Why do Bahais NOT go on strike or demonstrate?

Below are notes from a talk by Michael Karlberg given at the Eastside Bahá'í Center in Bellevue, Washington, on 27 June 2009, as part of a larger public program organized in support of the Bahá'í prisoners in Iran.

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As you know, one year ago, seven Iranian Baha’is were arrested and imprisoned for the
crime of believing that there is only one God; that all of the world’s great religions spring from this same Divine Source and have all contributed to humanity’s collective spiritual evolution; and that the most important spiritual lesson humanity is facing in this day is the need to recognize our unity and interdependence – across all of the lines that have historically divided us – so that we can create a new social order based on the principle of the oneness of humanity.

For holding these beliefs, these seven Bahá'ís that we are remembering tonight have been charged with the crime of “spreading corruption on earth” and they face possible
execution. Over 200 Iranian Bahá'ís have been killed by the Iranian government since
the revolution in 1979, as a result of similar charges. Many of us know the stories of some of these Bahá'ís. For instance, one story that stands out most of our memories is the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, a 17-year old girl who was arrested 26 years ago this month, and was hung in the dead of night, after watching nine other Bahá'í women being hung for the same crime – being a Bahá'í.

But these persecutions trace back much deeper than the current regime in Iran. One
hundred and fifty seven years ago, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith – Bahá'u'lláh – who was the author of the beliefs for which those we are remembering tonight were
persecuted, was himself arrested and thrown in a dark underground pit for four months to languish near death, and then sent into a forty year-long imprisonment and exile that would last until his death. One hundred and fifty nine years ago, the herald of the Bahá'í Faith – the Bab – was likewise arrested, imprisoned, and executed by a firing squad of 750 riflemen, for proclaiming the birth of this Faith.

In the period from the execution of the Báb to the arrest of the seven Bahá'í friends one year ago over twenty thousand believers have been killed in the most brutal and inhumane ways; many more have had their property plundered, their livelihoods taken from them, their gravesites desecrated, and their holy places destroyed. Bahá'í students have been denied access to higher education. Bahá'í children have been vilified in their schools. And all Iranian Bahá'ís have been systematically vilified from the pulpit and through the media.

It is no easy thing to be a Bahá'í in Iran.

But I am not here today to solicit your pity on behalf of the Iranian Bahá'ís. I want to put their suffering in a larger context so that you can understand the purpose of this suffering – and why the Bahá'ís accept these hardships with patience and long-suffering.

As I’ve already mentioned, Bahá'ís believe in the oneness of humanity. But this concept of oneness is not merely a vague or naïve expression of idealism. It is a social reality that Bahá'ís all around the world are actively and intelligently working to create. Bahá'ís are working to create this reality through the moral and spiritual education of children, through the spiritual empowerment of adolescents, and through training processes that foster the capabilities for community service in youth and adults. Bahá'ís are working to create this reality through inclusive worship with people of all Faiths, through social action directed at the betterment of our society, through the construction of a new model of participatory governance that is unifying rather than divisive, and through attention to the underlying spiritual disciplines – such as prayer and meditation, fasting, and calling
oneself to account each day – that are essential to processes of deep personal and social transformation.

If you step back and look at all of these processes as a whole, you can see that they
constitute an approach to social change – or a model of social change – directed at
bringing about the oneness of humanity.

Skeptics might ask: will it work? Ultimately, there is only one way to find out. The
approach has to be tried. The experiment has to be run.

This is what the Bahá'ís are doing all over the world, in ever-growing numbers. They are engaged in a vast social experiment, testing the hypothesis that humanity can learn to live as one family, in a single social order, characterized by unity and justice. It will take many generations before any conclusions can be drawn about the success of this vast social experiment. But the early results, in my opinion, are promising. And the experiment warrants the attention of anyone interested in peace and social justice.

But what about those seven Bahá'ís languishing in an Iranian prison, who we are here
tonight to remember? It might seem, on the surface, that the experiment is not working so well for them. Clearly they are suffering deeply, and their lives are at great risk, just like so many Baha’is before them.

When I first began writing and speaking out about the Bahá'ís in Iran, and the suffering they are experiencing, some people asked me: Why don’t the Bahá'ís in Iran fight back? Why aren’t they willing to confront their oppressors by organizing politically? Or by engaging in acts of civil disobedience? And more recently, people might ask: Why are the Bahá'ís of Iran not taking to the streets in protest – like their fellow citizens this past week following the Iranian election? After all, there are over 300,000 Bahá'ís in Iran.
That’s a small army – if it was mobilized in opposition to the current regime.

