Chronology: Date 1941

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1941, ascending — sort latest first

date	event	tags	firsts
1941 (In the year) 194-	The publication of The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. [ESW; Collins1.25] It was a Tablet addressed to Shaykh Muhammad-Taqiy-i-Najafi, a prominent Muslim cleric who had persecuted the Bahá'ís. It was revealed around 1891 at the Mansion of Bahjí and translated by Shoghi Effendi.	Lawh-i-Ibn-i-Dhib (Epistle to the Son of the Wolf); Aqa Najafi (Son of the Wolf); Shoghi Effendi, Translations by; * Translation; * Publications; * Shoghi Effendi, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded; * Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; Shoghi Effendi, Works of; * Bahá'í World Centre
1941 (In the year) 194-	Shoghi Effendi congratulated the Spiritual Assembly of San Jose upon formation. [Divine Springtime — Louise Coswell Recalls p59]	Local Spiritual Assembly, formation; San Jose, CA; Costa Rica	first local spiritual assembly in Central America
1941 (In the year) 194-	Shaykh Kázim was martyred in Bunáb, Ádharbáyján. [BW18:389]	Persecution, Adharbayjan; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Bunab, Iran; Azerbaijan
1941 (In the year) 194-	Aura Sanchez became a Bahá'í in Colombia, considered the first Bahá'í of the country.	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; Colombia	first Bahá’í in Colombia
1941 (In the year) 194-	John Ferraby, Hand of the Cause of God, heard about the Bahá'í Faith from Victor Cofman, a non-Bahá'í.	John Ferraby
1941 194-	'Abdu'l-Jalíl Bey Sa'ad translated The Dawn-Breakers into Arabic. His translation was published but because of the war it had to be referred to the Publicity Section of the Egyptian government for approval. From that department it was passed to the high Muslim authorities who determined that it was against the Muslim faith and so should be condemned. The entire publication run was gathered for destruction and upon hearing this 'Abdu'l-Jalíl interviewed all the officers concerned and not only secured the release of the books but obtained official permissions to distribute them in Egypt and abroad. [BW-598-599]	Dawn-Breakers (book); Nabil-i-Azam; `Abdu'l-Jalil Bey Saad; * Translation; * Publications; - Arabic language; Opposition; Egypt
1941 Jan 194-	Nine Bahá'ís were arrested in Sangsar, Khurásán, Iran, and banished to other towns for closing their shops on Bahá'í holy days. BW18:389]	* Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Holy days; Sangesar, Iran; Khurásán, Iran; Iran
1941 11 Feb 194-	The passing of Margaret Stevenson, the first New Zealand Bahá'í (b. 30 November 1865, in Onehunga) in Auckland. She was buried in Hillsborough Cemetery. She initially heard of the Bahá'í Faith through reading an article in "The Christian Commonwealth" sent to her by her sister, Amy, who was studying music in London. Margaret, though, later admitted that she "did not think any more about it". However, in 1913 Miss Dorothea Spinney, a professional actress who performed in many parts of the world, arrived in Auckland from California and stayed at the Stevenson home in Devonport. During that visit there were many opportunities for Miss Spinney to tell the Stevenson family about the Bahá'í Cause. After embracing the new Faith, Margaret began to speak to others of her new found beliefs – a courageous act for a middle-class woman in the then conservative society where following a new religion was considered odd. As New Zealand's only Bahá'í, she held on steadfastly to her faith for many years. Finally, after the visit of the first Bahá'í travelling teachers to New Zealand in December 1922, a handful of individuals from Margaret's social circle also became Bahá'ís. A class was established at her home in Parnell to study the Teachings in more depth and was held there regularly for 10 years. In January 1923 the first Bahá'í Nineteen Day Feast was held at her home. Margaret held various administrative roles within the Bahá'í community and remained an active and dedicated Bahá'í until her passing. [from a post by Tricia Hague-Barrett in Facebook page "Women of Bahá"; BW9p601] There is evidence to indicate that Margaret Stevenson was not the first believer in New Zealand. Dr Robert Felkin arrived in New Zealand in early 1912 while Margaret Stevenson became a believer later in that same year. [BCIB119-120]	Margaret Stevenson; Dorothea Spinney; - In Memoriam; - Births and deaths
