Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Universal House of Justice, The Baha'i World: Volume 21 (1992-1993), Haifa: Bahá’í World Centre, 1993, bahai-library.com.
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THE BAHA'I WORLD
1992-93

149 OF THE BAHA.'i ERA
AN INTERNATIONAL RECORD

BAHA'I WORLD CENTRE
HAIFA
©1993 WORLD CENTRE PUBLICATIONS

ISBN 0-85398-995-8 (Hardcover)
ISBN 0-85398-996-6 (Paperback)

A Cataloguing-in-Publication number is
available from the British Library

Printed in Great Britain

THE/ /
BAf-lAI
WORLD
1992á93
CONTENTS

Preface 7
Introduction 13
Messages from the Universal House of Justice 19
Baha'u'llili 47
The Second Baha'i Holy Year 95
The Kitab-i-Aqdas: Its Place in Baha'i Literature 103
Chronology 119
The Baha'i Faith in the Eyes of the World: What the Print Media
Report About the Baha'i Faith 147
The Mount Carmel Projects 169
Baha'i Involvement at the Earth Summit 1 77
Baha'i Statement to UNCED 191
Spiritual Foundations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society 193
An Overview of Baha'i Social and Economic Development 229
The Case of the Baha'i Minority in Iran 24 7
Obituaries 273
Selected Bibliography with Annotations 277
The Ministry of the Custodians, 1957-1963 287
The Faith of Baha'u'llili 293
The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi, 1921-1957 299
The Baha'i Community Today 305
Statistics 311
Directory 315
T   H    E    B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                     7

PREFACE TO THE NEW SERIES

T
he appearance of this volume inaugurates a new
series of The Baha'i World, the publication that was
.      conceived almost seventy years ago as the principal
public record of the activities around the globe of the
emerging Baha'i community. The first volume, published
in 1926, stated the objective of the series simply and mod-
estly: "to disclose to others something of the significance of
the world-wide movement called into being by the Message
of Baha'u'llah." Altogether, nineteen volumes of the initial
series have so far appeared, with a twentieth, covering the
years 1987 to 1992 ,, now in preparation. The redesign of
the series is undertaken primarily in recognition of a
growing public interest in the Baha'i Faith and a desire to
respond better to the needs of serious researchers.
Beginning as a yearbook but becoming a biennial
with the second volume, The Baha'i World was struggling
by the end of World War II to maintain this regular
schedule. Increasingly, the series tended to appear inter-
mittently, as the vagaries of a period of unprecedented
upheaval in the fortunes of mankind, and the severely lim-
ited resources of a small and heavily burdened body of
believers made possible. While Volume X duly covered the
years 1944 to 1946, Volume XI encompassed a four-year
period. Since that time, the publication schedule has
varied widely, from three years each (Volumes XVI and
XVII) to nine years (the huge compendium of information
in Volume XIII), covering the most dramatic period in the
8                        T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

history of the Faith's expansion.
In a certain sense, The Baha'i World became a victim of the
success of the global enterprise it serves. After devoting several
decades to the gradual and careful construction of the founda-
tions required for its work, the Baha'i Faith was enjoying by
1963 an extraordinary expansion. The achievement in full of
several teaching plans designed by Shoghi Effendi, culminating
in the enormously ambitious Ten Year Crusade (1953-1963).
had resulted in the establishment of Baha'i communities in
259 countries and major territories, the election of 3,555 local
Spiritual Assemblies, and a membership of approximately
408,000 adherents, representative of some 589 different ethnic
and tribal backgrounds. Parallel with these impressive suc-
cesses had been the community's progress in winning ever-
wider recognition of its institutions and observances by civil
authorities in many lands and in preparing the ground for
what was to prove a highly productive collaboration with agen-
cies of the United Nations. Educational and information
initiatives proliferated rapidly at both the national and local
levels throughout the world, as did the translation and publica-
tion of Baha'i literature. All of this rapid growth and
diversification had somehow to be captured in the pages of the
Faith's public record of its achievements.
In the minds of those responsible for the publication of
The Baha'i World, this challenge was intensified by the painful
recognition of the gap that had developed between the char-
acter that the series had assumed and the goal established for
it in the guidelines set down by Shoghi Effendi. From the
outset he had emphasized that, although Baha'is also derive
great benefit from it, The Baha'i World should measure its suc-
cess especially in the eyes of the public for whom this work is
mainly destined. Editorial policy, including decisions as to con-
tent and design, should be taken, he said, with a view primarily
to meeting the needs of a growing body of serious researchers
who would have access to the work in the collections of univer-
sity and public libraries. In March 1938, Shoghi Effendi's
secretary wrote on his behalf that, despite the heavy financial
burdens the Faith was experiencing as the first of the interna-
T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D                    9

tional teaching plans got underway, the mission of The Baha'i
World was so important that "no sacrifices can be considered
too great for its publication."
A review of the contents of the first twenty volumes pro-
vides evidence of the extent to which, despite severely limited
human and financial resources, The Baha'i World endeavoured
to realize Shoghi Effendi's vision. Documents prepared under
the direction of the Guardian of the Faith and, in some cases,
by his own pen provide authoritative statements of Baha'i
belief, as well as descriptions of particularly important histor-
ical events. After 1963, the major statements of the Universal
House of Justice met this need. The series served, too, as a
compendium of vital information on the growth of the Baha'i
community, reproduction of key documents, bibliographies,
statistical data, and biographical sketches of prominent mem-
bers of the Baha'i community. A wealth of photographs lent an
immediacy to the series' depiction of the accelerating emer-
gence of a community that increasingly merited the description
global. Essays on a great many subjects, most of them the
work of contributing authors rather than the publishing com-
mittees, can today be read as a window on the community's
evolving understanding of its Founder's message. As the Baha'i
Faith continues to grow and to attract ever greater interest, the
detailed record contained in the pages of these early volumes
will constitute the principal historical resource for the general
student of the Faith.
A survey of the series makes it equally clear, however, why
the contents were of interest chiefly to Baha'i readers. Not sur-
prisingly, given the only desultory attention paid to their Faith
by scholars and the relatively narrow range of the Baha'i topics
that then concerned journalists, the writers and editors of
The Baha'i World addressed themselves increasingly to an
audience on whose serious interest they could count. This ten-
dency came to determine not only much of the content, but
also the style in which it was presented. It is particularly
apparent in the often exhaustive treatment of the teaching and
other development activities of local and national communities.
These held a lively interest for the members of still small Baha'i
10                      T H E      B A H A          W   0   R   L   D

communities, who could find in the pages of The Baha'i World
insights and perspectives on the significance of the services
they had personally rendered to a rapidly expanding global
movement, but much of the information will have a diminished
importance in the eyes of general readers. Even so, the loving
attention lavished on the activities of those whom Shoghi
Effendi had appointed as "Hands of the Cause of God" will
likely gain in value, as with the passing of Shoghi Effendi no
future Hands of the Cause can be appointed. Only future gen-
erations will be able adequately to appreciate, in the context of
a new understanding of the nature of man and society, the
unique role that these extraordinary figures played in the
emergence of a world community.
Today, however, there are signs everywhere of a developing
public interest in the Baha'i community and the body of teach-
ings and concepts that animate it. On 28 May 1992, the
Brazilian Chamber of Deputies paid an extraordinary tribute to
Baha'u'llah, on the centenary of His ascension. The regular
sessions of the legislature were suspended and spokesmen for
all twelve of the major parliamentary groupings gave moving
appreciations of the loftiness of Baha'u'llah's vision and of the
ideals of world unity and social justice that characterize those
who follow Him. This dramatic and largely unsolicited public
recognition of the Founder of the Faith came immediately on
the heels of the publication by Encyclopedia Britannica Book of
the Year (1992) of statistics showing that the Baha'i Faith now
ranks second only to Christianity among the religions of the
world, in the number of countries and significant territories
where its communities are established.
While there are many factors that account for the extra-
ordinary changes that events of this kind acknowledge, three
seem particularly notable. Over the past decade Baha'i com-
munities around the world have struggled manfully and with
the sustained support of sympathetic voices in the United
Nations, many governments, and the world's media to defend
the members of their Faith threatened with annihilation in the
land of Baha'u'llah's birth. The result has been to bring both
the Faith's attractive message and the admirable record of its
T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D                  11

followers to the attention of many millions of people around the
globe. Throughout this period, the expanding efforts of these
same communities to translate Baha'u'llah's message into
practical programs of social and economic development and of
environmental responsibility have endowed the Faith with
appealing features of yet another kind, that have aroused
broad interest at many levels. A third influence, one that has
succeeded in translating this growing public awareness into
solid growth, was the cumulative effect of a series of ambitious
teaching plans launched by the Universal House of Justice, on
the basis of the model already established by Shoghi Effendi.
Energetically pursued by the rank and file of believers every-
where, who see the message of Baha'u'llah as the sole means
by which humanity can deliver itself from a moral catastrophe,
the organized teaching efforts of the Baha'i community have
today made the Faith one of the world's fastest growing
religions.
By the mid-1980s, the increase in public awareness had
reached the point where the Universal House of Justice decided
it was necessary to create a specialized agency within the
system of offices serving the Baha'i International Community,
that could coordinate public information activities. Its func -
tions would include ensuring that essential materials were
made readily accessible in a form required by the serious
researcher. The Office of Public Information came into exist-
ence in April 1985. By 1991 the new agency was in a position
to add responsibility for the publication of The Baha'i World to
its functions, and this decision was taken by the House of
Justice in February of that year. It was determined that the
current series would end with Volumes XIX and XX, then in
preparation and covering, respectively, the two periods 1983-
1986, 1986- 1992. The new series would begin with the second
Baha'i Holy Year, 1992- 1993.
This happy conjunction of circumstances and long-term
planning makes it possible to bring the The Baha'i World vol-
umes a stage closer to the goals set for them by Shoghi Effendi.
The new series will appear annually, each volume covering a
twelve-month period beginning with Ric;Ivan, the anniversary of
12                          T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L    D

Baha'u'llili's declaration of His mission in April 1863. As the
present volume illustrates, the series will continue to provide
the interested researcher with the full text of major statements
by the Head of the Faith, the Universal House of Justice, and
articles on particularly important historical developments.
Although treated briefly and with a minimum of editorial com-
ment, there will also continue to be a chronology providing
descriptions of significant Baha'i events during the year, a bib-
liography of current Baha'i publications, biographical sketches
of outstanding believers who died during the twelve months
under review, and up-to-date statistics of the community's
expansion and consolidation. Major sections of each yearbook
will now be devoted to in-depth examination of subjects on
which the Baha'i community has been particularly focusing its
energies. As before, every effort is being made to include a rep-
resentative selection of photographs, supplemented by maps,
charts, and whatever other graphic material may be considered
useful.
The concluding three survey articles will provide an over-
view of the Faith for general readers who have only a super-
ficial familiarity with it. The first of these, written by Shoghi
Effendi in 1947, as a statement prepared for the United
Nations Special Palestine Council, contributes an invaluable
and authoritative summary of the beliefs , history, and institu-
tional system of the religion founded by Baha'u'llah.
In embarking on this new stage in the development of
The Baha'i World, the editors have before them the high stan-
dard contained in words of appreciation addressed by Shoghi
Effendi to their predecessors, who had successfully launched
the series in the 1920s, undeterred by the painfully limited
resources then available to them: "I confidently and emphati-
cally recommend it to every thoughtful and eager follower of the
Faith, whether in the East or in the West, whose desire is to
place in the hands of the critical and intelligent ... a work that
can truly witness to the high purpose, the moving history, the
enduring achievements, the resistless march and infinite pros-
pects of the Revelation of Baha'u 'llili." 1

1. The Baha'i World , vol. III, 1928- 1930 (New York: Baha'i Publish-
ing Committee, 1930), xiv .
T H E    B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                   13

INTRODUCTION
ounded a century and a half ago, the Baha'i Faith

F        is the youngest of the world's independent reli-
gions. It is based on the claim of Baha'u'llah to be
the Messenger of God to the age of humanity's maturity,
an advent anticipated in all of the scriptural traditions of
humanity's past.
The driving force behind the civilizing of human
nature, Baha'u'llah asserts, has been the successive inter-
ventions of the Divine in history. It has been through this
influence that the innate moral and spiritual faculties of
humanity have been gradually developed and the advance-
ment of civilization made possible. Associated with the
missions of such transcendent figures as Krishna, Moses,
Buddha, Jesus, and MuI:iammad, the phenomenon is an
ever-recurring one; it is without beginning or end because
it is fundamental to the evolutionary order itself.
The essential message of Baha'u'llah is that of unity.
Humanity, He declares, has collectively come of age in this
day, and the distinguishing feature of this stage of its
social evolution is that the entire human race is being
drawn into the recognition of its own oneness and of the
earth as a common homeland.
The overriding challenge facing the peoples of the
world, therefore, Baha'u'llah says, is to subordinate lesser
identities and loyalties to the task of building a unified
global society based on principles of social justice and cul-
tivating the spiritual nature of humankind. The capacity
14                        T   H   E   B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

for such a response has been created in all people through the
operation of the Will of God: ''This is the Day in which God's
most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day
in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all cre-
ated things ." 1 The purpose of the Divine Revelation of which
Baha'u'llah is the Spokesman is to awaken and train this uni-
versal capacity.
In just over one hundred years, the Faith that Baha'u'llah
founded has grown from an obscure movement in the Middle
East to its present status as an independent world religion.
Embracing people from more than 2100 ethnic, racial, and
tribal groups, and maintaining its cohesiveness in doing so, it
represents what is probably the most diverse organized body of
people on the planet today. The geographical dimensions of
this growth are equally impressive: both the World Christian
Encyclopedia ( 1982) and the Encyclopedia Britannica Book of
the Year ( 1992) show the Baha'i Faith as the second most wide-
spread of the world's religions, after only Christianity.
The unity of belief and organization that characterizes His
Faith provides striking evidence of the capacity of Baha'u'llah's
teachings to create the moral and spiritual conditions for the
new kind of human society He envisions. Despite the wide
ethnic and cultural diversity of its adherents, the Faith has
successfully overcome the perennial impulse of all forms of
human association to break eventually into sects and factions.
This seems particularly significant when taken in the context of
the challenging Baha'i moral code for the individual life and the
fact that the community pursues a social program that
addresses virtually every important trend in the world today.
The Baha'i World series was created in 1925 by Shoghi
Effendi, the appointed Guardian of Baha'u'llah's mission, to
serve as the public record of the Baha'i community's achieve-
ments. As the Preface of this book explains, the series now
enters a new stage in its development, its principal aim being
to provide a window on Baha'i concepts, concerns, and

1. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llilh (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982). 6.
T   H   E   B A H A        W   0   R   L   D                   15

activities that will be particularly useful and accessible to the
interested general reader. With this purpose in mind, the edi-
tions will appear annually. As this first volume illustrates, the
series will continue to provide the kind of basic documentation
that is already familiar to the readers of the 1926-1992 series.
Because they constitute the authoritative administrative guid-
ance upon which the community has pursued its goals, four
major statements issued during the year by the Head of the
Faith, the Universal House of Justice, are reproduced here in
full. By happy circumstance this first volume in the new series
coincides with the period of the second Baha'i Holy Year, April
1992 to April 1993. Several important pieces have special rela-
tion to this commemoration of the centenary of both
Baha'u'llah's ascension and the inauguration of the Covenant
that provides the authority for the system of institutions He
established. The article entitled "Baha'u'llah," for example, was
produced to serve as a major resource piece for the commemo-
rative activities, and has been translated into some 102
languages. Included, as well, is a brief survey of the major
international events of the commemorative period.
Although not a feature of the Holy Year program, the
release this April of the first authorized English language
translation of Baha'u'llah's Book of Laws, the Kitab-i-Aqdas,
has intimate connections with the historical events being
remembered. One of the articles, ''The Kitab-i-Aqdas: Its Place
in Baha'i Literature," seeks to place this most important of
Baha'u'llah's Writings in the broader context of His mission.
A number of items in the book are particularly designed to
give the general reader easy access to basic current informa-
tion. The statistical summary inaugurated here, for example,
will make it possible for students of the Faith to track the
growth of the Baha'i international community in such areas as
membership, the numbers of elected governing bodies at both
national and local levels, the production of Baha'i literature,
and the establishment of development agencies of various
kinds. Given the growth of the community, The Baha'i World
volumes will no longer include the lengthy obituaries that were
a cherished feature of the first series, but a section is devoted
16                       T   H E    B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

to brief sketches of prominent Baha'is who have died during
the year under review. A biographical publication will also be
produced as a supplement to the series.
While it is not possible to report fully on the multifarious
activities of the thousands of Baha'i communities around the
world, a chronology provides a representative sampling of the
year's highlights, month by month. Similarly, a bibliographical
article surveys the year's principal publications and will serve
as a cross-section of the ongoing discussion of ideas that is so
important a feature of Baha'i community life. One long-awaited
publishing event is reviewed in greater detail: the appearance of
an authoritative edition of the documentation for the crucial
period 1957- 1963, between the death of the Faith's Guardian,
Shoghi Effendi, and the successful election of the Universal
House of Justice. Entitled The Ministry of the Custodians, 1957-
1963, this compilation with an introduction by Shoghi Effendi's
widow and close collaborator, Amatu'l-Baha Rul).iyyih Khanum,
fills a major gap in the Faith's detailed historical record.
An index of the development of the Baha'i Faith and par-
ticularly of its growing interaction with the society around it is
the interest being shown by the mass media. As in the past,
therefore, The Baha'i World will continue to include a brief sec-
tion surveying press attention during the period under review.
William Collins's article "The Baha'i Faith in the Eyes of the
World: What the Print Media Report About the Baha'i Faith"
moves this effort onto a new level, however, through its careful
analysis of the Baha'i themes that are receiving media atten-
tion and a reflection on the trends observed. Mr. Collins
believes that the events of the second Baha'i Holy Year mark "a
turning point in the public information activities of the Baha'i
community, and in the media reception of stories about its
adherents."
Indeed, readers will find all the essays in the new series
considerably more focused than has hitherto been the case.
Because of its rapid growth and greater involvement in the life
of society, and as conditions in the world permit, the Baha'i
community has been able increasingly to direct attention and
energy to those issues of broad public concern to which it
T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D                    17

attaches a particularly high priority. This past year, for
example, the Rio summit offered the community a unique
platform for the presentation of its strongly-held views on the
subject of sustainable development. A particularly thought-
provoking exploration of some of Baha'u'llah's teachings on the
subject will be found in Robert White's article "Spiritual Foun-
dations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society" (page 195).
''The work of Baha'u'llah," Mr. White believes, "offers a vision of
wholeness in our relationship to Nature and of spiritual
purpose in the whole evolution of life. Its effect is to empower
individuals and communities to become agents of transfor-
mation in developing an ecologically sustainable global civiliza-
tion."
At the practical level of development, the rapid growth of
Baha'i communities, in the Third World especially, has given
scope for a wide range of experiments in the application of
Baha'i principles to social and economic life. Holly Hanson's
"An Overview of Baha'i Social and Economic Development"
gives a valuable survey of these efforts, emphasizing that "as
important, or more important than the immediate concrete
results of any development undertaking, is that people are
drawn together, that they develop the ability to hear all of the
voices in a community, and that they begin to learn the process
of collective action."
In recent years a good deal of the current public interest in
the Baha'i Faith has arisen from the bitter campaign of perse-
cution launched against it by ruling circles in the Islamic
Republic of Iran and from the energetic efforts of Baha'i com-
munities in the rest of the world to defend the victims . Douglas
Martin's article ''The Case of the Baha'i Minority in Iran," which
looks at the second of these two aspects of the fourteen-year
struggle, makes the provocative point that "the Baha'i case"
constitutes, in effect, compelling proof of the capacity of the
United Nations human rights system to defend religious and
other minorities.
In building a global community marked by a distinctive
pattern of life and guided by a unified network of local, national
and international governing councils, the followers of
18                      T H E     B A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D

Baha'u'llah have created an encouraging model for cooperation
and social action. The emergence of such a model offers per-
suasive evidence that humanity, in all its diversity, can
eventually learn to live and work as a single people in a global
homeland. The Baha'i World volumes will seek to provide the
serious student and the general enquirer alike with a reliable
overview of this great enterprise.
T H E    B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D                          19

The following four messages were
sent by the Universal House of
Justice to the Bahti'is of the world
during the 1992-1993 Baha'i Holy
Year.

MESSAGES FROM THE
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

RIDVAN 1992

To the Baha'is of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

At this Ric;lvan season, with its inherent splendors
and its initiation of unusual, eventful days, our hearts
throb in wonderment, we kneel in homage to the King of
Glory by Whose grace we have arrived at an auspicious
juncture in the history of His Cause.
From the peak of triumph of the Six Year Plan now
ended, we come to the threshold of the Holy Year, now
begun, awestruck at the very thought of the unique signif-
icances associated with the commemoration of that
sanctified occasion one hundred years ago when
Baha'u'llah, the Promised One of all ages, took His leave of
this earthly life. The Sun of Truth, however, was to set
only to shine everlastingly from the "Kingdom of fadeless
glory," thenceforward to shed the radiance of its regenera-
tive power on the entire world. Gone from this plane was
He Who is the Author of a Revelation of "inconceivable
greatness" in which "all the Dispensations of the past have
attained their highest, their final consummation"; the
Originator of a new Universal Cycle "that must extend over
a period of at least five hundred thousand years"; the
20                       T H E     B A H    A       W   0   R   L   D

Founder of a World Order, a "System-the like of which mortal
eyes have never witnessed." Moreover, He was the Dawning
Point of the Day of God, the "Day in which God's most excellent
favors have been poured out upon men." Such are the superla-
tive realities upon which our contemplations are focused
during this special anniversary occurring at this crucial
moment in the affairs of humankind.
So imbued are we by the sacred remembrances evoked by
this Holy Year, that we can do no less than invite you all to take
pause to enter into this period of reflection, this time of recon-
secration, this stage of preparation for tasks yet to be done,
heights yet to be attained, splendors yet to be unveiled. For if
we look back at one hundred years of an unexampled history of
unremitting progress, we also look forward to many centuries
of unfolding fulfillment of divine purpose-fulfillment, which as
experience has shown, is incrementally realized through the
systematic advances of Plans and the wondrous leaps and
thrusts of epochs.
Indeed, the immediate portal to this propitious Holy Year
is the vista of new horizons opened by the triumph of the Six
Year Plan, which coincided with the initial phase of the fourth
epoch of the Formative Age of our Faith. Overall it is not so
much a triumph in numerical achievements, though in many
places and at particular moments the scope of expansion was
extraordinary. It is a triumph that has been manifested in a
new variety of victories, in new beginnings, fresh initiatives and
mature institutional developments, such as to stamp the seal
of success on the Plan's seven major objectives. Impossible as
it is to enumerate in these few pages the results of the Plan, the
main aspects of the developments in this remarkably dynamic
period deserve, nonetheless, to be highlighted. The Baha'i com-
munity changed markedly over the last six years. The major
indicators are, no doubt, discernible to the friends everywhere
and may be summed up thus:
One: The Faith of Baha'u'llah is represented in every
country on earth. The sudden change in the political climate,
no doubt by intervention of God's Major Plan, opened vast
regions to the penetration of the divine teachings, primarily in
T H E      B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                    21

the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. The
opportunities created by this change made possible the settle-
ment of Knights of Baha'u'llah in the last virgin territories that
remained from Shoghi Effendi's Ten Year World Crusade. They
also impelled the launching at Ric;lvan 1990 of the subsidiary
Two Year Plan for those regions. This supplementary Plan was
a spectacular success, not only in terms of expansion in the
many countries involved, but also in the diversity of the strata
represented by the new believers in these countries, in the
volume and variety of Baha'i literature published and in the
array of Baha'i institutions established during that short time.
The Baha'i world was highly stimulated by these developments,
and a number of countries elsewhere recorded significant suc-
cesses in the teaching work. Figures already available to the
World Centre indicate that more than one and a half million
souls entered the Cause during the Six Year Plan. Of particular
interest was the three-year special teaching project in Guyana
which resulted in an increase of the size of the Baha'i commu-
nity to some six percent of the country's population.
Two: The proclamation of the Faith throughout the world
attained an entirely new stage. The campaign of proclamation
launched in 1967 through the inspiration of the centennial
anniversary of Baha'u'llah's Proclamation to the kings and
rulers of mankind, and which gathered added momentum in
1979 with the surge of the persecution of the Iranian Baha'i
community, now covered a greatly expanded range with the
distribution of The Promise of World Peace. Kings, queens, pres-
idents, prime ministers, legislators, jurists, academics, diverse
institutions and organizations became aware of Baha'u'llah's
Message. The creative energies by which communities every-
where were exercised in broadcasting the Cause became one of
the driving forces of the Plan and in no small way stimulated
the interest of organizations, leaders of thought and the media
in the solutions which the Faith has to offer to a strangely dis-
ordered world. Inspired by the impact of the measures they
adopted for proclamation of the Faith, and also by that of their
continuing efforts to defend the sorely persecuted Iranian
Baha'i community, National and Local Spiritual Assemblies
22                        T H E      B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

displayed and continue to display a striking audacity and origi-
nality in dealing with the public. This is evident in their
innumerable contacts with officials at all levels of government,
in their association with a widening spectrum of organizations,
and in the increasing facility of their contacts with the media.
Three: The dedication in December 1986 of the Mother
Temple of the Indian Subcontinent to public worship intro-
duced a new force to the teaching and proclamation activities
of the Faith. As an edifice of rare beauty and excellence, the
"Lotus Temple" has won wide acclaim, while at the same time
exerting an extraordinary appeal to great numbers of visitors.
Its fame as an architectural wonder spread with speed as did
its spiritual influence. It is no exaggeration to say that of all the
Baha'i Houses of Worship, this Temple is today the single most
effective silent teacher of the Faith, annually attracting more
visitors, at the average rate of 20,000 daily, than all the other
Baha'i Temples combined. Among its visitors from many lands
are some of the most prominent persons in the world. A source
of great interest to the media, the Temple has been featured in
television programs, even in Russia and China. The influence
of its success in these respects has contributed immeasurably
to the widespread public awareness of the Faith.
Four: The further emergence of the Faith from obscurity is
reflected in distinctive ways. In learned circles, in reference
works and in the media, the Faith is increasingly being referred
to as a "principal" or "major" world religion. Media coverage of
the Faith's activities has increased voluminously by the inten-
sified efforts of the friends in proclamation activities, but more
important is the fact that the media are showing an indepen-
dent interest in the Baha'i community and are initiating
contacts with it in various parts of the world. The exposure of
influential segments of the public to Baha'i ideas in such areas
as peace, the environment, status of women, education and
literacy, has induced a response which increasingly calls upon
the Baha'is to participate with others in a range of projects
associated with governments or with non-governmental
organizations.
Moreover, such exposure is creating in the public mind the
T   H   E   B A H A        W   0   R   L   D                   23

realization that the Faith has answers to current problems and
thus the expectation that the Baha'i community should take a
more active part in public affairs. The notable success of the
activities of the Baha'i International Community's Office of the
Environment, established during the Plan, amply illustrates
the nature of these developments. Furthermore, the formal
relationship which the Baha'i International Community estab-
lished with the Conservation and Religion Network of the World
Wide Fund for Nature and with the World Conference on Reli-
gion and Peace, in conjunction with the numerous such
relationships established by National and Local Spiritual
Assemblies in their respective jurisdictions, reflects a trend in
the Faith's emergence as an entity to be reckoned with. Alto-
gether, the drive of the ramified proclamation campaign has
produced a public resonance about the Faith, which can be
said to be known to the most significant public institutions and
prominent persons on earth.
Five: Baha'i projects of social and economic development
have greatly multiplied and brought much credit to the com-
munity in the examples of the power of group initiative and
voluntary consultative action that have been set in numerous
places. Activities in this respect involved more than one thou-
sand projects in the areas of education, agriculture, health,
literacy, the environment and improvement of the status of
women. In a number of instances the projects benefited from
collaboration with or assistance from governments and inter-
national non-governmental organizations, as, for example, the
projects for the improvement of the status of women under-
taken by five National Spiritual Assemblies with the financial
assistance of the United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM). and those projects in other fields receiving assis-
tance from the Canadian, Indian, German and Norwegian
governments. Some projects have been so distinguished in
their achievements as to be given public notice through the
citations and awards of governments and international non-
governmental agencies.
Six: Youth activities took on a special character shaped by
the idea of a youth year of service. The involvement of the
24                       T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D

youth in the Six Year Plan as short-term pioneers, travelling
teachers and proj ecteers had a profound effect on the teaching
work overall and in bolstering the efforts at social and eco-
nomic development attempted by growing numbers of national
and local communities. They had much to do with the many
victories in the former communist countries. Their work in
social and economic development projects attracted , in some
cases, the attention of governments and development organiza-
tions. Creation of the European Baha'i Youth Council
galvanized the activities of the youth which powerfully rein-
forced the teaching thrust on that continent during the final
years of the Plan. A significant feature of the youth's activities
has been their involvement, as short-term volunteers from all
parts of the planet, in the work of the World Centre where their
services have been of inestimable value.
Seven: The advances in the consolidation of the Baha'i
administrative system are evident from the marked improve-
ment in the internal development and collaborative efforts of its
two arms. The cherished and intrepid Hands of the Cause of
God, true to the allegiance they bear to their beloved Guardian,
persevere in their unique services, astonishing the community
with their resilient powers. The growth in confidence and
strength of the Boards of Counsellors and their auxiliaries,
backed by a reinforced and vigorous International Teaching
Centre, assured to the Spiritual Assemblies, whom they are
charged to stimulate and advise, a buttressing indispensable to
the welfare of the entire system; while the extension of the span
of activities of the National and Local Spiritual Assemblies,
themselves charged with guiding the destinies of their commu-
nities, significantly broadened the base of that system.
Collaterally, the work of these institutions has facilitated and
boosted the evolution of the Administrative Order. Even more:
they have demonstrated a creative energy that bodes well for
their continued maturation.
Eight: The great building projects on the Mountain of God,
anticipated by Baha'u'llah in the Tablet of Carmel, inaugurated
by 'Abdu'l-Baha with the construction of the Tomb of the Bab
and carried forward in the plans of Shoghi Effendi, entered a
T   H   E   B A H A        W   0   R   L   D                   25

new stage. Work commenced in May 1990 on reinforcing and
extending the main terrace of the Shrine of the Bab as the
initial step towards reahzing the architectural concept for
fulfilling 'Abdu'l-Baha's vision of the Terraces that will extend
from the foot to the ridge of the mountain. By September of the
next year, ground was broken for the construction of the
Centre for the Study of the Texts and for the Extension to the
International Archives Building, to be followed by the construc-
tion of other edifices on the Arc, namely: the buildings for the
International Teaching Centre and, in due course, the Interna-
tional Baha'i Library.
All these developments have made it evident that the accu-
mulated potential for further progress of the Baha'i community
is incalculable. The changed situation within and among
nations and the many problems afflicting society amplify this
potential. The impression produced by such change is of the
near approach of the Lesser Peace. But there has been a simul-
taneous recrudescence of countervailing forces. With the fresh
tide of political freedom resulting from the collapse of the
strongholds of communism has come an explosion of nation-
alism. The concomitant rise of racism in many regions has
become a matter of serious global concern. These are com-
pounded by an upsurge in religious fundamentalism which is
poisoning the wells of tolerance. Terrorism is rife. Widespread
uncertainty about the condition of the economy indicates a
deep disorder in the management of the material affairs of the
planet, a condition which can only exacerbate the sense of
frustration and futility affecting the political realm. The wors-
ening state of the environment and of the health of huge
populations is a source of alarm. And yet an element of this
change is the amazing advances in communications technology
making possible the rapid transmission of information and
ideas from one part of the world to the other. It is against such
"simultaneous processes of rise and fall, of integration and of
disintegration, of order and chaos, with their continuous and
reciprocal reactions on each other, " that a myriad new opportu-
nities for the next stage in the unfoldment of the beloved
Master's Divine Plan present themselves.
26                       T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

The burgeoning influence of Baha'u'llah's Revelation
seemed, with the imminence of the Holy Year, to have assumed
the character of an onrushing wind blowing through the
archaic structures of the old order, felling mighty pillars and
clearing the ground for new conceptions of social organization.
The call for unity, for a new world order, is audible from many
directions. The change in world society is characterized by a
phenomenal speed. A feature of this change is a suddenness,
or precipitateness, which appears to be the consequence of
some mysterious, rampant force. The positive aspects of this
change reveal an unaccustomed openness to global concepts,
movement towards international and regional collaboration, an
inclination of warring parties to opt for peaceful solutions, a
search for spiritual values . Even the Community of the Most
Great Name itself is experiencing the rigorous effects of this
quickening wind as it ventilates the modes of thought of us all,
renewing, clarifying and amplifying our perspectives as to the
purpose of the Order of Baha'u'llah in the wake of humanity's
suffering and turmoil.
The situation in the world, while presenting us with an
acute challenge of the utmost urgency, calls to mind the
encouraging global vision of Shoghi Effendi for the prospects of
the Administrative Order during the second century of the
Baha'i Era, whose midpoint we are rapidly approaching. In
1946, he wrote: ''The second century is destined to witness a
tremendous deployment and a notable consolidation of the
forces working towards the world-wide development of that
Order, as well as the first stirrings of that World Order, of which
the present Administrative System is at once the precursor, the
nucleus and pattern-an Order which, as it slowly crystallizes
and radiates its benign influence over the entire planet, will
proclaim at once the coming of age of the whole human race, as
well as the maturity of the Faith itself, the progenitor of that
Order."
Attention to the special occasions of the Holy Year will
surely equip us to undertake the urgent tasks of the next stage
in the evolution of the Divine Plan. This commemorative period
provides a befitting demarcation between the glories and
T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                   27

triumphs of the last one hundred years and the lustrous prizes
yet to be garnered. At the outset, we welcome with joyous and
grateful hearts the further expansion and consolidation of the
Administrative Order which will accrue from the formation this
Ric;lvan of twelve National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies.
How striking it is that the number of these Assemblies is the
same as the total number of National Spiritual Assemblies
which existed at the launching of the Ten Year World Crusade
in 1953! This is gratifying evidence of the rapidity of the expan-
sion of the Administrative Order in less than forty years. With
these new Assemblies, and making allowance for the absorp-
tion of Sikkim into India and the disruption of the Baha'i
Administration by the unsettled situation in Liberia, the
number of National Spiritual Assemblies which will take part in
the seventh International Baha'i Convention next Ric;Ivan will
reach 165.
We are pleased to announce that the following Hands of
the Cause of God will attend, as our representatives, six of the
founding Conventions. Amatu'l-Baha RuJ:iiyyih .Khanum will
attend the Conventions of Bulgaria and of Poland; Mr. 'Ali-
Akbar Furutan will attend those of the Baltic States and of
Hungary; and Dr. 'Ali-MuJ:iammad Varqa will attend those of
Greenland and of the Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. At the
remaining Conventions our representatives will be Counsellors:
Mr. George Allen, the Congo Republic; Dr. Farzam Arbab, Cen-
tral Asia; Mr. Rolf van Czekus, Angola; Mrs. Parvin Djoneidi,
Niger; Mr. Hartmut Grossmann, Albania; and Mr. Mas'ud
.Khamsi, Azerbaijan.
Only a few weeks from now, in the sacred precincts of the
Shrine of Baha'u'llili, a gathering of solemn purpose will take
place to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Ascension
of the Desire of the Nations. The scroll bearing the Roll of
Honor of the Knights of Baha'u'llili will, on the previous
morning, 28 May, have been deposited, as indicated by our
beloved Guardian, at the entrance door of the inner Sanctuary
of the Most Holy Shrine, there to remain a symbol of the his-
toric victory that rewarded the unswerving determination of the
lovers of the Blessed Beauty who, in response to the call of the
28                       T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D

mighty Ten Year Crusade, planted the banner of His Faith in
virgin territories throughout the world.
Subsequently, in November, at the second Baha'i World
Congress, the hosts of Baha will gather in New York in their
thousands to register, in a highly symbolic gesture on behalf of
their brethren throughout the world, their regard for the
Covenant which Baha'u'llah bequeathed, and to evoke the
memory of Him Who was appointed its Centre and Who exalted
that metropolis by bestowing upon it the designation "City of
the Covenant." There they will also demonstrate the power of
the unity that the Covenant is meant to ensure to all the peo-
ples of the world. It will be a moment of capital importance to
the Baha'i community in the gaze of the world at large.
These two international events are pivotal to the gather-
ings of similar intent in which the friends in every corner of the
world will take part. The spiritual character and dignified
manner of their participation will surely draw down confirma-
tions from on high and profoundly influence the constructive
forces at work throughout the earth.
Another source of blessings to which we have long directed
our hopes will also become manifest. Baha'u'llah has written:
"While in prison We have revealed a Book which We have enti-
tled 'The Most Holy Book'. We have enacted laws therein and
adorned it with the commandments of thy Lord, Who exer-
ciseth authority over all that are in the heavens and on the
earth." Hence, it is with full cognizance of its world-shaking
significance that we inform you of the forthcoming publication
during the course of this year of the annotated English transla-
tion of the Kitab-i-Aqdas , the Charter of the future world
civilization which Baha'u'llah revealed in the House of 'Udi
Khammar in Acre some six score years ago.
And now, amid the eager anticipations occasioned by the
two major commemorative events and by the imminent publi-
cation of the Mother Book of the Baha'i Revelation, the Law of
J:Iuququ'llah takes effect as part of the constant practice of the
members of our entire world community. May the promised
divine bounties associated with the activation of this holy law
be showered upon the beloved of the Lord in every land.
T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D                   29

A year charged with happenings of such sacred import is
bound to yield consequences of unimaginable potency. The
immediate outcome is, however, impossible to predict, nor can
it be fruitfully speculated about. Rather should we direct our
thoughts to the meaning of the solemn occasions which this
year is set apart to memorialize. For the purpose of the Holy
Year is not fulfilled by public memorials alone, befitting as they
will be. Essential to its purpose is the opportunity it offers for
inner reflection on the part of every Baha'i individual. Indeed,
this is a special time for a rendezvous of the soul with the
Source of its light and guidance, a time to turn to Baha'u'llah,
to seek to obtain a deeper appreciation of His purpose, to
renew allegiance to Him. This is a time of retreat to one's inner-
most being, to the dwelling-place of the Spirit of Baha, that
interior to which He summons us when He says: ''Turn thy
sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within
thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting." This is a time for
recommitment to the Covenant, for rededication to duty, for
revitalizing the energy for teaching, the "most meritorious of all
deeds."
As the foremost aid to your reflections and actions, you
will doubtless draw upon the insight and inspiration of such of
His words as these: "I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of
Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive the dead. I am the
guiding Light that illumineth the way." "By My Life! Not of Mine
own volition have I revealed Myself, but God, of His own
choosing, hath manifested Me." "I have come in the shadows of
the clouds of glory, and am invested by God with invincible
sovereignty." "He that hath Me not is bereft of all things. Turn
ye away from all that is on earth and seek none else but Me."
"Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love
can in no wise reach thee. Know this, 0 servant." ''The Ancient
Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind
may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be
made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the
whole world may attain unto true liberty. He hath drained to its
dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may
attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness."
30                      T H E      B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

Whatever our private reflections or response to duty may
lead us to do, of one thing we must be sure: that the Name of
Him Who is the Lifegiver of the World becomes known
throughout the earth among high and low alike. Considering
that it is already a whole century since the Blessed Beauty
ascended, and given the crushing weight of the ills burdening
the peoples of the world, and seeing that a veritable cry of
anguish is issuing more loudly from the hearts of those who
long for some hope of relief, we, His avowed servants, can nei-
ther falter nor fail in this primary and urgent duty. For He,
Baha'u'llah, is the Supreme Manifestation, the Unifier and
Redeemer of all mankind, the Fountainhead of Justice, the
immortal Beloved; for, according to His own unerring procla-
mation, "He Who is the Unconditioned is come, in the clouds of
light, that He may quicken all created things with the breezes
of His Name, the Most Merciful, and unify the world, and
gather all men around this Table which hath been sent down
from heaven." Let us bear His Name with dignity to those who
must hear It, offer It as a treasure to those who must receive It,
speak It with love to those who must embrace It.
How laudable it would be if, imbued by this desire to
blazon abroad His Name, and as a demonstration of our special
love for the Abha Beauty, we could each of us mount a per-
sonal campaign of teaching, such that the collective force and
results of it throughout the world would bring to a resounding
conclusion the sacred exercises of this Holy Year and set the
stage for the launching of the impending Three Year Plan at
Ric;lvan 1993!
Finally, it is highly fitting at this time to recall
Baha'u'llcih's expression in the Most Holy Book of His will for
us with regard to the nature of our reactions to His passing:
"Be not dismayed, 0 peoples of the world," He wrote, "when the
day-star of My beauty is set, and the heaven of My tabernacle
is concealed from your eyes . Arise to further My Cause, and to
exalt My Word amongst men. We are with you at all times, and
shall strengthen you through the power of truth. We are truly
almighty. Whoso hath recognized Me, will arise and serve Me
with such determination that the powers of earth and heaven
T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                   31

shall be unable to defeat his purpose."
Beloved friends, we shall not forget to supplicate at the
Holy Threshold that from His retreat of deathless splendor the
Blessed Beauty may fill the souls of each and all of you with
the revivifying breath of His celestial power.

ON THE OCCASION OF THE CENTENARY
COMMEMORATION AT BAHJi OF THE
ASCENSION OF BAHA'U'LLAH

A TRIBUTE BY THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE

With soul-stirring emotion we gather in the hallowed environs
of His resting place to honor the memory of the Supreme Mani-
festation of God, Baha'u'llah, on the solemn, historic occasion
of the centenary of His ascension.
We lift our voices at the prompting of our hearts' desire to
pay tribute to a life infinitely beyond compare. But how shall
we realize such a wish when it is evident that no mind can
attain the comprehension which would make possible the
vocabulary worthy of His celestial court? In very truth, our
tongues falter in their impotence to describe, let alone extol,
the prodigies of a prophetic career which was framed in super-
latives. For here at Bahji, one hundred years ago, was drawn
the last breath on earth of the world's greatest Luminary,
Founder of the Dispensation marking the culmination of the
six-thousand-year-old Adamic Cycle, and Inaugurator of the
five-thousand-century Baha'i Cycle. He, the Most Great Mani-
festation, appeared in the Most Great Name and endured the
greatest suffering in authoring the Most Great Revelation,
which is the wellspring of the Most Great Peace. In our attempt
to appreciate these matchless bounties , we recite the gem-like
names of the Adored One, picked out as pearls from the veri-
table ocean of His Revelation, bestrewing them throughout our
testimonial that they may lend an acceptable gleam to our
expression of His glory and majesty.
King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Supreme Mediator, Most
32                      T H E      B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

Ancient Beauty: He is the Well-Beloved of all worlds. We hail
Him as the long-awaited Promised One, the Object of the ado-
ration of the world. And we exclaim: "Hallowed be the Lord in
Whose hand is the source of dominion!"
How grievously Baha'u'llah suffered to regenerate the
world! Wrongly accused, imprisoned, beaten, chained, ban-
ished from country to country, betrayed, poisoned , stripped of
material possessions, and "at every moment tormented with a
fresh torment": such was the cruel reception that greeted the
Everlasting Father, Him Who is the Possessor of all Names and
Attributes. For two score years, until the end of His earthly
days, He remained a prisoner and exile-persecuted unceas-
ingly by the rulers of Persia and the Ottoman Empire, opposed
relentlessly by a vicious and scheming clergy, neglected
abjectly by other sovereigns to whom He addressed potent
letters imparting to them that which, in His truth-bearing
words, "is the cause of the well-being, the unity, the harmony,
and the reconstruction of the world, and of the tranquillity of
the nations. " "My grief," He once lamented, "exceedeth all the
woes to which Jacob gave vent, and all the afflictions of Job are
but a part of My sorrows."
The voice halts for shame from continuing so deplorable a
recitation, the heart is torn by mere thought of the Divine
Target of such grief-grief no ordinary mortal could endure.
But lest we give way to feelings of gloom and distress, we take
recourse in the tranquil calm He induces with such meaningful
words as these: "We have borne it all with the utmost willing-
ness and resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified,
and the Word of God be exalted." Thus , the Wronged One,
patient beyond measure, preserved a majestic composure,
revealing His true Self as the Merciful, the Loving, the Incom-
parable Friend. Concentrating His energies on the pivotal
purpose of His Revelation, He transmuted His tribulations into
instruments of redemption and summoned all peoples to the
banner of unity.
No worldly power could thwart the purpose of the Most
Exalted Pen. Through the copiousness of His writings , He
poured upon the planet the healing waters of the Word of God
T H E     B   A   H   A     W   0   R   L   D                   33

renewed. Descending upon Him like a spring rain, His Revela-
tion comprises some one hundred volumes-"volumes replete
with unnumbered exhortations, revolutionizing principles,
world-shaping laws and ordinances, dire warnings and porten-
tous prophecies, with soul-uplifting prayers and meditations,
illuminating commentaries and interpretations, impassioned
discourses and homilies, all interspersed with either addresses
or references to kings, to emperors and to ministers, of both
the East and the West, to ecclesiastics of divers denominations,
and to leaders in the intellectual, political, literary, mystical,
commercial and humanitarian spheres of human activity."
Foremost among His Books is His Kitab-i-Aqdas, the charter of
the future world civilization in which He has announced the
Laws of God for this age. Our hearts thrill to the prospect that
during the course of this centennial year, the annotated
English translation of this Mother Book of Baha'u'llah's Revela-
tion is to be published. We acknowledge with astonished joy
the prolific legacy of this divine outpouring. And we exclaim:
"Praised be Thou, Who art the Desire of the world, and thanks
be to Thee, 0 Well-Beloved of the hearts of such as are devoted
to Thee!"
Today, we bear witness to the further abundance of a
peerless heritage. With the setting of the Sun of Baha, the
Moon of His Covenant rose in reflected glory, lifting the dark-
ness of a night of despair, and lighting the path to the unity of
all humankind. In the fullness of its radiance stands the mag-
netic Figure of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the beloved Son Whom Baha-
'u'llah designated as the Interpreter of His Word and Executive
of His authority, and Whom He appointed the Centre of His
Covenant, an office without parallel in all religious history.
We acknowledge the mysterious power of His wisdom, the
illuminating potency of His words, the immortal example and
unific character of His deeds. By His untiring exertions the
fame of the infant Cause was spread abroad, the design of its
Administrative Order was completed, the World Centre of the
Faith emerged into clear visibility, and the splendors of the
Mountain of God, as alluded to in Baha'u'llah's Tablet of
Carmel, began to be manifested. With profound gratitude for
34                      T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

such evident blessings we reaffirm our loyalty to the Covenant
of Baha'u'llah. And we exclaim: "Glorified be the All-Merciful,
the Lord of Grace abounding!"
As a result of the phenomenal effects of His Covenant, a
world community has been raised up on an "unassailable foun-
dation." The entire system of the Administrative Order
originated by Baha'u'llah in His Most Holy Book has been
erected. A vigorous network of local, national, continental and
international institutions functions in exemplary harmony
throughout the planet. Vitalized and nurtured by His stupen-
dous Revelation, watered by the precious blood of countless
martyrs, and tended by the loving care of unnumbered,
devoted servants, the Tree of the Cause has, in these hundred
years, grown mightily, has put forth its far-stretching branches
and borne its first and plentiful fruit.
Baha'u'llah found the world in a "strange sleep." But what
a disturbance His coming has unloosed! The peoples of the
earth had been separated, many parts of the human race
socially and spiritually isolated. But the world of humanity
today bears little resemblance to that which Baha'u 'llah left a
century ago. Unbeknownst to the great majority, His influence
permeates all living beings. Indeed, no domain of life remains
unaffected. In the burgeoning energy, the magnified perspec-
tives, the heightened global consciousness; in the social and
political turbulence, the fall of kingdoms, the emancipation of
nations, the intermixture of cultures, the clamor for develop-
ment; in the agitation over the extremes of wealth and poverty,
the acute concern over the abuse of the environment, the leap
of consciousness regarding the rights of women; in the growing
tendency towards ecumenism, the increasing call for a new
world order; in the astounding advances in the realms of sci-
ence, technology, literature and the arts-in all this tumult,
with its paradoxical manifestations of chaos and order, integra-
tion and disintegration, are the signs of His power as World
Reformer, the proof of His claim as Divine Physician, the truth
of His Word as the All-Knowing Counsellor.
Baha'u'llah wrote voluminously about the purpose of this
mysterious force and its transformative effects, but the essence
T H E      B A H A           W   0   R   L   D                    35

can be drawn from these few perspicuous words: "Through the
movement of Our Pen of Glory We have, at the bidding of the
Omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human
frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created
things proclaim the evidences of this worldwide regeneration."
And again: "A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peo-
ples of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause or
perceived its motive." And yet again: "He Who is the Uncondi-
tioned is come, in the clouds of light, that He may quicken all
created things with the breezes of His Name, the Most Merciful,
and unify the world, and gather all men around this Table
which hath been sent down from heaven."
Let the denizens of the earth wake from their slumber at
the resonances of His Name and arise from their confused
dreams to embrace the clarity of the new Day: For ''This is the
King of Days, the Day that hath seen the coming of the Best-
beloved, Him Who through all eternity hath been acclaimed the
Desire of the World."
Our thoughts turn back to the mourning time in 1892
when a vast number of residents from the surrounding area
came to join His bereaved followers in lamenting the departure
of the immortal Beloved. These were not adherents of His
Cause and had no real understanding of His station, but the
effect of His presence among them was such as to fill them with
a grave sense of loss. Today, a century later, it is we, who iden-
tify ourselves with His community, who have come in
multitudinous array from the far corners of the earth to pay
homage to the King of Glory. With us in spirit are the millions
of His lovers scattered among tens of thousands of villages,
towns and cities, themselves observing in their own localities
this solemn anniversary, their hearts focused on the Primal
Spot here at Bahji.
And among us at this Point of Adoration are a number of
the heroic souls from the celebrated company who earned the
accolade Knight of Baha'u'llah conferred upon them by Shoghi
Effendi, Guardian of the Cause- this to signify their acts of
daring and devotion as teachers of the Faith. It is they who
were in the vanguard during the triumphant Ten Year World
36                       T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D

Crusade. Their exploits, built upon the dramatic feats of the
Heroic Age and the sacrifices of countless martyrs and heroes
of the past, and following the trail blazed by earlier teachers of
the Faith, realized the actual establishment of the Cause of
Baha'u'llah as a world religion.
Now, on this commemorative occasion, the Roll of Honor
on which the names of the Knights have been inscribed is
being deposited by Amatu'l-Baha Rul:).iyyih Khanum at the
entrance door of the Most Holy Shrine in the spot designated
by our beloved Guardian. This is both a symbol and a
promise- a symbol registering the reality of a clear response, at
a critical time, to the duty laid upon us by the Lord of Hosts to
diffuse His teachings among all peoples; a promise that the
commitment so dazzlingly displayed by these intrepid pioneers
will be reaffirmed by generations of their successors, ensuring
that the light of Baha'u'llah's Revelation, "shining in all its
power and glory, will have suffused and enveloped the entire
planet."
This is also a mark of recognition of the power of the Hand
of Omnipotence to turn gnats into eagles. His bounties embo-
lden us . Broken-winged birds are we; yet, with His assurances
resounding in our souls, we soar to ever greater heights in His
service. "I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty!" He
declares, benevolently adding: "I unfold the drooping wings of
every broken bird and start it on its flight." How then can we
fail?
We here make this vow: With a stirring history of divine
support behind us and a clear vision of unfolding destiny
before us, we move onward, renewed, reconsecrated, resolute,
until the consciousness of every human being has been
touched by the knowledge of God's triumphant Faith. And,
intoning the expectant words of His Martyr-Herald, we exclaim:
"Exalted be His glory, and magnified be His might, and sancti-
fied be His holiness, and glorified be His grandeur, and lauded
be His ways!"
T H E      B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                   37

26 NOVEMBER 1992
To the Baha'is of the World

A full century has gone by since the Covenant of
Baha'u'llah was established and set in motion. And we extend
to the members of His community our loving greetings as they
are assembled today at the World Congress in New York and at
auxiliary conferences on all continents, or as they otherwise
participate in the observance of this centennial occasion.
We are particularly pleased that we have been afforded a
special opportunity to pause for a moment, together with our
fellow-believers, to gather our thoughts, to see how we have
fared since 1892, and to consider where we are now headed.
This enables us to engage in a symbolic act which by its very
nature exemplifies the purpose of the Covenant- a Covenant
intended by its divine Author to unite the races and nations of
the earth.
Sublime emotions surge in our hearts as we survey the
dramatic history and amazing progress of these one hundred
years . At the time of the passing of Baha'u'llah, the Baha'i com-
munity was contained within the borders of no more than
fifteen countries, the vast majority of its members living in His
native Iran. The community now embraces the entire planet.
We rejoice at the spirit of unity which is evident in its steady
consolidation through the workings of the Administrative Order
to which the Covenant has given birth. Our cumulated experi-
ence has clearly demonstrated the efficacy of the Covenant.
The genuine unity it induces greatly encourages our expecta-
tion that all of humanity can and will be united.
We have toiled to build a community at a period when the
world has witnessed startling changes which have profoundly
altered the character of society and plunged it into an unprece-
dented state of worry and confusion. Indeed, the world in its
current condition has lost its bearings through the operation of
forces it neither understands nor can control. It is a period in
which great dynasties and empires have collapsed in rapid suc-
cession, in which powerful ideologies have captured the hearts
38                       T H E      B A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D

of millions only to expire in infamy, in which two world wars
wreaked havoc on civilized life as it was known at the begin-
ning of the twentieth century.
In the wake of such horrendous disruptions, there have
been unexampled advances in the realms of science, tech-
nology and social organization; a veritable explosion of
knowledge; and an even more remarkable burgeoning in the
awakening and rise of masses of humanity which were previ-
ously presumed to be dormant. These masses are claiming
their rightful places within the community of nations which
has greatly expanded. With the simultaneous development of
communications at the speed of light and transportation at the
speed of sound, the world has contracted into a mere neighbor-
hood in which people are instantly aware of each other's affairs
and have immediate access to each other. And yet, even with
such miraculous advances, with the emergence of international
organizations, and with valiant attempts and brilliant suc-
cesses at international cooperation, nations are at woeful odds
with one another, people are convulsed by economic upheavals,
races feel more alienated than before and are filled with mis-
trust, humiliation and fear.
Collateral with these changes has been the breakdown of
institutions, religious and political, which traditionally func-
tioned as the guideposts for the stability of society. Even the
most resilient of these seem to be losing their credibility as they
have become preoccupied with their own internal disorder.
This calls attention to the emptiness of the moral landscape
and the feeling of futility deranging personal life. Thoughtful
commentators write apprehensively about the fall of culture
and the consequent disappearance of values, the loss of the
fullness of the inner life, a technological civilization facing an
increasingly serious crisis. They write, moreover, of the human
species as being at the end with its wisdom and being unable
to control itself, of the need for divine wisdom and foresight,
and of the human psyche as being far removed from recog-
nizing this need.
These ominous comments reflect the universal conse-
quences of a failed understanding as to the purpose of God for
T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D                    39

humankind. It is in this particular respect that the Revelation
of Baha'u'llah sheds new light; it refreshes our thoughts; it
clarifies and expands our conceptions. His Teachings imbue us
with the abundance of God's love for His creatures; they
impress upon us the indispensability of justice in human rela-
tions and emphasize the importance of adhering to principle in
all matters; they inform us that human beings have been cre-
ated "to carry forward an ever -advancing civilization" and that
the virtues that befit the dignity of every person are: "forbear-
ance, mercy. compassion and loving-kindness towards all the
peoples and kindreds of the earth."
As the members of our community have pursued their
plan for teaching His Faith, they have grown to appreciate
more adequately the purpose of the multifarious processes of
change which have been at work during the course of the cen-
tury. "Such simultaneous processes of rise and fall, of
integration and of disintegration, of order and chaos. with their
continuous and reciprocal reactions on each other, are," our
Teachings tell us, "but aspects of a greater Plan. one and indi-
visible, whose Source is God, whose author is Baha'u'llah. the
theatre of whose operations is the entire planet. and whose
ultimate objectives are the unity of the human race and the
peace of all mankind."
Disunity is the crux of the problems which so severely
afflict the planet. It permeates attitudes in all departments of
life. It is at the heart of all major conflicts between nations and
peoples. More serious still, disunity is common in the relations
between religions and within religions, vitiating the very spiri-
tual and moral influence which it is their primary purpose to
exert. "Should the lamp of religion be obscured," Baha'u'llah
asserts, "chaos and confusion will ensue, and the lights of fair-
ness, of justice, of tranquillity and peace cease to shine."
In an elaboration of these dreadful consequences. our
Teachings state that "when, as a result of human perversity,
the light of religion is quenched in men's hearts ... a deplorable
decline in the fortunes of humanity immediately sets in,
bringing in its wake all the evils which a wayward soul is
capable of revealing. The perversion of human nature, the
40                       T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

degradation of human conduct, the corruption and dissolution
of human institutions, reveal themselves, under such circum-
stances, in their worst and most revolting aspects. Human
character is debased, confidence is shaken, the nerves of disci-
pline are relaxed, the voice of human conscience is stilled, the
sense of decency and shame is obscured, conceptions of duty,
of solidarity, of reciprocity and loyalty are distorted, and the
very feeling of peacefulness, of joy and of hope is gradually
extinguished."
Such, unfortunately, is the state to which institutions and
individuals have come in our time. Against this background the
requirements of the Covenant assume even more critical
importance than before. There can be no doubt that if our com-
munity is to cope with the situation, it must advance rapidly
towards the next phase in its evolution. It will be a phase in
which the Faith of Baha'u'llah must of necessity anticipate a
deep encounter with the forces operating with such bewildering
ferocity throughout the world. Let us, therefore, take this pro-
pitious occasion to review the covenantal arrangement which
generates and sustains our actions.
The foundation of our belief rests on our recognition of the
sovereignty of God, the Unknowable Essence, the Supreme
Creator, and on our submission to His will as revealed for this
age by Baha'u'llah. To accept the Messenger of God in His Day
and to abide by His bidding are the two essential, inseparable
duties which each soul was created to fulfil. One exercises
these twin duties by one's own choice, and by so doing per-
forms an act which may be regarded as the highest expression
of free will with which every human being is endowed by an all-
loving Creator. The vehicle in this resplendent age for the prac-
tical fulfillment of these duties is the Covenant of Baha'u'llah.
It is the instrument by which belief in Him is translated into
constructive deeds.
The oneness of humankind is the pivotal principle and
ultimate goal of His mission. This principle means far more
than the reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and goodwill
among people: "It implies an organic change in the structure of
present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet
T H E     B A H A           W   0   R   L   D                   41

experienced." The Covenant of Baha'u'llah embodies the spirit,
instrumentality and method to attain this essential goal. In
addition to laying down, in His Book of Laws, the fundamen-
tals for a new World Order, Baha'u'llah, in the Book of His
Covenant, confirmed the appointment of His Son 'Abdu'l-Baha
as the interpreter of His Word and the Centre of His Covenant.
As the interpreter, 'Abdu'l-Baha became the living mouth of
the Book, the expounder of the Word; as the Centre of the
Covenant, He became the incorruptible medium for applying
the Word to practical measures for the raising up of a new civi-
lization. The Covenant is, therefore, unique as a divine
phenomenon, in that Baha'u'llah, further to conferring upon
'Abdu'l-Baha the necessary authority to fulfil the requirements
of His singular office, vested in Him the virtues of perfection in
personal and social behavior, that humanity may have an
enduring model to emulate. In no annals of the past is there
recorded such an arrangement for ensuring the realization of
the purpose of the Manifestation of God.
This Covenant is the guarantee against schism; that is
why those who occasionally attempt to create a cleavage in the
community utterly fail in the long run. Similarly, the incessant
persecution the community has been forced to endure for more
than a century in the land of Baha'u'llah's birth has not suc-
ceeded in destroying its identity or undermining its organic
unity. The glorious, ultimate effect of this arrangement will be
to ensure the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, as
promised in the Holy Books of old and as proclaimed by
Baha'u'llah Himself.
"The Day of the Promise is come," He clearly announces ,
"and He Who is the Promised One loudly proclaimeth before all
who are in heaven and all who are on earth: 'Verily there is
none other God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting!' I
swear by God! That which had been enshrined from eternity in
the knowledge of God , the Knower of the seen and unseen, is
revealed. Happy is the eye that seeth, and the face that turneth
towards, the Countenance of God. the Lord of all being."
Indeed, the coming of Baha'u'llah ushered the world into
a new age. making possible the beginning of a wholly new
42                       T H E      B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D

relationship between humanity and its Supreme Creator. The
characteristics of this relationship are summed up in the
Covenant inaugurated upon His passing a century ago. Its
spiritual dynamic and cohesive power, its unifying principles
and practical institutional provisions are a pattern for the
healing of the ills afflicting our fractured societies and defective
social systems. The Covenant of Baha'u'llah gives new meaning
to humanity's checkered history; it imparts a fresh impulse to
human striving. "Like unto the artery," 'Abdu'l-Baha states, it
"beats and pulsates in the body of the world." The pervasive
influence it exerts is at the heart of the derangement of human
affairs; it drives the accelerating transition from the old order
to the new World Order envisaged by Baha'u'llah. "Soon," He
writes, "will the present day Order be rolled up, and a new one
spread out in its stead." And He explains: "The world's equilib-
rium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this
Most Great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath
been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this
wondrous System, the like of which mortal eyes have never
witnessed."
Let those seriously concerned about the state and fate of
the world give due attention to the claims of Baha'u'llah. Let
them realize that the storms battering at the foundations of
society will not be stilled unless and until spiritual principles
are actively engaged in the search for solutions to social prob-
lems. Let us, the followers of Baha'u'llah, redouble our effort in
the exercise of our sacred duty to acquaint all humanity with
the animating purpose of the world-wide Law of Baha'u'llah.
Let them discover that, "Far from aiming at the subversion of
the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its
basis, to remold its institutions in a manner consonant with
the needs of an ever-changing world." Let us, with patience and
humility, respond to challenging or skeptical questions while
unfolding the purposes of this Law. Let them know that it "can
conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine
essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to stifle the flame of a
sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts, nor to abolish
the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of
T H E      B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                    43

excessive centralization are to be avoided."
Let us by word and example show that "it does not ignore,
nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical ori-
gins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of
thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of
the world." Finally, let them appreciate that "it calls for a wider
loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the
human race"; that "it insists upon the subordination of
national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a
unified world"; that "it repudiates excessive centralization on
one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on the
other"; that "its watchword is unity in diversity."
It is especially noteworthy that coincidental with this
Baha'i Holy Year are the commemorations of other world-
shaking occurrences which, centuries ago, commenced pro-
cesses destined to attain their glorious consummation in the
Promised Day of God. The ultimate resolution of the profound
issues to which they gave rise, and which have ripened with
the passage of time, is discernible in the eventual realization of
the world-embracing System of Baha'u'llah.
Our thoughts turn to the history of 'Abdu'l-Baha's epic
journey to the West and particularly to North America where,
in New York, He disclosed to His western disciples the implica-
tions of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah. It was, in a sense, an act
of renewal, prospective of the consolidation of the union of the
Old and New Worlds into one global entity. Surnamed by Him
"City of the Covenant," New York resonates with the effects of
that experience of eighty years ago. Then it was still the major
entryway to the "Land of Promise" for millions of people seeking
new horizons. Now it is recognized as a gathering place for the
leaders of nations, an international venue for efforts at
achieving unity in the political realm. Its very atmosphere
vibrates with the hopes of a world seeking to set its affairs in
order. Today, the hearts of the Baha'is throughout the earth
are focused on this City of the Covenant wherein many thou-
sands of their fellow-believers, from all parts of the planet, have
assembled in the second Baha'i World Congress. The presence
there of such a widely varied representation of the human race
44                       T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D

is an affirmation of the unific power of the Covenant which the
event was convened to celebrate.
In this season of beginnings and of the commemorations
of beginnings, we Baha'is set for ourselves a new measure of
effort, one more daring and persistent than before. May our
words proclaim, and our deeds demonstrate, that there is only
one God, only one religion, only one race. And few though we
be, may we thus fulfil our duty towards Baha'u'llah, towards
His Covenant, and, indeed, towards all humankind.

