Category Archives: Administrative Order

The institutions of the Baha’i Faith.

“Code Red”

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This is a modified version of an originally a post I made to Talisman

If you’ve been around enough in Baha’i circles you have the unfortunate circumstance to see some unpleasantries. Nothing unusual in that, all organizations no matter their nature or size have some negative stuff. What I mean by that general term are situations where misunderstandings or misapplications of procedure or regulations puts a Baha’i in disagreement with the AO (or some of their agencies and bodies). In each of these cases it is the individual who is bullied and pushed around (no matter what the circumstances, the AO never acknowledges that it may be wrong or mistaken). Sadly, there have been many of these over the years and with the marvel of the internet, Baha’is have been able to read about such cases where they wouldn’t normally be privy to the information.

After being exposed to quite a few of these ugly experiences (mine and others) I found a common denominator that seems to run through all of them. And that is when the person wronged tells their side, they are pelted with demands of ‘proof’. No matter what they say, defenders of the AO will not accept anything except their version of ‘proof’. That is they want a certain condition or conditions to be fulfilled before they will consider the possiblity that the AO did anything remotely wrong or damaging to an individual believer. We saw this with the tragic case of Shirin, where the only thing that seemed to help was the threat of public exposure for the irresponsible and borderline criminal behaviour of the AO.

I can understand the intention of such demands for proof. No one likes it when someone comes up with empty allegations and accusations. Believe me, I’ve been on the receiving end of it quite a bit and its not a great feeling. What I disagree with is the demand that the proof furnished be in an exact type and format. In fact, this whole thing made me immediately think of a scene in “A Few Good Men”. If you haven’t seen it, the general premise of the movie is an investigation into the suspicious death of a soldier in Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo). We learn that the incident which caused his death is called a ‘code red’ and is intended to be an internal mechanism to force conformity and loyalty within the unit.

The scene that I refer to is in the military trial where the defense attorney (Kevin Bacon as ROSS)tries to sabotage the prosecutor’s (Tom Cruise as KAFEE) whole strategy by attempting to deny that a ‘code red’ even exists. Here is the relevant part out of the script:

ROSS takes three books out of his briefcase and puts them on
the table. He brings one to HOWARD.

ROSS
Corporal Howard, I hold here The Marine
Guide and General Information Handbook for
New Recruits. Are you familiar with this
book?

HOWARD
Yes sir.

ROSS
Have you read it?

HOWARD
Yes sir.

ROSS
Good.
(hands him the book)
Would you turn to the chapter that deals
with code reds, please.

HOWARD
Sir?

ROSS
Just flip to the page in that book that
discusses code reds.

HOWARD
Sir, you see, Code Red is a term we use–
it’s just used down at GITMO, sir. I
don’t know if it actually–

ROSS has produced another book.

ROSS
We’re in luck, then. The Marine Corps
Guide for Sentry Duty, NAVY BASE
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I assume we’ll find
the term code red and its definition in
this book, am I correct?

HOWARD
No sir.

ROSS
No? Corporal Howard, I’m a marine. Is
their no book, no manual or pamphlet, no
set of orders or regulations that let me
know that, as a marine, one of my duties
is to perform code reds?

HOWARD
(pause)
No sir. No books, sir.

ROSS
No further questions.

ROSS sits. KAFFEE walks over to ROSS‘s table and picks
up one of the books. He brings it to HOWARD.

KAFFEE
Corporal, would you turn to the page in
this book that says where the enlisted
men’s mess hall is?

HOWARD
Lt. Kaffee, that’s not in the book, sir.

KAFFEE
I don’t understand, how did you know where
the enlisted men’s mess hall was if it’s
not in this book?

HOWARD
I guess I just followed the crowd at chow
time, sir.

KAFFEE
No more questions.

KAFFEE chucks the book back on ROSS‘s desk.

What’s my point? Well, ‘code reds’ by their very nature are not written down or documentable. But that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. Unfortunately, there have been ‘code reds’ in the Baha’i Faith, which causes me great anquish and sadness. The latest one that we all found out about was Larry’s case.

My heart goes out to anyone who has been the victim of the misguided, who in their false understanding of the AO, have chosen to inflict upon them their imperfect understanding and demand conformity.

