Bahá'í Faith in Georgia (country)
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í Faith in Georgia began with its arrival in the region in 1850 through its association with the precursor religion the Bábí
Faith during the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh. During the period of Soviet policy of religious oppression, the institutions of the Bahá'ís in the Soviet Republics were progressively dissolved and so disappeared from communication with Bahá'ís elsewhere. However in 1963 an individual was identified in Tibilisi. Following Perestroika
the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Georgia formed in 1991 and Georgian Bahá'ís elected their first National Spiritual Assembly in 1995. The religion is noted as growing in Georgia. The Association of Religion Data Archives
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
) estimated some 1600 Bahá'ís in 2005.
including Georgia. Jamshíd-i-Gurjí is a noted member of the religion from Georgia who lived in the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh
. He was arrested in Constantinople
and subsequently rather than being banished with Bahá'u'lláh's party to Akka or others to Cyprus, he was deported to Persia though in transit he was released by the Khurds.
By the time the effects of the October Revolution
began to spread across the Russian Empire transforming it into the Soviet Union
, Bahá'ís had spread through much of Soviet territory. And initially the religion still grew in organization when the election of the regional National Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Caucasus and Turkistan took place in 1925. However, with the Soviet policy of religious oppression, the Bahá'ís, strictly adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government, abandoned its administration and any properties were nationalized. As the institutions of the Bahá'ís in the Soviet Republics were progressively dissolved and so disappeared from communication with Bahá'ís elsewhere. It is known that many were imprisoned and died, some were deported to Siberia, though most were deported to Iran. In 1953 Bahá'ís started to move to the Soviet Republics in Asia, after the head of the religion at the time, Shoghi Effendi
, initiated a plan called the Ten Year Crusade
. At the culmination of this plan, in 1963, various centers were restored in the region including Georgia, where there was an individual Bahá'í identified in Tibilisi.
that the Bahá'ís began to meet and organize again. The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Georgia to form was in 1991 in Tibilisi. After being part of the regional national assembly with Russia since 1992, Georgian Bahá'ís elected their first National Spiritual Assembly in 1995 with Hand of the Cause, Rúhíyyih Khanum
representing the Universal House of Justice
. In 2004 members of the Bahá'í community in Georgia opened the first Degree Confluence point
in Georgia. Addressing circumstances in Georgia, Bahá'ís have observed that publishing their materials is "not very easy", and "Some companies are not happy to print our material – they have only limited understanding. Plus they are afraid that if the government finds out they might have problems." There is a project to revise school curricula to represent the diverse religions in Georgia on a more neutral basis than done in recent years. Not all schools introduced revised religious education classes - "about half the schools in Tbilisi have these classes". The Bahá'í Faith is among the religions with a small following who function unobtrusively and have mainly tended to be able to operate without much hostile government attention.
Some 47 Georgian Bahá'ís traveled to Baku
to be among the 360 participants in a regional conference of the religion in 2009.
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
) estimated some 1600 Bahá'ís in 2005.
Babi
Babi may refer to:* Babı, a municipality in Azerbaijan* Babi Dynasty, founded in 1735 by Muhammed Sher Khan Babi , Nawabs of this dynasty went on to rule over Junagadh in Gujarat, from the 18th to the 20th century....
Faith during the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh. During the period of Soviet policy of religious oppression, the institutions of the Bahá'ís in the Soviet Republics were progressively dissolved and so disappeared from communication with Bahá'ís elsewhere. However in 1963 an individual was identified in Tibilisi. Following Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Georgia formed in 1991 and Georgian Bahá'ís elected their first National Spiritual Assembly in 1995. The religion is noted as growing in Georgia. The Association of Religion Data Archives
Association of religion data archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion...
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
) estimated some 1600 Bahá'ís in 2005.
Early period
From 1850 onwards, small groups of Bábís spread across the CaucasusCaucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
including Georgia. Jamshíd-i-Gurjí is a noted member of the religion from Georgia who lived in the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
. He was arrested in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and subsequently rather than being banished with Bahá'u'lláh's party to Akka or others to Cyprus, he was deported to Persia though in transit he was released by the Khurds.
