NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

Some things seem to go on for ever, but in reality everything changes. We’ve lived for more than 20 years with the present Local Assembly boundaries, and now the time has come to redraw the Bahá’í administrative map. From the Local Assembly elections at Ridván 2001 new Assembly boundaries will be in force in many places.

Three years ago the Universal House of Justice instructed the National Spiritual Assembly to develop proposals for revisions of Local Assembly boundaries throughout the United Kingdom. A letter to this National Assembly from the Universal House of Justice (dated 15th September 1996) states:

"The House of Justice feels it would be timely for your Assembly to make a study of a different pattern of local jurisdictions for application in due course. As you are aware, the basic principle governing the boundaries of local Bahá’í communities is the civic boundary established by the government ...

"In urban areas, the general policy has always been strictly upheld, that it is the municipal boundaries which must be followed for the delimitation of local Bahá’í communities...

"In rural areas ... the National Spiritual Assembly of the country is asked to determine a principle upon which it would set the boundaries of Local Spiritual Assembly areas, based upon what are commonly conceived by the general public to be separate towns or village communities. Such a principle, once adopted, is then applied universally to all rural areas in the country.

"In the United Kingdom the situation was very simple from a Bahá’í point of view before the new civil boundaries were introduced on 1 April 1974 in England and Wales and on 16 May 1975 in Scotland ... Since the change, however, a major anomaly in the pattern has been introduced because the sizes of the districts in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland, and, even more, the size of the Regions in Scotland, while acceptable in urban areas, have introduced an ultimately unworkable situation in the rural areas."

The Universal House of Justice asked the National Spiritual Assembly to survey civil boundaries throughout the United Kingdom and to establish a new principle on which smaller and more meaningful Local Assembly jurisdictions, particularly in rural areas, could be based. The House of Justice emphasized that the survey

"...should not be based on mere convenience in relation to the Bahá’í population. It should be based on the objective factors of clear geographical boundaries and generally recognized towns of the civil population. Thus, they should not have to be changed as the Bahá’í population grows."

Our studies have revealed that there is no single system of civic boundaries across all four parts of the UK. The civil government of the UK is complex and multi-layered, and it is a matter of statute and government determination which layer of civic boundary is to be used for any particular government activity.

We’ve made some major proposals to the House of Justice, which has sent back comments, advice, queries and requests for more information. Needless to say, the National Spiritual Assembly is hard at work to provide this information.

As the National Assembly does the research and refines its proposals, it is bearing in mind the principle, re-stated in a letter to this National Assembly from the Universal House of Justice earlier this year, that

"... it will be necessary to bear in mind what the local population considers to be a ‘town’ or a ‘village’, and how, if desirable, to combine these. Such decisions need to be based on geography and demography of the areas concerned, and not on the number of Bahá’ís living in them at any time."

This may all seem quite daunting, but the National Assembly believes that our community has been presented with an exciting challenge that will very likely stimulate the teaching work and eventually lead to a vast increase in the numbers of divine institutions at local level. The National Spiritual Assembly will be appointing a ‘boundaries commissioner’ to co-ordinate the collection of information and collate the findings. However, we feel that ‘grass-roots’ Bahá’ís will be best placed to give the kind information required, such as maps of civil parish and town council boundaries, Community Council Periods, and information about geographical barriers and demography. We are asking Local Spiritual Assemblies, if approached for such assistance, to co-operate with the commissioner.

Once the House of Justice has reached its decision about the changes that are to be implemented, the National Spiritual Assembly will inform the entire community of the new boundaries and of the steps that will need to be taken to ensure that they are in place for the Local Assembly elections of Ridván 2001.

The National Spiritual Assembly is very happy to announce the establishment of its Office for the Advancement of Women with Mrs Zarin Hainsworth Fadaei as Acting Director.

The Office will undertake work associated with the external affairs theme of the status of women and will act for the National Spiritual Assembly in this area. It will liaise with relevant government departments and women’s organisations and other non-governmental organisations at national level to promote the advancement of women and to put forward Bahá’í concepts and practices. The Office will also monitor government policy developments, making Bahá’í input when appropriate, and will develop policy for the National Assembly.

In this external affairs area, the Office for the Advancement of Women will also work closely with the OAW at the Bahá’í International Community’s New York Office on matters such as the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Beijing Platform for Action.

Working with and through Associations of Bahá’í Women (ABW’s) to be established in each of Scotland, England, Wales, and with the Association of Bahá’í Women that is already at work in Northern Ireland, the OAW will help Bahá’í women and men to deepen their understanding of the principle of equality.

Please pray for the success of the Office for the Advancement of Women and for the work of Mrs Hainsworth Fadaei as its Acting Director. Please address any communications to the Office for the Advancement of Women, 27 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PD.

Statements entitled "Protection of Minorities" and "Empowering the Girl Child" were made by the Bahá’í International Community to the UN Commission on Human Rights and the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 1998.