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Newsletter of the Bahd’t

International Community

October-December 2000 Volume 12, Issue 3

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Perspective: Science, religion and devel- opment: some initial considerations.

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In Tanzania, a school with a mission: to uplift girls and promote spiritual values.

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The Baha’t Interna- tional Community launches an Internet- based News Service.

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Review: The Lab, the Temple and the Market examines the interface of science, religion and development.

ONE COUNTRY

“The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens” —- Bahd‘u‘llah

In New Delhi, a search for the missing ingredient in international development

At a ground-breaking “Colloquium on Science, Religion and Develop- ment,” specialists from all three fields gather to consider how better to integrate efforts to eliminate poverty and achieve social justice.

EW DELHI, India — As the birthplace of Hinduism, one of the world’s oldest reli- gions, and home to significant communities of Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Zoroastrians and Baha'is, India’s spiritual heritage is deep and diverse.

And with some 85 percent of its population living on less than two US dollars a day, India is also a place where issues of poverty, social justice, and development are high on the national and international agendas.

These two realities — which often seem at odds — made India an ideal venue to begin a new grassroots-level dialogue between development specialists, religious leaders, and scientists here from 21 to 24 November 2000.

Titled simply the “Colloquium on Science, Religion and Development,” the event was in many ways modest in its approach. Limited to roughly 150 participants, its main result was largely a strong sense that the discussion and networking begun here should continue

Participants and organizers clearly felt invigorated and encouraged by the dialogue, which broke new ground in seeking to create a bridge between the seemingly disparate worlds of “science, religion and development.”

In particular, participants stated forcefully that the world needs a new model for inter- national development that emphasizes spiritual and religious values as the missing ingre- dients in stimulating positive social change.

Colloquium, continued on page 8

On the final day of the Colloquium on Science, Religion and Development, rapporteurs from the various working groups reported their findings. Shown, left to right, are: Ali Merchant of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India, Sohayle Mohajer of the Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Razia Sultan Ismail Abbasi of the Women’s Coalition for Peace and Development with Dignity, and Bani Dugal Gujral of the Baha’i International Community. [Page 2]ONE CO

NT is published quarterly by the Office of Public Information of the Bahd’t International Community, an international non-governmental organiza- tion which encompasses and represents the worldwide membership of the Baha'i Faith.

For more information on the stories in this newsletter, or any aspect of the Baha’t International Community and its work, please contact:

ONE COUNTRY

Baha'i International Community - Suite 120 866 United Nations Plaza New York, New York 10017 USA.

E-mail: Lcountry@bic.org http:/Avww.onecountry.org

Executive Editor: ‘Ann Boyles

Editor: Brad Pokorny

Associate Editors:

Vladimir Chupin and Galina Tumurova (Moscow) Christine Samandari-Hakim (Paris)

Kong Siew Huat (Macau) Guilda Walker (London)

Editorial Assistant: Veronica Shoffstall

Design: Mann & Mann

Subscription inquiries should be directed to the above address. All material is copyrighted by the Baha’t International Community and subject to all applicable international copyright laws. Stories from this newsletter may be republished by any organization provided that they are attributed as follows: “Reprinted from ONE COUNTRY, the newsletter of the Baha’ International Community.”

© 2001 by The Baha'i International Community

ISSN 1018-9300 Printed on recycled paper ®

Science, Religion and Development: Some Initial Considerations

[Editor’ note: The following is based on a pa- per of the same title, prepared by Bahd’t Inter- national Community’s newly created Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity and presented at the Science, Religion and Development Col- loquium held 21-24 November 2000 in New Delhi. The entire paper can be read at www.onecountry.org/e123/SRDpaper html]

On the past several decades workers in the development field have gradually be- come aware of the many interrelated factors underlying social and economic advancement. Yet, despite this growing understanding, it is apparent that a complex but vital set of issues concerning human nature needs to be incor- porated into development thinking.

The international development agenda has for the most part ignored the fact that the great majority of the world’s peoples do not view themselves simply as material be- ings responding to material exigencies and circumstances, but rather as moral beings concerned with spiritual awareness and pur- pose. It has thus become evident that the mainly economic and material criteria now guiding development activity must be broad- ened to include those spiritual aspirations that animate human nature.

Civilization itself does not arise merely from material progress, but rather is defined by and founded upon the ideals and shared beliefs that weld society together. What uniquely defines the human experience is the transcendent component of life. It is this dimension of existence that enriches, en- nobles and provides direction to human beings. It unlocks the creative capacities within human consciousness and safeguards human dignity.

While pragmatic approaches to problem solving must obviously play a central role in development initiatives, tapping the spiri- tual roots of human motivation provides the essential impulse that ensures genuine so- cial advancement. When spiritual principles are fully integrated into community devel- opment activities, the ideas, insights, and practical measures that emerge are likely to

be those that promote self-reliance and pre- serve human honor, thereby avoiding hab- its of dependency and progressively elimi- nating conditions of gross economic dispar- ity. An approach to development that incor- porates moral and spiritual imperatives will more likely lead to enduring changes in both individual and collective behavior.

In essence, the development process is ultimately concerned with both the transfor- mation of individuals and the social structures that the members of society create. The emer- gence of peaceful and progressive modes of living requires both an internal and external reordering, and such a reordering can only occur when the human heart is wansformed. Hence, to be effective, development activity must directly address the inner life and char- acter of human beings as well as the organiza- tion of society. Its purpose must be to pro- mote a process of social change that engen- ders cooperation, compassion, rectitude of conduct and justice — a transformation that permeates every aspect of the relationships that govern human activity.

Recognition of the vital link between the practical and spiritual aspects of human life leads inevitably to a reframing of what consti- tutes well-being and of the possible mecha- nisms for attaining such well-being. This re- alization underlines the need for a systematic exploration of the roles that science and reli- gion play in the development process.

