All documents tagged "BWNS"

The arrival of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Elise Lynelle (then Schreiber) in Bata, the capital of Rio Muni, Spanish Guinea, and was named a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh for a second time, this time for Spanish Guinea. [BW13:456; BWNS330]

Bata; Spanish Guinea; Equatorial Guinea

Elise Schreiber (later Lynelle); Knights of Bahaullah; BWNS

1955 to 2007

The fifth Trustee of the Huqúqu'lláh was 'Ali-Muhammad Varqá. He inherited both the Trusteeship and the station of Hand of the Cause of God from his father upon his passing. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 25 March, 1985]

During his tenure the compilation Huqúqu'lláh was published (1985) by the Universal House of Justice.

The delegates gathered at the National Convention of the Bahá'ís of the United States in 1984 petitioned the Universal House of Justice to make the Law of the Huqúqu'lláh applicable in their country. (Up to this point the law only applied to Bahá'is of Persian origin.) The Universal House of Justice replied that it was not yet time for such a measure but did agree to make more information available in preparation for such a time. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 3 January, 1985, AWH30]

Friends in Austria and the United States published codifications on the Law of the Huqúqu'lláh. To the benefit of the believers everywhere the Research Department at the World Centre was asked to prepare a brief history and a Codification. This information was sent to all national assemblies in the Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 25 March, 1987.

In 1991 the Central Office of Huqúqu'lláh was established in the Holy Land under the direction of the Chief Trustee in anticipation of the worldwide application of the law. Subsequently regional and national boards were established. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 26 November, 1991]

With the publication of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas in English in 1992 the law of the Huqúqu'lláh became universally applicable.

In 2005 an International Board of Trustees of the Huqúqu'lláh was established to guide the regional and national boards. Three members appointed to the Board were Sally Foo, Ramin Khadem, and Grant Kvalheim. Their term of office was to be determined. [Ridván 2005]

The last Hand of the Cause of Cause and Trustee of the Huqúqu'lláh, Alí Muhammad Varqá, passed away in Haifa on the 22nd of September, 2007. [BWNS579]

BWC; Haifa

Huququllah; Varqa, Ali-Muhammad; Huququllah, Trustees of; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Varqa; BWNS

1955 Jan

Dorothy Senne became the first Bahá'í in South Africa. [BWNS270]

South Africa

Dorothy Senne; BWNS

1958 1 Nov

The monument marking Shoghi Effendi’s resting place was completed. [MC117]

Dust from the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh was placed in the foundations. [MC117] li>For a description of the resting place see BBD194–5 and MC135–6.

The monument was paid for from a Memorial Fund established after Shoghi Effendi’s passing. Money in excess of the amount required was spent on the teaching work and on the construction of the Temples. [MC132]

Marble for the monument came from Chiampo, Italy as for the Archives Building, the Shine of the Báb, the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, The Terraces project, the Monument Gardens and the Houses of Worship in India and Samoa. It was cut and chiseled by a firm called Margraf, formerly known as Industria Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223; PP450 ]

London; United Kingdom

Shoghi Effendi, Resting place of; Bahaullah, Shrine of; BWNS; Margraf

1960. 30 Apr

The unveiling of Statue of a Liberated Woman by sculptor Fuad Abdurahmanov (b. 28 April, 1915 in Shaki, d. 15 June, 1971 Baku) The statue stands in central Baku and depicts a woman casting off her veil. It is said to have been influenced by the story of Tahirih. [BWNS1150]

For a photo of the statue from another angle see Part III of my Will and Testament by Vahid Houston Ranjbar.

Baku; Azerbaijan

Fuad Abdurahmanov; Statue of a Liberated Woman; BWNS; Tahirih; Veils

1961 (Autumn/Winter)

The International Bahá’í Archives Building was opened to Bahá’í pilgrims. [BW13:429; MC20]

For details of the Archives building and several pictures see BW13:403–34.

Marble for the the International Baha’i Archives building was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria dei Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]

BWC; Haifa

International Bahai Archives; Pilgrimage; Marble; BWNS; Margraf

1972 Ridván

The National Spiritual Assembly of the Malagasy Republic (Madagascar) was formed with its seat in Tananarive. [BW15:199, BWNS288]

For pictures see BW15:153, 198.

The "Mother Assembly", the National Spiritual Assembly of the Indian Ocean, was left with the Chagos Archipelago, Comoros with the formation of the National Spiritual Assemblies of Réunion, Madagascar and Mauritius. [BN no608 November 1981 p11]

Tananarive (Antananarivo); Malagasy Republic (Madagascar); Madagascar

National Spiritual Assembly, formation; BWNS

1977 Oct

The Bahá'í Faith, along with many other religious groups, were banned in Uganda. The National Assembly and 1,550 local assemblies were dissolved. The ban was lifted in April of 1979 and the community began the process to re-build. [BWNS135; BW17:141]

The National Spiritual Assembly was re-established in 1981. [BW18:553]

Uganda

Persecution, Uganda; Persecution, Bans; Persecution; BWNS

1979 29 Dec

Rahmatu’lláh Muhájir, Hand of the Cause of God and Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, passed away in Quito, Ecuador. (b. 4 April 1923 in 'Abdu'l-'Azím) [BW18:486, 651]

Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the third contingent on the 2nd of October, 1957. [MoCxxiii]

For his obituary see BW18:651–9.

See BWNS353 for news of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of his passing in Quito.

See also Dr Muhajir: Hand of the Cause of God, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh by Írán Furútan Muhájir.

See Bahá'í Chronicles.

For stories about Dr Mahájir see Bahá'í Memories.

See Academic Wikipedia.

See Rahmatu'llah Muhajir: Hand of the Cause of God the Treasure of All Humanity by Richard Francis.

A photo.

See as well LoF455-461.

The 25th anniversary of Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir's death was marked in Ecuador by a Growth and Victories conference and graveside ceremony, including a talk by his daughter Gisu Mohadjer Cook. BWNS353]

Quito; Ecuador; Abdul-Azim; Iran

Rahmatullah Muhajir; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; Births and deaths; Knights of Bahaullah; In Memoriam; Hands of the Cause, Third Contingent; BWNS

1982 14 May

Amoz Gibson, (b. 3 Aug 1918 Washington), a member of the Universal House of Justice from 1963 until 1982, passed away in Haifa. He was buried in the Bahá'í Cemetery in Haifa. [BW18:669; VV52]

His diagnose was acute lymphoblastic leukemia. See Bahá'í Chronicles for a brief biography.

For his obituary see BW18:665–9.

Find a grave.

Elected to the Universal House of Justice to replace him was Mr. Glenford Mitchell. He was born in Jamaica and held a Masters degree in journalism from Columbia University. An author, he had worked as a magazine editor and managing editor and taught English and journalism at Howard University. He served as chief executive officer of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States from 1968 until his election to the Universal House of Justice. [BWNS208]

BWC

Amoz Gibson; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Glenford Mitchell; BWNS

1983 (In the year)

The persecution of the Bahá’ís of Iran continued throughout the year. [BW18:92; BW19:177–226]

Twenty–nine Bahá’ís were executed or otherwise killed. [BW19:232–3]

All Bahá'í elected and appointed institutions were banned by the government in this year; most of the members of the previous three national governing councils having successively been executed. The members of a third National Spiritual Assembly eventually all were arrested or "disappeared". In the absence of a national governing council (known as a “National Spiritual Assembly”), the ad hoc leadership group, called the “Friends in Iran,” (Yaran) was formed with the full knowledge of the government. The various governments in power in Iran since 1983 had always been aware of this group. In fact, over the years government officials have routinely had dealings with the members of the Yaran, albeit often informally. [BWNS694] iiiii

For pictures of the martyrs see BW18:295–305 and BW19:236–46.

For a list of resolutions adopted by the United Nations, regional bodies, national and provincial governments, and other actions taken, see BW18:92–6 and BW19:44–6.

For a list of the actions taken by the Bahá’í International Community, Bahá’í institutions and others see BW18:352–6, 424–5.

Iran

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution, Human rights; Persecution, Bans; Persecution; United Nations; Bahai International Community; Human rights; Yaran; BWNS

1983 Jan - Feb c.

The Seat of the Universal House of Justice was completed; the Universal House of Justice officially occupied the building. [BBD204; BW19:23; VV62]

For a description and history of the building see BW19:24–6.

Marble for the Seat of the Universal House of Justice was quarried from Mount Pentelikon, just north of Athens and was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]

For pictures see BW18:466–72 and Construction.

See video called Ark of Destiny.

BWC; Mount Carmel

Universal House of Justice, Seat of; Universal House of Justice, Basic timeline; Marble; Architecture; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; BWNS; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Margraf

1984 1 Sep

The House of Worship in Apia, Western Samoa, the Mother Temple of the Pacific, was dedicated in the presence of Hand of the Cause of God Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, Hand of the Cause Dr Ugo Giachery, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II and more than a thousand Bahá’ís from 45 countries. [BW19:100–1; VV64]

The architect has utilized the form of the Samoan file roof and the open plan of the fale itself in conceptualizing the design of the Temple. The white mosaic tiled dome rests atop nine pairs of buttresses clad in granite of a soft red tone. The nine ribs of mirrored glass, the graceful arch windows and the wide expanse of glazing over each portal seemingly draw the light through the structure itself. Modern techniques have allowed the dome to be built in this manner, providing an iridescent effect when lit at night. The shell of the dome and the internal structure are of a white, rendered concrete, bushhammered to a soft texture and accented with distinctive native ifilele wood joinery and a warm red quarry tile floor finish. The main hall seats 500 and a cantilevered mezzanine level rings the perimeter providing additional seating for 200 including the choir. [from the pamphlet distributed to guests]

For a report of the dedication see BW19:552–3.

For the text of the address of His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II see BW19:556.

For pictures see BW19:553 and VV64.

Marble for the House of Worship was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]

Specifics

Location:

Foundation Stone:

Period:

Site Dedication:

Architect:

Seating:

Dimensions:

Cost:

Dependencies:

References:

Apia; Samoa; Pacific; Chiampo; Italy

Amatul-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum; Ugo Giachery; Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa; Mashriqul-Adhkar (House of Worship); Mashriqul-Adhkar, Mother Temples; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Quick facts; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Apia; Dedications; Marble; Husayn Amanat; Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa; Architects; Boxes containing dust, earth or plaster; Gifts; Bahaullah, Shrine of; BWNS; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Margraf

1986 (In the year)

The founding of the Ruaha Secondary School in southwestern rural Tanzania near Iringa, about 500 km from Dar-es-salaam. The school was operated under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly. [The Mona Project (information on the Iringa School no longer available on this web site), One Country]

By 1988 the school had 300 pupils and taught classes in English, geography, Swahili, history, chemistry, agriculture, physics, political science, mathematics, biology, and religion – Christian, Bahá’i, and Islamic studies were covered by representatives of other religions –all part of the Ministry-determined curriculum. Each student participated in service projects. [BW14p96; History of the Bahá’í Faith in Tanzania]

In 2001 the school received a grant to build a girls dormitory. [BWNS145]

The Mona Foundation provided funding for the building of a boys' dormitory with the capacity of 120 beds. [History of the Bahá’í Faith in Tanzania]

Tanzania; Iringa; Dar-es-salaam

Bahai schools; BWNS; Mona Foundation

1986 24 Dec

The House of Worship in New Delhi, the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent, was dedicated in the presence of Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and more than 8,000 Bahá’ís from 114 countries. [AWH47; BINS161; BW19:102 BW20p732-733, VV92]

On October 1st, 1954 the Guardian announced that a plot lying in the outskirts of New Delhi has been secured at the price of a hundred thousand rupees as the site of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the Indian subcontinent. [CBN No58 Nov 1954 p1]

See VV93–4 for pictures.

Marble for the House of Worship was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]

The Universal House of Justice reported that the Bahá’í Temple received more than 120,000 visitors within the first thirty days of its dedication. [Ridván 1987]

Specifics

Location:

Foundation Stone:

Construction Period:

Site Dedication:

Architect/Project Manager:

Seating:

Dimensions:

Cost:

Dependencies:

References:

New Delhi; India; Chiampo; Italy

Mashriqul-Adhkar (House of Worship); Mashriqul-Adhkar, Mother Temples; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Quick facts; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Delhi; Lotus temple; Amatul-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum; Dedications; Marble; Fariburz Sahba; Architects; Boxes containing dust, earth or plaster; Gifts; Bahaullah, Shrine of; Bab, Shrine of; BWNS; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Margraf

1987 26 Jan

Charles Wolcott (b. September 29, 1906 in Flint, MI) member of the Universal House of Justice, passed away in Haifa. [BINS162:1; VV97]

Mr Wolcott passed away on the day he dictated the essay in the Forward of the book The Creative Circle: Art, Literature, and Music in Bahá'í Perspective edited by Michael Fitzgerald and published by Kalimat Press in 1989. [The Creative Circle pgx-xx]

See a video tribute entitled In Memory of Charles Wolcott, 1906-1987.

Wikipedia.

Elected in his stead was Dr. Peter Khan. He was born in Australia, held professorial posts in electrical engineering at universities in the United States and Australia. He served as an Auxiliary Board member, a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia, and a Continental Counsellor before being appointed to the International Teaching Centre. [BWNS208]

BWC

Charles Wolcott; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; Peter Khan; Universal House of Justice, Members of; BWNS; Auxiliary Board Members

1988 (In the year)

The opening of the School of the Nations in Taipa, Macau with 5 students enrolled in kindergarten and operated out of an apartment. The teachers outnumbered the students.

