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Bahram Nadimi

 
I love science fiction. A few friends and I recently finished watching the highly acclaimed Babylon 5 science fiction TV series. I have been thinking about one of my favorite episodes called: “Here comes the Inquisitor”, in which an inquisitor called Sebastian is summoned to determine if two of the main characters, Delenn and Sheridan, are ready for the challenges ahead. In a cold and dark dungeon, Sebastian interrogates the beaten and chained Delenn and Sheridan, trying to get to the heart of their motives by asking the same question over and over again “Who are you?

During Sheridan’s violent interrogation, Delenn comes to the his defense and says “Your quarrel is with me…if you want to take someone, then take me.”

Sebastian replies: “You would trade your life for his?  I thought you had a destiny!  Is that destiny not worth one life?…No Glory.  No fame. No armies or cities to celebrate your name. You will die alone unremarked and forgotten…”  

Delenn then says: “If I fall, another will take my place, and another, and another….Life is my cause. One life or a billion, they are all the same … this body is a shell, you cannot harm me. I am not afraid.”  

Stunned and surprised Sebastian asks: “How do you tell the chosen ones? ‘No greater love hath a man than he lay his life for his brother’ for one person in the dark, where no one will ever know, or see… You are the right people, in the right place at the right time.”

This brings me to the subject of this blog: Do we have invisible heroes now in real life, or is it just reserved for fiction fantasy?

If we look hard enough we will find countless souls who have quietly sacrificed their lives for and out of Love.  Here is a story of seven of these invisible heroes.

Five Years too Many

Exactly five years ago, May 14, 2008, seven Bahá’ís—five men and two women—were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison, merely because of their religious belief. They are Bahá’ís.  They were eventually given twenty year sentences—the longest sentences given to any prisoner of conscience in Iran.

Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations stated:

“On 14 May, the seven innocent Baha’i leaders will have been behind bars for five full years, unjustly imprisoned solely because of their religious beliefs… The arrest of the seven Baha’i leaders on false charges, their wrongful imprisonment, and severe mistreatment while in detention are emblematic of the suffering of the Iranian Baha’i community as a whole – and, indeed, the situation of the hundreds of other innocent prisoners of conscience who have been incarcerated for their beliefs… Their long sentences reflect the Government’s determination to completely oppress the Iranian Baha’i community, which is the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority… We are asking people of good will around the world to raise their voices in an effort to win their freedom and the freedom of other innocent prisoners of conscience in Iran.”

It was not only the length of these sentences but the manner which these seven souls were treated, in futile attempts to break them, that has caught the world’s attention.

Encounter with an American Journalist

An American journalist, Roxanna Saberi, shared a cell in Evin prison with Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi, the two women among the seven Bahá’í prisoners. This brief encounter had a profound effect on Roxanna, and she subsequently wrote many articles about her experiences.  Here is an excerpt of an article in the wall street journal

“For several weeks last year, I shared a cell in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison with Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi, two leaders of Iran’s minority Bahá’í Faith. I came to see them as my sisters, women whose only crimes were to peacefully practice their religion and resist pressure from their captors to compromise their principles. For this, apparently, they and five male colleagues were sentenced this month to 20 years in prison… After I was transferred to their cell, I learned that Mahvash had been incarcerated for one year and Fariba for eight months. Each had spent half her detention in solitary confinement, during which time they were allowed almost no contact with their families and only the Koran to read. Recently the two had been permitted to have a pen. Oh, how they cherished it! But they were allowed to use it only to do Sudoku and crossword puzzles in the conservative newspapers the prison guards occasionally gave them” 

She goes on to say “…my cellmates’ spirits would not be broken, and they boosted mine. They taught me to, as they put it, turn challenges into opportunities — to make the most of difficult situations and to grow from adversity. We kept a daily routine, reading the books we were eventually allowed and discussing them; exercising in our small cell; and praying — they in their way, I in mine. They asked me to teach them English and were eager to learn vocabulary for shopping, cooking and traveling. They would use the new words one day, they told me, when they journeyed abroad. But the two women also said they never wanted to live overseas. They felt it their duty to serve not only Bahá’ís but all Iranians… Later, when I went on a hunger strike, Mahvash and Fariba washed my clothes by hand after I lost my energy and told me stories to keep my mind off my stomach. Their kindness and love gave me sustenance”.

She concludes by saying “I know that despite what they have been through and what lies ahead, these women feel no hatred in their hearts. When I struggled not to despise my interrogators and the judge, Mahvash and Fariba told me they do not hate anyone, not even their captors”

These seven Bahá’í prisoners of conscience were imprisoned because of their belief, belief in a better world where love will be the primary animating force. Attempts to break their spirits have not been and will never be successful, because they know that love, including the love of their captors, will eventually conquer hate. This is their enduring legacy; they are immortal martyrs of love.

They are the right people, in the right place at the right time.

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Bahram Nadimi

I love Startrek TNG (the next generation) and have seen all the episodes at least once.  I have been thinking about one of the episodes lately, called “first contact”, a story of an undercover first contact mission, where Riker is captured by the xenophobic aliens, who believe he is a scout for an invasion.  One line at the end of the episode was profound and  has stayed with me.  Here the head of state of the previously unknown humanoid race of Malcor III, after he learns that they are not alone in the galaxy, states:

“This morning I was the leader of the universe as I know it. This afternoon, I’m only a voice in a chorus.”

Which brings me to the subject of this blog, a feature film about the unique and interesting culture of the Garifuna people, in Honduras Central America, co-directed by a good friend of mine, Ali Allie called “Garifuna in Peril”.  You might ask: what is the connection between a Startrek episode and a movie about a seemingly obscure culture most people have never heard of.  Hopefully I can pull these unrelated threads together.  First a bit of history:

Who are the Garifuna?

The Garinagu (plural of Garifuna) are descendants of Carib, Arawak and West African people who live in the coastal regions of Central America. Since they refused to submit to slavery, the Garifuna managed to preserve both their African roots and their Amerindian heritage, a fusion resulting in a unique ethnicity considered indigenous to the Americas. In 2001, UNESCO proclaimed the language, dance and music of the Garifuna as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. However, even with this acknowledgement in intellectual and educational circles, the survival of the culture is at risk due to globalization, poverty, AIDS, discriminatory land measures, and lack of educational opportunities [1].   A significant percentage of them have left Central America and now reside in the United States, with strong communities in New York City and Los Angeles.

A Garifuna ceremony in Roatan, Honduras

The Honduras Connection

Ali’s journey started when he was a young boy; his parents adopted two orphans from Honduras and hence his connection to Honduras was cemented early on.  Later on as a young adult he visited Honduras many times where he learnt about the Garifuna.  Being a filmmaker he  was inspired to make his first movie about the Garifuna in 1997, called “El Espiritu de mi Mama” (the spirit of my mother).  I had the privilege of joining him in Honduras, where we went to the outskirts of the rain forest in north east Honduras.  It is a trip I will remember forever, where I gained a deep appreciate of the unique culture of the Garifuna people.  While this film did not make it to the big screen, it did get picked up by a distributor and even now is available for purchase online.

Garifuna in Peril

Ali and his friend and scholar, Ruben Reyes, were deeply concerned regarding  the survival of this culture that in its present state is at risk of extinction.   So about 3 years ago, they decided to make a movie to raise awareness. Here is a description of the movie(also see trailer):

“The movie GARIFUNA IN PERIL  is about Ricardo (played by co-director Ruben Reyes), a Garifuna Language teacher in Los Angeles attempting to preserve his endangered Garifuna culture and language by making plans to build a language school in his home Garifuna village in the Central American country of Honduras…Co-directed by Ali Allie and Ruben Reyes and naturalistically shot, with debut performances by nearly the entire cast; Garifuna in Peril makes its own history as the first feature film with the majority of dialogue in Garifuna, a language proclaimed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001″[4].

I did travel with Ali and Ruben to Honduras again, where I helped with sound and did some cinematography.   The Movie is finished and is now making its rounds in the film festivals in the United States.

London and New York Premier

The movie’s world premier was in London England around thanksgiving of last year, and was greeted with a very warm reception; the Belize and Honduran ambassadors to the UK attended the screening thus setting the tone for future screenings.  It was however in New York City at the 20th annual African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) in December of last year where the film made a significant impact, and was greeted with an enthusiastic and motivated audience.  They recognized its unique style, and community conscious  film-making.  Good reviews followed.   Here is what one fan had to say:

“I went to see Garifuna in Peril last night and let me say Wow! Wow! and Wow!. it covered so much about Garifuna culture that it was like taking a history lesson. When this goes to DVD, every Garifuna household should … get to see it. It was like being in St.Vincent. The British might have taken the Garinagu out of St.Vincent, but they never took the St.Vincent out of the Garinagu. This was a splendid film. A good film is never long enough and a bad film is always too long. Let me say that at the end of the film, I wanted to shout keep it going. The story pulls you in and at the end you want to see a part two. Both Ruben Reyes and Ali Allie have done a great job and Ruben’s acting was really impressive. This film needs to target black and indigenous studies department at universities and be available online so that students can purchase it. I know as soon as it comes out I want my little boys to see it. A film like this needs mass distribution… If we support Garifuna films, we could have our own film industry. What better way is there to educate the next generation about our culture. Great job Gentlemen!!!   I see this as worthy of being in every public and college library. It’s a beautiful movie and I hope it is one of many more to come.” [2]

Flower in a Garden

Abdu’l-Baha, the Son of Baha’u’llah the Prophet founder of the Baha’i faith said:

“Consider the flowers of the rose garden. Although they are of different kinds, various colors and diverse forms and appearances, yet as they drink from one water, are swayed by one breeze and grow by the warmth and light of one sun, this variation and this difference cause each to enhance the beauty and splendor of the others. The differences in manners, in customs, in habits, in thoughts, opinions and in temperaments is the cause of the adornment of the world of mankind [3]”

I was speechless and became teary-eyed when I saw the finished version of this important movie. It is truly a labor of love. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Ali, Ruben all others associated with this noble endeavor, on an outstanding achievement that will have far reaching ripple effects. We cannot let a unique culture like the Garifuna become extinct.   We cannot afford to lose a voice in a chorus.  The chorus will be incomplete and flawed otherwise.

[1] http://www.garifunainperilmovie.com

[2] From http://www.Beinggarifuna.com:  Trish St. Hill , St. Vincentian author of the fiction  books, Beneath The Golden Mango Tree and it’s sequel, Beyond The Mango’s Shade…”

[3] Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 295

[4]http://www.beinggarifuna.com/blog/2012/12/04/garifuna-in-peril-united-states-film-premiere-attracts-appreciative-moviegoing-audience/

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The end of the Mayan calendar has now come and gone, and to the relief of many, we did not have the much anticipated apocalypse on Earth on December 21.  So what happened?  Were the Mayans mistaken? Or did we misinterpret the significance of this date?

The last time the world was supposed to end was on October 21, 2011 when an American radio host came up with a date for the apocalypse through a series of calculations that were based on the Jewish feast days and the lunar month calendar. He also predicted that at precisely 6:00 p.m. on May 21, 2011, God’s elect people would  rise to heaven in an event he called the “Rapture”, leaving the rest of humanity behind. Some quit their jobs, and sold their homes in anticipation of the coming of the end.  We had more significant predictions in the middle of the 19^th century, such as William Miller who predicted on the basis of Daniel 8:14–16 and the “day-year principle” that Jesus Christ would return to Earth between the spring of 1843 and the spring of 1844.  There were similar predictions in the Middle East and Far East around that time as well [The Baha’i faith started in spring of 1844].

Regarding the Mayan apocalypse, about 1 out of 8 Americans and about 1 out of 5 Chinese believed the notion that end of the world would occur on Dec 21^st of this year.   What amazes me about this statistic is the fact that this localized doomsday prophecy of the Mayans has now become a global phenomenon.  It seems that there is a global sense that we have gone astray, and the end of the world is a fitting punishment for our selfishness, greed, excesses and sins.  There is a growing consensus we have not done anything on climate change, and have not tackled the deteriorating environment, or the widespread economic, financial and social instability thus angering the Gods.

We also had the millennium scare, the end of the world prediction of year 2000 and the Y2K technological apocalypse.

The Baha’i Point of View

The Baha’is believe that we are indeed living in the ‘end’ times, the end times being the end of the prophetic cycle and the start of a glorious  cycle of fulfillment, prophesized  in all the world scriptures in one way or another.  This age is an age of transition towards a global society, made possible by the explosion of technology and commerce.  The fact that war, poverty and economic and social disorder are rife, are just the symptoms of a chauvinistic society failing to recognize the oneness of the human race.  Baha’u’llah the prophet founder of the Baha’i faith has elaborated on this new and wonderful age:

“This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.[4]“

More specifically, Abdu’l-Baha, the Son of Baha’u’llah  designated the unforgettable twentieth century as the century of light.  Here is a quote of him:

“Let this century be the sun of previous centuries the effulgences of which shall last forever, so that in times to come they shall glorify the twentieth century, saying the twentieth century was the century of lights, the twentieth century was the century of life, the twentieth century was the century of international peace, the twentieth century was the century of divine bestowals and the twentieth century has left traces which shall last forever[1]”

To the Baha’is the 20^th century was a turning point, a tipping point for world consciousness, that sigalled the dawn of world solidarity and unity.  He also stated:

“In this wondrous Revelation, this glorious century, the foundation of the Faith of God and the distinguishing feature of His Law is the consciousness of the Oneness of Mankind.[2]“

One important reason for the failed attempt of creating a new world order by Woodrow Wilson about 100 years ago was the fact that this concept of “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens[3]” was not firmly rooted in the world at that time.

