Dr Beman Khosravi passed away on 18 August 2006 leaving an outstanding legacy. He was appointed an Auxiliary Board member in 1972, initially covering all of Ireland as well as Scotland. During the 1970s and 80s he regularly travelled the length and breadth of Ireland, visiting the developing Bahá'í communities. He also toured Scotland extensively during this period. He played a huge role in supporting the many young people who had enrolled in the Faith at the time.
In the early nineties Beman retired as an Auxiliary Board member however he continued to be very active. He was a founder member and treasurer of the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum, he was treasurer of the George Townshend Bahá'í School, he served on Castlereagh Spiritual Assembly and he was the manager of the Bahá'í Book Agency in Northern Ireland. With the legal recognition of Bahá'í marriage in NI he was appointed the Bahá'í Chief Marriage Officer and he represented the Faith at very high levelsincluding meetings with Archbishop Brady (Catholic)and Archbishop Eames (Church of Ireland).
Beman made a profound impression on everyone that he met. Rev Maurice Ryan, writing on behalf of the Inter-Faith Forum expressed this: “It was a privilege to know him, a joy to be in his company, and none of us who shared with him the fellowship of the Inter-Faith Forum can ever forget his total commitment to the interfaith ideal nor the sheer loving-kindness which flowed from his spirit…To know Beman was to love him, quite un-conditionally!” It didn’t matter to whom he spoke; he had an incredible capacity to make connections. This was visible when he was speaking to religious leaders but it was also evident when he was talking to teenagers and children.
Recently, following a consultation on how to develop devotional gatherings, the Spiritual Assembly of Castlereagh decided that an approach should be made to St Dorothea’s church to see if they would host devotional meetings. There followed a series of monthly devotional meetings that were very well attended by members of the congregation. Beman worked closely with the Minister to ensure that these meetings were successful and he took great pleasure when the Minister included Bahá'í quotations in his selection of readings.
He never missed an opportunity to teach the Faith. Recently he was visiting Mrs Betty Reed in a nursing home when President Mary McAleese arrived. Beman seized the opportunity and spoke to the President. When a local journalist arrived the Matron of the home asked him to sit beside Beman. The journalist devoted a large part of his article to his conversation in which Beman explained the teachings of the Faith.
Beman’s mother dies when he was only six days. He was brought up by his devout Zoroastrian grandmother in Aliabad, about 30 miles from Yazd. He accepted the Faith when he went to Teheran and from then on he was surrounded by wonderful Bahá'ís. His Bahá'í class was taught by Dr Muhajer who was then a medical student. The local Feast was regularly hosted in his home and attendees included Professor Hakim and Dr Varqa. When he returned to Karachi he met many Hands of the Cause who were travelling through.
Beman decided to pioneer to Montgomery in India. He spent a number of years there and was involved in the organisation of two Summer Schools. By the time he left Montgomery, it had its own Spiritual Assembly made up of local believers. However he endured great hardship at his post, living initially in a mud shack that was infested with insects, snakes and lizards. After the second Summer School he contracted malaria and had to return to Karachi.
In January 1958 he travelled to Kampala for a major Inter-continental Conference and in September of the same year he attended the Inter-continental Conference in Singapore. On each occasion there were amazing encounters and adventures. A few weeks later he left for Belfast and arrived here in October 1958 together with Hushang and Qudrat Jamshidi. They were met at the then airport at Nutts Corner by Rustam Jamshidi, Jane Villiers-Stuart, and Lady Hornell. So began almost 50 years of devoted service to the Cause in these islands. The Bahá'í community in Ireland – north and south - is indebted to him for the outstanding legacy that he has left.
Obituary commissioned by the Bahá'í Council
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