WITH GREAT SORROW INDIGNATION ANNOUNCE FURTHER MARTYRDOMS FOUR MORE VALIANT DEVOTED SERVANTS BAHA'U'LLAH, ALL PROMINENT BAHA'(S QAZVIN AND SUR· ROUNDING AREAS: MUHAMMAD MANSURI, JADIDU'LLAH ASHRAF, MUHAMMAD ABBASI, MANU· CHIHR FARZANIH·MU'AYYAD. PRESSURES AGAINST BAHA'(S IRAN MOUNTING, THEIR SCOPE WIDENING, ENGULFING BAHA'(S ALL WALKS OF LIFE. UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE JULY 12, 1982 SADDENED REPORT YET ANOTHER STALWART SUPPORTER GREATEST NAME IRAN ABBAS·ALI SADIQIPUR EXECUTED 15 JULY SHIRAZ. CHARGES PUBLISHED LEADING NEWSPAPER IRAN WERE BASED HIS CONNECTION FAITH, INCLUDING BEING ACTIVE BAHA'L SUCH CHARGES SIMILAR THOSE RESULTING EXECUTION OTHER PROMINENT BAHA'(S CON· FIRM EVIL INTENTIONS AGAINST FRIENDS CRADLE FAITH. REQUEST YOU INFORM GOV· ERNMENT OFFICIALS MEDIA AS BEFORE. UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE AUGUST 2, 1982 Baha'i Year 139 No. 618 ISS N 01 95-9212 USPS 040-140 Glenford E. Mitchell elected to serve on Universal House of Justice . ..... 1 U.S. Senate passes a resolution condemning the persecutions In Iran . ... 2 Messages from National Conventions reflect spirit of hope, optimism . ... 4 In Ecuador, Radio Baha'i's fourth Children's Festival bigger than ever . ... 8 Radio Baha'i in Peru also hosts a large and colorful musi·c festival . ..... 1O In Des Moines, Iowa, 23 Cambodians declare their belief in Baha'u'llah . 11 Around the world: News from Baha'i communities all over the globe . ... 12 Baha'i News is published monthly by the National Spiritual Assembly of the BaM'ls of the United States as a news organ reporting current activities of the Baha'i world community. Manuscripts submitted should be typewritten and double spaced throughout; an y footnotes should appear at the end. The contributor should keep a carbon copy. Send materials to the Period icals Office, Baha'i National Center, Wilmette, IL 60091 , U.S.A. Changes of ad· dress should be report ed to the Office of Membership and Re cords, Baha'i National Center. Please attach mailing labe l. Subscription rates: one year, U. S. $8; two years, U.S. $15. Second class postage paid at Wilmette, IL 60091 . Copyright o 1982, National Sp iritual Assembly of the BaM 'ls of th e United States. World rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. World Centre Glenford Mitchell elected to serve on the Universal House of Justice TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE WORLD WARMLY WELCOME NEWLY ELECTED MEMBER HOUSE JUSTICE GLENFORD MITCHELL. UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE JULY 15, 1982 TO GLENFORD E. MITCHELL ASSURE YOU ARDENT PRAYERS DIVINE ASSISTANCE CONFIRMA­ TIONS NEW FIELD SERVICE. LOVING BEST WISHES. INTERNATIONAL TEACHING CENTRE JULY 15, 1982 Glenford E. Mitchell, who has serv­ From 1962-63 he was assistant edi­ ed for the past 14 years as secretary of torial director of Maryknoll Publica­ the National Spiritual Assembly of the tions and executive secretary of the Baha'fs of the United States, has been Maryknoll Book Club in New York. ~ elected to membership on the Universal He later served as assistant editor of House of Justice. "Africa Report" magazine in Wash­ The results of the special by-election ington, D.C., and as an English in­ to replace Amoz Gibson, a member of structor in the Upward Bound program the Supreme Body for 19 years until his at Indiana State University in Terre death on May 14, were announced July Haute and at Howard University in 15 by the House of Justice. Washington, D.C. Mr. Mitchell, who was first elected In 1980 Mr. Mitchell received an to the U.S. National Spiritual Assem­ honorary Doctor of Letters degree bly in 1967 and became its secretary the from the National College of Educa­ following year, also served as manag­ tion in Wilmette. ing editor of World Order magazine, GLENFORD E. MITCHELL secretary of the Trustees of the U.S. Born in 1935 in Jamaica, West In­ Baha'i Publishing Trust, and secretary dies, Mr. Mitchell attended private of the Board of Directors of the Baha'i preparatory and secondary schools in Home in Wilmette, Illinois. his homeland. He received a B.A. degree in busi­ Prior to his election to the National ness education in 1960 from Shaw Uni­ Spiritual Assembly, he served as chair­ versity in Raleigh, North Carolina, and man of the National Teaching Com­ a master's degree in journalism from mittee, director of the National De­ Columbia University in New York partment of Youth and Student Activi­ City. ties, and chairman of the Spiritual As­ sembly of Washington, D.C. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Sigma Delta Chi professional journal­ A journalist by profession, Mr. Mit­ ism society and Alpha Kappa Mu chell has authored numerous articles Honor Society. and pamphlets and co-edited the book, The Angry Black South, which was He and his wife, Bahia, have a published in 1962 by Corinth Books, 5-year-old daughter, Tarissa. New York. Baha'i News/September 1982 1 United States Senate's historic resolution condemns persecution of Iran's Baha'i community On June 30, the United States Senate approved by voice vote and without A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 73) to condemn the Iranian perse­ dissent an historic resolution condemn­ cution of the Baha'i community. ing the government of Iran for its per­ Whereas the Baha'i community in Iran is experiencing persecution, secution and "brutal executions" of harassment and disappearances of family members, job discrimination, Baha'is in that country. seizure of bank funds, destruction of personal property, and torture; The concurrent resolution, which Whereas current reports show at least one hundred and thirteen execu­ was introduced in mid-March by Sen. tions of Baha'is and Baha'i religious leaders by the Government of Iran; John Heinz (R-Pennsylvania) and and unanimously approved in May by the Whereas the continued harassment and murder of Baha'is demonstrates Senate Foreign Relations Committee, that the Government of Iran has launched a conscious effort to destroy the had more than 20 co-sponsors. Baha'i community; Now, therefore, be it Its passage came nearly five weeks Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That after the House Subcommittee on Hu­ the Congress of the United States condemns persecution of the Baha'is, man Rights and International Organi­ holds the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the rights of all its zations heard testimony by Baha'is citizens, including the Baha'is, and expresses the hope that the discrimina­ about the steadily worsening situation tion and brutal executions within the Baha'i community cease immediately. faced by the hard-pressed Baha'i com­ The Congress urges the Iranian Government to end this extermination of munity in the Cradle of the Faith. law abiding citizens who only wish to worship in freedom. Included in that testimony (see Ba­ hd'f News, August 1982) were moving statements by Mrs. Ramna Nourani tional Organizations. national organizations as the United whose mother, Mrs. Ginous Mah­ "The reported 113 executions of Ba­ Nations and the Parliament of Europe, moudi, a member of the National ha'i citizens during the past year," the pressures against Baha'is in Iran Spiritual Assembly of Iran, was secret­ Sen. Heinz said while speaking in sup­ are mounting and their scope widen­ ly executed last December with seven port o( the resolution, "only too vivid­ ing. other members of that body, and ly illustrates the extent to which the "We have a responsibility to speak whose father, Houshang Mahmoudi, a Khomeini government is attempting to out on this matter," Sen. Heinz told member of the previous National As­ exterminate the Baha'i religion. his colleagues, "even though our rela­ sembly of Iran, disappeared in August "As a nation committed to the hu­ tionship with the Government of Iran 1980 with the rest of its members and is man rights of all," he added, "we can­ is, at best, strained. People of good presumed dead. not understand how a nation can inflict conscience cannot ignore terror and Also testifying at that hearing were such torture and execution on members murder, and perhaps by bringing it three members of the U.S. National of their own community." forcefully to the world's attention we Spiritual Assembly-Judge James F. The Senate resolution, said Mr. Mit­ can in some way influence the course Nelson, chairman; Dr. Firuz Kazemza­ chell, "strengthens the efforts of the of events in Iran. deh, vice-chairman; and Glenford E. American Baha'is to call urgent public " ... By expressing America's con­ Mitchell, secretary-and two Con­ attention to the genocidal acts being cern and outrage over the Iranian Gov­ gressmen, Reps. Edward J. Derwinski perpetrated against the Baha'is in ernment's inhuman treatment, we have of Illinois and Fortney (Pete) Stark of Iran." the opportunity to bring to light the California. Since the passage of the Senate reso­ Baha'is' struggle. Considering recent The passage of Senate Concurrent lution, the Universal House of Justice developments, outside pressure is a Resolution No. 73 was fully reported in has announced the martyrdoms of five very important, if not vital, method of the Congr~ssional Record on June 30. more Baha'is in Iran, four in the Qaz­ helping the Baha'is secure the basic Also placed in the Record was a vin area and the other in Shiraz. human rights all people deserve. complete transcript of Judge Nelson's The Supreme Body also reported "Iran should be held responsible for testimony before the House Subcom­ that in spite of support from a number upholding the rights of all its citizens, mittee on Human Rights and Interna- of governments, and from such inter- including the Baha'is, and I hope this 2 September 1982/Baha'i News resolution will demonstrate to Iran, as well as the rest of the world, our com­ Hawaii Senate passes resolution ~ mitment to human rights and our de­ termination that other nations protect Se'nate Resolution No.