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Baha'i celebration
By Lois Ann Baker, Cornwall
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Sunday, October 22, 2017 3:51:37 EDT PM
Thousands around the globe are
celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, the founder of
the Baha’i faith, including the small Baha’i community in Cornwall.
The community invited members from every religion to join them on
Sunday for a special luncheon and friendship dances with members of the
Native North American Travelling College.
Neil Macmillan, a member of the Baha’i community, said they had very
strong ties to the indigenous people of the world.
“It’s because the Baha’i faith is for the unity of all the peoples of
the world,” said Macmillan. “And from the beginning Baha’u’llah said
his message wasn’t for any particular land or any particular people.”
Macmillan said indigenous people around the world feel they have been
included since the beginning of the Baha’i faith.
“Numerically the Baha’i communities around the world are actually
stronger in some countries like Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Colombia,
Kenya, Congo and India,” said Macmillan. “India has the most. But also
in 1912, the North American Baha’i’s received a message telling them to
give particular respect to the native people of North America because
in the future they will become like teachers.”
Macmillan said over the last few days celebrations were taking place
around the world to celebrate the life of Baha’u’llah who lived from
1817 until 1892. Some of the celebrations are very big, while others,
like the one in Cornwall are smaller.
“Ottawa has about 900 people at their celebration and other countries
have literally thousands,” he said. “This is actually the beginning of
the bicentennial year.”
Macmillan said for Cornwall, they wanted to do something very inclusive.
“With Akwesasne right there, we are very fortunate we have a
relationship (with them),” he said. “We work with the Native North
American Travelling College so we asked them to organize these
friendship dances, which are very much the spirit of the occasion.”
Macmillan said it sent a very hopeful message.
Macmillan said there was a tremendous variety of faiths attending the
celebrations, including Judaism, Christianity, Muslim and Sikhism. It
wasn’t just for those of the Baha’i faith.
“That’s the whole point,” said Macmillan. “The main principle of the
Baha’i faith is we don’t look at labels. We are all people. So this is
very much fostering the spirit of unity in every community.”
Among the participants at the celebration were two city councillors,
Claude MacIntosh and Bernadette Clement.
“I know Neil and Jane through the Cornwall Interfaith group and I have
seen them organize all kinds of different activities around community
concepts,” said Clement. “Friendship, sharing, generosity and peace and
I’m always supportive of events that are going to highlight those
positive things in our community.”
Clement said she was not a Baha’i herself, but she respects that faith
plays a big role for many people.
“And a lot of times faith and community intercept,” she said. “Whenever
it is activities like this that bring different cultures together, I am
always supportive.”
There are only about 15 Baha’i’s in Cornwall, and about 50 in the
region.
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