Bahai Library Online

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 2006, sorted by firsts, ascending

date event tags firsts
2006 21 Dec
200-		 A message was sent from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of Egypt regarding the recent Supreme Administrative Court decision with respect to their right to hold identification cards. [BWNS499]
  • For a the full text of the message from the Universal House of Justice 21 December, 2006 in English.
    		•  Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt
    2006 (In the year)
    200-    		 The publication of Lights Of The Spirit: Historical Portraits Of Black Bahá'ís In North America, 1898-2000 edited by Gwendolyn Eater-Lewis and Richard Thomas. Published by Bahá'í Publishing, Wilmette, IL.

    Lights Of The Spirit is a groundbreaking work that uncovers a piece of history that until now has gone unwritten-the role played by Black people in the emergence of the Bahá'í Faith in North America. Drawing on a wide range of sources including personal essays, letters, and journals, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of some extraordinary individuals who devoted themselves to a common cause and made outstanding contributions toward building a unified society.

    		 Race amity; Race inequality
    2006 1 Sep
    200-    		 The publication of Against Incredible Odds Life of a 20th Century Iranian Baha'i­ Family by Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani. The book was published by George Ronald Pub Ltd. It is the story of a Bahá'í family who have been a part of the history of the Faith since the days of the the Báb.
    2006 12 Sep
    200-    		 The passing of Annemarie Kruger, (b. 13 February 1918 Germany d. 12 September 2006 Plovdiv, Bulgaria) Knight of Bahá'u'lláh for Moldov and pioneer to Bulgaria from 1984 until the end of her life. [KoB397-399; Find a grave; Bulgarian Nation Website; the 9th candle]
  • Her autobiography, Life for the Faith is available on the Bulgarian national site. It comes in a zip file with a picture of the cover, all of the illustrations, and the text of the book in Word format.
    		• Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Bulgaria; - Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Biography
    2006 (In the year)
    200-    		 The implementation of the website Bahá'í Media Bank a repository of visual resources for communities worldwide, publishers, journalists, videographers, and students, among others. Bahá'í Media Bank; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2006 27 Feb - 10 Mar
    200-    		 The 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women was held at the UN Headquarters in New York. [UN Women]
  • The Bahá'í International Community presented Beyond Legal Reforms: Culture and Capacity in the Eradication of Violence Against Women and Girls.
    		•  United Nations; Bahá'í International Community; Women; Commission on the Status of Women (CSW); - BIC statements; New York City, NY
    2016 (End of the Five Year Plan)
    200-    		 The Preparation for Social Action programme that was implemented at the beginning of the Five Year Plan was expanded to seven additional countries: Cambodia, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Panama, the Philippines and Vanuatu.
  • Over 10,000 had participated in the programme with about 1,800 among these who had studied all of the texts available.
  • In addition some 1,700 individuals serving institutions and agencies of the Fatih in 25 countries had studied a selection the the materials in a seminar setting. [5YPSumPage94-95]
  • Preparation for Social Action was implemented as a course of study at the New Era High School and Senior Secondary in Panchgani.
    		• Five Year Plan (2011-2016); - Teaching Plans; Preparation for Social Action (PSA); Cambodia; Central African Republic; Congo, Democratic Republic of; Ecuador; Panama; Philippines; Vanuatu
    2006 10 Jun
    200-    		 In Malaysia, Social & Economic Development Services (SEDS) together with the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue organized two nation-wide colloquia on science, religion and development. The first was held at University of Malaya in 2005 and the second on this date in Kuala Lumpur. [SGM Website] Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (ISGP); Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Malaysia
    2006 Dec
    200-    		 The publication of A Faith Denied: The Persecution of the Bahá'ís of Iran by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC).
