Universal House of Justice

From Bahaikipedia

Seat of the Universal House of Justice

For the building, see the Seat of the Universal House of Justice

The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá’í Faith. Its nine members are elected every five years by an electoral college consisting of all the members of each National Spiritual Assembly. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá’u’lláh and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the administration.

The Seat of the Universal House of Justice and its members reside in Haifa, on the slope of Mount Carmel. It was alluded to in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and was officially established in 1963 as the culmination of the Ten Year Crusade.

The books and documents published by the Universal House of Justice are authoritative and its legislative decisions are infallible [1].

Usage note: in the Bahá’í writings it is sometimes called the 'Supreme House of Justice', the 'International House of Justice', or the 'Universal House of Justice'. Bahá’ís now refer to it as the 'Universal House of Justice', which is sometimes abbreviated to the 'House of Justice', or 'the House'.

Current members

Members of the Universal House of Justice, 30 April 2008, from left to right, Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Peter Khan, Hooper Dunbar, Firaydoun Javaheri, Paul Lample, Payman Mohajer, Shahriar Razavi, and Gustavo Correa.

History

In the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh ordains the institution of the House of Justice and defines its functions. Its responsibilities are also referred to in several other Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in his Will and Testament, elaborated on its functioning, its composition and outlines the method for its election. He first used the term "Universal House of Justice" to distinguish the supreme body from those local 'Houses of Justice' to be established in each community. Shoghi Effendi, during his lifetime, prepared for the election of the Universal House of Justice, by establishing a strong administrative structure at the local and national levels.

In 1951, Shoghi Effendi appointed members to the International Bahá’í Council, and described it as an embryonic international House of Justice. In 1961 the council was changed to an elected body, with members of all National Spiritual Assemblies voting.

The first Universal House of Justice was elected in April 1963, six years after the passing of Shoghi Effendi, by 56 National Spiritual Assemblies. The date of the election coincided with the completion of the Ten Year Crusade instituted by the Guardian and also with the first Centenary Anniversary of the Public Declaration of Bahá’u’lláh in the Garden of Ridván in April 1863.

Election process

The Universal House of Justice is elected through secret ballot and plurality vote in a three-stage election by adult Bahá’ís throughout the world. The House is elected without nominations or campaigning and all adult male members of the Bahá’í Faith are eligible for election to the House.

The body is elected every five years during a convention of the members of the various National or Regional Spiritual Assemblies (NSAs) across the world. There are currently 178 NSAs in existence. Each member of the various NSAs, who were themselves elected by the Bahá’ís of their country, votes for nine adult male Bahá’ís. The nine people who have the most votes are elected onto the Universal House of Justice.

The most recent full election was in the spring of 2003 when 178 National and Regional Spiritual Assemblies were in existence [2]. On March 21, 2005, the Holy Day of Naw-Rúz, a by-election was held to replace two members "who requested the Universal House of Justice for permission to resign their office owing to considerations of age and related needs of the Faith." [3]

Women are not eligible for election to the Universal House of Justice. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stated that the reason for this will be revealed in the future, and that women and men are spiritually equal. For more on this issue see gender equality.

Responsibilities

Members of the Universal House of Justice, 7 April 2005

The Universal House of Justice itself states in its constitution that "The provenance, the authority, the duties, the sphere of action of the Universal House of Justice all derive from the revealed Word of Bahá’u’lláh which, together with the interpretations and expositions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and of Shoghi Effendi ... constitute the binding terms of reference of the Universal House of Justice and are its bedrock foundation." [4]

The Universal House of Justice today guides the growth and development of the global Bahá’í community. Some of its responsibilities include:

• Promoting the spiritual qualities that characterize Bahá’í life individually and collectively
• Preserving the Bahá’í Sacred Texts
• Defending and protecting the global Bahá’í community
• Preserving and developing the world spiritual and administrative centre of the Bahá’í Faith
• Encouraging the growth and maturation of the Bahá’í community

Furthermore, the Universal House of Justice is instructed by Bahá’u’lláh to exert a positive influence on the general welfare of humankind, to promote a permanent peace among the nations of the world, ensure the "training of peoples, the upbuilding of nations, the protection of man and the safeguarding of his honor. [5]"

The Universal House of Justice is supported by the elected national and local governing bodies of the Bahá’í Faith, (the National Spiritual Assemblies and Local Spiritual Assemblies respectively).