1941 17 Feb 194-	John Henry Hyde Dunn, passed away in Sydney. [BW9:595; SBR166] Shortly after his passing Shoghi Effendi appointed him to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God. (26 April, 1952) [MoCxxii] For the story of his life see SBR153–68. For his obituary see BW9:593–7. For a biography see The Bahá'í Encyclopedia Project Photo of his grave. [BW9p72] See Bahá'í Chronicles.	Hyde Dunn; * Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; - Births and deaths; - In Memoriam; Hands appointed posthumously by Shoghi Effendi; Sydney, Australia; Australia
1941 28 Mar 194-	The publication of The Promised Day is Come. It was, in effect, a survey of the world in relation to the Bahá'í Faith during its first century. [AY305; PG215-217] Available at the Bahá'í Reference Library.	Promised Day is Come (letter); Bahá'í history; History (general); Peace; World peace; Tablets to kings and rulers; - Historical overviews by Central Figures or BWC; United States (USA)
1941 8 Apr 194-	The passing of Urbain Joseph Ledoux (b. August 13, 1874 in Ste Hélène de Bagot, Quebec). He was buried in Saint Joseph's Cemetery Biddeford, Maine. He is believed to be the third French-Canadian to become a Bahá'í outside of Canada. [OCBB94] He gave an address to the National Convention at the Hotel McAlpine on the 28th of April, 1919 entitled The Oneness of the World of Humanity. [SoW Vol 10 May 17, 1919 No 4 p58] "This talk 'sounded so French-Canadian' that later francophone believers could still be moved to tears in reading its text." [OCBB94] He received widespread publicity for his opening of bread lines in New York (The Stepping Stone) in 1919, and for "auctions" of the jobless to employers in New York and Boston during the Depression of 1921. He was received by President Warren Harding shortly after arriving in Washington, D.C. in September 1921. Ledoux spent a little over three months in Washington, D.C. 1921-22 campaigning for a public works program funded by a tax on companies that made excessive war profits during World War I. His tactics included setting up a hotel housing the unemployed on Pennsylvania Avenue, an auction of the jobless, speaking before the unemployment conference, calling for the arrest of international arms conference delegates. He walked around the city carrying a white umbrella, a lighted lantern and a Bible or a copy of the Sermon on the Mount saying he was like Diogenes searching for an honest man. Urbain Ledoux is shown in Boston in 1921 auctioning off an unemployed man. He conducted these auctions in New York and Boston in order to garner publicity for the plight of the unemployed and to find work for the jobless. He called himself "Mr. Zero" because he said he didn't want any publicity for himself. "Mr. Zero" returned to Washington in 1932 with the Bonus Expeditionary Force, leading an unauthorized march on the White House July 16, 1932 that resulted in his arrest along with two others. The march frightened President Herbert Hoover who set in motion the eviction of the bonus marchers from the city — a move that backfired on Hoover and helped to cement his reputation as someone uncaring about the plight of the nation's unemployed. Photos. [Wikipedia] Find a grave. His obituary in the New York Times April 10th 1941. He is reported to have "rescued" 85 year-old Sarah Farmer in Portsmouth where she was being held in a sanatorium against her will. [Boston Post 4 August 1916] See a story from Ephemeral New York. There is a short description of Urbain LeDoux in He Loved and Served: The Story of Curtis Kelsey p 33-34.	Urbain Ledoux (Mr Zero); - In Memoriam; - Births and deaths; Social and economic development; Soup kitchens and breadlines; Charity and relief work; New York, USA; United States (USA)
1941 13 May 194-	The first Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of St. Paul, Minnesota was elected. [A Saint Paul Bahá'í Community History: The Early Years]	Local Spiritual Assembly, election; Saint Paul, MN; Minnesota, USA	The first Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of St. Paul, Minnesota
1941 18 May 194-	Yvonne Cuellar, a French woman, became a Bahá'í in Bolivia. Although Marina del Prado was the first to become a Bahá'í, on 2 February 1941, she did not remain active, so Yvonne Cuellar is recognized as the first Bahá'í in Bolivia. She was called by Shoghi Effendi 'Mother of Bolivia'. For the story of her life see BW19:619–22.	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; Bolivia	first Bahá’í in Bolivia