A first step is to understand the essential functions of science and religion in human society. Throughout history, civilization has de- pended upon science and religion as the two principal systems of knowledge that have guided its development and channeled its in- tellectual and moral powers. The methods of science have allowed humanity to construct a coherent understanding of the laws and pro- cesses governing physical reality, and, to a cer- tain degree, the workings of society itself. The insights of religion have provided understand- ing on the deepest questions of human pur- pose and initiative.

Science and religion have often been re- garded as inherently conflictual, even mu-

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ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 3]tually exclusive spheres of human endeavor. That the vitalizing agency of religion has frequently succumbed to the forces of dog- matism, superstition, and theological fac- tionalism is a conspicuous fact of history. The Enlightenment, in fact, marked a cru- cial turning point in releasing human con- sciousness from the shackles of religious orthodoxy and fanaticism. But in its rejec- tion of religion, the Enlightenment also re- jected the moral center that religion pro- vided, creating a deep and still existing di- chotomy between the rational and the sa- cred. The results of this artificial split be- tween reason and faith can be seen in the skepticism, alienation and corrosive mate- rialism that so pervades contemporary life.

For the vast majority of humankind, the proposition that human nature has a spiri- tual dimension is a self-evident truth that finds expression in all spheres of life. The spiritual impulses set in motion by the world’s religious systems have been the chief influence in the civilizing of human charac- ter. Through the teachings of religion, great segments of humanity have learned to dis- cipline their baser propensities and to de- velop qualities — such as compassion, trust- worthiness, generosity, humility, courage and willingness to sacrifice for the common good — that conduce to social order and cultural advancement.

Reason and faith are complementary fac- ulties of human nature that both engage in the process of discovering and understanding reality; they are both tools that enable society to apprehend truth. This perspective is rein- forced by recent scientific developments that suggest strong epistemological convergence with various religious worldviews.

Taken together, science and religion pro- vide the fundamental organizing principles by which individuals, communities and in- stitutions function and evolve. Utilizing the methods of science allows people to become more objective and systematic in their ap- proach to problem solving and in their un- derstanding of social processes, while draw- ing on the spiritual inclinations of individu- als provides the motivational impetus that begets and sustains positive action.

The enterprise of building human capac- ity, of fostering constructive personal, com- munity and institutional change, is increas- ingly being recognized as the fundamental purpose of development. When viewed as capacity building, development is concerned principally with the generation, application,

i ae i

The President of Iceland, Olafur Ragnar Grimmson, center, visited the Baha'i House of Worship in New Delhi during an official state visit to India in November.

and diffusion of knowledge. If it is accepted that knowledge is both spiritual and mate- rial in nature, the methodologies of science and the insights of religion can, when work- ing together in a synergistic manner, pro- vide the essential tools for erecting harmo- nious and equitable patterns of living. Plac- ing the generation and application of knowl- edge at the center of development planning and activity makes it possible to study the practical implications of religious values, particularly the role that such values have in generating a unified approach toward social change at the grassroots level.

It is generally accepted that the materi- ally poor must participate directly in efforts to improve their own well-being. Participa- tion must be substantive and creative; it must allow the people themselves access to knowledge and encourage them to apply it. Specifically, itis not sufficient for the world’s inhabitants to be engaged in projects as mere beneficiaries of the products of knowledge, even if they have a voice in certain decisions. They must be engaged in applying knowl- edge to create well-being, thereby generat- ing new knowledge and contributing in a substantial and meaningful way to human progress. If, in fact, a community controls the means of knowledge, and is guided by spiritual principles, it will be able to develop material resources and technologies that serve and match its real needs.

A discourse on the complementary roles of science and religion, we suggest, could start in some of the key issue areas that have

Perspective, continued on page 15

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 4]‘Two students, Queen Yaonga and Neema Gabriel, water the vegetables they are growing as part of “self- reliance” class at Ruaha Secondary School. The school’s main buildings are in the background

Operated by the Baha‘i Community of Tanzania, the Ruaha Secondary School takes a distinctive approach to education, one that strives to create a learning environment based on the application of spiritual and moral values to the challenges of daily life - and achieves high academic excellence.

- Ea

In Tanzania, a school with a mission: to uplift girls and promote spiritual values

RINGA, Tanzania — Asked what makes

their school different from others in this tropical East African nation, students at the Ruaha Secondary School are quick to point to a feature that usually “impacts” them quite directly: the total absence of “caning,” as corporal punishment is known here.

“When the teacher walks in holding that stick you fear even answering a question because you may be beaten,” said Clara Tomeka, a 16-year-old, third-year student at Ruaha, a private, non-profit school operated by the Baha’i Community of Tanzania.

But when administrators, teachers, par- ents, and local officials are asked what sets Ruaha apart, they see the “no caning” policy as merely one sign of the distinctive ap- proach to education, one that strives to cre- ate a learning environment based on the application of spiritual and moral values to the challenges of daily life.

In particular, those who know Ruaha talk about the school’s emphasis on promoting qualities like patience, diligence, courtesy, trustworthiness, compassion and justice, while at the same time helping students de- veloped the capacities, attitudes and skills

— such as knowledge of appropriate agri- cultural techniques, computer literacy and basic commerce — that are geared to help students survive in one of the poorest coun- tries in the world.

On top of it all, they also speak of the school’s strong sense of mission when it comes to educating girls and proudly note its record of academic excellence.

“It is a model school compared to oth- ers,” said Merchant Mtandika, the national school inspector for mathematics for the Ministry of Education and Culture. “In en- vironment and discipline, it is very good; the environment is very much conducive to academic excellence. It has a good adminis- trative structure. And | am impressed by the cordiality of the staff and their team spirit.”

Although located in this relatively small and remote capital of the Iringa Region, the school draws students from all over Tanza- nia. The roughly 400 currently enrolled, for example, come from 17 of Tanzania's 21 re- gions, as provinces are called here.

Founded in 1986, the school is owned and operated by the National Spiritual As- sembly of the Baha’is of Tanzania, the freely

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ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 5]elected governing body of the Baha’i com- munity here. Overall, the school’s primary mission is to serve the wider Tanzanian com- munity by providing quality education at an affordable cost.

