Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts

Friday, 13 July 2012

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,816)



Regular update on the number of pageviews received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.
  1. United Kingdom 730
  2. United States 388
  3. Russia 255
  4. France 146
  5. Germany 111
  6. India 88
  7. Ukraine 30
  8. Canada 29
  9. China 27
  10. Iran 12
This week's total: 1,816 (last week: 1,701). These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of that map for "now" (i.e. in the last two hours), "today", "this week", "this month" and "all time". They're updated each time I look at them.

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

FEAST OF QUESTIONS

I'm with the local Bahá'í friends this evening, celebrating the Feast of Masá'il (Questions).

I think it appropriate to provide a short extract from the Bahá'í writings here, relevant to the name and theme of this Feast and of the month in the Bahá'í calendar that it begins:
“It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put questions to your own spirit and your spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is revealed.” ('Abdu'l-Bahá)

As is always the case when Bahá'ís in any part of the world gather together, we remember the plight of our co-religionists in Iran, who are suffering under the current regime. We also spend time discussing the condition of members of the Roma community in the region, whom some local Bahá'ís have befriended.

I'm able to report on Inter Faith Week just gone by and we also discuss ways to inspire some inter faith engagement at Leicester and De Montfort Universities with some of the friends who have recently started studying there.

If you'd like to know more about the Bahá'í calendar and its pattern of Feasts and Holy Days, faithful reader, then check out the excellent article on Wikipedia.

Friday, 24 June 2011

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (1,157)


Update on the number of pageviews the blog has received from different parts of the world in the week just ending - in the week that we exceeded 30,000.
  1. United Kingdom 610
  2. United States 207
  3. Ukraine 116
  4. Iran 49
  5. Germany 47
  6. France 38
  7. Australia 35
  8. Denmark 22
  9. Russia 18
  10. Spain 15

This week's total: 1,157 (last week's: 1,249). For the second week in a row, the blog has received more than a thousand pageviews. These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of this map for "now" (whenever that is), today, this week, this month and "all time" (which seems to mean the last 12 months). They're updated each time I look at that them. 

Friday, 17 June 2011

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS: FIRST TIME OVER 1,000 PAGEVIEWS!


Update on the number of pageviews the blog has received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.
  1. United Kingdom 676
  2. United States 287
  3. Russia 77
  4. Germany 55
  5. Romania 47
  6. Iran 24
  7. Ukraine 23
  8. Moldova 21
  9. India 20
  10. France 19

This week's total: 1,249 (last week's: 928). This is the first time the blog has received more than a thousand pageviews in one week! These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of this map for "now" (whenever that is), today, this week, this month and "all time" (which seems to mean the last 12 months). They're updated each time I look at that them.

Friday, 3 June 2011

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (618)


Update on the number of pageviews the blog has received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.

  1. United Kingdom 356
  2. United States 77
  3. Russia 37
  4. Slovenia 36
  5. Ukraine 36
  6. Israel 19
  7. Denmark 18
  8. Iran 17
  9. Germany 15
  10. India 15

This week's total: 618 (last week's: 690) These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of this map for "now" (whenever that is), today, this week, this month and "all time" (which seems to mean the last 12 months). They're updated each time I look at that them.

Friday, 13 May 2011

THIS WEEK'S VISITORS (706)


Here's the update on the number of pageviews the blog has received from different parts of the world in the week just ending.
  1. United Kingdom 369
  2. United States 185
  3. Slovenia 43
  4. Ukraine 22
  5. Russia 20
  6. India 19
  7. Iran 18
  8. Canada 11
  9. Netherlands 10
  10. Germany 9

This week's total: 706  (last week's: 548) These are aggregates of figures from the top ten countries only. Blogger's stats software doesn't show me numbers of pageviews below the tenth-ranking country.

The world map at the top of this post is the graphic that I see on the stats page. The darker the green, the more pageviews from that country. I can see different versions of this map for "now" (whenever that is), today, this week, this month and "all time" (which seems to mean the last 12 months). They're updated each time I look at that them.

