'Abdu'l-Baha sets sail for America on March 25, 1912!

Photo source: Wikimedia Commons

Today is the 100th Anniversary of the date that 'Abdu'l-Baha set sail for America!

You can read more about it on 'Abdu'l-Baha's Journey in America. You can also listen to a podcast commemorating the event on The Journey West.

Imagine how exciting it must have been to the Baha'is living in America at that time! Are you doing anything special to remember the day, perhaps saying a special prayer or reading a memorable passage?

Juliet Thompson

Juliet Thompson was an American artist who visited with ’Abdu’l-Baha many times, traveling to Haifa to meet Him, and then visiting Him during His travels in Europe. On April 11, 1912, when ’Abdu’l-Baha stepped off the steamship Cedric on to American shores, Juliet was there to greet Him.

We are fortunate that she left a written account of her visits with the Master, and His love, compassion, courage, and humor, as well as her love and admiration for Him, are evident throughout her writings.

To read more about her fascinating life, see this post at Baha'i Heroes and Heroines, and to read her accounts of these visits, see The Diary of Juliet Thompson.

A Treasure Trove for History Buffs

The blog 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Journey in America follows the journey of Abdu'l-Bahá day by day, chronicling the historical events on each day of His trip. You can find beautiful photos, accounts of conversations, impressions of the early believers, and stories of significant events. You can also find sources of additional information if you want to learn more. What were Juliet Thompson's thoughts on meeting Abdu'l-Bahá? Where exactly did He visit and what did He say in each area? How did people react to Him? You can find all this and more as you follow along on the blog.

What are some of your favorite stories from the visit that you found on this blog? Was there anything that surprised you?

Historic Journey Transformed Bahá'í Faith

'Abdu'l-Baha's visits to Egypt, North America, London, Paris, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Scotland profoundly changed the Bahá'í Faith. Before the visit, the Faith had already spread to North America and Europe, but those communities were small in number. His journey proclaimed the Bahá'í teachings far and wide, and also consolidated and revitalized the communities already formed.

He stressed the need for understanding between cultures, for interfaith understanding, and world peace. He was also comfortable discussing the dangers of racism, the relationship between capital and labor, impending war, and federalism. He addressed thousands of people from all parts of society and met with and attended to the needs of the poor. Dr. T. K. Cheyne of Oxford called 'Abdu'l-Baha the "Ambassador to Humanity".

He brought the Faith out of obscurity and by the end of His life large numbers of people in Europe, North America, Asia, the Pacific, Australia, South Africa and South America knew of the Faith and thought positively about it.

Dr. Moojan Momen said "His travels were certainly a major religious event of the 20th century. They had much the same sort of effect as St. Paul's journeys which had a sizable impact on the spread of Christianity." The American Bahá'í community was profoundly changed by the visit. Kenneth E. Bowers said "Through His life and words, He was the personification of Baha'u'llah's teachings. He inspired the first handful of Bahá'ís not only to spread their Faith but, just as importantly, withstand all sorts of tests. In a very tactful, loving and wise way, He set the example to be followed." Firuz Kazemzadeh also said "This is where the real impact of His visits lies - in the capacity of the community He raised to continue what He taught them after all these years".

Read the rest of the article which was the source of this information here: "100 years ago, historic journeys transformed a fledgling faith" from Bahá'í World News Service

What do you think the impact of 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit has been? How has the Bahá'í community changed as a result? How are you personally affected by the fact that 'Abdu'l-Baha' has visited our shores? Discuss in the comments!

Comparing 1912 to today

As we commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the visit of `Abdu'l-Bahá to the United States, it is interesting to compare and contrast the conditions in 1912 to the world situation today.

The world in 1912 was engaged in an arms buildup, the United States was increasingly involved in global affairs, the Titanic disaster reminded us of our mortality and limits to progress, a war in Europe was on the horizon, and the United States was racially segregated. In this context, `Abdu'l-Bahá visited the United States and spoke to the needs of the day.

From Shastri Purushotma in 2012: A Special Year for American Baha'is

The American Baha'is had provided money for Abdul Baha to sail on the Titanic. He asked instead that the funds be given to the poor and chose to travel on a more modest ship to New York in April 1912. From there he began an extensive speaking tour to discuss issues critical for the modern world that America and humanity were moving toward. On many occasions, he warned of an impending war in Europe and outlined mechanisms for global peace and disarmament. In synagogues, he warned of the possibility of a holocaust in Europe. In a highly segregated country decades before the civil rights movement, he spoke at the national meeting of the NAACP, Howard University and elsewhere about the critical importance of racial harmony to America. He spoke about economic issues that are topics of heated debate right now: the need for the elimination of the vast extremes of wealth and poverty, and the importance of just ways to harmonize labor and capital.

Read the rest of the article here: 2012: A Special Year for American Baha'is

How do you think the message of  `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1912 is relevant to conditions today?