Where do you live?
I live in Lisbon, Portugal
How big is your family?
We are four: my wife, two sons and me.
What is your job?
I am an IT Consultant. I work for a Portuguese software-house.
How long are you a Baha’i?
I became Baha’i on the 2nd September 1984. It was a Sunday. And it was during a meeting at the Baha’i Center, in Lisbon.
How did you become Baha'i?
It was in a barbershop. The barber was a Baha'i. I was curious about him; usually barbers are talkative, but this one wasn't talking about women and sports. He was talking about the Faith to another client. I listened carefully and joined the conversation. During the following months I had several talks with the barber. He lent me some books and invited me to several meetings with Baha’is. Five months later, I declared my faith in Bahá'u'lláh.
Is you family Baha'i? If not, what was their reaction towards your acceptance of the Faith?
My family is Roman Catholic. My parents have always been active Catholics; but they are post-Vatican II - minded. In other words, they are open minded. My father had no special reaction when I became Baha’i; but my mother told me she would rather have a son with some sense of spirituality, even if he were not Catholic, than having a son claiming to be Catholic and having no spirituality at all.
My sisters and other relatives were always curious about the Faith. They always ask me questions if there is some religious issue going on or if they watch any TV program about the Faith.
My wife and her family are also Catholics. When we got married we had a Catholic celebration and later a Baha’i celebration. You saw the photos.
What is your favourite book/tablet amongst the Baha'i writings?
The Book of Certitude. But whenever I study any other book or tablet I get the feeling "This is my second favourite book!" That happened with the Tablet to the Kings ant Tablet to Maqsud. I posted several texts about these tablets
What is your favourite baha'i author?
In the beginning it was Hasan Balyuzi; then it was Adib Taherzadeh. Now it is Moojan Momen. Right now I am reading "The Phenomenon of Religion: A Thematic Approach". It is the best book I ever read so far, concerning comparative religions. Michael Sours was also a favourite of mine for a while.
How big is your local community?
It may sound strange but I really don’t know. There is a large group I usually meet when I attend Baha’i activities. I guess the number of baha’is in Lisbon is around ninety believers.
Have you ever served on a Spiritual Assembly?
I was member of the Portuguese NSA for five years. I was also member of the LSA of Lisbon several years. Now I do not serve on any Baha’i institution.
Are you a pioneer, or have you ever consider pioneering?
Never.
Have you been to Holy Land for a pilgrimage? If so, what is your most outstanding memory of your pilgrimage?
I went on pilgrimage in 1990. The most fantastic memory was to have a chance to be alone inside the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and reading aloud the Tablet of Fire.
Name the countries you have been to.
Brazil, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, USA, Zimbabwe, Israel, Andorra and Luxembourg.
What languages do you speak?
English and French. I also understand Spanish; it sounds like singing Portuguese.
What is the best book you ever read?
Os Maias. It is a romance by a Portuguese novelist, Eça de Queirós. It is a love romance but full of social critique to Portuguese society.
What is the best film you've ever watched?
It is hard to choose between Dr. Jivago and Casablanca. Both present love in very difficult times.
What famous persons (excluding Baha'is) do you admire?
Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mandela. They all worked for "the best beloved of all things" in God’s sight: Justice.
terça-feira, 31 de janeiro de 2006
segunda-feira, 30 de janeiro de 2006
Bahais Mourn Iranian Jailed for His Faith
By Ray Rivera
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 30, 2006; Page B03
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For 10 years, Dhabihu'llah Mahrami remained in an Iranian jail when a simple declaration would have freed him: "I am not a Bahai."
"That's all he had to say," Ali Afnan, an Iran native and Bahai follower, told about 60 members of the faith who gathered yesterday to remember Mahrami at a service held at the D.C. Baha'i Center on 16th Street NW.
Mahrami, a follower of the Bahai faith, Iran's largest non-Muslim minority religion, died of unknown causes in a prison in central Iran last month, prompting renewed concerns over the persecution that Bahais have faced in Iran since the religion was founded there 150 years ago.
A former Iranian civil servant, Mahrami, 59, was sentenced to death by an Islamic revolutionary court in 1996 for returning to Bahai after allegedly converting to Islam. Mahrami said that he had never left the Bahai faith and that sympathetic Muslim co-workers had said he converted to Islam so he wouldn't lose his government job. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison.
Members of the faith, which claims about 5 million followers worldwide, say he would have been free to return to his job, wife and four children if he had renounced Bahai (pronounced Bah-Hay).
Instead, he repeatedly refused.
"Do you think he didn't care about his children?" Afnan, a chemist who lives in Olney, asked the gathering. "Do you think he was above that? No. He did this for love, which makes the world go around."
Leaders of the religion, which is headquartered in Israel, have declared Mahrami a martyr, and his death has raised concerns about an upsurge in persecution against minority religions in Iran.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Mahrami's incarceration is not unique," Adam Erli, deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said in a statement following Mahrami's Dec. 15 death. "Members of the country's religious minorities -- including Sunni Muslims, Sufis, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians -- are frequently imprisoned, harassed, and intimidated based on their religious beliefs."
Bahai community members warn that the persecution may rise under the leadership of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took office in August. A former hard-line Tehran mayor, Ahmadinejad has signaled a desire to return Iran to the conservative zeal that marked Ayatollah Khomeini's 1979 revolution.
The Iranian government has been silent on Mahrami's death, and calls to Iranian officials in the United States were not returned yesterday.
Since 1979, more than 200 Iranian Bahais have been killed and hundreds more imprisoned by the Iranian government, Bahai officials say. Many also have had their property confiscated and been deprived of jobs, pensions and education, followers say.
There are about 150,000 Bahais in the United States, including 2,000 in the Washington area.
At yesterday's memorial, a little girl lighted a candle next to a picture of Mahrami while a man strummed traditional Persian music on a santur.
Members of the audience then rose and read prayers from the Kitab-i-aqdas, the religion's most sacred text.
The religion was founded in 1844 by Baha'u'llah, a Shiite merchant who claimed to have had a divine revelation from God. The monotheistic religion teaches "progressive revelation," the idea that Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Baha'u'llah were all messengers from God and that more will come. The religion teaches racial unity and forbids proselytizing. Bahais believe that people must find the faith through their own investigation.
Since its founding, the faith has struggled to find acceptance in strict Islamic countries. Islam teaches that Muhammad is the final prophet.
Some at the gathering had not heard of Mahrami before his death but were inspired by his story.
"We all hope we can rise to the challenge, and here is a man who did," said Patrick Sanders, a lawyer from the District who grew up Catholic but converted to Bahaism about 10 years ago while a college student in Texas. "So I'm here to honor his courage and his faith."
For some, Mahrami's story was deeply and painfully reminiscent of their own.
Jamshid Firouzi's father and brother, who were community leaders of the faith in Iran, were executed shortly after the revolution, he said. In 1983, he, too, was jailed on suspicion of talking to a Zionist reporter and spying for Israel, an accusation faced by many Bahais because of the religion's headquarters in Israel. He spent 10 months in prison awaiting trial, and then, while free on bail, fled the country with his family, he said.
"At the beginning, during interrogations, I was asked if I wanted to remain Bahai," said Firouzi, 49, who lives in Greenbelt. "I said yes."
He said he was never tortured but saw other prisoners taken away for that purpose.
He said Mahrami's death brought back painful memories of the struggles that his family and many of his friends experienced.
"It reminds me of all the innocent people who have been killed," he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Este artigo foi publicado hoje no Washington Post
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Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 30, 2006; Page B03
-------------------------------------------------
For 10 years, Dhabihu'llah Mahrami remained in an Iranian jail when a simple declaration would have freed him: "I am not a Bahai."