In its second year it had 100 students and nearly 200 in the third year. Eventually, the Macau government donated land where a 7-story facility was opened in 2008. That new building included a library that was also accessible to the public throughout the week. In 2019 School of the Nations had 600 students from kindergarten through high school and 100 teachers.

The school became a high performer in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and was the first in Macau to offer the International General Certificate of Secondary Education, the two most widely recognized international qualifications accepted by the majority of universities in the world. [SoN, BWNS460; BWNS1305]

The school's website.

Bahaipedia.

Taipa; Macau

School of the Nations; Bahai inspired schools; BWNS

1988 Ridván

The Universal House of Justice was elected for the sixth time at the International Convention held in Haifa. Delegates from 148 National/Regional Assemblies participated. [BINS176; VV97]

Those elected were: ‘Alí Nakhjavání, Glenford Mitchell, Hushmand Fatheazam, Ian Semple, Peter Khan, David Ruhe, Hugh Chance, Hooper Dunbar, Adib Taherzadeh. [Mess86-01p49]

A gift of a large bowl of 120 roses was received from the Bahá'í of Iran.

Mr. Hooper Dunbar, born in the United States, was a film actor in Hollywood before moving to Central and South America where he taught arts and English. He is an accomplished painter. He was first elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Nicaragua in 1961. He later served as a Continental Counsellor before being appointed to the International Teaching Centre in 1973. [BWNS208]

BWC; Haifa; Iran

Universal House of Justice, Election of; Elections; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Conventions, International; David Hofman; H. Borrah Kavelin; Retirements; Hooper Dunbar; Gifts; Roses; BWNS

1991 25 Feb

In Iran, a secret government memorandum (known as the Golpaygani Memorandum) was drawn up by Iran's Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council and signed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, which provided a blueprint of the policies and actions to which the Bahá'í community of Iran was to be subjugated. The memorandum demanded a shift in Iran's stance towards Bahá'ís from overt persecution to a more covert policy aimed at depleting the Iranian Bahá'í community's economic and cultural resources. This was a change in the policy for the Islamic regime which had openly persecuted and killed Bahá'ís during its first decade in power and had accused them of being spies for various foreign powers. The document also called for “countering and destroying their [Bahá'ís] cultural roots abroad.” [Iran Press Watch 1407]
Signed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the memorandum established a subtle government policy aimed at essentially grinding the community into nonexistence by:

forcing Bahá'í children to have a strong Islamic education,

pushing Bahá'í adults into the economic periphery and forcing them from all positions of power or influence, and

requiring that Bahá'í youth "be expelled from universities, either in the admission process or during the course of their studies, once it becomes known that they are Bahá'ís." [One Country; Iran Press Watch 1578]

The memorandum can be found here, here and here.

This document might have remained secret had it not been divulged to Reynaldo Galindo Pohl, the Salvadoran diplomat who served as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran between 1986 and 1995. Professor Pohl disclosed the document in 1993 during a session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (now replaced by the Human Rights Council). [BWNS575]

Iran; United States

Golpaygani Memorandum; Ayatollah Khamenei; Ayatollahs; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Human rights; United Nations; Persecution, education; BWNS; Bahai International Community

1993 29 Apr - 2 May

The Seventh Bahá'í International Convention at the World Centre. Those elected to the Universal House of Justice were: Mr. Ali Nakhjavani, Mr. Glenford Mitchell, Mr. Adib Taherzadeh, Mr. Ian Semple, Mr. Peter Khan, Mr. Hushmand Fatheazam, Mr. Hooper Dunbar, Mr. Farzam Arbab and Mr. Douglas Martin. [BINS295, BW93-4p51-58]

Hugh Chance and David Ruhe announced their retirement. Mr. Chance had served since 1963 and Dr. Ruhe since 1968. [BINS295, BS93-4p57]

For a report of the Convention see BW93–4:51–8.

For pictures see BW93–4:52, 53, 54, 57.

Dr. Farzam Arbab, born in Iran, obtained his doctorate in physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He was the representative for the Rockefeller Foundation in Colombia (1974 to 1983) and the president of the FUNDAEC development foundation there. He was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Colombia and a Continental Counsellor before being appointed to the International Teaching Centre.

Mr. Douglas Martin, born in Canada, held degrees in business administration and in history, and was an author and editor. He was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada, serving as its chief executive officer from 1965 to 1985 when he was appointed Director-General of the Office of Public Information at the Bahá'í World Centre. [BWNS208]

BWC; Haifa

Universal House of Justice, Election of; Elections; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Conventions, International; Ali Nakhjavani; Glenford Mitchell; Adib Taherzadeh; Ian Semple; Peter Khan; Hushmand Fatheazam; Hooper Dunbar; Farzam Arbab; Douglas Martin; Hugh Chance; David Ruhe; BWNS

1996 3 Mar

The establishment of the Ocean of Light School in Tonga. [OoL Website, BWNS195; Bahaipedia]

Tonga

Bahai schools; BWNS

1999 June

The dedication of the first academic chair in Bahá'í studies in Israel at Hebrew University of Jerusalem with the appointment of Prof. Moshe Sharon. The position was made possible because of an anonymous donation. [Jerusalem Post, June 7, 1999, BWNS84]

Jerusalem; Israel

Chair in Bahai Studies; Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Universities; Moshe Sharon; Firsts, Other; Donations; BWNS

2000 23 Mar

The election of Kiser Barnes to the Universal House of Justice to replace Mr Adib Taherzadeh. [BWNS948]

Mr. Kiser Barnes was born in the United States, and held degrees in political science and law. He practiced law and held senior positions in human rights organizations and in labour relations in the United States, before moving to Africa where he held senior academic posts at universities in Benin, Togo and Nigeria. He was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Benin, an Auxiliary Board member and a Continental Counsellor until appointed to the International Teaching Centre in 1993. [BWNS208]

BWC

Kiser Barnes; Adib Taherzadeh; Universal House of Justice, Members of; BWNS; Auxiliary Board Members; Continental Board of Counsellors

2000 18 Sep

The announcement of the opening of the new Pilgrim Reception Centre near the Shrine of the Báb to receive Bahá'í pilgrims and visitors to the Bahá'í holy places in Haifa and Acre. The Centre was housed in two historic buildings that formerly served as a clinic. Remodeling these two structures began in 1998. The larger one was built during the time of the British Mandate and the smaller structure has a more Middle Eastern appearance, with patterned ceramic floors and stone arches. The first Bahá'í Pilgrim House in Haifa was built near the Shrine of the Báb by a Persian believer in 1909 and continued to serve as the primary gathering place for pilgrims until the new facility was completed. [BWNS67]

BWC; Haifa

Pilgrim Reception Centre; Pilgrimage; Pilgrim Houses; BWNS; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; Pilgrims

2000 19 Sep

In a ceremony, the final earth samples from 26 nations were deposited in the Peace Monument, which was built by the Bahá'í International Community and the Bahá'í Community of Brazil in 1992 for the 1992 Earth Summit. Designed by the renowned Brazilian sculptor Siron Franco, the five-meter concrete and ceramic monument is located near the entrance to the Santos Dumont Airport in Rio de Janeiro, just north of Flamengo Park and the site of the 1992 Global Forum, the parallel conference of non-governmental organizations held during the 1992 Earth Summit, which was formally known as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. [BWNS85]

Rio de Janeiro; Brazil

Earth Summit; United Nations Summits; United Nations conferences; United Nations; Environment; Peace Monument; Monuments; Earth; BWNS; Bahai International Community

2000 Oct

The Bahá'í World News Service began publishing online, picking up the reins of the former Bahá'í International News Service which was a biweekly printed newsletter. [One Country Vol 12 Issue 3 October-December 2000; Ridván Message 2001]

In 2018 the BWNS began providing podcasts and in subsequent months, in addition to English and Persian, stories were be made available in Spanish and French. [BWNS1289]

BWC

Bahai.org; Websites; Internet; Bahai World News Service (BWNS); Newsletters; First publications; Publications; BWNS; Bahai International News Service

2000 17 - 21 Dec

The first International Conference on Modern Religions and Religious Movements in Judaism Christianity and Islam and the Bábí-Bahá’í Faiths was held in Jerusalem with about 90 persons in attendance. [BWNS84]

Jerusalem; Israel

Conferences, Other; Interfaith dialogue; Judaism; Christianity; Islam; Firsts, Other; BWNS

2001 8 - 17 Jan

The inauguration of the International Teaching Centre Building at the World Centre with the meeting of the Institution of the Counsellors. Board members from 172 countries attended.

Message from the Universal House of Justice date 14 January, 2001 addressed To the Conference Marking the Inauguration of the International Teaching Centre Building.

This occasion was marked as "one of the historic happenings of the Formative Age". From the Ridván Message of 2000]

Construction of the International Teaching Centre Building began in 1987 and was completed in October 2000. [BWNS131]

For a full account of the event see BWNS131 and BW00-01p4148.

BWC; Mount Carmel; Haifa

International Teaching Centre, Seat; Arc project; BWNS; Counsellors; Counsellors conferences; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; - Basic timeline, Expanded

2001 30 Apr – 2 May

The Bahá'í International Community issued a statement, entitled Sustainable Development: the Spiritual Dimension, for the first session of the United Nations Preparatory Committee of the World Summit on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York. [BWNS93]

For the complete text with footnotes see: Statement.

New York

Bahai International Community; Sustainable Development; United Nations; United Nations Summits; BWNS; BIC statements

2001 23 May

At dusk on the evening of the 22nd of May, the opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb, a $250M project that begun ten years earlier and transformed the ancient barren face of the mountain into 19 majestic terraced gardens cascading down the length of the mountain. [BWNS121; BW01-02p37-73]

See the message To the Believers Gathered for the Events Marking the Completion of the Projects on Mount Carmel.

The nineteen Canadian believers who had the extraordinary blessing of being present in the Holy Land for the official opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb were: Dr. Akouete Akakpo-Vida, Mr. Riel Aubichon, Mr. Garrett Brisdon, Mrs. Pearl Downie, Mrs. Nellie Ironeagle, Mrs. Aghdas Javid, Mr. Joseph Kowtow, Mrs. Joo Jong Kung, M. Fréderic Landry, Ms. Giselle Melanson, Mr. Borna Noureddin, Mr. James Patrick, Mrs. Valerie Pemberton-Piggott, Mlle. Cindy Poitras, Mrs. Janice Schlosser, Mlle. Caroline Simon, Mrs. Doris Toeg, Mrs. Linda Wilkinson, and Mme. Elizabeth Wright. In addition, several students from the Maxwell International Bahá'í School were present as members of the delegations from their home countries.

The event was attended by some 4,500 people, 3,300 of them Bahá'ís, as representative of more than 200 countries and territories. [One Country Vol.13 Issue 1]

For the statement read by Dr. Albert Lincoln, Secretary-General of the Bahá'í International Community at the official opening of the flight of terraces see Ruhi 8.3 page 93. [BWNS119]

See video From Darkness to Light Recalling the Events at the Official Opening of the Terraces on Mount Carmel May 2001.

See The Opening of the Terraces (May 2001): Reflections of a Participant by Thelma Batchelor.

Gyr Kvalheim was the Managing Director of the Inaugural Events Office. [BWNS118]

BWC; Haifa; Mount Carmel

Bab, Shrine of; Terraces; Dedications; Arc project; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; - Basic timeline, Expanded; BWNS

2001 4 Jun

The public opening of the terraces surrounding the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel. [BWNS134, BWNS221, BWNS123, BWNS122, BWNS121, BWNS120]

For statement from the Universal House of Justice see: BWNS119.

Other coverage: BWNS118, BWNS117, BWNS115, BWNS96, BWNS94, BWNS87, BWNS79.

Also see: The Bahá’í Gardens.

Marble for the terraces in the Bahá'í Gardens was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]

See their video The Shrine of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Project.

See YouTube video Not Even a Lamp.

See YouTube video Sacred Stairway: Pathway to a Book - A Talk by Michael Day where he talks about his book Sacred Stairway - The Story of the Shrine of the Bab Volume III: 1963–2001. It was published by George Ronald.

Mount Carmel was extolled by the prophet Isaiah almost three thousand years ago when he announce that:
...it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow until it.

BWC; Haifa; Mount Carmel; Chiampo; Italy

Terraces; Dedications; Bab, Shrine of; Marble; BWNS; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; George Ronald; Sacred Stairway; Michael Day; Margraf

2001 23 - 25 Nov

International Consultative Conference on School Education in relation with Freedom of Religion and Belief, Tolerance and Non-discrimination, a United Nations conference was held in Madrid, Spain.

The Bahá'í International Community presented a statement, entitled Belief and Tolerance: Lights Amidst the Darkness. For the text of the document see BWNS141 or on the BIC Site.

Madrid; Spain

United Nations conferences; Tolerance; Bahai International Community; BIC statements; Statements; Publications; BWNS; BIC statements

2001 20 - 23 Dec

The Fire in the Pacific conference in Honolulu, Hawaii to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Faith in Hawaii. It was attended by over 1,000 Bahá'ís from at least 53 nations.