5 MARCH 1993
To the Baha'is of the World

Dearly loved Friends,

The Kitab-i-Aqdas-the Book described in such exalted
terms by the Guardian of the Cause of God as "that priceless
treasury enshrining for all time the brightest emanations of the
mind of Baha'u'llah, the Charter of His World Order, the chief
repository of His laws, the Harbinger of His Covenant, the
Pivotal Work containing some of His noblest exhortations,
weightiest pronouncements, and portentous prophecies, and
revealed during the full tide of His tribulations, at a time when
the rulers of the earth had definitely forsaken Him"-this Most
Holy Book, we have the honor to announce, will, in a copiously
annotated English translation, be released to the Community
of Baha at Naw- Ruz.
Baha'u'llah's own designations of the Book-the "Unerring
Balance," the "Straight Path," the "quickener of mankind," the
"source of true felicity"-indicate its phenomenal importance,
an importance which staggers the mind when viewed in light of
the realization that this Book is, in the words of Shoghi Effendi,
the "principal repository of that Law which the Prophet Isaiah
had anticipated, and which the writer of the Apocalypse had
described as the 'new heaven' and the 'new earth,' as 'the
Tabernacle of God,' as the 'Holy City,' as the 'Bride,' the 'New
T H E      B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                    45

Jerusalem coming down from God'." Such metaphors of hope
have been recited from sacred scriptures down the ages, have
fired the imagination and excited the expectations of unnum-
bered generations, and now, at long last, in this new
Dispensation, have been given tangible form by the Promised
One of All Ages in this Mother Book of His Revelation.
The publication of the Book in English satisfies a major
goal of the Six Year Plan. But even beyond this, it initiates the
fulfillment of a prospect voiced by 'Abdu'l-Baha, Who antici-
pated its publication in various languages; it realizes an
intention cherished by Shoghi Effendi, who had himself trans-
lated substantial portions of it into English which he diffused
through his letters and in his compilations of Baha'u'llah's
Writings, and who had also, "as an essential prelude to the
eventual translation and publication of its entire text," initiated
steps in 1955 for the preparation of a Synopsis and Codifica-
tion of the Laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. This was a task on which
he made considerable progress and which was completed by
the Universal House of Justice in 1973, on the hundredth
anniversary of the revelation of the Book which occurred, as
Shoghi Effendi confirmed, "soon after Baha'u'llah had been
transferred to the house of 'Udi Khammar (circa 1873). at a
time when He was still encompassed by the tribulations that
had afflicted Him, through the acts committed by His enemies
and the professed adherents of His Faith."
The accessibility to Western readers of the Kitab-i-Aqdas
in full authorized text, for the first time in one of their major
languages, enormously extends the sphere of its influence,
opening wider the door to a vast process of individual and com-
munity development which must certainly exert an
increasingly powerful, transformative effect on peoples and
nations as the Book is translated further into other languages.
That the English edition of this highly treasured and incalcu-
lably potent work should appear now amid the welter of a world
at odds with itself is a demonstration of confidence in the ulti-
mate emergence of a peaceful, civilized, global society. That it
should be published during the period of the centenary of both
the Ascension of its divine Author and the inauguration of His
46                      T H E      B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

Covenant amplifies the striking impact, already felt, of the Holy
Year which marks so important an anniversary.
A Book of such indescribable holiness is itself a symbol of
the incomparable greatness of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah
and is, indeed, a potent reminder of the high respect which is
due to all that has flowed from His prodigious, truth-bearing
pen. May the friends of God ever be mindful of its exalted rank
among the sacred texts of the Faith; treasure it as the bread of
life; regard possession of it as a sacred honor, as a priceless
legacy from the Pen of the Most High, as a source of God's
greatest bounty to His creatures; place their whole trust in its
provisions; recite its verses; study its contents; adhere to its
exhortations; and thus transform their lives in accordance with
the divine standard.
Let us rejoice. Let us be filled with the felicitous spirit
evoked in the Blessed Beauty's own announcement of the
Mother Book of His Dispensation when He said: "We announce
unto everyone the joyful tidings concerning that which We have
revealed in Our Most Holy Book-a Book from above whose
horizon the day-star of My commandments shineth upon every
observer and every observed one. " May we be such upholders of
its laws and principles as to deserve His gloriously promised
benediction: "Blessed those who peruse it. Blessed those who
apprehend it. Blessed those who meditate upon it. Blessed
those who ponder its meaning. So vast is its range that it hath
encompassed all men ere their recognition of it. Ere long will its
sovereign power, its pervasive influence and the greatness of its
might be manifested on earth. Verily, thy God is the All-
Knowing, the All-Informed."
T H E    B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                              47

HJZPY
This statement was issued by the
Baha'i International Community's
Ojfi.ce of Public Information at the
request of the Universal House of
Justice in May 1992.

BAHA'U'LLAH
ay 29, 1992, marks the centenary of the passing

M         of Bah<i'u'llah. His vision of humanity as one
people and of the earth as a common homeland,
dismissed out of hand by the world leaders to whom it was
first enunciated over a hundred years ago, has today
become thefocus of human hope. Equally inescapable is the
collapse of moral and social order; which this same declara-
tion foresaw with awesome clarity.
The occasion has encouraged publication of this brief
introduction to Bah<i'u'll6.h's life and work. Prepared at the
request of the Universal House of Justice, trustee of the
global undertaking which the events of a century ago set in
motion, it offers a perspective on the feeling of confidence
with which BaM'is the world over contemplate the future of
our planet and our race.

As the new millennium approaches, the crucial need of the
human race is to find a unifying vision of the nature of
man and society. For the past century humanity's
response to this impulse has driven a succession of ideo-
logical upheavals that have convulsed our world and that
appear now to have exhausted themselves. The passion
invested in the struggle, despite its disheartening results,
testifies to the depth of the need. For, without a common
conviction about the course and direction of human
mm
48                          T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

history, it is inconceivable that foundations can be laid for a
global society to which the mass of humankind can commit
themselves.
Such a vision unfolds in the writings of Baha'u'llah, the
nineteenth-century prophetic figure whose growing influence is
the most remarkable development of contemporary religious
history. Born in Persia, 12 November 1817, Baha'u'llah 1 began
at age 27 an undertaking that has gradually captured the
imagination and loyalty of several million people from virtually
every race, culture, class, and nation on earth. The phenom-
enon is one that has no reference points in the contemporary
world, but is associated rather with climactic changes of direc-
tion in the collective past of the human race. For Baha'u'llah
claimed to be no less than the Messenger of God to the age of
human maturity, the Bearer of a Divine Revelation that fulfills
the promises made in earlier religions, and that will generate
the spiritual nerves and sinews for the unification of the peo-
ples of the world.
If they were to do nothing else, the effects which
Baha'u'llah's life and writings have already had should com-
mand the earnest attention of anyone who believes that human
nature is fundamentally spiritual and that the coming organi-
zation of our planet must be informed by this aspect of reality.
The documentation lies open to general scrutiny. For the first
time in history humanity has available a detailed and verifiable
record of the birth of an independent religious system and of
the life of its Founder. Equally accessible is the record of the
response that the new faith has evoked, through the emergence
of a global community which can already justly claim to repre-
sent a microcosm of the human race. 2 During the earlier
decades of this century, this development was relatively

1. Baha'u'llah ("Glory of God") was born .f:Iusayn-'Ali. The authoritative
work on the missions of the Bab and Baha'u'llah is Shoghi Effendi, God
Passes By (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1987) . For a biographical
study see Hasan Balyuzi, Bahci'u'll6h: The King of Glory (Oxford: George
Ronald, 1980). Baha'u'llah's writings are extensively reviewed in Adib
Taherzadeh , The Revelation of Bahci'u'llcih (Oxford: George Ronald, 1975),
four volumes .
T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                         49

obscure. Baha'u'llah's writings forbid the aggressive prose-
lytism through which many religious messages have been
widely promulgated. Further, the priority which the Baha'i
community gave to the establishment of groups at the local
level throughout the entire planet militated against the early
emergence of large concentrations of adherents in any one
country or the mobilization of resources required for large-
scale programs of public information. Arnold Toynbee,
intrigued by phenomena that might represent the emergence of
a new universal religion, noted in the 1950s that the Baha'i
Faith was then about as familiar to the average educated West-
erner as Christianity had been to the corresponding class in
the Roman empire during the second century A.D. 3
In more recent years, as the Baha'i community's numbers
have rapidly increased in many countries, the situation has
changed dramatically. There is now virtually no area in the
world where the pattern of life taught by Baha'u'llah is not
taking root. The respect which the community's social and eco-
nomic development projects are beginning to win in
governmental, academic, and United Nations circles further
reinforces the argument for a detached and serious examina-
tion of the impulse behind a process of social transformation
that is, in critical respects, unique in our world.
No uncertainty surrounds the nature of the generating
impulse. Baha'u'llah's writings cover an enormous range of
subjects from social issues such as racial integration, the
equality of the sexes, and disarmament, to those questions
that affect the innermost life of the human soul. The original
texts, many of them in His own hand, the others dictated and

2 . Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1992, indicates that,
although the Baha'i community numbers only about five million mem-
bers, the Faith has already become the most widely diffused religion on
earth, after Christianity. There are today 165 Baha'i National Assemblies
in independent countries and major territories of the globe, and more
than 20,000 elected Assemblies functioning at the local level. It is esti-
mated that 2, 112 nationalities and tribes are represented.
3. Arnold Toynbee, A Study of Hi.story, vol. VIII (London: Oxford University
Press, 1954), 11 7.
50                         T H E       B A H A            W   0   R   L   D

affirmed by their Author, have been meticulously preserved.
For several decades, a systematic program of translation and
publication has made selections from Baha'u'llah's writings
accessible to people everywhere, in over eight hundred
languages.

BIRTH OF A NEW REVELATION

Baha'u'llah's mission began in a subterranean dungeon in
Teheran in August 1852. Born into a noble family that could
trace its ancestry back to the great dynasties of Persia's impe-
rial past, He declined the ministerial career open to Him in
government, and chose instead to devote His energies to a
range of philanthropies which had, by the early 1840s, earned
Him widespread renown as "Father of the Poor." This privileged
existence swiftly eroded after 1844, when Baha'u'llah became
one of the leading advocates of a movement that was to change
the course of His country's history.
The early nineteenth century was a period of messianic
expectations in many lands. Deeply disturbed by the implica-
tions of scientific inquiry and industrialization, earnest
believers from many religious backgrounds turned to the scrip-
tures of their faiths for an understanding of the accelerating
processes of change. In Europe and America groups like the
Templers and the Millerites believed they had found in the
Christian scriptures evidence supporting their conviction that
history had ended and the return of Jesus Christ was at hand.
A markedly similar ferment developed in the Middle East
around the belief that the fulfillment of various prophecies in
the Qur'an and Islamic Traditions was imminent.
By far the most dramatic of these millennialist movements
had been the one in Persia, which had focused on the person
and teachings of a young merchant from the city of Shiraz,
known to history as the Bab. 4 For nine years, from 1844 to
1853, Persians of all classes had been caught up in a storm of

4. The Bab ("Gate" or "Door") was born Siyyid 'Ali-MuI:iarnmad in Shiraz,
20 October 1819.
T   H   E   B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                         51

hope and excitement aroused by the Bab's announcement that
the Day of God was at hand and that He was Himself the One
promised in Islamic scripture. Humanity stood, He said, on the
threshold of an era that would witness the restructuring of all
aspects of life. New fields of learning, as yet inconceivable,
would permit even the children of the new age to surpass the
most erudite of nineteenth-century scholars. The human race
was called by God to embrace these changes through under-
taking a transformation of its moral and spiritual life. His own
mission was to prepare humanity for the event that lay at the
heart of these developments, the coming of that universal
Messenger of God, "He Whom God will make manifest," awaited
by the followers of all religions. 5
The claim had evoked violent hostility from the Muslim
clergy, who taught that the process of Divine Revelation had
ended with MuJ::iammad; and that any assertion to the contrary
represented apostasy, punishable by death. Their denunciation
of the Bab had soon enlisted the support of the Persian author-
ities. Thousands of followers of the new faith had perished in a
horrific series of massacres throughout the country, and the
Bab had been publicly executed on July 9, 1850. 6 In an age of
growing Western involvement in the Orient, these events had
aroused interest and compassion in influential European cir-
cles. The nobility of the Bab's life and teachings , the heroism of

5. Passages in the Bab's writings which refer to the advent of "Him Whom
God will make manifest" include cryptic references to "the year Nine" and
"the year Nineteen" (i.e. roughly 1852 and 1863, calculating in lunar
years from the year of the Bab's inauguration of His mission, 1844). On
several occasions the Bab also indicated to certain of His followers that
they would themselves come to recognize and serve "Him Whom God will
make manifest."
6. The proclamation of the Bab's message had been carried out in
mosques and public places by enthusiastic bands of followers, many of
them young seminarians. The Muslim clergy had replied by inciting mob
violence. Unfortunately, these events coincided with a political crisis cre-
ated by the death of Mulfammad Shah and a struggle over the succession.
It was the leaders of the successful political faction, behind the boy-king
Nal?iri'd-Din Shah, who then turned the royal army against the Bab's
52                           T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

His followers, and the hope for fundamental reform that they
had kindled in a darkened land had exerted a powerful attrac-
tion for personalities ranging from Ernest Renan and Leo
Tolstoy to Sarah Bernhardt and the Comte de Gobineau. 7
Because of His prominence in the defense of the Bab's
cause, Baha'u'llah was arrested and brought, in chains and on
foot, to Teheran. Protected in some measure by an impressive
personal reputation and the social position of His family, as
well as by protests which the Babi pogroms had evoked from
Western embassies, He was not sentenced to death, as influen-
tial figures at the royal court were urging. Instead, He was cast
into the notorious Siyah-Cha.I, the "Black Pit," a deep, vermin-
infested dungeon which had been created in one of the city's
abandoned reservoirs . No charges were laid but He and some
thirty companions were, without appeal, kept immured in the
darkness and filth of this pit, surrounded by hardened crimi-
nals, many of them under sentence of death. Around
Baha'u'llah's neck was clamped a heavy chain, so notorious in
penal circles as to have been given its own name. When He did
not quickly perish, as had been expected, an attempt was made
to poison Him. The marks of the chain were to remain on His
body for the rest of His life.
Central to Baha'u'llah's writings is an exposition of the
great themes which have preoccupied religious thinkers
throughout the ages: God, the role of Revelation in history, the

enthusiasts. The latter, raised in a Muslim frame of reference, and believ-
ing that they had a moral right to self-defense, barricaded themselves in
makeshift shelters and withstood long, bloody sieges. When they had
eventually been overcome and slaughtered, and the Bab had been exe-
cuted, two deranged Sabi youth stopped the Shah in a public road and
fired birdshot at him, in an ill-conceived attempt at assassination. It was
this incident which provided the excuse for the worst of the massacres of
Babis which evoked protests from Western embassies. For an account of
the period see W. Hatcher and D. Martin, The Bahit'[ Faith: The Emerging
Global Religion (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1985), 6-32.
7. For an account of these events see Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By,
chapters I-V. Western interest in the Sabi movement was aroused, partic-
ularly, by the publication in 1865 of Joseph Arthur Comte de Gobineau,
Les religions et les philosophies dans l'Asie centrale (Paris: Didier, 1865).
T H E       B   A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D                         53

relationship of the world's religious systems to one another, the
meaning of faith, and the basis of moral authority in the orga-
nization of human society. Passages in these texts speak
intimately of His own spiritual experience, of His response to
the Divine summons, and of the dialogue with the "Spirit
of God" which lay at the heart of His mission. Religious
history has never before offered the inquirer the opportunity
for so candid an encounter with the phenomenon of Divine
Revelation.
Toward the end of His life, Baha'u'llah's writings on His
early experiences included a brief description of the conditions
in the Siyah-Chal.
We were consigned for four months to a place foul beyond compar-
ison . . . The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness, and Our
fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves,
assassins and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet
than the passage by which We entered. No pen can depict that place,
nor any tongue describe its loathsome smell. Most of these men had
neither clothes nor bedding to lie on. God alone knoweth what befell
Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place! 8
Each day the guards would descend the three steep flights
of stairs of the pit, seize one or more of the prisoners, and drag
them out to be executed. In the streets of Teheran, Western
observers were appalled by scenes of Babi victims blown from
cannon mouths, hacked to death by axes and swords, and led
to their deaths with burning candles inserted into open
wounds in their bodies. 9 It was in these circumstances, and
faced with the prospect of His own imminent death, that
Baha'u'llah received the first intimation of His mission:
One night, in a dream, these exalted words were heard on every
side: "Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy
Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be

8 . Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1979), 20-21 .
9. A number of Western diplomatic and military observers have left har-
rowing accounts of what they witnessed. Several formal protests were reg-
istered with the Persian authorities. See Moojan Momen, The Bab[ and
Bah<i'[ Religions, 1844-1944 (Oxford: George Ronald, 1981).
54                          T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

Thou afraid, for Thou art in safety. Erelong will God raise up the
treasures of the earth-men who will aid Thee through Thyself and
through Thy name, wherewith God hath revived the hearts of such
as have recognized Him." 10
The experience of Divine Revelation, touched on only at
second hand in surviving accounts of the lives of the Buddha,
Moses, Jesus Christ, and Mul,iammad, is described graphically
in Baha'u'llah's own words:
During the days I lay in the prison of Tihran, though the galling
weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little
sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if some-
thing flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a
mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the
summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a
result, be set afire. At such moments My tongue recited what no
man could bear to hear. 11

EXILE

Eventually, still without trial or recourse, Baha'u'llah was
released from prison and immediately banished from His native
land, His wealth and properties arbitrarily confiscated. The
Russian diplomatic representative, who knew Him personally
and who had followed the Babi persecutions with growing dis-
tress, offered Him his protection and refuge in lands under the
control of his government. In the prevailing political climate,
acceptance of such help would almost certainly have been mis-
represented by others as having political implications. 12
Perhaps for this reason, Baha'u'llah chose to accept banish-
ment to the neighboring territory of Iraq, then under the rule of
the Ottoman Empire. This expulsion was the beginning of forty
years of exile, imprisonment, and bitter persecution.
In the years which immediately followed His departure

10. Baha'u'llah, Epistle, 21.
11. Ibid .. 22.
12. There was, understandably, great suspicion in Persia about the inten-
tions of the British and Russian governments, both of which had long
interfered in Persian affairs.
T   H   E   B A H A            W   0   R   L   D                        55

from Persia, Baha'u'llah gave priority to the needs of the Babi
community which had grown in Baghdad, a task which had
devolved on Him as the only effective Babi leader to have sur-
vived the massacres. The death of the Bab and the almost
simultaneous loss of most of the young faith's teachers and
guides had left the body of the believers scattered and demoral-
ized. When His efforts to rally those who had fled to Iraq
aroused jealousy and dissension, 13 He followed the path that
had been taken by all of the Messengers of God gone before
Him, and withdrew to the wilderness, choosing for the purpose
the mountain region of Kurdistan. His withdrawal, as He later
said, had "contemplated no return." Its reason "was to avoid
becoming a subject of discord among the faithful, a source of
disturbance unto Our companions." Although the two years
spent in Kurdistan were a period of intense privation and phys-
ical hardship, Baha'u'llah describes them as a time of profound
happiness during which He reflected deeply on the message
entrusted to Him: "Alone, We communed with Our spirit, obliv-
ious of the world and all that is therein." 14
Only with great reluctance, believing it His responsibility
to the cause of the Bab, did He eventually accede to urgent
messages from the remnant of the desperate group of exiles in
Baghdad who had discovered His whereabouts and appealed to
Him to return and assume the leadership of their community.
Two of the most important volumes of Baha'u'llah's writ-
ings date from this first period of exile, preceding the declar-

13. The focal point of these problems was one Mirza Y~ya, a younger
half-brother of Baha'u'llah. While still a youth and under the guidance of
Baha'u'llah, Y~ya had been appointed by the Bab as nominal head of the
Babi community, pending the imminent advent of "Him Whom God will
make manifest." Falling under the influence of a former Muslim theolo-
gian, Siyyid M~ammad I~fahani, however, Y~ya gradually became
estranged from his brother. Rather than being expressed openly, this
resentment found its outlet in clandestine agitation, which had a disas-
trous effect on the exiles' already low morale. Y~ya eventually refused to
accept Baha'u'llah's declaration, and played no role in the development of
the Baha'i Faith which this declaration initiated .
14. Baha'u'llah, Kitab+iqan, The Book of Certitude (Wilmette: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Trust, 1985), 251.
56                          T   H   E   B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

ation of His mission in 1863. The first of these is a small book
which He named The Hidden Words. Written in the form of a
compilation of moral aphorisms, the volume represents the
ethical heart of Baha'u'llah's message. In verses which
Baha'u'llah describes a distillation of the spiritual guidance of
all the Revelations of the past, the voice of God speaks directly
to the human soul:
0 Son of Spirit!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away
therefrom if thou desirest Me , and neglect it not that I may confide
in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not
through the eyes of others , and shalt know of thine own knowledge
and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy
heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee
and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.
0 Son of Being!
Love Me that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no
wise reach thee. Know this, 0 servant.
0 Son of Man!
Sorrow not save that thou art far from Us. Rejoice not save that thou
art drawing near and returning unto Us.
0 Son of Being!
With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength
I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light.
Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is perfect
and My command is binding. Question it not, nor have a doubt
thereof. 15
The second of the two major works composed by
Baha'u'llah during this period is The Book of Certitude, a com-
prehensive exposition of the nature and purpose of religion. In
passages that draw not only on the Qur'an, but with equal
facility and insight on the Old and New Testaments, the
Messengers of God are depicted as agents of a single, unbroken
process, the awakening of the human race to its spiritual and
moral potentialities. A humanity which has come of age can
respond to a directness of teaching that goes beyond the

15. Baha'u'llah, The Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah (Wilmette: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Trust, 1985). 3-4, 4, 12 , 6 .
T H E     B   A   H   A        W   0   R   L   D                          57

language of parable and allegory; faith is a matter not of blind
belief, but of conscious knowledge. Nor is the guidance of an
ecclesiastical elite any longer required: the gift of reason con-
fers on each individual in this new age of enlightenment and
education the capacity to respond to Divine guidance. The test
is that of sincerity:
No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding
except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth ... The
essence of these words is this: they that tread the path of faith, they
that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all
that is earthly-their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain
imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that
which perisheth. They should put their trust in God, and, holding
fast unto Him, follow in His way. Then will they be made worthy of
the effulgent glories of the sun of divine knowledge and under-
standing . . . inasmuch as man can never hope to attain unto the
knowledge of the All-Glorious . . . unless and until he ceases to
regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true
understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets. Consider
the past. How many, both high and low, have, at all times, yearn-
ingly awaited the advent of the Manifestations of God in the
sanctified persons of His chosen Ones ... And whensoever the por-
tals of grace did open, and the clouds of divine bounty did rain upon
mankind, and the light of the Unseen did shine above the horizon of
celestial might, they all denied Him, and turned away from His
face- the face of God Himself ...
Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing
desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy,
is kindled within the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-
kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dis-
pelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the
lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being ... Then will the
manifold favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting
Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself
endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind ...
Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door
that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will dis-
cover in all things the ... evidences of an everlasting Manifestation.
When the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all worldly
and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive the breath of
the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led by its per-
fume, attain and enter the City of Certitude ...
58                          T H E       B A H       A        W   0   R   L   D

That city is none other than the Word of God revealed in every
age and dispensation . . . All the guidance, the blessings, the
learning, the understanding, the faith, and certitude, conferred
upon all that is in heaven and on earth, are hidden and treasured
within these Cities. 16
No overt reference is made to Baha'u'llah's own as yet
unannounced mission; rather, The Book of Certitude is orga-
nized around a vigorous exposition of the mission of the
martyred Bab. Not the least of the reasons for the book's pow-
erful influence on the Babi community, which included a
number of scholars and former seminarians, was the mastery
of Islamic thought and teachings its author displays in demon-
strating the Bab's claim to have fulfilled the prophecies of
Islam. Calling on the Babis to be worthy of the trust which the
Bab had placed in them and of the sacrifice of so many heroic
lives, Baha'u'llah held out before them the challenge not only of
bringing their personal lives into conformity with the Divine
teachings, but of making their community a model for the
heterogeneous population of Baghdad, the Iraqi provincial cap-
ital. Though living in very straitened material circumstances,
the exiles were galvariized by this vision. One of their company,
a man called Nabil, who was later to leave a detailed history of
both the ministries of the Bab and Baha'u'llah, has described
the spiritual intensity of those days:
Many a night no less than ten persons subsisted on no more than a
pennyworth of dates. No one knew to whom actually belonged the
shoes, the cloaks, or the robes that were to be found in their houses .
Whoever went to the bazaar could claim that the shoes upon his feet
were his own, and each one who entered the presence of Baha'u'llah
could affirm that the cloak and robe he then wore belonged to him
... 0, for the joy of those days, and the gladness and wonder of those
hours! 17
To the dismay of the Persian consular authorities who had
believed the Babi "episode" to have run its course, the commu-
nity of exiles gradually became a respected and influential
element in Iraq's provincial capital and the neighboring towns.

16. Baha'u'llah, Kitab+iqan, 3-4, 195-200.
17. Cited in Shoghi Effendi , God Passes By, 137.
T H E      B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                     59

Since several of the most important shrines of Shi'ah Islam
were located in the area, a steady stream of Persian pilgrims
was also exposed, under the most favorable circumstances, to
the renewal of Babi influence. Among dignitaries who called on
Baha'u'llah in the simple house He occupied were princes of
the royal family. So enchanted by the experience was one of
them that he conceived the somewhat naive idea that by
erecting a duplicate of the building in the gardens of his own
estate, he might recapture something of the atmosphere of
spiritual purity and detachment he had briefly encountered.
Another, more deeply moved by the experience of his visit,
expressed to friends the feeling that "were all the sorrows of the
world to be crowded into my heart they would, I feel, all vanish,
when in the presence of Baha'u'llah. It is as if I had entered
Paradise ... " 18

THE DECLARATION IN THE Rir;>VAN GARDEN

By 1863, Baha'u'llah concluded that the time had come to
begin to acquaint some of those around Him with the mission
which had been entrusted to Him in the darkness of the Siyah-
Chal. This decision coincided with a new stage in the campaign
of opposition to His work, which had been relentlessly pursued
by the Shi'ah Muslim clergy and representatives of the Persian
government. Fearing that the acclaim which Baha'u'llah was
beginning to enjoy among influential Persian visitors to Iraq
would re-ignite popular enthusiasm in Persia, the Shah's gov-
ernment pressed the Ottoman authorities to remove Him far
from the borders and into the interior of the empire. Eventu-
ally, the Turkish government acceded to these pressures and
invited the exile, as its guest, to make His residence in the cap-
ital, Constantinople. Despite the courteous terms in which the
message was couched, the intention was clearly to require
compliance. 19

18. Quotation from Prince Zaynu'l-'Abidin Khan in Shoghi Effendi, God
Passes By, 135.
19. See Note 68 below.
60                          T H E        B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

By this time, the devotion of the little company of exiles
had come to focus on Baha'u'llah's person as well as on His
exposition of the Bab's teachings. A growing number of them
had become convinced that He was speaking not only as the
Bab's advocate, but on behalf of the far greater cause which the
latter had declared to be imminent. These beliefs became acer-
tainty in late April 1863 when Baha'u'llah, on the eve of His
departure for Constantinople, called together individuals
among His companions, in a garden to which was later given
the name Ric;lvan ("Paradise"), and confided the central fact of
His mission. Over the next four years, although no open
announcement was considered timely, the hearers gradually
shared with trusted friends the news that the Bab's promises
had been fulfilled and that the "Day of God" had dawned . The
precise circumstances surrounding this private communica-
tion are, in the words of the Baha'i authority most intimately
familiar with the records of the period, "shrouded in an obscu-
rity which future historians will find it difficult to penetrate." 20
The nature of the declaration may be appreciated in various
references which Baha'u'llah was to make to His mission in
many of His subsequent writings:
The purpose underlying all creation is the revelation of this most
sublime, this most holy Day, the Day known as the Day of God, in
His Books and Scriptures-the Day which all the Prophets, and the
Chosen Ones, and the holy ones, have wished to witness. 21
... this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear
the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised,
and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men. It
behooveth every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the
tablet of his heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased mind, on
the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens
of His glory. 22

20. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, 153 . Increasingly, after 1863, the
word "Baha'i" replaced "Babi" as the designation for the new faith, mark-
ing the fact that an entirely new religion had emerged.
21 . Cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice (Wilmette: Baha'i
Publishing Trust, 1984), 77.
22. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llfLh (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Trust. 1983). 10-11.
T   H    E    B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                         61

As repeatedly emphasized in Baha'u'llah's exposition of
the Bab's message, the primary purpose of God in revealing His
will is to effect a transformation in the character of human-
kind, to develop within those who respond the moral and
spiritual qualities that are latent within human nature:
Beautify your tongues, 0 people, with truthfulness, and adorn your
souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, 0 people, that ye deal
not treacherously with any one. Be ye the trustees of God amongst
His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His
people. 23
Illumine and hallow your hearts; let them not be profaned by the
thorns of hate or the thistles of malice . Ye dwell in one world, and
have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he
who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and
love. 24

The aggressive proselytism that had characterized efforts
in ages past to promote the cause of religion is declared to be
unworthy of the Day of God. Each person who has recognized
the Revelation has the obligation to share it with those who he
believes are seeking, but to leave the response entirely to his
hearers:
Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another. Should
any one among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be
striving to comprehend it, show forth, when conversing with him, a
spirit of extreme kindliness and good-will. 25
The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood
of grace which God poureth forth for him. Let none, therefore, con-
sider the largeness or smallness of the receptacle. 26

Against the background of the bloody events in Persia,
Baha'u'llah not only told His followers that "if ye be slain, it is
better for you than to slay," but urged them to set an example
of obedience to civil authority: "In every country where any of
this people reside, they must behave towards the government

23. Baha'u'llci.h, Gleanings, 297.
24. Ibid., 334.
25. Ibid., 8.
26. Ibid.
62                         T H E      B A H     A        W   0   R   L   D

of that country with loyalty, honesty and truthfulness. "27 The
conditions surrounding Baha'u'llah's departure from Baghdad
provide a dramatic demonstration of the potency of these
principles. In only a few years, a band of foreign exiles whose
arrival in the area had aroused suspicion and aversion on the
part of their neighbors had become one of the most respected
and influential segments of the population. They supported
themselves through flourishing businesses; as a group they
were admired for their generosity and the integrity of their con-
duct; the lurid allegations of religious fanaticism and violence,
sedulously spread by Persian consular officials and members
of the Shi'ah Muslim clergy, had ceased to have an effect on the
public mind. By 3 May 1863, when He rode out of Baghdad,
accompanied by His family and those of His companions and
servants who had been chosen to accompany Him to Constan-
tinople, Baha'u'llah had become an immensely popular and
cherished figure. In the days immediately preceding the leave-
taking a stream of notables, including the governor of the prov-
ince himself, came to the garden where He had temporarily
taken up residence, many of them from great distances, in
order to pay their respects. Eyewitnesses to the departure have
described in moving terms the acclaim that greeted Him, the
tears of many of the onlookers, and the concern of the Ottoman
authorities and civil officials to do their visitor honor. 28

"THE CHANGELESS FAITH OF GOD

Following the declaration of His mission in 1863, Baha'u'llah
began to elaborate a theme already introduced in The Book of
Certitude, the relationship between the Will of God and the evo-
lutionary process by which the spiritual and moral capacities

27. The two statements quoted by 'Abdu'l-Baha may be found cited in
J . E . Esslemont, BaM'u'llah and the New Era (Wilmette: Baha'i Publish-
ing Trust, 1987). 170; and Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah (Haifa:
Baha'i World Centre, 1982). 22-23, respectively.
28. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, 127-57 , gives an account of these
events.
T   H    E    B A    H   A         W   0   R   L   D                         63

latent in human nature find expression. This exposition would
occupy a central place in His writings over the remaining thirty
years of His life. The reality of God, He asserts, is and will
always remain unknowable. Whatever words human thought
may apply to the Divine nature relate only to human existence
and are the products of human efforts to describe human expe-
rience:
Far, far from Thy glory be what mortal man can affirm of Thee , or
attribute unto Thee, or the praise with which he can glorify Thee!
Whatever duty Thou hast prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling
to the utmost Thy majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace unto
them, that they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred
upon their own inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their
own selves. 29
To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the
unknowable Essence, the divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond
every human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and
descent. egress and regress. Far be it from His glory that human
tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that human heart
comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is and hath ever been
veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His
Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men ... 30

What humanity experiences in turning to the Creator of all
existence are the attributes or qualities which are associated
with God's recurring Revelations:
The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed
in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace ... hath caused
those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the
spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest
unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of
the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperish-
able Essence ... 31
These sanctified Mirrors ... are one and all the Exponents on earth
of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ulti-
mate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from
Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is

29. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 4-5.
30. Baha'u'llah, Certitude, 98.
31. Ibid., 99.
64                          T     H   E   B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His
deathless glory ... 32
The Revelations of God do not differ in any essential
respect from one another, although the changing needs they
serve from age to age have called out unique responses from
each of them:
These attributes of God are not and have never been vouchsafed
specially unto certain Prophets, and withheld from others. Nay, all
the Prophets of God, His well-favored, His holy, and chosen Messen-
gers, are, without exception, the bearers of His names, and the
embodiments of His attributes. They only differ in the intensity of
their revelation, and the comparative potency of their light ...33
Students of religion are cautioned not to permit theolog-
ical dogmas or other preconceptions to lead them into
discriminating among those whom God has used as channels
of His light:
Beware, 0 believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to make
any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or to
discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and pro-
claimed their Revelation. This indeed is the true meaning of Divine
Unity, if ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth. Be ye
assured, moreover, that the works and acts of each and every one of
these Manifestations of God, nay whatever pertaineth unto them,
and whatsoever they may manifest in the future, are all ordained by
God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose ... 34
Baha'u'llah compares the interventions of the Divine Reve-
lations to the return of spring. The Messengers of God are not
merely teachers, although this is one of their primary func-
tions. Rather, the spirit of their words, together with the
example of their lives, has the capacity to tap the roots of
human motivation and to induce fundamental and lasting
change. Their influence opens new realms of understanding
and achievement:
And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one
true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist

32. Ibid., 99-100.
33. Ibid., 103-4.
34. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 59.
T H E       B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                            65

between the transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Abso-
lute, He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure
and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and
heaven ... Led by the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with
supreme sovereignty, They [the Messengers of God] are commis-
sioned to use the inspiration of Their words, the effusions of Their
infallible grace and the sanctifying breeze of Their Revelation for the
cleansing of every longing heart and receptive spirit from the dross
and dust of earthly cares and limitations. Then, and only then, will
the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge ... and implant
the ensign of its revealed glory upon the summits of men's hearts. 35
Without this intervention from the world of God, human
nature remains the captive of instinct, as well as of uncon-
scious assumptions and patterns of behavior that have been
culturally determined:
Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He
[God] ... chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and
capacity to know Him and to love Him-a capacity that must needs
be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose
underlying the whole of creation ... Upon the inmost reality of each
and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names,
and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the
reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His
names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of
all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so
enduring a bounty.
These energies with which the ... Source of heavenly guidance hath
endowed the reality of man lie, however, latent within him, even as
the flame is hidden within the candle and the rays of light are poten-
tially present in the lamp. The radiance of these energies may be
obscured by worldly desires even as the light of the sun can be con-
cealed beneath the dust and dross which cover the mirror. Neither
the candle nor the lamp can be lighted through their own unaided
efforts, nor can it ever be possible for the mirror to free itself from its
dross. It is clear and evident that until a fire is kindled the lamp will
never be ignited, and unless the dross is blotted out from the face of
the mirror it can never represent the image of the sun nor reflect its
light and glory. 36
The time has come, Baha'u'llah said, when humanity has
both the capacity and the opportunity to see the entire

35. Ibid., 66-67.
36. Ibid., 65-66.
66                          T   H   E      B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D

panorama of its spiritual development as a single process:
"Peerless is this Day, for it is as the eye to past ages and centu-
ries, and as a light unto the darkness of the times. "37 In this
perspective, the followers of differing religious traditions must
strive to understand what He called "the changeless Faith of
God" 38 and to distinguish its central spiritual impulse from the
changing laws and concepts that were revealed to meet the
requirements of an ever-evolving human society:
The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians whose task is
to foster the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through
the spirit of oneness, they may heal the sickness of a divided
humanity ... Little wonder, then, if the treatment prescribed by the
physician in this day should not be found to be identical with that
which he prescribed before. How could it be otherwise when the ills
affecting the sufferer necessitate at every stage of his sickness a
special remedy? In like manner, every time the Prophets of God have
illumined the world with the resplendent radiance of the Day Star of
Divine knowledge, they have invariably summoned its peoples to
embrace the light of God through such means as best befitted the
exigencies of the age in which they appeared ...39
It is not only the heart, but the mind, which must devote
itself to this process of discovery. Reason, Baha'u'llah asserts,
is God's greatest gift to the soul, "a sign of the revelation of ...
the sovereign Lord." 40 Only by freeing itself from inherited
dogma, whether religious or materialistic, can the mind take
up an independent exploration of the relationship between the
Word of God and the experience of humankind. In such a
search, a major obstacle is prejudice: "Warn ... the beloved of
the one true God, not to view with too critical an eye the say-
ings and writings of men. Let them rather approach such
sayings and writings in a spirit of open-mindedness and loving
sympathy." 41

37. Cited in Shoghi Effendi, Advent, 79.
38. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 136.
39. Ibid., 80.
40. Ibid., 164.
41. Ibid ., 329.
T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                         67

THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD

What is common to all who are devoted to one or another
of the world's religious systems is the conviction that it is
through the Divine Revelation that the soul comes in touch
with the world of God, and that it is this relationship which
gives real meaning to life. Some of the most important passages
in Baha'u'llah's writings are those which discuss at length the
nature and role of those who are the channels of this Revela-
tion, the Messengers or "Manifestations of God." A recurrent
analogy found in these passages is that of the physical sun.
While the latter shares certain characteristics of the other
bodies in the solar system, it differs from them in that it is, in
itself, the source of the system's light. The planets and moons
reflect light whereas the sun emits it as an attribute insepa-
rable from its nature. The system revolves around this focal
point. each of its members influenced not only by its particular
composition, but by its relationship to the source of the sys-
tem's light. 42
In the same way, Baha'u'llah asserts, the human person-
ality which the Manifestation of God shares with the rest of the
race is differentiated from others in a way that fits it to serve as
the channel or vehicle for the Revelation of God. Apparently
contradictory references to this dual station, attributed, for
example, to Christ, 43 have been among the many sources of
religious confusion and dissension throughout history.
Baha'u'llah says on the subject:
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct
evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of
God .. . To a supreme degree is this true of man, who, among all cre-
ated things, . . . hath been singled out for the glory of such
distinction. For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and
names of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled

42. For a detailed exposition of this subject see 'Abdu'l-Baha, Some
Answered Questions (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1970), 163- 201.
43. Examples, in the words of Jesus, are "Why callest thou me good?
There is none good but one , that is, God ... " (Matthew 19: 17); "I and my
Father are one." (John 10:30)
68                          T H E        B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

or surpassed .. . And of all men, the most accomplished, the most
distinguished, and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the
Sun of Truth. Nay, all else besides these Manifestations, live by the
operation of their Will, and move and have their being through the
outpourings of their grace.44
Throughout history, the conviction of believers that the
Founder of their own religion occupied a unique station has
had the effect of stimulating intense speculation on the nature
of the Manifestation of God. Such speculation has, however,
been severely hampered by the difficulties of interpreting and
resolving the allegorical allusions in past scriptures. The
attempt to crystallize opinion in the form of religious dogma
has been a divisive rather than unifying force in history.
Indeed, despite the enormous energy devoted to theological
pursuits-or perhaps because of it-there are today profound
differences among Muslims as to the precise station of MuJ:ia-
mmad, among Christians as to that of Jesus, and among
Buddhists with respect to the Founder of their own religion. As
is all too apparent, the controversies created by these and
other differences within any one given tradition have proven at
least as acute as those separating that tradition from its sister
faiths.
Particularly important to         an understanding        of
Baha'u'llah's teachings on the unity of religions, therefore, are
His statements about the station of the successive Messengers
of God and the functions performed by them in the spiritual
history of humankind:
[The] Manifestations of God have each a twofold station. One is the
station of pure abstraction and essential unity. In this respect, if
thou callest them all by one name, and dost ascribe to them the
same attributes, thou hast not erred from the truth ...
The other station is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to
the world of creation, and to the limitations thereof. In this respect,
each Manifestation of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely
prescribed mission, a predestined revelation, and specially desig-
nated limitations. Each one of them is known by a different name, is
characterized by a special attribute, fulfills a definite mission .. .

44. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 177-79.
T   H    E    B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                         69

Viewed in the light of their second station . . . they manifest
absolute servitude, utter destitution, and complete self-effacement.
Even as He saith: "I am the servant of God. I am but a man like
you ."...
Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to
declare: "I am God," He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt
attacheth thereto. For ... through their Revelation , their attributes
and names, the Revelation of God , His names and His attributes, are
made manifest in the world ... And were any of them to voice the
utterance, "I am the Messenger of God," He, also, speaketh the
truth, the indubitable truth ... Viewed in this light, they are all but
Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence ... And
were they to say, "We are the Servants of God," this also is a mani-
fest and indisputable fact. For they have been made manifest in the
uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of which no man
can possibly attain ... 45
Thus it is that whatsoever be their utterance, whether it pertain to
the realm of Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership,
Guardianship, Apostleship, or Servitude, all is true, beyond the
shadow of a doubt. Therefore these sayings . . . must be attentively
considered, that the divergent utterances of the Manifestations of
the Unseen and Day Sprin~s of Holiness may cease to agitate the
soul and perplex the mind.4

"AN EVER-ADVANCING CIVILIZATION

Implicit in these paragraphs is a perspective which represents
the most challenging feature of Baha'u'llah's exposition of the
function of the Manifestation of God. Divine Revelation is, He
says, the motive power of civilization. When it occurs, its trans-
forming effect on the minds and souls of those who respond to
it is replicated in the new society that slowly takes shape
around their experience. A new center of loyalty emerges that
can win the commitment of peoples from the widest range of
cultures; music and the arts seize on symbols that mediate far
richer and more mature inspirations; a radical redefinition of
concepts of right and wrong makes possible the formulation of
new codes of civil law and conduct; new institutions are

45. Ibid., 54, 55.
46. Ibid., 56.
70                          T   H   E   B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

conceived in order to give expression to impulses of moral
responsibility previously ignored or unknown: "He was in the
world, and the world was made by him ... "47 As the new culture
evolves into a civilization, it assimilates achievements and
insights of past eras in a multitude of fresh permutations. Fea-
tures of past cultures that cannot be incorporated atrophy or
are taken up by marginal elements among the population. The
Word of God creates new possibilities within both the indi-
vidual consciousness and human relationships.
Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with
such potency as can instill new life into every human frame ... All
the wondrous works ye behold in this world have been manifested
through the operation of His supreme and most exalted Will, His
wondrous and inflexible Purpose ... No sooner is this resplendent
word uttered, than its animating energies, stirring within all created
things, gives birth to the means and instruments whereby such arts
can be produced and perfected ... In the days to come, ye will, verily,
behold things of which ye have never heard before . . . Every single
letter proceeding out of the mouth of God is indeed a mother letter,
and every word uttered by Him Who is the Well Spring of Divine Rev-
elation is a mother word ... 48
The sequence of the Divine Revelations, the Bab asserts, is
"a process that hath had no beginning and will have no end. "49
Although the mission of each of the Manifestations is limited in
time and in the functions it performs, it is an integral part of
an ongoing and progressive unfoldment of God's power and
will:
Contemplate with thine inward eye the chain of successive Revela-
tions that hath linked the Manifestation of Adam with that of the
Bab. I testify before God that each one of these Manifestations hath
been sent down through the operation of the Divine Will and Pur-
pose, that each hath been the bearer of a specific Message, that each
hath been entrusted with a divinely revealed Book ... The measure of
the Revelation with which every one of them hath been identified
had been definitely foreordained .. . 50

47. John 1: 10.
48. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 141-42 .
49. Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of BaM'u'llilh: Selected Letters (Wil-
mette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), 11 7.
50. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 4. In the Baha'i writings the term "Adam"
T   H    E    B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                         71

Eventually, as an ever-evolving civilization exhausts its
spiritual sources, a process of disintegration sets in, as it does
throughout the phenomenal world. Turning again to analogies
offered by nature, Baha'u'llah compares this hiatus in the
development of civilization to the onset of winter. Moral vitality
diminishes , as does social cohesion. Challenges which would
have been overcome at an earlier age, or been turned into
opportunities for exploration and achievement, become insu-
perable barriers.     Religion loses its relevance,           and
experimentation becomes increasingly fragmented, further
deepening social divisions. Increasingly, uncertainty about the
meaning and value of life generates anxiety and confusion.
Speaking about this condition in our own age Baha'u'llah says:
We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed
with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its
bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxi-
cated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the
Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all
men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can
neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowl-
edge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked,
and have imagined their friend an enemy. 51
When each of the Divine impulses has fulfilled itself, the
process recurs. A new Manifestation of God appears with the
fuller measure of Divine inspiration for the next stage in the
awakening and civilizing of humankind:
Consider the hour at which the supreme Manifestation of God
revealeth Himself unto men. Ere that hour cometh, the Ancient
Being, Who is still unknown of men and hath not as yet given utter-
ance to the Word of God, is Himself the All-Knower in a world devoid
of any man that hath known Him. He is indeed the Creator without
a cr eation ... This is indeed the Day of which it hath been written:
"Whose shall be the Kingdom this Day?" And none can be fo u nd
ready to answer! 52

is used symbolically in two different senses. The one refers to the emer-
gence of the human race, while the other designates the first of the Mani-
festation s of God.
51. Ibid., 213.
52. Ibid., 15 1.
72                        T H E      B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

Until a section of humanity begins to respond to the new
Revelation, and a new spiritual and social paradigm begins to
take shape, people subsist spiritually and morally on the last
traces of earlier Divine endowments. The routine tasks of
society may or may not be done; laws may be obeyed or flouted;
social and political experimentation may flame up or fail; but
the roots of faith-without which no society can indefinitely
endure-have been exhausted. At the "end of the age," at the
"end of the world," the spiritually minded begin to turn again to
the Creative source. However clumsy or disturbing the process
may be, however inelegant or unfortunate some of the options
considered, such searching is an instinctive response to the
awareness that an immense chasm has opened in the ordered
life of humankind. 53 The effects of the new Revelation,
Baha'u'llah says, are universal, and not limited to the life and
teachings of the Manifestation of God Who is the Revelation's
focal point. Though not understood, these effects increasingly
permeate human affairs, revealing the contradictions in pop-
ular assumptions and in society, and intensifying the search
for understanding.
The succession of the Manifestations is an inseparable
dimension of existence, Baha'u'llah declares, and will continue
throughout the life of the world: "God hath sent down His Mes-
sengers to succeed to Moses and Jesus, and He will continue to
do so till 'the end that hath no end' ... "54

THE DAY OF GOD

What does Baha'u'llili hold to be the goal of the evolution of
human consciousness? In the perspective of eternity, its pur-
pose is that God should see, ever more clearly, the reflection of
His perfections in the mirror of His creation, and that, in the

53. See Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1986). 6-7: "Yea, although to the wise it be
shameful to seek the Lord of Lords in the dust, yet this betokeneth
intense ardor in searching."
54. Shoghi Effendi, World Order, 116.
T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                          73

words of Baha'u'llah:
... every man may testify, in himself, by himself, in the station of the
Manifestation of his Lord, that verily there is no God save Him, and
that every man may thereby win his way to the summit of realities,
until none shall contemplate anything whatsoever but that he shall
see God therein. 55
Within the context of the history of civilization, the objec-
tive of the succession of divine Manifestations has been to
prepare human consciousness for the race's unification as a
single species, indeed as a single organism capable of taking up
the responsibility for its collective future: "He Who is your Lord,
the All-Merciful," Baha'u'llah says, "cherisheth in His heart the
desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one
body." 56 Not until humanity has accepted its organic oneness
can it meet even its immediate challenges, let alone those that
lie ahead: "The well-being of mankind," Baha'u'llah insists, "its
peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity
is firmly established. "57 Only a unified global society can pro-
vide its children with the sense of inner assurance implied in
one of Baha'u'llah's prayers to God : "Whatever duty Thou hast
prescribed unto Thy servants of extolling to the utmost Thy
majesty and glory is but a token of Thy grace unto them, that
they may be enabled to ascend unto the station conferred upon
their own inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their
own selves. "58 Paradoxically, it is only by achieving true unity
that humanity can fully cultivate its diversity and individuality.
This is the goal which the missions of all of the Manifestations
of God known to history have served, the Day of "one fold and
one shepherd." 59 Its attainment, Baha'u'llah says, is the state
of civilization upon which the human race is now entering.
One of the most suggestive analogies to be found in the
writings not only of Baha'u'llah, but of the Bab before Him, is
the comparison between the evolution of the human race and

55. Baha'u'llah, Seven Valleys, 1-2.
56. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 214.
57. Ibid., 286.
58. Ibid., 4-5.
59. John 10:16.
74                          T H E      B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

the life of the individual human being. Humanity has moved
through stages in its collective development which are reminis-
cent of the periods of infancy, childhood, and adolescence in
the maturation of its individual members. We are now experi-
encing the beginnings of our collective maturity, endowed with
new capacities and opportunities of which we as yet have only
the dimmest awareness. 60
Against this background, it is not difficult to understand
the primacy given in Baha'u'llah's teachings to the principle of
unity. The oneness of humanity is the leitmotif of the age now
opening, the standard against which must be tested all pro-
posals for the betterment of humanity. There is, Baha'u'llah
insists, but one human race; inherited notions that a partic-
ular racial or ethnic group is in some way superior to the rest
of humanity are without foundation. Similarly, since all of the
Messengers of God have served as agents of the one Divine
Will, their revelations are the collective legacy of the entire
human race; each person on earth is a legitimate heir of the
whole of that spiritual tradition. Persistence in prejudices of
any kind is both damaging to the interests of society and a vio-
lation of the Will of God for our age:
0 contending peoples and kindreds of the earth! Set your faces
towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you.
Gather ye together, and for the sake of God resolve to root out what-
ever is the source of contention amongst you ... There can be no
doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or
religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are
the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances
under which they abide should be attributed to the varying require-
ments and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of
them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were
ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Arise
and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of
your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you ... 61
The theme of unity runs throughout Baha'u'llah's writings:

60. For elaboration on the subject of Baha'u'llah's teachings on the pro-
cess of the maturation of the human race, see Shoghi Effendi, World
Order, 162-63, 202.
61. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 217.
T H E       B   A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D                         75

'The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one
another as strangers." 62 "Consort with the followers of all reli-
gions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship. "63 "Ye are the
fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. "64 The process
of humanity's coming-of-age has occurred within the evolution
of social organization. Beginning from the family unit and its
various extensions, the human race has developed, with
varying degrees of success, societies based on the clan, the
tribe, the city-state, and most recently the nation. This pro-
gressively broader and more complex social milieu provides
human potential with both stimulation and scope for develop-
ment, and this development, in turn, has induced ever-new
modifications of the social fabric. Humanity's coming-of-age,
therefore, must entail a total transformation of the social order.
The new society must be one capable of embracing the entire
diversity of the race and of benefiting from the full range of tal-
ents and insights which many thousands of years of cultural
experience have refined:
This is the Day in which God's most excellent favors have been
poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath
been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the
peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect
unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care
and loving-kindness ... Soon will the present-day order be rolled up,
and a new one spread out in its stead. Veril~, thy Lord speaketh the
truth, and is the Knower of things unseen. 6

The chief instrument for the transformation of society and
the achievement of world unity, Baha'u'llah asserts, is the
establishment of justice in the affairs of humankind. The sub-
ject has a central place in His teachings:
The light of men is Justice. Quench it not with the contrary winds of
oppression and tyranny. The purpose of justice is the appearance of
unity among men. The ocean of divine wisdom surgeth within this

62. Baha'u'llah, Tablets, 164.
63 . Baha'u'llah, Gleanings. 95.
64. Baha'u'llah, Tablets, 164.
65. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 6-7.
76                         T   H   E   B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

exalted word, while the books of the world cannot contain its inner
significance ... 66
In His later writings Baha'u'llah made explicit the implica-
tions of this principle for the age of humanity's maturity.
"Women and men have been and will always be equal in the
sight of God," 67 He asserts, and the advancement of civilization
requires that society so organize its affairs as to give full
expression to this fact. The earth's resources are the property
of all humanity, not of any one people. Different contributions
to the common economic welfare deserve and should receive
different measures of reward and recognition, but the extremes
of wealth and poverty which afflict most nations on earth,
regardless of the socio-economic philosophies they profess,
must be abolished.

ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE KINGS

The writings which have been quoted in the foregoing were
revealed, for the most part, in conditions of renewed persecu-
tion. Soon after the exiles' arrival in Constantinople, it became
apparent that the honors showered upon Baha'u'llah during
His journey from Baghdad had represented only a brief inter-
lude. The Ottoman authorities' decision to move the "Babi"
leader and His companions to the capital of the empire rather
than to some remote province deepened the alarm among the
representatives of the Persian government. 68 Fearing that the
developments in Baghdad would be repeated, and might attract
this time not only the sympathy but perhaps even the alle-
giance of influential figures in the Turkish government, the

66. Baha'u'llab., Tablets, 66-67.
67. Women: A Compilation (Toronto: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1986). 26.
68. A combination of unusual circumstances had made the central
authorities in Constantinople especially sympathetic to Baha'u'llah, and
resistant to pressure from the Persian government. The governor of
Baghdad, Namiq Pasha, had written enthusiastically to the capital about
both character and influence of the distinguished Persian exile. Sultan
'Abdu'l-'Aziz found the reports intriguing because, although he was
T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                        77

Persian ambassador pressed insistently for the dispatch of the
exiles to some more distant part of the empire. His argument
was that the spread of a new religious message in the capital
could produce political as well as religious repercussions. Ini-
tially, the Ottoman government strongly resisted. The chief
minister, 'Ali Pas.ha, had indicated to Western diplomats his
belief that Baha'u'llah was "a man of great distinction, exem-
plary conduct, great moderation, and a most dignified figure ."
His teachings were, in the minister's opinion, "worthy of high
esteem" because they counteracted the religious animosities
dividing the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim subjects of the
empire. 69
Gradually, however, a degree of resentment and suspicion
developed. In the Ottoman capital, political and economic
power was in the hands of court functionaries who, with but
few exceptions, were persons of little or no competence.
Venality was the oil on which the machinery of government
operated, and the capital was a magnet for a horde of people
who flocked there from every part of the empire and beyond,
seeking favors and influence. It was expected that any promi-
nent figure from another country or from one of the tribute
territories would, immediately upon arrival in Constantinople,
join the throngs of patronage-seekers in the reception rooms of
the pashas and ministers of the imperial court. No element had
a worse reputation than the competing groups of Persian polit-
ical exiles who were known for both their sophistication and
their lack of scruple.

Caliph of Sunni Islam, he considered himself a mystical seeker. Equally
important, in another way, was the reaction of his chief minister, 'Ali
Pasha. To the latter, who was an accomplished student of Persian lan-
guage and literature as well as a would-be modernizer of the Turkish
administration, Baha'u'llah seemed a highly sympathetic figure. It was no
doubt this combination of sympathy and interest which led the Ottoman
government to invite Baha'u'llah to the capital rather than send Him to a
more remote center or deliver Him to the Persian authorities, as the latter
were urging.
69 . For the full text of the report of the Austrian ambassador, Count von
Prokesch-Osten, in a letter to the Comte de Gobineau, 10 January 1886,
see Momen, Ba.bl and Baha'i Religions, 186-87.
78                          T   H   E      B A H   A   W   0   R   L   D

To the distress of friends who urged Him to make use of
the prevailing hostility toward the Persian government and of
the sympathy which His own sufferings had aroused,
Baha'u'llah made it clear that He had no requests to make.
Although several government ministers made social calls at the
residence assigned to Him, he did not take advantage of these
openings. He was in Constantinople, He said, as the guest of
the Sultan, at his invitation, and His interest lay in spiritual
and moral concerns.
Many years later. the Persian ambassador, Mirza J:Iusayn
Khan. reflecting on his tour of duty in the Ottoman capital, and
complaining about the damage which the greed and untrust-
worthiness of his countrymen had done to Persia's reputation
in Constantinople, paid a surprisingly candid tribute to the
example which Baha'u'llah's conduct had been able briefly to
set. 70 At the time, however. he and his colleagues made use of
the situation to represent it as an astute way on the exile's part
of concealing secret conspiracies against public security and
the religion of the State. Under pressure of these influences.
the Ottoman authorities finally took the decision to transfer
Baha'u'llah and His family to the provincial city of Adrianople.
The move was made hastily. in the depth of an extremely severe
winter. Housed there in inadequate buildings, lacking suitable
clothing and other provisions, the exiles endured a year of
great suffering. It was clear that, though charged with no crime
and given no opportunity to defend themselves, they had arbi-
trarily been made state prisoners.
From the point of view of religious history, the successive
banishments of Baha'u'llah to Constantinople and Adrianople
have a striking symbolism. For the first time, a Manifestation of
God, Founder of an independent religious system which was
soon to spread throughout the planet, had crossed the narrow
neck of water separating Asia from Europe, and had set foot in
"the West." All of the other great religions had arisen in Asia
and the ministries of their Founders had been confined to that
continent. Referring to the fact that the dispensations of the

70. Taherzadeh, Revelation, Vol. 2, 399.
T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D              79

past, and particularly those of Abraham, Christ, and
MuJ::iammad, had produced their most important effects on the
development of civilization during the course of their westward
expansion, Baha'u'llah predicted that the same thing would
occur in this new age, but on a vastly larger scale: "In the East
the Light of His Revelation hath broken; in the West the signs
of His dominion have appeared. Ponder this in your hearts, 0
people ..."71
It is then perhaps not surprising that Baha'u'llah chose
this moment to make public the mission which had been slowly
enlisting the allegiance of the followers of the Bab throughout
the Middle East. His announcement took the form of a series of
statements which are among the most remarkable documents
in religious history. In them, the Manifestation of God
addresses the "Kings and Rulers of the world," announcing to
them the dawning of the Day of God, alluding to the as yet
inconceivable changes which were gathering momentum
throughout the world, and calling on them as the trustees of
God and of their fellow human beings to arise and serve the
process of the unification of the human race. Because of the
veneration in which they were held by the mass of their sub-
jects, and because of the absolute nature of the rule which
most of them exercised, it lay in their power, He said, to assist
in bringing about what He called the "Most Great Peace," a
world order characterized by unity and animated by Divine
justice.
Only with the greatest difficulty can the modern reader
envision the moral and intellectual world in which these mon-
archs of a century ago lived. From their biographies and private
correspondence, it is apparent that, with few exceptions, they
were personally devout, taking a leading part in the spiritual
life of their respective nations, often as the heads of the state
religions , and convinced of the unerring truths of the Bible or
the Qur'an. The power which most of them wielded they attrib-
uted directly to the divine authority of passages in these same
Scriptures, an authority about which they were vigorously

71. Baha'u'llab, Tablets, 13.
80                         T H E       B A    H   A        W   0   R   L   D

articulate. They were the anointed of God. Prophecies of "the
Latter Days" and "the Kingdom of God" were not for them myth
or allegory, but certainties upon which all moral order rested
and in which they would themselves be called on by God to give
an account of their stewardship.
The letters of Baha'u'llah address themselves to this
mental world:
0 Kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come.
The Kingdom is God's, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting
... This is a Revelation to which whatever ye possess can never be
compared, could ye but know it.
Take heed lest pride deter you from recognizing the Source of
Revelation, lest the things of this world shut you out as by a veil
from Him Who is the Creator of heaven ... By the righteousness of
God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission
is to seize and possess the hearts of men ... 72
Know ye that the poor are the trust of God in your midst. Watch that
ye betray not His trust, that ye deal not unjustly with them and that
ye walk not in the ways of the treacherous. Ye will most certainly be
called upon to answer for His trust on the day when the Balance of
Justice shall be set, the day when unto every one shall be rendered
his due, when the doings of all men, be they rich or poor, shall be
weighed.
. . . Examine Our Cause, inquire into the things that have
befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies, and be
ye of them that act equitably towards their neighbor. If ye stay not
the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the
downtrodden, what right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among
men? 73
If ye pay no heed unto the counsels which ... We have revealed in
this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every direc-
tion, and the sentence of His justice shall be pronounced against
you. On that day ye shall have no power to resist Him, and shall rec-
ognize your own impotence ... 74
The vision of the "Most Great Peace" evoked no response
from the rulers of the nineteenth century. Nationalistic aggran-
dizement and imperial expansion recruited not only kings but
parliamentarians, academics, artists, newspapers, and the

72. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 210-12.
73. Ibid., 251-52.
74. Ibid., 252.
T H E      B A H A             W   0   R   L   D                        81

major religious establishments as eager propagandists of
Western triumphalism. Proposals for social change, however
disinterested and idealistic, quickly fell captive to a swarm of
new ideologies thrown up by the rising tide of dogmatic materi-
alism. In the Orient, mesmerized by its own claims to represent
all that humanity ever could or would know of God and truth,
the Islamic world sank steadily deeper into ignorance, lethargy,
and a sullen hostility to a human race which failed to acknowl-
edge this spiritual preeminence.

