Born in Persia in the mid 1800s the Bahá’í Faith faced a torrent of brutal and violent persecution at the hands of the Shiah Islamic religious hierarchy of Persia. At an inter-religious conference held in Chicago in 1893, the Bahá’í Faith was publicly mentioned for the first time in North America. By the first decade of the 20th century the community of Bahá’ís in North America numbered only a few thousand. Then, under the guidance of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son and appointed successor of Bahá’u’lláh, the community grew steadily throughout the second decade of the 20th century. After the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1921 a worldwide administrative system was established under his twin chosen successors the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. The intent of this system was to preserve the unity and integrity of the religion and to secure its effectiveness as a vehicle for constructive change in the world.
In 2021 Bahá’ís around the world marked the Centenary of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and for this occasion the Universal House of Justice arranged for the creation of a video survey of the development of the worldwide Baha’i community throughout that century. The video is entitled “Glimpses of 100 years of endeavor” (click). It is intended both as an overview of of the development of the Bahá’í Faith through the century and as a glimpse into present-day activities throughout the worldwide community.