"That's all he had to say," Ali Afnan, an Iran native and Bahai follower, told about 60 members of the faith who gathered yesterday to remember Mahrami at a service held at the D.C. Baha'i Center on 16th Street NW.
Mahrami, a follower of the Bahai faith, Iran's largest non-Muslim minority religion, died of unknown causes in a prison in central Iran last month, prompting renewed concerns over the persecution that Bahais have faced in Iran since the religion was founded there 150 years ago.
A former Iranian civil servant, Mahrami, 59, was sentenced to death by an Islamic revolutionary court in 1996 for returning to Bahai after allegedly converting to Islam. Mahrami said that he had never left the Bahai faith and that sympathetic Muslim co-workers had said he converted to Islam so he wouldn't lose his government job. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison.Members of the faith, which claims about 5 million followers worldwide, say he would have been free to return to his job, wife and four children if he had renounced Bahai (pronounced Bah-Hay).
Instead, he repeatedly refused.
"Do you think he didn't care about his children?" Afnan, a chemist who lives in Olney, asked the gathering. "Do you think he was above that? No. He did this for love, which makes the world go around."
Leaders of the religion, which is headquartered in Israel, have declared Mahrami a martyr, and his death has raised concerns about an upsurge in persecution against minority religions in Iran.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Mahrami's incarceration is not unique," Adam Erli, deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said in a statement following Mahrami's Dec. 15 death. "Members of the country's religious minorities -- including Sunni Muslims, Sufis, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians -- are frequently imprisoned, harassed, and intimidated based on their religious beliefs."
Bahai community members warn that the persecution may rise under the leadership of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who took office in August. A former hard-line Tehran mayor, Ahmadinejad has signaled a desire to return Iran to the conservative zeal that marked Ayatollah Khomeini's 1979 revolution.
The Iranian government has been silent on Mahrami's death, and calls to Iranian officials in the United States were not returned yesterday.
Since 1979, more than 200 Iranian Bahais have been killed and hundreds more imprisoned by the Iranian government, Bahai officials say. Many also have had their property confiscated and been deprived of jobs, pensions and education, followers say.
There are about 150,000 Bahais in the United States, including 2,000 in the Washington area.
At yesterday's memorial, a little girl lighted a candle next to a picture of Mahrami while a man strummed traditional Persian music on a santur.
Members of the audience then rose and read prayers from the Kitab-i-aqdas, the religion's most sacred text.
The religion was founded in 1844 by Baha'u'llah, a Shiite merchant who claimed to have had a divine revelation from God. The monotheistic religion teaches "progressive revelation," the idea that Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and Baha'u'llah were all messengers from God and that more will come. The religion teaches racial unity and forbids proselytizing. Bahais believe that people must find the faith through their own investigation.
Since its founding, the faith has struggled to find acceptance in strict Islamic countries. Islam teaches that Muhammad is the final prophet.
Some at the gathering had not heard of Mahrami before his death but were inspired by his story.
"We all hope we can rise to the challenge, and here is a man who did," said Patrick Sanders, a lawyer from the District who grew up Catholic but converted to Bahaism about 10 years ago while a college student in Texas. "So I'm here to honor his courage and his faith."
For some, Mahrami's story was deeply and painfully reminiscent of their own.
Jamshid Firouzi's father and brother, who were community leaders of the faith in Iran, were executed shortly after the revolution, he said. In 1983, he, too, was jailed on suspicion of talking to a Zionist reporter and spying for Israel, an accusation faced by many Bahais because of the religion's headquarters in Israel. He spent 10 months in prison awaiting trial, and then, while free on bail, fled the country with his family, he said.
"At the beginning, during interrogations, I was asked if I wanted to remain Bahai," said Firouzi, 49, who lives in Greenbelt. "I said yes."
He said he was never tortured but saw other prisoners taken away for that purpose.
He said Mahrami's death brought back painful memories of the struggles that his family and many of his friends experienced.
