This statement is made by the Spiritual Assembly as the elected governing
body for the Bahá’í Faith in the district.
The United Nations World Conference Against Racism, taking place in Durban,
South Africa from 31st August to 7th September 2001,
should cause us all to look seriously at this problem and its deep
implications. Racism is a pernicious and persistent evil, a major blight on
human progress. The Bahá’í community opposes racism and
xenophobia of any form and believes that the cancer of racial hatred can most
effectively be countered by celebrating and promoting the fundamental oneness
of humankind.
We believe that people must realise that racism is more than just colour
prejudice. The experience of many people in these islands shows that racial
prejudice can work against others simply because they come from another island,
or from another part of the same island. Racism should also be seen as being of
a kind with other deep-rooted prejudices such as those relating to religion and
gender, and that while each needs attention none can be viewed in isolation.
What the world needs more than anything is the coming together of its
peoples in a harmonious and creative whole. Advances in human knowledge have
deepened bonds of interdependence and contracted the planet, and the central
task now before all its inhabitants is to lay the foundations of a global
society that can reflect the oneness of human nature. Creating such a universal
culture of collaboration and conciliation will require a return to spiritual
awareness and responsibility.
The unity that must underpin a peaceful and just social order is a unity
that embraces and honours diversity. Oneness and diversity are complementary
and inseparable. Diversity is what distinguishes unity from uniformity.
Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity, therefore, implies the
development of a global consciousness, a sense of world citizenship, and a love
for all of humanity. Everyone has to realize that, since the body of humankind
is one and indivisible, each member of the human race is born into the world as
a trust of the whole.
For too much of history, the evil of racism has violated human dignity. Its
influence has retarded the development of its victims, corrupted its
perpetrators and blighted human progress. Overcoming its devastating effects
will thus require conscious, deliberate and sustained effort. Indeed, nothing
short of genuine love, extreme patience, true humility and prayerful reflection
will succeed in effacing its pernicious stain from human affairs.
Clearly, the promotion of tolerance and mutual understanding among the
diverse parts of the human race cannot be a passive exercise. All forms of
provincialism, all insularities and prejudices must be confronted. The
implementation of appropriate legal measures that safeguard the rights and
opportunities of all and the adoption of educational initiatives that foster
human solidarity and global citizenship should be among the first practical
steps taken by all nations.
The moral leadership provided by religious communities must undoubtedly be a
key component of any such effort. To ensure a constructive role for religion,
however, the followers of all faiths must acknowledge the strife and suffering
caused by those who have appropriated the symbols and instruments of religion
for their own selfish purposes. Fanaticism and conflict poison the wells of
tolerance and represent corrupt expressions of true religious values. The
challenge facing all religious leaders is to contemplate, with hearts filled
with the spirit of compassion and a desire for truth, the plight of humanity,
and to ask themselves whether they cannot, in humility before their Almighty
Creator, submerge their theological differences in a great spirit of mutual
forbearance that will enable them to work together for the advancement of
social justice and peace. It is possible both to believe in God and to be
tolerant.
The path of unity and reconciliation is the only path available to the human
family. A world in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and
permanently united is not a utopian vision but an inevitable and vital
necessity.
It is easy to be against something, particularly something as evil as
racism, but that is not enough. One must be positive for change, for measures
that will overcome the prejudices of the past and allow future generations to
grow up free of them. The Baha’i community feels that its views and
proposals give at least some positive ideas of a way forward.
August 2001 CE
BACK TO STATEMENT LIST