Bahá’í World/Volume 31/Race Unity and Social Cohesion

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[Page 113]

Race Unity and Social Cohesion

During the summer of 2001, England was marred by riots rooted mainly in racial strife. More than a thousand people ultimately participated in the unrest, which left hundreds injured and caused nearly US$20 million in damages. The events forced an examination of the society that spawned them, with government and citizens seeking answers to the questions of why the riots had happened and how to prevent them from erupting again.

Racism may not be the sole cause, but in a country where more than half of the people feel they live in a racist society, it is certainly a pervasive and insidious disease that erodes the underpinnings of society. In the words of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom, its effects are "undoubtedly a major cause of division, and a force for harm in society." The National Assembly continues,

At the root of this and all forms of discrimination is the erroneous idea that humankind is somehow composed of separate and distinct races, peoples, or castes, and that those subgroups

According to a May 2002 poll conducted by ICM Research, available at http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/reviews/2002/bbc-race-poll.may-2002.htm. [Page 114]innately possess varying intellectual, moral, and/or other ca- pacities, which in turn justify different forms of treatment. The reality is that there is only the one human race, a single people inhabiting the planet Earth, one human family bound together in a common destiny.²

The government launched inquiries into "community cohesion" that identified not only racial strife but other elements, such as public service failures and inequitable access to social services, as factors in the social unrest. But even these other factors can be ultimately seen to be caused by separation, segregation, and underrepresentation in politics the symptoms of creating a system with an undoubted hierarchy of value associated with ethnic and cultural heritage.

But addressing these symptoms by creating laws to encourage integration and increasing public works is not the key to uniting a society that is divided along racial lines. Even such measures as increasing interaction between races and ensuring equal representa- tion address only part of the problem.

Racism does not exist in a vacuum. These attitudes and prejudices penetrate to all levels of society, including its political, economic, and cultural frameworks, and such deep social divisions cannot be undone by legislation alone. As the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom pointed out in its May 2002 address to the people of the UK, "while anti-racist initiatives are clearly essential, and regulating behavior by legislation has a place, they are uncer- tain modifiers of basic attitudes and beliefs. Unless these latter are changed, it is doubtful if a truly cohesive society can ever be more than an unachievable ideal."3

Evidence of the inadequacy of law unto itself can be seen in the experiences of countries like the United States and South Africa. Racist laws in the United States were largely repealed in the 1960s, during the American Civil Rights Movement, and apartheid in South Africa ended in the 1990s, but in spite of freedom from legal

² National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom, "Social Cohesion: Dwelling in the Same Land," May 2002. For the full text, see pp. 257-63. > Ibid., p. 259. [Page 115]restrictions, neither of these countries is free from racism's blight. Its healing is a complex process, and one that must finally rest not in civil authority, but within the hearts of people.

Clearly, there exists a need to bridge the gap between the laws and the hearts. It was in this regard that the British Bahá’í community sought to bring the Bahá’í perspective into discussions on causes of and solutions to disconnection in society through its Institute for Social Cohesion, a forum for research and discussion.

The institute's first national colloquium in May 2002 hinged on the question, "What makes a society cohesive?" Nearly 130 people attended, including British government representatives from the Home Office, the Race Equality Unit, and the Community Cohesion Unit; MP John Battle, the Prime Minister's informal interfaith adviser; and high-ranking members of the British Police Department. Significant nongovernmental organizations (NGOS) represented included the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organizations (CEMVO), the Citizenship Foundation, and BUILD, an ethnic minority mentoring and networking organization.

Related to the work of the institute, the British Bahá’í community has issued four statements on the subject of community cohesion. The first, "Community Cohesion: A Bahá’í Perspective," was issued in May 2001, and the most recent, "Social Cohesion: Prospect and Promise," was issed in January 2003.

"This is a turbulent time in the history of mankind," said Barney Leith, Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom, at the colloquium, "and all around us the cohesion of our society is being disintegrated. Religion has the capacity to bring this cohesion back. The Bahá’í community feels it can make its contribution by providing this forum for dialogue."

The National Spiritual Assembly hopes through the colloquium to influence processes towards world peace and to contribute to healing rifts in British society. Mr. Leith also pointed out that the Bahá’í community is pleased that its initiatives are being found increasingly useful by government officials, parliamentarians, and organizations of civil society.

He stressed the "increasing need expressed by policy makers for coherent ideas and policies based on principle" and the fact that Bahá’ís are being offered opportunities to show that the principles [Page 116]that govern their Faith can be used to contribute actively and positively to British society.

