Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement marking the anniversary of Iran’s 2009 presidential election, which precipitated a serious deterioration in the country’s human rights situation:
“One year ago, in the wake of Iran’s presidential elections, the world bore witness to the Iranian regime’s violent repression of its citizens, who were exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly in protest against the conduct of those elections.
“Iran has made absolutely no progress in the last year toward addressing the legitimate aspirations of its people. In fact, its regime has been even more repressive. Iran’s continued, blatant disregard for the rights of its citizens must end.
“Canada calls on the Iranian regime to uphold its human rights commitments by allowing freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly; protecting religious minorities; respecting the human rights of prisoners and detainees; and ensuring equal treatment of women and girls.
“Canada also calls on the Iranian regime to conduct an independent investigation into the killings, violence, arrests and detentions that occurred in the wake of these demonstrations.
“Canada strongly urges the Iranian regime to respect diverse social and political groups and their freedom of expression, and to engage these groups in a constructive dialogue that will serve to strengthen the rich fabric of the Iranian nation.
“Canada further urges the Iranian regime to respect the rights of the country’s Bahá’i community and cease persecuting it, discriminating against it and detaining its members. We note the trial of the seven leaders of the Bahá’i community was to take place today, and we call on the Iranian regime to ensure that due process is respected.”
The LeBlanc family of Halifax, Drs. John and Joanne and their children, Julia, Daniel and Isobel, has returned from a unique 19 day choral tour in India, participating as singers in the Voices of Baha, an internationally acclaimed choir composed of 130 auditioned singers from more than 25 nations. Translated in English, the word Baha means ‘Glory’.
The concerts were visually enhanced by the colourful array of national costumes each singer wore to represent their country or their heritage.
The Voices of Baha were joined by eminent Indian singers and musicians to create a singular blend of Western and classical Indian music.
Capacity audiences in the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai, the CMS Auditoriums in Lucknow, the Bahá’i Information Centre Auditorium and the Bahá’i House of Worship in New Delhi (also known to Indians as ‘the Lotus Temple’), were entertained by the choir’s performance of rare Hindi ragas composed by legendary Indian musician Ravi Shankar. Several pieces of Western and Persian spiritual and popular music were included in the repertoire.
American composer, conductor and organizer of the tour, Tom Price said, “The Voices of Baha, which has performed in more than 35 countries globally since it was founded in 1992, is primarily a Bahá’i choir. The songs’ lyrics evoke the spiritual teachings of the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u'llah. He proclaimed that there is One God, that religion is essentially one and that humanity is one family.
In 1986, Ravi Shankar composed nine ragas based on the writings of Baha’u’llah, specifically for the dedication ceremony of the Bahá’i House of Worship in New Delhi. Long-time friend and colleague of Ravi Shankar, Mr Ashit Desai, conducted the Indian choir for that ceremony.
Mr Desai, his wife Hema and son Alap, were featured singers in this Voices of Baha tour. “We sang these ragas at the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi without any instrumental music”, said Mr Desai, “which was a challenge and very unusual”. Mr Price arranged four-part vocal harmonization to accompany Ravi Shankar’s melodies, several of which were heard for the first time on this tour.
Chicago-based operatic Soprano, Emily Price, acting as assistant conductor and another featured soloist on the tour, said that initially, singing in Hindi was challenging for the Western choir members, but they thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience.
Musician Atul Raninga, winner of India’s 2010 IIFA Award for Best Film Score, had a similar experience along with the other Indian band members on the tour, who are not used to accompanying choirs in African-American Gospel and popular Jazz styles of music. African-American Gospel composer and soloist, Van Gilmer observed, “Musicians have the ability to embrace diversity in music. The power of music is a unifying force that can touch hearts.”
To add to the musical diversity, Elizabeth Hahn’s Hawaiian piece “Blessed is the Spot” was sung in a Jazz style by American Jazz singer and rising star Rachael Price. Ava, well known Atlanta-based Persian singer also contributed in singing Arabic and Persian spiritual songs in the concerts. All songs were accompanied by the 130 member choir.
