Baha’i delegates Arthur L Dahl and Tahirih Naylor in conversation in Windsor Castle with HRH Prince Philip, ARC Secretary-General Martin Palmer, and UN Secretary-General HE Ban Ki-moon

Is this, as has been suggested, “the biggest civil society movement on climate change in history”?

Representatives of the Bahá’í International Community joined some 200 delegates from nine major faith communities and a range of environmental organisations in Windsor on Monday 2 November  and Tuesday 3 November to commit to long-term practical action to save the environment

The three-day event, which concluded today, was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), which was founded in 1985 by Prince Phillip.

Leading representatives from the Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian, Daoist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Shinto and Sikh communities announced a huge range of environmental initiatives to help combat the impact of climate change.

At the heart of the gathering was a ceremony in Windsor Castle during which HRH Prince Philip and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented certificates to representatives of 31 faith-based projects, ranging from the development of an Islamic environmental labelling system and the greening of the Hajj – the Muslim pilgrimage – to the Sikh plan to urge gurdwaras – Sikh temples – to recycle, compost, use green energy, use eco-stoves, start rainwater harvesting, purchase reusable plates and cups.

The Bahá’í representatives presented a plan that focuses on using a system of regional training institutes to encourage within the worldwide Bahá’í community “acts of service related to environmental sustainability.”

“Bahá’ís believe that religious belief and spirituality lie at the foundation of human motivation and behaviour,” said Tahirih Naylor, a Bahá’í International Community representative to the United Nations who was one of two Bahá’í delegates to the Windsor event.

“So we believe that efforts to change harmful human behaviour – such those actions that contribute to global warming or environmental degradation – can be greatly facilitated by processes that lead to a better understanding of our own spirituality, and of humanity’s relationship with nature. And it is also from such understanding that action naturally arises.”

In his speech at the Windsor Castle ceremony, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said,, “I have long believed that when governments and civil society work toward a common goal, transformational change is possible. Faiths and religions are a central part of that equation.

“Indeed, the world’s faith communities occupy a unique position in discussions on the fate of our planet and the accelerating impacts of climate change,” said Mr. Ban.

Delegates also met in a series of plenary sessions and workshops at Windsor’s Harte and Garter Hotel to discuss how they can reach a new level of collaboration in the face of global warming, water shortages, deforestation, and other environmental threats.

“Climate change is complex and dealing with it requires us to change at many levels,” said UN Assistant Secretary-General Olav Kjørven on Monday.

“It requires a change of ethos. Religions have an unparalleled ability to reach out to people at the grassroots and to touch hearts and minds. Religious institutions are the third largest actors in international markets. Environmentally friendly purchasing decisions by them would have a huge impact across the world.”

Tony Juniper, special adviser to the Prince of Wales’ Rainforests Project and former executive director of the Friends of the Earth, likewise emphasized the important role that religions can play.

“Scientific rationalism gave rise to good science, which in turn gave rise to strong political arguments for cleaning up the environment,” said Mr. Juniper,

“As a result, governments dealt with acid rain and other environmental threats. But these changes were only superficial,” he said.

“Purely scientific rationalism cannot change our fundamental understanding of who we are and how we should live. Religion and science must work together to bring about a fundamental transformation in our relationship to the world. This kind of change needs a spiritual foundation,” he said.

Delegates process into Windsor Castle.

The Baha’i World News Service has more on this.

[Picture courtesy of Alliance of Religions and Conservation]

Technorati Tags: ARC, UNDP, Baha’i, Windsor Castle, Prince Philip, environment, climate change, religion, faiths, social action

In an article published in last Thursday’s edition of The Times, Mrs Blair writes that, in the aftermath of Iran’s disputed Presidential election result, there is a risk that the ongoing threat to the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority may be overlooked. “They face a very uncertain, dangerous future,” writes Ms Blair.

Read Cherie Blair’s article here

The five men and two women, detained in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison since the spring of 2008, helped see to the minimum needs of Iran’s Bahá’í community after all Bahá’í institutions were banned by the Iranian government. Their informal committee was disbanded along with all local-level Bahá’í administrative groups in Iran in March this year. Family members of the seven have recently been told that they will face trial on Saturday 11 July. Spurious allegations made against them include “espionage for Israel”, “insulting religious sanctities”, “propaganda against the Islamic republic” and “spreading corruption on earth.”

