Gender Equality Manifested in the Selected Works of the Bahá’í Faith Leaders: Implications on Peace Advocacy

Today, the discrimination women face is just one of the many signs of a world in a deplorable state. Countless contemporary social institutions, structures and practices have been set up in a manner that stimulates inequalities and people functioning within these practices face systematic restrictions and challenges. In order to overcome these challenges and realize the fundamental truth of gender equality practiced in real life, it is essential for humankind to redefine the roles of women and men as well as the relationships between them in the family, workplace, community, and public institutions’ setting. Thus, this qualitative study aimed to trace the historic beginnings of Bahá’í Faith, to determine the manifestations of gender equality in the works of selected Bahá’í Faith leaders and their implications on peace advocacy. Findings of the analysis revealed thatthe Bahá’í Faith is the youngest of the world’s religions which stemmed originally from Shi’ite Islam in Iran in the mid-19th century. It was founded by Bahá’u’lláh who was recognized by the Bahá’í followers as the last prophet sent by God following Muhammad. Three fundamental principles govern the Bahá’í Faith namely: Unity of God, Unity of Religion and Unity of Mankind. These three assertions formed the principal core of the Bahá’í religion and are supplemented by other tenets namely: universal compulsory education, universal auxiliary language to support one’s native language, universal peace, harmony of science and religion and many others. Moreover, the Baha’i Faith followers claim to regard the equality of men and women as one of its fundamental tenets. No other world religion has been quite as explicit as the Bahá’í faith in its support of the principle of the gender equality. The Baha’is respect the distinction of either gender’s capabilities and potentials, enabling them to fulfill different but complementary roles. They likewise recognize the contributory role of women’s education in the cessation of war and attainment of world peace.

Keywords: Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Faith,Bahá’u’lláh, Gender Equality, Peace Advocacy