User:Smkolins/Sandbox8

That America went through the Civil War and achieved progress with an emancipation is pointed at by `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1912 as a bsais of encouraging American prospects in humanitarian and altruistic ideals. This kind of affirmation in the religion goes as far back as 1867 when Baha'is wrote a petition to the US was undertaken as it had no attachment to the present oppressive conditions there.

Bahá'u'lláh did himself address the "Rulers of America and the Presidents of the Republics" saying in part "Bind ye the broken with the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of the commandments of your Lord…." Bahá'ís of America have progressively engaged in a mission eventually phrased as "" though variously non-adversarial at some level when directly challenged though not passive. Diplomatic means have been used. When the community was only at most roughly 2000 in 1901 American Bahá'ís approached US Ambassador to Iran Herbert W. Bowen in Paris concerning the situation Bahá'ís there had been in. As an example, even an American diplomat was once murdered by a mob on suspicion of being a Bahá'í intervening in a local matter in 1924.

In 1936, amidst the rebuilding of the economy in the Great Depression and the build up to World War II a special collection and printing of the guidance to America was given to Franklin Roosevelt, "that these utterances may, in this hour of grave crisis, bring to him comfort, encouragement and strength."

In 1947, at a time when the Bahá'ís number approaching 5000 in America, Bahá'í students at the University of Chicago participated in a demonstration against the segregation and discrimination based on race for medical treatment of students on campus. In 1955 American Bahá'ís and institutions spoke up following the destruction of a Bahá'í center of worship in Iran. *

When Bahá'ís were approaching 10,000, in America, Bahá'ís in Morocco had organized their first assembly and begun to suffer persecution in 1960-1962. Continuing their growth in 1963 a survey of the community counted 10 Assemblies, 12 organized groups (between 1 and 9 adults) of Bahá'ís. In 1963 arrest of Bahá'ís in Morocco had gotten attention from Hassan II of Morocco, US Senator Kenneth B. Keating and Roger Nash Baldwin, then Chairman of the International League for the Rights of Man. On March 31, 1963 during a visit to the United States and the United Nations, King Hasan was interviewed on television on Meet the Press then with Lawrence E. Spivak and was asked about the treatment of Bahá'ís in his own country. He addressed the audience saying that the Bahá'í Faith was not a religion and "against good order and also morals". However, on April 2 he makes a public statement that if the Supreme Court confirms the penalty of death that he would grant them a royal pardon. However, on November 23 the Supreme Court heared the appeals and reversed the decision of the lower court. On December 13 the prisoners were actually released.

In 1964 a project developed among the Bahá'ís supporting race unity - the same period as the Freedom Summer campaign - with connections at Louhelen and the burgeoning Bahá'í community of Greenville South Carolina. The civic society there was integrating its schools that Fall. Training sessions for a project were noted in the Baha'i News in August at Louhelen. Some 80 youth attended the training in mid-June and some 26 faculty and staff. After the classes in various subjects 27 went to 8 locations: Greenville, SC, Atlanta, GA, locations in MN, NM, AZ, MI and DC. Six youth went to Greenville, SC, under the sponsorship of their local assembly for a 6 week program joined by five local youth. They worked on tutoring some 55 blacks students about to attend newly integrating schools, rural proclamation of the religion, and human rights activities focused on the black minority. The work was capped with a parent-teacher banquet reception at a church and a picnic for the students conducted by the Bahá'í teachers. Firesides were held widely in rural areas around Greenville which featured singing, and the group supported petitioning for the public swimming pool being integrated.

In 1965 Bahá'ís participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches and arranged for telegrams according to the June issue of Baha'i News. The National Assembly telegrammed the US President and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Eight Bahá'ís including two from Montgomery are documented to have participated.

…

At around 77,000, in 1982 Bahá'ís testified before a Congress subcommittee on the situation in Iran and this was followed up a few years later, and 1988. Wider news media also followed as well.

Before 2000 Bahá'ís numbered around 137,000 plus Iranian refugees.

2006… Modern support for the broad considerations of human rights.