"Writing Is Also a Bomb."

The old saying goes than the pen is mightier than the sword. These days the pen (or keyboard) for some people is their sword. Check out this recent article from the New York Times:

BRUSSELS — On the street, Malika El Aroud is anonymous in an Islamic black veil covering all but her eyes.

Malika El Aroud, a prominent Internet jihadist who lives in Brussels, says words are her weapon.

Malika El Aroud with her husband, Moez Garsalloui. In 2007 a Swiss court convicted them of operating Web sites that supported Al Qaeda. Her sentence was suspended; he served 23 days.

In her living room, Ms. El Aroud, a 48-year-old Belgian, wears the ordinary look of middle age: a plain black T-shirt and pants and curly brown hair. The only adornment is a pair of powder-blue slippers monogrammed in gold with the letters SEXY.

But it is on the Internet where Ms. El Aroud has distinguished herself. Writing in French under the name “Oum Obeyda,” she has transformed herself into one of the most prominent Internet jihadists in Europe.

She calls herself a female holy warrior for Al Qaeda. She insists that she does not disseminate instructions on bomb-making and has no intention of taking up arms herself. Rather, she bullies Muslim men to go and fight and rallies women to join the cause.

“It’s not my role to set off bombs — that’s ridiculous,” she said in a rare interview. “I have a weapon. It’s to write. It’s to speak out. That’s my jihad. You can do many things with words. Writing is also a bomb.”

Ms. El Aroud has not only made a name for herself among devotees of radical forums where she broadcasts her message of hatred toward the West. She also is well known to intelligence officials throughout Europe as simply “Malika” — an Islamist who is at the forefront of the movement by women to take a larger role in the male-dominated global jihad.

The authorities have noted an increase in suicide bombings carried out by women — the American military reports that 18 women have conducted suicide missions in Iraq so far this year, compared with 8 all of last year — but they say there is also a less violent yet potentially more insidious army of women organizers, proselytizers, teachers, translators and fund-raisers, who either join their husbands in the fight or step into the breach as men are jailed or killed.

“Women are coming of age in jihad and are entering a world once reserved for men,” said Claude Moniquet, president of the Brussels-based European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center. “Malika is a role model, an icon who is bold enough to identify herself. She plays a very important strategic role as a source of inspiration. She’s very clever — and extremely dangerous.” (Read the whole article here)

Reading about this woman was a chilling experience but it was less her gender that got me thinking than the power (for good or evil) that new communication technologies such as websites and blogs can have in the world. It reminds me of some powerful commentary made by the Universal House of Justice about speech:

"From a Bahá'í point of view, the exercise of freedom of speech must necessarily be disciplined by a profound appreciation of both the positive and negative dimensions of freedom, on the one hand, and of speech, on the other. Bahá'u'lláh warns us that "the tongue is a smouldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison". "Material fire consumeth the body," He says in elaborating the point, "whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of the latter endureth a century." In tracing the framework of free speech, He again advises "moderation". "Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation", He states, adding, "As to its influence, this is conditional upon refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets." Also relevant to what is said, and how, is when it is said. For speech, as for so many other things, there is a season. Bahá'u'lláh reinforces this understanding by drawing attention to the maxim that "Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it." Speech is a powerful phenomenon. Its freedom is both to be extolled and feared. It calls for an acute exercise of judgement, since both the limitation of speech and the excess of it can lead to dire consequences."
(The Universal House of Justice, 1988 Dec 29, Individual Rights and Freedoms, p. 7)

Meditating on the standard of self-expression that the Baha'i Faith calls me to strive for I realize that it is easier to criticize people like the woman described in the Times article than to reflect on the degree to which my own writing on this blog may help or harm. Are there times when my "writing is also a bomb"? What is the line between provoking thought and just provoking people? Can you take on challenging issues without assuming a challenging tone? Is there a "Baha'i way" to blog about oppression and injustice in this world? If so, what does it read like?

What do you think readers?

The Color of Parenting

The color-blind vs. color-conscious debate continues in America. This time its about so called "transracial" adoptions. This from the New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Minority children in foster care are being ill-served by a federal law that plays down race and culture in adoptions, a report released on Tuesday said.

The report, based on an examination of the law’s impact over a decade, said that minority children adopted into white households face special challenges and that white parents need preparation and training for what might lie ahead.

But it found that social workers and state agencies fear litigation and stiff penalties under the law for even discussing race with adopting couples. As a result, families often do not get the counseling they need. It also found that states have ignored an aspect of the law that requires diligent recruitment of black parents.

The report recommends that the law — the Multiethnic Placement Act, which covers agencies receiving federal dollars and promotes a color-blind approach — be amended to permit agencies to consider race and culture as one of many factors when selecting parents for children from foster care.

The report was issued by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a nonprofit adoption advocacy and research organization based in New York. Several child welfare organizations — including the Child Welfare League of America, the Adoption Exchange Association, the National Association of Black Social Workers, Voice for Adoption and the Foster Care Alumni of America — have endorsed the report.

The report points out that transracial adoption itself does not produce psychological or other social problems in children, but that these children often face major challenges as the only person of color in an all-white environment, trying to cope with being different.

“The idea of being color-blind is great, and we’d all like to get there,” said Adam Pertman, executive director of the Adoption Institute. “But the reality is that we live in a very race-conscious society, and that needs to be addressed. We can’t simply pretend that the problem doesn’t exist and leave it up to the child to cope.”

Many transracial adoptees say they struggle to fit in among their own family members. Shannon Gibney, 33, a writer in Minneapolis who describes herself as biracial, was adopted by a white couple who tried their best by providing things like books by black authors.

“But having books and other things about blacks is no substitute for actual experience,” Ms. Gibney said. “When I had questions about even little things like how to wear my hair, there was no one around to help me with my questions.” (This article is a MUST READ)

I've recently become a fan of the excellent blog "Anti-Racist Parent" which I learned about through Los Angelista (another must read). One of the recent posts involves a white couple who chose to adopt a black baby girl:

"As an adoptee, I had prepared myself for all of the unknowingly hurtful things people can say and do when asking about the adoption. I knew the comments and “looks” would be very frequent since Gracie is obviously a different race the rest of the family. However, quite a few of the reactions and comments dealt mostly with the difference in race than our adoption. There is never a time that I don’t feel more like the parent of a little black daughter then when I’m out and about running errands. I have been called “the babysitter” more times then I can count. I believe that the reaction to verbally address me as “the babysitter” comes more from the idea that people do not like to encounter things that they do not understand then from the fact I’m so young looking. To place me in the babysitter box, it allows them to categorize me without looking further.

