BIA takes over BCCA
 |
| Matthew Weinberg is the current Program Director of the Baha’i Internet Agency, at the Baha'i World Centre, Israel. |
This shutdown includes all email lists and websites that are currently managed by the BCCA. After that date, however, lists for Assemblies, clusters, teaching institutes and groups will be created and maintained under the newly-formed 'bahai.email' domain. Topical lists, such as Baha'i Writers and Baha'i Women will be discontinued. The Daily Readings and Baha'i Announce lists will also continue. Websites for National Spiritual Assemblies will be maintained by a different service provider.
It bears repeating to say that e-mail services to Assemblies, councils, clusters, teaching institutes and specific Baha'i-oriented services will be continued under the bahai.email domain. Additional information as to this transition will be announced as the 31 July date approaches.
Founded in 1992, the BCCA has offered a variety of list services as well as web services to the Baha'i community around the world. These services have been offered free of charge to individuals and the Institutions of the Faith. The BCCA was, and still is being, operated by volunteers. For many years financial support was obtained solely from individuals, whereas for the last few years it was obtained from its sponsor.
Initially, the BCCA responded to a number of the communications possibilities offered by the then rapidly developing Internet and World Wide Web services as well as to the new and increasingly inexpensive personal computer technologies. Since 1992, Internet and personal computer usage have deeply penetrated almost all levels of society world-wide. Over the last ten years or so, wireless and mobile telephone technologies have increased even further this penetration and we all live in an increasingly connected world. New tools and services, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, to name but a few, together with a very ubiquitous use of mobile devices, are creating new and challenging changes in the very structure of society, breaking down communication barriers and creating unprecedented and as yet poorly understood patterns of human behaviour and communications modalities.
As a consequence of all this, the Internet world has become so complex that the demand today on our human resources is simply too great for us to keep operating in an effective way. As you may appreciate, our own volunteers, all of them accomplished professionals, have been devoting their free time and energies to keeping the BCCA services running, some for more than 2 decades.
We wish to thank all of you who have been loyal supporters over the years and who have been patient when we have encountered difficulties. We wish to also thank our formal sponsor and all those who have contributed their own personal resources, financial and material, over the years to the BCCA.
Finally, to all BCCA list subscribers and website clients, we send our sincerest thanks for having used our services over the years. We sincerely hope that they have been of some use to you in all your efforts to serve the Cause of the Blessed Beauty as well as in your own personal spiritual development.
As always, please direct all questions and/or comments to BCCA-CC@bcca.org.
With most affectionate greetings to you all,
Co-ordinating Committee
Baha'i Computer and Communications Association
See also : WHAT IS BIA ?
How much Indian is the Baha'i Lotus Temple? How the Indian Baha'is contibuted to its construction !!!?
By Anupama R. (Ex-Baha'i from India)
On the order of the Hand of Bahaism (Baha'is call it "Hand of Cause of God") Mr. Rahmatullah Muhajir - Iranian Architect Fariborz Sahba was given the job to design the Indian House of Worship. He did not had any Idea for the design, so he did a tour of India to get an understanding of what will attract Indian Hindus to their "future structure"? What it should be like so that in the future it will serve as a conversion tool to build Baha'i Human Resource in India. Baha'is were convinced that Indians can only be converted to their cult if they use Indian culture to deceive them. Finally the shape of Lotus, which is a very important flower in Hinduism, was decided to be given to this temple.
Thus started the project :
• The job of Structural Engineering was given to Flint and Neill Company of London.
• All structural drawings and calculations were double checked in Geneva.
• A study of what type of concrete of what strength to be used was carried out with the help of specialist concrete technologists of the Concrete Association of England.
• A scale model of the Temple was made by specialists in London.
• The final design and layout were approved by the Israeli UHJ in 1977.
Regarding the work that Lotus Temple is going to do in future - Ruhiyyih Kanum Says : "It
is symmetrical, it is exquisitely beautiful. And how does it grow? It grows in a swamp and it raises its head out of the slime absolutely clean and perfect."
May be through these rosy sentences she meant to say that in the Land of Hindus this temple will sow the seeds of Baha'ism. In this marshy land of cults and castes and religions Baha'ism will boom like a lotus in muddy waters.
Fundraising :
Regarding Fundraising Shoghi Effendi says : "...the greater the sacrifice, the greater the power of the Mashriqu'l-Azkar (Temple)". Baha'is were asked to donate money for this temple.
• 92000 Square Metres of land in Delhi was purchased merely for Rupees 140,289.
• Ardashir Rustampur of Pakistan donated Rupees 100,190 for the Land of Lotus Temple.
• The major amount for construction of Lotus Temple came due to a Baha'i serving a Prison Sentence in Mozambique, Africa.
• Another major portion of sum came from Panama.
The contribution of Indian Baha'is to this project is not known except the mention of one village Baha'i who dropped into the Temple fund box a two-paise coin (one-fifth of a cent) and another Baha'i offered Rupees 100. Hence UHJ asked the Indian NSA to print coupons of Rupees 1 to 100 and collect funds from Indians. It is stated that 22% of construction cost was contributed by Indian Baha'is. But this is merely a claim without any proof. Even today, the Baha'is in India do not contribute to Baha'i Activities. Only a few Baha'is of Iranian origin sponsor Bahaism in India. For instance Zia Mody is the one who alone contributes Millions of Rupees to sponsor Bahaism in India.
On 30 July 1980 prayers were offered and, following Hindu tradition, coconuts were broken and sweets were distributed to the gathering. (Although Shoghi Effendi strictly forbids following the customs of other religions and celebrating their festivals)
Mrs. Golnar Sahba (Rafi'i), Iranian wife of Architect Fariborz Sahba poured the first trowelful of concrete into the first pit.
A brick from the Siyah-Chal (Black Pit in Iran where Baha'u'llah was Imprisoned), as directed by the Universal House of Justice (Israel), was laid into the foundation of this temple.
The marble for external shell cladding was imported from Italy.
Baha'is demanded official exemption from import duty for Italian Marble, which was granted to them by three Indian Ministries. (They took the benefits although they claim they do not accept any contribution from non-Baha'is)
This is how Indian Baha'i Temple came into existence and this is how the Largest Baha'i Community of more than 2 Million at that time helped in its construction.
Please refer Bahai World - Volume 18 for more details.
Also Check : BAHA'I SPY RING BUSTED IN INDIA
