From: towfiq@Microdyne.COM (Mark Towfiq)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.bahai
Subject: Latest Baha'i International News (#275)
Date: 9 Sep 92 16:10:09 GMT
Reply-To: towfiq@Microdyne.COM
Organization: Microdyne Corporation, Westford, MA

[The Baha'i Internaional News Service (BINS) is composed of reports
from Baha'is around the world and is published about every two weeks.
If the moderators receive positive feedback on posting it, it will be
made a regular feature of soc.religion.bahai.--mmt]

No. 275								31 July  1992
				      
		  The following news items are relayed from
		 reports received at the Baha'i World Centre
				      
		   BAHA'I   INTERNATIONAL   NEWS   SERVICE

BAHA'I INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Baha'i Delegation Attends U.N. Session on the Status of Women

    A delegation from the Baha'i International Community attended the 36th
session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women held in
Vienna from 11 to 20 March.  Mary Power, of the BIC office in New York,
headed the delegation which also included Liesbeth Bos and Giovanni Ballerio
of the BIC office in Geneva, Bahia Ettehadieh from Vienna, and Alesebu Gebre
Selassie, consultant to the BIC office in New York.

    "Although the Commission's main interest this year was to discuss and
make decisions about the Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in 1995,
intensive debate took place and resolutions were passed on a number of other
issues, including women in decision-making, violence against women, the
integration of elderly women into the development process, and the
advancement of women and human rights.

    "The BIC was one of only two nongovernmental organizations to speak on
the status of female children.  The chairman of the Commission stated that
the importance of that issue merited an office on the status of female
children at the Division for the Advancement of Women."  A forum for
non-governmental organizations will be held parallel to the World Conference
on Women in 1995. Mary Power is on the planning committee for this forum.

 [Report from The American Baha'i for 24 June]
 
BELIZE

Seminar Held on Teaching the Faith Among the Mayan People

    On 17 May, Baha'is from Toledo District gathered to learn from Mayan
Baha'is about Mayan culture, and how the healing Message of Baha'u'llah can
"assist the Mayan people to achieve the spiritual destiny mentioned by
Abdu'l-Baha for the indigenous peoples of the Americas."  The Local Spiritual
Assembly of the Baha'is of Punta Gorda sponsored the meeting which was
attended by Auxiliary Board members Rezvan Ahmadiyeh and C. James Elijio, as
well as by members of the National Teaching Committee.

    The guest speaker was Thomas Teul, Public Health Inspector for Toledo
District.  He gave an overview of Mayan culture and development, and spoke of
the present concerns of the Mayans.  People want spiritual guidance but not
more division, he said, and the people, their chosen leaders, and their
traditions and beliefs must be respected.  Other speakers pointed out that
Baha'u'llah's Message came to elevate all races, not to divide them; and that
Baha'is can also learn a great deal from the Mayan people.  As the indigenous
races of the Americas have an important role to play in the development of
the Faith, it is important that the Faith be given to them with "a special
measure of love".  Attention was drawn to the need to consult with the
relevant authorities, including both Baha'i institutions and traditional
leaders, before individuals go to teach in Mayan villages.

  [Report from the "Nineteen Day Feast Letter for 5 June]
 
CISKEI

Over Two Hundred Embrace the Faith During First Year of Teaching Project

   More than 200 people have embraced the Faith in Ciskei since the Rose
Gates Teaching Project was launched by the National Teaching Committee in
July 1991.  This extraordinary development represents unprecedented growth in
the national Baha'i community.

    The community of Peelton had 54 enrolments, the highest number recorded
for any one community.  The communities of Bisho and Balasi each recorded 26
new Baha'is.  Other communities recording significant numbers of people
joining were Burnshill (18), Mdantsane (16), Phakamisa(17), Whittlesea (12),
and Zwelitsha (13).  The majority of enrolments were realised through a
programme of full-time travelling teachers initiated by the National Teaching
Committee. Teachers from Ciskei were joined by others from the United States,
South Africa, Transkei, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Daily teaching efforts began in
August 1991 and have carried on at one level or another since that time.

