Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 2001-0, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
2001 31 Aug – 8 Sep The third United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, was held in Durban, South Africa. The conference was also known as Durban I.
  • The BIC was one of nearly two thousand NGOs present at the NGO forum. The conference itself was fraught with challenges that demonstrated the complexity of these issues and the sensitivity they must be addressed for meaningful change to occur. The BIC participated in the Religious, the Spiritual and the International NGO caucuses; it had an exhibition booth and distributed the statement entitled One Same Substance: Consciously Creating a Global Culture of Unity which provided an outline of the efforts Bahais are doing towards this goal. [One Country]
    • See as well BWNS133 for the full text.
  • UN website
    		•  United Nations; Racism; Discrimination; Bahá'í International Community; UNESCO; Durban, South Africa; South Africa
    2001 Aug For Bahá'í World Statistic as of this date see Bahá'í World Statistics August 2001 CE, by the Department of Statistics of the Bahá'í World Centre. Statistics
    2001 31 Jul The publication of Bahá'í Shrine and Gardens on Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel: A Visual Journey by the Ministry of Defence Publishing House, Israel. [Ridván Message 2001] Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; Terraces; Dedications; Báb, Shrine of; - Bahá'í World Centre; * Publications; Visuals; Haifa, Israel; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2001 Jul The inauguration of the new campus of the Townshend International School in the Czech Republic.
  • Since its opening in 1992 the co-educational high school has gained accreditation from the Ministry of Education and has welcomed students from over thirty countries in addition to sponsoring students from the Czech Republic. This private, non-affiliated, co-educational high school was accredited by the Ministry of Education with English as the teaching language. [TIS Web Site]
    		•  Townshend International School, Czech Republic; - Bahá'í inspired schools; Czech Republic
    2001 25 - 27 Jun During the special session of the General Assembly on the HIV./AIDS pandemic held at the UN headquarters, the Bahá'í International Community circulated a written statement entitled HIV/AIDS and Gender Equality: Transforming Attitudes and Behaviors that emphasized the need to transform the attitudes and behaviors that spread the disease and directed attention to the important roles played by men and faith communities in turning the tide of the pandemic. [BIC History] Bahá'í International Community; United Nations; HIV/AIDS; Gender; Equality; - BIC statements; New York City, NY
    2001 4 Jun The public opening of the terraces surrounding the Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel. [BWNS134, BWNS221, BWNS123, BWNS122, BWNS121, BWNS120]

  • For statement from the Universal House of Justice see: BWNS119.
  • Other coverage: BWNS118, BWNS117, BWNS115, BWNS96, BWNS94, BWNS87, BWNS79.
  • Also see: The Bahá'í Gardens.
  • Marble for the terraces in the Bahá'í Gardens was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]
  • See YouTube video Not Even a Lamp.
  • See YouTube video Sacred Stairway: Pathway to a Book - A Talk by Michael Day where he talks about his book Sacred Stairway - The Story of the Shrine of the Bab Volume III: 1963–2001. It was published by George Ronald.
  • Mount Carmel was extolled by the prophet Isaiah almost three thousand years ago when he announce that:
    ...it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow until it.
    		•  Terraces; Dedications; Báb, Shrine of; Marble; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; - Bahá'í World Centre; Lasse Thoresen; Michael Day; Margraf; - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel; Mount Carmel MERGE; Chiampo, Italy; Italy
    2001 28 - 31 May Global Form on Fighting Corruption II was held in The Hague. [IAACA Web Site]
  • The paper entitled Overcoming Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity in Public Institutions: A Bahá'í Perspective was prepared by the Bahá'í World Centre at the request of the United States government and for use of the Bahá'í representative to the forum. [Text]
    		•  Corruption; Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; - Statements; * Publications; - BIC statements; The Hague; Netherlands
    2001 23 May At dusk on the evening of the 22nd of May, the opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb, a $250M project that begun ten years earlier and transformed the ancient barren face of the mountain into 19 majestic terraced gardens cascading down the length of the mountain. [BWNS121; BW01-02p37-73]
  • See the message To the Believers Gathered for the Events Marking the Completion of the Projects on Mount Carmel.
  • The nineteen Canadian believers who had the extraordinary blessing of being present in the Holy Land for the official opening of the Terraces of the Shrine of the Báb were: Dr. Akouete Akakpo-Vida, Mr. Riel Aubichon, Mr. Garrett Brisdon, Mrs. Pearl Downie, Mrs. Nellie Ironeagle, Mrs. Aghdas Javid, Mr. Joseph Kowtow, Mrs. Joo Jong Kung, M. Fréderic Landry, Ms. Giselle Melanson, Mr. Borna Noureddin, Mr. James Patrick, Mrs. Valerie Pemberton-Piggott, Mlle. Cindy Poitras, Mrs. Janice Schlosser, Mlle. Caroline Simon, Mrs. Doris Toeg, Mrs. Linda Wilkinson, and Mme. Elizabeth Wright. In addition, several students from the Maxwell International Bahá'í School were present as members of the delegations from their home countries.
  • The event was attended by some 4,500 people, 3,300 of them Bahá'ís, as representative of more than 200 countries and territories. [One Country Vol.13 Issue 1]
  • For the statement read by Dr. Albert Lincoln, Secretary-General of the Bahá'í International Community at the official opening of the flight of terraces see Ruhi 8.3 page 93. [BWNS119]
  • See video From Darkness to Light Recalling the Events at the Official Opening of the Terraces on Mount Carmel May 2001.
  • See The Opening of the Terraces (May 2001): Reflections of a Participant by Thelma Batchelor.
  • Gyr Kvalheim was the Managing Director of the Inaugural Events Office. [BWNS118]
    		•  Báb, Shrine of; Terraces; Dedications; Arc project; Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; - Bahá'í World Centre; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel; Mount Carmel MERGE
    2001 22 May The musical tribute of the inauguration of the Terraces required the construction of a 4,000-seat temporary amphitheater around the plaza that forms the first terrace on the mountainside, at the top of Ben Gurion Avenue. Musical Director Jack Lenz coordinated a musical program that brought together a symphony orchestra from Israel, a choir from Romania, and soloists from around the world. More than 60 buses have been hired just to shuttle participants around.

