A while back I put up a post about a myspace group dedicated to those who wanted to be able to list ‘Baha’i’ as their religion (myspace offers 14 religion options, but Baha’i isn’t one of them). Well, it seems that someone has figured out a little hack. Special thanks to myspace hacker pedur for being an html geek.
Baha'i Blog is not an official Baha'i site.
Any sites linked to or opinions expressed are only those of the editors of the blog and are not necessarily those of the worldwide Baha'i community. If you want those, go to www.bahai.org thankyouverymuch
Furthermore: Baha'i Blog may be a personal initiative, but we're always looking for a little aid and assistance. To send us your input, ideas or just encouragement, please drop some electronic mail to: info[at]bahaiblog.net
Official Baha'i Websites:
The Baha'i FaithWords, sounds and images that we can link, however tenuously, to Bahai's or to the Baha'i Faith.
For those of us who came into the Baha'i Faith through the ever popular Kubaya flavored route, the Dawnbreaker collective comes flying out of left field and knocks us on our asses. And while more and more artists are pushing "Baha'i Music" to new areas, the Dawnbreaker Collective were still the first to toss out the Baha'i folk songbook. Grab their music direct from them, from Amazon, or on itunes.
While he's been profiled here already, Ferraby Lionheart certainly deserves all the praise that this meager blog can heap upon him as he's released an absolute gem of an album with his 'Catch the Brass Ring'.
Seattle hip-hop duo Common Market have been covered in this blog already but they definitely deserve a place in the sidebar. From a review in Seattle's The Stranger:
You could say the duo connected through a higher power. "We're both Baha'i; that's how I heard of Sabzi in the first place," explains Scion. "So being involved with the Baha'i community and doing music, people kept asking me, 'Do you know Saba?'" "Yeah, people would just be like, there's another Baha'i in town that 'does hiphop,'" Sabzi laughs. Once connected, Sabzi spun records at the release party for RA's debut EP Apostrophe—and the pair found that musically, they were on the same page.
You can find their music well, pretty much everywhere. Instant gratification types (such as myself) can get theirs from the itunes music store.
An invigorating blend of various Polynesian dances, rhythms and sounds fused with pop, MANA is a Baha'i music and cultural performance group based in Sydney, Australia. The members of MANA are predominately youth, most of them still attending high school, and though they are all residents of Sydney, their roots are traced back to Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.
To date, MANA has released 2 albums: Reflections on the Life of the Spirit and Arising To Serve. All lyrics have been taken from the Baha'i Writings found in the sequence of courses known as Ruhi Books, developed by the Ruhi Institute. There is currently a total of seven books in the sequence.
The Baha'is Magazine
A new version of a glossy 80-page magazine profiling the Baha'i Faith and its worldwide community has just been published. It features sections on Baha'u'llah, the spiritual and moral teachings of the Baha'i Faith, the Faith's history and administration, and its programs of social and economic development. It also has profiles of individual Baha'is and examples of community activities.
It can be ordered through the Baha'i Distribution Service in the United States.
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PM
Wow, I am mentioned in a blog! I’ve seen this blog before and never imagined being talked about. This is great! I linked an article about the Baha’i’s being reckonized in Egypt in one of the myspace forums saying that it’s about time myspace would too. I never thought that Egyptian would aknowledge the Bahai Faith. I have realitives there and lived there for a year and some months… it was just great news to hear.
Can people please send me a comment on my blog to let me know that they’ve tried it, and if it’s working out for them? I’d like to know how many people are trying it and any feedback that they have.
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AM
Without belittling the ingeniousness of this hack, I personally feel that it is a hollow victory indeed.
Firstly, we would be contributing to the “no religion” demographic even if we appear otherwise. Secondly, no recognition is won for the faith, and the only method of recognition is by using less-than-transparent means.
That said, until we win the proper recognition this might just have to carry us through. :D Have we emailed those who make policy on myspace?
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Thanks!
Matarael, I’m pretty sure people have emailed, cajoled, and begged. However, I’m not too worried about it…it will happen eventually, and I know I’ve got more things to do than spend hours on myspace (however wonderfully addicting it may be…)
:-)