Bahá'í Faith in Scotland
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í Faith is a minority religion in Scotland. In the 2001 Census in Scotland
, roughly four hundred people living there declared themselves to be Bahá'ís, compared to a 2004 figure of approximately 5,000 Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom
.
Scotland's Bahá'í history began around 1905 when European visitors, Scots among them, met `Abdu'l-Bahá
, then head of the religion, in Ottoman Palestine. One of the first and most prominent Scots
who became a Bahá'í was John Esslemont
.
revolution freed all political prisoners in the Ottoman Empire
, and `Abdu'l-Bahá
, then head of the Bahá'í Faith, was freed from imprisonment. With the freedom to leave the country, in 1910 he embarked on a three year journey to Egypt
, Europe
, and North America
, spreading the Bahá'í message. `Abdu'l-Bahá returned to the British Isles and, recalling an invitation in 1905 by Jane Whyte, wife of Alexander Whyte
, and others who visited him in Ottoman Palestine, visited in Edinburgh
in 1913. There exists a timeline of events and a diary kept during these travels including entries written while he was in Edinburgh. See `Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
.
, then head of the Bahá'í Faith, as one of the "three luminaries of the Irish, English and Scottish Bahá'í communities" Born in Aberdeen
in 1874, Esslemont had become the first Bahá'í of Bournemouth
in early 1915 after hearing of the religion in December 1914 from a co-worker's wife who had met `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1911 and had some pamphlets to share. In about 1918 `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote a tablet in his honor and also mentioned interest in a book he was working on. After receiving an early draft of this book `Abdu'l-Bahá invited Esslemont to Palestine which he accomplished in the winter of 1919-20, after the Battle of Megiddo (1918) settled the land. Ultimately `Abdu'l-Bahá was able to personally review several chapters. News of Esslemont's declaration of faith, and his forthcoming book, played a role in establishing the beginning of the Bahá'í Faith in Australia
. This book in development was to became the well-known introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, which was originally published in 1923 and has been translated into numerous languages and remains a key introduction to the religion. Esslemont was elected chairman of the assembly of Bournemouth when it was elected in a few years and later as vice-chairman of the national assembly until he left the country in 1924 following the closing of the sanatorium where he had been employed. He then traveled to Palestine to assist in translation work. Shoghi Effendi
, head of the religion after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, posthumously designated Esslemont as the first of the Hands of the Cause
he appointed, and as one of the Disciples of `Abdu'l-Bahá
. Esslemont was also an accomplished medical doctor and linguist becoming proficient in western and eastern languages. In 1925, the first Bahá'í of New Zealand, Margaret Stevenson, had gone on pilgrimage
and the group she was in spent time in the UK afterwards - Esslemont specifically urged her to visit his family in Scotland.
, a Bahá'í well known for travelling widely in the world, travelled to Scotland for an Esperanto
convention joined by Lydia Zamenhof, daughter of the founder of Esperanto and who carried on that work, after she also became a Bahá'í. In 1927 a paper in extreme northern Scotland, John O' Groats
carried a story on the religion.
movement beginning after the Second World War with sixty percent of the British Bahá'í community eventually relocating. In 1946 first of these to Scotland was Dr. M. Said of Egypt in 1946, who was joined in 1947, by Isobel Locke (later Sabri) and John Marshall, a native Scot who had met `Abdu'l-Baha in 1911. The first to become a Baha'i in this period (in March 1948) was Dr. William Johnston, who had met `Abdu'l-Baha in Edinburgh in 1913. The first local spiritual assembly of Scotland was formed in Edinburgh when it was elected in 1948. Then in 1953 a number of Bahá'ís spread out across Scotland - Brigitte Hasselblatt being the first to the Shetland Islands
. Charles Dunning moved to Orkney followed by Daryoush Mehrabi. The first Bahá'í convert outside the mainland of Scotland then joined the religion - Lilaian McKay in September 1956 and in 1963 she attended the first Bahá'í World Congress
. There have been Bahá'ís in Inverness
since 1959 when Harold and Betty Shepherd pioneered there. Hasselblatt moved to Finland
, where she married, in 1959.