Some deny emphatically that such bullying happens within the Baha’i community but many others concede that such ‘code reds’ do, unfortunately, occur within the Baha’i Faith, but they say, if such incidences do occur, they are but the personal and mistaken acts of individuals and do not reflect at all on the AO or the Faith. Basically, I agree with this. Individuals can make mistakes and we should not generalize and blame the AO or the Faith for their errors.

But here is my problem with such reasoning in this case. Were such ‘code reds’ to occur once or twice in a blue moon, I could forgive it and look the other way. Were such ‘code reds’ to be condemned later by the AO and the persons instigating them chastised, and removed from offices of authority and power, I could forgive it and look the otherway. Were such ‘code reds’ to be reversed, the victim given a full, written and official apology, I could forgive it and look the other way.

However, when instead I see that there is a protracted pattern of bullying by people in the AO and nothing has been done about it, it concerns me. When I see that those individual’s are not punished but instead are given a silent message of approval and often are promoted to higher office and authority, it concerns me. When I see that such bullying behaviour is quitely encouraged (Baha’is are asked to be ever vigilant and spy on their fellow believers), I am alarmed and saddened. Then I can no longer, in good conscience, separate the persons who are doing those things and saying those things, and the AO itself.

In my next few posts I hope to tell the story of a ‘code red’ that I learned about just recently. To protect the innocent I will not use the names of the persons involved or the location. But it is a true story and I want to tell it because it illustrates that for every ‘code red’ that we do hear about (such as Larry’s or Alison’s or Juan’s….) there are many, many others who we don’t.

The Situation is Hopeless, But Not Serious

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I found this recent post on Baha´i Livejournal to be bittersweet.Bittersweet because it is a situation many Baha´is are well acquainted with. And if you personally aren´t then you are suffering from a rather large concussion or simply haven´t travelled enough within the Baha´i world community.

There are some elements which all Baha´i communities share. From Botswana to Switzerland. From LA to Katmandu. These are that all LSAs are basically disfunctional, the members at each other´s throats, deadlocked. It is worse than any political parliamentary process I have ever seen. Unless you have seen it from upclose, as the poster above describes so tactfully, you can not imagine the vitriol, the emotional blindness and sheer egotism that exists within LSA meetings.

That is not to say that such things don´t exist in NSA meetings (or even UHJ or ITC meetings). But atleast the higher bodies have the ability to use subtlety and hidden Machiavellian maneuverings behind the scene. LSA meetings on the other hand are analogous to hand to hand combat in the Circus Maximus.

And it isn´t surprising that many people simply decide to “call in sick” and either not show up to the meetings once elected, leaving the quorum to its own devices, or they take precautionary measures by not simply showing up at the strategically important holy day celebrations, social gatherings and feasts just before the annual elections (so as to not be in the “public eye” and therefore not elected) or to withdraw (as the recent example of Momen from the UK illustrates) posthaste from the battle.

Bittersweet because once Baha´is know this to be reality, it may bother them, but at the same time it may explain why entire communities remain stagnant (or even go into decline), why the Faith is seemingly not making any significant inroads in the world and why the life of the general community is so poisonous. Its not pretty, but it is the truth. And maybe its better knowing because its worse living with that question that won´t go away but sits at the back of your mind asking, why are things so crappy? is this what I signed up for? is this the best we can do?

The reason why this sad situation exists is no mystery. The Baha´i election process, as it stands right now is designed so that the same people get elected. The plague of incumbency makes it almost impossible to have a wholesale change in the membership of any LSA, NSA or even the UHJ. Usually what happens is one or two (or maybe three) members change but the vast majority remain as before. In this way, decades can pass with an assembly being primarily composed of the same persons (and having the same persons in the key positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer). Human nature, being what it is, causes camps to develop and polarize into extreme positions.

The solution, interestingly enough has been with us for many years. The most famous instance it was brought to the Baha´i communities attention was when a group of young, idealistic Baha´is in LA in the late 80´s thought they could actually put the Writings into practice and hope to change things for the better. They got together and penned a document which they titled tongue-in-cheek as “A Modest Proposal” (a title used originally by Swift).

For their troubles the authors were raked over coals, publicly denounced on the floor of the US National Convention by a member of the NSA as “worse than covenant-breakers” and hounded within the Baha´i community, causing many to eventually leave. The Baha´i magazine, Dialogue, which was to publish the document was also forced to close.