“We must urge that the Iranian Government give the leaders of the Bahá’í community a fair trial,” writes Mrs Blair, “and allow independent observers access to ensure this happens. We must also call on Iran to live up to their international obligations to protect all their citizens and allow them to hold and practise their religious beliefs, without discrimination or fear.”

Mrs Blair’s article also pays tribute to Iranian lawyer and Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, who announced that she would defend the Bahá’í prisoners. As a result, Dr Ebadi’s “offices were raided and shut down, angry mobs appeared outside her home and she, and her family, received renewed and serious threats to their safety,” writes Mrs Blair.

“Shirin Ebadi is a courageous woman and a brilliant advocate. But we can not let her carry this burden on her own,” Mrs Blair says.

Masoud Afnan, 51, a member of the Birmingham Bahá’í community – was presented with a prestigious Lloyds TSB Jewel Award at a ceremony in the city on Saturday 11 July.

The Lloyds TSB Jewel Awards celebrate “the wealth of experience, expertise and success which is becoming increasingly evident in Britain’s Asian community today”.

Mr Afnan was named the winner in the “Healthcare & Education” category which honours “outstanding achievements being made by British Asians in public and private healthcare and education sectors throughout the UK.”

“From an inspirational flash of brilliance to the relentless day-to-day pursuit of excellence, it is these individuals’ achievements that epitomise the exacting standards required to maintain healthcare and education in Britain today,” says the Award citation.

A consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital since 1992, Mr Afnan has specialised in the field of infertility and assisted conception since 1983. He has served as an Inspector for the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, and a Board member of the British Fertility Society, as well as chairing its training committee. Mr Afnan is the author of more than 60 publications.

“It is a great privilege to be honoured in this way,” said Mr Afnan, who was born in Ethiopia to a Bahá’í family. Accepting the award, he remarked that celebrating diversity is a mark of true civilization. He drew the attention of the audience to the plight of minority groups around the world who are systematically persecuted, and in particular to the Bahá’í community of Iran, seven of whose leaders are awaiting trial simply for professing their belief in the Bahá’í Faith.

“Our faith instills into us from an early age the spirit of service, a love of people, and the importance of striving for excellence. I am happy I have had the opportunity to practice these principles in my profession,” said Mr Afnan, pictured above left at the ceremony with comedian Inder Manocha – also a member of the Bahá’í community.

Three Lloyds TSB Jewel Award ceremonies take place each year covering the north, midlands and south of the United Kingdom. The awards are regionalised across the three territories to celebrate the impact British Asians are making within the commercial and corporate sectors.

82-year old Christina Kitchen – who lives in Epsom – became an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Mrs Kitchen – a former biology teacher at Epsom’s Rosebery School for girls – has been raising funds for charities, particularly Oxfam, for more than 45 years.

“I was jolly pleased,” said Mrs Kitchen. “When people do things for the community it’s nice to be recognised.”

Mrs Kitchen told the Surrey Comet that her four sons were “all very amused and delighted” at her award. “All of them have followed in her footsteps in supporting various charities,” wrote the newspaper.

The report, launched in London by Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan, reviews human rights abuses and developments throughout the world.

“In Iran, the authorities continued to harass and persecute Bahá’ís and members of other religious minorities, detaining Sunni clerics and sentencing one Sufi religious leader to five years in prison and flogging for “spreading lies”,” says the report. 

“Adherents of the Bahá’í faith continued to be denied access to higher education and some sites considered sacred by them were destroyed… School administrators were required to report to local security offices the presence in their schools of members of “subversive sects” such as the Bahá’í, Ali-Ellahi and Ahl-e Haq. In March and May, seven Bahá’í community leaders were arrested by Ministry of Intelligence officials. In August they were charged with vaguely worded national security offences. All were prisoners of conscience.”

The report also notes how the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi – who offered to take the case of the seven detained Bahá’í leaders – has faced increasing harassment, threats and intimidation by Iranian authorities. “On 29 December officials claiming to be tax inspectors raided her offices and removed clients’ confidential files,” the report says, adding that in December, Dr Ebadi’s Centre for Human Rights Defenders was “forcibly closed by security officials shortly before the centre was to hold an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

Iran’s record of human rights abuses also includes “tight restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly…They cracked down on civil society activists, including women’s rights and other human rights defenders and minority rights advocates. Activists were arrested, detained and prosecuted, often in unfair trials, banned from travelling abroad, and had their meetings disrupted. Torture and other ill-treatment of detainees were common and committed with impunity. Sentences of flogging and amputation were reported. At least 346 people were known to have been executed, but the actual number was probably higher. Two men were executed by stoning. Those executed included eight juvenile offenders.”

