Heshmatollah Farhoumand
Heshmatollah Farhoumand | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 10, 1913 Hamadan, Iran |
| Died | November 8, 1995 Virginia, USA |
| NSA member | North East Africa 1961 - ???? |
| Spouse(s) | Fourough Ekhbatani m. 1946 |
| Children | Delnawaz (b. 1947), Farshad (b. 1950), Farnaz (b. 1954), Foad (b. 1959) |
Heshmatollah Farhoumand (December 10, 1913 - November 8, 1995) was a Persian Bahá’í who pioneered to Eritrea and Ethiopia and served on the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa.
Biography[edit]
Early Life in Iran[edit]
Farhoumand was born in Hamadan, Iran, in 1913 to Hakim Nasir and Nushafarin Soleiman who were both Bahá’ís of Jewish descent with his mother being the granddaughter of Hakim Agha Jan, the first Jew to become a Bahá’í in Hamadan. He had at least two brothers named Manouchehr and Parviz and a sister named Monireh. He received his education at the Bahá’í run Ta'id School in Hamadan until it was shut down at the order of the Shah. He then attended the American College in Hamadan briefly then completed High School in Tehran. He was then accepted into a dental school and graduated at the top of his class in 1936 which received media coverage.[1]
After completing his education Farhoumand undertook two years of compulsory military service stationed in Kurdistan during which he was pressured by officers to conceal his religious beliefs which he declined to do. After his military service he returned to Tehran and established a dental practice with his brother Manouchehr.[1]
In 1946 Farhoumand married Fourough Vahid Ekhbatani and they had two children in Iran, Delnawaz born in 1947 and Farshad born in 1950. Shoghi Effendi announced the African Campaign teaching Plan in 1950 which included requesting the Persian Bahá’í community help establish the Bahá’í Faith in Africa and in 1952 Farhoumand sold his office in order to pioneer.[2]
Pioneering to Africa[edit]
On December 26, 1952, Farhoumand departed Tehran for Africa with his family remaining in Iran. He first settled in Tanganyika where he received a letter from Leroy Ioas assuring him Shoghi Effendi was praying for his pioneering to be successful. He was unable to secure a permanent resident visa and moved to Kenya where he was again unable to secure a visa and he finally moved to Eritrea where he was able to secure a residency visa.[2] In September 1953 he successfully secured official recognition of the Bahá’í Faith from the government of Eritrea and received the following cable of commendation from Shoghi Effendi:
ASSURE FARHOUMAND DEEPEST APPRECIATION HISTORIC HIGHLY MERITORIOUS SERVICES SHOGHI.[2]
Farhoumand established a dental clinic in Asmara and his family moved to Eritrea from Iran to join him in 1954. He had two more children while in Eritrea, Farnaz Ziba born in 1954 and Foad Hossein born in 1959.[2] He was successful in teaching the Faith in the country with people he introduced to the religion including Leo Niederreiter and Techeste Ahderom. He became highly regarded by government officials which allowed him to facilitate visa applications for Bahá’ís pioneering to the country including his nephew, Hushang Ahdieh, who pioneered in 1955.[3]
In 1956 Farhoumand went on pilgrimage allowing him to meet with Shoghi Effendi and was advised he would visit the Holy Land two more times. He was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa at some point and visited the Holy Land in 1963 and 1968 as a member of the Assembly to participate in elections of the Universal House of Justice.[3]
In 1963 Farhoumand pioneered to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia shortly after attending the First International Convention and he was instrumental to securing funds to construct a national Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds for the country and personally purchased land for the property which he donated to the Faith. He continued his career as a dentist and served many members of Ethiopia's royal family. In the 1970's Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the monarch of Iran, visited Ethiopia and when he suffered a toothache Farhoumand treated him. The Shah questioned why he had left Iran and Farhoumand advised him he was a Bahá’í and had pioneered to teach the religion.[3]
Later Life[edit]
In 1974 a revolution took place in Ethiopia with the royal family being overthrown and Farhoumand's children moved to America to pursue higher education and he asked the Universal House of Justice if it would be advisable for him to leave Ethiopia to join them. He was granted permission and moved to Vienna, Virginia, in the United States in 1976.[4]
Farhoumand remained an active Bahá’í in the Americas making teaching trips to Ecuador, Brazil, and across the Caribbean. After the 1979 Revolution in Iran which was followed by violent persecution of the Bahá’í community he notably assisted in efforts to have Iranian Bahá’ís granted visas in Ecuador and Brazil.[4]
In May 1995 Farhoumand returned to Eritrea at the request of the Universal House of Justice to attend the first National Convention at which the countries independent National Spiritual Assembly was established.[4] Later in the year he suffered a stroke and he passed away on November 8, 1995. The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after his passing:
DEEPLY SADDENED PASSING DEVOTED PROMOTER FAITH DEDICATED PIONEER ETHIOPIA ERITREA HESHMAT FARHOUMAND. CONVEY MEMBERS FAMILY LOVING SYMPATHY ASSURANCE FERVENT PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS SOUL ABHA KINGDOM.[4]
References[edit]