Among the highlights of the conference was a parade , to the resting place of Agnes Baldwin Alexander, who was the first to bring word of the Bahá'í Faith to the Hawaiian Islands — and, indeed, the entire Pacific region — in December 1901. Born in Hawaii, the granddaughter of missionaries, Ms Alexander first heard about the Bahá'í Faith while on a trip to Europe. Returning to her native Hawaii on 26 December 1901, she devoted the rest of her life to spreading the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh in the Pacific and later in Japan. She passed away on January 1st, 1971. [Life of Agnes Alexander- D.Troxel, BWNS148]

Honolulu; Hawaii

Centenaries; Agnes Alexander; BWNS

2001 23 Dec

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States published a full-page advertisement in The New York Times. The statement, entitled The Destiny of America and The Promise of World Peace," stated that Bahá'ís believe the American nation will evolve, through tests and trials to become a land of spiritual distinction and leadership, a champion of justice and unity among all peoples and nations, and a powerful servant of the cause of everlasting peace. The 645-word document identified six prerequisites for world peace: universal acceptance of the oneness of humanity; the eradication of racism; the full emancipation of women; the elimination of inordinate disparity between the rich and the poor; an end to unbridled nationalism; and harmony between religious leaders. [BWNS147, includes the text of the statement]

New York; United States

Promise of World Peace (statement); Statements; National Spiritual Assembly, statements; National Spiritual Assembly of the United States; Peace; BWNS; Publications; Newspapers; Press (media)

2002 5 Mar

The announcement by the Bahá'í International Community of the murder of three Bahá'ís in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Rashid Gulov was shot and killed on 23 October 2001 while returning home from work. A second man, Mosadegh Afshin Shokoufeh, was shot outside his home on 3 December 2001 and died from his wounds on the way to the hospital. These deaths follow the assassination of 88 year old Abdullah Mogharrabi, a leader in the community, in September 1999. [BWNS153]

Dushanbe; Tajikistan

Persecution, Tajikistan; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution; BWNS; Bahai International Community

2002 Ridván

The Universal House of Justice issued a letter addressed to the world’s religious leaders warning of “the danger posed by "the rising fires of religious prejudice" and called for decisive action against fanaticism and intolerance”. [One Country Vol.14 Issue 1]

For the text of the letter see To the World's Religious Leaders.

Also see One Country Vol.14 Issue 1 for an abridged version.

See also BWNS200; BWNS168, BWNS200; BW'02-‘03pg79-98.

The essential message was that God is one and all religions are from that same God and that recognition of these truths is a prerequisite that must be at the heart of all religious discourse. Bahá'i institutions throughout the world delivered thousands of copies of this message to influential figures and the major faith communities. Although some were dismissed out of hand, in general the message was warmly welcomed. [One Common Faith p.ii]

BWC

Letter to the Worlds Religious Leaders; Universal House of Justice; Universal House of Justice, Letters and messages; Universal House of Justice, Basic timeline; BWNS; - Basic timeline, Condensed; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Interfaith dialogue; Unity of religion

2002 6 June

City Montessori School in Lucknow, India won the UNESCO Peace Education award in recognition of its efforts to promote the universal values of education for peace and tolerance and to renew the principles of secularism at a time when these values and principles are increasingly being challenged. The school was founded by Mr. Jagdish Gandhi and his wife Bharti in 1959 with only 5 students and has since earned a reputation for a high level of academic excellence — and for a distinctive program of moral and spiritual education. In 1999 the Guinness Book of World Records recognized City Montessori School as the world's largest school by enrollment. The school had some 22,000 students that year. In 2002 it had 26,000 students in grade levels ranging from pre-primary to college and in 2010-11 enrolment was 39,437. In 2014-14 it was over 47,000. Technically speaking, CMS is not so much a school as a school district, with some 20 branches spread throughout Lucknow. [CMS site, BWNS165, BWNS146, One CountryVol.14,Issue 1]

Lucknow; India

Awards; UNESCO; City Montessori School; Bahai schools; Social and economic development; BWNS

2002 26 Jun

The announcement by the Universal House of Justice of the publication of Gems of Divine Mysteries in English. The book is a letter written in reply to a seeker who asked about the relationship of prophecy to the Bábí Faith, and Bahá'u'lláh used that question as an opportunity to elaborate a number of related subjects. The book relates closely to two other major works of Bahá'u'lláh: The Seven Valleys (Haft-Vadi), an exposition on the progression of the soul, and The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan). [BW'02-‘03pg37, BWNS174]

The volume was originally titled Javahiru'l-Asrar, and was written in Arabic during Bahá'u'lláh's residence in Iraq where He was exiled from 1853 until 1863. [One Country Vol.14 Issue 2]

BWC

Javahirul-Asrar (Gems of Divine Mysteries); Bahaullah, Writings of; Translation; Publications; BWNS

2002 26 Jun – 2 Jul

In commemoration of the Second Bahá'í World Congress 23-26 November in 1992 in New York, a Festival of the Arts was celebrated in that same city. The project was an independent initiative of Global Music, Inc., a Bahá'í-owned company, and associated individuals. It was not under the sponsorship of any Bahá'í institution. The centerpiece event was held at Carnegie Hall featuring a 550-voice choir under the direction of Mr. Tom Price and known as the "Voices of Baha". It was composed of Bahá'ís from some 24 countries. [BWNS162]

New York; United States

World Congresses; Arts; Music; Carnegie Hall; Tom Price; Choirs; BWNS

2002 26 Aug – 4 Sep

World Summit on Sustainable Development, a United Nations conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Bahá'í International Community issued a statement, entitled Religion and Development at the Crossroads: Convergence or Divergence?. [BWNS169, BWNS170]

For the full text and footnotes see: BIC Web Site.

Johannesburg; South Africa

United Nations; Sustainable Development; Bahai International Community; BIC statements; Statements; Publications; BWNS; BIC statements

2002 21 Sep

The dedication, at the Green Acre Bahá'í School in Eliot Maine, the oldest permanent Bahá'í school in the world, of a new classroom and lecture hall designated as The Harriet and Curtis Kelsey Center, with an attendant Manny Reimer Hall. [BWNS175]

Eliot; Maine; United States

Green Acre; Bahai schools; Curtis Kelsey; Harriet Kelsey; First schools; BWNS

2002 26 Nov

The inauguration of the Bahá'í radio station in Bulac, Philippines, located in a rural district some 30 kilometers from the city of San José on the main island of Luzon.

The station operated at 1584 kHz on the AM band, broadcasting at a power of 1,000 watts. Due to the flat topography of the region, it reached a wide area encompassing the entire province of Nueva Ecija and a portion of Tarlac and Pangasinan provinces, with a potential listenership of more than 2.3 million people. [BWNS181; One Country]

See BWNS1462 for a story on how this radio station served the community during the 2020 pandemic.

Picture of the site.

Bulac; Philippines

Bahai radio; Bahai-owned radio; BWNS

2003. 4 Jan

The Bahá'ís of Hungary celebrated the inauguration of a new national centre.

In 1990 there were only 70 Bahá'í in Hungary. At the time of the opening of the new national centre there were more than 1,200 spread among some 65 localities. More than two-thirds of the membership are members of the Roma people. [BWNS187]

Budapest, Hungary

Statistics; Roma; BWNS

2003 7 – 9 Feb

The dedication of the Louis G. Gregory Museum in his birthplace, Charleston, South Carolina. [BWNS188, Wilmette Institute; Bahá'í Encyclopedia]

For biographical information on Hand of the Cause Louis Gregory see Gayle Morrison, To Move the World: Louis G. Gregory and the Advancement of Racial Unity in America (Wilmette, IL, USA Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1982, 1999 printing).

Museum website.

South Carolina; United States

Louis Gregory Museum; Louis Gregory; Gayle Morrison; BWNS

2003 18 Mar

The President of India, Abdul Kalam, visited the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi, the first official visit there by an Indian Head of State since the Temple was opened in December 1986. [BWNS204]

New Delhi; India

Abdul Kalam; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Delhi; Lotus temple; Prominent visitors; Presidents; Firsts, Other; BWNS

2003 4 Apr

Given current conditions in the world at the time, the Ninth International Convention was cancelled. It had been scheduled for 29 April to 2 May. Ballots from the National Spiritual Assembly members were mailed to the World Centre. The 19 delegates that had been chosen as tellers travelled to the World Centre to count the votes. [BW'02-‘03pg37-38, BWNS202]

BWC; Haifa

Conventions, International; Firsts, Other; BWNS

2003 27 Apr

Bahá'ís from the north and south of Cyprus met when they were permitted to cross the demarcation line that had divided the island for three decades. The event followed the decision by the Turkish Cypriot authorities to lift the ban on travel across the cease-fire line. Some 60 Turkish and Greek Bahá'ís held a devotional meeting together at the Bahá'í center in Nicosia. [BWNS216]

Nicosia; Cyprus; Turkey; Greece

History (general); Unity; BWNS

2003 28 Apr

The retirement of Mr. Ali Nakhjavani and Mr. Hushmand Fatheazam from the Universal House of Justice. Both had served since the inception of the Universal House of Justice in 1963. They are replaced by Mr. Hartmut Grossmann and Dr. Firaydoun Javaheri. [BWNS208]

BWC

Ali Nakhjavani; Hushmand Fatheazam; Retirements; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Hartmut Grossmann; Firaydoun Javaheri; BWNS

2003 29 Apr

The election of the Universal House of Justice by postal ballot by 1,544 electors from 178 countries. Chosen were Hartmut Grossmann and Firaydoun Javaheri to replace retiring members Mr. Nakhjavani, 83, and Mr. Fatheazam, 79 and re-elected were Farzam Arbab, Kiser Barnes, Hooper Dunbar, Peter Khan, Douglas Martin, Glenford Mitchell and Ian Semple. [One Country Vol.15 Issue1, BWNS207]

Mr. Grossmann, born in Germany, had academic qualifications in the German and English languages. He served on the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'ís of Germany (1963 to 1969) and Finland (1977 to 1980). He was a university academic in Finland. Mr. Grossmann was appointed a Continental Counsellor in 1980, advising Bahá'í communities throughout Europe in their growth and development. He had been serving in the International Teaching Centre prior to his election.

Dr. Javaheri, who was born in Iran, had a doctorate in agronomy. He lived for 27 years in Africa -- Gambia then Zambia -- where he was Chief Technical Adviser for the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. He served the Bahá'í communities there in the area of social and economic development. He was appointed a Continental Counsellor in 1995 after serving for 19 years as a member of its Auxiliary Board. He, like Mr Grossmann, had been serving in the International Teaching Centre prior to his election. [BWNS208]

BWC; Haifa

Universal House of Justice, Election of; Elections; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Conventions, International; Firsts, Other; Hartmut Grossmann; Firaydoun Javaheri; Farzam Arbab; Kiser Barnes; Hooper Dunbar; Peter Khan; Douglas Martin; Glenford Mitchell; Ian Semple; Retirements; Ali Nakhjavani; Hushmand Fatheazam; BWNS

2003 May

The announcement by the Universal House of Justice of the appointment of Siamak Hariri of Toronto, Canada, as architect of the Bahá'í Temple to be built near Santiago in Chile. [BWNS223]

See Ted Talk by Siamak Hariri entitled How do you build a sacred space?

Santiago; Chile; Toronto

Siamak Hariri; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Santiago; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Design; Mashriqul-Adhkar (House of Worship); Architecture; Architects; BWNS

2003 9 May

The passing of David Hofman (b.1908 in Poona, India) in Oxford, England. [BW03-04p234-235]

He was one of the nine elected members of the Universal House of Justice when that institution came into being in 1963.

He presented the first statement from the supreme Baha'i administrative body in April 1963 to the World Congress in London. Twenty-nine years later, in 1992, he delivered the opening address to the second Baha'i World Congress in New York, an event attended by some 30,000 people.

He served as a member of the Universal House of Justice for 25 years, until he left in 1988 at the age of 80. [BWNS209, BW'03-‘04pg234, UK Bahá'í Journal]

His published works included:

Selections from Bahá'í Scriptures (1941)
The Renewal of Civilization (1945)
God and His Messengers (1953)
George Townshend, A Life (1983)
A Commentary on the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá (1983)
Baha'u'llah, the Prince of Peace: A Portrait (1992)

United Kingdom

David Hofman; Universal House of Justice, Members of; World Congresses; In Memoriam; BWNS

2003 Jun

The publication of Minimalism: A Bridge between Classical Philosophy and the Bahá'í Revelation by Dr. William Hatcher. In it he offers a logical proof for the existence of God. He concludes that the application of the principles of relational logic to this question prove that there is a single, universal, and eternal First Cause — something that is very much like God the Creator as named in all of the world's major religions. [BWNS226]

Philosophy; William Hatcher; BWNS

2003 20 Jun

The passing of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Ursula Samandari (b. Ursula Newman 29 December, 1909 in Mitcham, Surrey, England) at her pioneering post in Buea, Cameroon.

In 1953 she and Dr. Mihdi Samandari moved to Nairobi, Kenya, and a year later went to live in Mogadishu, Somalia where they stayed until 1971. At the request of the Universal House of Justice, they had pioneered to Cameroon. [BWNS230, BW'03-‘04pg237]

Buea; Cameroon; Nairobi; Kenya; Mogadishu; Somalia

Ursula Samandari; pioneer; Mihdi Samandari; In Memoriam; BWNS

2003 22 Aug

The passing of Ruth Yancey Pringle in Ciudad, Costa Rica at the age of 83 after 5 decades of service to the Faith, 2 decades as on the Continental Board of Counsellors.

The Universal House of Justice praised her as an "intrepid champion" of the Faith of God. [BWNS250, BW'03-‘04pg236]

She went pioneering before being accepted into the Faith. The Chicago Assembly was preoccupied with the organization of the Intercontinental Conference and didn't have a chance to process her application for membership. Because she was so close to the Faith she was allowed to attend the conference and she departed for her pioneer post immediately after. She received her membership card after arriving at her pioneer goal in Puerto Rico. [from a talk by Hooper Dunbar 26:05]

Ciudad Colon; Costa Rica

Ruth Pringle; Counsellors; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; BWNS

2000 29 - 31 Aug

The celebration of the Jubilee of the opening of the Faith in the Republic of the Congo was commemorated in Brazzaville by 200 attendees. It was in 1953 that Ali and Violette Nakhjavani dropped off pioneer Max Kanyerezi in Brazzaville in the Middle Congo as it was then called, subsequently the "French Congo" and now "The Republic of the Congo".