So here we have it, we did not have the end of the world at year 2000 or December 2012, but we reached a new level of understanding that we are all members of one family, and live in an interconnected world and one planet, as evidenced by the world-wide interest for the Mayan prophecies.  This intangible yet important milestone, in the years to come will accelerate and validate any attempt at world order, leading to world unity and the much anticipated glorious world civilization prophesized by all the religions of the world.

[1] Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 234

[2]Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 36

[3] Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 250

[4]Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 29

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Bahram Nadimi

I have previously written several blogs on Islamic science and how it not only fostered the right conditions, but provided a firm foundation for the emergence of the European renaissance. I decided to dig a little deeper, to see if there was clear, concrete evidence for Islamic science paving the way for the emergence of—in this case—modern astronomy and physics, during the renaissance.

I took an astronomy class at a nearby community college to supplement my knowledge and to see if there was any mention of the supposed contributions of Muslims to the advancement of astronomy. When I had a conversation with the instructor of this class; it was telling when he said while interested in the subject, he did not know enough about the history of Islamic contributions to astronomy to include them in the syllabus.

The Ptolemaic Universe and Copernicus

For a thousand years, the western view of the universe was shaped by Ptolemy, who lived about five centuries after Aristotle, and who advocated the idea that the earth was stationary, and that all the heavenly bodies, including the sun, revolved around it.

It wasn’t until the early 16th century that Copernicus—a Polish cleric—upended the scientific world by publishing his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) laying out the heliocentric theory that sun was at the center of the universe and that the planets revolved around it.

Ptolemaic Universe

Copernicus and his the heliocentric theory

However when one studies popular text books in the West on this subject, no mention is made on how Copernicus came up with his ideas and not much is said about time period between the 2^nd and 15^th centuries regarding advances in astronomy. As an example, in the text book for my class, ‘Stars and Galaxies’ [3], in Chapter 4, ‘The Origin of Modern Astronomy’ there is almost no mention of the contributions of Muslim astronomers, which gives the impression that astronomy before Copernicus was ancient and not scientific, but rather crude and mystical, and that only after Copernicus did astronomy became a precise science.  At the end of this chapter it states: “the scientific revolution began when Copernicus made humanity part of the universe…”.  My subsequent research has made me believe that this type of accepted analysis is not only incomplete but in many ways incorrect.

Let’s delve into the meat of this subject.

Astronomy, Islam and the Qur’an

For most civilizations during their golden age, the science of astronomy provided the means for the study of the heavens, and the Islamic civilization was no exception; astronomy was of great interest to the Islamic scientists, scholars and the Caliphs that also led to the development of other sciences.

For Muslims, there was also a practical benefit of fulfilling their sacred obligation of prayer and fasting as stated in their holy book, the Qur’an, which involved knowing the exact times for these duties as well as the exact location of the House of Abraham in Mecca, also known as the “Qibla”.  The end result was that they brought standards of accuracy and precision in astronomy unheard of before: their sun dial was accurate within minutes, their calculated size of earth was within one percent and the trigonometry tables were accurate to three decimal places [5].

The Qur’an also provided tantalizing clues for the Muslims as to the nature of the heavens; here are some examples from the Qur’an:

“The sun moves in a fixed place and each star moves in its own heaven (Surih 36:37)”

“It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. All (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course” (21:33).

“It is not permitted for the sun to catch up to the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day. Each just swims along in its own orbit” (36:40).

“He created the heavens and the earth in true proportions. He makes the night overlap the day, and the day overlap the night. He has subjected the sun and the moon to His law; each one follows a course for a time appointed…” (39:5).

“The sun and the moon follow courses exactly computed” (55:5).

While some in the West thought of the earth as a flat object at the center of universe, the Muslims took earth’s sphericity for granted [4].   But ironically, even many Muslims of that time tried to explain away what the Quran said regarding the earth moving around the sun, since it was contrary to the accepted norm—the Ptolemaic system [1].

Nikolaj Kopernik

Copernicus and the Islamic connection

The view of the modern academic world regarding Islamic influence on Copernicus was constricted, and confined to a few references by him from Islamic authors whose work was translated into Latin. One of the Muslim astronomers that Copernicus quoted, including his precise astronomical data, was Al-Battani who was born in the 9^th century around Turkey. He was a Muslim astronomer, astrologer, and mathematician. He introduced a number of trigonometric relations in his Kitāb az-Zīj  and he famously determined the solar year as being 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes and 24 seconds. Al-Battānī figured out that our solar system was moving through space, significantly improved upon Ptolemy’s theories, and discovered that the direction of the Sun’s apogee, as recorded by Ptolemy, was changing [6]. Actually, many astronomers of that time documented the elliptical nature of planetary orbits, hinting that the earth may be rotating around the sun [2].

It was in the 1950s that, due to a series of discoveries, Copernicus’s use of an important mathematical concept in his book was shown to be derived from the work of a Persian scholar, Al-Tusi[9]. This is called the Tusi couple.  The Tusi couple challenges Ptolemy, and replaces a sphere rotating around an arbitrary point in space with two nested circles rotating around each other in such a way to eliminate Ptolemy’s equant.  This mathematical system in its entirety found its way to Copernicus’s book 300 years later.

Below is a snapshot of Al-Tusi’s theory side by side Copernicus’s book outlining the same theory.  The similarity is stunning.

The Al-Tusi couple

Below is a visual description of the ‘Tusi Couple’.

Visual Description of the ‘Tusi Couple’

For a more in-depth analysis refer to a paper titled: Coprenicus and his Islamic Predecessors: Some Historical Remarks [9] or Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance[11].

The story of Al-Tusi does not end there. The Maragheh observatory in North West of Iran, considered to be the largest and most prestigious observatories of its time, was built under his directorship for the purpose of establishing accurate astronomical tables.

Other Islamic scholars

Omar Khayyam—who is best known for his poetry and algebra—established a calendar that calculated the Persian New Year to unheard of accuracy that errs one day in 5000 years.

Yet another outstanding Persian scholar was Al-Biruni, he was well versed in physics, mathematics, astronomy, and natural sciences, and also distinguished himself as a historian, chronologist and linguist. Quoting Wikipedia [7]:

“In his description of Sijzi’s astrolabe he hints at contemporary debates over the movement of the earth. He carried on a lengthy correspondence and sometimes heated debate with Ibn Sina, in which Biruni repeatedly attacks Aristotle’s celestial physics: he argues by simple experiment that vacuum must exist; he is “amazed” by the weakness of Aristotle’s argument against elliptical orbits on the basis that they would create vacuum;[21] he attacks the immutability of the celestial spheres;[22] and so on…

In his major extant astronomical work, the Mas’ud Canon, he regards heliocentric and geocentric hypotheses as mathematically equivalent but heliocentrism as physically impossible, yet approves of the theory that the earth rotates on its axis.[23] He utilizes his observational data to disprove Ptolemy’s immobile solar apogee. More recently, Biruni’s eclipse data was used by Dunthorne in 1749 to help determine the acceleration of the moon and his observational data has entered the larger astronomical historical record and is still used today in geophysics and astronomy.”

Al-Khwarizm, al-Farghani, Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, al-Zarkali and Ibn Yunus were also some of the great minds of Islamic science and astronomy[10].

Conclusion

The above facts are just the tip of the iceberg, and yet is compelling evidence of the outstanding contribution of the Islamic scholars in the field of astronomy.

It is clear that the Muslims did a lot more than the popular belief that they just translated works of the Greek philosophers to Latin.  They found serious flaws on and improved on Ptolemy’s theory on planetary motion and developed theories consistent with the laws of physics.  This was made possible by creation and use of new mathematics, algebra and trigonometry.  They developed new and advanced – or perfected existing -  astronomical instruments, including the astrolabe and the sextant, thus setting the standard for the critically needed precise measurements of latitude and longitude, time, and location of the stars and planets, which were used by the Western scholars centuries later. These instruments and measurements, as well as the development of the magnetic needle, were also important tools for significantly advancing navigation techniques on land and sea.

Regarding observatories Dr. Ajram in his wonderful book ‘the Miracle of Islamic Science’ states [8]:

“The concept of observatory as a scientific institution was an Islamic invention…How, then, can Isaac Asimov, with good conscience, claim that the first ‘scientific’ observatories were built in the 16^th through 17^th century in Europe?”

Having researched to some degree the influence of Islam on modern Western civilization (even though I am not a Muslim), I was not surprised that there was little mention in my astronomy class and the recommended textbook regarding the above mentioned facts. I find this unfortunate.  With the emergence of search engines and the web, massive amount of information is at our fingertips; what students and seekers need are proper insights and ideas for research. I highly recommend watching this outstanding  BBC documentary on Islamic Astronomy [5].

A final note: I felt proud when I found out that Persia (or Iran) was a hotbed for astronomers of that time, and many of the scholars mentioned are Persian, my nationality. [Update:  I shared the documentary links with the instructor of my class and he told me today that he is already aware that the textbook overlooks contributions from Islamic scholars and  has been working on adding Islamic contributions to astronomy in his lectures]

====================== References ========================

[1]Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 23

[2] The miracle of Islamic science, Dr K Ajram p. 56-57

[3] Stars and Galaxies, Seeds & Backman,  8^th edition

[4] The miracle of Islamic science, Dr K Ajram p. 46

[5] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LjdnKE_i9E

[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu%E1%B8%A5ammad_ibn_J%C4%81bir_al-%E1%B8%A4arr%C4%81n%C4%AB_al-Batt%C4%81n%C4%AB

[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-biruni

[8] The miracle of Islamic science, Dr K Ajram p. 49-51

[9] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2007HisSc..45…65R

[10] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-T5yxZWXzs

[11] Islamic Science and the Making of the European Renaissance by George Saliba

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Bahram Nadimi

This is my first attempt at writing fiction.  I got inspired to write this during my recent trip to Canada.  It is a story about an unexpected trauma triggering a spiritual rebirth.

oOo

Katherine was having another of her nightmares. As always, she was running for her life and a tall man wearing a mask was furiously pursuing her. About to be captured, Katherine ran toward a bridge she saw in the distance. Out of options, she jumped off the bridge with no clue as to what was below. The dream repeated again and again. She was in a perpetual state of running and fright. At some point, she would reach the conclusion that she might be dreaming. She found it amusing and ironic that her mom used to say “follow your dreams” or “follow your heart”. In this case she was being followed in a dream. She felt lonely, remote and cold. She had to find a way out.

This time, the dream was vivid as ever, but this time it seemed different. This time, she saw a bright light across the bridge so, instead of jumping off into the unknown, she ran towards the light. Just before reaching it…

She sat up in bed, blinking in surprise to find the lights on in her room. Why would she sleep with the lights on?

A moment later she realized that she wasn’t alone—a strange woman was in the room with her. A heartbeat more and she realized that it wasn’t her room at all, and that the strange woman at her bedside was a nurse.

“Thank God you’re conscious,” the nurse said, smiling. “Everyone was worried about you, dear. You’ve been in a coma for over a month.”

Stunned and dazed, Katharine looked away and said nothing as the nurse paged a doctor.

oOo

Katherine was in her mid-thirties, lived in Kingston, Ontario and worked as a school teacher part time, which gave her time to do some traveling. She had an ordinary and uneventful life. She had one hobby, and that was to play the piano, but she was not that good at it. She did have a good voice and comforted herself by playing classical music and singing folk songs as best she could. Most of the time she kept to herself, and came across to others as sad and disconnected. She had one good friend, Neil, a musician from Toronto, who played the guitar. They played together from time to time.

One summer day she was out with Neil and some of his friends on the shore of Lake Ontario swimming. She had dived from the dock, not knowing how shallow the water was, and hit the lake bed. With her head swollen and hands bleeding, she made it to the shore by herself, but in a state of disbelief and panic. She was thankful. however. for being lucky that her hands had cushioned her head from a more severe collision.

She was taken to a nearby hospital and was told that she’d suffered a severe concussion. It was at the hospital that she suddenly went into a coma that lasted a month before she came out of it. A few people visited and stayed with her in the hospital—her parents and siblings, and of course Neil. A few weeks after regaining consciousness, when she stopped showing signs of dizziness and head trauma, she was released from the hospital. She re-started her daily routines by going back to work, not knowing what was about to happen.

One day after arriving home after work, tired and exhausted, Katharine was drawn to the piano and began playing. To her disbelief and amazement, she started seeing black and white squares in her head that triggered her hands to move. She could not believe it; she had the power to play the piano flawlessly. She called Neil and told him all about it. She had emerged from the coma with musical talent she had never had before[4]. Her life seemed to have dramatically changed.