ARRIVAL IN THE HOLY LAND

Given the earlier events in Baghdad, it seems surprising
that the Ottoman authorities did not anticipate what would
result from the establishment of Baha'u'llah in another major
provincial capital. Within a year of His arrival in Adrianople,
their prisoner had attracted first the interest and then the fer-
vent admiration of figures prominent in both the intellectual
and administrative life of the region. To the dismay of the
Persian consular representatives, two of the most devoted of
these admirers were Khurshid Pasha, the Governor of the prov-
ince, and the Shaykhu'l-Islam, the leading Sunni religious
dignitary. In the eyes of His hosts and the public generally, the
exile was a moral philosopher and saint the validity of whose
teachings was reflected not only in the example of His own life
but in the changes they effected among the flood of Persian pil-
grims who flocked to this remote center of the Ottoman Empire
in order to visit Him. 75
These unanticipated developments convinced the Persian
ambassador and his colleagues that it was only a matter of
time before the Baha'i movement, which was continuing to
spread in Persia, would have established itself as a major influ-
ence in Persia's neighboring and rival empire. Throughout this
period of its history, the ramshackle Ottoman Empire was
struggling against repeated incursions by Tsarist Russia,

75 . For a description of these events see Taherzadeh, Revelation, Vol. 3,
especially 296, 331.
82                        T   H   E   B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

uprisings among its subject peoples, and persistent attempts
by the ostensibly sympathetic British and Austrian govern-
ments to detach various Turkish territories and incorporate
them into their own empires. These unstable political condi-
tions in Turkey's European provinces offered new and urgent
arguments supporting the ambassador's appeal that the exiles
be sent to a distant colony where Baha'u'llah would have no
further contact with influential circles, whether Turkish or
Western.
When the Turkish foreign minister, Fu'ad Pasha, returned
from a visit to Adrianople, his astonished reports of the reputa-
tion which Baha'u'llah had come to enjoy throughout the
region appeared to lend credibility to the Persian embassy's
suggestions. In this climate of opinion, the government
abruptly decided to subject its guest to strict confinement.
Without warning, early one day, Baha'u'llah's house was sur-
rounded by soldiers, and the exiles were ordered to prepare for
departure to an unknown destination.
The place chosen for this final banishment was the grim
fortress-town of Acre on the coast of the Holy Land. Notorious
throughout the empire for the foulness of its climate and the
prevalence of many diseases, Acre was a penal colony used by
the Ottoman State for the incarceration of dangerous criminals
who could be expected not to survive too long their imprison-
ment there. Arriving in August 1868, Baha'u'llah, the members
of His family, and a company of His followers who had been
exiled with Him were to experience two years of suffering and
abuse within the fortress itself, and then be confined under
house arrest to a nearby building owned by a local merchant.
For a long time the exiles were shunned by the superstitious
local populace who had been warned in public sermons against
"the God of the Persians," who was depicted as an enemy of
public order and the purveyor of blasphemous and immoral
ideas. Several members of the small group of exiles died of the
privations and other conditions to which they were subjected. 76

76. For a description of this experience see Shoghi Effendi, God Passes
By, 180- 89.
T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                        83

It seems, in retrospect, the keenest irony that the selection
of the Holy Land as the place of Baha'u'llah's forced confine-
ment should have been the result of pressure from
ecclesiastical and civil enemies whose aim was to extinguish
His religious influence. Palestine, revered by three of the great
monotheistic religions as the point where the worlds of God
and of man intersect, held then, as it had for thousands of
years, a unique place in human expectation. Only a few weeks
before Baha'u'llah's arrival, the main leadership of the German
Protestant Templer movement sailed from Europe to establish
at the foot of Mount Carmel a colony that would welcome
Christ, whose advent they believed to be imminent. Over the
lintels of several of the small houses they erected, facing across
the bay to Baha'u'llah's prison at Acre can still be seen such
carved inscriptions as "Der Herr ist nahe" (''The Lord is
near"). 77
In Acre, Baha'u'llah continued the dictation of a series of
letters to individual rulers, which He had begun in Adrianople.
Several contained warnings of the judgment of God on their
negligence and misrule, warnings whose dramatic fulfillment
aroused intense public discussion throughout the Near East.
Less than two months after the exiles arrived in the prison-city,
for example, Fu'ad Pas.ha, the Ottoman foreign minister, whose
misrepresentations had helped precipitate the banishment,
was abruptly dismissed from his post and died in France of a
heart attack. The event was marked by a statement which pre-
dicted the early dismissal of his colleague, Prime Minister 'Ali
Pas.ha, the overthrow and death of the Sultan, and the loss of
Turkish territories in Europe, a series of disasters which fol-
lowed on the heels of one another. 78

77. In the 1850s two German religious leaders, Christopher Hoffmann
and George David Hardegg, collaborated in the development of the "Soci-
ety ofTemplers," devoted to creating in the Holy Land a colony or colonies
which would prepare the way for Christ, on His return. Leaving Germany
on 6 August 1868, the founding group arrived in Haifa on 30 October
1868, two months after Baha'u'llah's own arrival.
78. For a description of the disasters which befell European Turkey in the
Russo-Turkish War see Addendum III in Balyuzi, King of Glory, 460-62.
84                          T H E       B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

A letter to Emperor Napoleon III warned that, because of
his insincerity and the misuse of his power: "... thy kingdom
shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass
from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast
wrought ... Hath thy pomp made thee proud? By My life! It
shall not endure ... "79 Of the disastrous Franco-Prussian War
and the resulting overthrow of Napoleon III, which occurred
less than a year after this statement, Alistair Horne, a modern
scholar of nineteenth-century French political history has
written:
History knows of perhaps no more startling instance of what the
Greeks called peripatein, the terrible fall from prideful heights. Cer-
tainly no nation in modern times, so replete with apparent grandeur
and opulent in material achievement, has ever been subjected to a
worse humiliation in so short a time. 80
Only a few months before the unexpected series of events
in Europe that led to the invasion of the Papal States and the
annexation of Rome by the forces of the new Kingdom of Italy, a
statement addressing Pope Pius IX had urged the Pontiff,
"Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and emerge from thy
habitation, with thy face set towards the Kingdom ... Be as thy
Lord hath been ... Verily, the day of ingathering is come, and all
things have been separated from each other. He hath stored
away that which He chose in the vessels of justice, and cast
into the fire that which befitteth it ... "81
Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, whose armies had won such a
sweeping victory in the Franco-Prussian War, had been warned
by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab+Aqdas to heed the example of the
fall of Napoleon III and of other rulers who had been victorious
in war, and not to allow pride to keep him back from recog-
nizing this Revelation. That Baha'u'llah foresaw the failure of
the German Emperor respond to this warning is shown by the
ominous passage which appears later in that same Book:

79. Baha'u'llah, Epistle, 51.
80. Alistair Horne, The Fall of Paris (London: Macmillan, 1965), 34.
81. Cited in Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day Is Come (Wilmette: Baha'i
Publishing Trust, 1980). 32- 33.
T H E      B A H A            W   0   R   L   D                       85

0 banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inas-
much as the swords of retribution were drawn against you; and you
shall have another turn . And We hear the lamentations of Berlin,
though she be today in conspicuous glory.82
A strikingly different note characterizes two of the major
pronouncements, that addressed to Queen Victoria83 and
another to the "Rulers of America and the Presidents of the
Republics therein." The former praises the pioneering achieve-
ment represented by the abolition of slavery throughout the
British Empire, and commends the principle of representative
government. The latter, which opens with the announcement of
the Day of God, concludes with a summons, a virtual mandate,
that has no parallel in any of the other messages: "Bind ye the
broken with the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who
flourisheth with the rod of the commandments of your Lord,
the Ordainer, the All-Wise." 84

RELIGION AS LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Baha'u'llah's severest condemnation is reserved for the barriers
which, throughout history, organized religion has erected
between humanity and the Revelations of God. Dogmas,
inspired by popular superstition and perfected by misspent
intelligence, have repeatedly been imposed on a Divine process
whose purpose has at all times been spiritual and moral. Laws
of social interaction, revealed for the purpose of consolidating
community life, have been made the basis for structures of
arcane doctrine and practice which have burdened the masses
whose benefit they were supposed to serve. Even the exercise of
intellect, the chief tool possessed by the human race, has been
deliberately hampered, producing an eventual breakdown in
the dialogue between faith and science upon which civilized life
depends. The consequence of this sorry record is the worldwide

82. Cited in Ibid., 37.
83. Cited in Ibid ., 35.
84. Cited in Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith: Messages to America 1947-
1957 (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1980). 18-19.
86                           T H E       B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

disrepute into which religion has fallen. Worse, organized reli-
gion has become itself a most virulent cause of hatred and
warfare among the peoples of the world. "Religious fanaticism
and hatred," Baha'u'llah warned over a century ago, "are a
world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The
Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this
desolating affliction. "85
Those whom God will hold responsible for this tragedy,
Baha'u'llah says, are humanity's religious leaders, who have
presumed to speak for Him throughout history. Their attempts
to make the Word of God a private preserve, and its exposition
a means for personal aggrandizement, have been the greatest
single handicap against which the advancement of civilization
has struggled. In the pursuit of their ends, many of them have
not hesitated to raise their hands against the Messengers of
God themselves, at their advent:
Leaders of religion, in every age, have hindered their people from
attaining the shores of eternal salvation, inasmuch as they held the
reins of authority in their mighty grasp. Some for the lust of leader-
ship, others through want of knowledge and understanding, have
been the cause of the deprivation of the people. By their sanction
and authority, every Prophet of God hath drunk from the chalice of
sacrifice ...86
In an address to the clergy of all faiths, Baha'u'llah warns
of the responsibility which they have so carelessly assumed in
history:
Ye are even as a spring. If it be changed, so will the streams that
branch out from it be changed. Fear God, and be numbered with the
godly. In like manner, if the heart of man be corrupted, his limbs will
also be corrupted. And similarly, if the root of a tree be corrupted, its
branches, and its offshoots, and its leaves, and its fruits, will be
corrupted. 87
These same statements, revealed at a time when religious
orthodoxy was one of the major powers throughout the world,
declared that this power had effectively ended, and that the

85 . Baha'u'llah, Epistle, 14.
86. Baha'u'llah, Certitude, 15.
87. Cited in Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day, 83.
T H E      B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                         87

ecclesiastical caste has no further social role in world history:
"O concourse of divines! Ye shall not henceforward behold
yourselves possessed of any power .. .'' 88 To a particularly vin-
dictive opponent among the Muslim clergy, Baha'u'llah said:
''Thou art even as the last trace of sunlight upon the moun-
taintop. Soon will it fade away as decreed by God, the All-
Possessing, the Most High. Thy glory and the glory of such as
are like thee have been taken away ... "89
It is not the organization of religious activity which these
statements address, but the misuse of such resources.
Baha'u'llah's writings are generous in their appreciation not
only of the great contribution which organized religion has
brought to civilization, but also of the benefits which the world
has derived from the self-sacrifice and love of humanity that
have characterized clergymen and religious orders of all faiths:
Those divines ... who are truly adorned with the ornament of knowl-
edge and of a goodly character are, veril6, as a head to the body of
the world, and as eyes to the nations ... 9
Rather, the challenge to all people, believers and unbe-
lievers, clergy and laymen alike, is to recognize the
consequences now being visited upon the world as the result of
the universal corruption of the religious impulse. In the pre-
vailing alienation of humanity from God over the past century,
a relationship on which the fabric of moral life itself depends
has broken down. Natural faculties of the rational soul, vital to
the development and maintenance of human values, have
become universally discounted:
The vitality of men's belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing
short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of
ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but
the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it? ... The
Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with
the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change. 91

88. Cited in Ibid., 81.
89. Baha'u'llab, Epistle, 99.
90. Cited in Shoghi Effendi, Promised Day, 110-11.
91. Baha'u'llab, Gleanings, 200.
88                              T H E    B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

WORLD PEACE

In the light of subsequent events, the warnings and appeals
of Baha'u'llah's writings during this period take on a terrible
poignancy:
0 ye the elected representatives of the people in every land!. ..
Regard the world as the human body which, though at its creation
whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with
grave disorders and maladies. Not for one day did it gain ease, nay
its sickness waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of
ignorant physicians, who gave full rein to their personal desires ...
We behold it, in this day, at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride
that they cannot discern clearly their own best advantage, much
less recognize a Revelation so bewildering and challenging as
this ... 92
This is the Day whereon the earth shall tell out her tidings. The
workers of iniquity are her burdens, could ye but perceive it ...93
All men have been created to carry forward an ever -advancing civili-
zation. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of
the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are
forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the
peoples and kindreds of the earth ... 94
A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth;
and yet none hath discovered its cause or perceived its motive. Con-
sider the peoples of the West. Witness how, in their pursuit of that
which is vain and trivial, they have sacrificed, and are still sacri-
ficing, countless lives for the sake of its establishment and
promotion ...95
In all matters moderation is desirable. If a thing is carried to excess,
it will prove a source of evil ... Strange and astonishing things exist
in the earth but they are hidden from the minds and the under-
standing of men. These things are capable of changing the whole
atmosphere of the earth and their contamination would prove
lethal ... 96

92. Ibid., 254-55.
93. Ibid .. 40.
94. Ibid., 215.
95. Ibid., 196.
96. Baha'u'llah, Tablets, 69.
T H E       B A H    A         W     0   R   L   D                       89

In later writings, including those addressed to humanity
collectively, Baha'u'llah urged the adoption of steps toward
what He called the "Great Peace." These, He said, would miti-
gate the sufferings and dislocation which He saw lying ahead of
the human race until the world's peoples embrace the Revela-
tion of God and through it bring about the Most Great Peace:
The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of
a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally real-
ized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and,
participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and
means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace
amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers
should resolve, for the sake of the tranquility of the peoples of the
earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king
take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent
him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require
any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of
their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territo-
ries ... The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will
have adopted one universal language and one common script. When
this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as
if he were entering his own home ... That one indeed is a man who,
today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race ...
It is not for him to pride himself who loveth his own country, but
rather for him who loveth the whole world. The earth is but one
country, and mankind its citizens. 97

"NOT OF MINE OWN VOLITION"

In His letter to Na1?iri'd-Din Shah, the ruler of Persia, which
refrains from any rebuke concerning His imprisonment in the
Siyah-Chfil and the other injustices He had experienced at the
king's hand, Baha'u'llah speaks of His role in the Divine Plan:
I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the
breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the
knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from
One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing. And He bade Me lift up My
voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what
hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow. The

97. Baha'u'llah, Tablets, 165-167.
90                          T   H   E   B A H A             W   0   R   L   D

learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered
not. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well
assured that I am not of them who speak falsely. 98
The mission to which He had devoted His entire life, which
had cost Him the life of a cherished younger son, 99 as well as
all of His material possessions, which had undermined His
health, and brought imprisonment, exile, and abuse, was not
one that He had initiated. "Not of Mine own volition," He said,
had He entered on such a course:
Think ye, 0 people, that I hold within My grasp the control of God's
ultimate Will and Purpose? ... Had the ultimate destiny of God's
Faith been in Mine hands, I would have never consented, even
though for one moment, to manifest Myself unto you, nor would I
have allowed one word to fall from My lips. Of this God Himself is,
verily, a witness. 100
Having surrendered unreservedly to God's summons, He
was equally in no doubt about the role which He had been
called upon to play in human history. As the Manifestation of
God to the age of fulfillment, He is the one promised in all the
scriptures of the past, the "Desire of all nations," the "King of
Glory." To Judaism He is "Lord of Hosts"; to Christianity, the
Return of Christ in the glory of the Father; to Islam, the "Great
Announcement"; to Buddhism, the Maitreya Buddha; to
Hinduism, the new incarnation of Krishna; to Zoroastrianism,
the advent of "Shah-Bahram." 101
Like the Manifestations of God gone before Him, He is both
the Voice of God and its human channel: "When I contemplate,
0 my God, the relationship that bindeth me to Thee, I am
moved to proclaim to all created things 'verily I am God!'; and
when I consider my own self. lo, I find it coarser than clay!" 102
"Certain ones among you," He declared, "have said: 'He it

98. Baha'u'llah, Epistle, 11. The phrase "Not of Mine own volition"
appears in the same paragraph immediately above the excerpt cited.
99. Baha'u'llah's son, Mirza Mihdi, a youth of twenty-two, died in 1870, in
an accidental fall resulting from the conditions in which the family was
imprisoned.
100. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings , 91.
101. Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, 94-96.
102. Cited in Shoghi Effendi, World Order, 113.
T   H    E    B A H A             W   0   R   L   D                         91

is Who hath laid claim to be God.' By God! This is a gross cal-
umny. I am but a servant of God Who hath believed in Him and
in His signs ... My tongue, and My heart, and My inner and My
outer being testify that there is no God but Him, that all others
have been created by His behest, and been fashioned through
the operation of His Will . . . I am He that telleth abroad the
favors with which God hath, through His bounty, favored
Me. If this be My transgression, then I am truly the first of the
transgressors ... "103
Baha'u'llah's writings seize upon a host of metaphors in
their attempt to express the paradox that lies at the heart of
the phenomenon of God's Revelation of His Will:
I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the
drooping wings of every broken bird and start it on its flight. 104
This is but a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the
Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred. Can it be still when the tem-
pestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of all
Names and Attributes! They move it as they list ... 105

THE COVENANT OF GOD WITH HUMANKIND

In June 1877, Baha'u'llah at last emerged from the strict con-
finement of the prison-city of Acre, and moved with His family
to "Mazra'ih," a small estate a few miles north of the city. 106 As
had been predicted in His statement to the Turkish govern-
ment, Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz had been overthrown and
assassinated in a palace coup, and gusts from the winds of
political change sweeping the world were beginning to invade
even the shuttered precincts of the Ottoman imperial system.
After a brief two-year stay at Mazra'ih, Baha'u'llah moved to
"Bahji," a large mansion surrounded by gardens, which His

103. Baha"u'llah, Gleanings, 228.
104. Baha"u'llah, Tablets, 169.
105. Baha"u'llah, Epistle, 11-12.
106. Although Suljim 'Abdu'l-'Aziz's order of banishment was never
formally revoked, the responsible political authorities came to regard it as
null and void . They, therefore, indicated that Baha'u'llah could establish
His residence outside the city walls, should He choose to do so.
92                          T   H   E   B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

son 'Abdu'l-Baha had rented for Him and the members of His
extended family. 107 The remaining twelve years of His life were
devoted to His writings on a wide range of spiritual and social
issues, and to receiving a stream of Baha'i pilgrims who made
their way, with great difficulty, from Persia and other lands.
Throughout the Near and Middle East the nucleus of a
community life was beginning to take shape among those who
had accepted His message. For its guidance, Baha'u'llah had
revealed a system of laws and institutions designed to give
practical effect to the principles in His writings. 108 Authority
was vested in councils democratically elected by the whole
community, provisions were made to exclude the possibility of
a clerical elite arising, and principles of consultation and group
decision making were established.
At the heart of this system was what Baha'u'llah termed a
"new Covenant between God and humankind. The distin-
guishing feature of humanity's coming of age is that, for the
first time in its history, the entire human race is consciously
involved, however dimly, in the awareness of its own oneness
and of the earth as a single homeland. This awakening opens
the way to a new relationship between God and humankind."
As the peoples of the world embrace the spiritual authority
inherent in the guidance of the Revelation of God for this age,
Baha'u'llah said, they will find in themselves a moral empower-
ment which human effort alone has proven incapable of
generating. "A new race of men" 109 will emerge as the result of

107. The mansion, which had been built by a wealthy Christian Arab
merchant of Acre, had been abandoned by him when an outbreak of
plague began to spread. The property was first rented and, some years
after Baha'u'llah's passing, purchased by the Baha'i community.
Baha'u'llah's grave is located in a Shrine in the gardens of Bahji, and is
now the focal point of pilgrimage for the Baha'i world.
108. For a summary of this body of teaching see Shoghi Effendi, World
Order, 143- 57, and Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Baha'i Administration
(London: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1973). throughout. A fully annotated
English translation of the central document in this body of writings, the
Kitab-i-Aqdas (''The Most Holy Book"). was published to coincide with the
centenary of Baha'u'llah's passing, 1992.
109. Shoghi Effendi, Advent, 16.
T H E     B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                        93

this relationship, and the work of building a global civilization
will begin. The mission of the Baha'i community was to demon-
strate the efficacy of this Covenant in healing the ills that
divide the human race.
Baha'u'llah died at Bahji on May 29, 1892, in His 75th
year. At the time of His passing, the cause entrusted to Him
forty years earlier in the darkness of Teheran's Black Pit was
poised to break free of the Islamic lands where it had taken
shape, and to establish itself first across America and Europe
and then throughout the world. In doing so, it would itself
become a vindication of the promise of the new Covenant
between God and humankind. For alone of all the world's inde-
pendent religions, the Baha'i Faith and its community of
believers were to pass successfully through the critical first
century of their existence with their unity firmly intact,
undamaged by the age-old blight of schism and faction. Their
experience offers compelling evidence for Baha'u'llah's assur-
ance that the human race, in all its diversity, can learn to live
and work as one people, in a common global homeland.
Just two years before His death, Baha'u'llah received at
Bahji one of few Westerners to meet Him, and the only one
to leave a written account of the experience. The visitor
was Edward Granville Browne, a rising young orientalist from
Cambridge University, whose attention had originally been
attracted by the dramatic history of the Bab and His heroic
band of followers. Of his meeting with Baha'u'llah, Browne
wrote:
Though I dimly suspected whither I was going and whom I was to
behold (for no distinct intimation had been given to me), a second or
two elapsed ere, with a throb of wonder and awe, I became definitely
conscious that the room was not untenanted. In the corner where
the divan met the wall sat a wondrous and venerable figure ... The
face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot
describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul;
power and authority sat on that ample brow ... No need to ask in
whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the
object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors
sigh for in vain! A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then
continued:-"Praise be to God that thou hast attained! ... Thou hast
come to see a prisoner and an exile ... We desire but the good of the
94                          T   H   E   B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer
up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment ... That
all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that
the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be
strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences
of race be annulled-what harm is there in this? ... Yet so it shall be;
these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the
'Most Great Peace' shall come ... "110

110. Edward G. Browne, A Traveller's Narrative (New York: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Committee, 1930), xxxix-xl.
T H E    B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                         95

An overview of the significance of
the 1992- 1993 Bahti'iHoly Year
and its twin commemorations in the
Holy Land and New York City.

THE SECOND BAHA'I HOLY YEAR

T
he term "Holy Year" was used by Shoghi Effendi to
capture for the Baha'i world the significance of the
centenary of the birth of Baha'u'llah's prophetic
mission in October 1852. In one of the most poignant and
dramatic passages to be found throughout his writings,
the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith set the challenges then
facing Baha'u'llah's followers in the context of this historic
turning point in the unfolding of the Divine purpose:
No matter how long the period that separates them from ulti-
mate victory; however arduous the task; however formidable
the exertions demanded of them; however dark the days which
mankind, perplexed and sorely-tried, must, in its hour of tra-
vail, traverse; however severe the tests with which they who
are to redeem its fortunes will be confronted; ... I adjure them,
by the precious blood that flowed in such great profusion, by
the lives of the unnumbered saints and heroes who were
immolated, by the supreme, the glorious sacrifice of the
Prophet-Herald of our Faith, by the tribulations which its
Founder, Himself, willingly underwent, so that His Cause
might live, His Order might redeem a shattered world and its
glory might suffuse the entire planet-I adjure them, as this
solemn hour draws nigh, to resolve never to flinch, never
to hesitate, never to relax, until each and every objective in
the Plans to be proclaimed, at a later date, has been fully
consummated. 1
It is against this background that one must try to
appreciate the enormous importance that attaches to the

1. Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Bahti'i World, 1950-1957 (Wil-
mette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 197 1), 38- 9 .
96                       T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D

year 1992, the one-hundredth anniversary of both Baha-
'u'llah's ascension on 29 May and of the subsequent inaugura-
tion of His Covenant. The year marks, in short, the completion
of the process of Divine Revelation that began with the Bab's
Declaration, 23 May 1844, and the inauguration of the system
which, Baha'is believe, will come to be seen as the Ark of
human salvation. Little wonder that the Head of the Faith, the
Universal House of Justice, has proclaimed the twelve-month
period from Ri<;lvan 1992 to Ri<;lvan 1993 a second Holy Year:
"that special time when we shall pause to appreciate the
tumultuous record of events which will have brought us to the
Centenary of the Ascension of Baha'u'llah and to reflect with
due solemnity upon the redemptive purpose of the life of the
most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet."
The two Holy Years bracket, as it were, the first anniver-
sary of the entire period of Baha'u'llah's ministry. The forty
years between the two centenaries have seen the successful
emergence of the entire structure of the Administrative Order
whose "nucleus and pattern" the Founder of the Baha'i Faith
conceived, the establishment of His Faith in the most remote
corners of the planet, and the emergence of a community of
people representative of the entire diversity of humankind. The
1992 centenary, therefore, became a door opening onto an
entirely new stage in the unfolding of Baha'u'llah's mission, a
stage that will parallel, Baha'is believe, the emergence of inter-
national peace.
The events of the second Holy Year opened with the gath-
ering at the Baha'i World Centre of some 3000 believers in
commemoration of the anniversary of Baha'u'llah's ascension.
Coming from hundreds of different ethnic and tribal back-
grounds, the participants represented one of the most diverse
assemblages of people ever to come together on one occasion.
The high point of the event was the service of commemoration
itself, which took place in the precincts of Baha'u'llah's Shrine
at Bahji between 2:30 a.m. and dawn on 29 May, corre-
sponding to the time of His passing. Three Hands of the Cause
of God were present, Amatu'l-Baha RuJ::tiyyih Khanum, Ali-
Akbar Furutan, and 'Ali-MuJ::tammad Varqa. These leading
T   H   E       B   A   H   A      W      0   R   L   D       97

dignitaries of the Faith joined the members of the Universal
House of Justice for prayers in the chamber of the Mansion
where the Manifestation of God had passed away a century
earlier. Following this, the entire company circumambulated
the Shrine, moving along the great outer path of the gardens,
which had been illuminated for the occasion with some 6,000
candles.
In Haifa arrangements had been made for the participants
to walk up the pathway that ascends Mount Carmel from its
foot to the Shrine of the Bab and which, Shoghi Effendi
declared, would in the future be ascended by "pilgrim kings"
come to pay their tribute to the martyred Forerunner of
Baha'u'llah. After circumambulating the Shrine, the procession
continued on to the Seat of the Universal House of Justice.
There, participants had the rare privilege of viewing a portrait
photograph of the Founder of their Faith.
On the day before the commemoration observances, a par-
ticularly poignant event took place. Shoghi Effendi had

The commemoration of the
centenary of the Ascension
of Baha'u 'llah in the Holy
Land was attended by 3000
Baha'is representing
hundreds of tribes and
ethnic backgrounds.
98                        T   H   E   B A H A         W   0   R   L   D

inaugurated during the first Holy Year (1952-53) a ten-year
Teaching Crusade, and he declared that those who arose to
respond to the call to open virgin territories to the Faith would
be designated "Knights of Baha'u'llah," and their names would
be inscribed on a special scroll that would be interred under
the threshold of His Shrine. Now, nearly forty years later, with
the settlement of the few goal territories remaining from that
great Plan, made possible by the opening of the lands of the
Soviet Bloc, the time had come for the fulfillment of his
expressed wish. From all parts of the world, surviving Knights,
now aged, some in frail health, came to the World Centre at the
special invitation of the Universal House of Justice. In a gath-
ering on the concourse of the Seat, Wednesday afternoon, 27
May 1992, Arnatu'l-Baha Rul).iyyih Khanum unveiled the
á scroll, and the guests of honor had the inestimable bounty of
seeing where their own names had been inscribed, most of
them several decades earlier, during the lifetime of the
Guardian.
On the morning of 28 May, the participants gathered at
Bahji to witness the placement of the scroll bearing the Roll of
Honor of the Knights of Baha'u'llah in a chamber at the
entrance door of the inner Sanctuary of the Shrine of
Baha'u'llah. It was set into its place by Arnatu'l-Baha Rul).iyyih
Khanum.
The second great event of the Holy Year was the celebra-
tion of the centenary of the inauguration of Baha'u'llah's
Covenant. It occurred in New York City on 23-26 November
and was the largest gathering of Baha'is ever to assemble. An
estimated 27,000 members of the Faith from all parts of the
world and a great diversity of ethnic backgrounds took part in
a program of brilliant commemorative events designed, in the
words of the Universal House of Justice, to bring to mind "the
inauguration of Baha'u'llah's Covenant and to proclaim its
aims and unifying power."
The Congress theme of the oneness of humanity was given
powerful expression on the final day when the Universal House
of Justice addressed the gathering via satellite. The broadcast
was also received at more than fifty down-link sites around the
T   H   E   B   A H   A     W   0   R   L   D                    99

world. Using a state-of-the-art network of eight satellites to
reach all parts of the world, the broadcast included a two-way
video hook-up with the World Centre of the Faith in Haifa and
audio links to subsidiary conferences in Buenos Aires, Argen-
tina; Sydney, Australia; New Delhi, India; Nairobi, Kenya;
Panama City, Panama; Bucharest, Romania; Moscow, Russia;
Singapore; and Apia, Western Samoa. "It opened up a new
world for a religion whose basic principle is oneness," said an
executive with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation who
was a member of the Congress Program Committee. An electri-
fying moment occurred when suddenly from across the globe
came the greetings of the Baha'is assembled in Moscow who
were participating for the first time in a worldwide Baha'i event.
The coming of Baha'u'llah, the House of Justice said in its
message, makes possible "the beginning of a wholly new rela-
tionship between humanity and its Supreme Creator," a
relationship summed up in the Covenant which He estab-
lished. The message continued: "Its spiritual dynamic and
cohesive power, its unifying principles and practical institu-
tional provisions are a pattern for the healing of the ills
afflicting our fractured societies and defective social systems ...
Let those seriously concerned about the state and fate of the
world give due attention to the claims of Baha'u'llah. Let them
realize that the storms battering at the foundations of society
will not be stilled unless and until spiritual principles are
actively engaged in the search for solutions to social problems.
Let us, the followers of Baha'u'llah, redouble our efforts in the
exercise of our sacred duty to acquaint all humanity with the
animating purpose of the world-wide Law of Baha'u'llah ... May
our words proclaim and our deeds demonstrate, that there is
only one God, only one religion, only one race."
The main sessions of the Congress were held at the Jacob
K. Javits Convention Center, a facility that provided a magnifi-
cent setting for pageantry, dramatic staging, audio-visual
presentations, and the contributions of a 400-voice choir and a
70-piece orchestra, both of them assembled from around the
world. The first session opened with a breathtaking oratorio
celebrating the coming of Baha'u'llah especially written for
100                     T H E      B A H A            W   0    R   L   D

the occasion. Throughout the four days, one of the most effec-
tive features of the presentations made was their success in
drawing on and integrating the music of many different
cultures.
The role of 'Abdu'l-Baha as "Center of the Covenant" came
powerfully alive at an exhibition installed in five contiguous
ballrooms of the Hilton Hotel, and running throughout the four
days of the Congress. Entitled '"Abdu'l-Baha: Mission to
America," the Pavilion was the child of an artistic collaboration
between a former Disney set designer and a writer and film-
maker from Canada. Using three-dimensional dioramas
depicting New York of eighty years ago, and a highly imagina-
tive combination of news magazine format and blown-up
archival photographs displayed on kiosks and panels, the
"Pavilion" was designed, in the words of one of its creators, "to
provide the thousands of visitors with the feeling that they had
themselves experienced meeting 'Abdu'l-Baha and hearing His
message that a new universal civilization is dawning." Judging

As the largest gathering of
Baha'is ever to assemble,
the Second Baha'i World
Congress was a brilliant
commemorative event in
honor of the inauguration
of Baha'u'llah's Covenant.
T H E      B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                   101

-
by the radiant faces of those leaving the Pavilion, it achieved its
objective.
In addition to these major events, two concerts were held
at Carnegie Hall, one of them a tribute to John Birks "Dizzy"
Gillespie, whose engaging public references to the unifying
influences of the Faith he adopted 25 years ago have delighted
audiences on all continents of the globe.
Other significant programs included the Youth Movement
Forum and Youth Services Exposition, which addressed the
challenges facing young Baha'is at this time in history and pro-
vided the opportunity for discussion of issues related to the
Faith. The Forum, which brought together some 5,000 youth
from 52 countries, included dialogue sessions, arts workshops,
the Services Exposition and two dramatic performances at the
Sheraton Hotel.
"I've been working in this industry since 1946, and I've
never been more proud of an event in my whole business
career," said Benjamin La Rosa, vice-president for operations of
Javits Center. "From a planning point of view, I had been terri-
fied at the difficulties of getting that many people into and out
of the Center each day. But there was not a single traffic
problem, not one incident caused by pushing or shoving. This
was probably the most orderly and courteous group of people I
have ever seen in my life."
Apart from the commemorative events at the Baha'i World
Centre and in New York City, the Holy Year provided the his-
toric setting for an event long awaited by the entire Baha'i
world, the publication of the first aut horized and fully anno-
tated English language edition of the Kitab-i-Aqdas , the "Most
Holy Book" of the Baha'i Revelation. Described by Shoghi
Effendi as "that priceless treasury enshrining for all time the
brightest emanations of the mind of Baha'u'llah," the Kitab-i-
Aqdas represents the charter of the World Order He has
founded and the corpus of the laws designed for the global civi-
lization of humanity's future. In it Baha'u'llah reasserts the
sovereignty of God as the sole authority governing moral life.
Fundamental values around which past societies have orga-
nized themselves are reformulated to meet the needs of a
102                   T H E     B   A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

planet contracted into a single homeland, and new laws and
concepts are enunciated with a view to freeing human con-
sciousness from culturally conditioned patterns of response.

Right: The Mansion of
Bahji, outside Acre , where
Baha'u'llah spent the last
years of His life.
T H E    B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D                        105

This article was first issued as a
booklet which accompanied copies
of the Kitab-i-Aqdas sent to
scholarly reviewers world-wide.

THE KITAB-I-AQDAS:
ITS PLACE IN BAHA'I LITERATURE
ineteen ninety-two marked the centenary of the

N       passing of Baha'u'llah. In the past hundred years,
the Faith He founded has grown from an obscure
movement in the Middle East to the second most wide-
spread of the world's independent religions. 1 The Baha'i
community, which embraces people from virtually every
racial and tribal group, and has maintained its unity in
doing so, very likely represents the most diverse organized
body of people on the planet today. The centenary coin-
cides with the appearance of the first authorized English-
language edition of the book that is central among
Baha'u'llah's writings, the Kitab-i-Aqdas ("The Most Holy
Book"). Nucleus of a body of writings supplementing and
explaining it, the Aqdas was first published in its original
Arabic, in Baha'u'llah's lifetime. As the Baha'i community
emerged throughout the world, the book's provisions
determined its shape and development, through the
insights provided by 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi,
Baha'u'llah's son and great-grandson. Both were succes-
sively appointed under His authority as the interpreters of
His message.
The newly published volume is extensively annotated
on the basis of Baha'u'llah's own amplification of the text

1. World Christian Encyclopedia, 1982; Encyclqpedia Britannica,
1992.
106                     T H E     B A H A          W   0   R   L   D

and the work of His two interpreters. Translations into other
languages will quickly follow.

H U MANITY'S COMING OF AGE

The expansion of the Baha'i community has brought the teach-
ings of its Founder to the attention of an ever -widening public.
Frequently cited among these themes are the oneness of the .
human race, the equality of the sexes, and the essential har-
mony of faith and reason. Perhaps especially familiar are
concepts of the underlying unity of all religions and the
common purpose of the Prophets who have inspired them.
Baha'u'llah's teachings on the evolutionary process pro-
vide a helpful context for an understanding of the purpose of
the Kitab-i-Aqdas. The human race as Baha'u'llah describes it
has neither fallen from some primordial perfection nor is it the
product of socio-economic forces. As the arrowhead of evolu-
tion, human consciousness has latent within it all of the
attributes of a Divinity whose essence is forever unknowable.
What should be recognized, Baha'u'llah says, is that these
capacities have owed their cultivation chiefly to the driving
force provided throughout history by successive interventions
of that same ultimate Reality. Associated with the missions of
such transcendent figures as Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster,
Buddha, Jesus, and MuJ:iammad, the phenomenon of Divine
Revelation is an ever -recurring one. Without either beginning
or end, it is an integral feature of the evolutionary order and
the ultimate cause of the civilizing of human nature.
Baha'u'llah's writings describe humanity as today entering
on its collective coming-of-age, capable of seeing the entire
panorama of its development as a continuum. The challenge of
maturity is for the peoples of the world to accept that they are
one race, and to build together the foundations of global civili-
zation. The influence that is awakening this consciousness
throughout the world is that universal Revelation of God which
was promised in all the scriptures of humanity's past. Baha-
'u'llah writes as its Spokesman, in the line of Divine Messen-
gers stretching back beyond the beginnings of recorded history.
T H E       B A H A             W   0   R   L   D                       107

In the Kitab-i-Aqdas the Divine guidance for the age of
humanity's collective maturity is endowed with a system of law,
precept, and institutions capable of bringing into existence a
global commonwealth ordered by principles of social justice.
''This is a Book," its concluding pages state, "which hath
become the Lamp of the Eternal unto the world, and His
straight, undeviating Path amidst the peoples of the earth. Say:
This is the Dayspring of Divine knowledge, if ye be of them that
understand, and the Dawning-place of God's commandments,
if ye be of those who comprehend. "2

FOUNDATIONS OF A GLOBAL ETHOS

The Kitab-i-Aqdas makes its appearance in a world which,
since the Enlightenment's rejection of religion as the ultimate
moral authority, has engaged in an increasingly urgent search
for an alternative place to stand. Today, it is apparent that this
effort has failed. Neither Marxist determinism nor popular faith
in situational or consensus ethics offers a basis upon which
the system of values required by an emerging global society can
be erected.
Baha'u'llah reasserts the sovereignty of God as the sole
authority governing moral life. God exists; He is the Source of
all that is; He reveals through His Messengers those laws and
principles that are primarily responsible for the civilizing of
human nature. The autonomy of the individual is conditioned,
therefore, not only by the limitations of the natural world he or
she inhabits, but also by a spiritual universe that transcends
and pervades it. "Hold ye fast unto His statutes and command-
ments," is the counsel of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, "and be not of
those who, following their idle fancies and vain imaginings,
have clung to the standards fixed by their own selves, and cast
behind their backs the standards laid down by God." 3
Fundamental values around which all past societies have
organized themselves are reformulated in the Aqdas to meet

2. Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas (Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1992). 87.
3. Ibid. , 25.
108                      T   H   E   B   A   H   A   W   0   R   L   D

the needs of a planet contracted into a single homeland and a
human race awakening to greatly enhanced powers of reason
and perception. New laws and concepts are enunciated whose
aim is to free human consciousness from culturally condi-
tioned patterns of response and to nurture the emergence of
global civilization.
The Aqdas is not a systematic code of law. Guidance that
relates to details of individual life or social practice is set in
passages which summon the reader to a challenging new con-
ception of human nature and purpose. Evgenii Eduardovich
Bertels, the nineteenth-century Russian scholar who first
attempted a translation of the book, compared Baha'u'llah's
pen writing the Aqdas to a bird, now soaring on the summits of
heaven, now descending to touch the homeliest questions Of
everyday need .
The book's prescriptions range across subjeds as varied
as aesthetics, weapons control , sanitation, penal law, and the
need for an auxiliary, international language. The inextinguish-
able human proclivity toward ritual is directed into a few areas
of personal life. Various prohibitions inherited from earlier reli-
gious traditions are annulled and the door is firmly shut on the
emergence of a professional clergy. The principal themes
addressed in the Aqdas, however, are those great issues that
are the dominant concerns of all Baha'u'llah's writings and of
contemporary society: justice, government, law, liberty, belief,
education, family, and the promotion of civilization.

ON JUSTICE

"THIS IS THE INFALLIBLE BALANCE WHICH THE HAND OF
GOD IS HOLDING, IN WHICH ALL WHO ARE IN THE HEAVENS
AND ALL WHO ARE ON EARTH ARE WEIGHED ... "4

Throughout the ages of its long journey from barbarism, the
human race has been sustained by the promise-enshrined in

4. Ibid., 86.
T H E      B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                      109

the scriptures of all the great religions- that an age of justice
would one day come. The central thrust of Baha'u'llah's writ-
ings is that we are witnessing its dawn. Through travail and
suffering the peoples of the world are being purged of anachro-
nistic habits and attitudes and awakened to the possibilities
that their common humanity confers. They are being prepared
to accept both their own oneness and their ultimate depen-
dence on the justice of a loving and unfailing Creator.
Justice is conceived by Baha'u'llah as the foundation-
stone of the coming global civilization. It is the essential means
for the integration of the diverse peoples and communities of
the planet. "The purpose of justice," Baha'u'llah's writings
state, "is the appearance of unity among men." 5
Love, mercy, and forgiveness are among the qualities that
must distinguish human beings in their personal relationships
one with another; the gradual cultivation of such responses in
human nature has been one of the primary objects of the suc-
cessive revelations of the Divine will. For these qualities to
flourish as the distinguishing features of human life, however,
each member of society and each component group must be
able to trust that he or she is protected by standards that apply
equally to all.
The concepts, laws, and principles enunciated in the
Kitab-i-Aqdas are intended to provide the spiritual bedrock of
this assurance. The book represents, in its own words, "the
infallible Balance which the Hand of God is holding, in which
all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth are
weighed ... Through it the poor have been enriched, the learned
enlightened, and the seekers enabled to ascend unto the pres-
ence of God." 6

5. Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Bahii'u'llcih Revealed after the Kitab+Aqdas
(Haifa: Bah,a'i World Centre, 1978). 67.
6. Baha'u'llah, Kitab+Aqdas, 86.
110                       T   H   E   B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

ON GOVERNMENT

''THE PRECEPTS LAID DOWN BY GOD CONSTITUTE THE
HIGHEST MEANS FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF ORDER IN THE
WORLD AND THE SECURITY OF ITS PEOPLE. " 7

The Aqdas reiterates Baha'u'llah's endorsement, expressed in a
number of places in His writings, of the principle of democratic
and constitutional government. Its prescriptions envision the
State as the servant of God and an instrument ensuring the
rights of all of society's members .
Several passages of the book make reference to monarchs
of the nineteenth century. They are warned that through his-
torical processes over which they will have no control, the
governors of human society will be compelled to recognize that
they are essentially "vassals" of God answerable for the powers
they exercise. 8
These passages are best appreciated in the context of a
larger body of major writings addressed to these same rulers.
In them, Baha'u'llah insists that the real "treasures" of any
land are its people.9 Governments are warned "not to deal
unjustly with any one that appealeth to you"; they are called on
to recognize that "the poor are the trust of God in your midst";
the growing burden of public taxation is declared to be "wholly
and grossly unjust"; should any government commit aggres-
sion, the rest are called on to "rise ye all against him, for this is
naught but manifest justice." lO
Against this background the Kitab-i-Aqdas admonishes
the arbiters of human affairs to defend the rights of the help-
less and disadvantaged. Governments are not only summoned
to "bind ... the broken with the hands of justice," but also have
the moral right and obligation to "crush the oppressor" who is

7. Ibid .. 19.
8. Ibid., 49.
9. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'lltih (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1976). 236.
10. Ibid., 251-254.
T H E       B A H     A          W     0   R   L   D            111

responsible for such abuses, "with the rod of the command-
ments of your Lord." 11

ON LAW

"THINK NOT THAT WE HAVE REVEALED UNTO YOU A MERE
CODE OF LAWS. NAY, RATHER, WE HAVE UNSEALED THE
CHOICE WINE WITH THE FINGERS OF MIGHT AND
POWER." 12

As Western civilization has spread, legal codes everywhere have
parted company with the metaphysical moorings that originally
anchored them. A consequence has been that the concerns of
law have come to focus chiefly on the tasks of deterring crime
and settling disputes. In practice, even this relatively limited
resolve has steadily weakened in the face of accelerating social
breakdown. The behavioral sciences, however valuable, have
not fulfilled their early promise as a sufficient source of relief.
Elaboration and full codification of the Divine Law
revealed by Baha'u'llah is a task for posterity, and much of its
application envisions a condition of society that will emerge
only in the distant future. Its essential nature, however, is
already apparent. The Kitab-i-Aqdas reasserts both man's
moral responsibility for his actions and the right of society to
enforce those laws established for the maintenance of the gen-
eral well-being: "Beware lest, through compassion, ye neglect
to carry out the statutes of the religion of God; do that which
hath been bidden you by Him Who is compassionate and
merciful." 13
The fundamental purpose of the Divine commandments,
whether or not they carry legal sanctions, is to awaken the
rational soul to its own real nature and to the powers latent
within it. The Book of God is thus the "quickener of mankind,"

11. Baha'u'llah, Kittib-i-Aqdas, 52.
12. Ibid., 21.
13. Ibid., 36.
112                       T H E      B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

the "source of true felicity." 14 When seen with the eyes of the
spirit, it is "the Bounty of God." "Consider the mercy of God
and His gifts," 15 the Aqdas counsels: "He enjoineth upon you
that which shall profit you, though He Himself can well dis-
pense with all creatures. " 16

ON LIBERTY

"WERE MEN TO OBSERVE THAT WHICH WE HAVE SENT
DOWN UNTO THEM FROM THE HEAVEN OF REVELATION,
THEY WOULD, OF A CERTAIN1Y, AITAIN UNTO PERFECT
LIBERTI." 17

One of the central dilemmas of Western civilization is society's
need to draw a clear line between freedom and licence. Civil
and other legitimate human rights have come to be used as
justification' for the expression of almost any human impulse.
At best, the accepted limit on the individual's rights is the point
at which these claims infringe on the rights of others.
Such a standard, even if it could be achieved, assumes a
human race that is capable of determining, in most areas of
moral decision, behavior that will serve its real needs. Thus,
analogies are frequently drawn to various fields of scientific
activity, the implication being that objective standards exist for
attaining a reasonable measure of consensus on the promotion
of human well-being.
But science is admittedly amoral and the cultural percep-
tions of humanity widely divergent. We confront again in
Baha'u'llah's writings His fundamental assertion that moral
insight and coherence come only as the gift of that Divinity
which "chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and
capacity to know Him and to love Him-a capacity that must

14. Shoghi Effendi , God Passes By (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust,
1957). 215.
15 . Baha'u'lla.h, Kitab+Aqdas , 87.
16. Ibid., 40.
17. Ibid., 63-4.
T   H   E   B A H A             W     0   R   L   D              113

needs be regarded as the generating impulse ... underlying the
whole of creation." 18
It is in this perspective that the Kitab-i-Aqdas condemns
strongly attempts to invoke "liberty" as justification for conduct
that "causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety," con-
duct that "debaseth him to the level of extreme depravity."

ON BELIEF

'THIS IS THE CHANGELESS FAITH OF GOD, ETERNAL IN THE
PAST, ETERNAL IN THE FUTURE." 19

The Revelation of God for the age of humanity's collective
maturity, Baha'u'llah says, transcends the diverse sectarian
systems inherited from past ages. As there is but one ultimate
Reality, and one human race inhabiting our planet, so the rela-
tionship between them has always been one and unbroken.
The primary purpose of the Messengers of God has not been to
teach different religions but progressively to unlock a wider
range of capacities within human consciousness and human
society.
In a commentary related to the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Baha'u'llah
states: 'The Prophets and Chosen Ones have all been commis-
sioned by the One True God ... to nurture the trees of human
existence with the living waters of uprightness and under-
standing, that there may appear from them that which God
hath deposited within their inmost selves. "20 The investigation
of truth is, therefore, a right and responsibility of the individual
conscience. No person or agency can claim the authority to
coerce belief or compel uniformity of opinion.
It is in this spirit that the Aqdas urges: "Consort with all
religions with amity and concord, that they may inhale from
you the sweet fragrance of God," 21 and that it counsels:

18. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 65.
19. Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, 85.
20. Ibid., 139.
21. Ibid., 72.
114                         T   H   E    B A H A             W   0   R   L   D

"Beware lest any name debar you from Him Who is the Pos-
sessor of all names." 22 Its sharp warning to clergy and
theologians of the world's diverse religious traditions must be
read in this same perspective: "Weigh not the Book of God with
such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for
the Book itself is the unerring Balance established amongst
men." 23

ON LEARNING

"THIS IS THE DAYSPRING OF DIVINE KNOWLEDGE, IF YE BE
OF THEM THAT UNDERSTAND ... "24

Baha'u'llah's writings declare education to be the right and
obligation of eve:ry person, woman and man alike. "Knowledge
is as wings to man's life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acqui-
sition is incumbent upon eve:ryone. "25 An age has dawned, He
says, in which "the secrets of the earth are laid bare," 26 and
their exploration in a spirit of service to humanity is an act of
worship.
The most important goal of education is the discove:ry and
cultivation of the moral capacities latent in human nature
itself. In consequence of the universal Revelation of God, "a
new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the
earth. "27 A revolution in information, arts, and technologies
has been set in motion that will most greatly advantage those
who learn to function as moral beings, committed to the ideal
of global unity. It will be through the acquisition of knowledge,
not through privileges of sex, race, or wealth, that the true
empowerment of the world's peoples will increasingly come.
Such education calls for the exercise of self-discipline. The

22. Ibid., 80.
23. Ibid ., 56.
24. Ibid ., 87.
25. Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1979), 26.
26. Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llcih, 39.
27. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 196.
T   H   E   B A H A            W   0   R   L   D                 115

motivation that will make the effort possible is love for God.
The Divine commandments, the Aqdas says, are no "mere code
of laws, "28 but the "lamps of My loving providence among My
servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures. "29

ON FAMILY

"ENTER INTO WEDLOCK, 0 PEOPLE, THAT YE MAY BRING
FORTH ONE WHO WILL MAKE MENTION OF ME AMID MY
SERVANTS. "30

"God hath prescribed matrimony unto you," the Aqdas says,
" ... that ye may bring forth one who will make mention of Me
amid My servants." 31 Baha'u'llah envisions the re-emergence of
the extended family as the norm throughout the world, and
various ordinances of the Aqdas reinforce this ideal. While the
selection of a marital partner rests with the son or daughter
concerned, for example, the requirement to seek parental con-
sent aims at creating a family investment in the success of the
marriage.
The provisions of the Kitab+Aqdas relating to family must
be read in the context of Baha'u'llah's general teachings.
"Women and men," He writes, "have been and will always be
equal in the sight of God ."32 Justice today demands that
society so reorganize its affairs as to provide equality of oppor-
tunity to all persons, without regard to differences of sex.
Should financial resources be so limited that choices must be
made, educational priority should be given to girls over boys.
The latter injunction relates to certain responsibilities and
claims that attach to sexual identity. The education of girls is
particularly important because, although both parents partici-
pate in the education of children, mothers have the

28. Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, 21.
29. Ibid., 20.
30. Ibid . , 41.
31. Ibid.
32. Translated from an unpublished Tablet of Baha'u'llah.
116                         T H E     B A H   A     W   0   R   L   D

predominant influence during the earliest years. They are the
primary agents of the civilizing process.
Similarly, men are called on to assume the chief responsi-
bilities for the maintenance of families' financial well-being,
and a number of provisions in the Kitab-i-Aqdas take this par-
ticularly into account.

ON THE ADVANCEMENT OF CIVILIZATION

''THE WORLD'S EQUILIBRIUM HATH BEEN UPSET THROUGH
THE VIBRATING INFLUENCE OF THIS MOST GREAT, THIS
NEW WORLD ORDER." 33

A common featu re of all of the great religions of the past has
been the teaching that the purpose of human life is for the soul
to know, to love, and to worship its Creator. Baha'u'llah's writ-
ings on this theme are particularly rich and evocative. They
emphasize, however, that this inner spiritual quickening must
motivate each human being to respond in his or her own way
to the truth that: "All men have been created to carry forward
an ever-advancing civilization. "34
Capacities as yet undreamed of are awakening in the peo-
ples of all races and cultures; their blending will transform the
very nature of cultural experience: ''This is the Day in which
God's most excellent favors have been poured out upon men .. .
Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one
spread out in its stead." 35
As the peoples of the world are drawn inescapably into a
single planetary society, they are being challenged to free
themselves from cultural limitations and prejudices, and to
embrace the message of God that alone can unite their hearts
and minds. In the words of the Kitab+Aqdas: "O peoples of the
earth! ... Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of
detachment, soar beyond all created things. Thus biddeth you

33. Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, 85.
34. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 215.
35 . Ibid., 6-7 .
T H E       B A H     A         W     0   R   L   D               I 17

the Lord of creation, the movement of Whose Pen hath revolu-
tionized the soul of mankind." 36

THE KITAB-1-AQDAS AND THE BAHA'i COMMUNITY

'The earth," Baha'u'lzah says, "is but one country, and mankind
its citizens. "37 Today, His teachings find expression in the life of
a united worldwide community representing the entire diversity
of humankind and established in every part of the globe. Its
achievements in such matters as racial integration, the equality
of the sexes, and the promotion of education are particularly
noteworthy.
The distinguishing feature of the Baha'i community, how-
ever; is the administrative system with which its Founder
endowed it. Operating on consultative principles taught by
Bah6..'u'll6..h, the community is administered by democratically
elected councils at the local, national, and international levels. It
has no clergy. Its activities are supported solely by the financial
contributions of its own registered membership.
The system is based on explicit provisions of the Kit6..b-i-
Aqdas: "The Lord hath ordained that in every city a House of
Justice be established . . . It behoveth them fits members] to be
the trusted ones of the Merciful among men and to regard them-
selves as the guardians appointed of God for all that dwell on
earth:"38
To the Faith's international governing body, the Universal
House of Justice, Bah6..'u'll6..h entrusted the junction of deciding
on all matters not explicitly revealed in the Text itself. Thus He
ensured that, until the advent of the next Manifestation of God a
thousand or more years hence, the World Order He founded will
be equipped with a legislative authority able to keep it abreast of
the needs of a rapidly changing world.

36. Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, 39.
37. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings, 250.
38. Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, 29.
118                        T   H   E   B A   H   A        W   0   R   L   D

The new pattern of society which He inaugurated,
Baha'u'll<ih says, will unfold in the same gradual and inexo-
rable fashion that characterizes all the phenomena of the
evolutionary process: "Consider the sun. How feeble its rays the
moment it appeareth above the horizon. How gradually its
warmth and potency increase as it approacheth its zenith,
enabling meanwhile all created things to adapt themselves to
the growing intensity of its light. "39

39. Baha'u'llah cited in Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahci'u'llah:
Selected Letters (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), 117.
T H E      B A H    A         W      0   R   L   D                       119

Selected events around the Bahci'i
World during the 1992-1993 Baha'i
Holy Year.

CHRONOLOGY
APRIL 1992                               lings provided by the Department
of Agriculture were distributed by
the BWA to children and adults
BAHA'i WORLD CENTRE                      visiting the display as a symbol of
the earth's regeneration.
The Universal House of Justice
announced the formation of ten
new National and Regional Spiri-         TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
tual Assemblies: the National
Assemblies of Albania, Angola,           A Baha'i stamp was issued on 21
Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greenland,         April by the Postal Service as part
Hungary and Poland; the Regional         of a five-stamp series in recogni-
Assemblies of the Baltic States;         tion of the Inter-Religious Organi-
Central Asia, comprising the             zation of Trinidad and Tobago and
republics of Kazakhstan, Kirgizia,       its efforts to foster harmony among
Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan and           the country's religious organiza-
Uzbekistan; and Ukraine, Belarus         tions.
and Moldova. The re-establishment
of two National Spiritual Assem-
blies was also announced: the            UNITED STATES
Congo Republic and Niger. These
formations brought the total num-        Prime Minister Hamilton Green of
ber of Assemblies to 165.                Guyana addressed the Baha'i
National Convention in the United
States. He also addressed a recep-
MARIANA ISLANDS                          tion in his honor sponsored by
Health for Humanity, an organiza-
The Baha'i Women's Association of        tion founded by Baha'i physicians
Guam (BWA) participated in Earth         operating under the aegis of the
Week (18-24 April) with a display        National Spiritual Assembly of the
and the distribution of copies of        Baha'is of the United States. Dur-
the Baha'i International Communi-        ing an interview on public radio,
ty's Statement on Nature. Seed-          Prime Minister Green highlighted
120                          T   H   E    B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

the services provided by the Baha'is     Tirana to enhance, coordinate and
in Guyana.                               facilitate academic and cultural
relations between the University
The Baha'i community of Los
and Landegg Academy, which oper-
Angeles mobilized emergency relief
ates under Baha'i auspices in
units in the wake of the violent race
Switzerland.
riots in their city. The Baha'i Cen-
ter, which survived in one of the
At the request of the Institute
hardest hit areas of the city,
of Pedagogical Studies of Albania,
became a hub for food and clothing
the Institute of International Edu-
distribution and a dispatch for
cation and Development of Landegg
calls for transportation and other
Academy organized a           second
assistance.
national symposium on the role of
the family in moral education,
MAY 1992                                 which was held in Tirana from 15
to 17 May. The purpose of the sym-
posium was to present Albanian
ALBANIA                                  educators and parents with alter-
native approaches to the moral
A Liaison Office was established in      education of children following
the Faculty of Philosophy and            the change in Albania's political
Sociology of the University of           climate.

Clockwise from Top Left:
The newly elected NSAs of
Azerbaijan, Hungary and
Niger (reformed) were
among ten formed at the
start of the Holy Year.
T   H   E      B   A   H   A        W     0   R   L   D                        121

CENTENARY OF THE                              session" on 28 May to observe the
ASCENSION OF BAHA'U 'LLAH                     1OOth anniversary of the Ascension
of Baha'u'llah. Deputies represent-
Some 3000 Baha'is from more than              ing twelve major political group-
165 countries and dependent terri-            ings gave addresses in tribute to
tories and a wide array of ethnic             Baha'u'llah, which were published
backgrounds gathered in the Holy              for distribution to all federal
Land to commemorate the Cente-                departments.
nary    of    the   Ascension    of
Baha'u'llah. At 2:00 am on 29 May,
after a program of prayers and                CANADA
readings, the solemn assemblage
of believers circumambulated the              Live Unity: Toronto 1992 was held
Shrine of Baha'u'llah along paths             on 26 May at Massey Hall, Toronto.
lined with thousands of flickering            The concert featured internation-
candles. Observances were also                ally-known performers including
held by Baha'i communities world-             Red Grammar, Dan Seals, Seals &
wide.                                         Crofts, Buffy Saint-Marie, Flora
Purim and Airto. The aim of the
concert, a tribute to Baha'u'llah on
BRAZIL                                        the centenary of His ascension, was
to manifest cultural unity through
The Federal Chamber of Deputies               music. Similar events are planned
held a special two-hour "solemn               for Berlin and Beijing.

Right: The Baha'i stamp
issued as part of a five -
stamp series in recogni-
tion of the Inter-Religious
Organization of Trinidad
and Tobago.
122                           T   H   E    B A H     A        W   0    R   L   D

GERMANY                                   GUYANA

The National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha'is of Germany hosted a           A series of postage stamps in vari-
tribute to Baha'u'llah attended by        ous monetary denominations, dis-
more than 900 people on 26 May.           playing an orchid design and
The event took place in the Pauls-        overprinted with "Baha'i Holy Year
kirche in Frankfurt which was cho-        1992," was released on 29 May by
sen for its significance as the site of   the postal service in Guyana.
the first sessions of the first demo-
cratically-elected German parlia-
ment which passed the democratic
KIRIBATI
constitution of Germany in 1948.
Messages in recognition of the event
were sent by Chancellor Helmut            The Baha'i community of Kiribati
Kohl, who assured the Baha'is of          commemorated the Ascension of
continued governmental efforts in         Baha'u'llah at 2:00 am on 29 May
human rights issues, and former           with a one-hour service broadcast
Chancellor and Nobel Peace Prize          on national radio and a meeting
winner Willy Brandt.                      and banquet held on 30 May.
Among the guests attending the
banquet were the president of Kiri-
bati, several government ministers,
and     the New Zealand high
commissioner.

Below: More than 900 peo-
ple attended a tribute to
Baha'u'llah hosted by the
National Spiritual Assem-
bly of the Baha'is of Ger-
many in Frankfurt's
Paulskirche.

Above: The solemn session
of the Federal Chambers of
Deputies of Brazil in Com-
memoration of the Cente-
nary of the Ascension of
Baha'u'llah.
T   H   E   B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                         123

LUXEMBOURG                             facilities,  professional associa-
tions, and institutes and spoke
A photo exhibition on the theme        about health care from a Baha'i
''The Promise of World Peace" was      perspective.
shown during International Exhibi-
tion Week, 22 to 30 May, in
Luxembourg City. The exhibit at-       VANUATU
tracted thousands of visitors.
Afemata Moli Chang, a high chief of
Samoa, led a traditional presenta-
MALAYSIA                               tion to the people of Tanna,
Vanuatu as part of the Ocean of
At the request of the National         Light Campaign designed to share
Council of Women's Organizations,      the message of Baha'u'llah with the
the State Baha'i Women's Commit-       Pacific peoples. A reenactment of
tee of Perak organized a one-day       the arrival of Samoan Christian
AIDS Awareness Training Pro-           missionaries in Tanna in 1850 was
gramme held on 1 7 May. The pro-       undertaken by the visiting Baha'i
gram, funded by WHO, featured          chiefs. The paramount chief on the
presentations by well-known medi-      island presented the visitors with a
cal specialists and discussions on     kava root as a symbol of the fulfill-
solutions to the AIDS problem.         ment of a prophecy that a "special
message" would be brought to the
people of Tanna in 1992.
NETHERLANDS

The Dutch Baha'i community was         Below: A member of the
Health Care Professionals
officially represented for the first
tour presents information
time at a meeting of the Dutch         to a U.S. Embassy official.
Women's Council, the most influen-
tial women's organization in the
Netherlands, on 21 May. The
agenda included a presentation
about the Baha'i International
Community.

UKRAINE & MOLDOVA

The Health Care Professionals
Project took place in the Ukraine
and Moldova from 16 to 29 May. A
group of professional women from
several countries visited medical
124                         T H E       B   A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

JUNE 1992                              representative of the Baha'i com-
munity was included in the Belize
delegation to the Human Rights
AUSTRALIA                              and Religion regional conference
held in Honduras, 10 to 13 June.
Twelve-year~old May Eshraghi, a
Baha'i, was chosen as a member of
a delegation of 20 Australian chil-    BRAZIL
dren and youth to represent their
country at the Global Children's
The National Spiritual Assembly of
Hearing held during the Earth
the Baha'is of Brazil, and Baha'i
Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
communities around the world,
assisted by the Baha'i International
Community's Office of the Environ-
BELIZE                                 ment, made many contributions to
the United Nations Conference on
The National Arts Council spon-        the Environment and Development
sored a showing of calligraphy by      (UNCED). known as the Earth
Baha'i Tommy Oliver entitled "To       Summit, and the parallel non-gov-
the Glory of God." The exhibit, held   ernmental organizations' event, the
in Belize City, featured quotations    Global Forum, in Rio de Janeiro,
from the Baha'i Writings. The show     from 3 to 14 June.
received significant television and
radio coverage.