The institute sponsors conferences and symposia on the processes and issues that shape and sustain cohesive, unified societies, and the role of spiritual values in underpinning sustainable, cohesive societies will also be explored. Four special interest groups have been formed to work as informal information-sharing networks, for which the institute offers administrative support. The eventual goal of the institute is to establish an academic resource that will research questions related to social cohesion, to be attached to universities in Britain.

"The institute will provide a long-term, nonpartisan environment where academics, activists, parliamentarians, and members of society can contribute to repairing social breakdown of all kinds," said Dan Wheatley, external affairs spokesman for the UK Bahá’í community.

Government representatives publicly thanked the Bahá’í community for running the colloquium, and some also emphasized that no one else had tried or been able to bring together such a diverse group of people to discuss these important issues. The diversity of opinions and the intense need for change expressed in the dialogue have formed the basis of a search for common ground and a sense not only of shared community but of a common future.

Origins of Racism

The problems facing Britain are far from unique. Similar problems are found elsewhere in Europe, with its rising immigration; in Africa, where the scars of colonialism are slow to heal; in America, where damage done by the policies of slavery is still evident; and in virtually every other country in the world.

It would be easy to dismiss racism as nothing more than a byproduct of modern societies, where the world has been compressed into a "global village" and immigration is creating increasingly diverse societies. In fact, many are tempted to see the stress in race relations as an inevitable result of the confrontation between irreconcilable cultural and ethnic differences.

In stark contrast are examples found in the work of author Frank Snowden. He gives compelling evidence not only for the possibility [Page 117]of racial amity but also that certain racist attitudes are a relatively modern invention. In his examinations of the ancient Mediterranean world, he shows that Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Ethiopian societies intermingled for centuries in a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect. He notes that most scholars who have examined the evidence have come to conclusions such as these: the ancients did not fall into the error of biological racism; black skin color was not a sign of inferiority; Greeks and Romans did not establish color as an obstacle to integration in society; and ancient society was one that for all its faults and failures never made color the basis for judging a man."

Much has changed in the thousands of years since those ancient civilizations commingled without regard for skin color. Snowden's conclusions come amidst an ongoing debate among scientists and sociologists over the origins of both race and racism. Though the current tide tends towards acceptance that the old concepts of "race" are inventions of ignorance, the effects of slavery, xenophobia, and other social factors have all funneled into the problems of the modern world, where people are often judged based on their race or ethnicity. The world in which we now live is replete with nations and peoples struggling to find solutions to these problems.

Bahá’í Approach to Racial Unity

The Bahá’í writings affirmed the reality of racial unity more than 150 years ago, when Bahá’u’lláh wrote that all people were "one same substance" and "created ... from the same dust."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá acknowledged that differences exist, while stressing that they are not insurmountable obstacles to unity. In lectures in the United States in the early twentieth century, he spoke on the value of racial unity, notwithstanding that the country was barely

• Quoted in Richard Thomas, Race Unity: An Imperative for Social Progress, rev. ed. (Ottawa, ON: Association for Bahá’í Studies, 1993), p. 8.

> Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1994), Arabic no. 68, p. 20. [Page 118]50 years removed from its system of slavery and the idea of equality was an unpopular one in some quarters. While many people at the time sought to establish the scientific basis of the inferiority of certain races, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asserted, “The differences existing between nations and peoples will soon be annulled.”⁶

He further explained,

In the human kingdom itself there are points of contact, properties common to all mankind; likewise, there are points of distinction which separate race from race, individual from individual. If the points of contact, which are the common properties of humanity, overcome the peculiar points of distinction, unity is assured. On the other hand, if the points of differentiation overcome the points of agreement, disunion and weakness result. ... In fact numerous points of partnership and agreement exist between the two races; whereas the one point of distinction is that of color. Shall this, the least of all distinctions, be allowed to separate you as races and individuals?⁷

Bahá’u’lláh called upon people not to accept the separations between them but to actively strive to eliminate them, writing, “O 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 whatever is the source of contention amongst you.”⁸ There must be true amity, and indeed even a celebration of differences, where the variety of colors are valued even as the differing flowers in a garden. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote,

How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches, and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form, and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the

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6 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912, rev. ed. (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1995), p. 66.

