# Prejudice and Discrimination

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Will C. van den Hoonaard, Prejudice and Discrimination, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Prejudice and Discrimination
> 
> Will C. van den Hoonaard
> 
> 1993-11
> 
> Prejudice and Discrimination. Prejudice is a cultural attitude that
> rests on negative stereotypes about individuals or groups because of their
> cultural, religious, racial, or ethnic background. Discrimination is the active
> denial of desired goals from a category of persons. A category can be based on
> sex, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, or class. More recently,
> disadvantaged groups now also include those based on gender, age, and physical
> disabilities.
> Prejudice and discrimination are deeply imbedded at both the individual
> and societal levels. Attempts to eradicate prejudice and discrimination must
> thus deal with prevailing beliefs or ideologies, and social structure.
> Prejudice and Discrimination in a Historical Context. As far as
> historical records show, no society or nation has been immune to prejudice and
> discrimination, either as victim or victimizer. Contemporary forms of prejudice
> and discrimination date back to when European colonizers penetrated and
> transformed previously isolated societies and peoples. The more extreme forms
> of discriminatory practices include genocide, slavery, legislated
> discrimination (such as Apartheid), discriminatory immigration laws, and
> disenfranchisement. Less extreme forms of prejudice and discrimination, but
> nevertheless pervasive and oppressive, include social exclusion at the
> institutional level (such as in schools and hospitals), and the more subtle
> forms practised by the media. Some groups appear to suffer from more persistent
> forms of discrimination, such as Jews (as in anti-Semitism) and the Roma
> (a.k.a. Gypsies), regardless of time and place.
> As to the root cause of prejudice and discrimination there appears to be
> no clear acceptance of any theory of causation. Scholars do agree, however,
> that prejudice and discrimination are not universals as something humans are
> inherently born with. There is ample evidence that prejudice and
> discrimination are social constructions. If indeed prejudice and discrimination
> are inherent in the human condition, we would not be able to account for
> intermarriage and assimilation among highly differentiated human groups. There
> is, moreover, considerable evidence that prejudice is absent in young children
> (e.g. Allport, 1954).
> Although there is no wide agreement as to the "cause" of prejudice and
> discrimination, there is a consensus that they constitute a learned behavior.
> The internalization of prejudice starts with parents and, later, teachers--the
> groups primary in the formation of attitudes within children. The media and
> social institutions solidify prejudicial attitudes, giving them social
> legitimacy. In a sense, it is incorrect to speak of "eradicating" prejudice,
> since prejudice is learned. (In a similar vein, one cannot eradicate evil
> except by ensuring the presence of goodness.) At best, one can reduce prejudice
> and discrimination. Society looks most often to education and legislation to
> alleviate prejudice and discrimination--for reasons still not clearly known,
> intergroup contact alone is not enough to reduce prejudice (Klineberg, 1968:
> 441). On one hand, multicultural education, whether direct or indirect,
> constitute the mainstay of educational efforts to eliminate prejudice. On the
> other hand, the emphasis on civil rights, enlightened immigration policies,
> and mandates for quota hiring are the cornerstone of legal approaches to
> alleviating the effects of prejudice and discrimination. The most overlooked
> area in resolving the problems of prejudice and discrimination lies in the web
> of close relationships where genuine feelings of love can be fostered and
> strengthened (Robert Henderson, American Bahá'í, Nov. 1993
> [check].) The private sphere may indeed be the last frontier where a solution
> to the problems of prejudice may have to be found.
> Prejudice and discrimination produce immense effects in the psychological,
> social, political, and economic domains. Whether intended or not, the effects
> are compounded by the loss of self-worth, a sense of alienation from the wider
> society, political disempowerment, and economic inequalities. Klineberg (1968:
> 440) asserts that "[p]rejudice and ethnic hostilities constitute a major danger
> to peace both within a nation and among nations." As a consequence, the
> emergence of a new global moral order increasingly provides a leverage point to
> counter the effects of prejudice and discrimination. While many agree that the
> various international instruments to protect people against prejudice and
> discrimination are still not universally followed or even implemented, it is
> clear that a new international consciousness is indeed emerging and is, in
> fact, intensifying.
> The Bahá'í Approach. The belief in the unity of
> humankind constitutes the fundamental premise through which the
> Bahá'í revelation deals with the question of prejudice and
> discrimination. `Abdu'l-Bahá states that humanity "is one kind, one race
> and progeny," and that in "the creative plan [of God] there is no racial
> distinction and separation." Such separation is a cultural artifact, "not
> natural and original" (PUP: 118). These statements imply that unity is
> humankind's natural condition, and that prejudice and discrimination are not
> part of the natural order. While human diversity has historically proven to be
> the basis of separation, the Bahá'í writings view diversity as an
> essential ingredient of global life, which should be appreciated within the
> context of humanity's essential oneness. Just as it is humanity's capacity to
> create prejudice and discrimination, it is also within its capacity to
> eradicate them.
