Baha'i News Baha'i Year 143 No. 669 ISSN 0195·9212 USPS 040·140 'Fearless, deeply loved' Hand of Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem dies. 2 Mr. Khadem's address to Baha'i Peace Conference in San Francisco. 4 The Association for Baha'i Studies holds its 11th annual Conference. 8 Communications quarterly profiles the Amoz Gibson Training Centre. 9 House of Justice comments on betterment of life, path to world unity. 12 Around the world: News from Baha'i communities all over the globe. 14 S.bi'f News is published monthly by the National Sp: ritual Assembly of the Bah3'is of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bah3. 'i world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typcwrit~cn and doublc·spaccd throughout; any footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbou copy. Send materials to the Periodicals Office, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091, U.S.A. Changes of addressshould be reported to the Offlct of Mtmbusblp and Records, Bah3. ' i National Center. Please attach mailing label. Subscription rates within the U.S.: one year, SI 2; two years, S20. Outside t he U.S.: one yea r, Sl4; two years, S24. Foreign air mail: one year, S20; two years, S40. Payment must accompany the order and must be in U.S. dollars. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091. Copyright oJ986, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Fariburz Sahba (right), chief architect of the Bah<i'{ House world. The four-day event, at which the Universal House of of Worship in India, explains elements of the Temple's con­ Justice will be represented by the Hand of the Cause of God struction to William T. Warden, the Canadian High Com­ Amatu'l-Bahci Ru}J{yyih Khcinum, will end with a large missioner to India, and Mrs. Warden during their visit to public meeting at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Head­ New Delhi last May. The magnificent 'Lotus of Bahapur' is ing a stellar line-up of musicians and other performing ar­ to be dedicated December 23-27 at a ceremony that is ex­ tists scheduled to take part in the dedication is world re­ pected to draw thousands of visitors from all over the nowned sitar virtuoso Pandit Ravi Shankar. Baha'i News/December 1986 1 In Memoriam Hand of the Cause Zikrullah Khadem As the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrullah Khadem often said in re­ WITH SORROWFUL HEARTS ANNOUNCE PASSING IN­ counting the words of Shoghi Effendi, DEFATIGABLE FEARLESS DEFENDER FAITH DEEPLY LOVED the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, HAND CAUSE ZIKRULLAH KHADEM. HIS STERLING SERVICES "sorrow and joy embraced" at the Ba­ TO THE CAUSE, HIS TOTAL CONSECRATION TO TASKS ASSIGN­ ha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Il­ ED TO HIM BY BELOVED GUARDIAN, HIS OUTSTANDING EF­ linois, during a memorial service No­ FORTS AS MEMBER NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY CRADLE vember 15 for Mr. Khadem who passed FAITH, HIS VALUABLE SOUL-UPLIFTING STIMULATION IM­ away two days earlier in Chicago. PARTED BODY BELIEVERS NORTH AMERICA, PARTICULARLY Foundation Hall overflowed with UNITED STATES BAHA'I COMMUNITY, HIS UNTIRING EN­ those who had come from nearby and DEAVORS THROUGH HIS TALKS AND WRITINGS IN SAFE­ distant locales to weep for their loss GUARDING COVENANT AND IN INSTILLING APPRECIATION and to celebrate his life of service and LOVE FOR SHOGHI EFFENDI SHED UNDYING LUSTRE OVER victory. PERIOD HIS ADMIRABLE STEWARDSHIP CAUSE GOD. Mr. Khadem's wife, Javidukht, and OFFERING PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS RADIANT their five children offered remarks that SOUL ABHA KINGDOM. URGE HOLD BEFITTING MEMORIAL set a tone of love and appreciation. GATHERINGS HIS NAME AT ALL HOUSES OF WORSHIP AS WELL Their uplifting sentiments were echoed AS IN ALL LOCAL BAHA'I COMMUNITIES. by the Hand of the Cause of God Wil­ UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE liam Sears and representatives of the NOVEMBER 14, 1986 U.S., Canadian and Alaskan Baha'i communities. with members of the Continental were able to be present at the service to Since the National Spiritual Assem­ Board of Counsellors in the Americas pay their respects to a man who was as bly was meeting that same weekend and U.S. Auxiliary Board members, all deeply loved for his humility and self­ effacement as he was greatly admired as a fearless and outspoken champion of the Cause of God. The funeral service for Mr. Khadem, which was held in nearby Skokie, his home for the past several years, took place Saturday morning before the memorial gathering. Mr. Khadem had