    Holding a musical concert outdoors was not like doing it with the natural acoustics of a hall. To counter wind noise, wind socks had to be fitted on all the microphones on all of the instruments of the orchestra and then reverberation and other effects added on a mixing console. [BWNS118; BWNS120]

    		Gry Kvalheim; Haifa, Israel
    2001 21 May The celebration of the completion of the Arc projects began with a devotional visit by the 3,000 Bahá'ís assembled to the resting place of Bahá'u'lláh, at Bahji. [BWNS117] Arc project; Bahji, Israel; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2001 15 May A tribute to Ruhiyyih Khanum, much in the form of music and drama, was held at Canada House in Trafalgar Square in London. It was attended by some 150 prominent people including Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

    The main focus of the evening was a theatrical performance entitled A Life So Noble, which had been inspired by Ruhiyyih Khanum's life. Written by Canadian-born actress/writer Beverley Evans and directed by Annabel Knight, the show took four major aspects of Khanum's life and character and personified them in four women actresses, Maria Friedman, Beverley Evans, Sarah Clive and Kerry-Ann Smith, who told her story using words taken from Ruhiyyih Khanum's own lectures and writings.[BWNS124]

    		 Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Prince Philip; Annabel Knight; Violette Nakhjavani; London, England; United Kingdom
    2001 6 May In a letter to an individual in response to a query about the wisest course that a believer can adopt when encountering attacks on the Faith in Internet discussions, the Department of the Secretariat attached extracts from an earlier letter from the Universal House of Justice titled Defending the Cause against its Opponents. - Persecution
    2001 May The inauguration of the Centre for the Study of the Texts. The facility was completed and occupied in 1999. It consists of study rooms for resident and visiting scholars, meeting and conference rooms, a large reference library, a secretariat and ancillary spaces totalling 7750 sq. metres (83,420 sq. ft) Much of the building is located below ground. It has been integrated into the mountain with a portico that reflects the classical motifs of the other buildings on the Arc. The offices of the building are provided with natural light directly or through light wells, patios and skylights. Below ground it is connected to an extension to the Archives which provides secure, climate-controlled storage vaults for the original, hand written papers that constitute the Bahá'í Sacred Texts. The architect was Hossein Amanat. [amanatarchitect.com]

    "The Centre for the Study of the Texts . . . will be the seat of an institution of Bahá'í scholars, the efflorescence of the present Research Department of the World Centre, which will assist the Universal House of Justice in consulting the Sacred Writings, and will prepare translations of and commentaries on the authoritative texts of the Faith." [AWH p52]

    "The building was completed and occupied in 1999. It now houses the Research Department, and is the temporary home of the International Bahá'í Library and other offices." [Visiting Bahá'í Holy Places p. 35; BW99-00p38-39]

