Abstract
What do the Bahá’ís contribute at the United Nations for the religious freedom of all human beings? By means of statements and reports from the Bahá’í International Community (BIC) at the United Nations (UN) this short article will show that on the one hand the Bahá’ís invoke the right to freedom of conscience and religion, which is firmly established in Art. 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and that on the other hand they emphasize not only the duty of the states, but also the obligation of the individual in general to exercise these rights and to guarantee that others may enjoy them. For the individual and his (A number of quotations date from an earlier period and use the generic pronouns to refer to both men and women. To preserve unity of style the generic pronouns are used in the text as well.) dignity it is important, among other things, that in principle he has the possibility and the obligation to search independently for truth. In the following it is explained (1) where the Bahá’ís are located at the United Nations and what the BIC’s mandate is. Since the perspective of the Bahá’ís concerning religious freedom is embedded in a general concept, (2) their understanding of the dignity of the human being is outlined as well as the basic implications deriving from this and the consequences thereof, namely human rights and human obligations. This leads then (3) to concrete arguments particularly for religious freedom as a prerequisite for the development of human dignity and education. It will be clear that this means a life-long process of education on the road to peace, freedom and justice. These remarks end with a summary and conclusion (4).
Originally published as Einsatz für Religionsfreiheit bei den Vereinten Nationen – der Beitrag der Bahá’í, in: M. L. Pirner, J. Lähnemann, H. Bielefeldt (Hrsg.) Menschenrechte und inter-religiöse Bildung, EB-Verlag Dr. Brandt e.K., Berlin 2015.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
The constitution of the League of Nations was accepted and signed in this year (1919). The League was not founded officially until 1920.
- 3.
Cf. also Berger (2003), p. 24. In her essay Berger analyzes the RNGOs at the UN and demonstrates the extent to which RNGOS help to shape global politics.
- 4.
Cf. also Gollmer (1995), pp. 360–361, and Lincoln (1970/71), on the topic of the political culture of the Bahá’ís. “Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.” (Bahá’u’lláh, 1990, p. 213; cf. also BIC Document #95-0303).
- 5.
- 6.
Cf. Negele (2014), e.g. pp. 102–111 for more on this topic.
- 7.
Cf. Negele (2014), pp. 124–199 and 200 ff. for more on this topic.
- 8.
The title is: “A Bahá’í Declaration of Human Obligations and Rights” (BIC Document #47-0201).
- 9.
“The right to change one’s religion or belief is accorded the status of a non-derogable right—a right that is protected unconditionally and is, at no time, subject to government regulation.” (BIC Document #05-0401; BIC Document #05-1001); “A non-derogable right is not subject to governmental regulation, even in times of a national emergency.” (BIC Document #05-0401, footnote 12; BIC Document #05-1001, footnote 7).
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Acknowledgements
I thank Ms. Janet Rawling-Keitel warmly for the careful translation from German to English.
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Negele, G. (2016). Engagement for Religious Freedom at the United Nations: The Contribution of the Bahá’ís. In: Pirner, M., Lähnemann, J., Bielefeldt, H. (eds) Human Rights and Religion in Educational Contexts. Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Rights, vol 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39351-3_7
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