Gustavo Correa

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Gustavo Correa is a former mathematics professor who has served in various positions within the hierarchy of the Bahá’í Administrative Order.

Religious career

Since 2008, Gustavo Correa has been a member of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Bahá’í Faith.[1][2] Before his election to the Universal House of Justice, in 2005, he was appointed to the International Teaching Center. The International Teaching Centre, whose seat is at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa, Israel, is composed of nine Counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice and tasked with duties to stimulate and coordinate the Continental Board of Counselors and assist the Universal House of Justice in matters relating to the teaching and protection of the faith.[3] All of the current members of the Universal House of Justice previously served as members of the International Teaching Centre.

Family

Gustavo Correa is married to Haleh Arbab, who is currently director of the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, a non-profit educational and research organization "dedicated to building capacity in individuals, groups and institutions to contribute to prevalent discourses concerned with the betterment of society" through "working in collaboration with the Bahá'í International Community."[4] Born in Iran and educated in the United States, Haleh Arbab previously lived in Colombia from 1982 to 2005 where she worked with the Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences (FUNDAEC) and served as Rector of Centro Universitario de Bienestar Rural, a Colombian Bahá'í-inspired institute she helped found in 1988.[5]

Correa's brother-in-law, Haleh Arbab's brother, is Farzam Arbab who himself had served as a member of the Universal House of Justice form 1993 until 2013, a Counsellor of the International Teaching Centre from 1988 to 1993, a Counsellor for the Continental Board of Counsellors for the Protection and Propagation of the Faith in the Americas from 1980 to 1988, and a Chairman for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Colombia from 1970 to 1980. Paul Arbab, Haleh Arbab's nephew, is administrator at the Luxembourg-based Unity Foundation, which works with Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and "a network of local development agencies assisting them in their efforts to build capacity amongst populations to take charge of their own social and economic development."[6]

Gustavo Correa and Haleh Arbab have lived in Haifa, Israel since 2005. The couple have one son, Hamed Dareo Correa, and one daughter, Bita Correa. Hamed works as a hotel manager at Alko Hotel Integrado and is married to Alejandra Alfaro. Bita Correa serves as program director of FUNDAEC and participated as a member of the Bahá'í International Community’s delegation to the 55th United Nations Commission for Social Development.[7][8]

FUNDAEC

Gustavo Correa was one of the founders of FUNDAEC (Foundation for the Application and Teaching of the Sciences) and later served as its Director. FUNDAEC was established in 1974 by a group of professors at the University of Valle in Colombia who were looking for new strategies to develop the capacities of people and to generate knowledge in isolated regions of the country.[9] In 2002, as its Director, Correa accepted an award on behalf of FUNDAEC from the Club of Budapest which recognized FUNDAEC's new rural education model.[10] The model, known as SAT (for "Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial, Spanish for "System for Tutorial Learning") started in 1980 and centers on the use of interactive workbooks facilitated by a tutor. In the Colombia, these tutors are trained at the Center for Rural Education.[11][12][13][14][15]

Ruhi Institute

The SAT techniques Gustavo Correa developed at FUNDAEC have been applied to the Bahá'í community in the form of the Ruhi Institute, which was named after Correa's father-in-law.[16][17][18] Centered on Bahá'í study circles, the goal of the Ruhi Institute courses is to "evoke a transformative learning experience through a learner-centered, experiential, and collaborative approach facilitated by a tutor rather than an instructor, a teacher, or an expert."[19] Among the principles of the Ruhi curriculum is the utilization of service projects to implement learning into tangible action.[16]

The Universal House of Justice has encouraged the emulation of the Ruhi model throughout the global Bahá'í community.[20] According to one researcher, the Ruhi Institute's method has resulted in "nonhierarchical, self-initiated, self-organized small groups engaged in study, teaching, and action"[21]:pp81–2 and is "becoming the core of Bahá’í community life worldwide as the outcome of a process that has sought to nurture the spiritual life of individuals and families and to establish social foundations for the vision and practice of religious world citizenship."[21]:p94 Paul Lample, another member of the Universal Hose of Justice, has stated "Doubtless the institute and its curriculum will continue to evolve, both in content and form, to a level of greater complexity in regions and nations within the framework of the administrative order throughout the various stages of the Divine Plan in the second century of the Formative Age."[22]

