When Sydney Hansen was in the fifth grade her teacher assigned the class an essay about what Christmas means to them. This was in Miles City, Montana in about 1979. Her classmates, quite predictably, were all Christians, while she was the only Baha’i. Her classmates all wrote about Santa Claus, Christmas trees and presents, etc. Sydney wrote about the coming of Christ and the teachings He brought for all humanity. The teacher was quite intrigued, that the only non-Christian in the class was the only one who wrote about the spiritual meaning of this special Holy Day. She asked Sydney to explain the Baha’i Faith to her. She then called Sydney’s parents so she could learn more about this religion that recognizes all the major religions.

This is one of my favorite books and is a great read. It not only gives an in-depth analysis of the Baha’i teachings on the equality of women and men, it details the ways in which the central figures of the Faith advanced women. This was about encouraging women to rise up and serve humanity and also a process of helping society come to terms with this momentous change in human understanding of itself.

One example:

After the petition of the early American Baha’i community to build a House of Worship was accepted, Abdu’l-Baha put Corinne True in charge of raising the funds for its construction as well as overseeing the execution of the plans. This was conveyed to her by Abdu’i-Baha while she was on pilgrimage. This was before there was a National Spiritual Assembly, but Corinne True was a member of its forerunner: the executive Board of Baha’i Temple Unity. Abdu’l-Baha also informed this organization that Corinne was to be in charge by letter. When she returned from pilgrimage and began fulfilling Abdu’l-Baha’s counsel, not surprisingly, she ran into opposition from many including the members of the Temple Unity itself. They couldn’t understand how a woman could be put in charge of such an important task. Men had the prerogative to be in charge and were far better suited for such work they thought. However, they had to accept it, if begrudgingly, and put their energies into raising the first House of Worship in the western hemisphere, under Corinne’s capable and effective leadership.

I first met Alfred in May 0f 1987 at the National Baha’i Center when Hand of the Cause of God Collis Featherstone was giving a talk on world peace. We had advertised the event and many people including Alfred had appeared. He asked a question and came to the Center on Sunday for our devotional. He was quite excited about the Faith. By the third week he became an assistant to the ABM. He was such a joy to take on travel teaching trips because he always had a joke or humorous story to tell. When he was given a small amount of money to travel to villages he would always return some of the money when he returned, which set him apart from most. He was in form four (equivalent of 11^th grade in the U.S.) that year and passed his exams with division I (highest level which meant he would get selected for form 5).

His course of study in Form 5 was biology, physics, and chemistry. His school had a shortage of teachers and usually his classes were held without teachers, although some came from time to time. I recall his physics class had a teacher for only 3 sessions in two years. The students formed study groups and several students relied on Alfred to understand the material. We attended his graduation and he won many awards including best student in chemistry, and most helpful student. We were quite surprised when his results from the national exams was all F’s. His teachers were shocked so we took the case to the ministry of education. Pascalia Seffu was the personal secretary to the principal secretary of the ministry, so we were able to get right in to see him. He told us we had to go to the school where he attended and get the school to appeal the results. The head of the school told us that Alfred was not a good student and was not expected to do well. This went against everything we understood, but the head of the school brought out some internal test results he had jotted down on a piece of scrap paper showing his highest grade to be 43 and most in the 20’s and one was 19. There was nothing we could do and Alfred would not be able to attend university.

Then a very interesting development occurred. Another American Baha’i, Patrick Bergan, living in Tanzania who was the director for the East African Wildlife Society went to the chancellor of the wildlife college in Tanzania and asked for a favor: to allow Alfred to sit for the entrance exam. The chancellor just laughed because a student with all F’s could never pass such an exam, but Patrick asked to just let him sit the exam. If he failed that would be the end of the matter, but if he passed perhaps the college would accept him. The Chancellor agreed and not only did Alfred pass the exam, he got the highest mark and was accepted. When Alfred graduated 3 years later, he was designated the best student the college had ever had.

