The first official event to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Accession to the throne was held at Lambeth Palace on Wednesday, 15th February 2012.

Representatives from the nine major religious groups in the United Kingdom were invited to show Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh a treasure of significance to their Faith. The nine Faith communities were (in alphabetical order) the Bahá’ís, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Muslim, Sikhs and Zoroastrians. Each Faith was invited to send four representatives and the Bahá’í representatives, selected were: Shirin Fozdar-Foroudi, Patrick O’Mara, Secretary of the National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the U.K, Nasrin Khosravi-O’Kane{1} from Northern Ireland (see photo) and Liam Stevens from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The Bahá’í delegation was unusual in that there were equal numbers of male and female participants and in the youthfulness of two of its members.

In selecting the treasure to show Her Majesty and His Royal Highness, the Bahá’í National Assembly was mindful that the Bahá’í community is currently celebrating the centenary of the visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (son of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith) to this country, and so it chose the precious but simple robe worn by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá which reminds them of His life of constant service to others, imparting love, wisdom and comfort to all, thus inspiring us to be better people and to play our part in building a better world.

The Bahá’í National Assembly was also aware of the profound messages of unity which He delivered just over one hundred years ago in City Temple, London, a short distance from where the event was to take place, which included the following words that were beautifully written, framed and included as part of the treasure shown to the Royal Party:

“The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion.”

The various treasures of all of the religious groups were displayed at Lambeth Palace.

The Queen commented on the fact that the Bahá’í party were from across the regions of the United Kingdom, and spoke of how “widespread” the Bahá’í community seemed to be. The Duke of Edinburgh was particularly interested in the fact that Liam was from the Isle of Skye and wondered how someone from the Western Isles became a Bahá’í.

The opportunity was also taken to thank the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on behalf of the Bahá’í community for the services they have rendered throughout the last 60 years in promoting the principles of unity, equality and justice amongst the diverse peoples of the Commonwealth.

The presentation of these treasures was followed by a reception at which the Queen and the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed those assembled. The Archbishop commented on how wonderful it was that the Diamond Jubilee celebrations commenced with an event that brought together all the major Faith communities in the United Kingdom and the important role that they play in society. The Queen too spoke on the theme of religious unity and tolerance.

Published in the island newspapers 24th February 2012

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Footnotes:

{1} Many people will remember Nasrin’s visit to the island, with other young people from around the world, helping with youth activities, and also helping with the building of the Bahá’í Centre at the Gumwoods in 1997/8.

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