"Racial and Religious Togetherness: the First Toddler Steps"

by Raj Ayyar

I would like to begin by greeting each one of you, Bahai and non-Bahai alike with a cordial shalom, salaam, namast?/span>, peace be with you.  It is wonderful to see so many varied cultures, ages, and people represented here.  It reminds me of the wonderful Bahai metaphor? humankind as a garden of flowers.

  I think we need to start with respecting difference and honoring the rich diversity of peoples and cultures on earth.  We should not be mashed together in some tyrannical melting pot that takes away the uniqueness of who we are culturally and personally.  Nor are we just one big blob of cosmic Jell-O, vacuously 'one' with no sense of identity.  It seems to me that in order to implement the Bahai vision (and it is a great vision), of racial and religious togetherness and harmony, we need to start with honoring difference.  In fact, behind a lot of prejudice lurks the dragon of ethnocentrism that says, 'We are the center,' whoever the great 'we' might be, and 'they' are off-center, primitive, barbaric, stupid, perverted, sub-human etc. 

 The ethnocentric mind-set accepts the Other, only to the extent that the Other resembles, or tries to resemble 'us', the central reference group.  Clearly, ethnocentrism manifests as the fundamentalist backlash around the world, as rival fundamentalisms, whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian or other, vie with each other for control and indulge in orgies of violence, hatred, and bigotry.

 What are some of the root causes of ethnocentrism?  Well, of course, fear and ignorance of the outside rank among the leading causes.  We do not want ourselves or our children 'contaminated' or 'diluted' by influences and viewpoints outside our cultural comfort zone.  Ignorance breeds stereotyping, this is the comforting, over-generalized pigeonholing of other people and culture, when we do not know them, and do not care enough to find out about them.

I remember trying to catch a catnap between flights, in the lobby of Orlando International Airport.  Two young women were sitting nearby.  My presence as a 'Brown Man' made them nervous.  I overheard one of them whispering to the other, 'let's not sit next to that Iranian guy.'  The other women did a double-take, as I sat there eyelids tightly shut feigning sleep.  She said loudly, 'that's not an Iranian, it's my Humanities teacher!'  The sheer illogic of this left me gasping inwardly.  She did not seem to care that I was not Iranian, but Indian; also, she implied that: a) no Iranian could be her Humanities teacher and b) no Humanities teacher (certainly not her teacher), could be a terrorist, a harasser etc.

Education and training in critical thinking are crucial long-term solutions to fear and ignorance.  Sometimes, as with the case above, we realize that even education can only go so far.  Nevertheless, it is an important toddler step toward reducing bigotry and prejudice.  Mr. Mayor, I applaud and affirm you for proclaiming this day as Racial Unity Day in Melbourne.  I commend the Bahais for spreading their message of peace and harmony throughout the world. 

Yet, if we simply enjoy this picnic and the warm fuzzies of fellowship and sharing here, we run the risk of making this a one-day wonder.  We need to make everyday Racial Unity Day, and need to think of one little action step everyday, to build bridges and break down walls of misunderstanding and hate between cultures.  In addition, we need to take a stand against religious, racial, and gender-based violence.  Then, and only then, can we wake up to Shoghi Effendi's prophecy that 'national rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues will cease.'  We can slowly co-create a world where the response to the Other transcends ethnocentrism toward a reality of respect and togetherness.

Raj Ayyar is an Associate Professor at Brevard Community College, Melbourne Campus.  He teaches Philosophy and Comparative Religion and works as a cultural diversity trainer.  Raj is a friend to the Bahai community.  He is a frequent speaker at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowships and often conducts stress management workshops at the Cocoa Beach Library.