Bahá’í World/Volume 34/Introduction to the Bahá’í Community

The Bahá’í World Volume 34

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Introduction to the Bahá’í Community

In the United States of America, scores of volunteers organize support to areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. In Cambodia, literacy and community banking skills are taught to villagers, assisting them to manage their own small businesses. Government officials join religious representatives in Cuba for a gathering promoting interfaith understanding. In Alaska, performers from diverse indigenous tribes provide the inspirational opening to a conference on the provision of essential services to children from low-income families. Young teenagers in Colombia dedicate their spare time to planting trees, visiting the elderly, and teaching children. In Russia, visual artists contribute to a popular exhibition exploring the themes of spiritual search. In Tajikistan, children from the Roma community are empowered to become active participants in the progress of their society. Hundreds in the Gambia benefit from free lessons in basic computing skills to assist them in finding employment. Young Malaysians sing about gender equality and peace to an audience of influential citizens. Improving the legal and political responses to genocide is debated at a conference in the United Kingdom. Islanders off Australia's northern coast participate in lively radio discussions on the meaning and purpose of life. [Page 8]Although all these activities are being carried out in far-flung areas of the planet and their participants come from diverse backgrounds, they are all initiatives of the Bahá’í community, rooted in a united, optimistic view of the world and its future.

The Bahá’í International Community, comprising members of the Bahá’í Faith from all over the globe, now numbers more than 5 million souls. Its members represent 2,112 ethnic and tribal groups who live in thousands of localities in 191 independent countries and 45 dependent territories. What was once regarded by some as a small, obscure sect was reported by the Britannica Book of the Year 2005 to be the second-most widely spread independent religion in the world, after Christianity. Its membership cuts across all boundaries of class and race, governing itself through the establishment of local and national elected bodies known as Spiritual Assemblies. Its international center and the seat of its world governing council, known as the Universal House of Justice, are located in the Holy Land, in Haifa, Israel.

This article offers a brief introduction to the Bahá’í community, its history, its spiritual teachings, and its aims and objectives.

Origins

In 1844, a young Persian merchant named Siyyid ‘Alí-Muḥammad declared Himself to be the Promised Qa’im awaited by Shia Muslims. He adopted the title “the Báb,” which means “the Gate,” and His teachings quickly attracted a large following. Alarmed by the growing numbers of “Bábís,” as His followers were known, the Muslim clergy allied themselves with ministers of the Shah in an effort to destroy the infant Faith. Many thousands of Bábís were persecuted, tortured, and killed in the following years, but the growth of the new religion continued even after the Báb Himself was imprisoned and later executed in July 1850. The horrific treatment of the Bábís at the hands of the secular and religious authorities was recorded by a number of Western diplomats, scholars, and travelers, who expressed their admiration for the character and fortitude of the victims. “I... sympathize with Bábíism with all my heart,” wrote the Russian novelist Count Leo Tolstoy in 1903, “inasmuch as it teaches people brotherhood and equality and sacrifice of material life for service of God.” [Page 9]

THE BAHÁ’Í COMMUNITY

The Bábí religion sprang from Islam in much the same manner that Christianity sprang from Judaism or Buddhism did from Hinduism. That is to say, it was apparent early in the Báb’s ministry that the religion established by Him was not merely a sect or a movement within Islam but an independent Faith. Furthermore, one of the main tenets of Bábí belief was the Báb’s statement that He had been sent by God to prepare the way for One greater than Himself, Who would inaugurate an era of peace and righteousness throughout the world, representing the culmination of all past religious dispensations.

Mírzá Husayn-Alí was one of the leading adherents of the Bábí Faith Who was arrested and imprisoned because of his allegiance to the Báb. Because of pressure on the Persian shah from European diplomats, He was spared from execution but was banished from Persia to Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople, and finally the penal colony of Acre in Palestine. Thus, the Persian government, which had secured the support of the rulers of the rival Ottoman Empire in suppressing the new movement, expected that His sphere of influence would be severely limited.