Amnesty’s report, however, does note the rise in individuals throughout the Middle East who are now standing up to champion human rights “in the face of such varied, and often seemingly insurmountable problems.”

“All across the region, many individuals – men, women and even children – worked to realize their and others’ rights… In Iran, women – and men – promoted a One Million Signatures petition to demand an end to legal discrimination against women, despite repeated harassment, arrests and assaults by state officials acting in breach of the law, while others campaigned for an end to executions of juvenile offenders.”

“In these countries and others, human rights defenders were in the vanguard of promoting change…Slowly but surely, there were signs in 2008 that a new generation is emerging, more aware of their rights and of what should be open to them, and with a growing resolve to achieve them,” the report added.

Launching the report, Dr Khan called for “a new global deal on human rights – not paper promises but commitment and concrete action from governments to defuse the human rights time bomb. World leaders must invest in human rights as purposefully as they are investing in the economy.”

“These Bahá’í leaders have been languishing in prison for a year now, with no access to their lawyers and no glimmer of a trial date,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, adding that reported new charges of  ’spreading corruption on earth’ only “add to the fears for their lives under a government that systematically discriminates against Bahá’ís.”

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has also joined in the call for the prisoners to be released. “The illegal and unjust detention of these seven Bahá’í leaders, which again shows a policy of oppressing a religious minority, must be brought to an end,” said Aaron Rhodes, spokesman for the Campaign, which has called upon the Iranian government to comply with international human and civil rights standards and account for the detentions of all Bahá’ís in Iran. 

“The continued persecution of the Bahá’í community in Iran degrades all of the people of Iran,” Mr Rhodes said. “The arbitrary detention and targeting of members of any single community should not be tolerated in any country, including Iran.”

The Bahá’í  community makes up Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. In recent years, persecution has intensified to include cemetery desecration, arbitrary detention, home raids, property confiscation, work expulsion and denial of basic civil rights. Iranian Bahá’í  youth continue to be denied the right to higher education, and any university found to have a Bahá’í  student is ordered to expel them. Bahá’í professionals are denied government jobs and face discrimination from private businesses because of their faith. Harassment also occurs from ordinary citizens, for example the cars and homes of Baha’is reportedly being vandalized. Even those who come to their defense are targeted. Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi has come under fire for taking up the case of the seven Bahá’í  leaders.

There are currently at least 40 Bahá’ís  in detention throughout Iran. In the month of April alone, arrests were reported in six cities.

Special features in the latest edition includes news of the UNESCO recognition of Baha’i holy places in Israel as World Heritage sites, a report of the 10th international Bahá’í convention, the latest developments concerning the persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran and news of awards and honours received by British Bahá’ís for their services to society in the last year.

Copies of the UK Bahá’í Review can be requested from opi@bahai.org.uk, or by post from the Office of Public Information, 27 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PD. Copies cost £1.50 each (including postage). Cheques should be made payable to the “NSA of the Baha’is”, indicating that the payment is for the UK Bahá’í Review.

In a letter issued in advance of the G20 meeting in London, political leaders are called upon to consider the moral issues at the root of the current financial crisis, and to pay special attention to the needs of poor, marginalised and vulnerable people: “to forget their needs would be to compound regrettable past failures with needless future injustices”.

Attention is drawn to promises made by the international community in “easier times” which now risk being “postponed by the pressing concern to rectify market failures”.

“Even in these difficult times we strongly urge the leaders of the G20 to hold fast to the commitments they have made to the world’s poorest people,” says the statement.

The 31 signatories to the letter include the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom along with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster and the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth.

Recognising that people “who have lost jobs, savings, or homes, are in need of immediate help” the statement stresses the need for the G20 to fulfill its promises to the poor, citing World Bank figures that “53 million more people could fall into absolute poverty “ as a result of the world financial crisis, the faith leaders’ hope was that “poorer countries would be allowed to trade their way to prosperity”.

The text of the letter reads:

“We write as religious leaders who share a belief in God and the dignity of human life. We wish to acknowledge with realism and humility the severity of the current economic crisis and the sheer complexity of the global and local challenge faced by political leaders. We pray for the leaders of the G20 as they prepare to meet in London this week. They, and we, have a crucial role to play in recovering that lost sense of balance between the requirements of market mechanisms that help deliver increased prosperity, and the moral requirement to safeguard human dignity, regardless of economic or social category.

