Let them refrain from associating themselves, whether by word or by deed,
with the political pursuits of their respective nations, with the policies
of their governments and the schemes and programs of parties and factions.
In such controversies they should assign no blame, take no side, further
no design, and identify themselves with no system prejudicial to the best
interests of that world-wide Fellowship which it is their aim to guard and
foster. Let them beware lest they allow themselves to become the tools of
unscrupulous politicians, or to be entrapped by the treacherous devices of
the plotters and the perfidious among their countrymen. Let them so shape
their lives and regulate their conduct that no charge of secrecy, of
fraud, of bribery or of intimidation may, however ill-founded, be brought
against them. Let them rise above all particularism and partisanship,
above the vain disputes, the petty calculations, the transient passions
that agitate the face, and engage the attention, of a changing world. It
is their duty to strive to distinguish, as clearly as they possibly can,
and if needed with the aid of their elected representatives, such posts
and functions as are either diplomatic or political from those that are
purely administrative in character, and which under no circumstances are
affected by the changes and chances that political activities and party
government, in every land, must necessarily involve. Let them affirm their
unyielding determination to stand, firmly and unreservedly, for the way of
Baha'u'llah, to avoid the entanglements and bickerings inseparable from
the pursuits of the politician, and to become worthy agencies of that
Divine Polity which incarnates God's immutable Purpose for all men.
It should be made unmistakably clear that such an attitude implies neither
the slightest indifference to the cause and interests of their own
country, nor involves any insubordination on their part to the authority
of recognized and established governments. Nor does it constitute a
repudiation of their sacred obligation to promote, in the most effective
manner, the best interests of their government and people. It indicates
the desire cherished by every true and loyal follower of Baha'u'llah to
serve, in an unselfish, unostentatious and patriotic fashion, the highest
interests of the country to which he belongs, and in a way that would
entail no departure from the high standards of integrity and truthfulness
associated with the teachings of his Faith.
As the number of the Baha'i communities in various parts of the world
multiplies and their power, as a social force, becomes increasingly
apparent, they will no doubt find themselves increasingly subjected to the
pressure which men of authority and influence, in the political domain,
will exercise in the hope of obtaining the support they require for the
advancement of their aims. These communities will, moreover, feel a
growing need of the good-will and the assistance of their respective
governments in their efforts to widen the scope, and to consolidate the
foundations, of the institutions committed to their charge. Let them
beware lest, in their eagerness to further the aims of their beloved
Cause, they should be led unwittingly to bargain with their Faith, to
compromise with their essential principles, or to sacrifice, in return for
any material advantage which their institutions may derive, the integrity
of their spiritual ideals. Let them proclaim that in whatever country they
reside, and however advanced their institutions, or profound their desire
to enforce the laws, and apply the principles, enunciated by Baha'u'llah,
they will, unhesitatingly, subordinate the operation of such laws and the
application of such principles to the requirements and legal enactments of
their respective governments. Theirs is not the purpose, while endeavoring
to conduct and perfect the administrative affairs of their Faith, to
violate, under any circumstances, the provisions of their country's
constitution, much less to allow the machinery of their administration to
supersede the government of their respective countries.
It should also be borne in mind that the very extension of the activities
in which we are engaged, and the variety of the communities which labor
under divers forms of government, so essentially different in their
standards, policies, and methods, make it absolutely essential for all
those who are the declared members of any one of these communities to
avoid any action that might, by arousing the suspicion or exciting the
antagonism of any one government, involve their brethren in fresh
persecutions or complicate the nature of their task. How else, might I
ask, could such a far-flung Faith, which transcends political and social
boundaries, which includes within its pale so great a variety of races and
nations, which will have to rely increasingly, as it forges ahead, on the
good-will and support of the diversified and contending governments of the
earth--how else could such a Faith succeed in preserving its unity, in
safeguarding its interests, and in ensuring the steady and peaceful
development of its institutions?
Such an attitude, however, is not dictated by considerations of selfish
expediency, but is actuated, first and foremost, by the broad principle
that the followers of Baha'u'llah will, under no circumstances, suffer
themselves to be involved, whether as individuals or in their collective
capacities, in matters that would entail the slightest departure from the
fundamental verities and ideals of their Faith. Neither the charges which
the uninformed and the malicious may be led to bring against them, nor the
allurements of honors and rewards, will ever induce them to surrender
their trust or to deviate from their path. Let their words proclaim, and
their conduct testify, that they who follow Baha'u'llah, in whatever land
they reside, are actuated by no selfish ambition, that they neither thirst
for power, nor mind any wave of unpopularity, of distrust or criticism,
which a strict adherence to their standards might provoke.
Difficult and delicate though be our task, the sustaining power of
Baha'u'llah and of His Divine guidance will assuredly assist us if we
follow steadfastly in His way, and strive to uphold the integrity of His
laws. The light of His redeeming grace, which no earthly power can
obscure, will if we persevere, illuminate our path, as we steer our course
amid the snares and pitfalls of a troubled age, and will enable us to
discharge our duties in a manner that would redound to the glory and the
honor of His blessed Name.