World Canada | |||
date | event | tags | firsts |
1948 19 Dec 194- |
Shoghi Effendi sent a further cable regarding his brother: "Faithless brother Hussein, already abased through dishonorable conduct over period (of) years followed by association with Covenant-breakers (in) Holy Land and efforts (to) undermine Guardian's position, recently further demeaned himself through marriage under obscure circumstances with lowborn Christian girl (in) Europe". [Bahá'í News, No. 229, p.1; Bahá'í News, No. 236, p.4; CoB 362; BN No 229 March 1956 p1] | Husayn Ali Rabbani; Covenant-breaking; Haifa, Israel | |
1948 10 Dec 194- |
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. [United Nations]
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognized freedom of religion as a central value of the post-World War II international legal order. The right was cemented in Article 18 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. |
Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Paris, France | first universal document to set out basic human rights. |
1948 9 Dec 194- |
The crime of genocide was defined in international law in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. The Genocide Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. By April 2022, 153 nations have ratified the Genocide Convention and over 80 nations have provisions for the punishment of genocide in domestic criminal law.
Every year on 9 December, the United Nations marks the adoption of the Genocide Convention, which is also the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. [Ratification of the Genocide Convention] The crime of genocide has three elements: 1. Acts of genocide committed with, 2. intent to destroy, in whole or in part, 3. a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. For more detailed information see Genocide Watch. On that site Dr Gregory Stanton lists the ten states of genocide: Classification, Symolization, Discrimination, Dehumanization, Organization, Polarization, Preparation, Persecution, Extermination and Denial. [Ten Stages]. iiiii |
- Persecution; Genocide; United Nations; Paris, France; France | |
1948 9 Dec 194- |
The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Resolution entitled Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
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Genocide; United Nations; Justice; Law, International; World War II; War; History (general) | |
1948 Dec 194- |
Amjad Ali arriveed in East Pakistan, from Chapra in Bihar, northern India, the first pioneer in the country. | First Bahá'ís by country or area; Bangladesh; - Asia | first pioneer to East Pakistan |
1948 18 Jun 194- |
The Bahá'í International Community took part in its first United Nations conference, on human rights. [BW11:43; BIC History 18 June 1948] | Bahá'í International Community; United Nations; Human rights; Geneva, Switzerland | first United Nations conference, on human rights |
1948 22 – 26 May 194- |
The first Bahá'í European Conference was held in Geneva. [BW11:51]
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Conferences, Bahá'í; - Conferences, International; Geneva, Switzerland; Switzerland; - Europe | first Bahá’í European Conference |
1948 14 May 194- |
The British Mandate in Palestine ended and the state of Israel was proclaimed.
The notion of a Jewish state evolved during the nineteenth century and in the aftermath of the French Revolution, which generated the idea of nation states and nationhood in the modern sense. The first plans came from non-Jewish sources. Napoleon Bonaparte suggested the settlement of European Jews in the Suez region to safeguard a canal project he had envisaged. Lord Palmerstone, British Foreign Secretary from 1830-1841, seeking to halt French advances in the East, planned the establishment of a British-backed Jewish client-state in Palestine to stop their advance and block Muhammad Ali´s progress. Plans of this kind set up by the Powers for safeguarding their own interests were quite numerous. When the Germans were constructing the Berlin-Baghdad Railway in the years before its completion in 1940, plans were made to settle Jews in Asia Minor alongside the rails or bestow an Ottoman Pashaliq (Territorial administrative division) upon the territory occupied by them. After the French Revolution the Jews of Central and Western Europe now felt that they were citizens of their respective countries. Orthodox Jews refused the idea of a Jewish state believing that only when the Messiah came that such a state could be founded. But then anti-Semitism was on the rise in Europe from the early and mid 1800s with such beliefs as Social Darwinism, Eugenics, Scientific Racism, Racial Hierarchy: the Nazi Racial Theories and the lingering concepts of colonialism and imperialism. The horrors of the Holocaust played a significant role in discrediting and rejecting these racial and biological ideologies that were not based on sound scientific findings. Jews had started to immigrate into Palestine after the first anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia in 1881 and