I have been stopped numerous times to be consulted on what I should be doing with my daughter’s hair. I personally think her hair looks great and that I do a kick ass job, however it seems that a lot of women feel otherwise. I am constantly stopped, in the middle of the store, and told exactly how I am failing as her hairdresser. I have been given thousands of names of products and devices to make her hair straighter, fuller, grow faster and be more manageable. My daughter is only 18 months old people, give me a break! When I need the help I ask for it and I tend to ask people that I know, not strangers at the store.

Since we adopted Gracie we have seen a dramatic transformation in our family. It’s amazing what holding a sweet infant in your arms can do to some of the deep-rooted racism that is taught and sometimes passed down unknowingly to future generations.

We have a large extended family. There are some who had trouble relating to Gracie or understanding why we would adopt outside of our race. In an attempt to give the impression that they were not bothered by her race, some family members have mentioned physical qualities about her that are stereotypically African American. They say, “she’s going to have a big butt, I can already see it” or “her hair is going to be a problem, what are you going to do?” Some relatives even told us that they would not love Gracie as much as Porter and then tell us it has nothing to do with race." (Read the whole thing here)

For a different twist on the transracial adoption debate I recommend that you read another post from Anti-Racist Parent called "Half-price adoptions: Should we tell our kids?"

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm no fan of color-blind approaches to race. As I've said before God loves color and so do I. On the other hand, I've often said that love of one's physical features (that are racialized in our society) and ethnic/cultural background is transmitted through the heart and not through the skin. Simply having parents and kids with the same skin color does not represent an antidote to internalized racism or guarantee of ethnic pride. I've learned that through bitter personal experience.

For me these articles and posts about transracial adoption actually raise a related but perhaps deeper question: To what degree are parents of any race raising their children in such a way that they will have a healthy love of themselves and the desire and skills to work effectively for racial justice and unity in America? Whites who adopt children of color are an easy target for criticism, but it implies that parents raising kids in more traditional racially homogeneous families are doing just fine relative to this question. If we are honest with ourselves, I think we'll acknowledge that that is a pretty big assumption.

Present and future parents I want to hear from you. What do you think about transracial adoptions? What do you think about parenting with the explicit goal of promoting racial unity and justice?

I'll close with this prayer which has become a favorite of mine as an expectant father:

"O Thou kind Lord! These lovely children are the handiwork of the fingers of Thy might and the wondrous signs of Thy greatness. O God! Protect these children, graciously assist them to be educated and enable them to render service to the world of humanity. O God! These children are pearls, cause them to be nurtured within the shell of Thy loving-kindness.

Thou art the Bountiful, the All-Loving."

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá

A Gathering Storm For Iranian Baha'is?

The Baha'i World News Service reports the seven Baha'is taken into custody by Iranian authorities two weeks ago have been effectively "disappeared":

NEW YORK, — Six Baha’i leaders who were arrested nearly two weeks ago are being held incommunicado, without access to lawyers or relatives, and the Baha’i International Community is increasingly concerned about their fate.

“Although initial reports indicated they were taken to Evin prison, in fact we don’t know where they are, and we are extremely concerned,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.

“What is clear is that none of their fundamental rights are being upheld. They have had no access to family members or counsel. We don’t even know if they have been before a judge or whether they have been formally charged.

“All we know is what a government spokesperson said last week, which is that they were arrested for ‘security reasons,’ a charge that is utterly baseless.

“We appeal to the international community, human rights groups, and people of conscience, as well as the news media, to continue their efforts to press the Iranian government so that the rights of these people as detainees be upheld and that they be allowed access to counsel and general communication with the outside -- as a minimum step,” said Ms. Dugal." Read the whole article here.

Bilo and Barney both have this story with Bilo continuing to add historical perspective on this latest crisis.

The fact those who are fighting for the release of these innocent people, including their family members becomes more ominous in light of reported statements coming out of Iran as mentioned by Barney in his blog:

"Last Friday, Mashhad’s Friday prayer leader, Alam Al-Hoda, accused Bahá’ís of being “Zionist spies” and called for them to be executed. According to this gentleman, not only is “Bahaism” not a religion, it is not even a belief system:

Countries such as the United States, Canada and EU, which deliberately ignore the atrocities committed by Israelis in Gaza strip, have raised their voice to express their concern for the recent arrest of these murderous spies [Friends in Iran] accusing Iran of violating human rights. Not only is Bahaism not a religion, but also it is not a belief system! How can we let these Israeli mercenaries [Iranian Bahais], who have had a hand in the murder of millions of innocent people [Palestinians], live freely in our country and exploit a bunch of political perverts, prostitutes and promiscuous people to sign petitions for the abrogation of Islamic laws [emancipation of the Faith in Iran] ? Our country is the homeland of the Expected One [the12th Imam] and a true theocracy in which there is no way to enter into dialogue with this spy network. Rather, this satanic movement must be forcefully destroyed, and its members have to be executed.

You can read the original in Farsi here."

This kind of hysterical propaganda and the actions that may spring from it are quite frankly sad. While they are a source of suffering to the Baha'is in Iran, they have failed and will continue to fail to destroy that community. All it succeeds in doing is exposing the for the world the moral bankruptcy of the perpetrators. This is in stark contrast to The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights, which while not necessarily sharing the beliefs of Baha'is, stands for their freedom to practice those beliefs.

