wfn.org | High excitement as Baha'is head to Israel for terraces opening

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

NEWS RELEASE: High excitement and lofty expectations for Baha'is heading to 
Israel for terraces inauguration

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Service http://www.bahaiworldnews.org <http://www.bahaiworldnews.org>

HAIFA, Israel, 15 May 2001 (BWNS) -- When Henrietta Josias arrives here at 
the end of the week, it will be her first time in Israel -- and only the 
second time in her life to travel outside of her native South Africa.

Like an estimated 3,000 other Baha'is who will be coming for the 
inauguration of a majestic series of garden terraces on Mount Carmel here 
on 22 May, Ms. Josias comes with high excitement and lofty expectations for 
what she believes will be one of the highlights of her life.

"To me, it is a phenomenal thing that is happening to me," said the 
45-year-old mother and flea market sales lady from Cape Town. "Prior to 
becoming a Baha'i, I would never have had any idea about traveling to 
Israel, or anywhere else for that matter, coming from a very disadvantaged 
community in South Africa.

"But being a Baha'i opens your vision to the world around you," said Ms. 
Josias, who became a Baha'i nine years ago. "I feel I'm part of this great 
process where people are trying to become citizens of this whole wide world 
and so that we see one another as brothers and sisters."

That sentiment -- to help foster the processes of world peace and human 
unity -- indeed underlies the construction of the kilometer-long terraces 
on Mount Carmel, which is sacred not only to Baha'is but also to 
Christians, Jews and Muslims. Built over 10 years at a cost of some US$250 
million, the terraces and two new adjacent administrative buildings are 
designed in part to offer to humanity at large a vision of peace and harmony.

Dedication ceremonies will begin at dusk on 22 May 2001 with an open-air 
world premiere concert, which will be available live worldwide by satellite 
and Internet webcast. On 23 May, indigenous musicians will perform and the 
thousands of celebrants, many in colorful national dress, will ascend the 
terraces for the first time.

The diversity of the gathering will itself reflect the ideals of the Baha'i 
Faith, which aims to enlist people everywhere, from all races, religions 
and nationalities, in a common endeavor to build a just, peaceful and 
ever-advancing civilization. There are about five million Baha'is and the 
Faith is the second-most widespread independent religion after 
Christianity, with communities in more than 200 countries and territories.

"It will be like a 'preview' of how the world will become in the future, 
showing a cross-section of humankind coming together in unity," said Nogol 
Rahbin, a 20-year-old medical student, who will be among the delegation 
from Sweden. "To me, this will be a chance to experience the vision that 
the founder of the Baha'i Faith, Baha'u'llah, gave to humanity about 150 
years ago."

Baha'i communities from more than 170 countries are planning to send 
delegations. And the list of delegates likewise spans the gamut of 
professions, social and economic class, and racial and religious backgrounds.

Attendees range from a New York investment banker to a young woman from the 
Fulnio people in northeastern Brazil; from a Nepalese journalist to an 
architectural student from Belarus.

"To me, this event will show how a great many people, from all different 
locations and backgrounds, can come together in unity, to help create 
something as close to perfection as I can think of," said Alexandar Sawka, 
a 17-year-old student from St. Johns, Antigua, West Indies. "The completion 
of a project of this magnitude is a great step forward for any religion."

The delegates were chosen by various means to represent their countries at 
the inauguration ceremonies by their National Spiritual Assemblies, the 
nation-level governing bodies in the Baha'i Faith. Limited to 19 delegates 
each, National Spiritual Assemblies around the world used different methods 
to choose their delegations. Some Assemblies gave weight to individuals who 
had given exemplary service over the years while others simply held a lottery.

Sara Nobre, like other members of the delegation from Portugal, was chosen 
by lot. The 24-year-old staffing manager from Lisbon feels incredibly lucky.

"The event is the end result of many years of hard work from Baha'is 
everywhere," said Ms. Nobre, who, like millions of other Baha'is, 
contributed funds to the project, which was built entirely with donations 
from Baha'is around the world. "It is the fruit of perseverance and love."

Jean Scales, one of the delegates from the United States of America, feels 
honored to have been selected. "I couldn't believe it at first," said Jean 
Scales, a 71-year-old retired English professor who now lives in Durham, 
North Carolina. "I have no idea why I've been chosen. I guess it is because 
I've been active over the years."

Dr. Scales has served the Faith on a number of levels since becoming a 
Baha'i in 1960. Last year, for example, she toured South Africa and 
Swaziland with her husband, Jay, to promote the Faith's ideals.

Like others selected to travel to Haifa, she views the inauguration of the 
terraces as a once-in-a-lifetime event, one that she believes will likewise 
showcase the Faith's message and teachings.

"The construction of these gardens is a reason for humanity to have hope," 
said Dr. Scales. "So many people just don't see any hope in the world 
today, between wars and rumors of wars. But this shows that humankind can 
come together."

Dr. Scales believes that the beauty of the gardens -- she has seen numerous 
photographs of them -- reflects the harmonious blend of spiritual and 
material attributes that Baha'is believe is needed in the world.

"Around the world, Baha'is are asked to engage in social and economic 
development projects to do things that will help their communities," she 
said. "They don't just pray. Rather, they seek to combine the material and 
the spiritual."

Dr. Scales and others also believe that the completion of the Baha'i 
projects on Mount Carmel, which include the construction of two new 
administrative buildings, also represent a significant fulfillment of 
prophecy, both for Baha'is and others.

"I do know that Mount Carmel is important in Christian and Jewish history, 
and that the Holy Land itself is important to many of the religions in the 
world," she said. "In the main Christian prayer, they speak of 'Thy Kingdom 
come, Thy will be done...' To me, this is a fulfillment of that prayer in 
that we Baha'is believe we are helping to build the Kingdom of God on earth."

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