My forthcoming book, Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1999) is going to press on April 16 (hardcover) and April 30 (softcover). Kindly announce this to the friends. Orders may be placed immediately through Kalimat Press or amazon.com. Non- Bahá'í publishers have to realize a substantial *market* in order to underwrite Bahá'í studies publications, which are all too rare. And right now I am negotiating an advance contract for another Bahá'í studies publication with another academic press, so being able to demonstrate that there is a market is a very pragmatic consideration.

I have started studying toward my bachelor's degree in a distance learning program through Vermont College, while pioneering in Puerto Rico. 55 is a great age to get started finishing unfulfilled dreams, and this is one of mine. The program is mostly semester long research projects broken down into 5 packets, each emphasising one aspect of the project. My current project is: exploring a concept I call Connectivity Listening, based on my experience with peer counselling and years of immersion in the Writings of the Faith. At present I am working on packet three about how virtues relate to intimate, spiritual, listening friendships. The virtues that I have prioritised are trustworthiness, chastity, humility, and the ability to "see in the other the beauty of God reflected in the soul, (Don't know what to name that one) and patience.

Diana Carson

dianacarson@hotmail.com

I am currently doing research on Chinese religion particularly on the women and the nature of the soul. Also on the early history of the faith in South East Asia, as well as the history of World Religion Day.

Phyllis Chew

CHEWGLP@am.nie.ac.sg

Dr Clarken's scholarly activities are accessible at his homepage, http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/education/rclarken/. These include papers from a sabbatical year in China; papers and information on teaching, social studies and other topics; Papers presented at the American Educational Research Association; Papers related to multicultural education, world citizenship and social studies and information on the Bahá'í Education Network and related documents on Bahá'í education, including correspondence courses. The Proposal for Establishment of a Bahá'í Education Network proposes establishing and maintaining a forum for dialogue on education based on the Bahá'í Writings, initially facilitated primarily via electronic communications, such as web pages, email networks, and data bases.

Specific objectives are 1. To further the understanding, application, and promotion of Bahá'í principles and ideals related to education; 2. To explore and encourage research and development related to Bahá'í education; 3. To draw connections between Bahá'í Writings and other educational resources; 4. To create a forum to network and exchange ideas, information, and experiences; 5. To encourage meetings at and involvement with professional education associations; 6. To catalogue Bahá'í educational resources, experiences and materials; 7. To provide a forum to consult on ideas, proposals, materials, papers and articles; 8. To serve as a clearinghouse for resources, information and ideas; 9. To facilitate collaboration and conferences on Bahá'í education; 10. To serve as a resource to Bahá'í institutions; 11. To encourage "that beneficial articles and books be written, clearly and definitely establishing what the present-day requirements of the people are" (SDC, p. 109); 12. To encourage the "use of adequate arguments and the adducing of clear, comprehensive and conclusive proofs" to direct public opinion on education. (SDC, p. 110); 13. To "stimulate different individuals who have the talent to attempt the task" of making a compilation on training children and "interesting text books for the children" (Bahá'í Education, #130); and 14. To encourage the gradual incorporation of basic Bahá'í principles in college and university programs. (Bahá'í Education, #139)

Dr. Rodney Clarken, can be contacted at the Department of Education, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI 49855, Tel: 906-227-1881; Fax: 906-227-2764. Email: rclarken@nmu.edu Web page: www.nmu.edu/staff/rclarken

Glen is pursuing a PhD in Knowledge Management. Present day organisations operate in an environment of constant rapid change. Increased competition resulting from a variety of factors including globalisation, advancements in technology and more discerning government spending have forced organisations to rearrange their organisational structure. Downsizing and/or the adoption of less functionally oriented divisional centralised structures in favour of decentralised teams-based product oriented structures have been occurring in many organisations. Whilst these changes have had many positive effects, one of the major problems that has resulted is that knowledge vital to the continuing success of the organisation has departed with the loss of employees or is no longer being successfully shared between product groupings. In addition, knowledge is increasingly being recognised as a resource to be managed for competitive advantage.

Simultaneously, a new management theory termed "knowledge management" has emerged that may hold the answer to these new challenges. Knowledge management has been defined by one author as a "conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve performance". The PhD thesis will be in the general area of knowledge management. Because the field is so new, there are many potential areas for specific research. The research is sponsored by a major Australian aerospace company who are hoping that the outcomes will have direct application to the management problems outlined above.

Conferences

Duncan, G., Beckett, R., Marsh, R., and Soliman, F., "The Role of Critical Information in Enterprise Knowledge Management", 4^th International Conference on Networking Entities, "NETIES’98: Networking for the Millennium", Leeds — 15 & 16 October 1998.