    A number of the new Baha'is have joined in the teaching work and "a new
spirit of dedication, sacrifice, and commitment is permeating the region".
The National Teaching Committee has made a proposal to the National Assembly
about consolidation of the new believers and their communities.

  [Report from "The Baha'i Star", April]
 
HONG KONG

One Hundred and Fifty Baha'is and Guests Attend Commemoration Event

    Nearly 150 people from all walks of life went to the City Hall Theatre on
28 May for the commemoration of the Centenary of the Ascension of
Baha'u'llah.  The audience of Baha'is and guests -- Asians and Westerners,
young and old -- all appreciated the programme of prayers, music,
inspirational talks, and an informative slide show.  Moderated by Laurence
Ip, the programme featured speakers including Roxanne Terrel of the School of
the Nations in Macau, Dr. Michael Bond of the Chinese University, and Craig
Quick of Metro Broadcasting who narrated the slide show.  Shirley Chow sang a
new musical piece on a Baha'i theme in both Chinese and English.  The piece
had been written by Andrew Kung and arranged and produced by Noel Quinlan.
Four Baha'i children read prayers to open and close the evening.

    Finally, a rose, to symbolize the love of Baha'u'llah, was handed to each
member of the audience before they left the auditorium to enjoy refreshments
in the foyer.  "It was a fitting end to an evening full of love and good
spirit."

  [Report from "Baha'i News Hong Kong for 5 June]
 
LAOS

Atmosphere of Commemoration Meeting "Like Being in His Holy Presence"

    "The hall was enveloped with His Power and Glory, the atmosphere was like
being in His Holy Presence and just before the awaited moment came to stand
up for the Visitation Prayer, a strong breeze blew, passing through the
Centre, and it began to rain gently.  In Lao custom, [that] was a good sign,
a 'Blessing from Heaven'."  This commemoration meeting took place in the
Baha'i Centre at Vientiane.  A few days before the event, the friends had
made a great effort to make their Centre look new and beautiful.  New
ceilings had been erected and special lighting installed.  Pictures of Holy
Places had been put in place, and roses were arranged around the photograph
of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah.  An exhibit of the Writings of Baha'u'llah was
also set up, with a pictorial presentation of the progress of the Cause
throughout the world.  Candles were burning throughout the night.

    Forty friends -- men, women, youth and children -- gathered "with love
and reverence, [their] hearts and souls turning to the Beloved."  The editor
of a national newspaper attended the commemoration.  His subsequent article
caused the Name of Baha'u'llah to be mentioned on the front page of a Lao
newspaper for the first time.

  [Report from the Spiritual Assembly received 30 June]
 
MALAYSIA

Children, Roses, and Candlelight Grace Observance Meetings

    The participation of children, and the presence of roses and candlelight
were common factors in the many events held throughout the country to
commemorate the Centenary of the Ascension of Baha'u'llah.  In Kuala Lumpur,
over 150 friends gathered at the National Centre on the night of 28-29 May
for the Centenary observance.  The main hall was filled with flowers, and
candles flickered on the wall at the front of the Centre.

    The night's programme included prayers, readings, talks on the
significance of the Day, and video clips of the visit of Abdu'l-Baha to
America.  Towards 3:00 a.m., the friends were anointed with attar of roses as
they filed into the main hall for the chanting of the Tablet of Visitation.
The programme continued through the early hours of the morning, and at 9:00
a.m. the friends rose again to chant the Tablet of Visitation to coincide
with the exact time the observances were being held at Bahji.  In Kampong
Chang, a village of the Aslis (aborigines), the observance of the Centenary
of the Ascension of Baha'u'llah and the dedication of the new Baha'i Centre
were carried out simultaneously on 28-29 May.  Approximately 150 Asli
believers from seven villages were present with their children for the
historic occasion. Auxiliary Board member Tan Boon Tin also attended.

