Pioneers to Settle in Africa
He, likewise, wishes to call special attention to the work in Africa which is very promising and which is going ahead very well. Your Assembly must do all it can to speedily get pioneers settled in the two countries allotted to you as your portion in this historic campaign. Also, you should keep in close touch with the British NSA as they are the co-ordinators of this work, and well situated in order to give advice as English experts, having had such a long contact with Africa, its peoples and problems, are available in London and elsewhere for consultation with the British Africa Committee. 19-Month Plan-Third of its Kind
[From the Guardian:]
The initiation of the 19-Month Plan by the elected representatives of the Baha'i Communities of the sub-continent of India and of Burma-the third of its kind undertaken by them since the inception of the epoch marking the commencement of the Formative Age of the Baha'i Dispensation-evokes my deepest admiration. Through this spontaneous act, momentous in its consequences, and eloquently testifying to the initiative, the zeal and the valour of the followers of Baha'u'llah in India, Pakistan and Burma, the body of their elected national representatives can well boast of the distinction it has achieved, throughout the Baha'i world through the successive formulation of no less than three far-reaching Plans since the inauguration of the First Epoch in the history of the systematic prosecution of Abdu'l-Baha's Divine Plan. This striking demonstration of their resourcefulness and dedication to the interests of the Faith is, indeed, highly praiseworthy, extremely encouraging and augurs well for the future of the Mission which it is theirs to carry out, in the years to come, not only in that subcontinent and the adjoining territories and neighbouring islands, but in South Asia as well.
They cannot, however, ensure the success of the Plan they have devised, unless the unity and solidarity of those who are participating in its execution, and above all the harmony of the body directing its operation, are safeguarded, maintained and consolidated. Time is pressing. The issues involved are momentous. The centenary celebrations of the birth of Baha'u'llah's prophetic Mission will soon be upon us. The inauguration of the first organized Crusade, in which several Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies, in no less than four continents of the globe will be intimately associated, for the purpose of proclaiming the Message of Baha'u'llah in the South Pacific Islands as well as in South Eastern Asia, must directly depend upon the successful conclusion of the Plan now envisaged. The obligations involved in, and the privileges conferred by, such an association-an association that will find its parallel in the collective and organized effort now being exerted in the African Continent, as well as in the joint campaign destined to be launched, by other national Baha'i communities, in both Northern and North Eastern Asia,-are at once sacred and unique. Their significance, at this early stage, cannot be fully apprehended. It is not for them, however, to attempt at the present time, to assess their value. Theirs, rather, is the duty, to avoid any action or thought that might delay the unfoldment of so glorious a Plan or damage so splendid a destiny.
The members of all the communities participating in this Nineteen-Month Plan, which may be regarded as a prelude to the mighty and historic Crusade, of still vaster dimensions and nobler scope, that is to be launched in the future, irrespective of race, creed, or class, of either sex and of every age, must rise as one man to the occasion that now presents itself.
No trace of bickering, no consciousness of racial distinction, no petty jealousies, must be allowed, under any circumstances, to darken the glorious prospect opening before them. They must neither flinch, nor hesitate nor lose sight, however briefly, of the distant and shining goal.
An all-powerful, all-loving, all-Bountiful Master, watching their exertions from on high, will, surely, bless their effort, will intercede on their behalf before the throne of His all-glorious Father, and will, if they persevere in their high endeavours, render them victorious.
I, for my part, will, with a prayerful heart, follow the course of their activities, and will continue to lend them whatever assistance that lies in my power, for the complete discharge of their inescapable duty and the total fulfilment of their united pledge to the Author of their Faith.
October 16, 1951
First Pilgrims from India
It has been a great pleasure to the beloved Guardian to welcome recently in Haifa the first pilgrims from India; their love and devotion to the Faith have brought their brethren in that far-off land very close, and he hopes that they, in turn, will carry back to the friends there a new sense of nearness to the World Center at Haifa, and thus serve to create greater unity and dedication amongst the believers.