All Bahá'í activities were suspended by law from 1978 until 1992 when a democratically elected government replaced the Communist regime. The new government granted legal recognition of the Faith. During the years 1992 to 2003 the country endured two civil wars which further disrupted activity. There are now 20 local spiritual assemblies. [BWNS246]

Brazzaville; Congo

Max Kanyerezi; Violette Nakhjavani; Ali Nakhjavani; BWNS

2003 6 - 7 Sep

The celebration of the Jubilee of the opening of the Faith in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was commemorated in Kinshasa by some 600 participants.

Among those at the celebrations in the capital were three of the first Congolese Bahá'ís: Louis Selemani, 81, Remy Kalonji, 83, and Valerien Mukendi, 83. One invited guest who could not make it was Ola Pawlowska, 93, though she participated in the celebrations by sending a message of congratulations and love to a community to which she devoted three decades of her life from her home in Canada.

Guests of honour at the jubilee included Mr. Nakhjavani, former member of the Universal House of Justice, and Mrs. Nakhjavani, as well as Joan Lincoln, counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre, and Albert Lincoln, secretary-general of the Bahá'í International Community. All four had spent many years as pioneers in Africa.

Active teaching in the area began in 1953. Before that time, colonial authorities did not permit the promotion of the Faith and that is when Ali Nakhjavani and his wife, Violette, driving across Africa from Uganda, took Ugandan Baha'i Samson Mungongo to the city of Kamina.

The first local assembly was formed in 1957 and the National Assembly was inaugurated in 1970. This event also marked the first time the National Spiritual Assembly had been able to meet in Kinshasa since 1998 because of the war. [BWNS248]

For further details on the development of the Faith in the DRC see Legacy of Courage: The Life of Ola Pawlowska, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh by Suzanne Schuurman.

Kinshasa; Congo, Democratic Republic of (DRC)

Jubilee; BWNS

2003 26 Nov

The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Ali Akbar Furútan in Haifa at the age of 98. [BWNS261, BW'03-‘04pg227]

Born in Sabzivar, Iran, on 29 April 1905.

Moved with his family to Ashgabat in what was then Russian Turkestan (now part of Turkmenistan), and, through his years of school and university, he took an active part in the work of the Bahá'í communities of Ashgabat, Baku, Moscow, and other parts of Russia.

In 1930 he was expelled from the Soviet Union during the Stalinist persecution of religion and from that time on played an ever more significant role in the work and administration of the Iranian Bahá'í community. [BW03-04p227-230]

Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the first contingent on the 24th of December, 1951. [MoCxxiii]

For a tribute from the Universal House of Justice see message of 27 November, 2003.

Haifa; Sabzivar; Iran; Ishqabad; Turkmenistan; Baku; Moscow

Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; Births and deaths; Ali Akbar Furutan; In Memoriam; Hands of the Cause, First Contingent; BWNS

2003 16 Dec

Shirin Ebadi, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the first Muslim woman to win the coveted distinction.

For a long time she has fought for the rights of women and children in Iran and it is most fitting that she, a woman lawyer who dared to speak out against the sexist Iranian regime, be praised and recognised by the world.

She was an author and also the founder of the Association for Support of Children's Rights in Iran. [Nobel Peace Prize 2003]

In 2002 she founded the Defender of Human Rights Center and in 2009 she was forced to flee into exile after briefly serving as legal counsel for the imprisoned Yaran. Mrs. Ebadi was threatened, intimidated, and vilified in the news media after taking on their case and was not given access to their case files. [BWNS694 ]

Iran

Shirin Ebadi; Nobel Peace Prize; Human rights; Women; Firsts, Other; BWNS

2004 11 Feb

A member of the British Bahá'í community, Lois Hainsworth, received the award of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Buckingham Palace.

The announcement of the award for services to three organizations that promote the rights of women was made in the United Kingdom's New Year's Honours List. The citation refers to Mrs. Hainsworth's services to the Women's National Commission, the Bahá'í Office for the Advancement of Women, and UNIFEM UK. [BWNS273]

Buckingham Palace; London; United Kingdom

Lois Hainsworth; Order of the British Empire (MBE); Women; Awards; BWNS

2004 12 Feb

The launch of the Web site for the temple that would be constructed in Chile. temple.cl.bahai.org [BWNS279, BWNS223]

Santiago; Chile

Mashriqul-Adhkar, Santiago; BWNS

2004 Apr

The completion of the destruction of the gravesite of Mulla Muhammad-'Ali Barfurushi, known as Quddus (The Most Holy). Quddus was the foremost disciple of the Báb, the Prophet-Herald of the Bahá'í Faith. [BWNS293]

Iran

Quddus; Cemeteries and graves; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution; BWNS

2004 2 Apr

The passing of Ola Pawlowska (b. Ola Clemens 14 February, 1910 in Lakta, outside Cacow, Poland) in Newfoundland, Canada. Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for St. Pierre and Miquelon, translator of the Writings (into Polish), pioneer to Poland, Luxembourg and Congo (30 years), Auxiliary Board Member. [BW'03-‘04pg236, BWNS248]

For her biography see Legacy of Courage: The Life of Ola Pawlowska, Knight of Bahá'u'lláh" by Suzanne Schuurman, published by George Ronald in 2008.

Lakta; Cacow; Newfoundland; Canada; St Pierre and Miquelon; Poland; Luxembourg; Congo

Knights of Bahaullah; Ola Pawlowska; Births and deaths; BWNS; Auxiliary Board Members

2004 19 Apr

The passing of Mr Aziz Ismayn Yazdi (b. Alexandria, Egypt in 1909) in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 94. Aziz Yazdi lived in Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Great Britain, Uganda, Kenya, Israel, and finally Canada. In 1968 he was appointed to the Continental Board of Counsellors in Central and East Africa and was an inaugural member of the International Teaching Centre in Haifa. [BWNS297, BW'03-‘04pg239]

Vancouver; Canada; Egypt; Syria; Iran; Iraq; United Kingdom; Uganda; Kenya; Israel

Aziz Ismayn Yazdi; Counsellors; International Teaching Centre, Members of; In memoriam; Births and deaths; BWNS

2004 31 May

The launch of the Web site The Bahá'í Reference Library by the Bahá'í International Community. It marked the first time that a voluminous authoritative library of Bahá'í scripture and other Bahá'í publications had been available on the Internet. [reference.bahai.org, BWNS302]

BWC

Bahai Reference Library; Bahai.org; Websites; Internet; Publications; BWNS; Bahai International Community

2004 Jun

After 15 years of negotiations, research, and planning, the restoration work began on the cell used to imprison Bahá'u'lláh when He was first incarcerated in ‘Acre. Approved by government authorities keen to preserve the heritage of the site, the project was supervised and financed by the Bahá'í World Centre. [BWNS336]

Akka; BWC; Haifa

Bahaullah, Prison cell of; Restoration; Pilgrimage; World Centre; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; BWNS

2004. 20 Jun

By order of Ayatollah Kani, director of the Marvi School and the Endowments Office, destruction of the house of Mirza Abbas Nuri (also known as Mírzá Buzurg)in Tehran began. Ostensibly, it was razed to create an Islamic cemetery. Mírzá Buzurg, apart from being the father of Bahá'u'lláh, had his own place in the history of Iran as an eminent provincial governor and was widely regarded as one of Iran's greatest calligraphers.

The incident received international press coverage and evoked a reaction similar to that when the Taliban of Afghanistan destroyed the towering Buddhist sculptures at Bamiyan. The house was regarded as an "historical monument, a precious example of Islamic-Iranian architecture, 'a matchless model of art, spirituality, and architecture". [BWNS323]

Tihran; Iran

Persecution, Iran; BWNS; Mirza Buzurg; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution

2004 24 Nov

The announcement of the completion of the restoration of the prison citadel that was occupied by Bahá'u'lláh and His family upon arrival in Akka I on August 31st, 1868. [BWNS336]

Akka; BWC; Haifa

Bahaullah, Prison cell of; Citadel; BWNS; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; Restoration

2004 20 Dec

United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution expressing "serious concern" over the human rights situation in Iran, making specific mention of the ongoing persecution of the Bahá'í community there.

It called on Iran to "eliminate all forms of discrimination based on religious grounds" and took note of the recent upsurge of human rights violations against the Bahá'í s of Iran.

Specifically, the resolution noted the "continuing discrimination against persons belonging to minorities, including Christians, Jews, and Sunnis, and the increased discrimination against the Bahá'ís, including cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, the denial of free worship or of publicly carrying out communal affairs, the disregard of property rights, the destruction of sites of religious importance, the suspension of social, educational, and community-related activities, and the denial of access to higher education, employment, pensions, and other benefits." [BWNS341]

Iran; New York; United States

United Nations, General Assembly; United Nations; Human rights; BWNS

2005 21 Mar

The announcement of the retirement of Mr. Ian Semple and Mr. Douglas Martin from the Universal House of Justice. Mr. Semple served since 1963 and Mr. Martin was elected in 1993. [BWNS359]

Mr. Ian Semple, born in England, held a Master of Arts degree in the German and French languages and literature from Oxford University. A chartered accountant, he served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles. He was an Auxiliary Board member in Europe and was elected to the International Bahá'í Council in 1961. He was first elected to the Universal House of Justice in 1963.

BWC

Ian Semple; Douglas Martin; Retirements; Universal House of Justice, Members of; BWNS; Auxiliary Board Members

2005 20 Apr

The launch of the new official website, titled The Bahá'ís to replace the previous site, "The Bahá'í World," at the same address. The site is also a portal to the family of official web sites of the Bahá'í International Community.

The content of "The Bahá'í World" continued to be available as Bahá'í Topics: An Information Resource (archived, now redirects to bahai.org). [BWNS368]

BWC

Bahai.org; Websites; Internet; Publications; BWNS; Bahai International Community; BIC statements

2005 21 Apr

The election of Dr. Payman Mohajer and Mr. Paul Lample to the vacancies on the Universal House of Justice. They filled the vacancies created by the departure at Naw-Ruz of Mr. Ian Semple and Mr. Douglas Martin, owing to age and the related needs of the Faith. Re-elected were: Firaydoun Javaheri, Hartmut Grossmann, Kiser Barnes, Farzam Arbab, Hooper Dunbar, Peter Khan, and Glenford Mitchell. [BWNS358]

BWC

Payman Mohajer; Paul Lample; Ian Semple; Douglas Martin; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Universal House of Justice, Election of; Elections; BWNS

2005 6 Sep

The passing of former Universal House of Justice member David S. Ruhe (b. 3 January, 1913) near Newburg, New York. He served on the Universal House of Justice from 1968 to 1993. [BWNS388]

Dr Ruhe will be remembered for his contributions to medicine as well his Bahá'í service. [BW05-06p237-238]

Among his Bahá'í publications were:

Door of Hope (1983)
Robe of LIght (1994)

Newburg; NY; United States

David Ruhe; Universal House of Justice, Members of; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; BWNS

2005 Nov

Dr. John Grayzei was appointed to the Bahá'í Chair for Peace at the University of Maryland in the United States. He succeeded Suheil Bushrui who held the position since its inauguration in 1992. [BWNS404]

Maryland; United States

John Grayzei; Suheil Bushrui; Bahai Chair for World Peace; University of Maryland; BWNS

2005 1 Nov

The celebration of the opening of the new Bahá'í Centre at 44 Albany Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. [BWNS347, BWNS395]

The weekend's events coincided with the 92nd anniversary of the visit in 1913 by 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

Edinburgh; Scotland; United Kingdom

Bahai centres; BWNS

2005 27 Nov

The passing of prolific author and founding member of the Association for Bahá’í Studies of North America, Dr. William S. Hatcher, in Stratford, Ontario. (b. 20 September, 1935 in Charlotte, NC).

He served on the National Spiritual Assemblies of Switzerland (1962-65), Canada (1983-91) and the Russian Federation (1996).

He was an associate professor of mathematics at the University of Toledo for three years before coming to Canada in 1968 with his wife Judith. He served as professor of mathematics at the Université Laval until 1995.

He was appointed to the first Board of Trustees of the Huqúqu'lláh for Canada in November of 1991. [CBNJan92 p2; 14 November, 1991]

He was the author of vast number of articles and books including, Logic and Logos (1990), Love, Power and Justice (1998), and The Bahá'í Faith, The Emerging Global Religion (co-authored with Douglas Martin). [BWNS416, BW05-06p240-241]

The Universal House of Justice wrote in tribute: ”The Bahá’í world has lost one of its brightest minds, one of its most prolific pens. He will long be remembered for his stalwart faith, forceful exposition, and penetrating insights.”

The family of Dr. Hatcher built an on-line repository of his collected works. Contributions of recordings of his talks or other works by William Hatcher can be submitted for consideration for the site by using the contact form.

Stratford, ON; Canada

William Hatcher; In Memoriam; BWNS

2005 15 Dec

The death of Mr. Dhabihu'llah Mahrami, 59, who had been held in a government prison in Yazd under harsh physical conditions at the time of his death.