To answer these questions, we need to look closer at the Bahá'í approach to social
change. The Bahá'í approach to social change has one more element that needs to be
carefully examined to fully understand what is going on.

If the goal of the Bahá'í Faith is to bring about the oneness of humanity – to promote unity across all of the lines that have historically divided humans from one another – clearly this cannot be accomplished through methods that are divisive or adversarial, because the means would not be consistent with the ends. Therefore violent revolution is not an option for Bahá'ís. But neither is non-violent confrontation. Confrontation of any form is divisive and incompatible with the goal of unity.

Furthermore, the methods of non-violent confrontation were tried by others throughout
the twentieth century. These methods led to some significant social advances, such as
independence in India and advances in the field of civil rights in this country. But these methods have proven to be limited because the methods, in themselves, do not construct lasting alternatives to the oppressive systems they seek to replace. After the non-violent independence movement in India threw off the oppressive yoke of the British empire, the country descended into a sectarian bloodbath in which millions were killed and millions more were turned into refugees. After the non-violent civil rights movement in the US threw off the Jim Crow laws in the south, racism assumed more subtle expressions – even as the growing chasm between the richest and poorest people in this country created other forms of widespread oppression.

In this regard, while the methods of non-violent confrontation have led to some
remarkable achievements, they are arguably reaching a point of diminishing returns, and it is unlikely that these methods alone can lead us to the world of unity and justice we seek.

In this context, Bahá'ís are pioneering a radical model of social change that is unifying rather than divisive, that focuses on constructing the framework of a new social order, and that works even in the face of violent oppression. If I could describe this model in one phrase, I would call it “constructive resilience” (note: this phrase was used by the Universal House of Justice in a letter to the Bahá'í students deprived of access to higher education in Iran, dated 9 September 2007).

The model is constructive because all of the energy of the Bahá'í community goes into constructing a new social order, rather than attacking or tearing down the old order or those who benefit from it. It is resilient because it has proven itself capable of withstanding the most violent opposition. The Bahá'í community bends, but never breaks. It is like a palm tree that can withstand the hurricane winds that assail it from time to time, while the tree continues to grow, and thrive, and ultimately yield its fruit.

This model of constructive resilience is already proving itself to be remarkably effective. It enables the Bahá'í community to survive its birth in Iran, in the face of immediate, brutal, and sustained violence directed against it. From those humble origins the community has now taken root in every nation on earth. Its steadily growing membership numbers in the millions and in its diversity, the international Bahá'í community has become a microcosm of humanity.

With the Iranian revolution in 1979, a fresh wave of violent persecution was unleashed on the Bahá'í community there. Since then the principled response of the Iranian Bahá'í community has attracted the admiration of many Iranians. And it has denied the authorities any pretext with which to launch a much more violent, genocidal attack on the Bahá'ís.

Meanwhile, the worldwide Bahá'í community has been inspired to new heights of
achievement by the courageous and principled example of the Iranian Bahá'ís. This
worldwide community has also been galvanized in support of their Iranian brothers and
sisters and it has been able to shine a spotlight on the situation in Iran. As a result, governments and leaders of thought throughout the world have appealed for justice on behalf of the Bahá'ís of Iran. Countless resolutions of support have been passed by United Nations agencies, national governments, and international human rights organizations – and they have had a positive effect. A growing number of Iranian citizens outside and even inside Iran are also beginning to appeal for justice on behalf of the Bahá'ís – often at great personal risk.

Meanwhile, also inside Iran, every effort the government makes to eradicate the Bahá'í community spurs the development of creative, constructive responses. For instance, when the authorities denied Bahá'í students access to higher education, the Bahá'í community created a decentralized virtual university. It operates in Bahá'í living rooms across the country, and over the internet. Top faculty from inside Iran and around the world offer over a dozen university degrees that are recognized by prestigious graduate programs in many other countries.

This is constructive resilience. This is a force for progress that cannot be arrested and will not be denied. This is the big picture.

With this picture in mind, I want to turn our attention back to the seven friends in Iran who are languishing in prison, awaiting their sentence, with little hope of a fair trial.
These seven Bahá'ís are willing to pay the highest price of all – they are willing to
sacrifice their own lives – for the cause of the oneness of humanity. But these sacrifices may no longer be necessary because humanity is arriving at a new stage in its collective development. All around the world, people of conscience are recognizing that injury to one means injury to all, and that justice must become the reigning principle of human affairs. In this regard, the oneness of humanity is fast becoming a universally accepted ideal.

