Bahá'í Faith in Moldova

The Bahá'í Faith in Moldova began during the policy of oppression of religion in the former Soviet Union. Before that time, Moldova, as part of the Russian Empire, would have had indirect contact with the Bahá'í Faith as far back as 1847.cite web | last = Momen | first = Moojan | title = Russia | work = Draft for "A Short Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith" | publisher = Bahá'í Academics Resource Library | date = | url = http://bahai-library.com/encyclopedia/russia.html | accessdate = 2008-04-14] cite web | coauthors = Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyiv | title = Statement on the history of the Bahá'í Faith in Soviet Union | work = Official Website of the Bahá'ís of Kyiv | publisher = Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyiv | year = 2007-8 | url = http://bahai.kiev.ua/history9.html | accessdate = 2008-04-19] In 1974 the first Bahá'í arrived in Moldova.cite web
last = Ahmadi
first = Dr.
title = Major events of the Century of Light
work = homepage for an online course on the book “Century of Light”
publisher = Association for Bahá’í Studies in Southern Africa
year = 2003
url = http://www.bci.org/bahaistudies/courses/light/time-line-bahai.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-24] and following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, communities of Bahá'ís, and respective National Spiritual Assemblies, developed across the nations of the former Soviet Union.Citation | last = Hassall | first = Graham | last2 = Fazel | first2 = Seena | title = 100 Years of the Bahá'í Faith in Europe | periodical = Bahá’í Studies Review | issue = 8 | pages = pp. 35-44 | volume = 1998 | url = http://bahai-library.com/asia-pacific/Europe.htm] In 1996 Moldova elected its own National Spiritual Assembly.cite web | last = Hassall | first = Graham | coauthors = Universal House of Justice | title = National Spiritual Assemblies statistics 1923-1999 | work = Assorted Resource Tools | publisher = Bahá'í Academics Resource Library | url = http://bahai-library.org/asia-pacific/Notes%20on%20Research/national_spiritual_assemblies.htm | accessdate = 2008-04-02 ] There were about 400 Bahá'ís in Moldova in 2004.Citation
last =
first = Irina, member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Chisinau
author-link =
title = Activities in Moldova
journal = European Bahá'í Women's Network
volume = 02
issue = 02
year = April-July, 2004
url = http://www.ebwn.net/archivio/vol_02_num_02/moldova_study_circles.htm]

History in the region

Most of today's Republic of Moldova, formerly known as Bessarabia until 1812, was annexed by the Russian Empire. Moldavia was a Mediaeval principality in Europe which was part of the basis of the modern Romanian state; at various times, the state included the regions of Bessarabia. The western part of Moldavia is now part of Romania, the eastern part belongs to the independent state of Moldova, while the northern and south-eastern parts are territories of Ukraine. See History of Moldova and History of Moldavia. Additionally Transnistria is a breakaway republic [cite book |last= Herd|first= Graeme P.|coauthors= Jennifer D. P. Moroney|title= Security Dynamics in the Former Soviet Bloc|year= 2003|publisher= Routledge|isbn= 041529732X] [cite book |last= Zielonka|first= Jan|title= Democratic Consolidation in Eastern Europe |year= 2001|publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn= 019924409X] within the internationally recognised borders of Moldova. Although not recognized by any state or international organisation and "de jure" part of Moldova, it is "de facto" independent. [Citation
first = Jos
last = Boonstra
contribution = Moldova, Transnistria and European Democracy Policies
contribution-url = http://fride.org/download/COM_Moldav_ENG_feb07.pdf
title = FRIDE Experts, Democracy promotion
date = 2007-01-02
place = Madrid, Spain
publisher = Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior (FRIDE)
url =http://fride.org/section/27/democracy-promotion ]

As part of the Russian Empire

The earliest relationship between the Bahá'í Faith and Moldova comes under the sphere of the country's history with Russia. During that time the history stretches back to 1847 when the Russian ambassador to Persia, Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, requested that the Báb, the herald to the Bahá'í Faith who was imprisoned at Maku, be moved elsewhere; he also condemned the massacres of Iranian religionists, and asked for the release of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1884 Leo Tolstoy first heard of the Bahá'í Faith and was sympathetic to some of its teachings.cite encyclopedia |last= Smith |first= Peter |encyclopedia= A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith |title= Tolstoy, Leo |year= 2000 |publisher=Oneworld Publications |location= Oxford |id= ISBN 1851681841 |pages= p. 340] Also, orientalist A. Tumanskim translated some Bahá'í literature into Russian in 1899 in Saint Petersburg. In the 1880s an organized community of Bahá'ís was in Ashgabat and later built the first Bahá'í House of Worship in 1913-1918. In 1904 a play by poet Isabella Grinevskoy called "Báb" was presented in Saint Petersburg and lauded by Tolstoy and other reviewers at the time.

oviet period

In 1974 the first Bahá'í, Annemarie Kruger, granddaughter of Swiss Bahá'í August Forel, [cite web
coauthors = National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Switzerland
title = Swiss Baha'is Celebrate 100 Years of Contributing to World Civilization
work = Baha'i Switzerland
publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Switzerland
year = 2003
url = http://www.bahai.ch/english/centenary_interlaken.html
accessdate = 2008-05-24 ] arrived in Moldova and was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh.

