Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1972, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts refs
1972 29 - 31 Dec The first West African Bahá'í Youth conference was held in The Gambia.

The Continental Board of Counsellors sponsored the first West African Bahá'í Youth Conference in conjunction with the National Spiritual Assembly of Upper West Africa. The Conference was held in The Gambia on the campus of Yundum College some fifteen miles from the capital city of Bathurst. Youth representing nine countries in this zone attended: Nigeria, Upper Volta, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Senegal and Mauritania, plus pioneers originating from the United States, Mauritius, Malaysia, Iran, and friiq. A young Bahá'í from Sweden was able to greet the friends during a brief stop on a boat cruise. Counsellors Mr. H. R. Ardikani and Dr. William Maxwell Jr., were present as well as six of their Auxiliary Board members, Mr. Amos Agwu, Mr. Muhammad Al-Salihi, Mrs. H. Vera Edwards, Mr. Friday Ekpe, Mr. Shidan Kouchekzadeh and Dr. B. Sadiqzadeh. A total of fifty-six persons attended. [Bahá'í News 504]

Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Youth; Youth; - First conferences; Banjul (Bathurst); Gambia, The; Africa first West African Bahá’í Youth conference
1972 17 Dec The passing of Matthew Washington Bullock (b. 11 September, 1881 in Dabney, North Carolina) in Detroit, Michigan. His place of burial is unknown.
  • He was a singer, a talented athlete, a football coach, a teacher, a soldier, a war hero, a civic leader, a church leader.

    • See this newspaper clipping which implies that he may have been subjected to rough treatment by the opposing Princeton team.
  • Lawyer-graduated from Harvard Law School in 1907.
  • Found the Faith in 1940 after many years of careful investigation.
  • Husband to Katherine Wright, (d. 1945), father to Matthew W. Bullock Jr (a judge) and Julia Gaddy (librarian).
  • Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Boston.
  • Travel teacher to Haiti, Costa Rica, Mexico, Belgian Congo, Liberia.
  • Elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the the United States in 1952.
  • Represented the NSA at the first Intercontinental Bahá'í Conference in Uganda, East and received permission to visit the Holy Land on pilgrimage prior to attending the Conference.
  • Became a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh in 1953 for Dutch West Indies when he and four other members of the NSA resigned to take up pioneer posts.
  • He received an honorary degree from Harvard in recognition of the lifetime of achievements.
  • He spent his last years in Detroit in the care of his daughter. [BW15p535-539]
  • Find a grave
  • See a biographical article in the Evertt Independent.
    		• In Memoriam; Matthew Bullock; Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Births and deaths; Dabney, NC; Detroit, MI; United States
    1972 Dec The first winter school in Bangladesh took place. [BW15:245] First summer and winter schools; Bangladesh first winter school in Bangladesh
    1972 Dec The first International Youth Conference of Surinam took places in Paramaribo. [BW15:341] Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Youth; Youth; - First conferences; Paramaribo; Suriname; Latin USA first International Youth Conference of Suriname
    1972 26 Nov The constitution of the Universal House of Justice was adopted. [BW15:169; BBRSM132, 138; VV14; Message 26 November 1972]
  • For full text of the constitution see BW15:555–64, The Constitution of the Universal House of Justice.
    		•  Universal House of Justice, Constitution of; Universal House of Justice; Universal House of Justice, Basic timeline; Constitutions (Bahá'í); - Basic timeline, Expanded; - Bahá'í World Centre
    1972 The first Winter School of Luxembourg was held in Pétange. [BW15:284] First summer and winter schools; Petange; Luxembourg first Winter School of Luxembourg
    1972 Nov Thirty–two people enrolled in Corsica. Corsica
    1972 Oct The first local spiritual assembly in the Falkland Islands was formed. [BW15:650] Local Spiritual Assembly; Falkland Islands first Local Spiritual Assembly in Falkland Islands
    1972 (Fall) The duo "Seals and Crofts" were on tour in Boston. Their fourth album, "Summer Breeze", had been released a couple of months previously but the album and the title song they had worked so hard to perfect were not catching on in the music charts and their label had stopped promoting it. Their manager, Marcia Day, through a personal connection with a DJ on one of the city's most popular radio stations, arranged for them play the song. He was impressed and put the song into rotation. This proved to be the career break they were looking for. They went on to release more than a dozen albums. Their hit singles from this period also included "Diamond Girl," "We May Never Pass This Way (Again)," and "Get Closer". A number of their songs began to include references to and passages from the Bahá'í scriptures. When they appeared in concert, they often remained on stage after the performance to talk about the Faith.

