Canada 'Baha'i Studies' Holds 7Th Conference
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Baha'i News Baha'i Year 139 No. 620 ISSN 0195-9212 USPS 040-140 The third of five International Conferences is held in Montreal, Canada . .. 1 The World Centre staff pays loving tribute to the Greatest Holy Leaf . .... 6 Counsellor Peter Khan speaks of remarkable life of Bahiyyih Khanum . .. 7 Alberta, Canada, is the site of the 3rd North American Native Council . ... 8 'Trail of Light' teaching teams blaze memorable path in Latin America .. 10 Association for Baha'i Studies holds its seventh annual Conference . ... 12 Around the world: News from Baha'i communities all over the globe . ... 14 Baha'i News is published monthly by the National Sp iritual Assembly of the Baha'ls of the Un ited States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Baha'i world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 , U.S.A. Changes of ad· dress should be reported to the Office of Membership and Records, Baha'i National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates: one year, U.S. $8; two years, U.S. $15. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091 . Copyright e 1982, National Sp iritual Assembly of the Baha'ls of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. International Conferences Montreal: Charting course toward victory More than 9,400 Baha'fs from 50 Conference by the Hand of the Cause Alaska, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Ca countries including five of the Hands of God Amatu'l-Baha Rul).fyyih nada and the United States. of the Cause of God gathered Septem Khan um. The Conference coincided with the ber 3-5 at the Olympic Velodrome in Her presence was especially ap 70th anniversary of 'Abdu'l-Baha's Montreal, Canada, for a Baha'f Inter propriate as she is a native of Montreal visit to Montreal, which occurred from national Conference that paid loving who was raised there by her Baha'f August 30-September 9, 1912, and the and eloquent tribute to the memory of parents, architect Sutherland Maxwell 80th anniversary of the establishment the Greatest Holy Leaf and set a firm (who also was a Hand of the Cause of of the Canadian Baha'i community. and unswerving course toward victory God) and Mrs. May Maxwell. Tight security in North America at the midpoint of Also present to celebrate the life and Security was extremely tight as a the Seven Year Plan. service of the Greatest Holy Leaf on result of threats reported to the Na The Universal House of Justice, the the occasion of the 50th anniversary of tional Spiritual Assembly of Canada supreme administrative body of the her passing were the Hands of the Faith and architect of its worldwide Cause of God Shu'a'u'llah 'Ala'f, by the Royal Canadian Mounted Po lice. teaching plans, was represented at the Dhikru'llah Khadem, John A. Robarts and Dr. 'Ali Mul).ammad Varqa. The RCMP said Muslim extremists In addition to the Hands of the had threatened to disrupt the Con Cause, seven members of the Con ference and to harm certain in tinental Board of Counsellors for the dividuals, but thanks to the pre Americas attended the historic three cautionary measures that were taken day gathering as did representatives of those threats never materialized. the National Spiritual Assemblies of The Hand of the Cause of God The Hand of the Cause of God Ama- ~ tu 'l-Bahd RulJlyyih Khdnum addresses the Children's Conference which was The Olympic Velodrome, site of the Bahd'(s from JOI countries attended held as a separate part of the Interna Bahd'l International Conference in the historic Conjerence. (Photo by tional Conference in Montreal. Montreal, Canada. More than 9,400 Jack Bowers) Baha'i News/November 1982 The Hand of the Cause of God Ama American dance with members of the cessful tour of Central and South tu '1-Bahd RulJI'yyih Khdnum (fourth 'Trail of Light' teaching team who America this summer. from left) participates in a lively Native were in Montreal following their sue- Amatu'l-Baha RuQiyyih Khanum read the message to the Conference from the Universal House of Justice, de livered the keynote address Friday morning, closed the Conference Sun day evening with her second address, and also spoke at the separate Chil dren's Conference that was attended by about 1,200 Baha'i children. Prior to the Conference, she led a 12-member Baha'i delegation that was received by the Governor General of Canada, Edward Schreyer, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, seat of the Canadian Parliament. A second Baha'i delegation was received September 8 by the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau. Dr. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, an educator who is the author of several books, spoke Saturday afternoon on "The Life and Service of the Greatest Entertainment at the International performing. Among them was 'Do'a ' Holy Leaf.'' Conference in Montreal was splendid, (Ken LaRoche and Randy Armstrong) Her address was followed by one of with many fine groups and individuals from Dover, New Hampshire. the most moving tributes ever witness- 2 November 1982/Baha'i News ed at any Baha'f gathering. A bouquet of 126 roses was placed on stage and ----- the names of the 126 Baha'f men and women who have been martyred or ab ducted since the Iranian revolution of 1979 were read aloud as many of those in the audience wept. While the names were being read, the several hundred Conference par ticipants who have lost husbands, wives, parents, brothers, sisters or other relatives in Iran stood silently, their heads bowed in prayer. Photos of the Montreal Con ference are by John McNair of East Patchogue, New York. Another memorable event took place the following afternoon when all of the participants in the Children's Conference, which was held at the nearby Pierre Charbonneau Centre, made their way to the Velodrome, marched down the center aisle as Gayle Morrison, author of To Move autographs a copy of the book during a everyone stood and applauded, were the World, the biography of the Hand special autograph session held at the assembled in front of the stage and of the Cause of God Louis G. Gregory, Montreal Conference. sang the Children's Conference theme song, "We Are Baha'fs," with the In • Counsellor Agnes Ghaznavi, "Ba Conference in Canberra, Australia, at ternational Baha'i Choir conducted by ha'i Marriage and Family Life." which more than 2,000 Baha'is from Jack Lenz. Some of the talks were presented in about 40 countries were assembled On Friday afternoon and Sunday English, others in French. All were with the representative of the Universal evening, Mr. Lenz conducted the Con translated simultaneously into English, House of Justice, the Hand of the ference orchestra, choir and two solo French, Spanish and Persian. Cause of God Ugo Giachery. ists in musical tributes to the Greatest Dr. Hatcher's address Saturday Messages to the Montreal Con Holy Leaf which he composed. afternoon was followed by a pre ference were received from the Hand Following a progress report Satur sentation by the Continental In of the Cause of God William Sears and day morning on the Seven Year Plan digenous Council of North America from the National Spiritual Assemblies by Counsellor Lloyd Gardner, the that included a drum call, prayers in of Bophuthatswana, Norway, Para Hand of the Cause of God John Ro Inuit and Indian languages, and a hoop guay and Switzerland. barts spoke on "The Call to Pioneer dance symbolizing the destiny of native The widespread and generally ex ing,'' after which several hundred of peoples. cellent media coverage included daily those at the Conference came forward Eugene King, a member of the Na radio and television reports and promi to offer their services in the pioneering tional Spiritual Assembly of Alaska, nent articles and photos in many large field . spoke on "The Destiny of the Native Canadian newspapers. Other speakers at the Conference Peoples as Prophesied by 'Abdu'l Baha,'' after which members of the The Voice of America was to broad and their topics: cast a full report of the Conference to • Dr. !raj Ayman, "The Role of "Trail of Light" teaching team, com posed of Native American Baha'is Persian-speaking countries in the Mid Sacrifice and the Baha'i Fund." dle East. • Dr. Hossain B. Danesh, "Baha'i from Alaska, Canada and the U.S. Youth and the Cause of Universal who traveled through Central and Besides the Hands of the Cause of Peace." South America this summer and at God, Counsellors, and members of •Dr. William Hatcher, "The Devel tended the International Conference in National Spiritual Assemblies, a opment of the Local Spiritual As Quito, Ecuador, were introduced. number of other notable Baha'is at sembly." The Native Americans presented a tended the Conference including: • Mrs. Ginette Montabord, "The In lovely Indian ceremonial blanket to • Professor Christine Hakim, a so dividual and Teaching." Arnatu'l-Baha RuQiyyih Khanum who ciologist and author of the recently • Counsellor Farzam Arbab, responded by joining them in a spirited published book, The Bahd'(s: Victory "Teaching the Masses." Native American dance. Over Violence. She is the daughter of • Mrs. Elizabeth Rochester, "The On Friday the Conference was link noted cardiologist Manuchihr Hakim Creative Word." ed by telephone to the International who was murdered in his clinic in Teh- Baha'i News/November 1982 3 ran in January 1981.