    		Centre for the Study of the Sacred Texts; Arc project; Hossein Amanat (Husayn Amanat); Research Department; International Bahá'í Library; International Bahá'í Archives; Libraries; Archives; Translation; Architects; Architecture; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; - Bahá'í World Centre; - Bahá'í World Centre; Mount Carmel MERGE; Haifa, Israel
    2001 30 Apr – 2 May The Bahá'í International Community issued a statement, entitled Sustainable Development: the Spiritual Dimension, for the first session of the United Nations Preparatory Committee of the World Summit on Sustainable Development at the UN in New York. [BWNS93]
  • For the complete text with footnotes see: Statement.
    		• Bahá'í International Community; Sustainable Development; United Nations; United Nations Summits; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); - BIC statements; New York, USA
    2001 Ridván From the Ridván Message: "It is with profound thankfulness and joy that we announce at this auspicious moment the decision to proceed with this last project. During the Five Year Plan, erection of the Mother Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile, will commence and thus fulfill a wish clearly expressed by Shoghi Effendi." [Riḍván 2001 To the Bahá'ís of the World] Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Santiago; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Santiago, Chile; Chile
    2001 Ridván The launch of the First Five Year Plan (2001-2006).
  • See The Five Year Plan, 2001-2006 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States
  • For the definitive report see The Five Year Plan, 2001-2006 Summary of Achievements and Learning (PDF) published under the supervision of the International Teaching Centre.
    		• Five Year Plan (2001-2006); - Teaching Plans; * Institute process; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2001 19 Apr The publication of the memorandum entitled Attainment of the Unity of Nations and the Lesser Peace by the Research Department on behalf of the Universal House of Justice. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 19 April, 2001] Unity of Nations; Lesser Peace; Peace; World peace; Unity; World order; Prophecies; Seven Candles of Unity; * Publications; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2001 Mar The publication of Century of Light, a statement by the Universal House of Justice. The purpose of the book is to provide members of the Faith with a perspective on two defining processes that unfolded during the 20th century; on the one hand, the sequence of events that made the unification of humanity the principal feature of modern history and, on the other, the emergence from obscurity of the Cause of God and its Administrative order. It is primarily a resource for Bahá'í study and deepening. It is not a public information publication. [TP777-778] Century of Light (book); Universal House of Justice; Universal House of Justice, Basic timeline; * Publications; History (general); Bahá'í history; 20th century; Peace; World order; World peace; Emergence from obscurity; - Historical overviews by Central Figures or BWC; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2001 29 Jan The publication of Institution of the Counsellors by Universal House of Justice. Counsellors; - Compilations; * Publications; Appointed arm; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2001 16 Jan The end of the Fourth Epoch of the Formative Age, an Epoch that included the Six, Three, Four Year, and Twelve Month Plans from the Universal House of Justice as well as the commemoration for the centenary of the Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh. This Epoch was characterized by the initiation of social and economic projects and the emergence from obscurity and the fact that national communities took responsibility for their own development. [Mess86-01p815]
  • The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh entered the Fifth Epoch of the Formative Age. [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 16 January 2001]
    		• Formative Age; Ages and Epochs; Emergence from obscurity; - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel
    2001 14 Jan Sixteen Bahá'ís were arrested in the southern Egyptian city of Sohag. The charges brought against them concerned their membership in the Bahá'í Faith. [Message from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada dated the 19th of January, 2001] Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Sohag, Egypt; Egypt
    2001 12 Jan The Administrative Order was further developed by the Universal House of Justice in its message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counselors of 9 January 2001 in which the concept of the "cluster" was first introduced. The cluster, a subdivision of the region, is to be formed on the basis of cultural, language, pattern of transport, infrastructure or the social life of the inhabitants.
  • In its message of 12 December 2011 the Universal House of Justice stated that the cluster should have three coordinators appointed by the Training Institute, one concerned with study circles, junior youth groups and a third for children's classes.
  • National Assemblies worldwide divided their countries into clusters on the basis of demographic, geographic, and socio-economic factors. A third of the resulting 15,000 clusters were in Africa.
