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Message to the UK Community regarding tragic events
in the United States
Beloved Friends
The deeply shocking and tragic events which have taken place in the
United States in recent days have weighed heavily on our hearts and
will no doubt have caused us to worry about the future peace and
well-being of humanity. They may have also prompted us to consider
afresh our response as Bahá’ís at this very
critical time in history.
In contemplating the implications of these heart-breaking events
for the worldwide Bahá’í community, we may wish
to reflect on these words of the beloved Guardian which were penned
at another very dark hour in humanity’s fortunes.
“Not ours, puny mortals that we are, to
attempt, at so critical a stage in the long and checkered history
of mankind, to arrive at a precise and satisfactory understanding
of the steps which must successively lead a bleeding humanity,
wretchedly oblivious of its God, and careless of
Bahá’u’lláh, from its calvary to its
ultimate resurrection. Not ours, the living witnesses of the
all-subduing potency of His Faith, to question, for a moment, and
however dark the misery that enshrouds the world, the ability of
Bahá’u’lláh to forge, with the hammer of
His Will, and through the fire of tribulation, upon the anvil of
this travailing age, and in the particular shape His mind has
envisioned, these scattered and mutually destructive fragments into
which a perverse world has fallen, into one single unit, solid and
indivisible, able to execute His design for the children of
men.
Ours rather the duty, however confused the scene, however dismal
the present outlook, however circumscribed the resources we dispose
of, to labour serenely, confidently, and unremittingly to lend our
share of assistance, in whichever way circumstances may enable us,
to the operation of the forces which, as marshalled and directed by
Bahá’u’lláh, are leading humanity out of
the valley of misery and shame to the loftiest summits of power and
glory.”
(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is
Come, p 124)
Dearly loved Friends, we should be confident
that whatever may happen in the days, weeks and months ahead is
part of God’s Major Plan for the ultimate unification of the
world.
Tempting as it may be to speculate on the precise nature of what
this may involve, tempting as it may be to involve ourselves in
potentially controversial discussions of what actions the
governments of the world need to take at this stage, we should
instead move forward in the knowledge that we have a divine mandate
to pursue, a divine Plan for the redemption of mankind to
prosecute, a divine summons to assist the peoples of the world to
open their minds and hearts to the one and only Power that can
fulfil their ultimate longing and bring about the peace and unity
of all mankind.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
National Spiritual Assembly
Kishan Manocha,
Assistant Secretary
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Messages exchanged between the National Spiritual
Assemblies of the UK and US
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11 September 2001
To: the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United States
Dearly loved Friends
Your sister Assembly in the United Kingdom shares your sense of
outrage and disbelief at the shocking events that have transpired
in your country today, and particularly in that great metropolis
designated by the beloved Master as the City of the Covenant.
We ardently pray that the Blessed Beauty will protect His loved
ones during this time of world-shaking tribulations and hasten the
day when the peoples of the world will have finally found the
Object of their ultimate longing.
With loving Bahá’í greetings
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom
Kishan Manocha Assistant Secretary
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The response from the US National Spiritual
Assembly:
September 11, 2001
National Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom
Dear Friends,
We are grateful for your prayers and love of our
Bahá’í brothers and sisters as our nation
experiences an unforeseen tragedy effecting all its citizens.
With heartfelt appreciation and request for your continuing
prayers.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Juana C. Conrad
Deputy Secretary-General
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UK Bahá’í Review on the
Web
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THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY’S
successful external affairs work has taken a further step with the
posting of the Spring 2001 issue of UK Bahá’í
Review on its website.
UK Bahá’í Review, the quarterly magazine
produced by the Office of External Affairs, is a vital part of our
external affairs work. The print version goes to around a thousand
people, including high level officials in government and the faith
communities. Bahá’ís around the UK are also
using UK Bahá’í Review in their local external
affairs work. It’s a magazine that really can be given to
dignitaries and, indeed, to enquirers who are interested in what
Bahá’ís actually do!
Stories, written by professional journalists, include a feature
about the Terraces and gardens on Mount Carmel, the Birthday of the
Báb celebration at the Millennium Dome, the launch of the
Institute for Social Cohesion, Tranquillity Zones,
Bahá’ís in the arts, book reviews and much,
much more.
External affairs has a high priority in the work of the National
Spiritual Assembly. Back in 1994 the Universal House of Justice
issued guidance about the increasing importance of external affairs
work for the Bahá’í community throughout the
world. The UK National Assembly and community is one of the leading
communities in this field, and our capacity and experience have
grown enormously since 1994.
UK Bahá’í Review, both in print and on the Web,
is a vital tool for successful PR and can help influence policy
makers and movers and shakers by showing that
Bahá’ís don’t just have nice ideas
– they also do things!
So, point your browsers at: http://www.bahai.org.uk/uk_review
Tell your friends and contacts about it. Use it in your external
affairs and PR work.
Any enquiries about UK Bahá’í Review (either on
the Web or in print) should be directed to Carmel Momen, our
National Public Information Representative, email:
carmel.momen@bahai.org.uk. |
National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom
27, Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PD
Tel.: 020 7584 2566, Fax: 020 7584 9402, E-mail: nsa@bahai.org.uk
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National
Spiritual Assembly 
