| THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT 3 February 2004 Transmitted by email: secretariat@[EMAIL PROTECTED] The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada Dear Bahá'í Friends, Mr. Douglas Martin has reported to the Universal House of Justice the interesting and encouraging information provided to him by Mr. Mark Wedge on the number of aboriginal Bahá'ís in Canada who occupy posts of various kinds with either the federal government, territorial administrations or native organizations. If your National Assembly is not already giving consideration to the situation, the House of Justice encourages you to explore with these friends the possibility of developing advice to you on a strategy through which the Canadian Bahá'í community might begin to influence appropriately government policy in the field of aboriginal affairs. One attractive option would be to convene a consultation at which the believers concerned could explore various courses of action, respond to specific questions raised by your Assembly and offer whatever suggestions seem to them wise. It is obviously unnecessary to review here the various statements in which both the Master and the Guardian drew the attention of North American believers to the importance of this vital area of their responsibilities. The emergence of a cadre of Bahá'ís with the impressive qualifications of those mentioned by Mr. Wedge is a tribute to the years of devoted effort on the part of your Assembly and many Canadian believers to teach the aboriginal populations of your country, and would seem to offer a most promising opportunity to capitalize on the fruit of their labours. The House of Justice will offer heartfelt prayers in the Holy Shrines that Bahá'u'lláh may continue to confirm and assist the members of your dearly loved community in responses they are making to the trust reposed in them by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. With loving Bahá'í greetings, Department of the Secretariat cc: International Teaching Centre Board of Counsellors in the Americas Counsellor Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian Counsellor David R. Smith Bahá'í World Centre . P.O. Box 155 . 31 001 Haifa, Israel Tel: 972 (4) 835 8358 . Fax: 972 (4) 835 8280 . Email: secretariat@[EMAIL PROTECTED] Here's some of the reactions of First Nations people in the Yukon to the U.H.J.'s letter: " Thery're talking about native people in that letter like we're friggin' cattle, for God's sake," "The letter pretty much speaks for itself,"says an outraged ______ , who calls the Baha'i influence in Carcross/Tagish First Nations politics " mission schools without the walls." |
| The Bahai rank and file are ordered not to participate in partisan politics. They are also strongly discouraged from engaging in any volunteer activity that is not run by the Faith. However, Bahai administrative institutions have a different set of rules. The Faith loves to exploit ethnic minorities too. See below. |