“We want to provide students with an education which is not only theoretical but also practical so they can be agents of change in their communities, so they can be ex- amples of high moral rectitude, educational, academic and moral excellence, and so they can try to serve their communities and es- tablish attitudes of service,” said Becky Fairley, the principal at Ruaha.

“Our fees are moderate. We are not here only to serve the elite, though some elite choose Ruaha for their children. We are open to people of moderate means also. We at- tract students of different economic sta- tuses,” she said.

Focus on girls

More than two-thirds of those students are girls, a testimony to the school’s success at achieving one of its major goals.

“We are really focusing on the education of girls, which is very important here, where traditionally only boys are educated, where traditionally boys are put first,” said Ms. Fairley, noting that nationally, less than half of the students enrolled in secondary school are girls.

“We try to encourage girls, to improve their performance. We believe this contributes to raising up the status of women. It changes the way they raise children and this makes a tre-

mendous difference in the community.”

Ms. Fairley said the school requires an entrance examination, and girls are given preference in the scoring of that exam. She said the school also has special scholarship program for girls, and that it participates in the government-sponsored Girls Secondary Education Support Program, which is funded by the World Bank and gives educa- tional opportunities to girls of low income.

Providing a good education is a difficult task in one of the world’s poorest countries, where the majority of people are struggling to find enough food to eat. The average an- nual per capita income in Tanzania is about US$450 a year. The average annual tuition at Ruaha is US$175 a year, a fee which is higher than government schools but quite low compared to other private secondary schools of similar quality.

“It is difficult to help students see the importance of education,” said Angresia Ginga, who teaches agriculture at Ruaha. “They see their university-educated relatives sitting at home jobless.”

Ruaha strives to overcome these moti- vational barriers by focusing on subjects that will give students a better chance of finding a job. In addition to standard, nationally required subjects like English, Kiswahili, geography, history, mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry, Ruaha’s curriculum also covers agriculture, commerce, com- puter literacy and “self-reliance.”

One element of the self-reliance program focuses on practical experience in agricul-

Tanzania

Tringa °

A typical classroom at the Ruaha Secondary School.

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 6]

now so | will be equipped later

ture. Each student is assigned a plot and different crops are raised by each class. They also sell their produce to the catering pro- gram, so that students learn to see the “fruits” of their efforts.

“The self-reliance class helps because I can help my parents at home, to farm in the fields and to clean and do other small jobs,” said James Iddi, a 17-year-old Form III day stu- dent. “The computer classes help because now there is email, internet. If you go to other coun- tries they use computers. I think it’s better to learn now so I will be equipped later on.”

Spirit of Teamwork

Another problem faced by virtually ev- ery school in Tanzania is how to motivate teachers. In government schools, teachers are poorly paid and many skip class be- cause they need to find alternate means to earn money.

Ruaha seeks to overcome this by promot- ing a spirit of teamwork among the teach- ers, a spirit that is enhanced by the school’s policy of making salary payments on time.

“At Ruaha, the Principal consults with the students and teachers,” said Boniface Mbungu, Coordinator of Student Affairs.

Likewise, said Mr. Mbungu and others, the administration consults extensively with the school’s teachers, holding weekly staff meetings where teachers are encouraged to voice their concerns.

“Instead of fearing and hiding feelings, and doing things backhandedly, people feel free to express opinions,” said Mr. Mbungu. “As a result, there is more unity — all are involved in the planning.”

Ruaha School Principal Becky Fairley, left, and Vice Principal Micca Shilla.

One result of the faculty's sense of team- work has been solid academic performance, something especially noteworthy considering the school’s high percentage of girl students, who often come under-prepared because of traditional neglect of girls in Tanzania.

Based on the 1998 National Form IV Examination results, Ruaha School ranked 3rd in the region, 5th in the zone and 35th out of 611 schools nationally.

Another measure of the school’s success can be seen in the percentage of students who are selected by the government to go on from Form IV (11th grade equivalent) to Form V (12th grade equivalent). Nation- ally, the average acceptance rate is about 5 percent. In 1998, however, 26 out of 33 Form IV graduates at Ruaha were selected to go on, a rate of 78 percent.

Last year, Ruaha School won an award of $5,000 from the Ministry of Education and Culture for the best “Academic Im- provement Plan.”

“The teachers work hard here to get high performance,” said Mercy Mushi, a 16-year- old Form III boarding student. “They teach us in many ways. In other schools you might go a whole day and find that only one teacher has come to class.”

Moral Education

Ruaha is also notable for its incorpora- tion of moral education into the curriculum. Using an activities-based approach, the moral education program, for example, might employ a tree-planting session to teach the importance of environment and ecology, as well as team decision-making.

“The focus is on moral capabilities,” said Ms. Fairley. “For example, persever- ance. In any activity, many morals are to be learned.” Ms. Fairley said the school seeks to integrate moral education into every subject. “We have a virtue of the week program, stressing qualities such as ‘honesty,’ for example, to bring to the stu- dents’ attention one virtue each week.”

Students learn to be service-oriented by taking turns cleaning the school com- pound, gardening and doing other main- tenance work.

The moral education program also stresses the importance of religion, taking an interfaith approach and teaching about all of the world’s major religions. In religious beliefs, the Tanzanian population is evenly split between Christian, Muslim and tradi- tional religions, and the school’s effort to

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ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 7]teach about all religions has helped to fos- ter tolerance among students, who are like- wise quite diverse in their religious and eth- nic backgrounds.

“Ruaha School is different because it is a religious school,” said Moza Said, a 17-year- old female student. “This religion unites people instead of differentiating between them. Our moral education class helps us learn to live with different people in society.”

Parents and guardians like the emphasis on moral education. “There is a lot going on at the school beyond academics, which helps students become good citizens,” said Cecilia Shirima, the Regional Administrative Secretary, who sends her niece to Ruaha. “Over the past two years, my niece has changed a lot for the better. She is more se- rious and responsible, so 1 do have cause to believe that Ruaha is developing in the right direction compared to other schools.”

