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From Bahaipedia
 France
First Bahá’í National Convention of France, 1958.
Location of France
National AssemblyFrance
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[2] 64,531,444
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source 5,000 [1] 
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 4,629
History:
Firsts
 -  Local Bahá'í 1898, May Maxwell 
 -  Local Assembly 1919, Paris 
 -  National Assembly 1958 
How to contact:
 -  Email secretariat@bahai.fr
Official Website http://www.bahai.fr/
Related media
Categories: France • People

The French Republic is a country in Western Europe. Irreligion and Christianity are the predominant belief systems and French is the official language.

France emerged as a unified Kingdom in the Middle Ages. It became a Republic for the first time in 1792, became an Empire under Napoleon in 1799, and later became a Republic again in 1870. The current Constitution of the French Republic was adopted in 1958.

The Bahá’í Faith was first present in France in 1898 and a small community was established in Paris in the early 1900s which was the first in Europe. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá notably visiting the country in the early 1910s. The Second World War significantly disrupted the Bahá’ís of France necessitating the re-establishment of the community in the 1940s. The community was consolidated in the 1950s and 1960s, began social and economic development efforts in the 1980s and 1990s, and remains active to the present day.

Background[edit]

Early Years[edit]

The Bahá’í Faith was brought to France in 1898 when the first American pilgrim group stopped in the country while traveling to the Holy Land.[3] A member of the pilgrimage group, Phoebe Hearst, owned a property in Paris which the American Bolles family was minding for her,[4] and while the group was in Paris May Bolles accepted the Faith after being taught about it by another member of the pilgrim group, Lua Getsinger.[5] May then joined the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and upon returning to Paris in 1899 she began actively teaching the Faith.[4]

May taught initially shared the Faith with other Americans living in Paris with Edith MacKaye being the first to become a Bahá’í through her followed by Mason Remey and Remey's roommate Herbert Hopper leading to Paris having four Bahá’ís by 1900.[4] In 1901 Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl moved to Paris for several months to deepen the fledgling Bahá’í community at the request of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,[6] and during that year Thomas Breakwell became the first British Bahá’í while living in Paris and Hippolyte Dreyfus became the first native French Bahá’í.[7] Over thirty people declared during Fadl's visit,[8] however in 1902 May Bolles married William Sutherland Maxwell and they moved to Canada and many of the American members of the Paris Bahá’í community also left the country.[9] Despite the departures as of 1903 there were several French Bahá’ís living in Paris,[10] who continued to actively teach the religion with the community experiencing regular growth throughout the decade.[9]

On October 5, 1911, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Head of the Bahá’í Faith, arrived in Paris during His tour of the West and He remained in France until December 7 that year. He delivered several public talks and met with people in His lodgings while in the city,[11] and He also visited an educational center for impoverished children established by two French Bahá’ís.[12] Dictation of His talks were compiled and published as the book Paris Talks which remains in print to the present day.[13] In January 1913 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made a second visit to France visiting Paris and Versailles and remaining in the country until March. He visited a third and final time from May to June when He sailed to Egypt from Marseilles ending His tour of the West.[12]

The First World War prevented communication between Bahá’ís in the West and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,[14] however teaching within France continued with Edith Sanderson making efforts to preserve the community and teach throughout the war.[15]

The Inter-War Period[edit]

In 1919 the Paris Bahá’í community was able to write to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and received a Tablet in reply in which He addressed them as the Paris Assembly, praised them for developing an organized community, and encouraged them to teach the Faith.[16] In April, 1920, Shoghi Effendi moved to Neuilly, Paris, at the direction of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in order to improve his health,[17] and he briefly visited Versailles in July the same year before moving to England to study at Oxford University.[18]

As of 1925 Paris was noted as one of the leading Bahá’í communities in the world, remaining active with Hippolyte Dreyfus publishing several books on the religion and the community establishing relationships with other spiritualist societies,[19] although Paris remained the only city in France with a Bahá’í community.[20] Between 1928 and 1930 Bahá’í groups were established in Annecy and Marseilles,[21] although by 1934 there were only Bahá’í communities in Paris and Nanterre.[22]

