In brief, for the global village, as distinct from the USA alone, racism is such a disgustingly destructive disaster that society totters on the brink of civil war. Love of course is the only solution, but a catalyst, a circuit breaker, is urgently needed for uniting humankind: "Unless the unity of language is realized, the 'Most Great Peace' and the oneness of the human world cannot be effectively organized and established; because the function of language is to portray the mysteries and secrets of human hearts. The heart is like a box and language is the key. We can open the box only by using the key, and observe the gems it contains.” Abdul Baha (PUP)
Beneficiaries of the world’s most ‘successful’ colonial language impact minimally the racist status quo in Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, USA etcetera while indifferent to the uniquely-Baha’i-principle of an auxiliary international language or while downplaying advantages inherited as privileged native speakers of English, whose culture and history in the last 3 centuries are ruined by racist acts, a continuum that props up endemically structuralized racism so abhorred by the righteous.
http://bahaiteachings.org/unity-diversity-racial-identification - Cynthia Barnes-Slater
Notwithstanding many splendid Baha’i efforts at tamping down ignition of racism’s consuming fire, an essential extinguisher, a language arranged with utmost care and good-will and far-removed from the tongues of slavery’s overlords, has shamefully gone largely untapped by intellectuals, linguists and politicians — in excess of one century. Not since interbellum decades and when Abdul Baha, Tolstoy, Lu Xun, Verne, Diesel, Tagore, Eiffel and other thinkers in the East and the West called for a second language for all school kids, have academe, the arts, government, the judiciary, the media, the professions or religion seriously investigated the peace-making potential of Esperanto and its non-religious, non-political, non-aligned, anti-racism movement. 9 key paragraphs in Dr. Zamenhof’s 1906 Geneva speech pinpoint his position on Esperantism whose internal idea is the antithesis of racism:
Astoundingly few Baha’i scholars, administrators or artists seem even peripherally aware that Abdul Baha specified a language in common as “the cause of love between the children of men. It will cause GOOD FELLOWSHIP BETWEEN THE VARIOUS RACES”. ( * ibid p. 45) He expanded in explicit reference to Esperanto by instructing: “every one of us must study this language and spread it as far as possible.” (ibid * p. 45) Thus spake He in Paris, France, amid a months’ long media scrum in 1913, as recorded for us and for generations yet unborn in an authoritative Baha’i text translated into hundreds of languages, Baha’i leaders of our time should note, n’est-ce pas!? Alas and alack, in the maximum, for their religion’s anti-racism and language overlap, as penned by One they’ve pledged to obey, remains as opaque to them as their duty at a personal level to rectify or rebut the oversight in question:
"In order to facilitate complete understanding between all people, a universal auxiliary language will be adopted and in the schools of the future two languages will be taught — the mother tongue and this international auxiliary tongue which will be either one of the existing languages, or a new language made up of words from all the languages — the matter to be determined by a confederation met for the purpose which shall represent all TRIBES and nations. This international tongue will be used in the work of the parliament of man — a supreme tribunal of the world which will be permanently established in order to arbitrate international questions. The members of this arbitral court of justice will be representatives of all the countries. It is incumbent upon the nations to obey the commands of this tribunal, for such a tribunal will be under the power of God and for the protection of all men. In all the sacred books where do you find such a statement?” Abdu’l Baha, Divine Philosophy, chapter 2.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, CXV11 (* ibid p.37) and Abdul Baha’s Paris Talks (* ibid p.50) similarly entwine world peace and the auxiliary language principle with this mighty Tribunal.)
Editor, 25-10-2018 & 25-11-2018: Why the editors at BahaiTeachings.org held their readers back today from these three sources that link the parliament of man with the principle of a universal auxiliary language and then refuse to consult or justify said censorship is on their consciences alone:
http://bahaiteachings.org/lets-celebrate-united-nations-day-together
God help us!
What’s required as a matter of urgency, without conflating the institutional question of language selection with the individual believer’s duty to obey Abdul Baha, is faith in his statements rather than in our preferences as individuals or in the groupthink notions of academics! In all matters consultation is incumbent upon all followers of Baha’u’llah. How much more important it clearly is concerning a fundamental principle of the Faith that’s vitally linked to routing racism! There’s no doubt about this, and no room for vacillation for thereby the agony persists, Baha’i leaders must note! In other words, several fundamental principles of our religion are intimately intertwined vis-a-vis levelling the playing field for all races for the rest of time: (a) an independent investigation of truth (b) eliminating of racial and linguistic prejudices (3) an international auxiliary language (4) our duty to consult meaningfully (5) our pledge on signing the Declaration Card to obey the Universal House of Justice * and Abdul Baha.