Baháʼí Faith in Bangladesh
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The origins of the Baháʼí Faith in Bangladesh begin previous to its independence, when it was part of
Early period
The Baháʼí Faith in Bangladesh begins previous to its independence when it was part of India. The roots of the Baháʼí Faith in the region go back to the first days of the
Early Baháʼí period
During
As early as 1910 the national community in India/Burma was urged to visibly distinguish itself from Islam by Baháʼí institutions of America.[11] Nationally coordinated activities began and reached a peak in December 1920, with the first All-India Baháʼí Convention, held in Bombay for three days. Representatives from India's major religious communities were present as well as Baháʼí delegates from throughout the country.
Middle period
In 1923, still as part of India, a regional
In 1941,
In more recent times
In 1996 the Universal House of Justice commented:[21]
The Baháʼí community of Bangladesh, flourishing in the midst of a Muslim society, is a source of joy to the entire Baháʼí world. In recent years and with astonishing rapidity, that community began to achieve extraordinary success in the teaching field, and throughout the Three Year Plan it has sustained consistently large-scale expansion. Its institutions have demonstrated their capacity to mobilize the human resources at their disposal, and those who have responded to the call for action have sacrificially and with the utmost devotion spread the Divine Teachings among the Muslim, Hindu and tribal populations of that country. The purity of their motives and the sincerity of their efforts to address the needs of society have won them recognition from government officials in the highest circles. Their exertions to promote love and unity among the majority Muslim and minority Hindu populations are bearing increasing fruit, a striking testimony to the potency of Baháʼu'lláh's Revelation.
Modern community
In Bangladesh the Baháʼís have had the right to hold their public meetings, establish academic centres, teach their faith, and elect their administrative councils.[22] However the government of Bangladesh voted against the United Nations resolution Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran on 19 December 2001 raised in response to the Persecution of Baháʼís in Iran.[23] Regardless, Baháʼís in Bangladesh have been able to co-ordinate and act in groups. About 150 gathered for a summer school in 1977[24] and about 300 attended the winter school held February 1978.[25] Zena Sorabjee of the Baháʼí International Community, shared a platform with Pope John Paul II during his visit to India in 1999 and the meeting was aired through satellite television. It is reported that Baháʼís in a number of countries, including Bangladesh, viewed the broadcast.[26] In 2008 about 30 out of 200 Baháʼís managed to get passports and visas and travel from Bangladesh to a regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice in Kolkata, India, although many more of their fellow believers weren't able to make the trip. The Baháʼís went in groups to request their travel documents, with many of them waiting up to three days even to reach the door. In the end, most were turned away without the visa.[27]
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in
The Baháʼís of Bangladesh have participated in various efforts affecting society in Bangladesh. Representatives of the Baháʼís of Bangladesh were among those present for a 19 December 2003 conference entitled "Education: The Right of Every Girl and Boy," which was organised by the Baháʼí International Community with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the government of Bangladesh among other institutions.[43] Representatives of the Baháʼí International Community were among the speakers at the "Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace," which was held on 22 June 2005 with the government of Bangladesh among the co-sponsors.[44] December 2007, the Centre for Advance Research in Humanities of Dhaka University organised a seminar on "The Baha'i Faith and World Peace" at the lecture theatre of the university presided over by Prof Kazi Nazrul Islam,(not the famous Bengali individual of the same name who died in 1977) Director of the centre. Mozhgan Bahar, Professor of English Department of American International University-Bangladesh, presented the keynote paper at the seminar.[45]
Demographics
It is not known how many organised communities of Baháʼís there are in Bangladesh. In 2005 the World Christian Encyclopedia estimated the Baháʼí population of Bangladesh at about 10600.[citation needed] There are reports of many conversions from November 1988 to September 1989 including many Munda and Arakan people.[46]
See also
References
- ^ a b "The Baháʼí Faith -Brief History". Official Website of the National Spiritual Assembly of India. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baháʼís of India. 2003. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ a b Momen, Moojan; Smith, Peter. "Baháʼí History". Draft A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith. Baháʼí Library Online. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ a b c d Momen, Moojan (2000). "Jamál Effendi and the early spread of the Baháʼí Faith in Asia". Baháʼí Studies Review. 09 (1999/2000). Association for Baha'i Studies (English-Speaking Europe). Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ a b c d Ali, Meer Mobashsher (2012). "Bahai". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ^ a b c Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land. "The Baháʼí Faith: 1844–1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953–1963". pp. 51, 107.
- ^ Alam, Muhammad Jahangir (2011). "Bahai Religious Faith and Tradition in Bangladesh" (PDF). Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology. 8 (1): 92 – via Bangladesh Sociological Society.
