Daman
Daman | ||
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| City in India | ||
| Location of Daman
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| History: Firsts |
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| - | Pioneers | 1953, Ghulam-‘Ali Karlawala |
| - | Local Assembly | 1956 |
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Daman is a city in western India. It was established by Portugal in the 16th Century and remained a Portuguese Colony until being incorporated into the Republic of India in 1961.
A Bahá’í community was established in Daman in the 1950s.
History[edit]
When Shoghi Effendi launched the Ten Year Crusade in 1953 Daman was named a goal territory for the establishment of a Bahá’í community. In June that year Ghulam-‘Ali Karlawala, an Indian Bahá’í, pioneered to the city opening it the Faith.[1]
Karlawala initially found it difficult to teach the Faith. As alcohol was prohibited in India the production and sale of alcohol was a major industry in the Portuguese administrated Daman with heavy drinking being common.[1] He was also reported to the authorities by members of the Muslim community who considered his teaching anti-Islamic, however after he met with the police they were assured he was not a threat to public order. A Shi‘ih cleric in Daman began denouncing the Faith in sermons and Karlawala attended one of the sermons and was attacked and beaten when he questioned the clerics hostility.[2]
By 1956 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Daman had been established and Karlawala departed the city.[2]
