The treaty was significant because it prescribed for a population exchange between Turkey and Greece. It resulted in the forced relocation of around 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians from Turkey to Greece and about 500,000 Muslim Turks from Greece to Turkey. This exchange was intended to create ethnically homogeneous nation-states and minimize tensions between these groups.

Another provision of the treaty is that it established the international status of the Turkish Straits, including the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. It guaranteed their neutral status and regulated the passage of ships through these strategically important waterways. This arrangement sought to prevent the militarization of the Straits and maintain freedom of navigation. [Colonialism, Nationalism and Jewish Immigration to Palestine: Abdu´l-Baha’s Viewpoints Regarding the Middle East by Kamran Ekbal p6]

A decision was taken to close the institution at the end of 2003 due to financial difficulties. By the time of its closing 1,116 students had earned degrees or graduate certificates from Landegg International University. [Bahaipedia]

Dr. Hossain Danesh was the Rector of Landegg Academy from 1994. [H.B.Danesh/biography]

In a seminar held by the Office, three members of the Bahá’í community with expertise in the fields of governance, economics, and the environment explored some of the implications of the BIC statement, A Governance Befitting, and its call for a “global civic ethic.” The BIC presenters were: Maja Groff, an international lawyer based in The Hague, Netherlands, Augusto Lopez-Claros, executive director of the Global Governance Forum, and Arthur Lyon Dahl, president of the International Environment Forum. [BWNS1465]

The BIC invited people around the world, whether as artists, musicians, filmmakers, or in other creative areas, to pay tribute in their name. Contributions included: songs about the 10 women, short videos about their lives, a memory of the women themselves, graphic arts, written work, social media posts, or public events and memorials, to honour the longstanding struggle and efforts towards gender equality in Iran.

Details about the 10 women and a recounting of the story of their arrest and public execution can be found here.

Please see BIC News 1 August 2023 for a complete report.

On the 12th of September 2023 the US House of Representatives has passed a resolution about the Bahá'ís in Iran with 28 congressional co-sponsors—an unprecedented number of co-sponsors among congressional resolutions on the persecution of the Bahá'ís in Iran for at least 20 years. House Resolution 492, was introduced by Illinois Congresswoman, Jan Schakowsky. It follows Ms. Schakowsky’s strong support for the ongoing #OurStoryIsOne campaign, launched in June of this year where she initially announced this bill. The campaign began in honour of the 40th anniversary of the execution of 10 Baha’i women in Shiraz for their beliefs. The Baha’i International Community dedicated the campaign and the anniversary to all women in Iran who continue to struggle for the cause of gender equality.

The resolution begins with the execution of the 10 women, stating, “[w]hereas June 18, 2023, marks the 40th anniversary of the execution of 10 Bahá'í women by the Iranian Government each witnessing the hanging of those hanged before her in a final failed attempt to induce abandonment of their faith after over 6 months of imprisonment and violent abuse, with the youngest only 17 years old.”

It further condemns the “violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights,” calling on the Iranian government to “immediately release Baha’is and others imprisoned or detained solely on account of religion, end its state-sponsored campaign of hate propaganda against the Bahá'ís, and reverse policies that discriminate against Bahá'ís and other religious minorities. [GlobeNewswire 12 September 2023; Iran Press Watch 15 September 2023]