    They became embroiled in controversy in 1974 due to the title track of their Unborn Child album, an anti-abortion song written from the fetus' point of view. The album was a critical failure, while the single flopped and outraged abortion advocates, who held demonstrations at many of the duo's shows. [Article in the TexasMonthly, February, 2020 entitled The Secret Oil Patch Roots of 'Summer Breeze'; Biography by Steve Huey]

    		 Seals and Crofts; - Famous Bahá'ís; Boston, MA
    1972 7 Sep The first local spiritual assembly in Malta was formed. Local Spiritual Assembly; Malta first Local Spiritual Assembly in Malta
    1972 Sep The Bahá'í Publishing Trust of Taiwan was established and registered. [BW15:262] Publishing Trusts; Taiwan
    1972 6 Aug 'Abdu'l-Hamíd Ishráq-Khávarí, Iranian scholar, author, translator and promoter of the Bahá'í Faith, passed away. [BW15:520]
  • For his obituary see BW15:518–20.
  • Wikipedia page.
    		•  `Abdu'l-Hamid Ishraq-Khavari; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; Bahá'í scholars; Tehran, Iran; Iran
    1972 30 Jul Parvíz Sádiqí, Farámarz Vujdání and Parvíz Furúghí, Iranian youth pioneers, were murdered near Mindanao, Philippines, by Muslims. [BW15:257; DM316–17]
  • The three were found in a shallow grave. All had been shot, grievously mutilated and two had been decapitated. The bodies were removed and given a Bahá'í burial in a beautiful plot donated for the purpose. [CBN261September1972p1]
  • For their obituaries see BW15:514–16.
    		•  Persecution, Philippines; Persecution, Deaths; Persecution; Cemeteries and graves; Philippines
    1972 summer Over 150 American youth join European youth in Operation Hand-in-Hand, a joint teaching project. [BW15:338]
  • For picture see BW15:347.
    		• Teaching campaigns; Youth; United States
    1972 19 Jun The government of Indonesia re-affirmed the ban on the Bahá'í Faith.
  • Following this a number of Bahá'ís lost their jobs.
    		•  Persecution, Indonesia; Persecution, Bans; Persecution; Indonesia
    1972 9 Jun A National Spiritual Assembly had been formed in Zaire at Ridván 1970 but the Faith did not receive the required official recognition to function in the country. Dr Navidi spent one year in Kinshasa preparing the file for presentation to the government but in March 1972 when the names of the officially recognized religions were announced, the Bahá'í Faith was not among them. Through the intervention of Dr Amin'u'lláh Jazab, President Mobutu's personal physician, official recognition of the Faith was approved. [A Remarkable Response Film 33:50-35:50] Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Congo, Democratic Republic of (DRC) (Zaire)
    1972 7 Jun The Universal House of Justice announced the decision to construct its Seat. [DH172; MUHJ98–9; VV37] Universal House of Justice, Seat of; - Bahá'í World Centre
    1972 5 - 16 Jun The Bahá'í International Community was invited to participate in the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm. It was attended by some 1,500 representatives and 600 observers. The BIC Representatives were Dr Arthur Lyon Dahl, a marine ecologist and Mr Torleif Ingelog, a forest ecologist. A special pamphlet, The Environment and Human Values: A Bahá'í View was prepared and distributed. [BW15p368]

    The Stockholm Declaration provided the first global set of principles for future international cooperation on environmental issues.

