Membership in the Universal House of Justice
According to Baha’i law, women cannot become members of the Universal House of Justice (UHJ).[1] If there is equality between men and women, then why can women not be elected to take a seat in this governing body of the Baha’i world community? Why is the highest attainable spiritual and managing station in Baha’ism off-limits to women?
This contradiction is so obvious that even `Abdu’l-Bahā has tried to justify it:
The House of Justice, however, according to the explicit text of the Law of God, is confined to men; this for a wisdom of the Lord God’s, which will ere long be made manifest as clearly as the sun at high noon.[2]
This justification fails to address the issue of equality of rights, for whatever the wisdom behind this law—contrary to Baha’i claims of equality—the inequality between the sexes is still retained!
Furthermore, as is the usual Baha’i attitude with respect to problematic laws, the matter has been passed to the future to silence any criticism.
[1] `Abd al-Ḥamīd Ishrāq Khāwarī, Ganjīniy-i ḥudūd wa aḥkām, chap. 27, p. 219.
[2] Various, A Compilation on Women (Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Bahā’ī World Centre, 1986), p. 7.