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Jun
12
Cherie Booth visits Bahá’í temple
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Cherie Booth QC, wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, has paid a visit to the Bahá’í House of Worship in New Delhi.
Ms Booth travelled to India earlier this year as President of the Loomba Trust, a charity that assists widows and their families. As she approached the House of Worship, Ms Booth told her Bahá’í hosts that faith is a very important thing to promote in the 21st century. “We shouldn’t just see it as a cultural expression,” she said, “If we don’t understand and respect faith then we are losing something that is essential about the essence and nature of human beings.”
“The freedom to practice your religion and the freedom to change your religion is very important,” added Ms Booth, a barrister with a particular interest in human rights law.
The party spent a few quiet moments in the temple’s prayer hall. Outside, Ms Booth afterwards asked questions about the life of the faith’s Prophet-Founder Bahá’u'lláh and Bahá’í teachings about the status of women.
“The visit was very enjoyable,” said Mr Shatrughun Jiwnani, who welcomes special guests to the House of Worship, “She remarked on the simplicity of it all and cherished the time she spent in the prayer hall in silent contemplation.”
At the temple, Ms Booth also agreed to be interviewed on camera by an independent filmmaker, making a documentary about the Bahá’í faith. “Faith is not just about spirituality – it’s about the practical implementation in the way we interact with others,” she said in the interview, “The message we have to promote is that faith is a very positive thing which is why the social programmes that the Bahá’ís do are so important.”
Watch the video of Cherie Booth at the Bahá’í House of Worship in Delhi.
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