D.C. Bahá’ís to Celebrate Anniversary of the Birth of the Báb
Washington, D.C.— Local Bahá’ís will celebrate the Birth of the Báb, a central figure in their religion, on Monday, Oct. 19, 2009, with a special program at 7:45 p.m. at the Washington Bahá’í Center (5713 16th Street N.W.). The public is welcome to attend this free event.
Read more for the invitation to the event and information about the Báb and the Bahá’í Faith.
Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, a merchant from Shiraz, Iran (formerly Persia), was born on Oct. 20, 1819. In 1844 he proclaimed that he was the bearer of a Divine Revelation that would prepare humanity for the advent of the Promised One of all religions, and took “the Báb” as his title, which means “Gate” in Arabic. His teachings spread rapidly, arousing the fear of the Persian authorities, who executed him in 850. Some 20,000 followers of the Báb were also executed around this time.
The Bahá’í Faith is the youngest of the world’s independent monotheistic religions and one of the fastest-growing, with five million believers worldwide and more than 165,000 followers in the United States. There are around 3,000 Bahá’ís in the greater Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Bahá’ís view the world’s major religions as part of a single, progressive process through which God reveals His will to humanity. Major Bahá’í tenets include the oneness
of humanity, equality of men and women, eradication of prejudice, harmony of science and religion, universal education and world peace.
To learn more about the Bahá’í Faith in the United States, check www.bahai.us and the Religion Newswriters Association Source Guide on the Bahá’í Faith. For information about the Bahá’ís in Washington, visit: http://dcbahai.org.