The doctors concluded after examining her that she had Acquired Savant Syndrome, a condition in which people display profound and unexpected abilities after suffering head trauma. She was told that it is a very rare condition and only a handful of cases like this have been documented in the world. She was reminded many times that the condition might be temporary and she should have regular checkups. She was thankful for this gift but it came at a price—she had frequent migraine headaches and a occasional fainting spells.

Still, she applied for a job to play on a one-day cruise that would navigate through the thousand islands of Lake Ontario. The cruise departed every day from the shore a few minutes from her home. Partly because of her unique and suddenly acquired talents and her fine voice, she was given the job, and began performing on the night shift.  She had a few songs prepared, and liked playing upstairs on the open upper deck.

Her embrace of music also awakened a passion for and unlocked spiritual powers that had been dormant inside her until now. She began to long for the unknown, and felt spiritually alive and thirsty. On the upper deck, with the breeze and the stars twinkling in the clear sky, she experienced a feeling of ecstasy that no words could describe.

A few weeks passed by, and she continued to enjoy playing on the cruises—especially the few occasions when Neil joined her—but her migraines were becoming more painful and she started feeling alone and lost like before.

One day, Neil called Katherine and said, “A musical group that was supposed to perform at the outdoor amphitheater this Saturday has cancelled and the organizers are desperately looking for a replacement.  I recommended you. They already know your story and seem very excited.”

Katharine accepted on one condition: that Neil perform with her.

On the day of the performance, around sunset, with the birds still singing in the summer sky, Katharine got the worst headache she’d ever had. She did not say anything to Neil, knowing it would upset him. The amphitheater they would perform in consisted of an open space exquisitely located at the center of town, overlooking the lake; it was one of the premier venues for the arts in Kingston. On this day, there was also an exhibit that displayed the paintings of a local artist.

A crowd of about one hundred people were waiting as Neil and Katharine walked out on stage. After being introduced, the MC shared the story of Katherine’s newly acquired musical talent. Then, they began to play. Neil performed a couple of songs followed by Katherine.

As Katherine started her performance, her headache became intolerable. She stopped playing and told the audience, “I’d like to pause for a moment. You all know how often we busy our lives with the mundane and the trivial, it’s like living in the lower deck of a ship. We spend our lives totally oblivious of the fact that there is an upper deck that connects us to the heavens, with the stairs leading to it paved by prayer and meditation. When we die, the lower deck will no longer be there. I am in a lot of pain right now,” she continued, “and would like to sing a song that I wrote, that has never been performed before, It was written in a time of great difficulties, and also a time of spiritual transformation. The name of this song is *Cry*”.

She started singing with an unusually penetrating voice, purified by pain and suffering.

“As our lives pass us by

Dedicate all our time to the one who gave us life

Without you, can’t find the meaning and every day live life alone

I stumble and I fall, without your guidance, don’t know which way to go

So I Cry…you’re so far away, Cry…closer than our life vein

Dedicate everything we do … we want to serve you 

if you let us be one of your armies we will give our heart to the battle

you fill our life with meaning, you give us hope, a future for mankind

if the world could see what your Word means

then we would all be united, but now we 

cry…you’re so far away, cry…closer than our life vein

Seems to me, I live my life in error, wandering through the wilderness alone 

you gave us this world , give you our hearts, you make our world better

cry cry cry cry,”[1]

With tears falling on her face she continued on after the song, repeating part of a powerful healing prayer that Neil shared with her after her accident:

‘I call on Thee 0 Spirit, 0 Light, 0 Most Manifest One! Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, 0 Thou Abiding One!’[2],

She fainted, then, and with her head spinning, she found herself in the dream again. But this time she felt so desperate that without hesitation, she ran toward the light across the bridge. A door opened before her, and she found herself flying through the portal to soar in the limitless space of the heavens, propelled only by the love of God; traversing distance with ease and swiftness, until she reached her abode in the City of Light where she saw the face of her Beloved.

Katharine had developed a chronic brain aneurysm and was taken from the concert stage to the hospital. With friends and family beside her, she passed away peacefully.

A few days later at the funeral proceedings, it was Neil who gave the eulogy. He said:

“Katherine loved butterflies; we actually went to the butterfly conservatory in Niagara Falls not too long ago. Have you ever seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly? Well I have! The transformation is slow and tedious, taking a weeks, and after this, they don’t live long, and some only live a day or two after their transformation is complete. The same was true of Katharine; her awakening started after her accident; her subsequent time on this earth was short, very short indeed. Her newly acquired musical talents were but a shadow compared to her spiritual birth. She is now a beautiful and radiant spirit soaring through the heavens.” As his tears fell, he added, “Don’t feel sad for her. Let us all comfort ourselves in the thought that she took her flight to the unseen realm in a blissful state of prayer.”

He concluded by reading this passage from The Seven Valleys by Baha’u’llah[3]:

“There was once a lover who had sighed for long years in separation from his beloved, and wasted in the fire of remoteness. From the rule of love, his heart was empty of patience, and his body weary of his spirit; he reckoned life without her as a mockery, and time consumed him away. How many a day he found no rest in longing for her; how many a night the pain of her kept him from sleep; his body was worn to a sigh, his heart’s wound had turned him to a cry of sorrow. He had given a thousand lives for one taste of the cup of her presence, but it availed him not. The doctors knew no cure for him, and companions avoided his company; yea, physicians have no medicine for one sick of love, unless the favor of the beloved one deliver him.

At last, the tree of his longing yielded the fruit of despair, and the fire of his hope fell to ashes. Then one night he could live no more, and he went out of his house and made for the marketplace. On a sudden, a watchman followed after him. He broke into a run, with the watchman following; then other watchmen came together, and barred every passage to the weary one. And the wretched one cried from his heart, and ran here and there, and moaned to himself: “Surely this watchman is Izra’il, my angel of death, following so fast upon me; or he is a tyrant of men, seeking to harm me.” His feet carried him on, the one bleeding with the arrow of love, and his heart lamented. Then he came to a garden wall, and with untold pain he scaled it, for it proved very high; and forgetting his life, he threw himself down to the garden.

And there he beheld his beloved with a lamp in her hand, searching for a ring she had lost. When the heart-surrendered lover looked on his ravishing love, he drew a great breath and raised up his hands in prayer, crying: “O God! Give Thou glory to the watchman, and riches and long life. For the watchman was Gabriel, guiding this poor one; or he was Israfil, bringing life to this wretched one!”

========================================

[1] Song Cry performed in the Ukraine September 1999—Written by Jason Cohen

[2] Compilations, Baha’i Prayers, p. 90

[3] Baha’u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 13

[4] Inspired by true story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155919/Derek-Amato-Concussion-turns-Colorado-man-musical-genius-aged-40.html

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Bahram Nadimi

It was a thanksgiving to remember. It was about twenty years ago, November of 1992, that my mother and I visited new York, for the purpose of attending the second Baha’i World Congress, a congress to pay homage to the 100th anniversary of the passing of the Prophet and Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u'lláh. It was also an occasion of an unusual and wonderful family reunion. My grandmother, after 14 years of being denied a passport to leave Iran, solely for religious reasons, managed to finally get the documentation necessary to visit her children and grandchildren in the United States—just in time for this Congress.

My Grandmother and the Prime Minister

My grandmother came from an illustrious family; her uncle was Ali-Kuli Khan, a distinguished diplomat who was a member of the mission representing Persia during the Versailles peace conference in 1919. She had six daughters, one son, and sixteen grandchildren. Her son and two daughters lived in Tehran and the rest lived abroad, mostly in the United States. For 14 years following the Iranian revolution in 1979, she was denied permission to visit her family; her  application for a passport  was rejected every time. She told me once that during this time. she ate only simple, healthy foods for longevity, so that she might live long enough to visit her family in America.

It was in the early nineties when the son who was living with her died of a heart attack. It so happened that at the funeral someone who had some sort of contact with the prime minister was present. During this funeral, my grandmother took a gutsy step of presenting a letter to be given to the prime minster through this acquaintance. In the letter she made her case for being deserving of  being issued a passport  to visit her family in the United States. It should be noted that at that time the Bahá’ís were persecuted, imprisoned and even killed because of their faith.

After reading the letter,  the prime minister let it be known that he thought that she was one courageous lady and whether it was due to this letter or change of policy regarding visas at the time, in the year of 1992, in the evening of her life, she was finally issued a passport and came to New York in time for the Bahá’í World Congress.

My Mother’s Emotional Reunion

My mom was a mommy’s girl. So it is no surprise that my she was excited and anxious to see her own mother after a 14 year separation. The reunion was to be at a hotel close to the place where the world congress was held. My grandmother was one of the few—if not the only—person who attended this congress directly from Iran.

I vividly remember the moment when my mom and I arrived at the hotel where grandmother was staying. We seemed to wait forever for the elevator that would take us to her room. My mother said a few times “Do you think I will get to see her? Maybe I will pass away before we get on the elevator!”

This was her moment. Once we got off the elevator, I decided to wait outside so my mom to see grandmother first. A loud and emotional cry of joy echoed in the hallway …. “Mama!”.

Thanksgiving in New York

The hotel was close to the Javits Center, where the congress was held. I was given the assignment to be with my grandmother, as she needed help with her wheelchair. I took her to many sessions of the conference and shepherded her around New York. She told me wonderful stories about her childhood and youth in Iran. I recall in particular one story she told me about the time of Ahmad Shah, the last King of the Qajar dynasty. At a gathering in which she was invited, due to her illustrious family connections, the Shah informally asked my grandmother if she would consider being his wife. Her reply was that it might not be such a good idea since she was a Bahá’í. The Shah apparently accepted the wisdom of this observation.

Our time together in New York was also an occasion for thanksgiving with our extended family. Most of the family was there for the conference, which made it ideal for big get-togethers. There was one occasion where the whole family had dinner in a restaurant. Dozens of relatives were there, as well as my friend, Kevin, a native of Chicago, who was hanging out with us. During this family gathering, my grandmother told us a story of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and race unity that occurred during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s trips to United States 100 years ago. This story is exquisitely described in Howard Colby Ives’s book Portals to Freedom. I will quote a lovely scene he witnessed one Sunday at the home of an acquaintance, which by now he was visiting on a regular basis. The book relates that:

“On this day, looking out the window, Reverend Ives was astonished to see a group of some thirty noisy, not too well dressed… urchins, but spruce and clean, enter the house. He followed them upstairs where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá greeted them, one by one, with smiles and laughter. The last one was a dark colored boy and when the Master saw him, His face lit up with a heavenly smile, and He exclaimed: “Here is a black rose!” Everyone present was impressed with a feeling of wonder, which increased when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, distributing a handful of chocolates to each child with a kind word, picked up a particularly dark chocolate and “without a word, but with a humorously piercing glance that swept the group, laid the chocolate against the black cheek. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s face was radiant… and that radiance seems to fill the room. The children looked with real wonder at the colored boy as if they had never seen him before. As for the boy, himself… his eyes fastened with an adoring, blissful look upon the Master…For the moment he was transformed. The reality of his being had been brought to the surface and the angel he really was revealed.[1]“

My friend Kevin, said that his grandmother used to share the same story.

I cannot but recall Abdu’l-Bahá’s statement that New York “is the meeting place of the East and the West…[2]”

My grandmother, through her perseverance, made this joyous meeting and thanksgiving possible for all of us in the blessed city of New York.

Here are links about an interesting encounter I had with a homeless gentleman during the same time in New York as well as an account of Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to the west. I may be visiting NYC this month, if so will try to write a blog on it.

==================== References =========================

[1] Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom

[2]http://abdul-baha-the-mystery-of-god.blogspot.com/2012/04/prominent-people-who-met-abdul-baha-or.html

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Abdu'l-Bahá

Potent spiritual forces were set in motion about hundred years ago as Abdu’l-Bahá, the leader of the then nascent Bahá’í Faith and son of its Prophet-Founder, Bahá’u'lláh, embarked on a series of journeys to the West. The unexpected growth and spread of the Faith throughout the Western world was the eventual result of these journeys.

It was September 4th, 1911 when Abdu’l-Bahá (Arabic, meaning Servant of the Glory)i—known among Bahá’ís as simply the Master—set foot in the heart of the British Empire, London. It should be noted that He had never visited any Western countries and was unfamiliar with Western customs. He had been a political prisoner from childhood, had received no formal education, and was an old man when he was set free.  It was about a week after His arrival that He made His first public appearance in the Western world, addressing a congregation at the City Temple. Even though his visit was not advertised, the City Temple was filled to capacity.

These are some of the words He uttered at that assemblage:

“The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers…There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one. Let us worship Him, and give praise for all His great Prophets and Messengers who have manifested His brightness and glory.”

About seven months later, He embarked on what was destined to be a more taxing and significant trip to North America. His admirers had sent Him thousands of dollars and asked Him book passage on the Titanic but He refused, and gave the money to charity. He instead embarked on SS Cedric, the destination being New York. A fun and interesting article about Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit entitled ‘the Titanic’s Forgotten survivor’ appeared recently in the Huffington post.

