Peter Khan

Peter Jamel Khan (November 12, 1936 - July 15, 2011) was a member of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith, from 1987 until he resigned in 2010 due to advanced age.^[1]

Background

A statement from the Bahá'í World News Service after his passing included the following biographical statement about Peter Khan:

Peter Jamel Khan was born in New South Wales on 12 November 1936 to Fazal and Hukoomat Khan from Khassi Kalan in the Punjab region of India. Four years before their son's birth, they were among the first Indian immigrants to settle on Australia's eastern coast.

When he was 12 years old, Dr. Khan, his parents and sister, became the first Muslims in Australia to join the Baha'i Faith. From that time onwards, he dedicated his life to promoting the Baha'i teachings, starting his life of service as an active youth member of the Yerrinbool Baha'i community.

At the age of 21, he was elected a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Australia, on which he served until 1963.

Dr. Khan became an electrical engineer, receiving his BSc (1956), his BE (1959), and his doctorate (1963) – all from the University of Sydney. From 1963 to 1967, he lived in the United States as a Fulbright postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, and remained there as a professor of electrical engineering until his return to Australia in 1975. He became a visiting professor at the University of New South Wales and an associate professor at the University of Queensland from 1976 until 1983. He was also a fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, a senior member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and a member of the editorial board of its journal, Transactions on Microwave Theory.^[1]

A further obituary in the Sydney Morning Herald also mentions Peter Khan:

Khan was the first Australian elected to the supreme governing Baha'i, the Universal House of Justice...

...one of two children of Fazel and Hukoomat (Bibi) Khan, who had migrated from the Punjab region of India. Fazel and Bibi had been Muslims but joined the Baha'i faith in Australia when Peter was 11. Fazel and the children, Peter and Joy, served at various times on the National Spiritual Assembly.

...His research on high-frequency electronics led to a Fulbright postdoctoral fellowship and he joined the University of Michigan as associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science. He returned to Australia for sabbatical leave in 1975 and undertook research at the University of NSW. From 1976 to 1983, he held a senior academic position at the University of Queensland.

...Khan was a close follower of world events through the media and his contacts with national leaders. He also followed cricket and loved classical music.

...Memorial services have been held in Baha'i communities and in all seven Baha'i houses of worship in the world.^[2]

Writings

• Effendi, Shoghi (1997). "Introduction". Messages to the Antipodes:Communications from Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'í Communities of Australasia. Peter Khan (Introduction). Mona Vale: Bahá'í Publications Australia. pp. and page 14. ISBN 978-0-909991-98-2.

• Khan, Peter (2007) [1986]. "Foreword". In Khan, Peter. Peace: More Than an End to War. Wilmette, Illinois: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States. ISBN 978-1-931847-39-1.

• Khan, Peter; Khan, Janet (1998). Advancement of Women: A Bahá'í Perspective. Wilmette, Illinois: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States. ISBN 0-87743-269-4.

• Khan, Peter (1991). "Foreword". In Bergsmo, Martin. Studying the Writings of Shoghi Effendi. Oxford, UK: George Ronald Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-1-931847-39-1.

• Khan, Peter (September 29, 1996). "1995: Four Year Plan". Bahá'í Library Online. Talk organized by the US NSA and the LSA of Washington, D.C. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (June 3, 2001). "2001: Five Year Plan". Bahá'í Library Online. Talk given by Dr. Khan about the Five Year Plan at the City Hall in Hofheim am Taunus, Germany (near the Bahá'í Temple in Langenhein). Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (June 2000). "Address at Queen's Birthday Weekend Conference, Aukland". Bahá'í Library Online. Addresses a variety of issues facing the Bahá'í community, especially as pertains to New Zealand Bahá'ís. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (2008). "Some Aspects of Bahá'í Scholarship". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (August 13, 2006). "Education, Scholarship, and Global Civilisation". Bahá'í Library Online. Talk given at the Association for Bahá’í Studies conference in San Francisco, California, August 13, 2006. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (September 17, 1995). "Mental Tests". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (September 23, 1995). "The Nature and Challenge of Tests". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (January 12, 2003). "Political Non-Involvement and Obedience to Government". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (July 3, 2009). "Reflections on the Ridvan 2009 Message". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (1986). "Relating the Faith to Current Issues". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (August 22, 1998). "The World's Equilibrium". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (August 2, 2006). "Unique Features of Bahá'í Service". Bahá'í Library Online. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (1999). "Some Aspects of Bahá'í Scholarship". Journal of Bahá'í Studies. 9 (4): 43–64. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (November 1979). "Meditation". Australian Bahá'í Bulletin. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (1993). "Possible Topics for Research". Bahá'í Studies Review. 3 (2). Retrieved June 22, 2017.

• Khan, Peter (1993). "Bahá'í Scholarship". Bahá'í Studies Review. 3 (2). Retrieved June 22, 2017.

References