The introduction to a statement by the Baha'i International Community called Freedom to Believe seems relevant:

"Over fifty years ago, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights boldly proclaimed the inherent dignity and the equal rights of all members of the human family. Guided by the vision of equality for all, the Declaration enshrined the fundamental right of every human being to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Despite the international community's unanimous¹ adoption of this Declaration and its codification in subsequent instruments of international law², the world bears witness to persistent intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief, the proliferation of violence in the name of religion, the manipulation of religion in the interest of political ideology, and increasing tensions between religion and State policies³. The rising tide of religious extremism has fuelled these developments, threatening security, human development, and efforts towards peace. Widespread violations of this right -- most often targeting women and minorities -- have continued. Given the interdependence of human rights, such violations have compromised, among others, the right to education, employment, peaceful assembly, citizenship, political participation, health, and at times, life itself. Indeed, the promise of freedom of religion or belief for all remains one of the most contested and pressing human rights of our time.The freedom to hold beliefs of one's choosing and to change them is central to human development. It is the individual's search for meaning and the desire to know who we are as human beings that distinguishes the human conscience." (I highly recommend reading the whole statement).

Poverty: Enemy of Stability

Photo from a march against xenophobia in South Africa, courtesy of Reuters

Like the outbreaks of violence following the disputed elections in Kenya, I've been watching the news of attacks on foreigners by roving mobs in South Africa recently with alarm and sadness. While the context is different in the United States it made me wonder when the frustrations related to immigration in my own country (illegal and otherwise) might boil over into acts of violence. It reminded me of a statement made in The Promise of World Peace, a document commissioned by the Universal House of Justice in the mid-80's and distributed to world leaders around the globe:

"The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of acute suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the brink of war. Few societies have dealt effectively with this situation. The solution calls for the combined application of spiritual, moral and practical approaches. A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines, devoid of economic and ideological polemics, and involving the people directly affected in the decisions that must urgently be made. It is an issue that is bound up not only with the necessity for eliminating extremes of wealth and poverty but also with those spiritual verities the understanding of which can produce a new universal attitude. Fostering such an attitude is itself a major part of the solution."
(The Universal House of Justice, 1985 Oct, The Promise of World Peace, p. 3)

When human beings see themselves as competing for scarce resources, it can bring out the worst in them. I think that it was Bob Marley who said in one of his songs that "A hungry man is an angry man." Poverty is the enemy of stability in any society and the recent crisis in South Africa at the very least is a dramatization of that fact. Eliminating extremes of wealth and poverty is a central part of the social mission of the Baha'i Faith. A recent statement from the Baha'i International Community had this to say about poverty:

"It is now increasingly acknowledged that such conditions as the marginalization of girls and women, poor governance, ethnic and religious antipathy, environmental degradation and unemployment constitute formidable obstacles to the progress and development of communities. These evidence a deeper crisis—one rooted in the values and attitudes that shape relationships at all levels of society. Viewed from this perspective, poverty can be described as the absence of those ethical, social and material resources needed to develop the moral, intellectual and social capacities of individuals, communities and institutions. Moral reasoning, group decision-making and freedom from racism, for example, are all essential tools for poverty alleviation. Such capacities must shape individual thinking as well as institutional arrangements and policy-making. To be clear, the goal at hand is not only to remove the ills of poverty but to engage the masses of humanity in the construction of a just global order." Read the entire statement here.

I'll close with these words of Baha'u'llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith:

"O CHILDREN OF DUST!
Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues."
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

A New National Spiritual Assembly

For Baha'i election lovers like me, this has been a particularly sweet year. Not only did the Baha'i world recently witness the election of the Universal House of Justice at the 10th International Convention held in the Holy Land, but the U.S. Baha'i community just elected it's national governing body this weekend. The names of the nine beautiful souls chosen to lead the Baha'is of America this year include: Jacqueline Left Hand Bull, David F. Young, Kenneth E. Bowers, Juana C. Conrad, William L.H. Roberts, Dorothy W. Nelson, Muin Afnani, Erica Toussaint and Robert C. Henderson. That the membership of this august institution reflects black and white, East and West, and is chaired by a Native American woman provides a glimpse of the future that Baha'is are working towards all around the world and the power of the teachings of this religion's Founder, Baha'u'llah. I'll close with the words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, who described the spiritual potency of these governing bodies, known today as "spiritual assemblies":

"These Spiritual Assemblies are aided by the Spirit of God. Their defender is 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Over them He spreadeth His wings. What bounty is there greater than this? These Spiritual Assemblies are shining lamps and heavenly gardens, from which the fragrances of holiness are diffused over all regions, and the lights of knowledge are shed abroad over all created things. From them the spirit of life streameth in every direction. They, indeed, are the potent sources of the progress of man, at all times and under all conditions."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 80)

Totally Bogus Allegations

A fountain at the foot Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Israel

Apparently I'm a Zionist because my holy places happen to be in a state that didn't even exist when Baha'is were exiled to Palestine in the 1800's. This is the logic represented by the Iranian government who is saying that the Baha'is who were recently taken into custody in that country were seized not because of their religious beliefs, but because of somehow being a threat to national security. The Baha'i World News Service has it all and Bani Dugal rightfully calls the regime on its totally bogus allegations:

“The charges linking the Bahá’ís to Zionism are a distortion of history: The Bahá’í Faith has its world headquarters in Israel because Bahá’u’lláh was, in the mid-1800s, sent as a prisoner to the Holy Land by two Islamic countries: Ottoman Turkey and Iran.

“The charge that Bahá’ís are Zionists, which has in fact been made against Bahá’ís for the last 30 years by Iran, is nothing more than an effort by the government to stir animosity against Bahá’ís among the Iranian population at large. This is but the most recent iteration in a long history of attempts to foment hatred by casting the Bahá’ís as agents of foreign powers, whether of Russia, the United Kingdom, or the United States—and now Israel—all of which are completely baseless.

“The real issue, as it relates to Bahá’ís, who are committed to nonpartisanship and nonviolence, is the ideology of the government, which has undertaken a well-documented effort to utterly block the development of the Bahá’í community not only through arrests, harassment and imprisonment but also by depriving their youth of education and preventing adults from obtaining a livelihood.

“We would ask whether issues of state security rather than ideology were involved in recent incidents such as the destruction of a Bahá’í cemetery and the use of a bulldozer to crush the bones of a Bahá’í who was interred there; the harassment of hundreds of Bahá’í schoolchildren throughout Iran by teachers and school officials in an effort to make them reject their own religion; or the publication of dozens of defamatory anti-Bahá’í articles in Kayhan and other government-sponsored news media in recent months,” said Ms. Dugal. (Read the whole article here).

