Community Temple visit strengthens friendships and addresses isolation 

Over the past few years, the Baha’i community has welcomed a number of newcomers from Iran. Like any arrivals to a new country, they have faced a number of challenges integrating into community life.  

“I was contacted by a few ladies letting me know they were having difficulty with language and cultural adjustments, leading to feelings of isolation,” says Afsar Riazati, who serves a member of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Knox, the local governing body.  

In response, a women’s gathering was initiated, aimed at providing a platform for the women to connect, engage in spiritual discourse, and form a supportive network. Now almost two years old, the initiative has become a space where prayer, meaningful conversation and social interaction is weaved together.  

Almost six months ago, an English class was also launched with 14 participants in attendance. But Afsar says as the year went on, she wanted to bring a special element to the year’s events.  

“I wanted to plan something special for the community and the ladies,” she explains. “At that moment, I didn’t know what it was until I attended the National Convention as a visitor.”  

“I took a lot from the Convention, but one thing stood out for me and that was when I heard from a National Spiritual Assembly member that we as communities should visit the Temple and pray.”  

Afsar returned to Melbourne and launched into organising a Sydney trip for the friends. “The night before the Baha’i Feast, a community gathering that takes place every 19 days, where I had planned to announce the Sydney trip, one of the ladies at my English class said it would have been good to do something different as she was feeling a bit bored. The lady sitting next to her agreed. At that moment I told them that I had a surprise for them, but they needed to come to Feast to hear it.”   

Once the trip was announced, more individuals from the community took up the offer including a mother and son who had been yearning to visit the Sydney Temple since being in Australia but had never had the chance. “They wanted to come on the trip,” Afsar says. In the end, 26 individuals travelled together.   

Afsar says there was a joy and happiness that permeated through the entire trip, with the friends visiting the Temple, staying at the Yerrinbool Baha’i Centre of Learning, and visiting Effie Baker’s resting place and the Sydney Opera House.

“Everyone loved the trip,” she says. “I saw joy and happiness, contentment, friendship, laughter that was echoing on the bus, the care, the talks, the prayers, the stories that were shared – it was so amazing to be part of this.   

“One lady shared that in her 29 years in Australia, she hadn’t had such a trip. Another friend said her first pilgrimage to the Temple was a memorable one.”

With many bonds of friendship forged and existing ones made stronger, Afsar says the trip was “very humbling and joyful for me and hopefully more communities get to experience this”.