Bahá'í Faith in Moldova

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The Bahá'í Faith in Moldova began during the policy of oppression of religion in the former Soviet Union. Before that time, Moldova, as part of the Russian Empire, would have had indirect contact with the Bahá'í Faith as far back as 1847.[1][2] In 1974 the first Bahá'í arrived in Moldova.[3] and following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, communities of Bahá'ís, and respective National Spiritual Assemblies, developed across the nations of the former Soviet Union.[4] In 1996 Moldova elected its own National Spiritual Assembly.[5] There were about 400 Bahá'ís in Moldova in 2004.[6]

Contents

[edit] History in the region

regions of Moldova
regions of Moldova

Most of today's Republic of Moldova, formerly known as Bessarabia until 1812, was annexed by the Russian Empire. Moldavia was a Mediaeval principality in Europe which was part of the basis of the modern Romanian state; at various times, the state included the regions of Bessarabia. The western part of Moldavia is now part of Romania, the eastern part belongs to the independent state of Moldova, while the northern and south-eastern parts are territories of Ukraine. See History of Moldova and History of Moldavia. Additionally Transnistria is a breakaway republic[7][8] within the internationally recognised borders of Moldova. Although not recognized by any state or international organisation and de jure part of Moldova, it is de facto independent.[9]

[edit] As part of the Russian Empire

The earliest relationship between the Bahá'í Faith and Moldova comes under the sphere of the country's history with Russia. During that time the history stretches back to 1847 when the Russian ambassador to Persia, Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, requested that the Báb, the herald to the Bahá'í Faith who was imprisoned at Maku, be moved elsewhere; he also condemned the massacres of Iranian religionists, and asked for the release of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith.[2][1] In 1884 Leo Tolstoy first heard of the Bahá'í Faith and was sympathetic to some of its teachings.[10] Also, orientalist A. Tumanskim translated some Bahá'í literature into Russian in 1899 in Saint Petersburg. In the 1880s an organized community of Bahá'ís was in Ashgabat and later built the first Bahá'í House of Worship in 1913-1918. In 1904 a play by poet Isabella Grinevskoy called "Báb" was presented in Saint Petersburg and lauded by Tolstoy and other reviewers at the time.

[edit] Soviet period

By the time of the effects of the October Revolution began to spread across the Russian Empire transforming it into the Soviet Union Bahá'ís had spread east through Central Asia and Caucasus, and also north into Moscow, Leningrad and Kazan with the community of Ashgabat alone numbering about two thousand people; the community of Ashgabat had developed a library, hospital, hotel and Bahá'í schools — including a school for girls — all open to all people regardless of religion. After the October Revolution and the ban on religion, the Bahá'ís, striclty adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government, abandoned its administration and its properties were nationalized.[11] By 1938, after numerous arrests and an policy of oppression of religion, most Bahá'ís were sent to prisons and camps or sent abroad. Bahá'í communities in 38 cities ceased to exist. The temple building in Ashgabat was hit by a powerful earthquake in 1948 and the Soviet government finally demolished it in 1961.[2] Starting in 1953 Bahá'ís moved to the Soviet Republics in Asia after the head of the religion at the time, Shoghi Effendi, initiated a plan called the Ten Year Crusade and found some individual Bahá'ís still living there.[1][12] In 1974 the first Bahá'í, Annemarie Kruger, granddaughter of Swiss Bahá'í August Forel,[13] arrived in Moldova and was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.[3]

[edit] Developing community

In 1990 several Local Spiritual Assemblies formed across the Soviet Union in 1990 including Moscow, Ulan-Ude, Kazan, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Leningrad, and Murmansk. By September 1991, there were some eight hundred Baha'is and twenty-three Local Spiritual Assemblies.[1] Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, communities of Bahá'ís, and respective National Spiritual Assemblies, developed across the nations of the former Soviet Union.[4] At first Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova shared a regional National Spiritual Assembly in 1992. In 1994, the 20th anniversary of the religion in Moldova and the year of its registration with the national government, the Baha'i community was listed in a UN report as having 6 Local Spiritual Assemblies.[14] In 1996 Moldova elected their own National Spiritual Assembly.[5]

[edit] Modern community

In 2002 there were several Bahá'í pilgrims from many former Soviet republics - Tatarstan, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Moldova - who were able to see now deceased Hand of the Cause `Alí-Akbar Furútan, himself a former resident of Russia.[15] In 2003 Moldova held it's first World Religion Day observance which was organized by the Bahá'ís of Chişinău.[16] As of 2004, at the 30th anniversary of the Bahá'í community of Moldova, there were approximately 400 Bahá'ís in Moldova - 150 of them are in Chişinău.[6]

