Baha'i International Community issues statement to World Conference
against Racism
DURBAN, South Africa, 25 August 2001 (BWNS) -- The Baha'i
International Community has issued the following statement to the United
Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Related Intolerance, scheduled to be held in Durban, South Africa, from
31 August 2001 to 7 September 2001:
Racism originates not in the skin but in the human mind. Remedies to racial
prejudice, xenophobia and intolerance must accordingly address first and
foremost those mental illusions that have for so many thousands of years
given rise to false concepts of superiority and inferiority among human
populations.
At the root of all forms of discrimination and intolerance is the erroneous
idea that humankind is somehow composed of separate and distinct races,
peoples or castes, and that those sub-groups innately possess varying
intellectual, moral, and/or physical capacities, which in turn justify
different forms of treatment.
The reality is that there is only the one human race. We are a single people,
inhabiting the planet Earth, one human family bound together in a common
destiny, a single entity created from one same substance, obligated to "be
even as one soul."
Recognition of this reality is the antidote to racism, xenophobia and
intolerance in all its forms. It should, accordingly, be the guiding
principle behind the discussions, deliberations and ultimate output of the
World Conference against Racism.
A proper understanding of this fact of existence has the capacity to carry
humanity not merely past racism, racial and ethnic prejudice, and xenophobia
but also beyond intermediate notions of tolerance or multi-culturalism --
concepts that are important stepping-stones to humanity's long-sought goal
of building a peaceful, just and unified world but insufficient for the
eradication of such deeply rooted afflictions as racism and its companions.
The principle of human oneness strikes a chord in the deepest reaches of
the human spirit. It is not yet another way of talking about the ideal of
brotherhood or solidarity. Nor is it some vague hope or slogan. It reflects,
rather, an eternal spiritual, moral and physical reality that has been
brought into focus by humanity's collective coming of age in the twentieth
century. Its emergence is more visible now because, for the first time in
history, it has become possible for all of the peoples of the world to
perceive their interdependence and to become conscious of their wholeness.
The reality of human oneness is fully endorsed by science. Anthropology,
physiology, psychology, sociology and, most recently, genetics, in its
decoding of the human genome, demonstrate that there is only one human
species, albeit infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life. The
world's great religions likewise uphold the principle, even if their
followers have, at times, clung to fallacious notions of superiority. The
Founders of the world's great religions have all promised that one day peace
and justice would prevail and all humanity would be united.
The contemporary realization of humanity's collective oneness comes after a
historic process in which individuals were fused into ever greater units.
Moving from clans, to tribes, to city-states, to nations, the next inevitable
step for humanity is nothing less than the creation of a global civilization.
In this new global civilization, all people and peoples are component parts
of a single great organism -- an organism that is human civilization itself.
As stated by Bahá'u'lláh more than 100 years ago, "The earth is but
one country, and mankind its citizens."
Further, as explained in the Bahá'í writings, the oneness of humanity
"implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change
such as the world has not yet experienced... It calls for no less than the
reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world -- a
world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its
political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its
script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national
characteristics of its federated units."
In considering the themes of the World Conference against Racism, a proper
understanding of the reality of the oneness of humanity holds a number of
implications.
It implies that any law, tradition or mental construct that grants superior
rights or privileges to one grouping of humanity over another is not only
morally wrong but fundamentally at odds with the best interests of even those
who consider themselves to be in some way superior. It implies that
nation-states, as the building blocks of a global civilization, must hold to
common standards of rights and take active steps to purge from their laws,
traditions and practices any form of discrimination based on race,
nationality or ethnic origin.
It implies that justice must be the ruling principle of social organization,
a corollary principle that calls for widespread measures on the part of
governments, their agencies, and civil society to address economic injustice
at all levels. The Bahá'í writings call for both voluntary giving and
government measures, such as the "equalization and apportionment" of excess
wealth, so that the great disparities between the rich and the poor are
eliminated. The Bahá'í writings also prescribe specific measures, such
as profit-sharing and the equation of work with worship, that promote general
economic prosperity across all classes.