. The first Spiritual Assembly of Inverness was elected in April 1962. Gloria Faizi, wife of Abu'l-Qásim Faizi
, was the first Bahá'í to visit the outlying islands of Fetlar
, Unst
, Yell
, Whalsay
and the Skerries
in 1964. The first assembly of Orkney was elected in Kirkwall
in 1969 with four native to Orkney. All nine of its members were: Shezagh King, Daryoosh Mehrabi, Adele Senior, Jacqueline Mehrabi, Moira Macleod, Ernest Bertram, Parvin Jahanpour, Eric King, and Violet Bertram. Later in 1969 Hand of the Cause Jaláh Kházeh visited Scotland as far as the Orkney's. Harold and Betty Shepherds moved from Inverness to Uganda
in 1972 where they helped run an elementary school and renovate the Bahá'í House of Worship
there. Following that service the Shepherds moved back to Scotland, eventually to the Orkney Islands in 1976, where Harold died in 1980. In 1972 the local assembly of the Bahá'ís of Lerwick
was first elected. Alexe Cookson was born on the Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and about 1918 moved to New Zealand
where she became a Bahá'í in 1964. She also went on pilgrimage and on return trip went to Scotland where she actually died in Fort William. In 1975 the assembly of Mull
was first elected with members from the towns of Tobermory, Salen
, and Kilchrenan
, and on the island of Ulva
. In 1981, Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khánum
visited Edinburgh and the Shetland Islands. While in Edinburgh she expounded on some matters of interest to the Baha'is - that the eagle marker for Shoghi Effendi's grave was bought in Edinburgh, that she was half Scottish, (claiming decent from McBean, Sutherland and Maxwell clans,) how she and Shoghi Effendi had visited the area twice after World War II - seeing Loch Lomond, Gleneagles, Stirling, Edinburgh,and Glasgow. In 1989, the Skye
congregation received its first adult convert and in 1991 was the first election of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh
.
opened its 18 January 2006 14:30 meeting with a Time for Reflection presented by Carrie Varjavandi for the Bahá'í Council for Scotland at which she reviewed elements of the history and teachings of the religion.
The Scottish community of Bahá'ís showed about 400 people, 0.008%, and in the 2001 Scotland Census in the "write in" section as it was not listed as an available choice and was also shown to be the only religion in the Glasgow giving a high priority to inter/multifaith work in the community by a government survey. Robert Ghillies is a Bahá'í composer that has had works performed nationally.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, roughly four hundred people living there declared themselves to be Bahá'ís, compared to a 2004 figure of approximately 5,000 Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Scotland's Bahá'í history began around 1905 when European visitors, Scots among them, met `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
, then head of the religion, in Ottoman Palestine. One of the first and most prominent Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
who became a Bahá'í was John Esslemont
John Esslemont
John Ebenezer Esslemont M.B., Ch.B. , was a prominent British Bahá'í from Scotland. He was the author of the well-known introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, which is still in circulation. He was named posthumously by Shoghi Effendi as the first Hand of the Cause he...
.
Prior to World War I
In 1908, the Young TurksYoung Turks
The Young Turks , from French: Les Jeunes Turcs) were a coalition of various groups favouring reformation of the administration of the Ottoman Empire. The movement was against the absolute monarchy of the Ottoman Sultan and favoured a re-installation of the short-lived Kanûn-ı Esâsî constitution...
revolution freed all political prisoners in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, and `Abdu'l-Bahá
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
, then head of the Bahá'í Faith, was freed from imprisonment. With the freedom to leave the country, in 1910 he embarked on a three year journey to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, spreading the Bahá'í message. `Abdu'l-Bahá returned to the British Isles and, recalling an invitation in 1905 by Jane Whyte, wife of Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte was a Scottish divine. He was born at Kirriemuir in Forfarshire and educated at the University of Aberdeen and at New College, Edinburgh....
, and others who visited him in Ottoman Palestine, visited in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1913. There exists a timeline of events and a diary kept during these travels including entries written while he was in Edinburgh. See `Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
`Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
`Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West were a series of trips `Abdu'l-Bahá undertook starting at the age of 67 from Palestine to the West from 1910 to 1913. `Abdu'l-Bahá was imprisoned at the age of 8 and suffered various degrees of privation most of his life...
