Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On June 23, 2001, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "thousands of Baha'i believers, followers of a faith whose teachings say the time has come for all people to be unified in a single global society, will converge on Milwaukee next week for a national conference unlike any they have held before... Invitations...have gone out to 10,000 non-Baha'is across the country...'This conference is specifically designed to demonstrate not only to the Baha'is but to the general public the community building aspects of a...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/News/052701/SouthPinellas/Bahai_believers_gathe.shtml

On May 27, 2001, the St. Petersburg Times reported that "in St. Petersburg, close to 100 believers gathered at the local [Baha'i] center...to celebrate one of their faith's holiest days - the Declaration of the Bab, the Iranian merchant who foretold the coming of Bahaullah, the religion's founder..The celebration paying homage to the Bab...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On May 18, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported on the opening of the $ 250 million development of sacred terraces, fountains and gardens at the Baha'is' spiritual center in Haifa, Israel. Central Ohio Baha'is will watch the opening ceremony via satellite. "'For Baha'is, the completion of the terraces is concurrent with the faith's emergence as a world community and the realization of a centurylong dream to create a spiritual and administrative center,' said ...a local spokeswoman for the faith...Local pride extends not only...

Source: The New York Times

On May 5, 2001, The New York Times reported that "Baha'is from around the world [will] gather in Israel to celebrate completion of an unusual garden. It is laid out as a series of 19 linked terraces, a kilometer in length, ascending the slope of Mount Carmel, in Haifa, at one of the faith's holiest shrines....Of an estimated five million Bahais around the world, 130,000 live in the United States, with administrative headquarters and a major house of worship in suburban Chicago and a radio station in rural South Carolina."

Source: New York Daily News

On April 28, 2001, the New York Daily News reported that members of the Baha'i religion around the world are celebrating Ridvan. "Ridvan (Arabic for 'paradise'), the movement's major festival, lasts 12 days. Among its distinctions is that the first day of Ridvan...was marked by an election, perhaps the most unusual and democratic in any religion...Ridvan, known as the King of Festivals, celebrates a most significant moment in the life of Baha'u'llah - the 12 days that he spent meditating in a garden near Baghdad in 1863 before...

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On April 20, 2001, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that on the day that "followers of the Baha'i religion will celebrate the beginning of the Ridvan, a 12-day festival commemorating the proclamation of Baha'u'llah as prophet and founder of their faith tradition."

Source: One Country

On October 1, 2000, "One Country" reported that "the Baha'i International Community launched an Internet-based news service on 4 December 2000. The Baha'i World News Service (BWNS) reports on the activities, projects and events of the worldwide Baha'i community." The service intends to provide information about Baha'i events around the world for secular news services, as well as for interested individuals. The website may be found at "bahaiworldnews.org"".

Source: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

On February 17, 2001, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported that members of the Baha'i Faith have been intentionally moving to neighborhoods where they are an ethnic minority, "as a matter of conscience." The Baha'i Faith is "a religion founded in the mid-1800s that now has more than 5 million followers worldwide. It emphasizes racial unity, even to the point of encouraging interracial marriage." A national spokeswoman for Baha'is in the U.S. said that "'The elimination of prejudice of all kinds is a...

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

On February 16, 2001, The Columbus Dispatch reported on the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio, which has 350 members from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Baha'ism, Islam and Judaism. All are volunteers. "The missions of the association...are to educate its members and the public about customs of different faiths and to provide interfaith public worship and ceremonies related to local and global concerns." The association's projects, which range from peace-training programs in public schools to the creation of...

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On November 11, 2000, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "in 1863, a Persian nobleman known as Baha'u'llah declared he was God's newest messenger, the fulfillment of prophecies from past religions and the bearer of new laws for modern society. His message spread quickly, and far beyond the Middle East. By 1900, some of his followers, now known as Baha'is, arrived in Milwaukee after helping establish a Baha'i community in Kenosha a few years earlier...A century later, there are more than 100 Baha'is living in...

Source: Chicago Sun-Times

On November 10, 2000, the Chicago Sun Times reported that "hundreds of followers of the Baha'i religion from across the region are expected to gather in their grand house of worship in Wilmette Saturday evening to mark the Birth of Baha'u'llah, one of the most important celebrations on their religious calendar. Baha'u'llah, the founder of Baha'i, was born in Persia (now Iran) 183 years ago Sunday...Baha'i is a monotheistic religion that worships Allah. Baha'u'llah, who is not worshipped, is its prophet, but the religion teaches...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On September 15, 2000, The Baltimore Sun reported on the Baha'i community of Howard County. It reports that there are approximately 150 followers who gather together weekly for "food, social interaction, prayer and a discussion of one of the faith's tenets." At a recent Friday evening gathering, the "cosmopolitan group of 20 Baha'is encircled the designated speaker, and another member began an informal prayer: 'Thank you, Lord our God, who unifies the spirit of all and fulfills our needs,' said Dermot McHugh, an agronomist for...

Source: St. Petersburg Times

On October 14, 2000, the St. Petersburg Times published an article entitled, "Baha'is to Mark Birth of Religion's Central Figure."

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 8, 2000, The Los Angeles Times published an article on the commemoration of the death of Siyyid 'Ali Mohammed, one of the founding figures of the Baha'i religion. Known as the Bab, he was born in 1819 in Shiraz, Iran. He was known for his generosity to the poor. In 1844, the Bab announced that he was Islam's promised Qu'im, "He Who Will Arise." His coming represented the portal through which the Messenger of God would soon appear. The prophecy is believed to have been fulfilled when a follower of the Bab named Mirza...

Source: The Times-Picayune

On May 11, 2000, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, Louisiana reported that Diana Ancker Broussard of LaPlace, LA attended the U.S. National Convention of the Baha'i Faith as a delegate from April 27-30, 2000 in Arlington Heights, Illinois. She is one of the 165 delegates that were elected last October to represent 133,000 members of the Baha'i Faith in 48 states. The delegates govern and guide the Baha'i Faith through the national council, called the National Spiritual Assembly. Broussard spoke about the election process: "The...