  • TP176 says that there are now (17 January 2003) close to 17,000 clusters worldwide, excluding those countries where, for one reason or another, the operation of the Faith is restricted. The number of clusters per country varies widely—from India with its 1,580 to Singapore, which necessarily sees itself as one cluster. Some of the groupings are sparsely populated areas with only a few thousand inhabitants, while the boundaries of others encompass several million people. For the most part, large urban centers under the jurisdiction of one Local Spiritual Assembly have been designated single clusters, these in turn being divided into sectors, so as to facilitate planning and implementation.
    		• - Administrative Order; Clusters; Counsellors; Conferences, Counsellors; * Institute process; - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel
    2001 9 - 13 Jan The Counsellors in all continents met at the World Centre to take part in deliberations on the general features of the Five Year Plan. They were joined by the Auxiliary Board members (849 from 172 countries) who gathered from throughout the world to participate in events marking the occupation by the International Teaching Centre of its permanent seat on Mount Carmel. [From the messages from the Universal House of Justice dated the 29th of October, 2000 and the16th of January, 2001] Counsellors; Conferences, Counsellors; Five Year Plan (2001-2006); - Teaching Plans; Auxiliary board members; Assistants; International Teaching Centre, Seat; - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel
    2001 9 Jan In its message to the Conference of the Continental Board of Counselors to launch the 1st Five Year Plan and Universal House of Justice said, "the training institute is effective not only in enhancing the powers of the individual, but also in vitalizing communities and institutions." It went on to say that "The continued development of training institutes in the diverse countries and territories of the world, then, must be a central feature of the new Plan." [Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 9 January, 2001, Mess86-01p763-764] Five Year Plan (2001-2006); - Teaching Plans; Training Institutes; Counsellors; Conferences, Counsellors; * Institute process; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2001 8 - 17 Jan The inauguration of the International Teaching Centre Building at the World Centre with the meeting of the Institution of the Counsellors. Board members from 172 countries attended.
  • Message from the Universal House of Justice date 14 January, 2001 addressed To the Conference Marking the Inauguration of the International Teaching Centre Building.
  • This occasion was marked as "one of the historic happenings of the Formative Age". From the Ridván Message of 2000]
  • Construction of the International Teaching Centre Building began in 1987 and was completed in October 2000. [BWNS131]
  • For a full account of the event see BWNS131 and BW00-01p4148.
    		• International Teaching Centre, Seat; Arc project; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Counsellors; Conferences, Counsellors; Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; - Bahá'í World Centre; - Basic timeline, Expanded; - Bahá'í World Centre; Mount Carmel MERGE; Haifa, Israel
    2001 4 Jan The passing of Dr. Victor de Araujo of Vista, NY at the age of 78 years. He was born near London, England and spent his childhood and youth in Brazil. He came to the United Stated in 1946 as a vice consul to the Brazilian Consulate in Chicago. From 1967-1990, Dr. de Araujo served as a Representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the United Nations. In his years in this position he represented the Bahá'í International Community both at the United Nations headquarters and at numerous conferences around the world. He also participated in the preparation of Bahá'í statements on human rights, the environment, and the equality of men and women, which were presented to the United Nations. [Bahá'í Announce 5Jan2001; BW00-01p269-270] Bahá'í International Community; United Nations; In Memoriam; Victor de Araujo; London, England; United Kingdom; Brazil; New York, USA; USA
    2001 (In the year) The publication of Bahá'í-Inspired Perspectives on Human Rights edited by: Tahirih Tahririha-Danesh with contributions from Kiser Barnes, Greg Duly, Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims, Graham Hassall, Darren Hedley, Nazila Ghanea-Hercock, Chichi Layor, Michael L. Penn, and Martha L. Schweitz. Bahá'í-Inspired Perspectives on Human Rights; Tahirih Tahririha-Danesh; Kiser Barnes; Greg Duly; Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims; Graham Hassall; Darren Hedley; Nazila Ghanea-Hercock; Chichi Layor; Michael L. Penn; Martha L. Schweitz; Hong Kong
    2001 - 2002 Building on the Indian experience, the discourse on science, religion, and development was extended to other countries. With the collaboration of a task force, the Institute organized a series of seminars in different regions of Uganda. At these seminars, academics, government officials, and representatives from nongovernmental organizations, gathered to discuss – within the context of Ugandan society – the issues raised in the Institute's document. Participants later formed working groups to explore how the discourse can affect such areas of human activity as education, economic activity and environmental resources, technology, and governance. A series of documents was prepared to be presented to the government. A video entitled Opening a Space: The Discourse on Science, Religion, and Development, documenting the Ugandan experience, was produced. [ISGP History; BWNS590] Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (ISGP); - Documentaries; Uganda

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