The Bahá'ís in Iran have made tremendous sacrifices, for over 150 years, to advance this ideal. It is time for humanity to lift the burden of sacrifice from their shoulders. It is time for people everywhere to speak out with a unified voice and say: enough is enough.

These oppression can no longer be tolerated – in any country, against any people.
Enough is enough.

So I urge all of you here to use every channel of communication and legitimate influence at your disposal to speak out. Speak out to your elected representatives and to your fellow citizens. Speak out through conversations, and emails, and letters, and the media. Speak out on behalf of our common humanity. Enough is enough.

Through their sacrifices, the Bahá'ís in Iran are offering humanity an opportunity to take the next step down the path toward unity and justice. It is time for humanity to move beyond the point of leaving persecuted and oppressed minorities to struggle in isolation for their own survival. It is time for all people of conscience, everywhere, to begin to speak out, with a unified voice, in support of the victims of oppression, everywhere. This is what the oneness of humanity looks like. This is where we are headed.

The Bahá'ís in Iran have made such painful sacrifices, for over 150 years, to bring about the reality of the oneness of humanity. It is time for humanity to lift the burden of sacrifice from their shoulders.

One Word: God

“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” Baha’u’llah. One day I was walking along Charles River in Cambridge when I noticed two men in suites and yamakas looking for someone to take their picture with the Boston skyline behind them. I offered to take their picture. After I took a few photographs and was returning the camera, one of them spoke to me in Hebrew. I said: ‘I am afraid I do not speak Hebrew’. The man said: ‘but you are Jewish, right?’ Smiling and impressed, I replied: ‘Good guess! My ancestry is Jewish; in fact both sides of my family have included a couple of rabbis and are descended from Ecbatana, the ancient Persian city where Ester was from – but, I am not Jewish!’ The man gave me his card that identified him as the rabbi at one of the local colleges and asked: ‘so your great grandmother, grandmother and mother were Jewish?’ I replied, ‘yes.’ He said: ‘then you are Jewish!’ The young Spanish priest walked into our house in Needham with some urgency. ‘Where is your mother?’ he asked. I explained that it was my Mexican mother-in-law that was in need of his services and led him to her room. She had been seriously ill and very close to the end of her life. One of her friends visiting her earlier that day had become alarmed and had asked that we immediately find a Spanish speaking priest to perform her last rites. Through St. Joseph, where she was a parishioner, the Spanish padre was contacted and arrived at our door in an hour or so. I watched him say some prayers lovingly and tenderly and perform some rites that were completely unfamiliar to me. After a while, he stopped and said something to the effect that he could not perform the last rites since she was not close enough to passing. I asked what we should do for her meanwhile, and if he was going to come back again? He replied that we should pray for her. I said that we do, but out of respect for her, since she was a Catholic, we felt that it should also be done in a Christian way. He asked some questions such as, ‘do you believe in God, the Father’ and, ‘do you believe that Jesus was the Savior’, to which I replied in the affirmative. He said, ‘you can pray for her, you are a Christian!’ I have been in similar situations when I was also told by “good authority” that I must be a Muslim! Far from being offended or even uncomfortable I find these occasional mistaken attributions to other religions to be a confirmation of my Faith rather than its denial. I am a Baha’i which means I try to follow the teachings of Baha’u’llah in my day to day life. Baha’u’llah, who lived in the nineteenth century, was born to a noble and wealthy family. He taught that we are fundamentally spiritual beings and life is part of the journey of the human soul to acquire and perfect spiritual qualities such as love, justice, humility, selflessness and kindness. He taught that the Creator, known by different names at different times and places, has revealed himself to humanity throughout the ages by individuals who Baha’u’llah called “Manifestations of God”. It was through these Manifestations that humanity could learn about its Creator and acquire the spiritual perfections that it needs for its happiness, tranquility and peace. Baha’u’llah taught that there is only one human race and the spiritual foundations of the religions that were founded by Abraham, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’u’llah are all the same. They only differ in their “social” teachings because the needs of each age are different. He claimed to be the latest in this progressive revelation. As a result of his claim and teachings, Baha’u’llah was arrested, stripped of all his worldly belongings, imprisoned in the Black Pit of Tehran and suffered 40 years of further exile and imprisonment finally ending in the Ottoman penal colony of Akka, in the present day Israel. Despite all his suffering and the intrigues of the Persian and Ottoman empires to silence him and destroy the movement that he had started, Baha’u’llah in over 100 volumes of books, letters and epistles outlined the spiritual and intellectual principles that are needed to relieve a suffering humanity from “the tumult of religious dissension and strife” and establish the Peace for which the followers of all religions have been praying and waiting for.

