Auxiliary Board members
National Spiritual Assembly
nsa@bahai.org.uk
18 November 2016
17 Qudrat 173 B.E.
To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
The National Spiritual Assembly is pleased to share with you the news just received from the Continental Board of Counsellors of the appointment of the contingent of Auxiliary Board members for Propagation and Protection to serve the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar and Malta. The following friends will serve in this capacity in the areas indicated for the coming five years, starting from the Day of the Covenant, 25 November 2016:
Dr. Andisheh Sara Agahi-Murphy – Propagation – Central England and Wales
Mr. Rafael Beberide – Protection – Gibraltar
Mrs. Noor Bell – Protection – East England
Ms. Astrid Bunne – Propagation – South and South West England and the Channel Islands
Dr. Steven Cleasby – Propagation – North England and Malta
Mr. David Foley – Protection – Northern Ireland
Dr. Soha Graham-Anderson – Propagation – Northern Ireland
Dr. Varqa Khadem – Protection – London and South East England
Mrs. Farah Khavari – Protection – North England and Malta
Ms. Rachel Murray – Protection – Wales and Central England
Miss Amanecer Olivares Rider – Propagation – Gibraltar
Mrs. Rouhiya Sweet – Propagation – East England
Dr. Shirin Tahzib – Protection – South and South West England and the Channel Islands
Mrs. Carrie Varjavandi – Protection – Scotland and the Faroe Islands
Dr. Ashkan Ziaie – Propagation – Scotland and the Faroe Islands
Mrs. Noura Said Fikri-Ziaie – Propagation – London and South East England
In announcing these appointments, in a letter dated 15 November 2016, the Continental Board of Counsellors shared the following:
The beloved Guardian described the Auxiliary Board members as a “vital and indispensable organ of the embryonic and steadily unfolding Bahá’í Administrative Order”. In a letter addressed to the Conference Marking the Inauguration of the International Teaching Centre Building in 2001, the Universal House of Justice stated that ministering to the crying needs of humanity for the divine prescriptions…
. . . largely depends upon the revolutionary vision, the creative drive and systematic effort of Auxiliary Board members and their assistants who prompt and encourage individuals, institutions and communities to act with dispatch, constancy and enthusiasm.
The following believers, who have earned our abiding gratitude for their self-sacrificing contributions to the progress of the Cause, are being relieved of the duties as Auxiliary Board members:
Dr. Sean Afnan Morrissey
Mr. Omid Behi
Mrs. Tara Hamel Smith-Shahbahrami
Mr. Howard Moshtael
We are confident that these dear friends will remain a source of inspiration and strength to the believers as they continue their dedicated efforts for the advancement of the Faith in the coming years. We shall offer supplications at the Sacred Threshold on their behalf, that divine blessings may surround every endeavour in the path of service to Bahá’u’lláh.
As the friends now appointed for this new term of service take up their tasks, we are sure that you will join with us in prayer, beseeching the Ancient Beauty to assist them in the discharge of their sacred duties.
We look forward to an ever closer collaboration between the Institution of the Counsellors and the elected Institutions, as we shoulder together the work of this Plan that will ensure the growth of our beloved Cause.
The National Assembly also wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the distinguished services of those beloved Board members who have now been relieved of service, as named above. These souls have earned the warmest appreciation and deepest gratitude of the National Assembly for the selfless services they have tirelessly rendered with such distinction in accelerating the Cause of God in these lands.
As Dr. Shirin Tahzib has been appointed as an Auxiliary Board member, she is stepping down as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly on the Day of the Covenant. Dr. Tahzib has, over the course of many years, made a significant contribution to the work and development of the institution of the National Assembly, both as a member and as its Chairman for part of this period. Her wisdom, clarity of thought, heartfelt devotion and enthusiasm, as well as her comradeship, will be sorely missed by her colleagues. We are certain, however, that she will continue to render outstanding services as a member of the Auxiliary Board. A by-election is being called to fill this vacancy, and the delegates to National Convention 2016 will receive instructions and ballot papers in the coming days.
The National Assembly assures the newly-appointed Board members of its unwavering love, prayers and collaboration in promoting the advancement of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in accordance with the Plans of the Universal House of Justice.
With warmest love,
Patrick O’Mara,
Secretary