 Switzerland |
||
|---|---|---|
 First Italo-Swiss Bahá’í Summer School in Bex-les-Bains, Switzerland, 1954.
|
||
| Location of Switzerland
|
||
| National Assembly | Switzerland | |
| Statistics: | ||
| Total Population | ||
| - | UN 2021[1] | 8,691,406 |
| Bahá'í pop. | ||
| - | Bahá'í source | |
| - | Non-Bahá'í source | 4,291 |
| History: Firsts |
||
| - | Pioneers | 1903, Edith MacKaye |
| - | National Assembly | 1953, with Italy 1962, independent |
| Official Website | http://www.bahai.ch/ | |
 Related media
|
||
| Categories: Switzerland • People | ||
The Swiss Confederation, commonly known as Switzerland, is a country in west-central Europe. Its official languages are German, French, Italian and Romansh and Christianity is the predominant religoin. It was among the earliest republics in modern history and is the home of most of the worlds major international institutions.
History[edit]
The first Bahá’í to live in Switzerland was Edith MacKaye who moved to Sion in 1903 from Paris, France. She married Dr. Joseph de Bons who became a Bahá’í through her. The Faith was actively taught in the country in the 1900's and in 1908 Hippolyte Dreyfus became the first French Bahá’í while living near Lake Geneva in Switzerland. In 1911 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá briefly travelled through Switzerland during His tour of Europe and in 1912 Lady Blomfield began teaching the Faith in the country, also teaching in the area throughout the First World War while serving the Red Cross and Save the Children Fund.[2]
In 1922 Shoghi Effendi visited Switzerland for respite due to the demands of his position as Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith and he would often visit the country to rest during his Ministry.[3] In the early 1920's prominent Swiss scientist August Forel became a Bahá’í and went on to teach the Faith prolifically through correspondence, writing articles about the religion, and promoting the defence of the Bahá’ís of Iran during a period of persecution in the 1920's.[2] In 1925 Jean Stannard settled in Geneva and established the International Bahá’í Bureau, which was intended to serve as an auxiliary body to assist Shoghi Effendi in facilitating communication across the international Bahá’í community,[4] and Martha Root visited the country teaching in Geneva and visiting Bahá’ís who lived in Lausanne.[5] The Bureau almost disbanded in 1927 but was maintained by Julia Culver,[6] and began hosting study classes on the Faith and communicating with international bodies in Geneva.[7]
- ↑ "World Population Prospects 2022". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://bahai-library.com/pdf/v/vader_history_bahai_switzerland.pdf
- ↑ Earl Redman, ‘’Through the Pilgrim’s Eye: Volume 1’’, George Ronald: Oxford, ‘’’2015’’’, p 51
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 257. View as PDF.
- ↑ Garis, p 230
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 258. View as PDF.
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1933). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. New York City, NY. Volume 4 (1930-1932), Pg(s) 260. View as PDF.
