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Faith leaders urge William Hague to call for release of imprisoned Bahá’ís in Iran

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HG Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK presents the letter to Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt MP at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 14 May

LONDON, 14 May — Fifty leaders of faith communities in the United Kingdom have signed an open letter, addressed to the Rt Hon William Hague MP, the Foreign Secretary, calling on him to renew the UK Government’s support for the seven imprisoned leaders of the long-suffering Bahá’í community in Iran, the country’s largest religious minority. May 14th marks the day that these seven innocent Bahá’í leaders have been behind bars for five years, imprisoned solely because of their religious beliefs. The letter was received on the Foreign Secretary’s behalf, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, [...] 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 »

UK Bahá’í Review – Summer 2012

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UK_Bahai_Review _Summer_2012_cover

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 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 »

Baha’i Centre hosts national launch of A Year of Service

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Guests wrapping gifts at the national launch of A Year of Service

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles MP joined faith leaders at the National Bahá’í Centre on 28 February 2012 to mark the launch of A Year of Service, a government initiative to promote collaborative social action. More than fifty individuals, including government officials and representatives from different religious communities, came to the National Centre to join hands in wrapping gifts and decorating cakes for homeless people in the area. The event coincided with the Bahá’í festival of Ayyám-i-Há, and was tied to its theme of charity, gift-giving and hospitality. A Year of Serviceis a programme in which [...] Read more »

Queen launches Diamond Jubilee year with multifaith reception

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The Queen examines the robe of Abdul-Baha

LONDON — Representatives of the United Kingdom Baha’i community joined members of eight other religions at a special gathering to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. At a reception held at Lambeth Palace – official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury – Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and Zoroastrians discussed their beliefs with the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, and showed them treasured objects from the various faiths. Highlighting the ongoing centenary commemorations of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s travels to Egypt and the West, the Baha’i community [...] Read more »

Philosophers and theologians worldwide condemn Iran’s attack on Bahá’í educators

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More than 40 distinguished philosophers and theologians from 16 countries have joined the condemnation of Iran’s policy to bar young Baha’is and others from higher education. In an unprecedented global initiative, the 43 prominent academics – of Christian, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim backgrounds – have signed an open letter, published today in The Daily Telegraph. The letter condemns in particular recent attacks by the Iranian authorities on an informal educational initiative of the Baha’i community – known as the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) – in which Baha’i professors, debarred by the Iranian government from [...] Read more »

Bahá’í International Community calls for release of Christian pastor facing death sentence

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The Bahá’í International Community has joined the call for the release of Youcef Nadarkhani, a Christian pastor from Rasht, Iran. Pastor Nadarkhani, who is the father of two young children, leads a network of house churches. He was found guilty of apostasy – “turning his back on Islam” – and “converting Muslims to Christianity,” and sentenced to death in September 2010. Iran’s Supreme Court recently asked for a re-examination of the case to establish whether or not he had been a practising Muslim adult before he converted to Christianity. The court ruled he was not [...] Read more »

UK Bahá’ís awarded OBEs in Queen’s 2011 Birthday Honours

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Peter Hulme and Barney Leith – UK Bahá’ís and members of the UK community’s national governing body – have been awarded OBEs for public service in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours. It is the first time that two Bahá’ís have been recognised in the same honours list. Mr Hulme, lately Principal Psychologist at the Herefordshire Primary Care Trust, was awarded the OBE for services to mental healthcare. He worked in Hereford from 1985 to 2008, and served for several years as the Head of Psychology Services and as a representative of the Clinical Professions on [...] Read more »

Scottish Bahá’ís open new Edinburgh Bahá’í Centre

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Edinburgh Baha'i Centre nameplate

Edinburgh — On 23 May, the  Bahá’í holy day known as the Declaration of the Báb which marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Faith, Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Scottish government, Kenny MacAskill MSP, spoke at the opening of the new Bahá’í centre in Edinburgh. Mr MacAskill joined faith leaders and members of the Scottish Bahá’í community for the reception. The new centre, at 44 Albany Street, is situated in the historic Georgian New Town district, close to the city’s commercial district and the famous Royal Mile. A stormy night failed to hinder [...] Read more »