7 Ibid., p. 67–68.

8 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1994), p. 216. [Page 119]effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest.⁹

Bahá’í activities are guided not only by the reality of spiritual equality, but also by the idea that human power alone cannot eliminate racism. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated clearly: “[T]here is need of a superior power to overcome human prejudices, a power which nothing in the world of mankind can withstand and which will overshadow the effect of all other forces at work in human conditions. That irresistible power is the love of God.”¹⁰

The presence of a “superior power” does not exempt humanity from its responsibilities or its difficult struggles, however. Shoghi Effendi delineated the requirements for true unity. While discussing racial division in the United States, he explained that the responsibility rests on both sides:

Let neither think that the solution of so vast a problem is a matter that exclusively concerns the other. Let neither think that such a problem can either easily or immediately be resolved. Let neither think that they can wait confidently for the solution of this problem until the initiative has been taken, and the favorable circumstances created.... Let neither think that anything short of genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort, can succeed in blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left on the fair name of their common country.¹¹

It is within this spectrum of spiritual virtues such as patience, humility, and wisdom that solutions must be constructed. While Bahá’ís do not dictate solutions, nor claim to possess easy or exhaustive remedies, they do seek honest dialogue. They are motivated by a desire for unity and not by the blame and finger-pointing that so

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⁹ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Wilmette, ‎il: IL:‎ Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1997), pp. 291–92.

¹⁰ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 68.

¹¹ Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice (Wilmette, ‎il: IL:‎ Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1990), pp. 40–41. [Page 120]often overshadow the question of race and racism. In Bahá’í communities throughout the world, individual and collective efforts to aid in the process of healing are proving that the goal of unity is not out of reach.12

Patterns of Integration

Though the writings of the Faith are a firm foundation for the unification of the world, the Bahá’í communities are still learning how to implement them. In each country and in each community, the needs and the challenges are different. Bahá’ís have no precise formula for addressing these problems, but no matter how different the situation or divisive the elements, they have built a record of achievement whose successes are worthy of attention from all sectors of society.

AUSTRALIA

In Australia, the intersection of communities comes not only from the relationship between the indigenous population and the descendants of the British colonists, but also from the influx of refugees from Asian countries who seek a haven from the chaos in their own states. The Bahá’í community is committed to creating an environment that not only appreciates the history of the land and its ancient peoples, but also welcomes newcomers.

Australian Bahá’ís, interested in making a contribution to national reconciliation efforts, submitted a report in 2002 to the Senate Legal and Constitutional References Committee's Inquiry into the Progress towards National Reconciliation. The submission describes racism as the most "fundamental barrier" to reconciliation and describes progress towards reconciliation as "slow and marked with setbacks" despite notable progress in some areas.

"The recent resurgence of divisive racial attitudes in Australia, the increased number of racial incidents, and the unrelieved deprivation faced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians make the need for solutions ever more pressing," it says. "Healing

12 For more information about Bahá’í activities towards racial unity, see pp. 51-55 of this volume. [Page 121]the wounds and building a society in which people of diverse backgrounds live as members of one family are the most urgent issues confronting Australia today. Our nation’s peace and prosperity and our standing in the international community depend to a great extent on their resolution.”

In 1999, the Bahá’í community appointed an Indigenous Advisory Group, consisting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of the Bahá’í community, to advise the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Australia on matters including indigenous community development and indigenous protocols. Other initiatives include the development of relationships with the traditional custodians of the land on which the Bahá’í House of Worship and national Bahá’í center are located, participation in the Advisory Group on Faith Communities to the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, and support for its Week of Prayer for Reconciliation.

Within the community, too, much has been done to maintain diversity and assist in reinforcing the importance of traditional cultures. Indigenous Australians have been part of the Australian Bahá’í community since the 1950s, have participated in its development and national administration, and have represented the Faith at national and international events. The Bahá’í community encourages historical research into early contacts between the Australian Bahá’í community and indigenous Australians, and renders Bahá’í scriptures into indigenous languages as a means of fostering mutual understanding and supporting the spiritual development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Bahá’ís. Institute courses focused particularly on youth have also been developed to educate members of the Bahá’í community in basic issues of indigenous cultural practices and protocol, and to encourage personal commitments to the reconciliation process.

In response to the increasing stress regarding immigration, the Australian ‎Bahá’í’s Bahá’ís‎ contributed a report to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in relation to the 1999–2000 Migration and Humanitarian Programs. The submission contended that immigration to Australia can be increased without creating a negative impact on the economy or the environment. It acknowledged a need for migrants with viable skills in order for the migration program to receive public support, and argued that a larger humanitarian intake is a moral imperative. “Given the global scale [Page 122]of refugee and humanitarian flows, a setting of 12,000 for Australia’s humanitarian program is lower than we should contemplate,” the submission says. “Australia faces the challenge of continuing to respond ... to the legitimate aspirations of our fellow human beings for a better life.”