The final tour event was an acapella performance in the Bahá’i House of Worship set against the warm New Delhi sunset and rising full moon on the evening of June 26, 2010.
The Dartmouth, Cole Harbour, Eastern Passage Sector would like to invite Bahá’is and friends to a Holy Day commemoration this Friday. On July 9, Bahá’is around the world commemorate the date in 1850 that the Bab – one of two main figures in the founding of their Faith – was executed by a firing squad in Iran, then called Persia.
The Bab, whose name means “gate” in Arabic, had declared in 1844 that He was a messenger of God sent to prepare the way for the long-awaited promised one of all religions who would come to establish an age of universal peace. In 1863 Baha’u'llah announced publicly that He was that promised one.
The Bab attracted tens of thousands of followers, and the unease and commotion created by His message led the authorities to put him to death on a charge of heresy. He and a disciple who begged to share His martyrdom were executed by a firing squad of 750 soldiers in a public square in Tabriz.
The remains of the Bab are now entombed in Haifa, Israel, in a beautiful shrine on Mount Carmel. An exquisite shrine with a golden dome was built over the tomb. This building has become one of the best known landmarks of northern Israel and is a place of pilgrimage for Bahá’is from all over the world.
The local event will take place at the World Peace Pavilion on the Dartmouth Waterfront (with a rain location as the Helen Creighton Room of the Alderney Dartmouth Library). It starts at noon with the Tablet of Visitation said at 1 p.m., followed by a picnic and “play” time in the park. There will be lemonade, cookies and watermelon provided. Bring a picnic lunch and your picnic “toys”. It is a good idea to bring a lawn chair (or cushion, blanket to sit on) and to prepare for sun.
On Saturday, June 12, seven members of the Bahá’i community of Halifax Regional Municipality, along with three members from Chester and one from Falmouth, gathered on the lawn of Spring Garden Road Library in Halifax from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to engage the public about human rights abuses in Iran, specifically highlighting the Yaran (seven friends of the Bahá’i Faith) imprisoned in Evin prison in Tehran for the past two years.
This event was one of many worldwide coordinated by the human rights group United4Iran and co-sponsored by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Nobel’s Women’s Initiative, Bahá’i International Community, Cairo Institute for Human Rights, FIDH (Federation Internationale des Ligues Droits de L’Homme) and Pen International.
To illustrate the plight of the imprisoned friends, demonstrators used an area of 3X4 metres and another of 2X3 metres to outline the size of the cells holding 5 men and 2 women, respectively. A poster was produced depicting the seven Friends in jail and a handout was offered to members of the public.
An estimated 100 people took the time to become engaged in conversation and receive a handout about these issues.
Special thanks to all who helped to coordinate and attend this important event.
GENEVA, 28 June (BWNS) – Homes belonging to some 50 Bahá’i families in a remote village in northern Iran have been demolished as part of a long-running campaign to expel them from the region.
The action occurred in Ivel, Mazandaran, when inhabitants – incited by elements inimical to the Bahá’i community – blocked normal access to the village, while allowing trucks and at least four front-end loaders to begin leveling the houses.
Amateur video, shot on mobile telephones and posted by Iranian human rights activists on the Internet, showed what appeared to be several buildings reduced to rubble as well as fiercely burning fires.
The demolitions are the latest development in an ongoing, officially-sanctioned program in the area which has targeted every activity of the Bahá’is.
“They’re being forbidden to associate with Muslims, or even offer service to their friends and neighbours,” said Diane Ala’i, representative of the Bahá’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva. ”Even the smallest acts of good will – such as taking flowers to someone who’s sick in hospital or donating gifts to an orphanage – these are being seen as actions against the regime.”
Most of the Bahá’i homes in Ivel have been unoccupied since their residents fled after previous incidents of violence or as a result of official displacement. In 2007, for example, six of their houses were torched.