References

  1. ^ Scribner, Herb (September 16, 2014). "10 religious leaders you may not know about". Deseret News. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  2. ^ "Baha'is elect Universal House of Justice". Bahá’í World News Service. April 30, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  3. ^ Smith, Peter (2000). A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
  4. ^ "Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity". Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  5. ^ "Reseña historica". Centro Universitario de Bienestar Rural. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "Unity Foundation, meet the board of directors". Unity Foundation. Retrieved June 4,2017.
  7. ^ "Seeing the capacity for meaningful contribution in all populations and people". Bahá'í International Community News. United Nations. February 9, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  8. ^ "Seeing capacity for meaningful contribution in all populations". Bahá'í News Service. New York. February 12, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  9. ^ Arbab, Farzam; Correa, Gustavo; de Valcarcel, Francia (1988). "FUNDAEC: Its Principles and its Activities". CELATER, Cali, Colombia. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  10. ^ "Baha'i-inspired educational system for the poor of the world honored by the Club of Budapest". Bahá’í World News Service. December 22, 2002. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  11. ^ "Historical Overview". Official Website of FUNDAEC. FUNDAEC. Retrieved June 4,2017.
  12. ^ "Rural Community-based System for University-level Education". International Development Research Centre. 13 March 1998. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2017. Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
  13. ^ CRECE: Centro de Estudios Regionales, Cafeteros y Empresariales (August 2001). "Successful Alternatives for Rural Education: Tutorial Learning System (TLS) and New School Methodology Rural Post-Primary". Regional Policy Dialogue on Education and Human Resources Training Network, Second Meeting: Secondary Education. Manizales, Colombia: Inter-American Development Bank. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  14. ^ Roldan, Luz Alba Villegas (March 31, 2000). "Educación y Pobreza: Incluyendo a los Excluidos" (PDF). Conference of the World Bank, LCSHD. Madrid, Spain: World Bank. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  15. ^ "In Colombia, a microcredit project aims to re-awaken community solidarity". One Country. La Arrobleda, Cauca, Colombia: Bahá'í International Community. 1996 (April–June). 1996. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  16. ^ Jump up to:a b Rosemary Blosson; Sylvia B Kaye (March 14, 2012). "Learning by Doing: Preparation of Baha'i Nonformal Tutors". New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 2012 (133): 45–57. doi:10.1002/ace.20006. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  17. ^ Ruhi Institute (1991). Learning about Growth - The Story of the Ruhi Institute and Large-scale Expansion of the Bahá'í Faith in Colombia. Cali, Colombia: Palabra Publications. p. 55.(registration required)
  18. ^ Molineaux, P. (1996). Projects of FUNDAEC. Cali, Colombia.
  19. ^ Stephan Z. Mortensen (May 2008). PhD - The Ruhi Institute curriculum: A qualitative study (Thesis). Capella University. ISBN 9780549615446. Retrieved June 4, 2017.(registration required)
  20. ^ Universal House of Justice; Department of the Secretariat (December 1998). "Extracts From Messages Written By The Universal House Of Justice On The Four Year Plan Related To Training Institutes". The Bahá'í Community of Guelph: 1. Retrieved June 4,2017.
  21. ^ Jump up to:a b David A. Palmer (2013). "From "Congregations" to "Small Group Community Building"; Localizing the Bahá'í Faith in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China". Chinese Sociological Review. 45 (2): 78–98. doi:10.2753/CSA2162-0555450205. ISSN 2162-0563.
  22. ^ Paul Lample (Dec 2013). "Some Insights from the First Century of the Formative Age" (PDF). Journal of Baha'i Studies. 23 (4): 31–78, 126. Retrieved June 4, 2017.

