On Politics: Baha'is Abstain from Political Involvement

I have refered to the subject of adversarial relationships before on this blog. Everywhere we look in the world there is evidence of conflict. Even the way people are governed in almost all countries of the world is based on conflict, as politics is essentially conflictual. Michael Karlberg has written a masterful book on the roots of conflict, called Beyond the Culture of Contest: From Adversarialism to Mutualism in an Age of Interdependence. It is on the basis of this kind of understanding that Karlberg outlines, which is rooted in the Baha'i Teachings, that Baha'is avoid partisan politics. Here is a statement on The Baha'is website.

Bahá’u’lláh required that His followers strictly abstain from political involvement of any kind.

At first glance, one might expect to find the members of the Bahá’í community actively engaged in a wide range of political pursuits in furtherance of its universal ideals. The opposite is in fact the case.

Bahá’ís are permitted to vote in a general election for any candidate who, in the privacy of their conscience, they believed would make the most valuable contribution to the society in which they live.

Bahá’ís may also accept nonpolitical government appointments. But they may not identify themselves with or campaign for any political party or partisan movement.

The reason for this is the basic Bahá’í belief that the fundamental challenge to all people and nations today is the attainment of the unification of humankind. Real social progress, Bahá’u’lláh taught, waits upon attainment of this new level in the development of human civilization: "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."

Bahá’u’lláh held that political action, which is necessarily partisan and divisive in nature, cannot hold the answers to problems that are universal in their very essence. All political instruments, he pointed out, are limited and particular, whether they be national, racial, cultural or ideological.

The Bahá’í principle of noninvolvement in politics does not prevent Bahá’ís from taking public positions on purely social and moral issues when these issues are not part of any partisan political debate. Indeed, over the years Bahá’ís have been at the forefront of action on several social issues such as racial equality and nondiscrimination.

The principle of noninvolvement in politics is closely related, both in belief and practice, to the Bahá’í teaching of loyalty to government in power.

Bahá’u’lláh called upon His followers to obey the government in power at a given time, and to refrain strictly from any attempts to subvert or undermine it. Should the government of a nation change, the Bahá’í community must, in the same spirit of faithfulness, give its loyalty to the new administration, in every fashion consistent with the principle of nonpolitical involvement.

The Baha'is, the Official Website for the International Baha'i Community, "Baha'i Involvement in Politics"