Laurie Arbab

Laurie (left) with Rúḥíyyih Khánum.

Laurie Arbab (1941 - 2000) was an American Bahá’í who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia and as the first Director of the Ruhi Institute.

Background

Laurie was born Laurie Elmlund in 1941. On June 25, 1966, she married Farzam Arbab in Berkley, California, and as of 1970 they had pioneered to Colombia.

At some point she was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Colombia and when the Ruhi Institute was established in 1976 she became the bodies first director and was instrumental to the development of its materials and methodologies.

In 1988 her husband was appointed to the International Teaching Center and they both moved to the Holy Land. Her husband was then elected to the Universal House of Justice and she passed away in Haifa in 2000.

The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after her passing:

DEEPLY SADDENED UNTIMELY PASSING DEAR LAURIE ARBAB WHOSE PURITY HEART, STEADFASTNESS PURPOSE DISTINGUISHED HER NEARLY FOUR DECADES SERVICE BAHÁ’U’LLÁH, INCLUDING PERIOD MEMBERSHIP NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY COLOMBIA. AS DIRECTOR OF ORIGINAL RUHI INSTITUTE SHE FORGED METHODS, MORALE, MATERIALS OF DYNAMIC APPROACH TO ADVANCEMENT CAUSE. WORLD CENTER GREATLY INDEBTED HER SUBSEQUENT CONTRIBUTION CURATOR HOLY PLACES' HISTORICAL COLLECTION. EXTEND LOVING CONDOLENCES FAMILY, FRIENDS, ASSURING OUR HEARTFELT PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HER LUMINOUS SOUL.