TIRANA, ALBANIA, March 14, 2003 (BWNS) – The Bahá’í community of Albania has recently published “The Bahá’ís” magazine in the Albanian language and arranged its distribution in 57 commercial bookstores nationwide, as well as in Kosovo and Macedonia. The colourful introductory publication, which features extensive use of photographs and a news magazine style of writing, has been used by Bahá’ís worldwide for more than a decade to respond to requests for information about their religion.

It has been published in a variety of languages including English, French, Spanish, Icelandic, and Mandarin. In Albania there has been a successful programme of translating and distributing the Faith’s Holy Writings and other literature.

Among other works by Bahá’u’lláh, the Most Holy Book (Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh’s Book of Laws), the Hidden Words, Gleanings, and the Book of Certitude (Kitáb-i-Íqán) are available in Albanian, as are works by ‘Abdu’l- Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. The community plans to present the magazine to government officials, other prominent national figures and the media.

The Bahá’í Faith first came to Albania in 1931 when an Albanian, Refo Capari, accepted it in New York and returned to his country, where he ultimately became an education ministry official. He translated some of the Bahá’í Writings into Albanian.

Soon some prominent people adopted the religion, including Xhafer Bej Preza, chief of police in Tirana, in 1935.

Today there are about 14,000 Bahá’ís in Albania. There are 19 Local Spiritual Assemblies in 36 districts. The first National Spiritual Assembly, was elected in 1992.

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga, March 2, 2003 (BWNS) – In an opening ceremony for two internet-ready buildings at the Ocean of Light International School, Crown Prince Tupoutoa of Tonga praised the school for its technological advancement. “The opening of the buildings could not have come at a better time in Tonga’s history because for the first time this school is breaking new ground in using the technology to mitigate the negative effects of the economy,” Prince Tupoutoa said in a speech at the ceremony on 25 January 2003.

“I shall follow the progress of the school with much interest and great affection,” he said.

Owned by the Bahá’í community of Tonga, the school and its international staff seek to provide a high quality education for Tongans and other students from around the world.

During its seven years of operation the school outgrew its rented facilities.

Now the two new buildings will provide some 2,000 square metres of space for classrooms, laboratories and a library.

The school seeks to foster the spiritual development of its students by the teaching of spiritual values in the primary school and moral education in the high school, said Sohrab Bolouri, a member of the Ocean of Light education board.

The school currently offers classes for students ranging in age from 3 to 16 but will add a twelfth grade next year. High school diplomas will be awarded to graduates.

The new classroom buildings are wired for internet connection, thereby providing a system for students in the future to use their own laptop computers and connect to the school network.

Located on the outskirts of Nuku’alofa, the capital city of Tonga, the school opened in 1996 and started its programme with only nine students. At present there are 250 children at the school, with about 80 per cent from Tonga. Others come from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.

The official opening of the new buildings was followed by a luncheon and entertainment for the 600 guests, who included Prince Tupoutoa’s brother, the Honourable Maatu, and his wife Alaileula, the granddaughter of His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, the Head of State of Samoa.

A local Bahá’í youth dance troupe performed a new dance entitled “Education”. The dance highlighted the importance of finding the balance between spiritual, physical and academic education.

A NEW International Education, Language and Training Association (IELTA) has been launched in Macau opening new service opportunities in Asia. Over 40 specially invited guests from eight countries attended a successful inaugural meeting at IELTA’s new offices and learning centre in Macau on 21st December, 2002. Friends from the UK played an important part in helping establish the association and members include Martin Cortazzi (President), Gordon Kerr (Chairman), Maureen Kerr (Treasurer), Dr Steven Vickers, Paul and Gila Bellamy, Adam and Lindsay Thorne, Bridgette Beales and Mr Ramin Khadem.

Registered as a not-for-profit educational association with the SAR government of Macau, IELTA plans to open the door to its new centre within a few weeks and embark upon an ambitious programme of educational service projects. In his inaugural address Professor Cortazzi emphasised the importance of inter-cultural communication skills in teaching and training and expressed the hope that IELTA would play an important role in raising standards, increasing access to high quality international education and promoting social development through dialogue and understanding. As a regular visiting professor to some of Asia’s top universities Dr Cortazzi stressed that the challenge of delivering effective language education was an international one but that there were many encouraging developments. IELTA offered a way to both share knowledge and resources among volunteers, teachers and trainers and to create new networks of cooperation and support.