    The occasion was commemorated by all of the villagers, who expressed
their reverence with flowers, prayers, and songs.  A slide programme on the
Life of Baha'u'llah was shown for them.

    Prayers were read at 3:00 a.m., followed by each believer placing a
flower in front of a photograph of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah.  As each Baha'i
stepped forward, "Allah'u'Abha" was sung by all present.  In Kuantan, 100
candles were arranged amongst roses in a semi-circle in front of a photograph
of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah.  About 20 minutes before 3:00 a.m., children
with candles in their hands stood in a row and chanted.  From 3:00 a.m., the
adults took turns saying prayers.

    In Palau Pinang, 65 friends gathered for the occasion.  Each was given a
card bearing the obligatory prayer on the front, and things to do on becoming
a Baha'i on the other side.  A large arrangement of roses was set in front of
a slide of the Shrine of Baha'u'llah which was projected onto a screen.
Candles flickered beside the roses.  At midnight, prayers were read to start
the programme.

    The junior youth took turns in telling stories about the Life of
Baha'u'llah, including some about the Most Great Prison and the garden of
Ridvan.  Slides were shown on the sufferings of Baha'u'llah and of the Holy
Land.  The Tablet of Visitation was read at 3:00 a.m. and at 9:00 a.m.  As
part of the commemoration, the friends planted the first of 100 trees pledged
by the Pulau Pinang Baha'i community for this year in memory of the Words
uttered by Baha'u'llah: "I have not gazed on verdure for nine years.  The
country is the world of the soul, the city is the world of bodies".

  [Reports from "Baha'i National News Service -- Malaysia for June, and
through the Spiritual Assembly received 20 July]
 
MARIANA ISLANDS

Baha'is Take Part in Earth Week Activities

    The Baha'i Women's Association of Guam participated in local Earth Week
activities by preparing a display which was "creative and unique in style".
It was placed in Micronesian Mall from 18 to 24 April and attracted a good
number of visitors.

    On Saturday, 18 April, volunteers distributed about 100 copies of the
Baha'i Statement on Nature, an information pamphlet about the Baha'i Office
of the Environment, and the Universal Code of the Environment.  The Baha'i
Women's Association had received 280 seedlings from the Department of
Agriculture, and these were given to children and adults as a symbol of the
earth's regeneration. Bruce Warner, a Baha'i child from Inarajan, Guam,
worked hard to distribute these seedlings.  He attracted many visitors to the
Baha'i display with his smiles and sweet manner.

    The evening the display was being mounted in the Mall, many of the Earth
Week organizers stopped at the Baha'i display, read the quotations from the
Baha'i Writings which were part of the display, and asked questions.  The
display was also shown on Cable News and briefly on KUAM News.

  [Report from Marianas Baha'i News Bulletin for 8 June]
 
NETHERLANDS

Youth from Fifteen Countries Gather for Conference

    Approximately 150 youth gathered at De Poort Conference Centre for the
Benelux Youth Conference in July. Participants came from Austria, Belgium,
Brazil, China, Czechoslovakia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the
Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Counsellor Foad Kazemzadeh also attended.  The friends discussed the
Centenary events in the Holy Land, and deepened on various aspects of the
Faith.  They also shared their past experiences, and discussed ideas about
future teaching activities to be carried out throughout Europe.

    There was a very positive response from the youth to participate in the
teaching projects throughout Europe organized by the European Baha'i Youth
Council.

