Associate, Issue 10

ASSOCIATE

Newsletter of the

Association for Bahá’í Studies
(English-Speaking Europe)

Issue 10, Summer, 1993

|| Associate Index || ABS(ESE) Home Page || Breacais Home Page ||

—— Contents ——

Materials Review
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Yehudi Menuhin on Faith
Association for Bahá'í Studies, North America
Report from the Religious Studies Seminar
Fellowships
Haj Mehdi Arjmand Fellowship Grant
Project
Oxford Project for Peace Studies
Regional Conference, Plymouth, June 1994
A Practical Response to the Problems of the World
Forthcoming Publications
Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Conference of the Gesellschaft fur Bahá'í-Studien
Association for Bahá'í Studies, North America
Publications
Index to published volumes of the Journal of Bahá'í Studies

|| Associate Index || ABS(ESE) Home Page || Breacais Home Page ||

Views expressed in this Newsletter should not be taken as necessarily reflecting those of the Association for Bahá'í Studies (English-Speaking Europe) or of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom, or as an authoritative statement of Bahá'í belief.
© 1994 Association for Bahá'í Studies (English-Speaking Europe), 27, Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PD, United Kingdom.

MATERIALS REVIEW

An article published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (1992; 23/1: 95-106) entitled "A comparative study of the value priorities of Australians, Australian Bahá'ís and expatriate Iranian Bahá'ís", compares the values of these three groups. It is interesting conclusions show that the two Bahá'í groups have value priorities that are similar to each other, but different from the unselected Australians. Values that were endorsed by the Bahá'í groups included the "restrictive conformity" (politeness, self-discipline, honouring of parents and elders, obedient, clean) and the "spirituality" (inner harmony, spiritual life) domains as opposed to values relating to personal gratification and self-advancement. The only significant difference between the expatriate Iranian (who had lived in Australia for an average of three years) and Australian Bahá'ís is that the former group did not de-emphasise the power domain (social power, wealth, social recognition, authority, preserving public image) as much as the latter. The authors note that gender differences were not found among expatriate Iranian Bahá'ís unlike other studies among Iranians which have shown predictable gender differences in value priorities.

The above study is complemented by a comprehensive study by Professor John Davidson in the ABS-Australia monograph on "Integration and Cultural Diversity" (Bahá'í Publications Australia, 1988, pp. 21-37). It presents a summary of information on the process of integration by Persian Bahá'ís collected from two surveys, the first a survey of all Spiritual Assemblies throughout Australia, the second involved structured interviews with 269 Bahá'ís. The paper covers a large number of issues including sociological and psychological matters. Spiritual Assemblies identified the inability to speak English as the biggest problem in the process of settlement and integration. Among the surprising differences uncovered include the greater degree of social cohesion among Persian Bahá'ís suggested by answers to the question "Would you be happy for yourself (if single) or for your child to marry a non- Bahá'í" - 33% of Persian Bahá'ís and 77% of Australian Bahá'ís said yes. When Persian Bahá'ís were asked "would you be happy for yourself (if single) or your child to marry a non-Persian Bahá'í?" - 76% said yes compared to 95% of Australian Bahá'ís asked about marriage to a Persian Bahá'í. There are also a number of interesting points raised by the qualities perceived in Bahá'ís of other cultural backgrounds, although the question of identifying strengths in Bahá'ís of the other cultural background was a difficult one for some believers with 10 Persian (n=144) and 2 Australian (n=125) respondents saying that they couldn't see any!

An article by Professor Heshmat Moayyad in a volume dedicated to the late Alessandro Bausani (Yad-Nama: In Memoria di Alessandro Bausanni. Edited by B. Amoretti and L. Rostagno. Vol.1 . Roma: Bardi Editore, 1991, pp. 327-333.) entitled "Scholarly dilettantism and tampering with history: an episode in the Bahá'í history in Iran" exposes a distortion of facts in the 1976 memoirs of the late Iranian statesman and scholar 'Ali Asghar Hikmat surrounding the closure of the Bahá'í Tarbiyat school in Teheran, which he recommended to Riza Shah in 1934. In his recounting of the event in his memoirs, he lays the blame on the Bahá'ís by alleging that they were not willing to honour the general feelings of the people and kept their schools open on an Islamic holiday. Notwithstanding the fact that Bahá'í schools in Iran had a policy to close on Islamic holidays, and kept to this, Moayyad offers the photocopy and translation of the official notification written and sent by Hikmat to the principal of the Tarbiyat school. This document says that the school is not permitted to stay open because it was closed on December 6, 1934 (commemoration of the Báb's Martyrdom). The article concludes, "Hikmat's inaccurate statements about a religion that appeared only less than 150 years ago in his own country, where a large number of Bahá'ís live and openly profess their Faith, is symptomatic of an almost universal trend amongst Iranian scholars who very seldom have been able to free themselves from fanaticism or anti-Bahá'í bias, or blind submission to malicious rumours or sometimes even primitive superstitions. The tremendous loss of life and property suffered by the Iranian Bahá'ís since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, itself being only a chapter in the long history of persecutions conducted against them, is evidence of the price they must pay to the hostile attitude of their fellow Iranians, of which Hikmat's tampering with history is just one example" (p.332).

