Size

The 2001 Census for England and Wales registered 4,645 Baha’is. The sizes of membership of the smaller religions are not published in any great detail by any of the Offices of National Statistics as they fear breaches of confidentiality. Northern Ireland did publish a list of ‘Other Denominations’ in 1991 where the Baha’i membership was 319, higher than the Buddhist community and twice the size of the Sikh community.

The UK Christian Handbook 2003/2004 estimated the total size of the community was around 6,000 people in 2000. Although tiny, Baha’ism is a growing religion in Britain and the Handbook estimates that membership will grow to 6,300 by 2005. There are over 500 individual groups in the country.

Area

The three most popular areas in England and Wales are all in the South East.  

421 people were registered in Scotland in 2001.

There are Spiritual Assemblies in all the major conurbations.  The heterogeneous nature of the religion suggests that it is likely that people are evenly spread throughout the country. Baha’is are positively encouraged to move to areas where the faith is not currently represented.

Religion

Baha’ism developed out of the Shia tradition of Islam in Persia , now Iran , in 1844; it began to gain strength worldwide in the 1960s. Baha’is believe in one God who is unknowable and indescribable but who has revealed His will progressively throughout history in the form of the various prophets recognised by all the major world religions. Whilst they acknowledge these prophets as Messengers of God they believe that the most recent, although there will be more, was the founder of their religion Baha’u’llah. They therefore acknowledge the validity of all world religions as stages in the spiritual development of Humankind.

Baha’is follow the doctrine of their founder, “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.” They believe that all people are equal, irrespective of nationality, race, religion or gender. They want to see universal compulsory education, an auxiliary world language, calendar and government. If such a system is adopted, world peace and harmony will automatically be established. The concept of peace and social justice amongst human beings is therefore supremely important and all Baha’is must work towards that goal. They do not however get involved in party politics which is seen as one of the major causes of strife in the world, although they are allowed to vote and believe in supporting the democratically elected government of the country they live in.

There is no priesthood but all Baha’is are expected to learn about the faith and to spread the word to others. Administration is carried out by elected local and national officials known as Spiritual Assemblies, each of which comprises nine people. The Assemblies are the only people who can collectively speak for the community. The highest of these is the Universal House of Justice in Haifa , Israel . People are not allowed to electioneer or nominate candidates and voting is always carried out by secret ballot.  

Language

Language skills will obviously depend on the country of origin; the religion encourages speakers of other languages to learn to communicate in the language of the country they are living in.

The first language of those Baha’is who were born in Iran is Persian or Arabic.

Important times of Year

There are nineteen Feast days in the Baha’i calendar which take place at the beginning of the nineteen Baha’i months; each of these months lasts for nineteen days with four or five intercalary days. The month of fasting is Ala , which runs from March 2 - 20.

There are eleven Holy Days which all Baha’is must commemorate. Of these work is prohibited on nine of them.  

Background  

Baha’is have been in Britain for about a hundred years. Abdu’l-Baha first visited Britain in 1911 and communities began to spring up in London , Bournemouth and Manchester . As the faith was a breakaway from Islam, through the years some have come to escape persecution, particularly in Iran , where they are considered heretics.  

In common with some other faiths believers are encouraged to evangelise and it is believed that a significant number of Baha’is in the UK have converted from other faiths.  

Fasting & Proscribed Foods  

Fasting  

No food or drink must be taken by adults from sunrise to sunset during the whole of Ala , the month of fasting which runs from March 2 - 20. Adulthood in the Baha'i Faith is defined as being between the ages of 15 and 70.

Anyone who is in ill health or pregnant does not have to fast, neither does anyone who is travelling or doing physically demanding work.  

Proscribed Foods  

Community Liaison  

At Home  

Baha’ism in the UK is a heterogeneous society and the cultural mores associated with their country of origin will dictate the most appropriate social etiquette for home visits.  

At the place of worship  

In the UK people usually meet for worship either at member’s homes or their nearest community centre. The building is not sacred in the same way that a church or temple is. There are very few Baha’i temples in the world; those that exist are all circular with nine entrances and a dome.  

Rites of Passage  

Birth and Initiation  

There is a naming ceremony for babies but no specific service of Baptism. Once children reach the age of fifteen they are expected to say one of the three obligatory prayers every day.  

Marriage  

The preservation of the family unit is extremely important in the Baha’i faith. People are therefore strongly encouraged to marry but they must obtain their parent’s permission; there is no tradition of arranged marriage although they are quite common in Iran for cultural rather than religious reasons. Long engagements are not thought to be helpful; people are expected to marry within three months of their decision. The wedding ceremony contains very few formalities. The bride and groom declare in front of witnesses that they will abide by the Will of God. Every other part of the ceremony is in accordance with local wedding traditions. Once married, they must remain faithful to each other and are expected to have children.  

Divorce is strongly discouraged but permitted if a relationship has irretrievably broken down. If people do decide that they want a divorce, they must undergo the Year of Patience. During this year, they must try to reconcile their differences although they are required to live apart. Their families and the rest of the community are under an obligation to advise and guide them towards reconciliation during this period.  

Death  

There are no set funeral services but there is a specific funeral prayer which is only recited at the funeral of an adult. Baha’is have to be buried within one hours’ travel distance of the place where they die. Some people consider that cremation is forbidden; others that it is merely undesirable. The body is wrapped in a shroud made of cotton or silk and a special ring inscribed with a religious text is placed on their finger. They are buried with their feet facing the tomb of Baha’u’llah. The coffin is usually made of hard wood or stone. There is no set period of mourning.  

No specific ruling exists on organ donation, so scholars believe that there is nothing to prevent this happening. It is a matter for the individual’s conscience.  

Lifestyle  

The largest community gatherings are called Feasts, which occur every nineteen days. They include readings and debate on the scriptures of all religions as well as Baha’i sacred texts. In the UK they usually take place in someone’s home, as the size of the community is still very small. Smaller gatherings where people can come and learn more about the faith, which by definition take place in member’s houses, are known as Firesides.  

The society is conservative in that they are expected to show moderation in all things, including dress and general behaviour. Gambling is forbidden, people are exhorted to live moral lives, not to gossip or bad mouth others.  

There are no set rituals or sacraments within the Baha’i religion, although people must pray daily. There are three obligatory Baha’i prayers but which one they choose is their own concern. Prayer times are prescribed but people may choose one of three routines: praying at noon , every 24 hours or three times a day. People undergo ritual ablutions before they pray and face the direction of the tomb of Baha’u’llah at Bahji in Israel . People usually also set aside time for reading devotional texts and meditating in the morning and evening.  

Education is considered vital; it is recognised that equality amongst human beings cannot take place whilst ignorance exists. Unusually, if only limited facilities exist for education, Baha’is believe that women should take priority, as they are more likely to pass on what they have learned to their children. Parents share all the household decisions but mothers do usually take on the responsibility of their children’s education; fathers tend to take on the financial responsibilities. There is no reason however why the roles cannot be reversed.  

Everyone is encouraged to work as labour is seen as a service to mankind in general. An essential tenet of the faith is social justice; in accordance with their belief that people should find practical ways of expressing their faith many Baha’is take on voluntary work, although no work is to be done on any of the nine obligatory holy days.  

Religious Symbol

The preferred symbol for Baha’is is a nine pointed star. There are various reasons for this: the Arabic word for Bah represents number nine in Arabic, each Spiritual Assembly consists of nine elected members, there are nine holy days celebrated and nine is also a representation of the human body.

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