8 July 2005
Beloved Friends
The shocking events that have taken place in London have no doubt weighed heavily on our hearts and have prompted us to consider afresh our response as Baha'is at this time of world-encircling trials. In contemplating the implications of these tragic events for the work of the Bahá'í community, let us draw fresh comfort and inspiration from these words of our beloved Guardian which are as pertinent today as when they were first penned over six decades ago:
“Not ours, puny mortals that we are, to attempt, at so critical a stage inthe long and chequered history of mankind, to arrive at a precise andsatisfactory understanding of the steps which must successively lead ableeding humanity, wretchedly oblivious of its God, and careless ofBahá'u'lláh, from its Calvary to its ultimate resurrection. Not ours, theliving witnesses of the all-subduing potency of His Faith, to question, for a moment, and however dark the misery that enshrouds the world, the ability of Bahá'u'lláh to forge, with the hammer of His Will, and through the fire of tribulation, upon the anvil of this travailing age, and in the particular shape His mind has envisioned, these scattered and mutually destructive fragments into which a perverse world has fallen, into one single unit, solid and indivisible, able to execute His design for the children of men.
Ours rather the duty, however confused the scene, however dismal the present outlook, however circumscribed the resources we dispose of, to labour serenely, confidently, and unremittingly to lend our share of assistance, in whichever way circumstances may enable us, to the operation of the forces which, as marshalled and directed by Bahá'u'lláh are leading humanity out of the valley of misery and shame to the loftiest summits of power and glory.” (
Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 124)
Dearly loved Friends, we should remain confident that, however distressing in their immediate effects and impact, the events of 7 July 2005 are indeed part of God's Major Plan for the ultimate unification of the world.
Tempting as it may be to speculate on the precise nature of what this may involve, tempting as it may be to participate in potentially controversialdiscussions of what further actions the governments of the world need to take at this stage, we should instead move forward in the knowledge that we have a divine mandate to pursue, a divine Plan for the redemption of mankind to prosecute, a divine summons to assist the peoples of the world to open their hearts and minds to the one and only Power that can fulfil their ultimate longing and bring about the peace and unity of all mankind.
With loving Bahá'í greetings National Spiritual Assembly Kishan Manocha Secretary.
Dearest Bahá'í Friends
Together with all humanity, we are repulsed and outraged by the ruthlessness, the wanton destructiveness, and the chilling disregard for life on shocking display in the brazen and utterly senseless acts of terror perpetrated yesterday on the streets and in the subway tunnels of London.We join our brothers and sisters in the United Kingdom in mourning the more than 50 lives tragically and unpardonably snuffed out and in expressing deepest sympathy for the hundreds hurt - some with horrific injuries from which the recovery will be painfully slow.
Though separated by the Atlantic's vast expanse, the ties that bind our two communities are strong and unbreakable, woven as they are from a multitude of enduring strands - historic, lingual, and, above all, spiritual. The Bahá'í community of the United States enfolds its beloved British sistercommunity in warm and affectionate embrace, assuring you of its earnest and heartfelt prayers - offered beneath the lofty dome of the sacred andluminous Mother Temple of the West - that the people of your "green and pleasant land", who have in similar moments of peril demonstrated such remarkable courage, fortitude, and resiliency, may find their way through the furnace of crisis to the upland pastures of peace and tranquility that are tended by the One Shepherd, Bahá'u'lláh .
With loving Bahá'í regards Juana C. Conrad Deputy Secretary-General.
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom sent the following response:
10 July 2005
National Spiritual Assemblyof the Bahá'ís of the United States
Dearly loved Friends
Your sister Assembly in the United Kingdom was deeply touched by your loving letter of 8 July 2005.
We are immensely grateful for your prayers and love as our nation comes to terms with the awful events of Thursday 7 July.
May we be strengthened in our efforts to assist all those around us to open their hearts and minds to the one and only Power that can fulfil theirultimate longing and bring about the peace and unity of all mankind.
With our warmest love National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom Kishan Manocha Secretary.
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