Duncan, G., Beckett, R., and Soliman, F., "A Comprehensive Organisational Model For Enterprise Knowledge Management", ICEIS'99 Conference, Portugal, 1999.

Glen Duncan

PhD Candidate

School of Management

Faculty of Business, UTS

PO Box 283

Randwick, NSW, 2031

Email: glen.duncan@uts.edu.au

1) For a Bahá'í contribution to an Oxford (UK)-based collection on spiritual experience in different religions, I am seeking stories which illustrate this aspect of the Faith. If you would like to share specific instances of 'spiritual experiences' you have had, or would like to make comment/share insights into the more general area of spiritual experience (Bahá'í beliefs about, etc), I would welcome your input. Your name will not be published in relation to any specific experiences.

2) To continue a longer-term interest, I am interested in hearing of specific instances of religious prejudice experienced by Bahá'ís, and members of any religion. My original study on this area was specifically on New Zealand (see my book Creedism: Religious Prejudice in New Zealand, Nagare, 1995) but I am also interested in getting a picture of instances elsewhere in order to gain comparisons.

3) As a playwright I am also interested in making contact with others who are actively involved in writing plays - perhaps to share ideas on productions.

Please write to:

Dr Bronwyn Elsmore

Senior Lecturer

Religious Studies

Massey University

Palmerston North

New Zealand

E-mail: B.M.Elsmore@massey.ac.nz

I'm a graduate student in History of Religions at Lund University, Sweden. 1996 I wrote my MA thesis, entitled Bahá'í Apocalypticism: The Bahá'í Concept of Progressive Revelation. Currently I'm trying to finish my PhD dissertation, provisionally entitled Progress and Prophecy: The Bahá'í Doctrine of Progressive Revelation. First of all I'm arguing that progressive revelation is a central Bahá'í doctrine; secondly, I'm examining both the term and concept comparatively and historically (especially ideas and doctrines of progress - 19th century Europe/America, and tentatively, the idea of a "chain of prophecy" in various religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Manichaeism, and Islam); and finally from various interrelated approaches: as a narrative (narratology), sacred history (historiography), legitimation of being a new world religion (rhetoric), and as a case of "inter-religious hermeneutics." I hope, God willing, to defend my dissertation in Sept/Oct this millennium . . .

With loving Bahá'í greetings and best wishes,

Zaid Lundberg

Lund University

SWEDEN

email: lundberg@algonet.se

1) Presented a paper at the last Persian Bahá'í Studies Conference in Sydney (Oct 1998) titled "A Brief Analysis of the Features of Babi Resistance at Shaykh Tabarsi". This paper looked at the uprising from a number of different perspective: military training, socio-economic backgrounds, battle experience and planning, families and loved ones, geographic distribution and general organisation of the Babi participants at Shaykh Tabarsi. Based on unpublished manuscripts from Haji Mirza Jani, Tabatabai Zavarehi and Fadil Mazandarani, the paper traces the attitude of the royal troops, Ulama, average Mazandarani and friends of the Babi's to the Shaykh Tabarsi uprising. It gives numerous accounts of those who tried - unsuccessfully - to join the battles and were some how prevented. It proves that their numbers inside the fort were fluctuating depending on the intakes and the fatalities. It also demonstrates that by the time of Shaykh Tabarsi battles, the Babi faith had spread widely amongst the Persian population - noted by the geographical presence of most major towns and centres - itself a tribute to the teaching efforts of the Letters of Living. This paper has since been translated by the author and included in the H-Bahai Research Papers' section and Jonah Winter's Bahá'í Library.

I am still continuing my research in to the life and rebellion of Mirza Yahya Subh-i-Azal, Baha'u'llah's half-brother. A book is planned for completion by 2001. It is a trip through Baha'u'llah's tablets, Babi accounts, Browne's memoirs, Muslim sources and political accounts dealing with Azal. It aims to portray this character during his various stages of life: from a child raised in His household, to plotting against Him, to his isolated and forgotten funeral ceremony in Cyprus. Written in Persian, this book is in need of a competent English translator and a publisher.

Regards

Sepehr Manuchehri

SFarsi@BMCLMAIL.MHS.compuserve.com

Studying at Leiden University in the Netherlands (Persian, Islamic Philosophy). Edits the Leiden List of the Tablets of Baha'u'llah. List owner of the Mashriq list and moderator of the H-Bahai list. Research interests in theology, especially of social institutions and relations (The state, church and state, the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, House of Worship & House of Justice, The administrative order, the guardianship and the House of Justice, the collective and the individual, the individual per se.)

Sen McGlinn

Sen.McGlinn@Bahai.NL

This year I will be publishing Religion and Development: a bibliography which covers Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Bahá'í. Section 7: Bahá'í includes sub-sections on Bahá'í and Development (that's "Development" as in Development Studies which seems to be slightly different from Bahá'í usage of the term); Bahá'í and Economics; Bahá'í and Science. (I am not a Bahá'í. I am part of the Sahaja Yoga/Vishwa Nirmala Dharma movement, a Hindu-based world religion.)

