Thursday, December 28, 2006

Unfurling the Divine Banner Of Justice : The Search For World Order

Abstract of the Dr. Aziz Navidi Memorial Lecture
given by Mr. Kiser Barnes


After having seen the fotos, let's discuss the different topics we spoke of
at the 10th European Baha'i Conference on law:
feel free to comment to have this blog really starting !

The presentation examined some characteristics of the Baha'i approach to world order. It recognized that humanity's quest for the promised reconciliation of nations and global peace goes back to the promises in holy scriptures. From the Baha'i perspective, religion is indispensable for a new universal ordering of individual as well as international relations. Understanding of the Faith's position on the relationnal concepts of order and justice can invigorate the search. For the source, direction and purpose of Baha'u'llah's World Order foster recognition of the planet's common humanity, the purpose of justice, law, and such practical ideals of governance as world federalism and collective security, which support a rising order of stable relationships and structures between nations and peoples.

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Letter by Universal House of Justice to Bahá'ís of Egypt

The letter issued on December 21, 2006 is an inspiring example of how the Universal House of Justice guides, inspires and reveals the way to navigate the injustices of the world today. Most specifically, with regard how the Egyptian Bahá'ís should deal with the recent ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court in Cairo that ruled against a lower court that permitted Baha'i to obtain identification cards (a common right to which all native born Egyptians are entitled).

It calls for the Bahá'ís to continue to "...stand firm, persevere in your effort to win affirmation of this right. " Further, it examines how the arguments presented by the Judge missed the essence of the argument presented. Although the Egyptian constitution recognizes three religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism, the Bahá'ís are only asking that they are not forced to lie or deny their Faith on the national ID card, a basic civil right of its citizens.

"The ruling was unreasonable not only because it is contrary to prescriptions set forth in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a signatory, but more especially because the sacred scriptures of Islam extol tolerance as a precept of social stability."

Despite this setback, the Universal House of Justice inspires the community to reflect on how this action of the high court should be gleaned as a higher purpose and meaning. Quoting Bahá'u'lláh, they first describe the current state of justice in this time:

" 'Justice is, in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth beneath the yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have darkened the face of the earth, and enveloped its peoples.' "

Yet they continue to explain how this also precipitates a overall shift in the world:

"So grave a situation exists at a time of unprecedented change: opposite processes of chaos and of order interact in a spiral of turbulence that signals a transition in the spiritual and social agenda of the world as a whole. [...] Hence, you [Bahá'ís of Egypt] appreciate the global connotations of instances of oppression at home or abroad and accept the responsibility of striving, guided by the principles of the Faith and in collaboration with others whenever possible, to combat injustice, for the common good." (emphasis added)


When issues of injustice confront people as a whole, in part or in a family unit, it is essential to find a constructive way, a peaceful means and persevere towards a solution. In this case, the Bahá'í's are asked not to give up, nor to tear down the obstructions of justice, but instead to work, collaborate with other and to have faith that there lies a deeper sense of purpose in their overall plight. It is significant that in this day especially, when so many calls of injustice can be raised for the silent ones, the underprivelged and the oppressed.

May the friends in Egypt have strength, patience and courage to continue...

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Review of the 10th European Baha'i Conference on Law

From the 14th to the 17th of December, 30 to 40 legal professionnals, students and other professionnals (psychologist, dentists...), baha'is or not, coming from various countries such as Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, UK, USA, Romania, Switzerland, The Netherlands, met in De Poort (The Netherlands) for the 10th European Baha'i Conference on Law.

Here are some snapshots of the whole week-end before starting discussing on this blog the conference topics and all other topics that may arise in our minds.

Thank you Kamran for the fotos. More fotos here...i'm gonna update the post later on.

To begin, a foto of the official launch of New Legal World Order in De Poort !


We will, later on, publish all the abstracts of the conferences one by one to start discussions about these conferences.