enjoyed vigorous health until August, when it was found that he had a fatal illness. The illness soon confined him to bed, but he re­ mained active, dictating letters and talks and sharing inspiring details of Baha'i history distilled from his pre­ cise, scholarly memory. Unable to attend the Baha'i Interna­ tional Peace Conference held over the Labor Day weekend in San Francisco, he sent a message to the conference that was read to the friends by Mrs. The Hand of the Cause of God Wit- for Zikrullah Khadem at the Bahd'( Khadem (text is on pages 4-7). liam Sears speaks at a memorial service House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. In October, Mr. Khadem addressed 2 December 1986/Baha'i News Pictured are some of the mourners who loss of the Hand of the Cause of God life of service und victory at a funeral came from far and near to weep for the Zikrullah Khadem and to celebrate his service November 15 in Skokie, Illinois. a letter to the U.S. National Spiritual communications from the Guardian umenting the details of occurrences in Assembly in which he thanked its for distribution to the friends in Iran. every place that was visited by Baha'­ members "from the bottom of my Other unique services included assist­ u'llah, the Bab, and 'Abdu'l-BaM. heart for all the kindnesses that you ing the opening of the doors of pilgrim­ Mr. Khadem, always precise in writing have shown ... to me over the past 26 age for the Baha'is of Iran, and secur­ or speaking of details of the Cause, years. ing many artifacts of the Cause such as painstakingly compiled that informa­ "I am deeply indebted to our be­ the famous sword of Mulla Husayn. tion. loved Guardian," he wrote, "for hav­ After the passing of the Guardian, Mr. Khadem's talks were inspira­ ing sent me to the West to witness the Mr. Khadem volunteered to serve as a tional, suffused with contagious love glorious victories of our beloved Faith. Hand of the Cause in the Wes tern for the Guardian. He was a scholar of As I look back over the years, I can on­ Hemisphere. He was thus able to fulfill the Old Testament and was learned in ly humbly supplicate: 'O Lord! In­ the prediction the Guardian had made recent and ancient religious history. crease my astonishment in Thee!' " in 1940 that he would send Mr. Kha­ Mr. Khadem also wrote books and Mr. Khadem was born into a distin­ dem "to the West to witness the glori­ guished Baha'i family in Tehran in articles about the Faith in both English ous victories of our beloved Faith," as and Persian. 1905 . His surname, Khadem (in Eng­ referred to by Mr. Khadem in his last Professionally, he was associated for lish, "one who serves") was bestowed letter to the National Spiritual many years with the Anglo-Persian Oil upon his father, Mirza Nasrollah, in a Assembly. Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Baha that praised Company as chief interpreter and di­ his services to the Cause of God. He relocated to the West in 1960 and rector of the Educational Department. Mr. Khadem served from 1949-60 as tirelessly pursued the successful com­ Later, he became secretary of the Iraqi a member of the National Spiritual As­ pletion of the Guardian's Ten Year Embassy in Tehran, and meanwhile sembly of the Baha'is of Iran, and was Crusade, which was culminated in the was a successful businessman and en­ appointed a Hand of the Cause of God election in 1963 of the Universal House trepreneur who was fluent in Persian, by the Guardian in February 1952. of Justice. Arabic, English and French. During the lifetime of the Guardian, Mr. Khadem's many services to the Mr. Khadem's death reduces to eight Mr. Khadem was given many specific Supreme Body, like those to the Guar­ the number of the living Hands of the assignments to travel throughout the dian, were characterized by instant, Cause of God. world, encourage the friends, promote complete and exact obedience. Besides his wife, Mr. Khadem is sur­ and protect the Faith, and help carry The House of Justice called upon vived by one brother, one sister, five out the global teaching plans. Mr. Khadem to undertake an extreme­ children and 14 grandchildren, all of For 17 years, he also received the ly important and delicate mission, doc- whom are Baha'is. Baha'i News/December 1986 3 United States Mr. Khadem's Peace Conference message This is a transcript of an address by which means that "the clouds, wind, the Hand of the Cause of God Zikrul­ 'We know that, according to moon, sun and heaven are working to­ lah Khadem to the Bahci'( International Jesus Christ, the Will of God gether in order that man may earn his Peace Conference in San Francisco.