Historic North American Visit

It was fitting that Abdu’l-Bahá’s first public appearance on the American continent was in the city of New York, one of the most prominent and diverse cities in the world. As the SS Cedric steamed past the Statue of Liberty, Abdu’l-Bahá opened his arms wide in salutation and said “There is the new world’s symbol of Liberty and Freedom, after forty years a prisoner, I can tell you that freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition.”

During His nine-month long North American visit He praised the nation’s outstanding progress in the material realm and wished, longed, and prayed for the American continent to also advance spiritually.

By contrast, Howard Colby Ives in his book Portals to Freedom states that during the very summer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit, another spiritual figure—

“the poet and sage, Rabindranath Tagore, had been under contract to deliver a series of lectures in America. After covering a part of his proposed itinerary, which was not nearly as extensive as that of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s, his strength and nerves were exhausted and he cancelled his contract and returned to India. He said he could not bear the materialistic vibrations of America. It needs also to be disclosed that while Tagore’s contract called for a sizable financial remuneration, Abdu’l-Bahá had no contract,… and, furthermore, so far from demanding or expecting any financial reward, He consistently refused the slightest remuneration, and even when entertained by solicitous and generous hosts He was punctilious in seeing to it that gifts to both host and servants of the household far outweighed what He received.”

This is not to downplay the efforts of Rabindranath Tagore but rather to demonstrate the truly heroic nature of Abdu’l-Bahá’s sojourn under such difficult circumstances. He met with many prominent individuals who either spoke with Him privately, or attended an event with Him.

Here is a list [5]:

¬ Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor of the Telephone, 04-24-1912, Washington, D.C.

¬ Mabel Thorp Boardman, National Secretary American Red Cross, 04-27-1912, Washington, D.C.

¬ Kate Carew, Caricaturist and Journalist, 04-19-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ Andrew Carnegie, Philanthropist, 11-18-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ Russell Conwell, Founder of Temple University, 06-09-1912, Philadelphia, Pa.

¬ Yúsuf Diya Páshá, Turkey’s Ambassador to the U.S. 1909, 04-25-1912, Washington, D.C.

¬ Arthur Pillsbury Dodge, Inventor & Publisher, 04-16-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ W. E. B. DuBois, Co-Founder of N.A.A.C.P., 04-30-1919, Chicago

¬ Khalil Gibran, Poet & Artist, 04-15-1912, New York, N.Y

¬ Percy Stickney Grant, Noted clergyman & author, 04-14-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ Samuel Gompers, Founded the American Federation of Labor, 04-26-1912, Washington, D.C.

¬ Phoebe Apperson Hearst, First woman Regent of U.C. Berkeley & Philanthropist, 10-13-1912, Pleasanton CA

¬ Maxim, Inventor of Armaments, 04-13-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ David Starr Jordan, President Stanford University, 10-08-1912, Palo Alto, California

¬ Charles Rann Kennedy, Playwright, author of “The Terrible Meek”, 04-22-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ Ali Kuli Khan, Chargé d’affaires of the Persian Legation, 04-23-1912, Washington DC.

¬ Gertrude Kasebier, Portrait Photographer, 05-20-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ Robert Luce, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, 05-22-1912, Boston, Mass.

¬ Lee McClung, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Washington D.C.

¬ Martin Abraham Meyer, Rabbi & Author, 10-12-1912, San Francisco

¬ Robert Peary, Explorer, 04-23-1912, Washington D.C.

¬ Louis Potter, Sculptor, 05-19-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ Theodore Roosevelt, President of the U.S.A., 04-25-1912, Washington, D.C.

¬ Albert K. Smiley, Founder & President Mohonk Peace Conference, 05-14-1912 New Paltz, N.Y.

¬ Theodore Spicer-Simpson, Sculptor, 05-10-1912, Washington, D.C.

¬ William Sulzer, U.S. Congressman, Ex-Governor, 04-27-1912, Washington, D.C.

¬ Haozoun Hohannes Topakyan, Persian Consul-General, 06-30-1912, New York, N.Y.

¬ Stephen S. Wise, Co-Founder of N.A.A.C.P., 05-13-1912, New York, N.Y.

New York, ‘The City of the Covenant’

On June 19th Abdu’l-Bahá named New York the “City of the Covenant,” saying: ”I have always returned to New York, because I wished New York to advance greatly…”  This is significant because He was designated by His Father, Bahá’u'lláh, as the Center of the Covenant—that is, the center of Bahá’u'lláh’s covenant with humanity. He is also known to have remarked, “it [New York] is the meeting place of the East and the West. I desire to make it a Center of Signs. I stay here so the friends may advance in spirituality and gain precedence.”  Consequently, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s stay in New York City was the longest in one place: 85 days out of 239 spent in the country.

While the New York of 1912 was a place of cultural diversity and tolerance, it stood in sharp contrast with many other racially segregated cities in the United States. Abdu’l-Bahá arranged for the first Bahá’í interracial marriage to take place there. This was an event of great significance; and He is known to have said that such marriages are “a service to humanity.”

Bahá’ís and others followed Him where ever He went.  New York City welcomed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He gave talks at religious congregations, peace societies, and universities. He even attended the lake Mohonk Peace Conference.

America’s Destiny

The United States in 1912 was not the world power it would later become, but rather an auxiliary power to the nations of Europe. Perhaps one of the most significant and far-reaching prophecies that Abdu’l-Bahá made during His journeys was regarding America’s spiritual destiny. He stated that:

“This revered American nation presents evidences of greatness and worth. It is my hope that this just government will stand for peace so that warfare may be abolished throughout the world and the standards of national unity and reconciliation be upraised. This is the greatest attainment of the world of humanity. This American nation is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world and be blest in the East and the West for the triumph of its democracy. I pray that this may come to pass, and I ask the blessing of God in behalf of you all.[3]”

This does not imply that the American people are in any way superior to any other people, but rather that the destined fulfillment of its potential was due to its geographical location, structure of government, and being a “melting pot” of diverse races, cultures, and nationalities—the ideal environment for the testing of Bahá’u'lláh’s teachings on the oneness of mankind. Abdu’l-Bahá spoke on a number of occasions about the glaring weakness in America’s social fabric, including racial prejudice, materialism and moral laxity.

The Northeastern States:  Light upon Light

One of the most curious statements Abdu’l-Bahá made about varying stages of spiritual development of geographical regions within the American continent may be about the North Eastern States (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York) that includes the city of New York.  He states:

“Likewise, the continent of America is, in the eyes of the one true God, the land wherein the splendors of His light shall be revealed, where the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled, where the righteous will abide and the free assemble. Therefore, every section thereof is blessed: but because these nine states have been favored in faith and assurance, hence through this precedence they have obtained spiritual privilege. They must realize the value of this bounty; because they have obtained such a favor and in order to render thanksgiving for this most great bestowal, they must arise in the diffusion of divine fragrances… [4]”

As a child and youth my ardent prayer was to be able to live in America; it was a prayer that God answered in the affirmative.

Next time, I’ll talk my own journey to New York.

===================== References ======================

[1] Abdu’l-Bahá, Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 18

[2] Howard Colby Ives, Portals to Freedom, p. 134

[3] Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 103

[4] Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 59

[5]http://abdul-baha-the-mystery-of-god.blogspot.com/2012/04/prominent-people-who-met-abdul-baha-or.html

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Bahram Nadimi

For Baha’is, the period between March 2nd and March 20th  is a time of restraint and fasting. The preceding period between February 26th and March 1st is called Ayyam-i-ha or the Days Between. Literally, the days that fall between the last two months of the Bahá’í calendar. They are a time for hospitality, charity, gift giving and celebration prior to the Fast.

Regarding fasting Bahá’u’lláh (the Prophet Founder of the Baha’i Faith) stated:

“All praise be unto God, Who hath revealed the law of obligatory prayer as a reminder to His servants, and enjoined on them the Fast that those possessed of means may become apprised of the woes and sufferings of the destitute.[4]”

Given this, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about the plight of the poor. Here are some statistics [3]:

• Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 day.
• The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 heavily indebted poor countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest individuals combined.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• Less than 1% of what the world spends every year on weapons was all that was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
• 1 billion children live in poverty (that’s half the children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).

Abdu’l-Bahá and the poor

About 100 years ago, April 19th 1912, Abdu’l-Bahá (son of Bahá’u’lláh) visited the Bowery Mission for the poor in New York. In a talk the previous day Abdu’l-Bahá said:  “I am in love with the poor”.  He was looking forward to this visit. Some four hundred Americans, all poor and destitute, were present in the Bowery when he arrived.

He addressed them, with praise and gave them the glad-tidings of the message of Bahá’u'lláh:

“Tonight I am very happy, for I have come here to meet my friends. I consider you my relatives, my companions; and I am your comrade… You must be thankful to God that you are poor, for Jesus Christ has said, ‘Blessed are the poor.” He never said, “Blessed are the rich.’… therefore, you must be thankful to God that although in this world you are indigent, yet the treasures of God are within your reach; and although in the material realm you are poor, yet in the Kingdom of God you are precious…
    “He (Jesus) passed His time in the desert, traveling among the poor, and lived upon the herbs of the field. He had no place to lay His head, no home… yet He chose this rather than riches. …. Therefore, you are the disciples of Jesus Christ; you are His comrades, for He outwardly was poor, not rich… You will find many of the wealthy exposed to dangers and troubled by difficulties, and in their last moments upon the bed of death there remains the regret that they must be separated from that to which their hearts are so attached. .. All they possess they must leave behind and pass away solitary, alone…
    “Praise be to God! Our hope is in the mercy of God, and there is no doubt that the divine compassion is bestowed upon the poor. Jesus Christ said so; Bahá’u'lláh said so. While Bahá’u'lláh was in Baghdad, still in possession of great wealth, He left all He had and went alone from the city, living two years among the poor. They were His comrades. He ate with them, slept with them and gloried in being one of them. He chose for one of His names the title of The Poor One … He admonished all that we must be the servants of the poor, helpers of the poor, remember the sorrows of the poor, associate with them; for thereby we may inherit the Kingdom of heaven… Therefore, the poor are nearer the threshold of God and His throne. . .
    “So, my comrades, you are following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Your lives are similar to His life; your attitude is like unto His; you resemble Him more than the rich do. Therefore, we will thank God that we have been so blessed with real riches. And in conclusion, I ask you to accept ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as your servant” [1].

At the end of this meeting, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood at the Bowery entrance to the Mission hall, shaking hands with four or five hundred men and placing within each palm a piece of silver.

Ayyam-i-Ha: Time for charity

Nine years ago, during this wonderful festival before the Bahá’í fast, my friend Ian and I were visiting Baltimore. We got to talk to a homeless person who was in the streets next to the aquarium asking for money, not a hand-out but money so that he could shower and get clean. He said that he had an interview at the aquarium the next day for a job. He said he did not drink or take drugs and wanted to get a job and be a productive member of society; while this attitude may be rare, we believed his story. We gave him the money that he needed and wished him well. I wish I could travel back in time to see if he got that job. Here is a picture the two of us.

The Baha’i World Congress in New York

In 1992, the Bahá’ís of the world observed the hundredth anniversary of the passing of Baha’u’llah by holding a World Congress in New York city that drew Bahá’ís from countries around the globe.

During one night of the Congress, my cousin and I were walking in the streets of New York City when we were abruptly stopped by a homeless gentleman who startled us by grabbing my hand. He had seen our registration badges for the congress and recognized us as being from the Bahá’í gathering. He told us that he had passed by the Javits Center (where the congress was held) a few days earlier, and felt a spirit of love that moved him. He had asked for a pamphlet from a bystander, liked what he had read, and wanted to become a Bahá’í.

He could hardly wait to become Bahá’í, he said, and added that he had never before felt such an overwhelming spirit of fellowship. He was beaming with joy and was very excited about the Bahá’í Faith. My cousin and I took him to a restaurant where the man told us the story of how he had become homeless.

His house burned down, he said, and told us that a dog would be treated better than the way he was treated when going to the homeless shelters. We gave him the address of the Bahá’í Center in New York City and some money so he could contact the Bahá’ís there. During the whole evening, I could not help but be reminded of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talk at the Bowery in lower Manhattan. My wish since then has been to meet this man again one day and let him know that the energy released from his embrace of the Bahá’í teachings on the oneness of humanity—especially during the World Congress—will no doubt have positive ripple effects for the blessed city of New York and beyond.

He is, as Abdu’l-Bahá said roughly one-hundred years ago, precious.

I’d like to close with a passage from Baha’u’llah:

“Be not troubled in poverty nor confident in riches, for poverty is followed by riches, and riches are followed by poverty. Yet to be poor in all save God is a wondrous gift, belittle not the value thereof, for in the end it will make thee rich in God, and thus thou shalt know the meaning of the utterance, “In truth ye are the poor,” and the holy words, “God is the all-possessing,” shall even as the true morn break forth gloriously resplendent upon the horizon of the lover’s heart, and abide secure on the throne of wealth.[2]”

============== References==================

Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 32)
Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words
http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats
Compilations, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting

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Bahram Nadimi

I never thought I’d write—let alone be teary-eyed about—someone I never met. It was during my recent trip to the Research Triangle Park (RTP) in North Carolina, where I got to visit my dear friends Mark and Azadeh Perry, whom I had not seen for a while.

