Foreigner

moving picture of the author signing books

I am delighted to announce the release of our new book: Foreigner.From an Iranian Village to New York City and the lights that led the way

Foreigner tells my story as an Iranian Baha’i immigrant to the United States in a series of moving and humorous episodes set against the backdrop of a changing Iran, the plight of Baha’is there, and the tumult and of the 60’s and 70’s in the U.S.

From the rough streets of the small Iranian town of Nayriz to the streets of Harlem in the tumultuous late ‘60s, I grew up among the persecuted Baha’i religious minority in Iran to later working at the Harlem Prep school which helped guide hundreds of young African-Americans away from the streets and into college. In a series of stories told with honesty and humor, I am seen struggling with the harsh society of rural Iran and then with life on the margins of American society as an immigrant, misunderstanding the cultural norms of my new home while trying to maintain my Baha’i and Iranian identities until I finally settled down into the American middle class in Queens.

Foreigner is a vivid re-telling of a foreigner’s experience—a Baha’i in a Shi’a Muslim country, an immigrant in a foreign land, a poor person in New York City, a middle Easterner in the West—full of humorous moments and personalities from all walks of life.

About The Author

moving picture of the author signing books

Dr. Hussein Ahdieh was born and raised in Nayriz, Iran, He is a sixth generation Bahá'í, his ancestors figuring among the first in Nayriz to accept the Bábi and later Bahá'í Faith. Hussein immigrated to the United States as a young man of 19. Like many immigrants seeking a better life in America, he worked and attended college in the New York area. Hussein eventually completed a Masters Degree in European Intellectual History and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts.

Dr. Ahdieh has had a distinguished career in education in New York. His proudest achievement is to have been one of the founders and Assistant Headmaster of the Harlem Preparatory School--a world renowned charter high school for disadvantaged students. The school is credited with helping numerous people to rise from poverty to a better life. Dr. Ahdieh also served as Director of Educational Programs at Fordham University.

n addition to Awakening, which has been translated into 6 languages, Dr. Ahdieh has co-authored 'Abdu'l-Bahá in New York (translated into three languages), a concise, informative history of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's activities during his visits to the area; “A Way out of No Way: Harlem Prep –Transforming Dropouts into Scholars-1967-1977, a Baha’i inspired institute. His new book is comprehensive study about the life of Tahirih and her American contemporaries in English and Persian languages.

Recent Articles

They Kidnapped My Father and Killed My Dog

They Kidnapped My Father and Killed My Dog

This limitless universe is like the human body, all the members of which are connected and linked with one another with the greatest strength. How much the organs, the members and the parts of the body of man are intermingled and connected for mutual aid and help, and how much they influence one another! In the same way, the parts of this infinite universe have their members and elements connected with one another, and influence one another spiritually and materially. – Abdu’l-Baha Ever since small boats could sail beyond the horizon, each person who has journeyed to a new home has a unique story, with their own motivation for leaving the home of their ancestors and for starti ...more
Review of Foreigner by Prof.Robert Atkinson, author and speaker

Review of Foreigner by Prof.Robert Atkinson, author and speaker

From a vivid and illuminating historical context of his family’s role in helping to shape the early Baha’i community in Iran, and all the persecution that came with it, Dr. Ahdieh takes us with him on a riveting journey, as a 19 year-old, to America where, after many fits and starts at assimilation, he eventually joins in the Civil Rights Movement and assumes a key role himself in helping to shape a new school for the children of Harlem during the turbulent decade of the 1960s that most needed social justice and change. This truthful but always hopeful personal account provides much insight into what it is like to be on both the receiving end of discrimination as well as to be able to a ...more

Books

Tahirih: Forerunner of Womens Liberation in the East (Persian Edition)

Tahirih: Forerunner of Womens Liberation in the East (Persian Edition)

A free-spirited harbinger of women’s rights, Tahirih of Qazvin stood in the forefront of the one of the most powerful movements to emerge in Persia and the Near East during the 19th century-the Bábí Faith. She was one of the earliest and most devoted followers of the Bab,whom Baha’u’llah chose to memorialize as “The Pure One”. ‘Tahirih:Forerunner of Women’s Liberation in the East’ tells her dramatic story. This highly readable and carefully researched account tells the little-known story of her extraordinary life in the context of the Persian Shi’a Muslim world in which she moved. The timing cannot be more appropriate for this invaluable book: at the brink of the 21st century, when East is East and West is West no longer, when we witness, globally, women of various races, ethnicities and creeds, raising their voices for the cause of justice, compassion and love, echoing Tahirih’s calling of hope and faith.

