The exhibition, at the St.Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, entitled Sacred Journeys: Expressions of Faith, explored the journeys of nine different religious adherents from Glasgow, two of whom - Menai Shahim and Carrie Varjavandi - are Bahá’ís who have recently returned from their pilgrimages to the Bahá’í holy places in the Haifa-Acre area of northern Israel.

Cabinets and panels explored aspects of pilgrimage in the different religions, showing objects associated with the journey and displaying quotations from the pilgrims themselves who were also featured in moving video testimonials about the  spiritual journeys they experienced. 

The St.Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art showcases the importance of religion in people’s lives across the world. “The museum plays a vital role in promoting understanding and respect about faiths in the city and in Scotland as a whole,” said Allan Forsyth, spokesperson for the Scottish Bahá’í community.

The motion - passed last night by Durham’s Student Union (DSU) - affirmed that  all people should have equal access to higher education on the basis of merit. 

Since 1979, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has systematically sought to deprive members of the Bahá’í Faith of access to higher education. Countless young Bahá’í’s have been refused entry to universities and colleges. Others already studying have been expelled on the basis of their religion.

The motion cited articles of the Student Union’s Standing Orders that affirm its commitment to equal opportunities and opposition of  all forms of discrimination, including on the basis of religion and nationality.

It was also noted that Durham University recruits students from Iran. “Bahá’í students barred from university in Iran are ipso facto barred from admission to Durham University,” the motion stated. The DSU mandated its Education and Welfare Officer to raise the matter with the University’s administration.

The DSU also resolved to mandate its President to write to the Iranian embassy in London, the Foreign Secretary David Milliband and Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods. The National Union of Students is also to be informed of the motion and requested to support the national “Closed Doors” campaign for access to higher education for Bahá’í students. 

Durham University is England’s third oldest – after Oxford and Cambridge. More than 3000 international students from over 120 countries currently study in Durham.

The letter, published in today’s edition of The Times newspaper, to mark the 60th anniversary of the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, calls the Iranian government’s policy “manifestly unjust”.

 “It also sits ill at ease with Iran’s history of respect for learning and its pluralist tradition,” says the letter.

The letter, sponsored by Professor Bhikhu Parekh, Baron Parekh, pictured,  has been signed by, among others, several distinguished academics, barristers Baron Gifford QC and Baroness Kennedy QC, Nobel Peace prize laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, church leaders in Scotland, journalist Deborah Orr, and a number of other influential people from throughout the United Kingdom.

Bahá’ís have been denied  access to university in Iran for many years but it is now reported that both high schools and primary schools across the country have begun to identify and expel pupils who are members of the Bahá’í faith, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. “Such expulsions are a clear breach of Iran’s obligations under Article 13 of the Covenant of Economic, Cultural and Social Rights,” says the letter.

“We call upon the government of Iran to allow full and unfettered access to education for all members of the Iranian Bahá’í community, and to cease the harassment of Bahá’ís at any and all centres of learning in Iran,” the letter says.

Signatories

Professor Bhikhu Parekh, Baron Parekh of Kingston upon Hull

Professor Geraldine Van Bueren, Queen Mary University of London
Professor Peter Finn, Principal, St Mary’s University College, Belfast
Professor Tony Gallagher, School of Education, Queen’s University Belfast.
Professor Stephen Chan, Department of Political and International Studies, SOAS
Professor Rosalind Pritchard, Head of the School of Education, University of Ulster
Professor Colin J. Suckling OBE, Former Vice-Principal, University of Strathclyde 
Dr Anne Heaslett, Principal, Stranmillis University College, Belfast
Norman Richardson MBE, Stranmillis University College, Belfast

Baron Anthony Gifford, QC           
Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC
Baroness May Blood 

Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Bishop Idris Jones, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
Right Reverend David Lunan, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The Most Rev. Keith Patrick O’Brien, Cardinal and Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh

Deborah Orr, journalist

Patrick Yu, Executive Director, Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities
Pierrot Ngadi, Coordinator, Refugee Wales
Francis Davis, Director, International Young Leaders Network

Baroness Royall, pictured right, was speaking at a reception held on Monday 8 December at the UK National Bahá’í Centre to highlight a Baha’i International Community statement, Beyond Legal Reforms: Culture and Capacity in the Eradication of Violence Against Women and Girls.