During His initial imprisonment, Mírzá Husayn-’Alí had received the first divine intimations that He was the Promised One of Whom the Báb had spoken. He adopted the title “Bahá’u’lláh,” which means “Glory of God,” and publicly declared His mission on the eve of His exile from Baghdad, in April 1863.

Bahá’u’lláh was still nominally a prisoner when He passed away near Acre in May 1892, although the authorities had gradually loosened their restrictions as they became acquainted with Him and the nature of His teachings. During the long years of His exile Bahá’u’lláh revealed the equivalent of more than 100 volumes of writings, consisting of the laws and ordinances of His dispensation, letters to the kings and rulers of the East and the West, mystical teachings, and other divinely inspired writings. “The teachings of the Bábís...” Tolstoy further commented in 1908, “have through Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings been gradually developed and now present us with the highest and purest form of religious teaching.” In 1914, the eminent British biblical scholar the Reverend T.K. Cheyne wrote, “If there has been any prophet in recent times, it is to Bahá’u’lláh we must go. Character is the final judge. Bahá’u’lláh was a man of [Page 10]the highest class that of prophets." A leading Oxford academic, Professor Benjamin Jowett declared, "This Bahá’í Movement is the greatest light that has come into the world since the time of Jesus Christ. You must watch it and never let it out of your sight. It is too great and too near for this generation to comprehend. The future alone can reveal its import."

In His Will and Testament, Bahá’u’lláh appointed His eldest son, ‘Abbás Effendi, Who adopted the title "‘Abdu’l-Bahá" ("Servant of Baha"), as His successor and the sole authoritative interpreter of His teachings. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had shared His Father’s long exile and imprisonment and was freed only after a new regime was installed by the "Young Turk" movement in 1908. Shortly thereafter, at an advanced age, He embarked on an arduous journey to Europe and America where, from 1911 to 1913, He proclaimed Bahá’u’lláh’s message of universal brotherhood and peace to large audiences, consolidated fledgling Bahá’í communities, and warned of the potential catastrophe looming on Europe’s darkening horizon. By the outbreak of World War I in 1914, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had returned to His home in Haifa, just across the bay from Acre, and devoted Himself to caring for the local people, fending off famine by feeding them from stores of grain He had safeguarded for such an emergency. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s humanitarian services and His promotion of intercultural harmony were recognized by the British government, which, at the end of the war, conferred upon Him a knighthood—a title He acknowledged but declined to use. “One more eloquent of speech, more ready of argument, more apt of illustration, more intimately acquainted with the sacred books of the Jews, the Christians, and the Muhammadans, could, I should think, be scarcely found even amongst the eloquent and subtle race to which [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] belongs," commented the distinguished Cambridge orientalist Professor Edward G. Browne, "These qualities, combined with a bearing at once majestic and genial, made me cease to wonder at the influence and esteem which he enjoyed even beyond the circle of his father’s followers. About the greatness of this man and his power no one who had seen him could entertain a doubt."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in 1921 and is buried on Mount Carmel in a vault near the spot where He had interred the remains of the Báb some years before. Among the legacies that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá bequeathed to history is a series of letters called the Tablets of the Divine Plan, [Page 11]which He had addressed to the Bahá’ís of North America during the years of World War 1. These 14 letters directed the recipients to scatter to countries on all continents and share with their populations the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh-a mandate that led to the global expansion of the Bahá’í community. In the following decades, the Bahá’í teachings were spread throughout the world and attracted people from all walks of life. "It is a wondrous Message that Bahá’u’lláh and his son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have given us," wrote the dowager Queen Marie of Romania in 1926. "Their writings are a great cry toward peace, reaching beyond all limits of frontiers, above all dissension about rites and dogmas... It teaches that all hatreds, intrigues, suspicions, evil words, all aggressive patriotism even, are outside the one essential law of God... If ever the name of Bahá’u’lláh or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá comes to your attention, do not put their writings from you. Search out their Books, and let their glorious, peace-bringing, love-creating words and lessons sink into your hearts as they have into mine."