In the early 1930's around fifty Persian youth moved to France to complete university studies and formed a student group called the Oriental Students' Union in Paris which held weekly meetings. Many students were studying outside Paris and as such annual conferences were held beginning in 1930 to allow participation by those living as isolated Bahá’ís in other cities.[23] The Bahá’í community of Paris remained small throughout the 1930's but actively held several regular meetings,[24] and as of 1936 there were also small communities in Lyon, Marseilles, Nanterre, and Vance.[25] In 1937 the Oriental Students' Union opened their annual conference to all Bahá’í youth across Europe and youth from London attended.[26] By 1938 additional communities had been established in Grenoble and Versailles,[27] and in 1939 a Bahá’í of Paris noted political instability in Europe had lead to greater interest in the Faith.[28] In 1940 a Local Spiritual Assembly was established in Lyon.[29]

In 1940 Shoghi Effendi visited Paris again accompanied by his wife Rúḥíyyih Khánum and father-in-law William Sutherland Maxwell while traveling to England for personal matters and on June 2, 1940, they departed France from St. Malo one day before the city was occupied by Nazi Germany.[30] The Nazi regime had outlawed the Faith in Germany and when Paris was occupied in June, 1940, members of the Bahá’í community were questioned by the Gestapo with one Bahá’í being taken to a concentration camp and the community lost all contact with the international Bahá’í community with many fleeing Paris. The Gestapo attempted to confiscate all Bahá’í literature however Bahá’ís were able to save some literature as the Secretary of the Paris Assemblies home had been destroyed and the Gestapo had assumed the majority of literature possessed by the Bahá’í community had been destroyed with it. Despite restrictions the handful of Bahá’ís still in Paris, which eventually dropped to three, were able to meet once a month throughout the German occupation.[31]

Post-War Period[edit]

In 1945 following the end of the War American Bahá’ís visited Paris and were able to meet with seven Bahá’ís still living in the city,[32] and in 1946 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Paris was re-established.[33] The Paris community immediately became active overseeing the publication and distribution of Bahá’í literature and in 1947 their teaching efforts resulted in the re-establishment of a Bahá’í community in Lyon.[34] By 1950 small communities had formed in Bandol, Bordeaux, Brives, Hyeres, La-Chaise, Dieu, Marseilles and Niort.[35]

In 1951 a Bahá’í Center was opened in Paris which housed a library and began to be used to host firesides.[36] As of 1952 an additional Assembly had been formed in Marseilles leaving France with three Assemblies and it also had three Bahá’í groups and Bahá’ís living in six other towns.[37] In 1953 the first national French Bahá’í Teaching Conference was held in Lyon which brought together Bahá’ís across the country and was attended by Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery,[38] and in 1954 Shoghi Effendi encouraged the Bahá’ís of Paris to pioneer to expand the presence of the Faith across France.[39]

In 1955 a Bahá’í Conference and Summer School were held in Lyon and in a letter to the event Shoghi Effendi advised that a National Spiritual Assembly of France would be established in 1958 encouraging the community to aim to expand the number of communities in the country.[40] The French Bahá’ís quickly found success with a Local Spiritual Assembly being established in Nice in 1956,[41] and another in Orleans in 1957.[42] The first Bahá’í National Convention of France was held in 1958 with the National Spiritual Assembly of France being established at the event,[43] and a National Youth Committee was established the same year.[44]

In April, 1960, Mason Remey fraudulently claimed to be the second Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith and head of the religion, breaking the Covenant and contradicting previous statements he had co-signed stating that Shoghi Effendi did not have a successor. Five members of the French National Spiritual Assembly accepted Remey's claim and the Custodians who had assumed responsibility for directing the Bahá’í community sent Hand of the Cause Abu’l-Qásim Faizí to France to consult with the Assembly.[45] The Assembly members remained supporters of Remey and were named Covenant-breakers and the National Assembly was dissolved with an election being held on May 29, 1960, to re-establish the body.[46]

Community Consolidation[edit]

In 1961 the National Youth Committee of France was split into two bodies, one for the north of France and one for the south and in 1962 the first Regional Bahá’í Youth School in France was held in Orleans.[44] As of 1963 France had seven Local Spiritual Assemblies, fourteen groups and Bahá’ís resided in an additional eighteen localities.[47] By 1968 the number of Assemblies had dropped to five but the number of Bahá’í groups had expanded to fifty-six.[48]