“Bahá’is have lived in this area for more than 100 years and it once had a large community,” said Ms. Ala’i. “But in 1983, a few years after the Iranian revolution, at least 30 families from this and neighboring villages were put on buses and expelled.
“Since then, they have tried to seek legal redress to no avail, while returning in the summer to harvest their crops,” she said.
The day after the demolitions took place, a Baha’i man who visited the site with his family to harvest his produce was beaten and insulted by other residents. In the past, those who are trying to drive the Baha’is out have set upon them when they tried to enter the neighborhood to rebuild or renovate their properties.
Persistent government attacks on Bahá’is in all the mass media – along with inaction by local officials to protect them – have continued to incite hatred against the Bahá’is in the region and throughout Iran, said Ms. Alai.
“This latest action shows the degree to which the authorities have completely failed to live up to their responsibilities to protect the Bahá’is and their religious freedom,” she said.
Members of the Bahá’i community have made repeated complaints both before and after the latest incident to local government officials, including to the provincial governor in Sari. In every case, knowledge of the demolitions or the motive behind them was denied.
While reports about the latest action began appearing on various Persian-language websites on Friday, the Bahá’i International Community was only able to confirm details of the incident today. Latest reports indicate that 90 percent of the Bahá’i homes have now been demolished.
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Copyright 2010 by the Bahá’i World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Bahá’i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Bahá’i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use/
WINNIPEG, Canada, 24 June (BWNS) – World leaders meeting in Canada have been urged to take “inspired leadership and action” to halt poverty, protect the environment, and end violent conflict.
The challenge was made in a statement drafted by representatives of the world’s religions, who gathered at the University of Winnipeg in advance of this week’s G8 and G20 summits in Toronto.
“Acknowledging our common humanity and embracing the imperative to treat all persons with dignity, we affirm that no one person is more or less valuable than another,” said the statement.
“We urge the political leaders to consider first the vulnerable among us, particularly our children, and to work together to address the dehumanizing scourge of poverty and injustice, and practice and promote care for our common environment, the Earth,” the statement said.
The World Religions Summit 2010 was the sixth in a series of interfaith gatherings associated with the annual G8 meetings. It brought together more than 80 participants from all of the world’s major faiths including, for the first time, representatives of the Bahá’i community.
Religious leaders from more than 20 countries attended, including each of the G8 nations – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Reverend Dr. James Christie, secretary general of the Summit, said the meeting and its output was directed principally at the leaders of the so-called “Group of 8″ countries because they represent the nations that have the most power to effect change in the world.
“The reality is that these nations have the money, they have the clout, and they make a difference,” said Dr. Christie.
Some participants said it was also important for the religious communities themselves to redouble their own efforts to address the three main topics of their discussions – poverty, the environment, and peace.
“We are living in a very critical period in history,” said His Holiness Aram I, of the Armenian Orthodox Church. “I believe what is important for us is building community. It is not just living side-by-side, coexisting peacefully. It is a question of building integrated communities, communities of integrated diversity, accepting and respecting the others, but living together.”
“We have to tell the G8 and the world that we religions not only speak together but that we are working together to build communities of integrated dialogue,” he said.
Bahá’i participation
Among the Bahá’i representatives at the Summit was Susanne Tamas of Canada, who was joined by Bahá’is from five other countries – France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
“We believe that spiritual principles need to be brought into the discussion of such challenges as poverty, the environment, and peace and security,” said Ms. Tamas. “We want to create a space where the political leaders can reflect and make decisions for the long term, and for the common good, rather than on short-term, national concerns.”
“We’re also here to learn – because these issues are complex and we need to learn what other faiths are saying about them,” she said.
As a prelude to the Summit, the Bahá’i community of Canada sponsored a seminar on human rights and religious freedom. The day-long event – held in Winnipeg on Monday, 21 June – brought together four human rights experts from different religious backgrounds who concluded that the right to freedom of religion must be upheld to ensure that its influence on society is progressive and positive.