Another legacy of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is His Will and Testament, which Bahá’ís regard as the charter of the administrative order conceived by Bahá’u’lláh. This document appointed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, as Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith and authorized interpreter of its teachings. Successorship to the Founders of the Bahá’í Faith would be shared by the Guardian and an elected Universal House of Justice, whose complementary role would be to create legislation regarding the application of the Faith’s laws.

During the period of his Guardianship, from 1921 to 1957, Shoghi Effendi concentrated on four main areas: the development of the Bahá’í World Centre in the environs of Haifa; the translation and interpretation of the Bahá’í sacred writings; the rise and consolidation of the institutions of the Bahá’í administrative order; and the implementation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s plan for the propagation of the Bahá’í Faith around the world.

At the Bahá’í World Centre, Shoghi Effendi effected the construction of a superstructure for the mausoleum containing the remains of the Báb, which had been brought secretly from Persia and interred by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a spot designated by Bahá’u’lláh on Mount Carmel. Shoghi Effendi beautified and expanded the simple native stone structure, which is today a site of pilgrimage for Bahá’ís from all over the world. He enhanced the Bahá’í properties and initiated construction of the International Bahá’í Archives building to [Page 12]house the original Bahá’í scriptures and artifacts from the early days of the Bahá’í Faith. This building, the first on the arc-shaped path on the site designated as the world administrative center of the Bahá’í community, was completed in 1957. Shoghi Effendi’s actions laid the foundations, literally and figuratively, for the further development of the Bahá’í World Centre.

Shoghi Effendi was also instrumental in interpreting the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and in translating them from the original Persian and Arabic into English. The Guardian had served as secretary to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for a number of years and was a student at Oxford University at the time of his Grandfather’s passing. Shoghi Effendi’s mastery of Persian, Arabic, and English, coupled with the authority conferred upon him as the appointed interpreter of the Bahá’í writings, made him uniquely qualified to undertake their translation. He also translated The Dawn-Breakers, a history of the Bábí Faith; authored God Passes By, a history of the first century of the Bahá’í Faith; and wrote thousands of letters to communities and individuals around the world, elucidating passages from the Bahá’í writings and giving direction and impetus to Bahá’í communities.

Under Shoghi Effendi’s leadership, the Bahá’í Faith significantly evolved from its obscure roots in nineteenth-century Persia to its current status as an independent global religious community. Dr. Eduard Beneš, who became President of Czechoslovakia in 1935, described the Bahá’í Faith as "one of the great moral and social forces in all the world. . . Such a movement as the Bahá’í Cause which paves the way for universal organization of peace is necessary." The British diplomat and founder of the World Congress of Faiths, Sir Francis Younghusband noted, "Its roots go deep down into the past and yet it looks far forward into the future. It realizes and preaches the oneness of mankind. And I have noticed how ardently its followers work for the furtherance of peace and for the general welfare of mankind."

Development of the Administrative Order

Shoghi Effendi’s work in developing the Bahá’í administrative order is one of the most dramatic legacies of his years as Guardian. The first step in this development was to encourage the organized, planned expansion of Bahá’í communities in places where local and national [Page 13]Bahá’í councils, known as Spiritual Assemblies, would eventually be established. The Guardian effected this global expansion of Bahá’í communities through a series of international plans of varying duration, during which 12 National Spiritual Assemblies were elected. At the time of Shoghi Effendi’s sudden passing in 1957, the Bahá’í community was in the middle of a global plan of expansion and consolidation called the Ten Year Crusade. During this period, which concluded in 1963-the centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s declaration of His mission in the Garden of Riḍván in Baghdad-the goal was to open 132 new countries and major territories to the Faith and to expand existing communities in 120 countries and territories that had previously been opened. These ambitious targets were in certain instances actually exceeded by the end of the plan, in spite of the difficulties posed by the Guardian’s death.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in His Will and Testament, had authorized the continuation of the Guardianship through the appointment by the Guardian of a successor from among his own sons, should he have them, or other direct descendants of Bahá’u’lláh. Such a designation was dependent upon the decision of Shoghi Effendi as to whether an individual could be named who met the demanding spiritual qualifications specified by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Shoghi Effendi had no children and died without designating such a Guardian to follow him. He had, however, taken steps towards the election of the Universal House of Justice, the supreme governing body of the Bahá’í Faith. He had also appointed a number of individual Bahá’ís to an auxiliary institution of the Guardianship called Hands of the Cause of God. These individuals had been charged with protecting the unity of the Faith and collaborating with National Spiritual Assemblies around the world to ensure that the goals of the Ten Year Crusade were won. Upon Shoghi Effendi’s passing, these men and women guided the Bahá’í community to complete the plan initiated by the Guardian and to hold the first election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