What was in that document that was so bad? why were they called “worse than covenant breakers” when they obviously weren´t? why were they accused falsely of distributing a petition? (Falsely because it wasn´t a petition and even if it were, Baha´u´llah, Abdu´l-Baha and the UHJ all have received and graciously answered petitions!)

Well, the document is here for you to peruse. I can´t tell you what to think about it. You´ll have to make up your own mind. I think its called individual investigation of truth, or something like that, isn´t it? (for more info, you might consider Karen´s articles or a simple search on Google.)

I can tell you that part of the document deals with term limits (page six). The simple idea that membership to the different elected institutions should have time limits. Thus allowing for new points of view, fresh ideas and the avoidance of camps or factions within the elected institutions; the avoidance of personality clashes between two or more people which can only become more and more bitter over the years and poison the life of the community. Basically the situation that our friend described so ever tactfully in her post on Livejournal (above).

And interestingly enough this idea is not, as some ignorant Baha´is would claim, against anything in the Writings. But in fact, it is in total harmony with the revealed guidance regarding the institutions. In fact once you read “A Modest Proposal” you will notice that many of the suggestions or “proposals” then called heretic were later implemented by the UHJ, the ITC and the NSA. I´ll leave you to figure out which. And no they do not have the same labels or names as the ones used in “A Modest Proposal” – what? do you take the powers that be to be fools?

Since many of the once heretical suggestions have been already implemented (ofcourse, after their authors were libelled, persecuted and assaulted and different names used for the initiatives they suggested) why not implement another one?

As Watzlawick might say: the situation is hopeless, and the solution is hopelessly simple.

The Baha´i Approach to SED

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I know it is easy to fall into a trap of excessive negativity and simply become a source of criticism just for the heck of it. In order to not be so charged, I wanted to share positive ideas regarding the Baha´i approach to social and economic development.The Baha´i Writings contain repeated and intense guidance that we are to help our fellow man, to feed the poor, heal the sick, aid the helpless, etc. They are at once beautiful words as well as extremely high standards to which we must strive. Baha´u´llah mentions this duty, so does Abdu´l-Baha, and so does Shoghi Effendi. I really don´t want to fill up these paragraphs with quote after quote because those interested can do a simple search, either at the Baha´i online library or at Ocean.

Yet, for the most part, the Baha´i international community has not heeded these clear and repeated instructions. We have not really done much. Sure, there is an SED office at the Baha´i World Centre and there are ongoing projects under their supervision. But they are but drops to an ocean. As well, the priority given to them by Baha´u´llah and Abdu´l-Baha have been superceded by other priorities put forward by the UHJ and the ITC.

Primarily, the priority is to teach and to expand the numerical growth of the Baha´i international community. When questions arise as to the reconciliation of these two priorities, words to the following effect are often cited:

“Because love for our fellowmen and anguish at their plight are essential parts of a true Baha’i's life, we are continually drawn to do what we can to help them. It is vitally important that we do so whenever the occasion presents itself, for our actions must say the same thing as our words — but this compassion for our fellows must not be allowed to divert our energies into channels which are ultimately doomed to failure, causing us to neglect the most important and fundamental work of all. There are hundreds of thousands of well-wishers of mankind who devote their lives to works of relief and charity, but a pitiful few to do the work which God Himself most wants done: the spiritual awakening and regeneration of mankind.”

(From the Universal House of Justice Messages 1963-1986, p. 126)

Basically, it boils down to the argument that the best thing that Baha´is can do for their fellow man is to teach them the Baha´i Faith. But where does this leave the thousands who are destitute, sick, hungry, orphaned and helpless?

To me such an argument is revulsive and wholly incompatible with the words of Baha´u´llah and Abdu´l-Baha. Did the Master stop a poor man on the street and teach him, or did He stop and duck in an alley way to remove His shirt to give to him? Did He ask what religion the poor man professed? or whether he had heard of the Baha´i Faith?

This sort of lukewarm, shrugging of the shoulders and moving on, response is what we witnessed with the Tsunami tragedy of late last year.

Does the person without food really want to listen to your great news about a new religion? or would they rather eat something and feed their family? Would the sick prefer to be cured or to hear of a new Manifestation of God? Put yourself in those shoes right now and think about it for one second.