“Courageous and concrete” actions
The statement, issued after three days of deliberation at the World Religions Summit 2010, called upon political leaders to take “courageous and concrete” actions.
Regarding poverty, it said more than a billion people are “chronically hungry” and that women, children and indigenous peoples are among those most affected.
“The magnitude of poverty would be overwhelming were it not for the knowledge that this global inequity can be transformed into a shared life of human flourishing for all. Together, we have the capacity and the global resources to end extreme poverty and its impacts,” the statement said.
On the subject of the environment, the statement noted that all faith traditions “call us to careful stewardship of the Earth.” It warned of the effects of climate change and said “bold action is needed now.”
Governments were also called upon to halt the nuclear arms race, and to make new investments to create a “culture of peace.”
The Summit condemned religiously-motivated terrorism and extremism with the faith leaders committing themselves “to stop the teaching and justification of the use of violence between and among our faith communities.”
The statement was presented to Steven Fletcher, Canada’s Minister of State for Democratic Reform. Mr. Fletcher promised to deliver it to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, for presentation to the G8 leaders.
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Copyright 2010 by the Bahá’i World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Bahá’i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Bahá’i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use/
GENEVA, 24 May (BWNS) – A global day of action demanding an end to human rights abuses in Iran has been called for Saturday, 12 June.
The initiative – coordinated by human rights group United4Iran – is being co-sponsored by numerous organizations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Nobel Women’s Initiative, the Bahá’i International Community, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, FIDH (Federation Internationale des ligues des Droits de l’Homme), and Pen International.
“In our support for this nonpartisan initiative, we are standing together with ordinary citizens throughout the world to draw attention to the continuing and widespread abuse of human rights in Iran,” said Diane Ala’i, representative of the Bahá’i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.
The prominent nongovernmental organizations are joining with a wide range of local, student and Internet-based groups to host simultaneous events in cities and on campuses across the globe. Online initiatives include sending messages to specific recipients in support of individual prisoners of conscience.
Earlier this month, United4Iran marked the second anniversary – on 14 May – of the jailing of seven Bahá’i leaders in Tehran’s Evin prison, calling for individuals to show support by replicating the size of the small jail cells and taking a photograph.
“The response was overwhelming,” reported the United4Iran website. “Notes, emails, video, old photographs of the leaders, former students, (and) community representatives from all the world participated.”
As a gesture of solidarity, supporters were asked to mark off the size of the cells shared by the Baha’i prisoners then occupy the space, so as to better appreciate their suffering.
The cells of the Bahá’is in Evin prison do not have beds, forcing the prisoners to sleep on the concrete floor.
A video was posted online to show some of the photos the organization received.
United4Iran also published an old photograph of one of the jailed Baha’is, Fariba Kamalabadi, with one of her former students. The student sent the picture to United4Iran along with words from a letter she wrote to her teacher : “Now that you are in prison … for making the world a better place, … it brings tears to my eyes. And all I can do is pray. The things you taught me I will always know.”
“We are grateful for this outpouring of sympathy being offered to the people of Iran who are subject to oppression,” said Ms. Ala’i.
Several other organizations have recently launched campaigns in support of Iran’s oppressed Baha’i community.
The latest newsletter of the French branch of the organization Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT-France) includes a call for action in support of the seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders, as well as 12 other Baha’is who have been recently detained.
On 14 March, Amnesty International requested messages of goodwill be sent to prisoners of conscience in Iran in order to mark the traditional Persian new year holiday.
The detained leaders of Iran’s Baha’i community were included among seven cases selected by Amnesty International.
To date, almost 600 messages have been received for the Baha’i prisoners – both individually and collectively – from as far afield as Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United States.
The seven Baha’i leaders jailed in Tehran for the past two years are among about 36 Baha’i currently imprisoned in Iran because of their religion.
To read the full article and see the photographs, click here. For the Baha’i World News Service home page, click here.