A new book surveying the different religions' attitudes towards the environment draws on Robert White's excellent article, "Spiritual Foundations for an ecologically sustainable society" (Journal of Bahá'ís Studies 2. 1. 1989), for its chapter on the Bahá'í Faith. The book is by Lewis Regenstein and is called "Replenish the Earth - A History of Organized Religion's Treatment of Animals and Nature", London: SCM Press, 1991. See pages 261-3.

Seena Fazel

Yehudi Menuhin on Faith.
Yehudi Menuhin, writing in The Times on August 22, 1989, questioned whether the three monotheistic religions had not perhaps already passed their zenith and were not any longer quite apposite to the conditions of our era. Mankind has never been so disillusioned as now. Ideas, ideologies, even religions are often pursued by zealots and fanatics, all consciously or unconsciously self-serving, and placing mankind at large at the mercy of groups having no general concern for life other than their very own, according to Mr Menuhin. The three Judaic religions have not altered man's basic predisposition to greed, power, cruelty and supreme short-sightedness. Torrents of blood have been shed in the name of every religion, deity, ideology, faith, left and right, order and system - sufficient to compel one to admit that mankind will pervert any and every abstract concept into a formal invocation to sanction premeditated violence. Is it any wonder that almost the whole of mankind, sick of half-baked ideas and their abuse, is embracing the ideology of "market forces" in such droves? he asks, thus forsaking their various faiths and ideologies. Here at least they find a sure, well-understood order of things without any pretence to high-mindedness. But, he asks, is there nothing beyond? Are not these very market forces debasing the absolute value of a particular and precious life to merely a negotiable commodity? The gathering menaces should be enough to bring even the hardest-hearted business man (arm traders, drug peddlers etc.) to spare a few whales or trees for the sake of his children, but can humankind live without faith? Mr Menuhin thinks not. He places his faith in the greater dimension, one beyond our life, beyond market forces, even beyond our religions. He eschews the naming of a particular god or deity and yet recognises one overall power to which we belong and which constitutes our very selves.
Jean M. Speirs

ASSOCIATION FOR Bahá'í STUDIES IN NORTH AMERICA

Report from the Religious Studies Seminar
The Religious Studies Seminar met on Friday morning, June 18, 1993, at the Sheraton Le Centre Hotel, Montreal, site of the 17th Annual Meeting of the Association for Bahá'í Studies. No papers were delivered, but instead there was general discussion of the purposes of the Seminar and the various research projects that impact on religious studies. The purposes of the meeting were given as follows:

1. Explore the nature and meaning of the Bahá'í scriptures.

2. To explore Bahá'í history.

3. To explore the development of the Bahá'í community, both sociologically and by other means.

4. To study the lives of the Central Figures and Shoghi Effendi, and to develop Bahá'í biography.

5. To explore Bahá'í theology, philosophy and ethics.

6. To educate the Bahá'í community in the techniques and approaches of the scholarly community in the Bahá'í Faith; and through study of the Faith to assist in the development of various scholarly disciplines.

The Seminar thus embraces all or part of the following fields: religious studies, history, biography, literature, theology, philosophy, ethics, sociology, anthropology and psychology.
The following efforts were mentioned and discussed during the programme:

1. The Haj Mehdi Arjmand Trust. This organisation is dedicated to the memory of Haj Mehdi Arjmand, an early Persian Bahá'í of Jewish background who is known for his brilliant knowledge of the Bible and Qur'an and his ability to defend the proofs of the Bahá'í revelation using those two books. Descendants of Haj Mehdi Arjmand have agreed to fund the Trust, which has three purposes:

a. To sponsor annual international conferences on scripture from a Bahá'í perspective.

b. To provide financial assistance for research on the Bahá'í Faith, particularly on Bahá'í scripture or the Bahá'í perspective on other Scriptures.

c. To hold an annual Bahá'í Studies Seminar for Bahá'í graduate students, so as to assist them to study the Bahá'í Faith via their chosen fields of expertise.