First arrested in 1995, Mr. Mahrami served in the civil service but at the time of his arrest was making a living installing venetian blinds, having been summarily fired from his job like thousands of other Bahá'is in the years following the 1979 Iranian revolution. Although Iranian officials have asserted that Mr. Mahrami was guilty of spying for Israel, court records clearly indicate that he was tried and sentenced solely on charge of being an "apostate," a crime which is punishable by death under traditional Islamic law. While Mr. Mahrami had been a lifelong Baha'i, the apostasy charge apparently came about because a civil service colleague, in an effort to prevent Mr. Mahrami from losing his job, submitted an article to a newspaper stating that he had converted to Islam. When it later became clear to Iranian authorities that Mr. Mahrami remained a member of the Bahá'í community, they arrested him and charged him with apostasy for allegedly converting from Islam to the Bahá'í Faith. On 2 January 1996, he was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court, a conviction that was later upheld by the Iranian Supreme Court.

The death sentence against Mr. Mahrami stirred an international outcry. The European Parliament, for example, passed a resolution on human rights abuses in Iran, making reference to Mr. Mahrami's case. The governments of Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States also registered objections. [BWNS415]

Yazd; Iran

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution; Human rights; Court cases; BWNS

2005 27 – 31 Dec

The gathering, at the Bahá'í World Centre, the members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors [BWNS418]

BWC

Counsellors; Conferences, Bahai; Counsellors conferences; BWNS

2006 4 Apr

In late 2004 or early 2005 the government of Egypt introduced a computerized identity card system that locked out all religious classifications except Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Bahá's were unable to get ID cards and other documents essential to day-to-day life. Thus began an epic struggle for Bahá'í appellants to win the right to have their religious affiliation properly identified on government documents.

The issuance of birth certificates was at the heart of the first case, which concerned 14-year-old twins Imad and Nancy Rauf Hindi. Their father, Rauf Hindi, obtained birth certificates that recognized their Bahá'í affiliation when they were born but new policies required computer generated certificates and the computer system locked out any religious affiliation but the three officially recognized religions. Without birth certificates, the children were unable to enroll in school in Egypt.

A lower administrative court ruled that the couple should be identified as Bahá'ís on official documents, a decision that, if upheld, would essentially overturn the government's policy of forcing citizen to choose from only the three officially recognized religions on state documents. The lower court's ruling provoked an outcry among the fundamentalist elements in Egyptian society, particularly Al Azhar University and the Muslim Brotherhood who objected to any kind of recognition of the Bahá'í Faith as a religious belief. The case gained international attention in the news media and from human rights groups and sparked a wholesale debate in newspapers and blogs throughout the Arab world over the right to freedom of religion and belief. [BWNS454, Minority Right website]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2006 2 May

Letter, from the Trades, Production, and Technical Services Society of Kermanshah to the Iranian Union of Battery Manufacturers, asked the Union to provide a list of members of the Bahá'í sect in their membership. [BWNS488]

English translation of the letter.

Kermanshah; Iran

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; BWNS

2006 15 May

In Egypt the government appealed the lower court's ruling to the Supreme Administrative Court and the hearing focused on procedural issues concerning the case. The emotions stirred by the case were evident at the initial hearing. Lawyers and other individuals seated in the courthouse interrupted and heckled the defense counsel each time they tried to address the court. They yelled insults at them, calling them 'infidels' and threatening them with physical violence during the hearing. Because the Court was unable to impose order in the courtroom, the Court briefly adjourned the hearing before resuming the proceedings in camera. When the hearing was adjourned the courthouse security officers refused to protect the defense lawyers who were surrounded by members of the crowd, verbally threatening, pushing, shoving and not allowing them to walk away from the area.

After the government's appeal of the lower court's ruling a court hearing was set for 19 June, however, the Court commissioner's advisory report was not submitted in time and the hearing was further postponed until the 16th of September. [BWNS454, BWNS456]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2006 15 Jul

The Bahá'í Academy in Panchgani, India, entered into a formal agreement with one of India's top-ranked universities to offer specialized training in education for moral development to its students, faculty, and staff. [BWNS470]

Panchgani; Pune (Poona); India

Bahai Academy; Universities; Moral education; BWNS

2006 31 Jul

The announcement of the publication of The Tabernacle of Unity. This publication of the Bahá'í World Centre contained five tablets - letters - written by Bahá'u'lláh to individuals of Zoroastrian background in the 1800s. As such, these tablets provide important insights into the interrelatedness of religion. [BWNS466]

BWC

Tabernacle of Unity (book); Zoroastrianism; Bahaullah, Writings of; Interfaith dialogue; Manikchi Limji Hataria; Translation; Publications; BWNS

2006 16 Sep

In Egypt the Supreme Administrative Court again postponed its hearing on the government appeal of a lower court's ruling upholding the right of a Bahá'í couple to have their religion properly identified on government documents. In a brief hearing the Court postponed the case until 20 November in order to await the completion of an advisory report from the State Commissioner's Authority on the case. [BWNS480 ]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2006 20 Nov

In Egypt lawyers representing a Bahá'í couple seeking to have their religious affiliation properly identified on state documents, presented arguments at a full hearing before the Supreme Administrative Court. The hearing was short and the court adjourned until 16 December when a judgment in the case was expected. [BWNS492]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2006 16 Dec

Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court ruled against the right of Bahá'ís to be properly identified on government documents. There were now two cases related to this issue; the first involved a lawsuit by the father of twin children, who was seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them and the second concerned a college student who needed a national identity card to re-enroll in university.

The decision upheld government policy in place at the time,, a policy which forced the Bahá'ís either to lie about their religious beliefs or give up their state identification cards. The policy effectively deprived Egyptian Bahá'ís and others of access to most rights of citizenship, including education, financial services, and even medical care. [BWNS492]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2006 21 Dec

A message was sent from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of Egypt regarding the recent Supreme Administrative Court decision with respect to their right to hold identification cards. [BWNS499]

For a the full text of the message from the Universal House of Justice 21 December, 2006 in English.

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2007 7 Apr

A memorial removed by the Nazis when the Bahá'í Faith was outlawed in 1937 was restored by municipal authorities in the resort town of Bad Mergentheim in Germany. The stone commemorates the visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá on April 7-8, 1913. The new memorial was unveiled on 7 April, by Mayor Lothar Barth accompanied by Bahman Solouki, a representative of the Bahá'í community of Germany. Please see the news story for pictures of both the original and the replacement monuments. [BWNS524]

Bad Mergentheim; Germany

Abdul-Baha, Pictures and portraits; Portraits; Monuments; Opposition; BWNS

2007 19 Apr

The government of Slovakia officially registered the Bahá'í Faith as a religious community, guaranteeing the group the right to own property, observe holy days, disseminate literature and engage in a host of other activities. [BWNS531]

Slovakia

Recognition; BWNS

2007 11 May

The passing of His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, the Samoan head of state. He was one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world and had been head of state since independence from New Zealand in 1962. [BWNS543; Bahá'í Chronicles]

Samoa

Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa; In memoriam; Births and deaths; Bahai royalty; Royalty; BWNS

2007 9 – 10 Sep

A Bahá'í cemetery near Najafabad, Iran was destroyed using heavy equipment. More than 100 graves were desecrated. [BWNS578]

Najafabad; Iran

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution; Cemeteries and graves; BWNS

2007 22 Sep

The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Ali-Muhammad Varqa (b.1911 or 1912) at his home in Haifa. Mr Varqa received his name from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in memory of his grandfather, who had been killed for being a follower of Bahá’u’lláh. He was the last survivor of the 27 Hands of the Cause who were alive when Shoghi Effendi passed away in 1957. [BWNS579; One Country]

He had been appointed Hand of the Cause on the 15th of March, 1955 after the passing of his father Hand of the Cause of God Jináb-i-Valíyu'lláh Varqá, [MoVxxiv]

He was appointed as the last Trustee of the Huqúqulláh, a position also held by his father. During his tenure, the Huqúqulláh expanded its base from a few Iranian believers to include every believer in the world in 1992.

He lived in Iran but happened to be away during the revolution in 1979 and never returned. He was accepted as a refugee in Canada and lived there for several years before being called to service at the World Centre.

For a short biography see LoF183-187.

Haifa

Varqa, Ali-Muhammad; Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; Births and deaths; In Memoriam; Varqa; Hands of the Cause, Institution; Appointed arm; BWNS; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Huququllah

2007 12 Oct

The opening of a new office of the Bahá'í International Community in Brussels. The purpose was to strengthen the BIC's ties with the European Union. [BWNS581]

Brussels; Belgium

Bahai International Community; BWNS

2007 7 Nov

The launch of a new website by the Bahá'í International Community, The Life of Bahá'u'lláh to provide illustration of Bahá'u'lláh's life through photographs of places and artifacts and relics associated directly with Him. [BWNS586]

BWC

Bahai.org; Websites; Internet; Bahaullah, Life of (documents); Bahaullah, Life of; Relics; Publications; BWNS; Bahai International Community; BIC statements

2007 12 Nov

Human Rights Watch and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights released a report that stated that Egypt should end discriminatory practices that prevented Bahá'ís and others from listing their true religion on government documents.

The 98-page report, titled Prohibited Identities: State Interference with Religious Freedom, focused on problems that have emerged from Egypt's practice of requiring citizens to state their religious identity on government documents but then restricting the choice to Islam, Christianity, or Judaism. "These policies and practices violate the right of many Egyptians to religious freedom," states the report. [BWNS587]

See HRW.org for the full text of the report.

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2007 25 Dec

The two Egyptian Human Rights cases, the first by the father of twin children who was seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them and the second by a college student who needed a national identity card to re-enroll in university, were set for "final judgment" by the Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo but the hearings were unexpectedly postponed until 22 January 2008. The court indicated it was still deliberating on the cases. On 22 January it was announced that the cases had been continued until 29 January. [BWNS597]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2008 29 Jan

In Egypt a victory for religious freedom, a lower administrative court ruled in favour of two lawsuits that sought to resolve the government's contradictory policy on religious affiliation and identification papers. The Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo upheld arguments made in two cases concerning Bahá'ís who had sought to restore their full citizenship rights by asking that they be allowed to leave the religious affiliation field blank on official documents. A lower court again ruled in their favour. Two Muslim lawyers filed an appeal. [BWNS600]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2008 5 Mar

Mahvash Sabet – a schoolteacher and mother of two and a member of the national-level administrative group for Iran, the Yaran – was arrested after having been summoned to Mashhad to discuss some matters regarding a Bahá'í burial. She subsequently spent 175 days in solitary confinement. On the 26th of May she was moved to Evin prison in Tehran. [BWNS Special Report]

This arrest marked a new wave of persecution of the Bahá'í Faith in Iran.

See Iran Press Watch 10561 for the background story to her arrest.

Mashhad; Iran

Yaran; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution; Evin prison; BWNS; Mahvash Sabet

2008. 20 - 21 Mar

The re-formation of the National Spiritual Assembly of Vietnam took place after a lapse of some 33 years. Joan Lincoln was the special emissary of the Universal House of Justice at their National Convention. A number of people attending the activities had joined the Bahá'í Faith in the 1950s and 1960s and had remained firm in the Faith despite the years of restrictions on certain activities.

A major step towards official recognition of the Faith had been taken a year previously when authorities issued a certificate recognizing Bahá'í activities.

The Bahá'í Faith had been established in Vietnam in 1954. In 1957 Bahá'ís there joined with a number of other countries in southeast Asia to form a Regional Spiritual Assembly, and in 1964 the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam had been formed. [BWNS617; BWNS647; One Country]

Vietnam

Persecution, Vietnam; Persecution; Persecution, Bans; BWNS; National Spiritual Assembly, formation; National Convention

2008 23 Apr

The retirement of Universal House of Justice members Mr. Hartmut Grossmann and Mr. Glenford E. Mitchell. Mr. Grossmann had served from 2003 and Mr. Mitchell had first been elected in 1982. [BWNS622]

BWC

Hartmut Grossmann; Glenford Mitchell; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Retirements; BWNS

2008 30 Apr

The election of the Universal House of Justice at the 10th International Bahá'í Convention. It was attended by more than 1,000 delegates from 153 countries.

Those elected were Farzam Arbab, (an Iranian-born physicist who specialized in development in Colombia), Kiser Barnes, (an African-American law professor), Peter Khan, (an Australian-born electrical engineer of South Asian descent), Hooper Dunbar, (an accomplished painter and former Hollywood actor who spent many years in Nicaragua), Firaydoun Javaheri, (an agronomist who worked some 27 years in Africa), Paul Lample, (an American educator), Payman Mohajer, (a doctor of homoeopathic medicine and a psychologist), and Gustavo Correa, (a former mathematics professor). [BWNS629, BWNS631, BWNS627, BWNS628, BWNS626, BWNS624]

BWC; Haifa

Conventions, International; Universal House of Justice, Election of; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Farzam Arbab; Kiser Barnes; Peter Khan; Hooper Dunbar; Firaydoun Javaheri; Paul Lample; Payman Mohajer; Shahriar Razavi; Gustavo Correa; BWNS

2008 14 May

The six men and a women, Mr. Jamaloddin Khanjani, Mr. Afif Naeimi, Mr. Saeid Rezaie, Mr. Behrouz Tavakkoli, Mr. Vahid Tizfahm. and Mrs. Fariba Kamalabadi, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís in Iran, were arrested in their homes in Tehran. Mrs. Kamalabadi, Mr. Khanjani, and Mr. Tavakkoli had been arrested previously and then released after periods ranging from five days to four months. [BWNS632, Report]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution; BWNS

2008 20 Jun

Four Bahá'ís were arrested in Sana'a on the accusation of proselytizing. The three Bahá’is of Iranian origin who were arrested are Mr. Zia'u'llah Pourahmari, Mr. Keyvan Qadari, and Mr. Mr. Behrooz Rohani . A fourth Bahá’i, Mr. Sayfi Ibrahim Sayfi, was also arrested and faced the possibility of deportation to Iraq.