1941 Jun 194-	Eve Nicklin arrived in Peru from Jamestown, NY, the United States and became the first resident pioneer to settle in Lima. FMH Hand of the Caus Ruhíyyih Khánum, in the movie, The Green Light Expedition, called her the "Mother of Peru". [FMH264]	Eve Nicklin; Peru	first resident pioneer in Lima
1941 20 Jun 194-	The passing of Howard Colby Ives (b. 11 Oct 1867, Brooklyn, New York, d. Pulaski County, Arkansas, USA). He was buried in Pinecrest Memorial Park and Garden Mausoleum, Alexander, Saline County, Arkansas. [BW9p608-613; Find a grave] He and his wife Mabel spent nearly the last twenty years of his life as itinerant teachers. (Often teamed up with the Obers and the McKays) For example they came to Toronto in November of 1938 and stayed for about 10 months. During that time Mabel gave more than 150 lectures in Toronto and about 70 in Hamilton, Toronto's expansion goal. Howard, who was had had heart problems and who was rapidly losing for sight and hearing at the time, complemented her abilities by doing personal deepening with receptive souls. [TMLF62-67, SEBW139-154] Some of his works were: The Ocean of His Utterances Unpublished study course in the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh using the books of Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l‑Baha, and Shoghi Effendi, compiled and with commentary by Ives. Not yet formatted. Portals to Freedom (1937) A collection of anecdotes and history of Abdu'l-Baha's travels to the United States, as told by one observer. [Collins7.1313 to 7.1320] The Song Celestial (1938) A mystical book about Mr. Ives' search for God, in which a seeker asks God various questions, and God responds. [Collins7.1321-1322] Also see Mother's Stories: Recollections of Abdu'l-Baha by Muriel Ives Barrow Newhall (Daughter of Howard and Mabel Ives)	Howard Colby Ives; - In Memoriam; Mabel Rice-Wray Ives; Little Rock, AR; Brooklyn, NY; Toronto, ON
1941 6 Aug 194-	The passing of Elizabeth Roemer Greenleaf (b. 1863) in Eliot Maine. She was buried at the Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum. [BW9p608] She and her husband became active in the Chicago Bahá'í community after completing Kheiralla's class on the 5th of October, 1897. She had a dream in which Kheiralla was represented as a white ram behaving destructively. After he returned from pilgrimage and began sowing seeds of discontent she and her husband were able to understand the meaning of the dream. [FMH50] She served as secretary of the Chicago Bahá'í women's organization in 1905. After the passing of her husband she began to travel extensively to lecture about the Bahá'í Faith. She also moved to various cities that needed Bahá'ís, remaining there until the community was strong enough for her to move again. In 1924 she was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada for one year. She went on pilgrimage in 1926, meeting Shoghi Effendi. He eulogized her as a "veteran and outstanding teacher" and described her qualities of "deep knowledge of the teachings, profound human sympathy, a heart which mirrored the Master's love, and a winning sweetness and friendliness." [The Greenleafs: An Eternal Reunion by Emeric Sala published in Bahá'í News, 510, pages 8-9, 23 1973-09]	Elizabeth Greenleaf; - In Memoriam; Eliot, ME; Maine, USA; United States (USA)
1941 16 Sep 194-	In Iran, Ridá Sháh abdicated and Muhammad-Ridá Sháh ascended to the throne. His rule was to last until 1979. [BBR482] Ridá Sháh was overthrown by the British and Russians. [BBRSM173] His reign can be described in three phases: The first phase, from 1941 through 1955, was a period characterized by physical danger, during which Bahá'ís were scapegoated in the interactions among the government, the clerics and the people, and experienced several bloody incidents, the culmination of which was the 1955 anti-Bahá'í campaign and its aftermaths. The second phase, from the late 1950s to around 1977, marked almost two decades of relative respite from physical attacks, during which Bahá'ís enjoyed more security than before, without ever being officially recognized as a religious community and while their existence as Bahá'ís was essentially ignored or denied. The last two years of the reign of the Shah comprised the third phase, the revival of a bloody period. [Towards a History of Iran's Bahá'í Community During the Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah, 1941-1979 by Mina Yazdani]	Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi; - Shahs; - Shahs, Throne changes; History (general); Iran, General history; * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Iran