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Copyright 2010 by the Baha’i World News Service. All stories and photographs produced by the Baha’i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha’i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use/
For the second consecutive year the children and youth from the Halifax Baha’i community’s two Children’s Classes and one Junior Youth Group participated in a litter cleanup on the first Sunday after Earth Day in the Gorsebrook Field. Acts of service are seen as an essential part of the moral and spiritual training in these programs. More than four bags of garbage, including more than 1,000 cigarette butts, were collected!
The morning began with prayers, and then instructions from one of the teachers on how to safely collect litter. A supply kit from Clean Nova Scotia provided gloves, bags and instructions. Children were instructed not to pick up sharp objects, but rather to ask an adult to do this for them. Over the 1.5 hours the most common garbage the group collected were coffee cups, straws, snack bags, cigarette butts (the most common item!), and bottle caps. We met a young family new to the neighbourhood who were out walking their dogs. They inquired as to why we were doing this, and we explained that these were children and junior youth from the Baha’i community doing a service project. They thanked us offered to help us next year. They live close by one of the childrens class teachers family, and have children in the age group that could attend classes. After trudging home with our garbage, we washed hands and gathered to fill out a report for Clean Nova Scotia and reflect on what we learned from this service project. Participants commented on how this made them “feel joy”, how it was respectful of the environment, and how service is how you can develop the virtue of selflessness.
Baha’i childrens classes are held for the four- to seven-year-old age group on Sunday mornings and for the eight- to 11-year-old group on Sunday afternoons. Junior Youth Group for youth age 12 to 15 is also held on Sunday afternoons. The junior youth program offers young people in the junior high school years a setting in which to discuss ideas and form a strong moral identity. The basic premise behind the program is the belief that junior youth are capable of thinking deeply about the world and their place within it and that they need an environment that gives them support and encouragement.
For information on these programs, please contact info@halifaxbahai.org or call 902-425-8188.
Holy Day: Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh
May 29th marks the date of the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh in 1892. After a brief illness, Bahá’u’lláh died approximately eight hours after sunset and Baha’i communities around the world typically commemorate his ascension at 3:00 a.m., standard time.
His mortal remains are interred in a small stone house adjacent to the mansion of Bahji outside Akko (also known as Akka or Acre), in what is now northern Israel. This Shrine is the holiest place on earth for Baha’is, the place toward which they turn in prayer each day. After spending most of His life in persecution and exile, He was able to live his later years at Bahji in relative tranquility.
Bahá’u’lláh left to humanity a priceless heritage of spiritual and social teachings, which He claimed would lead humanity to true and abiding peace. He endured decades of suffering to accomplish this mission. As he says In His own words:
“The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness. This is of the mercy of your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement marking the anniversary of Iran’s 2009 presidential election, which precipitated a serious deterioration in the country’s human rights situation:
The LeBlanc family of Halifax, Drs. John and Joanne and their children, Julia, Daniel and Isobel, has returned from a unique 19 day choral tour in India, participating as singers in the Voices of Baha, an internationally acclaimed choir composed of 130 auditioned singers from more than 25 nations. Translated in English, the word Baha means ‘Glory’.
For the second consecutive year the children and youth from the Halifax Baha’i community’s two Children’s Classes and one Junior Youth Group participated in a litter cleanup on the first Sunday after Earth Day in the Gorsebrook Field. Acts of service are seen as an essential part of the moral and spiritual training in these programs. More than four bags of garbage, including more than 1,000 cigarette butts, were collected!
Baha’i childrens classes are held for the four- to seven-year-old age group on Sunday mornings and for the eight- to 11-year-old group on Sunday afternoons. Junior Youth Group for youth age 12 to 15 is also held on Sunday afternoons. The junior youth program offers young people in the junior high school years a setting in which to discuss ideas and form a strong moral identity. The basic premise behind the program is the belief that junior youth are capable of thinking deeply about the world and their place within it and that they need an environment that gives them support and encouragement.
