Hadi Afsahi
Hadi Afsahi | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 15, 1924 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | April 28, 2003 Uppsala, Sweden |
| NSA member | Sweden 1962 - 1968 |
| ABM | Europe 1968 - 1993 |
Hadi Afsahi (April 15, 1924 - April 28, 2003) was a Persian Bahá’í who pioneered to Europe where he served as a National Spiritual Assembly and Auxiliary Board member.
Biography[edit]
Afsahi was born into a Bahá’í family in Tehran in 1924 with his family having Bahá’ís going back three generations. He was raised in Tehran and received his education at the Bahá’í run Tarbíyat School, completed a civil engineering degree at Tehran University.[1]
In 1947 Afsahi began working for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and his position allowed him to pioneer within Iran to Masjid-i-Sulayman and Gachsaran where he helped establish Local Spiritual Assemblies which he served on. In 1954 he married Mehri Golmohammadi and they had two children.[1]
In 1959 Afsahi retired from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and in January 1960 he pioneered to Uppsala, Sweden, and he was appointed to the National Teaching Committee of Sweden which he served on for seven years. His family joined him in Uppsala a few months into 1960 and helped establish the Local Spiritual Assembly which Afsahi served on. In his professional career Afsahi worked as a high school teacher in Sweden teaching mathematics, physics, and chemistry.[2]
In 1962 Afsahi was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Sweden and he served on the body until 1968 when he was appointed to the Auxiliary Board for Europe. He made several teaching trips within Sweden and internationally and he was notably active in teaching the Roma people and Sami population of Lapland. In addition to his Bahá’í service Afsahi was also active in supporting the United Nations Association and the National Sami Organization of Sweden.[2]
Some notable events during Afsahi's service as Board member which were reported in Bahá’í News included several teaching trips throughout Finland in 1974,[3] giving a two hour speech on the Faith at a postgraduate seminar at the University of Uppsala in 1977,[4] participating in a border teaching conference in Pitea, Sweden, in 1981,[5] and speaking on the Faith at the local Rotary Club branch of Sundsvall, Sweden, in 1982.[6]
In 1989 Afsahi retired as a high school teacher and in 1993 he completed his service as an Auxiliary Board member. He passed away in 2003. The Universal House of Justice conveyed a message after his passing which included the following:
". . . long-serving and steadfast devotion, his warm and radiant spirit, and his indefatigable dedication to the teaching work . . . recalled with deep gratitude."[2]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2005). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 32 (2003-2004), Pg(s) 230. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (2005). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 32 (2003-2004), Pg(s) 231. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1978). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 16 (1973-1976), Pg(s) 293. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1977). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 555, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 610, Pg(s) 16. View as PDF.
- ↑ Baha'i News (1983). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 623, Pg(s) 15. View as PDF.
References[edit]
- The Universal House of Justice. The Bahá’í World - An International Record 2003-2004. Haifa, Israel: World Centre Publications.
