Bahá'í Faith and Social Action
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BAHÁ'Í FAITH AND SOCIAL ACTION

The Bahá'í is an independent world religion that pro-
motes social justice through social action by advanc-
ing processes leading to world peace. In the Bahá'í
value-hierarchy, social justice is the cardinal principle
of human society. On the theory that all human actions
flow from consciousness, Bahá'ís believe that world
peace can only be established on a foundation of
human solidarity—the harmony of races, religions,
and nations. The purpose of justice, according to
Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1892), prophet-founder of the
Bahá'í Faith, is the achievement of unity in human
society. International peace and security are unattain-
able, Bahá'u'lláh counsels, unless and until world
unity is firmly established. Acting globally through
interfaith alliances and national and international
agencies, including the United Nations, Bahá'ís
actively promote race unity, human rights, social and
economic development, moral development, and the
advancement of women. They draw international
attention, in particular, to human rights violations
against the Bahá'ís in Iran while advocating universal
human rights for all. Bahá'ís aim to achieve these
humanitarian goals through practical applications of
Bahá'í principles of unity. Bahá'í philosopher Alain
Locke (1885–1954), whose work is cited here to
depends on discovering necessary common values
scale. World democracy thus entails building infra-
structures that can best canalize efforts to achieve

Bahá'í Faith and Social Action———209

social justice, to which Bahá'í institutions and pro-      partisan politics as polarizing and divisive. While
grams of social action contribute.                         exercising their civic obligation in voting, individual
Bahá'ís distance themselves from the political theater
Bahá'ís at the United Nations                       of party politics. Embracing democracy, they shun
campaigning. Instead, Bahá'ís work with the body
Ethics-based and religious non-governmental organi-        politic, applying Bahá'í principles to better society.
zations (RNGOs) are playing increasingly significant       These principles include the following:
roles in their consultative collaborations with the
United Nations. As a RNGO, the Bahá'í International           1. Human unity
Community (BIC) represents a network of 182 demo-
2. Social justice
cratically elected National Spiritual Assemblies that
act on behalf of over 5.5 million Bahá'ís worldwide.          3. Racial harmony
Accordingly, the BIC is the voice of the worldwide            4. Interfaith cooperation
Bahá'í community in international affairs. On the 60th        5. Gender equality
anniversary of the United Nations in October 2005,
6. Wealth equity (economic justice)
the Bahá'í International Community issued a state-
ment, "The Search for Values in an Age of Transition,"        7. Social and economic development
presenting its recommendations for human rights,              8. International law
development, democracy, and collective security.
9. Human rights
Commending the international community's commit-
ment to democracy, the BIC stressed that democracy           10. Freedom of conscience
is good governance—an essentially moral exercise             11. Individual responsibility
(what Alain Locke calls a "moral democracy").                12. Harmony of science and religion
Democracy will succeed only if it is coefficient with
13. International scientific cooperation
personal integrity (gaining respect of the governed),
moral principles, transparency, objective need assess-       14. International standards/world intercommunication
ments, and ethical applications of scientific resources.     15. International language
Democracy, according to the BIC, must be rooted in
16. Universal education
moral values that promote social welfare both within
and beyond the nation-state. Without this principled         17. Environmentalism
anchor, democracy falls prey to the excesses of indi-        18. World commonwealth
vidualism and nationalism, which tear at the fabric          19. World tribunal
of the community, both nationally and globally. As
20. World peace
sociomoral forces, Bahá'í principles of unity serve as
a moral bedrock for building a world democracy.              21. Search after truth
22. Freedom of conscience

Principles of Unity                           23. Love of God
24. Nobility of character (acquiring virtues)
In his epistle to Queen Victoria (c. 1869), Bahá'u'lláh
endorsed parliamentary democracy as an ideal form of         25. Advancing civilization (individual purpose)
governance. Referring to his own mission as that of a        26. Work as worship
"World Reformer," Bahá'u'lláh promulgated social
27. Ideal marriage
principles that are wider in scope than the process
of electing governments. The Bahá'í community, in a          28. Family values
measured participation in political democracy, eschews       29. Model communities