Enjoy, and thank you all!
  • Thursday Evening
Opening by Shirin Milani-Ansinger

  • Friday
Dr. Aziz Navidi Memorial Lecture, Unfurling the divine banner of justice : The Search for world order, by Kiser Barnes


Religious liberty under siege by Professor Brian Lepard


How corporate misdeeds lead to strengthened principles of ethics, justice and transparency in corporations by Nishat Ruiter


Introduction to Workshops by Professor Dr. Bert Kersten


Not introducing here, but couldn't find an other foto :-)

EBCOL 2006 Paper Award


"Talent Show"




  • Saturday
Young legal scholar lecture, Religious plurality in society : some thoughts pertaining to legal policy by Dr. Emanuel Towfigh


Towards an Equal standard of human rights : Reforming legal safeguards of human rights in light of the baha'i teachings by Professor Brian Lepard

The new world order by Dr. Tajan Tober


Panel discussion (Professor Brian Lepard, Dr. Tajan Tober, Nishat Ruiter)




  • Sunday
The situation of the baha'is in Iran by Diane Ala'i


Injustices against Baha'u'llah and the evolution of international criminal justice by Kiser Barnes
  • Group picture of the conference

  • Our dear organizers with Mr. Barnes
  • Participants







Friday, December 22, 2006

Baha'is in Egypt : France 24 (french CNN) airs

Just learned that tonight, after the news report at 6:30 pm (Paris Time - 3 hours from now), France 24 (the new french international newschannel) will air a report on the situation in Egypt followed by an interview by Brenda Abrar (spokesperson for the french baha'i community).

Both the report and the interview will be aired in french AND english (depending on the channels).

France 24 aired in over 90 countries, just click here to get information whether or not you can get it.

The officiel french baha'i site reports the media consequences of the matter.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

A new human rights covenant concentrating on religious freedom?

Professor Brian Lepard spoke of it in De Poort, here's the news from the Baha'i World News Service about the commemoration in Prague of the 25th anniversary of the 1981 UN Declaration on Religious Tolerance.
Excerpt of the BWNS article
Some 350 participants representing more than 60 governments, UN agencies, and various international non-governmental organizations -- including the Baha'i International Community -- gathered on 25 November 2006 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
On the same day we also learn, that the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution expressing "serious concern" over the human rights situation in Iran, including the escalation of violations against Iranian Baha'is.
Excerpt of BWNS article
Put forward by Canada and co-sponsored by 43 countries, the resolution calls on Iran to "eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination based on religious, ethnic or linguistic grounds, and other human rights violations against persons belonging to minorities, including Arabs, Azeris, Baha'is, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis, and Sunni Muslims."

The resolution takes particular note of the worsening situation facing Iran's 300,000-member Baha'i community, noting "reports of plans by the state to identify and monitor Baha'is," "an increase in cases of arbitrary arrest and detention," and "the denial of freedom of religion or of publicly carrying out communal affairs."
An occasion to continue the discussion started in De Poort on the opportunity to have a new human right covenant concentrating on religious freedom to reinforce the 1981 statement and give those principles binding force.

Dignity, a limit to liberty?

Read interesting quotes, whilst waiting for the fotos of the 10th European Baha'i Conference in Law!

Quite amazing that, if one looks precisely, our national legal systems and the baha'i legal system have some common features.

Consider the pettiness of men’s minds. They ask for that which injureth them, and cast away the thing that profiteth them. (Kitab-i-Aqdas, v. 122).

Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It debaseth him to the level of extreme depravity and wickedness (Kitab-i-Aqdas, v. 123).

We approve of liberty in certain circumstances, and refuse to sanction it in others (Kitab-i-Aqdas, v. 124).

Liberty has to be limited because of the use man can make of it. In french law at least, it's exactly the same under some circumstances.

For instance, in the case know in France as "le lancer de nain" or in Germany as "Zwergweitwurf" (could maybe be translated as "the flying dwarf") kind of an very intelligent game in wich little persons agreed (to make their living) to be thrown through the air as far as possible by clients paying for it, the french Supreme Administrative Court hold on the 27th of october 1995 in a case Commune de Morsang-sur-Orge, that such a game violated the human dignity of the "flying dwarf" even if he consented.

