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Flora Teckie
ON March 21, we marked the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Racism is a persistent evil and is a major barrier to peace.
It is a requirement of justice that everyone is treated as equals and that the racism prevalent in many parts of the world be eradicated.
We all belong to one human family, only varied in the secondary aspects of our lives.
In the Bahá’í view, racism will be eliminated only when the people of the world are convinced of the oneness of humanity and proceed to reconstruct their lives and their societies on that basis.
According to a statement of the Bahá’í International Community to the 2001 Durban World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, “Racism originates not in the skin but in the human mind. Remedies to racial prejudice, xenophobia and intolerance must accordingly address first and foremost those mental illusions that have for so many thousands of years given rise to false concepts of superiority and inferiority among human populations.”
Racial discrimination is persisting globally because of the erroneous idea that humanity is somehow composed of separate and distinct races, peoples or castes, and that those sub-groups inherently possess varying intellectual, moral, and/or physical capacities, which in turn justify different forms of treatment.
“The reality is that there is only the one human race. We are a single people, inhabiting the planet Earth; one human family bound together in a common destiny, a single entity created from one same substance,” says the Bahá’í International Community.
The reality of human oneness is fully endorsed by science.
Anthropology, physiology, psychology, sociology and genetics all confirm that there is only one human species, although infinitely varied in the secondary aspects of life.
The principle of human oneness is not just another vague hope or slogan.
It reflects, rather, an eternal spiritual, moral and physical reality.
If we wish to eliminate racism entirely, we must wholeheartedly embrace the concept of the oneness of the human race.
Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, says: “Close your eyes to racial differences, and welcome all with the light of oneness.”
To honour our diversity without making differences a cause for conflict requires a new way of thinking, based on respect for the rights of every individual.
The oneness of humanity does not imply uniformity.
It is because of our diversity that we have a beautiful and colourful human family.
The Bahá’í Writings state: “Consider the flowers of a garden: though differing in kind, colour, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty. Thus, when that unifying force, the penetrating influence of the Word of God, taketh effect, the difference of customs, manners, habits, ideas, opinions and dispositions embellisheth the world of humanity.”
The coming together of the people of the world in a harmonious relationship is the most crucial need today.
Advances in knowledge have brought about a greater interdependence between the nations.
The central task now is to lay the foundations of a global society that can reflect the oneness of the human family.
Creating a universal culture of collaboration and conciliation will require commitment to the oneness of humankind and a return to spiritual awareness and responsibility.
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Website: www.bahai.org
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