The role of the Baha'i in global governance in the future

Yesterday an event entitled "The role of global citizenship in global governance: today and in the future" was held in New York as part of the UN75 dialogue. The concept of governance is vague. It is often used to avoid the clearer term government. In this case, I would consider the translation into the art of government to be most appropriate.

Organizers were the Coalition for Global Citizenship 2030 and the NGO UN2020. The event took place in the rooms of the Baha'i International Community and its leader was the moderator. The Baha'i Representation to the United Nations, which is accredited as an NGO in various UN areas, regularly makes rooms available for such meetings.

No report on the event will follow now. I was not present and I do not have any texts of the speeches. Rather, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the role of Baha'i in this context.

The followers of the Baha'i religion see their faith as a world religion, which - according to their own statements - seems excessive for only about 8 million believers. The Mormons, for example, have 16 million followers. The proportion of registered but inactive Baha'i is very high, if not predominant. In Iran, where the Baha'i are the largest religious minority, they are persecuted by the ruling Mullah regime. This is partly because the Mecca of the Baha'i is located in Israel. The last prime minister of the Shah's regime, Amir Abbas Hoveyda, was executed during the Islamic Revolution. He was a Baha'i.

As with all religions, the basic claims concerning divine revelation are not provable and are interspersed with contradictions. The religious teachings of Baha'i are a mixture of more or less meaningful commandments and prohibitions. Even questionable nonsense comes to light. There is supposed to be the death penalty and, for example, homosexuality is forbidden. If you search the internet for "Baha'i criticism", you can read all this and more. But beware, the Baha'i leadership does not like negative criticism and basically views it as an attack against their divinely legitimized authority. It is already synonymous with blasphemy.

This authority is embodied by a panel of nine selected Baha'i, which bears the lofty name "Universal House of Justice". Contrary to the equality of the sexes propagated in the so-called Baha'i principles, only men can be elected to this body. In principle, therefore, we are dealing here with a nine-member pope who has absolute and unquestionable power in matters of faith as well as in administration.

The unity of mankind propagated in the Baha'i principles is not to be undermined by a free, pluralistic and democratic world community, but by a global state of God. In the words of a leading Baha'i with the title of a "Hand of the Cause of God" in a public lecture: "One God - one religion - one mankind". The Universal House of Justice (UHG) would then be the world government. Even if it is indeed impossible, behind the friendly facade of the Baha'i religion there is seriously the idea of a theocratic world dictatorship. But most Baha'i are unaware of this.

Actually, the Baha'i are forbidden any political activity. In the past, they have even been discouraged from participating in democratic elections. Under certain conditions, defined by the UHG, there are exceptions. When an institution such as the Baha'i International Community is politically active at the UN, it does so by means of funding, with the guidelines and under the strict control of the UHG. The true background is not mentioned in public. This is global governance as understood by the Baha'i, now and in the future.
Everyone who cooperates with an official Baha'i administration should know this.

The Young World Federalists are here

The Young World Federalists fight against climate change, want to overcome poverty and abolish wars. They have correctly recognized that this can best be achieved by establishing a World Federation. The goal is identical with the goal of the Mondialists. We call it a federal World Union. In this sense, the Young World Federalists are at the same time Mondialists, because Mondialism is nothing more than a somewhat shorter word for World Federalism.

They are rather young in the sense that they are mostly young and use modern communication and financing methods. One does not want to do without the "old hands" on principle. I would also like to advise against putting too many expectations into the younger generation for the time being. In my experience with Fridays for Future, young people still seem to believe that they can make the world a better place with protest alone. Thus, my appeal was rather supported by the Parents for Future.

But this will certainly change with time and under the growing pressure of world problems. After all, the young generation still has a long way to go in life. Perhaps the YWF are also exactly the people for whom the "March of World Citizens" (see the previous article) is waiting. We'll have to wait and see how that turns out. So far, I'm afraid all I see are declarations of intent and misjudgments.

World Citizens March stands still

"La Marche des Citoyens du Monde" was founded in 2013 by Olivier d'Argenlieu and a few fellow campaigners. It was not a march in the sense of a migration, but a movement for the political unification of planet Earth. The objectives of the initiators largely coincide with what we Mondialists want. Also the time horizon until the end of this century is realistic. In this sense, the people of "La Marche" are Mondialists.

However, a mistake was made, which I have seen in many such foundations. A few writings are published, a great homepage is published and then one believes that now many other World Citizens should join the project. But it does not work like that. Not even in the office of the World Citizens Registry (German), where the postal address of "La Marche" is also located, one showed interest. So the initiative was at a standstill from the very beginning. We discussed this in the World Citizens Forum (German).

It is also strange that the World Citizens Register, with which "La Marche" must have a relationship because of the address, is not mentioned on the homepage. Also other important initiatives with the same aims are not mentioned, as if the initiators did not know about their existence. This not only hinders the urgently needed cooperation, but also makes a dubious impression.

After the dissolution of "La Marche" was discussed last year due to age reasons, and because no team was found to succeed the coordination committee, an Annual Report (PDF) has now been published again. One has to criticize the magazine as well as the homepage. There is no indication of what is already happening in the world in the sense of "La Marche". Instead, there is an appeal to the younger generation to take over the project. How, that is unclear.