Ramin Abrishamian www.boston.com June 2, 2009


We must recognize the sun no matter from what dawning-point it may shine forth, be it Mosaic, Abrahamic or any personal point of orientation whatever, for we are lovers of sunlight and not of orientation. We are lovers of illumination and not of lamps and candles. We are seekers for water no matter from what rock it may gush forth. We are in need of fruit in whatsoever orchard it may be ripened. We long for rain it matters not which cloud pours it down. We must not be fettered. If we renounce these fetters we shall agree, for all are seekers of reality. The counterfeit or imitation of true religion has adulterated human belief and the foundations have been lost sight of. The variance of these imitations has produced enmity and strife, war and bloodshed. Now the glorious and brilliant twentieth century has dawned and the divine bounty is radiating universally. The Sun of Truth is shining forth in intense enkindlement. This is verily the century when these imitations must be forsaken, superstitions abandoned and God alone worshiped. We must look at the reality of the prophets and their teachings in order that we may agree.
~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 15

The Fire of Love

Create, then, in their hearts, O my Beloved, the fire of Thy love, to such an extent that the mention of all save Thee may be consumed by it, that they may witness within their selves that Thou hast ever been in the loftiness of eternity, and that there has never been anything with Thee, and that Thou art as Thou bast ever been; no God is there save Thee, the Generous, the Mighty.

~ Baha'u'llah

Buddhism in Asian civilization

Buddhism began as an intellectual and ethical movement in the sixth century B.C in India. It spread during the life time of the Buddha in India. At the time of the Buddha’s parinibhana almost all the important states of India seemed to have been deeply influenced by the new teaching. He had many disciples and accumulated a large public following by the time of his parinibhana in 483 B.C.

The spread of Buddhism

Buddhism has been significant not only in India, but also in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, where Theravada has been dominant. Mahayana has had greatest impact in China, Afghanistan, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea and Vietnam as well as in India. Tibetan Buddhism which developed in isolation of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism is functioning as a separate sect since the 19th century. The number of Buddhists world wide has been estimated as between 150 and 300 million.

The fascinating philosophy which became a religion

The marvel of Buddhism is that it has lasted for more than 2500 years. It has a philosophy as well as a religion. The philosophy of the Buddha fascinates the intellectual. As a religion it illuminates the lives of millions of men, women and children. All the more wonderful, it has never been imposed by force.
Today many universities in Asia, the Buddha’s doctrine has been made a subject of philosophical research. Vivid dialogues and sayings of the Buddha, recordings, edicts, scriptures originated in Asian civilization. Two and half centuries after the parinibhana of the Buddha, a council of monks collected his teachings and the oral traditions of the faith into written form, called the Tripitake (The Three Baskets). The Tripitake which is translated to English and other languages form one great prime source of Buddhism in Asian civilization.

Buddhism and the Eightfold Path

The contribution which Buddhism has made to the spiritual, moral, social and intellectual advancement of man and woman in Sri Lanka and in Asian Civilization is needed notable. Buddhism is a moral code based on compassion, universal love, non-violence, equanimity and a practical philosophy for daily life. The essence of Buddhism is the Eightfold Path, which includes morality, mind, culture and wisdom.
Buddhism is also an institution of well-laid rules and regulations formulated for its functioning. Thus a community of men, women, male and female, disciples who are known to hold the same views dedicated to the same cause, opinion and principles and following the same religious teaching emerged. It was a highly organized community possessing stability and a high degree of efficiency without any loss of functions to the individual members whether man or woman. Woman had the right to freely participate in the social life of the religion. Given the diversity of target groups and educational tasks, the Buddha made effective use of informal education to teach and educate the fourfold Buddhist community.

Impact of Buddhism

Impact of Buddhism in Asian civilization can be attributed to the unswerving faithfulness of the bhikkhu and bhikkunie groups, the Tripitake and the scriptures. There were a sufficient number of faithful, erudite monks to preach the doctrine undefiled and to fill millions with its spirit. The transforming power of Buddhism made new personalities of all kinds of people -- from kings to peasants. It has changed individual men and women, it has changed entire nations. Emperor Asoka of India, King Tissa of Sri Lanka were history’s greatest examples of transformation. The Indian missionaries led by Rev. Mahinda brought not only Buddhism to the Island, but also the culture and civilization of Buddhist India. Almost all the Buddhist rites, ceremonies, festivals, architecture, arts and crafts were introduced into countries of Asia.