more especially after the establishment of the World Zionist Organization in 1897, it was of a different, a political nature. The Jewish immigrants came now with the explicit aim to establish a state of their own and to the exclusion of the Arab inhabitants of the land. "The Jewish Colonial Projects in Palestine" refer to the efforts by Jewish individuals and organizations to establish settlements and communities in the region of Palestine, primarily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These efforts were part of the broader Zionist movement which aimed to establish a Jewish homeland in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire and later became the British Mandate of Palestine. These projects played a significant role in the eventual establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. First Aliyah (1882-1903): The First Aliyah was a wave of Jewish immigration to Palestine that began in the early 1880s. During this period, many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia settled in agricultural communities, known as "moshavot," in various parts of Palestine. They aimed to establish self-sustaining agricultural settlements and escape persecution in their home countries. Baron Edmond de Rothschild's Support: Baron Edmond de Rothschild, a wealthy European financier, provided financial support to many Jewish settlers in Palestine. His contributions were crucial for the development of Jewish agricultural communities and wineries in the region. Second Aliyah (1904-1914): The Second Aliyah brought another wave of Jewish immigrants to Palestine. Many of these immigrants were inspired by socialist and labour-oriented ideologies. They established kibbutzim and collective communities, which emphasized communal living and shared resources. Jewish National Fund (JNF): The JNF, founded in 1901, played a pivotal role in acquiring and developing land in Palestine for Jewish settlement. It purchased and reclaimed land, planted forests, and financed infrastructure projects. Balfour Declaration (1917): During World War I, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, expressing support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. This declaration laid the foundation for future Zionist aspirations. British Mandate Period (1920-1948): After World War I, the League of Nations granted Britain the mandate to govern Palestine. During this period, Jewish immigration and settlement continued, despite tensions with the Arab population. The Arab-Jewish conflict over land and political control intensified. Haganah and Israel Defense Forces: Jewish settlers organized defense forces, such as the Haganah, in the 1920s to protect their communities. They provided defence for Jewish communities and countered Arab attacks, facilitated the illegal immigration of Jewish refugees to Palestine, coordinated the various Jewish paramilitary groups and were involved in the acquiring and stockpiling of weapons and military equipment. These groups later evolved into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 1948 Arab–Israeli War (1947-1949) With the British Mandate coming to an end, the United Nations approved the partition plan for Palestine, leading to the declaration of the State of Israel on the 14th of May 1948. The following day a military coalition of Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, invaded Israel to prevent its establishment. They took control of the areas designated for Arabs and attacked the Jewish forces and settlements. As a result of the war Israel got all the lands mandated to them by the UN and 60% of the territory meant for the Arabs as well as the area that had been meant for an "international zone". Israel had retained its independence and had expanded its territory. This period is known as "Nakba" ("catastrophe" in Arabic). Some historians estimate that around 720,000 out of the 900,000 Palestinian Arabs that had lived in the land that was to become Israel were expelled. Another estimate says the 400 Palestinian villages were destroyed, civilians were massacred and around a million men, women, and children were expelled from their homes at gunpoint. [The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappe; Colonialism, Nationalism and Jewish Immigration to Palestine: Abdu´l-Bahá's Viewpoints Regarding the Middle East by Kamran Ekbal p24; Palestinian Expulsion and Flight] Further details on the conflicts, Causes, Key Events of the War, as well as Outcomes and Consequences can be found here. The UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) is a UN agency established in 1949 that supports the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. It's mandate encompasses Palestinians displaced by the 1948 Palestine War and subsequent conflicts, as well as their descendants, including legally adopted children. As of 2023, more than 5.9 million Palestinians are registered with UNRWA as refugees. [UNRWA] |
United Kingdom, History (general); History (general); Ethnic divisions; Palestine; Israel | Creation of the state of Israel declared |
1948 24 - 25 Apr 194- |