Ruaha itself also stresses service to the wider community by operating several on- going social and economic development projects. A shop was built recently to serve both students and the surrounding commu- nity. It sells products at comparable rates to town and was built to provide students with the things they might need on a day-to-day basis. A dairy farm provides milk to the ca- tering department and to the teachers and surrounding community.

Computer classes are available to the general public in the evenings for a small fee, which helps improve skills in the

wider community.

In interviews, students and parents ac- knowledged all of these distinctive points about Ruaha and more. But for many, the fact that Ruaha has banned corporal pun- ishment still stands out.

Even though condemned by the Govern- ment, virtually every other school in Tanza- nia nevertheless relies on the cane to moti- vate students, a holdover from colonial days.

“Caning makes students become afraid and not feel free because they will be afraid they might be caned,” said Ola Jahanpour, a 16-year-old boarding student, who took first place in the national Oral English Competi- tion in 2000. “In primary school we were caned for not greeting the teacher properly, for making noise, for not plaiting our hair in the correct manner and for saying the wrong answer in class.”

Claire Dawson, who taught English for six months at Ruaha in 1998, said caning is indeed the norm in schools throughout Tan- zania, even though it is against Government regulations. “Even in secondary schools, where most students range in age from 15 to 23, caning is used at other schools,” said Ms. Dawson.

“But from my point of view, if anything stands out at Ruaha, it is the overall sense of respect for students as human beings,” Ms. Dawson added. “That is what is differ- ent. That they respect each person and try to empower them in a country where life is quite hard.” x

Some of the students interviewed for this story gathered recently at the Ruaha Secondary School's front gate. Left to right are: Mercy Mushi, Ola Jahanpour, James Iddi, Clara Tomeka and Moza Said

“If anything stands out at Ruaha, it is the overall sense of respect for students as human beings. That is what is

[Page 8]As part of the cultural program for the Colloquium, the world renowned Amjad Ali Khan, center, and his two sons performed classical Indian music on the sarod in front of the Baha'i House of

Worship in New Delhi on 21,

November 2000.

“It is our belief that what is needed, then, isa new model of development that draws on both scientific methods and the universal values inherent in all religions.”

— Colloquium

Statement of Findings

In New Delhi, a search for the missing ingredient in international development

Colloquium, continued from first page “[T]he great majority of the world’s peoples do not view themselves simply as material beings,” said the Colloquium’s “Pre- liminary Statement of Findings,” issued and affirmed on the event's final day. “Rather, they understand themselves primarily as spiritual beings, and are as much concerned with social and moral well-being as with ma- terial progress.”

“Itis our belief that what is needed, then, is a new model of development that draws on both scientific methods and the univer- sal values inherent in all religions,” the State- ment of Findings continued. “Such a model, we believe, will be better able to stimulate human transformation and build individual and community capacity than the mainly materialistic approach that has dominated the current development paradigm.”

Diverse participation

Organized by the National Spiritual As- sembly of the Baha'is of India and the newly formed Institute for Studies in Global Pros-

perity [see page 11], the event was co-spon- sored by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC), Decen- tralized Training for Urban Development Projects, the Department of Secondary Edu- cation and Higher Education of India’s Min- istry of Human Resource Development, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Textile Association (India).

Participants included representatives from a wide range of NGOs, academic insti- tutions and religious groups involved in development work, mainly from India but also from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Colombia and Bolivia. The Colloquium also featured par- ticipation by representatives of the World Bank, UNICEF WHO, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Orga- nization (UNESCO).

Participants came from virtually every religious background, including Buddhism,

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 9]Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, and the Baha'i Faith — as well as non-religious backgrounds.

In a written message, Indian President K.R. Narayanan welcomed the “galaxy of eminent people from different parts the world” to India and praised the Colloquium’s topic. “In order to provide the much needed sanity and strength to our crisis-ridden ex- istence, there is an imperative need to weave the developmental path with the ideals of our heritage and civilization and blend them with science,” said President Narayanan.

In its program, the Colloquium featured a mix of plenary sessions and workshops, with much time set aside for open discus- sion and consultation. In the workshops, four thematic areas were identified as focal points: governance, education, technology and economic activity. For each of these the- matic areas, participants were asked to dis- cuss and identify how spiritual principles and perspectives might be incorporated to create new insights.

“Our goal was to bring together a diver- sity of organizations and practitioners in the field of development to explore how scien- tific methods and religious values can work together to bring about a new, integrated pattern of development,” said Matthew Weinberg, Director of the Institute for Stud- ies in Global Prosperity.

“In many ways, this event was an experi- ment and a learning endeavor, since an in- tegrated discourse on these three topics has really only recently begun to take shape in the world at large,” said Mr. Weinberg. “The emphasis of this event was to involve na- tional and grassroots level organizations in this dialogue. And we were pleased that a number of key points and possible lines of action were identified by the participants here for future consideration.”

Indeed, among the main results of the Colloquium was a sense that there is much more to be explored in this dialogue. And most participants said they wanted to see some sort of new network or ongoing fol- low-up project emerge.

Finding the “missing link”

“Development practitioners have fora long time been looking for a missing link, to ex- plain the shortcomings of the current model,” said Dr. Behnam Ta’i, the Regional Represen- tative for South Asia of the Netherlands-based Institute for Housing and Urban Studies, who participated in the Colloquium. “For a long

time, we thought environment was the link. Now there is a perception that spirituality is the link and the key idea for changing the at- titudes for decision-making in the processes of development.”

“So the topic and content of the Collo- quium was extremely relevant to today’s needs, as far as development is concerned,” Dr. Ta’i added.

The tone for the discussions was set prin- cipally by two keynote speakers in an open- ing session held outside on the grounds of the Baha’i House of Worship in New Delhi, the famous “Lotus Temple” that is one of India’s most visited sites.

“Although there has been considerable evolution in development thinking over the past several decades, serious questions re- main concerning the present approaches and assumptions of development practices and policies,” said Bani Dugal Gujral of the Baha'i International Community’s United Nations Office in an opening address on 21 November.