At the request of the Human      CAMEROON
Rights Commission of Belize, a
For African Child Day, 16 June, the
Baha'i community of Bamenda par-
ticipated in a radio program called
Kid's Specin.~ a parade, and a
round-table discussion on "Aban-
doned Children and the Right of a
Child to a Home."

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

A school in Bata recognized the
Baha'i Faith as an independent reli-
gion, allowing Baha'i students to
Above: Members of the          take their mandatory religion
Ocean of Light Project in
Port Vila, Vanuatu.            classes, with regular exams, at the
local Baha'i Centre.
T   H   E    B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                       125

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY                        Institute was honored for its suc-
cess in the complete eradication of
On 11 June, the European Parlia-          guinea worms through educating
ment adopted a resolution con-            villagers on prevention tactics .
demning the 18 March execution of         When the program began 752 peo-
Bahman Samandari, a Baha'i, in            ple were infected and 211,813 were
Evin Prison, Teheran, Iran. The res-      at risk.
olution urged the European Com-
munity "to support the Baha'i
MALAYSIA
struggle for the right to practice
their religious beliefs without fear of
To aid the blood bank at the Gen-
persecution or execution," and
eral Hospital in Kangar, the Local
expressed concern that the Islamic
Spiritual Assembly of Perlis orga-
Republic might return to the "bru-
nized a highly successful blood
tal persecutions" it inflicted on the
donation campaign on 19 June.
Baha'is during the first decade fol-
Various public officials, including
lowing the revolution.
the State Director-General of
Health, commended the Baha'is for
their efforts.
INDIA

The Baha'i Vocational Institute for       MAURITIUS
Rural Women in Indore received the
prestigious United Nations Environ-       The Baha'i community hosted a
ment Programme's Global 500               commemoration of the centenary of
award in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil on       the passing of Baha'u'llah at the
World Environment Day, 5 June.            University of Mauritius on 17 June.
The non-profit educational program        The Prime Minister of Mauritius
was one of 74 individuals and insti-      addressed the gathering of nearly
tutions to receive the award. The         700 people, commenting that
Below: As part of African
Child Day activities in
Cameroon, Baha'i children
participated in a parade.
126                          T H E       B   A H   A          W   0   R   L   D

Baha'u'llah has "given the world a      ZAMBIA
strong spiritual basis to bring about
unity and peace among the human         Community leaders and a Senior
race." The Minister of Arts and Cul-    Chief participated in the William
ture also addressed the audience        Masethla Baha'i Institute's obser-
which included mayors and other         vance of World Environment Day on
prominent persons.                      6 June. The guests were introduced
to the Institute's environment-
related activities, including a tree
plantation, an agro-forestry demon-
NEW ZEALAND
stration plot, a wood-saving mud
cooking stove, and a market garden
The Auckland Baha'i community           maintained through sustainable
hosted a luncheon for women on 20       agriculture methods. The Senior
June to honor the heroine 'fahirih,     Chief announced his decision to
a disciple of the Bab. Among the        encourage his headmen to work
guests were members of Parlia-          with the Institute on projects
ment, magazine editors, academics,      related to fuel conservation and the
and authors. Actress Ilona Rodgers      planting of trees.
served as mistress of ceremonies
for the program which included
prayers- in several languages, musi-    JULY 1992
cal entertainment, and an account
of the life of'fahirih.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Kevin Locke, a native American
SWITZERLAND                             Indian dancer and musician,
toured four cities in ten days in the
Czechoslovakia sharing his culture
The Swiss government officially
and the Baha'i teachings with his
exempted Baha'i children from
audiences.
school on six Baha'i Holy Days.

GREECE
UNITED STATES
In Volos, a seminar on "The Envi-
ronment as a Divine Element" was
The United States House of Repre-       held on 29 July in conjunction with
sentatives unanimously passed the       an exhibition on Baha'u'llah.
Baha'i Emancipation Resolution on
2 June condemning the execution
of Mr. Bahman Samandari and the         MALAYSIA
continued persecution of the
Baha'is in the Islamic Republic of      Three Baha'i communities (Malay-
Iran.                                   sia, Bolivia and Cameroon) were
T   H      E         B A H A                   W   0   R   L   D                             127

chosen by the Baha'i International                     UNITED STATES
Community to participate in a joint
two-year project with UNIFEM to                        The United States Senate approved
enhance the status of women in                         a resolution urging Iran to grant
society. First on the agenda was to                    religious rights to Baha'is in that
identify through consultations the                     country. The United States State
important issues facing the women                      Department specifically criticized
of Malaysia. Then consultants will                     Iran's "continuing repression of the
be trained through workshops and                       Baha'i religious community."
practical experience to monitor
related projects.
AUGUST 1992

PANAMA
BANGLADESH
The National Post Office held a cer-
emony on 9 July for the official                       A seminar on "Building a New
stamping of a commemorative enve-                      World Economy" was held at
lope entitled "Commemorations of                       the National Baha'i Center on
the Baha'i Faith in 1992." The issue                   27 August, in Dhaka. The Minister
was in commemoration of the Cen-                       of Commerce was the keynote
tenary of the Ascension of                             speaker for the event.
Baha'u 'llah, the Baha'i World Con-
gress , and the 20th anniversary of
the Baha'i House of Worship in
Panama.
Below: A stamp, featuring
the Baha'i House of
Worship in Panama , was
issued by the country's
National Post Office in
commemoration of the
Ascension of Baha'u'llah.

GOTELáPANAMA                                                            CORREOS
5<
Centenario del
fallecimientodc
BaM'u11Ah
29 de Mayo, 1992

CONGRESO

Santuario del Bab      ~J~
NEW YORK 1992
Haifa, Israel

VigCsimo Aniversario de
la lnauguraci6n de la Cas:i. de
Adoraci6n Dahfi de Panami.. 1992
128                         T H E       B A H      A          W   0   R   L   D

CANADA                                 regional authorities for their suc-
cess in educating 260 village fami-
A university colloquium, organized     lies in primary health care.
by a Baha'i professor, was held at
the University of New Brunswick on
17 August and featured presenta-       VANUATU
tions on various Baha'i topics by
professors of several Canadian uni-    A local Baha'i began a grass roots
versities. The president of the Uni-   literacy project on the island of
versity of New Brunswick opened        Tanna for adults with a training
the colloquium by highlighting         institute held on 15 to 16 August
some of the goals the university and   which was attended by several vil-
the Baha'i Faith have in common.       lagers desiring to assist their locali-
ties. Another Baha'i on the island of
Santo offered literacy classes in an
CANARY ISLANDS                         area currently without schools.
Several youth were trained to teach
A group of Baha'i artists held an      their own classes. The villagers
exhibition of their works in G'aimar   were taught skills to improve the
from 15 to 30 August which was         quality of life in their own villages
visited by a broad representation of   with the ultimate goal of alleviating
the public.                            the need for them to move to the
towns to survive.

GHANA
SEPTEMBER 1992
The Baha'is of Ghana, in collabora-
tion with the Environmental Protec-
tion Council of Ghana, organized a     BOTSWANA
symposium in Accra on 5 August
entitled "After Rio-Finding Roles in   Botswana's Baha'i community orga-
Sustaining Ghana's Environment."       nized a celebration in honor of
More than 100 participants from        Baha'u'llah on 2 September. More
government departments, non-gov-       than 200 guests attended including
ernmental organizations, public        the acting president and the minis-
corporations and the general public    ter of works and communications.
formulated recommendations to the      The local television station pro-
Government and NGOs suggesting         duced and aired a 30-minute pro-
ways to protect Ghana's environ-       gram about the event.
ment.

CHINA
TANZANIA
The International Association of
Five Baha'i community health           Baha'i Publishers participated in
workers were acknowledged by           the 1992 Beijing International Book
T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                        129

Fair from 2 to 7 September. Con-        also invited to perform at the stu-
tacts were also made with about 20      dio of one of Hong Kong's leading
Chinese publishing companies to         television stations.
explore future business coopera-
tion.
INDIA

EL SALVADOR                             The Baha'i community of India was
asked to present a paper at the
The Jamaliyyih Baha'i Institute         International Religious Conference
inaugurated its Mobile Library on       on World Peace held from 17 to
25 September in the city of Arce.       19 September in Sandila, Uttar
The mayor participated in the           Pradesh.
event, as did several school march-
ing bands and cultural centers.                A seven-month long Unity
Message March sponsored by the
State Baha'i Council of Kerala
HONDURAS                                began on 6 September in an effort
to combat the growing communal-
ism in the state by sharing
An awards ceremony was held on 4
Baha'u'llah's message of the one-
September to announce the win-
ness of humanity.
ners of the national essay contest,
"Woman for the Year 2000," spon-
sored by the Baha'i community of
MAURITIUS
Honduras, UNICEF, UNDP (United
Nations Development Programme)
and the Ministry of Culture.            The minister of Rodrigues officially
opened Baha'i Week during a cere-
mony in Baie-aux-Huitres on 19
HONG KONG                               September. The minister spoke
about Baha'u'llah's vision of world
unity and the values and principles
On 17 September, the Baha'i Pro-
He promulgated. During the week,
fessional Society was founded with
cultural and informational events
the aim of providing the Hong Kong
were sponsored by the Baha'is of
professional and business commu-
the island.
nity a forum for exploring social,
economic, philosophical and spiri-
tual issues as they relate to current
PORTUGAL
trends of thought.
Baha'i Children of the World,     On 15 September, a representative
a performing group of 13 children       of the National Spiritual Assembly
from different ethnic backgrounds,      of the Baha'is of Portugal was
attending the School of the Nations     asked to address thousands of par-
in Macao, toured Hong Kong from 5       ticipants at a World Peace Day
to 6 September. The children were       demonstration organized by Brama
130                       T   H   E    B A    H   A        W   0   R   L   D

Kumaris University and supported      UNITED KINGDOM
by the Municipal House of Lisbon.
Hand of the Cause of God and
widow of the Guardian of the Baha'i
SOUTH AFRICA                          Faith, Madame Rfil:liyyih Rabbani,
was the honored guest at a recep-
tion at the British Museum on 15
The National Spiritual Assembly of
September. The reception inaugu-
South Africa officially opened its
rated the first exhibition of Baha'i
new National Center in Johannes-
manuscripts from the British
burg. Among the guests were the
Library's Oriental and India Office
deputy to the mayor of Johannes-
Collection. Assistant Keeper of the
burg and the former president of
Department of Oriental Antiquities,
the African National Congress, Mr.
Dr. Sheila Canby, welcomed the
Oliver Tambo.
guests with a warm tribute to the
Baha'i community. Among the 180
guests were Princess Helene of
TANZANIA                              Romania and various foreign diplo-
mats. Representatives of the media
The Baha'i community of Dar es        were also present.
Salaam had a booth in the Fourth
National Book Week Festival. More
than 15,000 people visited the
Festival.

Above: The Baha'i community of
India presented a paper at the
International Religious
Conference on World Peace held
in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Left: The Tanzanian Minister of
Education and Culture visits the
Baha'i booth at the country's 4th
National Book Festival.
T H E      B   A H   A         W    0   R   L   D                        131

ZAMBIA                                  dignitaries and media. Prime Minis-
ter Paul Keating and Opposition
A three-year literacy program was       Leader John Hewson both sent
launched on 8 September by the          congratulatory messages. Former
Baha'i community to mark the            Youth of the Year and Olympic ath-
occasion of World Literacy Day. The     lete, Kathy Freeman, an aboriginal
program began with teacher train-       Baha'i, and former Australian of the
ing at the William Masethla Baha'i      Year and Humanist of the Year, Pro-
Institute in February 1993. The         fessor Fred Hollows, addressed the
program is funded by the Swedish        audience.
Baha'i community and the Swed-
ish    International   Development
Agency.                                 BANGLADESH

The Baha'i community was asked
OCTOBER 1992
to address the participants of a
seminar on women and the envi-
AUSTRALIA                               ronment sponsored by the Associa-
tion of Business and Professional
The Baha'i community of the Gold        Women's Clubs on 16 October. The
Coast sponsored a United Nations        Baha'i representative spoke about
Day celebration on 24 October           the Baha'i Faith and the Baha'i
which was attended by more              International Community's environ-
than 900 people, including many         mental activities.

Above: Madame RU.1:J.iyyih
Rabbani and Princess
Helene of Romania at the
official opening of the
Exhibition of Baha'i
Manuscripts at the British
Museum.
132                          T   H   E    B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

CANADA                                   in Hindi and English. The state-
ment was distributed to about 6000
Representatives of the National          senior government officials, minis-
Spiritual Assembly of Canada were        ters, university chancellors, state
invited to make a presentation on        chief ministers and governors, and
the Canadian Baha'i views of public      other prominent leaders in India.
religious  broadcasting to     the
Canadian Radio Television and
Telecommunications Commission.           IRELAND
The presentation was broadcast on
cable TV stations and on the             ''The Earth is but One Country: A
VisionTV network.                        New World Order, the Environment
and Development" Conference was
held in Dublin from 10 to 11 Octo-
CZECHOSLOVAKIA                           ber. Speakers included environ-
mentalists, representatives from
Charles    University of Prague          UNCED-Geneva and the Associa-
included in its course offerings "The    tion of World Federalists, as well as
Baha'i Faith-An Introduction to its      prominent Baha'i scholars.
History    and Teachings." The
course was taught by visiting assis-
tant professor, Dr. Vahid Behmardi,      JAPAN
of the Department of Near Eastern
and African Studies and translation      Prince Alfred von Lichtenstein
was provided for non-English             toured ten cities in Japan from 25
speakers.                                October to 11 November delivering
"Memorial Lectures" celebrating the
centenary of the passing of
GHANA                                    Baha'u'llah. Nearly 3000 people
attended his talks.
A Peace March sponsored by the
National Commission on Democ-
racy was held in Accra on 30 Octo-       PAPUA NEW GUINEA
ber. The march, organized by
various religious groups, including      The deputy prime minister, a
the Baha'is, ended with a tree-          former prime minister, a represen-
planting ceremony at Parliament          tative of the governor-general, two
House.                                   members of the cabinet and other
government officials attended a din-
ner to commemorate the Baha'i
INDIA                                    Holy Year hosted by the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
The National Spiritual Assembly of       Papua New Guinea. The deputy
the Baha'is of India issued a state-     prime minister, Sir Julius Chan,
ment entitled "Communal Har-             spoke about the life of the first
mony: India's Greatest Challenge"        Baha'i of Papua New Guinea.
T H E       B   A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D                         133

RUSSIA                                  Sipila of Finland, who was the first
woman to be appointed assistant
The "New Jerusalem Musical              secretary-general of the United
Autumn Festival," the first recorded    Nations.
cultural event in Russia to be orga-
nized according to Baha'i princi-
ples , was held on 4 October at the     TURKEY
New Jerusalem Monastery 50 kilo-
meters from Moscow. Participating       A representative of the Baha'i Inter-
musicians were selected because of      national Community joined the
their commitment to the unity of        Head of Bosphorus University's
humankind. The New Jerusalem            Institute of Environmental Sciences
Monastery, built in the 17th cen-       and various Turkish officials in pre-
tury, was chosen as the site of the     senting papers at a conference on
Festival because it symbolizes the      "Globalization and Environment"
unity of the Eastern and Western        which was held on 3 October at the
branches of Christianity.               University. The conference was
attended by prominent people
including the district governor of
SWITZERLAND                             Fatih, Istanbul, and a representa-
tive of the Sisli Town Council.
The Second International Music                 Six Baha'i doctors of various
Forum from 22 to 25 October, enti-      professional specializations donat-
tled 'The Role of Music in a Chang-     ed their services for the examina -
ing World," attracted artists from      tion of 600 patients in two days as
nine countries who gathered to          part of a health check program
hear lectures on music, ethics and      supported by the mayor and Mu-
creativity. A concert, featuring        nicipality of Kec;:ioren .
Baha'i musicians , virtuoso violinist
Bijan Khadem-Missagh and com-
poser/pianist Michael Neunteufel,       UGANDA
both from Austria, and concert pia-
nist Mark Ochu from the United          The Baha'i community participated
States, opened the forum.               in the national observance of World
Food Day in Kapchorwa on 16
The "Role of Women in a          October, setting up an exhibit with
United Europe" was the theme of         the theme 'The Farmer Comes
another conference held at Landegg      First" and marching in the parade.
Academy from 28 October to 1
November under the auspices of
the secretary-general of the Council    UNITED STATES
of Europe, Catherine Lalumiere,
and the president of the Swiss          Hmong Baha'i, Mr. Chue Chang,
National Council of Women's Orga-       was one of 68 Southeast Asian
nizations,   Regula     Lanz-Bauer.     community leaders invited to dis-
Among the speakers were Helvi           cuss the situation of Southeast
134                         T   H   E    B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

Asian refugees in the United States     BOPHUTHATSWANA
and in the refugee camps of Thai-
land and the Philippines at the
White House and at a meeting of         The anniversary of the Birth of
Non-Governmental Organizations          Baha'u'llah was celebrated by a
at the United Nations in New York.      gathering of the Baha'i community
and its guests at the National
Baha'i Center in Mmabatho on
NOVEMBER 1992                           11 November. Guests included the
governor of Molopo and senior aca -
demics of the University of
ARGENTINA                               Bophuthatswana.

Ecologin. y Unidad Mundinl (Ecology
and World Unity). a magazine pub-
BRAZIL
lished by the Baha'i community of
Buenos Aires, dealing with ecology
in a broad sense and covering           A "Culture, Education, Peace" con-
development. indigenous culture,        test was organized by the Nucleus
urbanization, and world peace,          for Social Well-Being (Lar Linda
began publication. The magazine is      Tanure) and supported by the
sold in the kiosks of main cities in    Baha'i community, the Secretary of
Argentina and nearby countries.         Education and Culture, the Munici-
pal Secretary of Education and the
Brazilian Society of Education for
AUSTRALIA
Peace. The first lady of the State of
the Amazon, who is also State Sec-
A special service to observe Univer-
retary for Social Action, contributed
sal Children's Day was held at the      the prizes to be given to the winners
Baha'i House of Worship on 8            of several disciplines . The awards
November. Children from various         ceremony was featured on a
religious scripture classes in the      Manaus television channel, 1V
area served as readers during the       Globo.
service.

AUSTRIA                                 CANADA

The Esperanto film "Sheepfold of
the Ninth Prophet," about the           The      Canadian      government
Baha'i World Centre, was presented      declared the second week in
to the 77th Universal Esperanto         November of every year to be Unity
Congress in Vienna. The film origi-     in Diversity Week through an act of
nally premiered on television in        Parliament. The Baha'i community
Poland with an estimated audience       of Canada had initiated the pro-
of 15 million.                          posal.
T   H   E      B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                         135

CAPE VERDE                                        The Baha'is of Berlin partici-
pated in a demonstration of more
The Baha'is of Cape Verde com-              than 100,000 people, convened by
memorated the Centenary of the              the President of Germany, on
Ascension of Baha'u'llah with a             8 November. Called the "Chain of
public conference on ''The Mission          Lights," the event was a public
of Baha'u'llah" in the Parliament           show of solidarity of the German
Hall. Representatives of the presi-         people with foreigners living in
dent of Cape Verde and the presi-           their country. The Baha'i delega-
dent of the Municipal Council of            tion carried a banner reading,
Praia, UNICEF workers and other             "Baha'u'llah: The Earth is but One
community leaders attended. A pic-          Country."
torial exhibition about the life and
teachings of Baha'u'llah was dis-
HAWAII
played in the entrance of the Hall.
The East-West Center received the
National Spiritual Assembly of the
GERMANY                                     Baha'is of the Hawaiian Island's
Martha Root Award for Achieve-
Friedrich-Wilhelms University initi-        ment and Community Service in
ated a series of talks on the Baha'i        honor of the role it has played in
Faith which were presented by pro-          providing a research and resource
fessors from several German uni-            base for the countries of the Pacific
versities and included the topics           Rim.
"Origin and Implication of the
Baha'i Religion," and ''The Baha'i
Approach to Peace and Their Chris-
tian-Islamic Background."

Right: The Baha'i commu-
nity of Brazil supported the
"Culture, Education,
Peace" contest organized
by Brazil's Nucleus for
Social Well-Being (Lar
Linda Tanure).
136                         T H E       B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

INDIA                                  restoration on 12 November. More
than 1000 attended the public cere-
"The Prisoner of Akka," a video doc-   mony, including the German
umentary about Baha'u'llah, was        ambassador, the wife of the Rus-
broadcast on the government-run        sian ambassador, the USAID direc-
national television channel to         tor, and several religious leaders.
approximately 85 percent of the        Press coverage was extensive.
Indian television audience .

UNITED STATES
SINGAPORE

During the national Clean and          The second Baha'i World Congress
Green Week 1992, the Ministry of       was convened for four days, 23 to
the Environment honored a Baha'i       26 November, in New York City with
with a Green Leaf Award recogniz-      some 27,000 participants. Congrat-
ing her environmental activities.      ulatory messages were received
The Baha'i community participated      from the president of the United
in the Week by adopting the West       States, George Bush, and the gover-
Coast Park and Beach to clean up.      nor of New York, Mario Cuomo.
Mayor David Dinkins of New York
welcomed the Baha'is to New York
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO                      City during the opening session of
the Congress. Two celebratory con-
The Baha'i community mounted a         certs, one classical and the other
photo and book exhibit about the       jazz, were held at Carnegie Hall in
Baha'i Faith in the Departure          conjunction with the event. 1
Lounge of Piarco Airport to run
from 15 November to 10 December.
ZAIRE
TURKEY
The Baha'is of Zaire held a private
Baha'i publisher, Baha Joint Stock     reception in Kinshasa in honor of
Company, represented the Baha'i        the Baha'i World Congress on 26
community in the Traditional Book      November. Among the 70 guests
Fair in Istanbul from 7 to 15          were the president of the Human
November. More than 200,000 peo-       Rights League, the secretary gen-
ple visited the Fair.                  eral of the prime minister's party,
the superintendent of the Ameri-
can School, the secretaire rappor-
UGANDA                                 teur    of the     National  Unity
Conference, and five ambassadors.
The Baha'i House of Worship for
the African continent in Kampala       1. See 'The Second Baha'i Holy Year,"
was reopened after completion of       page 95.
T H E      B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                        137

DECEMBER 1992                          nate worldwide Baha'i activities
and will collaborate with interna-
tional organizations that deal with
ALBANIA                                the rights and status of women
worldwide.
The Baha'i community was invited
to attend several meetings of the
special commission in charge of        BRAZIL
drafting Albania's new consti-
tution. The document, "Some
Tomorrow Belongs to the Children, a
Thoughts on Drafting of a National
collection of children's artwork and
Constitution," was presented to the
essays centering on environmental
Commission members.
themes and published for the Earth
Summit, was presented to Mrs.
Raisa Gorbachev by representatives
AUSTRALIA
of the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Baha'is of Brazil during the
A Statewide Women's Conference
Gorbachevs' visit to the National
was held in Melbourne at the
Congress in Brasilia on 9 Decem-
request of the National Baha'i Wom-
ber. Mrs. Gorbachev warmly re-
en's Committee to educate, inspire
ceived the gift.
and encourage both women and
men to build equality between the
A representative of the
sexes as a step towards world
National Spiritual Assembly of Bra-
peace.
zil was invested as a counselor of
the National Council on the Rights
BAHA'i WORLD CENTRE
of Children and Adolescents
(CONANDA) of the Ministry of Jus-
tice on 16 December. CONANDA's
The Universal House of Justice
directive is to formulate a national
announced the initiation of a new
policy in defense of the rights of
phase of the Mount Carmel pro-
children and adolescents and to
jects. This phase involves excava-
oversee the execution of the Statute
tion for the International Teaching
of the Child and Adolescent.
Centre building and the terraces
above the Shrine of the Bab. 2
Os Sete Vales e Outros Escri-
The Universal House of         tos (The Seven Valleys and Other
Justice also announced the forma-      Writings) by Baha'u'llah was pre-
tion in New York of the Office for     sented to the Museum of Image
the Advancement of Women, as an        and Sound in Sao Paulo during a
agency of the Baha'i International     ceremony on 18 December. An
Community. The Office will coordi-     exhibition about the Baha'i Faith
and the Writings of Baha'u'llah was
2. See 'The Mount Carmel Projects,"    featured in the Museum until the
page 169.                              end of the month.
138                           T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

HONG KONG                                support of the Community Environ-
ment and Resources Office of the
The first Hong Kong Award for Ser-       Department of Environment and
vice to Humanity was presented to        Natural Resources . More than 3000
Mr. Tong Chaifong by the Baha'i          attended the event which featured
community of Hong Kong. Mr. Tong         folk and modern music.
has worked for nearly two decades
with the city's street people and
drug abusers. Former senior gov-         PORTUGAL
ernment official. Mr. Denis Bray,
offered the award during a banquet.
A 30-minute program about the
Baha'i World Congress in New York
LUXEMBOURG                               was aired on the national television
channel, RTP, on 26 December. The
The Christian, Muslim, Jewish and        footage was filmed by a Portuguese
Baha'i communities of Luxem-             television crew which asked the
bourg participated in an ecumeni-        Baha'i community to assist with the
cal prayer service for peace in the      editing and preparation of the
former Yugoslavia sponsored by the       script.
Council of Luxembourg for Refu-
gees and the Catholic Association
for the Abolition of Torture. Repre-     SWITZERLAND
sentatives of all the religions signed
a final statement urging peace in
the region.                              Landegg Academy hosted a Forum
for Young Professionals from 27
December to 2 January. One hun-
PAKISTAN                                 dred participants from 22 countries
attended lectures and discussed
The Baha'is of Peshawar hosted a         the theme "Ethics for a Global
Mushaira with the theme "World           Society."
Peace" in which well-known poets
were invited to recite their poetry.
The chief guest was Mr. Mohsin
TC HAD
Ahsan, head of the English Depart-
ment at Islamia College in Pesha-
war and a prominent poet.                Tchad-Television invited the Baha'i
community to participate in a tele-
vised round-table discussion on
PHILIPPINES                              AIDS on 5 December. The Baha'i
community was the only religious
A concert dedicated to environmen-       organization in the country running
tal protection was organized on 22       organized information seminars on
December by the Baha'i communi-          AIDS and training rural health
ties of the Mindoro Islands, with the    agents to deal with the disease.
T H E         B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                       139

TUVALU                                    BOLIVIA

During their visit to the Baha'is of      The first Latin American Baha'i
Tuvalu, several high chiefs of            Social and Economic Development
Samoa called on the prime minister        Seminar took place from 29 to 31
to pay their respects with a tradi-       January in Santa Cruz. Represen-
tional sua ceremony. The prime            tatives from 16 countries attended
minister had recently rejected a          and discussed projects in the areas
suggestion by the Christian Tuvalu        of health, education, environment,
Church to ban all other religious         child welfare, literacy and the
organizations.                            advancement of women.

JANUARY 1993                              FRANCE

The Baha'is of Monaco sponsored a
BAHA'i WORLD CENTRE                       Symposium on Environment from
16 to 17 January in Monte Carlo.
The revelation by Mr. Reynaldo Gal-       Featured speakers were Dr. Arthur
indo Pohl, the United Nations' spe-       Dahl, deputy coordinator of the
cial representative in charge of          Earthwatch program of the United
monitoring the human rights situa-        Nations Environmental Programme
tion in Iran, of a secret document        (UNEP) and Dr. Frederic Briand,
written by Iran's Supreme Revolu-         Director of CIESM (International
tionary Cultural Council (ISRCC) in       Commission for the Scientific
February 1991 sparked a worldwide         Exploration of the Mediterranean).
information campaign organized by         The Symposium was covered by
the Baha'i International Commu-           both print and television media.
nity to inform governments, human
rights agencies, and non-govern-
mental organizations about the            GERMANY
document. The Iranian memoran-
dum details government practices          The Senate of Berlin published a
for the treatment of the Baha'is. Mr.     booklet entitled "Unity in Diver-
Galindo Pohl highlighted the con-         sity- World Religions in Berlin"
tents of the document in his 22           which includes a section on the
February report to the 49th session       Baha'i Faith.
of the United Nations Commission
on Human Rights. 3
GUYANA

The new president, His Excellency
Cheddie Jagan, received a delega-
tion from the National Spiritual
3. See 'The Case of the Baha'i Minority   Assembly of the Baha'is of Guyana.
in Iran," page 24 7 .                     They discussed several issues
140                          T H E        B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

including racial harmony and the        of unity." The march concluded
country's water supply problems         with a public devotion service at the
and how the Baha'i community is         Baha'i House of Worship.
working towards their solution.

SIERRA LEONE
INDIA
The Baha'is of Sierra Leone contrib-
Mrs. Naina Yeltsina, wife of Presi-     uted to a week of prayer and fast-
dent Boris Yeltsin of the Russian       ing, called for by the head of state,
Federation, accompanied by the          by creating a twenty minute devo-
wife of the Russian ambassador to       tional program for National Radio.
India, visited the Baha'i House of      The program consisted of prayers
Worship in New Delhi. The delega-       and meditations on subjects such
tion was received by Mrs. Zena Sor-     as the security and protection of
abjee, member of the Continental        nations.
Board of Counsellors, and Mr. R. N.
Shah, secretary of the National
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of    UNITED STATES
India. As an architect, Mrs. Yeltsina
was impressed by the unique archi-      St. Peter's Lutheran Church in New
tecture of the lotus-shaped temple.     York City was the setting for the
funeral on 9 January of world-
renowned jazz musician and Baha'i,
MOZAMBIQUE                              John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie. The
Baha'i community of New York and
The Baha'i community sponsored a        the Baha'i International Commu-
celebration of World Religion Day in    nity participated in the funeral .
Maputo on 17 January 1993. Invi-
More than 700 Baha'is from
tations were sent to 94 religious
around the country participated in
groups in Maputo. A representative
the National March of Celebration
of the Department of Religious
in honor of the birthday of Dr. Mar-
Affairs of the Ministry of Justice
tin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta,
welcomed the more than 100 partic-
Georgia on 18 January. Robert
ipants, and talks and prayers from
Henderson, Secretary-General of
seven religions were presented.
the National Spiritual Assembly of
the Baha'is of the United States,
was a Co-Grand Marshal and
PANAMA
spoke to a rally of some 150,000
about the Baha'i principle of the
The Baha'i community of Roberto
oneness of humanity and the need
Duran held a march to commemo-
for racial unity.
rate World Religion Day. Accompa-
nying the marchers was the Radio              The Baha'i Chair for World
Baha'i truck which carried banners      Peace at the University of Maryland
stating "Religion must be the cause     in College Park was officially
T H E       B A H     A         W    0   R   L   D                        141

inaugurated on 19 January. Dr.           the University of Cambridge Exams
Soheil Badi Bushrui is the first pro-    Syndicate to provide the students
fessor to hold this Chair, which         with the International General Cer-
resides in the University's Center       tificate of Secondary Education
for International Development and        (!GCSE) upon graduation. Because
Conflict Management. The goal of         only 20 percent of girls in Zambia
the Chair is to promote non-violent      have the opportunity to pursue and
resolution of conflict using the         complete a basic education, the
Baha'i experience as a basis.            Banani School accepts only girls.

ZAMBIA                                   FEBRUARY 1993

The Banani International Second-
ary School for girls, 80 kilometers      BRAZIL
north of Lusaka, was opened with a
ceremony on 31 January. The              "Tomorrow Belongs to the Chil-
school was built by the Baha'i com-      dren-Phase II" was initiated on 1
munity and features six class-           February by the Office of the Envi-
rooms, a 120-bed dormitory, and a        ronment of the National Spiritual
dining hall. The curriculum con-         Assembly of the Baha'is of Brazil in
centrates on practical training in       collaboration with UNICEF. The six-
science and agriculture and follows      month environmental education

Right: Naina Yeltsina, wife
of Russian Federation
President Boris Yeltsin,
visits the Baha'i House of
Worship in New Delhi
during a visit to India.
142                           T   H   E     B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

project involves 3000 students and        of New Zealand and leader of the
120 teachers in the outskirts of          Kingitanga Movement (a loose fed-
Brasilia and will result in the pro-      eration of Maori tribes), Dame Te
duction of 1000 educational kits,         Ata-i-rangi-kaahu,    Sir Thomas
each including a video and a book         Davis of the Cook Islands and Prin-
of materials to be used in environ-       cess Tosi Malietoa of Samoa. Queen
mental education courses for stu-         Te Ata-i-rangi-kaahu uncharacter-
dents and teachers. The courses           istically chose to address the audi-
will teach environmental issues           ence herself rather than through
through the arts.                         her spokesperson to thank the
Baha'is for inviting her and for
addressing the issue of unity in
GERMANY                                   diversity.

The mayor of Offenbach dedi-               A tribute concert to Dizzy
cated a Baha'i Holy Year Exhibit on       Gillespie was held in the Auckland
Baha'u'llah as a permanent exhibi-        Town Hall on 17 February. The
tion in the City Hall during an offi-     program, hosted by the Auckland
cial ceremony. The mayor himself          Baha'i community, included big
chose     two     quotations    from      band music led by international
Baha'u'llah's writings which he           composer-conductor, Russell Gar-
hoped would influence understand-         cia, video tributes from Oscar
ing among the people of 106               Peterson, George Shearing and
nationalities living in Offenbach.        Mike Longo and a live tribute by
actress Ilona Rodgers. The concert
was attended by 1400 jazz fans.
ISRAEL

A stamp featuring the Seat of the         TAIWAN
Universal House of Justice was
issued by the Philatelic Service of       The 130th anniversary of the intro-
the Israel Postal Authority on            duction of the Baha'i Faith in China
16 February as part of an ongoing         was marked by a banquet hosted by
series of stamps in honor of the reli-    the Baha'is of Taiwan. Guest speak-
gions represented in the Holy Land.       ers were the Minister of the Interior,
The design for the stamp was cho-         who spoke about the contribution
sen in a national contest.                the Baha'is have made to Taiwan,
and Mr. Douglas Martin, director-
general of the Baha'i International
NEW ZEALAND                               Community's Office of Public Infor-
mation, who spoke about the
The National Spiritual Assembly of        importance of religion in society.
the Baha'is of New Zealand spon-          Among the 130 guests were digni-
sored a national celebration of the       taries from the Taiwanese govern-
Baha'i Holy Year. Among the hon-          ment as well as representatives of
ored guests were the Maori Queen          embassies and consulates.
T H E                 B A H            A                      W   0   R   L   D                        143

TURKEY                                                                UNITED STATES

The Baha'i youth of Iskenderun and                                    As part of its observance of Black
Antakya. in collaboration with the                                    History Month , the National Spiri-
Municipality of Iskenderun, planted                                   tual Assembly of the Baha'is of the
1500 trees in an area designated by                                   United States presented the ninth
the municipality as an environmen-                                    annual David Kellum Awards to
tal project.                                                          OMNI Youth Services of Buffalo
Grove, Illinois and Oscar H.
DeGruy, founder of the Los Angeles
UNITED KINGDOM                                                        Baha'i Youth Workshop, on 27 Feb-
ruary. The awards recognize indi-
As a result of her activity as a mem-                                 viduals or groups that serve as role
ber of the Baha'i Women's Commit-                                     models for youth and help to build
tee, a Baha'i from Newtownabbey,                                      understanding between the races.
Northern Ireland was invited to par-
ticipate in a meeting in Belfast with
the president of the Republic of
Ireland, Mrs. Mary Robinson.

_.!. :.._

11:::

BAHA'I WORLD CENTRE! HAIFA • "''" á""""' " '" •omo mon   T
Above: A Baha'i stamp and
accompanying first day
cover were issued by the
Israel Postal Authority as
part of a series of stamps
in honor of the religions
represented in the Holy
Land.
Left: Paul Bennett
performs at the tribute to
Dizzy Gillespie sponsored
by the Auckland Baha'i
community in New
Zealand.
144                          T H E        B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

MARCH 1993                              secution of the Baha'is and for the
immediate retraction of the policies
outlined in the confidential docu-
BRAZIL                                  ment issued by Iran's Supreme
Revolutionary Cultural Council.
The School of the Nations in Bra-
silia was loaned a videophone by
the Hawaiian Teleclass Interna-         GUYANA
tional Company to foster cultural
exchanges      between     Hawaiian     A symposium to commemorate
schools and the School of the           International Women's Day was
Nations. The first telephone call,      sponsored by the National Spiri-
which transmits both audio and          tual Assembly of the Baha'is of
visual signals, took place on           Guyana. First Lady, Janet Jagan,
4 March. The director of the School     welcomed the nearly 120 partici-
of the Nations explained that these     pants who represented many civic
exchanges help to "create a con-        and religious groups. Workshop
sciousness of world citizenship in      sessions focused on various issues
the children," which is the school's    related to women including educa-
goal.                                   tion, mothering, and equality of the
sexes.

CHINA
INDIA
A group of Baha'i women visited the
All China Women's Federation in         A round table discussion to observe
Beijing as part of the "Overseas        International Women's Day on 9
Chinese Women Delegation to             March was organized by the Office
China- A Homecoming Party." Chi-        of Public Information of the
nese women from eight countries         National Spiritual Assembly of the
visited the People's Republic of        Baha'is of India, in collaboration
China to reestablish ties with their    with the All India Women's Confer-
Chinese sisters on the mainland         ence and the United Nations Infor-
and to discuss joint projects for the   mation Centre, New Delhi. Many
future.                                 distinguished people took part and
media coverage was significant.

GERMANY
NORWAY
Mr. Volker Neumann, member of
the German Federal Parliament and       The National Spiritual Assembly of
vice-chairman of the Subcommit-         the Baha'is of Norway collaborated
tee for Human Rights and Humani-        with the H0vikodden Art Center to
tarian Assistance, issued a press       present an exhibition of the paint-
release urging the Federal Govern-      ings of Mark Tobey. The opening
ment to protest against Iran's per-     ceremony on 27 March was
T   H   E   B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                           145

attended by nearly 200 including       heads. The gift from the Baha'i
the Egyptian Ambassador and the        International   Community      and
attache of commerce for the Chi-       UNICEF was presented in honor of
nese Embassy. The director of          the first anniversary of the Earth
H0vikodden spoke on the art and        Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 4
life of Mark Tobey, highlighting the
change in his art when he became a
Baha'i. The exhibition ran until       UNITED STATES
2May.
Vice-President Albert Gore, Jr.,
issued a press release on 4 March
UGANDA                                 expressing the Clinton Administra-
tion's concern about Iran's contin-
The Baha'i community was involved      ued violation of human rights,
in several observations of Interna-    specifically mentioning the "system-
tional Women's Day. On 1 March,        atic repression" of the Baha'i com-
the Baha'i community sponsored a       munity. Also on 4 March, a press
seminar on the Baha'i Faith and        conference was called to denounce
gender issues. On 8 March, the         Iran's human rights violations and
Baha'i community participated in       to announce the initiation of con-
national commemorations with an        gressional legislation to officially
information and handicraft stall       condemn the Iranian Govern-
and a delegation in a parade.          ment's treatment of its Baha'i com-
munity. Spokespersons at the press
conference were Representatives
UNITED NATIONS                         John Porter and Tom Lantos of the
Congressional Human Rights Cau-
A resolution was adopted at the        cus, Senators John McCain and
49th session of the United Nations     Chris Dodd, and the U.S . Baha'i
Commission on Human Rights             community's spokesman, Firuz
expressing concern about Iran's        Kazemzadeh.
continued violation of human
rights, including its discriminatory
treatment of the Baha'is, and call-    WEST LEEWARD ISLANDS
ing for continued international
monitoring of the human rights sit-
The Baha'is of St. Kitts and the
uation in the Islamic Republic. The
Business and Professional Women's
mandate of its special representa-
Club hosted a concert by world-
tive, Mr. Reynaldo Galindo Pohl,
renowned concert pianist and
was extended for another year.
Baha'i, Mark Ochu, on 20 March.
The Baha'i International
Community mailed the book
Tomorrow Belongs to the Children to
all Heads of State or Government       4. See "Baha'i Involvement at the Earth
and to United Nations agency           Su mmit,'" p. 177.
146                        T H E       B A H     A         W   0    R   L   D

APRIL 1993                            SPAIN

The first Baha'i Congress of Catalu-
RUSSIA                                nya took place from 10 to 12 April
in Barcelona. The Congress focused
The Regional Spiritual Assembly of    on Baha'u'llah and Baha'i views
the Baha'is of Russia, Georgia and    and solutions for issues su ch as the
Armenia was officially recognized     environment, multiculturalism and
by the Russian Government as the      the role of culture in a new world
legal head of the Baha'i Faith in     order, and socio-economic develop-
Russia. All matters involving the     ment. Many prominent people
approval for registration of Local    attended the Congress including
Spiritual Assemblies henceforth are   representatives of the European
to be handled by the Regional         Parliament and the National Con-
Assembly     and    not   by    the   gress of Spain, writers, journalists,
Government.                           scholars and academics.

Left: Baha'is march in a
parade as part of Uganda's
events in honor of Interna-
tional Women's Day.
T H E    B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                         147

WILLIAM P. COLLINS looks at
coverage of Baha'i events and
related stories in the general media
during the Holy Year.

THE BAHA'I FAITH IN THE EYES
OF THE WORLD: WHAT THE PRINT
MEDIA REPORT ABOUT THE
BAHA'I FAITH

P
ublished information on the Baha'i Faith in media
outside of the Baha'i community has steadily diver-
sified as the understanding of Baha'u'llah's
teaching becomes more firmly and broadly developed in
the public mind. The public's perception of the Baha'i
Faith is a bellwether of humanity's developing social con-
cerns, and a sign of the organic evolution of the religious
community that claims to address these concerns. The
past year's eruption of news articles is not a phenomenon
isolated in time. It is rather the most recent stage of a slow
and steady increase in the powers and capacities of
Baha'is to communicate possible solutions to the prob-
lems of a distracted humanity. The 1992-1993 period,
witness to an explosion of public awareness of the Baha'i
Faith, follows upon a century and a half of emerging
Baha'i capacities and society's increasing sense of its
inability to cope with the demands of our time. A brief
overview of that development will put in perspective the
media attention focused upon Baha'i activities in the Holy
Year 1992- 1993.

1844- 1921
Since its inception, the Baha'i Faith has been the subject
of news reporting, comment, analysis and interest in the
press and in other publications. Almost all of the early
148                      T H E      B A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D

reporting was exceedingly inaccurate until the establishment
in the West of Baha'i communities that were able to defend and
explain their own beliefs. Within months of the Bab's declara-
tion of His mission, a newspaper article appeared in The Times
of London reporting on the dire punishments visited upon four
of the Bab's disciples after they had altered the Islamic profes-
sion of faith to include recognition of their leader. The Literary
Gazette and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, Etc. later
reprinted the Times article. The Babis and Baha'is then disap-
peared from the press and popular magazines until the
appearance of one singularly influential book- Les religions et
les philosophies dans l'Asie centrale (Paris, 1865 ) by the Comte
de Gobineau. Gobineau, aristocratic and fearful of social
degeneration, became a preeminent racialist of his time and a
marked influence on Wagner and eventually on Hitler. His book
on religion in central Asia was largely dedicated to a history
and description of Babism, about which he had learned while
serving as French minister to Persia. Though Gobineau was
inimical to the unifying principles for which Baha'is have come
to stand, his writing on Babism was the most influential report
on the origins of the Baha'i Faith during the religion's first forty
years. Gobineau's volume inspired a large literature in popular
periodicals and was the impulse for much of the scholarship on
the religion from 1865 through the 191 Os. Edward G. Browne,
who had read Gobineau's work, became the most illustrious
Western scholar on the religion, publishing books and many
articles on the subject. The intellectual history of Browne's
enormously influential work is detailed by other authors.
A particularly rich period of public attention in the press
began with the growth of the North American Baha'i commu-
nity, particularly from about 1897 through 1921. The period
was marked by the highly-publicized visits of prominent
Iranian Baha'i teachers in the first decade of the century, and
was dramatically punctuated by 'Abdu'l-Baha's travels in
Europe and North America in 1911- 1913. Major newspapers
across the United States and in Canada gave prominent cov-
erage to the visit. A widely inclusive approach characterized the
Baha'i community's mission throughout this quarter century,
T H E     B A H    A       W   0   R   L   D                  149

with many Baha'is maintaining allegiance to their earlier reli-
gious affiliations while taking part in the Baha'i "movement."

1921 - 1963

Scholarship by those outside the Baha'i community began
to decrease sharply after the First World War. For some time
after 'Abdu'l-Baha's passing and Shoghi Effendi's assumption
of the mantle of Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith, press pub-
licity waned perceptibly as well. The community had embarked
on a process of institutional consolidation and the establish-
ment of community boundaries that clearly delineated
membership. The energy devoted to these developments, and
the relative smallness of the Baha'i community, tended to limit
media publicity to certain major activities. One of these major
activities was the forty-year process to complete construction of
the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. The unique
design of the building, and the creativity needed to make use of
concrete aggregate in a new way, created a steady stream of
media attention. A second major media focus was the attacks
on Baha'is in Iran in 1955 and in Morocco in 1962. These two
brief outbreaks of persecution threw light on Baha'i status in
Islamic states. The diplomatic and media campaigns of orga-
nized communities of Baha'is outside of the Middle East also
made clear the religion's extent and diversity. A third focus,
though not yet a source of public attention, was the Baha'i
presence at the United Nations as a non-governmental organi-
zation. Baha'is supported many of the U.N.'s public
commemorations such as Human Rights Day and United
Nations Day, and many local Baha'i communities fostered
media stories that associated the Baha'i Faith with support for
international organizations and their humanitarian goals . A
fourth and most important occurrence was the launching of
the first international plan for propagating the religion-the
Ten Year Crusade (1953- 1963)- intended to establish the com-
munity's presence in dozens of unopened countries and
150                        T H E       B A   H   A        W   0   R   L   D

territories. Baha'i activities received coverage as the commu-
nity began to grow in newly-settled locales and as the local
societies met its growth with both skepticism and acceptance.
The completion of this plan laid the groundwork for its
crowning achievement, the election for the first time of an
international governing body for the Baha'i community.

1963- 1991
The Universal House of Justice was first elected in 1963. Since
its establishment, that body has been concerned with the proc-
lamation of the message of Baha'u'llah and its diffusion
amongst humankind. The Universal House of Justice inaugu-
rated a global campaign in 1967 to place in the hands of world
leaders a copy of The Proclamation of Baha'u'llah to the Kings
and Leaders of the World. 1 This volume contained the text of
Baha'u'llah's letters and writings to the rulers of the world in
1867- to Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, Franz-
Josef of Austria, Pope Pius IX, Napoleon III of France,
Alexander II of Russia, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the
Shah of Iran, and the presidents of the American republics; to
the religious elite of his day; and to humanity in general. A
result of this proclamation was the laying of groundwork for a
wider diffusion of the Baha'i teachings through the media.
Baha'i communities had to arrange meetings with dignitaries
to deliver the volume, and they also had the opportunity to
notify the press of the reasons for the meeting. The centenary
of Baha'u'llah's public declaration of his mission to the world
was a perfect opportunity to obtain press coverage.
This was followed by a slow increase of interest in the
Baha'i community, but little in the way of significant breaks in
the general obscurity accorded it in the media, until the sys-
tematic oppression of the Baha'i community in Iran after the
rise of the Islamic Republic became a principal instrument in
the creation of a new and more comprehensive image in the

I. Baha'u'llah, The Proclamation of Bahci'u'llah to the Kings and Leaders
of the World (Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1967).
T   H   E   B A H A         W   0   R   L   D                  151

press. The presence of Iranian Baha'i refugees along with their
co-believers in many localities around the globe, the well-
organized network of Baha'i public information representa-
tives, the sympathy of national parliaments, and the visible
Baha'i presence in United Nations forums have all contributed
to a burgeoning coverage of the Baha'is. From 1979 to 1988,
reporters and writers were more interested in the fact of perse-
cution and what it suggested about Iranian society, than in
what the Baha'i Faith's own profound culture meant for the
world. The temporary lull in the most egregious acts of repres-
sion between 1988 and 1991 lessened press coverage of the
Iranian situation. The hiatus did not, however, decrease the
level of total coverage. Authors and reporters had begun to
grasp that there were other stories that underlay the human
rights angle. In April 1985, the House of Justice created an
international agency to coordinate relations with the media
and other information sources, the Office of Public Informa-
tion, with its headquarters in Haifa and a branch office in New
York.
Two important events in the Baha'i community focused
media attention. The first was the release in October 1985 of a
statement addressed to the peoples of the world by the Uni-
versal House of Justice entitled The Promise of World Peace.
Millions of copies of the statement were distributed to govern-
ment and religious leaders, prominent people, and to
individuals in other walks of life. The Promise of World Peace is
a manifesto for a new model of thinking and action on peace. It
resulted in numerous articles in many languages during the
latter half of the 1980s, some of which printed part or all of the
text, and others of which focused on its ideas as expressed in
Baha'i life. Media began to form a sense that the Baha'i com-
munity has a fresh approach to world order issues, including a
commitment to sexual equality, economic justice, elimination
of racism, human rights, and religious tolerance. The second
event was the completion and dedication in late 1986 of the
Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi, India. The edifice-an
architectural marvel of consummate beauty and symbolism-
achieved critical acclaim from the start, and soon received
152                         T H E      B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

many awards for its outstanding artistic merit. The House of
Worship revolutionized public reporting on the Baha'is, not
only in India generally, but also in architectural and artistic
circles around the world. The premier interest of the media had
been the treatment of Baha'is in Iran. The consciousness thus
generated disposed the media to accept and to search out other
stories. Thus prepared, the media found the peace statement
and the House of Worship to have inherent interest.
Within the same period as the renewed persecution of
Iranian Baha'is, a new trend became apparent in the treatment
of the Baha'i Faith in reference works. David Barrett's World
Christian Encyclopedia2 included statistics for all religions, by
country. The encyclopedia raised the Baha'i community to the
level of statistical visibility. David Barrett became an editor of
the articles on religion in the Britannica Book of the Year, the
annual update volume to the Encyclopedia Britannica. It was in
the pages of successive volumes of this yearbook that statistics
steadily brought the extent of the Baha'i community to the
attention of scholars, leaders and media. Whereas the Baha'i
Faith had not previously appeared with an independent statis-
tical listing in reference works, by the late 1980s all major
general almanacs in English were using the religious statistics
from the Britannica publications. Those statistics confirmed
two things: the Baha'i Faith had over five million adherents,
making it one of the dozen major independent religions in the
world- larger than Jainism, Shinto or Zoroastrianism; and, it
had significant communities in more countries and territories
than any other world religion except Christianity. This develop-
ment in statistical reporting had thus placed before the public
and the media firm evidence of the Baha'i Faith's claim to be an
independent major world religion.
Scholars, publishers and librarians had seen the need for
a clear, accessible, yet scholarly encyclopedia on religion. The
Encyclopedia of Religion, 3 edited by eminent religious scholar

2. David Barrett, ed., World Christian Encyclopedia (Nairobi, Kenya:
Oxford University Press, 1982).
3. Mircea Eliade, ed., The Encyclopedia of Religion (New York: Macmillan,
1987).
T   H   E   B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                   153

Mircea Eliade, was widely acclaimed as the finest such encyclo-
pedia since The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. 4 The
volumes included articles on "Babi" and "Baha'i" by Alessandro
Bausani, erudite Italian Baha'i who had already established his
fame as an Islamic scholar. He had already written articles on
the Baha'i religion for the new edition of The Encylopedia of
Islam. 5 This treatment of religion was matched by the still
unfinished Encyclopedia Iranica, 6 to which a virtual "who's
who" of Baha'i scholars have contributed articles on aspects of
Baha'i theology, history, doctrine and administration. Editions
of other reference works on religion, peace, history and the like
have sought out Baha'i articles.
Scholarship on the religion began to flourish again around
1970, as more Baha'i and other scholars began to do research
in newly-organized archival collections, and in response to
internal initiatives to encourage Baha'i scholarship. The Asso-
ciation for Baha'i Studies journals, the Baha'i Studies Bulletin,
and proceedings of Baha'i studies seminars all added to a
growing level of sophistication. The results of this new research
were carried into the pages of other academic journals such as
Religion and the International Journal of Middle East Studies;
and into book-length works too numerous to mention. It is
worth noting that a growing number of Baha'is have them-
selves engaged in respected academic scholarship on their
religion's history and development.
A third trend was apparent in the references to the Baha'i
Faith in other published volumes. A significant proportion, well
over half, appeared in works about Iranian or Middle Eastern
history and politics. The persecution of the Iranian Baha'is
made its inclusion in studies of modern Iran virtually obliga-
tory, set in a long and largely unbroken history of repression
since the founding of the religion in 1844.
Works other than those on Iran started to show developing
concerns in three areas. First, the Baha'i community began to

4 . The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (Edinburgh: Clark, 1908-
[ l 928]).
5. The Encylopedia of Islam (Leiden: Brill, 1960-)
6. Encyclopedia Iranica (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1982- )
154                        T H E       B A   H   A        W   0   R   L   D

appear as a model of political processes. Baha'i communities
began after 1985 to provide, where possible, statements to gov-
ernment and international bodies. These statements
formulated Baha'i approaches and practice regarding election
principles, the drafting of new constitutions, and the conduct
of state policy. Baha'i bodies in Brazil, South Africa and other
countries began to offer framework documents on constitu-
tional reform. A prime example is Comparative Electoral
Systems and Political Consequences: Options for Namibia, 7
which described the Baha'i electoral process as more creative
and more democratic than most national elections. A second
emerging area was the environment, where Baha'i groups were
involved in a wide range of activities. Participation in the
Worldwide Fund for Nature since the middle of the 1980s
placed the Baha'is squarely in the arena of environmental
activity. A third emerging view of the Baha'is began to be
expressed in polemical writings by politicized Christian evange-
lists or various types of conspiracy theorists. This view was not
based primarily on earlier theological arguments that the
Baha'i Faith is non-Christian, deficient in correct under-
standing of Christ, or doctrinally false, though these were
undercurrents. Rather, the opposition involved a political argu-
ment with undertones of apocalyptic millennialism and con-
spiracy. Representative of this view is Pat Robertson's The New
World Order8 and Malachi Martin's The Keys of this Blood. 9
Though the references are brief, the authors are part of a
steadily rising current that associates the Baha'i community
with supposed political conspiracies to rule the world in an
anti-Christian dictatorship. Advocacy of peaceful resolution to
conflict, of global federation, of international order, and of
appreciation for diversity are seen as conspiratorial, anti-
Christian and implicitly demonic. All three of these views,

7. Comparative Electoral Systems and Political Consequences: Options for
Namibia (Lusaka, Zambia: United Nations Institute for Namibia, 1989). 6-
7, 9.
8. Pat Robertson, The New World Order (Dallas, Texas: Word, 1991). 156.
9. Malachi Martin, The Keys of this Blood (New York: Simon and Shuster,
1990). 139, 300-301, 306, 307.
T H E      B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                   155

significantly, place the Baha'i Faith in a locus of influence, as a
prized or feared agent of change in the development of society.

1992-1993 HOLY YEAR
The Baha'i Holy Year marks a turning point in the public infor-
mation activities of the Baha'i community, and in the media
reception of stories about its adherents. Three major interna-
tional events punctuated the Holy Year, generating fully half
the newspaper coverage: (1) the centenary of the passing of
Baha'u'llah, commemorated on 29 May 1992 throughout the
world, and at the Shrine of Baha'u'llah by 3,000 people repre-
senting every national Baha'i community; (2) the second Baha'i
World Congress in New York in late November 1992, where
27,000 Baha'is celebrated the community's unity in diversity
and the centenary of the inauguration of Baha'u'llah's
Covenant; (3) the seventh International Baha'i Convention in
Haifa, Israel at which the Universal House of Justice was
elected for the next five-year term by the members of 165
national Baha'i administrative councils.
The idea of the Holy Year itself, and the significant events
to occur during the period, required the Baha'i community to
develop a clear concept of what it wanted to tell the world. A
media task force helped an internationally organized network
of national Baha'i public information officers to communicate
three fundamental ideas to the press and public: (1) that the
Baha'i Faith is, according to the Britannica Book of the Year, the
second most geographically widespread religion in the world;
(2) that it is one of the fastest-growing independent world reli-
gions; (3) that it is the newest world religion, with unique
features that set it apart from the religions which have pre-
ceded it. The Holy Year was also a year in which the Baha'i
International Community embarked on a project to inform the
world about the life and mission of Baha'u'llah. The Office of
Public Information published a statement on the life and work
of Baha'u'llah just before the inauguration of the Holy Year, a
document subsequently translated and published by National
156                      T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D

Assemblies in scores of languages . It was evident in the news-
paper reports on the Holy Year that the Baha'is had
successfully communicated in the media who Baha'u'llah is,
what He taught, and that the Faith He founded is a growing
world religion of wide geographic diffusion.
Newspapers too numerous to mention reported on the
plans of local communities to undertake activities during the
Holy Year-devotional programs, exhibitions, parades, picnics,
writing contests, service and education projects. Those Baha'is
who were interviewed expressed their faith both as personal
experience and as social model-as a source of inner peace and
confidence for themselves, and as a framework for the creation
of international unity. In most countries , and most dramati-
cally in the developing world-from Guyana to Papua New
Guinea, Bangladesh to Rwanda, Mauritius to Fiji-newspapers
remarked on the enthusiastic participation of their own compa-
triots in the three international events of the year, and
implicitly lauded the inclusive attitude of Baha'is toward indig-
enous peoples, minorities , and the poor. That such people
received special invitations to participate in the year's historic
events in other countries was widely noted. Articles frequently
highlighted the presence of high-ranking dignitaries at local
Baha'i gatherings commemorating the Holy Year. Heads of gov-
ernment, government ministers, parliamentarians and mayors
paid tribute to Baha'u'llah's teaching and to the laudable citi-
zenship of Baha'is.
Comprehensive articles on the meaning and purpose of
the Holy Year appeared the world over, focused on the interna-
tional activities of the Faith. Newspapers as far apart as the
Cameroon Tribune (15 June 1992) and The Huntsville Times
(Alabama, U. S. A., 23 May 1992) referred to the centennial
gathering at Paulskirche in Frankfurt, Germany and to the
solemn observance of the centenary of Baha'u'llah's ascension
held by the Brazilian Federal Chamber of Deputies. Yet it is in
the most influential newspapers that we can discern some indi-
cation of developing attitudes to the Baha'i Faith. The Wall
Street Journal in New York reported on the Baha'is in a some-
what sensationalized but extremely important article entitled
T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                  157

"In Doom and Death Baha'i Faithful See Promise of Peace."
Behind the polite skepticism of the published article, the text
clearly communicated the general Baha'i optimism in the
future, that Baha'u'llah was the Faith's Founder, and that He
teaches the oneness of humanity and the oneness of religion. A
much reprinted article by Doug Struck of The Baltimore Sun
bore the headline "Little-known Religion of Baha'i Gaining Visi-
bility as Followers Mark Anniversary." It gave a complete report
on the centenary commemoration, in Acre, of Baha'u'llah's
passing. It fulfilled the public information goal to communicate
the three fundamental themes mentioned above, while pro-
viding the reader information on the religion's history, its
persecution in Iran, and its belief in racial and sexual equality.
Jack Capica's report in the Toronto Globe and Mail was equally
complete, concluding that "the distinctively modern tone of
Baha'i may be just what the polls say North Americans are
looking for." Dozens of major papers in India, the Siiddeutsche
Zeitung in Germany, Switzerland's Neue Zurcher Zeitung, La
Presse-Canada' s largest-circulation French-language daily,
The Standard of Nairobi, and hundreds of other news organs
large and small gave space to an overview of the Holy Year's sig-
nificance for Baha'is. All of them told who Baha'u'llah was,
listed Baha'i teachings on the unity of humanity and other
social principles, and communicated that the Baha'i Faith is a
model for the solution of human problems. Since the days of
the early twentieth century when 'Abdu'l-Baha enunciated the
basic social principles of the Baha'i Faith, variously listed as
ten to thirteen in number, there has been little change. Signifi-
cantly, the Holy Year publicity added two very important
principles to the standard summary of Baha'i belief. These
were: a "sustainable balance between nature and technology,"
no doubt the result of the growing Baha'i involvement in envi-
ronmental issues; and, the call for all individuals to exhibit a
higher moral standard of conduct, a sine qua non for a commu-
nity that offers itself as a model for humankind.
158                     T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

THE BAHA'i WORLD CONGRESS

In 1963 when 6,000 Baha'is had gathered for the first Baha'i
World Congress in London, there had been fewer than half a
million adherents worldwide. In November 1992, some 27,000
believers from nearly every country attended the second such
congress, representing the diversity of a community over ten
times more numerous than it had been three decades earlier.
Fully a third of the year's publicity focused in some way on the
World Congress. Congresses of 30,000 are considered large and
noteworthy under most circumstances. This, the largest gath-
ering in New York City during 1992, was the visible expression
of the Baha'i commitment to offer its experience as a model for
unity. Where newspapers had not previously covered either the
Holy Year or the centenary commemoration in the Holy Land,
there was a surge of interest in the World Congress. The New
York Times in two articles, The Washington Post, Associated
Press, The Boston Globe, El Pais (Uruguay), The Swazi News
(Swaziland), India Abroad, Makedonia (Greece), Badisches
Tagblatt (Germany), La Liberation (France), Correia Braziliense
and Turkish Daily News reported the diversity of the Baha'i
community, its history and teachings, and the renewed reports
from the United Nations that persecution continued against
the Iranian community. A striking change in the reporting was
the seriousness with which articles talked of human unity. Pre-
vious articles on this pivotal Baha'i principle had tended to
characterize it as utopian. The evidence of 27,000 people from
over 200 countries could not so easily be dismissed. Hundreds
of local newspapers around the world devoted considerable
space to the stories of local attendees-particularly minorities
and those who were to participate in the Congress Choir or as
volunteers. The unseen result of the Baha'i World Congress
was closer ties to international, national and local media
achieved by a widespread network of public information
officers.
T H E     B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                 159

PERSECUTION IN IRAN

The continued repression of Baha'is in Iran remained a sub-
theme of the Holy Year. The year saw a renewal of physical vio-
lence against Baha'is, the release of further U.N. reports on
human rights abuses, and the discovery and exposure of a
hitherto secret Iranian official document detailing the govern-
ment's plan for dealing with the "Baha'i question." The
execution of Bahman Samandari in March 1992 began the
year, a major U.N. report appeared at the time of the World
Congress, and the release of the secret Iranian document came
within weeks of the Holy Year's end. Influential international
newspapers paid keen attention to the Iranian government
document in particular. La Stampa (Italy). The Jordan Times,
Franlefurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany). The Washington
Post, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune,
the Chicago Tribune, and many Indian newspapers wrote of it
with a particular clarity and some vehemence. Inevitably, edi-
torials and articles drew parallels with the "Wannsee
Memorandum" and the Nazi's "final solution of the Jewish
question." The succeeding response by governments, such as
that of the vice-president and Congress of the United States,
generated further media coverage of the plight of the Iranian
Baha'i community.
Several articles consisted of interviews, sympathetic por-
traits and human interest stories about expatriate Iranian
Baha'is and their concerns for relatives left behind. Namibia's
New Era of 11-1 7 June 1992 was one of few instances where a
newspaper printed a statement from Iranian diplomatic repre-
sentatives who repeated the usual inflammatory and
outrageous accusations against the Baha'is as an "ideological
group" that engages in espionage for Western powers. Several
books published during 1992 also referred to the persecution.
Genocide Watch contained a particularly enlightening chapter
on how the Baha'i community had learned about deterring
genocide. The distinguished Iranian educator, Sattareh
Farman Farmaian, in her widely-read autobiography,
described appreciatively and respectfully her childhood educa-
160                      T   H   E   B A H A         W   0   R   L   D

tion at the Tarbiat School for Girls-a Baha'i educational
institution in Iran. She expressed her continuing amazement at
the government pressure that had ultimately forced the school
to close, and at the recrudescence of anti-Baha'i religious
fanaticism during the Islamic Revolution.

