prayer for the persecuted brothers and sisters in IRAN

Prayer for the

Persecuted Bahá’ís in Írán

O God, my God! Thou seest Thy loved ones turning their hearts to Thee, and holding fast onto the cord of Thy ordinances and laws. I beseech thee by the waves of the sea of Thine utterance, and by Him through whom Thou didst adorn the heavens of Thy might, to graciously protect them by the aid of Thy hosts.

O God! Thou beholdest Thy lovers in Írán in the clutches of hate and enmity. I beg of Thee, by Thy mercy which hath preceded the contingent world, to raise up from the earth those who will be moved to aid and protect them, and to preserve their rights and the restitution due to them by those who broke Thy Covenant and Testament, and perpetrated such acts as made the inmates of the cities of Thy justice and equity to lament. Thou art, verily, the All-Powerful, the All-Knowing, the All- Wise.

– Bahá’u’lláh

(Fire and Light, p. 13)

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Wednesday, July 09, 2008


Heritage listing of Baha’i sites


As reported yesterday, UNESCO have inscribed a number of Bahá’í Holy Places in Israel on the World Heritage Site list.

UNESCO’s website has reported this:

The Bahá’i Holy Places in Haifa and Western Galilee (Israel) are inscribed for the testimony they provide to the Bahá’i’s strong tradition of pilgrimage and for their profound meaning for the faith. The property numbers 26 buildings, monuments and sites at 11 locations in Acre and Haifa, associated with the founders of the faith, among them the Shrine of the Bahá’u’lláh in Acre and the Mausoleum of the Báb in Haifa. It also includes houses, gardens, a cemetery and a large group of modern buildings in the neoclassical style that serve for administration, archives and a research centre.

Skydiving for Women

And among the teachings of Bahá’u'lláh is the equality of women and men. The world of humanity has two wings — one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.
`Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í writings

Lois Hainsworth turned 80 this year. A well known Bahá’í, champion of the rights of women and of the equality of women and men,

Lois is going flying, then skydiving, to mark her birthday and to raise money for UNIFEM, the United Nations Fund for Women, in the United Kingdom. It supports projects that promote women’s economic security, human rights and status.
UNIFEM has four strategic goals:
* to reduce women’s poverty and exclusion
* to end violence against women
* to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS
* to achieve gender equality
Lois takes off on 28 July near Stroud, England, where she lives.

The value of education...

In Gleanings CXXII, Baha'u'llah wrote:

The Great Being saith:

Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value.

Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures,

and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.

Whereas industrialized nations are eager to mine the world for gems like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and other lucrative minerals for our advantage, we have failed to mine the most precious treasure of all: the children. It could be that the principle of universal compulsory education is one of the answers to two principles in the Baha'i Revelation that have yet to be addressed: the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty, and a spiritual solution to the economic problems. The pivotal principle of the oneness of humanity comes to mind.

After watching Wide Angle on PBS tonight, it appears that the huge discrepancies between the rich and poor in the world are related to the huge discrepancies in and unequal opportunities for education around the world. To get an idea of just how unequal opportunities are, one need only watch "Back to School" at


http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/school2/index.html?campaign=pbshomefeatures_2_wideanglebrbacktoschool_2007-07-17#videoplayer



At the bottom of the screen, there is also an opportunity to take part in a poll to register your opinion. Maybe we can make a difference by answering the question: Should the U.N. sanction countries for not meeting universal education goals? While children in developed countries are enjoying a vacation from school right now, there are millions of children who won't have the chance to learn at all unless we find better ways to take collective action.

The Issue

What would life be like without an education? Over a hundred million children learn the answer each year; of these, two thirds are girls. One in four children in developing countries does not complete five years of basic education and there are nearly one billion illiterate adults – one sixth of the world's people. Now 191 nations have set a goal of free and compulsory education for every child on earth by 2015. To test the reality of this commitment, Back to School travels to schoolrooms worldwide, offering a fascinating glimpse into the lives of very diverse children, all taking their hopeful first steps into an uncertain future.

The Film

Back to School is the second installment of Time for School, the multi-year project launched in 2003 when Wide Angle profiled seven children in seven countries – Afghanistan, Benin, Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya, and Romania – starting their first year of school, often despite great odds. Returning in 2006, we find that some are already hanging onto their enrollment by a thread. Thirteen-year-old Neeraj attends a special night school so she can work during the day, but extended trips to graze the livestock have arrested her progress. In Benin, Nanavi is the first girl from her family to enroll in school, but her father's death has made it difficult to afford the chalk and supplies. With over 100 million children around the globe out of school, Back to School puts a human face on an issue with profound consequences for global development.




---Sue EMMEL from NY