  [Report from the youth gathered at the Conference received 23 July]
 
PHILIPPINES

Concert Draws Attention to Need to Protect the Environment

    More than 300 people attended "One with Nature -- A Concert Tribute to
Mother Earth", organised by the Baha'i Committee on Environment, and held at
the Melvin Jones Grandstand in Baguio City on 21 April.  The Committee on
Environment was formed recently by the Local Spiritual Assembly of Baguio
City to coordinate the Baha'i community's efforts to draw attention to the
immediate need to restore and preserve the environment.  Concert co-sponsors
included the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippines
Information Agency, and the National Parks Development Council.  Performing
with the Baha'i artists at the concert were a number of local professional
bands who offered their services free of charge.  Prior to the concert, the
Committee hosted a luncheon at which Orlando Maddela, Jr., a member of the
National Assembly and a representative of the Regional Office of the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, presented the Baha'i view on
ecology.  After the concert, many individuals and groups praised the Baha'is
and pledged to support the Committee's forthcoming activities.

    The concert was shown on local cable television on the following day.

  [Report from an individual received 23 July]
 
SWEDEN

Ridvan Message Gives Direction To Summer School Participants

    "The heart of Sweden, Vemdalen, has been warmed by the 207 friends
gathered at the 1992 summer school", which was held from 5 to 11 July.  The
Ridvan Message of the Universal House of Justice "permeated our studies and
consultations... and gave direction to resulting plans and personal
resolutions".

    Counsellor Polin Rafat and Marion Hofman "gave new dimensions to our
understanding of the Covenant, as well as other subjects", report the
participants.  And, Auxiliary Board members Hans Ohman and Berit Bergstrom
"ignited and encouraged the friends to achieve greater heights in teaching
the Faith."

    "The delight of the school has been the children and youth.  Numbering
65, they participated in very well-organized classes.  The older children and
youth entertained the school on several occasions with song, music and
theatre."

    The youth from 13 to 21 years of age, under the direction of the
Auxiliary Board members, spearheaded a teaching campaign in the nearby goal
town of Ostersund.  The teaching work was helped by reports about the school
in the local newspaper and on the local radio.  "This summer school has left
an indelible mark in our development," it was reported.  "The friends are
aware of a new receptivity in Sweden and the opportunities that this gives
us."

  [Report from participants in the summer school received 16 July]
 
TAIWAN

Wonderful Spirit" at Centenary Public Meeting and Press Conference

    On the afternoon of 4 July, the Local Spiritual Assembly of Taipei held a
public meeting and press conference in Taipei Teacher's House on the theme
"The Centenary of the Passing of Baha'u'llah".  Almost 50 Baha'is, contacts,
and news reporters attended the event, at which "the spirit was wonderful."

    "This historic moment of mankind's spiritual development was shared with
all participants through talks and slides."

  [Report from the "Nineteen Day Feast Letter for 13 July]
   
UKRAINE, BIELARUS AND MOLDOVA

Baha'i Health Care Professionals Carry Healing Spiritual Message

    The Health Care Professionals Project, which took place in the Ukraine
and Moldova from 16 to 29 May, offered "multiple opportunities to relate the
healing spiritual message [of Baha'u'llah] to the physical and mental
well-being of all peoples."  The group -- all women -- visited Kiev and
Kishinev.  "Because we had a professional focus we were able to address many
professional audiences with a common interest."  Pam Ruby, an enterostomal
therapist from Texas, spoke to several medical audiences and visited medical
facilities.  She also presented a slide show at the Hospital for Mothers and
Children in Kishinev.  Dr. Mahin Pouryaghma, a family counsellor, gave
classes at the Kiev Psychological Institute for two days.  She not only
presented workshops, but also showed how unity of the family only occurs when
all family members are active in the healing process. Dr.  Pouryaghma
focussed on the processes of consultation, active listening, and respecting
the diversity of each family member.  Frances Mezei, from Ontario, works at
the Canadian Hearing Society co-ordinating and teaching lip reading and
communication classes.  She spoke to the Deaf Society in both Kiev and
Kishinev.  Paula Drewek, a humanities professor from Michigan, and Kathy
Bishop, an educator from Tennessee, were also involved in the Project.  In
Kishinev, Kathy Bishop and Lynda Godwin, the tour's organizer, gave a talk at
the Institute of Economics which was attended by 20 students.  After a
discussion of global economic problems, they concentrated on the spiritual
aspects of economics and subsequently spoke directly about the Baha'i Faith.
"Not only were the students attentive," Mrs. Godwin reports, "but they leaned
forward and drank in the ideas we were presenting.  When the bell rang at the
end of the 90-minute class, no one moved from their seat".  The students were
invited to come to the Baha'i Centre that evening to continue the discussion,
and many of them did attend.