1941 15 Oct 194-	The first Bahá'í group was formed in Quito. [Heroes of God: History of the Bahá'í Faith in Ecuador, 1940-1979 p5]	Quito, Ecuador	first Baha'i group in Quito
1941 18 Oct 194-	Four members of a Bahá'í family were killed and several other family members were severely beaten in an attack on their home by an armed mob in Panbih-Chúlih, near Sárí, Iran. [BW18:389]	* Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; - Persecution, Mobs; Panbih-Chulih, Iran; Sari, Iran; Iran
1941 2 Nov 194-	Shoghi Effendi sent two cables the the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada. The first was to announce that Thrayyá Afnán, the daughter of 'Abdul-Bahá's fifth daughter, Tubá Khnum, had married Faydí Afnan, a known Covenant-breaker and son of Siyyid 'Alí who had supported Mírzá Muhammad-'Alí. The second concerned the family of Ruhi Afnán, Shoghi Effendi's younger cousin. He had also married into a family of Covenant-breakers and had failed to get the Guardian's approval for his second trip to North America and for a trip to England. Shoghi Effendi had concealed Ruhi's activities for some time prior. [BN No 149 December, 1941 p1-3] In a message to Canada dated 21 May 1953 Shoghi Effendi warned of the nefarious activities of Ruhi Afnan, someone who had been corresponding with Ahmad Sohrab, had had contact with the Covenant-breakers, along with his family had sold some property that had been purchased by Bahá'u'lláh, was now claiming to be an exponent of the Faith and was misrepresenting the Teachings. [CBN No 43 August, 1953 p1] iiiii see his biography at Bahaipedia.	Covenant-breaking; Thrayya Afnan; Ruhi Afnan; * Bahá'í World Centre
1941 31 Nov 194-	Some members of the National Spiritual Assembly filed suit against Ahmad Sohrab to try to stop him from using the name Bahá'í. He had opened a Bahá'í bookshop in New York in 1939. This suit was filed in the Supreme Court of New York County. The judge granted a motion to dismiss, stating that "the plaintiffs have no right to a monopoly of the name of a religion. The defendants, who purport to be members of the same religion, have an equal right to use the name of the religion..." The judge mentioned that the complaint could be further amended and the NSA appealed but the Appellate Court affirmed the decision of the lower court. The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada distributed a mimeographed statement concerning the New History Society entitled The Basis of the Bahá'í Community, which explained the purpose and outcome of the lawsuit entered against the founders of the New History Society to prevent their misuse of the name "Bahá'í" on which the National Spiritual Assembly had obtained a trademark patent. [The Basis of the Bahá'í Community: A Statement Concerning the New History Society] Also see United States National Spiritual Assembly vs. Mirza Ahmad Sohrab. During the second World War the New History Society put forth an alleged passage from 'Abdu'l-Bahá which would justify citizens in refusing to obey their governments when drafted into the military forces. The National Spiritual Assembly was obliged to explain the true Bahá'í position to the federal authorities as set forth by the Guardian.	Covenant-breaking; New History Society; Ahmad Sohrab; Basis of the Bahá'í Community, The (statement Concerning the New History Society); New York, USA; United States (USA); Copyright and trademarks
1941 Dec 194-	The excommunication of Shoghi Effendi's sister, Mehrangíz Rabbáni with this message. "Sister Mehrangis [Mehrangiz] followed example Ruhi's sister. Justice demands announce believers her expulsion."(UD149) The reason for her being declared a Covenant-breaker was that she followed the example of Ruhi's sister by marrying to one of his cousins (Feyzi) without the Guardian's consent. Mehrangiz married to Hassan Afnan, the son of Furughiyyih Khanum, a daughter of Bahá'u'lláh by his third wife Gawhar. [BN No 149 December 1941 p1]	Covenant-breaking; Mehrangiz Rabbani; * Bahá'í World Centre


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