DIZZY GILLESPIE

The death of world-renowned jazz trumpeter John Birks
"Dizzy" Gillespie on 6 January 1993 generated worldwide
media attention. Gillespie, a member of the Baha'i Faith since
1968, was celebrated for his warmth of personality and his
encouragement of new talent. World over-in Senegal,
Grenada, Belize, Malaysia, Tanzania, Europe and North
America- the press lauded Gillespie's talent. His commitment
to the Baha'i Faith received mention in most articles . ''There is
a parallel with jazz and religion," he once said. "In jazz, a mes-
senger comes to the music and spreads his influence to a
certain point and then another comes and takes you further."
Gillespie turned his own and others' contributions to jazz into
a metaphor for the Baha'i teaching of God's progressive self-
revelation.

LEGAL STATUS

The emergence of the Baha'i Faith from obscurity is occasion-
ally achieved through legal decisions . The Federal
Constitutional Court of Germany decided, in early 1991, a case
of singular importance for the German Baha'i community and
its sister communities in Europe. Lower courts had refused to
register the bylaws of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
Tubingen, since the authority granted to the National Spiritual
Assembly in the bylaws violated the principle requiring the
autonomy of all incorporated associations. The Federal Consti-
tutional Court decision, in which it upheld the appeal of the
Spiritual Assembly of Tubingen, affirmed the right of the Baha'i
community to gain legal capacity in the form ordained in the
T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                  161

Baha'i scriptures. The Court took the unusual step of issuing a
press statement explaining its decision, and the case was
widely regarded as highly significant. German legal periodicals
published several articles referring to the court's ruling in what
commentators called the "Baha'i Decision."

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

The full participation of indigenous peoples in the affairs of the
Baha'i community has already been noted in the discussion of
major Holy Year events. The personal experiences of indigenous
Baha'is were the focus of stories in widely scattered locations.
Newspapers in Venezuela reported the election of two Guajiros
to the National Spiritual Assembly of that country. Former
Australian "Youth of the Year" Kathy Freeman, the first
Australian aborigine to participate in the Olympic Games, was
the subject of many articles. Her courageous resolve to face
racial prejudice was frequently remarked, as was her commit-
ment to her religious beliefs. The participation of Native
Americans at the Earth Summit was also covered in several
articl~s. North American media widely reported on tours by
indigenous musical and dancing groups in the wake of the
Baha'i World Congress.

ENVIRONMENT

Baha'i participation at the United Nations Conference on Envi-
ronment and Development (the Earth Summit) was highly
visible and widely covered in the press. The Baha'i Interna-
tional Community was the sole religious_organization invited to
address the plenary session of that meeting, and was a major
force in the organization of central and ancillary events. The
community also sponsored the design and construction of a
peace monument into which children representing the world's
nations poured soil from their own countries. The creation of
the monument was one of those symbolic acts that capture
media attention, and was widely noted in countries that had
162                      T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D

contributed soil to the monument.
The addition of an Office of the Environment in 1990 had
helped to pave the way for the deep involvement of Baha'is in
the Earth Summit, and for the growing awareness of the Baha'i
commitment to a global, unified solution to environmental
problems. The preeminence of the Baha'i role resulted in a New
York Times interview with Rebequa Getahoun, Deputy Director
of the office. Ms. Getahoun addressed several questions-
government responsibility, the need to improve the Earth
Charter, and the importance of spiritual principle-with diplo-
macy and sophistication. Elsewhere, articles featured examples
of existing projects, such as an interview with Dr. William
Baker, founder and director of the Dorothy Baker Environ -
mental Study Center in Bolivia. The center draws on the
principles of the Baha'i Faith for its philosophy, as it attempts
to improve the lives of Aymara and Quechua peoples of the Alti-
plano through appropriate technology and sustainable
development. The Rabbani Baha'i School in Gwalior received
public attention in major Indian newspapers for its programs
for wasteland conversion.

RACIAL HARMONY

In the Baha'i writings, elimination of racial prejudice is a fun-
damental principle. The United States, with its legacy of racism
resulting from centuries of slavery and discrimination, receives
a particular mission in Baha'i texts . Shoghi Effendi, Guardian
of the Baha'i Faith, called it the "most challenging issue" facing
the United States. The National Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha'is of the United States prepared a statement on race
unity in 1991, launching a campaign to make the Baha'i com-
munity an active force in bringing about racial unity. Local
communities sponsored walks for unity, Race Unity Day gath-
erings, workshops, seminars and institutes to promote racial
harmony. Exemplary of the positive press for Baha'i efforts was
an article in the influential newspaper of the Southern Baptist
Convention. When the Ku Klux Klan scheduled a march in
Boone, North Carolina, the Baha'is of that city were prime
T   H   E    B A H   A     W   0   R   L   D                  163

movers in bringing together community and religious organiza-
tions in a Unity Week to display the power of unity in diversity.
The Baha'is were characterized as "a completely different
source of moral energy."
The encouragement of interracial marriage is central to
Baha'i beliefs on this subject. Such a principle is the center-
piece of a personalized study of interracial marriage by South
African Mark Mathabane and his wife Gail, whose work
includes several references to interracial Baha'i couples known
to the authors. Paul and Marcia Lample, an interracial Baha'i
couple from Florida, wrote a short history of the Baha'i
approach to racial harmony and intermarriage in the journal
Interrace.

WOMEN

In 1993 the Universal House of Justice announced the forma-
tion of an Office for the Advancement of Women to coordinate
the widespread Baha'i activities supporting thi~ major principle
of the Faith, and this coincided with increased press coverage
of Baha'i views on sexual equality. India in particular, wh~re
women labor under very serious discrimination, has shown a
keen interest in home-grown Baha'i projects. The Baha'i Voca-
tional Institute for Rural Women received wide public attention
for its work to uplift the condition of poor women in rural
Madhya Pradesh. The National Spiritual Assembly of the
Baha'is of India jointly sponsored an International Women's
Day roundtable with the All-India Women's Conference.
Remarks made at the meeting received considerable coverage
in The Times of India (10 March 1993) and The Hindustan
Times (10 March 1993). In Malaysia, one newspaper found a
simple story important enough to merit an article. Mrs. Mari-
annah Pannusamy could attend the Baha'i World Congress in
New York because her husband, in an unusual move for a
Malaysian man, decided to forego his prerogative to attend the
meeting. Mr. Pannusamy quietly arranged for her travel and
then took over the household duties so his wife could attend.
164                      T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D

OPPOSITION AND DEFENSE

Not surprisingly, opposition also finds expression in print. This
is most likely to appear in the press of those countries where
some significant element of the population views the Baha'i
Faith as threatening. Those who are fearful call upon others to
wipe out "false teaching" or to remain aloof from religions
"incompatible" with the prevailing local culture. Thus Kayhan
Hava (Teheran, 20 Jan. 1993) repeated the essential points of a
report in al-Musliman (London) cataloging efforts to counteract
the growth of the Baha'i community in North Cyprus. A Greek
and a Malaysian daily similarly reported opposition to positive
publicity about Baha'is in their countries. North American and
Australian publications from some of the more extreme Chris-
tian groups appeared during the year. The basis of such
opposition was, again, fears of international federation and of
the Baha'i role in world affairs.
It is with some joy, therefore, that Baha'is point to an
article in the Algerian newspaper L'Hebdo as an example of
independent press coverage trying to set the record straight.
The Baha'is have labored under restrictions in Algeria for some
time. Yassine Merzougui, a journalist with some experience of
Algerian religious and political life, expressed dismay at a
report in the same newspaper where the Baha'i Faith was asso-
ciated with Islamic extremists. She wrote that "the Baha'i Faith
is no longer classified among sects, but is a monotheistic reli-
gion" and catalogued the Faith's history, teachings and
international visibility. In an unusual step , she also discussed
the introduction of the Faith into Algeria, its quest for recogni-
tion, the restrictions placed upon it by then-president Houari
Boumedienne, and the extent to which Algeria's Islamic renais-
sance affected it negatively. Ms. Merzougui's conclusion: "As
far as I know them, I can advance without the least risk of error
that the Baha'is have nothing to do with extremist groups who
constantly proclaim jihad for the installation of an Islamic state
in Algeria."
T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                  165

POSTAGE STAMPS

The issuance of postage stamps of Baha'i buildings and sym-
bols is an evidence of the visibility and established character of
the Baha'i Faith. Panama issued the first postage stamp with a
Baha'i theme in 1983: a five -cent stamp of the Baha'i House of
Worship as part of the "Freedom of Worship" series. Sri Lanka
prepared a World Religion Day stamp in 1985. India issued the
New Delhi Diamond Jubilee stamp in 1991, portraying the
India Baha'i temple on New Delhi's skyline. A series of postage
stamps on religions in Trinidad and Tobago appeared in 1992
and received appropriate public exposure in the philatelic
press. In 1993, Israel issued the 3.50-shekel stamp illustrating
the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa. Israeli, Jewish and philatelic
publications featured the stamp along with clear and accurate
explanations of Baha'i history, extracted from the trilingual
brochure prepared by the Israel Postal Authority.

LOCAL HUMAN INTEREST

Ordinary Baha'is who carried out their activities, visited new
places, and spoke at events were the subject of literally hun-
dreds of local articles. Baha'is prayed for peaceful national
elections in Cameroon and received national coverage in
Cameroon Journal (8 Oct. 1992). A young Baha'i from Denmark
who worked at the Baha'i World Centre was featured in an
article in Berlingske Tidende from Copenhagen (5 May 1992).
Prominent Canadian Baha'i author and clinical psychiatrist
Hossain Danesh undertook a lecture trip to Guyana where he
met the prime minister, with the encounter reported in Guyana
Chronicle ( 16 Sept. 1992). An Iranian Baha'i family in Ireland
explained what Baha'is do at Christmas, for a reporter at Ire-
land's Sunday Tribune (29 Nov. 1992). Baha'is in Peshawar
organized a meeting reported in Pakistan Observer (19 Dec.
1992). Travelers from Africa, Western Europe and North
America were the topic of many articles in Hungarian newspa-
pers. Newspapers in Yakutia, an ethnic region of Siberia,
interviewed American Baha'i youth who were traveling through
166                      T H E     8   A   H   A    W   0   R   L   D

Russia for their Faith. An article on Mongolia in the Swedish
paper Trans V0rld (Uppsala, 18 Dec. 1992) mentioned in
passing that there are Baha'is in that country. A Taiwanese
Baha'i community presented humanitarian service awards at a
banquet that was reported in the island's press . The breadth of
individual experience among Baha'i adherents made possible
this accumulation of local articles that formed about 10
percent of the year's reporting.

RESULTS AND PROSPECTS

If there is one discernible trend foreshadowing the future, it is
the extent to which the Baha'i community has become known
to public figures and leaders of thought. One Country, a news-
letter published by the Office of Public Information, has helped
bring the activities of the Baha'is to the public's attention. The
award-winning publication, which started in 1989, covers
activities of the community worldwide, with particular atten-
tion to its efforts in the field of social and economic
development. In its bi-monthly selection of Baha'i news stories,
the Baha'i World Centre reports the spontaneous accolades
given by national leaders and prominent people to Baha'i activ-
ities in nearly every country. This is confirmed in the growing
amount of media coverage about such expressions of support.
Respect for the Baha'is is of such profound character that in
some places governments have sought out the Baha'i commu-
nity not only as an adviser, but as a manager for failing
educational and social programs. The initial inspiration of such
trust can only be attributed to the wide sympathy given to the
plight of the Iranian followers of Baha'u'llah.
The persecution of Baha'is in Iran, more than any other
single occurrence , has revolutionized the press coverage of
Baha'u'llah's followers. It accompanied a widening of the net-
work of Baha'i public information representatives. A
contemporaneous series of initiatives on the international level
placed the Baha'is in the forefront of spiritual and social con-
cerns: the publication of The Promise of World Peace in 1985;
T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D                  167

the community's energetic efforts in the fields of ecology and
the advancement of women; the centenary effort to inform the
world's people of the life and mission of Baha'u'llah, "the most
precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet"; and
the three major gatherings held for the Holy Year. The Baha'i
social principles, and the deep spiritual life enshrined in
Baha'u'llah's writings, are yet only dimly and imperfectly com-
municated to a world every day more deeply distressed by the
recrudescence of fanaticism, rampant nationalism, and reli-
gious intolerance.
The construction of the international Baha'i institutions
on Mount Carmel within the next half decade will signalize a
new stage of maturation in the operation of the community,
and will itself create interest from the press. With the appear-
ance of the first authorized translation into English of
Baha'u'llah's Kitab-i-Aqdas, the press and the Baha'i commu-
nity face a striking challenge. Baha'is firmly believe that God
has spoken again, and that His Word will remake the world.
The generality of humankind are not all disposed to accept this
idea. Print media are among several vehicles-radio, television,
and electronic networks- that will mediate Baha'u'llah's mes-
sage to the society he has come to redeem. There will inevitably
be a deep encounter between the principles advocated by
Baha'is and the entrenched ills of human society. The press,
Baha'u'llah states, must observe justice and equity, and must
fully probe situations to learn the truth. Baha'is expect the
external affairs of the Baha'i community, and its public visi-
bility in national and international forums , to increase sharply
within the near future . The press is going to play a significant
role in characterizing this involvement so that Baha'is can
make a full contribution to the world's steadily-evolving matu-
ration.
T   H    E   B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                          169

A review of the progress of the
Bahil'[ construction projects on
Mount Carmel in Haifa.

TuE MOUNT CARMEL PROJECTS:
TuE ARC AND TERRACES
he Baha'i Faith is unique among the world's inde-

T       pendent religions in having its spiritual and
administrative centers in the same location. This
circumstance gains added significance from the fact that
the site is in a Land uniquely sacred to the religious his-
tory of much of humankind. The Haifa/ Acre area of
modern Israel is home not only to the Shrines of both
Baha'u'llah and His Forerunner, the Bab, but also to the
rapidly expanding complex of institutions that administer
the international affairs of the Faith. These structures are
set in the midst of magnificent gardens that have become
one of the leading tourist attractions of the Near East.
The development of their International Centre has
been one of the great undertakings uniting Baha'is of the
world ever since 'Abdu'l-Baha's assumption of the leader-
ship of the Faith on His Father's passing in 1892. During
his own subsequent ministry as the Faith's Guardian,
Shoghi Effendi regularly devoted a significant portion of
his time and attention to the successive building projects
that beautified the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, erected the
superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab and the seat of the
International Archives, and beautified and extended the
settings of these and other Baha'i sacred sites in the area
surrounding the Bay of Haifa.
The World Centre conceived by Baha'u'llah Himself
was developed by 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi as a
focus of pilgrimage for the Baha'i world, a place whose

AJW@Pfi +, fo - &
170                          T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

spiritual significance and outward beauty would awaken in the
hearts of the individual Baha'is the deepest sense of identifica-
tion with the mission of the Founders of their Faith. As well,
the nine days the present-day pilgrim spends there, visiting the
Shrines and other Baha'i sacred places and historical sites, in
the company of fellow Baha'is who have come together from the
four corners of the globe, provide an experience of the oneness
of humankind that lies at the heart of Baha'u'llah's message.
Four times, following His eventual release from confine-
ment, Baha'u'llah visited Mount Carmel. On one of these visits,
towards the end of His life, He set in motion the process that
was intended to transform the face of the mountain and pre-
pare it to serve as the spiritual and administrative focus of the
World Order He was calling into being. On a promontory near
the cave of Elijah, Baha'u'llah revealed the Tablet of Carmel,
the document that was to serve as the charter for the develop-
ment of the institutions of the Faith at its World Centre:
Haste thee, 0 Carmel, for lo, the light of the countenance of God, the
Ruler of the Kingdom of Names and Fashioner of the heavens, hath
been lifted upon thee ... Rejoice , for God hath in this Day estab-
lished upon thee His throne, hath made thee the dawning-place of
His signs and the dayspring of the evidences of His Revelation ...
Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that has
descended from heaven ... Ere long will God sail His Ark upon thee,
and will manifest the people of Baha who have been mentioned in
the Book of Names. 1
On another occasion, as He stood on the slopes of Mount
Carmel, Baha'u'llah pointed out to 'Abdu'l-Baha the very spot
which was to serve as the site for the construction of the per-
manent resting place for the remains of the Bab, His martyred
Herald-a task completed by 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1909.
Acting on the guidance of the writings of Baha'u'llah and
'Abdu'l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi took two major design decisions
that have guided the developments that have slowly unfolded
on Mount Carmel during the years since his passing. The first
was to trace the outline of a path, in the shape of an arc

1. Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'ltah Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
(Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1988). 3- 5 .
T   H   E   B A H A         W   0   R   L   D                      171

stretching across gardens east of the Shrine of the Bab and
immediately above. the group of monuments that mark the
resting places of the daughter, the martyred son, and the wife
of Baha'u'llah. The 1 "far-flung arc," as Shoghi Effendi termed it,
was to serve as the site along which buildings for the principal
administrative institutions of the World Centre would be
erected. The second decision was to choose a classical Greek
design for the International Baha'i Archives Building, the first
of the edifices on the Arc which, he announced, would follow a
"harmonizing style of architecture." The Greek style, he said,
had "stood the test of time, " and he regarded it as befitting the
nature of the administrative institutions to be housed at the
World Centre.
In 1975, ground was broken for the erection of the central
edifice on the Arc, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice,
the institution established by Baha'u'llah as the supreme legis-
lative body of His Faith. This institution occupied its new home
in January, 1983. The building's rooftop promenade offers not
Left: Excavations for the
terraces above the Shrine of
the Bab on Mount Carmel.

Below: The large supporting
wall for the Centre for the
Study of the Texts, located
between the Seat of the
Universal House of Justice
and the International
Archives Building.
172   T H E   B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

Above: Excavations for the
International Teaching
Centre where 175
micropiles were installed
during the Holy Year.
Left: Earthwork on the five
terraces immediately
below the Shrine of the
Bab was completed during
the Holy Year.
T   H   E   B   A   H   A   W   0   R   L   D                            173

The Holy Year witnessed
significant progress on the
construction on the new
bridge spanning Abbas
Street below the Shrine of
the Bab.
174                     T   H   E   B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

only a stunning view of Mount Carmel and the curve of the Bay
of Haifa beyond, but also a vantage point from which the visitor
can gain a perspective on the complex of gardens and buildings
taking shape across the slopes of the mountain.
On 30 April 1987, the House of Justice announced that
the way was now open for the erection of the remaining admin-
istrative edifices. The Baha'i world was called on to respond
sacrificially to the financial needs of this vast undertaking. In
addition to an extension of the International Archives and ini-
tial preparations for the eventual erection of the International
Library, the Arc Project would entail construction of the Centre
for the Study of the Texts and the International Teaching
Centre, as designed by architect Husayn Amanat.
A parallel project, designed by architect Fariborz Sahba,
would involve the raising of a series of nine majestic terraces
leading up Carmel from the bottom of the mountain to the
Shrine of the Bab, and nine additional terraces continuing on
to the ridge of the mountain. Gardens, sweeping stone balus-
trades, monumental staircases and fountains will transform
the face of the mountain into one of the most spectacular
beauty spots on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Left: The public promenade
on Yefe Nof street at the top
of the mountain over -
looking the terraces.
T H E     B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                       175

To a greater extent perhaps than any other feature of this
enormous project, the terraces dramatize 'Abdu'l-Baha's and
Shoghi Effendi's vision of the role that the Baha'i World Centre
will play in the emergence of the global society that
Baha'u'llah's writings describe. Up this majestic ascending
avenue will come those pilgrim kings and rulers who will in
time recognize and accept Baha'u'llah's message. Having paid
their tributes at the Shrine of the Founder of the Faith, across
the Bay in Acre, as Shoghi Effendi has written:
They will then make their way to this august and venerated city, and
climb the slopes of Mount Carmel. With the utmost rapture, ardor
and devotion, they will hasten toward this Sacred Spot and, with
reverence and submissiveness, humility and lowliness, ascend these
terraces to approach the luminous precincts of the sanctified and
holy Shrine.

PROGRESS DURING THE HOLY YEAR, 1992-1993

The Holy Year was marked by a significant acceleration of the
work on both the Arc and the terraces project. By Ric;lvan 1993
the entire face of the mountain had taken on the appearance of
a vast construction site extending about one kilometer in
width. The enormous excavations, some 35 meters deep, are
among the largest of their type in Israel.
Earthwork on the five terraces immediately below the
Shrine of the Bab was completed during the Holy Year, and
work began on the next two terraces, entailing the construction
of a new bridge extending across 'Abbas street, which bisects
the flight of lower terraces.
A new phase of the projects began in December with the
signing of contracts for excavations for the International
Teaching Centre and the earthworks required for four of the
upper terraces to rise above the Shrine. Within an impressively
short time a wall of 200 micropiles had been installed on the
site of the International Teaching Centre and some 10,000
cubic meters of rock, which had been removed from this loca-
tion, had been used to supplement the support needed for
several of the upper terraces.
176                     T   H    E        B A H   A          W   0    R   L   D

The design aspects of the enterprise moved ahead with
equal speed. By Ri<;lvan 1993 the design for the International
Teaching Centre had been completed and the production of the
required drawings and associated technical specifications had
begun in earnest. Drawings for the Centre for the Study of the
Texts and the extension to the Archives arrived during the
Ri<;lvan festival itself.
No less important in the overall process was the publica-
tion in February 1993, in the official Gazette of the
Government of Israel, of the proposed town planning scheme
for the area covering the Baha'i properties on Mount Carmel.
The original town plan had not recognized the Baha'i develop-
ment and beautification projects, and the major revision in the
February publication makes it possible to go ahead with the
steps needed to secure the approval of the remaining govern-
ment agencies.
<>- <>- <>-
When completed, the Arc and Terraces, together with the
monumental edifices for which they provide the setting, will
stand as an embodiment of the will and commitment of a global
community that represents a cross-section of humanity itself.

Below: The extension of the
terrace of the Shrine of the
Bab.
T   H   E    B   A   H   A    W   0   R   L    D                      177

'NWJ H::- &4Mii% E Wf
The Baha'i community made
several contributions to UNCED and
the '92 Global Fomm which took
place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

BAHA'I INVOLVEMENT AT
THE EARTH SUMMIT

B
y any account, the Earth Summit and its com-
panion conference, the '92 Global Forum, were
history-making events. The mere fact that over 100
heads of state, more than on any other occasion, gathered
to discuss global concerns with the depth and complexity
of environment and development issues represented a
milestone for humanity. The parallel gathering of some
27,000 representatives from thousands of non-govern-
mental organizations (NGOs) was likewise unprecedented,
not only for its numbers but for its diversity.
Government delegations to the United Nations Con-
ference on Environment and Development (UNCED), as
the Earth Summit was formally known, agreed on two
major treaties aimed at slowing global warming and pre-
serving the earth's biological diversity. Governments also
adopted the principles of "Agenda 21," a 500-page, 40-
chapter, global action-plan to guide the world community
into the 2 lst century, and agreed to create a United
Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
Non-governmental organizations at the Global Forum,
too, can point to many achievements. They succeeded in
negotiating several alternative treaties and adopted an
Earth Charter- a declaration of principles on environment
and development. The cross-sector and cross-border net-
working among various groups was extensive, laying the
groundwork for future collaboration.
From the preparatory meetings held around the world
178                     T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

before the Conference to the actual gathering in Rio, the world-
wide Baha'i community found itself playing an active and
surprisingly prominent role in the entire UNCED process.
Indeed, Baha'i participation in UNCED and the Global Forum
was on a scale greater than anything else the Baha'i commu-
nity had undertaken at a major United Nations conference-or
any other comparable world event.
The community's role was significant in several ways:
•    In the preparatory meetings to UNCED, there was
extensive Baha'i interaction with governments; sub-
stantive statements were made to UNCED bodies; and
Baha'i representatives had frequent and productive
high-level contacts with many delegates. The extent to
which Baha'i themes emerged in the final conference
documents was highly gratifying.
•    At UNCED itself, nine Baha'i delegates were accred-
ited as NGO representatives and nine other Baha'is
were members, usually as technical advisors, of gov-
ernment delegations.
•    The Baha'i International Community was one of only
thirteen NGOs invited to address the UNCED plenary
itself. The Community's statement, titled "The Most
Vital Challenge," stressed the importance of spiritual
principles in bringing about the attitudinal changes
necessary to promote sustainable development and
was chosen to reflect the view of religious NGOs to the
conference.
•    Baha'is also took a leading part in the Global Forum.
The Baha'i International Community in collaboration
with the Baha'i community of Brazil sponsored sev-
eral major artistic events including the construction
of a "Peace Monument" and the publication of a book
of children's artwork on environmental themes. It also
offered behind-the-scenes support for various Forum
activities.
''The increased recognition of the Baha'i International
Community, coupled with growing acceptance of the principle
of the oneness of humanity, are some of the most significant
T H E       B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D              179

outcomes of our participation in the UNCED process," said
Lawrence Arturo, Director of the Office of the Environment of
the Baha'i International Community, which coordinated the
overall worldwide involvement of Baha'is in UNCED.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE THEME OF ONENESS

Central to the Baha'i message at Rio was that the world should
focus on the principle of the oneness of humanity. This theme
was gradually picked up by others and appeared in various
statements and publications related to the UNCED process.
Ultimately, in several speeches at the Earth Summit and
Global Forum, NGO and government leaders alike embraced
this principle as critical to the establishment of sustainable
development in the world.
Warren Lindner, international coordinator of the '92 Global
Forum, made reference to the words of Baha'u'llah during the
dedication of the "Peace Monument"-a five-meter- high

Right: The inauguration of
the Peace Monument. a
sculpture initiated by the
Baha'i International Com-
munity as a monument to
the Earth Summit.

Below: The Peace Monu-
ment contained the soils
of more than 40 nations,
pictured here before being
deposited in the sculpture.
180                     T   H   E   B A H   A     W   0   R L   D

sculpture initiated by the Baha'i International Community as a
lasting monument to the Earth Summit. ''The '92 Global Forum
and the Earth Summit were not really about environment and
development," said Mr. Lindner on 14 June 1992, the final day
of both conferences. "What they were really about was proving
the point made on the monument. The fact that 'the earth is but
one country and mankind its citizens."' He was quoting the
words of Baha'u'llah as inscribed on the monument.
In other statements and addresses by world leaders and
prominent thinkers, the same theme of oneness was empha-
sized as essential to sustainable development.
"Rio and Brazil have become milestones on the path of
men to one world," said H. E . Ruud F. M. Lubbers, the prime
minister of the Netherlands, in his speech to world leaders at
the Earth Summit. "Now that the East-West conflict is over, all
efforts must be directed even more vigorously to the relation-
ship between North and Sáouth and to the cooperation of the
world as a whole."
"Let it be a sacred duty, in the knowledge that we all
belong to one mankind and that no person and no nation can
enjoy lasting peace and well-being unless they act as members
of the human family with respect for the integrity of creation
and in harmony amongst ourselves," Mr. Lubbers added. ''This
requires new forms of cooperation and global partnership."
The theme also emerged in interviews with delegates.
"Before UNCED, there were different sectors-wildlife, forests,
trade," said Mr. Raymond Kwerepe, a delegate from Botswana.
"Now we are trying to integrate them. We are dealing with the
global village-South, North, East and West. That is the real
theme of this conference. "

BAHA'I PARTICIPATION IN UNCED

The Summit must be seen in terms of a process. UNCED was,
in reality, many separate events. Starting more than two years
before the actual Rio Summit in June of 1992, various prepara-
tory meetings were held around the world-meetings designed
T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D                  181

to prepare the agenda and agreements that would be signed in
Brazil.
Several National Spiritual Assemblies, as well as the
Baha'i International Community's Office of the Environment,
were involved from the beginning. Representatives attended all
of the major international preparatory conferences, as well as
many subsidiary conferences sponsored by NGOs.
At the international level, the Baha'i community presented
statements at each of the four preparatory meetings (known in
United Nations parlance as PREPCOMs). These statements
addressed such issues as the importance of adopting an "Earth
Charter" to establish common values on the issue of sustain-
able development, the need for "bold and creative approaches"
to create the "international legislative machinery" necessary to
direct and coordinate international activity aimed at solving
world problems , and the importance of the principle of the one-
ness of humanity in any global effort to solve the problems of
sustainable development.
As well, national Baha'i communities around the world
participated in national and regional meetings held in prepara-
tion for the Summit. Under the terms of UNCED, for example,
each participating country was to submit a report outlining its
concerns on the state of environment and development. The
input of NGOs was stipulated in this process, and Baha'i com-
munities in many countries, ranging from Brazil to Swaziland,
responded. In the process, they sought to demonstrate that the
teachings of their Faith and the social and community life of its
followers offer to the world intriguing models for action in the
effort to create a sustainable world.
At the "Global Assembly of Women and the Environment,"
a special pre-UNCED international conference organized in
Miami, Florida, USA, in November 1991 under the auspices of
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and
implemented by the WorldWIDE Network, an international net-
work of women in environment, some 500 women and men
from nearly 70 countries gathered to discuss grassroots-level
"success stories" of environmental management and sustain-
able development.
182                        T   H   E   B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D

The goal of the gathering was to showcase affordable,
repeatable and environmentally sound development projects
undertaken by women, thereby demonstrating capacity and
leadership. Two of the projects were started by Baha'i women.
The story of the Baha'i Vocational Institute for Rural Women in
Indore, India, which has been very successful in its effort to
eradicate guinea worm disease in 302 villages in central India,
was presented to the Global Assembly by Janak Palta
McGilligan, the director of the Institute. 1 A second Baha'i, Irma
A. Allen of Swaziland, was also recognized by the Assembly for
her work in helping to launch a national anti-litter campaign. 2
Baha'i community representatives also participated in
subsidiary conferences sponsored by NGOs. At the World
Women's Congress for a Healthy Planet, also held in November
1991 in Miami, Florida, USA, the Baha'i International Commu-
nity made available a statement entitled "Women and Men:
Partnership for a Healthy Planet." The statement outlined the
importance of the principle of equality between the sexes in any
attempt to establish sustainable development, suggesting that
only through a partnership between men and women will it be
possible to "create the moral and psychological climate in
which peace can emerge and environmentally sustainable civi-
lization can advance and flourish."
Prior to UNCED, the Baha'i International Community had
prepared a statement for presentation. Because it stressed
broad spiritual principles and ideas, it quickly emerged as the
one that representatives of other religious bodies could sup-
port. Accordingly, the statement was presented to the plenary
on behalf of religious NGOs generally.
Entitled ''The Most Vital Challenge," the statement took a
global view of the problems facing humanity, emphasizing that
above all else the problems of environment and development
cannot be solved unless humanity can "commit itself to
enlightened cooperation and long-range planning on a global

1. In 1992, the Institute was among 74 individuals and institutions hon-
ored with a Global 500 Award by UNEP in ceremonies at UNCED on 5
June.
2 . Ms. Allen received a Global 500 Award in 1988.
T H E      B A H    A       W   0   R   L   D                183

scale." It noted the interdependence of the world's problems
and said that worldwide cooperation on the scale needed to
solve them is possible only through a deeper understanding of
human nature: "For, although economics, politics, sociology
and science offer important tools for addressing the interde-
pendent crises facing humanity, a true resolution of the
dangerous state of affairs in the world can only be realized
when the spiritual dimension of human nature is taken into
account and the human heart is transformed."
The statement concluded by saying that the fundamental
spiritual truth of our age is the oneness of humanity.
"Universal acceptance of this principle-with its implications
for social and economic justice, universal participation in non-
adversarial decision-making, peace and collective security,
equality of the sexes, and universal education-will make pos-
sible the reorganization and administration of the world as one
country, the home of humankind."

Right: The Baha'i
Vocational Institute for
Rural Women in India was
the recipient of the UNEP
Global 500 Award.
Below: The Baha'is
organized a series of
cultural evenings as part
of the Global Forum.
Pictured here is Kevin
Locke, a North American
Indian, performing at one
of these events.
184                     T H E     B A H A          W   0   R   L   D

PARTICIPATION IN THE GLOBAL FORUM

Apart from its participation at UNCED itself. the Baha'i Inter-
national Community played a major role in supporting the
Global Forum, the parallel conference in Rio for NGOs. More
than 27,000 NGO representatives, representing roughly 11,000
NGOs from at least 171 countries, took part in the '92 Global
Forum-making it the largest and most diverse NGO event ever
held . At least 140 Baha'is, from all continents of the world,
including two members of the Continental Boards of Counsel-
lors, members of several National Spiritual Assemblies, and
representatives of the Baha'i International Community, took
part in the Global Forum. Much of the credit for this participa-
tion rests with the Baha'i community of Brazil, which devoted
intense effort to supporting a range of Baha'i contributions:
•   The construction and dedication of an hourglass-
shaped "Peace Monument," which since UN CED has
come to be seen as the enduring monument to the
Conference in Rio. Designed to symbolize the new
spirit of global cooperation inspired by the Earth
Summit, samples of soil from more than 40 nations
were deposited in the monument as part of the closing
ceremonies in Rio.
•   The preparation and production of a book of artwork
and essays by children from around the world about
the need for greater environmental protection and for
peace. This book, entitled Tomorrow Belongs to the
Children, was sent to all heads of state in 1993.
•   The sponsorship of a day-long symposium, held at the
'92 Global Forum, on "Values and Institutions for a
Sustainable and Ever-Advancing World Civilization."
•   The responsibility for organizing a series of evening
music and cultural programs for the '92 Global
Forum. The "Evening Series in the Park" took place
every night during the Global Forum in the Flamengo
Park Amphitheater.
Beyond these specjfic events the Baha'i community contributed
significantly to the overall direction and shape of the Global
T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                  185

Forum. In August 1991, for example, the community was
approached by Mr. Warren Lindner, Co-Chairman of the Global
Forum, for assistance in setting up the Global Forum offices in
Rio. "We were able to offer to the Forum the full-time assistance
of Ms. Amanda Gurney, a Brazilian Baha'i who is fluent in both
English and Portuguese, as an assistant to Mr. Lindner," said
Mr. Arturo. "Our hope was that early involvement by Baha'is
would help to infuse a unifying spirit to the Forum, and we
believe this was accomplished."

THE PEACE MONUMENT

The conception and construction of the "Peace Monument" rep-
resented a particularly gratifying opportunity for Baha'i
initiative. The inauguration held on 14 June attracted more
than 400, including more than 30 media representatives and at
least a dozen representatives from government delegations to
UNCED .
The five-meter high concrete and ceramic monument was
designed by, and built under the supervision of, the renowned
Brazilian artist and sculptor, Siron Franco, who became very
committed personally to the project. Indeed, in the final weeks
of its construction, Mr. Franco declared his belief in Baha'u'llah
during a live radio interview broadcast throughout Brazil. His
design combines two pyramids, one inverted on top of the
other, creating an hourglass shape intended to symbolize the
fact that time is running out for humanity unless it unites in a
new spirit of global cooperation.
During the inauguration ceremony, a line of children
dressed in the costumes of many countries passed from hand
to hand the soil of 42 nations for deposit into the monument,
which is hollow. Contributions of soil were solicited from
nations the world over and , as of May 1993, soil samples had
been received from an additional 10 countries, bringing to 52
the number of nations that have contributed soil to the project.
Many of the soil samples have been taken from sacred or his-
toric sites. Soil from Iceland, for example, was taken from that
186                    T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

country's most sacred and historic spot, the site of the first
parliament, which was founded 1100 years ago. Soil from India
was taken from Shakti Sthal, the site of the monument to the
late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who was the only head
of state to attend the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the
Environment.
Representatives of the Ethiopian government noted that
their willingness to donate soil to the monument was especially
symbolic because of its sacred nature. One representative said
that when European delegations visited Ethiopia a hundred
years ago, the Emperor decreed that their feet should be
washed before they left, to prevent any of the country's sacred
soil from being carried away. "In the past, we did not allow
anyone to take our soil out of the country willingly," said
Zegeye Asfaw, Ethiopia's Minister of Agriculture, Environment
and Development, in a press conference before the inaugura-
tion ceremony. "But our determination is to see a peaceful and
prosperous earth, and that is why we have delivered our soil to
the peace monument."
Etched in four languages on the four sides of the upper
pyramid are words written by Baha'u'llah more than a century
ago: "The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens."
The quotation is displayed in English, Portuguese, Chinese and
Terena, an indigenous language of Brazil. On the lower half of

Left: Mr. James Grant,
executive director of
UNICEF, receiving the book
Tomorrow Belongs to the
Children.
T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D                  187

the structure the words "world peace" have been engraved in
more than 35 languages. A glass strip at the monument's mid-
point displays multi-colored soils taken from the contributing
nations .
Constructed near the Santos Dumont Airport, just north
of Flamengo Park and the site of the '92 Global Forum, the
monument will stand as a lasting symbol of the Earth Summit
and the Global Forum.

THE CHILDREN'S BOOK

The book, Tomorrow Belongs to the Children: Contribution to
Earth Summit '92, brought together the concerns of children
from more than 25 countries and offers an inspiring glimpse of
what the world could be like if the peoples and nations of the
world can learn to cooperate in building an environmentally
sustainable future. Produced by the Baha'i International Com-
munity, with support from the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) and the Masrour Association for Family Welfare and
Education (ASMA), the book includes contributions from chil-
dren of virtually every religious and cultural background.
The publication was officially released at the Global Forum
on 12 June. For the first edition of the 78-page book, 15,000
copies were printed, half being donated to UNICEF in support
of children's environmental programs. The remaining copies
were distributed to non-governmental organizations, govern-
ment delegations, United Nations officials, and heads of state.
''The artwork and essays in this book poignantly reflect the
heartfelt concerns of the world's children as they face a world
threatened by the potential of environmental degradation,
uneven development, and continued political conflict in which
the future seems so uncertain," said Roberto Eghrari, the sec-
retary-general of the Baha'i National Assembly of Brazil, which
also assisted in the book's preparation and publication. The 80
selections of artwork and essays in the book were done by ele-
mentary school children in 26 countries. They were chosen
from thousands of submissions.
188                      T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FORUM

In many ways, the "Evening Series in the Park" nightly musical
and cultural performances during the Global Forum also orga-
nized by the Baha'i community, became the heart and soul of
the Global Forum, providing a time and place where diverse
people could come together without any particular agenda. Its
intention, in the words of the Forum organizers, was "to reflect
the cultural diversity of the Human Family with different
musical genres from around the world." Between 2,000 and
4,000 people gathered each night to see these shows. On 13
June, the final night of the Evening Series, six acts featuring
Baha'i performers were presented as a "Unity Show."

A GREATER ROLE FOR NGOS

In general terms, the Earth Summit helped to show how NGOs
have become important players in the development of world
policy and cooperation. It was clear that governments have
developed a new respect for the expertise and capacities of
non-governmental organizations. Many government delega-
tions to UNCED included representatives of NGOs. "This is
really one of the first ideas to have come out of this conference,
that we need to cooperate more with NGOs," said Mme. Lansiri
Nana Haidara, a member of the Mali delegation to UNCED.
"NGOs are really the ones that work with the people at the
basic level. And the governments recognize that they have to
work with NGOs."
Representatives from NGOs agreed. ''That is one of the
areas of achievement of this conference," said Sir Shridath
Ramphal, president of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
"UNCED was different from other UN conferences. The diplo-
matic closed-door style was opened up. The entire process was
opened up. This could be the beginning of a global dialogue at
the level of the social partners, rather than at the level of the
international bureaucrats. The world needs this."
For the Baha'i community, the Earth Summit provided a
T H E     B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                 189

unique opportunity to demonstrate the universal nature of the
beliefs that guide it, the unity of its approach, and a range of
activities which offer potential models for action in the quest
for sustainable development.
T H E   B   A   H   A    W   0   R   L   D                          191

This statement was read at the
plenary of UNCED in Rio de Janeiro
on 4 June 1992 by a Baha'i
International Community
representative. It was one of thirteen
statements read by representatives
of non-governmental organizations
atUNCED.

THE MOST VITAL CHALLENGE
eyond such technical and political questions as

B      what limits should be placed on greenhouse gases,
how can sustainable development be promoted,
and who will pay for it all, the fundamental question
facing the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) is this: Can humanity, with its
entrenched patterns of conflict, self-interest, and short-
sighted behavior, commit itself to enlightened cooperation
and long-range planning on a global scale?
The UNCED process has highlighted both the com-
plexity and the interdependence of the problems facing
humanity. None of these problems- the debilitating ineq-
uities of development, the apocalyptic threats of
atmospheric warming and ozone depletion, the oppression
of women, the neglect of children and marginalized peo-
ples, to name but a few-can be realistically addressed
without considering all the others. None can be fully
addressed without a magnitude of cooperation and coordi-
nation at all levels that far surpasses anything in
humanity's collective experience.
The potential for such cooperation is, however, under-
mined by the general debasement of human character.
Although not commonly discussed in relation to the chal-
lenges of environment and development, there are current
in the world certain trends-including the widespread lack
of moral discipline, the glorification of greed and material
accumulation, the increasing breakdown of family and

,.             4         oo +• 1± moo
192                      T   H   E       B A H   A   W   0   R   L   D

community, the rise of lawlessness and disorder, the ascen-
dancy of racism and bigotry, and the priority given to national
interests over the welfare of humanity-all of which destroy
confidence and trust, the foundations of collaboration.
The reversal of these destructive trends is essential to the
establishment of unity and cooperation. This reversal will
require a deeper understanding of human nature. For, although
economics, politics, sociology and science offer important tools
for addressing the interdependent crises facing humanity, a
true resolution of the dangerous state of affairs in the world can
only be realized when the spiritual dimension of human nature
is taken into account and the human heart is transformed.
Although there are mystical aspects that are not easily
explained, the spiritual dimension of human nature can be
understood, in practical terms, as the source of qualities that
transcend narrow self-interest. Such qualities include love,
compassion, forbearance, trustworthiness, courage, humility,
cooperation and willingness to sacrifice for the common good-
qualities of an enlightened citizenry, able to construct a unified
world civilization.
The profound and far-reaching changes, the unity and
unprecedented cooperation required to re-orient the world
toward an environmentally sustainable and just future, will
only be possible by touching the human spirit, by appealing to
those universal values which alone can empower individuals
and peoples to act in accordance with the long-term interests of
the planet and humanity as a whole. Once tapped, this pow-
erful and dynamic source of individual and collective
motivation will release such         a
profound and salutary spirit
among the peoples of the earth that no power will be able to
resist its unifying force. The fundamental spiritual truth of our
age is the oneness of humanity. Universal acceptance of this
principle- with its implications for social and economic justice,
universal participation in non-adversarial decision-making,
peace and collective security, equality of the sexes, and uni-
versal education-will make possible the reorganization and
administration of the world as one country, the home of
humankind.
T H E   B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                        193

ROBERT WHITE looks at the
spiritual foundations of an
ecologically sustainable society as
the human race moves towards the
development of a planetary culture.

SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS FOR AN
ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE
SOCIETY

T
he evolving consciousness of humanity is moving
inexorably to the development of a new planetary
culture. In an ecological sense, humanity has
appeared, in many respects, to be a delinquent species
running out of control. Within a larger vision of human-
ity's spiritual and social evolution, however, the present
environmental crisis and the race's reaction to it may be
seen as portending a momentous transformation. In the
emerging knowledge in physics, ecology, psychology and
other fields of science lies the promise of a mature cooper-
ative relationship between humanity and the ecosphere
that gave it birth.

REVISIONING CULTURAL ATTITUDES TO NATURE

The dominant response to environmental issues over the
past several decades has been mitigative. Environmental
legislation, particularly in industrialized countries, has
helped to ameliorate some of the worst forms of air and
water pollution while research has focused on developing
better methods of monitoring environmental change. Envi-
ronmental groups have focused largely on protecting
endangered species and wilderness areas. They have also
been effective in sounding the alarm on the ideology of
consumerism and unbridled industrial growth.
While visible national and local issues have received
194                          T   H   E   B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

much attention, the more ominous cumulative effects of
human activities on the planetary ecology as a whole have
emerged to overshadow these efforts. Rapidly progressing envi-
ronmental alterations-global warming, ozone depletion, soil
degradation, forest depletion, and species extinction-threaten
the delicate ecological balance of the ecosphere. As the twen-
tieth century draws to a close, the threat of irreversible
degradation of planetary life systems by these and other pos-
sible unanticipated dangers has come to replace nuclear war
as the primary concern of collective security.
The predominant response to these issues has focused on
the concept of sustainable development. For development to be
sustainable, social and economic decisions need to recognize
the finite biological and chemical limits of ecosystems and the
ecosphere as a whole. 1 Continued economic growth, however,
is still considered necessary particularly if non-industrialized
nations are to raise large segments of their population out of
poverty. Sustainable development thus links environment and
development issues and focuses on minimizing the environ-
mental impact of production activities.
Attracting support from a broad spectrum of interests,
sustainable development has moved environmental policy from
a corrective approach to an anticipatory or preventative
approach. Nevertheless, while agreeing with sustainability as a
value, many ecologists and social critics feel that sustainable
development does not really go far enough in examining the
cultural attitudes to Nature which are at the root of environ-
mental problems. They argue that technical and social
adjustments to current models of development are inadequate
to forestall deteriorating environmental conditions. What is
needed is a "radically new metaphysic" which supports a more
fundamental reconciliation between humanity and Nature. 2

1. William D. Ruckelshaus, ''Toward a Sustainable World," Scientific Amer-
ican: Special Issue: Managing Planet Earth, vol. 261, no. 3 (Sept. 1989).
167-8.
2 . John Livingston, "Ethics as Prostethetics," Environmental Ethics: Philo-
sophical and Policy Perspectives, Philip P. Hanson, ed. (Burnaby: Institute
for the Humanities, Simon Fraser University, 1986). 67-81.
T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                       195

Among the several schools of thought which exemplify this view
are deep ecology, ecojeminism and eco-philosophy.
Deep ecologists see the environmental crisis as stemming
primarily from a faulty world view and insist that we need to
re-vision our relationship to Nature. In Deep Ecology: Living as
if Nature Mattered, Devall and Sessions argue that the domi-
nant world view of modern industrial society is ecologically
destructive because it views the earth as a "collection of nat-
ural resources" with no value other than use for human
exploitation. 3 This utilitarian or resourcist view of Nature, they
assert, is arrogantly anthropocentric and needs to be replaced
by a "biocentric" view in which other forms of life are seen as
having intrinsic value. What is needed, deep ecologists suggest,
is the development of an "ecological consciousness"-an
inward transformation that alters our perception of being sepa-
rate from and above the rest of Nature.
In the search for common ground between the highest
aims of civilization and the beauty, complexity and mystery of
Nature, deep ecology draws on a diversity of philosophical, cul-
tural, and spiritual traditions as well as the science of ecology.
It asserts that beyond our "narrowly scientific understanding of
reality the spiritual and material aspects of reality fuse
together." 4 For Naess, who coined the term deep ecology, its
essence is to ask deeper questions-"We ask which society,
which education, which form of religion is beneficial for all life
on the planet as a whole." 5 Norms for deep ecological thinking
include valuing Nature as having intrinsic worth; tolerance for
diversity; decentralized, non-hierarchical, self-regulating so-
cial structures; small-scale, community-based technologies
and economies; simplicity of wants; and appreciation for reli-
gious/ spiritual dimensions. 6
Ecofeminism, like deep ecology, rejects the anthropocentr-
icism that elevates humanity above non-human Nature. Some

3. Bill Devall and George Sessions, Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mat-
tered (Salt Lake City: G. M. Smith Books, 1985). 43.
4. Ibid., 66.
5. Quoted in Devall and Sessions, Deep Ecology, 74.
6. Devall and Sessions, Deep Ecology, 18.
196                        T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

ecofeminists argue that to the extent that women are more nat-
urally attuned to the interrelatedness of life, the development
of an ecological sensibility in modern culture requires a revalu-
ation of women's experience and greater involvement of women
in the production of knowledge. 7 Ecofeminism also shows how
the domination of Nature and of women are linked patterns
rooted in the patriarchal heritage of most cultures.
In eco-philosophy, as described by Henryk Skolimowski,
ecological values and life-oriented human values come out of a
vision of an evolving cosmos. 8 In much the same tradition as
Teilhard de Chardin, Skolimowski sees the spiritual or sacred
becoming actualized in human consciousness as a fulfillment
of evolution. 9 One expression of this is new values or moral
imperatives in relation to the earth as the evolutionary matrix
of life and consciousness. The position is one of "enlightened"
anthropocentrism-all claims made for the protection of other
forms of life are necessarily informed by human values of jus-
tice and compassion. 10 In addition to being ecologically
conscious, eco-philosophy is holistic and global and it is con-
cerned with wisdom, quality, and health. Instead of our current
emphasis on objectivity and detachment, eco-philosophy sees
human beings as spiritual agents in an evolving world endowed
with grace and meaning and thereby emphasizes participatory
commitment, compassion, and responsibility.
Perhaps the most eloquent presentation of a new ecolog-
ical vision is in the writings of Thomas Berry (The Dream of the
Earth). Berry sees the present as a transition period to an eco-
logical age in which the rediscovery of the subjective capacity
to relate to the divine in all of creation will radically alter all
aspects of human life .
Within this context of the search for new concepts and

7. Marti Kheel, "Ecofeminism and Deep Ecology: Reflections on Identity
and Difference," Trumpeter, 8:2:Spring 1992, 63.
8. Henryk Skolimowski, Eco-Philosophy: Designing New Tactics for Living
(London: Marion Boyars, 1981). 54.
9. Daniel A. Kealey, Revisioning Environmental Ethics (Albany: State Uni-
versity of New York Press, 1990). 43.
10. Henryk Skolimowski, "Comment: The Dogma of Anti-Anthropocen-
trism and Eco-philosophy," Environmental Ethics, vol. 6 (Fall 1984). 284.
T   H   E   B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D              197

world views that support an ecological praxis the teachings of
Baha'u'llah have a significant contribution to make. In their
emphasis on unity and evolutionary thinking, they offer a view
of Nature that embraces both animistic wisdom and contempo-
rary ecological understanding. At the same time these
teachings affirm divine transcendence and the essential unity
of religious expression throughout history. Furthermore
Baha'u'llah presents a challenging interpretation of what reli-
gion is and its role in transforming the current world order. In
addition, many of the tenets and principles for an alternative
society based on ecological wisdom found expression within the
writings and institutions of the Faith that Baha'u'llah founded.
This paper will go on to explore first the philosophical and then
the social implications of the Baha'i understanding of Nature
and of human purpose in relation to it.

RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE:
A BAHA'I PERSPECTIVE

In an examination of Baha'i principles as they apply to agricul-
ture, Paul Hanley articulates a three-fold relationship between
humanity and Nature involving principles of unity, detach-
ment, and humility. 11 These same principles will be explored in
depth below.

UNITY WITH NATURE: WHOLENESS AND COOPERATIVE
INTERRELATIONSHIP OF CREATION

'Abdu'l-Baha asserts that all parts of the creational world are of
one whole. " ... All the parts are subordinate and obedient to the
whole. The contingent beings are the branches of the tree of life
while the Messenger of God is the root of that tree." 12 A recog-
nition of this essential unity is restated by 'Abdu'l-Baha in
several passages:

11. Paul Hanley, "Agriculture: A Fundamental Principle," Journal of
Baha'i Studies, 3: 1: 1990, 11-12.
198                          T   H   E   B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

You are well aware, praised be the Lord, that both interaction and
cooperation are evident and proven amongst all beings, whether
large or small. In the case of large bodies interaction is as manifest
as the sun, whilst in the case of small bodies, though interaction be
unknown, yet the part is an indication of the whole. All these inter-
actions therefore are connected with that all-embracing power which
is their pivot, their center, their source and their motive power. 13
Association, harmony and union are the source of life ... Shouldst
thou reflect on all created things, thou wilt observe that the exist-
ence of every being dependeth upon the association and
combination of divers elements the disintegration of which will ter-
minate the existence of that being. 14
Liken the world of existence to the temple of man. All the limbs and
organs of the human body assist one another; therefore life con-
tinues ... Likewise, among the parts of existence there is a wonderful
connection and interchange of forces, which is the cause of the life
of the world and the continuation of these countless phenomena .. .
From this illustration one can see the base of life Is this mutual aid
and helpfulness ... 15
'Abdu'l-Baha describes the cooperative interrelations of
creation as a manifestation of Love, which is the secret of God's
holy Dispensation. 16 Through God's love the world of being
receives life.
Love is the cause of God's revelation unto man, the vital bond
Inherent, In accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of
things . . . Love is the most great law that rule th this mighty and
heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers
elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that
directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. 17
Further, the mineral, plant, and animal are seen to pos-
sess various grades and stations of spirit. 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote
in 1921:

12. Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Baha, cited in Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i
World Faith: Selected Writings of Baha'u'Hah and 'Abdu'l-Baha (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1956). 364.
13. 'Abdu'l-Baha, cited in Baha'i Peace Program, p. 31.
14. "Epistles of 'Abdu'l-Baha," cited in 1he Baha'i World, vol. 2 (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Committee, 1928), 50.
15. Starofthe West, 8:11 (27 September 1917). 138.
16. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha (Haifa:
Baha'i World Centre, 1978). 27.
17. Ibid.
T H E       B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                          199

... it is indubitable that minerals are endowed with a spirit and life
according to the requirements of that stage . . . In the vegetable
world, too, there is the power of growth, and that power of growth is
the spirit. In the animal world there is the sense of feeling, but in the
human world there is an all-embracing power ... the reasoning
power of the mind ... In like manner the mind proveth the existence
of an unseen Reality that embraceth all beings, and that existeth
and revealeth itself in all stages ... 18
There is a cohesiveness within life's ever-increasing differ-
entiation-an underlying spirit that animates all of existence.
The prevailing view of Nature as environment made up of mate-
rial components of air, water, soil, and organisms is therefore
inadequate. The very word environment implies that which is
external and peripheral to what is assumed to be the central
object of concern, human beings. This human self-preoccupa-
tion ignores the reality that life and spirit are properties of the
whole and characterize its reciprocal interactions.

SPIRITUAL DETACHMENT FROM NATURE:
A REQUIREMENT OF CONSCIOUS SPIRITUALITY

Humanity, too, is part of the whole of a creation that in turn
reflects, in its harmony and unity, a divine and "unseen
Reality." At the same time, paradoxically, human beings
occupy a unique station that can only be consciously realized
through detachment from Nature. 'Abdu'l-Baha states that the
human being is in the highest degree of materiality, and at the
beginning of spirituality. 19
Creation in the Baha'i view is a progression of increasingly
complex orders from the mineral kingdom to vegetable and
animal life to human beings. Humanity, however, has the capa-
bility and the power of spiritual advancement, our very purpose
being to advance towards God.
In the words of 'Abdu'l-Baha:

18. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to Dr. Auguste Forel, 1921, cited in Baha'i Peace
Program, 31.
19. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1981). 235.
200                          T   H   E   B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

God has created all earthly things under a law of progression in
material degrees, but He has created man and endowed him with
powers of advancement toward spiritual and transcendental
kingdoms. 20
All other created things are "captives of nature and the
sense world," but human beings, created in the "image of God,"
occupy a unique station in creation. We have evolved through
all the physical kingdoms and contain all of their capacities
plus our distinguishing capacity for rational and self-reflective
thought. The development of this unique capacity of the mind,
a capacity that allows us to mediate between the material and
spiritual dimensions, has required that we separate ourselves
from Nature, both externally and internally. Through this sepa-
ration humanity has gained the capacity to comprehend
Nature from outside it and to unravel its secrets. In an internal
sense, too, by partially removing ourselves from the physical
and instinctual responses that guide all other life forms, we
have developed conscious faculties of judgment and volition.
The freedom these capacities give us involves a commen-
surate responsibility to recognize the unseen Reality that
embraces all beings. 21 Our spiritual evolution depends on the
degree of our attunement to that greater reality, which is
described by Baha'u'llcih and all the great Prophets as limitless
and eternal. Thus , to truly develop a conscious spirituality and
to awaken to our full potential we are called to sever our imme-
diate identification with the physical dimension of Nature.
'Abdu'l-Baha discusses this concept:
And among the teachings of His Holiness Baha'u'llab is man's
freedom, that through the ideal Power he should be free and eman-
cipated from the captivity of the world of nature ... 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 converts this animal into a human soul. 22
The development of human consciousness remains limited

20. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Trust, 1982). 302.
21. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablet to Dr. Auguste Forel, 1921 , cited in Baha'i Peace
Program, 31 .
22. Baha'u'llab and 'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, 288-90.
T H E      B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                     201

if it is oriented only to the material reality. Thus, numerous ref-
erences are made in the Baha'i writings, as in the scriptures of
many religions, to the necessity of separation from the influ-
ences of the world of matter. In this context Nature has often
been referred to as a world of darkness. However, neither
human beings nor Nature, in and of themselves, are evil. For
example, when Baha'u'llah urges "esteem as nothing the world,
nay, the entire creation," He explains that "by 'the world' is
meant your unawareness of Him Who is your Maker, and your
absorption in aught else but Him. "23 The physical world is
problematic only to the extent that it is seen as an end in itself.
Thus detachment from the physical world is a means of gaining
conscious access to the spiritual realities that lie behind and
beyond the physical. Paradoxically, this very detachment
allows us to see that the physical world perfectly and fully
reflects the spiritual world. This is demonstrated, as John
Hatcher has pointed out, in our growing awareness of
ecology. 24 As we begin to understand the ecological principle
that everything is connected to everything else in the physical
world, we are learning the truth of the essential spiritual law of
unity that pervades and animates all of creation.
The paradox between our oneness with the rest of exist-
ence and our detachment from it can be seen on deeper
reflection as representing the multidimensionality of our
humanness. The recognition of our unity with the earth, which
in a very real sense gestated us, reflects both animistic wisdom
and contemporary ecological understanding. At the same time,
as was emphasized in earlier Revelations, we must reach
beyond the material world to discover our spiritual potential
and to fulfill our destiny as conscious beings. That potential
and destiny, which has been reflected to us by a progression of
divine Messengers, is an unfolding one in an ongoing process of
creation. Ultimately, knowledge of the Divinity is impossible
and unattainable. However, faith in and vision of our perfect-

23. Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith. 65, 134.
24. John Hatcher, The Pwpose of Physical Reality (Wilmette: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Trust, 1987). 69.
202                          T   H   E   B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

ibility gives us the strength to progress towards fulfillment of
all our potential and to participate in spiritualizing our social
existence.
While the Baha'i Faith is not the first belief system to rec-
ognize this tension between the material and spiritual
dimensions, Baha'u'llah's teachings bring a fuller appreciation
of the balance in this relationship. Matthew Fox perhaps seeks
just such a balance in his call for "panentheism. "25 While, like
pantheism, panentheism sees the spirit of God as present in all
things, it insists that God is an independent Being above and
beyond all things. Baha'u'llah writes on this point:
The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself indepen-
dent of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of
Divine unity. He Who is the Eternal Truth is the one Power Who
exerciseth undisputed sovereignty over the world of being, Whose
image is reflected In the mirror of the en tire creation. 26

HUMILITY

In this delicate balance between unity and detachment, we are
called on to honor creation, to recognize its sacredness, and to
humble ourselves before it. In the miracle of life's evolution,
God has acted through Nature in an emergent way. Creation is
intrinsically endowed with meaning and purpose, and reflects
the unity, beauty, and ultimate mystery of God. The earth itself
reveals the attributes of God, as Baha'u'llah affirms in several
passages:
Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the revelation of
God .... 27
Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct
evidence of the revelation within It of the attributes and names of
God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that
bear eloquent testimony to the revelation of that Most Great Light. 28

25. Fox, Matthew, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
(Santa Fe: Bear and Company, 1983). 90.
26. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'lltih (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1976), 166.
27. Ibid., 184.
28. Ibid., 177.
T   H    E    B A H A              W   0   R   L   D                        203

How all-encompassing are the wonders of His boundless grace!
Behold how they have pervaded the whole of creation. Such is their
virtue that not a single atom in the entire universe can be found
which doth not declare the evidences of His might, which doth not
glorify His holy Name, or is not expressive of the effulgent light of
His unity. So perfect and comprehensive is His creation that no
mind nor heart, however keen or pure, can ever grasp the nature of
the most insignificant of His creatures; much less fathom the mys-
tery of Him Who is the Day Star of Truth, Who is the invisible and
unknowable Essence. 29
'Abdu'l-Baha describes creation as one of the two Books of
God. The Book of Creation is in accord with the written Book,
the sacred Revelations of all the prophets of God. Like the
written book, the Book of Creation is the command of God and
the repository of divine mysteries.30
The spirituality of the world's aboriginal cultures is based
on understanding the primary "scripture" of the Book of
Creation. In the revealed religions symbols of Nature such as
trees, water, and mountains, also carry spiritual meaning.
Both by direct contact and through symbolic reflection, the
human soul is nourished by connection with the beauty, mys-
tery, and grandeur of Nature. This connection is the basis of
recreation as re-creation. 31
An attitude of awe and gratitude towards the earth is part
of attaining spiritual humility. Humility means literally of the
ground or humus. Baha'u'llah describes this relationship:
Humility exalteth man to the heaven of glory and power, whilst pride
abaseth him to the depths of wretchedness and degradation. 32
Every man of discernment, while walking upon the earth, feeleth
indeed abashed, inasmuch as he is fully aware that the thing which
is the source of his prosperity, his wealth, his might, his exaltation,

29. Ibid., 62.
30. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Makatib-i-'Abdu'1-Bah6., vol. 1, 436-37 . This quote from
the Persian book Makatib (unpublished in English) was cited by Bahiyyih
Nakhjavani on page 13 of her book Response (Oxford: George Ronald,
1981).
31. The concept finds echoes in the love for Nature demonstrated by
Baha'u'llah and Shoghi Effendi. See Appendix, page 226.
32. Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1988). 30.
204                         T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

his advancement and power is, as ordained by God, the very earth
which is trodden beneath the feet of all men. There can be no doubt
that whoever is cognizant of this truth , is cleansed and sanctified
from all pride, arrogance, and vainglory. 33

A NEW VISION OF WHOLENESS
IN OUR RELATIONSHIP TO NATURE

Developing new attitudes of respect for and cooperation with
Nature requires first of all a vision of wholeness in our relation-
ship to Nature . This requires a perspective of human evolution
and human purpose that unifies material and spiritual reali-
ties. The focus on transcending Nature, which has
characterized Western civilization in particular, is reflected in
the current species self-centeredness of the human race. The
divorce of human destiny from the reality of physical life on
earth now requires a reconciliation. The Revelation of
Baha'u'llah warns, however, that this cannot be achieved
through the replacement of our anthropocentrism by a biocen-
trism. Rather, our separation and detachment from Nature and
our unity with it must be understood as a creative dialectic in
the development of human consciousness.
The process of becoming conscious beings has required us
to break away from our unconscious roots in Nature and to
identify with a vision of our potential that transcends the phys-
ical. This separation has left us with no secure grounding for
who we are and no clear vision of our wholeness . We retain
only a dim memory of our unconscious wholeness with Nature
(before we gained self-consciousness and broke the primal har-
mony of Eden) and a vague hope for the restoration of peace
and wholeness in an abstract heaven or a future Kingdom of
God. In this quandary, the negative self-concept we hold as
fallen creatures breeds in us guilt, despair, and abasement of
both ourselves and creation. However, Baha'u'llah makes it
clear that we came into being in a perfect creation and that our
station in creation is a noble one. We are the fruit of creation,
conscious beings given the responsibility of fulfilling creation

33. Ibid .. 44.
T H E       B A H A              W   0   R   L   D                       205

by reflecting its perfections. 'Abdu'l-Baha addresses the issue
as follows:
One of the things which has appeared in the world of existence, and
which is one of the requirements of Nature, is human life. Consid-
ered from this point of view man is the branch; nature is the root.
Then can the will and the intelligence, and the perfections which
exist in the branch be absent in the root? 34
He states further that humanity
... in the body of the world is like the brain and mind in man ... man
is the greatest member of this world, and if the body was without
this chief member, surely it would be imperfect. We consider man as
the greatest member because, among the creatures, he is the sum of
all existing perfections. 35
Baha'u'llah comments on the same theme:
To a supreme degree is this true of man, who, among all created
things, hath been invested with the robe of such gifts, and hath
been singled out for the glory of such distinction. For in him are
potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree
that no other created being hath excelled or surpassed. 36
We are, in other words, Nature becoming conscious of
itself; but the gift of consciousness lifts us into another dimen-
sion. Nature is perfect in itself because it is governed by laws
and rules ordained by God. This perfection is reflected in all
the metaphors of Nature used in the writings of Baha'u'llah
and earlier prophets. The perfections of human nature, how-
ever, are unrealized. We must choose to realize them through
the development of our latent spiritual potentials. Because the
"attributes and names of God" are progressively reflected to us
by a series of divine Messengers and their Revelations, our
capacity to do so is always evolving. In the evolution of
humanity towards conscious wholeness and completion, the
Messenger of God is the key to the union of material and spiri-
tual realities. Thus the centre of existence is neither humanity
nor Nature (neither anthropocentrism nor biocentrism). It is

34. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, 4.
35. Ibid., 178.
36. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahil'u'lliih, 177.
206                         T H E        B A H   A   W   0   R   L   D

God through his Manifestation that is the root of the tree of
life. 37 In this era, the unification manifested by Baha'u'llah has
released the potential for us to transform ourselves towards a
more complete reflection of the perfections of God and the
wholeness of creation.
In this light, the deepening crises of planetary destruction
are seen not as the inevitable failure of fallen humanity but as
marking a crucial stage in the evolution of human conscious-
ness towards greater wholeness. The fear and pain created by
these crises impel us to reflect profoundly on the incomplete-
ness of our current vision and to respond with urgency
to the forces of transformation. Let us, therefore, turn our
attention to the social dimensions of this spiritual process of
transformation.