The Bahá’is had been persecuted on account of their faith prior to the armed conflict under the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. [BWNS651]

Sanaa; Yemen

Persecution, Yemen; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution; BWNS

2008 July

The publication of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, the Most Holy Book, in Norwegian for the first time, bringing to about 30 the number of different language editions of the work. [BWNS646]

Norway

Kitab-i-Aqdas (Most Holy Book); Translation; Publications; BWNS

2008 8 Jul

The Shrine of the Báb and the Resting Place of Baháu'lláh, together with their surrounding gardens, associated buildings and monuments, were chosen as UNESCO World Heritage sites. [BWNS642, BWNS643, UNESCO site]

Haifa; Israel; Akka; BWC

UNESCO; World Heritage Sites; Bahaullah, Shrine of; Bab, Shrine of; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; BWNS

2008. 14 Jul

The Bahá'í Community of Vietnam was signed by the Government Committee for Religious Affairs to recognize the organization. [Bahá'í Religion in Community Education in Vietnam by Vu Van Chung]

The Bahá'í Faith was established in the country in 1954, and the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Vietnam was elected 10 years later. In the mid-1970s, formal activities of the community were suspended. [BWNS647]

Vietnam

Recognition; BWNS

National Spiritual Assembly, recognition

2008 27 Jul

The results of the nationwide university entrance examination were made available on the National Organization for Educational Assessment in Iran. Most of the Bahá'í applicants found that they were rejected and received an "incomplete file" message. For the 2007-2008 academic year some 800 of 1000 Bahá'í students were rejected in the same manner. [Iranian, BWNS657]

Iran

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Education; Persecution; BWNS

2008 1 - 2 Nov

The first of 41 Regional Conferences held over a four month period to mark the mid-point of the Five Year Plan was held in Lusaka, Zambia. [Lusaka, BWNS642]

Bahá'í Community News

Lusaka; Zambia

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 8 – 9 Nov

Regional Conferences were held in Nakuru, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa. [BWNS668]

Nakuru. [Bahá'í Community News]

Johannesbury. [Bahá'í Community News]

Nakuru; Kenya; Johannesburg; South Africa

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 15 – 16 Nov

Regional Conferences were held in Bangui, Central African Republic, Bangalore, India and Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo, [BWNS669]

Bangui; Central African Republic; Bangalore; India; Uvira; Congo, Democratic Republic of (DRC)

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 22 – 23 Nov

Regional Conferences were held in Quito, Ecuador, New Delhi, India, Kolkata, India, and Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. [BWNS673]

Quito; Ecuador; New Delhi; India; Kolkata (Calcutta); Lubumbashi; Congo, Democratic Republic of (DRC)

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 29 – 30 Nov

Regional Conferences were held in Antofagasta, Chile, Manila, Philippines and Yaoundé, Cameroon. [BWNS675]

Antofagasta; Chile; Manila; Philippines; Yaounde; Cameroon

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 6 – 7 Dec

Regional Conferences were held in Portland, United States, Chicago, United States, Atlanta, United States and Almaty, Kazakhstan. [ Portand, Chicago, Atlanta, Almaty]

Portland; United States; Chicago; United States; Atlanta; United States; Almaty; Kazakhstan

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 13 – 14 Dec

Regional Conferences were held in Stamford, United States, Dallas, United States and Los Angeles, United States. [BWNS677]

Stamford; United States; Dallas; Los Angeles

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 20 – 21 Dec

Regional Conferences were held in Kuching, Malaysia and São Paulo, Brazil. [BWNS683]

Kuching; Malaysia; Sao Paulo; Brazil

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2008 27 – 28 Dec

Regional Conference were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This conference represented the half-way point in the series of 41 conferences between November 1st and March 1st. [BWNS685]

Kuala Lumpur; Malaysia

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 3 – 4 Jan

Regional Conferences were held in London, United Kingdom and Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. [BWNS686]

London; United Kingdom; Abidjan; Côte dIvoire

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 10 – 11 Jan

Regional Conferences were held in Toronto, Canada and Guadalajara, Mexico. [BWNS687]

Toronto; Canada; Guadalajara; Mexico

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 17 – 18 Jan

Regional Conferences were held in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Vancouver, Canada and Managua, Nicaragua. [BWNS689]

Lae; Papua New Guinea; Vancouver; Canada; Managua; Nicaragua

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 24 – 25 Jan

Regional Conferences were held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Sydney, Australia and Madrid, Spain. [BWNS690]

Ulaan Baatar; Mongolia; Sydney; Australia; Madrid; Spain

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 31 Jan – 1 Feb

Regional Conferences were held in Auckland, New Zealand and Battambang, Cambodia. [BWNS692]

Auckland; New Zealand; Battambang; Cambodia

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 14 – 15 Feb

Regional Conference was held in Istanbul, Turkey. [BWNS698]

Istanbul; Turkey

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 21 – 22 Feb

Regional Conferences were held in Baku, Azerbaijan and Accra, Ghana. [BWNS700]

Baku; Azerbaijan; Accra; Ghana

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 28 Feb – 1 Mar

Regional Conference was held in Kyiv, Ukraine. [BWNS701]

Kyiv; Ukraine

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 1 Mar

The purpose of the Regional Conferences was to celebrate achievements during the first half of the Five Year Plan and to deliberate on the next phase. An estimated total of 77,700 people participated in the series, which began 1 November and continued for 18 consecutive weeks, spanning the globe and attracting Baha’is from the largest Western cities to the smallest villages in South Sea islands. Reports from the 41 Regional Conferences can be found at Conference Reports.

Worldwide

Regional Conferences; BWNS

2009 16 Mar

In Egypt the Supreme Administrative Court removed any grounds for preventing Bahá'ís from receiving proper official identity documents by dismissing an appeal by two Muslim lawyers thus clearing the way for an end to years of deprivation for Egyptian Bahá'ís and opening the door to a new level of respect for religious privacy in Egypt. The appeal sought to prevent the implementation of a lower court ruling last year that said Bahá'ís could leave blank the religious classification field on official documents, including all-important identity cards and birth certificates. [BWNS703]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2009 Apr

Beth McKenty, longtime pioneer to Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada received the Caring Canadian Award from the Governor General of Canada for her work in the community. [BWNS711]

Beth, a teacher by training, has taught English in Arizona, China, Japan, and Sakhalin Island, then pioneered to Nunavut where she, among many other things, started a painting project, “The Arctic Youth Art initiative,” which has reached youth in many Inuit settlements and led to her winning this award.

Iqaluit; Numavut; Iqaluit; Canada

Awards; Beth McKenty; BWNS

2009 17 Apr

With respect to the Supreme Administrative Court decision of 16 March 2009, the decree, dated 19 March, 2009 is signed by General Habib al-Adly, Egypt’s Interior Minister, and published on 14 April in the official gazette. According to the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which represented Bahá'ís in many of the recent court cases concerning religious affiliation on government documents, the decree amended the Implementing Statutes of Egypt’s Civil Status Law of 1994. It specifically instructed officials to place a dash (--) before the line reserved for religion in the official documents of citizens who could show that they, or their ancestors, were followers of a religious belief other than the three recognized by the state. [BWNS707]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2009 2 – 3 Jul

More than 20 members of the European Bahá'í Business Forum participated in the Global Ethics Forum, held at United Nations headquarters in Geneva. [BWNS722]

Geneva; Switzerland; Europe

European Bahai Business Forum (EBBF); Business; BWNS; Ethical Business Building the Future (EBBF)

2009 10 Jul

Iranian officials told the families of the seven Bahá'í leaders being held in Evin prison in Tehran that their trial had been delayed. No new trial date was given. [BWNS723]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Court cases; Evin prison; BWNS

2009 8 Aug

Two young Egyptian Bahá'ís, Imad and Nancy Rauf Hindi, received the new identity cards. They had been at the centre of a court case over religious identification on government documents. Their new computerized ID cards show a dash instead of their religion. They were the first such cards to be issued following a ruling by the Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court of 16 March, 2009 that cleared the way for the government to issue documents without reference to religious identity. For nearly five years, since the government began introducing a computerized identity card system that locked out all religious classifications except Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, Bahá'ís have been unable to get ID cards and other documents essential to day-to-day life in Egypt. [BWNS707, BWNS726, BWNS499, BWNS495, BWNS492, BWNS480]

The Bahá’ís secured the right to an identification card, however, legislation still refused to recognize the validity of the Bahá’í faith and maintained their secondary status within Egypt. Marriage and Bahá’í personal law were still not acknowledged by the state: married Bahá’ís who refused to be issued documentation that listed them incorrectly as ‘single’ still reportedly faced difficulties in setting up a bank account and other basic freedoms. This official ‘invisibility’ had also had a profound impact on their ability to participate in civil and political life. Bahá’ís were also the target of hostility towards the end of Mubarak’s regime and in the wake of his resignation, including the torching of several Bahá’í homes where the perpetrators remain unpunished. {Minority Rights website]

Cairo; Egypt

Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Other; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2009 17 Aug

The trial of seven Bahá'í leaders imprisoned in Iran was further postponed until 18 October. [BWNS727]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Court cases; Human rights; BWNS

2009 7 – 18 Dec

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference raised climate change policy to the highest political level. Close to 115 world leaders attended the high-level segment, making it one of the largest gatherings of world leaders ever outside UN headquarters in New York. More than 40,000 people, representing governments, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, faith-based organizations, media and UN agencies applied for accreditation. The delegation of the Bahá'í International Community led by Tahirih Naylor, registered with the United Nations as an international nongovernmental organization, comprised some 21 people. [BWNS742; BIC History 2009]

United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Copenhagen; Denmark

Climate change; Environment; United Nations; United Nations conferences; BWNS; Copenhagen Summit; Bahai International Community

2010 12 Jan – 14 Jun

The trial of Iran's seven Bahá'í leaders, Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naeimi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm began in Tehran. The seven were charged with "espionage", "propaganda activities against the Islamic order", "the establishment of an illegal administration", "cooperation with Israel", "sending secret documents outside the country", "acting against the security of the country", and "corruption on earth". [BWNS748, BWNS778]

The profiles of the accused: Profiles.

The trial was closed to the public. A film crew and known interrogators were permitted entry. [Video "The Story of the Bahá'í Seven" 13 May 2016 BIC]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Court cases; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2010 7 Feb

Seven imprisoned Bahá'í leaders appeared in court for a second session of their trial. The session was once again closed and family members were not permitted in the courtroom. The hearing lasted just over one hour but did not go beyond procedural issues. No date was given for any future sessions. [BWNS756]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Court cases; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2010 20 Mar

The Universal House of Justice announced the retirement of Mr. Peter Khan (member since 1987) and Mr. Hooper Dunbar (member since 1988). [BWNS763]

Stephen Birkland and Stephen Hall were elected to the Universal House of Justice to replace retiring members. [BWNS762 ]

BWC

Peter Khan; Hooper Dunbar; Universal House of Justice, Members of; BWNS

2010 12 Apr

The seven imprisoned Iranian Bahá'í leaders arrived at the court for their third appearance and their families were not allowed to enter, signalling a closed hearing. Inside the courtroom, however, the prisoners saw numerous officials and interrogators from the Ministry of Intelligence – along with a film crew which had already set up cameras. Concerned over the presence of non-judicial personnel in a supposedly closed hearing, the Bahá'ís – with the agreement of their attorneys – declined to be party to the proceedings. The judge adjourned the session and did not announce a date for continuing the trial. [BWNS767]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Court cases; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS

2010 30 Apr

The visit of the President of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese, to the World Centre. [BWNS774]

BWC; Ireland; Haifa

Presidents; Prominent visitors; Mary McAleese; BWNS

2010 May

The publication of Rethinking Prosperity: Forging Alternatives to a Culture of Consumerism," for the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. The statement can be read at BIC10-0503. [BWNS770]

New York; United States

Sustainable Development; Prosperity; Consumerism; Materialism; Bahai International Community; BIC statements; Statements; Publications; United Nations; BWNS

2010 8 Aug

The sentence of 20 years in prison was announced for members of the "Yaran-i-Iran" or "Friends of Iran" in Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Moqayesseh (or Moghiseh)*. The charges were several: "espionage", "collaborating with enemy states", "insulting the sacred", "propaganda against the state" and "forming an illegal group". The prominent civil and human rights lawyer who defended them was Mr Abdolfattah Soltani. He would later serve a 13-year sentence in the Evin Prison for engaging in his profession. Another member of their legal defense team was the attorney Hadi Esmailzadeh who died in 2016 while serving a 4-year prison term for defending human rights cases. After the sentencing the seven Bahá'í leaders were sent to Raja’i prison in the city of Karaj (Gohardasht) , about 50 kilometers west of Tehran. [BWNS789]

Raja’i prison in Mashhad has frequently been criticized by human rights advocates for its unsanitary environment, lack of medical services, crowded prison cells and unfair treatment of inmates by guards. [Wikipedia; Iran Press Watch 6315].

Soon after their arrival four of the Yaran were transferred to room 17 in Section 6 of this notorious prison. Section 6 is infamous in human rights circles. It has often been the scene of bloody fighting among prisoners and it is considered extremely dangerous. It is where certain political prisoners have been sent to vanish. At first the Mafia-like gangs incarcerated in the same facility began to refer to the Yaran as “infidels”. The authorities also tried to pressure other prisoners to insult and belittle the newly-arrived Bahá'ís, but it appeared that most other prisoners refused to comply with this suggestion. In fact, it was reported that most other prisoners were showing considerable respect to the Bahá'ís and tried to be hospitable. [Iran Press Watch 667]

* For a profile of Judge Mohammad Moghiseh see Iran Press Watch 17764 .