.
John Esslemont
In 1955, John Esslemont was posthumously described by Shoghi EffendiShoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, then head of the Bahá'í Faith, as one of the "three luminaries of the Irish, English and Scottish Bahá'í communities" Born in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
in 1874, Esslemont had become the first Bahá'í of Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
in early 1915 after hearing of the religion in December 1914 from a co-worker's wife who had met `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1911 and had some pamphlets to share. In about 1918 `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote a tablet in his honor and also mentioned interest in a book he was working on. After receiving an early draft of this book `Abdu'l-Bahá invited Esslemont to Palestine which he accomplished in the winter of 1919-20, after the Battle of Megiddo (1918) settled the land. Ultimately `Abdu'l-Bahá was able to personally review several chapters. News of Esslemont's declaration of faith, and his forthcoming book, played a role in establishing the beginning of the Bahá'í Faith in Australia
Bahá'í Faith in Australia
The Bahá'í Faith in Australia has a long history beginning with a mention by `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, in 1916 following which United Kingdom/American emigrants John and Clara Dunn came to Australia in 1920. They found people willing to convert to the Bahá'í Faith in...
. This book in development was to became the well-known introductory book on the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, which was originally published in 1923 and has been translated into numerous languages and remains a key introduction to the religion. Esslemont was elected chairman of the assembly of Bournemouth when it was elected in a few years and later as vice-chairman of the national assembly until he left the country in 1924 following the closing of the sanatorium where he had been employed. He then traveled to Palestine to assist in translation work. Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, head of the religion after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, posthumously designated Esslemont as the first of the Hands of the Cause
Hands of the Cause
The Hands of the Cause of God, Hands of the Cause, or Hands were a select group of Bahá'ís, appointed for life, whose main function was to propagate and protect the Bahá'í Faith...
he appointed, and as one of the Disciples of `Abdu'l-Bahá
Disciples of `Abdu'l-Bahá
Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, designated nineteen Western Bahá'ís as Disciples of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and 'Heralds of the Covenant':*Dr. John E. Esslemont*Thornton Chase*Howard MacNutt*Sarah Farmer*Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney*Lillian Kappes...
. Esslemont was also an accomplished medical doctor and linguist becoming proficient in western and eastern languages. In 1925, the first Bahá'í of New Zealand, Margaret Stevenson, had gone on pilgrimage
Bahá'í pilgrimage
A Bahá'í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, Akká, and Bahjí at the Bahá'í World Centre in Northwest Israel. Bahá'ís do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage....
and the group she was in spent time in the UK afterwards - Esslemont specifically urged her to visit his family in Scotland.
Other developments
In late 1926 Martha RootMartha Root
Martha Louise Root was a prominent traveling teacher of the Bahá'í Faith in the late 19th and early 20th century. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith called her "the foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá'í Century", and named her a Hand of the Cause posthumously...
, a Bahá'í well known for travelling widely in the world, travelled to Scotland for an Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
convention joined by Lydia Zamenhof, daughter of the founder of Esperanto and who carried on that work, after she also became a Bahá'í. In 1927 a paper in extreme northern Scotland, John O' Groats
John o' Groats
John o' Groats is a village in the Highland council area of Scotland. Part of the county of Caithness, John o' Groats is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants...
carried a story on the religion.
Post-World War II history
Through the 1930s, the number of Bahá'ís in the UK grew, leading to a pioneerPioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
movement beginning after the Second World War with sixty percent of the British Bahá'í community eventually relocating. In 1946 first of these to Scotland was Dr. M. Said of Egypt in 1946, who was joined in 1947, by Isobel Locke (later Sabri) and John Marshall, a native Scot who had met `Abdu'l-Baha in 1911. The first to become a Baha'i in this period (in March 1948) was Dr. William Johnston, who had met `Abdu'l-Baha in Edinburgh in 1913. The first local spiritual assembly of Scotland was formed in Edinburgh when it was elected in 1948. Then in 1953 a number of Bahá'ís spread out across Scotland - Brigitte Hasselblatt being the first to the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
. Charles Dunning moved to Orkney followed by Daryoush Mehrabi. The first Bahá'í convert outside the mainland of Scotland then joined the religion - Lilaian McKay in September 1956 and in 1963 she attended the first Bahá'í World Congress
Bahá'í World Congress
The Bahá'í World Congress is a large gathering of Bahá'ís from across the world that is called irregularly by the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Bahá'ís...
