Bahá'í Faith of Austin, Texas USA -- Official Site

Friends,

May 14, 2009, marked the one-year anniversary of the arrest and imprisonment of the leaders of the Baha’i Faith in Iran, seven of whom now sit in prison. Though they have been held without formal charge and without access to their lawyer (Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi), the government has indicated through the media it intends to charge them with four crimes, including spying for Israel, "spreading corruption on Earth," “insulting religious sanctities,” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic," all baseless and false.

Baha’is are asked to pray for these prisoners at their Feasts and special devotionals, as well as privately. If you do plan a devotional, please notify your Local Spiritual Assembly so that it might invite the public to these events.

In addition, we’re asking Baha’is as well as all those who care about human rights to contact their representatives in Congress and urge them to cosponsor either House Resolution 175 or Senate Resolution 71, condemning this gross violation of human rights and calling for the immediate release of the Baha’is

Visit www.house.gov and enter your “zip plus four” code. Click on the homepage for your representative, then follow the instructions for sending an e-mail message.

If your representative is Lloyd Doggett, please do not contact his office as he is already a cosponsor of the resolution.

If your representative is John Carter, Michael Conaway, Henry Cuellar, Michael McCaul, or Lamar Smith, please ask him to cosponsor HR 175.

As neither Texas senator is yet a cosponsor of Senate Resolution 71, all area Baha’is are encouraged to contact their offices and urge their support for SR 71.

If you need help in reaching them or deciding what to write, for assistance.

Finally, please invite your friends, family, and neighbors to add their voices and contact their representatives. Together we can join a global stand for basic human rights.

Thank you, and may God bless the Baha’is of Iran and all those who work to secure their release.

The Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Austin, Texas

Our Vision:
World Peace • Race Unity • Equality of Women and Men • Spiritual Unity

What do you believe?
• Do you believe that each person should independently seek after religious truth?
• Do you believe that women and men are spiritually equal?
• Do you believe that religion and science should agree?
• Do you believe in the abandonment of all forms of prejudice and that there should be unity between the races?
• Do you believe in the idea of universal education?

If you agree with some or all of the foregoing we think you will be interested in the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith, whose principles serve as a guide to religious and social progress at this time. Fuller discussion may be had by contacting Bahá'ís by telephoning the Austin Bahá'í Center, (512) 926-8880.