How do you square an all F student doing so well in college? My theory is corruption. There had always been stories of children of high government officials with poor results being exchanged with students from remote villages with outstanding results. If this is what happened then the head of the form 5 & 6 school was in on the exchange. If true this is just one more hurdle people in Tanzania have to overcome.

In any case Alfred started working for the Tanzanian National Parks and applied for a master’s degree. During this time, he served ably as an ABM. He was accepted to Cambridge in UK and then went on for his PHD from the University of Massachusetts. He continued to work for the National Parks and started a program to protect elephants outside the parks, by coordinating with local villagers, which was very successful. You can google Alfred Kikoti and learn more about his conservation activities.

Unfortunately, Alfred died about a month ago from kidney problems. I think he was about 50 years old.

Writing about this spiritual giant is challenging to say the least, as she was so effective in spreading the cause around the world. When you read stories of her life, you begin to feel as though she did more in any given day than someone like me could do in a life time.

She was born into a well-known family in 1872 in Ohio. Her uncle, Elihu Root, was a statesman and a cabinet member to three presidents. She attended Oberlin College and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1895. She started her career as a school teacher but changed to journalism and began writing for a Pittsburgh newspaper. She became a Baha’i in 1909 and quickly became the foremost travel teacher of the Faith. She traveled around the world 3 times and introduced national rulers and royalty to the teachings of Baha’u’llah. One year she returned home from her travels just ahead of the National Convention in the United State, so she attended.

When she arrived, she was welcomed warmly and ushered to a seat in the very front of the hall. The convention started with prayers and then the statement of the Guardian to the Baha’is of the World was read. As soon as the message had been read, she got up to leave. One of the convention organizers asked her if she was leaving to which she replied in the affirmative. She was asked if everything was alright to which she again replied in the affirmative. She was then asked why she was leaving early and she replied, “Didn’t you hear the Guardian’s message? He asked us to arise and serve and so I am on my way.” She then set off on a trip around the world.

To learn more about this amazing woman who Shoghi Effendi called “The foremost Hand of the Cause of God raised up in the ministry of Abdu’l-Baha,” you can read Martha Root: Lioness at the Threshold by M.R. Garis.

In 1981 I was asked by the Oregon Baha’i schools committee to give a talk on Bahiyyih Khanum, titled The Greatest Holy Leaf. I asked what they thought I might know about her life and the reply was, probably very little, but by the time you have finished the five hour class you will know a lot. This was no easy task, because as important as she was in Baha’i history, not much was written about her. I visited several Iranian Baha’is but they all said that the culture was such that it was considered an insult to write about women, so there was more available in English than in Persian. The main source of information was the letter by the beloved Guardian written after her passing. It was very touching, but it was mostly about all the support she had given him and her character. There was precious little about what she had done in her life to be found in any books. I made an appointment to meet with Helmut Ala’i in hopes he might have some information on her life. I knew his father, the Hand of the Cause of God General Shu’a’llah Ala’i, was visiting at the time, but had no idea he might speak to me about her life. Helmut told me that his father would like to talk to me, if it was alright with me. I, of course, was elated at the possibility and was treated to one of the great highlights of my life.

Gen. Ala’i was not a military person, but because the Shah of Iran trusted Baha’is, he and his brother were given high ranks in the military to serve as accountants. In 1923 he was passing through Palestine (now Israel) on troop movements; therefore, he asked permission of the Greatest Holy Leaf to have pilgrimage. At the time she was in charge of the affairs of the Faith as the Guardian was traveling or resting in Switzerland. She granted permission although she said she normally told people to wait until the Guardian returned. The Hand of the Cause was 91 years old and very happy to tell this story, at times with tears in his eyes as he recounted the experience, calling it the highlight of his life.

He then turned his attention to talking about her role in the Faith. She was the first woman to be in charge of a major religion, and she was on several occasions: when her brother, Abdu’l-Baha, was traveling to the west, when Abdu’l-Baha passed and before the Guardian could return from England, and again when the Guardian traveled. She stood strong when her brother died and protected the Faith. From the time her mother died in 1888 until she herself passed on, she was in charge of the household of the holy family. Hand of the Cause Ala’i said she was the perfect administrator of the house. She knew everything that was going on and saw to it that all were happy and had their needs met. She was generous, very much like her brother, giving food to the poor, etc. In fact, he told me that she was almost indistinguishable from her brother in character. They walked in the same manner, their handwriting was identical, they had the same sense of humor, and their ideas were similar and expressed similarly. Even though they were born two years apart, they were like twins.