Conceived by Bahá’u’lláh Himself, the institution of the Universal House of Justice is established on principles laid down in the Bahá’í sacred writings. Its initial election, by the members of the 56 National Spiritual Assemblies that existed in April 1963, clearly demonstrated the principle of unity so central to the Bahá’í Faith, with the nine [Page 14]members coming from four continents and representing a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Based on the authority conferred on it by the Founder of the Faith, the Universal House of Justice is now elected every five years. It stands as the acknowledged central authority in the worldwide Bahá’í community and has, during the past 43 years, launched eight global plans for the advancement of the Faith. From a worldwide population of 408,000 in 1963, the Bahá’í community has grown to more than 5 million members, and the number of National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies has grown from 56 to 179.

Spiritual and Moral Teachings and Bahá’í Community Life

The force that unites this diverse body of people is the vision achieved through their belief in Bahá’u’lláh as a Manifestation of God, in the social and administrative structures He established, and in the spiritual and moral teachings He propagated. Central to these spiritual teachings is the concept that there is only one God and that the world’s great religions have been established by Messengers or Manifestations of this Divine Reality—Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Jesus, and Muhammad—Who have been sent throughout history to deliver a divine message commensurate with humanity’s stage of development. Though the religions’ social teachings change through this process of progressive revelation, the spiritual essence of all the major religions remains the same: humanity has been created to know and to worship God. The Bahá’í perspective sees the cumulative benefits of progressively revealed religions as fundamental to an “ever-advancing civilization.” What divides various religious communities, Bahá’ís believe, comes not from God but from humanity and its accretions to the essential religious teachings brought by the divine Messengers.

At this stage of humanity’s development, the unity of the human race must be recognized, the equality of women and men must be established, the extremes of wealth and poverty must be eliminated, and the age-old promise of universal peace must be realized. Likening the development of the human race to that of an individual, the Bahá’í writings say that we have passed through stages analogous to infancy and childhood and are now in the midst of a tumultuous [Page 15]adolescence, standing on the threshold of maturity. Bahá’u’lláh taught that humanity is destined to come of age, but the course it takes to achieve that goal is entirely in its own hands.

To promote the development of a society in which Bahá’í ideals can be fully realized, Bahá’u’lláh established laws and moral teachings that are binding on Bahá’ís. Central to these is daily obligatory prayer. Study of and meditation upon the Bahá’í sacred writings each morning and evening are also enjoined. Bahá’ís between the ages of 15 and 70, with certain exceptions, observe an annual 19-day, dawn-to-dusk fast. Bahá’u’lláh referred to prayer and fasting as the "twin pillars" of faith, an indication of their importance and the benefits to be gained from them. He also raised work to the level of worship. The main repository of Bahá’u’lláh’s laws is a volume entitled the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, or the "Most Holy Book."

There are no dietary restrictions in the Bahá’í Faith, but the consumption of alcohol and the use of narcotic and hallucinogenic drugs are forbidden, as they affect the mind and interfere with spiritual growth. Bahá’u’lláh counseled Bahá’ís to be honest and trustworthy, to render service to humanity with an abundance of deeds rather than mere words, to be chaste, and to avoid gossip and backbiting. He enjoined a high standard of personal morality and decency upon His followers. The importance of the family is central to Bahá’í community life, as is the moral and spiritual education of children.