  • The document reported that the Bahá'í community of Iran were not free to practice their religion, they suffered from economic and social exclusion, and they had been subjected to executions, arbitrary arrests and the destruction of their property - all carried out with the support of national judicial, administrative and law enforcement structures. It also stated that since the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2005, there was evidence to suggest a new cycle of repression may have been beginning. [A Faith Denied]
    		• * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Human rights; Human rights; Iran
    2006 - 2007 (academic year)
    200-    		 For more than two decades young Bahá'ís had been barred from entering university through an application process that required them to deny their faith. Though a modification in the process, achieved through worldwide public pressure, enabled a few hundred to register at the start of the 2006–2007 academic year, their hopes of pursuing higher education were soon dashed because that same year a confidential letter sent from Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology instructed Iranian universities to expel any student who was discovered to be a Bahá'í. The letter refuted previous statements by Iranian officials who had said Bahá'í students in Iran faced no discrimination. [BWNS575]
  • The English translation of the letter.
    		• * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Education; Higher education; Human rights; Bahá'í International Community; Iran
    2006 16 Jun
    200-    		 The Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information announced the launch of a new website called "Bahá'í Media Bank,". The site contained more than 2,500 high-quality photographs on Bahá'í-related themes and the plan was to eventually include video and audio material. [BWNS455]
  • In September 2017, after nearly 11 years, the site was given an upgrade in time for the historic 200th anniversary of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh. [BWNS1200]
    		•  bahai.org; Bahá'í Media Bank; Websites; Visuals; - Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; Bahá'í International Community; - Bahá'í World Centre; - Worldwide
    2006 Ridván
    200-    		 The launch of the Second Five Year Plan (2006-2011).
  • For the achievements of Plan see The Five Year Plan 2006-2011; Summary of Achievements and Learning, prepared under the supervision of the International Teaching Centre, published by the Bahá'í World Centre, September 2011.
  • See Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 28 December 2005.
  • See Message 12 December 2011 a letter that has been labelled Ruhi Institutes and the Five Year Plan.
  • For the definitive report see The Five Year Plan, 2006-2011 Summary of Achievements (PDF) prepared under the supervision of the International Teaching Centre.
  • The core activities delineated for it were:
      -Study Circles
      -Children's Classes
      -Devotional Gatherings
      -Junior Youth Groups
      -Intensive Programs of Growth in "A" Clusters
      -One of the goals was the numerical goal of achieving Intensive Programmes of Growth in no less than 1,500 clusters throughout the world.
    		• Five Year Plan (2006-2011); - Teaching Plans; - Institute process; Core activities; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2006 4 Apr
    200-    		 In late 2004 or early 2005 the government of Egypt introduced a computerized identity card system that locked out all religious classifications except Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Bahá's were unable to get ID cards and other documents essential to day-to-day life. Thus began an epic struggle for Bahá'í appellants to win the right to have their religious affiliation properly identified on government documents.
  • The issuance of birth certificates was at the heart of the first case, which concerned 14-year-old twins Imad and Nancy Rauf Hindi. Their father, Rauf Hindi, obtained birth certificates that recognized their Bahá'í affiliation when they were born but new policies required computer generated certificates and the computer system locked out any religious affiliation but the three officially recognized religions. Without birth certificates, the children were unable to enroll in school in Egypt.
  • A lower administrative court ruled that the couple should be identified as Bahá'ís on official documents, a decision that, if upheld, would essentially overturn the government's policy of forcing citizen to choose from only the three officially recognized religions on state documents. The lower court's ruling provoked an outcry among the fundamentalist elements in Egyptian society, particularly Al Azhar University and the Muslim Brotherhood who objected to any kind of recognition of the Bahá'í Faith as a religious belief. The case gained international attention in the news media and from human rights groups and sparked a wholesale debate in newspapers and blogs throughout the Arab world over the right to freedom of religion and belief. [BWNS454, Minority Right website]
    		• Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt
    2006 16 Sep
    200-    		 In Egypt the Supreme Administrative Court again postponed its hearing on the government appeal of a lower court's ruling upholding the right of a Bahá'í couple to have their religion properly identified on government documents. In a brief hearing the Court postponed the case until 20 November in order to await the completion of an advisory report from the State Commissioner's Authority on the case. [BWNS480] Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt
    2006 16 Dec
    200-    		 Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court ruled against the right of Bahá'ís to be properly identified on government documents. There were now two cases related to this issue; the first involved a lawsuit by the father of twin children, who was seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them and the second concerned a college student who needed a national identity card to re-enroll in university.