Monday, 11 April 2011

DR CONTRACTOR MEETS FOCUS GROUP OF LOCAL BAHÁ'ÍS


Dr Sariya Contractor, Project Researcher from the University of Derby on the Religion, Belief, Discrimination and Equality Project, is coming to the end of her four-week stint in Leicester, the first of four cities covered by the project (the others being Blackburn, Cardiff and Norwich). During that time, she's been talking with individuals and groups from different communities, discussing their experience and perception of discrimination on grounds of religion or belief.

Today she's meeting a focus group made up of some Bahá'ís from the city and from just across the border in the county. We're at Minou Cortazzi's home for a couple of hours this afternoon. The photograph shows (left to right): Dr Sariya Contractor with local Bahá'ís Jan, Celia, Minou, Leila and Maha. I'm the only male here today (and I'm the one behind the camera).

We start by talking about the local Bahá'í community's history, its current situation, its relationship with other faith communities in the city - points of contact, similarity and distinction between them. We get into some quite profound areas in our discussion, encompassing family matters as well as international aspects (Bahá'ís can't speak about religious discrimination without bringing to mind the plight of their fellows in Iran). I'm not going to record here what was said, but I felt happy and privileged to be part of this occasion today.

This is my second meeting with Dr Contractor during her visit for this project. To read about our first meeting, see blog entry for 31 March.

Sunday, 20 March 2011

A PRAYER FOR NAW-RÚZ



Sunset this evening is the end of the fasting period for Bahá'ís, who are obliged to abstain from food and drink between sunrise and sunset 2-20 March, inclusive. This fast is an annual occasion, leading up to Bahá'í New Year. For Bahá'ís in or from Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated in the middle of the nineteenth century, this is combined with the traditional celebration of Naw-Rúz ("New Day"), observed at the time of the Spring Equinox.

Leicester Bahá'ís are gathered together this evening to mark the end of the Fast and start of the New Year - the year 168 BE ("Bahá'í Era"). Below is one of the prayers of Bahá'u'lláh (1817-92) for this special occasion. This would typically be read at this time, either in community gatherings, in families are by individual Bahá'ís on their own, in quiet meditation.
Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee. Grant, O my Lord, that the fire of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of Thee.
Since Thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with the ornament of the fast prescribed by Thee, do Thou adorn them also with the ornament of Thine acceptance, through Thy grace and bountiful favor. For the doings of men are all dependent upon Thy good-pleasure, and are conditioned by Thy behest. Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed the fast hath broken it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of this living Fountain.
Thou art He through Whom the ensign “Praiseworthy art Thou in Thy works” hath been lifted up, and the standard “Obeyed art Thou in Thy behest” hath been unfurled. Make known this Thy station, O my God, unto Thy servants, that they may be made aware that the excellence of all things is dependent upon Thy bidding and Thy word, and the virtue of every act is conditioned by Thy leave and the good-pleasure of Thy will, and may recognize that the reins of men’s doings are within the grasp of Thine acceptance and Thy commandment. Make this known unto them, that nothing whatsoever may shut them out from Thy Beauty, in these days whereon the Christ exclaimeth: “All dominion is Thine, O Thou the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus)”; and Thy Friend (Muḥammad) crieth out: “Glory be to Thee, O Thou the Best-Beloved, for that Thou hast uncovered Thy Beauty, and written down for Thy chosen ones what will cause them to attain unto the seat of the revelation of Thy Most Great Name, through which all the peoples have lamented except such as have detached themselves from all else except Thee, and set themselves towards Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and the Manifestation of Thine attributes.”
He Who is Thy Branch and all Thy company, O my Lord, have broken this day their fast, after having observed it within the precincts of Thy court, and in their eagerness to please Thee. Do Thou ordain for him, and for them, and for all such as have entered Thy presence in those days all the good Thou didst destine in Thy Book. Supply them, then, with that which will profit them, in both this life and in the life beyond.
Thou, in truth, art the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

That line at the start of the prayer, "Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is abhorrent unto Thee" always gives me pause for reflection. Having been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1996 and being dependent on insulin since then, I'm unable to fast. I did it religiously (if you'll pardon the pun) from 1979 until 1996 and felt the benefit. I miss fasting. Thankfully, there's much in the Bahá'í writings about the symbolic, metaphorical nature of fasting and - thankfully - I appreciate symbolism and metaphor.