Emperor Asoka’s great contributions to Buddhism

The Emperor Asoka is history’s greatest example in the impact of Buddhism in Asian Civilizations. Inspired by Buddhism in 200 B.C. he sent missionaries to many lands. As a result Buddhism played a vital role in Asian Civilization. Vincent Smith in his book “Asoka, Buddhist Emperor of India” states “the transformation of the local sect into a world religion is the work of Asoka alone.” He passed on the Teaching in its original purity. The extent of the accomplishment of Emperor Asoka, would not have been known today were it not for some 5000 inscriptions that he had carved on pillars, rocks and caves throughout his empire. The inscriptions contain Buddhist rules for the laity. These inscriptions explain the meaning of this religion and reveal what Emperor Asoka accomplished in social welfare in his empire.
Missionaries were sent to Sri Lanka while others went to Burma to Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Macedonia and Epirus. So from generation to generation tales of the glory of Emperor Asoka, man of peace, in Asian civilizations were handed down from parent to child. He put the teaching into practice. One inscription includes the references to; “an absence of self-indulgence, many good actions, kindness, generosity, truthfulness and parity.”
Emperor Aoska recorded: All men are children. And just as I wish my children every kind of prosperity and happiness, in this world and the next, so do I wish for all other men.” Hundreds of monasteries arose, and subjects were encouraged to make pilgrimages to them. He built hospitals for men and animals. He was the pioneer in introducing the profession of veterinary surgery. He established gardens for the cultivation of healing herbs and rest houses at intervals along travel routes. He was a pioneer educationalist and urged Buddhist monks to raise the national level of instruction. He championed and financially supported the education for women.
The most glorious mission of Asoka was carried out by Rev. Mahinda in Sri Lanka. This was followed by the arrival of Rev. Sangamitta. These two visits brought about a renaissance in Sri Lanka. Buddhism, education, arts and craft, sculpture, agriculture and the economy developed. The social, cultural intellectual and moral development of the individuals would not have been a possibility if not for the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Buddhism was equated to governance and every king who ruled in Sri Lanka was dedicated to Buddhism and contributed to the welfare of the country.

Buddhism in other Asian societies

A Buddhist environment prevails in countries like Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Buddhism played a predominant role in Asian civilization. Theory and practice of Buddhism have made happier and more confident people as confirmed by other great individuals. Thomas Huckey stated, “It spread over a considerable portion of the world with marvelous rapidity, and is still the dominant creed of a large fraction of mankind.”
As a result of the spread of Buddhism, Asian civilizations remained devoted and dedicated to transient spiritual standards and values of a more lasting character. It may be rightly said that Emperor Asoka’s outstanding service to Asian mankind is the missionary zeal that he displaced both within and outside his vast domain. Sri Lanka profiting by his missionary activities, dedicated itself whole-heartedly to the observance, preservation and the custodianship of the Buddha-Dhamma writing down of the doctrine during the 1st century A.D. is the greatest contribution that Sri Lanka had made to the intellectual heritage of mankind. Asian civilizations are not only proud of its past Buddhist cultural attainments but they are also conscious that the present day world society sadly needs the most comforting message of peace and loving kindness declared by the Buddha as a panacea for all ills of the world.

The foundations: philosophy, ideology, concepts, and attitudes.

His philosophy was that everything in the world is transient -- it changes. It is so with the infant, the child, the youth, man and women. It is very philosophical and has a special appeal to mankind. His ideology is truthfulness, peace, compassion, justice and love. His attitudes are very positive such as respect, regard and recognition. These noble principles have been retained in Asian civilizations, where force and coercion dominate. The impact of Buddhism in Asian civilization cannot be underestimated. Its impact has been significant, where Therovada, as well as Mahayana traditions have had the greatest impact.
Dr (Mrs) Tilokasundari Kariyawasam www.dailymirror.lk May 08, 2009



One of the organizers of the Races Congress present spoke of the Western ideals of Bahá'u'lláh as differing from those of former prophets which were tinged with the ideas and civilization of the East. He then asked whether Bahá'u'lláh had made a special study of Western writings, and founded his teachings in accordance with them.