TOWARDS A GLOBAL CIVILIZATION: THE SPIRITUAL
EVOLUTION OF AN ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

Appreciating that creation is sacred and whole and under-
standing the role of human beings to be conscious,
compassionate, and creative participants in the evolution of life
are the fundamental conceptual requirements for achieving an
ecologically sustainable society. Developing this society, how-
ever, requires not only a transformation in our individual
attitudes and values but also a complete reformulation of our
social structures. Most of the socioeconomic institutions of
modern industrial societies are based on the pursuit of mate-
rial progress through separation from and conquest of Nature.
Nature is seen primarily as a storehouse of resources to be
managed, harvested, and industrially processed for unmoder-
ated human consumption. This resource appropriation has
become the basis of economic growth, which, in turn, has
become the dominant measure of social advance. The limits of
this materialistic philosophy are now clearly demarcated in the
accelerating destruction of planetary ecological systems. Yet
our prevailing political, social, and economic institutions

37 . 'Abdu'l-Baha in Baha'i World Faith. 364.
T H E      B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                       207

appear powerless to halt this destruction because they are
implicitly based on the same values of separation from and
conquest over Nature.
Such separation denies a meaningful relatedness to the
whole of creation and thereby denies sacredness to life. This
loss of meaning and the ensuing emptiness fuel, in turn, the
search for fulfillment through consumption, competition, and
other addictive behaviors. The separation from Nature under-
lying modernism corresponds to a division between the human
mind and heart.
Incorporating a new vision of wholeness in our relationship
to the earth requires a reincorporation of the spiritual dimen-
sion that was lost with the dissolution of religious cosmologies
in the modern era. We cannot return to these older cosmolo-
gies. Science, secular humanism, and the resulting profusion of
modern institutions have brought society to a completely new
level of advancement. This outer material advancement, how-
ever, has blinded us to the loss of the spiritual dimension of
human life. We cling, says Skolimowski, to the ideals of "sec-
ular salvation" because its many successes seem too hard-won
to betray.38 Even so, the prevailing world view of materialism is
being undermined both by the proliferation of its problems and
contradictions and by the emergence of more inclusive cosmol-
ogies that provide new organizing principles. The unity of the
material and spiritual dimensions of existence is just such a
principle; it provides a foundation for a vision of humanity in
relation to the whole of creation. Discoveries on the new fron-
tiers of science point to this kind of integration and provide
analogies, for example, in physics in which light is understood
as both a wave and a particle. The emerging world view must
similarly account for human beings as both biological and spir-
itual beings. Skolimowski asserts that humans
are the custodians of the whole of evolution, and at the same time,
only the point on the arrow of evolution ... the sacredness of man is
the uniqueness of his biological constitution which is endowed with
such refined potentials that it can attain spirituality. 39

38. Skolimowski, Eco-Philosophy, 71.
208                       T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

The Faith created by Baha'u'llcih incorporates just such an
integrated evolutionary perspective. As discussed earlier, it
views our spiritual origin and destiny as part of the whole evo-
lution of life on the planet. Spirit is expressed in all stages and
processes of existence and is realized consciously through the
distinctive capacities of human awareness. The development of
civilization itself is seen as a progressive organic process of
maturation in which all the great religious revelations and sci-
entific advancements are integral components. This dynamic
and holistic perspective can help us pierce the socially con-
structed dichotomy of humanity versus planet and, at the
same time, to overcome the destructive divisions of the human
race. In this larger evolutionary movement our current situa-
tion can be understood as a crucial stage in the birth of a new
world order appropriate to humanity's spiritual and intellectual
maturity. The teachings of Baha'u'llah not only delineate the
past and future dimensions of this process, but they also offer
values, principles and new institutional forms that can guide
us through this transition to maturity and the development of
a global civilization. These values and principles will now be
related to the requirements for an ecologically sustainable
society.

EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE

In the Baha'i writings the evolutionary development of the
human species is viewed as a purposeful organic process. Nat-
ural images, such as the earth developing in "the matrix of the
universe" and the human species growing and developing in
the "womb of the earth" are used by 'Abdu'l-Baha to describe
the nature of this process. 40 The evolution of civilization is also
viewed organically using the analogy of human developmental
stages. 41

39. Ibid., 74-75.
40. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, 182-83.
41. Though a developmental sequence is suggested there is no indication
of cultural superiority. Different cultural streams have explored and
T   H    E    B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D                        209

Within this general framework of maturation it is possible
to sketch out humanity's changing relationship to the earth. In
the earliest phases of the human journey, human dependence
on the earth was embodied in myths and cultural forms. Sym-
bols of the life-giving earth as "mother" signified the bonding
typical of childhood. This is illustrated by statements attrib-
uted to Chief Luther Standing Bear on the Lakota tribe's beliefs
about Nature:
The Lakota was a true naturalist-a Jover of Nature. He loved the
earth and all things of the earth ... Kinship with all creatures of the
earth, sky, and water, was a real and active principle ... Wherever
the Lakota went, he was with Mother Earth. No matter where he
roamed by day or slept by night, he was safe with her. This thought
comforted and sustained the Lakota and he was eternally filled with
gratltude. 42
The degree of control over natural events was limited, and
natural forces were understood in terms of magical or mytho-
logical powers. Ceremonies symbolized and celebrated human
relationships with the elements of creation and the Creator. A
sense of cyclical order predominated. This sense was often
closely associated with an appreciation of the power and mys-
tery of the "feminine" and the role of women as the guardians of
the forces of generation and nurturance of life.
In the emergence of the great axial civilizations of recorded
history, there was increasing emphasis on the rational mode of
consciousness. In these civilizations, the drive was towards
greater independence, order and abstraction representing the
primacy of masculine energies. Human transcendence was also
emphasized in the successive monotheistic revelations of the
axial civilizations. In the process, Nature was gradually demy-
thologized, earlier animistic and pantheistic views were
abandoned, and spiritual and intellectual pursuits were
abstracted from the world of Nature and its instinctive primal
energies. Nature began to be subsumed as a resource for the

41. developed different capacities which are all integral to the current
period of reconciliation.
42. Quoted in John Hart, The Spirit of the Earth (Ramsey: Paulist Press,
New York, 1984), 49.
210                         T   H   E   B   A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D

development of larger collective units of social organization.
Trade, commerce, and artistic and intellectual pursuits were
associated with urban dwelling and thus with an increased
physical separation from Nature.
Western science developed in this context and took as its
basic operating assumption the radical separation of subject
and object, humanity and Nature. The earth ceased to be a
community to which humanity belonged and was seen instead
as a commodity for use and possession.
The expansion of the power of human knowing through
science has allowed us to reduce the material world into its
component parts devoid of mystery and the power to affect us.
Our original dependence on the natural world has been
replaced by alienation from Nature and by power over a mean-
ingless material world. 43 As destructive as this alienation has
been in terms of the domination of Nature, this mind-set can
be understood in the larger evolutionary context as a necessary
phase of humanity's maturing consciousness. Just as in ado-
lescence, when individuation requires the fragile ego to emerge
and assert itself against the regressive urge to be drawn back
into the unconsciousness and dependence of childhood, so too
the human race has had to break away from the primordial
unity of our original unconscious wholeness with Nature.
Science can be viewed as humanity's collective ego
asserting human will, creativity, and independence, breaking
the limitations and superstitions which bound us in previous
ages, and penetrating and commanding the world of Nature
that previously encompassed us. However, to continue to
assert the extreme degree of independence and "false sense of
omnipotence" given us by our mastery of Nature now threatens
to destroy all life. 44 Our evolutionary imperative is to leave this
adolescent phase and progress to a more mature under-
standing of our true relationship with Nature-to the conscious

43. The word matter has evolved from our original understanding of the
earth as "mother." The word for mother in Greek is spelled meter; in Latin,
mater; and in Sanskrit, matr.
44. William Hatcher, "The Science of Religion," Baha'i Studies 2 (1980).
16.
T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                       211

interdependence which will be the hallmark of our adulthood.
The full extent of this interdependence (felt and recognized
by many tribal societies) is now coming to light in many areas
of inquiry as the emergent paradigms in ecology, quantum
physics, neurophysiology, and psychology demonstrate. Even if
we no longer see the planet as sacred, advancing knowledge
compels us to see that the ecological systems of the earth are
all interconnected and human life is inextricably woven within
the wholeness of the ecosphere. Life is a property of the eco-
sphere as a whole-an evolving, self-regulating system that can
be understood as a living organism in which physical and bio-
logical components have evolved together over billions of years
to maintain the delicate balance of temperature and other
parameters necessary to support life. 45 Rowe suggests that the
living ecosphere or "Gaia" be thought of as a supra-organism to
indicate its "higher level of organization" within which humans
are a conscious but dependent participant. 46 Quantum physics
has demonstrated how the same principle of interconnected-
ness applies in the sub-atomic world where elementary
particles cannot be observed except in their relationship with
everything else including the observer. The Newtonian view of a
clockwork-like world in which separate objects interact in
mechanical fashion is giving way to a view of the world as a
complex web of relationships which can only be properly
understood in its wholeness. 47
The human mind is also part of this interconnectedness.
The quantum phenomenon of nonlocality shows that the con-
nection between supposedly separate subatomic particles is
instantaneous. In effect, they behave as a single entity, part of
an unbroken whole. Thus, we are led to consider that "if our
brains are made up of the same subatomic particles as the rest
of the universe, then they're totally interconnected with the

45. James Lovelock, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (New York: Oxford,
1979).
46. Stan Rowe, Home Place: Essays on Ecology (Edmonton: NeWest Pub-
lishers, Ltd ., 1990). 244.
47. Fritjof Capra, The Turning Point: Science, Society and the Rising Cul-
ture (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1982).
212                       T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

rest of the universe" at this very deep structural level. 48
Further, all systems, from the subatomic to the planetary,
exhibit inherent capacities for self-organization and self-
renewal-in other words, for maintaining and restoring whole-
ness. Awakening to the fundamental wholeness of which we
are a part can provide a rational foundation for becoming sen-
sitive and conscious participants in planetary healing and
maintenance. By placing humanity inextricably within the web
of life's continuous creation, the holistic worldview allows
human beings to realize both their powerful mastery and their
child-like dependence with respect to the natural world.
Instead of freezing humanity's quest for purpose and meaning
into a position of hubris, human beings can be freed to appre-
ciate the wealth, meaning, and responsibility that the evolution
of life has given them.
The journey through duality-the development of the
capacity for rational discrimination and the formulation of a
separate identity- has been an inescapable feature of our
development as conscious beings. Most assuredly, the price
paid in terms of loss of meaning, fragmentation, and conflict
has been a heavy one. But the intuition that there is unity and
cohesion at the heart of life has remained within us.
The fact that science is now confirming the dynamic inter-
connectedness of life does not by itself restore a subjective
relatedness or sense of wholeness. Restoration of that sense of
wholeness on a conscious level is a process related to the root
meaning of religion- to reconnect or bind back. Throughout
history, religion has held up transcendent images of the sacred
which have described the potential for human self-completion
and for creating a social order based on spiritual principles.
The highest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit have
been drawn out in response to these visions . When positive and
transformative images of the future have been lost individuals
and cultures have atrophied.49 That these sacred images of the

48. Paul Ray, "Changing Our Minds ," C. B. C. Transcript 4-ID-079
(April 4 1984), 14.
49 . Frederik Polak, The Image of the Future (Amsterdam, London and New
York: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, 1973) .
T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                       213

future have often become dormant or misdirected owes less to
the failure of religion than to a misunderstanding of religion
itself as an evolving force. In the Baha'i view, the physical evo-
lution of the cosmos and of all life on earth, the social and
intellectual development of civilization, and the spiritual matu-
ration of each human being are emergent processes expressive
of one universal creative force. Within this emergent context,
the truth revealed through religious revelation, like the truth
discovered through science, is relative and progressive.
Throughout the ages, the teachings of a succession of spiritual
Luminaries have guided humanity's spiritual and social devel-
opment and animated the evolution of human consciousness
towards greater awareness and responsibility. While earlier
Revelations provided the spiritual impetus for higher levels of
social cohesion in accordance with the capacities of the time,
the ultimate vision of a peaceful and unified human society
remained a prophetic image.
Baha'u'llah's Revelation renews this vision, amplifies its
meaning, and prescribes specific principles and processes for
its eventual realization. The formalization through scientific
enquiry of an emerging general insight about the comprehen-
sive unity of the universe and of the complex potential of
human consciousness within that unity resonates with the
vision Baha'u'llah reveals. 50 It is within this emergent unity
paradigm-supported by a complementarity of religious and
scientific perspectives-that current ecological and social
issues need to be viewed. From an evolutionary perspective
conscious unification on a planetary scale is the process
appropriate to humanity's maturity and growing technological
capacity. Planetary unity is the necessary and inevitable frui-
tion of humanity's collective spiritual and material
development-"the consummation of human evolution. "51

50. Michael Bopp, ''Transformation amd Human Development: A Litera-
ture Review," Four Worlds Development Project, University of Lethbridge,
Lethbridge (Dec. 1988). 7; Thomas Beny, The Dream of the Earth (San
Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1988). 46.
51. Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha'u'llii.h (Wilmette: Baha'i Publish-
ing Trust, 1974). 43.
214                       T H E       B A H A           W   0   R   L   D

THE UNITY PARADIGM: PRECONDITION FOR AN
ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY

Unity is the pivotal principle of this stage of humanity's matu-
ration. Its expression is the recognition and acceptance of the
oneness of the human family. The oneness of humanity as
enunciated by Baha'u'llah is not simply "an expression of
vague and pious hope" or a renewal of traditional calls for soli-
darity. "It implies an organic change in the structure of
present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet
experienced. "52 It calls for a reflection in the world of humanity
of the fundamental oneness in the whole of creation and
requires an altered understanding of the relationship of parts
to each other and to the whole. This new degree of integration
is part of humanity's maturing consciousness following upon
its entire developmental process and its increasing levels of
interaction and interdependence.
This coming of age requires not just a perceptual shift; it
calls for institutional arrangements which acknowledge the pri-
macy of the whole. Foremost among these is some form of
world federal system guided by universally agreed upon values
and laws which can reflect the reality of humanity's oneness
and its integral dependence on the encompassing ecosphere,
which is itself a unified whole. 53 Systems of thought and gover-
nance appropriate to humanity's adolescence must give way to
new patterns and new institutions necessary to manage coop-
eratively an increasingly interdependent world. The
international systems of commerce, trade, and communication
must be reshaped within a cooperative framework oriented to
justice, wherein the advantage of the part is best served by the
advantage of the whole.
Candid admission of the consequences of disunity and the
necessity of unity is a crucial stage of this transition. The costs

52. Ibid.
53. Baha'i International Community, statement elements for inclusion in
the proposed "Earth Charter" presented to the Preparatory Committee of
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED). Geneva, April 1991.
T H E      B   A   H   A     W   0   R   L   D                    215

of nationalism, racism, and other forms of disunity can be tal-
lied in the social and ecological effects of war, inequality, and
grossly irresponsible military expenditure. The global military
budget continues to run at approximately $900 billion (U.S.)
annually despite prospects of de-escalation due to the end of
the cold war. 54 Less than five percent of this amount ($45 bil-
lion annually) would fund the most urgent global
environmental requirements-preventing soil erosion, pro-
tecting and replanting forests, protecting the ozone layer,
cleaning up hazardous wastes, developing renewable sources
of energy, and stabilizing population. 55
Not only has disunity manifested itself in a tragic misallo-
cation of resources to militarism, but the degradation of
ecological systems, itself often a result of war, and the resulting
resource shortages have been a further cause of war. Further,
the inequitable distribution of wealth and human rights has
resulted in untold human suffering and has added to the
stress on fragile ecosystems. This is apparent in Africa where
food export-dependent countries facing trade barriers and low
commodity prices overuse their fragile soils to feed burgeoning
populations and pay mounting foreign debts. 56
War and the pursuit of power are direct examples of dis-
unity between classes, races, religions, and nations. At the
same time, the tension of many other inequities in social and
economic relationships has been deflected by our disunity with
and pursuit of power over Nature. As growing technological
might, often developed from military research, has been
applied to exploiting the earth's resources, the promise of
unending economic growth has been used to divert attention
from the inequality of prevailing social orders. (In the process,
irresponsible consumption and ever-expanding expectations of
material benefits have been fostered. As the world's major
industrial nations have pursued this path, they have come to

54. R. L. Sivard, World Military and Social Expenditures (Washington,
D. C.: World Priorities, Inc., 1991). 43.
55. Ibid., 42.
56. World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common
Future (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987).
216                     T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

consume as much as 80 percent of the world's resources for 20
percent of the world's population.)
Current global issues-especially ecological concerns that
transcend national boundaries-are, in effect, forcing functions
requiring the community of nations to move beyond ad hoc and
fragmented approaches to solving problems. The call for an
integrated global ethic and policy of sustainable development
raised in Our Common Future and further amplified through
the Earth Summit process represents a tacit acceptance of the
need for unity in solving global problems. With this acceptance,
there is a growing search for ways to bring about the changes
in attitude and motivation required for unified global action.
The creation of a Sustainable Development Commission by the
United Nations, as part of the implementation of Earth Sum-
mit's "Agenda 21" is one small but significant step in the
recognition of the need for global goals and principles that
anticipate and guide future development.
While all such steps are important, political and social
reorganization can only become effective to the degree that the
consciousness of the oneness of humanity is the operating
premise. Only this spiritual and organic truth, once accepted,
will release the constructive energy and will needed to make
the far-reaching structural changes required for fostering sus-
tainable patterns of development. With an understanding of
the implications of the unity paradigm in human affairs the
principle of unity becomes the foundation for building and
mandating institutions that can responsibly address environ-
ment and development issues on a global scale. It is for this
reason that a major emphasis of the Baha'i International Com-
munity is to develop a consultative and institutional framework
that demonstrates the viability of operating as a unified global
community.

GLOBALISM AND DECENTRALISM

The call by deep ecologists and other social theorists for decen -
tralized, small-scale, community-based technologies and
economies, at first glance, seems to represent movement in a
T H E       B A H A              W   0   R   L   D           217

direction opposite to the globalism discussed above. Ecological
consciousness, it is reasoned, has mostly developed within a
"minority tradition" that includes tribal cultures, utopian com-
munities, and many religious traditions such as within the
Benedictine Order, Taoism and Buddhism. 57 It is on a small
scale that individual responsibility can be upheld within a par-
ticipatory community democracy, and this is the level at which
technology can be humanized and made more environmentally
appropriate. These ideas are developed much further by
Roszak (Person/Planet) and Schumacher (Small is BeautifuO.
There is concern that a global society would become just a
more effective superstate for the conquest of the earth. What is
needed, it is suggested, is to develop communities on an eco-
system-specific basis (bioregionalism) with people committed to
"reinhabiting" and restoring that ecosystem and developing a
renewed sense of place.
Some important human and ecological values are implicit
in these ideas. Ecological systems are living systems to which
patterns of production and habitation should adapt, rather
than continuing our current approach of making land and
people adapt to the technology. In agriculture the latter
approach has resulted in the imposition of single-purpose,
monocultural cropping systems, regardless of the biophysical
and cultural contexts.
There are several aspects of the Baha'i approach that
relate to these decentralist concepts. First and foremost the
Baha'i concept of globalism places a high value on traditional
cultures within a framework of global order and regulation. The
Baha'i concept of globalism "repudiates excessive centraliza-
tion on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on
the other. Its watchword is unity in diversity ... "58
Already the structure of the Baha'i International Commu-
nity offers helpful guidelines for achieving a worldwide society
whose vision is world-embracing but whose members and
activities are exceedingly diverse. It comprises over 120,000

57. Devall and Sessions, Deep Ecology, 18.
58. Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahil.'u'llcih, 42.
218                       T   H   E   B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

local communities in some 235 countries and dependent terri-
tories under the guidance of a single globally elected body, the
Universal House of Justice. While following uniform guidelines
for spiritual and social development, each community is
expected to adapt its programs to the exigencies of its cultural
and ecological context. This adaptation is fostered through
local, elected, consultative institutions which develop commu-
nity resources and can draw as well on the national and
international resources of the larger community. Each commu-
nity perceives itself as an element of a "global organism," which
itself is a prototype for a future world community. Within that
community Baha'is are encouraged to disperse and decen-
tralize.
The Baha'i concept of the relationship between global inte-
gration and local adaptation and differentiation is not unlike
the relationship between the ecosphere and its component eco-
systems. 59 Ecosystems vary greatly according to their locale
but all operate by similar ecological principles and are organi-
cally interwoven in the larger encompassing ecosphere. The
Baha'i model of an organically structured social order also
illustrates how, in general, spiritual and natural principles are
correlative.
Aside from structural arrangements for coordinating
global and local concerns there are several principles outlined
in the Baha'i writings that suggest a land- and community-
based orientation. Agriculture is described as a "fundamental
principle" and "village reconstruction" as the initial stage of
economic development. "Statements ... to the effect that agri-
culture with its associated activities will reassert itself as the
first industry of society" support the idea that, in future,
society will be more decentralized and "harmonized with
Nature." 60 Blueprints for the establishment of central commu-
nity institutions to facilitate community self-reliance and
development are also outlined in the Baha'i writings. A key

59. Arthur Lyon Dahl, Unless and Until: A Baha'i Focus on the Environ-
ment (London: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1990). 81-82 .
60. John Huddleston, The Earth is but One Country (London: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Trust. 1980), 131.
T H E      B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                     219

principle is that development should support and benefit whole
communities rather than allow individuals or elites to monopo-
lize wealth. Thus the Baha'i view of a global society is one
based on individual, family, and local self-reliance, integrated
with sophisticated interdependence on the national and global
levels.

SCIENCE AND RELIGION: A NECESSARY UNITY

The idea that both religious revelation and scientific investiga-
tion are progressive forces in the process of our maturation has
been touched on above. However, the continuing separation
between these two great areas of endeavour keeps humanity
from pursuing a truly integrated approach to solving the eco-
logical crisis. The division between science and religion which
began in the Age of Enlightenment has resulted not only in
separate religious and secular worlds and institutions but also
in a vast gulf and antipathy between faith and reason, vision
and technique, the longings of our hearts and the logic of our
minds. The success of science in making Nature the object of
analysis and of resource appropriation has forced the means
for divine communion into a retreat to a peculiarly subjective
realm separate from physical existence. No wonder then that
the earth has become, in the minds of many, a shoddy way sta-
tion en route to salvation in a nonphysical world.
Baha'u'llah's unifying vision of the roles of science and
religious revelation in serving an ever-advancing civilization
transcends this dichotomy. Science is appreciated as a system-
atic investigative approach to developing knowledge and as an
indispensable expression of human intelligence and will. The
reality that is investigated by science, through experimentation
and reasoning, and that is illuminated through the progres-
sively revealed truth of religion is ultimately one. 'Abdu'l-Baha
states that "being one, truth cannot be divided ... "61 There is

61. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks (London: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1969).
129.
220                          T   H   E   B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

only one reality. Since the "two Books"-Creation and Revela-
tion- are totally complementary, the forces propelling us to a
consciousness of their unity are invested in the very structure
of reality. In other words, the Word of God can be understood
as the creative energy animating the world of matter and pro-
pelling the dynamics of evolving consciousness. The "realities
of all created things are inebriated" and the "atoms of the earth
have been illuminated" writes Baha'u'llah of the transforma-
tional energy released by His Revelation. 62
The instrumentality of science is now confirming the unity
of life, in which creation is seen as a dynamic configuration of
one energy with the ability to organize itself in ever more com-
plex and subtle forms. 63 This knowledge may itself help release
and confirm deeper intuitions within us of the essential
humanity-Nature bond that have been repressed in our cul-
tural development. However, Baha'is believe this knowing can
only be ultimately understood and celebrated within the birth
of a mature religious consciousness. Humanity is distin-
guished by its self-awareness. As a result, William Hatcher
points out, we know that the force of growth acting through
creation is capable of subjectivity and intelligence because we
are configurations of energy possessing those qualities. 64 The
facts remain, however, that we did not create ourselves and
that there is an ultimate mystery and question of meaning
behind life. The role of religion is to render accessible to the
individual the "experience of self-transcendence and mystic
communion" with this mystery-to connect us to our Source
and unfold each individual's purpose within the vast collective
enterprise of evolving consciousness. 65 In our willingness to
trust and respond to the forces of growth and transformation,
we become part of an organic process that is encompassing
and organizing the collective life of humanity yet is centered in
each human heart. In this sense, religion is the "science of the
love of God. "66

62. Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahil.'u'ltah, 324.
63. William Hatcher, "Science," 21.
64. Ibid., 22.
65. Ibid., 24.
T   H   E     B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                       221

The unity between science and religion is expressed in a
metaphor employed by 'Abdu'l-Baha:
Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelli-
gence can soar ... Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion
alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst
on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would
also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of
materialism. 67
It is through the balanced combination and cooperation of
science and religion that humanity can be allowed to acquire a
genuine humility and respect for Nature while applying the
appropriate skills and technologies needed to advance civiliza-
tion. In terms of both our spiritual growth and our common
dependence on the ecosphere, we are called to be, fully and
consciously, citizens of one earth home. Our total dependence
on the encompassing ecosphere reflects and reinforces our
dependence on God. Paradoxically, our detachment gives us
the spiritual capacity to participate consciously in this role
without being caught in a purely material existence.

MALE AND FEMALE: EQUALITY AND BALANCE

Inevitably, given the history of civilization, the prevailing social
order is seen as the symbolic expression of the male ego and its
tendencies toward rationality and competitiveness. Qualities of
nurturance, intuition, and emotional sensitivity, which are
associated in popular thought with the feminine principle,
however, are those most needed to heal our relationship to
Nature. It is not surprising that the expansion of environ-
mental awareness and the movement for women's equality
have been parallel developments. Drawing on the idea that
ecology is literally the study of the earth "household," Merchant
suggests that our growing understanding of earth as home is
linked with women's consciousness of the home as a habitat to
be honored and cherished. 68

66 . Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys (Wilmette: Baha'i
Publishing Trust, 1978), 52.
67. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, 143.
222                         T   H   E   B   A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

Beyond the recognition of the feminine principle as an
aspect of restoring ecological sensibility in both men and
women it is also crucial that women be welcomed as full part-
ners in all fields of human endeavour. Baha'is believe that, as
the participation of women is encouraged and valued, "the
moral and psychological climate" for the advancement of peace
and environmental sustainability can be fostered. 69
For Baha'is, the equality of women is seen as an essential
objective and a precondition for the establishment of a just and
peaceful world. While a full discussion of this important prin-
ciple lies beyond the scope of this paper, the Baha'i writings
emphasize that as long as women are prevented from reaching
their full potential, society is unbalanced. In 1912,
'Abdu'l-Baha advanced the following proposition on this impor-
tant theme:
. . . man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful
and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the scales are
already shifting-force is losing its weight and mental alertness,
intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which
woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be
an age less masculine, and more permeated with the feminine
ideals ... 70

THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW WORLD ORDER

The over-arching vision for the changes in values, institutions
and social forms that are part of developing an ecologically sus-
tainable society is the emergence of a new system of world
order based on universally accepted spiritual principles. Over a
century ago, Baha'u'llah envisioned such a fundamentally new
world order and outlined institutional forms that it would
require. These include a world legislature, a world tribunal,
and a collective mechanism for safeguarding all member states
from the threat of war. These institutions are seen as more

68. Quoted in Devall and Sessions, Deep Ecology, 229.
69. Universal House of Justice , The Promise of World Peace (Haifa: Baha'i
World Centre, October 1985). 12.
70. Star of the West, 3.3 (April 28, 1912). 4.
T H E       B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                     223

than just new structural arrangements for international coop-
eration on political, economic, and environmental issues-they
represent a primary expression of the unity paradigm enunci-
ated by Baha'u'llah as the hallmark of humanity's maturation.
They will be effective to the degree that they both reflect and
foster a consciousness of the oneness of humanity.
It is now becoming apparent in world affairs that collective
order at the planetary level is necessary for effectively tackling
environmental problems and for redressing the disparities
which have relegated masses of humanity to poverty, despair,
and the insecurities caused by war and environmental degra-
dation. The establishment of norms of unity, mutuality and
cooperation for the human family as a whole is necessary to
create the climate both for sharing material well-being and also
for fostering the development of the full potential of each indi-
vidual. As Baha'u'llah's teachings clearly indicate, those
structures which favor unity and cooperation create the most
favorable milieu for spiritual growth and providing such a
milieu is an essential purpose of society. 71 By contrast, materi-
alistic value systems and social structures based on
competition, power and dominance are antithetical to spiritual
growth and have resulted in the exploitation of both Nature
and other human beings.
What is being suggested here is an iterative process of
social evolution based on spiritual principles. The establish-
ment of institutions and social forms conducive to realizing
world unity is essential for building a society that encourages
the full intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development of its
members. At the same time, the development of individual
qualities of respect, compassion, selflessness, creativity, and
motivation to serve are all essential to building a global society
that can maintain higher levels of unity and motivate the fun-
damental changes in structures and values required by an
ethic of sustainability. Such a degree of motivation cannot be
achieved within a materialistic value system. In a more direct

71. William Hatcher, "The Concept of Spirituality," Baha'i Studies 11
(1982). 26--27.
224                       T H E      B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

way, spiritual development and service to the greater whole,
satisfy the inextinguishable human hunger for meaning and
purpose that are the only antidote to the futile search for fulfill -
ment through consumption, status-seeking, and other
dysfunctional behaviors which are destructive towards self,
society, and Nature.
It is within the context of this iterative process of social
change, allied with the application of scientific knowledge
guided by spiritual principles, that truly sustainable models of
production and habitation can emerge. In other words, the
advancement of a new set of values in relation to Nature and
the unfolding of a global order which can effectively address
environment and development issues both depend on the
development of the only infinite resource in the face of
depleting material resources-human spiritual potential.

SUMMARY

This in barest outline is the model of social evolution suggested
by Baha'u'llah's writings. It is a model which the Baha'i com-
munity itself is embarked on developing and demonstrating in
its own efforts at the local, national, and international levels.
Baha'u'llah offers a vision of fundamental global transfor-
mation that embodies a new set of principles for understanding
and guiding humanity's relationship to Nature. The religious
impulse His writings contain is a comprehensive source of spir-
itual, social, and intellectual resources for meeting the
challenges of that necessary transformation. They affirm that
the realization of a spiritualized world order which has been
the promise of the sacred scriptures of all ages is now the
potential and requirement of our time.
Elements of this transformative vision include an affirma-
tion of the divine within creation and an elaboration of the
essential unity of the material and spiritual dimensions
throughout the whole evolutionary process. Humanity, as a
unique self-conscious part of this communion of life, has gone
through a progressive developmental process. The prevailing
T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D                  225

social order represents an adolescent stage of this develop-
ment. Having passed from the dependence of childhood
through the impetuous autonomy-seeking stage of adoles-
cence, humanity collectively is now at the point of transition to
conscious maturity. The long historical journey to becoming
conscious beings through separation from Nature is culmi-
nating in a stage that will increasingly be characterized by a
mature understanding of life's profound interrelatedness.
The Baha'i writings suggest that this process of matura-
tion requires an expanded religious consciousness both
complementing and integral to our scientific advancement. It is
only in this context that the latent capacities of the human
spirit can be fully quickened and released. Spiritual growth is
limitless and, being central to human fulfillment and a fruition
of human purpose within the whole evolution of life, is a
requirement for creating an ecologically sustainable social
order.
In order to help foster the release of individual spiritual
potential and focus it as a force for global transformation and
moral regeneration, institutions founded on a comprehensive
vision of unity need to be established. The emergence of a new
world order requires appropriate institutions for global coordi-
nation and for fostering individual and community
empowerment. The Baha'i International Community itself
offers an embryonic model for such a process of ordered social
transformation.
This process of transformation is neither idealistic nor
utopian. In the face of the disastrous ecological and human
consequences that face us if we continue with "business as
usual," it is no less than a new realism. Such transformation is
possible because the forces that propelled life's evolution from
the beginning are still operating within human society. There is
no reason to believe that the mysterious forces that have
"shaped the planet under our feet" and "guided life through its
bewildering variety of expression" in natural ecosystems and
human cultures have "suddenly collapsed under the great
volume of human affairs in this late twentieth century." 72
The work of Baha'u'llah offers a vision of wholeness in our
226                          T H E        B A H     A         W      0   R   L   D

relationship to Nature and of spiritual purpose in the whole
evolution of life. Its effect is to empower individuals and com-
munities to become agents of transformation in developing an
ecologically sustainable global civilization.

APPENDIX

This paper concentrates on the basic principles of the Baha'i
Faith as they reflect on our relationship to the natural world. In
addition to the ideational level, a positive relationship is
enhanced by both symbology and practice. At the symbolic
level innumerable references are made throughout the Baha'i
writings and prayers to organic analogies , such as trees, gar-
dens, orchards, and the body. 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke of "this
earthly paradise," the "ocean of God's mercy," the "invigorating
breeze of love and fellowship," and the "living waters of friendli-
ness." Humanity's unity is represented as the "waves of one
sea, as the leaves of one tree." Revelation itself is referred to as
a "divine springtime" through which the earth becomes "ver-
dant and blooming." In speaking of the principle of unity in
diversity 'Abdu'l-Baha writes:
Consider the flowers of the garden: though differing in kind, color,
form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters
of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the
rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and addeth
unto their beauty. 73
These metaphors are used to illustrate spiritual principles
and invoke a particular feeling that the Founders of the Faith
associated with Nature. They represent the fact that all the
central figures of the Baha'i Faith had a fond love and a
strongly expressed need for contact with the beauty of Nature
and the countryside. Baha'u'llah throughout His long years of
exile suffered isolation from people and the countryside He
loved so much. Knowing His love for plants, many of the
Baha'is who travelled from Iran to visit Baha'u'llah in Acre

72. Berry, Dream, 47.
73. "Epistles of 'Abdu'l-Baha," cited in Baha'i World, vol. 2, 54.
T H E     B A H A         W   0   R   L   D                 227

brought plants with them, often refraining from drinking the
little water they carried across the desert so that it could be
saved for the plants. Denied access to the city, they made a
garden with these flowers outside Acre. In the latter years of
His life, when Baha'u'llah was allowed out of Acre under the
conditions of house arrest, He took up residence in a country
house outside the city. There, beautiful gardens were created
and have been further developed today, as have other magnifi-
cent gardens at the Baha'i administrative centre on the slopes
of Mount Carmel. 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi also main-
tained a deep love for gardens and Nature. Many of the Baha'i
gardens in the Haifa/Acre area were designed by Shoghi
Effendi, who was fond of taking solitary treks in the mountain
country of Europe.
T H E    B   A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D                         229

HOLLY E. HANSON looks at the
evolution of Baha'i involvement in
social and economic development
and highlights some current
projects.

AN OVERVIEW OF BAHA'I
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
he development activities of the Baha'i community

T       express a well-articulated alternative paradigm of
development, of interest in its unusual approaches
to the dilemmas of sustainability, of meaningful project
design, and equitable North/South interaction. The singu-
larity of the Baha'i approach is rooted in Baha'i scripture
and is evident in the history of the Baha'i community's
efforts to create social progress since the mid-nineteenth
century. Although most of the 1300 or so Baha'i social and
economic development projects are small in scale, they
occur in over 100 countries throughout the world. The
trends discernible in current Baha'i social and economic
development activities include increasing collaboration
with U.N. organs, international aid agencies, and non-
governmental organizations; a growing willingness to
openly assert a Baha'i origin for ideas and projects; an
increasing recognition of the utility of Baha'i administrative
institutions in facilitating development with justice; and a
shift towards a greater degree of coordination and system-
atic    implementation       of  development      possibilities
throughout the worldwide network of Baha'i communities. 1

1. I am grateful to Monette Van Lith of the Office of Social and Eco-
nomic Development and the reference library staff at the Baha'i
World Centre for their assistance in the preparation of this paper,
and to Michael McCandless and Mark Gilman for their extremely
helpful comments on draft versions of it.
230                          T   H   E   B A H A             W   0   R   L   D

A BAHA'I DEVELOPMENT PARADIGM

The Baha'i paradigm asserts a central role for spirituality in
development: the vision of how to create social well-being
comes to humanity through the revealed word of God, and
human beings develop the capacities to take effective action
through their relationship with their Creator. Baha'u'llah states
that "the purpose for which mortal men have, from utter noth-
ingness, stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work
for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and
harmony." Hence, Baha'is view their involvement in develop-
ment activities as a fulfillment of this spiritual obligation to
serve humanity. 2
Baha'is orient their development efforts in terms of princi-
ples expounded in the Kitab+Aqdas, the central work in
Baha'u'llah's Writings, and other Baha'i scriptures which call
for universal education, the creation of mutually beneficial ties
of economic interdependence, and the elimination of prejudices
of all forms, and which exhort individuals to trustworthiness,
to high moral standards in their individual lives, and to the vol-
untary sharing of wealth. 3 The most thorough exposition of
Baha'i beliefs regarding the process of development is
'Abdu'l-Baha's treatise on the potential advancement of Iran,
The Secret of Divine CivUization. 4 Writing in 1875, 'Abdu'l-Baha
called for the mobilization of the masses through their own
efforts to obtain education. He identified ignorance and the
absence of genuine faith as causes of the perpetuation of injus-
tice and oppression; outlined the characteristics of effective

2 . Baha'u'llah, Trustworthiness: A Cardinal Baha'i Virtue (Mona Vale:
Baha'i Publications Australia, 1987). 8 .
3. Compilations of Baha'i scripture on the Baha'i paradigm of social and
economic development are Social and Economic Development (Mona Vale:
Baha'i Publications Australia, 1988) and Holly Hanson Vick, Social and
Economic Development: A Baha'i Approach (Oxford: George Ronald, 1989),
134. A definitive bibliography of Baha'i scripture and writings about
Baha'i topics is William P. Collins, Bibliography of English Language
Works on the Bil.bi and Baha'i Faiths 1844- 1985 (Oxford: George Ronald,
1990).
4. 'Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette, Baha'i Publish-
ing Trust. 1957).
T   H   E   B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D              231

administrators; and demonstrated that, throughout history,
the coming of a new religion has brought about major societal
transformation. In The World Order of Baha'u'llah, Shoghi
Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, further expounded
on the relationship of the Baha'i Faith to the social evolution of
humanity, outlining the need to imbue human endeavors with
spirituality.
The over-arching context for the design and implementa-
tion of development projects is Baha'u'llah's mission to weld
the diverse elements of the human race into a dynamic and
spiritually organic world community. This means that Baha'is
are extremely concerned about development processes. As
important, or more important, than the immediate concrete
results of any development undertaking, is that people are
drawn together, that they develop the ability to hear all of the
voices in a community, and that they begin to learn the process
of collective action.
Since Baha'is view development activities as practical
expressions of the central tenets of their Faith, they focus their
attention on those aspects of development which are not usu-
ally explicitly addressed in development discourse. Among
these are the aspiration that development activities will con-
tribute to a rehabilitation of human society and will eliminate
extremes of poverty and wealth, a belief that a desire to serve
others is ultimately the most sustaining motivation for partici-
pation in development activities, and the conviction that high
standards of morality can and should be intentionally culti-
vated by every person.
Baha'is place a priority on cultivation of the moral quali-
ties which they consider to be essential for successful
development. "Material development may be likened to the
glass of a lamp, whereas divine virtues and spiritual suscepti-
bilities are the light within the glass. "5 In Baha'i religious
practice, each individual attempts to improve his or her char-
acter through daily prayer and introspection. Baha'is consider
qualities such as trustworthiness, sincerity, and self-sacrifice

5. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 288.
232                         T   H   E   B   A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D

to be the invisible infrastructure for development, and by to
organize their efforts in ways that foster these qualities. The
Ruhi Institute training course for teachers, developed in
Colombia and adopted by Baha'i communities all over the
world, contains units on prayer, developing a sense of joy and
radiance, and thinking about life after death, as well as units
on how to organize a learning environment and how to promote
healthy development of children. 6
Baha'i development activities are also based on the per-
ception that initiatives which lead to social transformation
begin inside the heart, in the human longing to express love for
God through acts of service to humanity. This means that
Baha'is care about the motivations which people bring to their
participation in development activities, and direct significant
attention to inculcating a system of values that affirms the
spiritual nature and capacities of human beings. Developing
attitudes and habits of service is a core element of curricula for
Baha'i schools and training centers. The Human Development
Program of the Maxwell International Baha'i School in Canada
aims, for example, to train students to "develop self-knowledge,
to work with diverse people, to solve personal and collective
problems, to establish healthy relationships with others and to
be of service to their community and the world through a com-
prehensive sequence on practical and transcendent subjects
which include Knowing and Loving God, Living in a Material
World, and The Role ofYouth." 7 Each student contributes three
hours of service each week in activities which have included
constructing an interpretive trail in a provincial park, tutoring,

6. The Ruhi Institute, Learning About Growth: The Story of the Ruhi Insti-
tute and Large-scale Expansion of the Baha'i Faith in Colombia (Riviera
Beach: Palabra Publications, 1991). In their attempts to integrate reli-
gious conviction and practice with concern for material advancement,
Baha'is find unique solutions to problematic issues in development. For
Baha'is, the essential goal of any development undertaking is the imple-
mentation of Baha'u'llah's instructions regarding the creation of a united
world, and projects are sustainable when they harmonize the inner need
of human beings to understand their true reality with their outer needs
for sustenance, shelter, and support.
7. "Human Development Program at the Maxwell International Baha'i
School," unpublished.
T H E       B A H A            W   0   R   L   D                     233

coaching, and finding ways to participate in children's classes
or in literacy training with people from nearby Native American
Reserves.
The centrality of social service in Baha'i religious practice
means that Baha'i development projects are able to rely on vol-
unteer participation from individuals and communities. The
Guaymi Cultural Center in Panama, for example, operates a
radio station, holds annual music and dance festivals, an
annual children's festival, regional womens' conferences, reg-
ular consultations where Guaymi and other indigenous people
can consult about their future, and other meetings. It provides
training for teachers of the rural secondary curriculum and for
adult literacy instructors, assists eleven village schools, and
supports local Baha'i communities in the area by dissemi-
nating information on health care, farming, and other
development topics. Ten permanent staff (seven of whom are
Guaymi), eleven volunteer teachers who are supported by their
communities, and twelve volunteers who translate and do pro-
gramming carry on the work of the Center on an annual budget
of about $30,000. 8 The practice of seeking out volunteer staff,
especially women and youth, enhances the ability of Baha'i
radio stations to serve as the voice of the people, and also
reduces operating costs. 9
Some Baha'i projects, particularly those in non-formal
education, have chosen to depend entirely on local volunteer
labor and resources. Seen as a way to make religious principles
effective in the world, this strategy to draw out people's capaci-
ties and to encourage community self-reliance, has had both
positive and negative results. A network of almost one hundred
self-sustaining literacy centers was established in Baha'i com-
munities in the Kivu region of Zaire in the early 1980s. On the
other hand, the number of Baha'i literacy schools in India has
dropped from 262 in 1986 to slightly less than 200 in 1993,

8. Ovidio Carrasco, "Informe de las Actividades Relacionadas Con La Cul-
tura," 1990, unpublished, and National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
of Panama, May 1992, unpublished .
9. Kurt J. Hein and K. Dean Stephens, "Radio Stations, Baha'i," Baha'i
Encyclopedia, in press.
234                         T   H   E   B   A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D

partly because of a lack of administrative support or funding. 10
The experience of village Baha'i schools in the Mangyan
areas of Mindoro, Phillippines, suggests that well-trained rural
teachers, however, can help to set in motion far-reaching pro-
cesses of social transformation. In the past eight years, the
number of Mangyan Baha'i village schools has grown from five
to eight. Five of the school teachers are now Mangyan, and stu-
dents from the schools have received high marks on national
examinations.
Baha'i development projects such as these are encouraged
and supervised by the Baha'i administrative structure made up
of Spiritual Assemblies. On the local and national levels they
are elected annually by secret ballot from among the adult
members of a Baha'i community. Every five years all the mem-
bers of National Assemblies gather to elect the Universal House
of Justice, the international governing council. Assemblies
organize devotional services, religious instruction and other
functions carried out by clergy in other faiths, but Baha'i
Assemblies are also called on to consider themselves respon-
sible before God for the material and spiritual well-being of
their communities.
In well-established Baha'i communities, Assemblies have
become recognized, truly local, representative bodies, able to
focus people's attention on actions that are conducive to their
welfare. The capacity of Baha'i administrative institutions to
create order and inspire progress has been demonstrated in
the past several years by the activities of 200 Liberian Baha'i
refugees in Cote d'Ivoire, who fled from civil war in their
country in 1990. The Baha'i refugees held a large gathering
soon after their arrival, re-elected six Local Assemblies based
on the communities that people had come from, and began to
organize the spiritual and material dimensions of life in their
new homes . They established regular Baha'i meetings, choirs,
classes for children and built several Baha'i centers. In the fall

10. The Seven Year Plan 1979-1986: Statistical Report (Haifa: Baha'i World
Centre, 1986). 109; Office of Social and Economic Development, "Baha'i
Social And Economic Development Projects: A Report on Activities and
Trends," 1993, unpublished.
T H E       B   A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D                       235

of 1991, they invested the equivalent of $20 in order to buy
tools for the eleven vegetable gardens and four fish ponds
which are now having a perceptible, positive impact on the
local economy. The solidarity and self-assurance of the Baha'is
has attracted attention, and there are now about 1,000 Baha'is
and 25 Local Assemblies in the area. A Liberian Baha'i who
serves as community development facilitator explained the
undertaking: "if work is done in the pathway of humanity, it
brings a lasting result. We think development is the practical
application of the spiritual potential that God has given
man." 11
The obvious creativity and strength of the Liberian refugee
community in Cote d'Ivoire encourages Baha'is in their efforts
to nurture the 20,000 Local Assemblies that now exist around
the world. Baha'is are deeply committed to the principle that
democratically-elected, spiritually-focussed local institutions
are critical for social transformation and the creation of a
dynamic and stable society. They have invested significant
energy and resources in the development of these institutions
since the 1920s, and continue to consider it one of their most
important priorities.

HISTORIOGRAPHICAL SURVEY

The earliest Baha'i development projects were schools estab-
lished by the Baha'is of Iran at the turn of the century in
response to a stream of letters from 'Abdu'l-Baha extolling the
importance of education, especially for women. 12 More than
ten schools in urban areas and approximately forty rural
schools were operated by the Baha'is between 1888 when the
first kindergarten opened in Ashkhabad, Russia and 1934
when all Baha'i schools were forced to close because they

11 . Henry Appleton, quoted in Frances Kazemi, "Liberian Refugees Strive
for Self-sufficiency," One Country: Newsletter of the Baha'i International
Community, vol. 4, no. 4, 13.
12. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahil. (Haifa:
Baha'i World Centre, 1982); 'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i Compilation on Educa-
tion (Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1976) .
236                         T   H   E   B   A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

would suspend classes on Baha'i Holy Days. The character of
these institutions, and the other cultural, primary health, and
agricultural activities of the early Iranian Baha'i communities
have been described elsewhere. 13
During the forty-year period ending in 1963, Baha'is
focussed on establishing Baha'i communities around the world
and erecting the global network of administrative institutions
which are now so essential to its development work. 14
Although the Baha'i community outside of Iran was small and
its resources were extremely limited, a number of Baha'i
schools and student hostels were established around the
world. The first of these was the New Era Baha'i School in
Panchgani, India, which began as a student hostel in 1945. It
was followed by others in the Pacific, Latin America, and
Africa. 15 During this same period, the Baha'is of Iran, con-
strained by religious intolerance and persecution from carrying
out any publicly visible projects at that time, virtually elimi-
nated illiteracy within the Baha'i community and implemented
an extensive program of moral education for children and
adults. 16
As hundreds of thousands of people living in the agrarian
societies of the world have become followers of Baha'u'llah in

13. Anthony A. Lee, ''The Rise of the Baha'i Community of 'Ishqabad',"
Bahli'i Studies 5: The Bahli'i Faith in Russia: n.vo Early Instances, Janu-
ary 1979; Holly Vick, "Baha'is of Iran Set Early Example in Social and
Economic Development," Baha'i News, no. 675, June 1987; R. Jackson
Armstrong-Ingram, "American Baha'i Women and the Education of Girls
in Tehran, 1909-1934," in Peter Smith, ed., In Iran: Studies in Babi and
Bahli'i History, vol. 3 (Kalimat Press, Los Angeles, 1986).
14. In 1963, the Universal House of Justice was elected , culminating the
process of the creation of the linked elected structures of the Baha'i com-
munity.
15. Barbara Barrett. ''The Development of Baha'i Schools During the
Seven Year Plan," The Bahli'i World, vol. XVIII, 1979-1983 (Haifa, Baha'i
World Centre, 1986). Barrett's review of the development of Baha'i schools
from this middle period to the present is comprehensive and authorita-
tive . A review with a thorough bibliography of early English-language
sources is Will C . van den Hoonaard, "A Pattern of Development: an His-
torical Study of Baha'i Communities in International Development," in
Bahli'i Studies Notebook, vol. 3, nos. 3 and 4 , February 1984, 107-127.
16. "A Survey of Current Baha'i Activities" in The Baha'i World, vol. XV,
1968-1973 (Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1976).
T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                       237

the last third of the twentieth century, Baha'i communities
have been impelled to find ways to make the kind of social
changes that the term "development" implies. Well-defined
plans to promote consultative decision-making and community
structures for women, youth, and the education of children
were pursued in about one hundred and fifty nations with
Baha'i administrative institutions. 17 Less systematic efforts to
provide literacy training, health education, and agricultural
technology were undertaken by Baha'is in a smaller number of
countries. In India, an integrated rural development program
in the Panchgani area of India began in 1975, and the Rabbani
secondary school oriented to rural development was opened
near Gwalior in 1977. 18 The Ruhi Institute near Cali,
Colombia, whose programs draw participants into a systemati-
cally expanding pattern of service to their communities, began
to operate in 1976. 19 Radio Baha'i in Otavalo, Ecuador, began
to broadcast in 1977, and established the patterns of providing
community service and speaking in the voice of local people
that now characterize six Baha'i radio stations. Hein's mono-
graph on Radio Baha'i and his series of articles describing its
community radio techniques in Development Communications
Review are still the most detailed published account of a Baha'i
development project. 20
The innovative but diffuse efforts of Baha'is, up to this
point, were transformed by the 20 October 1983 letter of the
Universal House of Justice which called on individuals and
Baha'i communities to apply the teachings of Baha'u'llah sys-
tematically to the problems of their societies. This seminal
statement points to the teachings of Baha'u'llah as a source of

17. Descriptions of these activities can be found in Survey of Bahti'i Edu-
cation programs (New York: United Nations Office and the Office of Public
Information of the Baha'i International Community, 1990); the "Survey of
Current Baha'i Activities" sections of successive volumes of The Bahti'i
World; and The Seven Year Plan, 1979- 1986.
18. "Rural Development in India," The Baha'i World, vol. XVII, 1976-1979
(Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1981). 227-228. Stephen H. Waite, "The Rab-
bani School at Gwalior," The Baha'i World, vol. XVIII, 1979-1983 (Haifa:
Baha'i World Centre, 1989). 233-238.
19. The Ruhi Institute, Learning about growth.
238                         T   H   E   B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

order in the world, asserts the coherence of the spiritual and
material dimensions of human life, praises the social and eco-
nomic progress achieved by the Baha'i community of Iran,
announces the formation of an Office of Social and Economic
Development at the Baha'i World Centre, and defines the role of
various Baha'i agencies in fostering development. 21 Together
with The Secret of Divine Civilization and the World Order of
Bafui'u'llah letters of Shoghi Effendi, it defines the Baha'i
approach to social and economic development. The concept is
briefly summarized in Social and Economic Development: A
Baha'i Perspective, published by the Baha'i International Com-
munity's Office of Public Information and widely available in
several languages.
The response to this letter of the Universal House of
Justice was exponential growth in the number of development
activities reported to the Baha'i World Centre-a rise from 127
in 1979 to 1,344 in 1986. 22 Most of these were small-scale,

20. Kurt John Hein, Radio Bah{z'[, Ecuador: a Bahfl'[ Development Project
(Oxford, George Ronald, 1988). Kurt Hein, "Community Radio Thriving in
Ecuador: Otavalo Indians Running Their Own Show," Development Com-
munications Report40, December 1982 , 11, 13; KurtJ. Hein, "Community
Radio in Ecuador Meeting People's Needs ," Development Communications
Report 42, June 1983, 2; and Kurt Hein, "Community Radio in Ecuador
Playing Local Music, Strengthening Cultural Ties, " Development Commu-
nications Report 44, December 1983, 2. A further source is Kurt Hein,
"Popular Participation in Rural Radio : Radio Baha'i, Otavalo, Ecuador" in
Studies in Latin American Popular Culture, vol. 3, 1984, 97-104.
21. The full text of this message can be found in Holly Hanson Vick, Social
and Economic Development: A Baha'[ Approach, 2-6; excerpts are pub-
lished in Universal House of Justice, A Wider Horizon: Selected Messages
of the Universal House of Justice, 1983-1992, compiled by Paul Lample
(Riviera Beach, Florida: Palabra Publications, 1992), 139-141.
22. Statistical and general descriptive information can be found in Uni-
versal House of Justice, Statistics Department. The Seven Year Plan,
1979-1986: StatisticalReport(Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1986); and Uni-
versal House of Justice, The Six Year Plan 1986-1992: Summary of
Achievements (Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1993). A more thorough
description of selected projects is provided by Baha'i International Com-
munity, Survey of Baha'[ Education programs (New York: United Nations
Office and the Office of Public Information of the Baha'i International
Community, 1990), and Baha'i International Community, Office of Public
Information, Social and Economic Development: the Bahit'[ Approach
(Haifa, Office of Public Information, 1987).
T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                        239

community-initiated activities, but the number of more ambi-
tious projects, with physical infrastructure and full-time staff,
also increased dramatically during this period. Some statistical
and descriptive information regarding recent Baha'i develop-
ments is available in publications of the Baha'i International
Community and the Baha'i World Centre; several projects have
produced written materials or videos about their work as
well. 23
At the present time, Baha'i endeavors in development
consist of a few dozen schools, colleges, and training centers,
hundreds of communities participating in literacy or primary
health projects organized on a regional or national scale, and
innumerable activities carried out by local communities or
individuals especially in village tutorial schools. Notable events
in 1992 and 1993 included many literacy initiatives; a collabo-
rative project with UNIFEM in Bolivia, Cameroon, and Malaysia
(described below); and the involvement by institutions such as
the Landegg Academy and Nur University in the design of cur-
ricula for moral education. The Banani School opened in
Zambia, and the Maxwell International Baha'i School in
Canada held its first graduation. In India, a national literacy

23. Publications produced by Baha'i communities about their develop-
ment activities include Baha'i Vocational Institute for Rural Women
(Madhya Pradesh, India). Baha'i Vocationallnstitutejor Rural Women (New
Delhi: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, Department of
Social and Economic Development, March 1987); Baha'i Vocational Insti-
tute for Rural Women (Madhya Pradesh, India), Baha'i Vocational Institute
for Rural Women (Indore, M.P.: Baha'i Vocational Institute for Rural
Women. 1992); National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Brazil,
Department of Social and Economic Development, Baha'i Development
Projects in Brazil (Brasilia: Assembleia Espiritual Nacional dos Baha'is do
Brasil, 1992). and National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Zambia,
Social and Economic Development Committee, Baha'i Community Health
Educators (Lusaka: Social and Economic Development Committee, 1991).
Videos produced by Baha'is in order to share their development experi-
ences with others include Kamal Zein, Villages Baha'i [sic] de [sic] Kivu,
IBAVC [distributor]. 1988 (1991 distribution) and Centro de Cultura
Guaymi (Soloy, Panama). Small Lights: Guaymi Tutorial Schools, produced
for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Panama and the Con-
tinental Board of Counsellors for the Americas, with the assistance of the
International Teaching Centre, Haifa, Israel (Deerfield, Ill.: International
Baha'i Visual Services [distributors]. 1991).
240                      T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D

program was initiated, the New Era Development Institute
added new courses to its program, and the Baha'i Vocational
Institute for Rural Women won a Global 500 Environmental
Action Award. These successes, and the less visible ones in
towns and villages, indicate a community engaged in a process
of recognizing its own capacities.

