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Baha'i faith: The emergence of a world community in Nepal
By David Gestoso

Some regard it as the cutting edge in the organisation of human society. Others discard it as a sect. In a few countries it is considered a threat: its followers - mercilessly persecuted and discriminated against.
The Baha'i faith is a monotheistic religion and is considered to be the youngest of the independent religions of the world. It was founded in 1863 in Persia by Mirza Husain Ali, who later became known as Baha'u'llah, which, in Arabic, means 'glory of god'.

Baha'u'llah had been a leader in the Babist movement, which was started by a young Iranian who called himself the Bab. The Bab declared that a new divine messenger, following the line of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohamed would soon appear.

This proclamation was a challenge to the Muslim state in which he lived, and, ultimately led to his arrest. After the Bab's execution, Baha'u'llah was imprisoned in Tehran- where he experienced divine revelations- and wrote letters and books outlining his ideas for human harmony.

After his release, he begun a life in exile, and declared himself to be the new messenger of god- hence- the Baha'i faith was born. The core message of Baha'u'llahs teachings is that humanity is a single race, and that the moment has come for its unification in a global society, breaking the traditional barriers of race, gender, social class, creed and nation.

The religion is practised in most parts of the world, and of the approximately five million members claimed worldwide by the Baha'i authorities, seven to eight thousand live in Nepal - a relatively small figure in a country where the overwhelming majority of the population is Hindu and Buddhist.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is in Nepal is located in Shantinagar, Kathmandu. The two-storey building is surrounded by clean and well-kept gardens, and people from all faiths are welcome to visit.

As I entered the gates of the Baha'i Spiritual Assembly, I was led to the first floor of the building and invited to sit in one of the meeting rooms. An air of serenity filled the place.

It was large and tastefully decorated with bamboo furniture, white cushions and a white carpet, sported on the walls were pictures of the Baha'i Universal House of Justice, which is the world governing body and the epicentre of the Baha'i faith, in Haifa, Israel.

Just as I was flicking through some of the books on Baha'i teachings, Larry Robertson, Chairman of the centre, entered the room and greeted me with a smile and an amiable handshake.

Mr Robertson, aged 59, lives in Kathmandu with his Nepali wife. He first came to Nepal in 1973 after gaining a civil engineering degree in his native America, to work as a peace-corps volunteer, and fell in love with the country.

He wasn't a Baha'i when he first came to the Nepal but admits that the experience he gained during that time in the country played a pivotal role when choosing his spiritual path.

"I was a Christian when I first came to Nepal," he explains, "but mingling with people from other faiths gave me a different perspective on religion."

Mr Robertson believes their faith is well-established in Nepalese society and he also assures me that no discrimination has been shown against their members, although things were different in the past.

"Before 1990, Nepal had very strict laws about teaching other faiths, so we had to teach on a very personal basis and we couldn't run any activities."

"It was more individual, Baha'is telling other people, but after our temple was built in India, people became more aware about our faith."

"Some people dismiss our faith, accusing us of being a sect of Islam, but it is not true," he protests, "the same way, you can't say that Christianity is a sect of Judaism."

"One of the amazing things is that Nepalese people are very responsive. They pick up things fairly easy and they are now responding to the Baha'i faith."

However, he points out that despite being registered with the government, religious minorities in Nepal still encounter many hurdles to have their faiths recognised by the Nepalese authorities, often having to register as NGOs.

"At the moment, the only way to register, is as an NGO, not as a religious rganization, and that is one of the issues we're raising with the government for the new constitution."

As in any other religion, an important part of the Baha'i faith is to spread their message and to educate. This is mainly done via a process of reflection, planning and action.

Education takes a central role for the Baha'is and it is highly encouraged for everybody from a very young age, says Mr Robertson.
"We have devotional meetings where we invite friends and neighbours, and we organise children classes on moral education."

"We also have junior activities, it helps them develop a sense of who they are, to think more critically and to judge on whether things are right or wrong. It helps them to work on these issues as they reach puberty."

"For 15-year-olds and above, we have study circles - designed to develop our human resources."

Arguably, one of the most painful issues for the Baha'is, is the increasing discrimination and human rights violations they've been subjected to over the years at the hands of the theocratic regime in Iran, the birthplace of their faith.

A recent report published by the committee for the promotion and protection of human rights of the United Nations, expresses its deep concerns at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in particular, attacks against Baha'is.

According to this report, there is increasing evidence of efforts by the state to identify, monitor and arbitrarily detain Baha'is, prevent members of the Baha'i faith from attending university and from sustaining themselves economically.

