Bahá’í World/Volume 25/From the Universal House of Justice
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FROM THE
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF HJUSTICE
he Universal House of Justice, the international governing
council of the Bahá’í world community, derives its authority directly from Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith—“the Revealer of God’s Word in this Day,” “the Source of Authority,” and “the Inspirer and F ounder of a world civilization,” as the opening of the Constitution of the Universal House of Justice states. That same document continues on to outline clearly the devolution of authority from Bahá’u’lláh t0 the House of Justice:
T0 direct and canalize the forces released by His Revelation He instituted His Covenant, Whose power has preserved the integrity of His Faith, maintained its unity and stimulated its world-Wide expansion throughout the successive ministries of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. It continues to fulfill its life-giving purpose through the agency of the Universal House of Justice whose fundamental object, as one of the twin successors Of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is to ensure the continuity of that divinely-appointed authority Which flows from the Source of the Faith, to safeguard the unity of its followers, and to maintain the integrity and flexibility of its teachings.
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Thus charged with responsibility, the Universal House of Justice seeks to educate, inform, direct, encourage, and inspire the global Bahá’í community, a task it undertakes mainly through its voluminous correspondence with Bahá’í institutions and individuals around the world.
Rigivén Messages (153 RE.)
The Bahá’í Faith has systematically expanded and consolidated its ranks through the operation of successive plans of varying duration. This year saw the launching of a new Four Year Plan, and this subject formed the substance of the 1996 “Riḍván message” of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, released each year between 21 April and 2 May, the period that marks Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of His mission in the Garden of Riḍván (Paradise) in Baghdad in 1863. This year, in addition to its general letter, the House of Justice addressed eight separate letters to the Bahá’ís in various regions of the globe, reflecting on the history of those communities, the current situations they face, and their prospects for the future.
The general letter to the Bahá’ís Of the world begins by reviewing the global accomplishments of the Three Year Plan (1993—1996) just completed, with the House of Justice noting that the period resulted in a “more consolidated, more resilient, more mature, and more confident”—in short, “a qualitatively enriched”—community. Among the accomplishments noted are the following:
° the progress made in the construction of the projects at the Bahá’í World Centre on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel;
- an increase in social and economic development activities around the world; - expansion of external affairs work;
0 the formation of twelve new National Spiritual Assemblies;
- a surge of pioneering and travel-teaching;
' the implementation of systematic approaches to collective teaching activities; - well-focused long-term teaching projects;
° numerous achievements of the institution of the International Teaching Centre, both in the evolution of its own functioning and in its attention to the educational needs of the community;
- the assumption by indigenous believers around the world of more responsibility
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for teaching and consolidation work in their own communities;
- the continued functioning of Bahá’í communities in such troubled countries as Angola, Cambodia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone;
the rapid maturation of Bahá’í institutions in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc in Europe;
island Bahá’í communities’ inclusion of diverse populations in their membership;
the enthusiastic service of youth, including their pursuit of music and the arts (particularly dance and drama workshops), their participation in external affairs activities, their commitment to a year of service, and their achievements of academic, professional, and vocational excellence;
the Bahá’í community’s greater involvement in social and economic development, particularly in the field of education, including the community’s adoption of the management of seven public schools in one country; the development of farming, leading communities towards self—sufficiency, particularly in Africa; efforts to advance the status of women, including the establishment of the Bahá’í International Community’s Office for the Advancement of Women; and involvement in health and literacy projects in various countries;
effects of expansion in external affairs work, in both small and large communities, as evidenced by increasing numbers of invitations to Bahá’í communities from high public officials, by the community’s efforts to influence government action, by the establishment of Bahá’í academic programs in colleges and universities, and the development of curricular materials for public schools;
the Bahá’í International Community’s participation in the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen in March 1995, with the concurrent release of the statement The Prosperity Of Humankind by the Bahá’í International Community’s Office of Public Information; participation in September 1995 in the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing; contributions to the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations, and the release of the statement Turning Point for All Nations; the attendance of Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Ehénum at both the Summit on the Alliance between Religions and Conservation and the Fourth International Dialogue on the Transition to a Global Society;
- the publication of the Persian edition of Bahá’u’lláh’s Most Holy Book, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas;
- the increasing rootedness Of the law of Huqfiqu’lláh in the Bahá’í community.
The House of Justice moves on from this review to an analysis of current events, looking at the integrating and disruptive processes at work during this turbulent period “of accelerating transition.”
