Who We Are
Baha'is of the World
As the latest Abrahamic religion arising a century-and-a-half ago among the Judeo-Christian series, the Bahá’í Faith is today among the fastest-growing of all the world’s religions. With more than seven million followers from nearly every national, ethnic and religious background, the Bahá’í Faith is already the second-most globally widespread religion on the planet, according to Encyclopedia Brittanica. Bahá’ís reside in more than 100,000 localities all around the world, and is a global community of world citizens promoting the ideals of peace, love, and the oneness of mankind. Each continent has a Bahá’í House of Worship (or Temple), that is open to persons of all religions for prayer and meditation.
Baha'is of Alabama
The first Bahá’í community in Alabama was founded in 1896 by Paul Kingston Dealy (1848-1937) who moved to Fairhope, AL from Chicago where he had become a Bahá’í in 1893. He actively taught the new religion, traveling by foot to visit interested people of all races. The first community of Bahá’ís in Alabama was racially integrated from the beginning, even in the year 1896, and continues to be racially integrated in unity to this present day.
The Bahá’ís of Alabama held a centenary celebration in Fairhope in 1996 to commemorate his efforts there. Today there is an exhibit honoring him in Haifa, Israel at the World Center of the Bahá’í Faith on Mount Carmel.
Baha'is of the Shoals
The first Bahá’í in the Shoals (northwest Alabama area) was William Austin Dealy (1888-1958), the son of Paul Kingston Dealy. He is found in the 1930 Census for Florence, and had arrived to help with the design for Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River. His gravesite is located in Fairhope, Alabama.
The first registered Baha'i group in the Shoals was formed in 1978, which grew into an elected "Local Spiritual Assembly" in Florence in 1987. A Baha'i Centre was established on Huntsville Road in Florence, and functioned from 1999 to 2017. Over the years, the Shoals Bahá’í population has included diverse people of African, Native, Persian, Vietnamese, Indian, and European backgrounds. This diversity is considered to be desirable by Bahá’ís as it demonstrates how unity is possible even among diverse peoples, even for all of humanity.
Bahá’ís hail from all walks of life. Young and old, men and women alike, they live alongside others in every land and belong to every nation. They share a common goal of serving humanity and refining their inner-lives in accordance with the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. The community to which they belong is one of learning and action, free from any sense of superiority or claim to exclusive understanding of truth. It is a community that strives to cultivate hope for the future of humanity, to foster purposeful effort, and to celebrate the endeavors of all those in the world who work to promote unity and alleviate human suffering.
Helen Keller praises the Baha'i Teachings
Among the items preserved at the Helen Keller Museum and Birthplace in Tuscumbia, Alabama ( www.HelenKellerBirthplace.org , 300 N Commons St W, Tuscumbia, AL, 35674 ) is a letter written by Helen Keller (1880-1968) that praises the Teachings found in the Baha'i Faith.
She wrote: "“The philosophy of Bahá’u’lláh deserves the best thought we can give it." ".....for the inspiration which even the most cursory reading of Bahá’u’lláh’s life cannot fail to impart. What nobler theme than the “good of the world and the happiness of the nations” can occupy our lives? The message of universal peace will surely prevail. It is useless to combine or conspire against an idea which has in it, potency to create a new earth and a new heaven and to quicken human beings with a holy passion of service.”