Vietnamese Baha'is Receive Official Recognition

I was very pleased to notice that the government of Socialist Republic of Vietnam recently allowed the members of the Bahai community to elect a Bahai Administrative body for the first time. This is an important occasion for the Baha’is around the world because it was the first time in 33 years that the government had approved that such a gathering could take place.

The first Bahá'í in Vietnam was Shirin Fozdar, who arrived in February 1954, which was followed by periods of large growth for Bahai’ Faith in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950 Shrin Fozdar (popularly known as Mommy Fozdar, and her husband volunteered, to go to Singapore, which at that time was part of the Federation of Malaya at the request of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, to expand the religion to South East Asia.

The first Local Spiritual Assembly, a Baha’i Administrative body in South East Asia was was formed in Singapore in 1952, exactly two years after Fozdar’s arrival. In February 1954, Mommy Fozdar went to Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and then to Cambodia to establish the religion in those two countries. Later, Shirin Fozdar moved to Thailand to continue to spread the Faith in Thailand. I met Mommy Fozdar during early 70’s and I stayed with her for about two years in Yasothorn province and Bangkok in Thailand.

During the 1950s and 1960s the Bahá'í Faith spread rapidly in Vietnam. From 1957 to 1963 the Bahá'í community in Vietnam had more than tripled. But, with the arrival of communism the practice of the religion was banned. As communist rule spread in Vietnam after the Vietnam war, open practice of the Bahá'í Faith was banned from 1975 to 1992, and the number of believers dropped sharply during this time until in 2007 there were but 6880 known Bahá'ís. Thousands of Bahá'ís moved as refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to the United States during the 1970's. World Christian Encyclopedia estimated 300,000 Bahá'ís in Vietnam in 2000.

So, finally at a reception held in Ho Chi Minh city a few weeks ago, the Religious Affairs Department presented a certificate giving recognition to Baha’I Faith and activities.

Congratulations to all the members of the Baha’i community in Vietnam.

Beautiful Gardens surrounding the Shrine at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa, Israel

Baha'i temple in New Delhi, India

Comments

VISIT TO ABDUL BAHA VILLAGE IN MYANMAR (BURMA)

In 1989, the military government in Burma, officially changed the English translations of many names dating back to Burma's colonial period, including that of the country itself: "Burma" became “Myanmar.” The name Burma has been in use in English since the 18th century. Burmese are very friendly. Highlight of our visit to Burma included a visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda and Abdul Baha village. Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar. It is sacred to Buddhists from all over Asia and it is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas of the present kalpa. Myanmar's military yielded to a civilian government in 2010 and has dramatically reshaped its economy, opening up various sectors, including energy and infrastructure development, to direct foreign investment. Many foreign investors, especially from ASEAN countries rushed to set up factories and raze old neighborhoods to build luxury housing estates. New hotels and large condominiums

BUILDING A COMMUNITY IN A VILLAGE IN BIHAR, INDIA

Bihar is a State in India, where Lord Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist Religion is said to have attained enlightenment under the Banyan tree. Millions of Buddhists around the globe go on pilgrimage to this place. But, in a small village in the Bihar sharif cluster, about 80 km from Patna, the capital city of the State of Bihar, the villagers are striving hard to build a community that will contribute to the spiritual and material transformation of society. I had the distinct opportunity of visiting the Bihar sharif cluster and meeting with the villagers and the chief of the village. To create such a society, it is essential that every one in the village be empowered to participate in the constructive process that will give rise to it. It is just happening in this small village of population 2,000. The village is called Hargawan. I visited this village during my recent trip to India and my trip was coordinated by Mr. Rajnish Singh, an Auxiliary Board Member (ABM), an appointed mem

PREPARING CHILDREN IN VALUE EDUCATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Preparing Children in Value Education in the 21st Century ( a paper developed by me when I was working at RiverDale International Residential School, in Pune, India as the Vice Principal) ABSTRACT Facing a worsening moral dilemma in today’s complex world, everyone recognizes the need for educating youngsters about the importance of moral values. The decline in ethical standards, poor parenting, dishonesty by government and business leaders and violence have come to characterize the present day society all over the world. However, social changes and scientific progress during the past decade have been enormous. A new social media culture is silently taking over the world. Therefore, the current environment of political, social and religious decay has lead to a renewed interest in teaching moral values to our children. As we enter the 21st century, character and good moral values must become an important part of social life during the periods of childhood and youth if we want t

Nat Yogachandra

Search This Blog