Bahá'í Faith in the Philippines

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The Bahá'í Faith in the Philippines started in 1921 with the first Bahá'í first visiting the Philippines that year,[1] and by 1944 a Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was established.[2] In the early 1960s, during a period of accelerated growth, the community grew from 200 in 1960 to 1000 by 1962 and 2000 by 1963. In 1964 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Philippines was elected and by 1980 there were 64,000 Bahá'ís and 45 local assemblies.[3] The Bahá'ís have been active in multi/inter-faith developments. No recent numbers are available on the size of the community.

Contents

[edit] Early history

The first mention of the Philippines in Bahá'í literature, is in a letter from 1911 by `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion.[4] Later he wrote a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States in 1916-1917 asking the followers of the religion to travel to other countries; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan. The seventh of the tablets was the first to mention several island nations in the Pacific Ocean. Written in April 11, 1916, it was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919 — after the end of the First World War and the Spanish flu. The seventh tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on April 4th, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12th, 1919.[5]

"A party speaking their languages, severed, holy, sanctified and filled with the love of God, must turn their faces to and travel through the three great island groups of the Pacific Ocean—Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, and the islands attached to these groups, such as New Guinea, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Philippine Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands, New Hebrides, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Bismarck Archipelago, Ceram, Celebes, Friendly Islands, Samoa Islands, Society Islands, Caroline Islands, Low Archipelago, Marquesas, Hawaiian Islands, Gilbert Islands, Moluccas, Marshall Islands, Timor and the other islands. With hearts overflowing with the love of God, with tongues commemorating the mention of God, with eyes turned to the Kingdom of God, they must deliver the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to all the people."[6]

Mirza Hossein R. Touty (perhaps a transliteration of "Tiati"), a Persian Bahá'í and subscriber to Star of the West, travelled to the Philippine Islands in 1921 before the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá,[1] during American territorial period. Touty arrived via Shanghai, then Vladivostok and came to Mindanao in the Philippines, ending up in Surigao, in January 1921 for a time.[7] In 1926 both Siegfried Schopflocher and Martha Root, both later entitled as Hands of the Cause, were able to give talks in Manila. Touty left the Philippines in 1926.

Hazel Mori became a Bahá'í in 1941 and for more than ten years she served as treasurer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Philippines when it was formed later.[8][9] Shoghi Effendi, the head of the religion following the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, recognized a Local Spiritual Assembly by 1944 in Manila or Solano.[2][10][11]

[edit] Developing community

Areas with tribal groups
Areas with tribal groups

In 1960 the Bahá'í community of the Philippines consisted of four Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies and a population of about 200. By 1962 there were reports of mass conversions with 24 Local Spiritual Assemblies and 1000 converts. By 1963 there were 2000 Bahá'ís and there were several specific tribes known to have converts - Ifogao, Igorot, Ilocano, Ilongot, Kalinga, Negritoes, Pangasinan, and Tagalog.[10] There were villages where the inhabitants were all Bahá'ís. By 1980 there were 45 Local Spiritual Assemblies and 64,000 adherents. During this period the only Hand of the Cause to visit the interior of the country was Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir though Agnes Baldwin Alexander and Collis Featherstone also visited the country.[3][12] This large scale growth was generally true across Southeast Asia in 1950's and 60's.[13]

Tensions grew between the Philippines people and government and Islam especially in 1972 - because of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics the Philippines withdrew their team and Muslim separatists among the Moro of Bangsamoro had violent clashes with the government (see History of the Philippines (1965–1986)).[14] In late July 1972 three Iranian Bahá'í students of Mindanao State University were murdered: Parvíz Sádiqí, Farámarz Vujdání and Parvíz Furúghí were killed while traveling in rural Muslim areas of Mindanao. After recovering their mutilated bodies from a shallow grave a convocation was held and funeral procession attended by thousands of people including fellow students, faculty members and university officials.[15]

In 1982 the Bahá'í community hosted one of five continental Conferences called for by the Universal House of Justice,[16] head of the religion following the death of Shoghi Effendi, in Manila and the religion had reached the Tapi tribe of Mindoro.[3]

[edit] Modern community

The 2000 census stated that about 2%, or about 2 million people, were classified as "Other" in the religious field (non-Christian, non-Muslim, and negligible Buddhist religious communities).[17][18] No recent numbers are available on the size of the community.

