NEW YORK, 9 March 2017, (BWNS) — The Baha’i International Community has released a new statement on the advancement of women and the vital relationship between gender equality and true prosperity.The document was published in preparation for the Commission on the Status of Women to be held at the United Nations next week. The Commission is the UN’s principal annual global forum for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It promotes women’s rights and shapes global standards for equality.The BIC’s statement, “Toward Prosperity: The Role of Women and Men in Building a Flourishing World Civilization”, connects the equality of women and men with the advancement of society in general.The statement explores a holistic conception of progress, calling for a vision beyond mere economic prosperity. The advancement of women must entail more than economic empowerment, argues the BIC. Women play a pivotal role in social transformation for a more just, peaceful, and equitable world when they are able to meaningfully participate in every sphere of life.Although there have been substantial strides in gender equality over the decades, far more remains to be accomplished, states the BIC. Access to education and other important areas have greatly increased; however, systematic and structural injustice continues to suppress women’s potential and serves as a major obstacle to progress.“Until these inequalities are thoroughly uprooted from the fabric of society, humanity will remain mired in the conflict, despair, confusion, and imbalance that have come to define much of modern life,” reads the statement.Yet the publication describes the path towards prosperity, despite its many obstacles, as paved with hope.The BIC United Nations Office New York will explore these issues during the Commission, which will take place from 13–24 March. Information about the sessions the BIC will host and participate in is available here: http://goo.gl/8ioVz3The statement “Toward Prosperity: The Role of Women and Men in Building a Flourishing World Civilization” can be found here: http://goo.gl/8ie63GTo read the article online, view photographs and access links:http://news.bahai.org/story/1154For the Baha'i World News Service home page, go to:http://news.bahai.org/_______________________________________________Copyright 2017 by the Baha'i World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use
15 February 2017, (BWNS) — Following the wave of national Baha'i websites that have launched in recent years, the site of the Baha’i community of Iran went online earlier today.The website, which can be accessed at Bahaisofiran.org, covers a range of topics and presents the history, activities, and aspirations of the Baha'i community in Iran.“The site of the Baha’is of Iran provides visitors with an understanding of the nature and purpose of the Baha’i Faith, its rich history in the land of its birth, and how the Baha’i community in Iran is working side by side with its fellow Iranians for the betterment of that society,” explained Diane Ala’i, representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.“What strikes you when you look at the site is how the teachings of the Baha’i Faith and the principles it promotes reflect the aspirations of the people of Iran, most especially the youth, and the profound desire in that society for material progress that is balanced with moral and spiritual advancement.“Given the restrictions on the Baha’i community in Iran and the fact that there are no Baha’i institutions in that country, our office is very pleased to have been able to help host the site,” said Mrs. Ala’i.Although the official website of the worldwide Baha’i community has recently been made available in Persian and a number of other languages, the new “Baha’is of Iran” website is the first website of the Baha’i community of Iran. This development is especially important at a time when a large volume of anti-Baha’i propaganda has proliferated in that country. Since 2013 alone, more than 20,000 such pieces have been disseminated in Iran’s media.The content and rich photography on the new website conveys the diversity of the Baha'i community in Iran, while also providing a sense of hope that religion as a reality can be a source of inspiration and give rise to constructive action for the common good. Its design evokes the vibrancy and color found in Iran’s geography, art, and cultural history.To read the article online, view photographs and access links:http://news.bahai.org/story/1152For the Baha'i World News Service home page, go to:http://news.bahai.org/_______________________________________________Copyright 2017 by the Baha'i World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use
