Stories in Volume 20, Issue 4 — December 2009-March 2010
 Human Rights
Trial of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran begins; international condemnation followsGENEVA - After several postponements last year, the trial of seven Iranian Bahá'í leaders began in January 2010 - an event that was immediately condemned by governments and human rights groups and activists outside Iran. Arrested in 2008 and held in Evin prison for... Read more |
 Perspective
Transforming Collective Deliberation: Valuing Unity and JusticeThe most compelling model for the integration of the world's cultures and peoples may lie in the complexity and coordination that characterize the human body. Within this organism, millions of cells, with extraordinary diversity of form and function, collaborate to make... Read more |
 Environment
As commitments pour in, many find reason for optimism in Copenhagen climate summitCOPENHAGEN - Although initially derided for its failure to reach a binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gases, December's United Nations Climate Change Conference has in recent months undergone a quiet reassessment, and many are now saying that in fact considerable... Read more |
 Interfaith
Women and environment are highlighted at 2009 Parliament of the World's ReligionsMELBOURNE, Australia - As the largest regular global interfaith gathering, the Parliament of the World's Religions offers a chance every five years to assess new directions and crosscurrents within the interfaith movement. Among the trends that stood out at the 2009... Read more |
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Religious Freedom
A discussion about matters of religious tolerance and freedomMELBOURNE, Australia - How can interfaith dialogue and religious freedom flourish when one religion declares that another is not a religion? Are tolerance and cooperation only possible among people who share the same doctrinal view of the world? These questions were... Read more |
 Gender Equality
Portrayal or Betrayal? How the media depicts women and girlsNEW YORK - When Jan Floyd-Douglass decided to buy a new car, she bypassed suitable models from many different companies - and then wrote to tell them why. "I wrote to eight manufacturers saying, 'I love your car but I didn't buy it because I don't like your... Read more |
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Women's Progress
How much have women advanced since Beijing?In a declaration, the 54th Commission on the Status of Women broadly concluded that much progress for women has been made since the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women. But it also stated that many "challenges and obstacles" remain before the agreements forged in... Read more |
 Human Rights
At the Human Rights Council, the world objects to Iran's record in a historic first reviewGENEVA - At a historic first review of its record before the UN Human Rights Council, Iran found itself sharply criticized by other nations for a wide range of violations - not the least of which were its treatment of citizens in post-election protests and its ongoing... Read more |
 Books
Review: How Baha'is helped bring modern education to IranThe Forgotten Schools: The Bahá'ís and Modern Education in Iran 1899-1934 By Soli Shahvar I.B. Tauris, London The role of the Bahá'í Faith in the modernization of Iran remains a history largely waiting to be written, according to the author of a new scholarly work... Read more |