  • The decision upheld government policy in place at the time,, a policy which forced the Bahá'ís either to lie about their religious beliefs or give up their state identification cards. The policy effectively deprived Egyptian Bahá'ís and others of access to most rights of citizenship, including education, financial services, and even medical care. [BWNS492]
    		• Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt
    2006 21 Dec
    200-    		 The Education Department Management Security Office in Shiraz circulated a form to be completed by all students who belonged to religious minorities and the "perverse Bahaist sect". The form required not only detailed information about the student and his or her parents, but also detailed information on all the student's siblings. [Provisional Translation of the text of the letter] * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Education; - Persecution; Shíráz, Iran; Iran
    2006 19 Aug
    200-    		 Iran's Ministry of Interior ordered officials throughout the country to step up the surveillance of Iranian Bahá'ís focusing in particular on their community activities. In a letter the Ministry requested provincial officials to complete a detailed questionnaire about the circumstances and activities of local Bahá'ís, including their "financial status," "social interactions," and "association with foreign assemblies," among other things. [BWNS488]
  • English translation of the letter.
    		•  * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Iran
    2006 31 Jul
    200-    		 The announcement of the publication of The Tabernacle of Unity. This publication of the Bahá'í World Centre contained five tablets - letters - written by Bahá'u'lláh to individuals of Zoroastrian background in the 1800s. As such, these tablets provide important insights into the interrelatedness of religion. [BWNS466] - Tabernacle of Unity (book); - Zoroastrianism; * Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; Interfaith dialogue; Manikchi Limji Hataria; * Translation; * Publications; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); - Bahá'í World Centre
    2006 15 Jul
    200-    		 The Bahá'í Academy in Panchgani, India, entered into a formal agreement with one of India's top-ranked universities to offer specialized training in education for moral development to its students, faculty, and staff. [BWNS470] Bahá'í Academy, India; Universities; Moral education; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Panchgani, India; Pune, India; India
    2006 19 May
    200-    		 Iranian security officials arrested 54 Bahá'ís in the city of Shiraz who were involved in a community service project, many of them in their teens and early 20's. They were not charged and all but three were released within six days. It was the largest mass arrest of Bahá'ís since the 1980's. [New York Times 1 June, 2006] * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Youth; Shíráz, Iran; Iran
    2006 2 May
    200-    		 Letter, from the Trades, Production, and Technical Services Society of Kermanshah to the Iranian Union of Battery Manufacturers, asked the Union to provide a list of members of the Bahá'í sect in their membership. [BWNS488]
  • English translation of the letter.
    		•  * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Kirmánsháh, Iran; Iran
    2006 20 Nov
    200-    		 In Egypt lawyers representing a Bahá'í couple seeking to have their religious affiliation properly identified on state documents, presented arguments at a full hearing before the Supreme Administrative Court. The hearing was short and the court adjourned until 16 December when a judgment in the case was expected. [BWNS492] Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt
    2006 15 May
    200-    		 In Egypt the government appealed the lower court's ruling to the Supreme Administrative Court and the hearing focused on procedural issues concerning the case. The emotions stirred by the case were evident at the initial hearing. Lawyers and other individuals seated in the courthouse interrupted and heckled the defense counsel each time they tried to address the court. They yelled insults at them, calling them 'infidels' and threatening them with physical violence during the hearing. Because the Court was unable to impose order in the courtroom, the Court briefly adjourned the hearing before resuming the proceedings in camera. When the hearing was adjourned the courthouse security officers refused to protect the defense lawyers who were surrounded by members of the crowd, verbally threatening, pushing, shoving and not allowing them to walk away from the area.
  • After the government's appeal of the lower court's ruling a court hearing was set for 19 June, however, the Court commissioner's advisory report was not submitted in time and the hearing was further postponed until the 16th of September. [BWNS454, BWNS456]
    		• Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt
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