The matter should therefore be continued. It will then become clear whether it is making progress, or whether the march is treading water as before, or whether perhaps nothing is moving at all.

 

Jai Jagat 2020 – unstable nonviolent

On October 2, 2019 - on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi - the global march for justice and peace Jai Jagat 2020 started in New Delhi with the goal of reaching Geneva on October 2, 2020. The organizers and participants refer to the philosophy of non-violence according to Gandhi.

However, the march is not that global, because it only touches a small section of the earth's circumference. In between there are large gaps that are bridged by means of transport. The way to Geneva should have actually gone west from New Delhi, directly to the Pakistani border. There may have been weighty reasons for the organizers to leave Pakistan out of the action from the outset. But that does not fit in with their moral claim.

So they preferred to march south. At the meetings and events along the way, mainly India's internal problems were discussed. The Hindu caste system is still the main obstacle to justice and peace. One can rightly regard it as a brutal and misanthropic oppression system. Gandhi himself never questioned it, but explicitly advocated it.

From India, the march was to go to Iran by plane and ship. Because of tensions with the USA this part of the march has been cancelled in the meantime. However, the organizers travelled to Iran with a small delegation, including a visit to the Ministry of Culture of the Mullah regime in Tehran. This is the culture that degrades women and executes homosexuals.

"We also decided to visit the place from where Islamic revolution was driven by Imam Ayatollah Khomeini - another Peace lover just like Mahatma Gandhi."

From a report on Facebook

That's pretty strong stuff. From 12 February, this is to continue in Armenia.

As regards the principle of non-violence, it should be said that non-violence is very important, especially when protesting against grievances. We are currently witnessing protest actions around the world that repeatedly turn into violence. These protests often lead to the opposite of what was intended. Non-violence is also an essential characteristic of civilisation. It is successful when it is protected by a superior humane force. Resisting barbarism without violence has little chance of success.

When Gandhi began his non-violent resistance to British colonial rule in India, he could be sure that the English were not barbarians. However, he only succeeded to a limited extent in keeping the violence of his followers in check. After the withdrawal of the colonial power, barbarism broke out between Hindus and Muslims. In Calcutta alone, up to 10,000 people died in riots. India broke up into two states that are still hostile to each other with nuclear weapons. One can therefore hardly consider the post-Gandhi non-violence as successful. Gandhi's official glorification as a national hero is therefore a farce.

You only need to search the Internet for "Gandhi criticism" to find well documented information about the fact that Gandhi was not a good man in reality. He was an unpleasant, power-hungry man with a clearly conspicuous psyche. If you do not want to believe it, please read here!

"With regard to mass rape in India today, it is interesting that Gandhi believed that a woman who has been raped should no longer be considered a human being." FOCUS from July 12, 2017

Of course this criticism is ignored or vehemently rejected by Gandhi followers. Jai Jagat 2020 pursues a completely exaggerated personality cult around Gandhi, which cannot be accepted as a critically thinking person. This is almost like a sect. With this Jai Jagat 2020 makes itself implausible.

But I don't want to deny any of the participants of Jai Jagat 2020 their personal will for justice and peace or to belittle their social commitment. However, I consider the topic of non-violence so important that I would rather liberate it from the haze of Gandhi. Global justice, world peace and non-violence can only exist through democratically created and enforceable World Law. To achieve this, the world political foundations and institutions must be built up today. Everything else is irrational reverie.

1 to 7 February – World Interfaith Harmony Week

The United Nations General Assembly on 20 October 2010, by resolution A/RES/65/PV.34 designated the first week of February of every year as the World Interfaith Harmony Week between all religions, faiths and beliefs.

Image: UNO

The General Assembly, building on its efforts for a culture of peace and non-violence, wished to highlight the importance that mutual understanding and inter-religious dialogue can play in developing a creative culture of peace and non-violence. The General Assembly Resolution recognized "the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions in enhancing mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among people." The week has a potential to promote the healing of religion-based tensions in the world. As the then Secretary General Ban Ki-moon wrote:

"At a time when the world is faced with many simultaneous problems – security, environmental, humanitarian, and economic – enhanced tolerance and understanding are fundamental for a resilient and vibrant international society. There is an imperative need, therefore, to further reaffirm and develop harmonious cooperation between the world’s different faiths and religions."

Citizens of the World have called for a cultural renaissance based on the concept of harmony. Rather than concentrating primarily on conflicts, struggles and suffering which is certainly necessary if we are to help resolve the many armed conflicts, World Citizens have suggested that the focus should be on cooperation, coexistence and visions of a better future. Harmony includes tolerance, acceptance, equality and forgiveness of past pains and conflicts. Harmony leads to gentleness, patience, kindness and thus to inner peace and outward to relations based on respect.

I would like to thank Rene Wadlow, President of the Association of World Citizens, for the information provided. Referring to my contribution of 19 January to World Religion Day, as a Mondialist I can also welcome this example of inter-religious peace work. Unfortunately, I have not found any activities on this occasion on the Internet for the German-speaking countries.

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