Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center Unitygram© December 2009. Year 2. Volume 12

Local Assemblies and Friends Attend Public Forum

On a beautiful balmy autumn day on November 7th, nearly 30 friends from 12 Firmness in the LSAs in the National Capital Region (NCR), as far away as Baltimore, MD Covenant Deepening answered the invitation of the Loudoun LSA and came to consult on the operation and future plans for the Northern Virginia Bahá’i Center. Four other LSA's sent regrets due to a schedule conflict with their reflection gathering. The consultation covered brief reports on last year's progress and consultation on next year’s objectives and tasks on six strategic goals:

1. Practice Sound Financial Management 2. Support Five Year Plan Goals 3. Nurture Bahá’i Life 4. Encourage Local Community Outreach and Service We are excited to 5. Advance Public Understanding/Education announce a deepening on 6. Develop Necessary Resources "Firmness in the Covenant" on December 6, 2009 at After a brief question and answer session six the Northern Virginia Baha'i small teams were formed to discuss and make Dr. Ruth Allen and Peyman Akhavan presented Center. The deepening is initial recommendations on how to best achieve the Center’s Strategic Plan sponsored and hosted by each goal. Full meeting notes and complete the Great Falls Bahá’i discussion of recommendations are being sent to each of the NCR LSAs. Here is Community. a brief presentation of the recommendations made:

Although the deepening is Goal 1, Sound Financial Management geared towards youth – but x Take an active approach to champion the cause of the Center. all are more than welcome x Wage a sustained campaign for financial support of the Center by all Bahá’is to participate. Discussions in NCR. will be led by Dr. Ghaneh x Adoption of ACH accounts by each LSA in NCR. Fananapazir - and will x Establish a program committee that can develop a variety of programs. include practical guidance on areas that impact youth, Goal 2, Support Five year Plan Goals

including exposure to x Giving the Five Year Plan the highest priority and attention covenant breakers on x With the help of the RTI, turn the Center into a learning center offering multiple medium such as Facebook Ruhi courses every night and other internet sites. x Create children's art classes. x Establish quarterly “Ruhi Practice Fest”, inviting all three clusters to take part The meeting will start in it. promptly at 4 PM and will end at 6 PM. Due to limited Goal 3, Nurture Bahá’i Life space, those who wish to participate are asked to x View the Center as a healthy alternative for social gathering for junior youth, please register by emailing youth, adults, and seniors to make new friends, reinforce old friendships and [email protected] fellowship.

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x Encourage inactive Bahá’is to attend programs and events at the Center to reengage with the mainstream and increase participation at community level. We Want to Hear From You Goal 4, Encourage Local Community Outreach and Service We are grateful for the many compliments and accolades x Volunteers to help welcome visitors to we receive from many of you the Center regarding the Unitygram.

x Sponsored events at the Center could We encourage submission of include: articles, news, and o Blood drive information about activities o Craft show and life events from o Women’s group throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington o Book clubs DC for publication in the o Women’s empowerment meeting Sara Fink of Prince William East LSA and Shahrzad Naderi of Reston during the question and answer Unitygram.

with well known speakers session. All articles are subject to Goal 5, Advance Public Education/Understanding editing and must be received by the 15th of each month for x Use the Center as an incubator through its use for interfaith and SED projects. publication in the following x Outreach by joining other organizations as a Bahá’i entity even when only two or month’s issue, space three Bahá’is can actively participate. permitting. x Join organizations even if only two Bahá’is take part, as we will benefit from the For further information publicity efforts of the other organizations. please contact the editor at x Offer of use of the Center also recommended, which would give even two [email protected] Bahá’is in the organization a lot of prestige. x Greatest need for teaching is diversification. Seek out Asian and African- Americans; organize programs of interest to them. Unitygram© x Invite an African American choir to sing on some notable occasion. Unitygram© is published

monthly as an eNewsletter Goal 6, Develop Necessary Resources by the Northern Virginia Bahá’í Center Steering Committee x Reconnect with the youth and encourage them to bring activities to the Center. 21415 Cardinal Glen Circle, x Amplify youth activities and programs in surrounding communities and recognize Sterling, VA 20164 (703)444-0019 their outputs in order to further cheer them on. [email protected] x Announce special events more often and ask LSAs to take part in better

communication within their communities. Copyright © 2009 Northern Virginia x Remove restrictions placed by LSAs on individual contributions to the Center to Bahá’i Center. All rights reserved. increase cash flow. x Consider and incorporate “Green” solutions for renovations to improve efficiency and reduce utility costs. x Anyone who has not received a satisfactory response to their questions from their LSA should contact the NSA.

The meeting was a wonderful chance to hear views of the Bahá’is on how best to help the Center thrive. You can send your thoughts and ideas on how we can make the Center a great place by writing to [email protected].