Agencies

The Universal House of Justice appoints and directs several agencies with specific duties. Some are:

• Baha'i International Community [6] BIC also directs several agencies:
  • United Nations Office [7]
  • Baha'i World News Service [8]
  • Baha'i Media Bank [9]
  • Office of Public Information
  • Baha'i Reference Library [10]
• Baha'i Internet Agency [11]
• Baha'i World Center Library
• Centre for the Study of the Texts
• Office of Social and Economic Development

Jurisdiction

The Universal House of Justice is also given the responsibility of adapting the Bahá’í Faith as society progresses, and is thus given the power to legislate on matters not explicitly covered in the Bahá’í sacred texts. While the Universal House of Justice is authorized to change or repeal its own legislation as conditions change, it cannot dissolve or change any of the laws which are explicitly written in the sacred texts.

"... the Universal House of Justice has been invested with the function of legislating on matters not expressly revealed in the teachings.... whose exclusive right and prerogative is to pronounce upon and deliver the final judgment on such laws and ordinances as Bahá’u’lláh has not expressly revealed.... Neither the Guardian of the Faith nor any institution apart from the International House of Justice can ever usurp this vital and essential power or encroach upon that sacred right."^[1]

In the same book, Shoghi Effendi mentions that certain issues were left intentionally for the House of Justice to apply and legislate on as time progressed.

"Severed from the no less essential institution of the Universal House of Justice this same System of the Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would be paralyzed in its action and would be powerless to fill in those gaps which the Author of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas has deliberately left in the body of His legislative and administrative ordinances."^[2]

It is considered to be the Supreme Institution of the Branch of the "elected", alongside the Supreme Institution of the "appointed", which is the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. It directs the "appointed" by appointing and directing the International Teaching Centre and Continental Boards of Counsellors.

Location

The Seat of the Universal House of Justice is on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. The location for the Universal House of Justice was indicated by Bahá’u’lláh in the Tablet of Carmel.

Publications

• The Promise of World Peace (1985).

Statement addressed "To the Peoples of the World", presented to over 160 heads of state and government. It outlines the major prerequisites for, as well as the obstacles working against, the establishment of world peace.

• Bahá’u’lláh (1992).

Marking the centenary of the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, this statement is a review of his life and work.

• The Prosperity of Humankind (1995).

A statement on the concept of global prosperity in the context of the Bahá’í Teachings.

• Century of Light (2001).

Review of the 20th century, focusing on dramatic changes and the emergence of the Baha'i Faith from obscurity.

• Letter to the World's Religious Leaders (2002).

Letter addressing the disease of sectarian hatreds. Calling on all religious movements to "rise above fixed conceptions inherited from a distant past."

• One Common Faith (2005).

Document primarily intended for a Bahá’í audience, in which it identifies as a major challenge for the Bahá’í community the inculcation of the principle of the oneness of religion and the overcoming of religious prejudices

Membership over the years

Members of the first Universal House of Justice, elected in 1963

Members are entered in the year when first elected. They continued to serve after election in subsequent conventions, until a newly elected member's name appears in the same row. Elections of the entire membership occurs every 5 years, on years ending 3 and 8. There have been five by-elections, in 1982, 1987, 2000, 2005 and 2010. They are marked here in italics*.

Amoz Gibson, Charles Wolcott, and Adib Taherzadeh died while serving. The other 13 former members were allowed by the House to resign, presumably for personal reasons of health and/or age. Six members (Ḥakím, Kavelin, Hofman, Chance, Ruhe, and Khan) have died after their retirement, while the other seven former members are still living, as of July 2011.

Notes

References

• Bahá’u’lláh (1992) [1873]. The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-85398-999-0. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/KA/. 

• Bahá’u’lláh (1994) [1873-92]. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-174-4. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/TB/. 

• Effendi, Shoghi (1974). Bahá’í Administration. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-87743-166-3. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/BA/. 

• Effendi, Shoghi (1976). Principles of Bahá’í Administration (4th ed. ed.). London, UK: Bahá’í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-900125-13-6. 

External links

Bahaimedia has files related to: Universal House of Justice

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Universal House of Justice

• Graphical Representation
• The Universal House of Justice - from www.bahai.org
• Constitution of the Universal House of Justice
• Administration - US National Baha'i website