Be sure to click on each photo, individually, so that you can see it in high resolution.

Baha’u'llah has said of Ayyam-i-Ha: “It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name.”

Attorneys associated with the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Tehran – co-founded by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi – are representing the Baha’is. The lawyers themselves have been harassed, including Mrs. Ebadi, who has been forced to remain outside Iran for an extended period, and Abdolfattah Soltani, who was detained for a time in the aftermath of the June national elections.

The names of the seven defendants are Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mrs. Mahvash Sabet, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. Mrs. Sabet was arrested on 5 March 2008 and the others on 14 May 2008.

Jail conditions are harsh, and although all seven were at first held incommunicado, they are now allowed periodic visits with family members. The visits are often through a barrier and sometimes are canceled altogether.

Until their imprisonment, they were part of a group called the Friends in Iran that helped tend to the needs of the 300,000 Baha’is in Iran. The Friends group has now been disbanded, as have smaller committees that assisted Baha’is on the local level.

Earlier this year, authorities announced in the mass media that accusations against the seven prisoners would include “espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic republic.” Later it was announced that they would also be charged with “spreading corruption on earth.”

The Baha’i International Community categorically denies the accusations against the seven individuals and states the following:

The accusation of spying is contrived and has long been used as a pretext to persecute Baha’is and as an attempt to impede the progress of the Bahá’í community. Since the 1930s, Baha’is have successively been accused of being tools of Russian imperialism, of British colonialism, of American expansionism, and, most recently, of Zionism. The Baha’i Faith has never been a part of any of these movements. There is no truth to this allegation, nor is there any evidence to support it.

That the international headquarters of the Baha’i Faith is located within the borders of modern-day Israel is purely the result of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, being banished from his native Tehran and sent – by Persian and Ottoman authorities in the 19th century – to perpetual exile in the city of Acre, near Haifa. Baha’u’llah arrived in Acre in 1868, 80 years before the establishment of the state of Israel. The Iranian government is well aware of this history.

Accusations that Baha’is “insult religious sanctities” and promote “propaganda against the Islamic regime” are completely without foundation – Baha’is respect all religions, including Islam, and are loyal to government.

The conference will also feature music by Mr. Van Gilmer, AVA Ensemble and Enayat.

This event will be held in the Austin Conference Center at 201 East 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701. See website for details. Registration is required and the event.

Please note that the capacity for this event is just 500.

Today, the Moudoumas family, who moved to the Dallas City Cluster about three years ago from The Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), were given keys to their new home from Habitat for Humanity.

There was a wonderful ceremony and Mr. Moudoumas said “Blessed is the Spot” in French. The local television stations 4, 5, and 33 will likely show the ceremony this evening, Saturday, December 19th at the below times if you are interested in viewing it.

• Channel 33 – 9 p.m.
• Channel 5 – 5 p.m. or 10 p.m.
• Channel 4 – 5 p.m. or 9 p.m.

We will post a link to the video here, as soon as it becomes available.

Wow! What a tremendous evening we had on Friday as Rain Wilson, of “The Office” held forth with two hours of inspired discourse on the Teachings of the Baha’i Faith, interspersed with humor to leaven the occasion. Thank you, Rainn!

We hear that he stopped by White Rock Coffee enroute. This story is being posted after-the-fact because, as it was, with only minimal publicity (an email or two and a tweet) we reached capacity with just under 350 friends and visitors attending.

If you didn’t get to come, check out www.soulpancake.com. This is a big part of what Rainn is up to these days outside of working. He is also involved with supporting efforts of the Mona Foundation, having recently visited schools in Haiti established under their aegis.

Warmly,
Mark

WorldFest 2009
One World, Many Cultures, Loads Of Fun!

Greene Family Camp near Waco,Texas
25- 27 September 2009

Speakers:

• Dr. Farzin Aghdasi, Continental Boards of Counselors
• Dr. Fariba Aghdasi, Southwestern Regional Bahá’íCouncil
• Aniela Costello, South Central Regional Bahá’í Council
• Regina Rafraf, South Central Regional Baha’i Council
• Tammy Goff, Auxillary Board Member
• Kambiz Rafraf, Auxillary Board Member

For details:
http://www.texasbahaischool.com/index.html