HA' I NEWS PUBLISHED MONTHLY by the NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OI' the BAHA'is of the UNITED STATES for BAHA'ls ONL Y
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I I HA' I NEWS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OI' THE BAHA'IS OF THE UNITED STATES FOR BAHA'lS ONL y 112 Lllldell A'f., Wlllllette, IR. 600t1 SecoH<11a postage pk! at Wlllllette, llllaols .. No. 508 BAHA'I YEAR 130 JULY 1973 }).nfernaliona/ :leachin<J- Cenlre ~talftiheJ in ..Jlo/'I J!anJ ANNOUNCE ESTABLISHMENT HOLY LAND LONG ANTICIPATED INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTER DESTINED EVOLVE INTO ONE THOSE WORLD-SHAKING WORLD-EMBRACING WORLD-DI RECTING ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTIONS ORDAINED BY BAHA'U'LLAH ANTICIPATED BY 'ABDU'L-BAHA ELUCIDATED BY SHOGHI EFFENDI. MEMBERSHIP THIS NASCENT INSTITUTION COMPRISES ALL HANDS CAUSE GOD AND INITIALLY THREE COUNSELLORS WHO WITH HANDS PRESENT HOLY LAND WILL CONSTITUTE NUCLEUS ITS VITAL OPERATIONS. CALLING HOOPER , , DUNBAR FLORENCE MAYBERRY 'AZIZ YAZDI PROCEED HOLY LAND ASSUME THIS HIGHLY MERITORIOUS SERVICE. OFFERING PRAYER~ HEARTFELT GRATITUDE SACRED THRESHOLD THIS FURTHER EVIDENCE ORGANIC EVOLUTION ADMINISTRATIVE OR- , , DER BAHA'U'LLAH. -THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE Hai fa, Israel June 5, 1973 2 JULY 1973 Jhe One-JJundredth Anniverjar'f of the Revefat ion of the _}~tdb-i-AttJaj ':be/egate:5 lo the :JhirJ .!J.nternationaf Con vention u1':5it the .Jj.oude o/ '-A-UuJ where the J~tdt-i-A<jda:5 wa:5 writlen The newly elected members of The Universal H ouse of Justice were called forward as the. results of the election were announced to the Convention. Standing, left to right: H ugh E. Chance, David S. Ruhe, H. Borrah K avelin, Charles Wolcott, David H ofman, Ian Semple, Amoz Gibson, Hushmand Fatheazam and 'Ali NaJYijav<ini. The order in which members received the greatest number of votes is from right to left. To the Baha'is of the World Universal House of Justice, that it was not propitious to Dear Baha'i Friends, make his declaration public at that time. He has been visited from time to time by Hands of the Cause and It is now possible to share with you all the news of an other believers, and continual touch with His Highness event which crowns the victories with which has been maintained by The House of Justice through Baha'u'llah has blessed H is followers during the Nine Mr. Suhayl 'Ala'i, a member of the Continental Board of Year Plan, an event of which the true significance will Counsellors for Australasia. Gradually the Malietoa has be fully understood only in the course of centuries to let it be known to those around him that he has accepted come: a reigning monarch has accepted the Message of Baha'u'llah. Now he has judged the time ripe to share Baha'u 'llah. this wondrous news with his fellow-believers in all parts Among those to whom The Proclamation of of the world, by addressing to the International Baha'i Bahci'u'llcih was presented in 1967 was H is Highness Convention the gracious and inspiring message of which Malietoa Tanumafili II, the Head of State of the inde a copy is enclosed with this letter. pendent nation of Western Samoa in the heart of the The friends everywhere are asked to strictly avoid any Pacific Ocean. His Highness, who had already heard of publicity to non-Baha'{s in connection with this historic the Faith, showed immediately that the sacred Words event. If any publicity is to be given to this most joyous had touched his heart, and The Universal House of Jus news, it will be given by National Spiritual Assemblies tice thereupon asked the Hand of the Cause Dr. Ugo after they have received appropriate instructions from Giachery, who had presented the book to him, to return The Universal House of Justice. to Western Samoa for further audiences with His High ness. Following this visit the Malietoa conveyed his With loving Baha'i greetings, acceptance of the Faith of Baha'u'llah to The Universal -THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE House of Justice and became the first reigning sover May 7, 1973 eign to enter beneath the shade of this Cause. Baha'i Centre His Highness decided, with the full agreement of The Haifa, Israel Letter from His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II: GOVERNMENT OF TH E INDEPENDENT STATE OF WESTERN SAMOA Office of the Head of State Vailima, Western Samoa March 31, 1973 Greatly esteemed members of The Universal House of Justice, much admired H ands -of the Cause of God, respected Counsellors and honoured delegates attending the Third International Convention My Spiritual Brethren: It is a joy for me and for my fellow B aha'is of the S amoan Islands in the heart of the Pacific, to be with you in