OPEN LETTER FROM N. WAHID AZAL TO ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

Anthony Albanese
MP; Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Australian Labor Party

From: N.W. Azal < >

Date: Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 1:20 PM
Subject: Your comments re: Baha'i faith
To: <A.Albanese.MP@aph.gov.au>

13 November 2020

Dear Honourable Anthony Albanese, MP; Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Australian Labor Party:

I write to you as a former Baha'i in protest given your comments in this video https://youtu.be/ocx7zUvqwFg where you congratulate the Australian Baha'i Community for the centenary of its existence in Australia. As distressing as it is for those of us who know the true nature of this organisation, regularly congratulating the Australian Baha'i community for an assortment of things has become a fixture in Canberra between both parties: a fixture that speaks to the entrenched hypocrisy among the Australian political class on both sides of the aisle. To my knowledge, no other religious-oriented organisation in Australia enjoys such undeserved plaudits continually from consecutive prime ministers, ministers of parliament, and leaders of the opposition as this organisation has.

 

That aside, I also draw your attention to the fact that presently there is not a single, unified Baha'i organisation in Australia. Rather, and despite what those Baha'is loyal to the organisation located in Haifa, Israel may try to tell you, there are three (and possibly four) rival Baha'i organisations in existence on this island continent simultaneously, so it is not clear precisely who is being congratulated by you (see, https://www.thesectsofbahais.com/and https://orthodoxbahai.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/GuardianshipOfTheBahaiFaith/).

 

Whilst grievances with this organisation are many -- and I say an organisation and not a bona fide religion -- you may note that your comments at 26 seconds onwards may not be entirely accurate. For example, Baha'i patriarch ʿAbdu'l-Bahāʾ's view on the Jews of Palestine have been noted as follows:

On occasion, his holiness ʿAbdu'l-Bahāʾ would travel to Tiberias. The qāḍī of Haifa sent a letter to His holiness inquiring of the state of Tiberias. While responding to this request, he said, "If you wish to know about Tiberias, know that its stones are black, its inhabitants are Jews, and their appearance is apish (kal-qirdi).

Memoirs of Khalīl Shahīdī, p. 122-123, http://bahai-library.com/pdf/r/rabbani_reminiscences_khalil_shahidi_persian.pdf.

On Africans:

The inhabitants of a country life Africa are all as wandering savages and wild animals. They lack intelligence and knowledge; all are uncivilized; not one civilized and a wise man is not to be found among them. These are the proofs of the wise men. The prophets also acknowledge this opinion, towit: That education hath a great effect upon the human race, but they declare that minds and comprehensions are originally different. And this matter is self-evident; it cannot be refuted. We see that certain children of the same age, nativity and race, nay, from the same household, under the tutorship of one teacher, differ in their minds and comprehensions. One advanceth rapidly, another is slow in catching the rays of culture, still another remaineth in the lowest degree of stupidity. No matter how much the shell is educated (or polished), it can never become a radiant pearl. The black stone will not become the world-illumined gem." (Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha p.567 vv.3-4) https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/TAB/

"It is, therefore, certain that sins such as anger, jealousy, dispute, covetousness, avarice, ignorance, prejudice, hatred, pride, and tyranny exist in the physical world. All these brutal qualities exist in the nature of man. A man who had not had a spirutal education is a brute. Like the savages of Africa, whose actions, habits and morals are purely sensual, they act according to the demands of nature to such a degree that they rent and eat one another." (Some Answered Questions 29:5)

"As ignorance is the cause of crimes, the more knowledge and science increases, the more crimes will diminish. Consider how often murder occurs among the barbarians of Africa; they even kill one another to eat each other's flesh and blood!" (Some Answered Questions 77:13)
https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/