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Dominion of Canada was established. [BBRSM:186; BW13:856; MBW143; PP397]
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National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Conventions, National; Laura Davis; Rowland Estall; Lloyd Gardner; Doris Richardson; John Robarts; Emeric Sala; Rosemary Sala; Siegfried Schopflocher; Ross Woodman; Canada | first NSA Canada |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first Local Spiritual Assembly was established in Edinburgh, Scotland [SBBH Vol 14 p275] | Local Spiritual Assembly, formation; Edinburgh, Scotland; Scotland | The first Local Spiritual Assembly in Edinburgh |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first local assembly was established in Geneva, Switzerland. [BQYM201] | Local Spiritual Assembly; Geneva, Switzerland; Switzerland | first Local Spiritual Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first local assembly was established in Bern, Switzerland. [BQYM201 | Local Spiritual Assembly; Bern, Switzerland; Switzerland | first Local Spiritual Assembly in Bern, Switzerland. |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first Local Spiritual Assembly was established in Oslo. [BQYM201] | Local Spiritual Assembly; Oslo, Norway; Norway | first the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Norway. |
1948 21 - 22 Apr 194- |
The 2nd Battle of Haifa: A Jewish offensive to gain control of the strategic port of Haifa. Prior to the 30-hour battle, the Arab population of Haifa was estimated to be 65,000 compared to 70,000 Palestinian Jews. At the end of the operation, the Arab population was reduced to about 4,000 people. [Battle of Haifa] | War; History (general); Haifa, Israel | |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The National Spiritual Assembly was elected in the United States. Those elected were: Dorothy Baker (Chair), Paul Haney (Vice·Chalr), Horace Holley (Secretary), Philip Sprague (Treasurer), Elsie Austin, Kenneth Christian, Edna True, Amelia Collins, and George Latimer. [USBN No. 207 May, 1948 p 4] | National Spiritual Assembly of the United States; Dorothy Baker; Paul Haney; Horace Holley; Philip G. Sprague; Elsie Austin; Kenneth Christian; Edna True; Amelia Collins; George Latimer; United States (USA) | first National Spiritual Assembly of the United States |
1948 Ridvan 194- |
The formation of the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Cardiff. See CG9 for a picture. | Local Spiritual Assembly; Cardiff, Wales; Wales, UK; United Kingdom | the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Cardiff |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first Bahá'í institution in Italy, the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Rome was elected.
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Local Spiritual Assembly; Rome, Italy; Italy | first Local Spiritual Assembly in Italy |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first local spiritual assembly in Spain was established in Madrid. | Local Spiritual Assembly; Madrid, Spain | first Local Spiritual Assembly in Spain |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The Local Spiritual Assembly of Budapest reformed. The Assembly was forced to dissolve again near the end of 1950 under the new regime. Most Bahá'ís fled the country during or after the Revolution in 1956. [www.bahai.hu]. | Local Spiritual Assembly; Local Spiritual Assembly, re-formed; Budapest, Hungary; Hungary | |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first local spiritual assembly in Sweden was established in Stockholm. [BW11:689]
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Local Spiritual Assembly; Stockholm, Sweden | first Local Spiritual Assembly in Sweden |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first All-Native Bahá'í Assembly was established on the Omaha Reservation in Macy, Nebraska. [BW13:837; CF72]
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Amelia Collins; Local Spiritual Assembly; Macy, NE; Nebraska, USA; United States (USA) | first All-Native Local Spiritual Assembly Macy, Nebraska |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first local spiritual assembly in Ireland was established in Dublin. | Local Spiritual Assembly; Dublin, Ireland; Ireland | first Local Spiritual Assembly in Ireland |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first local spiritual assembly in Afghanistan was established in Kabul. | Local Spiritual Assembly; Kabul, Afghanistan; Afghanistan | firstLocal Spiritual Assembly in Afghanistan |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The first local spiritual assembly in Belgium was established in Brussels. [BW11p727] | Local Spiritual Assembly; Brussels, Belgium; Belgium | first Local Spiritual Assembly in Belgium |
1948 Ridván 194- |
When the state of Pakistan was formed it was incorporated into the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma. The name of the new assembly was known as the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, Pakistan and Burma.
