Equality of the Sexes Poster

Equality of the Sexes, This Month's Fireside Poster

By John Taylor; 2006 May 04

Over the past few months I have been busy and neglected my task of printing and distributing a poster for our Haldimand LSA's monthly proclamation meeting. So I made designing the poster my first priority this morning, even before writing the daily essay. So I figured, why not combine both jobs, poster and essay? Here is the final text of the poster. Maybe Badi' List readers in the area would like to attend.

==========
Baha'i Discussion Series
Equality of Men and Women - a Necessity for Peace
"Women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God." -Baha'u'llah
Please join us in discussing this world transforming principle.
Speaker: Linda Miller
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
8 PM
Garfield Disher Room,
Dunnville Public Library
==========

It took me a while to find that quote on the poster. I could not uncover it in Ocean and had to revert to my old ASCII text file search method.
I was reminded of this quote on Monday by a story told at our 12th Day of Ridvan celebration. We had watched the new pilgrimage video together and those who had gone on pilgrimage were sharing their experiences. The inimitable Peter told a rather shocking anecdote of how he started an argument with Ruhiyyih Khanum about equality of the sexes during her question and answer session with the pilgrims. This was in the early 1970's and he was a new Baha'i at the time (those who have met Peter will know that these are not excuses, it is just as likely to happen today as then). He asked how women can be equal when they are so emotional and flighty and blah, blah, blah; needless to say, she begged to differ.
My reaction was that as long as it is a Baha'i you are confronting in such a situation you can shut things down right away just by citing the sentence from Baha'u'llah in the above poster. It is unambiguous, incontrovertible and irrefragable to any believer in Baha'u'llah. The entire passage is important, as Baha'u'llah Himself says, "all should know" it, so here it is:

"All should know, and in this regard attain the splendours of the sun of certitude, and be illumined thereby: Women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God. The Dawning-Place of the Light of God sheddeth its radiance upon all with the same effulgence. Verily God created women for men, and men for women. The most beloved of people before God are the most steadfast and those who have surpassed others in their love for God, exalted be His glory..." (Baha'u'llah, in Women Compilation, #54)

The part talking about God creating the sexes for one another is an apparent reference to Qu'ran 9:71, "The believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another," or Qu'ran 33:35, or perhaps,

"Women impure are for men impure, and men impure are for women impure; and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honorable. (Q24:26, Yusuf Ali)

In other words, you get the spouse you deserve, just like, as the political saying goes, the people get the leaders that they deserve. How often does it happen that a person falls in love with someone because of virtue X, and then after the pheromones have worn out after year two of marriage that virtue X becomes vice X, an ugly thing that delivers pain. X is now the devil's pitchfork tormenting that poor spouse for the rest of his or her life. If this sounds too pessimistic, it probably is. If they are both pure, spotlessly chaste, I suppose the hell can be heavenly. An annoying quality before love and marriage becomes an angel's wing brushing and tickling the pure hearted spouse throughout eternity. Consider what the Master says,

"The Lord, peerless is He, hath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the welfare of each other. If they live thus, they will pass through this world with perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the object of divine grace and favour in the Kingdom of heaven. But if they do other than this, they will live out their lives in great bitterness, longing at every moment for death, and will be shamefaced in the heavenly realm. Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds." (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections, 122)

I think the thrust of all this is that the operating virtues between the sexes are purity, chastity, detachment and kindness. But there is an additional imperative (see the Qu'ranic quote above) to be protective of one another. Men and women clearly have different strengths and weaknesses, and it is godly not to take advantage of these. Lately a female journalist dressed as a man for a year and she observed when she was hanging out in singles bars dressed as a man how common it is for women there to dangle the lure of their favors before a man who is attracted to them, then snatch it away sadistically at the last minute and cut him out completely. Men too are cruel, I am not denying that, and the results are more violent and spectacular. In any case, the Master in the same section as the quote above enjoins male believers to protect women with the same furvor that they protect their own honor and dignity,

"The friends of God must be adorned with the ornament of justice, equity, kindness and love. As they do not allow themselves to be the object of cruelty and transgression, in like manner they should not allow such tyranny to visit the handmaidens of God. He, verily, speaketh the truth and commandeth that which benefitteth His servants and handmaidens. He is the Protector of all in this world and the next."

In view of the emphasis the women's movement has in recent decades placed upon eliminating violence, this is a telling mandate to male believers from the Center of our Faith. We are enjoined to move heaven and earth to see that tyranny is lifted from the backs of women. But even so, I think that most of the answer is in the first part given emphasis in the Writings, purity and chastity. This is the spiritual teaching that acts as the foundation for justice.
For example, many if not most university campuses in North America have let the tradition of separate dormitories for men and women go by the wayside. Men and women lodge in the same building, the same floor, and mix as they please, when they please. Needless to say, this leads to endless mathematical possibilities for promiscuity. I suppose the argument is, racial segregation is a kind of prejudice and leads to inequities, so why separate women from men? Segregation is segregation. Why bother even trying to keep the sexes apart? The fact that this is happening everywhere is proof that this argument is winning, and that defenders of traditional values are losing. The wind is gone from their sails and nobody bothers to argue that there is any difference between segregation and detachment.