2. The American Academy of Religion (AAR).
The Bahá'í Studies Seminar is represented at the American Academy of Religion, a professional association of some 8000 professors and students of Religious Studies and Bible Studies. There will be a Bahá'í programme at this year's meeting, to be held in Washington, D.C. on November 20, 1993. Bahá'í scholars also attend the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) annual meetings, and in early November 1993, at the MESA annual meeting in North Carolina, there will be a Bahá'í Studies programme.

3. The Bahá'í Encyclopaedia
This is making excellent progress and will probably appear in two volumes in approximately twelve months from now.

4. Bahá'í Scriptural Texts in Electronic Form.
Most published English language Bahá'í scriptural texts now exist in electronic form and are being proof-read for eventual release to the public. Many other historical works, such as "The Dawn Breakers", the Balyuzi books, the Taherzadeh books, and others, are being prepared in electronic form as well.

5. Bahá'í Faith Course at University of Toronto.
The course on the Bahá'í Faith at the University of Toronto was a great success and will be repeated every other year. It is a regular, full-credit course. A course on the Faith may occur at DePaul University in Chicago in about eighteen months.

6. Electronic Courses on the Bahá'í Faith.
Electronic courses on the Bahá'í Faith may soon start on the United States Bahá'í National Center Bulletin Board System (BNCBBS). A course on the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is contemplated to start the programme, followed by other courses. Electronic courses have an enormous potential for educating the Bahá'í community.

7. Intense Summer Courses.
The Association for Bahá'í Studies has established a goal of creating an intense summer course on the Faith and some work to plan the course has begun. Weekly classes on world religion already exists at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette and this autumn a course on the Faith will be added.

8. United States Bahá'í Archives.
The United States Bahá'í Archives continues to make new collections available to researchers and is anxious to assist Bahá'ís interested in organising their local archives and in doing historical research.

In subsequent discussion it was noted that the Religious Studies Seminar might want to put more emphasis on mysticism, as no one is making a systematic exploration of that aspect of the Faith. It was also noted that new textbooks on the Faith were needed, particularly a text that contains readings about the Faith as such a text is essential in college courses on the Faith.
The need to strengthen the Seminar's organisation was also discussed briefly.
Submitted by Dr Robert Stockman.

FELLOWSHIPS

Haj Mehdi Arjmand Fellowship Grant
Purpose: To provide financial assistance supporting research and publication on the Bahá'í Faith. Priority will be given to work on Bahá'í scripture or scriptures of the other religions from a Bahá'í perspective. Work will be assumed to be at the postgraduate level of quality. The grant money is not normally meant to cover salaries, living expenses, or purchase of equipment such as computers or fax machines. Rather it is meant to cover such out-of-pocket expenses such as necessary books and supplies, photocopying, and communication (postage, faxes, telephone calls) and travel. In some cases it might cover costs of editing and publishing. It is expected that the research project would result in a written text suitable for publication and a scholarly presentation.
Size and Duration Grants will normally be made for one year, although multi-year grants will be considered. Grants are usually made for US$500-1500.
Application Process. The purpose of the application process is to identify how the grant would be used, why it is needed, and what would result. The application would normally need to include the following:
1. A form summarising all information.
2. A curriculum vitae
3. A personal statement, no more than three double-spaced pages, describing the research project and its anticipated results (article, book, professional presentation, etc.)
4. A timetable stating when the applicant anticipates completing the various phases of the research project.
5. A budget of all the project's expenses (whether they will be covered by the grant or not).
6. Any appendices the applicant wishes to include, such as examples of previous research.
Deadlines. The application for applying for the fellowship grant is Naw-Ruz (March 21). Applications received after this date may be considered for the following year. Grants will be announced during Ridvan and the grant money will be available for use at the beginning of the summer.
Administration. The Haj Mehdi Arjmand Fellowship is offered by its Board of Trustees and is administered by the Landegg Academy, Switzerland. The technical aspects of the program are managed in collaboration with the Associations of Bahá'í Studies in North America and in English Speaking Europe. The programme is co-ordinated by Dr Iraj Ayman, Dr Moojan Momen and Dr Robert Stockman.
Enquiries and Applications. Should be addressed to: Landegg Academy Secretariat, Dietlistr. 8, CH-9000 St Gallen, Switzerland. Tel: (41-71) 28 60 22. Fax: (41-71) 28 21 32.