Bahá’ís often gather together in their communities to study the sacred writings of their Faith and to pray, but a central feature in Bahá’í community life is a meeting called the Nineteen Day Feast, at which all members join in worship, consult about community affairs, and socialize. Pending the further development of Bahá’í communities, these meetings often occur in rented facilities, people’s homes, or in local Bahá’í centers. The Bahá’í writings call for the erection in each community of a beautifully designed House of Worship, surrounded by gardens and functioning as a spiritual center of activity. A variety of social and humanitarian institutions are also to be established around it. Seven Bahá’í Houses of Worship presently exist in Australia, Germany, India, Panama, Samoa, Uganda, and the United States. Plans have been launched for the construction of an eighth House of Worship in Chile, and sites have [Page 16]been purchased around the world for the erection of many more. The Houses of Worship are open to people of all faiths—or those professing no particular faith—for prayer and meditation. Services are nondenominational. There are no sermons, only readings and prayers from the Bahá’í writings and scriptures of other faiths with music by an a capella choir. This preserves the sacredness of the experience of hearing and meditating upon the Holy Word without the interference of man-made concepts.

Aims, Objectives, and Activities

As the Universal House of Justice stated in a message addressed to the peoples of the world written in October 1985, coinciding with the United Nations International Year of Peace, “Acceptance of the oneness of mankind is the first fundamental prerequisite for reorganization and administration of the world as one country, the home of humankind.” The ultimate aim of the Bahá’í Faith is to establish unity among all the peoples of the world, and it is because of its orientation towards unity on an international scale that the Bahá’í community has been active at the United Nations since that organization’s inception. Today, the Bahá’í International Community, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that represents the collective voice of national Bahá’í communities around the world, enjoys special status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is particularly involved in addressing human rights issues, the needs of women and children, and environmental concerns, as well as pursuing sound, sustainable development policies. To coordinate its international efforts in these areas, the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Office and Office of Public Information, as well as the Office of the Environment and the Office for the Advancement of Women, collaborate with National Spiritual Assemblies around the world. The Bahá’í International Community’s activities at the United Nations have earned it a reputation as one of the most effective religious NGOs in the UN system. Its national and international representatives have taken active roles in the major world summits and NGO forums sponsored by the United Nations during the past decades. [Page 17]Bahá’ís look towards a day when a new international order will be established, a commonwealth to which all the nations of the world will belong. As Shoghi Effendi wrote in 1936:

The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds, and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy the needs, and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. A world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this universal system.'

Shoghi Effendi went on to describe the tremendous benefits to humanity resulting from such a world order:

The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.²

To make its aims and objectives widely known and to promote its perspective on various issues, the Bahá’í International Community [Page 18]not only collaborates with like-minded organizations within and outside of the United Nations, but it also engages in public information efforts to bring the spiritual and social principles of the Faith to the attention of people everywhere. The persecution of the Bahá’ís in Iran since the 1979 Iranian revolution has prompted wide dissemination of information about the Bahá’í Faith in the international news media. More than 200 members of the Faith have been executed for their belief, which is considered as heresy by the regime, and thousands more have been imprisoned, fired from their jobs, or had their homes confiscated or their pensions cut off as a result of government orders. Bahá’ís around the world have responded in unity to this ongoing persecution in Iran—the land in which their religion was born by petitioning their governments to take action against this injustice. It is, to some degree, as a result of these efforts that the persecutions have not been more extreme, although Iran’s Bahá’ís still face the possibility of arbitrary imprisonment and execution, and are still denied fundamental rights and freedoms.³

The Bahá’í community has also taken a proactive approach to promulgating its views. The statement on peace issued by the Universal House of Justice in 1985, entitled The Promise of World Peace, sparked a worldwide campaign of presentations and public awareness programs throughout the International Year of Peace and since, aimed at government figures, leaders of thought, and the general population. The centenary of Bahá’u’lláh’s passing in 1992 was commemorated, in part, with the publication of a statement detailing His life, teachings, and mission, designed to increase knowledge of the Bahá’í Faith among members of the public. A statement presenting the Bahá’í perspective on social development, The Prosperity of Humankind, was disseminated at the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in March 1995, and later that year a statement entitled Turning Point for All Nations was released as a contribution to discussions on the future of the United Nations during its 50th anniversary. In 1999, the Bahá’í International Community released Who Is Writing the Future? Reflections on the Twentieth Century. Most recently, in 2002, the Universal House of Justice addressed a message to the world’s religious leaders.4

