doberman pizza. a baha'i (bahai, bahá'í) blog.

so yo. you may or may not know that our dear friends, Sahba, Peyman, and Pouria Talebifard are moving to Vancouver this weekend. Peyman and Sahba will be studying for their Masters’ degrees at UBC. A few of us thought it would be only meet and seemly to see them off on this journey that marks a new chapter in their lives. so, without further ado:

JOIN US!

Where: East Side Mario’s (at St. Laurent Mall)
When: 7pm on Thursday, August 31st (that’s this thursday)
Why: To say “bon voyage” to our friends!

Catherine (zeta) is taking care of the organization, so please contact her—cjones [dot] is [at] rogers [dot] com—if you’d like to RSVP.

Feel free to extend the invitation to people who know the T-Fards and would like to come wish them luck, blessings, confirmations, and a safe move west.

Bring a heart full of love, and bring your appetite!

This past June, The Globe and Mail published a web-only comment about the situation of the Baha’is of Iran, written by Maurice Copithorne, a former United Nations special representative on the human-rights situation in Iran. In it he condemns the “resurgence in mistreatment of the country’s Baha’i community”, and notes that “Iran would seem to be one of the handful of countries in which the human-rights situation is now visibly deteriorating.”

He also draws attention to the existence of a confidential letter circulated within the Iranian government calling on officials “to identify persons who adhere to the Baha’i faith and monitor their activities.” The existence of this letter, written in October 2005, was made public in a March 2006 statement by Asma Jahangir, special rapporteur to the United Nations on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

The text of that confidential letter has now been made public. The following article from the Baha’i World News Service explains:

Text of secret Iran letter ordering “monitoring” of Baha’is made public

NEW YORK, 24 August 2006 (BWNS) — The text of a secret letter from Iranian military headquarters instructing commanders of various state intelligence services, police units, and the Revolutionary Guard to “identify” and “monitor” Baha’is has now been obtained and made available to the public.

Human rights experts have noted that the list of recipients — which also includes the paramilitary Basij Resistance Forces — gives an especially ominous tone to the letter, since it indicates the continuation of a policy established by the government of Iran that systematically seeks to destroy the Baha’i community as a viable entity.

Read the whole article.

Read more about Iran’s long standing policy against Baha’is.

Oh, you of the Western nations, be kind to those who come from the Eastern world to sojourn among you. Forget your conventionality when you speak with them; they are not accustomed to it. To Eastern peoples this demeanour seems cold, unfriendly. Rather let your manner be sympathetic. Let it be seen that you are filled with universal love. When you meet a Persian or any other stranger, speak to him as to a friend; if he seems to be lonely try to help him, give him of your willing service; if he be sad console him, if poor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if in misery comfort him. In so doing you will manifest that not in words only, but in deed and in truth, you think of all men as your brothers.

hey all you wonderful people. it’s been a long week and an even longer month, filled with lots of busymaking, vacationing, and picture-taking - and even some singing. you’ve probably noticed, but just in case, do pop by my flickr site to check out the latest photos and leave a comment or two. Along with updated vacation photos - mostly landscapes so far, more people shots coming soon - I’ve also posted some photos of the Super Ex, taken on the day I performed at the Joy of Faith concert with a musical group of Baha’i youth (well, mostly youth, with one youthful gentleman along for the ride).

It’s that time again. What time, you ask? Why, the time to get children’s classes in gear for the upcoming year. Our local coordinators have been kind enough to forward me copies of a pilot curriculum for Baha’i children’s classes, developed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada, based on the “Baha’i Education for Children” series by A. A. Furutan. I’ll be using the pilot curriculum as a framework for our children’s class (”our” because I’m not the only teacher, and because the class is starting to feel a little like a family to me), which will entail translating it into French and finding corresponding French-language activities to replace those that don’t survive translation. See baha’i children’s class ideas to follow the progress of the class this year.

Those of you who have been following the situation in the Middle East and who have wondered about the state and condition of the Baha’i World Centre and Holy Places in Haifa and surroundings will be pleased to know that, according to the most recent communication from the Universal House of Justice, “no damage was done to the Holy Places and that the friends here remained in safety, pursuing their tasks with steadiness of purpose and exemplary perseverance”. Of course, as has been noted by many people since this most recent outbreak of violence began, we must remember to keep in our prayers not only our friends at the World Centre, but also our many fellow human beings who find themselves innocent victims of this conflict. Perhaps now, more than ever, is the time to rededicate ourselves to championing the Cause of world unity and to teach peace all the world around (to borrow a turn of phrase from Red Grammer). Part of my efforts in this wise include my participation in the core activities of the Baha’i Faith, most notably the above-mentioned children’s classes. I’ve also had a strong desire to start a study circle that would allow friends, family and acquaintances to get together and exchange on some of these topics. If you’re in the Ottawa area and you’d like to get involved, please do let me know.