When I asked Mr Robertson for his opinion about the current situation on the Baha'is in Iran, he paused for a moment, held his palms aloft, and replied:" the Iranian government banned the administrative order, so we can't have priests."

"It is a very sensitive issue, and the Universal House of Justice is looking at it very closely. Many governments have voiced their concerns: the Netherlands, the UK and certainly the US."

"Every year the issue of human rights comes up in the UN, and the Baha'is is one of the groups mentioned as being persecuted for their religious faith. Seven Baha'i leaders were detained last year and faced serious charges without adequate or timely access to legal representation."

"Nepal used to vote against the UN resolution on the human rights situation in Iran, but we managed to convince the Nepalese government at least not to vote, just to abstain from it, and we're very thankful to them for that."

"But, you know, situations can change very quickly. Right now, the Nepalese and Iranian governments are working on a bilateral treaty of non-visas for nationals of both countries, so you never really know what might happen."

Mr Robertson's conversion from Christianity to the Baha'i faith is not an isolated case, but part of a wider trend.

Religion and philosophy, both, Eastern and Western, have never been more accessible to us than in our current global society, and, many people, who become disillusioned with their way of life, are embarking on a spiritual journey, seeking practical guidelines for a better form of living.

One such spiritual transformation happened to a Nepali, who became disenchanted with certain aspects of Hinduism, and converted to the Baha'i faith.

Mr Dhirga Vikram Shah assures me that his life has taken a positive turn after becoming a Baha'i. He is now the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is in Nepal.
The soft-spoken 58-year-old, converted to the Baha'i faith 25 years ago, he recalls:" I first heard about the Baha'i faith when I was working at the Ministry of Education. An American named David Walker, was at the time, the advisor for the Adult Education Program, he gave me the books, and searching for the truth, I became a Baha'i."

"My life has changed a lot," he adds, "before, as a Hindu, I used to drink, now as a Baha'i I don't. Before I was involved in politics, but now I'm not."

Baha'is are not allowed to become involved in politics as it is divisive, and anything that divides people, they have to stay away from.

"I follow the Baha'i principles: honesty, sincerity and truthfulness. I work towards the peace and unity of humankind."

"Also, in Nepal, there's a caste system, but I think we're all from the same root. I don't like the caste system. You see, God created us without a caste system, we're all from the same family," Mr Dirga smiles shyly.

The Nepalese constitution is about to be written, and religious and ethnic minorities, regardless of their size, need a pledge from the Nepalese government, to have a fair and equal representation on the new constitution.

As Mr Robertson pointed out, the Baha'i faith is peacefully coexisting with the other major religions in the country, but perhaps, without the same recognition.

Freedom of thought and religion takes a long time to build, and it has to be promoted, and defended with all our strength against every challenge.

The writer can be reached at forzacelta@asia.com . nepalnews.com


Say: O peoples of the earth! Destroy the abodes of negligence with the hands of power and assurance, and raise up the mansions of true knowledge within your hearts, that the All-Merciful may shed the radiance of His light upon them. Better is this for you than all whereon the sun shineth, and unto this beareth witness He Who holdeth within His grasp the ultimate decree. The Breeze of God hath been wafted over the world at the advent of the Desired One in His great glory, whereupon every stone and clod of earth hath cried out: "The Promised One is come! The Kingdom is God's, the Mighty, the Gracious, the Forgiving."

Baha'u'llah
The Seven Valleys, p. 23

On Something More Astounding Than Winning a Grammy: Music with a message is well worth the investment of my lifetime.
February 3, 2010

I won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nope. Not the lottery. Not a Grammy. Not American Idol
. SOMETHING EVEN MORE ASTOUNDING!
At the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Public Awards Program Saturday night at City Council Chambers I was awarded the 2010 Baha'i Unity of Humanity Award! Without warning me first, Dottie Henderson of Unity Church had written a glowing nomination for me, and she was so eloquent that the committee couldn't resist! I've read over the nomination, and Dottie seems to have the idea that I write songs about peace, personal growth, and social justice and then live my life like I believe my own songs! (Probably a dangerous thing sometimes!) I was so HONORED. Thank you so much, Dottie, for recognizing that there really IS some method to my madness! And yes, I truly do believe that music is magic. Music is medicine. Music can work miracles. And music CAN help us remake the world. Moreover--music with a message and peacemaking with music is well worth the investment of my lifetime.