At one point, I mentioned it seemed as if, since she was in charge of both the household and the Faith, that during those times, her responsibility was even greater than her brother’s. Helmut then said he thought his father was trying to tell me that Abdu’l-Baha was the perfect exemplar for all, and the Greatest Holy Leaf was the perfect exemplar for women. The Hand of the Cause disagreed with his son on that point, saying they were both the perfect exemplars for all.

I highly recommend The Prophet’s Daughter by Dr. Janet Khan to learn more about the life of this shining light whom the Guardian says, “Was the last remnant of the Holy Family, its most exalted member.”

A Baha’i House of Worship was to be built in Wilmette, Illinois just outside Chicago on Lake Michigan. The nascent Baha’i community of the United States was excitedly raising funds for its construction. One of the Baha’is of Chicago, Nettie Tobin, was a widowed seamstress trying to raise two children and she felt left out for she could ill afford to donate for the House of Worship. She thought they would need stones to build such a wonderful edifice and so she went to a construction site near her home and found some unused stones that she was told she could take. She found one she liked and with great difficulty loaded it onto a wagon and pulled it to a bus stop and carried it to the Baha’i property where the construction was to commence. While Abdu’l-Baha was visiting in Chicago he went to the ceremony to lay the foundation stone. After picking out Nettie’s stone, with his own hands he broke the ground and had the stone placed for permanently cementing. When finished he declared, “The Temple is already built.”

The next time you go to this inspiring House of Worship called the Mother Temple of the West, you can ask to be shown Nettie’s stone and reflect on how all can contribute to the greater good.

 

The Iranian believers wanted to build a House of Worship in Iran and started collecting money and building materials for this purpose. The beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, told them that the day would come when Houses of Worship would be built in Iran, but now was the time to build one in Kampala, Uganda. He encouraged them to send their money and building supplies to Kampala. They were totally obedient and even added more money than they thought was needed for the project, but the Guardian said that this was a House of Worship for Africa and the World and therefore the Baha’is of the world needed to contribute to its building. Notices went out to all the national communities for the need for universal participation to build the House of Worship. Funds came in from various countries, but the Guardian still called for wider participation. Meanwhile in Nigeria the Baha’i community in one small village was informed of this need for funds for the House of Worship for Africa. An old lady left the gathering and went home and got an egg and returned and donated it to the cause. She had nothing else in her house than this one egg and she donated it. When news of this reached Shoghi Effendi, he said that we now have universal participation and the building commenced. We now have a beautiful House of Worship in Kampala due to the spiritual forces released by the donation of one egg.

Today is the 113^th anniversary of the birth of my father and since his name was Roy, I thought I might write a little about Roy Wilhelm.

Roy Wilhelm was successful in the coffee business and was not very interested in spiritual matters. His mother had become a Baha’i in about 1998 and in 1907 had gotten permission to go on pilgrimage to see Abdu’l-Baha in Palestine (present day Israel). She wanted Roy to travel with her and since he was fearful for his mother traveling so far that he agreed to accompany her. Upon meeting Abdu’l-Baha, he became relaxed and after six days visiting the holy sites he became a Baha’i himself.

In 1908 he was eating lunch at a restaurant in Pittsburgh, Pa and overheard three ladies discussing world peace. He joined them and introduced them to the Baha’i teachings. He felt two of the ladies were very interested in the message but that the third was not. He wrote to all three and was surprised that it was the third one who responded while the other two did not. He kept up the correspondence, sending her books on the Faith and in 1909 she joined the Faith. This was none other than the incomparable Martha Root who became one of the all-time greatest teachers of the Faith.

