While the formal medium of the Baha’i organization has repeated about “the extensive welcome of the current workshop of this cult by the European politicians in Brussels, the analysis of the summit content shows that this program is a part of massive strategy of Bahaism to redefine the western youth identities and to influence an decision making foundations of Europe more than being a civil event for preaching equality of race.
The news service of the Baha’i organization published a matter entitled “Recognizing the youth formally as vital participants in preaching racial coordination” claimed for the workshop which was held sharing anti-racism unit off the European commission and Brussels office if the Baha’i organization in the previous month welcomed enormously by European politicians and social activists. This formal Baha’i source published a news about holding its workshop as a measure against racism and introduced it as the result of coordination and consults of the national representatives and the European union with the holders of this event dated Mehr 15th.
The Baha’i organization tries to perk its position and role as active in the western countries and Europe publishing such material and to introduce the cult as an influential movement in Europe.
Although the close and intimate relationship between Bahaism with Europe and its politicians in a mutual interaction is completely clear and overt, but Bahaism tries to state that the extent of influencing this cult on European systems and the European union is quite enormous.
The aim of the Bahaism organization for such claim can be considered as the influence on the cult relationships with other politicians and governmental systems in countries and continents. Bahaism tries to encourage other countries to accept its relationship with this organization by exaggerating its relationships with Europe.
The representatives of this organization such as Nazila Qane’ in the united nations, Dayan Alaei in Asia and Kamal Abadi in Africa and etc. are using such atmosphere to have more and closer relationships with the heads of various countries, and to influence on their political and economic systems.
In the first glance, this summit seems a philanthropic attempt whose aim is to strengthen the role of youth in campaigning against racism. The speakers have stressed on values such as co-existence, justice and humane unity. Using words such as service, real unity, humane family, common understanding of humane identity, have given a moral and peaceful appearance to these programs.
Anyway, selecting holders, the structure of the summit and the kind of lexicon selection show that this workshop is serving to redefine the social identity of the youth in Babi discourse dialogue more than being educational or civil.
The analysis of hidden layers and directional aims:
A) Identity engineering through the youth:
Stressing repeatedly on “the youth as the change catalyst” shows that the Baha’i followers are trying to form a new generation out of the social activists who consider believing in cosmopolitan and omitting religious-national borders as value. This directionality marginalizes religious and national identity practically in favor of a vague universal identity.
B) Influencing on European policy making foundations:
The participation of the European commission alongside with BIC office legitimizes the activities of this Baha’i foundation politically. The presence of the formal representatives of the European union in such program can mean an attempt of Baha’is to be changed into a civil actor influencing on decision making atmosphere of European continent gradually.
C) Using humane lexicon for religious legitimization:
In this summit, the key concepts of the Baha’i creed such as “service”, “the oneness of humane world” and “social justice” have been presented covered by civil and educational terms. Such approach causes religious teachings to be merged in the form of civil activities and public sensitivities towards religious proselytizing will be decreased.
D) Social networking and soft influence:
Creating projects such as “the leaders of youth community” in Canary Islands” or the plan of “the waves of a sea” in Netherland is of pattern of a Baha’i organizational activity in the social level, a pattern which starts from cultural activity, but eventually it makes a net of like-minded activists in various levels of community.
Strategic Conclusion:
Brussels summit is apparently an answer to anti-racism worries, but in fact it is a part of universal strategy of the Baha’i community for cultural and soft influence on social and identity discourse of the western youth.
In this strategy; two basic aims are followed:
I) Weakening cultural, national and religious borders in new generation minds and replacing them by the concept of “the universal human”.
II) Stabilizing the position of the Baha’i foundations as legitimate partners in cultural and political dialogues of Europe in order to expand their social and intellectual influence through this credit.
For this reason, this summit must be evaluated not merely as an educational event, but as a soft and planned movement in the path of making Baha’i teachings social in the level of European policy making. A movement which can end in redefining spiritual and cultural identity of the next European generation legitimizing Baha’ism if it is followed without criticism and awareness.
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