30. Religious teleology (Progressive Revelation)         employment if they identify themselves as Bahá'ís, to
31. Bahá'í doctrinal integrity                           bar their promotion to any position of influence, and to
deny to all Bahá'ís the right to a higher education. No
32. Bahá'í institutional support (the "Covenant")
Bahá'í can, in practice, attend university in Iran. Iranian
33. Promoting Bahá'í values                              columnist Iqbal Latif calls Iran's denial of Bahá'ís'
access to a university education "intellectual cleansing"
In 1925, Alain Locke stated that Bahá'í principles—     of their ethnic brothers by the clergy-dominated
and the leavening of America's national life with its      regime. This phase of the anti-Bahá'í campaign has
power—are to be regarded as the salvation of democ-        aptly been described as civil death—a cultural expurga-
racy. Only in this way can the fine professions of         tion that collectively affects a community estimated to
American ideals best be realized.                          include more than 300,000 Iranians.
On March 20, 2006, the U.N. Special Reporter on
Freedom of Religion or Belief, Asma Jahangir, issued
Bahá'ís in Iran
a press release regarding a confidential letter sent
The Bahá'í Faith originated in Persia, now Iran,           October 29, 2005, by the Chairman of the Command
where the Bahá'í community has experienced a cen-          Headquarters of the Armed Forces in Iran. The press
tury and a half of persecution. In the years immedi-       release informed government officials that the
ately following the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran,       Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, had instructed
clerics, with state sanction, ordered the arbitrary        Command Headquarters to identify all Bahá'ís and
arrest of Bahá'ís, the use of torture, and the execution   closely monitor their activities. In the wake of mount-
of more than 200 members (particularly elected             ing media attacks on the Bahá'ís, such surveillance
members of Bahá'í administrative councils)—                aggravates an already dangerous situation. Anti-
sometimes demanding that families pay for the bul-         Bahá'í propaganda campaigns have typically pre-
lets used to kill their loved ones. Other actions taken    ceded government-led assaults on the Bahá'ís in Iran.
against Bahá'ís include confiscation of property;          In 2006, another U.N. special reporter reported that
seizure of bank assets; expulsion from schools and         the regime is now confiscating family homes, thereby
universities; denial of employment; cancellation of        worsening the economic strangulation.
pensions and demands that the government be reim-
bursed for past pension payments; desecration and
A New Model of Local Democracy
destruction of Bahá'í cemeteries and holy places;
criminalization of Bahá'í activities, thereby forcing      In marked contrast to Iran's efforts to extirpate the
the dissolution of Bahá'í institutions; and pronounce-     Bahá'í community, the Bahá'í Faith, as a global,
ment that Bahá'í marriages were illegal acts of pros-      supranational community, represents a new social
titution. State-instigated incitements to violence took    experiment. In its joint RNGO statement, "Family and
the form of relentless propaganda campaigns aimed          Social Development" (1994), the BIC stresses that the
at inflaming anti-Bahá'í passions to instigate mob         values of democracy and social justice must first be
violence and crimes against Bahá'ís.                       taught at home. The family, says the BIC, is the first
A new and insidious anti-Bahá'í strategy was           environment to teach the values of local democracy,
formalized in a secret 1991 memorandum from the            human rights, social responsibility, tolerance, and
Iranian Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council on "the     peace, thus enabling individual members to become
Bahá'í question." Personally endorsed by Ayatollah Ali     advocates for social justice. These values, seen as the
Khamenei on February 25, 1991, this document advises       spirit of democracy, extend to each local Bahá'í
government officials to expel Bahá'ís from universities    community. The Universal House of Justice (the
once Bahá'í identity becomes known. The directive—         world Bahá'í governing body) speaks of the Nineteen-
still in force—instructs officials to refuse Bahá'ís       Day Feast (a Bahá'í worship service and consultative

Bahá'í Faith and Social Action———211

meeting held roughly every 3 weeks throughout the           the first nation to proclaim the unity of mankind. May
year) as an arena of democracy at the very root of          it be the first to unfurl the standard of the Most Great
society. This is where the Local Spiritual Assembly         Peace." This prayer envisions America's role in build-
(the Bahá'í council annually elected by plurality vote      ing a world democracy—not by force, but by exam-
with no campaigning allowed) and the members of the         ple, in accordance with universal, moral principles.
community meet on common ground, where individ-
uals are free to offer their gifts of thought, whether             Strengthening Human Rights
new ideas or constructive criticism, to the building
processes of an advancing civilization. Based on these      The BIC notes that the rise of democracy worldwide is
and similar practices, the Universal House of Justice       a positive trend wherever nations have adopted free
speaks of Bahá'u'lláh having prescribed a system that       elections, representational governance, and strong
combines democratic practices with the application of       human rights standards. In promoting social democracy,
knowledge through consultative processes.                   American Bahá'ís have taken leadership roles in advo-
cating U.S. ratification of U.N. human rights treaties,
including the U.N. Convention to Eliminate Racial
Interfaith Cooperation
Discrimination; the International Covenant on Civil and
In accordance with Bahá'u'lláh's call to peace and          Political Rights; the International Convention on the
fellowship among religions, Bahá'ís have taken part         Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide;
in the Parliament of the World's Religions, the World       and the International Convention against Torture and
Bank's World Faiths Development Dialogue, and the           Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or
Committee of RNGOs at the United Nations. In 1950,          Punishment. Current ratification efforts center on the
the annually elected governing body of the American         Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Bahá'í community, the National Spiritual Assembly           Discrimination Against Women and the Convention of
of the Bahá'ís of the United States (NSA) inaugurated       the Rights of the Child.
World Religion Day to promote interfaith ecumenism.
In April 2002, the Universal House of Justice issued
Promoting Race Unity
a public letter addressed "To the World's Religious
Leaders." This letter called on religious leaders world-    In 1921, the NSA of the United States and Canada
wide to achieve common cause through a greater              inaugurated a series of race amity conferences in
appreciation of their common ground and to unequiv-         Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States,
ocally renounce all claims to exclusivity or finality, as   in a historic contribution to what Alain Locke (who
such claims have precluded religious unity and have         joined the Bahá'í Faith in 1918) called a "racial
been the single greatest factor in justifying religious     democracy" or, more broadly, a "social democracy."
hatred and violence.                                        The spirit of efforts (which Locke personally helped
organize) to promote interracial harmony lives on
today. In 1957, the NSA inaugurated Race Unity
America's World Role
Day (second Sunday in June)—an event now recog-
On December 23, 2001, shortly after the infamous            nized by the United Nations—to promote interracial
9/11 terrorist attacks, the NSA of the Bahá'ís of the       harmony. In 1991, the NSA issued "The Vision of
United States published a statement, "The Destiny of        Race Unity," a statement addressed to all Americans.
America and the Promise of World Peace," as a full-         Since racism is really a global issue, the NSA had
page advertisement in the New York Times. It closes         urged the United States to become a party to the
with an excerpt from a Bahá'í prayer: "May this             International Convention on the Elimination of
American Democracy be the first nation to establish         All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which was
the foundation of international agreement. May it be        finally ratified in 1994. In 1997, sponsored by the