'Abdu'l-Bahá laughed heartily, and said that the books of Bahá'u'lláh, written and printed sixty years ago, contained the ideals now so familiar to the West, but, at that time, they had not been printed or thought of in the West. Besides, he continued, supposing that a very advanced thinker from the West had gone to visit Bahá'u'lláh and to teach Him, would the name of such a great man and the fact of his visit have been unknown and unrecorded? No! In former days, in the time of the Buddha and Zoroaster, civilization in Asia and in the East was very much higher than in the West and ideas and thoughts of the Eastern peoples were much in advance of, and nearer to the thoughts of God than those of the West. But since that time superstitions had crept into the religion and ideals of the East, and from many differing causes the ideals and characters of the Eastern peoples had gone down and down, lower and lower, while the Western peoples had been constantly advancing and struggling towards the Light. Consequently, in these days, the civilization of the West was much higher than that of the East, and the ideas and thoughts of the people of the West were much nearer to the thought of God than those of the East. Therefore, the ideals of Bahá'u'lláh had been more quickly realized in the West.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 68

Bahai’ism Combines Many Religions to Create a New World Order

The Baha’i religion claims to be the fulfillment of spirituality on earth, and seeks to create a new universal faith by incorporating views of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism.

~ By Mark Hoerrner


It’s all about universality, Bahá'u'lláh asserts. Baha’ism, an offshoot (?) of Islam, is based on the teachings of an obscure figure in Asian history. A imprisoned 19th century Persian nobleman, Bahá'u'lláh, faced a vision for the future of humanity and in what the religion calls "a great moment of revelation," Bahá'u'lláh was made the messenger of God.

Today, Baha’ism has more than five million followers in 232 countries, surpassing all religions but Christianity in its spread on earth. Bahai’s universality concept of a global citizen is reflected in its members, which come from all over the planet. The religion claims to have supporters in 116,000 different geographic localities and more than 2,100 tribal and ethnic groups are represented.

Baha’i is unique in that unlike most monotheistic religions, other religions are not cast out, but referred to as evolutionary stages of a universal faith. The religion teaches that there is a single God, that there is only one human race, and that all people will eventually unite into a single "new world order."

According to www.bahai.com, the religions precepts are "the elimination of all forms of prejudice; full equality between the sexes; recognition of the essential oneness of the world's great religions; the elimination of extremes of poverty and wealth; universal education; the harmony of science and religion; a sustainable balance between nature and technology; and the establishment of a world federal system, based on collective security and the oneness of humanity."

The globalization of Baha’i cannot be disputed. The religion’s texts have been translated into more than 800 languages or dialects. It operates more than 18,000 governing councils, called "spiritual councils," around the world. It operates seven radio stations, 26 publishing trusts, 741 schools, and even supports 203 literacy programs. But where does Baha’i lead? The new world order is not just a glimpse of paradise on earth, but a real desire to replace all current government systems with a single form of democracy.

The Baha’is, a publication of the international Baha’i organization, has distinct ideas on its governmental processes. "The system combines the best elements of grassroots democracy with a facility for planet-wide coordination," the text reads. "It promotes the selection of leaders with integrity and has built-in checks against corruption. Its underlying principles strike a singular balance between individual freedom and the collective good. Although many of its elements are similar to other practices for democratic election, administration and governance, when viewed as a whole the Bahá'í system stands in sharp contrast. The election process, for example, excludes any form of campaigning, electioneering, or nominations. Yet it offers every individual elector the widest possible choice of candidates. The decision-making process used by Bahá'í councils in their deliberations is also distinctive; its method is non-adversarial and seeks to build community consensus in a manner that unites various constituencies instead of dividing them."

Baha’i is unusual for a religion that claims universality and then speaks of a single government form. Certainly, under perfect conditions, a one-world government may be the panacea for all that ills the planet, but will the perfect conditions arise? The Baha’ists affirm that it will, noting that the earth is now in its adolescence and ready for societies to merge into one.

~ By Buzzle Staff and Agencies, Published: 2/2/2006

World Unity (ctd 4)

Today we heard another disturbing news pointing to the on going threat of the rule of ignorance, fear and injustice in Egypt! Did anyone pay attention? The Baha’i children in Egypt curled up once again and pleaded for a refuge. They lifted their little hands up, once more in prayer, begging for God’s grace and their parents’ safety.

Here is the news:
Egypt Parliamentary Committees Support Bill Against Adopting Baha’ism GMP20090428950035 Cairo MENA Online in English 1322 GMT 28 Apr 09 Cairo, 28 April: The joint committees of defense, national security, Arab affairs and Waqfs at the People’s Assembly (PNA) have called for accelerating preparation of a draft law banning the adoption of the Baha’i faith which contradicts with the rulings of heavenly Shari’ah (religious laws), especially the Islamic religion.

The committees held a meeting Tuesday [28 April] under the chairmanship of Ahmad Umar Hashim, the head of the religious committee in the PNA. The lawmakers asserted that Baha’i believers deny some key pillars of Islam and they should be strictly punished because their thoughts threaten the society’s security and stability.
They also urged the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and the Ministry of Waqfs (religious endowments) to hold dialogue with such a group and convince them of rejecting such misconceptions about Islam.