“Social advancement, we know, does not arise solely from material progress but is based upon the values that weld society to- gether,” Ms. Dugal Gujral continued. “True prosperity —a well-being founded on peace, cooperation, altruism, dignity, rectitude of conduct and justice — requires both the ‘light’ of spiritual virtues and the ‘lamp’ of material resources.”

In her opening address, also delivered outside the House of Worship, Katherine

“Development practitioners have for a long time been looking fora missing link, to explain the shortcomings of the current model. For a long time, we thought environment was the link. Now there isa perception that Spirituality is the link and the key idea for changing the attitudes for decision-making in the processes of development.” - Behnam Ta’i

Katherine Marshall, who oversees the World Bank's collaboration with religious organizations, known as the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), was a keynote speaker at the Colloquium

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 10]There was much time for participation and interaction at the Colloquium. Here, Pierre Beemans, formerly of the International Development Research Centre, makes a comment from the audience. Another element of the Colloquium was the premiere of a video production, “Reflections at the Nexus: Science, Religion and Development,” which featured advance interviews with many Colloquium participants. Commissioned by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, the video was produced by Bisharat Media Development Associates.

“Faith does not belong exclusively to religion. Science, too, is built on elements of faith, particularly faith in the order of the world and the ability of the human mind to explain the workings of that order.”

-Haleh Arbab Correa

Marshall of the World Bank said religious organizations have long played a “special role” in both understanding and helping the poor. “Yet their insights and their work are too little known in many development circles,” she said.

Ms. Marshall, who oversees the Bank’s collaboration with religious organizations, known as the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), urged a new partnership between religious groups and development specialists. “The idea should be to engage in a process that opens new windows of understanding, raises the bar of objectives, offers new insights and new visions, on all sides,” Ms. Marshall said.

On 22 November, the Colloquium moved to the India International Centre, and there participants quickly began to engage in just such a process, looking at various aspects of what a new partnership between science, religion and develop- ment might mean.

“Truth” in science and religion

One frequently stressed theme was the essential harmony of science and religion, and the importance of drawing on the in- sights and resources of both fields in seek- ing to devise a new approach to social and economic development.

“The formidable power of science and technology can benefit humankind only if we know how to temper it with humanism and spirituality,” said M.S. Swaminathan,

holder of the UNESCO Chair in Ecotechnology.

Likewise, Haleh Arbab Correa of the Colombia-based Foundation for the Appli- cation and Teaching of the Sciences (FUNDAEC), said development specialists must begin to see “science and religion as two complementary sources of knowledge.”

“The two systems are not as dissimilar as they are presented to be,” said Dr. Arbab Correa. “Objective observation, induction, the elaboration of hypotheses and the test- ing of predictions are important components of scientific methods. But they are also present in religious pursuits, albeit in dif- ferent configurations and at different levels of rigor.

“Similarly, faith does not belong exclu- sively to religion,” Dr. Arbab Correa con- tinued. “Science, too, is built on elements of faith, particularly faith in the order of the world and the ability of the human mind to explain the workings of that order.”

Recognition of this essential harmony and its application to development, said Dr. Arbab Correa, could “break the present pat- tern of the flow of knowledge in the world” in a manner that could “dissociate develop- ment from a cruel and destructive process of modernization.”

The centrality of justice to the develop- ment enterprise was also examined. “Creat- ing a culture of justice,” said the Attorney General of India, Mr. Soli Sorabjee, “is inti- mately bound up with a process of moral

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ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 11]and spiritual development.”

At the various thematic workshop ses- sions, these and other themes were more broadly developed. Other points that emerged included the importance of in- creasing popular participation in develop- ment, the importance of bringing moral values into the educational process, and the need for new forms of economic ac- tivity based on cooperation and altruism rather than consumerism.

In remarks at an afternoon workshop on 23 November, Cherukuri Indira Dasgupta of the People’s Institute for Development and Training in New Delhi suggested that the widespread rejection of religion in educa- tional processes has lead to a “vacuum” of values, which threatens to leave children to “float at the mercy of circumstance and situ- ation” such that “their lives will never be their own.”

“Contemporary education is not with- out values,” said Ms. Dasgupta. “However, often these values are not made explicit. Usually, the teachers are not aware of the values that are being taught. There needs to be now a full and thorough theological un- derstanding of concepts, attitudes and val- ues that are being transmitted.”

Throughout the Colloquium, one of the

main points of discussion was over what ex- actly constitutes “spirituality,” “values,” “reli- gion” and “faith” —and whether there is com- mon ground on which religious groups can come together to create a unified vision of what development really means.

“Religion has somehow become a dirty word, because of the widespread religious conflicts in the world,” said S. K. Sharma of People First, a New Delhi-based NGO. “But religion is a science of ethics.”

Ms. Marshall of the World Bank sug- gested that the history of conflicts among religions and their continuing differences over theology will likely pose the biggest challenges in any continuing dialogue.

“At the Millennium World Peace Sum- mit in New York, we saw both the power of the symbolism of the coming together of various faiths and some of their common themes, but we also saw the difficulties of communication and also some of the raw tensions between them,” said Ms. Marshall, referring to a major gathering of world reli- gious leaders at the United Nations in Au- gust 2000.

“This is not a trivial issue,” said Ms. Marshall, addressing the Colloquium on the final day. “It is very significant, very com-

Colloquium, continued next page

“Religion has somehow become a dirty word, because of the widespread religious conflicts in the world. But religion is a science of ethics.” - S.K. Sharma

Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity joins family of agencies at the Baha’i International Community

NEW YORK — Simultaneous with its sponsorship of the “Colloquium on Science, Religion and Development” in New Delhi, the Baha’t International Community formally launched its newest agency, the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity.

Based in New York, but drawing on the resources of the Baha’f International Community in all its offices and affiliates around the world, the Institute is dedicated to researching both the spiritual and material underpin- nings of human knowledge and the processes of social advancement.

