Baha’i Perspectives

negin June 9th, 2008

A sincere longing for being of use and helping one’s surroundings is a natural driving force that most people have. In the Baha’i Faith, love and service to mankind are regarded as “the worthiest and most laudable objects of human endeavor”, through which we can also develop virtues and spiritual qualities within ourselves. In the Baha’i community, the courses of the Ruhi Institute are being used to train individuals to develop skills and attitudes needed to succeed in this endeavour. The courses are offered at the grassroots level and are designed to instill in participants the capacity, as well as the confidence, to embark on service activities aimed at gradually uplifting the wider community.

The Ruhi Institute is an educational system that was originally developed under the guidance of the Baha’i community of Colombia in the 1970s, and is now being used all over the world. Based on the Writings of the Baha’i Faith, the material aims at giving its participants an understanding of the presented topics, not only on a level that generates reflection and analysis, but, more crucially, on a level that facilitates action and change:

O SON OF DUST!

Verily I say unto thee; Of all men the most negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.

(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

The main sequence of the institute consists of seven books, each with a specific theme and an act of service tied to it. The books are studied in study circles consisting of one tutor and 3-10 participants. Some of the themes of the main sequence are “Reflections on the Life of the Spirit” and “Teaching Children’s Classes”. The last book of the sequence is a tutor training, after which the participant herself/himself can serve as a tutor.

The Ruhi Institute has come to spread all over the world, being used by Baha’is and their friends from the Kiribati Islands in the South Pacific Ocean to the Faeroe Islands and Iceland in Northern Europe. Of course, culture, weather and tradition influences the shape and expression of the study circles in different corners of the world, but they all have in common the purpose of educating and training their participants to be of service to their fellow beings and to mankind.

The Great Being saith: Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 259)

Tags: development, education, Ruhi books, service

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negin May 7th, 2008

I have a plan: I want to buy a sewing-machine and earn my own living. I want to teach my brothers to read, and then I want to continue studying all the subjects we have studied here.

These are the words of a 25-year old woman from the village Siswala in India, as she is leaving the Barli Institute after completing a six-month program. Born and raised in one of the poorest areas of India, where education and training of women is almost inconceivable, her time at the Barli Institue has clearly changed the direction of her life.

Since 1985, the Barli Institute of Development for Rural Women, situated in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India, has changed the lives of thousands of women from poor villages by teaching them to read and write, handicrafts, hygiene and personal development. Returning to their villages, they have been able to contribute to the economy of the household, take better care of the children and home and become supporting “pillars” in their families, as well as the whole village. This is where the name of the institute comes from; Barli means pillar.

The project is supported by the Baha’i Community in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). It was founded by Mrs. Janak McGilligan, who at the time was a young woman with a degree in social sciences from Punjab University. She has since then been running the Institute as its director together with her husband, Mr James McGilligan.

The vital question of education of women — far from being a matter of course in some parts of the world -– is indispensible for the advancement of civilization. Abdu’l-Bahá, in expounding the principle of equality of the sexes, tells us:

Daughters and sons must follow the same curriculum of study, thereby promoting unity of the sexes. When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed. Without equality this will be impossible because all differences and distinction are conducive to discord and strife. Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it… There is no doubt that when women obtain equality of rights, war will entirely cease among mankind.

Applying this universal principle to the poor villages of central India is the purpose of the Barli-institute. Supporting the economy, participating in the decision-making processes of their villages and passing on the knowledge gained to their children are some of the many ways that the participants contribute to development.

By giving women an education, they are given the key to independence and influence — they are given the possiblity to have a plan.

Tags: development, education, women

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iman March 22nd, 2008

March 22 is World Water Day. Lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation kills at least 1.6 million children under the age of 5 years yearly, as outlined in the latest report published by the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation. Aside from the obvious health benefits derived from having access to adequate water and sanitation, it is interesting to note that the positives also extend into the realms of gender inequality and education.

