The African Presence at the Genesis of the Baha'i Faith.

Baha'i history has paid too little attention to the Africans who were present in the household of the Bab at the beginning of the Baha'i era. This presentation will discuss the roles that Haji Mubarak and Fezzeh Khanum, the two African servants of the Bab, played in the early days of the Faith. From the first night of the Bab's revelation, on the evening of May 22, 1844, Haji Mubarak witnessed and participated in the development of the new Faith. Fezzeh Khanum remained the companion of Khadijih Bagum, the Bab's wife, until the end of her life. Some materials have been provided for study before the class, "The Ethiopian King" by Nader Saiedi and "Half the Household Was African" by Anthony A. Lee.