In the Name of God, the
Merciful, the Compassionate
The Iranian people unlike
their neighbouring nations —have not in their historical background shown
animosity, brutality, or disregard for the human rights of their own people. We
witness how on many occasions in the past they have demonstrated that their
oneness and unity have, through the power of hope, hard exertion and resolute
faith, saved them from man-made calamities of corruption and oppression. Time
was when different religions and denominations, with manifold beliefs and practices,
enjoyed social interaction and tolerant coexistence, eachwalking its own path of
growth and endeavour, benefiting and vitalizing one another. This indeed is the
way in which one’s humanity can, within one’s own society, flourish and be
manifested.
What happened then, that
today that ancient culture has been abandoned, that tradition of love and
fellow-feeling has been extinguished from the hearts, and the right to life and
possessions, to human dignity and honour become so devalued? This to such an
extent that not only do we seelaws based on ignorance
violate fundamental human values but also that humanitarian and altruistic traditions
have fallen into such an abject state that some queue for hours for the dawn in
order that, like in primitive times, they may watch the condemned being
executed, while in another case a citizen takes a fellow citizen hostage, hangs
him by the neck, and a family brings tragedy to its own members in the midst of
festivities. Who are the ones that have effaced human values and the right to
be human, and have in their place engraved anti-human verses of enmity?
In creating humanity, God,
the All-Wise, magnified the human being and gave it the right to life, not
because of the outer form of that being, but by virtue of the sanctity of its
spirit and the human qualities which God had breathed into him. This right to
life that every free human being must enjoy in his homeland, so that he may
benefit from social possibilities, can never be violated or restricted through
ideas, beliefs or laws that undermine the fundamental assumption regarding human
dignity, let alone that in the modern age religious apartheid be perpetuated,
and lies and deceit, treachery and hatred, smears and abuse be permitted to
destroy human honour and pit brother against brother.
Iranian society today,
especially its youth, suffers from a ruinous depression and anxiety. The values
of fraternity and friendship, truthfulness and honesty, trustworthiness and
modesty, purityof mind and altruism,
compassion and reciprocity, kindliness and consideration, sacrifice and selflessness,
care and assistance for others, and humility and uprightness have been eroded
among us and turned into empty slogans and posturing. In their place there is
division and contention, lies and deceit, betrayal and aggression, duplicity
and deception, pretension and dishonesty, cruelty and discourtesy, and the
destruction of the weak and their exploitation. The truth is that the
traditions and morals of the people of our land were brought low when some
among the learned and those who are charged with the promotion of morality have
in fact sullied the values of humanity, of honour and of religion with the dust
of deceit, lies, tyranny, and immoral acts, fruitless talk, and empty promises—all
in the pursuit of their own worldly gain.
This lowly one has learned
from the Old Testament: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself ”i. From the New
Testament, I have also learned: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself ”ii and “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them”iii. From the
holy Qur’an I have learned: “God doth not forbid you to deal with kindness and
fairness towards those who have not made war upon you on account of your religion”iv, and, “Truly,
the most worthy of honour in the sight of God is he who feareth Him most.”v And from the
rich and ancient culture of Iran,
I have learned: “Adam’s sons are body limbs, to say; For they’re created of the
same clay.... Thou, careless of people’s suffering; Deserve not the name, human
being.”vi
Therefore, feeling the need
for another practical and symbolic action to serve as a reminder of the
importance of valuing human beings, of peaceful coexistence, of cooperation and
mutual support, and of avoidance of hatred, enmity and blind religious
prejudice, I have made an illuminated calligraphy of a
verse from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas of the Bahá’ís. I have made this as an enduring
symbol of respect for the innate dignity of human beings, for fellow-feeling
and peaceful coexistence regardless of religious affiliation, denomination or
belief. And now at the start of thisnew year 1393 (2014) I
present this precious symbol an expression of sympathy and care from me and on
behalf of all my open-minded fellow citizens who respect others for their
humanity and not for their religion or way of worship— to all the Bahá’ís of
the world, particularly to the Bahá’ís of Iran who have suffered in manifold
ways as a result of blind religious prejudice. Although it was my heart’s wish
to make an illuminated copy of the whole Kitáb-Aqdas, like the holy Qur’an, the Torah, the Psalms, the
New Testament, and the Book of Ezra, yet regrettably my physical and financial
resources did not allow it. My hope is that this humble but spiritually
significant rendering which will be kept by the Universal House of Justice will
serve as a reminder of the rich andancient Iranian tradition of
friendship and its culture of coexistence and that the numerous artistic shortcomings
of the work will be overlooked with the eye of kindness.
With utmost brotherly
kindness, this feeble one calls upon all my dear fellow citizens from every
religion, belief and walk of life who may hear my words, to evince love and
affection, friendship and kindliness, mercy and compassion, forgiveness and
empathy, care and solidarity,helpfulness and support, and
to respect the life, possessions and dignity of others. Now that we are at the
start of a new spring season, it behoves us to contemplate our patterns of
thoughts, wash away the dross that is the tendency to think in stereotypes
about one another, and to extend the hand of love and
assistance towards that which is human in each one of us, so that we and our future
generations may reap, within the framework of thought as citizens, the bounties
that accrue from solidarity and coexistence and the blessings and life-force
that they bestow. Let us reject, then, those who through their wealth, power,
and deceit aim to make us, in various forms, as enemies towards one another and
to induce us to violate each other’s possessions, life and dignity.
This lowly one is content to
believe that extensive and practical initiatives can eliminate the culture of
conflict from our society and foster instead love and fellowship, solidarity
and altruism which are increasing ly needed in our society
which has sunk now into division and hatred.
Salutations be upon those who
follow divine guidance.
Tehran
The imploring one, Abdol-Hamid
Masoumi-Tehrani
i Leviticus, 19:18
ii Matthew, 22:39
iii Matthew5:44
iv Qur’an, 60:8
v Qur’an, 49:13
vi Persian poetSa‘dí
May Allah, God, Great Spirit bless this blessed and noble soul for his selfless act of devotion to other human beings, who he does not see as inferior to himself because of religious beliefs.
ReplyDeleteGod bless Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masouni-Tehrani. He and his family will be in my prayers.
ReplyDelete