The Bahá’í community has also been continually engaged in a series of international teaching plans. It has seen rapid expansion in different parts of the world, perhaps most notably in Eastern Europe [Page 19]and the former Soviet Union, where national Bahá’í communities have been established in recent years following the collapse of long-standing political barriers. New national governing bodies are also being formed elsewhere, as the Universal House of Justice deems communities to have reached a sufficient level of maturity.

In just over 160 years, the Bahá’í community has succeeded in establishing a pattern of community life that promotes the spiritual development of the individual and channels the collective energies of its members towards the spiritual and material revival of society. It has acquired the capacity to reach large populations with its teachings. It has learned to translate the principle of consultation, promoted by Bahá’u’lláh, into an effective tool for collective decision making and to educate its members in its use. It has devised programs for the spiritual and moral education of its younger members and has extended them not only to its own children and junior youth but also to those of the wider community. It has created a rich body of literature which includes volumes in scores of languages that address both its own needs and the interest of the general public. It has become increasingly involved in the affairs of society at large, undertaking a host of social and economic development projects. Particularly since 2001, it has systematically educated thousands of its members through a worldwide program of training to develop the skills, insights, and knowledge needed to build a new and prosperous society that draws upon the talents and contribution of every member.

The work of the Bahá’í community increasingly attracts the attention and admiration of influential people concerned with humanity's future direction. At celebrations in 2005 marking the centenary of the establishment of the Bahá’í Faith in Germany, Gabriele Mueller-Trimbusch, Stuttgart's deputy-mayor for social affairs, remarked, "The respect you pay to other world religions, your openness for people who have different opinions, your message of peace for the world we live in, makes you a greatly appreciated partner for us. Stuttgart highly values the activities of the Bahá’í community, because it participates in the social life of our city in an exemplary manner."

The mayor of Kingston, Jamaica, Desmond McKenzie recently commented, "The Bahá’ís have applied their Faith to many of our social problems, including social prejudices, economic deprivation, [Page 20]and physical disadvantages, and, in so doing, they have contributed immensely to reducing tensions in these areas."

"In many ways, Bahá’ís embody the spirit of community cohesion that is so important to our society," wrote Tony Blair, prime minister of the United Kingdom, in March 2005, "The Bahá’í community, in its outlook on life, and in its proactive work in the interfaith, cohesion, and antidiscrimination fields, shows how much faith-based bodies can contribute to wider society."

The existence and growth of the Bahá’í community offer irrefutable evidence that humanity, in all its diversity, can learn to live and work together in harmony. While Bahá’ís are aware of the turmoil in the world surrounding them, their view is succinctly expressed in the following words, taken from The Prosperity of Humankind:

A world is passing away and a new one is struggling to be born. The habits, attitudes, and institutions that have accumulated over the centuries are being subjected to tests that are as necessary to human development as they are inescapable. What is required of the peoples of the world is a measure of faith and resolve to match the enormous energies with which the Creator of all things has endowed this spiritual springtime of the race.

The source of this faith and resolve is the message offered by the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, a message that deserves the thoughtful consideration of all those who yearn for peace and justice in the world.

NOTES

Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh: Selected Letters, 2nd rev. ed. (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1991), p. 203.

2 Ibid., p. 204.

3 See pp. 41-42, 115-27 for further information on the continuing persecution of Iran's Bahá’í community.

4 For the full text of this message and a report on its presentation around the world, see The Bahá’í World 2002-2003 (Haifa: World Centre Publications, 2004), pp. 79-87 and 89-98.

Bahá’í International Community Office of Public Information, The Prosperity of Humankind (1995). See The Bahá’í World 1994-95 (Haifa, World Centre Publications, 1996), pp. 273-296, for the complete text of this statement.