The first Bahá’í member of the IRO was Dr Suresh Sahadevan who became a member in 1995. Mr. Jamshed Fozdar and Mr. Foo Check Woo were the first Bahá’ís to serve on the executive Council of the IRO. Mr. Fozdar served as the Hon. Secretary for a two-year period from July 1996-August 1998. During his tenure as Hon. Secretary, Mr. Fozdar was delegated to represent the IRO at the Executive Committee Meeting of the Asian Conference on Religion and Peace in Ayuthaya, Thailand held in October (15th-19th) 1996, which was opened by the Former Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda Privy Councilor to His Majesty King Rama IX of Thailand. In June (21st-26th) 1998 Mr. Fozdar also represented the IRO at the United Religions Initiative Global Summit III held in Stanford University, California, USA. Mr. Fozdar and Mr. Foo were succeeded by Mr. Selvam Satanam and Lt. Col. Yeo Yew Hock on the IRO Council.

Mr. Fozdar later served as Chairman of the IRO’s Committee for the Commemorative Postage Stamp to mark the IRO’s 50th Anniversary in 1999 and, with Committee members Mr. V.R. Nathan (Chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board) and Brother Joseph McNally (Former President of LaSalle-SIA College of Arts), was successful in having the Singapore Post issue on 15th January 1999 the IRO Commemorative stamp in three denominations listing on it in chronological order the names of its nine constituent religions: Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Bahá’í.

Contributed by Payam. 

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