Published in a national newspaper and on social media, the statement is stimulating constructive conversations in the capital city, Port Moresby, and beyond.

“Gender-based violence has become so deeply entrenched in our country,” the National Assembly writes in the statement. “It is a… manifestation of a chronic disease affecting our society. The Baha’i community believes that this disease, from which our progress and prosperity is so severely crippled, is in part due to the failure to recognize the equality of men and women.”

Reflecting on this statement, the Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, Confucius Ikoirere, says, “This is a moment when our society is thinking deeply about how its culture and traditions affect women. Religious communities have a responsibility to be a source of guidance and to help dispel superstitions that harm women. The hope is for this statement to create opportunities for individuals to speak about this important subject, so that this conversation can take root in all homes and penetrate communities.”

The statement highlights several Baha’i principles which it says are essential for a society that is to reflect the equality of women and men. What has drawn particular attention, as the statement circulated on social media, is a passage quoted from the Baha’i writings that likens men and women to the two wings of a bird—both of which need to be strengthened equally for the bird to fly.

“The reality is that some attitudes common in society place women as inferior to men, restricting them to the home and excluding them from decision making,” says Gezina Volmer, Director of the Baha’i Office of External Affairs in Papua New Guinea. “A profound principle of the Baha’i Faith expressed in the statement is that the soul has no gender. Once people come to appreciate this and other related spiritual truths, they see that there is no basis for inequality in society. This leads to a significant change in perception of and conduct toward women. It creates a greater understanding of unity and allows for consultation on equal terms between men and women.”

Felix Simiha, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly, says, “During the pandemic families are strengthening a habit of coming together to pray, which is essential to the process of Baha’i consultation. When a family makes decisions through consultation, women, men, and children have a voice and violence has no place.”

The statement is a contribution of the country’s Baha’i community to the discourse on equality. The principles it conveys are at the heart of Baha’i community-building and educational efforts in Papua New Guinea.

“Aspects of our culture can change, particularly when we teach new values to our children from a young age,” says Zha Agabe-Granfar of the country’s Baha’i Office of External Affairs. “We see firsthand how girls and boys learn to interact with unity and collaboration, and then bring these lessons home to their families.

“From large cities to the remotest areas, we are seeing positive changes in communities striving to embody the equality of women and men. Women are being encouraged to study, their voices are valued, they are taking on decision-making roles, and barriers that had previously excluded them from full participation are being removed.”

“There are now many NGOs and agencies that are helping people with their immediate needs,” said Hemant Prakash Budha, member of the Local Spiritual Assembly. “But the Assembly realizes that it can think about long-term solutions. This village has the land and the skills to produce food. But how can we manage if we don’t organize our agricultural efforts as a community?”

The Local Spiritual Assembly has been consulting weekly since the start of the pandemic to help identify and meet the needs of the community. Recently, it has been connecting returning migrant workers with opportunities to farm uncultivated plots belonging to area residents.

“Our attitude is not one of dependence, where some people have everything and others are lacking” says Prasad Acharya, a resident of Motibasti. “We see how all can contribute to the community. This is an aspect of the Baha’i principle of the oneness of humanity: that all are one family and all prioritize for the needs of others.”

Drawing on local knowledge and expert advice, the Assembly has assisted families to determine which crops and livestock will provide the best sources of nutrition for the village.

The Assembly has been resourceful in helping the community to overcome obstacles. For example, when one part of the village found that it lacked water for irrigation, the Assembly sought assistance from local and regional officials who arranged for a well to be drilled.

Mr. Prakash Budha, reflecting on these experiences, states: “The community is concerned about a potential food crisis, the increasing price of goods, and other issues such as children’s education. When people consult in a spiritual way—lovingly and kindly—they start to become aware of the opportunities before them and how they can move forward. Consultation creates the hope that you can take action and change things.”

The statement comes at a moment when recent tragedies and long history have intersected to bring anti-Black racism and other forms of prejudice to the forefront of public consciousness in the United States and across the world.

The message reads in part: “To create a just society begins with recognition of the fundamental truth that humanity is one. But it is not enough simply to believe this in our hearts. It creates the moral imperative to act, and to view all aspects of our personal, social, and institutional lives through the lens of justice. It implies a reordering of our society more profound than anything we have yet achieved. And it requires the participation of Americans of every race and background, for it is only through such inclusive participation that new moral and social directions can emerge.”

The statement was released on 19 June, a date traditionally dedicated to commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Initially published in the Chicago Tribune, it has also appeared in dozens of other publications, reaching a wide range of people.

Youth across the country have been examining how the statement can assist them in their efforts to contribute to greater harmony and understanding among their fellow compatriots. Participants in a recent national forum on race unity drew on ideas from the statement to illuminate their discussions.

The message voiced by the National Assembly is one of hope, speaking about what is required to address the root causes of racism: sustained and concerted effort guided by the recognition of the fundamental truth that the human family is one.

This view is informed by the experience of a national Baha’i community in which, since its inception at the turn of the 20th century, people of African and European descent and eventually of all origins have joined hands to labor towards the elimination of racial prejudice.

May Lample of the country’s Baha’i Office of Public Affairs says that this message addresses profound questions that people are raising. “Americans are asking who we are as a society. What do we believe, and what will we tolerate? How much longer will we allow suffering to continue before we take action to make substantive change?”

P.J. Andrews, also of the Office, says: “In the culture of ‘othering’ in which we’re embedded, diversity can be seen as a source of weakness. But in truth diversity is a source of wealth. Unity in diversity is something that strengthens us spiritually as a society.”

Speaking about current circumstances, Anthony Vance, Director of the Office of Public Affairs, states: “It is remarkable that in just a short span of weeks, demands for racial justice have not only been strongly renewed but are made with a much broader base of support throughout the US population. With smart phones everywhere to record events, injustices that the Black community has spoken about for generations have become indisputable fact. Large segments of society have become conscious of this reality to a degree where inaction becomes untenable. In seizing this opportunity to act, Baha’is seek to undertake or expand activities, learn, think systematically, and, perhaps most importantly, persist over the long term to make a lasting advance toward justice and unity.”