During this visit I got to hear about a young lady of the tender age of 18, Lillian Chason.  This is her story.

A play about Mona

A little bit of background: In the year 2003, I moved to RTP in North Carolina to be close to my twin brother and his family. The day I arrived—straight from the airport, in fact—I got to see a play entitled A Dress for Mona performed by a devoted theater group called the Drama Circle. Many of the performers were westerners, though the play is set in the heart of the Middle East. It tells the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, a young woman who was executed—along with nine other Bahá’í women and girls—because of her faith. She and the women with whom she was hanged were Bahá’ís.

Mona

This play about an Iranian teenager was instigated by Mark Perry, a playwright and his wife Azadeh who knew Mona in Iran. The write-up on the Drama Circle website (www.dramacircle.org) describes the situation this way:

“Shiraz, Iran 1982, fanaticism ran rampant in the streets, and Mona, as a Baha’i—a member of Iran’s largest religious minority—was the fanatic’s prime target. Based on a true story, this is a story of one teenager’s capacity to love in the face of fierce persecution”[1].

In the next few years a video and a documentary about A Dress for Mona were produced; the documentary won an award. During that time, I was overjoyed when Mark and Azadeh asked me to help out with other dramatic endeavors, which resulted in me co-producng a new dramatic work by Mark.

The Universal House of Justice (the world governing body of the Bahá’ís) commented on the endeavors of the Drama Circle in context with a general statement on the power of the arts, especially the performing arts:

“The Universal House of Justice wished for us to express to you its delight in learning about the recent accomplishments of the Drama Circle and to convey its warmest encouragement of your work…the arts have a special capacity not only to stimulate people’s thinking but even more, to touch their hearts and to open their eyes to new possibilities…”

Enter, Lillian

Lillian Chason

This is where Lillian walks on stage—literally. A couple of years ago, Mark—now a University of North Carolina drama lecturer—embarked on the remake of A Dress for Mona. It was then that he met Lillian when she tried out for the lead role.

Lillian had a deep connection to Mona and wept when she heard Mona’s story. This connection was noticeable to everyone around her, thus making her well suited for this lead role.

It was shortly after she started rehearsals that she contracted the H1N1 flu virus and was hospitalized. After putting up a valiant fight, she could not overcome this disease and passed away December 16th 2009.

The Universal Nature of Youth Sacrifice

It is hard to overestimate the effect Lillian had on those around her, including the cast of the play. According to her family and friends, Lillian was a joy, talent, a beauty and force to be reckoned with. Her situation got a lot of local TV coverage. Thousands prayed for Lillian’s recovery and started a blood drive on her behalf. Performing the lead role of a play about a 16 year old teenager sacrificing her life for love, suddenly took a whole new meaning. Stunned cast members and producers devastated by this development, started to look for another person to play the role of Mona.

It was only an hour after the cast found a replacement that Lillian took her wings from this world and soared into the limitless spiritual world beyond.

Cast photo: A Dress for Mona

Lillian’s parents said they felt Mona’s presence while their daughter was on life support. Azadeh’s brother-in-law is one of the Yaran (the appointed leadership of the Bahá’ís in Iran) who, like Mona, has been unjustly imprisoned in Iran for his belief in Bahá’u’lláh. No surprise that Azaedeh was profoundly moved by Lillian’s situation.

Yes, this is a story about the tragically short life of Lillian, but it is also testament to the universality of youthful spirit as well as the mystery and power of the sacrifices people make for love.  I am positive Mona and Lillian are hanging out together somewhere in the “heavens”.

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Bahram Nadimi

We know that the twentieth century marked the emergence of ‘unity of nations’, when world consciousness entered a new stage.

Also, in the years immediately after the Holy Year in 1992, the impetus towards peace gained momentum; during the 1998 Asian crisis, the G20 was formed. This development was another example of the growing momentum towards peace; the Universal House of Justice stated in 1998:

“For one thing, amid the din of a society in turmoil can be discerned an unmistakable trend towards the Lesser Peace.  An intriguing inkling is provided by the greater involvement of the United Nations, with the backing of powerful governments, in attending to long-standing and urgent world problems; another derives from the dramatic recognition by world leaders in only recent months of what the interconnectedness of all nations in the matter of trade and finance really implies [18].”

 We, however, had another significant and perhaps lesser known development at the end of twentieth century—the completion of the Mount Carmel Arc Project by the Bahá’í International Community. The House of Justice stated in April of 2000 during the Bahá’í celebration of Ridvan (the anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of His mission):

“At the conclusion of these four eventful years, we have arrived at a portentous convergence of ends and beginnings in measures of Gregorian time and the Bahá’í era. In one instance, this convergence entails the wrapping up of the twentieth century and, in the other, opens a new stage in the unfolding of the Formative Age. The perspective from these two frames of time prompts us to reflect on a vision of world-shaping trends that have synchronized, and to do so in the context of the insight so graphically projected by Shoghi Effendi at the inception of the Arc he conceived. [12]”

At first glance one might be tempted to conclude that in the year 2000, the start of this synchronization marked the emergence of the Lesser Peace, one of the three processes already mentioned. However, in the above-mentioned quote, the House of Justice is talking about “world shaping trends” that have become synchronized not milestones that have been reached. Around the year 2000, we had significant advance in all three processes within the Bahá’í community (Arc, NSA/LSA maturation and the Lesser Peace) for the first time.

Before 1990 the Lesser Peace seemed so far away, and the timing of the completion of the Arc project was not decided upon.  It was around year 2000 that we saw for the first time a clear trend and enough momentum for all three processes.  A few months later, the House of Justice gave more clarification to the above observation:

“Such intimations were communicated in our report last Ridván of the change in culture of the Bahá’í community as training institutes emerged, as the construction projects on Mount Carmel approached their completion, and as the internal processes of institutional consolidation and the external processes towards world unity became more fully synchronized [13]”

The linkage between Unity of Nations and Lesser Peace

The House of Justice has clearly linked the ‘unity of nations’ to the Lesser Peace: “First, there will come the Lesser Peace, when the unity of nations will be achieved…” [14]

They are distinct yet closely related processes, hence the ‘unity of nations’ or the development of world consciousness is an important prerequisite for the establishment of the Lesser Peace. And while at the end of the twentieth century we had the secure establishment of ‘unity of nations’, this does not necessarily imply that the lesser peace started at that time also.

The Emergence of the Lesser Peace

Shoghi Effendi has told us that the exact timing of the Lesser Peace is not known to us, however the House of Justice, after analyzing the world condition during the last few decades of the twentieth century, concluded that the processes of integration and disintegration were and are approaching a climax, and the result of this will — in a not-too-distant future — force the emergence of the Lesser Peace.

“Out of the “universal fermentation” created by these processes[of integration and disintegration], peace will emerge in stages, through which the unifying effects of a growing consciousness of world citizenship will become manifest.[11]”.

In 1983 the House of Justice stated that the youth of that decade would see the Lesser Peace in their lifetime:

“This generation of Bahá’í youth enjoys a unique distinction. You will live your lives in a period when the forces of history are moving to a climax, when mankind will see the establishment of the Lesser Peace, and during which the Cause of God will play an increasingly prominent role in the reconstruction of human society [15]”

They also stated that

“The acceleration of the processes it generates is lending impetus to developments which, with all the initial pain and heartache attributable to them, we Bahá’ís see as signs of the emergence of the Lesser Peace [16].”

To summarize, the Universal House of Justice concluded that in a general sense, due to the climaxing of the twin processes, the very beginnings of the Lesser Peace cannot be too far away.

Capacity Building and the Twentieth Century

There are a lot of positive references in the Baha’i writings regarding the twentieth century.  Abdu’l-Bahá has referred to it as “the century of light” endowed with unprecedented potentialities. During the twentieth century, the capacity for achieving world peace was obtained; Abdu’l-Bahá has also stated:

“All of us know that international peace is good, that it is conducive to human welfare and the glory of man, but volition and action are necessary before it can be established. Action is essential. Inasmuch as this century is a century of light, capacity for action is assured to mankind”[19].

A less tangible and yet important factor in establishing world peace is the Divine Will, gradually manifested physically through the spread of the Word of God.  Later in the same passage Abdu’l-Bahá states:

“Necessarily the divine principles will be spread among men until the time of action arrives. Surely this has been so and truly the time and conditions are ripe for action now.”[20]

Most Great Peace and the Merging of Three Processes

Shoghi Effendi has given more detail on the synchronization of the processes that will eventually lead to the Most Great Peace. These are the construction of the buildings of the Arc on Mount Carmel, the development of local and national spiritual assemblies and the establishment of Lesser Peace.  The House of justice has clarified that this synchronization will be dynamic in nature:

“…that these hopeful conditions make more discernible the shaping of the dynamic synchronization envisaged by Shoghi Effendi, no honest observer can deny [8]”.

Since these are distinct, yet related and mutually reinforcing processes, not events, that will dynamically synchronize. They are organic processes that will only grow stronger and more synchronous with the passage of time, until they fully merge in the Most Great Peace.

======================= References ============================
[13] The Universal House of Justice, 16 January, 2001
[14] Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 436
[15] Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 634
[16] The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 155, 1998, p. 4
[17] Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 128
[18] The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 155, 1998, p. 4
[19] Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 26
[20] Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 121

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Bahram Nadimi

Baha’u’llah has stated:

“Now that ye have refused the Most Great Peace, hold ye fast unto this the Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your dependents.[6]“.

Shoghi Effendi — Bahá’u’lláh’s great-grandson who led the Bahá’i community from 1921 to 1957 —elaborated on the meaning of Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace in a letter to an individual believer.

“Your view that the lesser peace will come about through political efforts of the states and nations of the world, and independently of any direct Bahá’í plan or effort, and the Most Great peace established through the instrumentality of the believers, and by the direct operation of the laws and principles revealed by Bahá’u'lláh and the functioning of the Universal House of Justice as the supreme organ of the Bahá’í super state — your view on this subject is quite correct…[7]”

To clarify, the Lesser Peace is when the vast majority of world leaders will commit themselves to the process of consultation, and will come up with agreements and covenants so to prevent war.

The emergence of the Lesser Peace will be gradual and thorny, and within this process there will be an event of monumental significance, and that is the prophesied and much anticipated convocation of world leaders.  The Universal House of Justice said in 1996:

“Clearly, the emergence of the Lesser Peace will be a gradual process and its various stages will no doubt witness tests and setbacks, as well as great advances. It will certainly include, however, a development of historic importance: that point at which the majority of the world’s nation-states formally commit themselves to a global order comprising institutions and laws, and equipped with the means by which collective decisions can be enforced. While we cannot at present foresee the precise form that this development will take, much less the point at which it will occur, we recognize that it is a feature of the process of the Lesser Peace. [1]”.

It should be noted that the period after the convocation of world leaders that includes commitment to world order, will signalize the start of world government. The period of the emergence that is before this convocation can be regarded as political unification of the nations that will stop short of any formal commitment to world order.

The Holy Year: the Turning Point for the Lesser Peace

The Universal House of Justice has stated:

“Abdu’l-Bahá anticipated that the Lesser Peace could be established before the end of the twentieth century [17].

For most of the twentieth century, however, achieving actual peace between nations was a chimera at best.

It wasn’t until the fall of the Soviet Union that the prospects for the coming of Lesser Peace became feasible. In the 1990s the Universal House of Justice analyzed the trends and events, intimating that it was around 1992—the Holy Year marking the hundredth anniversary of passing of Baha’u’llah—that the processes towards the Lesser peace accelerated and went through an inflection point:

“Towards that end, recent world developments have, paradoxically, been both shocking and reassuring. On one hand, the disarray of human affairs produces a daily diet of horrors that benumb the senses; on the other, world leaders are often taking collective actions that, to a Bahá’í observer, signify a tendency towards a common approach by nations to solving world problems. Consider, for instance, the unusual frequency of the global occasions on which these leaders have gathered since the Holy Year four years ago, such as the one in observance of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, at which the attending heads of state and heads of government asserted their commitment to world peace[11].”

Next: Peace and the 20th Century

=================== References ===================

[6] Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 162
[7] Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 431)
[8]Compilations, Promoting Entry by Troops, p. 17)
[9] Commissioned by the Universal House of Justice, Century of Light, p. 129
[10] Abdu’l-Baha, the Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 377
[11] The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 153, 1996
[12] The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 157, 2000, p. 7)
[13] The Universal House of Justice, 16 January, 2001
[14] Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 436
[15] Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 634
[16] The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 155, 1998, p. 4
[17] Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 128

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Bahram Nadimi

The Universal House of justice and the Baha’i international community have, on several occasions, elaborated on what needs to transpire to attain World Peace. For anyone who is interested, two of the clearest statements about this can be found in the following documents.