Roy often said the only purpose for him to became a Baha’i was to teach Martha Root and that was the only worthwhile thing he had done. Of course, as he was posthumously named a Hand of the Cause of God in 1951, the Guardian obviously didn’t agree with his assessment.

To learn more of this humble spiritual giant you can read the story of his life in Lights of Fortitude by Barron Harper.

Her final words before being executed were, “You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women.” These words were said in 1852 in Persia which at that time was the most corrupt place on Earth and women enjoyed little if any respect.

It is impossible for me to tell even a condensed story of this remarkable servant of God, so I will only write a little about her. She was named after Fatemeh the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed whose name is associated with purity. Tahirih lived up to this name and was later given the title Tahirih (the pure one) by Baha’u’llah and is the name she is known by. She was the first woman in history to be a disciple of a messenger of God and is known as one of the letters of the living of the Bab. She never met the Bab in person, but she saw him in a dream and became His follower.

In her day in Persia (now Iran) women could not be seen by men outside of their immediate family and were not allowed to talk in the presence of men. Her father realized that she had unusual intelligence and educated her. She would enter into the religious discussions but had to sit behind a curtain so no one could see her. Everyone was astonished at her great knowledge and insight in the meanings of the Quran.

Through her study she knew it was time for the promised one to come causing her father great consternation. She could not be bridled and became one of the greatest teachers of the Babi Faith.  Because of the culture she mostly taught women many of whom became devoted followers of the Bab. She is the one, however, who helped all the followers of The Bab realize that He was not just a reformer of Islam, but the founder of a new religion from God. I will tell this story in detail at a later date.

In 1848 she claimed that women would be emancipated which was before the famous Seneca Falls meeting In New York State that is credited with starting the women’s movement in the United States.

She is a renowned poet who showed incredible courage and devotion. For this she was put to death.

I encourage you to read the following book about her momentous life:

Rejoice in My Gladness by Janet Ruhe-Schoen

If you like poetry you can read her poems in these:

The Quickening by John S. Hatcher

Adam’s Wish: The Unknown Poetry of Tahirih by John S. Hatcher

Shoghi Effendi said that Ella Bailey’s name would inspire youth for a thousand years to come.

Ella was born in Texas in 1864 and contacted polio at the age of two. For the rest of her life she suffered from the pain as well as the limp with which she walked. She moved with her family to California at the age of 3. She became a school teacher and at the age of about 35 she learned of and joined the Baha’i Faith and quietly but energetically served the cause. She was a delegate to the national convention when the decision was made to petition Abdu’l-Baha for permission to build a House of Worship in the Chicago area. She was there when Abdu’l-Baha laid the corner stone in 1912. Twice the beloved Guardian asked the Baha’is of the world for contributions to build this House of Worship. Both times Ella responded with donations. She had very little money but she had saved some money to pay for her funeral expenses. After the first request she wrote a letter to the national treasurer saying she was giving half her funeral money since she was a little person and didn’t a very large coffin. The second time she said she was giving the rest of the money since she had no descendants and no one would know her name if she had a tombstone. “Let  them bury me in a potter’s grave”, she wrote. In 1953 the Guardian called for believers to move to other countries around the world to help bring the message of Baha’u’llah to the world. By this time Ella was 88 years old and confined to a bed in a nursing home in San Francisco. Some dear friends when visiting with her told her of their plans to go to Libya later that year. They could see she wanted to go with them and they told her if she could get out of the bed and walk out of the nursing home they would be honored to have her go with them. Later when they came to say good bye to her, she managed to walk out of the nursing home on her own and so she went with them by train to New York City where she contacted pneumonia and was hospitalized. The Doctors said she would never leave the hospital alive, but a few days later was able to walk out of the hospital and flew with the others to Italy. In Italy she fell and broke her good hip and was never able to walk again, but the family took her on the boat to Libya in a wheelchair. Therefore, she along with her friends became Knights of Baha’u’llah for Libya. After a few weeks she winged her flight to the realms above and was buried in Tripoli. The Guardian had a beautiful monument made for her resting place.

Please read a more in depth account of Ella Bailey in A Love Which Does Not Wait by Janet Ruhe-Schoen.