Memo to the current regime: You're going to have to come up with something better. The world isn't buying it and even many people in Iran and elsewhere in the region are seeing your actions for what they are, systematic persecution of your citizens solely due to their religious beliefs.

Barney and Bilo as usual have great posts about the latest shenanigans of this played out regime. Read about it here and here. and here.

"Say: Beware, O people of Baha, lest the strong ones of the earth rob you of your strength, or they who rule the world fill you with fear. Put your trust in God, and commit your affairs to His keeping. He, verily, will, through the power of truth, render you victorious, and He, verily, is powerful to do what He willeth, and in His grasp are the reins of omnipotent might."
(Baha'u'llah, quoted in Compilations, The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 137)

Marriage and African American Men

The Institute for American Values' Center for Marriage and Families has some interesting data regarding the apparent benefits of marriage for African American men. These benefits include some of the following:

Employment and Earnings

"Married African American men are more likely to be employed than never-married or divorced men, and they work longer hours and earn higher wages than unmarried men with similar characteristics. These facts have been confirmed in the vast majority of economic studies exploring why individuals with similar and distinct characteristics have different earnings. Studies focusing on black men estimate that married men work two-and a-half weeks more each year on average and earn wages between 14 percent and 18 percent higher than never-married black men, while controlling for other differences between individuals."

Household Income and Assets

"Married African American men have higher household incomes than never-married African American men, hold higher levels of assets, and are less likely to live in poverty. Households headed by a married black couple earned almost two-thirds more than the average black household, and black men are 30 percent less likely to live in poverty once they marry. A 2004 study of racial and ethnic differences in home equity—the largest component of household net worth—found that household socioeconomic characteristics, including marital status and duration of residence, were the primary factor contributing to black households’ lower levels of housing equity relative to white households. If family structure and income were similar across black and white households, black households would reap an additional $20,000 in housing wealth. Since marriage is associated with higher household income and residential stability, much of this difference may be directly attributed to lower marriage rates among blacks."

Risky Behaviors and Physical Health

"Married black men are more likely to report excellent or good physical health, as opposed to fair or poor health. They are less likely to experience physical distress such as headaches, back pain, stomach or bladder problems, and limited upper or lower body mobility, and are less likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. As a result of their improved health overall, married black men are less likely to report being disabled or having limitations in physical and social functioning, work activity, or activities of daily living such as household chores, bathing, and dressing."

Social Interactions

"Married black men are more likely to have a variety of social relationships that provide emotional support and ethical accountability. Many studies have focused on the kinship model of family organization where an extended network of parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and non-biologically-related “fictive kin” actively participate in the everyday operations of the nuclear family. Scholars have suggested that these networks help offset the effects of low marriage rates among black Americans, as informal relationships between adult children and parents, uncles and aunts, and siblings may substitute for formal commitments between husbands and wives. Yet, quite to the contrary, a study measuring levels of financial, emotional, and child-care support provided by relatives among households with children in the National Survey of Black Americans finds that reported levels of emotional and child-care support are highest for married families. When socioeconomic differences between households are accounted for, married households are also more likely to receive financial support from relatives."

Read more about this here.

When I read this and similar research it deepens my appreciation of portions of Baha'i scripture that emphasize the profound spiritual and social significance of marriage and family life:

"And when He desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order, He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvation, and enjoined it upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven of sanctity in His Most Holy Book."
(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 104)

"Compare the nations of the world to the members of a family. A family is a nation in miniature. Simply enlarge the circle of the household, and you have the nation. Enlarge the circle of nations, and you have all humanity. The conditions surrounding the family surround the nation. The happenings in the family are the happenings in the life of the nation."
(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 157)

Boys Are Also Responsible

Photo from the "Purity Ball" courtesy of the New York Times

The New York Times had a really fascinating piece about a tradition of father-daughter "Purity Balls" that has emerged in Colorado that promote abstinence from sex before marriage. Check it out:

"COLORADO SPRINGS — In their floor-length gowns, up-dos and tiaras, the 70 or so young women swept past two harpists and into a gilt-and-brocade dining room at the lavish Broadmoor Hotel, on the arms of their much older male companions.

At a hotel in Colorado Springs, Courtney McAlpin, 14, of Minneapolis, listened as her father, Steve, read a pledge in which he vowed to follow evangelical ideals to protect her purity.

The girls, ages early grade school to college, had come with their fathers, stepfathers and future fathers-in-law last Friday night to the ninth annual Father-Daughter Purity Ball. The first two hours of the gala passed like any somewhat awkward night out with parents, the men doing nearly all the talking and the girls struggling to cut their chicken.

But after dessert, the 63 men stood and read aloud a covenant “before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity.”

The gesture signaled that the fathers would guard their daughters from what evangelicals consider a profoundly corrosive “hook-up culture.” The evening, which alternated between homemade Christian rituals and giddy dancing, was a joyous public affirmation of the girls’ sexual abstinence until they wed.

Yet the graying men in the shadow of their glittering daughters were the true focus of the night. To ensure their daughters’ purity, they were asked to set an example and to hew to evangelical ideals in a society they say tempts them as much as it does their daughters.

“It’s also good for me,” said Terry Lee, 54, who attended the ball for a second year, this time with his youngest daughter, Rachel, 16. “It inspires me to be spiritual and moral in turn. If I’m holding them to such high standards, you can be sure I won’t be cheating on their mother.” Read the whole article here.

I had mixed feelings about this piece. On the one hand I always feel an affinity for people who are trying to live according to high moral standards when it comes to sexuality. This is truly a counter-cultural exercise in the United States where there is much talk about sexual "freedom" and "choice" but (in my experience) little respect for those who choose not to have sex. Whenever I hear efforts such as the one in Colorado spoken of in the media, the journalists and pundits can hardly disguise their horror and contempt (This article is an exception). That so many attempt to present their lack of faith in the ability of young people (or anyone else for that matter) to control their sexual behavior as a form of "enlightenment" or "science" is one of the bitter ironies of the period in which we are living.