Many people are suffering as a result of the economic crisis. The World Bank estimates that 53 million more people could fall into absolute poverty as a result of the crisis. The likelihood is that more will face significant hardship before it comes to an end, and those who are already poor suffer the most. Along with the leaders of the G20 we all have a duty to look at the faces of the poor around the world and to act with justice, to think with compassion, and to look with hope to a sustainable vision of the future.

We wish therefore to draw attention to some of the promises made by the international community in recent times – with our wholehearted support – that risk being postponed by the pressing concern to rectify market failures. We need to be properly conscious that all communities include, and must pay special attention to the needs of, poor, marginalised and vulnerable people. To forget their needs would be to compound regrettable past failures with needless future injustices.

Some aspects of this crisis will require technical economic solutions. However those solutions alone will not be enough to address all the questions that we face. At the roots of this crisis lie important moral issues.

We are concerned for people and the work they do. We believe there is a need to consider the aspirations of both rich and poor; to examine our own expectations and how realistic they are; and to root future global patterns of work in our understanding of human dignity. We recognize that people who have lost jobs, savings, or homes, or who now live with the worry of what the future might bring are in need of immediate help. Their hope is for sustainable employment and not continuing job insecurity.

The international community has made important commitments to the developing world. The Millennium Development Goals are of fundamental importance and cannot now be forgotten. Even in these difficult times we strongly urge the leaders of the G20 to hold fast to the commitments they have made to the world’s poorest people. We still need to find ways to enable poorer countries to trade their way to prosperity. We hold that promises made to the poor are especially sacred.

When we spend now, we have to pay later. This also applies when we use up the resources of the natural environment. Morally binding commitments to cut carbon emissions and so to slow the devastating effects of man-made climate change have been made in recent years. They should not be forgotten or postponed. We call on the whole of the international community to hold firm to commitments already made. Most recognise that even more radical commitments will need to be agreed in the near future.

The leaders of the G20 countries are concerned to recover stability in the global economy. We support those efforts. And we pray that as they deliberate they will be mindful of the need to protect the vulnerable from unintended injustice and to respect the commitments they made in easier times.

Dr Musharraf Hussain Azhari
Chief Imam and Executive Officer, Karimia Institute
Chair, Christian-Muslim Forum
Dr Mohammed Abdul Bari
Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield
Head, Movement for Reform Judaism
Dr Girdhari Bhan
President, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (UK)
Mr Anil Bhanot
General Secretary, Hindu Council UK
Mr Steve Clifford
General Director, Evangelical Alliance
Mr Khurshid Drabu
Project Director, Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, UK (MINAB)
Mr Henry Grunwald
President, Board of Deputies of British Jews
Bishop Nathan Hovhannisian
Primate, Armenian Orthodox Church of Great Britain
Mr Sanjay Jagatia
Secretary-General, National Council of Hindu Temples UK (NCHT)
The Most Revd Dr Idris Jones
Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway
Primus, Scottish Episcopal Church
Mr Ramesh Kallidai
General Secretary, Hindu Forum of Britain
Sayyed Nadeem Kazmi
Founder & Director, The Britslam Partnership.
Commissioner Elizabeth Matear
Moderator of the Free Churches Group
Ayatollah Sayyid Fazel Milani
Al-Khoei Foundation
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra
Chairman, Religions for Peace, UK
The Most Revd Barry Morgan
Bishop of Llandaff,
Archbishop, The Church in Wales
His Eminence Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor
Archbishop of Westminster, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the UK
Mrs Ravinder Kaur Nijjar
Sikh Community, Scotland
His Eminence Keith Patrick Cardinal O’Brien
Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, President of the Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Mr Jitu Patel
Chairman, Baps Swaminarayan Sanstha
Rabbi Danny Rich
Chief Executive, Liberal Judaism
Dr Nawal Prinja and the Rt Revd Tom Butler
Sir Jonathan Sacks
Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth
Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala Nayaka Thera
Sangha Nayaka of Great Britain
Head of the Sri Lankan Sangha Sabha of Great Britain
Head of the London Buddhist Vihara
The Most Revd & Rt Hon Dr. John Sentamu
The Archbishop of York
Dr Indarjit Singh, CBE
Director, Network of Sikh Organisations UK
Dr Natubhai Shah MBBS, PhD
Chair, Jain Network
Sir Sigmund Sternberg, KCSG
Co-Founder, Three Faiths Forum,
Senior Advisor, Community of Religious Leaders, World Economic Forum,
Patron, International Council of Christians and Jews,
Vice President, World Congress of Faiths
The Most Revd and Rt Hon Dr. Rowan Williams
The Archbishop of Canterbury

London has hosted the United Kingdom’s largest Bahá’í gathering in 45 years with a northern European regional conference that brought together 3,200 people from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and Greenland.

