By Babak Mostaghimi ‘06

“O ye men of wisdom among nations! Shut your eyes to estrangement, then fix your gaze upon unity. Cleave tenaciously unto that which will lead to the well-being and tranquility of all mankind. This span of earth is but one homeland and one habitation. It behoveth you to abandon vainglory which causeth alienation and to set your hearts on whatever will ensure harmony”. – Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh

These are the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-founder of an independent world religion, the Bahá’í Faith, of which I am a believer. These words, describing the necessity for peace and unity, were revealed about 150 years ago and yet daily we fight, often bitterly, over land, over history, over religion…

When I came to Hopkins last year, I came not understanding how open and free college life would be in Baltimore. Coming from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, I was used to an all white, all Christian surrounding. To mention religions other than Christianity was a definite no no that would get a quick burst of “you’re goin’ to hell boy” in a southern accent from someone in the audience and then normal conversation would resume. Here though, I felt for the first time that I was accepted as a Bahá’í because people are willing to, at a minimum, respect my values and sometimes even take the time to understand them.

Even though I have been a Bahá’í all my life, it was not until I left home that I realized how important it was to me. I often took it for granted that I was a Bahá’í, but when I came to Hopkins, all of that changed. First semester I neglected going to some Bahá’í events with the excuse that I was too busy. But after a while I realized that I needed to become re-involved in the community – not out of guilt, but for my well-being. Religion became more than just a place to turn in times of despair and took its rightful position in my life. I realized that in that semester I had lost sight of some of the principles of the Bahá’í Faith and recognized that I must return to them or risk becoming another participant in the problems of the world.

I realized that many of the problems of the world stem from people – be they terrorists in Northern Ireland or the Middle East, or governments, or even college students – that have lost sight of the fundamental values of love and unity in their own faith traditions, while at the same time being ignorant of the shared beliefs between religions and unwilling to respect those with other thoughts. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh, once wrote that “The Heavenly Books, the Bible, the Qur’án, and the other Holy Writings, have been given by God as guides into the paths of Divine virtue, love, justice and peace.”

Nowhere in any religion does it say, “He who is most virtuous is ignorant, irreverent towards others, and killeth.” All of the religions of the world teach that there is virtue in kindness and peace.

I quickly realized that I would fall into the same problems as the rest of the world if I did not have a properly balanced life that would allow me to embrace people of all religions and cultures.

I mean one of the foundations of the Bahá’í Faith is the commandment elaborated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that Bahá’ís must “consort with all the peoples, kindreds, and religions of the world with utmost truthfulness, uprightness, faithfulness, kindliness, good-will and friendliness; that…ignorance, enmity, hate and rancor may vanish from the world and the darkness of estrangement amidst the peoples…of the world may give way to the Light of Unity.” - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Bahá’í World Faith.

If each of us works now to live in tune with our respective faith traditions, then we will be part of a generation that will bring change in the form of peace and hope to the future.

I would like to end with a passage from the Bahá’í Writings where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:

“I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content.

Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and happiness.” - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, pg. 29

Thank you. Ð

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