[Description of Source: Cairo MENA Online in English — Government news agency ; URL:
A Persian proverb says; Whatever goes bad, let’s treat it with salt. Woe for the day when salt goes rotten?

Let me ask you; What choice any innocent person has today, when another intentionally and maliciously conspires and spreads false and harmful statements against them to injure and damage that person’s reputation, or to expose them to unreasonable personal embarrassment or danger such as putting them in prison, torturing, lynching, mob attack, burning, etc.?

You might say, well the good person should not waist their time with reasoning and appealing to the slanderer’s sense of justice or humanity, because there is none; instead they should take this defamation, slander and attack before the court of law and ask for justice through a civil liability case so the law can stop and punish the defamer and the malicious slanderer!!

My next question is, what do a group of innocent and defenseless people do when the judiciary, the ruling authorities of a country, the clergy, the leaders and the gate keepers of that society, feel threatened by the sheer existence of differences of religious belief and understanding. Then in order to safeguard their view and their own self interest, with absolute power in their hand, intentionally and deliberately spread false and harmful statements against the perceived enemy, pass laws to criminalize the Bahá’í communities very belief system and mobilize the ignorant and gullible masses to carry their inhumane agenda, to persecute, burn, lute, and destroy what they believe to be anti God, and to perpetuate and protect what they perceive to be of God!! What can the Bahá’í in Egypt or Iran do to defend their basic human rights? What recourse the innocent Bahá’í children have when they see no one can come to their aid and the whole world feels helpless to stand up for what the civilized world considers right and just?

Bahá’í community is a progressive religious community who has been taught to heed and obey the divine laws of God revealed to man by the divine Manifestations of God for that specific age. Bahá’ís are taught that religion like science reveals to man the ever unfolding laws of God. One of the reasons for the renewal of religion by God and the successive and progressive Revelations from God is to weed out the superstitious practices of the past and declare obsolete the outdated social laws such as men are superior over women, one man can take more than one wife and divorce any when he wishes, as he wishes, women must be kept restricted and controlled otherwise men will violate them, science is against religion, certain groups or races, classes, nationalities, religions are better and more human than others, or religion is in need of authoritarian gate keepers such as clergy and mullahs. Man and in particular leaders of religion has always attempted to adjust and remodel the religion of God as they saw needed. When religious leaders find it necessary to remodel and upgrade the old edifice of their religion and call it reformed, new, modern, etc. in reality, they play partners with God. The truth has always been one, but throughout the ages, the ignorant have multiplied it and caused great division, destruction, wars, and suffering in the name of every religion.

Bahá’í Faith introduces the new and refreshing Divine Springtime with all its new laws and vigor. It captivates not just the mind but the hearts of those who are seeking the renewal of spiritual life and a new spiritual understanding. Today the Bahá’í Faith is only 166 years old!! In 1844 when it was first revealed, humanity was desperate for its Teachings even though some perceived it as outrageous or idealistic. those who were attached to the decaying structure of tradition rose to resist its progressive teachings of oneness of God, oneness of all religions, oneness of all humanity, equality of men and women, the need for an auxiliary world language, harmony of science and religion, world peace, independent investigation of truth, universal access to religious scriptures, use of consultation as a means of decision making and consensus building, or universal education for all!! Now after 160 years the civilized world’s understanding of what is right and what is necessary and vital for advancing human civilization has drastically shifted in the direction of conformity with the teachings of Baha’u’llah. The very foundation of the superstitious hold of the religious leaders who do not wish to let go of their control is shaking and out of sheer fear they are grabbing unto every mean no matter how inhumane and unjust, to protect their hold on innocent and ignorant masses. For those who have the apparent power and control in their hand, slandering and defaming the Bahá’í community and its defenseless believers seems a very easy task.

The believers of Bahá’u’lláh and His Teachings like all early believers in the religion of God, understand the rough and rocky road they have chosen. But they also are committed to the belief that, God’s plan is not about the destruction of humanity but an ever advancing civilization which would be spiritual in its excellence and nature. Bahá’ís believe the oneness of humanity will ultimately be realized, world peace will be established and people of the world ultimately recognize the oneness of the religion of God. Men and women will be like two wings of the bird of human civilization and participate equally in its progress. Children will be reared in the bosom of divine love not its wrath and vengeance, and education will integrate spiritual development in its process. The nobility, integrity, honesty, justice, equality, chastity for men as well as women, happiness, consensus building, compassion, uprightness, selflessness and all other signs of the spiritual progress will be taught and nurtured and all the forces of darkness and injustice will ultimately vanish and be forgotten.