- ^ "The tale of the Baha'i faith in Bangladesh". The Business Standard. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ Manuchehri, Sepehr (April 2001). Walbridge, John (ed.). "Historical Accounts of two Indian Babis: Sa'in Hindi and Sayyid Basir Hindi". Research Notes in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies. 05 (2). Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Manuchehri, Sepehr (September 1999). Walbridge, John (ed.). "The Practice of Taqiyyah (Dissimulation) in the Babi and Bahai Religions". Research Notes in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies. 03 (3). Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Garlington, William (June 1997). R.I. Cole, Juan; Maneck., Susan (eds.). "The Baha'i Faith in India: A Developmental Stage Approach". Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies. 1 (2). Humanities & Social Sciences Online. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ "Letter from the House of Spirituality of Bahais, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A. to the Assembly of Rangoon Burma". Star of the West. Vol. 01, no. 11. 10 February 1910.
- ^ a b Hassall, Graham. "Notes on Research on National Spiritual Assemblies". Research notes. Asia Pacific Baháʼí Studies. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
- ^ Baháʼí International Community. ""Baháʼu'lláh and the New Era" editions and printings held in Baháʼí World Centre Library Decade by decade 1920 -2000+". General Collections. International Baháʼí Library. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Francis, Richard (1998). "Enoch Olinga Hand of the Cause of God Father of Victories". Collected Biographies. Baháʼí Library Online. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
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- ^ Mustafa, Muhammad. Herzog, Laura M. (ed.). Baha'u'llah: The Great Announcement of the Qurʼan. Translated by Mustafa, Rowshan. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Baha'i Publishing Trust. Foreword and p. 112 "About the Author".
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- ^ "Amatu'l-Baha in the Far East". Baháʼí News (521): 5–7. August 1974.
- ^ MacEoin, Denis; William Collins. "Anti-Baha'i Polemics". The Babi and Baha'i Religions: An Annotated Bibliography. Greenwood Press's ongoing series of Bibliographies and Indexes in Religious Studies. Entry #1. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Universal House of Justice (April 1996). "Ridvan Letter to South Asia". Published by the Universal House of Justice. Baháʼí Library Online. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Wardany, Youssef (2009). "The Right of Belief in Egypt: Case study of Bahaʼi minority". Al Waref Institute. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Baháʼí International Community (2008). "UN General Assembly Resolution 2001". Baháʼí International Community. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ "Bangladesh". Baháʼí News (563): 17. February 1978.
- ^ "Around the World; Bangladesh". Baháʼí News (567): 13. June 1978.
- ^ Universal House of Justice (12 December 1999). "Report of the inter-religious meeting held in New Delhi on 7 November 1999 on the occasion of the visit to India of Pope John Paul II". Letters from the Universal House of Justice. Universal House of Justice. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Baháʼí International Community (23 November 2008). "The Kolkata Regional Conference". Baháʼí World News Service.
- ^ a b Momen, Moojan. "History of the Baha'i Faith in Iran". draft "A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith". Bahai-library.com. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- ^ Kingdon, Geeta Gandhi (1997). "Education of women and socio-economic development". Baháʼí Studies Review. 7 (1).
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- ^ "Bangladesh". Baháʼí News (592): 16. July 1980.
- ^ "Bangladesh". Baháʼí News (572): 16. November 1978.
- ^ "Around the World; Bangladesh". Baháʼí News (603): 12. June 1981.
- ^ Baháʼí International Community (1996). "UN 50: Baháʼís Commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations". Baháʼí International Community. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Baháʼí International Community (October–December 1997). "New Era Development Institute – In India, a new approach to vocational education". Baháʼí International Community. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
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- ^ Benkin, Dr. Richard L. (19 May 2006). "Bangladesh to Frame Sedition Charge against Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury". The Asian Tribune.
- ^ "History of Founder Members". Official Website of the Bangladesh Minority Lawyer's Association. Bangladesh Minority Lawyer's Association. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 June 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
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- ^ Baháʼí World Centre. The Baháʼí world 1994–95: an international record. 1996.
- ^ Hosseini, Fazel (1 December 2006). "War Crimes Prosecutor Payam Akhavan Speaks about his Global Fight for Human Rights – Interview With Payam Akhavan (Part One)". Gozaar, Freedom House. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Hosseini, Fazel (1 January 2007). "War Crimes Prosecutor Payam Akhavan Speaks about his Global Fight for Human Rights – Interview With Payam Akhavan (Part Two)". Gozaar, Freedom House. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
- ^ Baháʼí International Community (19 December 2003). "Girl highlights conference theme". Baháʼí World News Service.
- ^ Baháʼí International Community (28 June 2005). "Unity stressed at interfaith conference". Baháʼí World News Service.
- ^ "Inter-faith accord to promote world peace stressed". The New Nation. 3 December 2007.
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Further reading
- Alam, Muhammad Jahangir (2011). Bahai Religious Faith and Tradition in Bangladesh. Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology, 8:1, pages 87–92.
- Chronology and related documents on Baháʼí Library Online