PROJECT

Oxford Project for Peace Studies
The aim of the Oxford Peace Project is to establish Peace Studies firmly and durably within the University of Oxford. The Project believes that research and teaching at the highest level is essential for the pursuit of a stable, just and peaceful world. A community of scholars at Oxford, ultimately led by a Professor of Peace Studies, could make a significant contribution to world peace in the twenty-first century.
Peace Studies seeks to understand the nature of peace, the conditions which deepen and extend it, and the forces that frustrate attempts to establish it. Peace Studies draws from many disciplines with strong traditions in Oxford, such as International Relations, Theology, Classics, Law, Clinical Medicine, Biological Sciences, History, Oriental Studies and Social Studies.
The Project is a charitable trust set up in 1980 which maintains a library and resource base, sponsors research projects and publications, and organises conferences and lectures open to the public.
Dr Steven Vickers, a Bahá'í, is a member of the Council, and Bahá'ís have been associated with the Project since the publication of the Peace Message in 1985. The National Spiritual Assembly has already part-sponsored the OPPS Essay Competition. If you would like more information about the Oxford Project for Peace Studies please call Dr Steven Vickers on 0993-812401, or write to 28 Flemings Road, Woodstock, Oxon, OX7 1ND, U.K.

REGIONAL CONFERENCE

A Regional Conference was held at the Guildhall in Plymouth on Saturday June 26. The general theme was "A Practical Response to the Problems of the World". A paper on "The Family" was presented by Betty Goode, currently residing in Cornwall; John Pirkis, from Devon, presented a paper entitled "A Practical Response to the Problems of the World"; Carolyn Wade, from Avon presented a paper on "Community Warehousing - Economics of the Future"; and Bob Watkins, also from Devon, gave a presentation on Ecology, stepping in at the very last moment to cover for someone who was unable to attend. All the papers were well researched and very interesting, we are very grateful to all those who attended and made it such a pleasant day.

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

The Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Conference of the Gesellschaft fur Bahá'í-Studien (ABS - German Speaking Europe) will be published in English and German and will be available later this year. It will include papers by Dr Iraj Ayman of Landegg Academy; Mrs Baharieh Maani of the Bahá'í World Centre, Professor Sohayl Bushru'i, University of Maryland; and Dr Udo Schaeffer. More details can be obtained from Gesellschaft fur Bahá'í-Studien, A-1180 Wien, Thimiggasse 12, Austria.
*****

ASSOCIATION FOR BAHÁ'Í STUDIES, NORTH AMERICA

Publications
Unity: The Creative Foundation of Peace, by Hossain Danesh, M.D., soft cover, 144 pages. Excellent for wide scale proclamation events and individual teaching efforts. Special sale price: US$4 per book. No additional discounts.
The Bahá'í Faith and Islam: Proceedings of a Symposium Held March 1984. 146 pages. US$9.95 members, $16.95 non-members.
Racial Unity: An Imperative for Social Progress, second edition, by Richard W. Thomas. 206 pages. US$12.95 members, US$16.95 non-members.
Bahá'í Studies - US$5.00 each, (US$4.00 for members).
Vol. 2 - "The Science of Religion" - William Hatcher
Vol. 6 - "The Violence Free Society, A Gift for our Children" - Hossain B. Danesh.
Vol. 8 - "Une Societe sans violence, un don a faire a nos enfants" — Hossain Danesh, Danielle Finne-MacDonell, tr.
Vol. 11 - "The Concept of Spirituality" - William Hatcher.
Vol. 12/13. "The Persecution of the Bahá'ís of Iran: 1844 - 1984" – Douglas Martin.
Vol. 15 - "Abiding Silence: An Anthology of Poems in Honour of the Bahá'ís of Iran". – Edited by Shirin Sabri.

(All other volume numbers are out of print.)

Index to published volumes of the Journal of Bahá’í Studies
1.1.1988
Reflections on the Spiritual Dynamics of the Bahá'í Faith, Alessandro Bausani.
Bahá'í Youth and Sexuality: A Personal/Professional View, Sharon Hatcher Kennedy and Andrew Kennedy.
Scholarship and the Bahá'í Community, Moojan Momen.
The Purpose of Poetry, Shirin Sabri.
Education and Moral Development in Children, Susan Clay Stoddart.

1.2.1988
The Faith of Science and the Method of Religion, Brian Aull.
Montessori and the Bahá'í Faith, Barbara Hacker.
Scholarship: A Bahá'í Perspective, William S. Hatcher.
Psychology and Peace, Ronald Roesch.
Poetry and Transformation, Roger White.

