In the summer of 2001 riots, apparently racially inspired, occurred in a number of English cities. Following these events the Government commissioned reports into their causes and the symptomatic collapse of social cohesion. This statement, from the Bahá’í community of the United Kingdom, which has a longstanding interest in building cohesion in society, is a response to the official reports which were published in December 2001.

Welcome insights and proposals

The Bahá’í community welcomes the Government reports⁽¹⁾ on the unrest in the United Kingdom during the summer of 2001, and the insights they contain into the unresolved stresses and conflicts among the various elements of British society. The local and national initiatives proposed in the reports can undoubtedly help towards finding solutions to the problems afflicting our nation, fractured to varying degrees by racial, cultural, generational and religious lines.

However while legislation ⁽²⁾ and government initiatives provide a necessary and essential framework for dialogue and understanding, they are not - as the reports themselves recognise - a complete remedy in themselves. As has been observed: “Past a certain point, the proliferation of rules to regulate wider and wider sets of social relationships becomes not the hallmark of rational efficiency but a sign of social dysfunction.”⁽³⁾  

Whatever steps are taken they will not have a lasting effect without a society-wide change of moral consciousness and understanding, and a wider, shared social vision. It will need such a change to prompt the diverse strands of society to overcome long-established emotional attachments to traditional attitudes that emphasise difference, and engage and commit to these initiatives.

In implementing these initiatives, we believe the experience and insights of the Bahá’í community have much to offer to those implementing the strategies foreshadowed in the reports.

The Bahá’í Community

The world-wide Bahá’í community has attracted members from more than 2,100 ethnic and tribal backgrounds and resides in more than 220 countries and territories. Along with this great diversity the worldwide Bahá’í community is among the most unified bodies of people on earth. Its unity goes far beyond a shared theology. Bahá’ís of many backgrounds work closely together in daily community life, consulting and serving together on the Faith’s governing institutions, enjoying fellowship at regular gatherings for worship, and volunteering together on a wide range of social and economic development projects.

The Bahá’í community in the United Kingdom reflects that diversity and cohesion of purpose to a similarly marked degree. This active commitment to achieving genuine unity while also delighting in human diversity lends to the Bahá’í community both a breadth of understanding and an appreciation of the varied races, cultures, and creeds which make up British society today. This perception and practice of unity in diversity is a potent means of reducing distrust and improving on that superficial understanding among communities “based ... on hackneyed formulae of samosas and saris” commented on in the Cantle report. ⁽⁴⁾

Centred on the need for unity and for social cohesion Bahá’í belief states that this need can best be met by valuing and appreciating diversity rather than imposed uniformity or the pretence that diversity and the issues it raises do not exist. This approach goes far beyond a simple condemnation of racial and cultural strife and a plea for tolerance or the belief that by unity is meant a mere recognition of, and respect for, those considered to be inherently and fundamentally different. Condemning racism and gender prejudice in all their forms, it stresses identifying and emphasising shared values and encouraging the widest community consultation on issues of social concern. It stresses a holistic approach to healing social ills - divisiveness is not cured by division. It calls for an approach that at its core recognises the essential unity of the human race: “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicates himself to the service of the entire human race. ... Blessed and happy is he that arises to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth. ... The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” ⁽⁵⁾

The Bahá’í community works actively to promote these views and put them into practice. In January 2001, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Kingdom established its Institute for Social Cohesion, which has already held two seminars, “Race, Youth and Social Exclusion” and “Models of Justice” which addressed some of the causes of social fragmentation. Recognizing the Bahá’í commitment to the wider community, the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, in congratulating the Bahá’í community on the centenary of its establishment in this country, in a message dated 21 March 1999, commented: “I share your principle of equality between all people and welcome your encouragement of dialogue between those of different faiths and cultures."

Shared values

The stress placed in the Government reports on the need for citizenship education, identification and recognition of shared values, rights and responsibilities “consistent with our core values“, ⁽⁶⁾ and on tackling racism and religious bigotry, find ready resonance with Bahá’í belief and practice, as does the reports’ emphasis on increased involvement of women and youth in community consultation and activity.

We believe Bahá’í concepts and attitudes can provide a framework to reconcile differences and “give people a common sense of belonging regardless of their race, cultural traditions or faith”. ⁽⁷⁾ Several of these Bahá’í beliefs in particular offer a positive contribution to solving the challenges identified in the two reports.