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The disruptive forces are evident in the disarray of human affairs presented through news media, while the integrating forces can been seen, for example, in the efforts by world leaders to take collective action on various issues, to attend global meetings, to engage in collective efforts to respond to crises, and in the calls for global governance proliferating throughout the world.
In this context, the House of Justice states, the Bahá’ís’ efforts to build their unique system will invoke a spiritual atmosphere and lead to a quickening Of the processes towards world peace. Bahá’í communities around the world are thus called upon to focus on one major aim during the coming four years: movement towards ensuring sustained large—scale growth of their numbers and an accelerated program of consolidation, referred to as “a significant advance in the process of entry by troops,” a process that involves individuals, institutions, and local communities.
Standing “at the very crux of any progress to be made” in this process, the individual has the responsibility to teach the Faith to others, to exercise his or her capacities, to study and allow the transformative forces of that act to exert their influence, and to draw on his or her love for Baha’u’llah, the power of the Covenant Of Baha’u’llah, and prayer.
In turn, heightened functioning of the institutions in the Bahá’í community enhances individuals’ capacity to serve and fosters unified action. Such an evolution requires a new state of mind on the part of the members of those institutions and on the part of those they serve. The means through which Spiritual Assemblies can rise to this new level of functioning include improving the use of consultation among the members themselves and with community members; fostering a spirit of service in the community; collaborating with the Continental Boards of Counsellors and their Auxiliary Board members; and cultivating external relations.
At the level of the community, which is defined as comprising individuals, families, and institutions that are the originators of systems—in short, a “comprehensive unit of civilization”—the Universal House of Justice stresses the need for a “significant enhancement in patterns of behavior,” achieved through the integration of adults, youth, and children in the community’s spiritual, social, educational, and administrative activities, as well as in
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teaching and development activities, and through the practice of the collective worship of God.
To develop human resources Within the community, systematic attention must be given to educating large numbers of Bahá’ís in the fundamental verities Of the Faith and to training them, an effort that requires collaboration between the Continental Boards of Counsellors and the National Spiritual Assemblies to establish organized, formal, regular programs of training, particularly institutes, that will evolve as centers of learning.
Extending the network of national governing councils around the world, two new National Spiritual Assemblies, of Moldova and of $50 Tomé and Principe, are to form at Riḍván 1996. Unfortunately, the National Assemblies of Burundi and Rwanda are not able to re-form owing to political turmoil in those countries, leaving the total number of National Spiritual Assemblies at 174.
Efforts already in progress should not lose momentum during the coming four years: for example, work in the field of social and economic development Will continue; so, too, will external affairs activities focusing on the defense of the Bahá’í community in Iran, and on the themes of global prosperity, the advancement of women, moral development, and human rights; encouragement is given to further use of the arts in the proclamation, expansion, and consolidation work of the Faith.
As Bahá’í communities around the world strive to accomplish the aims detailed above, so the Bahá’í World Centre will pursue a number of specific goals. The most important of these is the completion of the current projects on Mount Carmel, following which, at Riḍván 2000, a major event will be held. Other goals include provision of further directives t0 the Bahá’í world regarding the application of additional laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas; the translation and release of another volume of the writings of Baha’u’llah; the further development of the institution of the International Teaching Centre; and allowance for an increase in the number of pilgrims and Visitors to the World Centre.
Accomplishing the two main challenges that lie before the Bahá’í community at this juncture in history—namely, teaching the Faith and completing the projects undertaken on Mount Carmel—will, in the words of the Universal House of Justice, “foster
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conditions towards the release of pent-up forces that will forge a change in the direction of human affairs throughout the planet.” This Plan, set “at one of the most critical times in the life of the planet,” Will prepare the Bahá’í community to cope With accelerating changes in the world, enable it to withstand accompanying tests and challenges, and make Visible its distinctive pattern of functioning. Assigning this Plan “a special place in the scheme of Bahá’í and world history,” occurring as it does during “a time so charged with potentialities and hope for all humanity,” the House of Justice Closes this weighty message with the expressed hope that the worldwide Bahá’í community will “arise to seize the tasks of this crucial moment.”
In addition to this general letter to the Bahá’ís of the world, separate letters address the opportunities and challenges facing countries in eight different regions, namely, Africa, Australasia, Europe, the countries and islands in the region of the Indian subcontinent, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, Southeast Asia, and Western and Central Asia.
Many of these letters stress common themes also found in the general letter, in addition to dealing with the particularities of each region. All, for example, mention the importance of advancing the process of entry by troops; all encourage teaching so as to increase the numbers of Bahá’ís from all walks of life and from “every stratum of society,” with the goal of building “a Vibrant model of unity in diversity”; and all encourage individual believers to take initiative.