1.3.1989
Harmony of Science and Religion: A Complementarity Perspective, Gilbert A. Bartholomew.
Alzheimer's Disease: An Eclipse before Sunset, Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian.
From Oppression to Equality: The Emergence of the Feminist Perspective, Hoda Mahmoudi.
A Preliminary Survey of Hermeneutical Principles Found within the Bahá'í Writings, Dann J. May.
The Role of Material Goods in Spiritual Development, Lin Poyer.

1.4.1989
The Good of the World and the Happiness of the Nations: A Study of Modern Utopian and Dystopian Literature, Elham Afnan.
Mark Tobey's City Paintings: Meditations on an Age of Transition, Julie Badiee.
Les Valeurs economiques et les valeurs morales, William S. Hatcher.
Symbols of Individuation in E.S. Stevens's The Mountain of God, Cal E. Rollins.

2.1.1989
The Role of Music in the Advancement of Civilisation, Kerry Hart.
Dilemmas and Prospects of Writing a Bahá'í Encyclopedia, Will C. van den Hoonard.
Spiritual Foundations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society, Robert A. White.
The Role of the Feminine in the New Era, Marion Woodman.

2.2.1989
Whither the International Auxiliary Language?, Phyllis Ghim Lian Chew.
Language and Worldview, Alvino El Fantini.
Humankind's Path to Peace in Global Society, Ervin Laszlo.
Tahirih: A Religious Paradigm of Womanhood, Susan Stiles Maneck.
Learning from History, Moojan Momen.

2.3.1990
Liberal Democracy and the Bahá'í Administrative Order An Analysis, Arash Abizadeh.
A Bahá'í Perspective on the Origin of Matter, Keven Brown.
Some Reflections on the Different Meanings of the Word Báb, Amelia L. Danesh.
The Equality of Women: The Bahá'í Principle of Complementarity, John S. Hatcher.
ranslating the Bahá'í Writings, Craig L. Volker.

2.4.1990
Sacred Mythology and the Bahá'í Faith, William P. Collins
Interpretation as Revelation: The Qur'an Commentary of the Báb, Craig Lawson.
On Human Origins, A Bahá'í Perspective, Craig Loehle
The Development of Communication and the Communication of Development., K. Dean Stephens.

3.1.1990
Agriculture: A Fundamental Principle, Paul Haney
The Evolution of Reality, George Land
Principles of Consultation Applied to Innovation in a Corporate Environment, Robert B. Rosenfeld and Michael H. Winger Bearskin.
The Missing Dimension in the Built Environment: A Challenge for the 21st Century, Leo R. Zrudlo.

3.2.1990
Selflessness: Congruences between the Cognitive-Developmental Research Program and the Bahá'í Writings, Rhett Diessner.
A Bahá'í Approach to the Claim of Exclusivity and Uniqueness in Christianity, Seena Fazel and Khazeh Fananapazir.
From Copper to Gold, Finding Form, Dorothy Freeman Gilstrap.
Racial Identity and the Patterns of Consolation in the Poetry of Robert Hayden, John S. Hatcher.
Exploring Male Oppression from a Family-Systems Perspective, Janet Huggins.
Mormonism, William P. Collins.

3.3.1991
Lev Tolstoi and the Bábí and Bahá'í Religions: A Bibliography, William P. Collins and Jan T. Jasion.
The Angel in the Garrison, Horace Holley.
Towards a World Economy, John Huddleston.
The Conversion of Religious Minorities to the Bahá'í Faith in Iran: Some Preliminary Observations. Susan Stiles Maneck.
The End of the World: Whatever happened? Or Leftover Time to Kill, Ross Woodman.

3.4.1991
The Calligraphy of Mishkin-Qalam, Julie Oeming Badiee and Heshmatollah Badiee.
Baha'u'llah as "World Reformer", Christopher Buck.
An Introduction to the Kitab'i'Iqan, Nasser Sabet.

4.1.1991
Socrates'/Plato's Use of Rhetoric: A Bahá'í Perspective, Bret Breneman.
The Interdependence of Bahá'í Communities: Services of North American Bahá'í Women to Iran, Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani.
The Maid of Heaven, the Image of Sophia, and the Logos Personification of the Spirit of God in Scripture and Sacred Literature, Michael W. Sours.
Bahá'u'lláh's Influence on the New York School of Painting The "Unapprehended Inspiration" of Newman and Rothko, Ross Woodman.