Baroness Royall described the document as “excellent” and added that she was impressed by the value Bahá’ís place on the education of girl children. During her presentation, she outlined elements of the British government’s programme of legislation and action to deal with some of the areas of abuse that women suffer. “The United Kingdom has made great progress,” she said, “but there is still much to do. Strengthening of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in schools will be crucial in changing attitudes in children and young people in the long term.”

Baroness Royall also announced the launch in early 2009 of a new public consultation on violence against women and urged everyone to respond to the consultation.

The reception, hosted by the UK Baha’i community, was part of 16 days of activism to draw attention to the continuing need to eradicate violence against women. 

The chair of the Women’s National Commission, Baroness Gould of Potternewton, also congratulated the Bahá’í community on the statement and for what it does in the UK and internationally to promote gender equality and the elimination of violence against women. 

“The position of women and girls has improved in recent decades,” she said, “but many throughout the world are still deprived of the security and education that would enable them to develop their potential.”

“We need a change of culture and an integrated approach towards the elimination of violence against women and towards the development of a more equal society,” said Baroness Gould. However, she said, relevant government departments and NGOs need more resources to play their part in achieving the set objectives.

Zarin Hainsworth-Fadaei, President of the UK National Committee for UNIFEM, the UN women’s agency, highlighted some of the major themes of the document.

“Any effective programme to eliminate  violence against women and girls,” said Ms Hainsworth-Fadaei, “must be based in the understanding that the individual has a spiritual and moral dimension, which shapes their understanding of the purpose of their life and of their responsibilities towards others. Development of these moral and spiritual capacities through education must go hand-in-hand with the structural and legal changes that are slowly emerging at international and national levels.”

Robert Weinberg, External Affairs Secretary of the Baha’i community’s national governing council, the National Spiritual Assembly, welcomed the audience, which included more than 20 leading members of the women’s movement in the UK.

“Bahá’í educational activities at the grassroots level, whether it be in the fields of community development, literacy or healthcare, in the moral and social development of children and pre-teens – all of these activities have the principle of equality, rights and justice at their heart,” said Mr Weinberg. “We are learning at the local, national and international levels what it means to build a community where the capacities of all are encouraged, nurtured and trained so they can play their part in the building of healthy society.”

The Wayfarer is an informative documentary written and directed by filmmaker Jess Firth. Mr Firth first encountered the Bahá’í faith while visiting an old school-friend from New Zealand who was working at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Intrigued by what he saw of this new religion, Mr Firth set out on a year-long journey through five different countries, meeting Bahá’ís, experiencing their holy places, questioning their beliefs and visiting their development projects.

The Wayfarer DVD is available directly from Quest Media Productions.

The Wayfarer received its first screening on 10 November at the Curzon Soho cinema in London’s Shaftesbury Avenue. Some 120 invited guests were present at the premiere which was introduced by Mr Firth.

“The Wayfarer must be among the first independent documentaries to investigate the Bahá’í faith,” said Robert Weinberg, a spokesman for the UK Bahá’í community. “It has been shot entirely in state-of-the-art High Definition digital video and uniquely combines thought-provoking content with stunning images of the various locations where Bahá’ís are active in the world.”

Although in its public stance the Iranian government maintains that Bahá’ís are free to attend university, Bahá’í students attempting to gain admittance to universities and other institutions this term found that their entrance examination results were frozen and their files listed as “incomplete” on the Web site of the national testing organization.

Additionally, Bahá’ís who had successfully enrolled in universities in previous years continue to be expelled. Those who have sought redress through the courts have been disappointed as their cases were rejected.

“As has been the case for the last four years, the Iranian government continues to use a series of devious ploys to prevent young Iranian Bahá’ís from receiving higher education,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations.

“The effect of the government’s policies is to close the doors of universities to Bahá’ís, despite Iran’s supposed commitment to international laws upholding the right to education.

“Our plea to the international community, and especially to professors, administrators and students everywhere, is that they raise their voices on behalf of Iranian Bahá’í students,” said Ms. Dugal.

According to reports from Iran, the principal method this year by which authorities are preventing Bahá’ís from enrolling in university is by blocking their examination results and declaring their files “incomplete.” The tactic was used last year, too, but this year it became evident that many of the Bahá’í students had been identified earlier in the application process. When they tried to log on to the national university examination Web site, rather than seeing their exam results, they got a Web page with the words “Error – incomplete file.” 