> From the Bahá'í perspective, it is religion that gives
> humanity its capacity to remove prejudice and discrimination. Without
> religion, according to `Abdu'l-Bahá, we "may be able to realize some
> degrees of fraternity ... but these are limited associations and subject to
> change. When human brotherhood is founded upon the Holy Spirit, it is eternal,
> changeless, unlimited" (PUP: 392).
> Basis and Effects of Prejudice and Discrimination. The root cause
> of prejudice and discrimination, according to the Bahá'í
> writings, lies in the accretion of blind imitation of the past. It is through
> this "aping of the past," that the "foundations of the social order" are "blown
> to the four winds," and that "humanity be continually exposed to direst peril"
> (SWAB: 247). Prejudice and Discrimination lead to disunity which results in
> the dissolving of society (SWAB: 31), through strife and war. World peace will
> elude our grasp while prejudice and discrimination continue to bedevil the
> collective life of humanity (PUP: 373).
> The centuries of unequal relationships between dominant and minority
> groups have, of themselves, compound the difficulty of eradicating prejudice
> and discrimination. What can be said of the nature of such relationships among
> whites and blacks in the United States, seems to also apply to other groups
> around the world. In the Bahá'í view, the dominant groups are
> unable or unwilling to see discrimination "as a chronic social, psychological,
> and spiritual illness," while subjugated groups have a "deep-seated mistrust,
> suspicion, and bitterness" (Racial Unity: 96). Without the recognition
> of the spiritual nature of the problem, long-term transformation will not occur
> and social progress of both dominant and subjected groups will be retarded.
> What effects enduring transformation and progress is recognition of
> Bahá'u'lláh's divine call for the recognition of the unity of
> humankind. It implies a rejection of past conceptions, and "blind imitations"
> of a fragmented world.
> The rejection of these "blind imitations" requires, according to Shoghi
> Effendi (ADJ: 33-34), "ceaseless exertions," "sacrifice," "care and
> vigilance," "moral courage and fortitude," and "tact and sympathy." Racism in
> America, for example, should be regarded as constituting the "most vital and
> challenging issue" facing its Bahá'í community (ADJ:
> 33-34). For Bahá'ís, the Bahá'í community, both in
> its internal relationships and in its relationship to the wider world, offers
> an optimal environment to eradicate prejudice and discrimination.
> Internal Bahá'í Relationships. There are several
> elements of Bahá'í communities that foster the removal of
> prejudice and discrimination from individual and collective life. These
> elements include an active appreciation of unity in diversity; the
> encouragement of mixed marriages based on race, religion, or class; the
> avoidance of strife and estrangement among the believers; the practising of
> love and unity through fellowship; and promoting justice. Shoghi Effendi offers
> advice when members of inequal groups have decided to strive towards unity when
> he suggests that no "trace of mistrust, no sense of superiority, no mark of
> discord and aloofness should characterize" their relations (Power of
> Unity: 76). It is clear that both groups, the dominant and less-dominant
> ones, carry the obligation to move forward to unity.
> At the level of governance, minorities are to be given the preference
> when, upon the election of a local or national body, a tie of votes occur. This
> process articulates the "first and inescapable obligation," of every
> Bahá'í community, "to nurture, encourage, and safeguard every
> minority belonging to any faith, race, class, or nation within it" (ADJ:
> 35-6).
> External Bahá'í Relationships. The First Universal
> Race Congress in London in 1911, provided a formal opportunity for the
> presentation of Bahá'ís ideas on the subject of racial unity and
> fellowship. Unable to come himself, `Abdu'l-Bahá sent a message to the
> Congress and emphasized the need to appreciate the beauty of humankind's
> diversity (Racial Unity: 7). Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the North
> American Bahá'í community organized Racial Amity conferences, in
> conjunction with other groups which strove to eliminate prejudice and
> discrimination. Bahá'ís in other countries have followed this
> lead, with varying degrees of effort and intensity. As a consequence,
> Bahá'ís have focussed the public's attention on the plight of
> subjugated groups and on the need to provide remedy through the elimination of
> prejudice and discrimination.
