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Society: Freedom from Prejudice;
The Advancement of Women
Dr. Moojan Momen
Freedom from Prejudice
A major reason for the alienation of large numbers of people is
the existence in society of deeply-rooted prejudices. These prejudices are pernicious in
that they are often built into the very structure of society in such a way that they
cannot even be seen or recognized except by those who are adversely affected by them. They
condemn the majority of each society to being perpetual second-class citizens because they
are women, coloured, poor, or belong to a certain ethnic, religious or caste grouping. As
travel has brought diverse groups of people together and education has lifted their
expectations of life, the problem of prejudice and alienation has become more acute.
The Bahá'í teachings strongly condemn the holding of prejudices of any kind.
Bahá'u'lláh has emphasized the equality of all human beings:
Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself
over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have
created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to
walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from
your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of
detachment may be made manifest.1
Specifically regarding prejudice and the disastrous effects of this upon human society,
`Abdu'l-Bahá has said:
Prejudice--whether it be religious, racial, patriotic or political in its origin and
aspect--is the destroyer of human foundations and opposed to the commands of God.2
This condemnation applies to prejudice of all forms: religious,3 racial, ethnic, and national. All prejudices are
false. They are the product of artificial distinctions which human beings have erected to
separate themselves from one another. Enormous amounts of energy and resources are wasted
in keeping up these artificial barriers. In the twentieth century, nationalist and racist
ideologies have led to two World Wars, a host of minor conflicts, and devastation on the
streets of our cities. The cost to humanity of these illusory ideas has been incalculable.
Racial and national prejudices which separate mankind into groups and branches,
likewise, have a false and unjustifiable foundation . . . There should be no racial
alienation or national division among humankind. Such distinctions as French, German,
Persian, Anglo-Saxon are human and artificial; they have neither significance nor
recognition in the estimation of God. In His estimate all are one, the children of one
family; and God is equally kind to them. The earth has one surface. God has not divided
this surface by boundaries and barriers to separate races and peoples. Man has set up and
established these imaginary lines, giving to each restricted area a name and the
limitation of a native land or nationhood. By this division and separation into groups and
branches of mankind, prejudice is engendered which becomes a fruitful source of war and
strife . . . Therefore, it has been decreed by God in this day that these prejudices and
differences shall be laid aside. (`Abdu'l-Bahá)4
The Advancement of Women
In our societies, the largest group suffering from the effects of
prejudice are usually women. For most of recorded history and in most of the world, human
society has been a patriarchy--the rule of men. The very structures of these societies
make it difficult for women to achieve their full potential or to have any effective say
in the ordering of society. Even the various movements that have tried to rectify this,
the suffragette movement at the beginning of this century and the women's movement more
recently, have achieved only a limited success. In one sense then, the discussion of the
position of women is one aspect of the discussion in the previous section about the role
of prejudice in society. Since women form such a large part of society, however, the case
of women becomes one that is of a different order and requires special attention (although
much of what is said about this could also be repeated about the other forms of
prejudice).
Bahá'u'lláh has, in several places in his writings, asserted that men and women have
an equal rank and station before God:
Exalted, immensely exalted is He Who hath removed differences and established harmony.
Glorified, infinitely glorified is He Who hath caused discord to cease, and decreed
solidarity and unity. Praised be God, the Pen of the Most High hath lifted distinctions
from between His servants and handmaidens, and, through His consummate favours and
all-encompassing mercy, hath conferred upon all a station and rank of the same plane. He
hath broken the back of vain imaginings with the sword of utterance and hath obliterated
the perils of idle fancies through the pervasive power of His might.5
| THE EQUALITY OF WOMEN AND MEN |
| In past ages it was held that woman and man were not equal--that is to say, woman was
considered inferior to man, even from the standpoint of her anatomy and creation. She was
considered especially inferior in intelligence, and the idea prevailed universally that it
was not allowable for her to step into the arena of important affairs. In some countries
man went so far as to believe and teach that woman belonged to a sphere lower than human.
But in this century, which is the century of light and the revelation of mysteries, God is
proving to the satisfaction of humanity that all this is ignorance and error; nay, rather,
it is well established that mankind and womankind as parts of composite humanity are
coequal and that no difference in estimate is allowable, for all are human . . . In
reality, God has created all mankind, and in the estimation of God there is no distinction
as to male and female. The one whose heart is pure is acceptable in His sight, be that one
man or woman. God does not inquire, "Art thou woman or art thou man?" He judges
human actions. If these are acceptable in the threshold of the Glorious One, man and woman
will be equally recognized and rewarded. (`Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal
Peace, p. 133) |
Nor are women inferior to men in their abilities. Any deficiency shown in the past was
solely due to a lack of education and opportunities.
It has been objected by some that woman is not equally capable with man and that she is
deficient by creation. This is pure imagination. The difference in capability between man
and woman is due entirely to opportunity and education. Heretofore woman has been denied
the right and privilege of equal development. If equal opportunity be granted her, there
is no doubt she would be the peer of man . . .
The purpose, in brief, is this: that if woman be fully educated and granted her rights,
she will attain the capacity for wonderful accomplishments and prove herself the equal of
man. She is the coadjutor of man, his complement and helpmeet. Both are human; both are
endowed with potentialities of intelligence and embody the virtues of humanity. In all
human powers and functions they are partners and coequals. At present in spheres of human
activity woman does not manifest her natal prerogatives, owing to lack of education and
opportunity. Without doubt education will establish her equality with men. (`Abdu'l-Bahá) 6
In some respects, `Abdu'l-Bahá asserts, the woman is "of the greater importance
to the race. She has the greater burden and the greater work . . . The woman has greater
moral courage than the man; she has also special gifts which enable her to govern in
moments of danger and crisis."7 She is also "more
tender-hearted, more receptive, her intuition is more intense."8
`Abdu'l-Bahá says that this teaching of the equality of women and men is an important
one for the progress of humanity:
And among the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh is the equality of women and men. The world of
humanity has two wings - one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally
developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until
the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and
perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.9
And so therefore: "As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest
possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be
theirs."10 In particular, `Abdu'l-Bahá
asserts that an increased role for women in society is necessary for the achievement of
world peace.
As well as affirming the equality of men and women, the Bahá'í teachings recognize
the necessity of dismantling some of the social structures that maintain patriarchal
society. These features of the Bahá'í social order, such as the removal of authority
from individuals and the decentralization of power, will be discussed in another chapter.
In all, the aim is to achieve a better balance in society between its male and female
elements:
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
balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, 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 evenly balanced. (`Abdu'l-Bahá) 11
Although women are guaranteed full equality with men, there is some inevitable
complementarity in their social roles. Women are free to follow any occupation that they
wish, but it is envisaged that they will be the first educators of any children that are
born to them. As stated in the previous chapter, because of the importance of their role
as the first educators of children, the Bahá'í Faith teaches that, if there is any
difficulty in the full provision of education, preference should be given to girls over
boys. Women are, however, precluded from membership on the Universal House of Justice.
`Abdu'l-Bahá says that this is "for a wisdom of the Lord God's, which will ere long
be made manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon."12
Bahá'ís must take this apparent anomaly as a matter of faith for the present.
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Introduction