Bahai'i National Office of External Affairs

P.O. Box 2142
Houghton 2041
10 Acorn LaneHoughton Fstate 2198

 

The Chairperson of the Human Rights Violations Committee Truth and Reconciliation Commission
P 0 Box 1158
Johannesburg 2000

 

15 September 1997

Dear Sir

RECEIVED

07 OCT 1996

SUBMISSION BY THE CHURCHES TO THE TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

Thank you for your letter which was addressed to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha`is of South Africa.

The Bahai Faith, the most recent of the independent world religions, originated in Persia in 1844 and today enjoys a world-wide following of some 6 million people.

In South Africa, Baha'is reside in some 900 communities. Although records indicate that the first Baha'i to live in South Africa arrived in 1911, there was little significant expansion until the 1950's when a number of Baha'i families came to this country from the United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and England to settle and to teach the Faith to South Africans.

The essential teachings of the Baha'i Faith focus on unity - the oneness ofGod, 01 religions and of humankincl. Abhorring ail forms or' prejudice and rejecting any system of racial segregation, the Faith was taught during the apartheid years, on a one-to-one basis without publicity. Despite the nature of the politics of that time, the Baha'is presented their teachings on unity and the oneness of humankind to several State Presidents, including Presidents Botha and de Klerk. However, following guidance from the world centre of the Baha'i Faith, Israel, the Bahais concentrated their general teaching efforts on the Black and Coloured people in the country.

During this period of gestation, the Bahai Faith was continually being watched by the security police. Both individual Baha'is and the administrative bodies were under police surveillance and investigation due to the racially integrated nature of the Baha'i communities. However, the numbers were too small and the activities too peaceful to be considered a threat to the government of the day.

The Baha'i community thus became a practical workshop for both spiritual and administrative growth and, there being no clergy in the Faith, all Baha'is learned the process of spiritually-based consultation, administering their communities without political affiliation and thus insuring their unity.

As authorised by the Baha'i World Centre, from 1985 onwards numerous statements were presented on an almost annual basis, either in response to proposed legislative changes, or with emphasis on the particular section of society to which they were directed. Among these were:

Recently, at the request of various government departments and nongovernmental organisations, numerous clarifications of Baha'i teachings on current social issues such as capital punishment, abortion and others, have also resulted in consultations and presentations.

In conclusion, the Baha'is will continue to concentrate their efforts on the attainment of unity and, observing the strict teachings of their Faith, the avoidance of party politics and loyalty to government. They will thus strive to hasten the fulfillment of the words of BahaVIlah, the Prophet-Founder of the Faith:

The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and with its imity is firmly establislied.

Thank you for affording us the opportunity to make this submission to the Commission.

Yours faithfully

Brett Hone

Secretary

 

 

The National Spiritual Assembly

of the Bahai'is Of South Africa

Ir.c9rPOrated A.,~miation not for gain. Peg. No.,

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TO LHE -TRUM,

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The Naitonal SP:Citup..I As2,(..,rn~ly of the Baha`is of South Afric~'., on behilf of he

BabYis we represent, is gratef~l for this opportunity to share witli th Truth a e

Reconciliation Comm c

ission an understanding of the position and activities of 1 Bahi'i C'c)n-,riitjr~ity in South Airil*~. during the, apirtheid years

L

'fo understand the nature of ili,~ responst. of the BahYis to apwihe d it is necessary 11,0

understand the chafL)&ter of the BahAti c.0111MUnit~., +he overall ainis and objecives

ann g

the BahYi Faith, its 210'd' L d th -- 'lobal conte:c in which it op~-ra.LCS.

The P3-,hfi which is the moist recp,it of the indepenjent world religion 1 3

(M2 J

,in. ated in Iran in 1844. Today the BabAY Faith enjoys a world-wide foll Ving An e.',ccess. of six inilli,-.)n people, representing inore thart 2100 indivenout tjibes, roalces aM groups re:,,,idinx7 in rnore than 12o oc)c) localities, in mofo than 200 courtries p.

independent teri-itories around tlic. world.

In South Africa, BahA'I& ie~i 'c in sorac. go~

Comr,

.Jur -c,

it' -,. Althou2h records indicat'

ved in 1911

th"~'t the flfst BahA'i,'r, tQ reside in South Affica arri* there was little.

5 -Qllif"ctllt grOmV-tli until the 1950s. Dufiti,~, tile rnid 195 s a llum,)e ' 1

0 1- of BahAli fart).jiics

New Zealand anA

CaMe to this co, ntry frOn' the United States, Canada, Germany,

0AUCt

En,yland to settlo and to intr the Bah&'i Faith to South Africans.

T . lic hallmark of the Ralii~t. community. is its diversity - a char acteristic wilich i s'

h 1 1

Ighly prized and actively pursued. The essential teachings of tne Ballfl Faith focu~

~ 0 h r

on unity - of God, of Religion and of hurnanity. The pivot around which all ot c

BahA'i teaChings revolve is that of the onetless of the hunian i.~ee. We believe that thi,~

is an essential reality of cre.~tioil. Its acceptance and application by the gener,,.!ity o~

th.e peoples c)f the world is, not only attainable in this age but is the ~ole basis for'

-z;us~aitiable peace and security of humanity - the ~ery Kii3 * c, 1

' A, 3. 00m of God on irth as

f).fonilsed by all the Divin~- Revelations of the. past.

