Sami Doktoroglu
Sami Doktoroglu | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1901 Birecik, Turkey |
| Died | August 4, 1979 Turkey |
| NSA member | Turkey ???? - 1964 |
| ABM | Asia ???? - ???? |
Sami Doktoroglu (1901 - August 4, 1979) was a Turkish Bahá’í who served as a National Spiritual Assembly and Auxiliary Board member. In addition to his administrative service he was a scholar authoring several Bahá’í books in Turkish and securing permission to inspect Turkish government archives to find historical information on Bábí and Bahá’í history.[1]
Biography[edit]
Doktoroglu's parents were Halit-bey, the son of a doctor who worked in the Palace of the Ottoman Sultan in Istanbul, and his mother was Emine Khanum. He was born in Birecik in 1901 but his family moved to Istanbul when he was young and he attended Robert College where he learnt Greek. When the First World War began his studies were interrupted and he began working as a translator for the government as he was too young to serve in the military.[2]
In 1920 Doktoroglu's family returned to Birecik where he secured a job as a translator for a government office. He was introduced to the Bahá’í Faith when the Bahá’í community of Birecik commissioned him to translate English Bahá’í newsletters and correspondence.[2] He began studying the religion, discussing it with ‘Abdu’l-Qádir Dirioz, and declared. His family regarded him as an infidel after his conversion with the exception of his sister who married Dirioz.[1] In 1930 he married Bahá’í Behiye Khanum and they had five children.[3]
After marrying Doktoroglu moved to Mardin for two years and then Diyarbakir where he pursued business ventures. The Bahá’í community of Turkey experienced some persecution in this period and he was arrested and interrogated but released after one night in prison. In 1938 he moved to Istanbul and established a travel agency and he achieved success in the travel industry becoming the general representative of Pan American Airways when it expanded its operations to Turkey after the end of World War II.[3]
In 1951 Doktoroglu was responsible for the logistics of Hand of the Cause Amelia Collins visit to Istanbul and during her visit Shoghi Effendi sent a cable inviting Doktoroglu on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He made his pilgrimage in late 1951 and consulted with the Guardian on the community of Istanbul receiving instructions for several tasks he was to undertake including assisting the city in establishing a Local Spiritual Assembly.[3]
In 1952 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Istanbul was established with Doktoroglu being elected to the body and he began studying the Bahá’í writings more deeply.[3] He also began negotiations to secure ownership of Bahá’í Holy Places in Edirne and Istanbul by the Bahá’í community on the instructions of Shoghi Effendi and provided assistance to pioneering Bahá’ís through his travel agency.[1]
When the Ten Year Crusade was launched in 1953 Doktoroglu attended the Intercontinental Conferences held in Stockholm, Kampala, and New Delhi, and also attended the Dedication of the Wilmette Temple that year allowing him to meet many Bahá’ís of diverse backgrounds. He was appointed as an Auxiliary Board member and also the Trustee of the Ḥuqúqu’lláh for Turkey at some point in the 1950's, and in 1957 he oversaw the purchase of a Temple site in Turkey. In 1960 several Bahá’ís were arrested in Ankara due to their beliefs and Doktoroglu assisted in securing their release by contacting government officials and writing a letter to the President of Turkey explaining that the Faith was an independent religion rather than a sect of Islam. He served on the National Spiritual Assembly of Iraq after it was formed in 1959 and in 1963 he attended the First International Convention casting a vote in the establishment of the Universal House of Justice.[1]
Doktoroglu suffered ill health in later life but continued to actively serve the Faith making a two month visit to Australia in 1977 at the request of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia to teach and in 1978 he made a travel teaching trip to Cyprus. In July, 1979, he received a letter from the Universal House of Justice requesting he make inquiries about securing lumber in Turkey for the restoration of Holy Places in the Holy Land and he gave his daughter instructions on completing the task losing consciousness during their consultation. He was hospitalized three days later and passed away on August 4, 1979.[1]
The Universal House of Justice conveyed the following message after his passing:
"GRIEVED LOSS OUTSTANDING SERVANT BAHAULLAH SAMI DOKTOROGLU WHOSE UNINTERRUPTED DEVOTED SERVICES OVER SEVERAL DECADES SHED LUSTRE ANNALS FAITH TURKEY WON HIM ADMIRATION CONFIDENCE BELOVED GUARDIAN AND GRATITUDE ALL BELIEVERS. HIS WORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS ACQUISITION HOLY PLACES TURKEY HIS LEADERSHIP INFANT COMMUNITY TIME NEED HIS SERVICES INSTITUTIONS FAITH IN MANIFOLD FIELDS WILL BE ALWAYS REMEMBERED. WE EXTEND SYMPATHY RELATIVES FRIENDS DEPARTED CO-WORKER AND ASSURE FERVENT PRAYERS PROGRESS SOUL. ADVISE HOLD MEMORIAL GATHERINGS."[4]
Rúḥíyyih Khánum also sent the following in a letter of condolence to his family:
"Our beloved Guardian esteemed your father very highly and I am sure his reward in the Abhá Kingdom is very great. He will be much missed by the believers in Turkey and indeed in many countries where the friends were a witness to his many services to the Faith."[5]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 685. View as PDF.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 683. View as PDF.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 684. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 683. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1986). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 18 (1979-1983), Pg(s) 685. View as PDF.
