BAHAI HOLD AN EVENING OF REMEMBERANCE IN OMAGH
Baha'i hold an evening of remembrance in Omagh
THE Omagh Baha'i Community held a well attended programme, 'An Evening of Remembrance', for those affected by the dreadful event of 15th August for the deceased, the injured, the bereaved and for the wider community here.
In fact, earlier, the Omagh Baha'i's had intended to hold a meeting, on the same day, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Baha'i Faith in these islands. After the 15th August, however, this event was postponed.
The evening took the form of Baha'i readings and prayers. At the end of the programme music was performed by the 'Castlederg Cross-Community Choir' and by three members of the 'Village Earth', a multiple member singing group from Limerick. Song's included 'Ave Verum', 'Whispering Hope', 'Lift thine eyes', 'Tears in heaven', 'Amazing Grace', and 'Peace will shine'.
The evening concluded with refreshments and each family attending was presented with a copy booklet "Hope", containing the writings of 'Abdu'l Baha, son of Bah'u'llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith.
FEARS
Members of the Omagh Baha'i Community have expressed great concern at
News just received from Iran, where two members of their Faith have been sentenced to death. They see this as an undisguised case of religious persecution. Said Press Officer, Malcolm Lake, "There was a great deal of publicity about the lifting of the fatwa on Salman Rushdie and this has taken attention away from what is really going on. The fact that things are not getting better for the Baha'is, Iran's largest non-Moslem minority if anything matters are getting worse!"
Mr Lake continued, "according to information, over the summer the situation was not easy for our co-religionists. Our fears were realised when an innocent, Baha'i was 'executed' in July, after being spuriously found guilty of 'converting' a woman who after the court's judgement, claimed to have been from long-standing Baha'i family. Now that we have learned that the authorities, in that same part of Iran, have sentenced two more Baha'i prisoners to death. Really, this is outrageous when one considers that this sinister activity is being carried on by Iran at the-same time as it is normalising relations with the West."
Since the Iranian 'Revolution' almost 20 years ago, the 300,000-strong Baha'i community has suffered the most vicious persecution. Many have been killed and imprisoned and others have fled to the West, including to Ireland and Northern Ireland. Local Baha'i , Nur'u'llah Hedayati suffered persecution and imprisonment in the early 1980's. With his wife, Nadereh and their children Navad, Nooshan and Nama, they fled to Pakistan in 1984. There they were accepted as refugees, by the UK Government, and they have lived in Omagh since 1988.
THE Omagh Baha'i Community held a well attended programme, 'An Evening of Remembrance', for those affected by the dreadful event of 15th August for the deceased, the injured, the bereaved and for the wider community here.
In fact, earlier, the Omagh Baha'i's had intended to hold a meeting, on the same day, to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Baha'i Faith in these islands. After the 15th August, however, this event was postponed.
The evening took the form of Baha'i readings and prayers. At the end of the programme music was performed by the 'Castlederg Cross-Community Choir' and by three members of the 'Village Earth', a multiple member singing group from Limerick. Song's included 'Ave Verum', 'Whispering Hope', 'Lift thine eyes', 'Tears in heaven', 'Amazing Grace', and 'Peace will shine'.
The evening concluded with refreshments and each family attending was presented with a copy booklet "Hope", containing the writings of 'Abdu'l Baha, son of Bah'u'llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith.
FEARS
Members of the Omagh Baha'i Community have expressed great concern at
News just received from Iran, where two members of their Faith have been sentenced to death. They see this as an undisguised case of religious persecution. Said Press Officer, Malcolm Lake, "There was a great deal of publicity about the lifting of the fatwa on Salman Rushdie and this has taken attention away from what is really going on. The fact that things are not getting better for the Baha'is, Iran's largest non-Moslem minority if anything matters are getting worse!"
Mr Lake continued, "according to information, over the summer the situation was not easy for our co-religionists. Our fears were realised when an innocent, Baha'i was 'executed' in July, after being spuriously found guilty of 'converting' a woman who after the court's judgement, claimed to have been from long-standing Baha'i family. Now that we have learned that the authorities, in that same part of Iran, have sentenced two more Baha'i prisoners to death. Really, this is outrageous when one considers that this sinister activity is being carried on by Iran at the-same time as it is normalising relations with the West."
Since the Iranian 'Revolution' almost 20 years ago, the 300,000-strong Baha'i community has suffered the most vicious persecution. Many have been killed and imprisoned and others have fled to the West, including to Ireland and Northern Ireland. Local Baha'i , Nur'u'llah Hedayati suffered persecution and imprisonment in the early 1980's. With his wife, Nadereh and their children Navad, Nooshan and Nama, they fled to Pakistan in 1984. There they were accepted as refugees, by the UK Government, and they have lived in Omagh since 1988.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1187
Published Date: 08-Oct-98
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