Article sent from Nader on the Bahai

What is it?Who Are They?Why Should We Care?
by lyle e davis

How would you like to live in a world where there was no war? Where all people of all races, creeds and cultures were as one, and there was no prejudice? Where women and men were equal? Where there were no extremes of poverty, nor of extreme wealth? Where the family and its unity was recognized as being critically important? Where everyone received an education?
Would that sound like a world you would like to live in and be part of?

Like you, I knew little or nothing about Baha’i. I have now learned that the above elements are but a part of what members of Baha’i seek and work for.

Having lived in Chicago for five years I was struck by the beautiful architecture of the Baha’i Temple in Wilmette, Illinois, and would often take visitors sightseeing and show them the impressive building. I have never entered the temple and I only knew a couple of people who were Baha’is. I knew them as a kindly, gentle people. People who didn’t hassle you. They didn’t pester you in your neighborhood, knocking on your door, trying to recruit you to their way of thinking.

I didn’t really know what they believed, what they practiced, what the basic tenets of the Baha’i faith was. I knew it was a religious philosophy that originated in the Mid East . . . which, for some reason, seems to be where most of the world’s major religions originated. But that was about all I knew of Baha’i.

In Esconiddo I had a good friend, Jacque Smith. Jacque was, and is, very well known in North San Diego County. He’s that guy who, whenever they called for volunteers for any civic or service project, always wound up at the head of the line. He has been a major community asset for Escondido. Jacque was a beloved member of our Hidden Valley Kiwanis Club. He retired from our club a number of years ago and said he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to working for Baha’i.

More recently, I became acquainted with the well known North County chiropractor, Dr. Omid Rahmanian and his lovely wife, Dr. Parisa Rahmanian, a prominent North County dentist. They and their children are Baha’is. In fact, Dr. O’Mead (as most folks call him, and spell his Amercanized name), at great danger to himself, flew home to Iran to help bring his mother and father to America, where they now live. Dr. O’Mead’s father had been imprisoned in Iran for no other reason than being a member of Baha’i. When his father was finally released from prison, Dr. O’Mead took the risk of being arrested himself, flew into Iran and, thankfully, was able to return home to North San Diego County.

So, I knew a few Baha’is fairly well, and I knew about the temple in Wilmette, Illinois. But I really didn’t know much more than that.

Certain events and timing have come together where I felt it would be not only appropriate, but important, to research Baha’i and find out a bit more about what it was and, “just who are these people that belong to Baha’i?”

We propose to share that information with you in this cover story. You may be as surprised as I was. And am. You may be in a position to be of major help to some deserving people who are in grave danger. We will brief you.

To learn more about this fascinating subject and some equally fascinating, and courageous, people, join us for this week's cover story. Just click on this link:
www.thecommunitypaper.com
And enjoy the read!