees on the bus to go to the real monastic town where the prices for rooms was quite high and so I decided not to stay seeing it all looked too much like a commercial shrine.

It was prior to my visiting those 2 religions that I had visited the Baha'i Lotus in New Delhi. It is located at Delhi's high point to the south of the city and right across from the Hare Krishna Temple which likewise shares this high point in Delhi. I took photos of both and was even able to get both temples into one frame. There really was nothing too Baha'i about the visit. The Lotus temple is totally empty, except for the wooden pews where the visitors are not allowed to whisper nor take photos. And there was one lonely microphone up front, without the speaker. The entire temple, like the one I saw in Panama City, is very Spartan and emphasizes the nine architectural lines that converge into the Baha'i calligraphy at its very summit. I felt the entire visit was cold, with emphasis placed on following the rules ~ even by the parking lot 400 meters away a guard informed me that I must not eat a piece of cake that I had earlier purchased from the Hare Krishna Govinda Takeout. There was no Baha'i preaching as far as I could see ~ it was simply a matter of processing thousands of visitors / tourists.

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One of three women who have been detained for being a Bahai

GENEVA
29 January 2008 (BWN

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HAIFA, Israel, 7 November 2007 (BWN -- A new Web site featuring photographs that help viewers experience the life of Baha'u'llah has been launched by the Baha'i International Community.

Some of the photographs have not been published before, and many of them have had only limited distribution.

The launch of the Web site comes just before the Baha'i holy day on 12 November that marks the anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah.

"The purpose of the Web site is to provide illustration of Baha'u'llah's life through photographs of places and artifacts and relics associated directly with Him," said Douglas Moore, director of the Office of Public Information of the Baha'i International Community.

"We've tried to bring together a unique collection of photos, many of them not generally available, so that you get a better sense of Baha'u'llah's life and the time period in which He lived," Mr. Moore said.

Rather than providing a comprehensive history or literary presentation of the Baha'i Faith, the new Web site aims rather to be impressionistic.

"It's more contemplative, more experiential," Mr. Moore said.

Thus it complements other Web sites that do provide a more complete description of the religion, he said.

Baha'u'llah was a Persian nobleman who in the 19th century claimed to be nothing less than a new and independent Messenger from God, the one whose advent was anticipated by all the divine Messengers of the past - including Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad - and foretold in the holy books.

Baha'u'llah, who was born in 1817, was exiled from his native Tehran and banished to the Ottoman Empire - to Baghdad, Constantinople (now Istanbul), and finally Acre.

"The new Web site is appropriate for a range of audiences, not only Baha'is and those who have a deep interest in the Baha'i Faith, but also people who, from an academic or historical perspective, want to see what kind of photographic documentation exists for such a unique figure as Baha'u'llah," Mr. Moore said.

He noted that the Web site does not include a photograph of Baha'u'llah Himself. Such a photograph does exist, but it is treated with extreme reverence and viewed only in special circumstances; it is never published by Baha'is, nor would Baha'is reproduce it.

The photographs on the Web site are from the archives at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa.

The address of the site is www.bahaullah.org.

To view the photos and additional features click here:
http://news.bahai.org

--
22-sw-071107-1-WEBSITELAUNCH-586-S

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With the release in February of the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there remains little doubt about the reality of global warming.

“Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level,” wrote a committee of international scientists, known as Working Group I, in the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report.

Moreover, there seems little doubt that global warming is caused by human activity. IPCC scientists — an international group that has long been known for its relatively conservative approach ­— are now more than 90 percent confident that humanity is bringing climate change upon itself, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels, which release carbon dioxide, the primary “greenhouse gas” that is understood as responsible for warming.

The potential dangers of global warming have long been known, of course, albeit sometimes intensely debated. But in April, a second group of IPCC scientists attached specific probabilities to various outcomes from warming.

They identified warming effects and associated trends, all with an 80 percent or greater probability, that include: increasingly severe weather, including stronger storms and greater drought; a significant rise in the level of the oceans; and shifts in the range of various terrestrial plant and animal species, along with increased extinctions in ecologically sensitive areas. There will also likely be increased spread of disease, significant localized crop failure, especially in Africa, and increased cross-border refugees.

Since before the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the Bahá’í International Community has repeatedly called attention to humanity’s increasing impact on the environment and its potential consequences. Whether discussing ocean pollution, deforestation or greenhouse gas emissions, Bahá’í statements have focused on the global nature of such problems, raising this question:

“Can humanity, with its entrenched patterns of conflict, self-interest, and short-sighted behavior, commit itself to enlightened cooperation and long-range planning on a global scale?”

In the short term, the answer clearly remains in doubt. In the long term, however, the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith offer much hope — and a basis for both immediate and sustained action.

