Ms. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani
Presentations by Ms. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani
Gregg Dahl declares that “the subject tonight is women and peace”. He then relates peace to war. The Encyclopedia Britannica devotes sixty pages to war and no pages to the subject of peace. Over one hundred years ago ‘Abdu’l-Baha wrote, in The Secret of Divine Civilization: There is the well-known case of the ruler who is fostering peace and tranquility and at the same time devoting more energy than the warmongers to the accumulation of weapons and the building up of a larger army, on the grounds that peace and harmony can only be brought about by force.
Bahiyyih Nakhjavani begins her talk with the last words of Tahirih, "You can kill me as soon as you want, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women." Baha'u'llah addresses His documents to the human soul, rather than men or women. Equality is connected to the principles of independent investigation, the progressive nature of truth and the excursive of free will. She discusses the need for distinction between generalities and universal, diversity and uniformity. Ms.
Panelists: Hossain Danesh, Ervin Laszlo, Bahiyyih Nakhjavani, Marion Woodman and Ross Woodman. Each panelist talked about the importance of achieving peace on the earth and how we could achieve that peace through the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. The Old World Order will soon be rolled up and a new one spread out in its stead; one that is characterized by oneness and peace. Peace is has always been desired by all, nevertheless it will require society to move towards equality, love and justice. We won’t achieve such a peace through violent means.
'Abdu'l-Baha has written: "I do not know in what words I could describe my longing for my honoured sister." Shoghi Effendi wrote, "Not even a droplet of all thine [Bahiyyih Khanum] endless love can I aspire to fathom." Bahiyyih Nakhjavani reviews the various appelations applied to The Greatest Holy Leaf and recounts some of the cardinal events of her life.