Social and economic development is highlighted in different ways throughout the eight letters. Particular stress is laid upon the encouragement of the advancement of women—with men’s active support, as the letter to Afn'ca states. Literacy and the development of moral education programs also receive mention in a number of the letters, and where social and economic development activities are already flourishing, communities are urged to sustain and expand them as feasible.
Again, the development of human resources within the Bahá’í community is stressed, through the repeated mention of the importance of the development of “systematic,” “consistent,” and “widespread” training institutes and institute programs. Indeed,
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the word “systematic” occurs many times throughout the letters, reflecting the importance the House of Justice places on the wellplanned expansion and consolidation of the Bahá’í community, accomplished through individual teaching as well as organized teaching campaigns promoted by the institutions of the Faith and with the community’s full participation.
As in the general letter, the consolidation of the Bahá’í community is emphasized. Several of the letters specifically mention the enhancement of the trust and confidence, or “organic unity,” between the individuals and the institutions, stressing that improving the functioning of Local Spiritual Assemblies and developing “a distinctive community life” go together. Included in the latter aspect are, for example, specific mention of the improvement in the Nineteen Day F east, support of the Bahá’í F unds, and communities’ assumption of the full responsibility for the election of their own Local Spiritual Assemblies. Planning is another aspect of this evolution of functioning. With the commencement of the Six Year Plan (1986—1992), Bahá’í communities around the world began to develop their own plans for the expansion and consolidation of their communities; as this plan begins, they are urged to continue and improve upon that process.
And again, as in the general letter, stress is placed upon the idea that combined efforts in systematic expansion and consolidation Will firmly establish “the patterns of Bahá’í community life.” The Bahá’í education of children, the teaching and spiritual enrichment of entire families, and the collective practice of the worship of God as other aspects of this development are also emphasized.
Encouragement of the use of the arts, particularly music and drama, in the proclamation, expansion, and consolidation work is a recurring theme in several of the letters, adding emphasis to similar points made in the general letter. Emphasis on external affairs work is also reinforced; Where it has already been undertaken, it is praised, and its inauguration is urged in places where it has, as yet, been untried.
Pioneering and travel-teaching form yet another common thread running through the regional letters. Particular appeals to indigenous believers, those of African descent, Iranian Bahá’ís, French Canadians, believers from Hispanic backgrounds, and those from
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Arctic and sub-Arctic regions to travel and teach others from their own language or ethnic backgrounds are made in the letter to North America. Indigenous believers in Australasia are urged to study, to teach locally, and to participate internationally in the Ocean of Light programs throughout the Pacific region. Bahá’ís in Papua New Guinea and in the Indian subcontinent region are also asked to assist the development of Bahá’í communities in other countries. Noting that the Latin American and Caribbean Bahá’í communities are comprised of “a harmonious blend of groups from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds,” the House of Justice urges mobilization of people from these populations not only in their local communities but elsewhere as pioneers and traveling teachers.
Specific direction regarding future administrative developments can be found in two letters. The House of Justice writes to the Australasian region that it must take steps to establish a strong Bahá’í community in French Polynesia, in preparation for the election of a National Spiritual Assembly there; likewise, Europe is advised to raise up National Spiritual Assemblies “in certain of those independent countries and major islands, such as the Faroes, Which have not yet attained them.”
In addition to the many overlapping themes and the particular directions given to different communities, the letters contain specific references to the spiritual heritage of the various regions of the world. Western and Central Asia, for example, are extolled as “the home of the oldest and most venerable Bahá’í communities.” It is recalled that India was mentioned in the first of the Bab’s writings and that Baha’u’llah Himself “selected and dispatched emissaries to propagate His Faith in India.” In the letter to North America, mention of the Tablets of the Divine Plan, a series of letters by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá written in the early years of the twentieth century, urging Bahá’ís in North America to arise, teach the Faith, and settle in farflung locations, is made: “In the eight decades since you received this mandate, your prodigious exertions have carried the message of Baha’u’llah to all parts of your continent, and throughout the length and breadth of the planet. You have played a critical role in the establishment of the framework of the Administrative Order and in the sustained
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proclamation of the Faith.” To the Bahá’ís of Australasia, the House of Justice recalls a promise of Baha’u’llah connecting their efforts to the persecuted Bahá’í community in Iran, in which He wrote, “Should they attempt to conceal His light on the continent, He will assuredly rear His head in the midmost part of the ocean and, raising His voice proclaim: ‘I am the lifegiver of the world?” Africa’s “extraordinary history of achievement” is mentioned in the letter addressed to the Bahá’ís of that continent, with particular note of the beginnings of the African Bahá’í community in Egypt during the time of Baha’u’llah, the remarkable opening of sixteen territories in the two-year period of 1951—53, and then the opening of a further 33 territories between 1953 and 1963. “During the course of these rapid developments,” the House of Justice observes, “the African believers themselves, through sacrificial effort as teachers and pioneers, arose to champion the Cause of God, manifesting the profundity of their response to the Message of the New Day.”