Inter-Continental Conference
The Guardian attaches the greatest possible importance to the forthcoming Inter-continental Conference to be held during the Holy Year in New Delhi; as the National Assemblies of Persia, United States, Canada, Central and South America, Iraq, Australia and New Zealand, as well as your own body, are to send representatives to it, it will, through having eight N.S.A.s pooling their thoughts and suggestions, be, no doubt, the most important of the four Inter-continental Conferences to be held. Also, aside from the numerical importance of the participating bodies, the vast field their plans must embrace is truly awe-inspiring. In view of this he feels that the members of your Assembly have very heavy responsibilities to discharge during the coming months, and that all petty details and misunderstandings must be put aside, once and for all, in order to ensure a brilliant success-a success, whose repercussions must be felt during ten years of Baha'i history between this coming great Jubilee and the Most Great Jubilee which will take place in 1963.
As convenor of this great Conference you must lay your plans very carefully to ensure that the representatives of the various N.S.A.s., the visiting Hands of the Cause, the many Baha'is attending, are properly accommodated, the sessions of the Conference held in an efficient manner, and suitable publicity given to this event. The Guardian also suggests that one or two private sessions could be held at which the N.S.A.
representatives and the Hands of the Cause could meet to better and more effectively suggest plans for the future campaign. There will, naturally, be no delegates to the Conference, as it is in no sense a convention, but more concentrated consultation can be obtained through a smaller number being present. No doubt you will also, without sacrificing the interests of the Conference, make good use of any visiting teachers and lecturers.
No Harm in Taking Part in Dramas
In the teachings there is nothing against dancing, but the friends should remember that the standard of Baha'u'llah is modesty and chastity. The atmosphere of modern dance halls, where so much smoking and drinking and promiscuity goes on, is very bad, but decent dances are not harmful in themselves. There is certainly no harm in classical dancing or learning dancing in school. There is also no harm in taking part in dramas.
Likewise in cinema acting. The harmful thing, nowadays, is not the art itself but the unfortunate corruption which often surrounds these arts. As Baha'is we need avoid none of the arts, but acts and the atmosphere that sometimes go with these professions we should avoid.
Encouraging the Hindu Baha'is
As regards the question you asked about minorities: because the Hindu believers are a minority at present in the Faith in India, preference should be given to them in India, where the majority of the population is Hindu. A special effort should be made to convert them, so that our enemies may have no excuse for stating that the Cause has scarcely affected the largest elements in the country. There is also an added reason for encouraging the Hindu Baha'is because within the Faith in India they are a minority. In every country throughout the Baha'i World the Baha'is must make a special effort to attract to the Faith the element which constitutes the majority, whether religious or national.
The Work is Still Formidable
[From the Guardian:]
The multiplicity of the vital issues that have of late confronted me at the World Centre of the Faith, the opening of the door of pilgrimage, and the unexpected problems which, by their urgency, have required my immediate and close attention have, to my extreme regret, prevented me from acknowledging, as promptly as I would have wished the communications which various Baha'i National Assemblies have addressed me in recent months. I have followed, however, with admiration and keen interest the progress of the activities initiated under the 19-Month Plan by the valiant Baha'i Communities of India, Pakistan and Burma. The generous, unceasing contributions made by them for the completion of the Bab's holy Sepulchre proclaim, in unmistakable terms, their devotion to the Cause for which He laid down so heroically His life. The expansion of the activities initiated by the high-minded and resolute pioneers in Ceylon, Indonesia, Siam, Malaya and Sarawak indeed merit the highest praise. The efforts exerted for the multiplication of the institutions of the Faith and their consolidation both in the subcontinent of India and beyond its confines augur well for the future of the Plan, the third of its kind embarked upon by the followers of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, who are destined to play a predominant part in the unfoldment of His World Order throughout the territories of South East Asia. The steady endeavours made for the translation, publication and dissemination of the literature of the Faith by your Assembly have greatly enriched and ennobled the record of the services you have rendered it in recent years.