However, as someone who is about welcome a son into the world, I found myself wondering why this group in Colorado isn't also having these kinds of events for mothers and sons, or fathers and sons for that matter (I don't know how many sons would dance with their dads, but who knows?!) The tendency to focus on girls when addressing what will or will not happen sexually represents an imbalance in the approach to this issue. Boys have just as much responsibility for what does or does not happen sexually as girls do. I believe this is something our sons must be raised to appreciate. So often there is this "boys will be boys" kind of attitude and the burden for keeping the clothes on is placed on girls. I recently overheard some people talking about the problem of teenage girls getting pregnant. This went on and on. I finally pointed out that the folks were speaking as if the boys involved (and sometimes men frankly) didn't event exist, like these girls got pregnant spontaneously. They got this look of shock on their faces and then an "oh yeah" expression. All their moral outrage was focused on the girls, "she shoulda done this", "she shouldn't have done that." This is not helpful to our daughters or our sons. Healthy sexuality requires a partnership of equal responsibility. We need to make sure our boys are prepared for it.

"Make ye then a mighty effort, that...for purity, immaculacy, refinement, and the preservation of health, they shall be leaders in the vanguard of those who know. And that by their freedom from enslavement, their knowledge, their self-control, they shall be first among the pure, the free and the wise."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 150)

Real Iron Men and Women

I watched the new Marvel Comics summer blockbuster Iron Man recently. I was profoundly underwhelmed but there were some fun parts to it. It actually got me thinking about the spiritual quality of steadfastness that I spend a lot of time praying about and Iron Man as a metaphor for being spiritually tough in the face of tests and difficulties. Here's one of the many statements of Baha'u'llah regarding this quality of the soul:

"The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Meditate upon this, O ye beloved of God, and let your ears be attentive unto His Word, so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your fill from the crystal waters of constancy, and become as steadfast and immovable as the mountain in His Cause."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 12)

'Abdu'l Baha had this to say about steadfastness:
"I say unto you that any one who will rise up in the Cause of God at this time shall be filled with the spirit of God, and that He will send His hosts from heaven to help you, and that nothing shall be impossible to you if you have faith. And now I give you a commandment which shall be for a Covenant between you and me: that ye have faith; that you faith be steadfast as a rock that no storms can move, that nothing can disturb, and that it endure through all things even to the end... As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the standard -- this is the standard -- this is the standard."
(Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 503)

Steadfastness is one of the qualities that has distinguished the Baha'is of Iran since the inception of the Baha'i Faith. When I consider their remarkable steadfastness in the face of more than a century and a half of unmitigated state-sponsored hatred, I feel embarrassed at how easily I'm pushed off the path by the trivial difficulties that I face in my daily life as a Baha'i in America. I am so easily seduced by the opiate of a comfort loving, ego-centric, and materialistic culture. Thank God that I have living examples of steadfastness that I can look to to inspire me to be spiritually tougher than I am. These are the real iron men and women, spiritual superheroes.

You can read more about the challenges facing the Iranian Baha'i community here.

Wendi Takes it to Another Level

Photo from the early generation of Baha'is in Iran, put in chains for believing in the oneness of humanity

Complements to Barney for letting us all know about a remarkable post that takes reflections on the recent detention of Baha'i leadership in Iran to another level. Here's a taste:

"We who have warm, comfortable homes, electricity, water and TVs feel completely helpless as we watch earth, wind and fire completely overwhelming whole towns and villages, killing hundreds of thousands of people and leaving hundreds of thousands more with nothing. We don’t know how to respond appropriately. We send money to help the relief effort. Then we discover that the leaders of the people devastated by hurricanes and earthquakes don’t want our help - better to let people die than to feed them with foreign food or shelter them in tents provided by strangers! And they certainly don’t want us or our expertise.

These dramatic events are all over our TVs and news services. Thank goodness! It will be a really terrible day when such disasters are so commonplace, so acceptable that they cease to be news.

But there are disasters most of us never hear about. Such a one is beginning in Iran - again.

Yesterday, in Iran, six Baha’is in leadership roles were arrested in dawn raids. A seventh has been detained since March. Their crime? Being Baha’is. Compared to the massive loss of life in Burma and China, compared to the collapse of an entire economy in Zimbabwe, the arrest of a few Bahá’ís in Iran seems unremarkable, certainly not newsworthy.

But consider. An indicator that a famine is approaching is when settled agrarian people become nomadic. At that point there is no famine, nothing to see. Yet the famine is coming. If action is not taken, it will be devastating. An indicator that the persecution of the Bahá’ís is escalating towards devastation is when children are denied education, when senior Baha’is are detained. There may not be much to remark upon now but there will be - and soon - unless such persecution is stopped." (THIS IS A MUST READ)

Bad Religion?

A delegate from Gabon at the Baha'i International Convention

This recent story from the Baha'i World News Service about the International Convention held by the Baha'is in Haifa last week offers a striking contrast to the actions of the Iranian authorities towards this religion.

Bahá'í World News:

HAIFA, Israel — Experiencing the diversity of the human family can be humbling, as Bahá’ís attending their recent international convention learned.

One can meet an industrialist from Italy, a civil engineer from Barbados, and a presidential advisor from South Africa – but realize that a 25-year-old student from South America is equally impressive with her knowledge of how to organize classes for children and youth.

Or discover that the Ph.D. who works with the international research agency speaks two languages, but the woman who owns a small business in Cameroon speaks five.

A thousand delegates from more than 150 countries came to Haifa for the 10th International Bahá’í Convention, and at least some participants say the diversity was unprecedented.

Gregory C. Dahl, who formerly worked at the International Monetary Fund and has attended many U.N.-related meetings, had never seen anything like it.

“This is easily the most diverse gathering of people on the planet,” he said of the convention. He compared it to a U.N. meeting but said the diversity at the Baha’i gathering came not just from the different nationalities but from the backgrounds of the participants.

“At the United Nations, there are representatives from many countries, but not from so many different social, economic, and professional classes,” said Mr. Dahl, who attended the Baha’i convention as a delegate from Bulgaria. He noted that the others from Bulgaria included someone who works for a coal-mining company, another employed by an insurance company, a musician, and a secretary." Read the whole thing here.

I'm still waiting for someone to explain to me how a religion that brings people from all backgrounds together to work for a better world could be a bad thing. What possible threat can it pose to anyone? Why do its followers deserve harassment, destruction of their holy places, expulsion from schools and jobs, imprisonment and even death? What is so scary about the Baha'i Faith?