For instance, the reports variously describe “inclusiveness at the heart of faith school policy” as a key Government approach,⁽⁸⁾ and learning about and gaining respect for different religions and cultures as essential. At the same time, the Cantle report queries whether single-faith schools might not foster separation “particularly when fostered by extremists” and fail to contribute to integration,⁽⁹⁾ whatever might be “the desire of church leaders to promote religious tolerance and understanding”.⁽¹⁰⁾ A fundamental principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh offers a framework to achieve the Government’s goals of mutual respect, understanding and inclusiveness, namely: “… that all the great religions of the world are divine in origin, that their basic principles are in complete harmony, that their aims and purposes are one and the same, that their teachings are but facets of one truth, that their functions are complementary....”⁽¹¹⁾

While appreciating their own cultures, the importance of learning the language and being able to take a full part the life of the country to which they move has been a key principle guiding Bahá’ís who, for whatever reason, have settled in different lands, since the early days of the faith’s history.

Another fundamental principle of the Bahá’í Faith - the equality of women and men - offers a ready response to one of the concerns of the reports. Full and active participation of both sexes in the life and administration of the Bahá’í community, lacking as it does a priesthood or clergy, is a cardinal feature of Bahá’í life. Emphasis is placed on equal education for both daughters and sons, based on the same curriculum of study, as a means of promoting unity and equal participation in society of both sexes. Arranged or forced marriage is totally against Bahá’í teachings; while parental approval is required, both parties must freely arrive at their decision to marry without external influence of any kind. The combination of freedom of choice and parental support provides, Bahá’ís believe, a happy melding of the virtues of both modern and traditional attitudes.

The importance of obedience to the Government and laws of the country in which one lives is another fundamental Bahá’í teaching.

Concern for human rights and the concomitant responsibilities which attend them, are a central feature of the Bahá’í approach to citizenship education.

Meeting the challenge to the education system to promote responsible global citizenship,⁽¹²⁾ the Bahá’í concept of World Citizenship begins with an acceptance of the oneness of the human family and the inter-connectedness of the nations of "the earth, our home." While it encourages a sane and legitimate patriotism, it also insists upon a wider loyalty, a love of humanity as a whole. It does not, however, imply abandonment of legitimate loyalties, the suppression of cultural diversity, the abolition of national autonomy, or the imposition of uniformity. Its hallmark is "unity in diversity." World citizenship encompasses the principles of social and economic justice, both within and between nations; non‑adversarial decision-making at all levels of society; equality of the sexes; racial, ethnic, national and religious harmony; and the willingness to sacrifice for the common good. Other facets of world citizenship ‑ all of which promote human honour and dignity, understanding, amity, cooperation, trustworthiness, compassion and a desire to serve ‑ can be deduced from those already mentioned.

A positive contribution

The experience of recent decades is making it clear that to focus only on material and economic welfare does not reduce social divisiveness. Not only has such focus failed to build social cohesion, it has witnessed a rise in social disaffection and alienation. This is amply shown by increasing vandalism, drug addiction, and gang warfare, issues which prompted the two reports. Bahá'ís believe that much of this dysfunction stems from the neglect of the spiritual aspect of human nature: the failure to recognise the frequently unconscious “yearning for a life that satisfies the soul as well as the body'”.

We believe the need for a re-infusion of the spiritual - that impulse toward the moral and ethical which distinguishes the human from the merely bestial - is vital and clear. At the same time we recognise that religious disputes have, throughout history, been the cause of innumerable wars and conflicts, a major blight to progress. As a result, religion has been weakened and lost relevance, retaining what moral force it has by retreating all too often into fundamentalism and thus further deepening social divisions.

The challenge facing the leaders of religious communities if they are to contribute meaningfully to building social cohesion in the country, is to submerge their theological differences in a great spirit of mutual forbearance, and work together for the advancement of human understanding and peace. The Bahá’í view of religious truth as relative, not absolute, offers a framework within which they might work toward this goal.

The inclusive vision of the Bahá’í community, its practical experience and example, and the existing participation of Bahá’ís in social cohesion projects offer a model and constructive input to the development and implementation of community cohesion strategies that can make community unity a proud claim of the United Kingdom.

References:

(1)  (a) Building Cohesive Communities: A Report of the Ministerial Group on Public Order and 

      Community Cohesion (Ministerial Group);

    (b) Community Cohesion: A Report of the Independent Review Team Chaired by Ted Cantle

      (Cantle)

(2)  e.g. the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

    which place new obligations on key agencies such as the police, local government, health

    and regeneration authorities

(3)  Francis Fukuyama, "Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity", Hamish

    Hamilton, 1995, p.224

(4)  Cantle, Appendix C

(5)  Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p.250 (Bahá’u’lláh 1817-1892, Prophet Founder of the Bahá’í Faith)

(6)  Ministerial Group, section 3.12

(7)  ibid, section 2.11

(8)  ibid, section 3.29 for example

(9)  Cantle, section 5.6

(10) ibid, section 5.8: Recommendations

(11) Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, introduction p.v

(12) Cantle, Appendix B, section 1.7