Tihran; Mashhad; Iran

Yaran; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; Court cases; Evin Prison; Gohardasht prison; Abdolfattah Soltani; Hadi Esmailzadeh; Moghiseh; Human rights; Prisons; BWNS

2010 15 Sep

In the face of the chorus of condemnation from governments and human rights organizations around the world for the 20-year sentence for the seven Bahá'í leaders, the Appeals court reduced the sentences from 20 to 10 years by removing charges such as “Espionage and Collaboration with Israel”. This information was verbally released to Ms. Sabet’s lawyer. [BWNS793, BIC Report]

See Violations of Legal Procedures details on how the treatment of the Yaran (and other Bahá'ís) has violated their legal and constitutional rights.

See Voices of Support for a sampling of expressions of support from international figures and institutions as well as BWNS810.

Amnesty International called for immediate support by asking for messages to be sent to the Head of the Judiciary, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi. [Amnesty International appeal]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Court cases; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; BWNS

2010 29 Oct

After three years the restoration, work was completed on the Ridván Garden some two kilometers southeast of the old city of Acre. [BWNS797]

BWC; Akka; Bahji; Haifa

Ridvan garden; Restoration; BWNS; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre

2010 28 Nov

Excavation work began on the new Bahá'í House of Worship for the South American continent, at a location in the hills of Peñalolén, a "commune" within metropolitan Santiago, at the foot of the Andes. [BWNS800]

Santiago; Chile; Penalolen

Mashriqul-Adhkar, Santiago; Mashriqul-Adhkar (House of Worship); BWNS

2010 7 Dec

In an open letter to Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq Larijani, the Head of the Judiciary, the Bahá'í International Community today contrasted the country's persecution of Bahá'ís with Iran's own call for Muslim minorities to be treated fairly in other countries. [BWNS801]

In English: BIC Letter.

In Farsi: BIC Letter (Farsi).

Iran

Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq Larijani; Open letters; Bahai International Community; Persecution, Iran; Persecution; Human rights; BWNS; BIC statements

2010 28 Dec – 1 Jan

The conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors was held at the World Centre attended by 79 of the world's 81 Counsellors, from some 58 countries. [BWNS804]

See the message from the Universal House of Justice to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors dated 28 December, 2010.

As of this date there were 170 Regional Councils in 45 countries.

BWC

Counsellors; Conferences, Bahai; Counsellors conferences; BWNS; Regional Council

2011 12 Feb

Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi were transferred to the notorious Section 200 of Gohardasht Prison. The circumstances of the move raised concerns that it may have been orchestrated as a means of creating an insecure environment that threatens their lives.

Since their arrival at Gohardasht, the Bahá'í women – despite their own extremely challenging situation – had nonetheless been a constant source of comfort and hope to other inmates. The prison authorities apparently became alarmed that the two women began to receive signs of respect from a growing number of prisoners. As a justification for the increased harsh treatment, the authorities accused the two of teaching the Bahá'í Faith.

While Gohardasht was infamous for its harsh and unsanitary conditions, the Bahá'í prisoners were at first kept segregated from some of the more violent elements at the complex. They also had relatively frequent access to outdoor exercise areas. [BWNS807; BWNS821]

Mashhad; Iran

Fariba Kamalabadi; Mahvash Sabet; Gohardasht Prison; BWNS; Yaran

2011 10 Mar

The passing of Mrs. Ashraf Khanjani, wife of imprisoned Jamaloddin Khanjani at the age of 81 In Tehran. The couple had been married for more than 50 years. Mr. Khanjani, 77, who was serving a ten-year jail term at Iran's notorious Gohardasht prison, was not granted leave to attend his wife's funeral which was held the next day in Tehran. It attracted between 8,000 and 10,000 mourners from all walks of life. Ministry of Intelligence officers were also reportedly present, filming the proceedings.

Prior to the 1979 Iranian revolution, Mr. Khanjani was a successful factory owner. His brick-making factory – the first automated such facility in Iran – employed several hundred people before he was forced to shut it down and abandon it, because of the persecution he faced as a Bahá'í. The factory was later confiscated by the government.

Mr. Khanjani was able to establish a mechanized farm but the authorities made it difficult for him to operate. Their restrictions extended to his children and relatives and included refusing loans, closing their facilities, limiting business dealings, and banning travel outside Iran.

Mr. Khanjani had been arrested and imprisoned at least three times before his latest incarceration in May 2008. [BWNS811; Iran Press Watch 7454]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Ashraf Khanjani; Jamaloddin Khanjani; In Memoriam; BWNS

2011 30 Mar

Six months after Iran's Appeal Court reduced their sentences from 20 to 10 years, the seven Bahá'í leaders were told that the Appeals Court sentence was recognized as being in contrast with the law and that their original 20-year sentences had been reinstated. [BWNS814]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Court cases; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Court cases; Persecution; BWNS

2011 Apr

In an open letter to their fellow citizens, the Bahá'ís of Egypt offered some advice regarding the future of their nation. [BWNS817]

Blogspot.

Egypt

Open letters; BWNS

2011 Apr

After more than two years of extensive restoration work the Shrine of the Báb was complete. The project required the restoration and conservation of the interior and exterior of the original 1909 structure, as well as measures to strengthen the Shrine against seismic forces. An entirely new retrofit design – combining concrete, steel and carbon fibre wrap technology was needed for the whole building, from its foundation and original masonry to its octagon, drum and dome. More than 120 rock anchors were fixed into the mountain behind newly fortified retaining walls. [BWNS816]

BWC; Haifa; Mount Carmel

Bab, Shrine of; Restoration; BWNS; World Centre; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens

2011 Ridván

Burundi elected its first National Spiritual Assembly in 17 years. Civil war and unrest during recent decades made it difficult for the Bahá'í community to administer its affairs. [BWNS816, BWNS822]

Burundi

National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Re-election; BWNS

2011 3 May

After conviction, the two women of the Yaran were transferred from Evin Prison to the even more notorious Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj, near Tehran. In that prison, Fariba Kamalabadi, Mahvash Sabet, and a number of political prisoners were locked up in the communal ward with hundreds of ordinary female prisoners — inmates incarcerated for crimes not linked to politics. When authorities closed the women’s ward of that prison, the prisoners were all transferred to Gharchak Prison in Varamin near Tehran, where the conditions were even worse than those at Rajaei Shahr Prison. [IranWire4985; BWNS821]

Karaj; Varamin

Varan; Mahvash Sabet; Fariba Kamalabadi; Rajai Shahr prison; BWNS

2011 20 May

Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet were returned to Evin Prison in Tehran. They had spent a brief time in the appalling conditions at Qarchak prison, (from 3 May) some 45 kilometers from Tehran. [BIC Evin; BWNS826]

The five men were still being held under close scrutiny in a wing of Gohardasht prison, reserved for political prisoners. [BIC Report]

Tihran; Iran

Yaran; Evin Prison; Gohardasht Prison; Qarchak prison; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Prisons; BWNS

2011 29 May

The inauguration of the UNESCO Square for Tolerance and Peace, situated at the point where Haifa's historic German Templar colony met the terraced gardens of the Shrine of the Báb. [BWNS828]

Photo.

Over the next year the Square was developed through the addition of upgraded stonework and decorative floral plantings in the centre of the traffic circle. [The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning pg113]

Haifa; Israel

UNESCO for Tolerance and Peace Square; UNESCO; Tolerance; Peace; BWNS

2011 15 Jul

The passing of former Universal House of Justice member Dr. Peter J. Khan (b. 2 November, 1936 in New South Wales) in Brisbane, Australia. He was buried in the Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane. Dr Khan served as a member of the Universal House of Justice from 1987 until April 2010. [BWNS840, BWNS841]

See Dr Peter J. Khan Memorial video.

See the tribute on Bahá'í Blog.

See Wikipedia.

See Bahaipedia.

Find a grave. He was buried in the Toowong Cemetery in Brisbane.

BWC

Peter Khan; Universal House of Justice; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; BWNS

2011 27 – 28 Aug

The Bahá'ís of Geneva commemorated the 100th anniversary of the start of ‘Abdu'l-Baha's journeys to the West. [BWNS854]

Geneva; Switzerland

Abdul-Baha, Travels of; Centenaries; BWNS

2011 24 Sep

The arrest of Abdolfattah Soltani, a senior member of the legal team (4 lawyers) representing a number of Bahá'ís in Iran awaiting trial for providing higher education to youth barred from university. Soltani is a co-founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, along with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi and others. The Tehran-based Centre was shut down in a police raid in December 2008. [BWNS849]

In 2008 when Shirin Ebadi took the defense of seven Bahá'ís she was accused of changing her religion and her law office was attacked and faced other problems. [Iran Press Watch]

U.S Bahá'í Office of Public Affairs Press Release.

See interview with Mr Soltani by Iran Press Watch.

Iran

Abdolfattah Soltani; Lawyers; Bahai Institute for Higher Education (BIHE); Persecution; Human Rights; Education; BWNS; Yaran; Persecution, Education

2011 1 Dec

The passing of former Universal House of Justice member Mr. Ian C. Semple (b. 2 December 1928 in New Barnet, Hertfordshire) in Switzerland. He served as a member of the Universal House of Justice from its inception in 1963 until his retirement in 2005. [BWNS871]

See UK Bahá'í Histories.

See Bahá'í Blog.

Bahaipedia.

Some publications by Ian Semple.

Switzerland

Ian Semple; Universal House of Justice, Members of; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; BWNS

2011 1 Dec

The head of state of the Republic of Palau, President Johnson Toribiong, paid an official visit to the Bahá'í World Centre. [BWNS870]

BWC; Palau

Presidents; Prominent visitors; Johnson Toribiong; Islands; BWNS

2012 1 Feb

The announcement of the publication of Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh in Korean. [BWNS885]

Korea

Korean; Gleanings from the Writings of Bahaullah; Translation; Publications; BWNS

2012 20 Feb

The passing of Anneliese Bopp, former Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre at Bad Bruckenau, Northern Bavaria, Germany. [BWNS892]

First appointed to the Continental Board of Counsellors at Ridván 1970, she served at the International Teaching Centre from 1979 until 1988.

See Vimeo for a short biographical film on Anneliese Bopp entitled Miss Anneliese Bopp: A Champion of Faith.

Bahaipedia.

Bad Bruckenau; Germany

Anneliese Bopp; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; International Teaching Centre; BWNS

2012 24 Feb

The inaugural screening of Iranian Taboo by Dutch-Iranian filmmaker Reza Allamehzadeh in Los Angeles. [Iranian Taboo, BWNS890]

Los Angeles; United States

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Documentaries; Iranian Taboo; Reza Allamehzadeh; BWNS

2012 11 May

The Universal House of Justice sent a message to the Bahá'ís of Iran near the four-year anniversary of the illegal arrest and imprisonment of the former members of the Yárán and the more recent injustice meted out against the co-workers of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE). [BWNS823, Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 11 May, 2012, In Farsi]

Iran

Yaran; Bahai Institute for Higher Education (BIHE); Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; UHJ; BWNS; persecution; Persecution, Education

2013 Mar

The publication of the report entitled Violence with Impunity: Acts of Aggression Against Iran's Bahá'í Community published by the Bahá'í International Community. The report documents a rising tide of violence directed against the Iranian Bahá'í community - and the degree to which attackers enjoy complete impunity from prosecution or punishment.

From 2005 through 2012, for example, there were 52 cases where Bahá'ís have been held in solitary confinement, and another 52 incidents where Bahá'ís have been physically assaulted. Some 49 incidents of arson against Bahá'í homes and shops, more than 30 cases of vandalism, and at least 42 incidents of cemetery desecration were also documented. [BWNS972]

Report in English.

Report in Farsi.

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Human rights; Justice; Bahai International Community; BWNS; BIC statements

2013 5 Mar

The passing of Mas'ud Khamsi, former Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre in Lima, Peru. [BWNS943; In Memoriam: Mas'úd Khamsí (1922-2013), Spiritual Father of Peru, Mentor and Counselor by Boris Handal translated by Samuel Duboisme]

Photo.

Slideshow in Spanish.

Bahaipedia.

He was the son of one of "The Five Siyyids" (Sádát-i-Khams in Arabic), so named by Bahá'u'áh. For the story of this family see The Khamsis: A Cradle of True Gold by Boris Handal. Mas'ud Khamsi's story is told in this book (p111-239).

