Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1941-11, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
1941 31 Nov Some members of the National Spiritual Assembly filed suit against 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-breakers; New History Society; Ahmad Sohrab; The Basis of the Bahá'í Community; New York, USA; USA
    1941 2 Nov 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-breakers; Thrayya Afnan; Ruhi Afnan; - Bahá'í World Centre

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