The Bahá’í community has also participated in and sponsored events during the annual National Refugee Week, ranging from the holding of seminars on the problems facing refugees to the hosting of simple receptions and prayer gatherings. The issue of sheltering refugees is of particular poignancy to a community in which many members were forced to flee their native Iran because of religious persecution.

UNITED STATES

Racism is regarded by the Bahá’í community in the United States of America as its “most challenging issue,” but it is one in which notable strides have been made. Bahá’í groups in the country were among the first religious communities to hold fully integrated meetings, in the early 1900s. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Bahá’ís in the United States also began holding public “race amity” meetings. One such event in 1921, sponsored by the Bahá’í community in Springfield, Massachusetts, drew some 1,200 people. Race Amity Day eventually became Race Unity Day, an event that is now commemorated annually in localities all over the world. In many countries, the Bahá’ís have worked with the government to have the day nationally recognized.

In 1991, the National Spiritual Assembly issued the statement “The Vision of Race Unity,” which was widely distributed throughout the country and offers a hopeful vision of the future for both the country and the whole of mankind. It states,

Bahá’ís see unity as the law of life; consequently, all prejudices are perceived as diseases that threaten life.... Bahá’ís believe that both spiritual and material development are dependent upon love and unity. Therefore, the Bahá’ís offer the teachings of their Faith and the example of their community for examination, convinced that these can make a contribution toward the eradication of racism endemic in American society. We do so with firm faith in the [Page 123]assistance of our Creator, Who, out of His infinite love, brought forth all humanity from the same stock and intended that all belong to the same household. We believe, moreover, that the day of the unification of the entire human race has come.¹³

In pursuit of that goal, Bahá’ís in the United States have also lent support to other prominent initiatives. Bahá’ís organize or are substantial contributors to countless Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances throughout the country. Representatives of the National Spiritual Assembly served on the MLK Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. Bahá’ís have also supported the activities of the King Center in Atlanta and played a major role in King Week festivities each year.

The Bahá’í community also collaborated closely with President Clinton’s year-long Initiative on Race, launched in July 1997 to stimulate a dialogue on race relations throughout the country, which engendered a series of local town meetings and regional religious forums. Local Bahá’í communities throughout the country participated in those forums and, as a result, Bahá’ís were asked to serve on the planning committee for a summit in October 1998 of 40 national faith leaders to discuss how religious communities can contribute to improving race relations. The Bahá’ís were later asked to participate on the planning committee for a second conference with the President and some 150 faith leaders in March 2000.

In another campaign to promote race unity, the ‎us U.S.‎ Bahá’ís produced and ‎broadcast of broadcast‎ a series of videos designed to reach households in every part of the country with messages about spiritual solutions to social problems. The first video, “The Power of Race Unity,” is about four individuals who actively work for racial reconciliation in their communities. It continues to be broadcast on cable television channels along with public service commercials on the themes “Children Without Prejudice,” “World Citizen,” and “One Race.”

SOUTH AFRICA

The campaign of apartheid in South Africa provided the world with one of its most striking and shameful examples of institutionalized

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¹³ National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, “The Vision of Race Unity” (1991), available at http://us.bahai.org/ourvision/vision.htm. [Page 124]racism. Apartheid was the rule of the land from 1948 until 1992. Despite this program, the Bahá’í community, established in South Africa since 1911, remained completely integrated throughout those trying years.

Under the watchful eye of the South African government’s special police, who were charged with maintaining racial separation, Bahá’ís held administrative and worship meetings in private homes, since integrated meetings in public were forbidden.

In such meetings, whites usually entered through the front door, while blacks came in through the kitchen. Yet, despite such restrictions, the first national Bahá’í governing council of South Africa, elected in 1956, had four white and five black members—a degree of integration that was extremely rare, if not unique, for any sort of national organization in South Africa at the time.

In 1997, while many other religious communities throughout South Africa offered apologies to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for their practices under apartheid, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of South Africa issued a statement titled “A Pathway to Peace and Justice” that summarized the important place of racial integration in Bahá’í belief.¹⁴ It gave a summary of the endurance of the Bahá’í community during the apartheid years and explained that, despite difficulty and harsh legislation, the Bahá’ís clung to the ideals of their Faith.

Of the 10,000 people in the South African Bahá’í community today, more than 90 percent would have been classified as “non-white” under apartheid laws. Members come from nearly all the tribal and ethnic groups in the country. And although many of those groups, such as the Zulu and Xhosa tribes, are in conflict with one another, tribal members are united in their beliefs as Bahá’ís.