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Lotus Temple Photo Causes Furor in Iranian Newspaper December Sunday nd Programs On Sunday, November 22 an advertisement from a The Sunday Morning large number of travel Devotional Program this agencies inviting readers to month is sponsored by visit appeared on the Leesburg and Great Falls, front page of Hamshahri, the Virginia communities. daily newspaper with the largest circulation in . 12/6/09 Bahá’i Normally that would not be Administrative newsworthy, however the Order newspaper had innocently 12/13/09 Life of Abdu’l- used an image of the Lotus Baha Temple, the Bahá’i House of 12/20/09 The Worship in New Unknowable, ostensibly for its beauty. The Title above picture of Lotus Temple reads “Discover life by traveling” Part A authorities decided to shut down the newspaper immediately for this “flagrant” crime of 12/27/09 The promoting the Bahá’i Faith and demanded that the paper’s editor publish an apology which he refused. Based on comments posted on the web about this article, most readers said Unknowable, they did not know it was a Bahá’í House of Worship until the uproar initiated by the Iranian Part B government. Many stated that by seeing a photo or even going to the Temple one would not become a Bahá’i. All favorably commented on the Temple’s architectural beauty, and Other Events at the applauded its Iranian born architect. Overwhelming number of readers who saw the ad expressed a desire to someday see the Lotus Temple in person. Center Role of African Americans in the Bahá’i Faith Kitab-i- Saturdays, Iqan 12:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Prince William Cluster, on October 25th Karla Wynn-Diouf presented a Spanish Saturdays, comprehensive Deepening on the role of Firesides 7:30 -9:30 African American's in Bahá’i History. Karla p.m. has a regular book group on the role of African American Bahá’is and has assembled Spanish Sundays, an extensive set of readings and materials on Ruhi Book 9:00 a.m.- the topic. A group of young musicians from 7 1:00 p.m. Baltimore also shared their special musical English Sundays, Karla Wynn-Diouf talent with the audience. Firesides 11:00 a.m. As we prepare for the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the visit of Abdu’l- Deepening Sundays, Baha to United States, it is important Programs 11:00 a.m. to that we all reconnect with the plan and in Persian 4:00 p.m. approach that Our Beloved Exemplar gave us that included the pressing matter of race unity in America. Please check the Center’s Calendar of Events Unitygram invites those with insight regularly for updates on about the contributions of African schedules and programs. Americans and other ethnic groups to share their perspective with our readers.

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Birth of Baha’u’llah Celebration at the Center Birth of The Birth of Baha'u'llah Holy Day was celebrated on the Baha’u’llah night of November 11th at the Interfaith Center with an attendance numbering in the hundreds Celebration including a number of friends of the Faith.

The event was hosted by the Fairfax County Northwest Community and included a diverse program that consisted of recited in Persian, Urdu, Spanish, and English; a wonderful talk given by Mohebat Ahdiyyih on the importance of Birth of Baha’u’llah; a moving poem shared by Maria Castro, a relatively new Spanish-speaking believer; a beautiful recital of a tablet of In addition to the packed Baha'u'llah in Persian by Khosrow Saravi set to music and played by Parviz Northern Virginia Bahá’i Hashemi. Center Birth of Baha'u'llah celebration on November 12, The performances were topped- 2009, a second area Birth of off by a series of captivating Baha'u'llah interfaith musical performances by a celebration took place in group of family and friends from Hagerstown, MD at the Ecuador. At the end of the Christian Church of the program, the children who had Brethren. been working on Holy Day arts and crafts projects made their Many of the Christians were presentation to the audience. asking where was the Two declarations were made that night, one from a Spanish-speaking believer nearest large Baha'i Center? who was moved to declare following the event and another from a youth coming of Naturally, that happens to be age, who also chanted the closing . It was a befitting end to the celebration the Northern Virginia Bahá’i of the Birth of the Promised One of all Ages. Center.

Cluster Institute Coordinators Gather from DC, MD, & VA The Metropolitan Washington DC Baha'i Chorale which Ten cluster institute coordinators (CIC) from seven clusters joined two regional includes a number of Center coordinators at the NOVA Bahá’i Center recently for vigorous consultation on how regulars sang 12 songs in to strengthen the institute process in the Southeast region. Persian, South African, Blending together prayer, song, drama and craft, food and fellowship, these CICs Spanish, African American from clusters for DC, NoVA East, Loudoun, Montgomery, Prince Georges, and as Gospel, and English Christian far away as Northern Delaware & South Hampton Roads worked hard into the traditions. A similar full heart of such topics as Sharing the Vision of the Institute Process to Build a New concert performance by the Civilization, the Art of Encouragement & Accompaniment, Planning, Collaboration, DC Baha'i Chorale is and the latest developments in the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program scheduled for NOVA Center shared by a local animator. Each coordinator has returned to her home cluster in mid February 2010 to prepared to pave the way to higher ground for the institute process by engaging celebrate Black History more of our beloved friends in service to our hungry humanity through the core month. activities. "Take thou thy portion" and call your cluster's institute coordinator to engage in your own path of service!

