تاریخچه تأسیس انجمن ارتباط شرق وغرب

Abstract: This article reviews the historical founding and early operations of the Persian-American Educational Society established in the United States in 1910. The organization was formed by members of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States. It was born out of a failed 1908 philanthropic effort to send U.S. earthquake relief to Iran, which was rejected due to a lack of communication infrastructure. This obstacle inspired Bahá’í well-wishers to create a formal channel to support Iranian public education, modernization, and economic development. The organization was inspired and supported by Abbas Effendi ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844-1921), the head of the Bahá’í Faith, who advocated for strengthening Iran through trade, industry, agriculture, and modern sciences rather than political conflict. At his suggestion, the organization expanded its scope beyond education to include economic relations, leading to its renaming as the Orient-Occident Unity.