Best wishes

John Noyce

noycepublishing@hotmail.com

Current interests include:

1. Investigating the guidance relating to Bahá'í social and economic development. How does it fit into the pattern of Bahá'í community life around the world, and what does it mean to be systematic in our development efforts?

2. Elementary study of the nature of organic change, using, as an example, the processes of integration and disintegration elaborated by Shoghi Effendi in "The Unfoldment of World Civilisation".

3. Thinking, at a very preliminary level, about "Divine Economy" in light of the provisions of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, its supporting Tablets, and the Writings of `Abdu'l-Baha. Shoghi Effendi wrote that Baha'u'llah has "specifically laid down a set of Laws, established definite institutions, and provided for the essentials of a Divine Economy" (WOB, p.19). What are the latter, and how do they relate to the Laws and institutions of the Faith?

Payam Pakravan

Email: payampak@bwc.org

I am studying at the Flinders University of SA. My project is on the demographic characteristics of the Bahá'ís in Australia. I am hoping to cover things such as the history of the faith in Australia, How it has grown over the years, the demographic profile of the Bahá'ís at present (such as age and sex profile, ethnicity, martial status, geographical distribution).

With regards

Afsaneh

The only thing I have published, as far as Bahá'í material, has been the article on the Covenant published in Deepen magazine that has been reprinted in a few national Bahá'í journals in various countries. I am now working on a commentary on the Kitáb-i-Iqán, particularly as it relates to the Bible. I am working with the Wilmette Institute on this. It may all be posted to a website. I also have an abiding interest in preparing annotations to the Master's Will. My materials are intended for deepening of the friends.

Warmest greetings

Brent Poirier

Las Cruces, New Mexico USA

mariposa@roadrunner.com or brent@bci.org

Currently the topic of my research is "Achieving inner and outer balance: an exploratory study of the role of the school in the child's acquisition of wisdom". As a first step, this thesis proposes to integrate ideas from four perspectives, those of philosophy, psychology, cultural studies and comparative religious studies, in order to define wisdom. The second step will be to look at the possibilities and processes of the acquisition of wisdom by children, and its facilitation by teachers and care-givers. The primary reason for this research is what Sternberg (1990:332) lucidly describes in his paper:

It is hoped that research on wisdom will help to develop useful tools to assist world and national leaders in the increasingly complex problems facing humanity. Many crucial decisions, from nuclear waste to water use, face leaders and policy makers each day. Thus, wisdom is not simply for wise people or curious psychologists: it is for all people and the future of the world.

Delors (1996:14), chairperson of the UNESCO International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, states that the reawakening of the moral and cultural dimensions of education would need to begin "with self-understanding through an inner voyage", whose aim is not only to foster the development of the full range of human capacities, but also "to grasp the individuality of other people and to understand the world's erratic progression towards a certain unity". As an appropriate example, exploring the above mentioned ideologies within its universal principles, the Bahá'í world community will be studied - Baha'i schools around the world.

Best regards,

Tahereh

Tahere.Pourshafie@flinders.edu.au

GPO Box 2100

Adelaide SA 5001

Since the last presentation of his poetry to the ABS at its July 1998 Conference in New Zealand, Ron Price has written three booklets of poetry and some two hundred poems. His poetry draws from a very interdisciplinary mix of subject material to produce an immensely diverse repertoire of poetry. There is an incessant and insistent comparison between Bahá'í history and dogma on the one hand, and the experiences of human beings in the wider currents of history and thought on the other. A single coherent story runs like a seam through poem after poem of Price's now burgeoning collection of over 4000 poems. His poetry offers a unique blend of juxtapositions, relationships and analogies. Even those who are not attracted to poetry, as a genre will find some surprising insights in his gently academic, autobiographical, work.

My field is international public law and international organisations. I have also been drawn into gender issues through local activities with a city women's centre and certain Bahá'í activities. My professional writing in recent years has focused on participation of organs of civil society in international organisations. My Bahá'í writing to date has been on the Kitab-i-Aqdas, on Baha'i communities as development organisations, and on gender equality. I would love to hear from anyone interested in these areas who might wish to collaborate, to bounce ideas around, or just to get acquainted and encourage each other.