The Bahá'í community in the Philippines has been active in the country on several different areas. A curriculum on Values education for public secondary schools in the Philippines was initially developed by a team of Bahá'í educators and was then completed as a doctoral dissertation. The curriculum was to be offered to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the Philippine government to be used for "Values Education", a subject taught in Philippine public secondary schools.[19] A Bahá'í radio station was also officially launched in the Philippines on 29 November 2002 in Bulac.[20] A Bahá'í National Arts Festival was held between 26 and 29 December 2004 in Baguio City with Bahá'ís from 20 localities.[21]

Internationally, the National Spiritual Assembly of Bahá'ís of the Philippines participated in the Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace hosted by the Filipino Department of Foreign Affairs held in 2005 in New York which was attended by the President of the Committee of Religious NGOs in the UN.[22]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Hassall, Graham (January 2000). Mirza Hossein R. Touty: First Bahá'í known to have lived in the Philippines. Essays in Biography. Asia Pacific Bahá'í Studies. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  2. ^ a b Effendi, Shoghi (1944). God Passes By. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-020-9. 
  3. ^ a b c Universal House of Justice (1986), “In Memorium”, The Bahá'í World of the Bahá'í Era 136-140 (1979-1983) (Bahá'í World Centre) XVIII: Table of Contents and pp.513, 652-9, ISBN 0853982341, <http://bahai-library.com/books/bw18/636-665.html> 
  4. ^ `Abdu'l-Bahá & Edited by Albert R. Windust and Gertrude Buikema (1911), “BAHAI NEWS - To Dr. Ameen U. Fareed.”, Star of the West 01 (19), <http://bahai-library.com/file.php5?file=abdulbaha_star_west_1&chapter=19> 
  5. ^ Abbas, 'Abdu'l-Bahá; Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, trans. and comments (1919). Tablets, Instructions and Words of Explanation. 
  6. ^ `Abdu'l-Bahá [1916-17] (1991). Tablets of the Divine Plan, Paperback, Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, p. 40. ISBN 0877432333. 
  7. ^ Hassall, Graham (1993). "Notes on the Babi and Baha'i Religions in Russia and its territories". The Journal of Bahá'í Studies 05 (03). 
  8. ^ White, Roger (January 1991), “Review of "Prickles and Plums"”, Bahá'í Association For the Arts 1991 (January), <http://bahai-library.com/bafa/m/mori.htm> 
  9. ^ A Slice of the Loaf. books written by Hazel Mori. isbn2book.com (2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  10. ^ a b Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land. The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963 pp. 19-20, 52.
  11. ^ "God Passes By" mentions a community in Solano Island, which is not known if named correctly, and "The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative…" mentions two Assemblies by 1957 - Manila and Solano (not island).
  12. ^ Rabbani, R. (Ed.) (1992). The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963. Bahá'í World Centre, pp. 294, 327, 361, 366, 372, 377. ISBN 085398350X. 
  13. ^ Momen, Moojan (1996). "The Bahá'í Today", A Short Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith. 
  14. ^ Moro Rebellion in the Philippines 1972-1986. Armed Conflict Events Data. Armed Conflict Events Database (2000-12-16). Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  15. ^ House of Justice, Universal (1976). Messages from The Universal House of Justice - 1968-1973. Wilmette, Illinois: Baha'i Publishing Trust of the United States, pp. 100-2. ISBN 0877430764. 
  16. ^ Justice, Universal House of; collected by Geoffry W. Marks (1996). Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-86. Wilmette, IL: Baha'i Publishing Trust of the United States, pp. vii (Table of Contents). ISBN 0877432392. 
  17. ^ Philippines. Religious Demographic Profile. Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  18. ^ "[1] Philippines]". The World Factbook Online. (2008). CIA. Retrieved on 2008-06-01. 
  19. ^ Jumalon, Dr. Humaida (1997). Values Curriculum with a Baha'i Theme for Public Secondary Schools in the Philippine Setting. Report on Scholarship, 1997. Association for Bahá'í Studies — Australia Scholarship Institute. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  20. ^ International Community, Bahá'í (2002-11-29), “New Baha'i radio station is officially launched in the Philippines”, Bahá'í World News Service, <http://news.bahai.org/story/181> 
  21. ^ International Community, Bahá'í (2005-03-10), “Arts on display in scenic city”, Bahá'í World News Service, <http://bahaiworldnews.net/story/355> 
  22. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines (2005-05-12). "Building greater understanding and tolerance through inter-faith cooperation - Remarks of H.E. Dr. Alberto G. Romulo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.

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