4.2.1991
Women in Art, Anne Gordon Atkinson.
The Great Tao, Phyllis Ghim Lian Chew.
Developing a Participatory Approach to Learning, Maija Pihlainen.

4.3.1991
Evolving toward a Bahá'í Economic System, Gregory C. Dahl.
The Potential of the Bahá'í Faith to Grow in Scope and Influence, Annette Prosterman.
Maharishi Ayurveda: A Bahá'í Exploration, Felicity Rawlings.
The Bahá'í Faith seen through the Eyes of Major Encyclopedias, Seena Fazel.
The Syrian Prophet(s), Enoch N. Tanyi.

4.4.1992
"The Angle of Ascent" Process and Achievement in the Work of Robert Hayden, Ann Boyles.
Reality Matters, B. Hoff Conow.
Altruism and Extensivity in the Bahá'í Religion, Wendy Heller and Hoda Mahmoudi.
The Spiritual Role of Art, Ludwig Tuman.

All the above Journals can be ordered from

The Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 6 Mount Pleasant, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6HU, UK
or
The Association for Bahá'í Studies, 34 Copernicus Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 7K4.

Please note: ABS(ESE) does not keep stocks of the above Journals.

|| Associate Index || ABS(ESE) Home Page || Breacais Home Page ||

1.	Explore the nature and meaning of the Bahá'í scriptures.
2.	To explore Bahá'í history.
3.	To explore the development of the Bahá'í community, both sociologically and by other means.
4.	To study the lives of the Central Figures and Shoghi Effendi, and to develop Bahá'í biography.
5.	To explore Bahá'í theology, philosophy and ethics.
6.	To educate the Bahá'í community in the techniques and approaches of the scholarly community in the Bahá'í Faith; and through study of the Faith to assist in the development of various scholarly disciplines.

1.	*The Haj Mehdi Arjmand Trust.* This organisation is dedicated to the memory of Haj Mehdi Arjmand, an early Persian Bahá'í of Jewish background who is known for his brilliant knowledge of the Bible and Qur'an and his ability to defend the proofs of the Bahá'í revelation using those two books. Descendants of Haj Mehdi Arjmand have agreed to fund the Trust, which has three purposes:
	a.	To sponsor annual international conferences on scripture from a Bahá'í perspective.
	b.	To provide financial assistance for research on the Bahá'í Faith, particularly on Bahá'í scripture or the Bahá'í perspective on other Scriptures.
	c.	To hold an annual Bahá'í Studies Seminar for Bahá'í graduate students, so as to assist them to study the Bahá'í Faith via their chosen fields of expertise.
2.	*The American Academy of Religion (AAR).* The Bahá'í Studies Seminar is represented at the American Academy of Religion, a professional association of some 8000 professors and students of Religious Studies and Bible Studies. There will be a Bahá'í programme at this year's meeting, to be held in Washington, D.C. on November 20, 1993. Bahá'í scholars also attend the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) annual meetings, and in early November 1993, at the MESA annual meeting in North Carolina, there will be a Bahá'í Studies programme.
3.	The Bahá'í Encyclopaedia This is making excellent progress and will probably appear in two volumes in approximately twelve months from now.
4.	Bahá'í Scriptural Texts in Electronic Form. Most published English language Bahá'í scriptural texts now exist in electronic form and are being proof-read for eventual release to the public. Many other historical works, such as "The Dawn Breakers", the Balyuzi books, the Taherzadeh books, and others, are being prepared in electronic form as well.
5.	Bahá'í Faith Course at University of Toronto. The course on the Bahá'í Faith at the University of Toronto was a great success and will be repeated every other year. It is a regular, full-credit course. A course on the Faith may occur at DePaul University in Chicago in about eighteen months.
6.	Electronic Courses on the Bahá'í Faith. Electronic courses on the Bahá'í Faith may soon start on the United States Bahá'í National Center Bulletin Board System (BNCBBS). A course on the Kitáb-i-Aqdas is contemplated to start the programme, followed by other courses. Electronic courses have an enormous potential for educating the Bahá'í community.
7.	Intense Summer Courses. The Association for Bahá'í Studies has established a goal of creating an intense summer course on the Faith and some work to plan the course has begun. Weekly classes on world religion already exists at the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette and this autumn a course on the Faith will be added.
8.	United States Bahá'í Archives. The United States Bahá'í Archives continues to make new collections available to researchers and is anxious to assist Bahá'ís interested in organising their local archives and in doing historical research.