By the time the effects of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
began to spread across the Russian Empire transforming it into the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Bahá'ís had spread through much of Soviet territory. And initially the religion still grew in organization when the election of the regional National Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the Caucasus and Turkistan took place in 1925. However, with the Soviet policy of religious oppression, the Bahá'ís, strictly adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government, abandoned its administration and any properties were nationalized. As the institutions of the Bahá'ís in the Soviet Republics were progressively dissolved and so disappeared from communication with Bahá'ís elsewhere. It is known that many were imprisoned and died, some were deported to Siberia, though most were deported to Iran. In 1953 Bahá'ís started to move to the Soviet Republics in Asia, after the head of the religion at the time, Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, initiated a plan called the Ten Year Crusade
Ten Year Crusade
The Ten Year World Crusade was launched by Shoghi Effendi in an effort to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá'í Faith....
. At the culmination of this plan, in 1963, various centers were restored in the region including Georgia, where there was an individual Bahá'í identified in Tibilisi.
Modern community
It was not until the onset of PerestroikaPerestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
that the Bahá'ís began to meet and organize again. The first Local Spiritual Assembly of Georgia to form was in 1991 in Tibilisi. After being part of the regional national assembly with Russia since 1992, Georgian Bahá'ís elected their first National Spiritual Assembly in 1995 with Hand of the Cause, Rúhíyyih Khanum
Rúhíyyih Khanum
Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum , born Mary Sutherland Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921–1957. She was appointed by him as a Hand of the Cause, and served an important role in the transfer of authority from 1957–1963...
representing the Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
. In 2004 members of the Bahá'í community in Georgia opened the first Degree Confluence point
Degree Confluence Project
The Degree Confluence Project is a World Wide Web-based all-volunteer project which aims to have people visit each of the integer degree intersections of latitude and longitude on Earth, posting photographs and a narrative of each visit online. Intersections are defined on the horizontal datum WGS...
in Georgia. Addressing circumstances in Georgia, Bahá'ís have observed that publishing their materials is "not very easy", and "Some companies are not happy to print our material – they have only limited understanding. Plus they are afraid that if the government finds out they might have problems." There is a project to revise school curricula to represent the diverse religions in Georgia on a more neutral basis than done in recent years. Not all schools introduced revised religious education classes - "about half the schools in Tbilisi have these classes". The Bahá'í Faith is among the religions with a small following who function unobtrusively and have mainly tended to be able to operate without much hostile government attention.
Some 47 Georgian Bahá'ís traveled to Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
to be among the 360 participants in a regional conference of the religion in 2009.
Demographics
The religion is noted as growing in Georgia. The Association of Religion Data ArchivesAssociation of religion data archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion...
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
) estimated some 1600 Bahá'ís in 2005.
See also
- Religion in Georgia (country)Religion in Georgia (country)The wide variety of peoples inhabiting Georgia has meant a correspondingly rich array of active religions. Today most of the population in Georgia practices Orthodox Christianity, primarily the Georgian Orthodox Church. Of these , around 2% follow the Russian Orthodox Church. Around 3.9% of the...
- History of Georgia (country)History of Georgia (country)The nation of Georgia was first unified as a kingdom under the Bagrationi dynasty in the 9th to 10th century, arising from a number of predecessor states of ancient Colchis and Iberia...
- Bahá'í Faith in AzerbaijanBahá'í Faith in AzerbaijanThe Bahá'í Faith in Azerbaijan crosses a complex history of regional changes. Through that series of changes the thread of the Bahá'í Faith traces its history in the region from the earliest moments of the Bábism religion, accepted by Bahá'ís as a predecessor religion, in that one of its most...
- Bahá'í Faith in TurkmenistanBahá'í Faith in TurkmenistanThe Bahá'í Faith in Turkmenistan begins before Russian advances into the region when the area was under the influence of Persia. By 1887 a community of Bahá'í refugees from religious violence in Persia had made a religious center in Ashgabat. Shortly afterwards — by 1894 — Russia made...