Two of my favorite bloggers, Barnabus and Bilo also have info on the round-up of Baha'i leadership in Iran.

I'll keep you posted on developments.

Where Being Baha'i is A Crime

Iranian authorities are at it again, trampling the rights of citizens simply because of their religious beliefs. The Baha'i World News Service has the latest:

"NEW YORK — Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison yesterday in a sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Bahá’í leaders were summarily rounded up and killed.

The six men and women, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís in Iran, were in their homes Wednesday morning when government intelligence agents entered and spent up to five hours searching each home, before taking them away.

The seventh member of the national coordinating group was arrested in early March in Mashhad after being summoned by the Ministry of Intelligence office there on an ostensibly trivial matter.

“We protest in the strongest terms the arrests of our fellow Bahá'ís in Iran,” said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations. “Their only crime is their practice of the Bahá’í Faith.”

“Especially disturbing is how this latest sweep recalls the wholesale arrest or abduction of the members of two national Iranian Bahá’í governing councils in the early 1980s -- which led to the disappearance or execution of 17 individuals,” she said." Read the whole thing here.

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran also has news about this latest assault on the Iranian Baha'i Community:

"Health and Safety May Be At Risk

(16 May 2008) The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is calling on Iranian judicial authorities to account, in terms of Iranian and international law, for the detention on 14 May 2008 of six leading members of the Baha’i faith, who have been taken to Evin prison. All are members of the Baha’i national coordination group, the “Friends;” the seventh member has been imprisoned in Mashhad since 5 March 2008. No charges have been announced in the cases.

While the detainees have all been regularly summoned, detained, and interrogated as individuals, this is the first time they have been seized as a group. The entire leadership body of the Baha’is in Iran is thus in detention.

“We are deeply concerned that the detention without charge of the entire Baha’i leadership is consistent with a pattern of violent and illegal persecution of Baha’is in Iran,” the Campaign stated. “The persecution of religious minorities will bring neither internal stability nor international security to Iran.”

Intelligence agents detained Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm at their respective homes in the early morning of 14 May and conducted searches." Read more here.

The systematic (and completely unsuccessful) effort by governmental and religious authorities in Iran to destroy the Baha'i Faith in that country has been going on since its inception in the mid-19th century. That the Baha'is of Iran have persevered so long in the face of such a relentless campaign demonstrates the strength of their convictions. That they are persecuted solely for their religious beliefs demonstrates the wrong-headedness of their oppressors. If you care even just a little about religious freedom, I encourage you to let people know about this. Nefarious deeds shrink before the harsh light of international outrage. Get. The. Word. Out.

The Fate of the World Lies In Their Hands

I've been enjoying the new hip-hop album "The Departure" from my man Badi who I've known since way back in the day. If you haven't heard it, watcha waitin' for fool? It has one of these rockin' righteous anthems with a chorus that goes "The Fate of the World Lies in My Hands". That kind of thing gets me going as you can imagine. As I watch sun setting on my most recent stage of life as a Baha'i youth I look with expectant eyes at the next generation of young folks like Badi who will be called on to lead humanity towards a just, unified, global civilization. A couple of recent pieces in the news gave me renewed confidence in the capacity of youth. Here's part of the first one, an editorial by Nicholas Kristof:

"Teenagers are supposed to be sullen and self-absorbed, but Rachel S. Rosenfeld never got the memo.

Rachel is a high school junior in Harrison, N.Y., who came down with a painful intestinal ailment that forced her to miss the entire 2006-7 school year. So she resolved that if she couldn’t go to school herself, she could at least help other kids who wanted to.

From her sickbed, Rachel sold T-shirts and solicited contributions to build a 316-student elementary school in rural Cambodia. Borrowing an idea from university fund-raising, she offered naming opportunities: for $25, donors could buy chairs to be named for them. All told, she raised $57,000, which was channeled through an aid group, American Assistance for Cambodia.

Now Rachel is mostly healthy again and back in school, but over the December vacation she traveled to Cambodia to cut the ribbon at the R. S. Rosenfeld School.

“The children were all so grateful and well-behaved,” Rachel said. “It truly was a life-changing experience.”" Read the whole thing here.

Of course not all of us can help elementary schools get built in Cambodia. Don't fret, you can always shave your heads like these young folks did:

"Several students at Lawrence Academy in Groton, including a 15-year-old female, will be going to their prom bald in a few weeks after shedding their locks for charity yesterday.

The dozen or so students, at least two members of the academy staff, and 12 members of a local Little League team shaved their heads for the charity St. Baldrick's, raising almost $15,000 for children's cancer research.

"It's a wonderful thing to see the kids getting behind each other," said Tony Hawgood, director of admissions at the college preparatory school.

Hawgood, who is also a firefighter in town, organized the fund-raiser after seeing it done at another Fire Department.

Kathryn Isabelle Lawrence, a 15-year-old student, said it was on a whim that she let a friend take off her hair, but she said it was well worth it. She raised almost $1,000.

"I'm a little chilly," she said. "I just decided it would be a really good thing to do." Read more about Kathryn and friends here.

The Universal House of Justice made a beautiful comment on the mission of Baha'i youth during the opening ceremonies for the Terraces surrounding the Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel in 2001 that is worth repeating:

"The world that Bahá'í youth are inheriting is one in which the distribution of educational, economic and other basic opportunities is grossly unjust. Bahá'í youth must not be daunted by such barriers. Their challenge is to understand the real condition of humanity and to forge among themselves enduring spiritual bonds that free them not only from racial and national divisions but also from those created by social and material conditions, and that will fit them to carry forward the great trust reposed in them. Bahá'u'lláh encourages us to anticipate from the youth of His community a much earlier advance to maturity than is characteristic of the rest of society. Clearly, that does not in any way diminish the importance of the pursuit of education, of economic realities, or of family obligations. It does mean that Bahá'í youth can accept-and should be encouraged to accept-a responsibility of their own for moral leadership in the transformation of society."
(The Universal House of Justice, 2001 May 24, To Believers Gathered for Terrace Events, p. 2)

Unity in Diversity: A Boston Story

A garden in Boston's South End neighborhood.


In the years that I have served on the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Boston, the local governing council of that community, I've learned to see this city through the eyes of 'Abdu'l-Baha who visited it three times during 1912 and wrote this in a letter to the Assembly:

"O ye spiritual friends of this prisoner!

