Whether peace is to be reached only after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity's stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will, is the choice before all who inhabit the earth.
The Bahá'í community believes that humanity can confront this supreme trial with confidence in its ultimate outcome.
Hi, My name is Walter Heath. My CD is"soul" music, which brings joy to sad and despondent hearts, but also enhances the happiness, peace,and joy many already enjoy. Titled "Praise His Name", some of the songs use words that are direct quotes from the Baha'i Writings. However, those songs are universal in their praise of God, so their appeal is to everyone.
The hope that drives my music is to provide food for the soul and spirit. By using the Baha'i Writings as inspiration, I attempt to be a service to mankind by composing songs that champion the oneness of God, the oneness of religions, and the oneness of humanity.The end result of this is to foster unity among all people.
Amnesty International has launched an action for Naw Ruz, which requests
its members to send a card to seven prisoners of conscience. Seven is in fact a group,
the former Friends in Iran
Seven Baha'is
Seven leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community are currently on trial on serious, but baseless, charges that could lead to the imposition of the death penalty. Although they have done nothing more than peacefully practice their religion, they have been charged with spying for Israel, for “insulting religious sanctities,” with “propaganda against the system” and with being “mofsed fil arz” or “corruption on earth.” They have denied all charges.
The seven include two women, Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet, and five men: Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaei, Behrouz Tavakkoli and Vahid Tizfahm. All are leading members of a group responsible for the Baha’i community’s religious and administrative affairs. Mahvash Sabet who acted as the group’s secretary, was arrested on 5 March 2008. The others were arrested on 14 May 2008. All seven are held in Section 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran, which is run by the Ministry of Intelligence. They have only been allowed very limited access to their lawyers while they have been in custody.
The first session of their trial—which had been repeatedly postponed—finally began before a Revolutionary Court in Tehran on 12 January 2010. Their next court date is scheduled for 10 April. Amnesty International has repeatedly criticized proceedings held in Iran’s Revolutionary Courts for their failure to adhere to international standards for fair trials. In fact, the authorities attempted to bar the Baha’is’ lawyers from the courtroom on 12 January and only allowed them access after they insisted upon entering.
You can send Nowruz greetings to the seven Baha’is to:
Baha’i International Community 15 route des Morillons
1218 Grand Saconnex Switzerland
To mark the Persian spring holiday of Nowrouz, Amnesty International has launched a campaign to send messages of goodwill to prisoners of conscience in Iran.
The seven cases selected by Amnesty International mirror the “Haft Sin” (seven “s”s) traditionally placed on a Nowrouz table.
The 14 individuals in the seven cases have all been identified as being “at risk”. Many have been sentenced to long prison terms for their beliefs or peaceful activism and several are in poor health.
Trade union leader Mansour Ossanlu is serving a five-year prison sentence for “acts against national security” in connection with his peaceful trade union activities.
Ronak Safarzadeh, an Iranian-Kurdish graphic artist and women’s rights activist, is serving a prison sentence of six years and seven months.
Prominent journalist Emadeddin Baghi, the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for human rights defenders, was arrested on 28 December 2009 after protests marking the Shi’a religious festival of Ashoura. He is detained without charge or trial.
Seven leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community are currently on trial on serious, but baseless, charges including espionage for Israel and propaganda against the system that could lead to the imposition of the death penalty.
Human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari was arrested on 20 December 2009 and has since told her family she has been transferred to a “cage-like” solitary confinement cell where she cannot move her arms or legs. This is her second arrest since the disputed presidential election of 2009.
Brothers Kamiar Alaei and Arash Alaei, doctors specializing in the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS, were sentenced in January 2009 to six and three years in jail respectively for plotting to overthrow the Iranian government after an unfair trial in spite of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declaring their detention arbitrary.
Academic and social scientist Kian Tajbakhsh is serving five years in jail on politically-motivated charges including espionage, co-operation with an enemy government, and acting against national security.
This song was written by two Bahai youth from Canada, JC and Karim, in response to recent events in Haiti.
www.bahai.org
The Baha'i community looks upon the natural world as a unified system in which all beings are connected together whether they are plants, animals or microbes. Cooperation and reciprocity are seen as essential attributes of coexistence in nature. Change is natural and continual in all life but disruptive and powerful change caused by human greed, reckless behaviour and ruthless consumption patterns does not give nature time to adapt.
Baha'i writings illustrate the concept of interconnectedness of nature: "Although outwardly cataclysms are hard to understand and to endure, yet there lies a great wisdom behind them which appears later. All the visible material events are inter-related with invisible spiritual forces. The infinite phenomena of creation are as interdependent as the links of a chain. When certain links become rusty, they are broken by unseen forces, to be replaced by newer and better ones. There are certain colossal events which transpire in the world of humanity which are required by the nature of the times".
The heartbreaking tragedy that has befallen the nation of Haiti has stirred the world with compassion and prompted an outpouring of support. Governments and international humanitarian agencies are mounting an urgent and complex relief operation to provide much-needed food, water, medical supplies and other life-saving interventions to the millions who have been affected by the earthquake.
Our care and concern encompasses the entire nation of Haiti, both in its hour of dire need and in the coming months and years of long-term reconstruction. While such devastating natural disasters fill us with feelings of awe and consternation, we find hope in the thought that through these tests, humanity is brought closer together. The Baha'i writings on suffering and tests state: "... When such a crisis sweeps over the world no person should hope to remain intact. We belong to an organic unit and when one part of the organism suffers all the rest of the body will feel its consequence. This is in fact the reason why Baha'u'llah calls our attention to the unity of mankind. But as Bahá'ís we should not let such hardship weaken our hope in the future... "
The Terraces of the Bahá'í Faith, also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haifa, are garden terraces around the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel within Haifa, Israel. Described as the Eighth Wonder of the World, they are one of the most visited tourist attractions in Israel.