CURRENT TRENDS IN BAHA'i DEVELOPMENT

More Baha'i communities are gaining experience in carrying
out collaborative projects with United Nations agencies, gov-
ernments, and non-governmental organizations, and the size
and complexity of these endeavors have also increased. The
Baha'i approach to collaboration with non-Baha'i agencies is
summarized in the words of the Universal House of Justice in a
letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of Bolivia in 1989:
"External assistance and funds (Baha'i and non-Baha'i) may be
used to make surveys to initiate activities, or to bring in exper-
tise, but the aim should be for each project to be able to
continue and develop on the strength of local Baha'i efforts,
funds and enthusiasm." Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies
and the Office of Social and Economic Development which
coordinates development activities for the Universal House of
Justice, have maintained a policy that the decision to start a
project should not be based on the availability of outside funds,
but rather on the extent to which community support and com-
mitment can sustain the project once external funding is
terminated. Sometimes this policy has meant that Baha'i com-
munities have found it necessary to refuse funding that was
offered to them.
Baha'i collaborative endeavors in development began in
1980, when the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA) awarded a small matching-funds grant to Radio Baha'i
in Ecuador. The purpose of the grant was to augment Radio
Baha'i's cultural and agricultural programming, resulting in
the development of the highly successful "people's radio" tech-
niques which are carried on at the six Baha'i radio stations
T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                241

now in operation. Beginning in 1985, Radio Baha'i Bolivia col-
laborated with UNICEF to broadcast radio programs based on
"Facts for Life" booklets, with the purpose of improving the
health of indigenous children and reducing the infant mortality
rate through regular vaccination programs. In 1991, Radio
Baha'i Ecuador also undertook a collaborative project with
UNICEF in which they produced hundreds of radio spots and
mini-programs on health issues.
Baha'is have also received assistance in their efforts to
train community health workers. For example, a Canadian
Public Health Association grant to the Baha'is of Kenya in 1988
enabled them to train community health workers to participate
in the government's "Expanded Programme for Immunization."
The Baha'i contribution to this program has received praise
from local health authorities and from the Ministry of Health.
In 1992, an extension of funding by the CPHA was granted for
a period of three years.
The National Spiritual Assemblies of India and Norway
have established a productive working relationship with
NORAD, the Norwegian Agency for International Development
Cooperation. In 1988, NORAD began to fund India's New Era
Development Institute (NEDI), with support for a two-year rural
community development program. In 1989, funding was
extended to cover a one-year community development facilita-
tors course and short courses on agriculture, rural technology,
literacy, and domestic science. The National Spiritual Assembly
of Norway has reported that the NORAD representative in India
was impressed with the Baha'i community's ability to coordi-
nate social and economic development projects, and approval
for a further phase in the NORAD funding was given in 1993.
Norway is the first European government to financially assist a
Baha'i social and economic development program and the sup-
port provided by NORAD has been instrumental in assisting
NEDI to restructure its training program and to make a major
shift in its evolution as an educational institution-from one
which offered only short-term courses, to one which currently
offers a variety of community development and rural tech-
nology courses lasting up to two years, including both
242                      T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

certificate and diploma programs. Within the next few years it
is expected that NEDI will evolve into the New Era College of
Human Services, offering degree programs along with a fully
developed polytechnic institute.
The Baha'i International Community (BIC) is now cooper-
ating with the United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM) in a two-year project called 'Traditional Media as a
Change Agent." This project is funded by UNIFEM in Bolivia,
Cameroon, and Malaysia and by the BIC in Brazil and Nigeria.
The project aims at improving the status of rural women by
using traditional media, such as music and dance, to stimulate
village-wide discussion of women's roles. The long-term goal is
to enhance the status of women in rural and semi-rural com-
munities, primarily by improving their self-esteem and
encouraging their participation in decision-making. Deter-
mined attempts are made in each program to include men in
the discussion of issues relating to women's status, and to
create a mutually supportive atmosphere which is conducive to
constructive behavioral change by both men and women.
These projects, and other collaborative endeavors with
CIDA, the Indian agency CAPART, and other donors, have
enabled Baha'i communities to extend their development activ-
ities more rapidly than otherwise would have been possible,
and have helped them to develop the administrative skills they
will need as greater opportunities for collaboration become
open to them.
In the past decade, Baha'is have made more explicit the
religious beliefs underpinning their development activities,
although the ways that the connections have been articulated
vai:y from project to project. The Baha'i perception that the fun-
damental infrastructure for effective development is internal,
that endeavors are only successful when participants are
honest, self-sacrificing and concerned for the well-being of
others, is expressed in various ways. In some cases, Baha'is
have emphasized that their commitment to the elimination of
prejudice and service to humanity make them reliable and sen-
sitive agents of development. Another focus has been the
capacity of local Baha'i administrative institutions to mobilize
T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                      243

support for immunization or other public campaigns. Defining
development broadly, some Baha'is have argued that all the
activities undertaken in Baha'i communities, including wor-
ship services and the religious instruction of children,
contribute to a moral foundation that supports social develop-
ment. All of these are distinguished from the practice, which
was prevalent several decades ago, of attempting to promote
development without any direct reference to Baha'u'llah or
Baha'i principles. The 20 October 1983 letter of the Universal
House of Justice, which pointed to "a dynamic coherence
between the spiritual and practical requirements of life on
earth," encouraged evolution towards more direct approaches.
Baha'is are concerned, therefore, about how to conceptu-
alize and present Baha'i involvement in development. The need
to assert the distinctive character of Baha'i schools, and the
ways to accomplish this in contexts where students and faculty
in Baha'i institutions may be members of other faiths, was one
of the themes that emerged when administrators of Baha'i
schools from twenty-one countries met in British Columbia in
1992. 24 On the one hand, Baha'is have not wished to appear
sectarian, to exclude anyone from their activities, or to alienate
potential collaborators through their use of religious concepts
that are not part of the mainstream discourse on development.
On the other hand, they make use of the existing community
structures of Baha'i administration, the enthusiasm which reli-
gious commitment generates, and what they perceive to be the
transforming capacities of spiritual conviction. It seems clear
that there will be a wide range of solutions to the challenge of
defining Baha'i development, appropriate to the scope, context,
and design of any particular activity.

24. Stephen H. Waite, "International Baha'i Schools Networking Confer-
ence: Overview and Summary of Recommendations: November 28
through December 6 , 1992" (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia: Maxwell
International Baha'i School, unpublished). ii. The appropriate scope for
Baha'i development has been discussed in several publications. See
Farzam Arbab, "Development: A Challenge to Baha'i Scholars," Baha'i
Studies Notebook, vol. III, Nos. 3 & 4, February 1984; Holly Hanson, "The
Spiritual Framework of Development," World Order; vol. 23, nos. 1 & 2,
Fall 1988/Winter 1988- 89.
244                     T   H   E   B A H   A      W   0   R   L   D

Baha'is have also recently begun to recognize the capacity
of the worldwide network of Baha'i administrative institutions
to facilitate exchanges of knowledge and resources that go
beyond patterns of exchange dominated by the world's wealth-
iest nations. Financial resources are channelled to
development projects from wealthier Baha'i communities
through the Baha'i International Fund and coordinated by the
Office of Social and Economic Development-a system which
allows recipients of funds greater freedom to control their own
development processes. National, continental, and interna-
tional conferences of Baha'i development workers were held in
New Delhi in 1991, Santa Cruz, Bolivia in 1991, and
Shawnigan Lake, Canada in 1992 to enable people to consult
and learn from each other.
Within the Baha'i community, technical assistance and
models for project implementation have gone from South to
South, from North to South and also, although not as often as
Baha'is might hope, from South to North. Kenyan materials
developed for the education of rural mothers and Colombian
techniques and materials for training teachers and stimulating
community development are now in use all over the Baha'i
world. Patterns of integrating service activities into secondary
school curricula were adopted for the Maxwell International
Baha'i School in Canada from the Rabbani School in India. The
community service model for Baha'i Radio was developed in
Latin America and adopted at the Baha'i radio station in South
Carolina, U. S. A., while programming innovations that origi-
nated in Liberia spread to both North and South America.
These are a few examples of what Baha'is hope will become a
well-established pattern through which insights, knowledge,
and experience flow freely from every part of the planet to the
other parts. The structural means to effect this exchange are
inherent in the consultative process of the Baha'i administra-
tive order.
Finally, a trend towards a greater international coordina-
tion of the possibilities for development is emerging in the
Baha'i community. This is evidenced by current initiatives to
intensify literacy education within the Baha'i community. In
T   H   E   B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                    245

July 1989, the Universal House of Justice asked all National
and Local Spiritual Assemblies to make efforts to eliminate illit-
eracy among Baha'is. Pointing to the salience of reading for
transformation of the individual soul and of society, the House
of Justice called literacy "a fundamental right and privilege of
every human being," and asked every Baha'i community to
institute their own literacy programs or join those organized by
others. 25 In response to this call, a task force of Baha'is with
experience in basic education met at the Baha'i World Centre to
create and disseminate effective literacy methodologies to
Baha'i communities worldwide. The task force prepared sug-
gestions for utilizing spiritually empowering words and themes
(called generative words) in literacy training, and arranged con-
ferences in Nairobi and Bangkok in 1992 where Baha'i literacy
workers and leaders met to discuss the implications of this
approach for languages and populations in their respective
continents. These two meetings led to a number of workshops
and the initiation of several new literacy programs.

CONCLUSION

Considering its small numbers and modest financial resources,
the Baha'i community's contributions to social and economic
development are quite remarkable. Baha'i participation in
social and economic development has grown rapidly in the past
decade, and in some nations, Baha'is have made a visible con-
tribution in rural education, in community health worker
training, and in programs for the promotion of equality of the
sexes and the elimination of prejudice. From the perspective of
Baha'is themselves, these actions are only the beginning of
what they believe to be possible using the tools of vision, inspi-
ration, and organization which they find available in their
Faith.

25. Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies,
10 July 1989, unpublished.
T H E    B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                         247

DOUGLAS MARTIN reviews the
history of the persecution of Baha'is
in Iran and the success the
community has had in using the
U. N. system in their defense.

THE CASE OF THE
BAHA'I MINORITY IN IRAN
he experience of the Baha'is of Iran is a classic case

T        of the violation of human rights, produced by reli-
gious intolerance. Prior to the Islamic revolution a
deep-seated prejudice against the Baha'is and their reli-
gion characterized not only Iran's Islamic clergy and the
illiterate masses, but also many among the country's edu-
cated elite and middle class. The prejudice was
widespread and communicated itself to many Western
observers. Michael Fischer, a generally sympathetic com-
mentator on the revolution notes, for example, that even
the exercise of routine civil functions by Baha'is was seen
as proof of a "Baha'i conspiracy." 1 Richard W. Cottam,
author of Nationalism in Iran, pointed out the problem of
even discussing the subject of the Baha'i Faith in a
country in which the word "Babi" has long been freely
used as an epithet, along with such words as "infidel," to
describe anyone to whom the speaker is strongly
opposed. 2 This prejudice is probably the most important
point to grasp for an observer wishing to understand the
situation of the Baha'is in modern Iran.
The second point is that, in the land of the Baha'i
Faith's origin, the prejudice is, paradoxically, combined
with an almost universal ignorance of the religion's

1. Michael M. J. Fischer, Iran: From Religious Dispute to Revolution
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1980), 281.
2. Richard W. Cottam, Nationalism in Iran (University of Pittsburgh
Press, 1979), 88.
248                          T   H   E    B A H A              W   0   R   L   D

nature, teachings, and history. For over a century a curtain of
silence has surrounded the subject. The Baha'i community has
consistently been denied the use of any means of communica-
tion with the general public: radio, television, newspapers,
films, the distribution of literature, or public lectures. The aca-
demic community in Iran has studiously ignored the existence
of the worldwide Faith founded there; the subject has never
been treated in any university courses or textbooks. Indeed,
census figures which provided statistics on all of the other reli-
gious and ethnic minorities in Iran have consistently been
omitted for the Baha'i community, the largest religious
minority of all. 3 Coupled with this calculated general neglect,
the public mind has been subjected, for decades, to abusive
propaganda from the Shi'ah Muslim clergy, in which the role of
the Baha'i community in Iran, its size, its beliefs, and its objec-
tives have been grossly misrepresented.
Both the ignorance and the prejudice are connected with
the tragic events that surrounded the beginning of the Babi
and Baha'i Faiths in nineteenth-century Persia. It may help in
clarifying the events of the past decade if this background is
briefly reviewed.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The Baha'i Faith came into existence through the teachings of
two successive Founders. The first, a young Persian merchant
known to history as the Bab, announced in Shiraz, in May
1844, that He was the bearer of a Revelation from God, whom
the Shi'ah branch of Islam had long expected under the title
"the Twelfth Imam. "4 The world stood, He said, on the
threshold of an era that would witness the restructuring of all
aspects of life. The challenge to humanity was to embrace these

3. Prior to the Islamic revolution there were an estimated 400,000 Baha'is
in Iran. The most recent (1978) census figures indicate that Iran has
about 300,000 Christians, 80,000 Jews, and 30.000 Zoroastrians: Europa
Year Book, 1989,425-453.
4. The Bab (lit., "Door" or "Gate," i.e., of the expected universal revelation)
was born 'Ali-MuJ:iammad, in Shiraz on 20 October 1819.
T H E       B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D                       249

changes by undertaking a transformation of its moral and spir-
itual character. Central to the Bab's teaching was the
announcement of the imminent appearance of yet a second
Divine Messenger, one who would address all the peoples of the
world. 5 During the course of widespread attacks on His fol-
lowers, incited by the Muslim clergy, the Bab was executed in
the city of Tabriz, in 1850. There followed throughout Persia a
horrific series of massacres of followers of the new religion.
These pogroms aroused the revulsion of Western diplomats and
scholars, and deeply scarred the Persian psyche, inspiring an
effort to justify the killing of thousands of innocent people by
excoriating the victims' beliefs and intentions.
In 1863, however, one of the Bab's leading disciples, who
had survived the pogroms, a Persian nobleman, Baha'u'llah,
announced that He was the Messenger for whom the Bab had
come to prepare the way. Partly because of the force of His own
person and teaching, and partly because of unusual marks of
distinction conferred upon Him by the Bab, Baha'u'llah quickly
attracted the allegiance of virtually all the Babis. From exile in
the neighboring Ottoman Empire, He began a thirty-year mis-
sion which brought into existence the worldwide religion and
community that today bear His name and that are distinct
from the Babi religion out of which the Baha'i Faith emerged. 6
Baha'u'llah's teachings are contained in a vast body of writ-
ings, in both Persian and Arabic, regarded by Baha'is as the
source of authority in their Faith.
At the heart of Baha'u'llah's teachings is the concept of the
oneness of mankind: ''The earth is but one country, and man-
kind its citizens.'' 7 Strong emphasis is placed on the abolition
of prejudices of all kinds, on full equality between men and
women, and on the responsibility of each individual to investi-
gate truth for himself. The great religious systems of humanity

5. The Bab referred to this figure as "He Whom God will make manifest."
6. Baha'u'llah (lit., "Glory of God") was born I:Iusayn-'Ali, a member of a
noble family, in Teheran on 12 November 1817. It was the Bab who first
formally addressed him as "Baha"u'llah."
7 . Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahti'u'lliih, (Wilmette:
Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1976). 250.
250                        T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

are seen as equally valid stages in the progressive revelation of
the Divine Will, a process that will continue as long as the
world endures. Baha'is are encouraged to apply the scientific
principle to the study of all reality, including spiritual issues.
Although forbidden by their beliefs to involve themselves in any
form of partisan political activity, members of the Faith are
urged to give all possible support to developments that con-
duce to global unification. 8 Some of Baha'u'llah's most
important writings call upon the rulers of the world to create
an "International Tribunal" to which nations will surrender
whatever degree of sovereignty is necessary for the establish-
ment of world peace and disarmament.
There is hardly a tenet of this credo that is not in conflict
with some dogma promulgated by the clerics of Shi'ah Islam,
the dominant religion of Iran. Muslim opposition was sharp-
ened by Baha'u'llah's insistence that humanity has entered the
age of its maturity, in which neither clergy nor rituals are any
longer required. The central principle of the age, He says, is the
process of consultation and group decision-making, the key to
well-being for both the individual and society. To the clerics of
Shi'ah Islam it seemed certain that the promotion of such ideas
in Iran would bring to an end the system of tithes, endow-
ments, social precedence, and political power which they have
always regarded as their religious right. To religious bigotry
was early added, therefore. the force of personal investment in
the prevailing scheme of things.
Outside the Muslim world , however, the new religion
began to attract a growing body of adherents. Communities
sprang up across North America and Western Europe, as well
as in India, and lands in the East and Far East. While
Baha'u'llah's teachings forbid proselytism as an infringement
on the spiritual integrity of the individual, great encourage-
ment is given to activities that promote public awareness of the
Faith and that attract new members. Large scale enrollments
began in the 1950s and 60s, particularly in Latin America and

8. Baha'is regard the League of Nations and the United Nations Organiza-
tion as initial stages in the gradual establishment of world government.
T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                      251

Africa. Today, the worldwide Baha'i community numbers over
five million members, representative of virtually all of the
world's racial, religious, and cultural diversity. National admin-
istrative structures have been erected in 165 countries 9 on a
foundation of over 25,000 locally elected councils or "Spiritual
Assemblies." Beginning in 1963, acting on provisions laid down
in Baha'u'llah's writings, the membership of the National
Assemblies have elected regularly at five-year intervals the
Faith's international governing body, the Universal House of
Justice. 10
As a consequence of this expansion, Iranian Baha'is now
represent considerably less than ten percent of the world's total
Baha'i population. It is this highly diverse global community
that sees itself as the target of an entirely unjustified attack on
its members in the land of the Faith's birth.

THE PAHLAVI PERIOD, 1925- 1979

With the rise of the Pahlavi Shahs in 1925, a number of impor-
tant developments occurred in Iran which were to have major
repercussions on the welfare of the country's Baha'i commu-
nity. Central to these developments was the policy which Reza
Shah and later his son, Muhammad Reza Shah, adopted
toward the Muslim clergy. Their objective was to transform
their country, then known in the West by its historic name
Persia, into a modern secular state. In pursuing this goal Iran's
new rulers sought to exclude the clergy from all major areas of
social and cultural influence, while continuing to pay lip-ser-
vice to Shi'ah Islam as the country's state religion and to
provide funding for religious institutions. The tensions which
this policy engendered were managed by the regime's alter-
nating suppression and appeasement of Islamic interests.

9. The Six Year Plan 1986- 1992: Summary of Achievements (Haifa: Baha'i
World Centre, 1993). 111- 114.
10. Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year, 1992, shows the Baha'i
Faith, despite its relatively small membership, as one of the most widely
diffused religions on earth, second only to Christianity.
252                         T   H   E   B A H    A          W   0   R   L   D

Since the Baha'i minority represented a major pool of edu-
cated people, they had, of necessity, been employed in the
many branches of the civil service, while continuing to be
denied formal constitutional rights. The intensity of clerical
opposition to the "Baha'i heresy," however, made of the issue
an irresistible means of placating the mullahs. Repeatedly,
during the rule of both of the Pahlavi Shahs, eminent mullahs
were allowed to incite mob attacks on Baha'i holy places and
other properties. The ensuing loss of life, however, inevitably
attracted foreign protest. In 1955, a particularly flagrant
involvement of the government in one of the pogroms resulted
in interventions at the United Nations. 11 The Shah was embar-
rassed when international pressure forced him to curtail the
worst of the excesses.

THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION

The collapse of the Pahlavi regime in February 1979 appeared
to free the Shi'ah clergy from the restraints which international
considerations had forced the Shahs to place on their political
and social influence. After ecclesiastical pressure had led also
to the overthrow of two interim revolutionary administra-
tions, 12 the mullahs assumed the civil power they today
exercise as cabinet ministers , justices of the Supreme Court,
members of Parliament, heads of government departments,
revolutionary judges, military commissars, and block wardens
whose control extends to the details of daily life . Even the
offices of president and prime minister were eventually filled by
clergy. The media became organs of religious propaganda.
Ration cards and other crucial permits were distributed at
mosques . New legislation imposed rigid rules from the Islamic

11. For a more detailed treatment of the subject see Douglas Martin, The
Persecution of the Baha'is of Iran, 1844-1984 (Association for Baha'i Stud-
ies , Ottawa, 1984). 15-29.
12. The two administrations referred to are those of Prime Minister Mehdi
Bazargan, appointed by the Ayatollah Khomeini immediately following the
revolution, and President Abol-Hassan Bani-Sadr, elected at the begin-
ning of 1980, but overthrown and forced to flee in June, 1981.
T H E      B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                     253

Shari'ah, the code of laws based on Islamic tradition, on day-
to-day life, and used the courts and police to enforce these
ordinances.
This theocratic regime confirmed the status of non-
Muslims as second-class citizens. Christians, Jews, and Zoro-
astrians were admitted to certain limited civil rights as
"protected minorities" but were denied equality under the law
with the Muslim majority. For the Baha'i community, however,
there was not even this protection. As early as December 1978,
shortly before his return to Teheran, the Ayatollah Khomeini
had made it clear that, in Islamic Iran, Baha'i citizens would
have no rights whatever. 13 While the Islamic Constitution,
adopted in 1979, makes a general reference to the enjoyment of
"equal rights" by all citizens, clauses assign the enjoyment of
such civil rights to persons who belonged either to the state
religion or to one of the tolerated minority faiths specifically
named: Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism.

PERSECUTION INTENSIFIES

Encouraged by this formal exclusion of Baha'is from the pro-
tections of citizenship, fanatical elements in the society began a
full-scale assault on the community. Prominent Shi'ah cler-
gymen launched attacks on Baha'is from the pulpit and in the
media, denouncing them as "enemies of Islam," "corrupt on
earth," and persons "whose blood deserves to be shed." The
effect was to unleash waves of violence. Members of the Faith
were beaten, many businesses were confiscated or destroyed,
hundreds of houses burned, and efforts began with a view to
forcing Baha'is to recant their faith. By early 1980 this cam-
paign had begun to enlist key organs of the government.
Baha'is were hunted out and discharged from all forms of gov-
ernment employment. Prominent members of the community
were dragged before revolutionary tribunals and , in June of

13. In an interview with Professor James Cockroft of Rutgers University,
published in Seven Days, 23 February 1979.
254                         T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

1980, after summary mock trials, a series of executions
began. 14
With the assumption of full power by the mullahs that
same month, horrors multiplied daily: Baha'i girls kidnapped
from their families and raped, the bodies of highly-respected
Baha'is dragged through the streets, cemeteries bulldozed,
their tombstones auctioned, widows forced to pay the price of
the bullets which had been used to execute their husbands,
and appalling tortures practiced on prisoners in the unending
attempt to force the Baha'is to recant their faith.
The background of these outrages was a daily life in which
Iranian Baha'is had become social outcasts with no recourse
against whatever abuse the ill-disposed chose to commit.
Baha'i marriages, regardless of duration, were declared null
and void, Baha'i marital life was deemed prostitution (itself
punishable by death), and Baha'i children were judged illegiti-
mate. A "Law of Retaliation" exempted crimes against Baha'is
from any punishment under the law. Baha'i holy places were
seized and publicly desecrated, Baha'i children were expelled
from schools throughout Iran, and retired Baha'is were sum-
moned to repay not only the pensions to which they had
contributed during government service but also the salaries
that had been paid to them during their years of employment. 15

INTERNATIONAL PROTEST

Initially, during the Bazargan ministry, the first of the two rev-
olutionary regimes which replaced Muhammad Reza Shah, the

14. Yusuf Subhani, a highly regarded member of the Teheran Baha'i com-
munity, was executed on 27 June 1980. To date, a total of 162 Iranian
Baha'is have been executed, an additional 27 have been killed while in
government custody, and 26 have been killed by mobs. The great majority
of the victims were members of the national or local Spiritual Assemblies,
clearly chosen in a campaign intended to destroy the community's elected
leadership. The Baha'i Faith has no clergy.
15. For detailed documentation of these abuses see the successive sub-
missions made by the Baha'i International Community to United Nations
human rights agencies. See also a detailed study of the persecutions in
Douglas Martin, Persecution, 31-66.
T H E      B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                    255

Iranian Baha'i community limited its protests to representa-
tions to the new government. Efforts were made to overcome
the prevailing prejudice against the Baha'i community and to
reassure the government that Iranian Baha'is were loyal citi-
zens of their country.
When these initiatives received no response from the civil
authorities, Baha'i communities around the world sought the
intervention of their own governments in the hope that quiet
representations might induce Iran to halt at least the worst of
the abuses. The governments of Australia, Canada, and of sev-
eral European nations were particularly supportive. The
hostage crisis which began in the fall of 1979 sharply limited
the role the United States could play in these initiatives.
By the time the Bazargan ministry fell, in November 1979,
however, it was apparent that such efforts were meeting with
very limited success. As violence increased, Baha'i communi-
ties began to intensify efforts to bring the situation to the
attention of the world's media. Supporting documents exposed
the growing implication of Iranian government officials in the
persecutions, as well as the absence of any evidence for the
charges on which Baha'is were being condemned by revolu-
tionary tribunals. Newspaper stories and radio news reports on
the subject began to appear in a great many Western coun-
tries.16 Television networks soon took up the case, several of
them doing feature stories.
As attention given to the situation by the media increased,
foreign protest became open. As early as September 1979 the
Human Rights Commission of the Federation of Protestant
Churches in Switzerland undertook an independent investiga-
tion which led it to denounce the treatment of the Iranian
Baha'is as a clear example of a campaign of religious persecu-
tion. On 16 July 1980, the Canadian Parliament passed a
unanimous resolution urging that the United Nations Commis-
sion on Human Rights should intervene. Two months later, on

16. See New York Times, 21 July 1980; The Times, London, 15 July and
30 August 1980; Le Monde, 29 August 1980; The Sunday Statesman, New
Delhi, 20 July 1980; Newsweek, 24 March 1980.
256                        T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

19 September the European Parliament went on record as
describing the attacks on Iran's Baha'is as "a systematic cam-
paign of persecution," and urged member nations of the
European community to bring pressure to bear on the Iranian
regime to halt the abuses.
With political turmoil in Iran increasing, the accusations
which were being made against the victims underwent a shift.
For decades, the clerical leadership and their agents had
focused on the dangers that "false religion" posed to the integ-
rity of Islam and the purity of Islamic life. The growth of radical
political rhetoric now led the mullahs to emphasize a second
theme: the Baha'i community was said to have been a clandes-
tine ally of the Pahlavi regime and to have benefited from this
alleged behind-the-scenes support. In the absence of any evi-
dence for such accusations , the Muslim clergy argued that,
under even the old Constitution, the Baha'is should have had
no civil rights; the limited freedom they had to exercise civil
functions, therefore, was proof that they had enjoyed a "privi-
leged position." Significantly, these quasi-political charges were
soon included in the efforts of Iranian embassies overseas to
respond to press criticism of the persecution. 17

ABSTENTION FROM VIOLENCE

Meanwhile, the government itself was becoming the target of
violent opposition. It became apparent that the religious lead-
ership was bent on establishing a theocratic regime in which
its own members would hold all of the positions of power. Its
political allies, particularly those on the left, considered this a

17. See for example, statements of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires
(26 September 1979). and the Iranian consulate in Manchester, England
(21September1979). Similar charges were made on PBS's "McNeil-Lehrer
Report," 12 February 1980, by Mansour Farhang, the regime's spokes-
man and later representative at the United Nations. Farhang subse-
quently rebroke with the regime and repudiated his allegations against
the Iranian Baha'i community (The Nation, 27 February 1982). claiming
that he had been misled by what he now regarded as a "fascist totalitarian
ideology" that had seized control of his country.
T   H   E   B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                      257

betrayal of the trust they had placed in the Ayatollah Khomeini
and the sacrifices they had made for the revolution. Their reac-
tion was to launch a campaign to overthrow those whose rise
they had assisted. Since all of the principal organs of the State
were in the hands of the mullahs, the opposition turned to
political assassination. Hundreds of members of the new
regime and several thousand of the revolutionary guards who
supported them were killed by bombs, bullets, knives, and
dynamite in a campaign of terrorism which quickly turned gov-
ernment offices into virtual prison-fortresses. 18
The Baha'i community remained entirely aloof from these
controversies. Among the principles strongly emphasized by
Baha'u'll:ih are obedience to government and the avoidance of
involvement in partisan political activity of any kind. Although
not pacifists in the more technical sense of the term, Baha'is
are guided by Baha'u'llah's injunction that "it is better to be
killed than to kill." 19 It is significant that, despite the extreme
hostility of the regime to Baha'is, and the superstitions which
had been carefully cultivated with respect to them, no sugges-
tion has ever been made in any quarter that the community
was implicated in assassinations or other terrorist acts .
The reason was the historical record that the community
had established. While the early Babis had believed they had
the right to take up arms in self-defense against religious per-
secution, Baha'u'll:ih had called on Baha'is to refrain from
armed resistance against attacks. Successive outbreaks of per-
secution during both the Qajar and Pahlavi periods had been
met by appeals for the intervention of the civil authorities and,
increasingly, of the international community. When the Islamic
revolution occurred, therefore, although members of the com-
munity were regarded with superstitious fear and suspicion by
the general population, they were also seen as non-violent.
Viewed superficially, this record of non-involvement in

18. The organization that took the lead in this campaign was the Mujah-
hidin-Khalq (Islamic Marxists).
19. Nabil-i-A'zam, The Dawn-breakers: Nabil's Narrative of the Early Days
of the Baha'i Revelation (New York: Baha'i Publishing Committee, 1932),
xxxv.
258                         T   H   E   B A H A            W   0   R   L   D

partisan politics or civil violence had only seemed to weaken
the position of Iran's Baha'is. In the words of Hamid Algar, a
contemporary Shi'ah scholar whose writings reflect an attitude
generally hostile to Baha'is, the minority group: " ... came to
occupy something of a position between the State and the
Ulama (mullahs), not one enabling them to balance the two
sides, but rather exposing them to blows which each side
aimed at the other. The government, interested in maintaining
order, would resist the persecution of the Baha'is by the
Ulama, but would equally, when occasion demanded, permit
action against the Baha'is. "20
When the crisis provoked by the new Islamic revolutionary
regime arose, however, the historical record which the Iranian
Baha'i community had scrupulously established for over a cen-
tury was to prove a key element in the successful international
campaign for its defense.

APPEAL TO THE UNITED NATIONS

As it became increasingly apparent that leading circles in the
new regime were bent on the destruction of the Baha'i commu-
nity, and that other means of deflecting the campaign had
failed, the Baha'i International Community2 1 turned to the
United Nations. The appeal began in September 1980, and
coincided with representations from a number of other sources
about a range of alleged human rights violations in Iran. The
work of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights is
assisted by a sub-commission which deals with a range of con-
cerns at the preliminary level. Responding to the
representations of the Baha'i International Community, the
Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protec-

20 . Hamid Algar, Religion and State in Iran: 1785-1906 (Berkeley: Univer-
sity of California Press, 1969). 151.
21. "The Baha'i International Community" is a Non-Governmental Orga-
nization holding consultative status with ECOSOC and UNICEF. It collab-
orates with a range of other United Nations agencies in various social and
economic development projects throughout the world.
T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                 259

tion of Minorities adopted a resolution addressing the Baha'i
concern and asked the Iranian authorities to protect the funda-
mental rights and freedoms of this religious minority. There
was no response from the Iranian government to this appeal.
The following year, with the encouragement of certain gov-
ernments, including those of the European Community, Baha'i
representatives expressed their concerns to the 37th Session of
the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, which met
in Geneva from 2 February to 13 March 1981. Later that same
year a number of governments raised the matter of the human
rights situation in Iran, specifically the persecution of the
Baha'is, at the 36th Session of the United Nations General
Assembly itself.
Within Iran the persecution intensified. Accordingly, the
Baha'i International Community now made a direct appeal to
the Commission on Human Rights. On 24 February 1982, the
Commission had before it the report of the secretary-general
containing many serious allegations about human rights
abuses in Iran, including the treatment of the Baha'is. The
request for the submission of this information came from the
Sub-Commission's resolution adopted at its 34th seminar,
August/September 1981. In the face of determined efforts by
the Iranian representatives, who argued that the report was
motivated only by the desire of what they termed "United
States imperialism and her European criminal friends" to inter-
fere with the Iranian revolution, the Commission reviewed the
Baha'i submission. The latter included reproductions of official
documents in which virtually every department of the Islamic
Republic's government referred to the adherence of the victims
to "the depraved Baha'i religion" as its sole and sufficient
reason for seizing property, discharging employees, revoking
pensions,    expelling schoolchildren,     confiscating bank
accounts, prohibiting business dealings, and passing death
sentences. Copies of articles from major Iranian newspapers
were provided, in which the details of the condemnations had
been openly celebrated.
Following this presentation the Commission adopted a
resolution, 5 March 1982: the secretary-general was directed to
260                        T   H   E   B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

begin an investigation of the human rights situation in Iran,
and the Iranian government was asked to cooperate.22

THE IRANIAN RESPONSE

The discussions at the Commission on Human Rights had
begun to reveal a certain unease among Third World nations
with respect to Iran's human rights record. Some of these had
earlier spoken out at Geneva and had expressed solidarity with
the revolution. Pressure from such smaller and disadvantaged
countries, however, had an equal potentiality to become a
serious embarrassment to Iran's revolutionary government.
Atrocities against law-abiding citizens could not be justified
even on those grounds of necessity which might be advanced to
explain efforts to protect the revolution from its political
opponents.
An interesting feature of the debate at the 1982 Commis-
sion on Human Rights, therefore, was the development by
representatives of the Iranian government of a new rationale
for its treatment of the Baha'i minority. The argument was to
become the foundation for the regime's attempts to counter all
criticism of its attitude toward its Baha'i citizens.
For many years Baha'is had been identified by fundamen-
talist Iranian Muslims as among the elements in Iranian
society which were "Westernizing" the country. The charge
owed its origin to the popular tendency in fundamentalist cir-
cles to regard such principles of social development as the
equality of men and women, reliance on democratic decision-
making processes, and freedom in scientific investigation as
"satanic" influences originating in Western lands. Such ideals
were widely associated with the beliefs of the Baha'i minority.
This prejudice was seized upon and elaborated into a con-
spiracy theory in which Iran's Baha'is were pictured as secret
agents serving foreign governments. Foreign control of the

22. "Note by the Secretary-General," No. E/CN.4/1517, 31 December
1981, and "Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1982/27 on the Sit-
uation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran," 11 March 1982.
T H E      B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                      261

community had much earlier been attributed to Tsarist Russia.
Subsequently it passed, in a manner never explained, to the
British Foreign Office. Now, however, the Baha'i Faith was
transformed, again through a process not revealed by those
making the allegations, into an extension of "international
zionism." At the meeting of the U .N. General Assembly's Third
Committee, in November 1982, Iran's Permanent Mission dis-
tributed copies of a booklet entitled Human Rights in the
Islamic Republic of Iran, in which these political accusations
against the Baha'i minority were explained in detail.
With international attention growing, the Iranian authori-
ties also undertook elaborate efforts to conceal the continuing
executions of prominent Baha'is. Between 30 December 1981
and 9 January 1982, however, Le Monde carried a series of sto-
ries exposing the secret executions of the members of the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i community in Iran.
The stories eventually forced the Chief Justice of Iran, Aya-
tollah Moussavi-Ardibili into an embarrassing public retreat
from earlier denials. 23

THE BAHA'i FAITH FORMALLY BANNED

Initially, it appeared that the intervention of the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights would have no more effect on
the situation of Iran's Baha'is than had that of individual gov-
ernments. Persecutions continued and, in some local cases,
became particularly flagrant. On the night of 18 June 1983 the
Islamic revolutionary authorities in Shiraz hanged ten Baha'i
women and teenage girls who had refused to recant their Faith
and convert to Islam. Three days earlier the same authorities
had hanged six men. including the husbands, fathers. and
sons of four of the women. The Islamic judge who presided at
the trials, Hujjatu'l-Islam Qaza'i, was quoted in the govern-
ment-controlled newspaper Khabar-i-Junub as warning that, if
Baha'is did not recant their Faith, "the day will soon come

23. See series of articles in Le Monde, 30 December 1981, 1,5, 8, 9 Janu-
ary 1982.
262                         T H E       B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

when the Islamic Nation will ... God willing fulfill the prayer of
Noah: 'Lord leave not one single family of infidels upon the
earth' ... "24
In August of that year, Iran's prosecutor-general
announced the formal banning of all Baha'i religious institu-
tions in the country, and declared membership in them and
service to them to be criminal offences. In accordance with the
Baha'i principle of obedience to government, the Iranian com-
munity immediately complied, dissolving both its National
Spiritual Assembly and all of its local Assemblies throughout
the country. In an open letter to the government, some two
thousand copies of which were audaciously distributed by
hand to the ministries, the press, and other public agencies,
the community announced its complete submission, protested
the treatment accorded to their Faith, and called on the gov-
ernment to fulfill the promise made by the prosecutor-general
that Baha'is would at least be permitted, as individuals, to
practice their religion in the privacy of their own homes. 25
The worthlessness of this promise was quickly demon-
strated when a new wave of Baha'i arrests followed immediately
on the heels of the ban. The majority of the victims were people
who had formerly been members of the now dissolved institu-
tions. It was clear that the authorities were making use of the
ban as a legal device to sweep up large numbers of prominent
Baha'is and charge them, retroactively, with crimes against the
State.

THE UNITED NATIONS APPOINTS
A SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE
The Iranian government may have been counting on the case
eventually losing momentum in the United Nations system,

24. Khabar-i-JunUb, Shiraz, 22 February 1983.
25. After announcing the ban, the statement of the prosecutor-general
goes on to say: "If a Baha'i himself performs his religious acts in accor-
dance with his own beliefs, such a man will not be bothered by us, pro-
vided he does not invite others to the Baha'i Faith, does not teach, does
not form assemblies, does not give news to others, and has nothing to do
with the administration." (Kayhan, 21September1983).
T H E      B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D                   263

simply because of the difficulties and complexity of main-
taining international concern. If so, it was disappointed. At the
meeting of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in 1984, a
new resolution was adopted calling on the chairman to appoint
a special representative to undertake a thorough study of the
human rights situation in Iran, including that of the Baha'is.
Subsequently, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
endorsed the Commission's decision. The report of the special
representative, Mr. Andres Aguilar, expressed great concern at
the number and gravity of the reported human rights violations
in Iran. In endorsing these observations, the Commission
extended the representative's mandate and requested him to
present an interim report to the General Assembly at its 40th
Session, including in its resolution "the situation of minority
groups such as the Baha'is." Again, the Economic and Social
Council endorsed the decision. 26
In consequence of these initiatives the General Assembly
of the United Nations itself went on record, in Resolution 40/
141, as expressing "its deep concern over the specific and
detailed allegations of violations of human rights in the Islamic
Republic of Iran," outlining in its statement some of the specific
reported violations. The General Assembly decided "to continue
its examination of the situation," by taking up the matter at its
4lst Session, with the assistance of further reports submitted
by the special representative of the United Nations Commission
on Human Rights.
By 1986 Mr. Aguilar had submitted his resignation. The
Commission on Human Rights appointed Mr. Reynaldo Galindo
Pohl to serve as the new special representative of the Commis-
sion, and had called on the Iranian government to extend its
cooperation in his investigation by inviting him to visit Iran.
For two years the Iranian government resisted this pressure to
cooperate, insisting that the mission represented improper
influence exerted on the Commission by various Western gov-
ernments. With the assistance of one or two other delegations,

26. "Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1984/54 on the Situation
of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran," 14 March 1984.
264                       T H E      B A H   A         W   0   R   L   D

Iran was able to secure the introduction at successive sessions
of the Human Rights Commission, of procedural motions
which would have had the effect of sidetracking the case and
freeing Iran from accountability. All of these efforts failed, how-
ever, and the Human Rights Commission continued to renew
the mandate of the special representative and to press Iran on
the issue.
By this time, political developments in Iran and the coun-
try's deteriorating economic condition produced a change in
strategy on the part of the Iranian authorities. In 1988 it was
announced that Iran would accept the visit of Mr. Galindo Pohl
and lend its assistance to his investigation. After further delays
the visit of the special representative took place from 21 to 29
January 1990.

THE FIRST VISIT BY THE
U .N. 'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE

The change in Iranian strategy included a number of steps to
reduce some of those abuses of Iranian Baha'is which had
attracted particular international protest. Beginning a year
prior to the Galindo Pohl visit, the government began a system-
atic release of Baha'is from the prisons and jails where over
700 of them had been confined. While some new arrests would
be made from time to time, the general effect was to reduce
sharply the number of Baha'i prisoners. At the same time, most
Baha'i parents were permitted to re-enroll their children in the
school system without having to comply with regulations which
had earlier made such re-admission dependent on the child's
recantation of his Faith. Again, the new policy was hedged
about with significant limitations: university students , for
example, were not included in the permission.
Executions, which had aroused particularly sharp criti-
cism in the international media and had been the object of
vehement condemnation by foreign governments, came to a
halt. The last two Baha'i victims in Iran prior to the first visit of
the special representative were iraj Afshin and Bihnam Pasha,
both executed in 1988.
T H E      B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                      265

In commenting on the situation in various public state-
ments, the Baha'i International Community acknowledged the
improvements that had taken place in the situations of various
of its members in Iran. The Community pointed out, however,
that these improvements did not affect the status of the Baha'i
community in general, nor did they include any form of reli-
gious tolerance. The Baha'i Faith remained a proscribed
religion, its shrines and other properties confiscated, its mem-
bers denied any right to practice their Faith, and the
community excluded from all constitutional rights and
protections.
The report submitted by Mr. Galindo Pohl after his visit,
while candidly acknowledging the continued disabilities and
abuses experienced by Iranian Baha'is, expressed the hope
that the situation in Iran might be moving toward a kind of
general "tolerance" of the community. This view was presum-
ably based on statements made to the special representative by
Iranian authorities, since only one Baha'i witness was able
eventually, and with enormous difficulty, to gain access to the
building where the hearings were taking place. 27

THE REPRESENTATIVE'S SECOND VISIT

Encouraged by the willingness of the Iranian government to
permit the representative's visit to take place at all, and by a
number of human rights improvements which Mr. Galindo Pohl
felt he had observed, the group of nations which had taken the
lead in framing the succession of resolutions over the past sev-
eral years likewise adopted a change of strategy. After behind-
the-scenes negotiation with the Iranian delegation, the Western
group drafted a relatively mildly worded resolution, renewing
the Galindo Pohl mandate and inviting Iran to continue its
cooperative stance by welcoming a second visit by the special

27. "Report on the Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran
by the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights .. .
pursuant to Commission resolution 1989/66" No . E/CN.4/1990/24, 12
February 1990.
266                         T   H   E   B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

representative. The resolution was carried unanimously, the
Iranian delegation having indicated before the vote that it
would not oppose adoption. The willingness of the Iranian dele-
gation to give tacit consent to direct investigation of the
situation, even where the Baha'i concerns were specifically sin-
gled out for mention, marked an important turning point. 28
The second visit occurred 9 to 15 October 1990. The sub-
sequent report was, however, considerably more critical of the
human rights situation in Iran than the first, concluding that
'The enormous quantity and variety of allegations and com-
plaints received from very diverse sources, even allowing for the
fact that they may contain errors or exaggerations, provide a
credible factual basis for the belief that human rights violations
occur frequently ... " For this reason, the report urged con-
tinued "international monitoring by the competent United
Nations organs, with a view to insuring compliance with inter-
national human rights instruments in the Islamic Republic of
Iran ... " With respect to the situation of the Baha'i minority, the
special representative said: "Many documents signed by
administrative authorities have been received, providing evi-
dence of discrimination, confiscation, rejection by universities,
suspension of pensions, demands for the return of pensions
earned and paid, denial of passports and other irregularities ...
This keeps the Baha'is in a perpetual state of uncertainty
about their activities. The Government should therefore be
requested to take effective action to ensure that these Iranian
citizens enjoy the same civil and political rights as the rest of
the population. "29
Despite this rather somber evaluation, the delegations
which had sponsored the previous year's resolution on Iran
appear to have concluded that the consensus strategy still
offered the greatest promise of maintaining pressure on the
Iranian government and encouraging an amelioration of the

28. "Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1990/79 on the Situation
of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran," 7 March 1990.
29. "Report of the Economic and Social Council, Situation of Human
Rights in the Islamic Republic oflran, Note by the Secretary-General," No.
A/45/697, 6 November 1990, 17.
T H E       B   A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D                      267

human rights situation in the country. Accordingly, after con-
siderable negotiation, they set aside their own proposed text of
a new resolution, in favor of a compromise draft prepared in
the name of the Commission's chairman. 30 This resolution,
which again passed without a vote, continued the mandate of
the special representative to investigate the "allegations of
human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran" and
once again called upon the government of Iran "to comply with
international instruments of human rights." Significantly, this
consensus text continued to single out "the situation of the
Baha'is" for particular attention, a clear signal to Iran of the
seriousness with which a large number of delegations continue
to view the Baha'i issue.

THE REPRESENTATIVE'S THIRD VISIT

When the Commission again took up the human rights situa-
tion in Iran, in February 1992, this pressure markedly
increased. The new interim report submitted by the special
representative after his third visit in December 1991 was still
more severe in its criticism of Iran, including its references to
the Baha'i case, and much more explicit in endorsing the evi-
dence for the charges being made by the Baha'i International
Community. 31 While noting that there had apparently been no
further executions of Baha'is and that the number of arrests
had significantly fallen, the special representative reported that
"harassment and discrimination" had persisted. He concluded
that "the documentation gathered is reliable evidence of unfair
and discriminatory treatment toward Baha'is," and made spe-
cific reference to property confiscations, denial of university
education, refusal of permits to establish businesses, confisca-
tion of cemeteries and places of worship, discrimination in

30 . '"Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1991/82 on the Situation
of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran."
31. '"Report on the Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran
by the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights ...
pursuant to Commission Resolution 1991," No. E/CN.4/1992/34, 2 Jan-
uary 1992.
268                      T H E      B A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D

matters of employment, access to public services, etc. The
Commission's attention was particularly drawn to "harassment
... aimed at forcing them [Baha'is] to recant their faith."
Against this background, the 48th session of the Commis-
sion received from a group of eighteen nations the text of a
draft resolution much firmer than those of the preceding two
years, noting the special representative's view that "no tangible
progress occurred in the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the
better implementation of human rights, " expressing its concern
about certain specific problems, including "discriminatory
treatment of certain groups of citizens for reasons of their reli-
gious beliefs, notably the Baha'is," and endorsing the view of
the special representative that "the international monitoring of
the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran
should be continued." Several other delegations associated
themselves with the draft after it had been tabled.
In the face of a Commission climate which was increas-
ingly favoring the adoption of consensus resolutions, Iran
rather unwisely pressed the matter to a vote. The resulting
Resolution, which reproduced precisely the text of the draft,
was carried by twenty-two votes to twelve, with fifteen absten-
tions. 32 The mandate of the special representative was
extended for a further year, and he was asked to present an
interim report to the General Assembly at its forthcoming 4 7th
session. Consideration of the situation in Iran would be main-
tained "as a matter of priority" at the following year's
Commission session.
On 18 March 1992, for the first time since 1988, a Baha'i
prisoner was executed. Three months later another Baha'i was
murdered by members of Iran's Disciplinary Forces, and in
September 1992, two more death sentences were passed. On
27 August 1992, the 44th session of the Sub-Commission of
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities
passed a resolution drawing attention to the renewed persecu-
tion of religious minorities and summary killings of Baha'is. 33

32. Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1992, on the Situation of
Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 3 March 1992.
T H E      B   A   H   A      W   0   R   L   D                      269

On 23 November 1992, the special representative's report
to the United Nations General Assembly was released and, in
relation to the Baha'is, was the strongest one to date. On 18
December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly passed
a strong resolution (88 votes in favor to 16 against, with 38
abstentions) making special reference to the treatment of the
Baha'i community and expressing regret that "the Islamic
Republic of Iran has not given adequate follow-up to many of
the recommendations contained in the previous reports. "34 The
examination of the human rights situation in Iran would con-
tinue during the General Assembly's 48th session in 1993.
Mr. Galindo Pohl's annual report to the Commission on
Human Rights in February 1993 revealed the existence of a cir-
cular, issued on 25 February 1991 by the Supreme
Revolutionary Cultural Council and signed by President
Khamenei, outlining the government's unpublicized policy
towards the Baha'i community. According to the special repre-
sentative, the "guidelines have some slightly positive elements,
in particular when they refer to the general status of this group
and the granting of work permits, ration books and passports.
But it must be observed that one rule limits all the others,
namely, that which provides that the progress and develop-
ment of the Baha'is shall be blocked. "35 While the intention to
oppress the Baha'i community is clear, the contrast with the
regime's earlier practices is dramatic. That those actions
against the Baha'is which embarrassed the government in
international fora would have to be curbed was made clear in
the statement made by Ayatollah Khamenei, spiritual leader of
the regime, as quoted in the preamble of the document: "in this
regard, a specific policy should be devised in such a way that
everyone will understand what should or should not be done."

33. Resolution No. E/CN.4/Sub.2/RES/1992/15. 27 August 1992.
34. Resolution 47/146 of the United Nations General Assembly, 18
December 1992.
35. "Final Report on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Repub-
lic of Iran by the Special Representative of the Commission on Human
Rights, Mr. Reynaldo Galindo Pohl, pursuant to Commission Resolution
1992/67 of 4 March 1992," No. E/CN.4/1993/41, 28 January 1993.
270                     T H   E   B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

The original of the document carried an endorsement of the
proposals in the handwriting of Mr. Khamenei himself. The key
change, embodied in the government's circular, was that
actions taken against the Baha'is would have to be controlled,
and the most flagrant types of persecution restrained, in order
to minimize the response of the international community.
On 10 March 1993 a further strong resolution was passed
at the 49th Session of the Commission on Human Rights by a
margin of 22 votes to 11, with 14 abstentions, noting "that
there was no appreciable progress in the Islamic Republic of
Iran towards improved compliance with human rights stan-
dards in conformity with international instruments. "36 Once
again, the mandate of the special representative was renewed
for a year and the matter would continue to be on the agenda of
the General Assembly as a matter of priority. The stance of the
Government of Iran continued to be one of maintaining that it
respects human rights, and attributing the pressure of the
Commission to the influence of Western governments hosWe to
the Iranian government.
Despite the repeated protestations by various representa-
tives of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran that the
Baha'i community is not being persecuted, the evidence seems
to indicate that the intentions of the regime remain the same:
to suffocate the Baha'i community while trying to minimize
negative reaction from the international community.

CONCLUSION

When the case of Iran's Baha'i minority was first introduced in
the United Nations human rights system ten years ago, the
community in Baha'u'llah's native land faced the threat of
eventual extinction. Influential voices in the revolutionary
regime had made clear their belief that the Baha'i Faith was a
"satanic" influence, that the Baha'i community had no place in
Iran's future, and that its members were "apostates" subject to

36. Resolution E/CN.4/RES/1992/62 of the Commission on Human
Rights, 10 March 1993.
T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                  271

the death penalty if they did not recant their beliefs and
convert to Islam. The energy of the pogrom thus launched,
together with the overwhelming resources available to those
who inspired it, made the threat fully credible to anyone
familiar with the situation.
Today, while Iran's Baha'i community is still excluded
from the protection which the Constitution and the laws assure
to other segments of the society, and while its members suffer
various forms of discrimination, the threat to its existence has
been effectively lifted. Until the 1992 execution of Mr. Bahman
Samandari, there had been no executions for four years. As of
April 1993, only 7 members of the Faith remain in prison, most
Baha'i children have been re-enrolled in school, the prevailing
economic discrimination is beginning to give way, and a small
number of Baha'is have even been permitted to travel out of the
country. Baha'is continue to suffer major deprivations in the
areas of employment, retirement pensions, and access to uni-
versity as well as a renewed threat to their personal property.
The most serious disabilities under which the community
still labors are the denial of any form of freedom to practice its
religion and the refusal of the authorities to return its dese-
crated shrines and other properties. It is these communal, as
well as individual, human rights that are the focus of the con-
tinuing efforts of the Baha'i International Community in the
United Nations human rights system.
The United Nations human rights system is slow and
admittedly cumbersome. Its requirements do not accord easily,
if at all, with simultaneous recourse to the familiar weapons of
political partisanship. As the case of Iran's Baha'i minority con-
vincingly demonstrates, however, it constitutes an enormous
leap forward in the world's efforts to protect the human rights
of oppressed people. In the view of Baha'is everywhere it repre-
sents humanity's best hope in this vital field of concern.
T H E        B A H      A           W      0   R   L   D                         273

OBITUARIES
TAHIRIH 'ALA'i                                 William Allen at the beginning of
the Great Depression in the United
On 26 September 1992, in France.               States, and they had three sons. In
Mrs. 'Ala'i was born into a Baha'i             1954, they answered Shoghi Effen-
family in Persia in 1906. She mar-             di's call for the Baha'is to spread
ried Mir 'Aynu'd-Din 'Ala'i in 1932,           around the world by moving to
and together they went on pilgrim-             Swaziland, and they were both
age to the Holy Land in 1952. In               named Knights of Baha'u'llah.
response to Shoghi Effendi's call to           They lived there for the rest of their
the Baha'is at that time to take the           lives, serving as points of inspira-
teachings of the new Faith to coun-            tion and unity for all who knew
tries where there were no Baha'is,             them.
the Ala'is moved to Southern Rho-
desia in 1953. For this they were
both     designated    Knights     of          G. A. AMRELIWALA
Baha'u'llah, 1 and spent many
years serving the Baha'i Faith in              On 12 December 1992, in India.
Africa. Ill health caused Mrs . 'Ala'i         Mr. Amreliwala was born in Bom-
to return to France in 1982.                   bay in 1905. He became a Baha'i
during the 1930s and served on
the National Spiritual Assembly of
VALERA FISHER ALLEN                            the Baha'is of India from 1945 to
1967. At the end of the second
On 9 April 1993, in Swaziland.                 World War, Mr. Amreliwala was one
Mrs. Allen was born in the United              of the first Baha'is to travel to the
States in 1903, and became a                   Holy Land to meet with Shoghi
Baha'i in 1925. She married John               Effendi. After his pilgrimage, he
undertook an all-India tour to meet
1. A designation given to individuals          with the Baha'is in different com-
who took the Baha'i Faith to virgin ter-       munities to share with them mes-
ritories mentioned in Shoghi Effendi's
ten year international teaching plan.          sages from the Guardian. He was
(See also ''The Second Baha'i Holy             known for his love and generosity,
Year". page 95.)                               and as a pillar of steadfastness.
274                          T H E       B A H     A          W   0   R   L   D

EMMA CABEZAS                            the Faith over a number of years. In
1969, he wrote the first introduc-
On 4 October 1992, in Chile. Mrs.
tion to the Baha'i Faith in the
Cabezas was born in Chile in 1895.
Swedish language-De Upplysta
She became a Baha'i in 194 7. and
Horisonterna (The       Enlightened
was elected to the first National
Horizons). He also wrote an intro-
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
ductory pamphlet on the Faith in
Chile in 1961. She was a stalwart
Swedish which is still widely used.
supporter of the Faith, remaining in
recent years as active as her health
HELEN HORNBY
would permit.
On 17 October 1992, in the United
RUTH SHOOK FENDELL                      States. Mrs. Hornby was born in
the United States, and graduated
On 10 December 1992, in Costa
from Roosevelt University in Chi-
Rica. Mrs. Fendell served the Baha'i
cago. She became a Baha'i in that
Faith in Latin America for more
city, and worked for the United
than 50 years, particularly in
States Department of Health, Edu-
Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica.
cation and Welfare. She took an
She designed and developed the for-
early retirement to teach the Baha'i
mal gardens surrounding the first
Faith in Colombia, where she was
Baha'i House of Worship in Latin
married to Charles Hornby. They
America, located in Panama.
later moved to Ecuador. She is
author of Heroes of God, a history of
JOHN BIRKS " DIZZY" GILLESPIE
the Faith in Ecuador. She also
On 6 January 1993, in the United        edited and prepared Lights of Guid-
States. Mr. Gillespie was born in       ance, an important Baha'i reference
the United States in 1917, and was      work.
renowned for his virtuosity as a jazz
trumpeter. During the 1940s he          DORIS MCKAY
developed a jazz style known as
On 30 November 1992, in Canada.
bebop, which became world fa-
A Baha'i since 1925, along with her
mous. He became a Baha'i in 1968
husband Willard, Mrs. McKay was
and often spoke at public perfor-
a contemporary and co-worker of
mances of his love for the Faith. He
such prominent early North Ameri-
received numerous honors includ-
can believers as Louis Gregory,
ing the National Medal of Honor in
Dorothy Baker, May Maxwell,
the United States and the Kennedy
Horace Holley and Howard Colby
Center Honor.
Ives. She is known for having pre-
pared a synopsis of The Dawn-
SVERRE HOLMSEN
breakers, which has been in use for
In 9 October 1992, in Sweden. Mr.       more than 50 years. She was active
Holmsen was born in Sweden and          in the early race amity work in the
was the well-known author of a          United States, and in the 1940s
great number of books. He became        moved to Canada as a Baha'i
a Baha'i in 1964 after deep study of    pioneer.
T H E        B A H A              W   0   R   L   D                          275

MOHAMED MUSA                              SHAYISTIH RAFi'i

In June 1992, in Somalia. Mr. Musa        On 15 July 1992, in the Canary
was one of the first Baha'is of           Islands. Mrs. Rafi'i was born in
Somalia and a member of the Local         1907 in Persia. She married a
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of      Baha'i, 'Ali Akbar Rafi'i Rafsanjani,
Mogadishu. Mr. Musa was known             and finally became a Baha'i herself
for his extraordinary courage in a        14 years later. In 1952, they visited
difficult environment. His life ended     the Holy Land where Shoghi Effendi
tragically, when, while he was            encouraged them to leave Persia. In
enroute to Kenya, seeking refuge          1953 they moved to Morocco with
from the troubles in Somalia,             their youngest son, 'Abbas, and
armed gunmen stopped the bus on           were all given the title of Knight of
which he was travelling and killed        Baha'u'llah. They continued to
all the passengers.                       serve the Faith in Morocco until Mr.
Rafi'i died there in 1965. Mrs. Rafi'i
LEA NYS                                   then j oined her daughter as a pio-
neer in the Canary Islands.
On 28 July 1992, in Belgium. Ms.
Nys served as a member of the
National Spiritual Assembly of the        ANDREW ROBOMAN
Baha'is of Belgium and was known          On 20 July 1992, in Micronesia.
for her international travels and         Mr. Roboman was born on the
meetings, as an emissary of the           island of Yap into the family which
Faith, with Heads of State and            provided the traditional leaders of
other prominent persons, particu-         the society. He was Chief of the
larly in West Africa and the Carib-       Council of Chiefs, the highest rank
bean. She often represented the           in the area. He became a Baha'i in
Baha'i International Community at         the early 1970s and always enjoyed
United Nations conferences.               visits from Baha'is for prayers and
to keep him informed of the
ALFRED OSBORNE                            progress of the Faith throughout
Micronesia and the world. Upon his
On 14 August 1992, in the United
passing he had a Baha'i funeral,
States. Born in Antigua, British
followed by a state funeral with full
West Indies, Mr. Osborne became
ceremonies as befitted his high
one of the first Baha'is of Panama,
rank.
embracing the religion in 1941. He
served as a member of the Board of
Counsellors 2 in Central America          ISOBEL SABRI
from 1968 to 1980 while based in
Panama.                                   On 18 June 1992, in the United
Kingdom. Mrs. Sabri was born in
the United States in 1924. She
2. High-ranking officer of the Baha'i
community responsible for the propaga-    became a Baha'i in 1945, and in
tion and protection of the Baha'i Faith   1946 she settled in the United
at the continental level.                 Kingdom as a Baha'i teacher. In
276                         T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

1951, she married Hassan Sabri         1968 until 1988. He served as a
and, in response to a call from        consultant for the World Health
Shoghi Effendi, they went to East      Organization (WHO), and was
Africa almost immediately, serving     known for his administrative acu-
Baha'i interests with great distinc-   men, his brilliant conceptualiza-
tion in Tanganyika, Uganda, and        tion, and his artistic talent.
Kenya. She served on the Regional
Assembly of the Baha'is of Central
ROXANNE TERREL
and East Africa and was appointed
to the Continental Board of Coun-
On 17 November 1992, in the
sellors in Africa in 1968. She was
United Kingdom. Mrs. Terrel was
appointed in 1983 to the Interna-
born in the United States during
tional Teaching Centre of which she
the second World War. She became
remained a member until the time
a Baha'i in California, and soon
of her death.
went to live in Taiwan where she
served as a member of the National
ROAN ORLOFF STONE
Spiritual Assembly for 10 years.
On 1 January 1993 in the United        From Taiwan she moved to Macau,
States. Prominent internationally      where she helped form the first
as a promoter of the synthetic lan-    National Assembly in 1989. She
guage, Esperanto. A Baha'i since       had a special love for the Chinese
1933, she served as a member of        people which she shared with the
the International Auxiliary Lan-       Baha'is around the world as she
guage Committee of the National        travelled to inspire and to teach.
Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of
the United States during the 1930s
ROGER WHITE
and 1940s, and subsequently be-
came centrally involved in the work
On 10 April 1993, in Canada. Mr.
of Bahaa Esperanto-Liggo, the in-
White was born in Canada in 1929
ternational organization of Baha'i
and worked for a time as editor of
Esperantists, which she founded
Hansard, the daily record of
with eight other charter mem-
debates of the Canadian Parlia-
bers, and served for many years
ment's House of Commons. He
as its secretary. She translated
became a Baha'i in 1952, and
The Dawn-breakers into Esperanto.
served from 1966 to 1969 in
Nairobi, Kenya, and then from 1969
CHELLIE J. SUND RAM
to 1971 in Palm Springs, California,
On 22 February 1993, in Malaysia.      as secretary and research assistant
Dr. Sundram was a distinguished        to the Hand of the Cause of God
physician who became a Baha'i in       and author, William Sears. From
1958. He was elected to the            1971 to 1991, he headed the Pub-
National Spiritual Assembly of the     lishing Department at the Baha'i
Baha'is of Malaysia in 1965 and        World Centre in Israel. He was the
was appointed to the Continental       author of four books of poetry and
Board of Counsellors in Asia from      one novel.
T   H    E    B   A   H   A     W   0   R   L   D                       277

A selection of new books published
during 1992.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
WITH ANNOTATIONS
Agriculture Beyond 2000: A Baha'i Perspective
lraj Poostchi. Henley-on-Thames, U.K.: Pootschi Pub-
lishing, 1992. 199 pages.
lraj Poostchi, former Professor of Agronomy and Head
of the Department of National (Rural) Development at
Shiraz University, Iran, examines the current state of
agriculture worldwide and outlines the contributions
which the Baha'i teachings can make to universal
agricultural development. Poostchi argues that pov-
erty, starvation, unequal distribution of resources
and environmental destruction are all related to the
state of agriculture worldwide, and cannot be elimi-
nated solely through governmental and financial
means. Rather, solutions must address spiritual,
moral and ethical issues, and the author illustrates
how agricultural development based on spiritual prin-
ciples might look.

Bah<i'u'll<ih, the Prince of Peace: A Portrait
David Hofman. Oxford: George Ronald, 1992. 200 pages.
The author offers an introductory account of the
remarkable life of the Manifestation of God,
Baha'u'llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith. He presents
Baha'u'llah's claim to be the Promised One of all the
religions of the past Who would establish the
"Kingdom of God" on earth, and outlines the Baha'i
278                      T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

peace program prescribed by Baha'u'llah, the Divine Phy-
sician, for an ailing human society.

Call to Remembrance: Connecting the Heart to Bah<i'u'llah
Compiled by Geoffry W. Marks. Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing
Trust, 1992. 308 pages.
Published in honor of the centenary of the Ascension of
Baha'u'llah, this volume synthesizes into one source the
extraordinary events in Baha'u'llah's life as recorded by
Baha'u'llah Himself. Including extracts from Baha'u'llah's
writings, this account traces the life of Baha'u'llah from
childhood to maturity, through His ministry to His passing
and the inauguration of His Covenant.

Cooperative Peace Strategies
Edited by Dr. John Davidson, Dr. Marjorie Tidman. Mona Vale,
N.S.W.: Baha'i Publications Australia, Association for Baha'i
Studies-Australia, 1992. 244 pages.
This collection of papers by authors from various disci-
plines and religious backgrounds addresses issues related
to achieving peace, as outlined in the Universal House of
Justice's statement The Promise of World Peace. Major
themes of the papers include cooperation, developing atti-
tudes of respect, and recognition of the oneness of
humanity in all its diversity. Issues related to developing
peace strategies are highlighted in this collection with a
focus on communication and the media, fostering skills in
social interaction, social and economic development and
the environment, and developing global political and
administrative structures.