“The agency's mission is to explore new concepts and models of social transformation,” said Matthew Weinberg, the Institute’s Director. “The Institute aims to foster new thinking about current social questions by examining the connections between the moral, spiritual, and material dimensions of life.”

Mr. Weinberg said that the Institute plans not only to sponsor conferences and symposia on issues relevant to the processes that shape and sustain global peace and pros- perity, like the “Colloquium on Science, Religion and De- velopment,” but also to undertake various research efforts

and to produce associated publications.

The Baha’i International Community is a non-govern- mental organization that both encompasses and represents the worldwide membership of the Baha’i Faith, which numbers more than 5 million people and is established in virtually every country and territory in the world.

The Institute joins a family of agencies of the Baha’i Inter- national Community. These agencies include a United Na- tions Office, an Office of Public Information, an Office for the Environment, and an Office for the Advancement of Women. All are guided by the Faith’s international govern- ing body, the Universal House of Justice, and they draw on the resources of some 182 national-level affiliates, known as National Spiritual Assemblies, which are the freely elected governing bodies representing Baha’i communities at the national level.

To contact the Institute for Studies in Global Prosper- ity, write to: Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 120, New York, NY 10017- 1822, USA. Telephone: 1-212-803-2547; Fax: 1-212-803- 2566; and email: isgp@bic.org. Website address: Http:// www.isgp.bic.org

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000

11 [Page 12]In afternoon sessions, the Colloquium sought to open a dialogue between participants on four themes: education, governance, technology, and economic activity. Shown here is one of those workshops. Left to right are Padma Vasudevan Sen of the Indian Institute of Technology, Deepali Jones of the Colloquium’s secretariat, and, on the far right, Matthew Weinberg, director of the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity. The man third from the left could not be identified.

“The interchange among the Colloquium participants showed that there is much to be gained from giving serious attention to the role of spiritual values in building human capacity. The collect verdict of the participants was that social transformation cannot come from political prescriptions or technical recipes alone.”

— Farida Vahedi

plex, and it requires a thoughtful approach.”

In the end, Colloquium participants agreed on the importance of a number of principles and points, as affirmed in the Statement of Findings.

Among the main points of agreement were: the importance of building new part- nerships between religious organizations, NGOs, aid agencies and government offices concerned with development; the necessity of introducing moral or “values-based” cur- ricula in all educational endeavors; the sig- nificance of the principle of equality between women and men in all aspects of develop- ment; the imperative of creating institutional mechanisms, such as centers of technology training and research, to foster local learn- ing; the value of linking the human rights and development agendas; and the need to promote principles of good governance.

As well, participants stressed the impor- tance of the acceptance of religious diver- sity. Toward that end, many suggested that interfaith activities should be encouraged and increased as a means of promoting a wider understanding of the common basis of all religions.

Participants ended the event by calling for more research in a number of these ar- eas, including ways to create a set of devel- opment indicators that might assess the im- pact of a values-based approach to develop- ment and on identifying “best practices” of religiously inspired development efforts.

Common values

“We see the need to undertake a careful program of research to determine the com- mon values of all religions,” said the State- ment of Findings. “We also see the need to

explore the content and pedagogy of moral and values-based education.”

As well, virtually all of the participants indicated a keen willingness to continue the dialogue across the three issue areas of sci- ence, religion and development.

“L really found the Colloquium stimu- lating, and it has given me a glimmer of hope for the future path of development,” said Barry Underwood, Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program, India.

Promilla Kapur, a Hindu sociologist who has studied these themes and is Director of Integrated Human Development Service Foundation, a New Delhi-based NGO, said the Colloquium left a “deep mark on the minds and hearts” of participants. “The Colloquium made people think about issues they were not thinking about, specifically the interface between science, religion and development,” said Ms. Kapur. “And I think more and more people will start and have already started thinking in these terms.”

Farida Vahedi, who coordinated the event on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India, said a “soli- darity of spirit” emerged among participants.

“Determining how religious insights and principles can be infused into our under- standing, practice and assessment of devel- opment is no easy task,” said Ms. Vahedi. “But the interchange among the Colloquium participants showed that there is much to be gained from giving serious attention to the role of spiritual values in building hu- man capacity. The collective verdict of the participants was that social transformation cannot come from political prescriptions or technical recipes alone.” 3

12

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 13]aa

Bahai International Community Launches News Service

AIFA, Israel — The Baha’i International Community launched an Internet- based news service on 4 December 2000.

The Baha'i World News Service (BWNS) reports on the activities, projects and events of the worldwide Baha’t com- munity. Located at http:// www.bahaiworldnews.org, the news service's Web site offers the latest head- lines, searchable news and photo archives, and a subscription feature that allows viewers to receive articles by email.

“The main purpose of this new Service is to provide timely information about Baha’i events and projects around the world to the world’s secular news media,” said Douglas Samimi-Moore, director the Community's Office of Public Information. “We also ex- pect that the numerous Baha’i-sponsored

magazines and newsletters around the world will draw on this Service.

“We also hope that the Service will come to be seen as a valuable resource for indi- viduals who wish to learn what is happen- ing in our worldwide community,” said Mr. Samimi-Moore.

All stories and photographs produced by the Baha’t World News Service may be freely reprinted, re-emailed, re-posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization, as long as they are attributed to the Baha'i World News Service. Although this blanket permis- sion to reproduce BWNS stories is freely given and no special permission is required, the Baha’t World News Service retains full copyright protection for its stories under all applicable international laws. x

UN General Assembly again expresses concern over treatment of Baha’is in Iran

ITED NATIONS — For the 15th time in 16 years, the United Nations General Assembly has expressed “concern” over hu- man rights violations in Iran, once again spe- cifically mentioning the “unabated pattern of persecution” against the Baha’f community of Iran, that country’s largest religious minority; and calling for its complete emancipation.

In a resolution passed on 4 December 2000, the Assembly called on Iran to “elimi- nate all forms of discrimination based on religious grounds or against persons belong- ing to religious minorities” and decided to continue its examination of the human rights situation in Iran for another year.

