Universal House of Justice statement on Gaza Crisis?

[Greg Newing]

Hello,


Just a quick question to everyone out there.

I have been looking for a very long time for a statement from the Universal House of Justice that specifically relates to the current situation regarding the occupation of Gaza and the related human rights issues.

I have read Shoghi Effendi's statement on political involvement:

http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic-statements/47-0715.htm

And am fully aware that we ought not to take sides in this situation. However, as there is so much injustice being committed in this conflict and it has now risen to the point where both sides have officially been accused of crimes against humanity, I was wondering if there has been any statement as to how/if Baha'is are permitted aid in the peace process and help in ending human rights abuses committed in this area. Also, if there has been any other published advice from the Universal House of Justice on this situation, as there have been many new developments in area during the past 60 years.

More specifically, have there been any releases from the Universal House of Justice that would be relevant to this question: If I, as a Baha'i, am permitted to engage in any aid work or any general constructive (but neutral and non-political) group or enterprise relating to this situation in any way whatsoever?

For instance, a program that may encourage unity between the two sides on an individual level or donating relief money.


Any help would be great!


Thanks,



Greg



P.S. I had read a letter from the Universal House of Justice regarding the prohibition of teaching the faith to Israelis... Does anyone know the details on this?

[Brett edited once to fix a link]

[brettz9]

Hello and welcome Greg!

As I've mentioned in the other posts, very much sorry for the delay in post approval--it shouldn't happen any more for you.

As far as teaching in Israel, maybe you are speaking about this: http://bahai-library.com/file.php?file= ... _in_israel ? You may be interested to search the forums for discussions of why this may be, as the question has come up a number of times before, but I don't think it is something which has officially been answered in any real great detail.

I don't know if targeted support would be a problem, but I wouldn't think a long-term project based there would be supported because Baha'is are not allowed to live in Israel, except as Baha'i World Center staff; I think it'd be something you'd have to consult with your National Spiritual Assembly about really.

Shoghi Effendi described the problem in the Holy Land as a "thorny" one. Our Writings also point to how border disputes and such should be settled by an international authority--we have quite a bit of work until that takes places and until such disputes can be conclusively resolved, and in a binding manner. I believe I have read some ideas floating of U.N. troops even being stationed there for monitoring. As a controversial issue, however, this is hardly something which Baha'is would get involved in (see also the letter linked to below). And we believe that, although we can encourage the process indirectly, the "Lesser Peace" that involves global policing will not be coming about as a direct result of Baha'i activity.

I think you may find this letter of some relevance: http://bahai-library.com/uhj/peace.activities.html

I hope that gives something to go on--maybe others can offer some other ideas...

best wishes,
Brett

[onepence~2]

just some passing thoughts ...

A Bahá'í Declaration of Human Obligations and Rights

1947

http://bahai-library.com/file.php?file= ... ons_rights

...

No social body, whatever its form, has power to maintain essential human rights for persons who have repudiated their moral obligation and abandoned the divine endowment distinguishing man from beast. Civil definitions of political and economic status, if devoid of moral value and influence, are not equivalent to essential human rights but express the expedients of partisan policy. An ordered society can only be maintained by moral beings.

... end ...

///
////

"Sovereignty, for instance, is essentially a political matter, as it is concerned with claims to political autonomy and its far-reaching implications."

from

http://bahai-library.com/uhj/indian.nations.html

Response from the Universal House of Justice:

12 February 2002
Transmitted by email

Mrs. ...
Dear Bahá'í Friend,

Your email message of 13 January 2002 has been warmly received at the Bahá'í World Centre, and we can reply as follows.

The Universal House of Justice was touched by the spirit of love and devotion expressed in your letter and has noted your suggestion that it consider officially recognizing native American reservations as sovereign states. In response to a similar recommendation, the following was provided on behalf of the House of Justice:

...Clearly, this recommendation was prompted by a conscientious desire, inspired by basic Bahá'í principles, to assist the downtrodden to rise to the full realization of their rights and responsibilities as human beings. Indeed, the purpose of the coming of Bahá'u'lláh is to lift the yoke of oppression from his loved ones, to liberate all the people of the world, and to provide the means for their abiding happiness. In this regard, the Tablets of the Divine Plan addressed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to North America make it clear that the destiny of the native Americans as an illumined and fulfilled people is linked to the quality of their response to the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh. The primary obligation of the American Bahá'ís must therefore be to see that the Divine Message is effectively delivered to the native peoples. In their effort, the friends must be certain to demonstrate through their attitude, actions and words the genuineness of their belief in the Faith's central principle, namely, the oneness of humankind.