According to what is heard and is evident, you have arranged an assembly in the utmost beauty and a number of you present yourselves in that meeting with all love and unity and engage in communion (i.e., reading of the communes), chanting of the verses, spiritual conversation and you must strive to make Boston a fruit-garden and a rose-garden. Verily, this is not difficult with the Lord.

The beloved of God in this mortal world are each a spiritual trumpet. They breathe the breath of life and thus confer upon them that are dead in negligence and ignorance, the life eternal. They are the merciful physicians who bestow upon the spiritual patients eternal healing.

The city of Boston hath great preparation (literally, readiness), but the endeavor of the righteous is needed and the efforts and strivings of the free are necessary. For unless the seed is sown, the bounty and blessing will not be attained; until the tree be planted, the fresh fruit will not be produced; unless the candle contact with fire, it will not ignite; and until a light dawn, the darkness will not vanish. Therefore, the beloved of God must sow the seeds and plant the fresh plants in that garden. They must ignite the extinguished candles so that the purpose may be attained and the beloved intent unveil its face. In the spirit of humility and supplication do I beg and implore at the Divine Threshold and seek for you assistance and providence."

Gardens are used frequently in Baha'i scripture as a metaphor for the beauty of human diversity when it is united through the Word of God:

"Consider the flowers of a garden: though differing in kind, colour, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm, and addeth unto their beauty. Thus when that unifying force, the penetrating influence of the Word of God, taketh effect, the difference of customs, manners, habits, ideas, opinions and dispositions embellisheth the world of humanity. This diversity, this difference is like the naturally created dissimilarity and variety of the limbs and organs of the human body, for each one contributeth to the beauty, efficiency and perfection of the whole. When these different limbs and organs come under the influence of man's sovereign soul, and the soul's power pervadeth the limbs and members, veins and arteries of the body, then difference reinforceth harmony, diversity strengtheneth love, and multiplicity is the greatest factor for co-ordination.

How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruits, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and colour! Diversity of hues, form and shape, enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men. Verily, it is the penetrating power in all things, the mover of souls and the binder and regulator in the world of humanity."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 291)

I just read an inspiring story about the South End, the neighborhood where we have our Baha'i Center that exemplifies the principle of unity in diversity. Check it out:

THIS YEAR, Boston - with the rest of the country - marks the 40th anniversary of a year that generated history like few others. In 1968, President Johnson shocked the nation by declining to run for reelection. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and the next night in Boston, James Brown took the stage for a concert whose calming words helped keep our city from burning in the riots that engulfed so many others.

Each of those events deserves the attention it has received. Amid them, Boston ought not forget another, one whose legacy lives on in our city today: 1968 was the year a small group of Puerto Rican activists refused to let their community be pushed from the city in the name of urban renewal - and in so doing, created a national model for renewing urban areas without suffocating their heritage. It was a critical step to our becoming the multicultural city we are today.

In 1968, there was little reason to doubt that the Puerto Rican community in the South End would suffer the same fate as other ethnic communities whose neighborhoods had gentrified - and whose sense of shared identity had therefore been diluted, making them collateral damage in a broader effort to reinvigorate downtown.

Conventional wisdom held that this was the price of progress. Boston's downtown was being transformed into a world-class business and tourism center replete with gleaming skyscrapers. It was a choice - or so the assumption went - between advancing that vision and preserving Boston's once-vibrant ethnic neighborhoods.

Then something extraordinary occurred: Having been asked to accept eviction, the Latino community of the South End - a powerless and largely poor Puerto Rican population in the heart of Irish Boston - said no. When they stood up and demanded that their heritage be both respected and preserved, Boston's new, 38-year-old mayor, Kevin White, said something equally remarkable in reply: He said yes - and gave the community the rights to develop 30 acres in the South End. The result was a historic and still-thriving community of affordable housing called Villa Victoria. Read the whole article here.

The principle of unity in diversity is often thought of at the level of individuals, but this story reminds us that neighborhoods are another aspect of our lives where this principle is important. Imagine if decisions regarding our cities and towns across this country were made in the spirit of this principle.

"Let there be no misgivings as to the animating purpose of the world-wide Law of Bahá'u'lláh. Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks to broaden its basis, to remold its institutions in a manner consonant with the needs of an ever-changing world. It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances, nor can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on the other. Its watchword is unity in diversity..."
(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 41)

Beyond Race Unity

A picture of some of my peeps at the Boston Baha'i Center


I've had the pleasure of spending the last two days in a training provided by The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond as part of preparing to serve on an anti-racism advisory committee for the organization that I work for. It was an excellent training and I highly recommend the People's Institute to those who are doing the work of promoting social transformation. Here's a bit of info from their website:

OUR HISTORY

The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), is a national and international collective of anti-racist, multicultural community organizers and educators dedicated to building an effective movement for social transformation. The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, affectionately known in the community as The People’s Institute, considers racism the primary barrier preventing communities from building effective coalitions and overcoming institutionalized oppression and inequities. Through Undoing Racism™/Community Organizing Workshops, technical assistance and consultations, PISAB helps individuals, communities, organizations and institutions move beyond addressing the symptoms of racism to undoing the causes of racism so as to create a more just and equitable society.

Founded in 1980 by long-time community organizers Ron Chisom of New Orleans, and Dr. Jim Dunn of Yellow Springs, Ohio, The People’s Institute has impacted the lives of nearly 130,000 people both nationally and internationally. Through this process, it supports a cadre of anti-racist organizers who build leadership in and account to the constituencies where they are organizing.

Today, The People’s Institute is recognized as one of the foremost anti-racism training and organizing institutions in the nation. In a 2002 Aspen Institute survey of eleven top racial justice organizations, five credited The People’s Institute with having the most effective anti-racist analysis. Read more about The People's Institute here.

One of the things that I liked most about this training was that it focused our attention on how deeply embedded racism is in the very structure of American society in such as way that it does not require any intent on the part of whites to perpetuate it. They also emphasized its relationship to economic inequality and health disparities some of which you can read more about here, here, here, here, and here.