[edit] Diverse developments

Payam-e-Doost Radio ("Radio Message from a Friend") began shortwave radio broadcasts from Moldova in 2001 and has since begun transmissions from other locations and gained internet-broadcast capacity.[17][18] In May 2007, the Moldovan government passed a law which defined the process of recognition of a religion. One hundred adherents were required to have a religion be recognized but that once established recognition is automatic.[19] In 2008 the US government had noted significant progress in Moldova along the lines of consolidating democratic institutions and instituting the rule of law - especially the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and becoming a NATO partner country.[20] The government of Moldova supported United Nations Resolution A/RES/62/168 which was adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2007, on concerns raised by human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.[21] In February 2008 the Moldovian government rose in support of a declaration by the President of Slovenia on behalf of the European Union on the deteriorating situation of the Bahá'ís in Iran.[22] See Persecution of Bahá'ís.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Momen, Moojan. Russia. Draft for "A Short Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith". Bahá'í Academics Resource Library. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
  2. ^ a b c Statement on the history of the Bahá'í Faith in Soviet Union. Official Website of the Bahá'ís of Kyiv. Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyiv (2007-8). Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
  3. ^ a b Ahmadi, Dr. (2003). Major events of the Century of Light. homepage for an online course on the book “Century of Light”. Association for Bahá’í Studies in Southern Africa. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  4. ^ a b Hassall, Graham & Fazel, Seena, “100 Years of the Bahá'í Faith in Europe”, Bahá’í Studies Review 1998 (8): pp. 35-44, <http://bahai-library.com/asia-pacific/Europe.htm> 
  5. ^ a b Hassall, Graham; Universal House of Justice. National Spiritual Assemblies statistics 1923-1999. Assorted Resource Tools. Bahá'í Academics Resource Library. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  6. ^ a b “Activities in Moldova”, European Bahá'í Women's Network 02 (02), April-July, 2004, <http://www.ebwn.net/archivio/vol_02_num_02/moldova_study_circles.htm> 
  7. ^ Herd, Graeme P.; Jennifer D. P. Moroney (2003). Security Dynamics in the Former Soviet Bloc. Routledge. ISBN 041529732X. 
  8. ^ Zielonka, Jan (2001). Democratic Consolidation in Eastern Europe. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019924409X. 
  9. ^ Boonstra, Jos (2007-01-02), “Moldova, Transnistria and European Democracy Policies”, FRIDE Experts, Democracy promotion, Madrid, Spain: Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE), <http://fride.org/download/COM_Moldav_ENG_feb07.pdf> 
  10. ^ Smith, Peter (2000). "Tolstoy, Leo". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. p. 340. ISBN 1851681841. 
  11. ^ Effendi, Shoghi (1936-03-11). The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh. Haifa, Palestine: US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1991 first pocket-size edition, pp. 64-67. 
  12. ^ Effendi, Shoghi (collected letters from 1947-57). Citadel of Faith. Haifa, Palestine: US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1980 third printing, p. 107. 
  13. ^ Swiss Baha'is Celebrate 100 Years of Contributing to World Civilization. Baha'i Switzerland. National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Switzerland (2003). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  14. ^ Tejnø, Søren; Stavenski, Irene & Alexandrova, Svetlana (2000-08-31), National Human Development Report - Republic of Moldova 2000, Chişinău, Republic of Moldova: United Nations Development Programme, pp. 53, CZU 009 (478)=20 N 26, ISBN 9975958125, <http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/nationalreports/europethecis/moldova/moldova_2000_en.pdf> 
  15. ^ Mushuk, IIrene (April-July, 2004), “My Spiritual Journey - ‘Duty and Responsibility’”, European Bahá'í Women's Network 02 (02), <http://www.ebwn.net/archivio/vol_02_num_02/moldova_my_spiritual_journey.htm> 
  16. ^ Community, Bahá'í International (2003-01-19), “Religions come together as one”, Bahá'í World News Service, <http://news.bahai.org/story/192> 
  17. ^ Biener, Hansjoerg (March, 2003), “The Arrival of Radio FARDA: International Broadcasting to Iran at a crossroads”, Middle East Review of International Affairs 07 (01), <http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2003/issue1/jv7n1a2.html> 
  18. ^ Bahairadio.org. About Payam-e-Doost Radio. Bahairadio.org (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
  19. ^ Corley, Felix (2007-08-06), “MOLDOVA: Will new Religion Law end arbitrary legal status denials?”, F18News, <http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1003> 
  20. ^ (2007) "Proposed Refugee Admission for FIscal Year 2008 Report to Congress". Report to the Congress Submitted on Behalf of The President of The United States to the Committees on the Judiciary United States Senate and United States House of Representatives in Fulfillment of the Requirements of Section 207(E) (1)-(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, US Department of State. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  21. ^ A/RES/62/168 Adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2007. UN Documents. United Nations Watch (2007-12-18). Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  22. ^ Office of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union (2008-02-07). "Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the deteriorating situation of the religious minority Baha’i in Iran". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.

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