UNICEF states that “women and girls bear the burden of fetching water - and as a result miss out on opportunities for education, productive activities or leisure time”:

Women and girls must be educated — spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. A mother must be educated in all the relevant fields of knowledge in order to perform her role as transmitter of culture and values. A child needs a nurturing environment and wise guidance in the first years of life in order to develop sound character and a well trained mind. If the mother is unable, because of her own deficiencies, to provide her children with experiences which will equip them for later, formal schooling, they will find themselves at a serious, often crippling, disadvantage.

(Baha’i International Community, 1992 Mar 17, Equality Girl Child)

A study entitled “Transforming time into money using water: A participatory study of economics and gender in rural India”, highlights the benefits and importance of the role of women in society, given equal opportunities.

A similar statement, pointing out the potential that equality between the sexes can have in economic performance, was recently issued at the UN “Financing for Gender Equality” roundtable by representatives of the Baha’i International Community. It is often the case that certain deeply rooted traditional and cultural practices prevent women from being provided with equal opportunity. Such practices can be eliminated with spiritual and moral education:

Presently the world is caught in a cycle of miseducation, wherein harmful character traits are passed from one generation to the next, retarding social progress. One source of this miseducation is the failure to respect women, especially in the home…..The world can ill afford the consequences of continued ignorance and injustice…..The cause of universal education deserves the utmost support that the governments of the world can lend it. For ignorance is indisputably the principal reason for the decline and fall of peoples and for the perpetuation of prejudice. No nation can achieve success unless education is accorded all its citizens. Lack of resources limits the ability of many nations to meet their peoples’ needs, imposing a certain ordering of priorities. It is for this reason that the decision-making agencies involved would do well to consider giving first priority to the education of women and girls, since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can be most effectively and rapidly diffused throughout society.

(Baha’i International Community, 1992 Mar 17, Equality Girl Child)

The message from these statements is clear. Access to safe water is essential for human survival; yet as we progress towards this aim, it is important not to lose sight of the eventual goals of self-sufficiency and economic advancement for all. Achieving this, in turn, requires greater capacity-building at the grassroots level through programmes of education, with particular emphasis on those who are most affected by the water crisis, namely women and girls.

Tags: education, equality, water

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nadim March 20th, 2008

Meet the oldest schoolboy on the planet, 88-year old peasant farmer Kimani Maruge. Displaced by the recent Kenyan crisis and living in a refugee camp, Mr. Maruge still rises each morning, puts on his uniform and walks 4km to his primary school. His perseverance is astonishing. In his quest for knowledge, neither his advanced age nor his limp prevent him from making the daily journey to and from school:

“It is hard. There is no one to help me walk. I go alone. But the urge to learn keeps me going.”

Most of us have acquired an education with comparatively little personal sacrifice, and it is difficult to comprehend, entirely, the social and psychological consequences of being illiterate. Human lives become defined by a lack of opportunity and a lack of freedom to shape one’s own destiny (in a sense, the loss of free-will), which in turn leads to deep feelings of inferiority and worthlessness. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, there is even a direct correlation between illiteracy and poor health.

I would highly recommend reading the entire story. Reading through it, I was struck by the example he is setting for those around him, particularly with respect to his unselfish attitude towards education. He does not seek education for material gain. Rather, he finds that the process of learning is, in itself, the greatest reward:

Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man’s life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone… In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him. Happy the man that cleaveth unto it, and woe betide the heedless.

(Baha’u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 26)

Of course, Mr. Maruge would never been able to pursue an education were it not for the free primary schooling introduced by the Kenyan government, for which they should be commended.

Among other teachings and principles Bahá’u'lláh counsels the education of all members of society. No individual should be denied or deprived of intellectual training, although each should receive according to capacity. None must be left in the grades of ignorance, for ignorance is a defect in the human world. All mankind must be given a knowledge of science and philosophy — that is, as much as may be deemed necessary. All cannot be scientists and philosophers, but each should be educated according to his needs and deserts.