"It reminds me of all the innocent people who have been killed," he said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Este artigo foi publicado hoje no Washington Post
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
sábado, 28 de janeiro de 2006
Flores e Corvo (1914)
Iniciei hoje no Antigamente a publicação de colecções de postais sobre os Açores. Comecei pelas ilhas das Flores e do Corvo.
sexta-feira, 27 de janeiro de 2006
Mozart
O génio nasceu há 250 anos.
O site da BBC propõe um teste aos amantes da música de Mozart: Is this Mozart or not?
O site da BBC propõe um teste aos amantes da música de Mozart: Is this Mozart or not?
quinta-feira, 26 de janeiro de 2006
Kitáb-i-Iqán (12)
A Presença de Deus
Para os que consideram que “atingir a presença de Deus” significa uma "Revelação Universal", isto é uma revelação que se manifesta em todas as coisas criadas, Bahá'u'lláh recorda que tal já existe. Toda a criação reflecte, de alguma forma, o seu Criador: "... se o homem contemplasse com os olhos do discernimento espiritual e divino, reconheceria prontamente que nada pode existir sem que revele o esplendor de Deus, esse Rei ideal."[149]
Quanto aos que sustentam que a "atingir a presença de Deus" se pode identificar com uma encarnação da própria essência de Deus, Bahá'u'lláh lembra que o acesso à "Mais Santa Emanação" esteve, está, e sempre estará, vedado a todo o ser humano. Por mais eruditos, iluminados e esclarecidos que os homens sejam, jamais poderão atingir um vislumbre da essência de Deus.
E existem ainda os que advogam que a interpretação da expressão "atingir a presença de Deus" está relacionada com uma revelação de Deus feita aos Seus Manifestantes, que seria alargada a toda a criação. A eles, Bahá'u'lláh esclarece que essa revelação está reservada exclusivamente aos "Profetas e Eleitos"[151].
Segundo Bahá'u'lláh, é impossível aproximarmo-nos de Deus sem nos aproximarmos dos Seus Manifestantes. Assim, atingir a presença de Deus significa atingir a presença do Seu Manifestante:
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Entre parêntesis rectos indica-se o nº do parágrafo citado do Kitáb-í-Iqan. Sobre a numeração dos parágrafos deste livro, ver Notes on paragraph numbering of the Kitab-i-Iqan.
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Tal como se dissipa completamente o fumo, e ao contacto com o fogo, se derrete a cera, assim se dissipam os ímpios na presença do Senhor. Mas os justos alegram-se e rejubilam; diante do Senhor exultam de alegria. (Salmos, 68:3-4)São muitos os Livros Sagrados e tradições religiosas onde surgem referências ao "atingir a presença de Deus"; em algumas tradições, atingir a presença do Senhor é considerado como o propósito supremo da vida de um ser humano. Este assunto tem merecido a atenção de vários teólogos e místicos de diferentes religiões, tendo surgido várias interpretações desta expressão. No Kitáb-i-Iqán, Bahá'u'lláh refere-se ao alcançar da presença divina como a "maior e mais excelsa graça concedida aos homens"[148]. Mas antes de esclarecer o significado deste conceito, Bahá'u'lláh aborda as diferentes interpretações que têm sido feitas sobre o mesmo.
Ó Senhor! (dizem eles), não permitas que os nossos corações se desviem, agora que Tu nos guiaste, mas concede-nos a misericórdia da Tua própria Presença; pois Tu és o Doador de dádivas imensuráveis. (Alcorão 3:8)
Para os que consideram que “atingir a presença de Deus” significa uma "Revelação Universal", isto é uma revelação que se manifesta em todas as coisas criadas, Bahá'u'lláh recorda que tal já existe. Toda a criação reflecte, de alguma forma, o seu Criador: "... se o homem contemplasse com os olhos do discernimento espiritual e divino, reconheceria prontamente que nada pode existir sem que revele o esplendor de Deus, esse Rei ideal."[149]
Quanto aos que sustentam que a "atingir a presença de Deus" se pode identificar com uma encarnação da própria essência de Deus, Bahá'u'lláh lembra que o acesso à "Mais Santa Emanação" esteve, está, e sempre estará, vedado a todo o ser humano. Por mais eruditos, iluminados e esclarecidos que os homens sejam, jamais poderão atingir um vislumbre da essência de Deus.
