English report
The first ‘Irfán Colloquium in German language was held under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'is of Germany at Berghotel, Tambach, Germany, 25-27 July 2003,. About 80 friends from German speaking countries in Europe participated in this gathering. It was highly promising and heartwarming that most of the participants were from younger generations. It was also very encouraging that the number of German speaking friends who had volunteered to present papers was more than what could have been included in a weekend program. What added to the significance of this event was the gracious participation of Counsellors Uta von Both and Nicola Towfigh in the program and the welcoming and supporting message of the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany as well as the presence of one of its members, Mr. Hahn.
‘Irfán Colloquium attempts to promote and foster systematic and scholarly studies in the sacred writings, the verities, and the fundamental principles of the belief system of the Bahá'í Faith. This year the main theme of the Colloquium was “Philosophy, Science and the Bahá'i Faith.” Every year the ‘Irfán gathering also includes a seminar on the Bahá'i scripture. This year the Irfan seminar in German language was devoted to the beginning of the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh during the Tehran-Baghdad period.
Cousellor von Both set the stage by speaking on the principles and objectives of Bahá'i research and studies at the opening session. Counsellor Towfigh gave a talk on contradiction between apologetics and inter-religious dialogue. Hidden words, Kitab-i-Iqan, and Tablet of Wisdom (Lawh-i-Hikmat), from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, were respectively presented by Dr. Daryush Maani, Dr. Babak Farrokhzad and Sash Dehghani. Necati Alkan described the socio-political conditions in Baghdad in the middle of nineteenth century. Armin Eschraghi gave a brief introduction on the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh during the Tehran-Baghdad period. Dr. Farah Dustdar investigated the relationship between Bahá'i Faith and German Philosophical thoughts in a comparative study. Other topics presented were Evolution and Creation by Dr. Eberhard von Kitzing, Bio-Etich from the Perspective of Bahá'i Teachings by Dr. Friedo Zolzer, Dr. Bernardo Fritzsche made a very enlightening workshop presentation on the impact of religion on mental health. Ulrich Gollmar gave the concluding talk on tolerance and service as the most important contributions of the Bahá'i Faith.
Preparatory work for organizing and conducting the colloquium and the seminar was undertaken by Dr. Farah Dustdar. She was assisted by the other two members of the organizing task force, Ulrich Gollmar, and Armin Eschraghi. The success of this gathering was also due to the kind hospitality arrangements of Mr. and Mrs. Faramarz Abrar.
The next session of the Irfan Colloquium in German will be held at Beghotel, Tambach, Germany, 15-18 July 2004. The main theme of the colloquium will be “Mysticism and the Bahá'i Faith.” The Seminar on the Writings will be devoted to the main Writings of Bahá'u'lláh revealed during the Tehran- Baghdad period (1953-1963). In addition to continuation of presentations related to the theme topic of this year presentations on “Bahá'i Faith and Politics will also be welcomed.
Submitted by Iraj Ayman |
| German report
Der Bericht vom I. 'Irfán Kolloquium (Das systematische Studium der Bahá´i-Schriften und ihrer Grundlehren, sowie deren Beziehung zu anderen philosophischen und wissenschaftlichen Denkmodellen).
Vom 25.-27.Juli 2003 fand in Tambach das erste deutschsprachige Irfán-Kolloquium unter der Schirmherrschaft des Nationalen Geistigen Rates der Bahá'í in Deutschland statt. Das Kolloquium wurde mit der ermutigenden Botschaft des Nationalen Geistigen Rates und der Anwesenheit von zwei Mitglieder des Berateramtes, Frau von Both und Frau Dr. Towfigh eröffnet. Etwa 80 Freunde aus den deutschsprachigen Ländern Europas - überwiegend junge Freunde - haben in diesem Kolloquium teilgenommen. Die freiwillige Anmeldung von 13 Redner übersteigte die Kapazität eines Wochenendseminars. Deshalb wird das nächste Kolloquium um einen Tag verlängert. In meiner organisatorischen Vorbereitungen bekam ich Unterstützung von Herrn Iraj Ayman, Armin Eschraghi und Ulrich Gollmar. Der Erfolg dieser Veranstaltung war nicht zuletzt durch die Zusammenarbeit und Gestfreundschaft von Frau Monika und Herrn Faramarz Abrar möglich.
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