(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 108)

Tags: education, knowledge

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nooshin March 12th, 2008

Once in a while a news story will break that will cut through the miasma and shock a seemingly unshockable readership. In South Africa, we have gotten used to a diet of bad news about crime, violence and poverty. But the recent headlines about racist videos on the UFS campus have caused a furore both in the media and civil society.

The “new” South Africa is 14 years old now. I just assumed that blatant and institutionalised racism was thing of the apartheid past. But it seems I have been naive. Just the other day, I was taken aback to listen to a conversation, between a highly-educated, well-meaning, culturally diverse group, about how they have recently come to realize that all humans are affected by the same emotions, regardless of their colour. Having been brought up as a Bahá’í, the oneness of humanity seems to me to be a perfectly obvious truth, one I have known since my earliest days.

Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He Who is the Day Star of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 288)

Perhaps, then, the answer is spiritual and moral education for children. It is not enough to hope that our children will somehow figure out right from wrong, or that it is okay to abdicate our rights as parents and family and leave it all to schools. The formative years of life can be the most crucial in forming an upright character. A compilation on Bahá’í Education includes the following exhortations from Bahá’u'lláh:

Man is even as steel, the essence of which is hidden: through admonition and explanation, good counsel and education, that essence will be brought to light. If, however, he be allowed to remain in his original condition, the corrosion of lusts and appetites will effectively destroy him.

As to the children: We have directed that in the beginning they should be trained in the observances and laws of religion; and thereafter, in such branches of knowledge as are of benefit, and in commercial pursuits that are distinguished for integrity, and in deeds that will further the victory of God’s Cause or will attract some outcome which will draw the believer closer to his Lord.

We beg of God to assist the children of His loved ones and adorn them with wisdom, good conduct, integrity and righteousness.

Tags: education, prejudice, unity

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nooshin February 15th, 2008

In the past few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about woman leaders: I recently watched both a movie and a mini-series on Elizabeth I. And then there is the US presidential elections.

I’ve been thinking about what qualities a successful woman leader should have. There is the conventional wisdom that the most successful have been those that have exhibited mostly masculine qualities, downplaying their feminine side. A column by Nicholas Kristof, for the New York Times, gives an excellent account of recent female political figures. Most interesting for me, though, was a study he quotes which says that women, compared with men, tend to excel in consensus-building and certain other skills useful in leadership. In a statement released in 1983, entitled “Equality of Men and Women: A New Reality“, the Baha’i International Community quotes the following passage from the Baha’i Writings:

The world in the past has been ruled by force and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the scales are already shifting, force is losing its weight, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine and more permeated with the feminine ideals, or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more properly balanced.

In a recent TIME article, “The Girl Gap“, which looks at the state of education for girls and women in Afghanistan, the authors state that every “social and economic index shows that countries with a higher percentage of women with a high school education also have better overall health, a more functional democracy and increased economic performance”. This closely echoes the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, published in the “Promulgation of World Peace” (a collection of the talks delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His visit to the United States and Canada in 1912):

That is to say, there must be no difference in the education of male and female in order that womankind may develop equal capacity and importance with man in the social and economic equation. Then the world will attain unity and harmony. In past ages humanity has been defective and inefficient because it has been incomplete. War and its ravages have blighted the world; the education of woman will be a mighty step toward its abolition and ending, for she will use her whole influence against war. Woman rears the child and educates the youth to maturity. She will refuse to give her sons for sacrifice upon the field of battle. In truth, she will be the greatest factor in establishing universal peace and international arbitration. Assuredly, woman will abolish warfare among mankind. Inasmuch as human society consists of two parts, the male and female, each the complement of the other, the happiness and stability of humanity cannot be assured unless both are perfected. Therefore, the standard and status of man and woman must become equalized.

Tags: education, politics, women

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