E existem ainda os que advogam que a interpretação da expressão "atingir a presença de Deus" está relacionada com uma revelação de Deus feita aos Seus Manifestantes, que seria alargada a toda a criação. A eles, Bahá'u'lláh esclarece que essa revelação está reservada exclusivamente aos "Profetas e Eleitos"[151].
Segundo Bahá'u'lláh, é impossível aproximarmo-nos de Deus sem nos aproximarmos dos Seus Manifestantes. Assim, atingir a presença de Deus significa atingir a presença do Seu Manifestante:
Assim, em qualquer Era, quem quer que tenha reconhecido e atingido a presença destes Luminares gloriosos, resplandecentes e sublimes, terá atingido, em verdade, a "Presença do próprio Deus" e entrado na cidade da vida imortal, da vida eterna.[151]Note-se que não estamos a falar de um encontro físico mas sim de uma acto de reconhecimento e comunhão espiritual. Neste acto, um ser humano reconhece um Profeta como Mensageiro de Deus, aceita as Suas leis e ensinamentos, adquire uma nova percepção do mundo que o rodeia, e frequentemente transforma a seu conduta perante os seus semelhantes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Entre parêntesis rectos indica-se o nº do parágrafo citado do Kitáb-í-Iqan. Sobre a numeração dos parágrafos deste livro, ver Notes on paragraph numbering of the Kitab-i-Iqan.
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quarta-feira, 25 de janeiro de 2006
terça-feira, 24 de janeiro de 2006
Caligrafia
A caligrafia sempre foi uma arte muito apreciada nas sociedades islâmicas. Isto pode parecer estranho a um ocidental; nós temos por hábito associar as palavras a significados e conceitos; dificilmente pensamos nas palavras em termos de gráficos ou visuais. Aquilo que para nós parecem apenas linhas e pontos, são muitas vezes uma representação artística da palavra revelada.
Tendo a religião bahá'í surgido num meio islâmico, é natural que os seus primeiros crentes mantivessem esses hábitos culturais; a sua herança cultural aliada à nova religião permitiu-lhe produzir trabalhos inovadores e merecedores de apreciação. A figura seguinte intitula-se "O Vale da Busca"; trata-se de uma referência a um excerto de um livro de Bahá'u'lláh intitulado "Os Sete Vales". Neste livro descrevem-se as sucessivas fases que deve atravessar toda a pessoa que empreende uma jornada de desenvolvimento espiritual.
Apesar de não saber língua árabe consigo identificar nesta imagem algumas características do Vale da Busca, tal como Bahá'u'lláh descreve no livro "Os Sete Vales": linhas que parecem não ter princípio nem fim, que sugerem um movimento circular infinito, deixando perceber que a verdade se encontra para lá da existência material e se encontra intimamente ligada à Divindade.
(Imagem obtida no blog Flitzy Phoebie)
Tendo a religião bahá'í surgido num meio islâmico, é natural que os seus primeiros crentes mantivessem esses hábitos culturais; a sua herança cultural aliada à nova religião permitiu-lhe produzir trabalhos inovadores e merecedores de apreciação. A figura seguinte intitula-se "O Vale da Busca"; trata-se de uma referência a um excerto de um livro de Bahá'u'lláh intitulado "Os Sete Vales". Neste livro descrevem-se as sucessivas fases que deve atravessar toda a pessoa que empreende uma jornada de desenvolvimento espiritual.