Could be an interesting area of research to try to find clues about which would be the standard under baha'i law !

Baha'u'llah tells us :
Weigh not the Book of God with such standards and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring Balance established amongst men (Kitab-i-Aqdas, v. 99).

Say: True liberty consisteth in man’s submission unto My commandments, little as ye know it (Kitab-i-Aqdas, v. 125).
A problem posed by the human dignity in Europe is to define when it begins. For example in a very recent ruling Vincent v. France on the 24th of October 2006, the European Court for Human Rights ruled that France had violated the human dignity of a prisoner (Mr. Vincent) by not providing for him the possibility to leave his zell alone because his weelchair could not get through the doors.

In this case, other ways could have been found to find a violation by France of it's obligations towards the prisonner.

Isn't there a risk of creating kind of relativeness of human dignity, when it should stay an absolute value on which our systems are based?


For french readers, there's an analysis of the ECHR ruling on this blog.

Monday, December 18, 2006

News regarding rights of Bahais in Egypt

Reprinted from the Bahai World News Service

EGYPTIAN COURT RULES AGAINST BAHA'IS, UPHOLDING GOVERNMENT POLICY OF DISCRIMINATION

CAIRO, 16 December 2006 (BWNS) -- In a closely watched case that has become the focus of a national debate on religious freedom, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court today ruled against the right of Baha'is to be properly identified on government documents.

The decision upholds current government policy, a policy which forces the Baha'is either to lie about their religious beliefs or give up their state identification cards. The policy effectively deprives Egyptian Baha'is of access to most rights of citizenship, including education, financial services, and even medical care.

"We deplore the Court's ruling in this case, which violates an extensive body of international law on human rights and religious freedom to which Egypt has long been a party," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.

"Since this was the last avenue of appeal in this particular case, the Court's decision threatens to make non-citizens of an entire religious community, solely on the basis of religious belief," said Ms. Dugal.

"Our hope now is that the public debate over this issue will cause the Egyptian government to rectify its discriminatory policies," said Ms. Dugal. "This could be accomplished either by allowing Baha'is to be listed on government documents, by abolishing the religious affiliation listing entirely or, simply, by allowing the word 'other' to be legally included on state identification forms."

The case stems from a lawsuit filed against the government by a married couple, Husam Izzat Musa and Ranya Enayat Rushdy, who had their identification cards and passports confiscated after they applied to have their daughters added to their passports, which listed the Baha'i Faith as their religion.

In Egypt, all citizens must list their religious affiliation on state ID cards and other documents, and current policy requires that they choose from one of the three officially recognized religions - Islam, Christianity or Judaism.

In April, a lower administrative court ruled in favor of the couple, saying the state must issue them ID cards that properly identified their religion. The ruling said that even if the government did not recognize the Baha'i Faith, adherents should still have their religious status properly stated on official documents.

That ruling provoked an outcry among extremist elements in Egyptian society, who objected to any official mention of a religion other than the three mentioned in the Qur'an, opening a vigorous debate over issues of religious freedom and tolerance here.

Since April, more than 400 articles, stories, commentaries and programs have appeared in the Egyptian and Arabic news media about the case or its fallout. As well, independent human rights organizations here and abroad have closely followed the issue.

In May, the government appealed the lower court's ruling, which brought the case before the Supreme Administrative Court.

On 2 December, a final hearing was held on the case, at which Baha'i lawyers argued for rejection of the government's appeal, on the basis that the lower court's ruling is fully supported by Egyptian law. The Court said at that time that it would release its final ruling today.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Launch of new blog

Welcome to the New Legal World Order Blog created by the participants of the European Bahai Law Conference in the Netherlands on December 16, 2006.

The objective of this blog is to encourage the collaborative efforts, the scholarship and network of lawyers, students, professionals, and academics interested in the advancement of justice, ethics and law.

We invite you to contribute to this blog, suggest articles, review books, share experiences and or inspiring quotes, and the overall exchange of ideas.