[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 137 (Thursday, October 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1906-E1907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMEMORATING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BAHA'I FAITH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2002

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, this month the American Bah[aacute]'[iacute] 
community, which has its national headquarters in Illinois, will be 
commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the beginnings of the 
Bah[aacute]'[iacute] Faith in Iran. The Bah[aacute]'[iacute] Faith is a 
world religion with more than 5 million adherents in some 230 countries 
and territories including more than 140,000 members here in the United 
States. The Bah[aacute]'[iacute] House of Worship in my district of 
Illinois is registered as a national historic site that has drawn more 
than five million visitors to enjoy its unique architecture and serene 
gardens since its completion in 1953.
  This October is a special time for the American Bah[aacute]'[iacute] 
community because it was during this month that the founder of the 
Bah[aacute]'[iacute] Faith, Bah[aacute]'u'll[aacute]h, was first 
overwhelmed with the Bah[aacute]'[iacute] message of love and unity 
while unjustly imprisoned in one of Persia's (now Iran) worst dungeons, 
the S[iacute]y[aacute]h Ch[aacute]l. After his release from this 
dungeon, Bah[aacute]d'u'll[aacute]h promoted this message despite being 
banished from Baghdad to Istanbul, from Istanbul to Edirne, and 
eventually from Edirne to the prison city of Acre where he died in 1892 
after having lived in exile for forty years for his belief in the 
oneness of humanity.
  The Bah[aacute]'[iacute] Faith is based on the principles of 
cooperation and peace outlined by

[[Page E1907]]

Bah[aacute]d'u'll[aacute]h. He taught that there is only one God, that 
the conscience of man is sacred and to be respected, that racial 
diversity contributes to the overall beauty of mankind, and that women 
and men are equals in God's sight. He taught that a spiritual solution 
is required to address the disparities of wealth distribution and that 
religion and science must agree. He was among the first to express the 
need for an international auxiliary language, emphasize the importance 
of universal education, and advise that a commonwealth of nations was 
needed for establishing global peace and security. The significance of 
these principles could not be overemphasized in today's volatile world.
  It is astounding to think how advanced these concepts were 150 years 
ago not only in an ancient Persian culture, but also in the United 
States. Slavery and persecution based on race were widely accepted 
facts of life at that time. Women in the United States were still 70 
years away from getting the vote. Global literacy was low and universal 
education was unheard of in most places. Colonial exploitation was on 
the rise and workers enjoyed few protections.
  Unfortunately, just as the Bah[aacute]'[iacute] message was met with 
hostility in Persia in 1852, it still faces persecution in that region 
today. The Islamic Republic of Iran regards Bah[aacute]'[iacute]s as 
heretics who, according to Islamic law, should be executed. 
Bah[aacute]'[iacute]s, along with Iran's other religious minorities, 
are prevented from exercising their right to religious freedom. They 
are excluded from institutions of higher education, denied jobs, and 
have had many of their holy places, cemeteries and properties seized or 
destroyed. They are denied their most basic human rights.
  Since 1982, Congress has adopted eight resolutions condemning Iran's 
treatment of the Bah[aacute]'[iacute]s, its largest religious minority. 
With the support of the U.S. government, the UN General Assembly has 
adopted annual resolutions condemning these human rights abuses. Yet, 
Bah[aacute]'[iacute]s still await the religious freedom called for in 
those UN resolutions and promised in Iran's constitution. The 
Bah[aacute]'[iacute] community remains an oppressed religious minority 
and is denied rights to organize, elect leaders, and to conduct freely 
its religious activities.
  On the 150th anniversary of Bah[aacute]'u'll[aacute]h's imprisonment 
and the founding of the Bah[aacute]'[iacute] faith, we salute along 
with the American Bah[aacute]'[iacute] community the ideals of 
universal brotherhood, peace, cooperation, and understanding espoused 
by Bah[aacute]'u'll[aacute]h, These are Bah[aacute]'[iacute] values, 
they are American values, and they are universal values. I also would 
like to recognize the immense sacrifices that many around the world 
have made striving to ensure that true liberty and justice for all 
becomes not just an American dream, but also a global reality.

                          ____________________