    		BIC; Bahá'í International Community; Arthur Dahl; Torleif Ingelog; Environment; United Nations; - BIC statements; Stockholm; Sweden
    1972 The first Summer School of Jamaica was held. [BW15:218] First summer and winter schools; Jamaica first Summer School of Jamaica
    1972 11 May - 24 Feb 1973 Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and her companion, Violette Nakhjavání, arrived in Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe), at the start of the fourth leg of the 'Great African Safari'. This leg of the tour ended in Kenya. [BW15:594–607]

    The itinerary was as follows:

  • May 11 - Jun 8, 1972, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
  • June 4, 1972, Zambia
  • June 9 - 28, 1972, Botswana
  • June 29 - July 6, 1972, Republic of South Africa
  • July 7 - 11, 1972, South West Africa (Namibia)
  • July 12 - 19, 1972, Republic of South Africa
  • July 19 - Aug 4, 1972, Lesotho
  • Aug 4 - 14, 1972, Republic of South Africa
  • Aug 15 - Sept 19, 1972, Swaziland
  • Sept 20 - 21, 1972, Mozambique
  • Sept 22 - 23, 1972, Swaziland
  • Sept 24 - 27, 1972, Republic of South Africa
  • Oct 2 - 10, 1972, Kenya
  • Oct 11 - Nov 2,1972, Malawi
  • Nov 3 - 8, 1972, Kenya
  • Nov 9 - 24, 1972, Seychelles
  • Nov 25 - Dec 12, 1972, Kenya
  • Dec 5 - 18, 1972, Rwanda
  • Dec 13 - 14, 1972, Tanzania (And Mafia Island)
  • Dec 19, 1972 - Jan 13, 1973, Zaire (now Central African Republic)
  • Jan 14 - 22,1973, Rwanda
  • Jan 23 - 24, 1973, Burundi
  • Jan 25 - Feb 2, 1973, Tanzania (And Mafia Island)
  • Feb 2 - 24, 1973, Kenya [BW15p606-607]
    		•  Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum, Journeys of; Violette Nakhjavani; Great African Safari; Harare; Zimbabwe; Zambia; Botswana; South Africa; Namibia; Lesotho, South Africa; Swaziland; Mozambique; Malawi; Nairobi, Kenya; Kenya; Seychelles; Rwanda; Tanzania; Mafia Island; Burundi
    1972 May The northeast and southeast quadrants of the gardens at Bahjí were completed and the southern gardens were extended to 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tea House. Bahji, Israel; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Tea House of; Akka, Israel
    1972 1 May The international teaching conference in Panama held in conjunction with the dedication of the House of Worship opened. [BW15:635]
  • For the message of the Universal House of Justice see BW15:635–7.
    		•  Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Panama; Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Teaching; - Conferences, International; Panama
    1972 30 Apr The House of Worship in Panama was publicly dedicated by Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum in two sessions. [BW15:634] Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Panama; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Dedications; Panama
    1972 29 Apr The House of Worship in Panama, the Mother Temple of Latin America, was dedicated in a series of ceremonies held throughout the day attended by Hands of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum, Ugo Giachery and Dhikru'lláh Khádem and four thousand Bahá'ís. [BW15:634; VV14]
  • For the history of the House of Worship see BW15:643–6.
  • For statistics on the House of Worship see BW15:647–9.

