50th ABS Annual Conference: Full Schedule

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9:00am EDT

Beyond Systems of Belief: Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation and the Reconfiguration of Human Knowledge

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Contemporary societies face fragmentation marked by political polarization, tribalism, and increasingly materialistic worldviews. This presentation explores religious revelation—particularly the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh—not as a system of beliefs, but as a transformation in how knowledge is generated, integrated, and disseminated. Drawing on insights from philosophy, literary theory, and historical precedents, it examines how revelation disrupts rigid rational frameworks and enables new forms of intellectual synthesis. It further argues that mystical experience, far from opposing reason, provides a standpoint above all knowledge systems from which such synthesis becomes possible. Participants are invited to consider the role of Bahá'ís as learners and interlocutors, contributing humbly to collaborative discourses on humanity's collective maturation.

Speakers

Darius Amanat-Markazi

Darius Amanat-Markazi studies architecture at the University of Waterloo. He completed the Foundation Year Program at the University of King’s College where he studied the history of Western thought and received the Peggy Heller Memorial Prize, awarded annually to the top-performing... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT
209

Study of the Writings, Breakout

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10:30am EDT

The Kitáb-i-Aqdas’s Proclamation to the World’s Kings, Rulers, and Leaders: History, Purposes, and Themes

FULL

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT

209

Limited Capacity full
Adding this to your schedule will put you on the waitlist.

Drawing on the research published in Exploring the Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Laws and Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, this session analyzes why in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas Bahá’u’lláh addressed the world’s political and religious leaders, why particular figures were addressed, how these addresses relate to His earlier proclamations, and the themes conveyed in these addresses.

Speakers

Shahin Vafai

Shahin Vafai is an attorney with over three decades of legal experience. He has coauthored Exploring the Kitáb-i-Aqdas (with Omid Ghaemmaghami) (I.B. Tauris 2025) and authored other works, including The Bahá’í Faith: Teachings, History, and Practices and The Essence of the C... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
209

Study of the Writings, Breakout

2:00pm EDT

Consultation in Clinical Practice: From Patient-Centred Care to Shared Moral Agency in Dentistry

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

209

Limited Capacity seats available

Contemporary healthcare emphasizes patient-centred care, yet power imbalances and procedural communication often limit genuine partnership. This presentation proposes Bahá’í consultation as a framework that deepens patient-centred practice by reframing the clinician–patient relationship as a shared search for truth grounded in humility, dignity, and unity of purpose. Drawing on health communication literature and clinical examples from dentistry, the session explores how consultation can strengthen trust and ethical decision-making. Participants will engage in reflection on how these principles may be applied within their own professional contexts.

Speakers

Kion Hatam

Dr. Kion Hatam views his professional life as an avenue for contributing to collective well-being. His long-standing involvement in community service and mentorship reflects a commitment to social responsibility and accompaniment. In his work, he strives to foster growth in individuals... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
209

Health, Breakout

3:30pm EDT

Learning as a Core Capability for Enduring Businesses

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

209

Limited Capacity seats available

Why do some businesses rise spectacularly, only to collapse under the weight of their own success, while others endure? In an era defined by data and analytics, even the most information-rich enterprises struggle to respond when signals from society challenge their definitions of success. This interactive session explores how narrow definitions of value and the absence of effective learning systems constrain organizational progress. Drawing on Bahá’í principles such as humility, consultation, and collective responsibility, participants will engage a framework for learning that enables organizations to endure and contribute to the advancement of material and spiritual civilization. Participants will be encouraged to carry this inquiry into ongoing discourses on business, technology, and civilization.

Speakers

Shadi Davari

Shadi Davari is a software engineer in the finance industry and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering with a second major in Economics. Guided by Bahá’í values and her experience as the only woman in many... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
209

Business, Breakout

50th ABS Annual Conference

9:00am EDT

Darius Amanat-Markazi

10:30am EDT

Shahin Vafai

2:00pm EDT

Kion Hatam

3:30pm EDT

Shadi Davari

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