> Bahá'ís are encouraged to apply both courage and wisdom in
> the eradication of prejudice and discrimination in their relationships to
> society at large. Although intermarriage is encouraged, it is a "highly
> delicate and vital question," in which the people involved "should forget their
> former and traditional prejudices, whether religious, racial or social, and
> commune together on a common basis of equality" (Dawn of a New
> Civilization: 198).
> Efforts to expand the Bahá'í community through conversion
> should not give preference to any particular category of people. However,
> Bahá'ís have in many instances undertaken practical measures to
> foster harmony among various groups. Such measures include the holding of
> United Nations Human Rights Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and International
> Women's Day, and the promotion of institutional measures design to protect
> minorities, at both national and international levels.
> Nationally, Bahá'ís participate in events and institutions
> that attempt to reduce discrimination and prejudice and promote harmony. These
> efforts include the establishment of race amity councils, native friendship
> centers, and the distribution of specific literature designed to dispell
> prejudice among the general population. Of note, are the joint efforts of the
> National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States
> and the Human Relations Foundation of Chicago in 1991 in finding a model of
> unity. They identified ignorance, general social forces, and apathy as the
> principal reasons for resisting intergroup unity. What brought success were
> commitment to diversity, finding points of common concern, building on shared
> values, recognizing grass-roots efforts and individual initiative, and
> networking with similarly-minded groups.
> Some Bahá'í communities have urged their national
> governments to become signatories to international human rights covenants (such
> as the elimination of genocide).
> 
> Sources
> 
> Allport, Gordon W. (1958) The Nature of Prejudice. Reading,
> Mass.: Addison-Wesley. A classic and important study.
> Klineberg, Otto (1968) "Prejudice: The Concept" International Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences. New York: Macmillan and Free
> Press.: 439-448. A critique of conventional approaches to the study of
> prejudice and discrimination.
> 
> Bibliography
> 
> The Power of Unity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism (comp. by Bonnie J.
> Taylor, 1986) is a useful compilation of the many references in the
> Bahá'í Writings to prejudice and discrimination.
> 
> Circle of
> Unity (ed. by Anthony A. Lee, 1984) has a number of articles that explore
> race relations in the American Bahá'í community.
> 
> To Move the
> World: Louis G. Gregory and the Advancement of Racial Unity in America
> (Gayle Morrison, 1982) is an evocative analysis of the struggles faced by a
> prominent Bahá'í who worked for the removal of racial prejudice.
> 
> Nat Rutstein's book, To Be One: A Battle Against Racism (1988), provides
> a personal account of one's struggle in overcoming prejudice in the light of
> the Bahá'í teachings.
> 
> Models of Unity: Racial, Ethnic, and
> Religious (publ. by US NSA, Feb. 1992) contains findings of factors that
> hinder or promote social harmony.
> 
> Richard W. Thomas' work Racial Unity: An
> Imperative for Social Progress currently provides the best analysis of
> factors that contribute to racial unity, integrating Bahá'í and
> non-Bahá'í perspectives, while H.B. Danesh's Unity: The
> Creative Foundation of Peace (1986) offers a theoretical treatment of the
> subject.
> 
> Reports submitted by the Bahá'í International Community the
> various United Nations agencies on the subject of the status of women, racism,
> genocide, and religious persecution, offer an international perspective of
> Bahá'í activities.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views144572 views since posted 1999; last edit 2024-11-10 11:18 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../hoonaard_encyclopedia_prejudice_discrimination;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
> Language
> English
> Permission
> author
> Share
> 
> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/448
> Citation: ris/448
> 
> select Collection:
> Archives
> Articles
> Articles-unpublished
> Audio
> Bibliographies
> BIC
> Biographies
> Books
> Chronologies
> Compilations
> Compilations-NSA
> Compilations-personal
> Documents
> East-asia
> Encyclopedia
> Essays
> Etc
> Excerpts
> Fiction
> Glossaries
> Guardian
> Histories
> Introductory
> Letters
> Maps
> Music
> Newspapers
> NSA-documents
> NSA-letters
> Personal
> Pilgrims
> Poetry
> Presentations
> Resources
> Reviews
> Scripts
> Software
> Statistics
> Study
> Talks
> Theses
> Transcripts
> Translations
> UHJ-documents
> UHJ-letters
> Video
> Visual
> Writings
> 
> home
> 
> sitemap
> 
> series
> 
> chronology
> 
> search:
> author
> 
> title
> 
> date
> 
> tags
> 
> adv. search
> languages
> 
> inventory
> 
> bibliography
> 
> abbreviations
> 
> links
> 
> about
> 
> contact
> 
> RSS
> 
> new
>
> — *Prejudice and Discrimination (Used by permission of the curator)*