This training impressed upon me the depth and breadth of this problem and the fact that it will involve an intergenerational struggle for the full humanity of all Americans. It will require all of the qualities specified by Shoghi Effendi in his classic letter, The Advent of Divine Justice:

"Let neither [blacks nor whites] think that anything short of genuine love, extreme patience, true humility, consummate tact, sound initiative, mature wisdom, and deliberate, persistent, and prayerful effort, can succeed in blotting out the stain which this patent evil has left on the fair name of their common country."
(Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 40)

This process, as I argued in "It's About Power, Not Picnics", will require an appreciation that "the purpose of justice is the appearance of unity amongst men" as Baha'u'llah has told us. It is when justice is neglected that unity becomes uniformity and religion becomes an opiate. We have to free ourselves from the notion that because we have a picnic once a year, have an ethnic dance or two at an event or listen to celebrity Baha'is give talks about race that we are actually doing something to change a social order that distributes power and privilege based on who's white and who isn't. It's the work of real social transformation that gets me excited and is what the Baha'i Faith is all about:

"Let there be no mistake. The principle of the Oneness of Mankind -- the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh revolve -- is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified with a reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious cooperation among individual peoples and nations. Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its message is applicable not only to the individual, but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of one human family. It does not constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal, but stands inseparably associated with an institution adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its influence. It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced. It constitutes a challenge, at once bold and universal, to outworn shibboleths of national creeds -- creeds that have had their day and which must, in the ordinary course of events as shaped and controlled by Providence, give way to a new gospel, fundamentally different from, and infinitely superior to, what the world has already conceived. It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world -- a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units."
(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 42)

Divine Comedies

Now that my semester is over I'm watching a lot of the movies I didn't get a chance to see last year. I recently watched two that were particularly hilarious (though they weren't supposed to be). The first was Beowulf and the second was I Am Legend.

In the world of Beowulf, men think with their "you-know-what" rather than their brains and it gets them and the people around them into a lot of trouble. If you don't know the story here's a quick synopsis. Men sing and party hard upsetting a guy named Grendel who has really bad hygiene and an even worse temper. Grendel crashes the party and tears people limb from limb (literally). This makes everyone pretty depressed and the king decides the answer is to send for a hired gun (or sword I guess) to wack Grendel so the party can continue. Beowulf and his crew arrive from across the sea to get the job done (kind of like the 'A' team). Lots of really bad dialog ensues making me laugh and laugh. For reasons I've yet to discern Beowulf (who likes to tell people his name A LOT, kind of like James Bond) decides to fight in the buff although everyone else in his crew keeps his clothes on. They sing some bad songs which would make me want to tear them apart myself and of course Grendel arrives with his street fighter moves and starts to get medieval on Beowulf's boys. Beowulf fights Grendel bare handed (bare everything actually) and pulls his arm off. But wait, there's more. It turns out that Grendel has a mom who is even more ferocious than he is so Beowulf goes looking for her. This is when the most hilarious part happens. The mom (a demon they keep saying) is the spitting image of Angelina Jolie with that same funny accent she used in another hilarious movie "Alexander". She gives Beowulf an offer he can't refuse, mate with me (even though I'm a monster) and I'll make you a king with lots of bling. Beowulf is totally down with this idea. He ends up king, complete with the former king's queen who had been making goo-goo eyes at him since he arrived. Fast forward. Beowulf is getting old but still lucky with the ladies. A funky looking horn shows up from earlier in the movie and things go south for the old man when the "son" born from his monster-mashing with Grendel's mom shows up in the form of a dragon and starts burning down the kingdom. Beowulf goes in for one last battle and fights the dragon for a pretty long time and finally kills it but ends up dying himself. He bequeaths his kingdom to a faithful friend (there's always a faithful friend in these movies) and dies. Then the Angelina Jolie-monster shows up again (I was about to lose it at this point) and the new king gets a look at her and heads over for a little monster mashing of his own. The end.


I Am Legend (a goofy title if there ever was one) was even funnier than "Beowulf". Apparently some smarty pants doctor finds a cure for cancer which seems to involve killing off every human being on earth with a virus. For reasons that are never explained, a military doctor survives and is hanging out in New York hunting deer in his sports car and talking to a dog while trying to find a cure for this virus. I know the whole thing with his dog was supposed to be profound or something but it just made me laugh and laugh. It was so silly. Maybe I'm just not a dog person, but the volleyball in Cast Away had more personality than this dog. Oh, and there are a bunch of poorly animated monster people running around who don't like sunlight and are really boring to talk to because all they say is "aaaaaaaarrrrrrr" all the time. A woman and a boy (essentially a human prop because he doesn't say a single line) show up out of nowhere talking about joining other survivors in Vermont. Unlike most movies where this would have been an excuse for a hook-up session, the woman and the scientist don't even go there. The freaky people who say "aaaaaarrrr" show up for a final climactic smack down just as the doctor finds the cure for the virus (excellent timing). Like Beowulf, he nobly sacrifices himself for the benefit of others and goes down in a literal blaze of glory (courtesy of a grenade he just happened to have on him). The woman and the boy who doesn't speak arrive in Vermont in time for the beautiful fall foliage. The end.

I know that I'm supposed to make some kind of connection between these films and Baha'i thought, but I'm laughing too hard to pull it off. So what do you readers think? See any connections?

Love Across the Color-Line

Photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Loving, 1965


Just read this piece about a pair of American heroes that I had never heard of before. I want to make sure that people know who they are and the debt that is owed them by so many of us. Check it out:

RICHMOND, Va. - Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia's ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said Monday.

Peggy Fortune said Loving, 68, died Friday at her home in rural Milford. She did not disclose the cause of death.

"I want (people) to remember her as being strong and brave yet humble — and believed in love," Fortune told The Associated Press.

Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.

"There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause," the court ruled in a unanimous decision. (Read the whole article). You can also learn more about the four decades of legalized "inter-racial" marriage here.

Many of you may know that I am also in a so called "inter-racial" marriage and the son my wife and I are expecting in October will be a fruit of that union. I hope you will join me in remembering Mr. and Mrs. Loving and their family in your prayers and honor in your own way the pioneering spirit of couples like them who have made a special contribution to the advancement of racial equality, unity and justice in America.

"Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God's holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven's kindly light, the Holy Spirit's eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God's revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 27)