If these acts are “doomed to fail” and are not the “work that God wants us to do”, then pray tell why did Abdu´l-Baha, the Exemplar, repeatedly behave in this manner? and why did such acts take such a high prominence in the Writings?

I think that, as in many things, Baha´is must learn to practice moderation. Moderation here means that one doesn´t ignore the wailing of the poor or the plight of the sick (stepping over them as a triffling inconvenience of the “Old World Order” on our way to our 5th repetition of Ruhi), neither does it mean that we give up teaching the Faith or deepening.

So where are the positive ideas, you ask?

The first idea is simple, to encourage Baha´is to exit their self-imposed bubble and go out into the real world to help those in need. This can be done in a rather simple way. Making a list of charities and organizations who already do have the infrastructure and systems in place but need human resources. Baha´is can volunteer a few hours a week or month and in so doing, they are not only implementing the Writings about helping our fellow man, but they are doing themselves a huge favour. They are getting out and actually talking with real people, dealing with real problems and co-operating with those on the front lines trying to do something about them. Don´t you think this is much better than to sit in a classroom and rot your brain with the mindnumbing, parrot-like repetition that is Ruhi?

All you need to do is to make a list of like minded organizations in your community and bring it to the Feast and make a short presentation (and be the first to volunteer to set an example). Unfortunately though, most Baha´i communities have become so dense that they will probably cock their heads and ask you, is this approved by the LSA/NSA/UHJ/ITC?

ok, ok, ok . . . I promised to be positive. On to the second idea:

This is a bit more complicated and requires that your whole community be on the same page (more or less). The idea is to pick a sister Baha´i community somewhere way out there in the world. The only stipulation being that they be in a developing or marginalized part of the world and that they have some similarities with your language and culture. For example, the Baha´is of Lisboa can pick a small community in Brasil (say somewhere in the interior). The aim of such partnering is to encourage inter-community communication and allow the Lisboa (in our example) to send funds and other resources to the Brasilian community in need.

The beauty of this sort of partnership is that Lisboa doesn´t need to send a lot of money as their currency (Euro) is quite strong against the Brasilian Real. So a €50 transfer, which is not much for a community such as them, would mean the world when exchanged into Reals. But it doesn´t have to be just money – the community can send books, for example. The actual help will have to come about after an initial dialogue between the two communities. As well, there are many unquantifiable benefits accrued to both communities in such a partnership.

I´m not suggesting a simple wealth transfer but a two way relationship where both parties gain – albeit in different ways. Also, the point of this is to allow the economically poorer community to help itself and improve its conditions – not to simply receive hand outs. Of course, this idea is not simple and implementing it appropriately would take time and a lot of loving patience on both sides. But just think about the benefits and the fruits that it can yield.

There you have it, two positive ideas. Now go run with it.

Resignations and Arrests Connected?

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What started it all seems to have been the arrest of several Baha´is in Iran and the apparently concomitant resignation of two long serving members of the UHJ. A source, not known for 100% accuracy made this interesting observation and was derided until a few days later when official confirmation arrived in a curtly worded press release.I don´t really want to get into this situation as it has already been discussed in depth in various other blogs and in the varied Baha´i discussion forums. I just want to add that there is a much larger story here and that perhaps with time, we will find out what is really going on.

There is no question that whoever these Baha´is were (either foreigners or native Iranians), they were under the direct supervision of the ITC/UHJ. No Baha´i dares take any trip to Iran without informing their NSA (as instructed by the UHJ). As well, the recent letter addressed to Baha´is outside of Iran clearly discouraged them from even travelling to Iran. Saying that if they must, it is their duty to practice restraint and moderation, lest they put the Faith at risk or encourage the Baha´is there to leave. So it is clear that a Baha´i, on their own, would never in a million years travel to Iran and do anything that would be so questionable. Unless they were doing so “under the auspices” of the institutions. To suggest otherwise is preposterous.

But for the moment you can count on the official Baha´i channels to be in full damage control mode. Not until things calm down, do I hope to know what the heck was going on behind the scenes.

If you know of any information regarding this (either proving or disproving the connection of the two events or anything else related), please let us know. The Baha´i world community derserves to know the truth.

I pray that all the Baha´is detained are treated well and released. And I also pray that the Baha´i world community really thinks this time when they go to the ballot box to choose the replacement for Semple and Martin.

Having said that, realistically, their replacements will probably come from the ITC´s XY chromosome pool.