Baháʼí Faith in Iceland
Show ye an effort and after this war spread ye the synopsis of the divine teachings in the British Isles, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino, Balearic Isles, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Malta, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands, Hebrides and Orkney Islands.
[3] Later in 1935 Martha Root visited the country for a month and with the help of Árnadóttir proclaimed the religion in the press, during lectures, and on the radio.
[16] The Baháʼí Faith was officially recognized as a religious organization by the Icelandic government on September 29, 1966, which gave it the right to legally perform marriages and other ceremonies as well as entitle it to a share of the church tax in proportion to its number of adult members.
The officiant was Ásgeir Einarsson, the man recognized by the government as head of the group (though individual Baháʼís hold no leadership roles).
[19] When word of the wedding ceremony reached the bishop, he expressed surprise that it had taken place in a Christian church and commented that he would have recommended against such an action.
[21] Bishop Sigurbjörn Einarsson disagreed, stating that the Baháʼí ceremony had been "a mistake, but not sinful action" and that the church had "not been defiled by it".
[24] Hands of the Cause John Robarts and Paul Haney were in attendance at the oceanic conference[25] along with seven Continental Counsellors and some 700 Baháʼís from 35 countries.
[26][27][28][29] A Baháʼí from Egypt, Abdu'l Rahim Yazdi, gave a talk recalling meeting ʻAbdu'l-Bahá.
A public event closed the conference at the University of Iceland with singing and piano by Norman Bailey, Sylvia Schulman, Seals and Crofts, and Alfredo Speranza, a pianist originally from Uruguay.
[31] Its members were: Liesel Becker, Svana Einarsdottir, Barbara Thinat, Carl John Spencer, Petur Magnusson, Johannes Stefansson, Roger Lutley, Baldur Bragasson and Larry Clarke.
[33] In July 1975 Hand of the Cause William Sears and his wife visited Iceland and marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of the Báb followed by attending a youth conference.
[35] The December 1977[36] and February 1979[37] Adib Taherzadeh presented workshops to Baháʼís of Iceland in his role as a Continental Counselor.
[45] The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released.
[50] In November 2006, the small community of Iceland joined with twelve other faith groups and collaborative partners to form the country's first national interfaith forum.
[51] Also, Icelandic Baháʼís were among the attendees at a regional conference called for by the Universal House of Justice - this one happening in London in January 2009.
