The BAHA'I computer training center, last Friday July 31st, 2009 organised its 25th graduation ceremony at the National Baha'i Center, where successful participants received certificates for both foundation and advanced diploma levels.

As a way of assisting and encouraging the youth in pursuit of their education for the past eleven years, the BAHA'I community in The Gambia has been offering regular free computer classes to the public. Over 2600 participants, mainly selected from young, needy and capable candidates, with the emphasis in female participation, have benefited from this free community service project.

According to Bob Arrington, a member of the BAHA'I community who spoke with the Daily Observer just after the graduation ceremony, the Bahá'í faith is the youngest of the world's independent religions. "Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), is regarded by Bahá'ís as the most recent in the line of messengers of God that stretches back beyond recorded time, and that includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad (PBH)," he said.

Bob Arrington went on: "The central theme of Bahá'u'lláh's message is that humanity is one single race and that the day has come for its unification in one global society. God, Bahá'u'lláh said, has set in motion historical forces that are breaking down traditional barriers of race, class, creed and nation, and that it will, in time, give birth to a universal civilization. The principal challenge facing the peoples of the earth is to accept the fact of their oneness and to assist the processes of unification."

Bob further noted that one of the purposes of the Bahá'í faith is to help make this possible. He added as a worldwide community of some five million members, representative of most of the nations, races and cultures on earth, the faith is working to give Bahá'u'lláh's teachings practical effect. He also noted that their experience will be a source of encouragement to all who share their vision of humanity as one global family and the earth as one homeland.

He noted that humanity is now coming of age, adding that it is this that makes possible the unification of the human family and the building of a peaceful, global society. He also noted that among the principles which the BAHA'I faith promotes as vital to the achievement of these goals are: the abandonment of all forms of prejudice, assurance to women of full equality of opportunity with men, recognition of the unity and relativity of religious truth, the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth, the realization of universal education, the responsibility of each person to independently search for truth, the establishment of a global commonwealth of nations and recognition that true religion is in harmony with reason and the pursuit of scientific knowledge.