The Universal House of Justice, 2001 Apr 19, Unity of Nations and the Lesser Peace[1]
Baha’i International Community, 1999 Mar 20, Peace Among the Nations[2]

What I’d like to do here on Common Ground is to explore some Baha’i writings on peace and the twentieth century.  This article assumes some familiarity with the terminology used in the Baha’i writings. For an analysis that is less technical please refer to my recent blog:

http://www.commongroundgroup.net/2011/07/29/world-peace-a-bahai-perspective/

Introduction

According to the Baha’i writings, world peace will result from the culmination of two broad and gradually unfolding processes, within and outside the Baha’i faith. One process is the development of the Baha’i community—including its institutions; the other is the attainment of world solidarity as well as what Bahá’u’lláh refers to as the Lesser Peace. Many other more specific processes are encapsulated within these two broad processes. Understanding what is required for the attainment of a lasting peace entails having a good grasp of these smaller processes.

Unity of Nations and the Twentieth Century

Abdu’l-Bahá in his famous ‘seven candles of unity’ tablet lists seven processes needed for world unity.  For the 5th candle He states:

“The fifth candle is the unity of nations — a unity which in this century will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland.[3]” 

At first glance it seems that He was talking about actual peace between nations being established sometime in the twentieth century.  However if one looks at this more carefully He is stating that we will reach a stage where mankind will regard itself as members of one family; in other words He is talking about world consciousness taking hold in the twentieth century, eventually leading to  world solidarity.

There are other occasions where He has elaborated on this theme. One such quote that reflects on this is:

“In this wondrous Revelation, this glorious century, the foundation of the Faith of God, and the distinguishing feature of His Law, is the consciousness of the oneness of mankind.[4]“

Unity in the Political Realm and the Twentieth Century

In the same tablet Abdul’-Baha also states:

“The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings of which can now be discerned”.  

He seems to be referring to some sort of political unity taking hold between nations and sovereign states.  In the book Century of Light commissioned by the Universal House of Justice, it states:

“As to ‘unity in the political realm’, Shoghi Effendi has explained that the reference is to unity which sovereign states achieve among themselves, a developing process the present stage of which is the establishment of the United Nations… [5]”

In essence, ‘unity in the political realm’ is the development of the framework for peace.  It is safe to say that its emergence was marked by the coming of the League of Nations and its establishment was secured with the creation of the stable United Nations in 1945.  It should be noted that at the current stage of its development, the United Nations stops short of actual peace between nations; it is the infrastructure for peace that was established in 1945.  History tells us that immediately after the creation of the UN, we witnessed the start of the cold war, yet this structure remains intact.

As this process of global organizational development advances, it will no doubt lead to more advanced structures for peace, such as a world parliament, international executive, and an international judicial tribunal.

Universal Peace and the Twentieth Century

Abdu'l-Bahá

When asked about peace and the twentieth century:

“The Montreal Daily Star had quoted Him (Abdul’-Baha) as saying: “It [peace] will be universal in the twentieth century. All nations will be forced into it.” The years immediately following 1945 witnessed advances in framing a new social order that went far beyond the brightest hopes of earlier decades.[9]”

It seems that Abdu’l-Bahá was envisioning a time when all nations will decide to be part of an organizational structure devoted to peace, and that momentum towards actual peace will become irreversible. In 1945 the United Nations came into existence, thus fulfilling this role.

During Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to America, in San Francisco He prayed:“May the first flag of international peace be upraised in this state.[10]”. This took on the spirit of prophecy when the charter of the United Nations was signed in San Francisco. Around the turn of the century we saw, for the first time, acceleration towards more substantive cooperation between the powerful nations of the world. In essence, the foundation for peace was established in the twentieth century, and began to bear fruit in the United Nations and European Union.

Next: Peace, Great and Small

========= References =========

[1] The Universal House of Justice, 2001 Apr 19, Unity of Nations and the Lesser Peace
[2] Baha’i International Community, 1999 Mar 20, Peace Among the Nations
[3] Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 32
[4] Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 118
[5] Commissioned by the Universal House of Justice, Century of Light, p. 71

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Bahram Nadimi

Much has been written on the treatment of religion in science fiction. However, I personally find the idea of World Order in SF even more fascinating. I am by no means an expert, in fact Maya Bohnhoff—a friend who is one of the major contributors on this website—is, in real life a professional science fiction writer.  In this blog I will do an analysis of the similarities between the highly acclaimed Babylon 5 SF TV series and world order processes here on earth.

Also as a Bahá’í, I cannot but digress and touch upon the prediction of space travel by Abdul’-Bahá, son of the prophet-founder of the Baha’i Faith.

The Bahá’í Faith and Space Travel

First, I’d like to talk about space travel in relation to my faith, the Bahá’í Faith.  I did a quick search and found some interesting quotations.  Here are some:

“O servant of Baha! Be self-sacrificing in the path of God, and wing thy flight unto the heavens of the love of the Abha Beauty, for any movement animated by love moveth from the periphery to the centre, from space to the  Day-Star of the universe. Perchance thou deemest this to be difficult, but I tell thee that such cannot be the case, for when the motivating and guiding power is the divine force of magnetism it is possible, by its aid, to traverse time and space easily and swiftly[1]”.

It is fascinating that the quote seems to talk about how to power spacecraft using the force of magnetism.

Babylon 5, the TV series

Even if one is not into the fiction genre, the TV series Star Trek is well known.  I watched Star Trek since I was 12 years old and probably have seen each TV episode many times over.  However ‘Babylon 5’ is not known outside the Sci-Fi universe.  I started to watch Babylon 5 by accident, but it did not take too long to realize that I had stumbled upon something special.   I won’t delve into the details of the overall plot too much but suffice it to say that the TV novel-Babylon 5- with an extraordinary story line, quality writing, character development, special effects and cultural sensitivity, made me conclude that it is not only one of the best Sci-Fi series, but one of the best TV shows ever (spoilers to come).

Babylon 5, United Nations in Space

Babylon 5 is a space station, a focal point for diplomacy, politics and commerce.  The first 4 stations were either destroyed or just disappeared.  Here on Earth, we similarly had the failed League of Nations, which did not prevent a second world war.  We now have the United Nations that is a stable international venue for the achieving political unity.

Religion in Babylon 5

The Creator of Babylon 5 J. Michael Straczynski (JMS), who is an atheist, had the foresight that religion is an integral part of life and cannot be ignored.  His sensitive and insightful portrayal of the role of religion in this series, adds to the already many layers of tapestry which is Babylon 5.  My hat’s off to JMS.

Martyrs of Peace

In B5 we have the strong willed commander John Sheridan and charismatic ambassador Delenn.  By the end of the series they both become legends and heroes.  Throughout the series they struggle with their motives, whether they are the Chosen, the One, and the Messiah.  In one of my favorite episodes, “Here comes the Inquisitor” an inquisitor is brought to the station in order to determine if they are ready for the war to come.  The inquisitor asks the same question over and over again “Who are you?”  When the answers are unacceptable, he administers shock and pain.  Only after Delenn offers her life to save Sheridan, does the inquisitor conclude that they are “the right people, in the right place at the right time”.

In another episode, “The Deconstruction of Falling Stars”, it takes place in the future when the interstellar alliance is a done deal.  This powerful episode endeavors to show the impact of Sheridan and Delenn by historians 100,500, 1000 and one million years after the founding of the alliance.

Here on earth we have a different situation, we have Woodrow Wilson who gave every ounce of his energy to create the League of Nations, but unlike Sheridan of B5, he ultimately failed in his endeavor.  Wilson like Sheridan believed that he was chosen by providence. This “tragically unappreciated president” who, in the eyes of many historians, is not even in the list of top ten presidents, is considered to be a failed president and associated with the still born League of Nations.  Yet in the eyes of others, such as the former heads of the Bahá’i Faith, he is considered to be immortal, the originator of the process of global organizational development that will eventually lead not only to a lasting political peace but also the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. While Franklin D. Roosevelt and presidents after him will always be remembered for their contribution to the founding and enhancing of the United Nations, Wilson will, in my opinion will be considered to be one of the greatest presidents, standing on a higher pedestal than any other president in the twentieth century (see my blog on Woodrow Wilson and world peace)

The Founding of a lasting Peace

A lasting peace still eludes us, but we have the United Nations, an organization from which future structures of peace will be founded.  Similarly, B5 is considered to be an international interstellar venue for diplomacy. Study of history reveals a bold yet failed peace program, the 14 points of Woodrow Wilson that included the creation of the league. B5 goes a step further; in the episode “Rising Star” an interstellar alliance is formed to create and implement peace and prosperity after a war that nearly destroyed the galaxy. The powerful speech given by Delenn to convince earth to join the alliance, is eerily similar to the writing of the Bahá’i faith on this subject.

In science fiction such as Star Trek and the B5 TV series, we have a detailed account of processes needed to achieve peace.  Yet ironically the vast majority of people in the world including SF enthusiasts consider having a global alliance here on earth an impossibility.

To me peace is inevitable, and it is interesting that science fiction has tackled this concept on many occasions.  In B5 we had the unbearable pain of war paving the way for political unity and peace.  Here on earth we still have time for a peaceful transition; I pray that we will have the foresight to do the right thing.

============= References =============================
[1] Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 197

[2] Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v1, p. 32

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Bahram Nadimi

Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu and President José Ramos-Horta of East Timor recently wrote an open letter to the international academic community regarding the systematic denial of higher education to the Bahá’ís of Iran, the largest non-Muslim religious minority of that country. A denial which has resulted in the creation of the BIHE (Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education) a completely voluntary organization of academics in Iran and abroad dedicated to providing quality higher education for disenfranchised Bahá’í students.

Here are links to the letter, which also ran as a front page item and blog in the Huffington Post:

http://www.educationunderfire.com/nobel-laureates-letter.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/desmond-tutu/iran-bahai-_b_978090.html

In this letter, these two Nobel laureates eloquently and passionately stated that in this supposedly enlightened age, it is unacceptable and immoral for any government to deny education to their citizens based on their religious affiliations.

Regarding the Bahá’ís, they specifically asked the international academic community to:

1. Call on the government of the Iranian Republic to release unconditionally and drop charges against the educators involved in the BIHE.
2. As academic leaders, administrators and professors, register through any possible channels in the Iranian academic community their disagreement with and disapproval of any policy which would bar individuals from higher education based on their religious background or political persuasion.
3. Encourage their own universities to review the educational quality of the BIHE coursework for possible acceptance of its credits.
4. As possible, offer available online university level curricula, through scholarships if needed, to students in Iran who would otherwise be deprived of the right to higher education or who, due to government limitation on social sciences, are denied a full array of educational choices.

Why is this important? After all, oppression is rampant around the world, why should we worry about a minority group in a country so far away, let alone one already so unpopular in the West?  In this blog, I hope to shed light on this by giving context to this situation.

Education and the Bahá’ís of Iran: a bit of history

It would be no exaggeration to state that the high regard for education is interwoven and completely integrated within Bahá’í community life.  The acquisition of knowledge and pursuit of education is part of being a Bahá’í.

Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet founder of the Bahá’í Faith, stated:

“Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess…”[1]

Abdu'l-Bahá

Regarding the education of women, we have a stunning statement from Abdu’l-Bahá, son of Bahá’u’lláh and appointed interpreter of His teachings:

“The girl’s education is of more importance today than the boy’s, for she is the mother of the future race…[2]”

Amazingly, this was stated more than 100 years ago; yet, it is only fairly recently that the United Nations has stated that priority of education for young girls and promotion of equality of women and men are the fastest way of getting a country out of poverty.

It should be no surprise that the Bahá’ís promoted education for both women and men more than 100 years ago in Iran.  Here is a chronology of Bahá’í educational initiatives and Iran’s response[3]:

1899—Baha’is establish the Tarbiyat school for boys, which became one of the best schools in the country.
1911—the Tarbiyat school for girls, likewise, became known for its educational innovation.

Tavakkul School for Girls

1934—Iranian authorities shut down 47 public schools run by Bahá’ís.
1979—Authorities dismissed Bahá’í professors and teachers and expelled students, both youth and children.
1983—Sociologist Shirin Dalvand (25) was hanged along with 9 other women (the youngest, age 18) for teaching Baha’i children.

1987—Formation of Bahá’í institute for higher education (BIHE) to teach Bahá’í students barred from access to universities in Iran

Iranian government raids 500 Bahá’í homes, and arrests 6 BIHE faculty and staff members.
2001 & 2002—Continued government action against BIHE.

2010—BIHE offers 17 university level programs across three faculties.

2011—Raids on 30 homes; 16 Bahá’ís—BIHE professors and administrators—are arrested in May. Muslim participants in BIHE are arrested, warned against further association with Bahá’ís, and released.

Forgotten History—Forgotten Schools

It is hard to overestimate the contribution of the Bahá’í-run schools to the revitalization of Iranian society.  Dr. Soli Shahvar, who is not a Bahá’í, wrote a book called “The Forgotten Schools”[4]. The following is an excerpt from a review of Dr. Shahvar’s book by Sally Weeks:

His new work tells the story of the establishment by Bahá’ís of dozens of schools in Iran—in cities, towns, and villages—starting around the turn of the 20th century. In 1934, the Shah ordered most of the schools closed…

One way the Bahá’í schools were different is that they welcomed students from all religious backgrounds, including Muslims. This most likely made these schools one of the few places in Iran where people of different faiths mixed as a community, he said. (emphasis mine)

And unlike the other religious schools, which used the academic setting for religious training, the Bahá’í schools did not offer instruction in the Bahá’í Faith itself.

