Iran and the Baha i Faith through the Mirror of History

Transcription

1 Baha i Society for Persian Arts and Letters Under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha is of the United Kingdom Iran and the Baha i Faith through the Mirror of History 20th Annual Conference in the UK December 2016 Hilton Hotel Terminal 5 London

2 The first utterance of Him Who is the All-Wise is this: O children of dust! Turn your faces from the darkness of estrangement to the effulgent light of the daystar of unity. This is that, which above all else, will benefit the peoples of the earth. Baha u llah

3 Monday 26 December Registration Devotional and Music Opening remarks and welcome Minou Foadi Opening of the conference Shapour Rassekh Message from the NSA of the Baha is of UK Wendi Momen Opening of the art exhibition Rozita Pourtaheri 17:40 Introducing Recent Baha i Books Vahid Ra fati Dinner Persian Music and artistic presentations End of programme

4 Tuesday 27 December Dawn prayers open to all, daily 7-8 am Devotional and music The Social and Religious Situation of Iran in the Late 19 th Century Moojan Momen Break Iran and the Emergence of the Babi Faith Vahid Ra fati Questions and Answers Moojan Momen, Vahid Ra fati Lunch On the Success and Failure of Modernity in Iran Erfan Sabeti Break Iran and the Emergence of the Baha i Faith (1) Vahid Ra fati The Concept of Light in the Emerged Persian Religions Vanecha Roudbaraki Dinner Persian Music and artistic presentations End of programme

5 Wednesday 28 December Devotional and music Abdu l-baha, Religious Leader or a Leader of Modernity Fereydun Vahman Abdu l-baha and Ottoman Reformers Necati Alkan Break The Secret of Divine Civilization by Abdu l-baha Mina Yazdani Lunch Abdu l-baha s Vision of the Past, Present and Future of Iran Shapour Rassekh Round table discussion Shapour Rassekh, Fereydun Vahman, Mina Yazdani & Necati Alkan Break Introducing the book: From Tehran To Akka Fereydun Vahman Dinner Persian music and Artistic Presentations End of programme

6 Thursday 29 December Service to Shoghi Effendi s Resting Place (with prior booking) Devotional and music Iran and the evolution of the Baha'i world community Robert Weinberg (Representing NSA) Break Modernity and the New Concept of Time Mashallah Adjoudani Religious Pluralism, a Modern Philosophical Explanation Yasser Mirdamadi Lunch Round table: Baha is of Iran, Iranian Citizens Farah Doostdar, Maryam Faghih Imani and Behrooz Afagh Iran and the Emergence of the Baha i Faith (2) Vahid Ra fati Break Poetry in Motion, the Origins of Indo-Iranian & Persian Dance Farima Berenji Dinner Persian music and Artistic Presentations End of programme

7 Friday 30 December Devotional and music The Social and Political Conditions of Qajar Iran as Reflected in the Baha'i Writings Mina Yazdani Break The Return of the Repressed in Today s Iranian Cinema Farshid Kazemi Lunch Children s and junior youth presentations Film Presentation The Gardener Closing ceremony Dinner Persian Music and Artistic presentations Farewell End of the 20 th Conference of the Baha i Society for Persian Arts and Letters

8 Conference Rules and Regulations For purposes of security, it is requested that you have your conference wristband on you at all times during the meetings. Those without wristbands will not be allowed to enter the sessions. Sessions will start promptly according to the scheduled time. You are requested to arrive on time to avoid disruption. Please turn off your mobile phones when entering the conference hall or make sure they are set to silent settings if you need phone access for emergency purposes. Many friends have volunteered to help with the running of the sessions. Please follow their instructions. This is a small token of gratitude for their assistance and devotions. Tickets for lunch and dinners are colour coded by day and can only be used on the specified day. Tickets for previous or subsequent days cannot be used in lieu of the specified day. The speakers and organizers have asked that images and video recordings of the programme not be taken for distribution on the internet. Professional recording of sessions has already been arranged with prior consent of the speakers, and will be made available for purchase for those interested. Rules in relation to children (All classes work under supervision of Ms Vida Nezamabad) Children under 5 are to be looked after by their parents. Roshangah Classes for reading and writing of the Persian language are available for children 5-11 years and for junior youth Children s programme consists of: Our team of teachers, have prepared a varied program engaging the children through art, music and story-telling. Children are encouraged to learn new concepts; history of Iran and celebration of Nuw-Ruz. Learn pronouncing everyday Persian words by learning songs and games and acting out short plays. Please ensure that you collect your children from their classes on time at the end of lessons. Parents are kindly requested to ensure their children maintain good conduct throughout the conference and not become disorderly or cause disturbance to other hotel guests.

9 Please bear in mind that the hotel has guests who are not participating in the conference, and we are not the sole users of the premises. Please note that under no circumstances are children allowed to access the hotel computers in the business centre! It is solely the parents responsibility to ensure the security and well being of their children. The organizers accept no responsibility in this respect. Junior Youth Program Our trained animators, by engaging the Junior Youth through artistic expressions, co-operative games, musical & dramatic creativity, not only enhance their zeal of learning about Iranian culture and history during the conference but also encourage them to realize, learning and exploring is an important responsibility, which they need to take seriously. Youth Programme They will be covering prepared materials on Baha i Marriage & the early history of the Baha i Faith. Speakers from the Conference will be visiting and having sessions with the youth. The Art Exhibition The conference committee is delighted and proud to announce that, once again, we shall have the privilege of exhibiting artists works on the ground floor in The Gallery for the duration of the conference. We invite you to enjoy and support the work of exhibiting artists as part of your conference experience. Some exhibited works may also be available for purchase. The gallery will be open during the break intervals and at other specially dedicated times. Please look out for signs! Book Sale The conference Book shop is located on the first floor and open between the hours of 10 AM and 8 PM. Visit to the Resting Place of Shoghi Effendi Visit to the Resting Place of the Beloved Shoghi Effendi will take place on the 29 th of December, the bus leaving hotel premises at 8am. The round trip cost per individual will be 15. Further details on the visit will be available at the conference help desk. For any further queries please consult friends at the conference help/registration desk on the first floor next to the book shop.

10 Notes