Author Archive

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

Iran Plans Trial of Bahá’í Leaders

Baha'i Leaders in IranAs Iran continues its practice of denying human rights to millions of its citizens … students, women, journalists, bloggers, and religious minorities … the situation in Iran has turned dangerous for the Bahá’í community, the largest religious minority in Iran.

The deputy Tehran prosecutor has announced that seven imprisoned Bahá’í leaders (seen in the photo) will be going on trial the week of February 15 on completely trumped-up charges, including propaganda against the Islamic republic and espionage for Israel, a capital offense in Iran.

The Nobel Laureate, Shirin Ebadi, is their lawyer, but has been prevented from meeting with the Bahá’í leaders and from having access to their files.

The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States urgently calls on each Bahá’í to immediately take the following actions:

  • Hold your own prayer gatherings for the safety of the Friends in Iran.
  • Organize prayer gatherings in your community, in consultation with your Local Spiritual Assembly, as soon as possible for the safety of the Iranian Bahá’í leaders and for the amelioration of the deplorable situation of religious freedom in Iran. These gatherings should be open to the public and the members of your local media should be invited. Reach out to your Christian, Jewish and Muslim friends, and to your interfaith groups, as well as to all those concerned about religious freedom in Iran. The main purpose of such gatherings is for prayer, and it is essential that they should uphold and exemplify the Bahá’í standard of non-involvement in partisan politics. Discussion on matters outside the scope of religious freedom and human rights should be strictly avoided.
  • Contact your federal Congressional Representatives from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, by telephone or email, or in person at their district offices. Express to them or their staff your deep concern for the Iranian Bahá’í leaders whose lives are in danger. Most of the members of Congress will be in their home districts the week of February 15, as there is a Congressional recess at that time. You may find the following websites useful in identifying your Congressional Representatives:

www.house.gov and type in your Zip Code + 4
www.senate.gov and select your state

Timely updates are online at the official blog, Persecution of Bahá’í’s in Iran, including links to government statements and media coverage.

Feb 20, 2009 | 1 comment View Post

Arlington Baha’is Share in Changing Times

teamWhile my wife, Kit Bigelow, and I had the honor to be featured speakers at the recent Changing Times Conference, held in Hluboka, Czech Republic, someone emailed me to ask who was behind … who was sponsoring … the truly outstanding event at the Townshend International School in the southern Czech Republic. The organizers are seen in the photo at the right … five young adult professionals from Europe, America and the Middle East.

There is no corporate sponsor, no deep-pockets. Simply five visionary young adults – Ruha Reyhani, Clare O’Brien, Vahid Khamsi, Martin Kummel and Neysan Zölzer. They and the 230 young adult professionals from 40 nations who have attended this week-long conference on defining the future are, in my opinion, among the best and brightest of tomorrow’s leaders.

group-with-kitThe five organizers all have “day jobs” yet have found the time to communicate and coordinate … mostly by email … a major conference that focuses on defining visionary leadership principles. In the process, they have attracted speakers from all over the world, ranging from actor Rainn Wilson, Mr. Ian Semplewriter Holiday Reinhorn and Italian business leader Giuseppe Robiati to Dr. Moshe Sharon, a distinguished scholar from Hebrew University, and Mr. Ian Semple, retired member of the Baha’i Universal House of Justice (on the right).

It was intense – daily lectures and workshops for eight to 12 hours. But, then, tomorrow’s leaders know the meaning of hard work.

I have never before seen, known or participated in such a meaningful conference. My wife, Kit Bigelow, who was one of the speakers, has described the event simply as, “humorously soul uplifting.” I looked at the faces of the young adults, and saw the world’s future. Incidentally, we are both members of the Arlington Baha’i community.

Check out this cool animated slideshow the Changing Times leaders created at the end of the conference, featuring the music of Andy Grammer.

~ David Henderson, an Arlington Baha’i.

Jan 09, 2009 | 0 comments View Post