Tyree Byndom, a member of the Douglass Park Neighborhood Association, is running for the open First Ward representative seat on the Columbia City Council, but don't expect to hear much from him in the weeks leading up to the April 8 election about his political views or what he plans to do if he wins the three-way race for the seat.

Because Byndom is a practicing member of the Baha'i faith, which does not allow its members to campaign for political candidates, he will not be attending candidate forums or taking part in any electioneering.

After the Columbia Chamber of Commerce's forum yesterday for council candidates � which he did not attend � Byndom said he would do the same for other forums.

According to a website maintained by the National Spiritual Assembly for the Baha'is of the United States, the Baha'i faith is one of the world's youngest independent, monotheistic religions. Founded in Iran in 1844, Baha'i now counts 5 million adherents worldwide, with about 170,000 in the U.S.

The faith bars its members worldwide from campaigning or promoting candidates for office because political campaigns are divisive in nature.

"We just avoid, basically, anything that's going to cause divisiveness," said Rachel Willenberg, a member of the local chapter of Baha'i, which she said counts about 50 people among its ranks. "We're waiting for something more unifying."

Byndom's decision to run for office, considering the restrictions of his faith, is a "very rare situation," said Glen Fullmer, a spokesman for the Baha'is of the U.S.

"Really, the test for Tyree is if he can be considered for that office without doing anything to advance his own candidacy and speak against someone else," Fullmer said.

While Baha'is cannot actively campaign for candidates, they do not eschew politics and government altogether. In fact, they are encouraged to be politically engaged and vote where they are not required to declare a party affiliation and where votes are cast by secret ballot.

Additionally, Fullmer said, the faith does advocacy work on a variety of social issues, including the promotion of human rights, advancing women's rights and environmental stewardship, going so far as promoting legislation pertaining in these areas.

This article was published in the Wednesday, February 12, 2014 edition of the Columbia Daily Tribune with the headline "Baha'i practitioner won't campaign;�Byndom seeks council seat."