I recently completed a chapter entitled "Women's Rights in the Bahá'í Community: The Concept of Organic Equality in Principle, Law, and Experience" that will be published by Transnational in a three-volume work, Women and International Human Rights Law. The chapter manuscript is some 70 pages long (it would be shorter if I were doing it again), and addresses both the teachings and experience to date in the Bahá'í community worldwide concerning gender equality. Although I had previously written on Bahá'í subjects for publication in Bahá'í journals, this was my first experience writing on a Bahá'í topic for a general law readership. I imagined it would be tough; it was tougher. It was a great experience, and one I would like to discuss with others who have written or are considering writing on Bahá'í principles and teachings for academic/professional publications. My goal was to advocate persuasively for a Bahá'í vision and methods of gender equality without "pushing" the Faith as a whole; to write as a believer but remain credible as a researcher/scholar; to present the very mixed experience to date in the Bahá'í community in promoting equality, identifying problems but remaining faithful to the potential we know inheres in the processes directed by the Writings. Whether these goals were achieved remains to be seen.

Martha Schweitz

Prof. of International Law

Seinan Gakuin University

Nishijin 6-chome, Sawara-ku

Fukuoka, Japan 814

home tel/fax: 81-92-831-1923

schweitz@seinan-gu.ac.jp

Forthcoming publications:

1. A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld, 1999.

Peter Smith

Mahidol University International College, Thailand

I. My most recent work has focused on the means by which Shoghi Effendi exemplifed the best qualities of "planning," through analysing the letters he wrote to the Bahá'ís of North American during three global plans from 1937-57 (two Seven Year Plans and the Global Crusade). I've recently completed a book which the Association for Bahá'í Studies (Ottawa, Canada) is releasing in April 1999. Planning Progress: Lessons from Shoghi Effendi is aimed toward Bahá'í and non- Bahá'í audiences. It includes practical lessons about how to use Shoghi Effendi's tools to help us reach our own individual and organizational goals. Chapters are organized to explain the spiritual principles of planning, Shoghi Effendi's use of vision, his means of moving the community from vision to action, and his monitoring style. One chapter includes brief analysis of some of his letters to Australia, as an example of how he used plans as a way to build leadership and institutional capacity.

II. My other scholarly work focuses on the nature of neighbourhood planning and the implications of such activities for inner-city organisations in the U.S. Current research builds on the examination of social and economic development and of racial justice that has occupied my time for the past twenty years. Much of this research focuses on Detroit, Michigan as a site for analysis and potential reform. One publication that emerged in 1997 was Redevelopment and Race: Planning a Finer City in Postwar Detroit (Johns Hopkins University Press). With this and other books and articles one major goal has been to incorporate teachings on racial unity, global prosperity, and social-economic development into traditional academic publications in my field, urban and regional planning.

thomasjmann@earthlink.net

Professor, Urban and Regional Planning Program

201 U.P.L.A. Building

Michigan State University

USA

East Lansing, MI 48824-1221

The sixth conference of the Bahá’í International Politics and Law Special Interest Group (BIPOLIG), held in February 1998, proved to be the most successful to date, drawing around 130 attendants. The conference was unique in BIPOLIG’s short history because it was focused around a single theme — The Lesser Peace. The aim of the conference was to address this theme from both theoretical and practical approaches.

The conference began with a speech by John Huddleston, who shared his understanding of the lesser peace and how current international affairs related to the concept. Drawing from his relevant books, Achieving Peace by the Year 2000 and The Search for a Just Society, and sharing his most recent thoughts on the issue, Mr. Huddleston provided the audience with an understanding of the Lesser Peace that was detailed and truly insightful.

This was followed by a panel of three speakers, who each assessed the Lesser Peace through different perspectives: the environment, the role of institutions in the process, and the changing nature of warfare in the prelude to the Lesser Peace.

The afternoon session started with Shahriar Razavi, who took a practical approach to the Lesser Peace, and spelled out discerning and practical ways that Bahá’ís at the local level can promote the concept and provide a fuller understanding to the community at large. This was followed by a presentation by Jeffrey Huffines, the representative of the US National Spiritual Assembly to the United Nations. Mr. Huffines, who was kind enough to travel from New York to join us, looked at the practical measures taken at the international level by the Bahá’í International Community (B.I.C.) to promote the Lesser Peace. He did this by outlining the various proposals within B.I.C. documents promoting issues that might stimulate international political unity. Furthermore, he assessed the degree to which these suggestions had been taken into account and put into practice by the world community. To round off the afternoon session, two workshops were conducted simultaneously by John Huddleston and Jeffrey Huffines. Both of these workshops expanded on various themes put forward earlier by the speakers during their presentations.