The friends will, too, want to assist in ways that are appropriate and practical towards resolving the complex issues confronting the native peoples. But since these issues, like tribal governance, sovereignty and local self-determination, are frequently entangled in political contention, the friends must guard against such entanglements lest the character and purpose of the Faith be jeopardized. Sovereignty, for instance, is essentially a political matter, as it is concerned with claims to political autonomy and its far-reaching implications. While American Indian tribes may justifiably be regarded as nations, they are not nation states within the Federation of the United States of America. Determining questions of sovereignty is the prerogative of established political authorities....

You may be assured of the ardent prayers of the House of Justice in the Holy Shrines that the Blessed Beauty may guide your steps and confirm your endeavors in service to our beloved Cause.

With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat

... end ...

///
///

dh note : ... the worldwide sovereignty of Bahá’u’lláh ... something to think about

[Greg Newing]

Thank you both for your replys,


They were actually very helpful and the letters concerning peace activities and Indian nations were enlightening.

Its just so bothersome to see the racism, hatred, and general contempt for any human rights or international law whatsoever that precipitates from this situation.

However, it is true what Shoghi Effendi has commanded. And although I would like to do something constructive about it as an individual, I agree that it is probably best for me to ask the national assembly for guidance on this matter.

Also, I did not know that Baha'is couldn't live in Israel.... That really does make it a whole lot easier, someone should tell the Iranian government about that!


Thanks,



Greg

[Dame]

Interestingly, I have been told ,(hearsay) that a number of years ago, official bodies of the Baha'i Faith instructed all Baha'i s to leave Iran. Had that instruction been followed (hypothetically, based on individual capacity to leave), I would think, Baha'i relationships with Iran would be parallel to those with Israel.

Thank you, to those of you who have provided specific quotes both on and related to the topic. Individual responsibility for the morality of one's own behavior towards others and legitimate institutions is something we can all contribute to human rights and justice. This one is not limited by the resources or personal situation.

[Jamal]

If my memory serves me right, I recall Baha'ullah mentioning in the Kitab al Iqan that Israel and Palestine are on the same spot. No wonder the one state solution is being discussed all over the globe; it is not just the ever elusive two state solution anymore. A one state solution to both the Palestinians and Israelis make far more sense than a two state solution.

البهاء على اهل البهاء
Baha be upon the people of Baha

[brettz9]

Hello Jamal and all,

I don't see any reference to Palestine in the Iqan: http://bahai-library.com/writings/bahaullah/iqan/ . In any case, I don't think we could extrapolate anything anyways because:
1) Baha'is don't get involved in controversial political issues. At most, and in taking the approach suggested by Shoghi Effendi, a careful discussion of some subjects in general terms is used by the institutions, such as in Turning Point For All Nations: http://www.onecountry.org/oc72/oc7202as.html , but it does not involve taking sides, and as individual Baha'is we are advised in a number of places in clear terms to avoid doing so also. The only official text I have seen that could bear on the subject is about how border disputes and all international security questions should be dealt with by an international government. See the above document for some incremental steps that could realistically help us get there.

2) Any references to Palestine or Israel back in Baha'u'llah's time or 'Abdu'l-Baha's time would likely be ambiguous if interpreted with present-day terms and under present circumstances. For example, 'Abdu'l-Baha mentioned that the Jews would return to Palestine (as was its name at the time); I don't think it entails that they will become part of a country known indefinitely as "Palestine".

best wishes,
Brett

[brettz9]

To add a little to my last post just now, there is this quotation:

It [the process currently impelling America as a whole forward and "destined to culminate, in the fullness of time, in a single glorious consummation"] acquired added significance through the choice of the City of the Covenant [New York] itself as the seat of the newly born organization, through the declaration recently made by the American president related to his country's commitments in Greece and Turkey, as well as through the submission to the General Assembly of the United Nations of the thorny and challenging problem of the Holy Land, the spiritual as well as the administrative center of the World Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.

(Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, at http://bahai-library.com/writings/shogh ... sec-7.html )

I'm not perfectly sure what the above was referring to, but it seems like it could have been referring to U.N. General Assembly resolution 181 (though I haven't found confirmation that it was actually submitted by the United States or that it was submitted before June 5, 1947, the dating of the letter of Shoghi Effendi) which declared there would be "Independent Arab and Jewish States and the Special International Regime for the City of Jerusalem" (and which the U.S., among many other powers, agreed to).

That is not to say that Shoghi Effendi was permanently endorsing all of its provisions (if that was in fact the submission referred to), but it does, I would say, at the very least champion the resolution of the issue at the level of international institutions, and not actively advocate for a particular solution (except for supporting America's role in offering a solution that was agreed upon internationally). But I think any more than this could be reading too much into it...

best wishes,
Brett

[Greg Newing]

Hey,


Sorry if I sound like I'm "nitpicking" I don't mean it in this way.... But I'm unclear as to what you meant by this:

(except for supporting America's role in offering a solution that was agreed upon internationally)

[brettz9]

Hello Greg and all,

No problem in asking. I just meant that the quotation I cited from Shoghi Effendi (you can verify it for yourself) is that he was praising America's role (and future role), both for the American Baha'i Community and also the nation of a whole; he cited America's submitting a plan (sometime in or before 1947) for the Holy Land to the U.N. General Assembly, which I was guessing may have referred to General Assembly resolution 181 which set up two provisional states and put Jerusalem under international authority. Assuming it even was the same provision (or a related one as may seem likely given a limited time frame it could be talking about here), I'm not saying he was endorsing the plan's details forever, nor even perhaps that he was praising its details for setting up two states, simply that he was praising America's role at the time in setting up the United Nations, and at the very least for attempting to deal with the Holy Land issue.

For the record, some Baha'is have suggested that the prophecy of Baha'u'llah as the Redeemer of Israel may be evident in the fact that His teachings of a world government found some prominent manifestation in the recognition of the state of Israel, though I have not seen any official endorsement of this position.

If it were true, that would certainly not need to be any endorsement of all of Israel's policies (nor America's for that matter or any government's), since Shoghi Effendi is not too rosy about the behavior of any government toward its minorities (though he insists in the same passage that Baha'is must resist these tendencies in their own treatment of minorities):

"...the nations and peoples of the earth, be they of the East or of the West, democratic or authoritarian, communist or capitalist, whether belonging to the Old World or the New...either ignore, trample upon, or extirpate, the racial, religious, or political minorities within the sphere of their jurisdiction"

(Shoghi Effendi, Advent of Divine Justice, p. 35)

Of course, the above doesn't mean at all that the nations are equivalent in their poor treatment of minorities either. Obviously, there are some which are gross violators (e.g., the BIC even recommended that nations without a minimum of human rights, as potentially already supported by the U.N. charter it seems to me, be denied membership in the U.N.). Nor, of course, do we use it as any kind of justification for opposition to any government, since we are to be strictly apolitical and obedient to our governments of whatever type (except where a very fundamental moral compromise would take place, such as, as Shoghi Effendi was to have suggested in a pilgrim's note, if a regime were to require us to denounce Jews, we would not do that).

And again, I haven't seen anything official which indicates the Faith has taken an official position about what kind of solution there should be--I highly highly doubt there ever would be (though again, we do believe in international processes in general, including border resolution).

I also didn't mean to wade into the discussion deeply or take any sides here; just pointing out what may be some relevant quotations.

best wishes,
Brett

[Dame]

Interesting.
(my understanding)
Within the hierarchy of authority as delineated by The Writings (presuming the term Writings refers only to those revealed by Baha'ullah & the Bab); The Writings are timeless within the context of what Baha'i s believe to be a time span of roughly a thousand years. Within this contest level of authority rather than time line relativity would seem to be more applicable.

[brettz9]

Hello Dame,

Sorry, but I don't follow how your comment relates to the discussion here?

To respond to your comment though, there is a pilgrim's note I recall reading where Shoghi Effendi was to have said that it was important to note that 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will established both the Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice together. Although our Writings (including the Kitab-i-Aqdas itself) do envision the Guardianship and Universal House of Justice operating at potentially different times, for conceptual reasons, it was apparently important to consider them as working together.

Whether that emphasis was due to the need to recognize the blending of the different elements of government in the Baha'i Administrative Order, simply to see the Faith's institutions as harmonized, or for some other reason, is, I think, may be an open question...

[Dame]

Need to take a week break here. Will meditate on this one while driving.