Precious Glimmers

Precious Glimmers

The summary of highlights of significant events in the Bahá’í history of New York City is not meant to be a complete review of the period. However, by including a variety of significant events in this collection, we hope the reader will have an increasing appreciation for the many serendipitous happenings and inter- connections of a handful of sincere seekers, whose dedication, systematic proclamations, persistence and steadfastness to the Cause established the Bahá’í Faith in New York. How very fortunate they were to have visited both the Master and the Guardian in Haifa, as well as to have had ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visit New York a century ago. We have included highlights of historical markers to give cultural context. Sent from my iPhone

The Chosen Path. Tahirih of Persia and Her Search for God

The Chosen Path. Tahirih of Persia and Her Search for God

In 19th century Persia, women were wretchedly oppressed. Left uneducated, confined to menial tasks, expected to obey the demands and whims of their husbands, offered almost no choices in life, even wealthy women were little better than slaves. But in this darkness, one woman stood out and stood up as a force of things to come.Tahirih of Qazvin, was an educated woman and gifted teacher of religion and philosophy and an accomplished poet. In the vanguard of the new Babi Faith, she brought a deeper understanding of its teachings to a rapidly growing number of followers. Her vibrant poetry gave voice to her spiritual longing and passion, and its freshness reflected the vitality of the new spiritual teachings revealed by the Bab. She emerged as the most outspoken of the Babi leaders. The authorities responded by having her murdered in the dead of night. At the moment of her martyrdom, Tahirih proclaimed “You can kill me…, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women.” Tahirih’s example has inspired countless women to extraordinary feats.

Foreigner

Foreigner

Foreigner tells my story as an Iranian Baha’i immigrant to the United States in a series of moving and humorous episodes set against the backdrop of a changing Iran, the plight of Baha’is there, and the tumult and of the 60’s and 70’s in the U.S. From the rough streets of the small Iranian town of Nayriz to the streets of Harlem in the tumultuous late ‘60s, I grew up among the persecuted Baha’i religious minority in Iran to later working at the Harlem Prep school which helped guide hundreds of young African-Americans away from the streets and into college. In a series of stories told with honesty and humor, I am seen struggling with the harsh society of rural Iran and then with life on the margins of American society as an immigrant, misunderstanding the cultural norms of my new home while trying to maintain my Baha’i and Iranian identities until I finally settled down into the American middle class in Queens. Foreigner is a vivid re-telling of a foreigner’s experience—a Baha’i in a Shi’a Muslim country, an immigrant in a foreign land, a poor person in New York City, a middle Easterner in the West—full of humorous moments and personalities from all walks of life.

Abdul Baha in New York

Abdul Baha in New York

Priceless eyewitness accounts, written records of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s addresses, and newspapers as well as magazine articles published in a number of volumes constitute a thorough chronicle of the Master’s 1912 travels to and through the United States and Canada.

The Calling

The Calling

The Calling describes Tahirih (Qurrat al- Ayn), the trailblazing female nineteenth century Iranian poet, theologian and religious-revolutionary leader in a fresh, new manner, juxtaposing and interweaving her life and work with that of her American contemporaries–Mother Ann Lee, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Olympia Brown, Ellen White and Mary Baker Eddy–women whose existence she was probably not aware of, but who shared with her a spiritual bond and vision of progress and justice.

Awakening

Awakening

A History of the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths in Nayríz is an inspiring account of the brutal religious persecutions that took place in 1850, 1853, and 1909 in the town of Nayríz, Iran, against its Bábí and Bahá’í residents. During this time, the town’s citizens, spurred on by a corrupt Muslim clergy and government, launched several waves of bloodshed against the Bábís – and later Bahá’ís – who lived there. This type of persecution continues today in present-day Iran toward the Bahá’ís – on a more subtle level – and the history of the Bábís and Bahá’ís in Nayríz serves as a reminder of what can happen when religious fanaticism and paranoia are allowed to replace rational thinking and tolerance.

A Way Out of No Way

A Way Out of No Way

From its founding in 1967, the Harlem Preparatory School attracted the attention of educators in New York City and elsewhere for its innovative educational philosophy and process. Harlem Prep was guided by progressive education principles that promoted individual responsibility and dignity, and community engagement.