Approved by a vote of 67 to 54, with 46 abstentions, the resolution followed the release of a UN report that stated that some 1] mem- bers of the Baha’i community of Iran currently face death sentences because of their religious belief and that the community as a whole con- tinues to experience discrimination in educa- tion, employment, travel, housing and the enjoyment of cultural activities.

That report, issued on 8 September 2000 by Maurice Copithorne, the Special Represen-

tative of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, said there have been recent reports of “situations of discrimination and persecution” against Baha'is, including “acts of intimidation carried out in order to prevent Baha'is from participating in religious gather- ings or educational activities.”

In its resolution, the Assembly expressed concern that Iran has failed “to comply fully with international standards in the admin- istration of justice, the absence of guaran- tees of due process of law, and the absence of respect for internationally recognized le- gal safeguards. ..with respect to persons be- longing to religious minorities.”

“As we have stated numerous times, the Baha'i community of Iran is entirely non- partisan in its nature and poses no threat to the Government,” said Techeste Ahderom, the Principal Representative of the Baha’i In- ternational Community to the UN. The Baha’is in Iran only wish to be allowed to practice their religion fully, in accordance with the numerous international human rights covenants to which Iran is a party.” x

“The main purpose of this new Service is to provide timely information about Baha‘i events and projects around the world to the world’s news media.”

~ Douglas Samimi-

Moore

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000

13 [Page 14]“On the one hand, we dream of, and labor for, a world of peace and prosperity; on the other, what passes for scientific theory depicts us as slaves to self- interest, incapable of rising to the heights of nobility we must achieve to meet our challenges. We work, then, for objectives lying forever beyond our selfish means. It is such contradictions that have led to the paralysis of will that today pervades all strata

of society.” b — Farzam Arbab

Review: The Lab, Temple, and Market

Review, continued from back page

ment. In the second essay, Gregory Baum, a Catholic mathematician, sociologist and theologian, notes that many seminal devel- opment thinkers were quite antireligious in their views.

“The early literature on development, starting with The Stages of Economic Growth, by W.W. Rostow (1960), regarded the reli- gions of peoples in the South as an obstacle to economic development, because these religions often trusted the rhythm of nature, fostered social identification with family and community, and failed to promote a culture oriented toward personal achievement and social mobility,” writes Dr. Baum in an es- say entitled “Solidarity with the Poor.”

Dr. Baum suggests it is time to call this viewpoint into question — a process which he acknowledges has already begun with efforts like the World Faiths Development Dialogue, initiated in 1998 by the World Bank. He also believes it is time for social scientists who direct much of the develop- ment work at the international level to ques- tion whether their own work is really is val- ues-neutral

“Most sociologists,” Dr. Baum writes, “are convinced that in modern society, which is marked by industrialization, scientific ratio- nality, and cultural pluralism, religion no longer fulfills any important social function.”

Drawing on the writings of Pope Paul Vi and Pope John Paul Il, as well as the work of Catholic bishops in Latin America, Dr. Baum suggests that truly integrated devel- opment cannot take place unless social sci- entists in the development field can fully overcome this prejudice and begin to work in a genuine partnership with the local com- munities that they seek to help. “A truly cre- ative aspect of integral development is the summoning forth of meaning and wisdom derived from the cultural and religious tra- dition,” he writes.

Azizan Baharuddin, an associate profes- sor in the Department of Science and Tech- nology Studies at the University of Malay- sia, examines in the book's third essay what Islam has to say about “Rediscovering the Resources of Religion.”

Dr. Baharuddin, like the other essayists, is critical of the prevailing secular develop-

ment paradigm, which, she believes, suffers in particular from being “highly compart- mentalized.”

Like Dr. Kapur, Dr. Baharuddin sees re- ligion as potentially offering much in help- ing to bring a more holistic view to devel- opment. “In religion, doctrine-theory and practice-method are inseparable,” she writes. “Doctrine concerns the mind, whereas practice concerns the will; reli- gion must therefore engage both the mind and the will of believers. Thus, the mecha- nism for, and of, development can ideally be seen as manifestations of religious theo- ries and methods.”

Dr. Baharuddin goes on to identify several “main Islamic value perspectives that, if creatively and thoroughly ap- plied, could change the direction, goals and processes of science and develop- ment.” These perspectives include the idea that “all human activity is ‘reli- gious,’ even and especially economics, development, and science, and therefore cannot be pursued in isolation from the goals and values inherent in the reli- gious worldview, such as justice, unity, vicegerency, and recognition of God” and the ability to integrate “diverse modes of thought.”

One important idea that gradually emerges is the importance of rethinking our understanding of human nature and its fun- damental motivations if the world is to prop- erly analyze and understand the failures of the current development paradigm and move beyond it.

This idea, among others, is most fully developed in the book’s fourth main essay, “Promoting a Discourse on Science, Religion and Development,” which was written by Farzam Arbab, a theoretical physicist who worked for many years in development in Colombia and who is currently a member of the Universal House of Justice, the su- preme governing body of the Baha’i Faith.

Dr. Arbab suggests that much of what is wrong in the modern world stems from a fundamental contradiction in the general view of human nature. “On the one hand, we dream of, and labor for, a world of peace and prosperity, on the other, what passes for scientific theory depicts us as slaves to self-interest, incapable of rising to the heights of nobility we must achieve to meet our challenges,” writes Dr. Arbab. “We work, then, for objectives lying forever be- yond our selfish means. It is such contra-

14

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 [Page 15]dictions that have led to the paralysis of will that today pervades all strata of society.”

This contradiction can only be resolved, Dr. Arbab suggests, when the spiritual and religious dimensions of life are fully inves- tigated and recognized as a source of knowl- edge on a par with science.

“The only explanation I have found for how a process of intellectual enhancement, so intimately associated in its origins with the free investigation of reality, has led us to our present predicament is persistent neglect of the spiritual dimension of human exist- ence,” Dr. Arbab writes. “Modern scientific knowledge has shown its power to liberate us from the fetters of religion ruled by su- perstition and maintained by self-righteous- ness. But it has also demonstrated how it can lose its bearings when it falls victim to materialism. The knowledge system cur- rently propelling the development of the world is fragmented. Its fragments by them- selves cannot address the highly complex and interrelated problems of societies in dire need of profound transformation.”