    Specifics

      Location:Panama City, Panama (On the Cerro Sonsonate (Singing Hill), a few miles north of Panama City)
      Foundation Stone: 8 October 1967 (Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum)
      Construction Period: 1969-1972
      Site Dedication: 29 April, 1972 (Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum)
      Architect: Peter Tillotson
      Seating: 550
      Dimensions:
      Cost:
      Dependencies:
      References: BW14p493, BW15p632-649
    		• Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Mother Temples; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Quick facts; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Panama; Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Dedications; Ugo Giachery; Dhikrullah Khadem; Peter Tillotson; Architects; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Panama City, Panama; Panama
    1972 28 Apr - 2 May An international teaching conference was held in conjunction with the dedication of the Mother Temple of Latin America in Panama. [BW15:633–42]
  • For pictures see BW15:632–49.
  • Some 3,000 Bahá'ís attend. [TG191]
    		•  Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Panama; Conferences, Bahá'í; - Conferences, International; Conferences, Teaching; Panama
    1972 Ridván Due to intensifying conflict throughout the country, the National Spiritual Assembly of Viet Nam reported that it has lost contact with a number of localities, including those in the regions of Binh Long, Binh Dinh, Kontum, Pleiku, Quang Tri, Thua Thien and Chuong Thien. [BN497 August 1972; Bahaipedia] National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Vietnam
    1972 Ridván The first local spiritual assembly in the Republic of San Marino was formed. Local Spiritual Assembly; San Marino first Local Spiritual Assembly Republic of San Marino
    1972 Ridván The Spiritual Assembly of Phuntsholing town was formed. It was the first assembly of Bhutan. [Bahá'í Collections] Local Spiritual Assembly; Phuntsholing; Bhutan first Local Spiritual Assembly in Bhutan.
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Mauritius was formed. [Bahaipedia; BW15p295]
  • 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]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Port Louis; Mauritius
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of the Republic of the Congo was formed with its seat in Brazzaville. [BW15p206] National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Brazzaville; Congo, Democratic Republic of (DRC) (Zaire)
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Tunisia was formed. [no substantiation can be found) iiiii National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Tunisia first NSA Tunisia find ref
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of the Windward Islands was formed with its seat in St Lawrence, Barbados. It was responsible for administrating the Faith in St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Grenada, and Barbados. [BW15:220; BN No 496 July 1972 p17]
  • For picture see BW15:157.
  • Note: In 1975 the name was changed to the National Spiritual Assembly of Barbados and the Windward Islands in order to assists with the process of incorporation. [Bahá'í Encyclopedia]
    		• National Spiritual Assembly, formation; St. Lawrence Island; Barbados first NSA Barbados and the Windward Islands
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Singapore was formed with its seat in Singapore. [BW15:257]
  • For picture see BW15:157.
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Singapore first NSA Singapore
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Brunei (1966) was reconstituted as the National Spiritual Assembly of Eastern Malaysia and Brunei with its seat in Kuching, Sarawak and took on the added responsibility for Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak. [BW15:253; BN no 496 July 1972 p16]
  • For picture see BW15:254.
  • In 1974 it was dissolved with Brunei, Sabah, and Sarawak coming under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia. [BW12p223]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Kuching; Sarawak, Malaysia first NSA Eastern Malaysia and Brunei
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Gabon was formed. [BW15:206] National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Gabon first NSA Gabon
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Rwanda was formed. [BW15:205]
  • For picture see BW15:157.
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Kigali, Rwanda; Rwanda first NSA Rwanda
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Seychelles was formed with its seat in Victoria. [BW16:156]
  • For picture see BW15:157.
  • The "Mother Assembly", the National Spiritual Assembly of the Indian Ocean, was left with Mauritius, the Chagos Archipelago, Madagascar, the Malagasy Republic, Comoros and Réunion. [BN no608 November 1981 p11]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Victoria; Seychelles first NSA Seychelles
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Réunion was formed with its seat in St Pierre. [BW15:199]
  • For picture see BW15:155.
  • 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]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; St. Pierre and Miquelon; Reunion; France first NSA Réunion
    1972 Ridván The first national spiritual assembly in Micronesia, the National Spiritual Assembly of the North West Pacific Ocean, was formed with its seat in Ponape. [BW15:268]
  • Jusisdiction: Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands, and Guam.
  • For picture see BW15:155.
  • For the story of the Knights of Bahá'u'lláh for Guam, Edgar and Cynthia Olson (and Robert Powers) see BWNS303.
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Ponape; Micronesia first NSA in Micronesia; first NSA North West Pacific Ocean