Issues of xenophobia before the Conference in relation to contemporary
problems of minority diasporas, the uneven application of citizenship laws,
and refugee resettlement can likewise best be addressed in the light of
humanity's oneness and, as Bahá'u'lláh indicated, the concept of world
citizenship.
Further, the principle of the oneness of humanity exposes any attempt to
distinguish separate "races" or "peoples" in the contemporary world as
artificial and misleading. While racial, national and/or ethnic heritage can
be considered as sources of pride and even a backdrop for positive social
development, such distinctions should not become a basis for new forms of
separation or superiority, however subtle.
Over the years, in statements to the United Nations, the Bahá'í
International Community has supported or called for specific actions in
support of human oneness and the fight against racism, including:
-- The widespread promotion of international educational campaigns that
would teach the organic oneness of humankind, urging specifically that
the United Nations itself facilitate such an effort, involving national
and local governments, as well as non-governmental organizations.
-- The widespread ratification of -- and adherence to -- international
instruments, which represent humankind's collective conscience, that
might contribute to a comprehensive legal regime for combating racism
and racial discrimination, especially the International Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
-- The worldwide promotion of human rights education, with the aim of
creating a "culture of human rights."
The Bahá'í International Community has also sponsored or
participated extensively in activities aimed at the eradication of
racism and racial discrimination. Working largely through its national
affiliates, which currently number 182, the Community has for example
sponsored numerous public meetings, conferences, educational programs,
newspaper articles, radio programs and exhibits that specifically seek
to combat racism.
Further, drawing on the creative spirit of grassroots participation,
Bahá'ís in a number of countries have established race unity
committees, with multiracial membership, which have developed programs to
combat racial prejudice and to create bonds of mutual respect among peoples
of different races in their local communities. These committees have
attempted to assist Bahá'ís to free themselves of their own racial
prejudices and, beyond that, to contribute to the elimination of racial
prejudice in society at large through extensive collaboration with leaders
in government, education and religion. More specifically, Bahá'í
communities around the world have sponsored numerous youth workshops that
promote racial unity, held thousands of public "race unity day" observances,i
launched television and video campaigns to promote race harmony, sponsored
neighborhood race unity dialogues, and participated in various national
commissions to combat racism.
Those seeking to understand more fully how the oneness of humanity can be
brought into practice might find it useful to examine the experience of the
Bahá'í International Community itself, which offers a continuously
advancing model for how diverse individuals can live together in harmony and
unity. With a membership of more than 5 million, the worldwide Bahá'í
community is composed of individuals from virtually every background. More
than 2,100 different racial and tribal groups are represented, as are
individuals from virtually every nationality, religious background and social
class.
Despite this great diversity, which is reflective of the world's population
at large, the worldwide Bahá'í community is among the most unified
bodies of people on earth. This sense of unity goes beyond a shared theology.
Individuals from many of these backgrounds have intermarried, for example,
something which is promoted in the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith,
and/or they work together closely in local Bahá'í communities, serving
together on its local- and national-level governing institutions. A careful
examination of the worldwide Bahá'í community will reveal a
surprisingly widespread and yet singularly committed body of people who are
consciously creating a global culture, one that emphasizes peace, justice
and sustainable development, and puts no group in a position of superiority.
Bahá'ís believe that their own success at building a unified
community stems solely from its inspiration by the spiritual teachings of
Bahá'u'lláh, who wrote extensively about the importance of unity, the
reality of oneness, and the imperative need for creating a peaceful world
civilization. More than 100 years ago, He wrote the following, which stands
as a cornerstone of Bahá'í belief:
"O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?
That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your
hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same
substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the
same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from
your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the
essence of detachment may be made manifest."
BIC-bp-010825-1-RACISM-133-S
©Copyright 2001, Baha'i World News Service
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