Dr Philip Hui, director of International Education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education also offered his congratulations to IELTA and spoke of the importance of integrated approaches to language learning and education and looked forward to cooperative ventures in the development of teacher training programmes. He hoped that IELTA would play an important role in the region and become a catalyst for new and innovative teaching methods. IELTA has already been asked to take part in a World Bank sponsored project to train 75 head teachers from war-torn Sri Lanka later this year and is working with local women’s groups to train local kindergarten teachers.

Ms Jean Lok, Manager of IELTA’s new centre, explained some of the distinctive features of the programmes which would be offered and in particular, the centre’s goal to create a unified and supportive learning environment, involving learner, tutor and parents. Pilot programmes had been run successfully for some two years and the outstanding progress of students was measured not only by the high standards of academic achievement but their strong character development and personal confidence. The importance of the arts, music and service to the community form an important part of IELTA’s philosophy, which seeks to nurture holistic and transformative models of education.
 

	Professor Martin Cortazzi of Brunel University London is welcomed by the centre manager and secretary of IELTA, Ms Jean Lok. Both Martin and Jean have served as members of the Auxiliary Board and have dedicated their lives to service through education.

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IELTA has also just launched its new English club to bring people together in close association through the medium of English and has plans for a number of small scale service projects to train kindergarten teachers, migrant workers and rural teachers. IELTA seeks to provide a forum for the incubation of new ideas and support the development of service projects including health and moral education, occupational and teacher training and sustainable social enterprise.
 

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If you would like to know more about the work of IELTA and are interested in education, training, language teaching or voluntary service then please check out our website: www.ielta.org [link not working (20031026) – CM]. We can provide a caring and supportive environment plus language training, cultural orientation, work experience and job placement services.

SOME SIXTY LAWYERS, law students, people involved in the field of law and international relations and friends interested in law gathered at De Poort conference centre in The Netherlands on 24-26 January, 2003 for the Seventh Law and Order Conference. The conference was the most successful in the series to date. It was characterised by strong unity, broad participation, incisive presentations and panels and a cheerful atmosphere. A special conference symposium on Notions of Law in the Bahá’í Writings included thoughtful lectures on the “The Etymology of Some legal Words/Terms in Bahá’í Writings” (Moojan Momen); “The Dangers of Legalism in Religious Community Life” (Ulf Petrusson); “The Relevance of Islamic Law” (Christian Klepfer); and “Divine Law but a Revisited Natural Law? An analysis of Bahá’í Scripture” (Tajan Tober).

The Aziz Navidi Memorial Lecture was given by Susan Lamb, presently with the International Criminal Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia, on “Ethical Challenges on the Path to a New World Order: Some Reflections from the Pursuit of International Criminal Justice”.

A visit to international institutions at the Hague enabled participants to watch a portion of the trial of former President Milosevic and to tour the Peace Palace.

UK participants included Shamim Razavi, Stephen Powles, Kishan Manocha, Parya Badie, Ali Noroozi, Nick Semple, Meiko Bond, Rod Rastan (presently in Bosnia) and Wendi and Moojan Momen.

Warm regards, Jaleh Tahzib

THIS SUMMER, a new university-level education project, the “World Peace Programme”, will be launched at the Townshend International School in the Czech Republic.

The Programme’s curriculum is designed to provide Bahá’í youth with an opportunity to intensely examine and explore the conflicts, crises and challenges which currently besiege the world along with the chance to develop solutions and courses of action, using the Bahá’í Faith and other leading social and economic theories, to develop the means for establishing justice, unity, and peace throughout the globe.

The Programme will consist of three intense summer sessions and distance course work throughout the year. The first summer session will begin on July 27, 2003 and last for three weeks to conclude on August 17, 2003. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and have completed secondary school. Cost for the session, including room and board on the brand new Townshend Campus, will be 900 euros. To secure admission to the programme please apply as early as possible.

Registration: Email: info@worldpeaceprogramme.org
Tel: (49) 163 278 38 37