On a side note, I’m seriously considering returning to my earlier vegetarian diet, after a hiatus of a few years (induced by a knock on the head). I was originally a pesco-ovo-lacto vegetarian, which means I would eat fish, eggs and dairy products - I’m thinking I may become pesco-pollo-ovo vegetarian, adding chicken but cutting out dairy (since I definitely have lactose intolerance issues). Basically, that would make me semi-vegetarian, or “wishy-washy” as some might put it. Any feedback, comments, and encouragement you may have would be greatly appreciated - via email or comment on this post. And Martin, I already know what you think.

Here’s a neat story from the Baha’i World News Service:

Jamaicans celebrate 4th National Baha’i Day

KINGSTON, Jamaica, 11 August 2006 (BWNS) — When the Governor General of Jamaica, Sir Howard Cooke, proclaimed a National Baha’i Day for this tropical Caribbean island nation three years ago, Baha’is here had no idea it would become an annual event.

“Baha’u'llah’s divine mission was to bring about spiritual rebirth and the unity of mankind leading to a permanent world peace and the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth,” said Mr. McKenzie. “The city of Kingston welcomes the Baha’is with open arms because we share your zest for unity and peace.”

Read the whole story.

Read about the original 2003 proclamation of National Baha’i Day.

From the Baha’i World News Service (BWNS):

New volume of Baha’i sacred writings is published

HAIFA, Israel, 31 July 2006 (BWNS) — A new volume of selected writings by Baha’u'llah, entitled “The Tabernacle of Unity,” has been recently translated and published in English.

For example, the well-known quotation, “Ye are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch,” comes from the second tablet of the book which was addressed to Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, a famous early Baha’i scholar.

Read the whole story.

oh ho ho ho I’m back in ottawa after my ten-day-long vacation. look out for photos to be posted gradually on my flickr site in the week (weeks!) to come. still pretty exhausted, and still almost feeling as if I’m still on vacation. a few days of slaving over a hot web queue should fix that up.

moncton was fun, restful and refreshing. the family reunion was a great occasion for me to renew ties with relatives I hadn’t seen in ten years - and to meet ones I didn’t even know I had. suddenly it’s like the whole family tree suddenly sprang to life. besides the reunion, we did a lot of hanging around on the beach - sunbathing, swimming, digging clams. we ate a lot of seafood, too. I gorged myself on fried clams (and paid for it dearly, with indigestion - whoops). there were a couple of lobster dinners too, as well as raw oysters and quahogs (yes, I ate raw seafood), and a nice seafood chowder/stew/thing c/o my aunt. there was lots of visiting during the week I was there - not long visits, but just enough to give you a taste of people’s company and make you want to keep up the contact. on the final day, I paid a visit to good friend Jinous Allard with my aunt, and we got the chance to chat and welcome her into her new home in riverview - across the petitcodiac river from moncton.

more soon - in the meantime, there are new pictures. also check out arash city, which has been experiencing record-breaking amounts of new content lately - the latest is a set of photos from Fern and Valentina’s corn roast over the weekend (also featuring arash’s vacation beard).

cya all… off to moncton for the Goguen/Després family reunion. have a great week. I may get online once or twice during the week but I am probably going to have too much fun chillin’ with family and eating fried clams to do much blogging. in the meantime, you can check out my flickr site - besides the more recent lac philippe photos, I’ve posted up a bunch of older photos of the Baha’i community in Québec (from back when I was pioneering in Victoriaville). (Update 07-aug-2006: a couple of vacation photos have been posted to give you an idea of how things have been going. enjoy!) anyway, that’s all for now - keep the faith and keep coming back!

a few links to keep things interesting during the week:

Pikapika: The Lightning Doodle Project - whoa.

Next Level Radio - a Baha’i-inspired hip-hop/electronic/urban podcast

The Poetry of Peace - Shin~Shin’s hip-hop-related blog

bahaijournal.com - a new baha’i blog

Web Sudoku - aaaaaaah sudoku!

Disadventure! - one man’s struggle to write his dissertation, told as one of those old text-based adventure games.

Breakdancing for the Pope - Pretty righteous!

hey yo. go check out the pictures from the lac philippe BBQ last weekend. I put them up on Sunday (?) but didn’t get around to blogging about them until now.

Getting ready for vacation… leaving Ottawa by train on Saturday, and arriving in Moncton on Sunday afternoon. Family reunion on the Sunday - my mom’s family is from the area and I will be able to meet a lot of my long-lost relatives and cousins I didn’t even know I had. Will be there until about the 10th, and in the Montreal/Centre-du-Québec area from about the 11-13th.

Gotta go - going over to Marty’s place with Tazz to sing. Sing? Yes, sing. Later.