|
|
|
To accept and observe
a distinction which God has not intended in creation is ignorance and
superstition. The fact which is to be considered, however, is that woman,
having formerly been deprived, must now be allowed equal opportunities
with man for education and training. There must be no difference in their
education. Until the reality of equality between man and woman is fully
established and attained, the highest social development of mankind is
not possible. Even granted that woman is inferior to man in some degree
of capacity or accomplishment, this or any other distinction would continue
to be productive of discord and trouble.
The Bahá'í Terraces, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel. 
The only remedy is
education, opportunity; for equality means equal qualification. In brief,
the assumption of superiority by man will continue to be depressing to
the ambition of woman, as if her attainment to equality was creationally
impossible; woman's aspiration toward advancement will be checked by it,
and she will gradually become hopeless. On the contrary, we must declare
that her capacity is equal, even greater than man's. This will inspire
her with hope and ambition, and her susceptibilities for advancement will
continually increase. She must not be told and taught that she is weaker
and inferior in capacity and qualification. If a pupil is told that his
intelligence is less than his fellow pupils, it is a very great drawback
and handicap to his progress. He must be encouraged to advance by the
statement, "You are most capable, and if you endeavor, you will attain
the highest degree."
('Abdu'l-Bahá:
Promulgation of Universal Peace,
Pages: 76-77)
    
|
|
 
 |
LAE, Papua New Guinea — From every corner of Papua New Guinea, the Baha’is came – and that was not easy.
They were eager to reach the city of Lae to attend a regional conference – one of 41 being held in cities around the world at the call of the Universal House of Justice, the elected body that is the head of the Baha’i Faith.
But at Rabaul on the Papua New Guinean island of New Britain, the long-threatening volcano was acting up, requiring Baha’is who wanted to attend the conference to be ferried out by helicopter to a landing spot where they could then catch a boat or plane to Lae, on the main island of New Guinea.
Boats to Lae had their problems, too. One group of travelers was almost stranded when their craft blew its engine. Similar challenges were experienced by some of those who traveled by bus. Others walked long distances – up to a week – in a country where most of the people live in rural villages, many of them settlements that are isolated and difficult to reach.
But at 8 a.m. sharp on 17 January, right on schedule, the two-day conference in Lae got under way with 1,500 people in attendance.
The 41 conferences – being held over a four-month period that will end on 1 March – are meant to give an opportunity to Baha’is to celebrate recent achievements in community-building work and to plan future activities.
Read the entire story.
|
|
|