spirit and with the friends of God throughout the world, in celebrating this most significant first centu ry of the revelation of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book of Baha'u'llah. We pray for the success of the historic convention now being held in the shadow of the Mountain of God in the H oly Land. Although we are unable to be with you in person on this memorable occasion, our hearts share with you these never to be forgotten days and the knowledge of the tremendous victories won for the F aith of God. To the north, to the south, to the east and to the west, to the most populous and to the most remote places, we send our fond greetings and cherished love. May the spirit created by your gathering at the Holy Shrines pave the way for the rapid establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth and the unity of all the peoples of the world. Alofa tele atu lava matou uma i Samoa nei. Malietoa Tanumafili II The friends at the Third Internationai Baha'i Convention gathered at the u'i-Bahci Ruhiyyih Khcinum spoke about the significance of the project, site of the buiiding to be erected for the seat of The Universai House of and the Tabiet of Carmei was read. Justice on Monday morning, Aprii 30, 1973. Prayers were recited; Amat- BAH.id NEWS 5 :JhirJ Bahd { !J-nlernalionaf Convention Sixteen Hands of the Cause of God, thirty-eight mem The three-day Convention period was officially opened bers of Continental Boards of Counsellors and 412 mem on the morning of the Ninth Day of Ric;!van when the bers of National Spiritual Assemblies from the far cor delegates assembled at Beit Harofe in Haifa to cast their ners of the earth gathered in the Holy Land during the ballots in the election of The Universal House of Justice. Ridvan Festival to attend the Third International Baha'i Amatu'l-Baha RuJ:iiyyih Khanum presided. Prayers Convention. It was a thrilling sight to see the wide were recited or chanted in several languages. Silently, diversity of nations and races represented. Many were deliberately and prayerfully the ballots were marked heard to comment that this was, perhaps, one of the and sealed in their envelopes. When all had finished, the most representative gatherings of believers ever held. roll was called by name of National Spiritual Assembly The three days immediately preceding the Ninth Day - one hundred and thirteen of them. of Ric;lvan were set aside to give the friends an oppor Circumstances beyond their control prevented four tunity to visit the Shrines, the other Holy Places and the teen National Spiritual Assemblies from being repre International Archives. They were taken by bus in small sented in person, but there was at least one delegate groups to the Prison in 'Akka and then to Bahji where from each of the remaining ninety-nine, and the entire they visited the Shrine of Baha'u'llah and the Mansion. membership of five National Spiritual Assemblies-Can The Shrines of the Bab and the Master were kept open ada, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland and the United King during the morning, afternoon and evening of each day dom-was present. It required approximately one hour so that delegates might have the opportunity to meditate and thirty minutes for the chief tellers to call the names and pray as much as they wished in preparation for the of the one thousand seventeen members of National discharge of their most important duty: the casting of Spiritual Assemblies- a process which was frequently their ballots in the election of the members of The punctuated with spontaneous applause in recognition of Universal House of Justice. some special fact or circumstance attaching to a par During this same period The Universal House of Jus ticular delegation. B allots sent by mail were cast by the tice and the Hands of the Cause of God held important tellers during the roll call. Finally the last ballot was meetings concerning the affairs of the Cause, including placed in the box and the nineteen tellers retired to the consideration of new institutions to deal with the antici Master's House to begin the long process of counting the pated rapid expansion of the F aith in the years immedi votes-a task which lasted through the night into the ately ahead. early hours of the following morning. One of the delegates casts her ballot in the election of The Universal House of Justice. Amatu'l-Balui Ri'tl),iyyih Khanum, who chaired the proceedings, is seated at the center. The chief tellers called the roll and supervised the casting of the ballots. JULY 1973 The proceedings for the second day of the Convention were opened by a visit to the site above the Arc on Mount Carmel where the building for the Seat of The Universal House of Justice is to be erected in the near future.