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Nepal was formed with its seat in Kathmandu. [BW15:249]
  • For pictures see BW15:155, 248.
  • With Hand of the Cause Ali-Akbar Furutan representing the Universal House of Justice, the Bahá'ís of Nepal held their first national convention to elect their National Spiritual Assembly in 1972 during the reign of King Mahendra. The convention had forty delegates. The members of the first national assembly were: Amar Pradhan, Shyam Maherjan, Jujubhai Sakya, Aranda Lal Shrestha, Dinesh Verma, Keith de Folo, W. F. Chaittonalla, P. N. Rai, D. K. Malla - from Buddhist, Hindu, Christian backgrounds. [Religion in Nepal website]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Kathmandu; Nepal first NSA Nepal
    1972 Ridván The counties of Rwanda and Burundi were known as Ruanda-Urundi up until 1962 when the area was divided into two separate countries. From 1956 until 1964 they were administered by the Regional Spiritual Assembly of Central and East Africa and from 1964 to 1969 came under the Uganda and Central Africa regional assembly. The National Spiritual Assembly of Rwanda and Burundi was formed in 1969 and in 1972 the National Spiritual Assembly of Burundi with its seat in Bujumbura and the National Spiritual Assembly of Rwanda with its seat in Kilgali. [BW15:205]
  • Because of disturbances in the country; the Bahá'i administration in Burundi was dissolved in the same year and the affairs of the Faith placed under an administrative committee. It re-formed in 1978. [BW15:205; BW17:141]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Bujumbura; Burundi; Kigali, Rwanda; Rwanda first NSA Burundi
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Puerto Rico was formed with its seat in San Juan. [BW15:218]
  • For picture see BW15:155.
    		• National Spiritual Assembly, formation; San Juan; Puerto Rico first NSA Puerto Rico
    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]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Tananarive (Antananarivo); Malagasy Republic (Madagascar); Madagascar first NSA Malagasy Republic
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Iceland was formed with its seat in Reykjavik. Its members were: Liesel Becker, Svana Einarsdottir, Barbara Thinat, Carl John Spencer, Petur Magnusson, Johannes Stefansson, Roger Lutley, Baldur Bragasson and Larry Clarke. [BW15:225, 281]
  • For picture see BW15:153.
    		• National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Reykjavik, Iceland; Iceland first NSA Iceland
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of the Republic of Ireland was formed with its seat in Dublin. [BW15:283]
  • For picture see BW15:153.
  • The National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles was renamed the National Spiritual Assembly of the United Kingdom. [BW15:290]
    		• National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Dublin, Ireland; Ireland first NSA Republic of Ireland
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Bangladesh was formed with its seat in Dacca. [BW15:243]
  • For picture see BW15:153.
    		• National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Dacca; Bangladesh first NSA Bangladesh
    1972 Ridván National Spiritual Assembly of the Arabian Peninsula with its seat in Bahrayn was dissolved and the National Spiritual Assembly of the Eastern Arabian Peninsula was formed with its seat in Bahrayn (Bahrain) as well as the National Spiritual Assembly of Kuwait with its seat in Kuwait city. [BW15p297]
  • For picture see BW15:151.
  • It is assumed that the National Spiritual Assembly of the Eastern Arabian Peninsula (Bahrain) had Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (1974), Oman (1978),
    		• National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Arabian Peninsula; Bahrayn; Bahrain; Kuwait first NSA Arabian Peninsula
    1972 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Afghanistan was formed with its seat in Kabul. [BW15:243]
  • For picture see BW15:151.
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Kabul; Afghanistan first NSA Afghanistan
    1972 Mar A thousand children attended a Bahá'í school in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. [BW15:237] Esmeraldas; Ecuador
    1972 Jan The first Bahá'í Youth Summer School in Southern Africa took place in Swaziland, attended by 70 youth from eight countries. [BW15:338]
  • For picture see BW15:340.
    		•  First summer and winter schools; Swaziland first Bahá’í Youth Summer School in Southern Africa
    1972 (In the year) The first Bahá'í studies seminar was held in London. For an account of the development of these seminars see BW18:204 and BW19:368. Bahá'í studies; Firsts, other; Conferences, Other; London, England; United Kingdom first Bahá’í studies seminar in London
    1972 (In the year) In Indonesia the Attorney-General confirmed the 1962 ban on Bahá'í administrative institutions and added a further prohibition against organized Bahá'í teaching activities. [BW19:41] Persecution, Indonesia; Persecution, Bans; Persecution; Indonesia
    1972 (In the year) Derek and Sally Dacey, the first resident pioneers on Montserrat in the East Leeward Islands, arrived at their pioneer post. First travel teachers and pioneers; East Leeward Islands first resident pioneers on Montserrat
    1972 (In the year) The Louis G. Gregory Institute was founded in 1972. It was named after a native to South Carolina and the first to bring the Bahá'í Faith to the state. It is a training center owned by the Bahá'ís of the United States and managed by the Regional Baha'i Council for the Southeastern States. [Louis G. Gregory Bahá'í Institute] Louis G. Gregory; Hemingway, SC; USA

    Try also a shorter date like 197

    try also the Chronology Canada — 1972 or 197

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