In the late 1960's Bahá’í youth began to become primarily responsible for teaching, proclamation, and deepening activities in France,[49] and in 1971 the Teaching Committee for Northern France began producing deepening workbooks and other literary materials.[50] By 1973 the community had eighteen Local Spiritual Assemblies and the National Spiritual Assembly of France noted that the growth of the community had rapidly accelerated in the early 1970's presenting new challenges for community consolidation.[50]

In 1974 the Bahá’í community of France focused teaching efforts in Nantes and Corsica and the Local Spiritual Assembly of Nantes was established,[51] and in the mid 1970's three day institutes began to be held to train Bahá’ís wanting to teach the Faith,[51] with the amount of Bahá’í activity in France increasing mostly due to efforts beginning at the local level.[52] The Faith also experienced an increase in its general media presence in the country during the mid 1970's.[53]

In the late 1970's the practice of holding regular Summer Schools and Camps for Bahá’í children became well established in France, a new National Bahá’í Centre with increased capacity was secured, and teaching efforts collaborating with the National Spiritual Assembly Switzerland were undertaken and collaboration with the National Spiritual of Spain to establish the Faith in the Basque region were undertaken.[54]

In the 1980's the Bahá’í community of France began efforts to have The Dawn-Breakers translated into French and for the French translation of the Kitab-i-Iqan to be republished,[55] and secured regional Bahá’í centres in Nice and Strasbourg.[56] In 1985 a French association of Bahá’í medical professionals, called Association Médicale Baha’ie, was officially recognized by the French Medical Council,[57] and it began pursuing study of the relationship between Bahá’í principles and the conduct and ethics of health professionals.[58] In 1986 representatives of National Youth Committees from across Europe attended a conference held in Strasbourg to provide a forum for consulting on the work of Bahá’í youth across the continent.[59]

In 1989 the Association for Bahá’í Women for Development, Peace and Unity was established in France,[60] and in the early 1990's the French Bahá’í community worked with non-government agencies to provide literacy classes for Turkish-speaking women in the country.[61] In 1990 a group of Bahá’ís active in business established an informal network in Paris to discuss business ethics which authored a charter in 1992 and became officially registered as the European Bahá’í Business Forum in 1993.[62]

In 1997 an international Bahá’í Youth School named after May Maxwell was held in Strasbourg by the European Bahá’í Youth Council, with it being the first international youth school held in Europe.[63] In November, 1998, the Bahá’í community of France held a major conference to commemorate the Centenary of the Bahá’í Faith in Europe which was attended by two thousand people.[64] The event received major media coverage.[65]

Recent Years[edit]

In the early 2000's the institute process began to develop in France with a five day intensive course being held in Limoges in 2004 to train participants in how to integrate the arts into core activities.[66] In 2005 a large educational center in Paris provided a venue for the Bahá’í community to host a children's class and the center arranged for a junior youth group to be established after seeing a positive impact from the children's class.[67]