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National Spiritual Assembly, formation; India; Pakistan; Myanmar | |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The newly formed National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada launched a Five Year Plan (1948-1953). [Ruhi 8.2 p46; BBRSM158; Letter from Shoghi Effendi dated 14 April. 1948]
Some objectives were; |
- Teaching Plans; - Teaching Plans, National; Canada; Greenland | |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The Germano-Austrian teaching plan, the German Five Year Plan(1948–53), comprising of internal goals only, was launched. [BBRSM158; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]
Some goals were: |
- Teaching Plans; Germano-Austrian Five Year Plan; Germany; Austria | |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Egypt and Sudan launched a Five Year Plan (1948-1953). [Ruhi 8.2 p46, BBRSM158; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]
Some goals were: |
- Teaching Plans; - Teaching Plans, National; Egypt; Sudan | |
1948 Ridván 194- |
The formation of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Amsterdam, the first in the Netherlands. [BQYM204; BW11p654]
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Local Spiritual Assembly; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Netherlands | first local spiritual assembly in the Netherlands |
1948 19 Apr 194- |
The Havana Bahá'ís incorporated as an 'assembly', meaning 'group'.
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Local Spiritual Assembly; Local Spiritual Assembly, incorporation; Havana, Cuba | |
1948 Apr 194- |
Contracts were placed in Italy for the rose Baveno granite columns for the Shrine of the Báb. [BBD210; DH140]
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Báb, Shrine of; Granite; Italy | |
1948 18 Apr 194- |
The name 'Bahá'í International Community' was first used to refer to the eight existing National Spiritual Assemblies recognized collectively as a non-governmental organization. Those Assemblies were those of North America; the British Isles; Germany and Austria; Egypt and Sfidan; 'Iráq; Iran (Persia); India, Pakistan and Burma; and Australia and New Zealand. Subsequently to these eight bodies were added the National Spiritual Assemblies of the Bahá'ís of Canada, of Central America and of South America. Each National Spiritual Assembly in its application established the National Assembly of the United States as its representative in relation to the United Nations. [BBRSM149; BW11:43; BW12:597; BIC History 18 April 1948]
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Bahá'í International Community; - Non-governmental organizations (NGO); Bahá'í International Community (general); Mildred Mottahedeh; UNICEF; UNIFEM; UNEP; Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC); World Health Organization (WHO); Firsts, other; - Basic timeline, Expanded; * Shoghi Effendi (chronology); New York, USA; United States (USA) | The name ‘Bahá’í International Community’ is first used |
1948 20 Mar 194- |
The marriage of Gladys Andersen to Ben Weeden took place in Jerusalem under the auspices of the Spiritual Assembly of Amman. They made efforts to have their marriage recognized at the American Consulate and at the offices of the British Mandate but were unable to do so considering the shifting situation. After the end of the British Mandate they took the matter up with the new state of Israel and it was handled expeditiously thus obtaining full recognition of the Faith and its right to perform marriages. [SETPE1p341] | Weddings; Recognition (legal); Israel; Amman, Jordan; Jordan | First Bahá'í marriage to be registered in the new state of Israel. First wedding of Western Bahá'ís by Eastern Bahá'ís. |
1948 11 Jan 194- |
Habíbu'lláh Húshmand was martyred in Sarvistán, Iran. [BW18:390] | Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Sarvestan, Iran; Iran | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
War broke out in Palestine.