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Destiny of America Education and Cultural Tour The Drum is the Thunder, The Flute On Saturday, September 26th, several is the Rain friends visited the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. The guided tour included a series of exhibitions on American Indian life, spirituality, culture and modern identity in urban communities, reservations, the nation, and the world. The impetus behind this visit was to familiarize the Bahá’i friends with the history of the Native Americans to better understand how Many friends recall the pure they contribute to the Destiny of America. energy of the visit last February. of our Lakota In the Return to a Native Place: Algonquian Peoples of the Chesapeake Bahá’i friends Kevin Locke exhibition, the Nanticoke, Powhatan, and Piscataway tribes and native peoples of and Doug Goodfeather who the Chesapeake Bay region (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware) gave two separate were explored. Through the exhibition, participants learned a variety of important performances at Center. facts about the contribution of the American Indian peoples in the creation of the American nation, and the survival of the American colonies. Kevin and his Dance Ensemble were here in the In the vast territory from upstate New York to Canada, the Haudenosaunee metro DC area again (People of the Long House) tribes formed the Iroquois Confederation. The critical November 14 and 15, 2009 contributions of the Iroquois Confederation during the founding of the country, the to perform three times at Revolutionary War, and the French-Indian wars were noted by George Smithsonian Museum of the Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Eventually, the model of decentralized American Indian. It was a federation developed by the Iroquois Confederation impressed Benjamin Franklin. brand new spectacular show Later, Benjamin Franklin used this model for the federation of the American called "Native Expressions: colonies and states. The Drum is the Thunder, During the tour, participants also visited the Our The Flute is the Rain." The Universes: Traditional Knowledge Shapes Our World performances told the story exhibition. In this exhibition, the worldviews and of Little Bird, a young Lakota philosophies of American Indians and Native Peoples are girl away from her people for explained in the context of the creation and order of the the first time and writing back universe—and the spiritual relationship between mankind, and forth to her grandfather the environment and the natural world. Ultimately, the about the differences historical and current work of the American Indian tribes between tribal life and urban and Native American peoples in the promotion of the life. At the end, she found her concept of the oneness of mankind, and the unity of all "wings" and was able to soar life on the planet is now the platform for the global like an eagle. environmental and climate change movements. Kevin’s new CD Earth Gifts In this context, Abdu’l Baha confirms the great role of the American Indian tribes which won the NAMMY and Native peoples in the achievement of the great Destiny of America: “Attach (Native American GRAMMY) great importance to the indigenous population of America — should they be is available on his website educated and guided, there can be no doubt that they will become so illumined as www.kevinlocke.com to enlighten the whole world.” — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, pp. 31- 35

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Bahá’is Join Global Plan for Climate Change

On October 27th the Bahá’i International Community

became a partner in a United

Nations-sponsored program to In a strongly worded promote "generational change" statement on November to address climate change and 20th, the Third Committee of environmental sustainability. the UN General Assembly voted 74 to 48 condemning The program, which is co- the government of Iran and sponsored by the Alliance of expressed "deep concern at Religions and Conservation serious ongoing and Arthur Lyon Dahl and Tahirih Naylor of the Bahá’i international (ARC) and the United Nations recurring human rights Community receive certificates at the Windsor Castle gathering. They violations in the Islamic Development Program (UNDP), are pictured with Prince Philip, founder of ARC; Martin Palmer of ARC; Republic of Iran." The list of and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon seeks to promote lifestyle violations included changes that will help slow global warming and other environmental problems oppressive measures taken during a seven-year period from 2010 to 2017. after the June presidential election and "increasing "One of the long-term goals of the Bahá’í Faith is to promote the positive discrimination" against transformation of individuals and communities, and to this end we already sponsor minority groups, including thousands of study circles, children's classes, devotional gatherings, and youth Bahá’is.

groups in more than 180 countries. “We look forward to learning more about the It makes extensive mention efforts of other faith communities and are confident that we can make a useful of the persecution of Bahá’is, contribution to this exciting program," said Tahirih Naylor, a representative of the expressing concern over Bahá’i International Community. "attacks on Bahá’is and their faith in State-sponsored The core session of the gathering was held from November 2-4, 2009 at the media, increasing evidence of efforts by the State to historic Windsor Castle in United Kingdom where representatives of each religious identify, monitor and group presented a seven-year plan designed to promote "generational change" in arbitrarily detain Bahá’is, attitudes towards the environment. Thirty-one plans were presented, reflecting preventing members of the representation by virtually all of the world's independent religions: the Bahá’i Faith, Baha'i Faith from attending Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism, and university and from Sikhism. The event was hosted by HRH Prince Philip who along with UN sustaining themselves Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon delivered the keynote speeches. economically." The resolution also notes the continued "The worldwide Bahá’i community has long been detention of seven Baha'i involved in promoting sustainable development and in leaders who were arrested in March and May 2008, stating creating small-scale projects that include they have faced "serious environmental conservation," said Tahirih Naylor. charges without adequate or "And so this initiative is especially exciting because of timely access to legal the way it concretely addresses the underlying representation."

