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Sudan

From Bahaipedia
 Sudan
Some Bahá'ís of Sudan with Hand of the Cause Ṭaráẓu’lláh Samandarí (seated, second from right), 1965.
Location of Sudan
National AssemblySudan
Statistics:
Total Population
 -  UN 2021[1] 45,657,202
Bahá'í pop.
 -  Bahá'í source  
 -  Non-Bahá'í source 2,718
History:
Firsts
 -  Bahá'í to visit Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí 
 -  Local Assembly 1946, Khartoum 
 -  National Assembly 1923, with Egypt
1971, independently 
Related media
Categories: Sudan • People

The Republic of the Sudan is a country in North Africa. Its official languages are English and Arabic with Sudanese Arabic being the national language.

The region has been inhabited from prehistory, and the Kingdom of Kush was formed in it in ancient history. In the early middle ages Christian kingdoms ruled in the area, and in the 16th century Islamic kingdoms became dominant. In the 19th century the largely autonomous ruler of Egypt under the Ottoman Empire conquered the region. In 1899 Sudan functionally became a colony of the British Empire, being ruled by a Governor-General appointed by Egypt but requiring British consent. In 1956 Sudan voted to become an independent nation.

Sudan was opened to the Faith during the Ministry of Bahá’u’lláh. The National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan, one of the first National Assemblies, was established in 1924, however the Faith was not firmly established in the country until the 1940's. The religion grew steadily throughout the 1960's.

History[edit]

Bahá'ís of Khartoum, 1930s.

Sudan was opened to the Bahá'í Faith within the lifetime of its Founder, Bahá’u’lláh. Hájí Mírzá Haydar-`Alí was arrested for teaching the Faith in Egypt and exiled to Khartoum in either 1862 or 1863 and he remained imprisoned in Sudan for nine years.[2][3][4] In 1924 the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan was formed, one of the earliest National Spiritual Assemblies in the world. It was incorporated in 1934, but only as the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt, and the incorporation document was not amended to include Sudan until 1949.[5]

As of 1934 there was a Bahá'í group in Darfur.[6] In May 1937 'Abdu'l-Hamid Effendi Ibrahim, a Bahá'í from Alexandria, Egypt, pioneered to Khartoum at the suggestion of Shoghi Effendi and opened a tailor shop.[7] By 1938 there was a Bahá'í group in Khartoum, however the Bahá'í group of Darfur had gone defunct.[8]

In 1944 two Egyptian Bahá'ís, Hassan Effendi El Saeed of Port-Said and Rashad Effendi El Hamamsy of Cairo, pioneered to Khartoum arriving on January 23 and February 27 respectively. Shortly after their arrival they noted that there were nine Bahá'ís in Khartoum and one Bahá'í living in Singa.[9] In 1946 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Khartoum was formed.[10]

First LSA of Port Sudan, 1957.

As of 1950 there were Bahá'ís resident in Dongola and Kadrif, in addition to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Khartoum.[11] In 1951 the first woman was elected to the Local Spiritual Assembly of Khartoum.[12] In 1952 Hand of the Cause Shu'á'u'lláh ‘Alá'í visited Khartoum.[13] In 1956 the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan was reconstituted as the National Spiritual Assembly of North East Africa. In 1957 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Port Sudan was established.[14] In 1959 a Bahá'í burial ground for Khartoum was obtained after the wife of the caretaker of the Bahá'í cemetery of Cairo passed away while visiting Khartoum.[15]

In 1961 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Khartoum North was established,[16] bringing the total number of Assemblies to three: Khartoum, Khartoum North, and Port Sudan.[17] In 1962 a Bahá'í pamphlet was translated into Nubian at the direction of the National Teaching Committee of Sudan.[18] By 1963 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Khartoum North had achieved incorporation.[19] As of 1964 Sudan had four Local Spiritual Assemblies, with the Khartoum North Assembly being the only one incorporated, and also nine Bahá'í groups. It aimed to have fifteen Local Spiritual Assemblies with five incorporated by 1973 as part of the Nine Year Plan.[20] In 1965 Hand of the Cause Ṭaráẓu’lláh Samandarí visited Sudan.[21]

In 1971 the independent National Spiritual Assembly of Sudan was established with its seat in Khartoum.[22]

In August 1981 Operation Olinga, a teaching plan focused on three towns, began. In 1982 a Local Spiritual Assembly for Upper Talanga was established as fourteen people declared in the town, Marida was opened to the Faith and six people declared, and thirteen people declared in Pajok where there was already a community making it the largest Bahá'í community in Sudan.[23] In 1985 Bahá'ís established a tutorial school in Bongolo.[24] In 1986 the Promise of World Peace, the peace statement by the Universal House of Justice, was indirectly presented to the Head of State of Sudan by being sent by registered mail.[25]

In January 1997 a winter school held in Khartoum was attended by Bahá'ís from across the whole country.[26] In June 1997 the Mírzá Haydar-`Alí Institute was established by the Sudan Bahá'ís. It offered courses on Bahá'í administration, history, methods of expansion, and other spiritual topics.[27]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  2. ↑ Bábí and the Bahá’í Religions, The, 1844–1944, Some Contemporary Western Accounts. Moojan Momen, George Ronald, Oxford, 1981., p 257
  3. ↑ Bahá’u’lláh, The King of Glory. H.M. Balyuzi, George Ronald, Oxford, 1980., p 250
  4. ↑ Stories from the Delight of Hearts: Memoirs of Hájí Mírzá Haydar-‘Alí. A.Q. Faizí, Kalimát Press, Los Angeles, 1980., pp 32-66
  5. ↑ Baha'i News (1957). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 321, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  6. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1936). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 5 (1932-1934), Pg(s) 432. View as PDF.
  7. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1939). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 7 (1936-1938), Pg(s) 155. View as PDF.
  8. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1939). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 7 (1936-1938), Pg(s) 559. View as PDF.
  9. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1949). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 10 (1944-1946), Pg(s) 57. View as PDF.
  10. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1952?). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 11 (1946-1950), Pg(s) 198. View as PDF.
  11. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1952?). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 11 (1946-1950), Pg(s) 524. View as PDF.
  12. ↑ Baha'i News (1951). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 247, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  13. ↑ Baha'i News (1952). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 259, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  14. ↑ Baha'i News (July 1957). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 317, Pg(s) 17. View as PDF.
  15. ↑ Baha'i News (1959). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 335, Pg(s) 15. View as PDF.
  16. ↑ Baha'i News (1962). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 375, Pg(s) 7. View as PDF.
  17. ↑ Baha'i News (1961). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 365, Pg(s) 6. View as PDF.
  18. ↑ Baha'i News (1962). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 373, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  19. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1970). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 13 (1954-1963), Pg(s) 475. View as PDF.
  20. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1974). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 14 (1963-1968), Pg(s) 124. View as PDF.
  21. ↑ Baha'i News (1965). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 415, Pg(s) 4. View as PDF.
  22. ↑ Bahá'í World, Vol. 15, p 150, p 295
  23. ↑ Baha'i News (1982). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 612, Pg(s) 13. View as PDF.
  24. ↑ Baha'i News (1986). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 660, Pg(s) 5. View as PDF.
  25. ↑ Baha'i News (1988). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 683, Pg(s) 10. View as PDF.
  26. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1998). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 25 (1996-1997), Pg(s) 60. View as PDF.
  27. ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1999). Bahá’í World Centre. Haifa. Volume 26 (1997-1998), Pg(s) 93. View as PDF.

See also[edit]


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