http://www.danaclarkmusic.com/
Church music director receives award Dana Clark, music director at Unity Church of San Antonio, was awarded the 2010 Baha’i Unity of Humanity Award by the San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission last month.
Dottie Henderson, who nominated Clark for the award, wrote to the city commission: “Clark is in service to humanity and the world through a ministry of music as a singer, songwriter, musician, poet, music teacher and writer. A review of her work consistently presents themes of unity, harmony and oneness in the world, healing differences, and treating everyone with dignity and respect.”
Clark founded the San Antonio Peace Choir in 2006 and is co-founder of the Lewis and Clark Musical Expedition band,

Among some of the nations of the Orient, music and harmony was not approved of, but the Manifested Light, Bah'u'llh, in this glorious period has revealed in Holy Tablets that singing and music are the spiritual food of the hearts and souls. In this dispensation, music is one of the arts that is highly approved and is considered to be the cause of the exaltation of sad and desponding hearts.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 377)

Iran’s Baha’is Deprived of all Human Rights
By Smile Rose
Fariba Davoudi-Mohajer
نشر موقع منتدى جوزار للديمقراطية وحقوق الانسان هذا المقال بقلم فاريبا مهاجر فى 25 يناير 2010 تناولت فيه الحقوق المسلوبة من البهائيين فى ايران
January 25th, 2010
Recent weeks have seen Iran’s Baha’i community come under maximum pressure. Twelve Baha’i citizens were arrested and nine Baha’is were sentenced to five-year prison terms and barred from exiting the country for ten years. These sentences were meted out to two Baha’is in Mashhad, Babak Rouhi and Ezzatollah Hamidian, while the seven Baha’i leaders arrested in June 2008 are also due to receive sentences shortly. These individuals are accused of “spying for Israel,” “blasphemy,” “propaganda against the system,” and “moral degeneration on earth.” <!–<if !supportLineBreakNewLine>–><!–<endif>–>
Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s spokesperson in Geneva, rejected these charges and stated that these individuals are neither spies nor have insulted Islam, and were arrested solely because of their religious beliefs. According to the International Covenant on Human Rights, no person may be arrested or harassed on this basis.
According to Article 13 of Iran’s constitution, the country’s officially recognized minority religions include only Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity, while Baha’ism is excluded. Yet this cannot justify the systematic harassment, imprisonment, torture, and civil rights violations of Baha’is.
Iranian state media broadcasts and prints negative propaganda against all non-Shiite religious minorities, especially Baha’is, Sufi Muslims, Christian Evangelists, and Sunnis. The Baha’i community, numbering 300,000 to 350,000, constitutes Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority.
The “blood price” of Baha’is is not equal to that of Muslims, and since their faith is not considered a religion, it is possible to spill their blood and avoid punishment. They are banned from freely performing their religious duties and from teaching their religion. Baha’is are strictly prohibited from working in government posts, the education system, and the armed forces.
The Islamic Republic regards Baha’is as a political sect. According to the Ministry of Justice, Baha’is can enroll at school on the condition that they refrain from identifying themselves as Baha’i. In 2007, a brief policy change allowed Baha’is to enroll in university. But soon the former policy was reinstated, whereby Baha’is must list themselves as non-Baha’i in order to register for the national university entrance exam. This poses a serious barrier to their opportunity for education, because one of the tenets of Baha’ism is that a Baha’i must never deny his/her religion. Roughly 128 Baha’i students were expelled from universities across the country in the 2006-2007 academic year. The order was issued by Asghar Zarehei, head of the central security department of the Ministry of Science and Technology, barring these students from studying in Iran ever again.
Baha’is are also excluded from social security coverage. They are prohibited from receiving financial reparations for physical injuries, blood price, and inheritance. Their marriage and divorce is not officially recognized, but the government accepts notary receipts in lieu of a marriage certificate. The government frequently rejects requests for issuing or extending work and business licenses for Baha’is, and constantly hassles them to “repent” from their faith, if only to escape these types of pressure!
In February 2009, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported that the General Prosecutor in a letter to the Ministry of Intelligence warned that Baha’is have widespread and strong ties with the “Zionist regime” <Israel> and that Baha’i followers are gathering intelligence and infiltrating the public with the aim of destroying <Muslim> beliefs.
When arrested, Baha’is are usually accused of violating articles 500 and 698 of the Islamic penal code – “acts against the establishment” and “publishing propaganda”, and sometimes even “moral degeneration on earth”.
June 18 is the anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha’i women who were executed in 1983 in Shiraz’s Adel Abad prison. Mona Mohammadnejad, the youngest of this group, was arrested and executed together with her father on charges of espionage.
The harassment of Baha’is extends even to the desecration of their cemeteries. For example, in January 2009, a cemetery in Ghaem Shahr <in northern Iran> was destroyed for the fourth time, when municipality officials bulldozed the cemetery overnight. The cemetery was known as the “Unbeliever’s Graveyard.” Anti-Baha’ism is rampantly seen in setting fire to or damaging cars, offices, and properties belonging to Baha’is.
Websites, blogs, and state media try to discredit Baha’is in public opinion. “Sarab Baha’i”<!–<if !supportFootnotes>–><1><!–<endif>–> is one of these blogs, which accuses Baha’is of involvement with counter-revolutionary systems under the guise of not being politically involved. The blog goes on to accuse Baha’is of ties with the U.S. and Israel and claims that during the Shah’s time, Baha’is infiltrated top government posts and used governmental funds to promote Baha’ism. Of course, no evidence is ever presented to back up these and other claims.
“Yousef Zahra” is another website set up to fight Baha’ism. The homepage of “Girls Against Baha’ism in Rafsanjan” asks viewers to report the identities and activities of any Baha’is living in the town of Rafsanjan. On the site, in an article entitled “Bahai’s Nighttime Meeting at Ovaisi’s Garden in Qom” writes: “On the eve of Ashura, Baha’is kidnapped a Muslim child and took it to this garden. Stamping their feet and cheering, they murdered the child and while drinking, they stuck the body’s child with the alcohol bottles.” The website obviously had not done the slightest bit of research about the Baha’i faith –for example, that drinking alcohol is banned in Baha’ism!
Kayhan, a hardliner daily, is also very active in this regard. In an article titled “Baha’is are not Iranian citizens,” Kayhan writes: “We have irrefutable evidence of <their> Zionist identity and the true role of the Baha’i Party as an Israeli group and the fifth column of Israel.” It goes on to say that following the arrests of members of this “party,” Ayatollah Khomeini wrote to Iranian officials of the time: “Baha’ism is not a religion; it is a party. A party formerly backed by Britain, and currently backed by the US. Baha’is are spies.”
The brief article above shows that Iranian Baha’is in Iran are not presented or treated as citizens and are deprived of basic human rights. Because of their religion, they have been made to endure various difficulties after the Islamic Revolution. Many of them have been executed. The Islamic Republic’s actions against Baha’is has constituted a blatant violation of their rights. Perhaps if a warning bell is not sounded in their defense, we will witness countless more atrocities committed against this minority in Iran.
Persian:
http://www.gozaar.org/template1.php?id=1416&la...
English:
http://www.gozaar.org/template1.php?id=1416&la...