The Covenant of Baha'u'llah
Adib Taherzadeh. Oxford: George Ronald, 1992. 473 pages.
In his latest book, the author of the four-volume The Reve-
lation of Baha'u'llah examines various aspects of the
Covenant-the foundation of the World Order of
Baha'u'llah which ensures the constant and continuous
T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D                    279

unity of the Baha'i community. The Covenant of
Baha'u'llah is based on two documents quoted in full, The
Kitab-i-Ahd (The Book of My Covenant) and The Will and
Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha. These documents provide for
the successive guidance and administration of the Cause
of Baha'u'llah and protect the interpretation of the Holy
Writings. Taherzadeh examines the contents of these doc-
uments and the historical context in which they were
written.
Dr. Muhajir, Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Bah<i'u'llah
Iran Furutan Muhajir. Commemorative ed. London: Baha'i
Publishing Trust, 1992. 686 pages.
This biography examines the life of one of the most promi-
nent Baha'is of the twentieth century. Dr. RaJ:imat'u'llah
Muhajir was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by the
Guardian of the Baha'i Faith and was named a Knight of
Baha'u'llah for his service in introducing the Baha'i Faith
to the peoples of the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia. Dr.
Muhajir's life reflects his utter devotion to his Faith and
his success in sharing its teachings to the masses of the
world. The story of his remarkable travels and services is
compiled from his diaries and notebooks, travel docu-
ments, Baha'i news reports, personal letters and memoirs.
The Gardeners of God
Colette Gouvion and Phillipp Jouvion. English Edition. Oxford:
Oneworld, 1993. 223 pages.
Originally published in French in 1989, this book contains
the results of a search made by two French journalists
who travelled to the Baha'i World Centre and throughout
France investigating the Baha'i Faith. The basic teachings
and history of the Faith are examined and interviews with
Baha'is of various backgrounds and ages are highlighted.
The authors conclude that the Baha'i Faith addresses
today's crucial issues, making it of "contemporary spiri-
tual value."
280                      T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

Occasions of Grace
Roger White. Oxford: George Ronald, 1992. 177 pages.
Through his poetry and vignettes, Roger White reconciles
the perversities of the old world order with his vision of a
new one. White recognizes the problems of our era as an
inevitable transition from a dark, godless age to a time
when people will care for each other out of love for their
Creator. This collection portrays the devotion of Baha'is to
their Faith and their optimism in their commitment to
create a better world.

Peace With Your Partner: A Practical Guide to Happy Marriage
Erik Blumenthal. Oxford: Oneworld, 1992. 126 pages.
Psychotherapist and analyst Erik Blumenthal examines
the causes of the current crisis in marriage and presents
practical solutions towards establishing loving and under-
standing relationships. He finds four primary reasons for
the disintegration of modern-day marriages: resistance to
change, lack of religious conviction, social inequality and
inadequate education. Peaceful and mutually fulfilling
relationships must be based on equality, encouragement,
and cooperation. Accordingly, Blumenthal identifies useful
tools for individual self-discovery, describes means of con-
flict-solving and conflict prevention, and gives advice on
choosing a partner and child-rearing.

A Theory of Almost Everything: A Scientific and Religious Quest
for Ultimate Answers
Robert Barry. Oxford: Oneworld, 1993. 200 pages.
Barry discusses his ten-year search for the "theory of
everything" that even Einstein failed to discover. Barry
looks for answers to questions about the nature of reality
and the meaning of life through an examination and syn-
thesis of physics, psychology and religion. He concludes
that humanity is evolving on a course laid out by its
Creator to an eventual reunion with God. Throughout
humankind's evolution, there have occurred quantum
T H E    B A H A          W   0   R   L   D                  281

leaps in development and Barry feels a quantum leap
which will allow humanity to see itself as one organic unit
is fast approaching and will be the foundation of the reor-
dering of the world with religion, rather than science, as
its basis.

Transition to a Global Society
Edited by Iraj Ayman, Suheil Bushrui and Ervin Laszlo.
Oxford: Oneworld, 1993.
This compilation of essays, introduced by Dr. Federico
Mayor, director-general of UNESCO, was drawn from the
proceedings of the First International Dialogue on the
Transition to a Global Society, hosted by Landegg
Academy in Switzerland in 1990. Prominent scholars and
thinkers contributed their views on the transition to a
more united, culturally diversified world, and the roles
that science, technology, government, business, culture,
ethics and religion must play. Contributing authors
include John Huddleston of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), Nobel Laureate Professor Ilya Prigogine and
Professor Volodymyr Vassilenko of Kiev State University.

The Works of Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i: A Bibliography
Dr. Moojan Momen. Based on Fihirist Kutub Mashayikh 'Izam
of Shaykh Abu'l-Qasim Kirmani. Newcastle upon Tyne:
Stephen Lambden, 1992. (Baha'i studies bulletin monograph).
177 leaves.
This comprehensive bibliography lists the major and
minor works and volumes written by a prominent Persian,
Muslim teacher who anticipated the Revelations of both
the Bab and Baha'u'llah. The titles of volumes are listed in
chronological order when dates are available in order to
see the development in Shaykh Ahmad's thought. The
entries are divided into subject areas, and each includes a
brief content summary, the libraries in which the work
can be found, and any publication details. Momen also
provides a chronology of the dates and events in the life of
282                      T H E     B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

Shaykh Ahmad, a list of his teachers, students, correspon-
dents and those for whom he wrote works and treatises,
an analysis of his works by location and year of author-
ship, as well as a list of volumes, written by others but
belonging to Shaykh Ahmad, which may have influenced
his own work.

SELECTED NEW BOOKS, NEW EDITIONS, AND
REPRINTS RELEASED DURING 1992

'Abdu'l-BaM, the Centre of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah
H.M. Balyuzi. 2nd ed. with minor corrections. Oxford: George
Ronald, 1987 (1992 printing). 560 pages.

Baha'i Education: Curriculum Guide for Parents and Teachers:
Including the Themes: Love BaM'u'llah and God's Plan.
[Mona Vale, N.S.W.]: Children's Task Force, 1992.

The Baha'i Faith
Patrick Vickers. Oxford: Oneworld, 1992. 64 pages.

Baha'i Readings
Selections from the writings of the Bab, Baha'u'llah and
'Abdu'l-Baha for daily meditation. 3rd ed. Thornhill, Ontario:
Baha'i Canada Publications, 1992. 390 pages.

The Brilliant Stars: The Baha'i Faith and the Education of Chil-
dren
H. T. D. Rost. Oxford: George Ronald, 1979 (1992 printing).
182 pages.

Day of Glory: The Life ofBaha'u'llah
Mary Perkins; illustrated by Susan Reed. Oxford: George
Ronald, 1992. 206 pages.

The Declaration of the Bab: A Compilation
Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 1992. 82 pages.
T   H   E   B A H A        W   0    R   L   D                   283

An Earthly Paradise: Baha'i Houses of Worship around the
World
Julie Badiee. Oxford: George Ronald, 1992. 144 pages.

Education on Trial
Nathan Rutstein. Oxford: Oneworld, 1992. 217 pages.

The Elements of the Baha'i Faith
Joseph Sheppherd. Shaftesbury, Dorset, U.K.; Rockport, Mas-
sachusetts; Brisbane, Queensland: Element, 1992. 118 pages.

Forever in Bloom
Photographs by Raghu Rai; text by Roger White. New Delhi,
India: Time Books International, 1992. 126 pages.

Forget-me-not Nicobar
Jeanne B. Frankel de Corrales and Margaret K. Bates. Oxford:
Oneworld, 1992. 1 76 pages.

From Night to Knight
Jenabe E. Caldwell. Oxford: Oneworld, 1992. 127 pages.

Gems of Guidance: Selections from the Scriptures of the World
Compiled and introduced by David Jurney. Oxford: George
Ronald, 1992. 118 pages.

The Hidden Words
Baha'u'llah; translated by Shoghi Effendi, with the assistance
of some English friends; illustrations Jacqueline Craske. Cen-
tenary ed. London: Nightingale Books, 1992. 91 pages.

The Hidden Words of Bah<i'u'll<ih
Translated by Shoghi Effendi, with the assistance of some
English friends. 5th rev. ed. New Delhi, India: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Trust, 1992. 52 pages.

I Shall Come Again
Hushidar Motlagh; foreword by the Hon. Dorothy W. Nelson.
Mt. Pleasant, Michigan: Global Perspective, 1992.
284                    T H E     B A H   A        W   0   R   L   D

The Invisible Hand: Shaping the New World Order
Nathan Rutstein. Springfield, Massachusetts: Whitcomb Pub-
lishing, 1992. 114 pages.

Japan Will Turn Ablaze!: Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha, Letters of
Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice, and Histor-
ical Notes about Japan
Compiled by Barbara R. Sims. Rev. ed. Tokyo: Baha'i Pub-
lishing Trust of Japan, 1992. 114 pages.

The Kitab-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book
Baha'u'llah. Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1992. 296 pages.

Meditations of the Blessed Beauty
Baha'u'llah; illustrations by Mark Sadan. Centenary ed.
London: Nightingale Books, 1992. 84 pages.

The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963: An Account of the
Stewardship of the Hands of the Cause
With an introduction by the Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Baha
Rul:J.iyyih Khanum. Haifa: Baha'i World Centre, 1992. 485
pages.

The Modern Renaissance: An Approach to a Healthier Society
Reza R. Mobine. Mona Vale, New South Wales: Baha'i Publica-
tions Australia [distributor], 1992. 231 pages.

Naw-Rilz, New Day: A Compilation.
Los Angeles: Kalimat Press, 1992. 92 pages.

Nine Days to Istanbul
Jeanne Frankel de Corrales. Oxford: Oneworld, 1992. 128
pages.
T   H   E   B   A   H   A   W   0   R   L   D                 285

(Parv<izha va ycidigarha): {bi-ycid-i .shahidan-i Baha'i-yi Iran
1357ta1371.shamsi) =A Tribute to thefaithful, 1978-1992: The
Baha'i martyrs of Iran
(ta'lif, nigfuish va naqqahi az Mahmihr Gulistanih) = Author,
artist, designer Mahmehr. Dallas, Texas: Mahmehr Golestaneh,
1371 = 1992. 215 pages.

Proclaim the Most Great Name
Hushidar Motlagh; with a section by Robert Harris . Mt.
Pleasant, Mich. : Global Perspective, 1992. 104 pages.

Remembrance of God : A Selection of Baha'i Prayers and Holy
Writings.
5th rev. ed. New Delhi: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1992. 210
pages.

The Revelation of Baha'u'llah
Adib Taherzadeh. Rev. ed. Oxford : George Ronald, 1974- 88
(1992 printing) . 4 volumes and study guide.

The Seven Valleys
Baha'u'llah; translated by 'Ali-Kuli Khan, assisted by Marzieh
Gail; illustrated by Rob Hain. Centenary ed. London: Nightin-
gale Books, 1992. 109 pages .

The Seven Valleys
Baha'u'llah; translated by 'Ali-Kuli Khan, assisted by Marzieh
Gail. Oxford : Oneworld , 1992. 82 pages.

Tablet of Carmel
Baha'u'llah; translated from the original Arabic by Shoghi
Effendi; illustrations by Mark Sadan; introduction based on an
original essay by Roger White. Centenary ed. London: Nightin-
gale Books, 1992. 54 pages .

Thief in the Night: Or, the Strange Case of the Missing Millenium
William Sears. Oxford: George Ronald, 1980 (1992 printing).
304 pages.
286                    T H E    B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

Thoughts, Educationfor Peace and One World: A Studybookfor
Moral Education
Compiled and introduced by Irene Taafaki; with drawings by
Susan Reed. Oxford: George Ronald, 1986 (1992 printing). 326
pages.

A Wondrous World : A Collection of Baha'i Sacred Writings and
Accounts of Dreams and Visions from Baha'i History
Compiled by Elias Zohoori. Kingston, Jamaica: Zohoori, 1992.
160 pages.
T H E    B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                       287

THE MINISTRY OF THE
CUSTODIANS, 1957-1963
Introduction by Hand of the Cause
of God, Amatu'l-Baha RU./:1-iyyih
KM.num. Haifa: Baha'i World
Centre, 1992.

THE MINISTRY OF THE
CUSTODIANS, 1957-1963
' ' power," Lord Acton asserted in one of historiogra-
phy's most widely quoted and misquoted
aphorisms, "tends to corrupt and absolute
power corrupts absolutely." Whatever other challenges
may be entered to this scholarly opinion, the history of the
Baha'i Faith between 195 7 and 1963 provides a dramatic
exception. On 7 November 1957, the Guardian and Head
of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, died unex-
pectedly in London. In the absence of any surviving
member of the family of Baha'u'llili eligible for this highest
office, the Guardian had not been in a position to name a
successor, and the Baha'i community found itself bereft
not only of the individual on whom its affections were
chiefly fixed, but also of its leader. Responsibility for coor-
dinating the efforts for the twenty-six National Spiritual
Assemblies around the world fell on the shoulders of the
Hands of the Cause of God, who had been described a
short time earlier by the Guardian as the "Chief Stewards
of Baha'u'llili's embryonic world commonwealth." As the
Universal House of Justice, elected at Ric;lvan 1963, subse-
quently declared: "the entire history of religion shows no
comparable record of such strict self-discipline, such
absolute loyalty, and such complete self-abnegation by the
leaders of a religion, finding themselves suddenly deprived
of their divinely inspired guide."
The broad outline of the sequence of events by which
the Hands of the Cause ensured the election of the
288                         T   H   E   B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

Universal House of Justice has long been available in various
Baha'i publications. Until now, however, the detailed documen-
tation of this turning point in Baha'i history has been
accessible to the public only in part, through the publication in
successive volumes of The Baha'i World of the major state-
ments issued by successive conclaves of the Hands of the
Cause. The entire historical record has been brought together
by Amatu'l-Baha RuJ:iiyyih K.hanum, widow of the Guardian,
"chosen liaison" between him and the International Baha'i
Council, 1 and herself a leading figure among the Hands of the
Cause. The volume comprises all of the statements issued by
the successive conclaves of the Hands and various messages
from the Hands in the Holy Land to National Spiritual Assem-
blies, conventions, and conferences around the world. It
contains, as well, the greater part of the highly important com-
munications between the group of Hands selected by their
colleagues to administer the day-to-day work of the Faith in the
Holy Land and those members of the Institution residing in
other parts of the world. Supplementing these key documents
are the texts of related cables and other communications
received from National Spiritual Assemblies at particularly crit-
ical moments in the period under review.
Although deprived of the guidance of its appointed
Guardian, the Baha'i world was aware that authoritative guid-
ance was also assured by Baha'u'llah's own pen to the second
of the two central institutions of the Faith, the Universal House
of Justice, whose establishment was called for in His Writings.
This institution, however, did not yet exist. It was the Hands of
the Cause who first fully understood the essential facts of the
situation facing the Baha'i world at the end of 1957, and com-
municated them to their fellow believers: the ten-year-long
teaching plan, 2 which was by then approaching its midway

1. The International Baha'i Council was created by Shoghi Effendi in
1951 as the forerunner of the Universal House of Justice to forge relation-
ships with the Israeli Government, to help him in the erection of the
superstructure of the Shrine of the Bab, and to conduct negotiations
related to matters of personal status with the civil authorities. The mem-
bers of the first Council were appointed by Shoghi Effendi.
T H E      B   A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D                           289

point, had been designed to bring into existence the remaining
number of National Spiritual Assemblies necessai:y for the elec-
tion of this Supreme Body and would, in the meantime, serve
as the authoritative guidance required for the community's col-
lective activities. Galvanized by the urgency of the crisis facing
the Faith, the Hands of the Cause embarked on a program of
intense activity. Several among them were appointed to serve
as Custodians of the Faith at the World Centre, responding to
queries on the basis of the existing guidance of the Sacred
Writings and the directives of Shoghi Effendi. Members of the
Institution travelled tirelessly throughout the world, encour-
aging their fellow Baha'is, clarifying the needs of the work, and
providing an inspiring example of the kind of personal dedica-
tion that could alone achieve the demanding goals of the Plan.
By April 1963, these efforts had achieved their purpose: the
required number of National Spiritual Assemblies had been
established, and their members prepared in turn to elect the

2. See "The Ministry ofShoghi Effendi, 1921- 1957'', page 299.

Below: The Hands of the
Cause of God at their 1958
Conclave.
290                      T   H   E   B A H   A       W   0   R   L   D

membership of the Institution conceived by Baha'u'llah and
assured of His unerring guidance.
At this point, the Hands of the Cause took the step that
the House of Justice was later to describe as an act of self-
abnegation without precedent in religious history. In their mes-
sage of 5 November 1961 calling for a Convention in the Holy
Land for the first election of the Universal House of Justice,
they said: "All male voting members throughout the Baha'i
World are eligible for election to the Universal House of Justice.
The Hands of the Cause do not limit the freedom of the elec-
tors. However, as they have been given the explicit duties of
guarding over the security and ensuring the propagation of the
Faith, they ask the electors to leave them free at this time to
discharge their duties. When that supreme and infallible Body
has been elected it will decide on all matters concerning its
membership." It was a request that the Convention faithfully
honored.
This compendium of the Custodians' papers benefits enor-
mously from both a preface and an introduction written by
Amatu'l-Baha RuI:iiyyih Khanum herself. The former sets the
publication in its historical context. The latter provides a fasci-
nating and all too brief review of the events of the tumultuous
six years covered by the compilation, a period during which the
Custodians guided the affairs of the Cause entrusted to them
through a most critical period of its long history. We are helped
to follow the processes of consultation captured in the docu-
ments, by which the Hands of the Cause were able to reach a
common understanding of the unprecedented challenge sud-
denly thrust upon them in the very depth of their private grief.
We benefit from intimate glimpses of the struggle of the various
conclaves to find the resources that the unfinished work of the
Ten Year Crusade demanded-indeed, to find the resources
needed for the maintenance and functioning of the Institution
of the Hands itself. In one lengthy paragraph, no less moving
because of its dispassionate tone and objective description of
events, Rul:iiyyih Khanum summarizes the Hands' response to
the crisis created by the attempt of one of their number,
Charles Mason Remey, to seize control of the Faith by declaring
T H E     B A H    A        W   0   R   L   D                   291

himself the "second Guardian." Equally cogent is her descrip-
tion of the imaginative and resourceful campaign orchestrated
by the Custodians to defend the Moroccan Baha'i community,
several members of which found themselves facing sentences of
death or long imprisonment because of religious persecution.
Already indebted to RU.J::iiyyih Khanum for her matchless
study of the life of Shoghi Effendi, Baha'is everywhere will feel a
sense of immense gratitude for the integrity of purpose and
painstaking effort that make The Ministry of the Custodians an
enduring contribution to Baha'i scholarship.
T H E        B A H A             W   0   R   L   D                           293

This statement was originally pre-
pared by Slwghi Effendi, the
Guardian of the Bahci'i Faith, for
presentation to the United Nations
Special Palestine Committee in
1947.

THE FAITH OF BAHA'U'LLAH
The Faith established by Baha-           RESTATEMENT OF
'u'llah was born in Persia about the
ETERNAL VERITIES
middle of the nineteenth century
and has, as a result of the succes-
sive banishments of its Founder,         Though sprung from Shi'ah Islam,
culminating in His exile to the          and regarded, in the early stages of
Turkish penal colony of Acre, and        its development, by the followers of
His subsequent death and burial          both the Muslim and Christian
in its vicinity, fixed its permanent     Faiths, as an obscure sect, an Asi-
spiritual center in the Holy Land,       atic cult or an offshoot of the
and is now in the process of laying      Muhammadan religion, this Faith
the foundations of its world admin-      is now increasingly demonstrating
istrative center in the city of Haifa.   its right to be recognized, not as
Alike in the claims unequivo-     one more religious system super-
cally asserted by its Author and         imposed on the conflicting creeds
the general character of the growth      which for so many generations
of the Baha'i community in every         have divided mankind and dark-
continent of the globe, it can be        ened its fortunes, but rather as a
regarded in no other light than a        restatement of the eternal verities
world religion, destined to evolve in    underlying all the religions of the
the course of time into a world-         past, as a unifying force instilling
embracing commonwealth, whose            into the adherents of these reli-
advent must signalize the Golden         gions a new spiritual vigor, infus-
Age of mankind, the age in which         ing them with a new hope and love
the unity of the human race will         for mankind, firing them with a
have been unassailably estab-            new vision of the fundamental
lished, its maturity attained, and       unity of their religious doctrines,
its glorious destiny unfolded            and unfolding to their eyes the glo-
through the birth and efflores-          rious destiny that awaits the
cence of a world-encompassing            human race.
civilization.                                    The   fundamental    principle

MWfM1ii       tQ            *+tiḥ
294                          T   H   E    B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

enunciated by Baha'u'llah, the fol-      and be applicable to the problems,
lowers of His Faith firmly believe, is   the ills and perplexities, of the age
that religious truth is not absolute     in which we live. His mission is to
but relative, that Divine Revelation     proclaim that the ages of the
is a continuous and progressive          infancy and of the childhood of the
process, that all the great religions    human race are past. that the con-
of the world are divine in origin,       vulsions    associated with the
that their basic principles are in       present stage of its adolescence are
complete harmony, that their aims        slowly and painfully preparing it to
and purposes are one and the             attain the stage of manhood, and
same, that their teachings are but       are heralding the approach of that
facets of one truth, that their func-    Age of Ages when swords will be
tions are complementary, that they       beaten into plowshares, when the
differ only in the non-essential         Kingdom promised by Jesus Christ
aspects of their doctrines, and that     will have been established, and the
their missions represent successive      peace of the planet definitely and
stages in the spiritual evolution of     permanently ensured. Nor does
human society.                           Baha'u'llah claim finality for His
own Revelation, but rather stipu-
lates that a fuller measure of the
FULFILLS PAST                            truth He has been commissioned
by the Almighty to vouchsafe to
REVELATIONS
humanity, at so critical a juncture
in its fortunes, must needs be dis-
The aim of Baha'u'llah, the Prophet      closed at future stages in the con-
of this new and great age which          stant and limitless evolution of
humanity has entered upon-He             mankind .
whose advent fulfills the prophe-
cies of the Old and New Testaments
as well as those of the Qur'an
regarding the coming of the Prom-        ONENESS OF THE
ised One in the end of time, on the      HUMAN RACE
Day of Judgment-is not to destroy
but to fulfill the Revelations of the    The Baha'i Faith upholds the unity
past, to reconcile rather than           of God, recognizes the unity of His
accentuate the divergencies of the       Prophets, and inculcates the prin-
conflicting creeds which disrupt         ciple of the oneness and wholeness
present-day society.                     of the entire human race. It pro-
His purpose, far from belit-       claims the necessity and the inevi-
tling the station of the Prophets        tability of the unification of man-
gone before Him or of whittling          kind, asserts that it is gradually
down their teachings, is to restate      approaching, and claims that noth-
the basic truths which these teach-      ing short of the transmuting spirit
ings enshrine in a manner that           of God, working through His cho-
would conform to the needs, and          sen Mouthpiece in this day, can
be in consonance with the capacity,      ultimately succeed in bringing it
T H E        B   A   H   A       W   0   R   L   D                         295

about. It, moreover, enJoms upon        and prepare the way for the advent
its followers the primary duty of an    of One greater than Himself, Whose
unfettered search after truth, con-      mission would be, according to
demns all manner of prejudice and        those same Scriptures, to inaugu-
superstition, declares the purpose       rate an era of righteousness and
of religion to be the promotion of       peace, an era that would be hailed
amity and concord, proclaims its         as the consummation of all previ-
essential harmony with science,          ous Dispensations, and initiate a
and recognizes it as the foremost        new cycle in the religious history of
agency for the pacification and the      mankind. Swift and severe perse-
orderly progress of human society.       cution, launched by the organized
It unequivocally maintains the           forces of Church and State in His
principle of equal rights, opportuni-    native land, precipitated success-
ties and privileges for men and          fully His arrest, His exile to the
women , insists on compulsory edu-       mountains of Azerbaijan, His
cation, eliminates extremes of pov-      imprisonment in the fortresses of
erty and wealth, abolishes the           Mah-Ku and Chihriq, and His exe-
institution of priesthood, prohibits     cution, in July, 1850, by a firing
slavery, asceticism, mendicancy          squad in the public square of
and       monasticism,     prescribes    Tabriz. No less than twenty thou-
monogamy, discourages divorce,           sand of his followers were put to
emphasizes the necessity of strict       death with such barbarous cruelty
obedience to one's government,           as to evoke the warm sympathy
exalts any work performed in the         and the unqualified admiration of a
spirit of service to the level of wor-   number of Western writers , diplo-
ship, urges either the creation or       mats, travelers and scholars, some
the selection of an auxiliary inter-     of whom were witnesses of these
national language, and delineates        abominable outrages, and were
the outlines of those institutions       moved to record them in their
that must establish and perpetuate       books and diaries.
the general peace of mankind.

BAHA'U'LLAH
THE HERALD
Mirza    I:Iusayn-'Ali, surnamed
The Baha'i Faith revolves around         Baha'u'llah (the Glory of God), a
three central Figures, the first of      native of Mazindaran, Whose
whom was a youth, a native of            advent the Bab had foretold, was
Shiraz, named Mirza 'Ali-MuJ::iam-       assailed by those same forces of
mad, known as the Bab (Gate). who        ignorance and fanaticism, was
in May, 1844, at the age of twenty-      imprisoned in Teheran, was ban-
five, advanced the claim of being        ished, in 1852, from His native
the Herald Who, according to the         land to Baghdad, and thence to
sacred Scriptures of previous Dis-       Constantinople and Adrianople,
pensations, must needs announce          and finally to the prison city of
296                          T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

Acre, where He remained incarcer-       Haifa, He embarked soon after on
ated for no less than twenty-four       His three-year journey to Egypt,
years, and in whose neighborhood        Europe and North America, in the
He passed away in 1892. In the          course of which He expounded
course of His banishment, and par-      before vast audiences, the teach-
ticularly in Adrianople and Acre,       ings of His father and predicted the
He formulated the laws and ordi-        approach of that catastrophe that
nances      of His    Dispensation,     was soon to befall mankind. He
expounded, in over a hundred vol-       returned to His home on the eve of
umes, the principles of His Faith,      the first World War, in the course of
proclaimed His Message to the           which He was exposed to constant
kings and rulers of both the East       danger, until the liberation of Pal-
and the West. both Christian and        estine by the forces under the com-
Muslim, addressed the Pope, the         mand of General Allenby, who
Caliph of Islam, the Chief Magis-       extended the utmost consideration
trates of the Republics of the Amer-    to Him and to the small band of His
ican continent, the entire Christian    fellow-exiles in Acre and Haifa. In
sacerdotal order, the leaders of        1921 He passed away, and was
Shi'ah and Sunni Islam, and the         buried in a vault in the mausoleum
high priests of the Zoroastrian reli-   erected on Mount Carmel, at the
gion. In these writings He pro-         express instruction of Baha'u'llah,
claimed        His       Revelation,    for the remains of the Bab, which
summoned       those    whom     He     had previously been transferred
addressed to heed His call and          from Tabriz to the Holy Land after
espouse His Faith, warned them of       having been preserved and con-
the consequences of their refusal,      cealed for no less than sixty years.
and denounced, in some cases,
their arrogance and tyranny.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

'ABDU'L-BAHA
The passing of 'Abdu'l-Baha mark-
ed the termination of the first and
His eldest son, 'Abbas Effendi,         Heroic Age of the Baha'i Faith and
known as 'Abdu'l-Baha (the Ser-         signalized the opening of the For-
vant of Baha). appointed by Him as      mative Age destined to witness the
His lawful successor and the            gradual emergence of its Adminis-
authorized interpreter of His teach-    trative Order, whose establishment
ings, Who since early childhood         had been foretold by the Bab,
had been closely associated with        whose laws were revealed by
His Father, and shared His exile        Baha'u'llah, whose outlines were
and tribulations , remained a pris-     delineated by 'Abdu'l-Baha in His
oner until 1908, when, as a result      Will and Testament, and whose
of the Young Turk Revolution, He        foundations are now being laid by
was released from His confinement.      the national and local councils
Establishing His residence in           which are elected by the professed
T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D                           297

adherents of the Faith, and which       incorporations that legally em-
are paving the way for the constitu-    power its elected representatives to
tion of the World Council, to be        hold property as trustees of the
designated as the Universal House       Baha'i community. It disposes of
of Justice, which, in conjunction       international, national and local
with me, as its appointed Head and      endowments, estimated at several
the authorized interpreter of the       million pounds, and spread over
Baha'i teachings, must coordinate       every continent of the globe, enjoys
and direct the affairs of the Baha'i    in several countries the privilege of
community, and whose seat will be       official recognition by the civil
permanently established in the          authorities, enabling it to secure
Holy Land, in close proximity to its    exemption from taxation for its
world spiritual center, the resting-    endowments and to solemnize
places of its Founders.                 Baha'i marriage, and numbers
The Administrative Order of       among its stately edifices, two tem-
the Faith of Baha'u'llah, which is      ples, the one erected in Russian
destined to evolve into the Baha'i      Turkistan and the other on the
World Commonwealth, and has             shore of Lake Michigan at Wil-
already survived the assaults           mette, on the outskirts of Chicago. 1
launched against its institutions by          This Administrative Order,
such formidable foes as the kings       unlike the systems evolved after
of the Qajar dynasty, the Caliphs of    the death of the Founders of the
Islam, the ecclesiastical leaders of    various religions, is divine in origin,
Egypt, and the Nazi regime in Ger-      rests securely on the laws, the pre-
many, has already extended its          cepts, the ordinances and institu-
ramifications to every continent of     tions which the Founder of the
the globe, stretching from Iceland      Faith has Himself specifically laid
to the extremity of Chile, has been     down and unequivocally estab-
established in no less than eighty-     lished, and functions in strict
eight countries of the world, has       accordance with the interpretations
gathered within its pale representa-    of the authorized Interpreters of its
tives of no less than thirty-one        holy scriptures. Though fiercely
races, numbers among its support-       assailed, ever since its inception, it
ers Christians of various denomi-       has, by virtue of its character,
nations, Muslims of both Sunni
and Shi'ah sects, Jews, Hindus,
Sikhs , Zoroastrians and Buddhists.     1. By 1993, the Baha'i Faith was estab-
It has published and disseminated,      lished in 188 independent countries
and 45 dependent territories or over-
through its appointed agencies,         seas departments, with a total of 165
Baha'i literature in forty-eight lan-   National or Regional Assemblies. Litera-
guages; has already consolidated        ture had been published in more than
its structure through the incorpo-      800 languages and dialects. There are
ration of five National Assemblies      Baha'i Houses of Worship in Australia,
Germany, India, Panama, Uganda, the
and seventy-seven local Assem-          United States and Western Samoa, and
blies, in lands as far apart as South   lands have been purchased for at least
America, India and the Antipodes-       an additional 112 Temples.
298                         T H E        B A    H   A         W   0   R   L   D

unique in the annals of the world's     followers of the Baha'i Faith, never-
religious history, succeeded in         theless, viewing mankind as one
maintaining the unity of the diver-     entity, and profoundly attached to
sified and far-flung body of its sup-   its vital interests, will not hesitate
porters, and enabled them to            to subordinate every particular
launch, unitedly and systemati-         interest, be it personal, regional or
cally, enterprises in both Hemi-        national, to the over-riding inter-
spheres, designed to extend its         ests of the generality of mankind,
limits and consolidate its adminis-     knowing full well that in a world of
trative institutions.                   interdependent        peoples      and
The Faith which this order      nations the advantage of the part is
serves, safeguards and promotes,        best to be reached by the advan-
is , it should be noted in this con-    tage of the whole, and that no last-
nection, essentially supernatural,      ing result can be achieved by any of
supranational, entirely non-politi-     the component parts if the general
cal, non-partisan, and diametri-        interests of the entity itself are
cally opposed to any policy or          neglected.
school of thought that seeks to               Nor should the fact be over-
exalt any particular race, class or     looked that the Faith has already
nation. It is free from any form of     asserted and demonstrated its
ecclesiasticism, has neither priest-    independent religious character,
hood nor rituals, and is supported      has been emancipated from the fet-
exclusively by voluntary contribu-      ters of orthodoxy in certain Islamic
tions made by its avowed adher-         countries, has obtained in one of
ents. Though loyal to their             them an unsolicited testimony to
respective governments , though         its independent religious status,
imbued with the love of their own       and succeeded in winning the alle-
country, and anxious to promote at      giance of royalty to its cause ...
all times, its best interests, the
T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R    L   D                           299

g,   hldimfuM@iM %£f1ḥ1W1       t'

The following is an extract.from
William Hatcher and Douglas Mar-
tin, The Baha'i Faith: The Emerging
Global Religion (Harper and Row,
1985), 64-72.

THE MINISTRY OF SHOGHI
EFFENDI, 1921-1957
The period between 1921 and 1963        tained the remains of the Bab.
in Baha'i history is most readily       Through the generosity of individ-
accessible through consideration of     ual     Baha'is,   bequests,       and
the major projects undertaken by        responses to special appeals by
Shoghi Effendi in the execution of      Shoghi Effendi, these properties
his role as Guardian. Four areas of     were vastly increased during the
activity particularly stand out: the    Guardian's ministry. Magnificent
development of the Baha'i World         gardens were laid out, the first of a
Centre, the translation and inter-      number of monumental buildings
pretation of Baha'i teachings, the      were erected, and a master plan
expansion of the administrative         was created for the development of
order, and the implementation of        a spiritual center and administra-
the divine plan of 'Abdu'l-Baha.        tive complex that would meet the
Immediately after assuming        needs of a rapidly growing interna-
his responsibilities, and continuing    tional community and which would
throughout his life, Shoghi Effendi     be able to expand with it, a com-
devoted a great deal of time to the     plex designed to rank among the
physical development of the Faith's     most beautiful in the world. A
international headquarters in the       widely dispersed religious commu-
area surrounding the Bay of Haifa.      nity was thus provided with a cen-
During the lifetimes of Baha'u'llah     ter of pilgrimage and guidance that
and 'Abdu'l-Baha, several parcels       would greatly contribute to creat-
of land had been gradually              ing a sense of common identity.
acquired by the community of                  High on the list of priorities of
exiles. Of these, the two most          any religious system must be the
important were the site of the          determination of the canon of its
shrine     where    the    body    of   scripture and the application of
Baha'u'llah was interred (in the        these sacred writings to the cir-
vicinity of the mansion of Bahji just   cumstances of individual and com-
outside Acre). and the site of the      munity life. Empowered by 'Abdu'l-
shrine on the side of Mount Carmel      Baha's Will as the sole authorita-
above the city of Haifa which con-      tive interpreter of the Baha'i
300                         T H E       B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

writings, Shoghi Effendi interpreted   cepts in the English language pro-
world events in the light of the       vided an invaluable source of guid-
Baha'i scriptures and shared with      ance to the new faith in the West-
the Baha'i community the results of    ern world.
these analyses in the form of                His role as an interpreter was
lengthy letters to the Baha'i world.   also of long-range importance to
At the same time, the nascent    the development of the Baha'i com-
Baha'i communities around the          munity. It assured unity of doctrine
world were deluging Haifa with         during the early years of the faith's
questions on an enormous range of      global expansion and thus greatly
subjects in the Baha'i writings, and   reduced the threat of schism.
the Guardian's answers to these              Parallel with his translation
inquiries also formed a significant    activities and the development of
portion of the interpretation of the   the World Centre of the faith,
revelation of Baha'u'llah. In the      Shoghi Effendi devoted much of his
early 1940s Shoghi Effendi focused     energies to bringing into existence
his analytical attention on the        the system of administrative insti-
events of Baha'i history; and in       tutions as they had been conceived
1944, in commemoration of the          by Baha'u'llah and established in
centenary of the declaration of the    embryonic form by 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Bab, he produced a highly detailed     Each locality with nine or more
study covering the entire century      adult believers was encouraged to
from the Bab's first announcement      elect a 'Local Spiritual Assembly' to
of his mission to Mulla J:Iusayn to    govern the affairs of the faith in
the completion of the first 'Seven     that area. As soon as the number of
Year Plan.'                            local spiritual assemblies in any
Shoghi Effendi's program to      given country provided a suffi-
interpret the Baha'i writings was      ciently broad base, the Guardian
considerably aided by the fact that    urged the election of a national
he was in a position to serve as the   spiritual assembly, vested with full
principal translator of the writings   jurisdiction over the affairs of the
from Persian and Arabic into Eng-      faith in that particular country.
lish. He had studied English from            A steady stream of correspon-
early childhood and as a young         dence from Haifa provided these
man was able to continue his stud-     nascent institutions with guidance
ies at the American University of      concerning the application of the
Beirut and subsequently at Oxford      Baha'i writings to the conduct of
University, where he remained          community life. More general com-
until the time of 'Abdu'l-Baha's       munications urged all believers to
death in 1921. Since the major         give their wholehearted support
administrative bodies of the Baha'i    and obedience to the bodies they
Faith during the first critical        elected. Baha'i principles of consul-
decades of the Guardianship were       tation were identified and assem-
located in English-speaking coun-      blies were urged to conscientiously
tries, Shoghi Effendi's ability to     train themselves in group decision-
express and interpret Baha'i con-      making.
T   H   E   B A H            A   W   0   R   L   D                        301

In accordance with 'Abdu'l-        ing on realizing the objectives laid
Baha's Will, between the years           out in the series of letters sent by
1951 and 1957, the Guardian              'Abdu'l-Baha to the Baha'is of
appointed a number of distin-            North America. In April 1937 the
guished believers as Hands of the        first seven-year plan was launched
Cause of God and charged them            with three major goals: (1) to estab-
with special responsibilities for        lish at least one local spiritual
teaching the faith and protecting its    assembly in every state of the
institutions. The crowning unit of       United States and every province of
this global administrative struc-        Canada; (2) to make certain that at
ture was the institution of the Uni-     least one Baha'i teacher was resid-
versal House of Justice, conceived       ing in each Latin American repub-
and named by Baha'u'llah. Shoghi         lic; and (3) to complete the exterior
Effendi indicated that, as soon as       design of the first Baha'i house of
the expansion of the Baha'i com-         worship in North America- a build-
munity permitted, a Universal            ing whose cornerstone had been
House of Justice would be elected        laid by 'Abdu'l-Baha during his visit
by the entire international Baha'i       in 1912, and which, in many ways,
community, acting through their          symbolized the international Baha'i
national spiritual assemblies.           community itself. Despite the
-¢- -¢- -¢-               obstacles created by the outbreak
Shoghi Effendi's reasons for devot-      of World War II, this plan was suc-
ing so much time and energy to the       cessfully completed on the cente-
development of the Baha'i adminis-       nary of the declaration of the Bab,
trative order during the first years     in May 1944.
of his guardianship soon became                 Following a two-year interval,
apparent. The administrative insti-      a second seven-year plan was
tutions of the faith provided the        launched in 1946. The focus of this
necessary instruments for the            effort was Europe, which at the
implementation of 'Abdu'l-Baha's         time had only two national spiritual
"Divine Plan" to spread the message      assemblies: those of Great Britain
around the world. Before the widely      and Germany. The plan also called
scattered community could under-         for the creation of local spiritual
take so great a task, it was neces-      assemblies throughout Latin Amer-
sary to establish decision-making        ican and a great multiplication of
administrative bodies capable of         those in North America. The suc-
mobilizing the necessary manpower        cessful conclusion of this plan like-
and resources. Moreover, it was          wise coincided with a major Baha'i
essential that adequate time be          centenary,      the  one-hundredth
allowed for these institutions to        anniversary of the inception of
learn the rudiments of Baha'i            Baha'u'llah's mission in the Siyah-
administration and consultation.         Chal in 1953. One of the major
Accordingly, it was not until      goals of this seven-year plan was
1937, sixteen years after the death      the establishment of an indepen-
of 'Abdu'l-Baha,      that Shoghi        dent national spiritual assembly in
Effendi began systematically work-       Canada. This was achieved in
302                          T H E        B A H A             W   0   R   L   D

1948, and in 1949 was followed by       termed a 'Ten Year World Crusade.'
its incorporation by a special Act of    This plan would conclude in 1963,
Parliament, an achievement which         the centenary of the declaration of
Shoghi Effendi pointed out was           Baha'u'llah in the Garden of
'unique in the annals of the Faith,      Ric;lvan. One hundred and thirty-
whether of East of West.'                two new countries and major terri-
The two most impressive sin-       tories were to be opened to the faith
gle achievements of this second          and the existing communities in
plan had a special connection with        120 countries and territories were
the North American Baha'i commu-         to be expanded. National spiritual
nity. April 1953 marked the formal       assemblies were to be established
dedication of the house of worship       in most countries in Europe and
at Wilmette, Illinois, which was to      Latin America, and vast increases
be the first of similar structures to    were called for in the numbers of
be built on all five continents of the   assemblies, believers, and property
globe. The designer was a French-        endowments. This plan, like those
Canadian architect named Jean-           before , was achieved on schedule
Louis Bourgeois. His magnificent         (indeed was far exceeded); but
conception was hailed by the Ital-       under circumstances very different
ian architect Luigi Quaglino as 'a       from any the Baha'i community
new creation which will revolution-      might have anticipated.
ize architecture in the world. With-            In early November 1957,
out doubt,' he added , 'it will have a   while on a visit to England to pur-
lasting page in history.' One other      chase furnishing for the Baha'i
major triumph of these years wa s        archives building on Mount Car-
also a building, a magnificent           mel, Shoghi Effendi contracted
shrine to crown the stone edifice        Asian flu. On November 4, he died
built by 'Abdu'l-Baha to serve as a      of a heart attack, leaving the Baha'i
mausoleum for the Bab. The archi-        world stunned and temporarily dis-
tect of this shrine was another          tracted, its ten-year plan only half
Canadian,     William     Sutherland     completed.
Maxwell, with whom 'Abdu'l-Baha                The Guardianship was theo-
had stayed during his visit to Mont-     retically a continuous one. 'Abdu'l-
real. The exquisite design, in which     Baha's Will and Testament autho-
a golden dome crowns a white mar-        rized the Guardian of the Baha'i
ble arcade and rose-colored granite      Faith to appoint a successor from
pillars, has provided the Baha'i         among the direct descendants of
World Centre on Mount Carmel             Baha'u'llah but indicated certain
with one of the most beautiful land-     qualities such a successor must
marks on the shores of the Mediter-      possess. Shoghi Effendi died with-
ranean Sea.                              out designating a successor, as
In 1953, without any lapse of      apparently no other members of the
time, Shoghi Effendi launched the        family met the demanding spiritual
Baha'i community on the most             requirements laid down in the Cov-
ambitious undertaking in its his-        enant of Baha'u'llah and in The Will
tory-a global plan which he              and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahci.
T H E       B   A   H   A        W   0   R   L   D                           303

There would, therefore, be no sec-       national spiritual assemblies were
ond Guardian; the only other insti-      established in Latin America; and,
tution endowed with the authority        a year later, an additional eleven
to assume the leadership of the          were elected in Europe. The
Baha'i community was the Univer-         remaining goals of the ten-year
sal House of Justice-a body which        plan were likewise either accom-
had yet to be elected.                   plished or surpassed. In the spring
Three interrelated factors pro-    of 1963, precisely one hundred
vided an answer to the dilemma           years     after    Baha'u'llah    first
facing the Baha'i world: (1) from        declared his mission to a handful of
statements Shoghi Effendi had            followers in the Garden of Ric;lvan,
made, it was apparent that he con-       the members of the fifty-six elected
sidered that conditions would be         national      spiritual    assemblies
ready for the election of the Univer-    around the world carried out an
sal House of Justice when the ten-       election of the first Universal House
year plan was successfully com-          of Justice. In a remarkable gesture
pleted; (2) in the meantime, the         of renunciation, the Hands of the
Baha'i community would receive           Cause      disqualified   themselves
the basic guidance it required from      from serving as elected members of
the detailed plan already laid down      the supreme administrative institu-
by Shoghi Effendi; and (3) finally, in   tion of the Baha'i community.
one of his last messages to the                For Baha'is, the election of the
Baha'i world , he had named the          first Universal House of Justice
Hands of the Cause as the 'Chief         represented an event of transcen-
Stewards' of the faith and called on     dent importance. After more than a
them to collaborate closely with the     century of struggle, persecution,
national spiritual assemblies in         and recurrent internal crises, and
assuring that the ten-year plan was      through democratic electoral pro-
carried out and that the unity of        cesses, the Baha'i community had
the faith was protected.                 succeeded in bringing into exist-
Heartened by this last mes-        ence a permanent institution for
sage, the Hands of the Cause orga-       the guidance of all the affairs of the
nized their work around a series of      faith. Moreover, its establishment
annual 'Conclaves.' These consulta-      had been conceived by Baha'u'llah
tions produced a number of major         himself and was patterned on prin-
statements, including the formal         ciples laid down in his writings and
declaration that Shoghi Effendi had      in those of 'Abdu'l-Baha. The cos-
left no will and had appointed no        mopolitan membership of the first
heir to the Guardianship (Conclave       Universal House of Justice seemed
of 1957), and the announcement           particularly appropriate to the
that the Universal House of Justice      institution's nature and functions:
would be elected by the member-          the nine members from four conti-
ship of all the national spiritual       nents represented three major reli-
assemblies of the Baha'is of the         gious      backgrounds        (Jewish,
world in 1963 (Conclave of 1959).        Christian, and Muslim) as well as
By April 1961 twenty-one new       several ethnic origins.
304                          T H E        B A H A            W   0   R   L   D

Beyond       its   institutional   the affairs of the community meant
importance, the establishment of         that the Baha'i Faith had remained
the Universal House of Justice           united through the most critical
symbolized the element which             period of a religion's history, the
Baha'is regard as the essence of         vulnerable first century during
their faith: unity. The emergence of     which schism almost traditionally
the Universal House of Justice as        takes root.
the unchallenged authority in all
T H E       B A H      A          W   0   R   L   D                        305

* p•ft   if   &

THE BAHA'I COMMUNITY TODAY
In the thirty years since the elec-       as the most diverse organized body
tion of the Universal House of Jus-       of people on the planet today.
tice, the growth of the Baha'i                  That a relatively small reli-
community has been dramatic.              gious community should have
From a membership of an esti-             experienced such growth in both
mated 408,000 in 1963, the num-           numbers and diversity at so early a
ber of believers has now risen to         stage in its history is an extraordi-
over five million. During the same        nary accomplishment. The same
period the number of National             may be said of the community's
Spiritual Assemblies has grown            success in establishing its creden-
from 56 to 165 and the number of          tials in the eyes of civil authority.
Local Spiritual Assemblies from           Far from rejecting the world and
3,555 to 20,435. Altogether, it is        the institutions that govern it, the
estimated that at least 2, 112 differ-    Baha'i community has deliberately
ent ethnic and tribal backgrounds         pursued a close relationship with
are represented, and the literature       civil authority, as an integral part
of the Faith appears in over 800          of its development. Through con-
different languages. Statistics pub-      tinuous efforts in a series of global
lished by the Encyclopedia Britan-        development plans, Baha'i Spiri-
nica and the World Christian              tual Assemblies at both local and
Encyclopedia indicate that, with its      national levels have become legally
diffusion to 205 countries, the           incorporated in the great majority
Baha'i Faith is now the second            of the territories where the Faith
most wide-spread of the world's           has been established. Similarly,
religions, exceeded only by Chris-        the Faith's marriage ceremony has
tianity. 1 These figures, all of them     secured formal recognition in a
the product of a conservative sta-        great many civil jurisdictions and,
tistical methodology, indicate that       in various parts of the world,
the Baha'i community likely ranks         Baha'i holy days are beginning to
gain a status similar to that
1. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1992; World   accorded to other independent
Christian Encyclopedia, 1982.             faiths    in   the    calendars    of
306                          T   H   E    B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

businesses, schools, and govern-         the Central Figures of the Faith, to
ment offices.                            scholarly commentaries, popular
At the United Nations, the         books, newsletters, and magazines.
Baha'i International Community           Other media are also extensively
has steadily expanded the recogni-       utilized: films, videos, television
tion early accorded to it as an inter-   programs, spot announcements,
national Non-Governmental Orga-          radio broadcasts, newspaper arti-
nization (NGO) enjoying consulta-        cles and advertisements, pam-
tive status with ECOSOC. It has          phlets, posters and manuals,
been particularly active in the          correspondence courses, exhibi-
fields of human rights, the needs of     tions, lecture series, and winter
women and children, environmen-          and summer schools. The objective
tal concerns, and the pursuit of         of all this activity has been to
sound sustainable development            ensure that, in time, every human
policies. Its international efforts in   being on earth will come in contact
these areas are coordinated by var-      with the message of Baha'u'llah.
ious specialized agencies, the                 A Baha'i institution that has
United Nations Office, the Office of     figured prominently in this pro-
Public Information, the Office of        gram of public education is the
the Environment, and the Office for      House of Worship. Today there are
the Advancement of Women.                Baha'i Houses of Worship on every
Far from acting merely as          continent, and a great many addi-
another     international lobbying       tional sites have been purchased
group focused principally in New         around the world for future con-
York and Geneva, however, the            struction of these edifices, which
Baha'i International Community           are intended to play a central role
represents an association of demo-       in Baha'i community life. Around
cratically elected national and local    each, in time, will be constructed
councils united in their beliefs and     other institutions, such as schools
goals, and reflective of the entire      or colleges, hostels, homes for the
diversity of humankind. The com-         aged, and administrative centers.
munity's efforts in the United           At the present time the Houses of
Nations system have gained not           Worship are not used principally
only a forum for the Baha'i Faith's      for Baha'i community services.
universal ideals, but also an oppor-     Rather, they are open as places for
tunity to contribute directly to lay-    persons of all religious back-
ing the foundations of international     grounds (or those professing no
order. Much attention is given by        particular faith) to meet in the wor-
Baha'is to ensuring that, to the         ship of the one God. Services are
extent circumstances in various          non-denominational and consist of
regions permit, society in general is    readings and prayers from the
made aware of the existence of the       scriptures of the world's faiths,
Faith and its teachings. Publishing      with no sermons or other attempts
trusts print and distribute a great      to cast these teachings in a mold of
variety of Baha'i literature, ranging    specifically Baha'i interpretation.
from compilations of the Writings of     The only requisite architectural
T   H   E   B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D                        307

features of a House of Worship are     Romania, and the entire former
that it have nine sides, symbolic of   USSR in 1991. In 1992, National or
completeness and comprehensive-        Regional Assemblies were estab-
ness, as nine is the highest single    lished in Albania; Azerbaijan; the
number.                                Baltic States; Central Asia; Hun-
The expansion of the Faith       gary; Poland; Russia, Georgia and
proceeds, as was the pattern estab-    Armenia; and the Ukraine, Belarus
lished under the ministry of Shoghi    and Moldova. The rapid expansion
Effendi, through a series of inter-    in the numbers of Local Spiritual
national teaching plans. Increas-      Assemblies throughout all these
ingly, however, as the national and    countries indicates that, where
local institutions of the Faith have   Regional Assemblies have been
matured and become consolidated,       temporarily established, National
the plans have been set in terms of    Spiritual Assemblies will shortly
general objectives decided on by       emerge. Baha'i literature is rapidly
the Universal House of Justice,        appearing in all the major lan-
with the details being established     guages of the region and communi-
by the National Spiritual Assem-       ties are energetically pursuing the
blies themselves, in consultation      establishment of formal relations
with the Continental Boards of         with civic governments.
Counsellors. A Six Year Teaching             A development which has
Plan, the fourth Plan undertaken       given enormous impetus to the
since the election of the Universal    expansion and consolidation of the
House of Justice in 1963, was          Faith in the past decade has been
successfully concluded at Ric:Ivan     the intensification of its persecu-
1992. An analysis of its achieve-      tion in the country of its birth.
ments indicates that growth has        Throughout the past century the
been particularly rapid in India,      Baha'is of Iran had been the object
Russia and several former Eastern      of bitter attacks by elements among
Bloc countries, as well as such far-   the Muslim majority incited and led
flung countries as Bangladesh,         by Islamic clerics. Under the Pahl-
Brazil, Tchad, Guyana, Haiti,          avi Shahs (1925-1979). this long-
Kenya, Macau, Nigeria, Pakistan,       standing prejudice against the
Papua-New Guinea, the Philip-          Faith on the part of segments of the
pines, Taiwan and Zaire.               Muslim population was harnessed
By far the most dramatic fea-    to political ends, with the Baha'i
ture of the recent expansion has       minority now serving to distract
been the extraordinary response to     public attention from various
the Faith on the part of the peoples   unpopular policies of the regime.
of Eastern Europe and the former       With the triumph of the Islamic
Soviet Union, following the col-       Revolution in 1979, efforts at the
lapse of the barriers that had long    total suppression of the minority
prevented free intercourse with the    Faith became systematized. By
populations of these lands. Nation-    1992 more than 200 Baha'is had
al or Regional Spiritual Assemblies    been executed or assassinated,
were established in Czechoslovakia,    hundreds more had been impris-
308                            T H E        B A H     A         W   0   R   L   D

oned, and tens of thousands had            throughout religious history, the
been deprived of jobs, pensions,           persecution had effects almost pre-
businesses, and educational oppor-         cisely contrary to those intended.
tunities . All national Baha'i admin-      The world-wide attention given to
istrative structures had been              efforts to alleviate the suffering of
banned by the government, and              the victims entailed a massive edu-
holy places, shrines, and cemeter-         cation of government officials, aca-
ies had been confiscated, vandal-          demics, the media, and the general
ized, and destroyed.                       public in many lands about the
Aroused by this deliberate           nature of the Baha'i Faith and its
attempt to destroy its parent com-         aims and teachings. The very na-
munity, Baha'is around the world           ture of the issues involved has
launched an intensive campaign of          tended to throw into clear relief the
protest. Many thousands of news-           peaceful and progressive character
paper articles appeared and the sit-       of the Baha'i community. It is
uation was made the subject of             hardly surprising that so dramatic
countless television and radio sto-        an increase in public awareness
ries. Several national governments         coincided with a great increase in
and legislatures condemned the             the membership of the Faith. More-
actions of the Iranian government          over, the experience of arising
or expressed concern about the             together to defend their fellow
fate of the Iranian Baha'is. Most          believers against an unprovoked
important, in a series of resolutions      assault had a powerful consolidat-
that gave specific attention to the        ing effect on the Faith's highly
Baha'i     situation,    the    United     diverse membership around the
Nations Commission on Human                world, deepening members' under-
Rights and finally the General             standing of the implications of their
Assembly itself began to press the         beliefs and providing Baha'i insti-
Iranian regime to observe the inter-       tutions with an unparalleled expe-
national human rights covenants            rience in coordinating their efforts.
to which it was committed. In                    Throughout these same years
response to this international out-        the education of the community
cry, the most violent aspects of the       advanced greatly through a series
persecution gradually abated by            of messages drafted by the Univer-
the early 1990s. However, the              sal House of Justice and published
Baha'is of Iran remain without any         in many languages. Particularly
fundamental guarantee of their             important was The Promise of World
rights to practice their religion          Peace, a twenty-one page docu-
freely, and the efforts of the coreli-     ment issued in the fall of 1985,
gionists around the world to main-         which analyzed the reasons that
tain    the     pressure     for   the     world peace has for so long been
emancipation continues. 2                  considered unattainable and de-
As has so often been the case       clared that these barriers could at
last be overcome. The effect of this
2. See ''The Case of the Bahaái Minority   m essage, published in over a mil-
in Iran", p. 247.                          lion copies and distributed to lead-
T H E       B A   H   A         W   0   R   L   D                               309

ers of thought, government bodies       century, become a commonplace
and the media, was to provide the       of public discussion:
members of the Baha'i Faith with
As the new millennium approach-
the conceptual framework for a
es, the crucial need of the human
program of collaborative action                 race is to find a unifying vision of
with a wide range of like-minded                the nature of man and society ...
organizations. The keynote, the                 For, without a common convic-
message declares, is the coming of              tion about the course and direc-
tion of human history, it is
age of humankind: "A candid                     inconceivable that foundations
acknowledgment that prejudice,                  can be laid for a global society to
war and exploitation have been the              which the mass of humankind
expression of immature stages in a              can commit themselves.
vast historical process and that the            Such a vision unfolds in the writ-
human race is today experiencing                ings of Baha'u'llah, the nine-
the unavoidable tumult which                    teenth-century prophetic figure
marks its collective coming of age is           whose growing influence is the
most remarkable development of
not a reason for despair but a pre-
contemporary religious history ...
requisite to undertaking the stu-               The phenomenon is one that has
pendous enterprise of building a                no reference points in the
peaceful world. That such an enter-             contemporary world, but is asso-
prise is possible, that the necessary           ciated rather with climactic
chang-es of direction in the col-
constructive forces do exist, that              lective past of the human race.
unifying social structures can be               For Baha'u'llah claimed to be no
erected, is the theme we urge you               less than the Messenger of God to
to examine."                                    the age of human maturity ... 3
As the Faith's teachings                As the Baha'i Faith commem-
became even more widely known,          orated the centenary of Baha-
the Universal House of Justice          'u'llah's passing, 4 His message was
decided that the time had come for      seen to have taken visible shape in
the public presentation of the          a community that represents a
Baha'i message to focus much            microcosm of the human race itself
more directly on its Author. Accord-    and is established in every corner
ingly, on 3 April 1991, it forwarded    of the globe. The network of admin-
to National Assemblies a state-         istrative institutions conceived by
ment prepared by the Baha'i             the Founder is now in place
International Community's Office        throughout the planet. His teach-
of Public Information, entitled         ings, translated into many lan-
Baha'u'llah. Published, like the        guages, now provide the central
statement on peace, in many lan-        spiritual guidance in the lives of its
guages and large print runs, the        heterogeneous membership. In the
document was also made the cen-         decades immediately ahead, the
terpiece of an intensive campaign
of public information. Its objective
3. Baha'u'llcih (London: Baha"i Publish-
was to set Baha'u'llah's mission in     ing Trust. 1991). 1- 2.
the context of the global crisis that   4. 29 May 1992. See reprint of state-
had, by the closing decade of the       ment on p. 47.
310                        T   H   E    B A H    A         W   0   R   L   D

existence of such a community will     diversity, can learn to live and
offer increasingly encouraging evi-    work as a single people in a global
dence that humanity, in all its        homeland.
T H E    B A H       A     W    0   R   L   D                         311

STATISTICS
DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICS

Worldwide Baha'i population                  More than 5 million

Countries/dependent territories where            188 countries/
Baha'i Faith is established                        45 territories

National/Regional Spiritual Assemblies                            165

Local Spiritual Assemblies                                 20,435

Localities where Baha'is reside                           120,046

Tribes, races and ethnic groups                              2,112
represented in the Baha'i community

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF LOCAL SPIRITUAL
ASSEMBLIES BY CONTINENT

Americas 5931

Europe 845
Australasia 876

á-
312                            T   H      E     B A H       A           W      0   R   L   D

GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF LOCALITIES
WHERE BAHA'is RESIDE 1
-á-á-á-

120000                                                           1992
---á-á-

1980
100000
-á-á-á-                                                   -   -

80000
-á---
1975
80000
-á---

40000                        1970
-á-á-

1~54----~~ ••Iilll
20000
-á-á-

PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN ON
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES BY CONTINENT
AMERICAS

I. Between 1986 and 1988, a numerical decrease of 6, 100 localities
occurred in India alone due to revised civil areas of jurisdiction; similar
changes took place in other countries.
T   H   E         B A H    A              W   0   R   L      D                             313

GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF NATIONAL AND
REGIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES
1993

-    -
BO
-
á---

. s:rl -

OTHER STATISTICS
1923

-----
1933   1943       •
~      -        -

Languages into which Baha'u'llah's                                               802
wrttings have been translated

Continental Counsellors:
Africa                                                                           18
Americas                                                                         17
Asia                                                                             17
Australasia                                                                      10
Europe                                                                           10

Baha'i Publishing Trusts                                                         29

Baha'i radio stations                                                              7

Baha'i schools                                                   1 78 Academic
488 Tutorial

Baha'i literacy programs                                                         186

Baha'i conservation/ environment                                                 52
projects

Baha'i agricultural projects                                                     21

Baha'i health projects                                                           56
314                       T   H   E   B A H   A       W      0    R    L   D

Baha'i women and youth projects                                   52

Other Baha'i development projects                                311

Total number of Baha'i social and                            1344
economic development projects in 1992

Growth in number of projects since 1979                 1020%

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS BY CONTINENT

Americas 379

urope 30

NUMBER OF BAHA'iS KILLED IN IRAN SINCE
THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION

1980

1992
T H E        B A H     A          W      0   R   L   D                         315

DIRECTORY
Association for Baha'i Studies               Association for Baha'i Studies,
34 Copernicus St.                             Spain
Ottawa, Ontario KIN 7K4                      C/Pep Ventura 57
Canada 1                                     1 C 00810 Pere de Ribes
Barcelona
Association for Baha'i Studies,              Spain
Australia
P.0.Box 381                                  Association for Baha'i Studies,
Willeton                                      West Africa
Western Australia 6155                       P.O.Box 2029
Australia                                    Lagos
Nigeria
Association for Baha'i Studies,
Central, South and East Africa              Baha'i Association for the Arts
P.O. Box 47562                               Dintel 20
Nairobi                                      7333 MC Apeldoorn
Kenya                                        The Netherlands

Association for Baha'i Studies,              Baha'i International Community
English Speaking Europe                     Haifa Offices:
27 Rutland Gate                              • Secretariat
London SW7 lPD                               • Office of Public Information
United Kingdom                               P. 0. Box 155
31-001 Haifa
Israel

1. For further information on other
Associations for Baha'i Studies around
the world, contact this office.
316                        T H E      B A H A             W    0   R   L   D

Baha'i International Community       European Baha'i Business Forum
New York Offices:                    Secretariat
• United Nations Office              35 avenue Jean-Jaures
• Office for the Advancement of      73000 Chambery
Women                                France
• Office of the Environment
• Office of Public Information       Health for Humanity
• Office of the Administrator-       467 Jackson Street
General                              Glencoe, Illinois 60022
866 United Nations Plaza             U.S.A.
Suite 120
New York, NY 10017                   International Association of Baha'i
U.S.A.                                Publishers and Distributors
Bankastraat 86
Baha'i International Community       3531 HH Utrecht
Geneva Office:                       Netherlands
• United Nations Office
Route des Morillons 15               International Baha'i Audio-Visual
CH-1218 Grand-Saconnex                Centre
Geneva                               Apartado 181 7
Switzerland                          Maracaibo 4001-A
Venezuela
Baha'i International Health Agency
P. 0. Box 510                        Landegg Academy
Westmount, Quebec                    Dietlistrasse 8
H3Z 2J6                              CH-9000 St. Gallen
Canada                               Switzerland

Baha'i Medical Association of        World Community Foundation
Canada                              163 Amsterdam Avenue #259
Box 143, RR #2                       New York, NY 10023-5001
Dugald, Manitoba                     U.S.A.
ROEOKO
Canada

Comite de !'Association Europeen
Francophone pour les Etudes
Baha'ies
c/o The National Spiritual Assem-
bly of the Baha'is of Switzerland
Dufourstrasse 13
CH-3005 Bern
Switzerland