The evening program was unique, as it combined the BIPOLIG conference with a public proclamation event. The program consisted of three speakers, John Huddleston, Dan Wheatley and Paul Coleman, who each provided a different perspective on the achievement of world peace. Mr. Huddleston looked at the issue as a function of the development of more advanced international institutions, which he explained were necessary to the security guarantees that world peace would require. Dan Wheatley assessed the role of the individual as a world citizen in the promotion and maintenance of world peace. Paul Coleman, who had travelled the world on foot promoting ecological restoration, shared many touching stories of his experiences and conveyed how peace was possible through simple individual initiatives. Of the more than 70 attendees, about 20 were drawn from the London School of Economics community, who learnt of the event from posters put up at the school. This was an inspiring event which touched the minds and hearts of those present. It represented the successful conclusion to the best-yet BIPOLIG Conference. The next BIPOLIG Conference is scheduled for 20 June 1998. Further details can be obtained from B.Bahador@lse.ac.uk or Naz Ghanea-Hercock nghanea@hotmail

Report by Babak Bahador

In a celebratory atmosphere of end of term activity at the London School of Economics on Saturday 20 June 1998, a group of Bahá'ís and friends gathered to participate in a challenging and inspiring examination of the rise of global institutions, their relationships to Bahá’í principles and the guidance which the Faith gives us with regard to the future of such institutions. Following on from the successful conference held in February on the theme of the Lesser Peace this conference went a stage further in discussing 'Emerging Global Institutions in Bahá’í Perspective'.

The opening speaker, Rod Rastan, gave some fascinating insights into the concept of 'Supreme Tribunal' as described in the Bahá’í Writings. A graduate of York and Nottingham universities, he has recently returned from working at the War Crimes Tribunal at the Hague. He was able therefore to give a wealth of material on the history and workings of an International Criminal Court. The problems which arise from the establishment of such a court seem daunting but it was interesting to note how the very presence of these problems, such as failure to define aggression and an unwillingness of governments to accept accountability, highlights the contribution which the Faith has to make. The second speaker, Dr. Wendi Momen, has had an enduring interest in global institutions and her research and expertise both in the material subject matter and the spiritual perspectives resulted in an original and thought-provoking paper illustrated by her comprehensive knowledge of the Writings of Shoghi Effendi. The uniqueness of Bahá’u’lláh’s institutions, the necessary curtailment of national sovereignty, the negative elements of globalisation and the doubts which haunt many concerning the place of personal freedoms in global organisations, all these points were linked by the necessity to examine everything in the context of the Bahá’í Writings, to remember that though the stages we may have to traverse to reach our Most Great Peace are necessary, contingencies can always be contained. Some of the institutions we have today, though not perfect, will take us some of the way. As we see the emergence of the concept of world citizenship as opposed to national identity, as we experience the process of crisis and victory in action, we can rest assured that the Plan of God and His Covenant are at the heart of all.

After lunch it was a great honour to welcome Charles Lerche of Boston University Brussels, Professor of International Commerce and with experience in European, African and international politics. His talk, 'Everything that Rises Must Converge', literally did take us above petty distinctions, but also above easy answers in a world where the pace of events is fast, significantly far-reaching and often very far from the Bahá’í vision. Yet it is the Bahá’í vision itself which can close the gap simply, or perhaps not so simply, through its concept of the unity of humankind. Problems of power, of leadership, of decision-making, of value structures, melt away when seemingly impossible choices are resolved through Bahá'í practice. At the same time we cannot impose our agenda, we can only show that our special kind of responsible reaction is one that works for the happiness of all. We as individuals are at the centre, trying to ask the right questions, trying to reopen the most basic and most human concepts of justice and equality, through our common ideal of one human family.

The last distinguished speaker was Augusto Lopez-Claros who, having spent fourteen years with the International Monetary Fund, is now Chief Russian Economist with an investment Bank in London. His themes of interdependence and cooperation in relation to the emergence of global institutions highlighted, through his detailed knowledge of economic interaction, the opposing forces of construction and destruction of which we are all aware. Yet the crises which are so apparent have forced upon nations an interdependence which has greatly modified their behaviour. It has also created conflict between national sovereignty and collective welfare. Greater economic integration has been force-fed by technological change and this may well happen in other areas where national institutions can no longer address key problems and where their actions often lead to unforeseen consequences. The twenty-first century will see more and more interactions, and force is no longer an option. Problems of poverty are problems of individuals who are not necessarily involved in the organisations which govern their lives; and this means that governments, as well as individuals, have to accept spiritual as well as physical responsibilities in order to release the unimaginable capacities of humanity. It will not be easy, there will be no 'deus ex machina', but we are told that the promised Day of God will come. After such a comprehensive survey of the implications of globalisation from all four speakers it was not difficult to find a wide range of material to explore in workshops led by Wendi and Charles. The evening session was well attended and newcomers were able to enjoy some restatement of the issues of the day. It was clear from discussion however that questions concerning personal freedom within a superstate were high on the agenda but we were led by the Panel to an inner assurance that the guiding hand of God, through the Holy Spirit, would be ever active in the life of humanity as a whole. We were left with the knowledge of future challenge, probably pain and certainly many difficult choices but also a conviction that the Covenant of God will never fail.