“The main distinguishing feature of the Bahá’í schools was their excellence,” said Dr. Shahvar during a recent interview. “Because education was part of [Bahá'í] belief, they did it the best they could. That’s why their schools were better,” he said, adding that the teachers were not well paid but were extremely devoted.

Progressive Bahá’í beliefs—the equality of women and men, democratic ideals, the importance of science—spilled over into education. Bahá’í schools had maps and blackboards, and in some localities, they were the only schools available to girls or to children of certain backgrounds, he said … the excellence of the Bahá’í schools drew many non-Bahá’í students, said Dr. Shahvar, including children of high government officials and the aristocracy.

The fact that Bahá’í schools were owned and run by individuals rather than by Bahá’í institutions could be one reason they are virtually unmentioned in histories of education in Iran, he said. But the Bahá’í connection was never secret. Dr. Shahvar believes a key factor in their obscurity has been government coercion aimed at preventing historians from talking about the Bahá’í Faith.

“The Iranian government made it taboo to talk about [the Bahá'í Faith]. If a scholar wants cooperation from the government, he has to go along,” he said, noting that what little has been written tends to be by Bahá’ís themselves. “Nobody else wants to touch it.”

The Bahá’í emphasis on education had broad ramifications, Dr. Shahvar said. “Everything stems from education,” he said. “It is more important than money. … The Bahá’ís excelled in everything they did. And it benefited the whole society, not just the Bahá’ís.”

He believes the lack of scholarly material goes beyond the role of the Bahá’í community in modern Iran, extending even to basic information about the religion and its founders. “Why, in the intellectual history of 20th century Iran, is there no mention of Bahá’u'lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá?” he said. “They were talking about globalization and international security before anyone. How can you call yourself a scholar and not mention them?”

What’s next?

The Bahá’ís wholeheartedly believe that the future of Iran is bright; Bahá’u’lláh states:

“The horizon of Persia hath been illumined with the light of the heavenly Orb. Erelong will the Daystar of the supernal realm shine so brightly as to raise that land even unto the ethereal heights and to cause it to shed its radiance over the whole earth. The imperishable glory of bygone generations shall once more be manifest in such wise as to dazzle and bewilder the eyes…”

“Iran shall become a focal centre of divine splendours. Her darksome soil will become luminous and her land will shine resplendent. Although now wanting in name and fame, she will become renowned throughout the world; although now deprived, she will attain her highest hopes and aspirations; although now destitute and despondent, she will obtain abundant grace, achieve distinction and find abiding honour.”

History tends to repeat itself; I find it ironic that the formation of the Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education, the response to the cruel deprivation of higher education to its largest religious minority, might well in the future be the very instrument that will revitalize Iran, even as it did 100 years ago.

Watch the videos at Education Under Fire.   You can take action here: http://action.educationunderfire.com/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=6910

You can also purchase a documentary on this:  http://www.educationunderfire.com/the-documentary/

__________________________________ References __________________________________
[1] Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 161
[2] Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 91
[3] Awareness campaign brochure, 2011
[4] http://www.onecountry.org/e204/e20416as_Review_Forgotten_Schools_story.html

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Bahram Nadimi

This was the headline today on a major cable news website.  A few days ago, my colleague asked the same thing, what is going on?  What do these swings signify?

I have also thought about this, and would like to share some insights.  I am not a student of history, but I recall reading that the days and weeks before the great stock market crash of 1929, the market was very unstable also.  The crash was preceded by a speculative boom. This was not the only crisis; we had the Asian financial crisis of 1998, and the more recent crisis of 2008, just to name a few.

My intention is not to analyze the ins and outs of the financial market, but to delve more deeply into the reasons behind this volatility, and possible solutions.

A Sinking Ship?

I have heard many times that the US or the world economy is a sinking ship, and there is nothing that can be done about it.  Many are resigned to the fact that the market and world economy will crash eventually and all we can do is to wait and see.

I beg to differ. We are not in a sinking ship, but in a wobbly and unstable ship. As we have become more and more interdependent, the ship is getting smaller and smaller.  We have reached a point that one person at one side of the ship affects, in a significant way, what occurs on the other side. If we think of the people in the ship representing different countries, it becomes obvious that this volatility is due to lack of coordination between the nations, and hence the solution will be to use a common approach to solve the pressing financial as well as other global issues.

Pain or foresight?

We have a choice: either we can have the foresight to coordinate our efforts, or we can all fall in the painfully cold water, where we will be forced to work together to get back on the ship.  Calls for coordination, and for a common approach have been raised by many world leaders. One such leader is Gordon Brown, former prime minister of the UK, who boldly advocated the need for a new world order, especially after the 2008 financial crisis.  This article is just one example of his thoughts on these issues.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/recession/3414946/Gordon-Brown-calls-for-new-world-order-to-beat-recession.html

Need for True Governance

Amid the disintegration of obsolete institutions that advocate absolute sovereignty, there are ample signs of hope. Only recently, French and German leaders called for “true economic governance” for the Eurozone in response to the euro debt crisis.
This is significant; a debt crisis has forced two powerful European nations to advocate giving up some sovereignty for, in this case, the greater European good and ultimately for the global good.

About 15 years ago, the world governing body of the Bahá’í’s stated:

On one hand, the disarray of human affairs produces a daily diet of horrors that benumb the senses; on the other, world leaders are often taking collective actions that, to a Bahá’í observer, signify a tendency towards a common approach by nations to solving world problems. Consider, for instance, the unusual frequency of the global occasions on which these leaders have gathered …, such as the one in observance of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, at which the attending heads of state and heads of government asserted their commitment to world peace. Noteworthy, too, are the promptitude and spontaneity with which these government leaders have been acting together in responding to a variety of crises in different parts of the world. Such trends coincide with the increasing cries from enlightened circles for attention to be given to the feasibility of achieving some form of global governance. Might we not see in these swiftly developing occurrences the workings of the Hand of Providence, indeed the very harbinger of the monumental occasion forecast in our Writings?[1]”

This monumental event, the convocation of world leaders prophesied by the Prophet founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Bahá’u’lláh, may well happen in our life time. I hope to be alive to see it.

============== references =================

[1]The Universal House of Justice, Ridvan 153, 1996)

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Bahram Nadimi

Tides of change are sweeping the earth, and we all feel helpless to withstand its powerful force. Every day there is fresh and depressing news of terrorism, famine, war, deep economic disorders and the like. Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Baha’i faith from 1921-1957 has stated:

 “A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth. Its driving power is remorselessly gaining in range and momentum. … Humanity, gripped in the clutches of its devastating power, is smitten by the evidences of its resistless fury. It can neither perceive its origin, nor probe its significance, nor discern its outcome. Bewildered, agonized and helpless, it watches this great and mighty wind of God invading the remotest and fairest regions of the earth…[1]”

The question is: how can we mitigate the negative and channel the positive effects of these powerful forces of change?  Where do we start?  How can we overcome the paralysis of will that is preventing people and leaders of good will to come together for the sake of unity, to solve the pressing issues of the day?

We have to start with our thoughts; our thoughts are our reality.

Abdu’l-Bahá (son of the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith) has stated:

“I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content.[2]”

 I cannot but recall a wonderful song by DePeche Mode called “People Are People”, here it is including the lyrics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvu5EpWnngE

In this song, this band expresses its frustration with hate and disunity in this world and how it is just a matter of time before the thoughts of hate will translate to violence and destruction.

Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds

Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds

Two-thousand-five-hundred years ago we were urged to follow the three pillars of the Zoroastrian religion: “Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds”.

While this statement is timeless—and illustrates the powerful and positive effect of the Word of God through different Prophets at different times—we need more detail at present to expand on these themes. The governing body of the Bahá’ís of the United States released a statement on world peace roughly a decade ago. This amazing document delineates the steps needed for a lasting peace.  Here it talks about thoughts as a potent reality:

 “The courage, the resolution, the pure motive, the selfless love of one people for another — all the spiritual and moral qualities required for effecting this momentous step towards peace are focused on the will to act. And it is towards arousing the necessary volition that earnest consideration must be given to the reality of man, namely, his thought. To understand the relevance of this potent reality is also to appreciate the social necessity of actualizing its unique value through candid, dispassionate and cordial consultation, and of acting upon the results of this process. Bahá’u'lláh insistently drew attention to the virtues and indispensability of consultation for ordering human affairs. He said: “Consultation bestows greater awareness and transmutes conjecture into certitude. It is a shining light which, in a dark world, leads the way and guides… The very attempt to achieve peace through the consultative action he proposed can release such a salutary spirit among the peoples of the earth that no power could resist the final, triumphal outcome [3]”

It goes on to say that a mighty convocation of leaders is needed that “must make the Cause of Peace the object of general consultation, and seek by every means in their power to establish a Union of the nations of the world.[3]”.

There is no other way; world leaders need to sacrifice a little bit of their national sovereignty for the sake of world unity. The pain and suffering will increase until it forces change. We can mitigate this pain, though, by acting with foresight.

 Recent Events in Norway and an important Hundredth Anniversary this Month

It is hard not to be affected by the horrible events—events fueled by hate and racism—that have occurred in Norway. We see similar events all over the world. Can we counter these thoughts of destruction with stronger thoughts of peace and unity as the writings of  the Bahá’í Faith suggest?

As it happens, exactly 100 years ago a historic congress on race unity and anti-racism was held in Europe, at the University of London, July 26-29 1911. See my blog on this congress:

http://www.commongroundgroup.net/2011/01/18/twentieth-century-renaissance-and-race-unity/

This hundredth anniversary has passed virtually unnoticed even in academic circles.  Would it not have been wonderful to have had this bold and noble gathering—at which people of capacity exchanged views on race, culture and religion—publicized?

Norway priminister said after the shootings: ‘We’re going to answer hatred with love’ ; he is right, in order for peace to conquer war, we need thoughts—and deeds—of love to overcome thoughts of hate.

========================= References ==============================

[1] Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 3
[2] Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 29
[3] The Universal House of Justice, 1985 Oct, The Promise of World Peace, p. 4

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Bahram Nadimi

We have a global zinc deficiency epidemic on our hands; over one third of the population of the world is zinc deficient, contributing to about half a million deaths in children world wide every year, and putting two billion people at risk. Zinc is vital to many biological functions, such as disease resistance, wound healing, digestion, reproduction, physical growth, blood sugar regulation, taste and smell.

October 2011 marks the fiftieth anniversary of first conceptual breakthrough of zinc deficiency in man. The discovery was in Shiraz Iran (the city of my birth), one of the places where health concerns due to zinc deficiency was suspected. Three medical residents of the Namazee Hospital—doctors from India, the United States, and Iran—wrote a thoroughly researched paper that, for the first time, described zinc deficiency to be the main cause of growth retardation, male hypogonadism, and adolescent nutritional dwarfism in villages around Shiraz. This paper [2] was a true breakthrough and since it has been referenced in countless papers and journals on zinc deficiency. About a decade later zinc deficiency was identified and recognized in industrialized countries [4].

In response to this growing epidemic, many organizations and initiatives, such as UNICEF, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), Zinc Saves Kids initiative and  International Zinc Association (IZA) have, in the last decade, mounted a global campaign to raise awareness and provide supplements for the affected regions of the world.

Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Hosting a Meeting with UNICEF and Zinc Industry Partners

In 2009, CGI hosted a meeting with UNICEF and zinc industry partners, announcing a unique effort aimed at eliminating zinc deficiency and improving food security in developing countries [1].

President Bill Clinton called for greater awareness and understanding of the importance of zinc in nutrition. The rolling out of supplements and the changing of health policies were mentioned as key factors in reducing deaths around the globe. Collaboration with the zinc industry will also accelerate the continuing reduction of deaths among children under the age of five.

More Awareness is Critical

One of my main reasons for writing this blog is to contribute, however little, to further raising the awareness of this easily preventable health crisis. The fiftieth anniversary of the paper describing zinc deficiency in humans for the first time, might provide this much needed publicity;  President Clinton has said “there is almost no other strategy on earth that could save that many lives for that little money…, [yet] this is something 90 percent of us are unaware of or wouldn’t have a clue as to what to do about it.”  [1]

In order to get more information on Zinc deficiency, you can join a facebook page hosted by Zinc saves kids organization: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=355245623012

Here is a wonderful youtube video on initiatives to eradicate zinc deficiency around the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN_qQPxPK3Q

Honoring My Father

From left to right, Farokh Nadimi, Anna Halsted (daughter of Franklin D. Roosevelt), James Halsted and Manouchehr Nadimi

My father, Dr. Manouchehr Nadimi, was one of the three doctors who wrote that historic paper fifty years ago. The other two doctors were: Ananda S. Prasad, MD, PhD, and James A. Halsted, MD. In subsequent years both Prasad and Halsted devoted their lives to promote the awareness of zinc deficiency.

I would like to take this opportunity to honor my father, an outstanding physician as well as a devoted member of the Baha’i Faith.  His faith has been the main force behind his yearning to serve his fellow man,  channeled through his profession as a physician. I hope that his contribution will be an example to future generations of physicians, including those from, Iran, the country where this discovery was first made. It is a country blessed with a legendary tradition in the field of medicine.  (See my blog on Ibn Sina [3]). 