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War; History (general); Covenant-breaking; Palestine | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
The owners of a house near the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh fled and the house became government property. [DH226]
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Bahá'u'lláh, Shrine of; House of Bahá'u'lláh (Bahji); Pilgrim Houses; Pilgrim house, Bahji; Restoration; Bahji, Israel | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
Pauline Campbell arrived in Bermuda, where her husband was stationed at the United States Air Force Base. She was the only Bahá'í in Bermuda until 1951. | First travel teachers and pioneers; Bermuda | first Bahá’í resident in Bermuda |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
A Bahá'í was killed after an attack on his home at Chálih-Zamín, Iran. [BW18p390] | Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Chalih-Zamin, Iran; Iran | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
The Bahá'í centre in Tihrán was attacked by a mob incited by Áyatu'lláh Káshání. [BW18p390] | Ayatullah Kashani; Ayatollahs; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Destruction; - Persecution; - Persecution, Mobs; Tehran, Iran; Iran | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
The Bahá'í Temple in 'Ishqábád (now Ashgabat, Turkmenistan) was damaged by an earthquake. The strength of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár saved it from the devastating earthquake which demolished all dwellings. It was the only building of stature which, although damaged, withstood the earthquake's completely destructive effects [BBD 122; BW14:480; YSxvii] | Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Ishqabad; Earthquakes; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Ashgabat; Turkmenistan | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
Albert Bennett White was the first Bahá'í of Māori descent. He was the son of an English immigrant trader, and a Ngāti Awa woman of high rank. [The Newsroom 6 July 2022]
One of his daughters, Dame Robin White, is a New Zealand painter and printmaker, recognized as a key figure in the regionalist movement of 20th-century New Zealand art. Her art is the subject of a book called Robin White: Something is Happening Here by Dr Sarah Farrar, Dr Nina Tonga and Jill Trevelyan. |
Albert Bennett White; Dame Robin White; Whangarei, NZ | Albert Bennett White was the first Bahá’í of Māori descent |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
The first publication of The Pattern of Bahá'í Life in London by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust. Reprints were subsequently done in 1953, 1963 and 1983. [Collins4.189-4.190]
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Pattern of Bahá'í Life (compilation); - Compilations; London, England; United Kingdom | |
1948 - 1951 194- |
The Bahá'í Centre in Yazd, Iran, was attacked by a mob incited by Shaykh Khalisízádih. He was a man consumed with hatred toward religious minorities, most ferociously against the Bahá'ís in and around Yazd. He had some twenty hooligans on salary to harass, intimate and assault the local Bahá'ís. He had the tacit support of some local government officials who had been ordered by Prime Minister Haj 'Alí Razmara to ignore any complaints from Bahá'ís. [BW18p390; SCF105] | Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Destruction; - Persecution; - Persecution, Mobs; Haziratul-Quds (Bahá'í centres); Yazd, Iran; Iran | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
Douglas P. Hillhouse, a Captain in the United States military, was stationed on St Thomas until 1951, the first Bahá'í to reside on the island. | Douglas Hillhouse; St. Thomas Island | first Bahá’í to reside on St Thomas |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
In the German Democratic Republic all Bahá'í activities were banned. In 1991, for the first time in 53 years, the Bahá'ís in eastern Germany elected delegates to the National Assembly. After 55 years, the Spiritual Assembly was re-formed in Leipzig. [German Bahá'í website] | Persecution, Germany; Germany | |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
The first Bahá'í school in Haiti was inaugurated in Carrefour, a suburb of Port-au-Prince. | - Bahá'í inspired schools; Firsts, other; Haiti | first Bahá’í school in Haiti |
1948 (In the year) 194- |
Starting in 1948 the Bahá'í women of Iran published a monthly magazine called Tarāna-ye omīd. Its purpose was to educate and entertain Bahá'í families with special attention to women's affairs. After some years of suspension it reappeared in 1973 and continued to publish until 1979. [BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati] | Taranaye Omid; * Publications; Iran |
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