- Report by Margaret R. Paton

For details of the next conference e-mail <b.bahador@lse.ac.uk>, or write to BIPOLIG, 140 Dover Rd, Ipswich, IP3 8JJ, UK

This was a study session organised by the European Bahá'í Youth Council, 6-13^th September 1998. 35 youth drawn Bahá’ís and NGOs from all over Eastern, Central and Western Europe, as well as from Latin America, Asia and Africa -have just returned, having been trained up in educating for a culture of human rights at the Council of Europe’s European Youth Centre in Strasbourg France. They were participating in a week long training study session organised by the European Bahá’í Youth Council and financed by the Youth Directorate of the Council of Europe. The program looked at how to give practical effect in ordinary people’s daily lives to the numerous international treaties on human rights. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed up to exactly fifty years ago this year, but most of us still have no idea what rights we have been given, and even less to what their purpose and use is in our own daily lives", said one participant. "Human Rights Education is about educating ourselves not only about our rights, but also our responsibility as individuals and citizens to understand, promote and protect the rights and welfare of others. It’s about building the foundations for a full and responsible engagement in civic life in our local communities and a working for a culture of tolerance and peace."

Human Rights Education has indeed become the subject of much activity of both intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations in recent years, and encapsulate various themes such as teaching tolerance, conflict resolution, race-relations, individual empowerment, values education and civic participation. Its aim is to build a universal culture of human rights, through the imparting of knowledge and skills and the moulding of attitudes; in strengthening respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms; in its holistic approach towards the full development of respect for the human personality and the sense of its dignity; in the promotion of understanding, tolerance, gender equality and friendship; and in enabling all persons to participate effectively in a free society. (From the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Plan of Action for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004, para 2 (1995)).The activity was quite a departure from traditional conferences and seminars organised by the European Bahá'í Youth Council. The program’s emphasis lay in training participants to act as multipliers (training of trainers) in order for them to become empowered to organise their own activities in the field of human rights education; while the methods used were interactive, creative, participatory and experiential, enabling participants to draw on their own talents and develop their own approaches. The event also brought the European Bahá'í Youth Council into a more active relationship with European youth structures, and revealed the many opportunities for future co-operation and assistance. As an initial follow-up, participants are being requested to contact their National Youth Council in order to reach other youth NGO's working in areas related to human rights education; take particular note of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; sustain plans developed by the various project groups during the course of the study session; and establish youth groups with friends and colleagues to develop other local projects.

- Report by Rod Rastan

An Introduction to academic Bahá'í Scholarship on Religious Studies lines by Moojan Momen, Stephen Lambden and others was held 30/12/98 until 1/1/99. This event was followed by the bi-annual ABS-ESE Religious Studies (SIG) seminar. The orientation of this event was largely on religious studies lines. All persons wishing to embark upon such systematic study are welcomed to attend; formal qualifications were not necessary though an openness to modern academic approaches was be expected. Consultative instruction over the two days included informal presentations about the field, history and current state of Bábí-Bahá'í scholarship; various academic methodologies; primary and secondary source materials and access to them; the study of the various scriptural languages; research needing to be done; computing, cyberspace and Bahá'í scholarship; and Bahá'í scholarship the Bahá'í community.

Participants were encouraged to read: Booth, W; Columb & Williams, J. The Craft of Scholarship, Chicago Univ. Press. ISBN 0-226-06584-7, `Doing Bahá'í Scholarship in the1990s, A Religious Studies Perspective,' and other articles in Bahá'í Studies Review (UK) 3/1 (1994). The bi-annual ABS-ESE Religious Studies (SIG) seminar included papers by: Lil Abdo, `Interest in Alternative Spirituality and in Political and Social Thought in the Early British Bahá’í Community' Stephen Lambden, `Isolated, Disconnected, Mysterious Letters and Ciphers in Abrahamic Religious Texts and in Bábí-Bahá’í Scripture.' Moojan Momen, 'Some Aspects of Islamic Anti-Bahá’í Polemic'.

Over the last few decades the Religious Studies (SIG) seminars have to a considerable extent become internationalized. Leading Bahá'í scholars from many parts of the world have attended or presented papers and discussion has included many aspects of Bahá'í scholarship and publication. Opportunity also exists for that human interaction which goes beyond philological or intellectual analysis into something like intimate Bahá'í fellowship. Bahá'ís and other empathetic persons are more than welcome to attend these informal academic seminars. Formal academic qualifications are not required though the papers and discussions are usually of a high academic standard.