AGUA AZUL, Colombia, 23 February 2017, (BWNS) — Plans for the construction of the local Baha’i House of Worship in Agua Azul, a village in Norte del Cauca, Colombia, have recently reached an important milestone. Construction officially began in January, after building contracts were formalized with a local firm in the region.Following the groundbreaking ceremony in May 2016, the three-meter high central mound on which the 18-meter tall Temple will stand has been completed, and the foundational work for the surrounding auxiliary structures has been laid. In time, these structures will be painted in the bright colors traditional to buildings in Colombia.Parallel to the progress on building the House of Worship has been the reinforcement of activities, ongoing for some time now, that contribute to the spiritual and material progress of communities in and around Norte del Cauca. Inspired by the Temple, these community-building activities have multiplied, and a spirit of prayer, devotion, and participation has begun to increasingly permeate the area.This same spirit has found expression in practical projects. Since the property for the House of Worship was acquired in December 2013, the community has been undertaking a reforestation project on an 11-hectare piece of land adjacent to the Temple site. The initiative has helped to reintroduce native vegetation to the area, which was decimated by years of monoculture plantations of sugarcane. The team committed to the project has already successfully raised 43 species of plants on the land, which is designated for a Bosque Nativo, or native forest.“Working in a team to recover many of the lost plant species that are part of this land has been one of the most inspiring parts of the project,” said Jason, 12 years old and the youngest member of the reforestation team.In March, the team is planning a special community project to invite individuals from the surrounding communities to bring various plant species from their own homes or farms as a contribution to the Bosque Nativo.The relationship between the environment of the region and the community is also expressed in the design of the House of Worship, which was inspired by the shape of the cocoa pod, a plant that grows abundantly in Colombia and is integral to the identity of the landscape and the lives and economy of the people.“The Temple is already becoming a source of inspiration, a source of development,” said Julian Gutierrez Chacon, the architect for the House of Worship, reflecting on the future of the community. “People are disoriented and have many stresses, and for them the Temple will be a north star, a compass that will reorient lives.”The design for the Temple in Norte del Cauca was announced in 2014. It is one of the first local Baha’i Houses of Worship to be built, among four others announced by the Universal House of Justice in 2012.To read the article online, view photographs and access links:http://news.bahai.org/story/1153For the Baha'i World News Service home page, go to:http://news.bahai.org/_______________________________________________Copyright 2017 by the Baha'i World News Service. Stories and photographs produced by the Baha'i World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization as long as they are attributed to the Baha'i World News Service. For more information, go to http://news.bahai.org/terms-of-use
BAKU, Azerbaijan, 3 February 2017, (BWNS) — The story of Tahirih, a Baha'i heroine born of Azeri roots, has long been a symbol of inspiration in the country of Azerbaijan. She was one of the pre-eminent champions of the equality of women and men in the nineteenth century.On 25 January, Azerbaijan’s National Museum of History held a celebration of women’s education in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries where Tahirih’s dedication and contributions to the advancement of women were recognized.“Tahirih is held in high regard; she is not only renowned within the Baha'i Faith but also well-known and respected throughout the East,” explained Azer Jafarov, professor at Baku State University.“She influenced modern literature, raised the call for the emancipation of women, and had a deep impact on public consciousness.“The fulfilment of Tahirih’s vision of emancipation has found greater expression over time,” continued Dr. Jafarov. “It is the rise of a sun that brings about enlightenment to the human heart.”A recently published book on Tahirih’s life and works was presented at the conference by Salahaddin Ayyubov, a representative of the Baha'i community. The presentation highlighted Tahirih’s impact on the advancement of women. Also discussed at the event were her contributions to poetry, for which she is well known.“Tahirih is a great personality to whom Christian, Atheist, and Muslim writers have all paid homage. Her far-reaching vision of reality sheds light on the aspirations of everyone who yearns for peace and harmony,” said Ali Farhadov, a researcher for the National Museum of History in Azerbaijan.“Today, not only women of the East, but the entire planet must learn from her character and life, which is an embodiment of freedom of thought, emancipation of women, and the attitude of independent search for the truth.”A statue in central Baku of a woman casting aside her veil is said to have been influenced by the story of Tahirih. The monument, known as “the statue of a liberated woman,” was built in 1960 by the sculptor Fuad Abdurrahmanov.To read the article online, view photographs and access links:http://news.bahai.org/story/1150For the Baha'i World News Service home page, go to:
