Extracts of a letter dated 23 December 2008 from the Universal House of Justice addressed to an individual on Non –involvement in politics You are, of course, well aware of the principle of noninvolvement in politics enunciated by Shoghi Effendi. Bahá’ís are to refrain from associating themselves, whether by word or by deed, with the political pursuits of their respective nations, with the policies of their governments and the schemes and programs of parties and factions. They assign no blame, take no side, further no design, and identify themselves with no system prejudicial to the best interests of the Faith and eschew the entanglements and bickerings inseparable from the pursuits of the politician. They are to rise above all particularism and partisanship, above the vain disputes, the petty calculations, the transient passions that agitate the face, and engage the attention, of a changing world. This principle, which demands strict avoidance of any type of partisan political activity, must be scrupulously upheld. However, as society and its political processes evolve and as the Faith grows, the interaction between the two becomes increasingly complex. The House of Justice will provide the necessary guidance over time to apply this principle to existing circumstances. The term politics can have a broad meaning, and therefore it is important to distinguish between partisan political activity and the discourse and action intended to bring about constructive social change. While the former is proscribed, the latter is enjoined; indeed, a central purpose of the Bahá’í community is social transformation. Abdu’l-Bahá’s treatise The Secret of Divine Civilization amply demonstrates the Faiths commitment to promoting social change without entering into the arena of partisan politics. So too, innumerable passages in the Bahá’í Writings encourage the believers to contribute to the betterment of the world. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, Bahaullah states, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements. Abdu’l-Bahá urges the friends to become distinguished in all the virtues of the human world--for faithfulness and sincerity, for justice and fidelity, for firmness and steadfastness, for philanthropic deeds and service to the human world, for love toward every human being, for unity and accord with all people, for removing prejudices and promoting international peace. Further, in a letter written on his behalf, Shoghi Effendi explains that much as the friends must guard against in any way seeming to identify themselves or the Cause with any political party, they must also guard against the other extreme of never taking part, with other progressive groups, in conferences or committees designed to promote some activity in entire accord with our teachings.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:18:11 +0000
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