"If a child is left in its natural state and deprived of education, there is no doubt that it will grow up in ignorance and illiteracy, its mental faculties dulled and dimmed; in fact, it will become like an animal. This is evident among the savages of central African, who are scarcely higher than the beast in mental development." (The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.311)

"The black man must ever be grateful to the white man, for he has manifested great courage and self-sacrifice in behalf of the black race. Four years he fought their cause, enduring severe hardships, sacrificing life, family, treasure, all for his black brother until the great war ended in the proclamation of freedom. By this effort and accomplishment the black race throughout the world was influenced and benefited. Had this not been accomplished, the black man in Africa would still be bound by the chains of slavery. Therefore, his race should everywhere be grateful, for no greater evidence of humanism and courageous devotion could be shown than the white man has displayed. If the blacks of the United States forget this sacrifice, zeal and manhood on the part of the whites, no ingratitude could be greater or more censurable. If they could see the wretched conditions and surroundings of the black people of Africa today, the contrast would be apparent and the fact clearly evident that the black race in America enjoys incomparable advantages. The comfort and civilization under which they live here are due to the white man's effort and sacrifice. Had this sacrifice not been made, they would still be in the bonds and chains of slavery, scarcely lifted out of an aboriginal condition. Therefore, always show forth your gratitude to the white man. (The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.12)

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/promulgation-universal-peace/

Thus it is proved that the world of nature is imperfect and dark. If a child is born and we do not nurture him and we abandon him in his natural state what will happen? Without a doubt, he will remain ignorant and without cognition and he will be an animal. Look at the inhabitants of black Africa who are like animals and even inferior. Thus we can see how divine nurturing influences the world of humanity. The world of nature is the world of the animal.” (Khatabat 2:236-7)

"A Baha'i nigger is better than a non-Baha'i nymph!" (Khatabat, p.237)
یک کاکاسیاه احباب بهتر از یک حوریه اغیار است

https://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/ab/

"…You should all be very grateful to Christopher Columbus who discovered such a great country for you as this one in the extreme West…What he discovered became famous as America but in truth it should have been named Columbia, which was the truth and justice.." (trans.)

https://www.h-net.org/~bahai/areprint/ab/G-L/K/khitab2/Khatabat-i-Hadrat-i-Abdu'l-Baha2.doc

There are many more such controversial statements recorded on the part of the Baha'i central figures.

Besides this, the organisational form of Bahaism is completely undemocratic and authoritarian in nature and so thoroughly inconsistent with what you and others have elsewhere called "Australian values," so one is at a loss to understand how the Australian political class can possibly view Bahaism as sharing in anything resembling democratic ideals. Baha'is believe in the theocratic infallibility of their organisational institutions, and especially where the Haifan organisation is concerned, their Universal House of Justice -- a body to which by scriptural edict women are barred from being elected to and serving on. While Baha'is may argue in their defense that they hold elections, as any political scientist will tell you, elections by themselves do not a democracy make since even authoritarian regimes and dictatorships hold elections (i.e. the Islamic Republic of Iran, Putinist Russia, Baathist Syria, Viktor Orban's Hungary, etc)

Additionally, the well-documented abusive treatment of dissidents, critics and ex-members by the Haifan organisation especially, on several notable occasions has directly ventured into territory that can be classified as nothing less than being genuine human rights violations of these dissidents, critics and ex-members by the Baha'is. This is especially egregious given the extent to which the Baha'is have actively canvassed and lobbied consecutive Australian Commonwealth governments as well as governments elsewhere in the West for their support given what they claim is their plight under the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Much more can be said. But I will leave it here for the time being, and merely wish to record my trenchant disagreement with your comments regarding the Baha'i faith as recorded in the video linked above.

With best regards,

Wahid Azal

Source : https://wahidazal303.blogspot.com/2020/11/letter-to-anthony-albanese-australian.html

Secret correspondence regarding "Orthodox Baha'is" reveals Baha'i strategies for combating the guardianist sects.