A World Congress held in the Royal Albert Hall in 1963 was the only bigger Bahá’í gathering in the city – attended by more than 6,000 people.

Around 200 participants travelled from the Republic of Ireland, with others from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. Six visitors came from Greenland. More than 200 also attended from other countries including Croatia, Australia and Mongolia.

The gathering was one of 41 Bahá’í conferences being held over a four-month period in cities around the world, all convened by the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bahá’í Faith. The goal was to celebrate the achievements of the community’s growth and development thus far and to contemplate the immediate needs of the region.

For most of the participants, coming from their own countries, the bracingly cold but dry weekend was not out of the ordinary. But for some the journey to the conference had been arduous. Shortly before the event, the Bahá’ís of Iceland – along with their fellow countrymen – were faced with the unexpected collapse of their country’s banking system and the ensuing financial crisis. Only a few of the Icelandic Bahá’ís thought it would be possible to attend the conference. The price of airline tickets rocketed and foreign currency was not available. 

“A deputisation fund was established,” said Bee McEvoy from Iceland, “and enough money was raised to be able to assist some who were interested in going. Others made great sacrifices to meet the cost.” Bahá’ís living close to the conference centre in Islington and Hackney offered accommodation at their homes at no charge to the Icelanders. 

A number of young Icelanders who have recently joined the Bahá’í community were able to attend. Tonje Plur Brenna made the journey from Hammerfest in the North Calotte region, referred to by Norwegians as the northern-most city in the world. Tonje, who works in a flower shop, took a break from the long winter days of total darkness in her home city to travel to London.

The conference programme looked at how many of the various representatives were devoting their energies to grassroots community building projects that are beginning to impact on the wider society. 

Howard Freemantle, 21, a student at Durham University in the north-east of England, spoke of new efforts to bring several Bahá’í communities in his area together to carry out activities dedicated to the benefit of society. “Our identity became a lot stronger when we started working together collectively,” Howard said. “We were no longer a collection of communities. With that power, nothing can stand in our way.”

Olinga Tahzib, aged 18, and his 16-year-old brother Collis told the conference about their efforts to work in a neighbourhood in the Hillfields area of the historic English city of Coventry. “Thirty families are now taking part in a social action initiative which the Bahá’ís have started which also include children’s classes and junior youth groups,” said Olinga.

“It’s a completely different experience to live within a locality, side by side with its people and working on projects that are prompt and sustainable,” said Collis. “Making time for others is a practical expression of our love for humanity.”

The National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom described the conference as an “extraordinary gathering” at which Bahá’ís had risen to new levels of understanding and confidence at what they would achieve for the Faith. “There was a spirit of inclusiveness and a very real sense of unity tangible throughout the sweet moments of this blessed event,” read a message from the Assembly.

The London event coincided with another in Abidjan attended by 1,200 participants from Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

In its contributions to the UN Climate Change conference in Poznan, Poland, this week, the Bahá’ís have released a working paper, ‘Redefining the Challenge of Climate Change‘. “The search for solutions to climate change has revealed the limits of traditional technological and policy approaches and has raised difficult questions about justice, equity, responsibility and obligation,” says the paper.

Representatives of the Bahá’í International Community have also participated in two side events at the conference, both of which were aimed at addressing the moral and ethical issues that stem from global warming. Mr Peter Adriance, pictured second from right above, spoke on a panel discussion on the topic “Summoning the courage: Arising to the ethical challenge of climate change.” In his remarks, Mr. Adriance stressed the importance of embracing the concept of the oneness of humanity as the overriding ethical and moral principle in addressing climate change. Bahá’í representatives also participated in a daylong seminar.

“The work of the United Nations conference is at a crucial point,” said Tahirih Naylor, a Bahá’í International Community representative to the United Nations, who headed the Baha’i delegation in Poznan. “And our goal in our contributions here is to encourage world leaders and leaders of thought to include a consideration of the moral and ethical impact of the decisions they are making.”

The two-week Poznan conference runs through until 12 December. Government ministers and other top officials from nearly 200 nations will participate in a two-day, high-level segment aimed at completing key elements of an ambitious global climate change deal next year. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to address the conference and will appeal to the gathered leaders to not let the food, financial and other current crises dissuade them from taking urgent action on climate change.

Read the full story at Bahá’í World News Service.