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In London, seminar discusses access to justice in Iran

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(From left) Mahnaz Parakand, Kirsty Brimelow QC, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, Dr Nazila Ghanea, discuss access to justice violations in Iran

LONDON, 9 May 2013 – Issues of due legal process and access to justice in Iran came under scrutiny at a high-level seminar, organised to mark the fifth anniversary of the arrest of Iran’s seven former Baha’i leaders. Held at the Law Society of England and Wales – and co-hosted by the Bar Human Rights Committee – the seminar on Thursday 9 May attracted more than 50 practising barristers, solicitors and human rights lawyers. The seminar heard how the trial and sentencing of the seven Baha’is to 20 years in prison each, was conducted under [...] Read more »

Baha’is celebrate Ridvan at House of Commons

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Ridvan guests at the House of Commons

LONDON, 22 April 2013 – The reception, which was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Friends of the Baha’is at the House of Commons, was an opportunity for the Baha’i community to share in this festive period with its friends and collaborators from across the country. Faith leaders, Members of Parliament, civil society activists, diplomats and others all gathered to celebrate the festival. Louise Ellman MP, chair of the all-party group, welcomed the assembled guests. Ridvan marks the time when the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u’llah, announced that He was the Manifestation of God for [...] Read more »

Bahá’ís sign open letter on Millennium Development Goals

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LONDON – An open letter, “Thirteen years on, the MDG values are as imperative as ever,” calling on the world’s G8 governments to renew their commitments to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and signed by religious leaders and councils from all the major faiths of the G8 countries, was published today in the Financial Times newspaper. Writing in the paper on the date marking 1,000 days until the 2015 deadline of the MDGs, which were agreed at the UN’s Millennium Summit in 2000, the 88 religious representatives  The signatories, lead by Archibishop Justin Welby of [...] Read more »

UN Iran expert concerned over access to education at Parliamentary seminar

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LONDON – At a seminar in Parliament on December 18, Dr Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, expressed concern over an Iranian state policy of excluding from higher education those it deems “ideologically unsound,” such as minorities, political activists, and women. Dr Shaheed described the discriminatory policies of the Iranian government as, “eroding progress made in female enrolment in post-secondary institutions, creating significant obstacles for minority access, punishing political, cultural, and human rights activists for exercising their civil and political rights, and undermining academic freedom.” In his recent report to the UN General [...] Read more »

UK Bahá’í Review – Summer 2012

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Read about the activities of the UK Bahá’í community in the latest edition of the UK Bahá’í Review, which you can download here. This edition includes reflections on what it is to serve in a community, as well as reports on multifaith social action and celebrations to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. We also explore the Festival of Ridvan, which commemorates Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration as a Manifestation of God in 1863, and look at the significance of the Festival for Bahá’ís across the UK today. Read more »

Bahá’í Centre hosts celebration of work towards the equality of women and men

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Participants at celebration of work towards the equality of women and men

Comedian Omid Djalili joined equality activist Annette Lawson and representatives from UK civil society at the National Bahá’í Centre, on 18 July, to celebrate work towards the equality of women and men. “The equality of women and men is not just a cause to be championed by women; it is for both sexes to pursue,” said Zarin Hainsworth, a member of the Bahá’í Faith who serves on its elected national administrative body.  This year she was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for work towards the equality of women and men. “Recognition of one person [...] Read more »

Bahá’í Riḍván Reception 2012 hosted in the House of Commons

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Baha'is, parliamentarians and guests gathered on the terrace of the House of Commons

Parliamentarians from both Houses, foreign diplomats, media professionals, and representatives from various faith communities and civil society organisations joined members of the Bahá’í community on the Terrace of the House of Commons on 23 April to celebrate the Festival of Riḍván. Riḍván, which means ‘Paradise’, is the most significant festival for Bahá’ís.  It commemorates the occasion when, in 1863, Bahá’u’lláh, entered into a beautiful garden outside of Baghdad, named the Riḍván Garden, and announced His station as a Manifestation of God. The reception was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Friends of the Bahá’ís Group (APPG), which [...] Read more »

World calls for unconditional release of Bahá’í leaders and other Iranian prisoners of conscience

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Iran Baha'i prisoners billboard at Westminster

  Bahá’í leaders in Iran imprisoned for 10,000 days The plight of Iran’s seven imprisoned Bahá’í leaders has been capturing the public’s attention in London and 11 other major cities across the world, where a day of action marked the combined total of 10,000 days that the seven have so far spent in prison. In an initiative coordinated by human rights organization United4Iran, the image of the seven was widely displayed on Sunday 1 April – on mobile billboards, buses, bicycles, a canal boat, and T-shirts. The billboard image of the Bahá’í leaders was made [...] Read more »

Bahá’í Centre hosts low budget interfaith lunch to tackle extreme poverty and malaria

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Interfaith low budget lunch at Bahá'í Centre

What is it like to live on £1 per day? Representatives from seven religions came together at the National Bahá’í Centre on 1 March to share a lunch, costing just 70p per person, in support of the charity challenge “Live Below the Line”. Nearly one and a half billion people live on this budget every day, not only for food but for all their daily needs. During the lunch guests from the Bahá’í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh faiths discussed their perspectives on faith, food, poverty and malaria. A video of the lunch can [...] Read more »

Youth panel discusses rural women at House of Commons seminar

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Tom Brake MP with youth panel

Tom Brake MP wants to stay in touch with a panel of young people who joined him in the House of Commons on 27 March to discuss the lives of rural women. Representatives of the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations (NAWO) and other NGOs also took part in the discussion. Mr Brake, the Liberal Democrats’ equalities spokesperson and a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Friends of the Bahá’ís praised the panel’s balance of practical suggestions and theoretical ideas. He was particularly taken with the use of consultative decision-making to empower rural women and give them a voice. [...] Read more »