=============== References =================
[1] http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_51215.html
[2] http://garfield.library.upenn.edu/classics1991/A1991FT75800002.pdf
[3] http://www.commongroundgroup.net/2010/11/30/islamic-science-and-the-renaissance-3/
[4] http://jn.nutrition.org/content/130/5/1344S.full

International Zinc Association.(IZA)

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Bahram Nadimi

The hope for world peace and good will is a deep desire of the overwhelming majority of the peoples of the world. The Prophets of the past prophesied—and countless sages and poets have longed for—the time when peace and harmony will replace war and conflict. Many futuristic science fiction novels and TV shows have also endeavored to give a clear vision of what world peace might look like.

Bahá’ís believe that we are living in extraordinarily precious times—the promised age of fulfillment foretold by the prophets and avatars of past ages—and that world unity has already begun to dawn. The fact that war, conflict and partisanship are rife is the result the people and nations of the world clinging to obsolete concepts and, therefore, failing to recognize the oneness of the human race. It is no surprise that there are many passages in the Bahá’í Writings that articulate, in detail, the developing processes already in existence in this age of transition that will eventually lead to a glorious global civilization.

One might ask, what have science and religion (the main theme of this website) to do with world peace? In this blog, I will try to answer this question, and also articulate what I think are the processes already in play that will culminate in what the Bahá’ Writings refer to as the “Most Great Peace”.

Unity First

If one looks at the news or is aware of the prevailing discourses of our society, one sees that solutions to peace and harmony are issue-oriented; if we only could solve the problem of hunger, or poverty, or warfare, then we might all be united. One of the most revolutionary concepts found in the Bahá’í writings is the opposite point of view—that is, in order to solve those problems and to have lasting peace, we must have unity first.

Bahá’u’lláh (the prophet founder of the Baha’i faith) has said:

“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.”

Abdu’l-Bahá (Bahá’u’lláh’s son) has said that it is better to be united and wrong, than divided and right:

“Though one of the parties may be in the right and they disagree that will be the cause of a thousand wrongs, but if they agree and both parties are in the wrong, as it is in unity the truth will be revealed and the wrong made right.[3]“

One aspect of unity is the unity of science and religion, which once achieved (as Abdu’l-Bahá said): “will be a … cleansing force in the world” paving the way for the unity of mankind.

The Twin Processes of Integration and Disintegration

At least for me, it is hard not to be affected by the overall disintegration of societies and cultures. The signs are indisputable: the acceleration of moral decay, fraud, deep economic and social disorders are just some symptoms. On the other hand, we see integrative tendencies, however weak at this stage, towards peace. The Universal House of Justice—the world governing body of the Bahá’í Faith have stated:

“Out of the ‘universal fermentation’ created by these processes, peace will emerge in stages, through which the unifying effects of a growing consciousness of world citizenship will become manifest.”

World Peace: The Merging of Science and Religion

It is rarely acknowledged that a monumental change in human conduct and the development of virtues and the resulting positive actions are important prerequisites for a lasting world peace—one that only religion, shorn of its superstitions, has the motive power to accomplish. The Universal House of Justice has stated in the now classic document called The Promise of World Peace :

“No serious attempt to set human affairs aright, to achieve world peace, can ignore religion.”

The Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, Shoghi Effendi, stated that:

Not even, I venture to assert, would the very act of devising the machinery required for the political and economic unification of the world — a principle that has been increasingly advocated in recent times — provide in itself the antidote against the poison that is steadily undermining the vigor of organized peoples and nations.[1].

The integrative process of the “spiritualization of mankind” has already started, as evidenced by the sudden rise of interest in religion and spirituality during the last few decades. This has yet to translate into a global sea change in behavior. And though altruism is a growing trend in human life, it seems that we will probably see dramatic changes of human conduct only in the distant future.

In not-too-distant future, we will probably witness the very beginnings of what the Bahá’ís call “the Lesser Peace” and some sort of nascent world order coming into existence.  This scientific process of global organizational development started with the organization of the family, expanded to the tribe, city and nation; one may conclude that the next stage is the creation of the machinery for the unification of mankind. This process seems to have advanced through pain and heartache. We have seen tangible and concrete milestones in this regard already, starting with Woodrow Wilson’s fourteen points that eventually led to the creation of the League of Nations, and more recently the establishment of the United Nations. Each of these milestones were preceded by world wars. (Please refer to my blog on Woodrow Wilson and world peace for more detail.)

The Bahá’ís believe that lasting peace will be the result of the merging of the process of global organizational development and radical change in human behavior born out of the spiritualization of the masses.

Recent developments

While a stable and developing structure for world unity has been established with the United Nations in 1945, the progress towards actual peace has only accelerated fairly recently. In the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, this process accelerated for the first time. In 1999, after the Asian financial crisis, the G20—an organization of twenty member nations to further international and economic development—was created. This crisis forced world leaders—probably for the first time—to acknowledge that all countries are economically very interdependent and, hence, global solutions are key to stabilizing the world economy.

The acceleration continued and at the very end of the twentieth century, there was a millennium summit held by the United Nations. This meeting was the largest gathering of world leaders in history as of the year 2000, with one aim of defining the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century [2].

It seems that, while there is a paralysis of will among global leadership, most of the powerful world leaders understand the necessity for more concrete cooperation between nations. One such leader was Gordon Brown, Prime Minster of the United Kingdom from 2007-2010—in my opinion, one of the great thinkers in recent times. Brown boldly advocated the need for world order in many of his speeches, including a speech to the joint congress of the United States.

He has even stated that we need world order in order to save the earth, and has also stated:

I do not envisage a new world founded on the narrow and conventional idea of isolated states pursuing their own selfish interests. Instead, I see a world that harnesses for the common good the growing interdependence of nations, cultures and peoples that makes a truly global society.

The call for world order has generated at times virulent opposition. Some fear any world order must be an authoritarian world government with the sole aim of ruling the world. The Bahá’í position is that peace is inevitable, and whether we like it or not, we will be forced to create some sort of new order out of necessity. The ideal situation would be to promote a just organizational structure similar to the US federal system, where there is a good balance between individual and state rights, as well as federal needs. The West—especially the US—has the opportunity to take the lead in this process.

I find it ironic that by rejecting the concept of world order, the fearful are playing into the very forces they fear.

Next time, I will talk about world peace and science fiction.

[1] Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 34
[2]  Millennium Summit Wikipedia.

[3]Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 411

Continue reading »]]> Today’s blog is an audio-visual presentation within an audio-visual presentation. The video is from a presentation Courosh Mehanian gave on New Atheism and the Bahá’í Faith in a private home. These are not professional recordings, so please do pardon the (ahem) interesting initial camera angle. I assure you, Courosh is not a table lamp , though he does hope to shed some light (ar-ar) on the subject of how he views New Atheist ideas through the lens of the Bahá’í Faith.

Courosh is, however, Principal Scientist at Charles River Laboratories. He studied physics at Cornell University and currently lives in Redmond, Washington.

 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

part 7

Part 8

Part 9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ebXJ1jdF0&feature=related

==============================

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Bahram Nadimi

Abdu’l-Bahá (son of the Prophet Founder of the Bahá’í Faith) during his one of his trips to the West, about one hundred years ago, stated:

“When religion, shorn of its superstitions, traditions, and unintelligent dogmas, shows its conformity with science, then will there be a great unifying, cleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements, discords and struggles — and then will mankind be united in the power of the Love of God. [1]”

In this blog, I explore the potential impact that science and religion can play in nation building, by touching upon the discourse that is happening in Egypt after the recent changes in the political landscape.  I will specifically talk about the recent contribution the Bahá’ís of Egypt have made to this discourse. Since I am a Bahá’í, I hope to give some insights into this, and—in later blogs—to explore the roles of other groups and organizations.

Unity First

If one looks at the news or is aware of the prevailing discourses of our society, one sees that solutions to peace and harmony are issue-oriented; if we only could solve the problem of hunger, or poverty, or warfare, then we might all be united. One of the most revolutionary concepts found in the Bahá’í writings is the opposite point of view—that is, in order to solve those problems and to have lasting peace, we must have unity first.

Bahá’u’lláh has said:

“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.”

Abdu’l-Bahá has said that it is better to be united and wrong, than divided and right:

“Though one of the parties may be in the right and they disagree that will be the cause of a thousand wrongs, but if they agree and both parties are in the wrong, as it is in unity the truth will be revealed and the wrong made right.[6]“

One aspect of unity is the unity of science and religion, which once achieved (as Abdu’l-Bahá said): “will be a … cleansing force in the world” paving the way for the unity of mankind.

What impact might this play in the nation building processes of countries like Egypt?

In a recent unprecedented open letter, the Bahá’ís of Egypt wrote that “the nation must look beyond expedient solutions and existing models in other societies, and seek instead “a new, truly progressive approach”. They further wrote that enlightened choices can have a profound effect on other countries in the region[2,5].

The Bahá’ís of Egypt, a bit of History

Before delving into some of the salient points made in this open letter, a bit of history. Egypt has a long-standing Bahá’í tradition since it is among the few territories opened to this Faith during the ministry of Bahá’u'lláh (Prophet founder of Bahá’í faith-1853-92)[3].  The Bahá’ís of Egypt very quickly established a strong identity, including publications of numerous books and tablets that were made available to the general public.

This identity was solidified during the historical visit of Abdu’l-Bahá to Cairo just over one hundred years ago, after being freed from captivity.  There was positive press coverage of the event such as an interview with him that appeared in Christian Commonwealth (1910 28 Dec) entitled “A Wonderful Movement in The East”.  It seems that Abdu’l-Bahá was very well known in Egypt since considerable press coverage was also given of his funeral a decade later[3].

Notwithstanding this early promise, the Egyptian community has experienced intermittent and, at times, severe persecution during the last 80 years or so. The most recent difficulties this community endured occurred at the time national identity cards were issued that required a person belong to one of the accepted communities: Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. This forced the Bahá’ís either to lie about their religious beliefs or give up their state identification cards. The policy effectively deprived Egyptian Bahá’ís of access to most rights of citizenship, including education, financial services, and even medical care[4].

After a long and drawn out legal battle, Egypt officially changed rules on identification cards. This ordeal was given detailed press coverage in Egypt during the last year or two, and also some other countries in the region. The uniqueness is not the persecution, since persecution is rampant in every corner of the earth, but perhaps the Bahá’í’s measured response, during and after the publicized series of events, including the recent open letter to the people of Egypt.

An open letter to the people of Egypt

Perhaps the most striking aspect if this open letter is that the Bahá’ís did not dwell on the past issues and events that have plagued the their community, but rather focused on  maintaining their positive outlook in an attempt to shape the future course of their country.  The full text can be found at:

http://www.bahai-egypt.org/2011/04/open-letter-to-people-of-egypt.html

Some of the key points called for by this letter are:

• A process of consultation, key to universal engagement
• Essential principles needed for progressive nation building
• A national conversation at this critical juncture that takes in all segments of society, including the youth

Role of Science and religion

Since this website is primarily dedicated to science and religion, I will briefly touch upon the section of the open letter, related to this topic.  The letter uses the scientific process of evolution to analyze the societal and human trends now occurring in Egypt and the whole planet:

“The fact that, as a people, we have chosen to become actively involved in determining the direction of  our nation is a public sign that our society has reached a new stage in its development. A planted seed grows gradually and organically, and evolves through stages of increasing strength until it attains to a state that is recognizably “mature”; human societies share this trait too. At a certain time, dissatisfaction grows within a population at being held back from full participation in the processes that steer the course of a country, and the desire for more responsibility to be ceded to the citizens becomes overwhelming. Set in this context, the events that have taken place in Egypt can be seen as a response to forces that are, in fact, drawing the entire human race towards greater maturity and interdependence.”

It then states:

“The ramifications of this fundamental truth—the oneness of humanity—are so profound that many other vital principles, essential for the future development of Egypt, can be derived from it… Related to the topic of education is the interaction between science and religion, twin sources of insight that humanity can draw upon as it seeks to achieve progress. It is a blessing that Egyptian society, as a whole, does not assume that the two must be in conflict, a perception sadly commonplace elsewhere. Indeed, we possess a proud history of fostering a spirit of rational and scientific enquiry—with admirable results in the areas of farming and medicine, to name but two—while retaining a strong religious tradition and respect for the values promulgated by the world’s great faiths. There is nothing in such values that should incline us toward irrational thinking or fanaticism. All of us, especially our younger generation, can be conscious that it is possible for individuals to be imbued with sincere spirituality while actively labouring for the material progress of their nation.”[5]

It is heartwarming to see the harmony of science and religion considered a vital principle in achieving lasting social progress.  My prayers are with the people of Egypt.

=================== References ==========================
[1] Paris Talks, Abdul-Baha, p. 146
[2] http://news.bahai.org/story/817
[3] http://bahai-library.com/?file=hassall_egypt
[4] http://news.bahai.org/story/495
[5] http://www.bahai-egypt.org/2011/04/open-letter-to-people-of-egypt.html

[6]Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 411