Bahá’ís on Oahu are standing shoulder to shoulder with faith groups on the island in promoting peace and harmony. This summer and fall have been especially busy for peace-related interfaith activities.
Among the events that members of the Bahá’í Community have supported over the past few months were the 80thAnniversary of the Nagasaki-Hiroshima Peace Commemoration and the 32nd Annual Nagasaki Peace Ceremony.
Mr. Edward Young, a member of the Hawaii Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs who was active in promoting these events, spoke at the 80th anniversary ceremony and helped arrange its devotional program. He was joined by speakers from the Asia Society Policy Institute and the Global Security Institute in offering reflections on peace. The event attracted approximately 100 people in-person at Honolulu Hale (City Hall) with an additional viewing audience of nearly 1000 watching live on Facebook and YouTube.
Organizers later gave Mr. Young an award for his sustained efforts in promoting interfaith harmony and peace.
Bahá’ís also participated in an Interfaith Gathering of Prayers for Peace hosted by The Hawai’i Conference of Religions for Peace, sharing a prayer and a few words from a The Promise of World Peace, a statement from the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Bahá’í Faith.
Bahá’í friends share prayers and readings at the Interfaith Gathering of Prayers for Peace.
At a Religious Freedom event hosted by the Universal Peace Foundation on October 25th, Baha’i representatives from Honolulu spoke about the ongoing persecutions of Bahá’ís in Iran. Most in the audience were not aware of this history of persecution, which continues to this day.
In November, Bahá’ís again teamed up with Interfaith partners to host the Pacifica Friendship Dinner and the 64thNu’uanu Valley Interfaith Thanksgiving service on November 25. And in December, an invitation was received from the National Park Service for Baháʼí representatives to attend the annual Interfaith Ceremony at the Arizona Memorial, within the Pearl Harbor National Memorial.
Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, encouraged his followers to have a close loving relationship with people of all faiths. “O people!”, He said, “consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.”
Standing “shoulder-to-shoulder” at the Interfaith Ceremony at the Arizona Memorial.