Bahá'í Faith in Niger

The Bahá'í Faith in Niger began during a period of wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa near the end of its colonial period.cite web
title = Overview Of World Religions
work = General Essay on the Religions of Sub-Saharan Africa
publisher = Division of Religion and Philosophy, University of Cumbria
url = http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/geness.html
accessdate = 2008-04-16 ] The first Bahá'ís arrive in Niger in 1966cite web
last = House of Justice
first = Universal
authorlink = Universal House of Justice
title = Ridván Letter, 1966
work = Ridvan Messages from the Universal House of Justice
publisher = Bahá'í Library Online
year = 1966
url = http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/ridvan/66.html
accessdate = 2008-05-04] and the growth of the religion reached a point of electing its National Spiritual Assembly in 1975.cite web
last = Hassall
first = Graham
title = Notes on Research on National Spiritual Assemblies
work = Asia Pacific Bahá'í Studies
publisher = Bahá'í Library Online
url = http://bahai-library.com/asia-pacific/Notes%20on%20Research/national_spiritual_assemblies.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-04] Following a period of oppression, making the institutions of the Bahá'í Faith illegal in the late 1970s and '80s, the National Assembly was re-elected starting in 1992. The Bahá'í community in Niger has grown mostly in the south-west of the country where they number in the low thousands.

Early Period

During the late colonial period of French West Africa the Bahá'í Faith entered the region in 1953. [Citation
coauthors = Bahá'í International Community
title = National communities celebrate together
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
date = 2003-12-28
url = http://news.bahai.org/story/283] Wide scale growth in the religion across Sub-Saharan Africa was observed to begin in 1950s and extend in the 1960s. There were over 1000 Bahá'ís across North-West Africa [cite web
last = Effendi
first = Shoghi
authorlink = Shoghi Effendi
coauthors = Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land
title = North West Africa
work = Bahá'í World 1954-63
publisher = Bahá'í International Community
year = 1963
url = http://bahai-library.com/asia-pacific/country%20files/north_west_africa.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-04] resulting in a regional National Spiritual Assembly including French West Africa in 1956. [cite web | url = http://bahai-library.com/?file=handscause_statistics_1953-63&chapter=1#22 | title = The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963| author = Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land | pages = p. 22, 46] Following the independence of Niger in 1960, the first pioneers arrived in Niger in 1966.

Development

The National Spiritual Assembly of Niger, splitting off from the North West African Assembly, was elected in 1975.

As part of a sweep across several Sub-Saharan countries, the Bahá'í Faith was banned in the 1970s: Burundi, 1974; Mali 1976; Uganda 1977; Congo, 1978; Niger, 1978 (during the government established by military coup of Seyni Kountché.)

"This was principally the result of a campaign by a number of Arab countries. Since these countries were also by this time providers of development aid, this overt attack on the Baha'is was supported by covert moves such as linking the aid money to a particular country to the action that it took against the Baha'is. This was partially successful and a number of countries did ban the Baha'is for a time. However, the Baha'is were able to demonstrate to these governments that they were not agents of Zionism nor anti-Islamic and succeeded in having the ban reversed in all of these countries except Niger." [Citation
last = Smith
first = Peter
authorlink = Peter Smith (Bahá'í)
last2 = Momen
first2 = Moojan
author2-link = Moojan Momen
title = The Baha'i Faith 1957-1988: A Survey of Contemporary Developments
journal = Religion
volume = 19
issue = 01
pages = pp. 63-91
year = 1989
url = http://www.bahai-library.org/articles/smith.momen.html
doi = 10.1016/0048-721X(89)90077-8 ]

However, changes also came in Niger. The Nigerian government made changes by instituting a multi-party democratic system called for by union and student demands. Following this there was a waning of military coup successor Col. Ali Saibou's power and widespread changes in laws and in 1991 all legal restrictions of the Bahá'í Faith had been ended [cite web
last = compiled by Wagner
first = Ralph D.
title = NIGER
work = Synopsis of References to the Bahá'í Faith, in the US State Department's Reports on Human Rights 1991-2000
publisher = Bahá'í Academics Resource Library
url = http://bahai-library.com/documents/hr/hr-niger.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-04] though political instability persisted. [Citation
coauthors = Amnesty International
title = Niger: The people of Niger have the right to truth and justice
newspaper = Amnesty International News Service
date = 2000-04-06
url = http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR430032000?open&of=ENG-NER ] The National Spiritual Assembly was elected again at Niger's Bahá'í Convention in 1992. [cite web
last = House of Justice
first = Universal
authorlink = Universal House of Justice
title = Ridván Letter, 1992
work = Ridvan Messages from the Universal House of Justice
publisher = Bahá'í Library Online
year = 1992
url = http://bahai-library.com/published.uhj/ridvan/92.html
accessdate = 2008-05-04]

Modern community

The Bahá'ís of Niger number a few thousand and are located primarily in Niamey and on the west side of the Niger River bordering Burkina Faso.cite web | url = http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35375.htm Niger | title = International Religious Freedom Report | year = 2007 | date = 2004-09-15| accessdate = 2008-04-29 | author = Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor | publisher = United States State Department] The community has participated in literacy project initiatives. [Citation
coauthors = Bahá'í International Community
title = Perspective: Literacy and Development
periodical = One Country
volume = 16
issue = 01
date = April-June 2004
year = 2004
url = http://www.onecountry.org/e161/e16102as_Perspective_Literacy.htm ]

ee also

*History of Niger
*Religion in Niger

References