Apesar de não saber língua árabe consigo identificar nesta imagem algumas características do Vale da Busca, tal como Bahá'u'lláh descreve no livro "Os Sete Vales": linhas que parecem não ter princípio nem fim, que sugerem um movimento circular infinito, deixando perceber que a verdade se encontra para lá da existência material e se encontra intimamente ligada à Divindade.
(Imagem obtida no blog Flitzy Phoebie)
segunda-feira, 23 de janeiro de 2006
sexta-feira, 20 de janeiro de 2006
Pais, filhos e professores
Há mais de um ano que sou encarregado de educação de dois sobrinhos adolescentes, que frequentam escolas distintas em Lisboa. Tento acompanhar os miúdos; quero sempre saber as matérias que estão a dar nas diferentes disciplinas. E sempre que possível tento relacionar as matérias leccionadas com assuntos do dia a dia. Cada sucesso nos testes é devidamente celebrado; e quando há insucessos, tentamos perceber os motivos do mesmo, para que não se repitam.
Tornei-me presença regular nas reuniões escolares onde os directores de turma dialogam com os pais. Não consigo ficar calado nestas reuniões; não hesito em referir os professores que me parecem estar a fazer um bom trabalho e os outros (poucos, felizmente!) que parecem ter algumas falhas em termos pedagógicos.
Apesar destas reuniões serem sempre marcadas para o fim do dia, aparecem poucos encarregados de educação. Não sei se se trata de desinteresse por parte dos pais, ou se existem motivos profissionais que impedem os encarregados de educação de comparecer nestas reuniões. Apenas se percebe que os pais dos miúdos "problemáticos" nunca aparecem nestas reuniões.
Os resultados dos miúdos e o seu interesse pela escola são proporcionais ao envolvimento dos pais nestas actividades.
Posso estar a ser injusto, mas fico com a sensação que há pais que se limitam a abandonar os filhos na escola, como se os professores estivessem lá apenas para tomar conta deles! Mas também me parece que se estes pais manifestam pouco ou nenhum interesse pelo desempenho dos filhos, então não é correcto culpar apenas o Ministério e os professores pelo insucesso escolar.
Tornei-me presença regular nas reuniões escolares onde os directores de turma dialogam com os pais. Não consigo ficar calado nestas reuniões; não hesito em referir os professores que me parecem estar a fazer um bom trabalho e os outros (poucos, felizmente!) que parecem ter algumas falhas em termos pedagógicos.
Apesar destas reuniões serem sempre marcadas para o fim do dia, aparecem poucos encarregados de educação. Não sei se se trata de desinteresse por parte dos pais, ou se existem motivos profissionais que impedem os encarregados de educação de comparecer nestas reuniões. Apenas se percebe que os pais dos miúdos "problemáticos" nunca aparecem nestas reuniões.
Os resultados dos miúdos e o seu interesse pela escola são proporcionais ao envolvimento dos pais nestas actividades.
Posso estar a ser injusto, mas fico com a sensação que há pais que se limitam a abandonar os filhos na escola, como se os professores estivessem lá apenas para tomar conta deles! Mas também me parece que se estes pais manifestam pouco ou nenhum interesse pelo desempenho dos filhos, então não é correcto culpar apenas o Ministério e os professores pelo insucesso escolar.
quinta-feira, 19 de janeiro de 2006
Petição da FIDH
Ainda a propósito da situação dos jovens bahá'ís no Irão que vêem o acesso à universidade impedido pelas autoridades daquele país, a Federação Internacional dos Direitos do Homem, lançou uma PETIÇÃO ON-LINE, em que convida o público a subscrever um apelo a favor dos jovens baha’is iranianos. Este apelo já foi subscrito por 3 prémios Nobel e 12 investigadores franceses. Eu também já assinei.
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Links:
* Artigo em Inglês
* Artigo em Francês
* Artigo no Le Monde (15-Dez-2005)
quarta-feira, 18 de janeiro de 2006
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