Developing community

In 1990 several Local Spiritual Assemblies formed across the Soviet Union in 1990. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, communities of Bahá'ís, and respective National Spiritual Assemblies, developed across the nations of the former Soviet Union. At first Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova shared a regional National Spiritual Assembly in 1992. In 1994, the 20th anniversary of the religion in Moldova and the year of its registration with the national government, the Baha'i community was listed in a UN report as having 6 Local Spiritual Assemblies. [Citation
last = Tejnø
first = Søren
last2 = Stavenski
first2 = Irene
last3 = Alexandrova
first3 = Svetlana
coauthors = Moldovan Team, International Consultants, Editorial Team
title = National Human Development Report - Republic of Moldova 2000
place = Chişinău, Republic of Moldova
pages = 53
publisher = United Nations Development Programme
date = 2000-08-31
url = http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/nationalreports/europethecis/moldova/moldova_2000_en.pdf
id = CZU 009 (478)=20 N 26
isbn = 9975958125] In 1996 Moldova elected their own National Spiritual Assembly.

Modern community

In 2002 there were several Bahá'í pilgrims from many former Soviet republics - Tatarstan, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Moldova - who were able to see now deceased Hand of the Cause `Alí-Akbar Furútan, himself a former resident of Russia. [Citation
last = Mushuk
first = IIrene
author-link =
title = My Spiritual Journey - ‘Duty and Responsibility’
journal = European Bahá'í Women's Network
volume = 02
issue = 02
year = April-July, 2004
url = http://www.ebwn.net/archivio/vol_02_num_02/moldova_my_spiritual_journey.htm] In 2003 Moldova held it's first World Religion Day observance which was organized by the Bahá'ís of Chişinău. [Citation
last = Community
first = Bahá'í International
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Religions come together as one
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2003-01-19
url = http://news.bahai.org/story/192] As of 2004, at the 30th anniversary of the Bahá'í community of Moldova, there were approximately 400 Bahá'ís in Moldova - 150 of them are in Chişinău.

Diverse developments

"Payam-e-Doost" Radio ("Radio Message from a Friend") began shortwave radio broadcasts from Moldova in 2001 and has since begun transmissions from other locations and gained internet-broadcast capacity. [Citation
last = Biener
first = Hansjoerg
title = The Arrival of Radio FARDA: International Broadcasting to Iran at a crossroads
journal = Middle East Review of International Affairs
volume = 07
issue = 01
year = March, 2003
url = http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2003/issue1/jv7n1a2.html
doi =
id = ] [cite web
coauthors = Bahá'í International Community
title = Bahairadio.org
work = About Payam-e-Doost Radio
publisher = Bahairadio.org
year = 2008
url = http://www.bahairadio.org/farsi/Enginfo.asp
accessdate = 2008-05-25] In May 2007, the Moldovan government passed a law which defined the process of recognition of a religion. One hundred adherents were required to have a religion be recognized but that once established recognition is automatic. [Citation
last = Corley
first = Felix
author-link = Felix Corley
title = MOLDOVA: Will new Religion Law end arbitrary legal status denials?
newspaper = F18News
date = 2007-08-06
url = http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=1003 ] In 2008 the US government had noted significant progress in Moldova along the lines of consolidating democratic institutions and instituting the rule of law - especially the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and becoming a NATO partner country. [cite conference
coauthors = United States Department of State, United States Department of Homeland Security, United States Department of Health and Human Services
title = Proposed Refugee Admission for FIscal Year 2008 Report to Congress
booktitle = Report to the Congress Submitted on Behalf of The President of The United States to the Committees on the Judiciary United States Senate and United States House of Representatives in Fulfillment of the Requirements of Section 207(E) (1)-(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
publisher = Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, US Department of State
year = 2007
url = http://www.state.gov/g/prm/refadm/rls/rpts/2007/92585.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-24] The government of Moldova supported United Nations Resolution A/RES/62/168 which was adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2007, on concerns raised by human rights situations and reports of specialrapporteurs and representatives on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. [cite web
coauthors = United Nations
title = A/RES/62/168 Adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2007
work = UN Documents
publisher = United Nations Watch
date = 2007-12-18
url = http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1355321&ct=4826675
accessdate = 2008-05-24] In February 2008 the Moldovian government rose in support of a declaration by the President of Slovenia on behalf of the European Union on the deteriorating situation of the Bahá'ís in Iran. [cite press release
title = Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the deteriorating situation of the religious minority Baha’i in Iran
publisher = Office of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union
date = 2008-02-07
url = http://www.eu2008.si/en/News_and_Documents/CFSP_Statements/February/0207MZZ_Baha.html
accessdate = 2008-05-24 ] See Persecution of Bahá'ís.

ee also

*Religion in Moldova
*Freedom of religion in Moldova
*Transnistria
*Bahá'í Faith in Ukraine

References

External links

* [http://bahaitiraspol.narod.ru/ The Bahá'í Faith in Tiraspol] , Transnistria.
* [http://media.bahai.org/subjects/6030/details Eight of the nine members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Moldova elected in 2005]
* [http://www.bahai-site.org/writings/european/romanian.html Romanian language Short Obligatory Prayer]