Council to host talk on Baha’i faith as part of Inter Faith Week

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, in conjunction with Fermanagh and Omagh Interfaith group, is organising an online event on Wednesday 17 November at 10 am to coincide with Interfaith Week 2021.

The event will have as guest speaker Carmel Irandoust, the former Secretary General of the Bahá’i International Community in the Holy Land, and Carmel will focus on Abdu’l-Bahá, Head of the Bahai Faith from 1892 to 1921. The event will also include a screening of a film on the life of Abdu’l Baha.

Speaking about the event, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Errol Thomson said;

“Inter Faith Week is about highlighting the contribution of faith groups to society, spotlighting inter-faith cooperation and understanding and encouraging dialogue between those of religious and non-religious beliefs.  This is a wonderful platform to share, learn and build relationships with people from different backgrounds to come together in service for the common good.

This year is a very significant year for Baha’is around the world as November 2021 will commemorate the centenary of the passing of Abdu’l-Bahá, a man who suffered significant persecution in his life, spending more than 4 decades in prison in 4 different cities. Despite the persecution suffered by himself and his family, his message of love and unity in diversity never wavered.

This is an excellent opportunity to hear his life story and the contribution he made to the promotion of the Baha’i message of the Baha’i faith.”

Abdu’l Bah’a was the eldest son of the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith, Baha’u’llah. Upon his release in the early 1900s, he traveled to the West, including Europe and North America, to share the teachings of the Baha’i Faith.

He believed that women and men alike all belong to one human family and the strength, and the beauty of mankind are reflected in the diversity of its members. Despite a life of persecution, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá served everyone, everywhere. He was a true example of what a well-wisher of all mankind looks like.

To register for the event, please visit the link on Eventbrite or contact Pauline Clarke, Good Relations Officer on 0300 303 1777 or by email at goodrelations@fermanaghomagh.com

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Notes to the Editor

Carmel Irandoust was Deputy Secretary-General of the Bahá’í International Community in the Holy Land until recently. Before assuming this position, Ms. Irandoust worked for World Vision in Dublin, Ireland in the field of advocacy and policy, promoting and defending the rights of children and young people to be active global citizens in building sustainable and peaceful societies. She also worked at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in the Department of Public Information as well as in the Protocol and Liaison Service with the Office of the Secretary-General (2009-2013).Ms Irandoust is the founder of NETLOVE, a consultancy agency promoting the values of Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, Justice, and Peace by creating meaningful and thought-provoking spaces for schools, universities, and businesses.