Lima; Peru

Masud Khamsi; Baqirof-Khamsi (Sadat-i-Khams); Counsellors; International Teaching Centre, Members of; In memoriam; BWNS

2013 7 Apr

Mr. Ataollah Rezvani, a well-known Bahá'í in the city of Bandar Abbas was shot and killed in his car. It is of note that a few years before his murder, the Friday prayer Imam had incited the local population against the Bahá'ís, referring to them as un-Islamic. He further called on the people of the city to rise up against the Bahá'í community. [BWNS987, BWNS1031; Iran Press Watch 9306]

Rezvani was shot in the back of the head and his body was found in his car near the railway station on the outskirts of the city. His assailants had forced him to drive to that location. His body was discovered following a search when he failed to return home. [http://publicaffairs.bahai.us/388]

Bandar Abbas; Iran

Ataollah Rezvani; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution; BWNS

2013 11 Apr – 5 Dec

The commemoration of the centenary of the visit of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá to North America. [BWNS918]

Wilmette; United States

Centenaries; Abdul-Baha, Travels of; BWNS

2013 29 Apr – 2 May

The Eleventh International Bahá'í Convention in Haifa and the 50th anniversary of the inaugural Convention in 1963 at which the first Universal House of Justice was elected. Those elected were Paul Lample, Firaydoun Javaheri, Payman Mohajer, Gustavo Correa, Shahriar Razavi, Stephen Birkland, Stephen Hall, Chuungu Malitonga, and Ayman Rouhani. [BWNS950, BWNS951, BWNS953]

More than a thousand members of one hundred and fifty seven National Spiritual Assemblies attended, and nearly five hundred more, including those from an additional fourteen countries, participated in the election by mail. [Letter from the Universal House of Justice to the delegates gathered at Bahá'í National Conventions dated 16 May, 2013]

BWC; Haifa

Universal House of Justice, Election of; Elections; Universal House of Justice, Members of; Conventions, International; Paul Lample; Firaydoun Javaheri; Payman Mohajer; Gustavo Correa; Shahriar Razavi; Stephen Birkland; Stephen Hall; Chuungu Malitonga; Ayman Rouhani; Anniversaries; BWNS

2013 14 May

The Bahá'í International Community launched the Five Years Too Many campaign to protest the 20-year prison sentences given to the Bahá'í leaders in Iran, the longest sentence given to prisoners of conscience under the current regime. The harshness of the sentences reflected the Government’s resolve to completely oppress the Iranian Bahá'í community, which faced a systematic, “cradle-to-grave” persecution that was among the most serious examples of state-sponsored religious persecution in the world. [Five Years Too Many, BWNS954]

Tihran; Iran; Worldwide

Yaran; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Human rights; Bahai International Community; BWNS; BIC statements

2013 27 Jun

In a message from the Universal House of Justice to all National Spiritual Assemblies it advised of the news of the destruction of the House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad. (Bayt-i-A'zam) [Message of 27 Jun 2013; Message of 17 July, 2013]

Grieve not, O House of God, if the veil of thy sanctity be rent asunder by the infidels. [GWB114]

In truth, I declare, it shall be so abased in the days to come as to cause tears to flow from every discerning eye...And in the fullness of time, shall the Lord by the power of truth exalt it in the eyes of all the world, cause it to become the mighty standard of His domination, the shrine round which shall circle the concourse of the faithful. [BA99-100; BWNS961]

See the compilation entitled The House of Bahá’u’lláh, Baghdád ‘Iráq.

See "The Most Great House in Baghdad" [SA140-143]

See GPB110 for the various designations of the Most Great House.

Within its walls the “Most Great House of God,” His “Footstool” and the “Throne of His Glory,” “the Cynosure of an adoring world,” the “Lamp of Salvation between earth and heaven,” the “Sign of His remembrance to all who are in heaven and on earth,” enshrining the “Jewel whose glory hath irradiated all creation,” the “Standard” of His Kingdom, the “Shrine round which will circle the concourse of the faithful” was irrevocably founded and permanently consecrated. Upon it, by virtue of its sanctity as Bahá’u’lláh’s “Most Holy Habitation” and “Seat of His transcendent glory,” was conferred the honor of being regarded as a center of pilgrimage second to none except the city of ‘Akká, His “Most Great Prison,” in whose immediate vicinity His holy Sepulcher, the Qiblih of the Bahá’í world, is enshrined.

Baghdad; Iraq

House of Bahaullah (Baghdad); BWNS

2013 Jul – Oct

The holding of 114 Youth Conferences around the world at the request of the Universal House of Justice. The purpose of the gatherings were to explore such themes as the characteristics inherent to the period of youth, the historical contribution of young people to the transformation of society, the responsibilities of the present generation of youth, the society-building power of the Bahá'í Teachings, and the importance of faith and tenacity to a life of service. [List of places and dates for Youth Conferences]

See The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning pg46-43.

Worldwide

Conferences, Bahai; Conferences, Youth; Conferences, International; Youth; BWNS

2013 13 Aug

The passing of former Universal House of Justice member Mr. Hushmand Fatheazam in Vancouver, Canada. He served on the Universal House of Justice for forty years since 1963. [BWNS964]

See Life of Hushmand Fatheazam as told by Fariborz Sahba.

Vancouver; Canada

Hushmand Fatheazam; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; BWNS

2013 20 Sep

Deloria Bighorn, chairperson of the National Spiritual Bahá'ís of Canada, presented, on behalf of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, a submission to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the BC National Event held in Vancouver from September 18th to the 21st. The formal presentation followed a panel organized by the Canadian Bahá'í Community and Reconciliation Canada. The previous week 250 people listened to Chief Doug White, Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, and Dr. Paulette Regan from the Commission discussing the challenge of reconciliation. [T&R website, CBN 24 September, CBN 9 February, 2018, BWNS1248]

For the text see Submission of the Bahá’í Community of Canada to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission or download PDF.

The Bahá'í community also produced a short film, The Path Home, which it screened in Ottawa in association with the final national gathering.

Vancouver; Canada

Native Americans; Indigenous people; Reconciliation; Human rights; Documentaries; BWNS; film; The Path Home (film)

2013 1 Oct

The Bahá'í International Community announced the appointment of Joshua Lincoln as its new Secretary-General. This announcement followed the announcement of the retirement of Mr. Albert Lincoln who had served as Secretary-General for 19 years. [BWNS968, BWNS969]

BWC; Haifa

Bahai International Community; Joshua Lincoln; Bahai International Community, Secretaries-General; Albert Lincoln; Retirements; BWNS

2013 28 Oct

The release of the video Violence with Impunity: Acts of Aggression Against Iran's Bahá'í Community based on the report of the same name. [BWNS972]

Engish

Farsi

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Arrests; Persecution, Other; Persecution; Human rights; Justice; Bahai International Community; BWNS; film; Violence with Impunity

2013 Nov

The announcement by the Universal House of Justice of the retirement of Dr. Farzam Arbab and Mr. Kiser Barnes. Mr. Arbab was first elected in 1993 and Mr. Barnes was elected in 2000. [BWNS948]

BWC

Farzam Arbab; Kiser Barnes; Retirements; Universal House of Justice, Members of; BWNS

2014 Apr

In Shiraz, the Revolutionary Guard began excavation of some 200 square meters of the Bahá'í cemetery. The site, which had been in use since the 1920s, had been confiscated by the government in 1983 and the Revolutionary Guard had taken ownership of the site some three years earlier with plans to build a cultural and sports centre. It is the site of the remains of the ten Bahá'í of Shiraz who were hanged in 1983 for the crimes of being Zionists and teaching children's classes. [BWNS993, BWNS994]

Shiraz; Iran

Cemeteries and graves; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution; BWNS

2014 8 May

Despite a worldwide outcry, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards continued destroying an historic Bahá'í cemetery in Shiraz. Between 2005 and 2012 some 42 Bahá'í-owned cemeteries were desecrated in a similar fashion. [BWNS993, BWNS1016]

Shiraz; Iran

Cemeteries and graves; Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Destruction; Persecution; BWNS

2014 6 Jun

At her request, the Universal House of Justice sent a message to Her Excellency Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil on the occasion of the World Cup of football. [BWNS]

Brazil

Sport; Dilma Rousseff; BWNS

2014 Sep

The exclusion of Shadan Shirazi, an exemplary student who placed exceptionally well in the college entrance exams administered to students throughout Iran. The Iranian government deployed new tactics in their treatment of Bahá'í students to deny them access to higher education without raising the concern of the international community. The new procedure entailed identifying Bahá'í university applicants and then calling them in so they could quietly be confirmed as ineligible under the government's unjust policies and then be sent away without any documentation or proof that it was done because they were Bahá'ís that they were prevented from enrolling. [BWNS1021]

Iran

Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Education; Persecution; BWNS

2014 8 Sep

Ayatollah Hamid Masoumi Tehrani presented an illuminated calligraphic work of the words of Bahá'u'lláh to the Bahá'ís of the world. [BWNS1017; One Country 23.2]

Iran

Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani; Ayatollahs; Calligraphy; BWNS

2014 14 Sep

Some 500 people attend the unveiling of the design of the first local Bahá'í House of Worship in Norte del Cauca, Colombia [BWNS1020]

Julian Gutierrez Chacon was the architect for the House of Worship.

The relationship between the environment of the region and the community was also expressed in the design of the House of Worship, which was inspired by the shape of the cocoa pod, a plant that grows abundantly in Colombia and was integral to the identity of the landscape and the lives and economy of the people.

See BWNS for pictures.

Agua Azul; Norte del Cauca; Colombia

Mashriqul-Adhkar, Colombia; Mashriqul-Adhkar, Design; Mashriqul-Adhkar (House of Worship); Architecture; Architects; BWNS

BWSN1153

2015 20 Jan

The website of the worldwide Bahá'í community at www.bahai.org was launched in a new version, representing the latest stage in the development of an official presence on the Web that extended back to 1996. [BWNS1037]

BWC

Bahai.org; Websites; Internet; BWNS

2015 12 Feb

The official opening of the new location of the Afnan Library Trust at Sandy, close to Cambridge. The Afnan Library Trust was established in 1985 to manage the collection bequeathed by Hasan Balyuzi when he passed away in 1980. It consists of some 10,000 books, as well as a vast quantity of manuscripts, original letters, maps, documents, periodicals, and unpublished items – some of them dating back to the nineteenth century. [BWNS1040]

The official website can be found here.

"In a letter dated the 10 November and the 20 November 1979 he (Hasan Balyuzi) left instructions that all his books and document were to be kept together perpetually... and that they are to form the nucleus of the Afnán Library, founded in the name of his father, Muvaqqari'd-Dawlih, and dedicated to Khadíjih Bagum". [KBWBix]

Included in the collection were volumes of photographic copies of Tablets by the Central Figures of the Faith, as well as historical and doctrinal works by individual Bahá'ís, 104 volumes in all, that had been compiled by the National Committee for the Preservation of Bahá’í Writings and Archives of Iran in the years just prior to the Iranian revolution. The Library worked closely with the Research Department of the Bahá’í World Centre to make digitized transcripts of these volumes. The digitized volumes contain some 4,000 works of Bahá’u’lláh, more than 3,000 works of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and many writings of the Báb. The index and the links to the volumes can be found on the Afnan Library site.

See as well Iranian National Bahá'í Archives (INBA) entry on Bahá'í Library.

Sandy; Cambridge; United Kingdom

Afnan Library; Afnan; Hasan Balyuzi; Libraries; Archives; Bahai studies; Scholarship; Muvaqqarid-Dawlih; Khadijih Begum; BWNS

2015 27 Feb

The premiere of the film To Light a Candle by Iranian-Canadian filmmaker and journalist, Maziar Mahari. The gala in Los Angeles was part of a campaign called "Education is Not a Crime", started in 2014, to highlight the plight of Bahá'í students in Iran and their recourse to the denial of education, the Bahá'í Institute of Higher Education. The film was also screened in some 300 locations around the world. [BWNS1041, BWNS1025]

from the chronology of Canada

date	event	locations	tags	see also
2001. 23 May	At dusk on the evening of the 22nd of May, the opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb, a $250M project that begun ten years earlier and transformed the ancient barren face of the mountain into 19 majestic terraced gardens cascading down the length of the mountain. [BWNS121; BW01-02p37-73] See the message To the Believers Gathered for the Events Marking the Completion of the Projects on Mount Carmel. The nineteen Canadian believers who had the extraordinary blessing of being present in the Holy Land for the official opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb were: Dr. Akouete Akakpo-Vida, Mr. Riel Aubichon, Mr. Garrett Brisdon, Mrs. Pearl Downie, Mrs. Nellie Ironeagle, Mrs. Aghdas Javid, Mr. Joseph Kowtow, Mrs. Joo Jong Kung, M. Fréderic Landry, Ms. Giselle Melanson, Mr. Borna Noureddin, Mr. James Patrick, Mrs. Valerie Pemberton-Piggott, Mlle. Cindy Poitras, Mrs. Janice Schlosser, Mlle. Caroline Simon, Mrs. Doris Toeg, Mrs. Linda Wilkinson, and Mme. Elizabeth Wright. In addition, several students from the Maxwell International Bahá'í School were present as members of the delegations from their home countries. The event was attended by some 4,500 people, 3,300 of them Bahá'ís, as representative of more than 200 countries and territories. [One Country Vol.13 Issue 1] For the statement read by Dr. Albert Lincoln, Secretary-General of the Bahá'í International Community at the official opening of the flight of terraces see Ruhi 8.3 page 93. [BWNS119] See video From Darkness to Light Recalling the Events at the Official Opening of the Terraces on Mount Carmel May 2001. See The Opening of the Terraces (May 2001): Reflections of a Participant by Thelma Batchelor. Gyr Kvalheim was the Managing Director of the Inaugural Events Office. [BWNS118]	BWC; Haifa; Mount Carmel	Bab, Shrine of; Terraces; Dedications; Arc project; - Bahai World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; World Centre; - Basic timeline, Expanded; BWNS; Gyr Kvalheim,

from the main catalogue

Bahá'í News Publications Seek to Elevate Thought, Inspire Action, by Bahá'í World News Service, in Bahá'í World (2018). Brief overview of the histories of various Bahá'í journals: Star of the West, Khurshid-i khavar, Sonne der Wahrheit, Wirklichkeit, The Dawn, Herald of the South, The Bahá'í World, World Order, and Bahá’í World News Service. [about]
List and Map of 114 Youth Conferences in 2013, by Bahá'í World News Service (2013). List of pages at bahai.org (offsite) with reports, descriptions, and videos of youth events across the globe. The accompanying map gives an impression of the spread of the worldwide Bahá'í community. [about]

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