In 2011 the Centenary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's visit to France was celebrated at a Summer School in Evian during which emulating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in contemporary Bahá’í activities was discussed.[68] In 2013 a major international Bahá’í Youth Conference was held in Paris which was attended by approximately 650 people.[69] In 2017 the Bahá’í community of Paris hosted a series of round table discussions on social cohesion leading up to a celebration of the Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh which was attended by dignitaries and prominent officials.[70]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Bahai.fr
  2. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. ↑ Kathryn Jewett Hogenson, Lighting the Western Sky, George Ronald: Oxford, 2010, p 60
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Robert H. Stockman, The Baha'i Faith in America Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 1995, p 151
  5. ↑ Kathryn Jewett Hogenson, Lighting the Western Sky, George Ronald: Oxford, 2010, p 61
  6. ↑ Robert H. Stockman, The Baha'i Faith in America Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 1995, p 153
  7. ↑ Robert H. Stockman, The Baha'i Faith in America Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 1995, p 154
  8. ↑ Moojan Momen, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpáygání, published at Bahá’í Library Online, 1995, accessed 28 November 2022
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Robert H. Stockman, The Baha'i Faith in America Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 1995, p 156
  10. ↑ Robert H. Stockman, The Baha'i Faith in America Volume 2, George Ronald: Oxford, 1995, p 155
  11. ↑ Amin Egea, The Apostle of Peace, Volume One: 1871-1912, George Ronald: Oxford, 2017, p 158
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Amin Egea, The Apostle of Peace, Volume Two: 1912-1921, George Ronald: Oxford, 2018, p 113
  13. ↑ https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/paris-talks/
  14. ↑ Momen, M.; Studies in Babi and Bahá'í History, Kalimat Press pp 189-192.
  15. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1970). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 13 (1954-1963), Pg(s) 889. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ Star of the West (October 16, 1919). Bahai News Service. Volume 10, Issue 12. Pg(s) 226. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ Riaz Khadem, Prelude to the Guardianship, George Ronald: Oxford, 2014, p 131
  18. ↑ Riaz Khadem, Prelude to the Guardianship, George Ronald: Oxford, 2014, p 137
  19. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1928). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 2 (1926-1928), Pg(s) 28. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1926). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 1 (1925-1926), Pg(s) 102. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1930). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 3 (1928-1930), Pg(s) 222. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1936). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 5 (1932-1934), Pg(s) 428. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1936). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 5 (1932-1934), Pg(s) 377. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1937). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 6 (1934-1936), Pg(s) 45. View as PDF.
  25. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1937). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 6 (1934-1936), Pg(s) 508. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1939). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 7 (1936-1938), Pg(s) 470. View as PDF.
  27. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1939). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 7 (1936-1938), Pg(s) 557. View as PDF.
  28. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1942). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 8 (1938-1940), Pg(s) 562. View as PDF.
  29. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 610. View as PDF.
  30. ↑ Ruhiyyih Khanum, Priceless Pearl, Baha'i Publishing Trust: London, 1969, p 179
  31. ↑ Baha'i News (1945). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 177, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  32. ↑ Baha'i News (1945). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 177, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  33. ↑ Baha'i News (1946). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 190, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  34. ↑ Baha'i News (1948). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 203, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  35. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1952?). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 11 (1946-1950), Pg(s) 522. View as PDF.
  36. ↑ Baha'i News (1951). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 243, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  37. ↑ Baha'i News (1952). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 260, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  38. ↑ Baha'i News (1953). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 269, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  39. ↑ Baha'i News (1954). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 282, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  40. ↑ Baha'i News (1955). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 296, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  41. ↑ Baha'i News (1956). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 306, Pg(s) 9. View as PDF.
  42. ↑ Baha'i News (1957). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 318, Pg(s) 8. View as PDF.
  43. ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 329, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1970). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 13 (1954-1963), Pg(s) 779. View as PDF.
  45. ↑ Ruhiyyih Khanum (Ed.), The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963, Bahá’í World Centre, 1992, p 203
  46. ↑ Baha'i News (1960). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 355, Pg(s) 2. View as PDF.
  47. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1970). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 13 (1954-1963), Pg(s) 282. View as PDF.
  48. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 165. View as PDF.
  49. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 279. View as PDF.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1976). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 15 (1968-1973), Pg(s) 280. View as PDF.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 295. View as PDF.
  52. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 297. View as PDF.
  53. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 296. View as PDF.
  54. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 190. View as PDF.
  55. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 174. View as PDF.
  56. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 175. View as PDF.
  57. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 19 (1983-1986), Pg(s) 436. View as PDF.
  58. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 474. View as PDF.
  59. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 20 (1986-1992), Pg(s) 351. View as PDF.
  60. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 25 (1996-1997), Pg(s) 132. View as PDF.
  61. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1994). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 22 (1993-1994), Pg(s) 257. View as PDF.
  62. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2003). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 30 (2001-2002), Pg(s) 150. View as PDF.
  63. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1999). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 26 (1997-1998), Pg(s) 143. View as PDF.
  64. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2000). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 27 (1998-1999), Pg(s) 123. View as PDF.
  65. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2000). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 27 (1998-1999), Pg(s) 124. View as PDF.
  66. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2006). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 33 (2004-2005), Pg(s) 232. View as PDF.
  67. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2007). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 34 (2005-2006), Pg(s) 51. View as PDF.
  68. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/854/
  69. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/community-news/youth-conferences/paris.html
  70. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/1213/
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