Bahai Expands its Numbers in the U.S. and Throughout

August 14, 2004

Source: North Adams Transcript

http://www.thetranscript.com/Stories/0,1413,103~9054~2334357,00.html

On August 14, 2004 North Adams Transcript reported, "Currently, the Baha'i faith claims to have 5 million followers spread through 205 countries -- there are about 50 in the Berkshires/Albany region. Its annual growth rate is more than double that of both Christianity and Buddhism -- only Islam comes remotely close. The Middle East remains central to the faith -- the Baha'i World Centre and the Universal House of Justice are located in Haifa, Israel, and Iran is home to 350,000 believers, all of whom are persecuted for their faith, with more than two hundred executed because of it... The Baha'i emphasis on human inclusion and self-reliance as a source of strength and community in many ways ties into one of the central beliefs that separate them from so many other major religions: Baha'is believe that God is unknowable."

See also: Bahá'í, Statistics