RWANDA

In Rwanda, violence by the Hutu majority against the Tutsi minority resulted in the deaths of some 800,000 people in 1994. As the country struggled to create unity and rebuild trust between the ethnic groups, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í community

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¹⁴ The text of this statement can be found in The Bahá’í World 1997–98, pp. 229–32. [Page 125]issued a statement in March 2000 to the National Commission for Unity and Reconciliation urging consideration of the principle of human oneness as a basis for reconciliation in the country.

"Bahá’ís believe that humankind has always constituted one species, but that prejudice, ignorance, power seeking, and egotism have prevented many people from recognizing and accepting this oneness," stated the Rwandan National Assembly, urging the adoption of a program for moral education that would seek both to abolish prejudices and to foster social and economic development.

BRAZIL

The national Bahá’í community in Brazil has had to contend with deep divisions of race and class since its beginnings, in a country where the vast chasm between rich and poor also separates black from white.

In just over 80 years since the inception of the community, though, the Bahá’ís have established a reputation for their work to unite the varying elements of Brazilian society. As a result, Brazilian Bahá’ís were invited by the government to assist in national preparations for the 2001 World Conference against Racism, held in Durban, South Africa.15 In the fall of 2000, the national Bahá’í community sent a delegation to preparatory conferences in Brazil and participated in a Seminar of Experts.

In 2002, the Brazilian School of Nations was featured at the International Meeting of the Global Network of Education for Peace. The school seeks to raise up a new generation of leaders instilled with the ideal of world citizenship. Established in Brasilia, where there are some 85 foreign embassies, the school has more than 550 students from at least 25 national backgrounds. With courses from kindergarten through grade eight, the school offers a distinctive curriculum that blends an emphasis on cross-cultural experiences with moral and religious education in a bilingual setting.

In an effort to promote and appreciate diversity within their own community, Bahá’ís in Salvador, in the state of Bahia, organized a Bahá’í gathering of Afro-Descendants in 1996. The event gave special

15 For a report of this conference, see The Bahá’í World 2001-2002, pp. 125-32. [Page 126]attention to Afro-Brazilian cultural elements that are present in the arts, cooking, dress, and history. The gathering also aimed to help participants recover lost social and family cultural traditions, seeking to raise the self-esteem of Afro-Descendants. The gatherings now occur annually; more than 170 people attended the meeting in March 2003.

BAHÁ’Í INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Beyond their efforts to build a model of racial integration within their own communities, Bahá’ís have also actively sought to promote the ideal of unity at an international level, using a wide range of nonviolent and peaceful means. These activities include work with the United Nations and its agencies; collaboration with governments, like-minded NGOs, and religious groups; educational initiatives; media-based outreach campaigns; grassroots initiatives; youth workshops; and individual initiatives that encompass a variety of innovative and creative approaches to local problems and concerns.

In 1997, for example, the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) launched a global campaign to promote human rights education, in support of the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995–2004). The campaign encourages national Bahá’í communities to become involved with their governments and with other NGOs in promoting human rights education, outlining a broad program of action that includes as a key element efforts to promote tolerance and an end to racial discrimination.

More than 100 of the BIC’s national affiliates participated in training sessions at the start of the campaign, and 50 have already undertaken some form of human rights education activities. In addition, 39 have held in-country training for those who, in support of the Decade, will be interacting with government officials and NGOs, either nationally or locally.

Conclusion

As noble as these efforts are, they cannot be seen as ends unto themselves. Racial unity is a goal for humanity, but ultimately it is only a stepping stone to the unity of humanity in all spheres, one in which [Page 127]all prejudices are erased and mankind can finally be regarded as having reached both its destiny and its natural equilibrium.

As with all efforts where sincere change is sought, the issues must be approached with understanding, tolerance, and a commitment to persevere until solutions are found. These efforts cannot survive if they exist only as a reaction to antisocial forces. Rather, they must, if they are to be lasting in influence and scope, be a propellant towards ever greater unity among all people.

For real progress to be made, the problem of racism must be addressed through practical efforts and the sincere belief, free of cynicism and utopian idealism, that the unity of people can be established. This, the Bahá’í community is resolved to do. Shoghi Effendi succinctly summed up this resolve in the following words:

Let there be no mistake. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind-the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified with a reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious cooperation among individual peoples and nations. Its implications are deeper.... Its message is applicable not only to the individual, but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of one human family. 16

16 Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh: Selected Letters, 2nd rev. ed. (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1993), pp. 42-43.