The Web page to which they were automatically directed had an address ending with the words “error_bah” – an apparent reference to the fact that their files were declared in “error” because they were Bahá’ís. 

The error message is displayed despite the fact that Bahá’í students had dutifully filled out all required information and successfully sat for the examination.

Last year, for the 2007-2008 academic year, of the more than 1,000 Baha’i students who sat for and satisfactorily completed the entrance examination, nearly 800 were excluded because of “incomplete files.” Without complete files, enrollment in all public and most private universities in Iran is impossible.

Students who have contested the fact that their files were improperly listed as incomplete have so far met a deaf ear in Iranian courts. In a ruling last April in Branch 1 of the Court of Administrative Justice, a Bahá’í student who filed a grievance against the national Education Measurement and Evaluation Organization (EMEO) had his case dismissed.

“In light of the fact that the (EMEO) does not recognize the plaintiff as having fulfilled the requirements, the plaintiff’s case has no merit and is thus dismissed,” the court ruled. 

The same court rejected the claim of another Bahá’í university student who had been expelled because of his religious belief and had approached the court seeking readmission.

In rejecting that case, the court made a reference to the 1991 Golpaygani memorandum which outlines a broad plan to block the “progress and development” of the entire Iranian Bahá’í community, including by expelling Bahá’í university students. The court wrote, “Considering that the plaintiff meets the criteria as defined by the (1991 Golgaypani memorandum) ratified by the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and is thus considered to have failed and has no valid argument to prove that there has been a violation of the guidelines in order to justify his claim, his grievance is not recognized.” 

Recent reports also indicate that Bahá’ís who are enrolled in universities – and there are now very few such Bahá’ís – continue to be expelled as their religious beliefs become known. In August, for example, a student at Fazilat University was just three weeks from graduation when she was brought before authorities; when she refused to recant her faith, she was dismissed from the university.

Despite a record of deceitful dealings by the government, there is increasing evidence of support for Bahá’í students by many Iranians, both inside and outside of Iran.

Notable among them was an article by Ahmad Batebi, a prominent human rights activist now in exile. That article, “The Bahá’ís and Higher Education in Iran,” published 2 September 2008 in Rooz Online, protests the denial to Bahá’ís of access to higher education and the persecution of the Bahá’ís of Iran generally. 

For more information and background documentation, see Bahá’í World News Service

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, human rights, persecution, access to education

A Bahá’í from Brent, London, has been honoured with a Lifetime Service Award for his work in schools and, in particular, religious education.

Mr Hasan Afnan was presented with the Joe Foster Award at a reception, held at the National Bahá’í Centre. Mr Afnan is the second recipient of the Award. The first recipient, Mrs Sheila Williams from Birmingham, was present to congratulate him.

During almost 50 years in London, Mr Afnan has served on Brent’s Standing Advisory Committee on Religious Education, including serving as its chair. He has also worked with the Bahá’í community of Brent and others on a “World Citizenship” project, involving many hundreds of children each year. A long collaboration with EdExcel has now resulted in a GCSE and a half-course in the Bahá’í Faith and Christianity. This GCSE attracted the first mass entries this summer, significantly raising the profile of the Bahá’í Faith among examination bodies. Candidates – both youth and adult – are now being sought to sit the exam next year.

The Joe Foster Award was instituted by the Bahá’í Religious Education Agency (BREA), in honour of Mr Joe Foster, who pioneered Bahá’í involvement in religious education in the United Kingdom, having joined the SHAP Committee in 1968. Mr Foster also served as a mentor to many Bahá’ís committed to the development and advancement of religious education, demonstrating that Bahá’í involvement in RE and Religious Studies required a focus upon the interests of the whole child, particularly moral and spiritual development.

At the presentation, Mrs Dorothy Foster spoke of her late husband’s service in this sphere and informed the gathering that the United Nations Association in Cumbria now holds an annual Joe Foster Memorial Lecture.

For more information about the BREA, please contact brea@bahai.org.uk.

Technorati Tags: Bahai, Baha’i, religious education, RE, SACRE

Technorati Tags: Bahai, Baha’i, Iran, Persian

Mr Locke, a Bahá’í, is known throughout the world as a visionary Hoop Dancer, the preeminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, a traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator.

