Shidan Fat'he-Aazam

Shidan Fat'he-Aazam
Shidan at Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Zimbabwe
Bornc. 1928
NSA memberSouth and West Africa
1960 - 1964
ABMAfrica
1958 - 1968
CounsellorSouthern Africa
1968 - 1980
Africa
1980 - 2000
 Media

Shidan Fat'he-Aazam (b.c. 1928) is a Persian Bahá’í who was a notable travel teacher in the United States, and pioneered to Africa where he served as a National Spiritual Assembly member, an Auxiliary Board member, and a Continental Counsellor.

Service to the Bahá’í Faith[edit]

Shidan was from Tehran,[1] and his father was Núri’d-Dín Fath-‘Azam. His brother was Hushmand Fatheazam.[2]

He moved to America in 1944 at the age of sixteen and attended Montezuma School , San Francisco Junior College, and the University of California.[3] In 1946 he served as a pall-bearer at the funeral of John Bosch.[4] In 1947 he accompanied fellow Persian students Firuz Kazemzadeh and Amín Banání on a teaching trip to Phoenix during university holidays.[5]

On August 9, 1952, Shidan married Florence Piepenburg in Los Angeles,[6] and at the end of the month they traveled to England to make preparations to pioneer to the Gold Coast in Africa.[7] They spent seven months in England waiting to be able to pioneer, but had to move to Iran before being able to move to Africa.[8] Together they went on to have children Beth and Denny.[9]

As of 1960 he was serving on the National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa.[10] In 1962 he was elected treasurer of the Assembly.[11] As of 1964 he had been appointed an Auxiliary Board member, and he visited Rhodesia with Eric Manton to assist with teaching conferences focused on Bahá’í administration.[12] In 1966 Shidan's wife and three children returned to the United States for a visit for the first time in thirteen years and were interviewed by a local newspaper.[13]

In 1968 Shidan was appointed to the inaugural Continental Board of Counsellors for Southern Africa, and as the Trustee of the Continental Fund.[14] In 1969 he attended the National Convention of Swaziland, Lesotho, and Mozambique,[15] and made a two week trip through Botswana.[16] In 1970 he attended the dedication of the Leroy Ioas Institute in Swaziland.[17] In November 1971 he accompanied Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga on a three day visit to Botswana,[18] and in late December through to January 1972 he participated in the first Youth Summer School for Southern Africa in Swaziland.[19]

Shidan accompanied Ruhiyyih Khanum often in 1972 during her tour of Africa, spending three days with her visiting several villages in Rhodesia in early June 1972,[20] accompanying her in Botswana where she spent the rest of June,[21] and also during her visit to Lesotho from July to August.[22] In October he spent more time with Ruhiyyih Khanum, meeting her when she arrived in Malawi and accompanying her during her visit.[23] In 1976 Shidan attended the first Bahá’í Children's School of Rhodesia, presenting pins and certificates to students at its closing ceremony.[24] In October 1977 he attended the fourth National Teaching Conference of Rhodesia.[25]

In 1980 the various Continental Boards of Counsellors for Africa were merged into one body, and five year terms were introduced. Shidan was appointed to the new Continental Board for Africa.[26] In 1981 he visited Mauritius for five days.[27] In 1982 he attended the National Convention of Madagascar,[28] and in 1984 he attended the National Convention of the Seychelles.[29] He was reappointed for additional five year terms as Counsellor in 1985,[30] 1990,[31] and 1995,[32] before retiring from the role in 2000.[33]

In 2003 Shidan attended and spoke at the Jubilee Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Bahá’í Faith in Zimbabwe.[34]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=GP19460726.2.15&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  2. ↑ https://bahaihistoryuk.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/doreen-planchaud/
  3. ↑ https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=GP19470801.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  4. ↑ https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=GP19460726.2.15&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  5. ↑ Baha'i News (1947). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. No 192, Pg(s) 4-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  6. ↑ Baha'i News (1952). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 260, Pg(s) 16-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ Baha'i News (1952). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 259, Pg(s) 11-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  8. ↑ https://bahai-library.com/aazam_letter_geyserville_school
  9. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/270048245/denny-fathe-aazam
  10. ↑ Baha'i News (1960). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 353, Pg(s) 4-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ Baha'i News (1963). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 382, Pg(s) 11-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  12. ↑ Baha'i News (1964). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 405, Pg(s) 10-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ Baha'i News (1966). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 421, Pg(s) 15-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ Baha'i News (1958). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 329, Pg(s) 14-12 May 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ Baha'i News (1969). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 461, Pg(s) 7-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ Baha'i News (1969). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 464, Pg(s) 11-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ Baha'i News (1971). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 483, Pg(s) 10-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ Baha'i News (1972). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 492, Pg(s) 12-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ Baha'i News (1972). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 494, Pg(s) 16-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 504, Pg(s) 12-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 505, Pg(s) 16-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 506, Pg(s) 20-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  23. ↑ Baha'i News (1973). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 509, Pg(s) 10-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ Baha'i News (1976). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 541, Pg(s) 20-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  25. ↑ Baha'i News (1978). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 564, Pg(s) 14-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ Baha'i News (February 1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 599, Pg(s) 2-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  27. ↑ Baha'i News (1981). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 609, Pg(s) 16-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  28. ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 618, Pg(s) 12-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  29. ↑ Baha'i News (1984). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 643, Pg(s) 15-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  30. ↑ Baha'i News (December 1985). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 657, Pg(s) 2-23 January 2020‎‎. View as PDF.
  31. ↑ https://bahai.works/MUHJ86-01/207/Appointment_of_Continental_Counselors_and_Increase_in_Number_of_Continental_Counselors
  32. ↑ https://bahai.works/MUHJ86-01/207/Appointment_of_Continental_Counselors_and_Increase_in_Number_of_Continental_Counselors
  33. ↑ Heroes and Heroines of the Ten Year Crusade in Southern Africa (2003) , compiled by Edith Johnson and Lowell Johnson, p 369
  34. ↑ https://news.bahai.org/story/275/
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