Baha'i World News Service

When Jan Floyd-Douglass decided to buy a new car, she bypassed suitable models from eight different manufacturers – and then wrote to tell them why. "I love your car but I didn't buy it because I don't like your advertisements because they demean women," wrote Ms. Floyd-Douglass, who is on the board of the Women's National Commission in the United Kingdom. She told the story during a panel...

The third court session for seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran is scheduled for 10 April, a day earlier than originally announced. Diane Ala'i, representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, said attorneys in Iran have now received written notice of the court date, confirming it as 10 April, a Saturday. The earlier notification was oral. The seven...

A third court date has been announced for seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran, the Baha'i International Community has learned. The trial proceedings – begun on 12 January after the seven had been incarcerated in Tehran's Evin prison for 20 months – will continue on Sunday, 11 April, according to information conveyed orally to their attorneys. Government-sponsored news media...

A new model of decision-making among peoples of different cultures would contribute to integration "at this time of transition to a new social order," according to a new Baha'i statement. The statement was prepared for the 48th United Nations Commission for Social Development, which concluded on 12 February. The commission is the chief UN body charged with following up on the World Summit on...

Countries from around the world have voiced strong concern at the United Nations Human Rights Council over Iran's deteriorating human rights record. In speeches yesterday and in documents filed with the Council, nations and human rights groups described the degree to which Iran has failed to live up to its obligations under international human rights law. "The good news is that governments...

Seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders appeared in court today in Iran for a second session of their trial. The session was once again closed, and family members were not permitted in the courtroom, the Baha'i International Community has learned. The hearing, which lasted just over one hour, does not seem to have gone beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions. The seven...

Little Tina Rose Wome came into the world on 28 January in a makeshift clinic, fashioned from a classroom at the Anis Zunuzi Baha'i School on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. An entire team of visiting doctors and nurses was on hand for her arrival – the first birth at the school in the 30 years since its founding. The delivery was poignant in another way, too – Magdalah Wome had been...

Traditional Pacific island bark cloth stenciled with designs depicting a vision of a "New Garden" was one of the artworks commissioned for a prestigious exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery. The sixth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art – APT6 – is now well into its four-month run and features works by some of the best-known artists of the Pacific region. Prominent New Zealand...

The Baha'i International Community has issued a statement condemning the trial of 16 individuals in Iran yesterday as a "violation of all internationally accepted standards of legal due process." The statement highlights the lack of proper legal representation for the defendants and the use of unreliable "confessions" in the trial. One of the 16 on trial is a Baha'i. "The use of coerced...

Having a belief system is not so difficult, said 25-year-old Nava, participating in a recent university seminar in Honduras. The challenging part is building your life around your beliefs. More than 1,500 young people addressed this challenge at recent Baha'i gatherings in five countries – Honduras, Italy, Australia, England, and the Philippines. The youth are trying to examine their lives...

Concern is growing over the lack of information about the status of 10 Baha'is who were arrested earlier this month in Iran. In addition to worry about their safety, there are fears that charges against these 10 will be used to create false evidence in court against the seven Baha'i leaders who have been held since 2008 and whose trial is set to resume on 7 February. "Our concern is that in...

Iranian authorities have notified the lawyers of seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders that the next session of their trial will be held on 7 February, the Baha'i International Community learned today. At their first court appearance, held 12 January in Tehran, the charges were read to the seven, who categorically denied the accusations. "While we know little about what actually took place inside...

Iran's decision to begin the trial yesterday of seven Baha'i leaders has triggered a strong international reaction, including a call by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi for their immediate release and ultimate acquittal. "If justice is to be carried out and an impartial judge should investigate the charges leveled against my clients, no other verdict can be reached save that of acquittal," said Mrs....

The trial of seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders began today in Iran. Initial reports indicate that the trial was marked by numerous violations of legal due process. After about three hours, the hearing ended. Authorities indicated that today’s proceeding was merely the “first session,” and no date for future sessions was given. "We understand that no observers were allowed in the court,"...

The Baha'i International Community today categorically rejected new allegations by the Iranian government that arms and ammunition were found in the homes of Baha'is who were arrested in Tehran last Sunday. "This is nothing less than a blatant lie," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva. "Baha'is are by the most basic principles of...

The Universal House of Justice has announced that it has approved the requests of two of its members, Mr. Hooper Dunbar and Dr. Peter Khan, to relinquish their positions owing to their advanced age and the heavy burden of work involved in membership. The announcement came in a letter addressed to all National Spiritual Assemblies of the Baha'i Faith around the world. In the letter, the House of...

Recent developments in Iran have raised grave concern about the ultimate fate of the seven Baha'i leaders who are scheduled to go on trial next Tuesday. "The Baha'i community in Iran has all too often been subjected to campaigns of vilification and false charges devised to deflect the attention of a disquieted population onto the Baha'is and away from those in power," said Diane Ala'i, the...

The United Nations General Assembly gave its final stamp of approval today to a strongly worded resolution condemning Iran for a long list of human rights violations. By a vote of 74 to 49, with 59 abstentions, the General Assembly confirmed an earlier vote by its Third Committee in November on a resolution that expresses "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in...

Acceptance of the ethical dimension of climate change has risen to a new level of importance in discussions at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, say members of the Baha'i delegation. "It is no longer just a small group that is talking about the moral and ethical dimensions of the issue – these ideas are becoming part of the discourse at Copenhagen," said Duncan Hanks, executive...

How can interfaith dialogue and religious freedom flourish when one religion declares that another is not a religion? Are tolerance and cooperation only possible among people who share the same doctrinal view of the world? These questions were posed by a representative of the Australian Baha'i community at one of the sessions at the Parliament of the World's Religions, which has come to an end...