. There have been Bahá'ís in Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
since 1959 when Harold and Betty Shepherd pioneered there. Hasselblatt moved to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, where she married, in 1959.
Growth of the community
In 1960 the Bahá'ís of Edinburgh held an observance of World Religion Day in Grosvenor House HotelGrosvenor House Hotel
Grosvenor House is a large and luxurious hotel. The iconic Mayfair, London hotel is owned by the Sahara Group. The name has also been licensed to a property in Dubai....
. The first Spiritual Assembly of Inverness was elected in April 1962. Gloria Faizi, wife of Abu'l-Qásim Faizi
Abu'l-Qasim Faizi
Abu'l-Qásim Faizi or Fayḍí was a Persian Bahá'í. He studied at the American University of Beirut.He married Gloria `Alá'í in 1939. Together they pioneered to Iraq and Bahrain...
, was the first Bahá'í to visit the outlying islands of Fetlar
Fetlar
Fetlar is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland, with a population of 86 at the time of the 2001 census. Its main settlement is Houbie on the south coast, home to the Fetlar Interpretive Centre...
, Unst
Unst
Unst is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third largest island in Shetland after the Mainland and Yell. It has an area of .Unst is largely grassland, with coastal cliffs...
, Yell
Yell
Yell is one of the North Isles of Shetland, Scotland. In the 2001 census it had a usually resident population of 957. It is the second largest island in Shetland after the Mainland with an area of , and is the third most populous in the archipelago , after the Mainland and Whalsay.The island's...
, Whalsay
Whalsay
-Geography:Whalsay, also known as "The Bonnie Isle", is a peat-covered island in the Shetland Islands. It is situated east of the Shetland Mainland and has an area of . The main settlement is Symbister, where the fishing fleet is based. The fleet is composed of both pelagic and demersal vessels...
and the Skerries
Skerries
Skerries is the plural of skerry, meaning a small rocky island.Skerries may refer to a number of geographical locations:-Ireland:*Skerries, Dublin, a seaside town in Ireland*The Skerries, Northern Ireland...
in 1964. The first assembly of Orkney was elected in Kirkwall
Kirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
in 1969 with four native to Orkney. All nine of its members were: Shezagh King, Daryoosh Mehrabi, Adele Senior, Jacqueline Mehrabi, Moira Macleod, Ernest Bertram, Parvin Jahanpour, Eric King, and Violet Bertram. Later in 1969 Hand of the Cause Jaláh Kházeh visited Scotland as far as the Orkney's. Harold and Betty Shepherds moved from Inverness to Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
in 1972 where they helped run an elementary school and renovate the Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
there. Following that service the Shepherds moved back to Scotland, eventually to the Orkney Islands in 1976, where Harold died in 1980. In 1972 the local assembly of the Bahá'ís of Lerwick
Lerwick
Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 100 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland on the east coast of the Shetland Mainland...
was first elected. Alexe Cookson was born on the Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and about 1918 moved to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
where she became a Bahá'í in 1964. She also went on pilgrimage and on return trip went to Scotland where she actually died in Fort William. In 1975 the assembly of Mull
Mull
-Places:*Isle of Mull, Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides*Sound of Mull, between the island and the rest of Scotland*Mull , Anglicisation of Gaelic Maol, hill or promontory**Mull of Galloway, Scotland**Mull of Kintyre, Scotland...
was first elected with members from the towns of Tobermory, Salen
Salen, Mull
Salen is a settlement on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. It is on the east coast of the island, on the Sound of Mull, approximately halfway between Craignure and Tobermory...
, and Kilchrenan
Kilchrenan
Kilchrenan is a small village in the Argyll and Bute area of Scotland.thumb|right|350px|Kilchrenan Inn dominates the heart of the villageKilchrenan is located near to the end of the B845 road, about a mile inland from Loch Awe. It forms part of the area of Avich and Kilchrenan Community Council.-...