O people of Justice! Be as brilliant as the light, and as splendid as the fire that blazed in the Burning Bush. The brightness of the fire of your love will no doubt fuse and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth, whilst the fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result in strife and ruin. We beseech God that He may shield His creatures from the evil designs of His enemies. He verily hath power over all things.

Baha'u'llah
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 122

On Avatar Snubbed: But not for long
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2010


Re: Avatar completely snubbed at the SAG awards
by JMCompt Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:44 am. The SAG awards is by and for Screen Actors, right? It is focused on their own assessment of the performances. I have no doubt that many of the Guild-members felt there was not enough actual screen-time for the actors and actresses to warrant the receipt of an award. Out of curiosity, how many actual animated films have resulted in SAG awards for their talent?
Also, just because you might not have heard about something does not mean that it has little to no validity. How many people here have heard about the Baha'i? I didn't really know anything about China outside of Kung-Fu flicks 10 years ago, and I only recently learned about the art of Bento. I am so very thankful learning is a lifelong task.
Sooner or later Avatar the movie will get its just due, just as Baha'u'llah, the Avatar of this age, will come to be recognized by the masses of humanity. -gw

Bahۡ'u'llh - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Later, `Abdu'l-Bah stated that Bahᡡ'u'llh was the Kalki avatar, who in the classical Hindu Vaishnavas tradition is the tenth and final avatar (great ...

See Phillipe Copeland's blog post: http://www.bahaithought.com/2009/12/avatar-some-in...



The spiritual light of the world has risen again from the eastern horizon. The night is finished; the day is come and the first rays of the dawn are destroying the shadows, dispersing the clouds, making the plants to grow, the trees to become verdant and ornamenting the flower-beds with roses. The sun of reality hath reappeared with tremendous power and soon the light of BAHA'U'LLAH will be diffused throughout the world. See how the light of Christ's shining star took three hundred years to shed its rays on the world, whereas the light of BAHA'U'LLAH has permeated all regions in less than half a century. His cause has been spread in every country and the mention of BAHA'U'LLAH made in every tongue. In nearly every country there is an assembly of friends from Teheran to Paris, to San Francisco, to Japan. This is a different age and light is spreading with great rapidity.

Abdu'l-Baha
Divine Philosophy, p. 80