Iran Puts Baha’i Leaders on Trial

Leaders of Baha'i Faith in Iran

Members of the Baha’i communities in Arlington, Washington, DC, and across the country are watching developments in Iran with concern – Seven leaders of Iran’s Baha’i minority went on trial in Tehran Tuesday (January 12) accused of spying for Israel.

The seven — two women and five men — are also accused of spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic and committing religious offenses, charges that can carry the death penalty.

“We understand that no observers were allowed in the court,” said Diane Ala’i, the Baha’i International Community’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. “We understand that even the lawyers had to argue their way inside the court — lawyers who, in any case, had virtually no access to the accused for nearly two years.”

The seven leaders of the Baha’i Faith in Iran have been held in prison for more than 18 months.

The world’s media is watching developments, including:

CNN

The New York Times

The Washington Post

BBC

Jan 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Bahá’ís to Celebrate Holy Day, October 20

Shrine of the BabA picnic-gathering of Bahá’ís in northern Virginia to celebrate the Birth of the Báb, the Herald Prophet of the Bahá’í Faith, will be held on Tuesday, October 20, from 12:00 noon to 4:30 pm at the Cherry Hill Park in Falls Church, VA (map URL).

The Holy Day program will begin at 2:00 pm. Hot dogs will be provided; bring food for all to enjoy. Please join us, families and children, one and all!

Click here for a Google map.

Oct 18, 2009 | 0 comments View Post

Bahá’í Electoral Unit Convention

Please join us at the annual Unit Convention to elect a delegate to the 2010 National Convention, to consult on activities in our respective communities, and to enjoy the company of the Friends in our Electoral Unit. Sunday, October 4, 2009 – 2 – 5 p.m.

Please bring your Bahá’í ID card with you for registration!

Should you not be able to attend, please send your ballot to the Spiritual Assembly of Arlington, PO Box 100936, Arlington, VA 22210-3936

For further information about Unit Convention, please visit http://unitconvention.usbnc.org/.

The location is:

Kay Spiritual Life Center
American University
4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20016

For a map view, click here.

Sep 29, 2009 | 0 comments View Post

Special Event Focuses on Human Rights in Iran

the-seven-friends-currently-arrested1On Saturday, September 12th the Arlington Bahá’í community will join with others in the DC metropolitan area for an evening dedicated to supporting religious freedom and human rights in Iran. The event will take place at 7:00pm at the Lisner Auditorium of George Washington University. In May 2008, the entire national leadership of the Bahá’í Faith in Iran was arrested and imprisoned in Tehran under false charges. Although the charges against these individuals are baseless, the charges carry the punishment of death. While dedicated to supporting all human rights and religious freedom in Iran, the event will focus on the plight of these Iranian Bahá’í leaders.

Confirmed guests include Ms. Shohreh Aghdashloo (Actress from House of Sand & Fog and The Stoning of Soraya M. ), Dr. Azar Nafisi (Author of Reading Lolita in Tehran) and Dr. Dwight Bashir (Associate Director for Policy at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom). The evening will be filled with multimedia and art presentations, as well as comments from local Washington DC Metro Area Bahá’ís who have been personally affected by the continued persecution in Iran.

The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend. For more information about the event on September 12th please contact us. We look forward to seeing you there. For more information about the situation of the Bahá’ís in Iran please visit iran.bahai.us.

Aug 30, 2009 | 0 comments View Post

Meet Local Baha’is at the Arlington County Fair!

Arlington County in Virginia has had a Baha’i community since the early 1950’s and for over the past 25 years members of that community have actively participated in the annual Arlington County Fair. Come meet representatives of out community at the Baha’i booth at the Arlington County Fair and let us share our love and desire to serve the Arlington community:

“In every dispensation, there hath been the commandment of fellowship and love, but it was a commandment limited to the community of those in mutual agreement, not to the dissident foe. In this wondrous age, however, praised be God, the commandments of God are not delimited, not restricted to any one group of people, rather have all the friends been commanded to show forth fellowship and love, consideration and generosity and loving-kindness to every community on earth.” (‘Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 20)

The Arlington County, Virginia, Fair runs August 20 – 23. The location is 3501 South Second Street in Arlington. Click here for more information.

See you there!

Aug 16, 2009 | 0 comments View Post
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