The Baha’i faith is a fast-growing independent world religion that even has its own club here on campus.

Ali Riazati, the president of the club said, “the Baha’i religion is working toward the creation of an ever-advancing, sustainable world civilization.”

Riazati also explained why the Baha’i faith is attractive to so many people.

“People are different over time and region. Therefore, they need different instruction. However, this is a religion that has the same basic principles found in all religions. The main principle is to love God and love your neighbor. We worship the same God in all religions, the God of Abraham,” he said.

He added that he did not join the group because his parents were already members but because he was interested and looked into it himself.

“The faith says people should look into religious matters for themselves. So I did that, and this religion seemed to make sense and so it intrigued me.”

The CSUN Baha’i club has been active since fall of 2006. They now have 25 members and are still increasing in size. The club had a music concert last fall and currently have two ongoing activities on campus.

One activity on Wednesdays is a devotional gathering where students from different religious backgrounds meet to share prayers and scriptures from their religions. The second weekly event is on Thursdays. It is a study circle based on Baha’i teachings about the life of the soul and its journey after this life.

The founder of the faith, Baha’u’llah, who lived from 1817-1892 and started the faith in Iran in 1844. A Persian noble, he suffered 40 years of exile and imprisonment for his religious convictions.

Currently, Baha’i is an established faith in more than 190 countries. It has over 5 million members who come from nearly every nationality, religious background, ethnic group and social class.

“The mission of the Baha’i club at CSUN is to promote unity and fellowship among the students of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds,” Nika Parsa, the club’s vice president said.

Baha’u’llah taught that there is only one God and that all of the world’s religions represent one eternal faith. The readings stress humanity as one race that is destined to live in peace and harmony. The belief is that the purpose of life on earth is to develop ourselves spiritually in preparation for an everlasting existence hereafter. Some Baha’i principles include: the unity of humanity, the equality of both women and men, full racial integration, economic justice, universal education, the harmony of science and religion, the adoption of a universal auxiliary language, and the creation of a world commonwealth of nations that will keep the peace through collective security.

“Baha’i club is inviting all students to investigate the teachings of the Baha’i faith through participating in our sponsored activities,” Parsa said.