Meuanalisa Wacana Politik lam Cita-cita Baha'i Dame Donya: Saboh Kajian Kontradiksi Teoritis ngon Praktis

Political Discourse Analysis in the Baha'i Ideal of World Peace
A Study of Theoretical and Practical Contradictions
Abstract

Using the method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological framework that examines the relationship between language, power, and ideology in society. With the question of this research, how does the critical political discourse of CDA challenge the contradictions of Baha'iism and the claim of world peace? We will examine the political dimensions of the peace discourse in Baha'iism. The main goal of the research is to analyze the fundamental contradictions between the Baha'i peace-seeking slogans in their twelve teachings and also the political performance of this organization.Norman Fairclough believes that language plays a very important role in creating, maintaining, and legitimizing inequality, injustice, and oppression in society. Aiming to explore the structural contradictions and hidden layers of power in the Baha'i discourse, this research examines the relationship between the alleged teachings and socio-political actions of this movement based on Norman Fairclough's three-level model (description, interpretation, and explanation). The research findings show that propositions such as "non-interference in politics" and "general peace", beyond moral concepts, act as discursive tools for managing the mass of followers and concealing the political ideal of "establishing a world government" and have inherent contradictions that have turned the discourse of peace into a tool for legitimization.At the level of interpretation and explanation, the strategic links of this organization with the colonial and arrogant powers (Russia, England and America) and the systematic influence in the governing structures of the Pahlavi era indicate a “purposeful paradox”; in such a way that the political silence of the followers expropriates political agency in favor of the elites connected to the global powers. Also, this research explains that the slogan of “cosmopolitanism” by labeling patriotism as “bias” seeks to erode national and religious identities (especially in Iran) in order to provide a platform for cultural transformation and the establishment of its desired ideological order. Finally, this discourse is analyzed as a modern form of “peace through domination” that employs language to legitimize exploitative power relations.In the field of social thought, language is not simply a tool for transmitting messages; it is also an arena in which power is reproduced and ideologies are “naturalized” under the guise of words. One of the most challenging examples in this regard is the discourse of the Baha’i organization on “world peace” and “non-interference in politics.” By utilizing concepts such as “unity of the human world” and “one homeland,” this movement presents a moral and transnational image of itself that, at first glance, seems to be a response to the pains of contemporary humanity. However, when we dissect these texts and statements using Norman Fairclough’s “critical discourse analysis” (CDA) method, we encounter a deep gap between “text” and “social practice.”The main issue here is how to reconcile the absolute prohibition of intervention in politics for the mass of followers (under expressions such as "even in words") and, on the other hand, the explicit ideal of establishing a "world super-state" with an undisputed executive branch and an international parliament. The article presented on Baha'iism, using the CDA method, which is a type of discourse analysis, helps us: analyze the gap between speech and action in Baha'iism. Identify legitimizing linguistic strategies and reveal hidden power relations in peace discourse. Discover the political ideology behind religious slogans. This research, which is of a theoretical nature and uses a qualitative-analytical method and a library-based method of data collection, was conducted with the approach of Norman Fairclough's political discourse analysis. It aims to go beyond the descriptive level of words and reach the hidden layers of "interpretation" and "explanation".In this analysis, we will examine how the slogan of “cosmopolitanism” becomes a tool for undermining national and religious identities, and how the historical links of these organizations with colonial and arrogant powers, on the one hand, seek to gain international legitimacy, and on the other, represent a modern form of “peace through domination.” Drawing on historical documents and the writings of the leaders of this movement, we will show that the “new order” is not a spiritual utopia, but a political-ideological project that uses language to normalize power relations and eliminate cultural pluralism.

Keywords:
Bahá’íism, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Norman Fairclough, Global Governance, Non-Intervention in Politics