“How pathetic;” asserts Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith; “indeed are the efforts of those leaders of human institutions who, in utter disregard of the spirit of the age, are striving to adjust national processes, suited to the ancient days of self-contained nations to an age which must either achieve the unity of the world, as adumbrated by Bahá’u’lláh, or perish.”

“Let there be no mistake. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind — the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve — is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified with a reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious cooperation among individual peoples and nations. Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its message is applicable not only to the individual, but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of one human family. It does not constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal, but stands inseparably associated with an institution adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its influence. It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced. It constitutes a challenge, at once bold and universal, to outworn shibboleths of national creeds — creeds that have had their day and which must, in the ordinary course of events as shaped and controlled by Providence, give way to a new gospel, fundamentally different from, and infinitely superior to, what the world has already conceived. It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world — a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units.

It represents the consummation of human evolution — an evolution that has had its earliest beginnings in the birth of family life, its subsequent development in the achievement of tribal solidarity, leading in turn to the constitution of the city-state, and expanding later into the institution of independent and sovereign nations.

The principle of the Oneness of Mankind, as proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh, carries with it no more and no less than a solemn assertion that attainment to this final stage in this stupendous evolution is not only necessary but inevitable, that its realization is fast approaching, and that nothing short of a power that is born of God can succeed in establishing it.”

~ Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha’u'llah, p. 41

This uplifting and ennobling vision, is the promise of the Cause of God entrusted to humanity by Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’ís are committed to live it, teach it, spread it, defend it, pray for it, pay for it, educate the future generation about it, even offer their lives for it, until all humanity is free to live in peace and unity as cells of one body waves of one sea, flowers of one garden, leaves of one tree.
Keyvan, www.kidsidebyside.org April 29th, 2009


Justice and equity are twin Guardians that watch over men. From them are revealed such blessed and perspicuous words as are the cause of the well-being of the world and the protection of the nations.
These words have streamed from the pen of this Wronged One in one of His Tablets: "The purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, hath been to bring forth the Mystic Gems out of the mine of man -- they Who are the Dawning-Places of His Cause and the Repositories of the pearls of His knowledge; for, God Himself, glorified be He, is the Unseen, the One concealed and hidden from the eyes of men. Consider what the Merciful hath revealed in the Qur'án: No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision, and He is the Subtile, the All-Informed!"

~ Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 12

World Unity (ctd 3)

International unity key to tackling swine flu threat, Ban says

Global solidarity is critical if a pandemic of swine flu is indeed imminent, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, as he made an unscheduled press appearance to lay out the rapid United Nations response to the new threat.

“The swine flu outbreak shows yet again that, in our interconnected world, no nation can deal with threats of such dimension on its own,” Mr. Ban said, stressing that it is the first test of the pandemic preparedness work the community of nations has been undertaking in the past three years.

Mr. Ban emphasized that the UN system is responding quickly and effectively, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the head of which was in constant contact with him, as well as other senior UN officials.

A WHO emergency committee has been set up as the front line against the deadly new swine influenza A (H1N1) which has broken out in Mexico, the United States, Spain and Canada and is currently meeting to determine the pandemic alert level that should be declared.

Announcing that the World Bank and other UN development and humanitarian agencies will provide funding to countries needing additional resources to combat an epidemic, Mr. Ban declared that the poorer nations must not be hit disproportionately hard by a potential health crisis.

“So far, our response has been an example of multilateral cooperation at its best. I am confident that it will continue to be so,” he said.

www.un.org 27 April 2009


Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature -- that is to say, becomes detached from the world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of God which convert this animal into a human soul...

In fine, such teachings are numerous. These manifold principles, which constitute the greatest basis for the felicity of mankind and are of the bounties of the Merciful, must be added to the matter of Universal Peace and combined with it, so that results may accrue. Otherwise the realization of Universal Peace in the world of mankind is difficult. As the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh are combined with Universal Peace, they are like a table provided with every kind of fresh and delicious food. Every soul can find at that table of infinite bounty that which he desires. If the question is restricted to Universal Peace alone, the remarkable results which are expected and desired will not be attained. The scope of Universal Peace must be such that all the communities and religions may find their highest wish realized in it. At present the teachings of His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh are such that all the communities of the world, whether religious, political or ethical, ancient or modern, find in the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh the expression of their highest wish.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, pp. 30-31