Messages of appreciation from leaders continue
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Baha’is of Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have received statements of encouragement and appreciation from leaders in their countries honoring the two hundred year anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah, which will be celebrated around the world on 21 and 22 October.
In his message, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, extended his greetings to the Baha’i community and expressed his appreciation for the contributions it is making “towards the country’s goodwill and prosperity.”
Asaduzzaman Noor, Bangladesh’s Minister of Cultural Affairs, highlighted the “pivotal aim of the Baha’i Faith being unity and fellowship amongst the diversified races and peoples of the earth” stating that it “is a welcome principle in a world torn with strife and discord.”
The message continues: “In the words of Baha’u’llah: ‘Ye are all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.’”
Malaysia’s Baha’i community was addressed by Joseph Kurup, a Minister in the Department of Prime Minister Najib Razak. “The Baha’i community has been an active promoter of inter-faith dialogue and also a genuine protagonist of unity and harmony among the multi-ethnic and multi-religious population of this country...Baha’u’llah’s teachings on the oneness of the world of humanity and His call for a world embracing vision encapsulated in the phrase ‘the earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens’ are essential both for establishing national unity as well as promoting global understanding and peace.”
In Nepal, messages from Deputy Prime Minister Gopal Man Shrestha and Minister for Home Affairs Janardan Sharma were received by the Baha’i community, expressing warm greetings for the occasion of the bicentenary.
“Baha’u’llah’s message that God is one and all human beings are members of the same family is always relevant in a country like ours where there is so much social, cultural, and religious diversity,” wrote Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha.