The University of Leeds attracts more student applications than almost any other university in the country, making it a top UK student destination. It is also one of the largest in the UK and a main contributor to Leeds 40,000 strong student population. So as a Bahá’í youth spending a year in Leeds for a work placement, I wondered “how can I get in on the action?”

In the first couple of weeks of term, we realised it was crucial for us to get some youth together to get a Bahá’í society up and running. In order to achieve this, we approached the LSA to help, partly with supplying the names and numbers of local Bahá’ís.

It soon became apparent, the importance for us to make our presence known at the fresher fair, to create flyers to invite people to upcoming events and also to make an email list.

Once we had formed, a couple of the girls suggested we have a Bahá’í chocolate party. At first I had my doubts and thought it was a selfish ploy for the girls to satisfy their serious chocolate fixation for free. However, when I consulted with them, it did sound very cool. So off we went to Morrison’s, with some cash, and bought all kinds of chocolate, drinks and a bag of grapes (need to have some healthy element in there!). We then hosted an evening with music, invited close friends and put up a couple of posters.

It was great, people who walked past saw all the chocolate and came in for a quick munch and also asked, “so what is the Bahá’í faith?.” Towards the end we put on a DVD about the Bahá’í faith and after this, we invited the attendants all to join us at the local Salsa club.

Apart from the dodgy belly the next day from all the chocolate and sore feet from dancing to those crazy salsa beats it was a very successful event.

Our next event was a talk by the legend Dr Khazeh Fananapazir on One Common Faith, Khazeh`s wide knowledge of the Bible, the Qur’an and the Bahá’í Writings along with his inimitable manner captivated his audience. And was an excellent door opener to the Bahá’í faith, spreading the word of unity and religious tolerance we as Bahá’ís strive for.

I was very impressed by what the youth have already done and felt it was now my time to contribute. So I set up a fortnightly fireside, something which I had never done, only attended.

To promote an event like this, I felt we needed a couple trial runs to see what worked and thus change it accordingly. We started the first one with just the Bahá’ís, on the topic of ‘The Unity of World Religions’ and had collected some religious writings from many faiths about this topic. We went round, talked and consulted on our thoughts and perceptions in a relaxed and non-argumentative environment. As the weeks went on we invited our friends and they too were attracted to the idea of unifying the worlds religions, even thou the concept of a new Manifestation for today was a bit too much for them to accept at the moment.

How to reach out and understand the mind of a student

Some people will not be affected by what you say-it may simply go into one ear and come out the other. On the other hand, they might be forceful with their own opinions. However, if you teach by example, rather than solely by words, you can never go wrong. For example, my Muslim housemates, thought I was a wonderful example of a Muslim and said “Enshall llah ( “if Allah wills.”) my brother you will come to Islam soon!” I was thinking the same thing, but for them to come to the Faith. Then was upset when they gave no interest and felt the  faith was not correct as it talks of a Manifestation coming after Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him. (I also learn out of respect for Muslims you can say Peace be upon him After you mention His name)

When you feel upset that people are not interested or do not agree about some of the teachings of the Bahá’í faith, you must reverse the situation.

What if someone came to you today and said, “Yes Bahá’u’lláh, He came, but now there is a new Manifestation of God for the 21^st Century!” It is not likely you will convert, and this is how the people of other religions feel. You should not be disheartened, as some people are simply not ready for the Revelation of Baha’u’llah.

I think the best way to teach is to understand WHO you are teaching and how THEY feel about these issues. Let them start; ask them questions, they are not the only ones who will be learning from your activities.

Top tips 

• Try not to swamp people with facts, figures, long names and dates.

• You’re not looking for a declaration count.

• Every action has many reactions, don’t get disheartened if you don’t get the results you feel you need to justify you teaching efforts

• You will get very intelligent people challenging you beliefs and some will quote the Qur’an and Bible so try not to look dumbfounded like I did when they talk of things that are new to you. DO YOUR RESEARCH!

• If you do not know the answer to a question be honest and say, I am sorry I don’t know, I shall research this and get back to you at the next fireside.

• Work closely with you LSA and make sure they are aware of what you are doing also they can offer advice and support.

Please note these are my experiences and understanding of what I think works well, everyone is different and the best advice is immures yourself in the Ocean of the Words of God which the Bahá’ís have been blessed with, including the Qur’an, Bible and Others.