More than a century ago, Bahá’u’lláh explained that humanity is moving inexorably into an age when its underlying oneness and the need for unity and collaboration in virtually all spheres of endeavor will eventually be universally recognized — and that from that recognition the long promised age of peace and security for all humanity will ultimately be realized.

For Bahá’ís, then, the growing scientific consensus on climate change and its wider public discussion offer an urgent reason for humanity to examine its underlying interdependence and oneness, which is the fundamental reality of the human condition today. The challenge of global warming, moreover, highlights the degree to which humanity must swiftly move towards unity of action at the global level if it is to thrive and, perhaps, even survive.

In previous statements, the Bahá’í International Community has identified a number of key principles needed to create sustainable development on a global scale. These principles include a mandate for justice above all else, a commitment to world citizenship, and an understanding of the interconnectedness of all things. Principles such as the equality of women and men, an emphasis on moral education, and the creation of a new system of global governance have also been held up as prerequisites to the creation of “an ever-advancing civilization,” as Bahá’u’lláh phrased it.

Within the context of sustainable development, what makes climate change especially intractable is the way in which its many inputs are so small, and so deeply interwoven into the fabric of modern life, and yet are set against an overall long time frame in which changes, whether positive or negative, will take decades to show results.

Today, with few exceptions, every time someone somewhere turns on a light, rides in a motor vehicle, purchases an industrial artifact, or heats his or her home, more carbon dioxide is produced, and, according to the current understanding, the potential for global warming goes up by a tiny increment.

he accumulation of these tiny inputs of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has taken on the characteristics of a long but slowly accelerating freight train: the momentum has been building for a long time and it will now take considerable time and effort to slow it down.
The imperative for action, then, extends from the highest political levels — at which broad policies can be implemented to stem warming — to the choices that each person around the world makes every day at home or in work.

It is in this regard that religion and religious belief offer a critically important venue for reflection, transformation, and action. For, as has increasingly been recognized by activists in the approach to other environmental problems, there is perhaps no more powerful impetus for social change at the grass roots than religion.

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As the most recent of the independent world religions, the Bahá’í Faith offers principles and ideas that appeal to the contemporary mind and establish a framework for fruitful action.

As noted, foremost among these principles is the oneness of humanity, which, the Bahá’í writings state, “implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced.” And at the heart of this change stands Bahá’u’lláh’s imperative: “Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self.”

The Bahá’í writings also tell us that such unity cannot be created without justice. “There is no force on earth that can equal in its conquering power the force of justice and wisdom,” wrote Bahá’u’lláh. “The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men.”

Both principles, unity and justice, are essential if international negotiations over things like carbon limits, emissions trading, the sharing of alternative technologies, and the elimination of poverty (which has a very real effect on greenhouse gas production, as when the poor are impelled to burn down forests to create farmland) are to succeed.

Once such principles are firmly adopted at the highest levels, it will be easier to motivate ordinary citizens at the lowest levels — who in many places are already at the forefront of action — to make whatever further changes that may be required in their own lives to ameliorate global warming.

Another key principle of the Bahá’í writings that can broadly illuminate new directions in addressing climate change is the understanding that science and spirituality are not antagonistic but, in fact, are complementary in their descriptions of reality.

Too often, of course, advancing technology has been the cause of unintended pollution or social harm. “If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation,” warned Bahá’u’lláh. On the other hand, traditional religion has too often delayed or hindered the adoption of new ideas and technologies that could be of benefit.

Bahá’ís believe that once a human-oriented basis for scientific endeavor has been established, built first and foremost upon the principles of unity and justice, the possibilities for fruitful scientific endeavor are limitless. In the case of climate change, Bahá’ís have no that doubt that science, animated by such values, could lead to the creation and adoption of such technologies and alternative economic structures that will permit a high and sustained level of global prosperity in which everyone can lead materially and spiritually satisfying lives.

Bahá’u’lláh warned that humanity would face an increasing number of severe and unprecedented calamities until it recognized and fully embraced its underlying unity. The threat posed by global warming offers yet another opportunity to discover within ourselves the fundamental reality upon which the peace, security and well being of the entire planet depend.

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Coretta Scott King (1927-2006)"Mrs. King was the embodiment of dignity and nobility, and a true model of the ideals espoused by her husband.

"She lived a tragic and heroic life: Tragic, because she lost her husband, carried on his legacy almost single-handedly and raised her kids alone. Heroic, in that she became recognized as a leader in her own right, which is a testament to her strength of spirit and her commitment to the fundamentals of human rights."
-- Robert C. Henderson

Dr. Henderson is secretary-general of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, the elected governing body of the U.S. Baha'i community. He served as a Commissioner on the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.

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