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind.
Throughout history, God has revealed Himself to humanity through a series of divine Messengers, whose teachings guide and educate us and provide the basis for the advancement of human society. These Messengers have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Their religions come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.
Baháulláh, the latest of these Messengers, brought new spiritual and social teachings for our time. His essential message is of unity. He taught the oneness of God, the oneness of the human family, and the oneness of religion.
Bahá'u'lláh said, The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens, and that, as foretold in all the sacred scriptures of the past, now is the time for humanity to live in unity.
ينتشر البهائيون اليوم في أكثر من مئتين وخمسة وثلاثين بلداً، وهم يمثّـلون أصولاً دينية مختلفة وينتمون إلى أجناس وأعراق وشعوب وقبائل وجنسيات متعددة. أما الدين البهائي فمعترف به رسمياً في العديد من الدول، ومُمثّـل تمثيلاً غير حكومي في هيئة الأمم المتحدة والأوساط الدولية العلمية والاقتصادية.
والبهائيون على اختلاف أصولهم يُصدِّقونَ بما بين أيديهم من الكتب السماوية، يؤمنون بالرسالات السابقة دونما تفريق، ويعتقدون بأن رسالة حضرة بهاء الله - أسوة بغيرها من الرسالات السماوية - لا تمثّـل سوى مرحلة من المراحل المتعاقبة للتطور الروحي الذي يخضع له المجتمع الإنساني.
إِنَّ الدين البهائي دين عالمي مستقل كل الاستقلال عن أي دين آخر. وهو ليس طريقة من الطرق الصوفية، ولا مزيجاً مقتبساً من مبادئ الأديان المختلفة أو شرائعها، كما إنَّه ليس شُعبة من شعب الدين الاسلامي أو المسيحي أو اليهودي. وليس هو إحياء لأي مذهب عقائدي قديم. بل للة. أما رسالته الحضارية الموجهة إلى هذا العصر فتتلخص في المبادئ الروحية والاجتماعية التي نصّ عليها لتحقيق نظام عالمي جديد يسوده السلام العام وتنصهر فيه أمم العالم وشعوبه في اتحاد يضمن لجميع أفراد الجنس البشري العدل والرفاهية والاستقرار ويُشيّد حضارة إنسانية دائمة التقدم في ظل هداية إِلهية مستمرة.دين البهائي كتبه المُنزلة، وشرائعه الخاصة، ونظمه الإدارية، وأماكنه المقدس
يحثّ الدين البهائي أتباعه على الإيمان بالله الواحد الذي لا شريك له، ويعترف بوحدة الرسل والأنبياء دون استثناء، ويؤكد وحدة الجنس البشري، ويفرض على كل مؤمنٍ التخلي عن كل لون من ألوان التعصب والخرافات، ويجزم بأن هدف كل دين هو إشاعة الألفة والوئام، ويعتبر اتفاق الدين والعلم أمراً جوهرياً وعاملاً من أهم العوامل التي تمنح المجتمع البشري السكينة والاطمئنان وتحمله على التقدم والعمران. ولعل من أهم المبادئ التي ينادي بها الدين البهائي مبدأ المساواة في الحقوق بين البشر بما في ذلك المساواة بين الرجل والمرأة، فضلاً عن مبدأ التعليم الإجباري وتوفير الإمكانات لخلق مناخ اجتماعي سليم، فيأمر أتباعه بإزالة الهوّة السحيقة بين الفقراء والأغنياء، ويقضي بعدم تعدد الزوجات، ويُقدّس الكيان العائلي معتبراً الأسرة أساس بناء المجتمع الإنساني الصالح. ويمنع الدين البهائي أتباعه من الاشتغال بالأمور السياسية والحزبية ويشجعهم على الولاء والصدق والصفاء في علاقاتهم مع حكوماتهم وعلى خدمة أوطانهم ورفع شأن مواطنيهم. ولا تَدَع الكتب البهائية مجالاً للشك في أن حضرة بهاء الله سنّ لأتباعه منهجاً للسلوك ونمطاً للتعامل الشريف، فأكد أنّ الحياة الخاصة للفرد مقياس دقيق لإيمانه، ففرض على أتباعه طهارة القول والفكر والعمل، عفّةً وأمانةً وصدقاً وولاءً ونزاهةً ونقاوةً وكرماً، وأمرهم بكل معروف، ونهاهم عن كل منكر. يقول حضرة بهاء الله:
"قل يا قوم دعوا الرذائل وخُذوا الفضائل، كونوا قدوةً حسنةً بين الناس، وصحيفةً يتذكّر بها الأُناس ... كونوا في الطرْف عفيفاً، وفي اليد أميناً، وفي اللسان صادقاً، وفي القلب متذكراً..."(١)
"كن في النعمة مُنفقاً، وفي فقدها شاكراً، وفي الحقوق أميناً ... وفي الوعد وفيّاً، وفي الأمور منصفاً ... [وكن] للمهموم فَرَجاً، وللظمآن بحراً، وللمكروب ملجأ وللمظلوم ناصراً، ... وللغريب وطناً، وللمريض شفاءً، وللمستجير حصناً، وللضرير بصراً، ولمن ضلّ صراطاً، ولوجه الصدق جمالاً، ولهيكل الأمانة طرازاً، ولبيت الأخلاق عرشاً..."(٢)