The file can be accessed here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uwduc5xr7jyjonm/Orthodox%20Bahais.pdf?dl=0

Here are the comments of Nima Wahid Azal (Former Baha'i, now Azali-Bayani) about this document.

Baha'i population in Nepal falls from 0.01% (in 2001) to 0.0% (in 2011)

 


Baha'is inflating their population numbers is now exposed to everyone and a wise person knows very well that he should never trust the Baha'is in anything.

Baha'is always like to produce the most unreputed data source when it comes to quoting their population. On Wikipedia and other places Baha'is quote the Association of Religion Data Archives OR World Christian Encyclopedia that has extremely bad reputation especially when it comes to reporting Baha'i data. These sources estimated some 4,366 Baha'is in Nepal in 2010.

Now, here are the facts:
There were 1211 Baha'is (0.01% of total Nepali population) in 2001 according to Nepali census. This included 496 children below 14 years of age. So in reality, there were 716 adult Baha'is in 2001.
Source : SOCIAL COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION: CASTE/ETHNICITY AND RELIGION IN NEPAL, Page 104, by Dr.Dilli Ram Dahal.

The 2011 census reported their population as 0.0%, it went down from 0.01% to 0.0%. It seems Baha'i gimmicks are not working in Nepal. May be those 716 Baha'is (in 2001) were 'spiritual tourists' who left the Baha'i faith after understanding all the hypocrisies and double-standards of this fake NWO religion.

Baha'i Faith is not a cult!??

Scott Hakala AKA DavidBinOwen on Reddit

First of all, "cult" is not really a valid sociological term; it's mainly a psychological term. Sociologists use the term "new religious movement" out of neutrality, even for movements which we all know to be cults, i.e. Heaven's Gate. So, DavidbinOwen's appeals to sociology here fall flat. There is no single authorized definition or criteria for determining what is and is not a cult, but there are certain psychological models we can make use of in evaluating the destructive character of organizations. As far as I am concerned, Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behavior control, information control, thought control, and emotional control) fits the Baha'i Faith perfectly. Steven Hassan simply uses the term cult to mean an organization which exerts undue influence through these four means, and although this is obviously not an exhaustive definition, it is a useful one.

Behavior control is a part of every religious movement, but the Baha'i Faith is quite different from most religions in that religious authority is centralized in a single administrative structure. It is the Baha'i Administration and its members who enforce the rules. They personally dictate your behavior when it comes to sex, marriage, finances, etc., whereas with most other religions, a person regulates their own behavior out of an independent desire to conform to religious precepts. It is the same with information control, thought control, and emotional control. All ideologies somewhat facilitate these things, but the key point is that, with the Baha'i Faith, these forms of control and influence are directly exerted by a repressive organization.

Where DavidbinOwen (A BIA volunteer) appeals to the Baha'i principles to exonerate it from the cult accusation, he of course looks at things from the standpoint of a true believer for whom the Baha'i Faith's outward principles actually represent its practical reality. As we all know, this is not the case. Whereas the Baha'i Faith ostensibly promotes the independent investigation of truth, it only does this insofar as the investigation of truth leads one to faith in Baha'ism and its institutions. Baha'is will proclaim the value of free and independent investigation in order to tear down every other religion, but when it comes to Baha'ism, "To none is given the right to put forth his own opinion." 

https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/BA/ba-9.html

I don't know why DavidbinOwen is suddenly broaching this subject again. As far as I am concerned, it's a rather unproductive conversation. True believers will always deny that they belong to a cult, and the worst of them won't even care. One would do better to simply state the truth about Baha'ism and allow a listener to decide if he would like this organization to be a part of his life. When someone sees Baha'ism's pretty exterior and they receive the typical love-bombing that Baha'is give to "seekers," the religion can seem to be the farthest thing from a cult, but with a little independent investigation, it becomes pretty obvious that, whatever it is, it's not good for anyone.

Source : https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeSpeechBahai/comments/iw3klc/bahai_faith_is_not_a_cult_by_any_accepted/