This conference was held October 30 to November 2 1998, on the theme: 'Rethinking Human Obligations and Rights". Speakers and titles: Mr. John Packer: "Does the UN Bill of Human Rights and its Implementation System Work?" Ms. Christa Meindersma: "Traditional, Cultural and Religious Values vs. the Rights of Women: the Example of Asia" Panel discussion: "Philosophical Foundations of International Human Rights"

Panelists: Dr. Wenqi Zhu: "Perspectives on the Foundations of International Human Rights?"; Mr. John Packer: "Human Rights as Legal Obligation"; Mr. Bonian Golmohammadi: "Universality, Cross-Culturality and Relativity"; Ms. Martha Meijer: "Asian Values?" The evening programme will consist of a classical concert by Ms. Nikan Bergsmo and Mr. Peter Beijersbergen van Henegouwen Sunday’s programme will begin with the Annual Dr. Aziz Navidi Memorial Lecture, by Professor Charles Lerche: "Human Rights, Human Needs and World Order"; Ms. Sovaida Ma'ani: "Secular Law, Divine Law and the Covenant" Mr. Rod Rastan: "State Sovereignty vs. The International Criminal Court" Panel discussion: "Individual Rights in the Bahá’í Administrative Order". Panelists: Professor Charles Lerche: "Are there Individual Human Rights in the Bahá’í Administrative Order?"; Mr. Payam Akhavan: "Is there a Need for a Code of Individual Rights in the Bahá’í Administrative Order?"; Ms. Sovaida Ma'ani: "Individual Rights and Freedoms in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh"

31 October - 1 November 1998, Oxford

As a new contributor to the Annual Conference it was with mixed feelings of trepidation and exhilaration that I approached the attractively situated Milham Conference Centre on the outskirts of Oxford. The rain was relentless and by the end of the day one might have been forgiven for conjecturing that a tidal wave of leviathan proportions had attempted to overwhelm our gathering. On the contrary, however, this sizeable meeting of friends from around the world was enveloped by a sense of sharing and of the incipient growth processes which would bear significant harvests in the years to come. My feelings of trepidation were without foundation. It was a conference of youth and age, of male and female, of established scholars and those at the beginning of their careers, of friends and strangers who became friends: It was Bahá’í.

The proceedings were opened by Barney Leith, General Secretary of the UK National Spiritual Assembly, who emphasised the contributions which scholarship can make to the progress of the Cause and in particular the theoretical and spiritual foundations which it gives to executive functions. This was followed by a presentation from the present writer on Morality and Fulfilment based on the thesis that an ethical foundation is organically necessitous to the acquisition of skills for life. Special emphasis was laid on marriage/family relationships and on the need for the revitalisation of the educational system through the re-introduction of moral values based on religion. Our final Saturday morning session was an energetic exposition from Barry Thorne of attitudes to chastity, drawing on historical examples from literature notable for their preoccupation with repressive tendencies and dominated by male orientation. The Bahá’í ethic however in this respect offers positive approaches which free us ‘from untold spiritual and moral difficulties’ and represents a new era of freedom from the tyranny of our animal natures.

On Saturday afternoon Babak Javid gave us a lively and comprehensive review of current scientific thinking on the aetiology of homosexuality. Long considered to be a difficult area of discussion for Bahá’ís this examination of the latest biological findings on the possible causes of homosexual behaviour was interesting and useful and clearly revealed that the Bahá’í Faith is in no way reactionary but is, on the contrary, potentially a source of inspiration and guidance in the ways in which we should approach this subject. Similarly, the paper which followed, by Nasim Mavaddat, showed that advances in biotechnology could also bear scrutiny in the light of Bahá’í principles. Although the ethical issues involved in the latest biotechnological advances, especially in relation to genetic engineering, provide us with areas of enormous challenge, this discussion also clearly showed that we are not without guidance and appropriate material for a coherent moral response.

Our afternoon session was completed by three papers, the first by Robert Ghanea-Hercock entitled ‘Scientists: Mad, Bad, or God?’ This concentrated on the influence which science has had on twentieth century society, especially emphasising its dominance as a result of the waning influence of religion in institutionalised forms. An important debate ensued on the possible channelling of scientific endeavour towards achieving positive results for humanity and the effects of political, military and commercial interests upon scientific orientation. Corinne Podger on ‘Doubt’ and Roger Kingdon on ‘Kant’s Categorical Imperative’ also gave us plenty of food for thought. Both encouraged us to strive towards and understanding of difficult concepts which in the first case can lead to certitude, and in the second can lead us to a positive and consistent pathway through the moral maze. Throughout life, as we read in The Seven Valleys, doubt and certitude co-exist and interact with each other. Similarly action, motivation and the search for moral law are part of an interactive process. Logical analyses and the quest for certitude both in faith and action were clearly and challengingly pursued by both speakers. Our Saturday sessions were concluded by a discussion on Bahá’í Societies, a subject which highlighted the concerns of university and college populations and aspects of Bahá’í academic life which were later broached again in the plenary session the following day.