attitudes and values that are at the root of many of The resolution also humanity's environmental problems." Do your part to save the planet expresses concern over the treatment of "Arabs, Azeris, "In our experience, connecting the hearts of people to Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, sacred writings is the best way to provide the motivation for social change and Jews, Sufis and Sunni action," she said. "As well, Bahá’is will be encouraged to engage in acts of service Muslims and their related to environmental sustainability.” defenders."

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Mr. Morad Hassel Mahboobi In Memoriam

"... Physical companionship is ephemeral, but heavenly association is eternal. Whenever you remember the eternal and never ending union, you will be comforted and blissful..." `Abdu'l-Bahá

Mr. Parviz Dadressan Born into a Bahá'í family in 1932 in Iran, Parviz Dadressan dedicated his life to serving the Cause of Baha'u'llah and

Mr. Ghodrat Mostaghim was carrying out His teachings with unwavering courage. With a born in December of 1927 special love for ‘Abdul'-Bahá, he passionately studied His to Mr.a fir Moradst generation Hassel Baha’i writings and shared the message of the Master with others. family.Mahboobi He loved was chantingborn on Throughout his life he spoke to hundreds of audiences in prayersApril 6, from 1921 childhood, in Abadeh and Iran and the US with great passion and confidence. henear always Shiraz, reminisced Iran. Mr. about He was known in the Bahá'í community for his impeccable hisMahboobi experiences declared as a veryhis and highly sophisticated language that he used when talking about the Faith, his youngfaith boyin Baha’u’lah standing onin 1950a fluency in both Persian and Arabic, and his expert mastery with words. A tableat the at eachage of Feast 29 and to chant distinguished poet with many published works in various Bahá'í publications, he Baha’iimmersed prayers. himself in the left behind volumes of work which still remain to be published. ocean of Writings of ServingBaha’u’llah. the Cause He became had a Mr. Ghodratollah Mostaghim Mr. Ghodratllah Mostaghim was born in December 1927 to a alwaysmember been of anthe integral Baha’i part first generation Bahá’i family. Serving the Cause had always of communityhis life from in childhood. Abadan, Iran He been an integral part of his life from childhood. He often alwaysand steadfastly remembered serv hised the reminisced about his Bahá’i assignments while travelling to Baha’iFaith assignments for many years. for travelling to remote areas of remote areas of the country on teaching and community visits theMr. country Mahboobi on teaching moved toand in Iran. He served on a variety of local, regional and national communitythe United visits States in Iran.in 1994 He committees of the Faith in Iran. His knowledge of the Faith, the servedand became on a variety an American of local, Arabic language and Persian literature was outstanding. He was a great writer regionalcitizen andfive nationalyears ago. His and a poet. committeesunswerving of faith the Faith in Together with his beloved wife, Mrs. Afagh Mostaghim they settled in Great Falls, Iran.throughout His knowledge his 88 yearsof the of Virginia after the revolution where he lived until his passing on October 20, 2009. Faith,life inspired the Arabic his languageseven He is survived by his wife, three sons, two daughter in laws, and three grandsons andchildren Persian and literature many was who follow his path in service to Baha’u’llah. outstanding.grandchildren He towas follow a great a writerpath and that a served poet. the Faith Mrs. Maliheh Mohajeri Mrs. Maliheh Mohajeri was a devoted member of the and humanity. He instilled Afterin them the revolution the dedication in Iran and in Bahá’í Faith who loved her family and friends. She was 1979,love hefor andeducation his wife, and Mrs. born on August 1, 1945 in Hamedan, Iran and passed Afaghprogress Mostaghim as the meansjoined to away on October 26, 2009 in Tucson, Arizona. She is theirsucceed sons inin Greatlife and Falls, serve remembered for her youthful attitude, her ever-ready spirit Virginiahumanity. where He he peacefully lived until of service, her sense of humor, and her generous hospitality. th hisascended passing onto theOctober Abha 20 , She will be missed dearly by her husband of 43 years, Abbas Mohajeri; her 2009.Kingdom He leaves on October behind 4, his children Nelufar, Naghmeh, Arash and Armin; her daughter-in-law Roya and son- wife,2009. three sons, two in-law Erik; her grandchildren Babak, Ashley, Shayda and Michelle; and an daughter in laws, and three extended network of family and close friends. grandsons who follow his

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