, and on the island of Ulva
Ulva
Ulva is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, off the west coast of Mull. It is separated from Mull by a narrow strait, and connected to the neighbouring island of Gometra by a bridge. Much of the island is formed from Tertiary basalt rocks, which is formed into columns in places.Ulva has...
. In 1981, Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khánum
Rúhíyyih Khanum
Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum , born Mary Sutherland Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921–1957. She was appointed by him as a Hand of the Cause, and served an important role in the transfer of authority from 1957–1963...
visited Edinburgh and the Shetland Islands. While in Edinburgh she expounded on some matters of interest to the Baha'is - that the eagle marker for Shoghi Effendi's grave was bought in Edinburgh, that she was half Scottish, (claiming decent from McBean, Sutherland and Maxwell clans,) how she and Shoghi Effendi had visited the area twice after World War II - seeing Loch Lomond, Gleneagles, Stirling, Edinburgh,and Glasgow. In 1989, the Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
congregation received its first adult convert and in 1991 was the first election of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Skye and Kyle of Lochalsh
Kyle of Lochalsh
Kyle of Lochalsh is a village on the northwest coast of Scotland, 63 miles west of Inverness. It is located at the entrance to Loch Alsh, opposite the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye...
.
Modern community
Association of Baha'i Women (Scotland) held its inaugural meeting in Glasgow on 3 November 1999, with UK - National Spiritual Assembly chairman, Wendi Momen, and director of the Office for the Advancement of Women, Zarin Hainsworth-Fadaei, travelling from London for the occasion. The Scottish ParliamentScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
opened its 18 January 2006 14:30 meeting with a Time for Reflection presented by Carrie Varjavandi for the Bahá'í Council for Scotland at which she reviewed elements of the history and teachings of the religion.
The Scottish community of Bahá'ís showed about 400 people, 0.008%, and in the 2001 Scotland Census in the "write in" section as it was not listed as an available choice and was also shown to be the only religion in the Glasgow giving a high priority to inter/multifaith work in the community by a government survey. Robert Ghillies is a Bahá'í composer that has had works performed nationally.
See also
- Religion in ScotlandReligion in ScotlandChristianity is the largest religion in Scotland. At the 2001 census 65% of the Scottish population was Christian. The Church of Scotland, often known as The Kirk, is recognised in law as the national church of Scotland. It is not an established church and is independent of state control. However,...
- Bahá'í Faith in EnglandBahá'í Faith in EnglandThe Bahá'í Faith in England started with the earliest mentions of the predecessor of the Bahá'í Faith, the Báb, in The Times on 1 November 1845, only a little over a year after the Báb first stated his mission. Today there are Bahá'í communities across the country from Carlisle to...
- Bahá'í Faith in WalesBahá'í Faith in WalesThe Bahá'í Faith in Wales started shortly after the Second World War when a great pioneer movement began with sixty percent of the British Bahá'í community eventually relocating. This movement included taking the Bahá'í Faith to Wales....
- Bahá'í Faith in Northern IrelandBahá'í Faith in Northern IrelandBahá'í Faith in Northern Ireland begins after a century of contact between Irishmen and the Bahá'í Faith beyond the island and on the island. The members of the religion elected its first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly in 1949 in Belfast...
External links
- Comhairle Luchd Bahà-i na h-Alba, the Bahá'í Council for Scotland
- The Scottish Bahá’í - Newsletter of the Scottish Bahá’í Community
- Aberdeen Baha'i Community
- Members of the Bahá'í Faith in Clackmannan
- Donside Bahá'í Community
- Members of the Bahá'í Faith in Dunfermline
- The Edinburgh Baha'i Community
- Glasgow Baha'i Community
- The Baha'is of Inverness and The Highlands
- Members of the Bahá'í Faith in Midlothian
- Baha'is of the Western Borders/South of Scotland
- North Uist Baha'i Community
- The Shetland Bahá'í Community
- Orkney Baha'i Community
- Angus Baha'i Website
- Bahá'ís of Skye
- The Scottish Bahá’í - Newsletter of the Scottish Bahá’í Community