“I am thrilled to be in the United Kingdom,” said Mr Locke, “I last performed here at the WOMAD Festival in Bath in the early 1990s and it’s so good to be back. It’s the first time I’ve seen the sun shining which makes it even more special!”

While Mr Locke’s early instruction was received from his immediate family and community, he says he has since learned many lessons in global citizenship from his extended family in many parts of the world. 

“I want to demonstrate how we each can draw from our individual heritages to create a vibrant, evolving global civilization embracing and celebrating our collective heritage,” said Mr Locke. “All of the people have the same impulses, spirit and goals. Through my music and dance, I want to create a positive awareness of the oneness of humanity.”

Each year, Mr Locke performs hundreds of concerts and presentations at performing arts centres, festivals, schools, universities, conferences, state and national parks, monuments and historic sites, powwows and reservations. Approximately 80% of his presentations are shared with children.

Mr Locke will be presenting a total of six workshops and three evening programmes at Glastonbury’s Green Fields site during the Festival which runs from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th June.

On Thursday 3 July, from 5.30-7pm, Mr Locke and his performing partner Doug Foote will be running a Native American Dance, Song and Story Workshop for children at the Pullens Centre, 184 Crampton Street, London, SE17 3AE (nearest Tube station: Elephant and Castle).

Later, also at the Pullens centre, at 7pm, Mr Locke and Mr Foote will perform a special concert. Tickets, available on the door, are £10 (£8 concessions). Entrance for those who previously participate in the workshop will be further reduced.  

Technorati Tags: Kevin Locke, Bahai, Baha’i, Glastonbury, Native American, world citizenship

James “Jimmy” McGilligan, pictured right, received his award “for services to social causes and the use of alternative energy in rural communities in India”.

“Getting this honour is quite something,” said 65 year old Mr McGilligan, “It feels good to be recognised but we’re quite taken aback!”

Mr McGilligan, who hails from Garvagh in County Londonderry, manages the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women in Indore, the largest city in the state of Madhya Pradesh, with his wife Janak. The Institute conducts residential training programmes for rural, village and tribal women who have not had the opportunity of schooling. Priority is given to the socially and economically disadvantaged, including orphans, widows, the abused and neglected. Some 4000 women and young girls have returned to their communities as agents of social change since the Institute was established in 1985.

For her services, Mrs McGilligan recently won a prestigious Social Service award from the state of Madhya Pradesh. The award of 100,000 rupees – which was donated to the Institute – was presented at an International Women’s Day event in Bhopal in March this year.

“If you had talked to us about 17 years ago,” said Mr McGilligan, “we would have said that we will never see the fruits of our labours because they would come with the children of the children of the girls we were teaching. But we were totally wrong. The impact of the Institute on the lives of these women is evident.”

Since it was established, the Institute had been experimenting with using solar box cookers. For the past decade, Mr McGilligan has pioneered the largest solar kitchen in the state using ten metre squared parabolic reflective dishes at the Institute, as well as in tribal school hostels in Jhabua, Dattigaon, Dhani and for more than 400 domestic parabolic cookers in use in rural and tribal communities.

In 2004, the Institute started training existing Micro Credit Groups in the use of solar cookers for food processing and income generation. In one example, a group of eight women in the Betul district now cook two hours during the peak sunshine each day using solar cookers. They make and pack local snacks which they sell in the markets and supply to the village council meeting, earning between 75 and 100 rupees each day. Additionally, low cost solar tunnel driers are used for surplus vegetables and spices so that they can be used later when such commodities are in short supply.

Mr McGilligan is the representative for Asia for the Solar Cookers International Association. He has installed solar water heating systems, solar dryers, ovens and water distillers. He also handles logistics and maintenance, IT, gardening and food production at the Institute, managing a team of just five staff including himself.

“It is very important for women to be educated and empowered in any society,” said Mr McGilligan. “Being the first educators of their children, their status should never be seen as secondary to that of men.”

“When I lived in the United Kingdom working in land reclamation, I used to be happy to see cows grazing on reclaimed wasteland. Now when I see a local girl sitting reading a newspaper, it gives me so much satisfaction,” he said.

Technorati Tags: McGilligan, Barli, Indore, India, development, Bahai, Baha’i, Northern Ireland