Sunday brought with it calm after storm and was a truer reflection of the clear skies of our refreshing and stimulating conference. Undeterred by time and distance a substantial gathering reconvened, many of us further invigorated by the centenary celebrations of the Oxfordshire communities the previous evening. Our proceedings reopened with a contribution from a long honoured member of the Association, Stephen Lambden, who spoke on ‘Colour Mysticism in Bábi-Bahá’í Literature’, a learned and comprehensive presentation of a complex subject. Explanations of key Islamic traditions led us to an understanding of various aspects of mystical cosmology as an introduction firstly to an examination of a central theme, the ‘Divine Throne’, and secondly to the investigation of colour terminology employed by the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh in a large number of their Writings, terminology which reflects Islamic mystical and cosmological thought. Two particular motifs explained were the ‘Snow-White Spot’ and the ‘Crimson Ark’.

A substantial paper followed on moral education contributed by Roger Prentice. Having outlined a number of principles derived from the Bahá’í Writings in relation to a moral focus in education we were led into an in-depth discussion of the differences between education and training, highlighting issues of openness and multi-consciousness, concentration and focus. This was a practical paper and gave much consideration as to how we teach both the Faith and its principles as well as an extended curriculum.

Our final presentations were given by two gifted and energetic speakers from France, Anne-Sophie Lamine and Bernard Reber. The former gave us a thorough and meticulously researched paper on the problems raised by pluralism, diversity and values especially in a global context. As members of the Bahá’í Faith we have to assume responsibility on a global level yet at the same time use consultation as a major tool in the resolving of the inevitable conflicts of opinion, making dialogue between religion and culture necessary and possible. The final presentation brought together many threads from other examinations of moral dilemmas in the field of biotechnology as well as raising more questions concerning the relationship between politics, science and ethics. It was suggested that a ‘New Deal’ is necessary to enable science to face the problems raised by new technologies and to consider seriously the contribution which should be made by religion in strengthening a rational and ethical foundation to protect society against the irrational, destructive tendencies of humanity. These become dominant when humankind divorces itself from personality and fulfilment. It seems that the Bahá’í Faith with its developed understanding and expression of unity must have a significant contribution to make.

After our weekend of formal presentations we were delighted and inspired by the talk given by Mr Hassan Sabri concerning social and economic development projects. In his work and, more recently, through his involvement with BASED-UK, Mr Sabri has had extensive experience in this field and he led us on a historical journey which was informative and uplifting, outlining the heritage we have received from early teachers and exponents of the Faith and illustrating the potentially effective nature of Bahá’í principles in all areas of life. Emphasis was laid on the importance of interaction with cultural specialities, empowerment rather than imposition, so that the naturally inherited gifts and skills of each local community could be used to their highest levels of productivity and fulfilment. This was followed by the final plenary session. Though impossible to summarise or to comment on all the events and thought-provoking exercises of this weekend it was clear to all that the status of scholarship in Bahá’í thinking is a living issue. Any indications of anti-intellectualism existing within the Bahá’í Faith, against the exhortations of Bahá’u’lláh, are to be directed towards a fuller understanding of the value of the contributions which scholarship has to make to our present day society. The presentation of the Bahá’í Faith to a confused world is the vital task to all of us, and it is especially urgent to offer it to those people of capacity who are able to benefit from the depth of insight which the Faith provides on all contemporary issues. It was on a note of hope that the conference ended and a particular wish of the young among us to carry forward their aspirations and their own special awareness as Bahá’ís into the world beyond our immediate community. It is to be hoped that they will receive the encouragement and support their enthusiasm so richly deserves.

No report of this event however would be complete without due thanks being given to all those who worked so hard to make it a success, both spiritually and physically. We look forward to the next such conference with confidence and trust and return to our communities, families and places of work with a wider and deeper vision of this great Faith which a bewildered world so badly needs.

- Report by Margaret Paton

Abstracts of the talks from the Annual Conference may be obtained free of charge from Roger Kingdon (e-mail) rdkingdon@dera.gov.uk.

27-28 February 1999, London School of Economics. Provisional Program: Introduction and Opening Remarks ‘Social and Economic Development in the Lesser Peace’: Enkhtor Dulamdary; ‘Ecology in the Lesser Peace’: Arthur Dahl; ‘Women in the Lesser Peace’: Wendy Momen; ‘Human Nature in the Lesser Peace’: Nabil Khodadad; ‘International Law in the Lesser Peace’: Danesh Sarooshi; ‘Constructing a New Global Financial System in the Lesser Peace’: Augusto Lopez-Claros; "Human Rights in the Lesser Peace’: Naz Ghanea-Hercock.

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