The Oxford Baha’i Society held an open meeting this week following the media frenzy surrounding the death of one of its followers, Dr David Kelly, in Oxfordshire last July. Guest speaker Barney Leith, the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’i of the UK, spoke on the topic of “The Baha’i Faith: Fostering Unity in a War-Torn World”. Mr Leith, a local Abingdon resident, told Cherwell that “the Baha’i faith is a religion and not a sect,” as reported by some areas of the press in the Hutton Enquiry into Dr Kelly’s death. “Some parts of the media view religion as easy pickings to draw a scandal, if Dr Kelly had believed in another faith then his religion would not have been an issue. “The Baha’i faith is a progressive religion based on rational thought and a universal ethos of tolerance. We believe that the teachings of the Baha’u’llah are the key to resolving conflict in the world and bringing about a just and prosperous society.” Juliette Doostdar, a member of the Oxford Baha’i Society said that since the Hutton Enquiry there had been increased speculation and interest as to what the faith was. “We have an obligation to share our faith and by holding an open forum we felt we could create a happy medium to meet those who are interested in finding out more.”ARCHIVE: 1st Week MT2003
