| News:
Letter to the World's Religious Leaders |
Dear Friends,
Recently,
a letter was written and addressed to everyone, especially
to the world's religious leaders, hence the name: "Letter
to the World's Religious Leaders." This letter touches
on many aspects of the world today, ranging from religious
fanaticism to unity of mankind. We urge everyone, Bahá'í
and non-Bahá'í alike to read this letter in
its entirety.
"Together
with the crumbling of barriers separating peoples, our age
is witnessing the dissolution of the once insuperable wall
that the past assumed would forever separate the life of
Heaven from the life of Earth. The scriptures of all religions
have always taught the believer to see in services to others
not only a moral duty, but an avenue for the soul's own
approach to God. Today, the progressive restructuring of
society gives this familiar reaching new dimensions of meaning.
As the age-old promise of a world animated by principles
of justice slowly takes on the character of a realistic
goal, meeting the needs of the soul and those of society
will increasingly be seen as reciprocal aspects of a mature
spiritual life."
The above
is only a sample of the powerful message contained within
the letter. This letter can be downloaded in PDF format (requires
Adobe
Acrobat Reader) and also in multiple languages by clicking
here.
For the HTML version of this letter (English only) you may
go here.
Dear Friends,
As many
of you know, the National Spiritual Assembly under the guidance
of the Universal House of Justice has been working for the
past 15 years on United States ratification of United Nations
human rights treaties. The Office of External Affairs has
played a critical role in efforts to bring about the ratification
of the Treaty for the Rights of Women (CEDAW). The Treaty
for the Rights of Women is the first and only international
instrument that comprehensively addresses women's rights within
political, cultural, economic, social, and family life. Accordingly,
it has become a powerful tool in ending violence against women,
in promoting access to health care and education for women,
and in creating appropriate mechanisms for assuring women's
participation in decision making. On July 30, 2002, the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee voted favorably on the Treaty
for the Rights of Women by a vote of 12 to 7. The next stage
is for the treaty to come up for a vote on the Senate floor.
It is expected that the full Senate will vote on ratification
this fall. Ratification requires a two-thirds majority, or
67 votes in the Senate. It is important that during the months
of September and October we call on our Senators and President
George W. Bush to ratify this treaty. To support this treaty
please go to www.womenstreaty.org
and send a message to your Senators and President Bush. Some
key States are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa,
New Mexico, Ohio, and Oregon. If you reside in any of these
States your participation in this effort is greatly encouraged.
Finally, if you are interested in taking additional steps
at the local level and would like to coordinate your efforts
with other like-minded organizations, please contact the Office
of External Affairs at 202-833-8990 and ask to speak with
Ms. Leila Milani.
Go to www.womenstreaty.org
Click right below 'Take Action Now'
Scroll down, enter your information
Scroll down, press 'submit.'
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