The letters also note the particular characteristics of the regions; for example, to the Bahá’ís in Southeast Asia, the House of Justice remarks, “Among your peoples, the majority of whom have been influenced by noble and high-minded teachings of Buddhism, are many who possess a profound sense of spirituality, which is reflected in the practices of their daily lives and in the quality of their relationships with one another, with nature, and with their social institutions. They have a keen understanding of the need for coherence between the material and the spiritual.” Likewise, the receptivity of the peoples in the region of the Indian subcontinent to the message of Baha’u’llah is noted.
Achievements of Bahá’í communities in the various regions are also noted and praised. The Latin American and Caribbean Bahá’í communities’ activities in wider society, their work in social and economic development (particularly in education), their “discourse on issues such as the preservation of the environment and the organization of social action,” and their interactions with leaders of thought all prompt the House of Justice to remark on their “keen understanding of the needs and aspirations” of the peoples of that region, which has enabled the Bahá’ís “to present the Faith to a wide range of interests.” The contributions of the Bahá’í communities in
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Europe are noted, including the pioneers they have sent out to serve in Africa, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and Greenland; contributions made by its institutions to the external affairs work; the outstanding scholars, musicians, artists, scientists, and those “concerned with the application of Bahá’í Teachings to economics and business” the continent has produced; the efforts made in the advancement of women and the strengthening of family life; and the work of the European Bahá’í Youth Council. Given all these accomplishments, the House of Justice urges them, “Now is the time to build on these achievements, clearly focusing all efforts on the central purpose of taking the Message of Baha’u’llah to a spiritually famished population.”
Offering a balance of historical perspective, current analysis, and future Vision, as well as both encouragement and direction, these weighty and detailed letters clearly set the course for the Bahá’í community’s progress over the next four crucial years.
Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khanum’s Trip to Brazil
A letter from the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies, dated 22 August 1996, reported an historic event in Brazil, during which Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum was the honored guest at a special session of the Brazilian Federal Chamber of Deputies, held to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the introduction of the Bahá’í Faith to that country. Attended by ninety Federal Deputies, of whom fourteen spoke in recognition of the principles of the Faith “and the benefits that their application has already brought to many localities,” the session was reported in the press and broadcast media.1
In closing, the House of Justice commented, “This momentous acknowledgment of the transforming power of the Faith, s0 generously expressed by the governing institutions of one of the world’s major nations, demonstrates both the calibre of the Brazilian believers and the growing receptivity Of the world to the Message of the Cause.”
1. See pp. 49—51 for a full report of this event.
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Pioneering
On 15 September, 1996, the Universal House of Justice reported to the Bahá’ís Of the world that during the Three Year Plan, completed at Riḍván 1996, some 10,600 Bahá’ís, including a substantial number of youth, had arisen to serve the Faith as pioneers outside their own home countries. With the launch of the Four Year Plan, also at Riḍván 1996, the House of Justice called upon the Bahá’í community once again to respond enthusiastically and win the goals set by National Spiritual Assemblies around the world. In conclusion, the House of Justice noted:
The prospect before us as the Plan unfolds is one to thrill every Bahá’í heart: the need of our fellow human beings for the Message of Baha’u’llah becomes more urgent day by day; ardent, willing and capable servants of the Cause are required in many lands and for many functions. That His eager followers in every community will arise with devotion, audacity and determination to advance His Cause in the longing Of our hearts and the object of our fervent prayers at the Sacred Threshold.
Acquisition of 4, Avenue de Camo'éns
The National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies in Europe were notified in a letter dated 28 October 1996 of the acquisition of the apartment at 4, Avenue de Camoéns in Paris, in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed during His Visit to the city. The House of Justice noted:
This marks the first step in the acquisition of sites sanctified by the residence of the Master in the cities of Europe during the three Visits He made to that continent, between 1911 and 1913, for the purpose of spreading the Message of Baha’u’llah, sites Which are second only in holiness to those places in Istanbul and Edime Where the Manifestation of God Himself blessed the soil of the European continent.
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