Dr. Arbab writes that the real objective for development theorists and practitioners ought to be the building of a just and pros- perous world civilization. Already, Dr. Arbab writes, the processes of globalization have set the world on a “new and irreversible course,” and a “global society is being born as barriers that have kept people apart crumble and are swept away.”

Only by drawing on the core values at the heart of all religions, but most particu- larly the global-minded values offered by the Baha’i Faith, Dr. Arbab writes, can this new entity be given a vision capable of guiding it beyond the purely economic view that cur- rently predominates.

“Belief in the unity of humankind, with its implications of equity and selfless love, is, after all, ultimately a religious concep- tion of reality,” Dr. Arbab writes. “Viewed from the angle of oneness, development ceases to be something one does for others. A vision begins to emerge according to which the rich and the poor, the illiterate and the educated, are all to participate in building a new civilization, one that ensures the material and spiritual prosperity of the entire human race.”

This short review does not really begin to do justice to the views and ideas presented in The Lab, the Temple and the Market. Al- though the reflections offered in the four main essays make no pretense at offering a

comprehensive viewpoint on the topic of science, religion and development, the depth and breadth of thought in this collection is nevertheless profound.

Perspective: Science, Religion and Development

Perspective, continued from page 3

already been identified as critical to promot- ing development, but in each case by tak- ing a more holistic view.

Education for example, should strive to develop an integrated set of capabilities — technical, artistic, social, moral and spiri- tual —so that individuals can lead lives with meaning and become agents of positive so- cial change. Economic arrangements should serve people's needs; societies should not be expected to shape themselves to fit specific economic models — particularly those that embrace habits of unbridled acquisition and consumption. Technological decision-making should be directly guided by local value sys- tems to ensure that superfluous uses of tech- nology are avoided. Lastly, truly enlightened institutions of governance — institutions that are devoid of corruption and that en- gender public trust — will emerge only when processes of collective decision-mak- ing and collective action are guided by spiri- tual principles.

At this moment in history, development activity must be a global enterprise whose pur- pose is to bring both material and spiritual well-being to all the planet's inhabitants. To acknowledge that humanity is a single people with a common destiny is to understand that development must cease to be something one does for others. The task of erecting a peace- ful and just global society must involve all members of the human family.

If the capacities of the world’s peoples are to reach the levels needed to address the complex requirements of the present hour, the resources of both reason and faith will have to be tapped. While science can offer the methods and tools for promoting social and economic advancement, it alone can- not set direction; the goal of development cannot come from within the process itself. A vision is needed, and the proper vision will never take shape if the spiritual heri- tage of the human race continues to be re- garded as tangential to development policy and programs. #

“Viewed from the angle of oneness, development ceases to be something one does for others. A vision begins to emerge according to which the rich and the poor, the illiterate and the educated, are all to participate in building a new civilization, one that ensures the material and Spiritual Prosperity of the entire human race.” - Dr. Farzam Arbab

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000

15 [Page 16]The Lab, the Temple and the Market: Reflections at the Intersection of Science, Religion, and Development

Edited by Sharon Harper

IDRC/CRDI Kumarian Press

Ottawa and Bloomfield, CT, USA

RG

Toward a new development paradigm

F° years, many of the world’s top “ex- perts” on social and economic develop- ment discounted the role of religion in the fight against poverty and social injustice — or, worse, considered the religious beliefs of the people they intended to help as anti- thetical to progress.

But recently, individuals at many insti- tutions large and small, ranging from the World Bank to grassroots-based NGOs, have begun to question this view, calling specifically for a new, values-based ap- proach to development that not only ex- amines the role of religion in development but embraces it.

For anyone following this trend, The Lab, the Temple and the Market is a must- read. Indeed, anyone who is deeply con- cerned about issues related to world pov- erty, sustainable development and global- ization will find this book of interest.

As the subtitle indicates, the book’s main topic is the “interface of science, religion and development.” Essentially a compila- tion of four essays on this subject by four scientists who are also religious believers, in this case Hindu, Roman Catholic, Mus- lim and Baha’, the book in its introduction modestly indicates that it is an outgrowth of a research project at Canada’s Interna- tional Development Research Centre (IDRC) to “investigate what faith and sci- ence have to offer each other in the 50-year- old endeavor called development.”

Yet in its 250 pages, something more emerges. The four authors view the topic through the lens of their own faith and per- sonal experiences in development, without much apparent coordination among the essays. The end result is nevertheless both a meaty critique of the secular approach to development and its failures and a broad outline for a new development paradigm that more fully integrates religion, spiritu- ality, and values.

The first essay, for example, entitled “The Principle of Fundamental Oneness,” outlines a broad vision for how the essen- tial teachings and principles of Hinduism, especially as interpreted by modern Hindu thinkers and teachers, offer a powerful re-

source for integrated development.

“Hinduism brings a holistic approach to development, because it does not concen- trate simply on the question of economic well-being but also incorporates ideals of spiritual and sociopsychological satisfac- tion,” writes Promilla Kapur, a Hindu soci- ologist and psychologist who currently di- rects a New Delhi-based NGO

“Life for a Hindu is basically meant to be a spiritual journey. When development becomes merely a means to fight off hunger and disease, without encompassing the spiri- tual dimension, then to that extent it fails to provide the essential fuel of enthusiasm and hope,” Dr. Kapur continues. “The con-

Piece a

Perret) Saree Religion, Puget oc rt

temporary discourse of development is geared toward the physical, without incor- porating any idea of what lies beyond the attainment of plenty.”

The idea of factoring a spiritual perspec- tive into the development discourse, note Kapur and the others, runs at odds with tra- ditional secular thinking about develop-

Review, continued on page 14

ONE COUNTRY / October-December 2000 