BaU'ls firinly helieve that this kingdoni will takne the form of a global society in 1

whi.ch all the rac~.,s, creeds and classes of the -,voj-ld are united as a singlc family. The,

building ol't't)J*s glolhal society is not, a mere outburst or ignorant emotionalism or an

expression of a vague and pious hope. It moves beyond a re awakening of the spirit

of broth~.t.hood and good~,All arnong men, and the fosterlpg of harmoiu'ous~

cooperation among individual peoples and cultures, This pursuit Calls for an. organic

change in'.the. structure of our present day society, a such as the. world has not

yet experienc~(!,

 

And it is towards this goal that the BahA'i Faith his been W(Aine, ~Slobally Since its inception over a 153 yews ago - and in South Aftica since the 1950s. Our actions~ were and remain based on an uiish~ikable acceptance opl tbo spiiitUal nature of the individual and thereby the community and that 'I religion is the c,,reatcst of all MC.MS for the establishment of order in the world and for the peaceful contentment of all that dwell

True to tWilk teacliiti,~,, our approach has been and remains to build cQn-,munities which

zp 1

t.t~ive to put into daily pi.~-,tice ffindamental spiritual aspirations such as love, honesty, rnoderatior~ humility, hospitality, justice, morality, tru,-.bvorthiness ~ild - above all -unity, thereby influencing change from the ~;round up. Without the irfu,,sion of these

T).i 4 y,

ValLia-'s into Society, no cor~im~: ~ however econon~c-ally prosperous or

etiiposv%-.red or techn,)'Aogica'tly can endure.

Abl3oj'rli)~; all forms Of Pfej'.),iice qrd rg~lecting any system of sezre-ca'biorL the Bahh'i

.Faith was introduced on a one to one basis and the community qu,etly grey dul-ing tile apartheid years, without publicity. Despite the nat-ure of the politics of that tinle, we presented our teachings on unity and the oneness of humank-ind to prominent

0

indi%,idua)s in politics, conime.ree and awdenfla and luders of thought including State

C

Presid-ents, Approaches to individuals and p,-omiti,,,,,i~ pers,~ns were pursued in order to

offer to South Affic.i a p,,,tth~vay to peace and justice for all its citizens.

0

During the apartheid years, both individual F3ahA's's and our administrative institutions

Ivere continually watched by the security police. The and investigation

by the polic.e iv~-s due to the racially integrated naturf; oeLthc B~diS'i cc)iTliiiunity and its

aCtivities. However, it would app,,~a.r thAt our riumbers were toc, still] and our

ar.'t,jviti.c-, teo pe,3~ce',ul to bo perce'ved as a real threat to the avernni ent of the dall

.1

Out- activitics did not include opposition to the previous Government for involvernen' j

nt' are explicitly prohibited by e'

in partisan politics and opposition to Sovenime th

sacred Texts of our Faith as re~,ealtJ by B ahd'u') 1 ah, the Prophet-Fourider of our Faith,

v~ll As- even toutjh that Government be suspicious of and ill dispQ,~tL~ to the alin,'S and

Pctiviti es oil the Bahfis as was the case in this country.

During the time when the previous Government prohibited integration ~sithin ou r communities, ratber thwi divid,~ into separate adrninistratiVC 1.5tructures for Cach populAtion group, we opted to limit inenibershi'p of the Rahfi Ad,,-ninistration to the black adliertytits who wore an d remain in tho majority of our membership and thereby placed the entire Bahfi community under the stewudship of it.5 blt~k- Triernbership, Happily, such po)lcies weye eased and we were We once ai,,ain to have racially ititegl,ated administrative bodies which and are d.:.niacratially elected by and froir the entire body of adult adher-ents of the Baha"i Faith.

In the nearly five decades since the BahA'i Faith was~ established in South Aflim through stdet adherence to the principles of our Prophet-Founder we have forged ahead and niade, a modest beeinning toward realising our vision of unity for South Affica by creabilg a model which can be studied and scrutemised and f~om which we believe valgable lossons can be learnt. The systematic development of our huinall resouseet was and is a result of great emphasig on spiritual, inoral and ethical aspects of individual and the community life. These include the sanctity ofthc family unit, the importance of renderitig service to the community in Pursult of a craft or a profession which contributes towards protperity and lend moxn6ntum to the elimination d'extrenles of poverty and wea!th, and the obligation to educate on-s children. The fundamental belief in the equality of nien and womert, from our teachings on the oneness of huiiiu&,ind has ineant that women in the Bah.'11 cotiitiiu,.i;ly have always taken " active role in all aspetts of the. work of the Faith, including riatj'orial In, dership positions.

The pursuit of our objectivos, ofunity and equality has not been without its costs. 'rho 1, white" Balifis were often ostracized by their whito neighbours for their assoclatioll .i,,ith "non-whites" IAINNELcL- Balia"is. Were subjtcted to scorn by their blacY lffkatriots for their l~litical action end integration with the61~ B a. Tho~- niost tra_-c~c loA§, rutAl 4*,breth.re ~omniurfity was the b exci~,o~ "ur adherents, at our plaOW-.,, j ~tgne-,,,g,0 0J11C ill Umta"

As w*e. move towards the new millennium, our objcti,,,,e reniains wichanged and Our l! vision reniains undimmed. Hoxv..,Ver, our sense of urgeilcy to redlise this vision is rnore- acute. Whatever unf(>)ds in the years ahead ffi South Affica and the world, the. BahA'is vrill continue to endeavour to establish global and national unity through the infusion of spintual values at aE levels of society. By developing urufted communities throughout the land, wC offer the modtl for est*lishing peace in o,-,r country.

Again we thaftk you for j~ving us this opportunity.

THE M4 710.,'~'AL YPIRJTUAL V

OF THE BAHA78 OF30 VTH A MCA