Bahá’í Community Life/Participation of Women
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families in town, the Bahá’ís might organize a food or clothing drive in which the whole town could participate. If one section of town is badly in need of a clean-up, the Bahá’ís and other citizens could organize a project to clean that area. Transportation is often a problem for some people. Bahá’ís with cars could offer to take these people shopping or to the doctor.
Offering religious classes for the children of a community is an important service Bahá’ís can perform. Such classes teach children the basic truths of all the world’s great religions. A Bahá’í community may want to provide social functions for local youth. Many parents would be glad to have their children at events sponsored by the Bahá’ís instead of wandering about with nothing to do.
In each community there are many needs with which Bahá’ís can help and thus become known for their service to all people.
9. Participation of Women
[edit]Bahá’u’lláh teaches that men and women are equal in the sight of God. Both have something to contribute to Bahá’í community life and to the progress of the world. Both must be included in the work of the Faith.
In the past women were not treated as equal with men and did not have the chance to develop their abilities. They were thought of as inferior. But today women must be educated and contribute to the progress of society. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, “women must advance and fulfill their mission in all departments of life, becoming equal to men.”20
Women and men must enjoy equal rights in the Bahá’í community and in the world. Each one, however, has special talents to contribute.
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Women are called upon to play an important role in community life by educating the children. Although a father contributes much to his child’s education, a mother is her child’s first teacher. The child’s early education is so important that each woman who plans to be a mother must take great care to prepare herself for this role. Women must be educated physically, mentally, and spiritually to carry out such a great responsibility.
Men and women should both participate fully in Bahá’í community life. Both vote in elections. Both serve on Local and National Spiritual Assemblies. Both serve on committees. Either a woman or a man can be the chairman or the secretary of the Assembly. The important thing in choosing someone for office is that person’s individual qualifications, not his or her sex.
Since the beginning of the Bahá’í Era, women have played a major role in the growth and spread of the Faith. Many of the courageous teachers who traveled thousands of miles through various countries were women. Women as well as men have been appointed by Shoghi Effendi to serve as Hands of the Cause of God. The National Spiritual Assemblies of the world have many women serving on them. Indeed, women have given great service to the Cause in the past and will continue to do so.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written that “Humanity is like a bird with its two wings—the one is male, the other female. Unless both wings are strong . . . the bird cannot fly heavenwards.”21 Thus every Bahá’í community needs the involvement of women, as well as of men, in all its activities.
It is a great adventure and privilege to be a Bahá’í and work for the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. When a Bahá’í contributes his talents, prayers, love, and support to his Bahá’í community, he helps bring about “a firmly-founded, busy and happy community life.”22 Bahá’í communities, Shoghi Effendi says, are the pattern for a future civilization. Thus it is through building Bahá’í communities around the world that the true unity of mankind will one day be achieved.