Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1944-05, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
1944 23 May Shoghi Effendi unveiled the model of the Shrine of the Báb at the centenary celebration of the Declaration of the Báb in Haifa. [BBD210; BW10:154, 157; DH140; GBF104; PP239–40; UD166]
  • BW10:157 suggests this was 24 May.
    		•  Báb, Shrine of; Báb, Declaration of; Centenaries; Models; Shoghi Effendi, Life of; Shoghi Effendi, Basic timeline; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Shoghi Effendi, Works of; - Bahá'í World Centre; Mount Carmel MERGE; Haifa, Israel
    1944 22 May Centenary of the Declaration of the Báb.

  • For a survey of the growth and development of the Bahá'í Faith in the hundred years since its inception see BW10:142–9.
  • Celebrations were held in many parts of the world:
  • Britain [BW10:188–201]
      Sir Ronald Storrs delivered an address at the opening of the Bahá'í Centenary Exhibition in London. These are extracts from that speech: "My first glimpse of 'Abbás Effendi was in the summer of 1909, when I drove round the Bay of Acre in an Arab cab, visited him in the barracks and marveled at his serenity and cheerfulness after 42 years of exile and imprisonment. I kept touch with him through my confidential agent, Husayn Bey Ruhi, son of a Tabriz martyr. [BW10p189-195]
  • India [BW10:202–8]
  • Egypt [BW10:208–17]
  • Iraq [BW10:217–22]
  • Australia [BW 10:222–8]
  • Latin America [BW10:228–33]
  • The end of the celebrations marking this occasion signal the end of the First Epoch of the Formative Age. [BBD79; CF5; PP390]
  • See the publication The Bahá'í Centenary 1844-1944.
    		• Centenaries; Báb, Declaration of; Formative Age; Ages and Epochs; - Worldwide
    1944 22–23 May The Centenary of the Declaration of the Báb was celebrated at the House of the Báb in Shíráz. [BW10:181]
  • Ninety delegates to the national convention and members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran assembled discreetly for the occasion.
  • For details of this event and the caution with which the arrangements for it were made see BW10:181–3.
  • The Guardian sent the Persian Bahá'ís a lengthy letter detailing how the observance and the week-long festivities to follow are to be made. [BW10:183]
  • For details of the events see BW10:183–8.
    		•  Báb, Declaration of; Báb, House of (Shiraz); Conventions, National; NSA; Centenaries; Shíráz, Iran; Iran
    1944 22–23 May The Centenary of the Declaration of the Báb was commemorated in the Holy Land. [BW10:150]
  • For a description of this event by Rúhíyyih Khánum see BW10:150–7.
  • For press accounts see BW10:156–7.
    		•  Centenaries; Báb, Declaration of; Haifa, Israel
    1944 19–25 May An international celebration of the Centenary of the founding of the Faith was held at the House of Worship in Wilmette.
  • For a description of this event see BW10:158–61.
  • For the programme see BW10:162–70.
  • For a list of the countries participating in the conference see BW10:168.
    		• Centenaries; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Wilmette; Wilmette, IL; USA
    1944 12 May Bahá'ís were persecuted at Ábádih, Iran. The Bahá'í centre was attacked by a mob of four thousand, the building was looted and destroyed and several Bahá'ís badly beaten. [BW18p389]
  • For Western accounts see BBR479.
    		•  Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Destruction; - Persecution; - Persecution, Mobs; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Ábádih, Iran; Iran
    1944 2 May The German government held a public trial of some of the jailed Bahá'í leaders in Darmstadt. Dr. Hermann Grossmann was allowed to testify as a witness for the defense about the non-political nature of the Bahá'í Faith and the attitude of the trial had been pre-ordained. The government found the Bahá'ís guilty, levied large fines and banned all Bahá'í institutions ordering that they be immediately disbanded. [Bahá'í Teachings; German Bahá'í website archives] Persecution, Germany; Hermann Grossmann; Darmstadt, Germany; Germany
    1944 May The first All-American Bahá'í Convention was held. Those elected to the National Spiritual Assembly were: George 0. Latimer, (Chair), Allen McDaniel, (Vice), Horace Holley, (Sec'y), Louis Gregory, (Recording Sec'y), Roy Wilhelm, (Treas), Dorothy Baker, Amelia Collins, Philip Sprague, and Leroy Ioas. [BW No 169 September 1944 p6]
  • For the first time the delegates had been selected at state and provincial conventions by votes from all believers rather than by communities with local assemblies. [BW9:44; PP390]
  • Hilda Yen Male (Hilda Yen) asked to attend the 1944 Baháʼí Annual convention as an observer. She was moved by the spontaneous gestures of welcome and care shown between individuals society normally kept apart as the material demonstration of the ideals of a worldwide unity across all humanity. She requested to enroll as a Baháʼí. She then asked to address the convention as a Baháʼí: "Fellow Baha'is, this is more than a pleasure. It is a miracle that I am participating with you in discussing such important matters. I contacted two denominations and a parliament of religions before I met Julia Goldman, Baha'i, who sowed this seed in my heart. While convalescent from a flying crash, my life was given me for service to God. Julia took me under her wing. I saw God vaguely; then more clearly, through the Baha'i Faith. Then came the battle of Hongkong(sic) where all shared in a common danger and hunger - forced to live the oneness of mankind. At length I secured a priority to fly to America and how do I rejoice to be in this free country! Conferring with Americans I have found this country the best to execute the message of peace. I have been blessed in meeting other Baha'is. I have been deeply impressed by the love and affection among Baha'is. China is well prepared by its sages for the Baha'i Faith. …" [BW No 169 September 1944 p6]
    		• Conventions, National; Conventions, District; First conventions; Hilda Yen; North America; USA first All-American Bahá’í Convention
    1944 May The British at their national convention, decided to ask the Guardian for their own Six Year Plan. [UDXVI]
  • He responded immediately by setting them the task of forming 19 assemblies spread over England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire. [UD173]
  • Shoghi Effendi described this as 'their first collective enterprise'. [UDXVI, 173–4]
  • See also BBRSM158, 185.
    		•  Conventions, National; - Teaching Plans, National; Firsts, other; LSA; United Kingdom; Ireland first British collective enterprise

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    try also the Chronology Canada — 1944-05 or 1944-0 or 1944

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