National Spiritual Assembly, a video, called "The          in all facets of governance as a practical necessity.
Power of Race Unity," was broadcast on the Black           These Bahá'í-sponsored initiatives represent, but do
Entertainment Network and on other networks                not exhaust, efforts by the worldwide Bahá'í commu-
across America. The video characterizes the Bahá'í         nity and its democratically elected institutions to pro-
Faith as a "spiritual democracy."                          mote social justice through social action.
—Christopher G. Buck
Social and Economic Development
See also Democracy; Human Rights Watch; Religious
Economic solutions to global poverty require that eco-        Activism
nomic values be predicated on spiritual values. In pro-
moting economic justice and prosperity (what Alain
Locke calls "economic democracy"), Bahá'í commu-           Further Readings
nities have launched more than 1,500 development           Bahá'í International Community. (2005, April 30). Bahá'í
projects worldwide, including more than 600 schools           International Community response to the Secretary
and seven radio stations broadcasting educational,            General's Report, "In Larger Freedom: Towards
health, and agricultural programs. Projects are tracked       Development, Security and Human Rights for All."
http://www.bahai.ch/pdf/LargerFreedom.pdf
by the Bahá'í Office of Social and Economic
Bahá'í International Community. (2005, October). The search
Development, an agency of the Bahá'í World Center             for values in an age of transition: A statement of the Bahá'í
in Haifa, Israel. Published in December 2004, In              International Community on the occasion of the 60th
Service to the Common Good: The American Bahá'í               anniversary of the United Nations (BIC Document No.
Community's Commitment to Social Change profiled,             05-1002). http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/pdf/05-1002.pdf
from among more than 400 Bahá'í-sponsored initia-          Bahá'í International Community. (2006, January). A new
framework for global prosperity: Bahá'í International
tives, a handful of projects in the fields of education,
Community's submission to the 2006 Commission on
health care, race unity, community development, and           Social Development on the review of the First United
women's rights. These projects include, among                 Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (BIC
others: Health for Humanity, Tahirih Justice Center,          Document No. 06-0101). http://www.bic-un.bahai
Women for International Peace and Arbitration,                .org/pdf/06-0101.pdf
Bahá'í Institute for Race Unity, Native American           Berger, J. (2003, March). Religious nongovernmental
organizations: An exploratory analysis. Voluntas:
Bahá'í Institute, Children's Theater Company, and
International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit
Parent University. In what Locke calls "cultural              Organizations, 14(1), 15–39.
democracy," one must not forget the various Bahá'í         Buck, C. (2003). Islam and minorities: The case of the
artists, American Indian dancers, Bahá'í-sponsored            Bahá'ís [Special issue]. Studies in Contemporary Islam,
musical groups, ballets, and youth dance workshops            5(1–2). English: http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/
that reinforce progressive social values.                     2005/June/Bahai/Images/BuckBahais2005Eng.pdf; Farsi:
http://www.iranian.com/Opinion/2005/June/Bahai/Images/
BuckBahais2005.pdf
Advancement of Women                             Buck, C. (2005). Alain Locke: Faith and philosophy.
Los Angeles: Kalimát Press.
In "The Search for Values in an Age of Transition:         Gervais, M. (2004). The Baha'i curriculum for peace
A Statement of the Bahá'í International Community             education. Journal of Peace Education, 1(2), 205–224.
on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the United      Ghanea, N. (2003). Human rights, the UN and the Bahá'ís in
Nations" (October 2005), the BIC states that a healthy        Iran. Leiden, Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff.
Hassall, G. (2000). Rights to human and social development:
democracy must be founded on the principle of the
A survey of the activities of the Bahá'í International
equality of men and women. Member states of the               Community. In T. Tahririha-Danesh (Ed.), Bahá'í-inspired
United Nations, in their efforts to promote democ-            perspectives on human rights (pp. 102–122). Hong Kong:
racy, must vigilantly work for the inclusion of women         Juxta. http://www.juxta.com/main.cfm?SID=22
-- Bahá'í Faith and Social Action (Used by permission of the curator)