Great as have been the victories already won in its service, the work that still remains to be accomplished under this same Plan during the fleeting months that lie ahead is still formidable, and demands unrelaxing vigilance, heroic self-sacrifice, and inflexible resolve on the part of not only the elected representatives of these communities but of all their members as well. The uninterrupted and rapid multiplication of Baha'i administrative centres; the conversion of groups into assemblies; the development of isolated centers into
groups; a marked increase in the number of incorporated Local Assemblies; the early completion of the highly important task assumed in connexion with the translation and publication of the New Era in the remaining languages already selected for that purpose; the despatch, without further delay, of no more than one pioneer for the present to Nepal and Indo-China, as well as to Zanzibar and Madagascar, in pursuance of the Plan initiated in both Africa and South East Asia; the maintenance, at any cost, of the present status of the newly formed assemblies; the concentration of effort for the promotion of unity and cooperation among the divers elements that constitute the warp and woof of these communities-these stand out as the predominating obligations facing the entire body of the followers of the Faith in the subcontinent of India and its neighbouring territories.
Nor must the privileged members of these communities, and particularly their elected representatives, neglect, for a moment, the paramount duty, of preparing, by every means at their disposal, for the historic and in some respects, the most vital, Conference to be held in the course of the Holy Year which the entire Baha'i world will soon befittingly celebrate.
As the Convenor of such a fate-laden Conference, whose task is to facilitate the execution of the most far-reaching, the most challenging, and the most dramatic of all the enterprises destined to be launched by the followers of the Faith throughout the whole planet, your Assembly assumes a responsibility at once immense, soul-stirring and inescapable.
In providing adequate facilities for the accommodation of the Hands of the Cause and of the official representatives of no less than eight National Spiritual Assemblies and of the large number of visitors who will participate in its proceedings; in ensuring wide publicity through the press and radio for such a unique gathering; in exerting their utmost for the maintenance of harmony and for full consultation on the weighty issues that will face its attendants; in fostering the spirit of heroic adventure and noble resolve on the part of the members of the communities that are to act as hosts to the honoured participants of such an epoch-making assemblage, which will, God willing, enable them to play a notable role in the Crusade destined to embrace the continents of Asia and Australasia and of the Pacific Islands-in all these the members of your Assembly, supported by the rank and file of the faithful, must display a determination, a valour and consecration that will excite the admiration of the entire Baha'i world.
The work that calls for unswerving fidelity, urgent attention and continuous vigilance, during the swiftly passing months ahead, is immense, truly sacred and infinitely meritorious. The consummation of the Plan already initiated would constitute the best preparation for the assumption of the still greater functions, and the discharge of still weightier responsibilities, that await the patiently labouring, the steadfast, the loyal and devoted followers of the Most Great Name in India, Pakistan and Burma. That they may victoriously discharge their present responsibilities, that they may befittingly embark on the glorious Mission that lies ahead of them, that they may distinguish themselves through their collective contribution to the success of the World Crusade soon to be inaugurated by the followers of Baha'u'llah in both the East and the West, is the object of my constant prayer and one of the most cherished desires of my heart.
June 30, 1952
No Age Limit for Serving the Cause
There is no age limit whatsoever for serving the Cause in administrative capacities after one has reached twenty-one years. Indeed we are supposed to serve the Cause to our last breath. Contributions Not Accepted From Those Whose Voting Rights are Suspended
As regards the question of accepting contributions from people whose voting rights are suspended, the Guardian says this is not permissible.
Answer to Various Questions
Local Haziras may be converted to National ones; this is premature at present.
The recognition of our Laws of Personal Status must naturally precede formation of Baha'i courts; as long as your translation is correct his approval is not needed.