House of Justice

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Houses of Justice are one of the primary Baha'i institutions, designating elected councils that operate locally, nationally, and internationally. In addition to the (legal) support of community affairs, its goals include the promotion of non-profit projects in line with the ethical principles of the Baha'i , which includes the redistribution of wealth.

history

The institution of the Local House of Justice goes back to Bahāʾullāh's Kitab-i-Aqdas . There he writes: “The Lord has commanded that a house of righteousness be built in every city, in which counselors should meet according to the number of Baha. If this number is exceeded, it does no harm. ”The Abdschad numerical value of the Arabic term Baha is nine . All councils today have nine members each, the minimum required by Baha'u'llah. The local and subordinate Houses of Justice are still referred to today as Local and National Spiritual Councils . Shoghi Effendi saw it as a provisional designation which "as the position and purposes of the Baha'i Faith are better understood and more fully recognized, will gradually be replaced by the final, more appropriate designation" Houses of Justice .

The local spiritual councils are formed in all cities, towns and villages in which there is a Baha'i community with at least nine adult members. For this purpose, Shoghi Effendi has provisionally set the age of majority at 21 years and noted that it could be regulated differently by the Universal House of Justice in the future. The local spiritual councils are elected every year on Ridvan 1 (April 20/21, see also: Baha'i Calendar ) by all adult believers in the community. Voting takes place freely and secretly according to the principle of majority voting in the spirit of prayer - without a previous candidate viewing or election campaign. If there are exactly nine members, no election is required. Ridvan In 2004 there were over 9,600 Local Spiritual Councils .

The National Spiritual Councils are elected indirectly annually by members of the entire community. Abdu'l Baha uses the term “secondary house of justice” for the National Spiritual Council, thus making it clear that despite its leadership functions - from the local and world level - it is of secondary importance. The National Spiritual Council of Germany was elected for the first time in 1922. Worldwide there are currently 183 National Spiritual Councils .

The seat of the Universal House of Justice with Mount Carmel in the background

The Universal House of Justice represents the highest international body of the Baha'i community based in Haifa , Israel . The Universal House of Justice consists of nine men who have been elected by the delegates of the National Spiritual Councils every five years since 1963 . According to the statutes of this institution from 1972, women are still not eligible at the international level. The architect Hossein Amanat built today's headquarters between 1973 and 1982.

literature

  • Baha'u'llah: Kitab-i-Aqdas - The Most Holy Book . Bahai Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 2000, ISBN 3-87037-339-3 ( online ).
  • Baha'u'llah: Messages from Akka. Revealed according to the Kitab-i-Aqdas . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim 1982, ISBN 3-87037-143-9 ( online ).
  • Shoghi Effendi: Bahá'í Administration . Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois, USA 2000, ISBN 0-87743-166-3 ( online ).
  • Shoghi Effendi: Principles of Bahá'í Administration . Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London, UK 1976, ISBN 0-900125-13-6 .
  • Emanuel V. Towfigh: The legal constitution of religious communities. An investigation using the example of the Baha'i . 2006, ISBN 3-16-148847-4 , 2/3.
  • The constitution of the Bahá'í community . Bahá'í-Verlag, Hofheim 2000.
  • The Universal House of Justice (ed.): The promise of world peace: a message from the Universal House of Justice to the peoples of the world . Bahá'í-Verlag, Hofheim 1985.
  • The Universal House of Justice (ed.): Overcoming prejudices: an appeal to the representatives of the world's religions . Bahá'í-Verlag, Hofheim 2003.

Web links

Commons : House of Justice  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 32 ° 48 ′ 50 ″  N , 34 ° 59 ′ 12 ″  E