March 5. On this date in 2013, Mas’ud Khamsi died in Lima, Peru. Elected as the inaugural Chairman of the independent NSA of Bolivia, he also served as a Continental Counsellor and as a member of the International Teaching Center.

 

March 5. On this date in 2013, Mas’ud Khamsi died in Lima, Peru. Elected as the inaugural Chairman of the independent NSA of Bolivia, he also served as a Continental Counsellor and as a member of the International Teaching Center.

Born in 1922 in Iran, Mas’ud Khamsi left Iran in 1957 to pioneer to South America during the Ten Year Crusade. 

Mas’ud Khamsi served as an inaugural member of the Local Spiritual Assembly of La Paz, Bolivia, when it was established in 1960. He served on the joint National Spiritual Assembly of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay in the early 1960's, and was elected as the inaugural Chairman of the independent National Spiritual Assembly of Bolivia when it was established in 1961. In 1962 he was appointed an Auxiliary Board Member for Protection for the Western Hemisphere, succeeding Mildred Mottahedeh. In 1963 he spoke at the Bahá'í World Congress during a session on pioneering.

He returned to Iran at some point in the 1960's and was appointed as an inaugural Counselor for West Asia in 1968. He returned to South America in 1969, and was appointed as a Counsellor for South America. He traveled across South America extensively in his role as Counsellor, and accompanied Rúḥíyyih Khánum on the Green Light Expedition, a lengthy teaching tour of South America undertaken by boat in 1975. He was appointed the Trustee of the Continental Funds of South America in 1976, in addition to continuing to serve as Counsellor.

In 1962, in his role as an Auxiliary Board Member, Mas’ud Khamsi was sent to Chile along with Abu'l-Qásim Faizi in order to investigate (also mentioned here) "members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Chile, residing in Loncoche, Fabienne. Guillon and Sr. Pallés, [who] have become Covenant-breakers, supporting the false claims of Mason Remey."

In 1983 Mas’ud Khamsi was appointed to the International Teaching Centre for a five year term. In 1985 he, and Ruth Pringle, accompanied Rúḥíyyih Khánum to a meeting with Panama's Minister of Government and Minister of Justice to discuss the construction of a radio station by the countr's National Spiritual Assembly. He was reappointed to the ITC for a second five year term in 1988, and retired from the body in 1993.

On March 5, 2013, Mas’ud Khamsi died in Lima, Peru.