    While in Kishinev, the Baha'i group also went to the newly opened
American Embassy and presented a copy of "The Promise of World Peace"
to the officials.  "They were very gracious to us and welcomed us as
their first delegation since opening."

    The tour ended in Moscow, where the group met in a small cabin of a ship
that serves as a hotel.  They said prayers and read the Writings to
commemorate the Centenary of the Passing of Baha'u'llah.

  [Report from an individual received 7 July]
 
UNITED STATES

House of Representatives Calls for "Emancipation" of Iran's Baha'is

    On 2 June, the United States House of Representatives approved a strongly
worded resolution which urges the Government of Iran to "emancipate" the
Baha'i community in their country.  At the same time, members of Congress
condemned the recent execution of Bahman Samandari, who was summarily put to
death in Tehran's Evin Prison shortly before the recent parliamentary
elections in Iran.

    The Congressional resolution emphasised that "the United States regards
Iran's human rights practices, particularly its treatment of the Baha'i
community and other religious minorities, as a significant element" in any
developing relations with Iran.

    More than 80 members of Congress co-sponsored the resolution, which was
introduced by Representatives Wayne Owens of Utah and Ben Gilman of New York.

  [Report from "The American Baha'i for 24 June]
  
                             NEWS BRIEFS

SWAZILAND TELEVISION NEWS INTERVIEWS BAHA'IS RETURNING FROM HOLY LAND EVENT

     On their return from the Centenary commemorations in the Holy Land, two
of the country's 18 delegates were interviewed by Swaziland Television.  Dale
Allen, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Gladys Fletcher, an
Auxiliary Board member, answered questions about the Faith and the
commemoration.  The interviews were shown as part of the news bulletins in
both English and Siswati.

NEW LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY FORMED IN RUSSIA

     The Local Spiritual Assembly of Vladivostok was formed on 21 July
following a two-week teaching and consolidation programme under the auspices
of the Marion Jack Project.
 
THAI SUMMER SCHOOL PARTICIPANTS ACHIEVE GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HOLY
YEAR

     Twenty-seven believers from 11 communities, including three members of
the National Spiritual Assembly, two Auxiliary Board members, and several
friends from Malaysia, attended a five-day summer school in Hat Yai in July.
The theme of the school was "The Covenant in Action", and sessions were
conducted on the Ridvan message, Huququ'llah, the Fund, hospitality, public
speaking, teaching, and the power of the Holy Word.  In an intimate and happy
atmosphere, the friends gained a greater depth of understanding of the Holy
Year.

NIGERIAN FRIENDS ORGANIZE ESSAY COMPETITION ON RELIGIOUS UNITY

     As one of the activities held to mark the Centenary of the Ascension of
Baha'u'llah, the Baha'is of Ibadan/Idi-Ose organized an essay content on the
topic, "The Importance of Unity of Religion in My Culture".  The winner, a
irst-year medical student, was presented with copies of "The Promise of
World Peace" and the Statement of Baha'u'llah, and a cash prize.  The books
were also presented to all guests at the award ceremony, including the editor
of the Nigerian Tribune.
 
BAHA'IS PARTICIPATE IN SIBERIAN CONFERENCE ON "CULTURE-RELIGION-CHURCH"

     The Baha'is of Novosibirsk played an active part in a recent conference
on "Culture-Religion-Church" which was held in their city.  A paper by a
Baha'i on the arts and the Baha'i Faith was read, after which participants
asked many questions about the Faith.  During a concert held as part of the
event, a composition by Vladimir Ponomarjov, based on The Hidden Words, was
performed.