Recent Articles
Prayers for Religious Freedom
Deeply concerned about the plight of their Bahá’í brothers and sisters in Iran, the Arlington Bahá’í Community invites you to gather for a planned series of prayer meetings and conference calls.
We invite friends of all faith backgrounds to come together and pray with us. We will pray for protection and healing, for understanding and love, for compassion and justice. On Valentine’s Day, when so many are talking about love, let us call to mind the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh:
“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.”
Please contact us for more information.
For the most timely and up-to-date information regarding the plight of the Bahá’í in Iran please visit iran.bahai.us.
Virginia Representative Wolf Calls for End to Persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran
Wednesday, February 11 the Honorable Frank Wolf of Virginia stated the following in the Congressional Record:
“Madam Speaker, I would like to bring to my colleagues’ attention some deeply disturbing news coming out of Tehran. Tehran’s deputy prosecutor recently announced that the revolutionary court will hear the cases of seven members of the Bahá’í faith accused of spying for Israel. The continued systematic persecution of the Bahá’ís by the tyrannical government of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is unacceptable and must stop. I ask that a report from the Agence France Press be inserted into the record, as well.”
Here is the report from the Agence France Press.
Thank you Congressman Wolf. You are right this is very disturbing and is completely unacceptable. More than nine months ago – on May 14, 2008 – six Bahá’í leaders were arrested in Iran. They have been denied access to legal counsel. Those six and another individual who was arrested in March comprised the entire membership of a national-level coordination group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís in Iran. For more information concerning that arrest please see our earlier post.
These arrests were condemned by The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, The US 2008 Congress, the White House, the President of the EU, the United Nations, many newspapers from international publications such as the Wall Street Journal, CNN and BBC to our local newspaper The Arlington Connection.
Kevin Locke Performs at the Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center
Kevin Locke, an internationally recognized Native American dancer and preeminent player of the indigenous flute, will perform Saturday, February 14, 2009 at the at the Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center. He is a visionary Hoop Dancer, the preeminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, and a traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator. Originally from South Dakota, raised on the Standing Rock Reservation, he has performed and lectured in nearly 80 countries.
In rhythm with the beating of a drum, Kevin creates images of life emerging from the darkness of winter into the exuberance of spring. Seamlessly flowers, butterflies, eagles, stars, the sun & moon merge into each other. This traditional dance is a celebration of the annual rebirth of nature, but for Kevin it is even more: “The hoops represent Unity, while the four colors of the hoops black, red, yellow and white represent the four human races, the four directions, four seasons, four winds and more. As the Dance concludes, all 28 hoops are interlocked in a spherical union illustrating the interdependence we all share and cannot truly live without.”
Devoting the Night
To begin the month of February with a refreshed spirit, you are welcomed to Devoting the Night – a devotional which will begin later in the evening, after dinner in Rosslyn. On Saturday January 31st, after filling up at Red Hot & Blue at 8:00pm, we will then venture to fill our souls with the devotional at the nearby River Place apartments. The devotional is expected to begin around 10:00pm. If you would like more information, please contact the Baha’is of Arlington.
Come Offer a Prayer for America, and for Racial Unity!
What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, cake, tea? Whatever the answer might be, sharing devotions with friends gets us all closer to the Creator.
As we approach two important and uniquely American (yet global in impact) celebrations — that of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day and the 44th Presidential inauguration — let us gather in an atmosphere of fellowship and offer a prayer for America, and for racial unity!
Please join us for interfaith devotions, prayers, music, fellowship, cake and tea (and few other surprises) that will take place on Monday, Jan 19th at 7:00 pm. The building is metro-accessible via the Orange line, between the Virginia Square and Ballston stations, and is right across from Arlington Central Library. Please contact the Baha’is of Arlington and find out more about this devotional gathering.
