Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 2007, ascending — sort newest first

date event tags firsts
2007 (In the year) This increase in the activities of the Yaran-e Iran mandated the addition of more members; as a result, the number of members reached seven. Behrooz Tavakoli, Afif Naimi, Jamaluddin Khanjani, Saeid Rezaie, Fariba Kamal Abadi, Vahid Tizfahm and Mahvash Sabet were the last leaders of the Bahá'í community of Iran. After their arrest, the responsibility of leading the community was put on the shoulders of all Bahá'ís as individuals. [Iran Press Watch 10561] Yaran; Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Iran
2007 (In the year) The General Directorate of Fatwas and Accounts of the Supreme Court declared the Bahá'í faith to be blasphemous. The Bahá'í community lived in secret since this ruling. [US Commission on International Freligious Freedom - Annual Report 2021 p55] Persecution, Afghanistan; Afghanistan
2007 Jan In Romania, a law was passed to supersede the 1948 Communist-era religion laws. It imposed restrictive requirements on religious communities that wished to be recognized by the government, which Bahá'ís and adherents of other minority religions could not meet. [Form 18 News Service; Wikipedia] Persecution, Romania; - Persecution; Romania
2007 5 Mar The start of Bahaipedia - The Bahá'í collaborative encyclopedia. The name Bahaikipedia is a portmanteau of Bahá'í, wiki and encyclopedia. It was later changed to [Bahaipedia] Bahaipedia; Internet; Websites; Encyclopedias
2007 17 Mar In a confidential letter from the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology to the Central Security Office of Payám-i-Núr University in the Province of Sístán and Balúchistán, they instructed that Bahá'í applicants for the Farágír (preparatory] courses be prevented from enrollment and that the names of those who do try to enrol to be forwarded to their office. [English translation] - Persecution, Education; Iran
2007 Ridván After about nineteen years of oppression, the Bahá'í community was officially registered with the government in Vietnam. By July the Bahá'í community had received a certificate of operation from the governmental Committee for Religious Affairs. [Bahaipedia] Persecution, Vietnam; - Persecution; National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Vietnam
2007 25 Mar The Universal House of Justice addressed a message to the Bahá'ís of the World regarding Bahá'í elections. Universal House of Justice; Elections; - Bahá'í World Centre
2007 Apr The publication of Huqúqu'lláh: The Right of God as compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.
  • This edition was amended in August of 2009.
    		•  Huququllah, Basic timeline; Huququllah; - Compilations; * Publications; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2007 Apr In Iraq the Ministry of Interior's Nationality and Passport Section canceled regulation 358 of 1975 which prohibited the issuance of national identity cards to those claiming the Bahá'í Faith as their religion. In May 2007 a small number of Bahá'ís were issued identity cards. The Nationality and Passport Section's legal advisor stopped issuance of the cards thereafter, claiming Bahá'ís had been registered as Muslims since 1975 and citing a government regulation preventing the conversion of "Muslims" to another faith. Without this official identity card, Bahá'ís could not register their children for school or acquire passports. Despite the cancellation of the regulation, Bahá'ís whose identity records were changed to "Muslim" after regulation 358 was instituted in 1975 still could not change their identity cards to indicate their Bahá'í faith, and their children were not recognized as Bahá'ís. [US Department of State BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR July-December, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report Report September 13, 2011] Persecution, Iraq; Iraq
    2007 7 Apr A memorial removed by the Nazis when the Bahá'í Faith was outlawed in 1937 was restored by municipal authorities in the resort town of Bad Mergentheim in Germany. The stone commemorates the visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá on April 7-8, 1913. The new memorial was unveiled on 7 April, by Mayor Lothar Barth accompanied by Bahman Solouki, a representative of the Bahá'í community of Germany. Please see the news story for pictures of both the original and the replacement monuments. [BWNS524] `Abdu'l-Bahá, Pictures and portraits; Portraits; Monuments; Opposition; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bad Mergentheim, Germany; Germany
    2007 9 Apr In a memorandum from the office of Intelligence and National Security to the commanders of police forces of the regional provincial municipalities, instructions were given to monitor the business activities of Bahá'ís, to suppress the operations of business that would yield a high income, to prohibit businesses related to culture, advertising and commerce as well as any business related to cleanliness (tahárat) such as grocery shops and ice cream parlours and any others where the handling of food or personal care was involved. [Letter from the Public Inteligence and Security Force]
  • English translation of the letter.
    		• Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Human rights; Human Rights; - Persecution; Iran
    2007 19 Apr The government of Slovakia officially registered the Bahá'í Faith as a religious community, guaranteeing the group the right to own property, observe holy days, disseminate literature and engage in a host of other activities. [BWNS531] Recognition (legal); Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Slovakia
    2007 24 Apr The publication of Baha'u'llah: A Short Biography by Moojan Momen. It was published by Oneworld Publications in Oxford, UK Moojan Momen; Book; Oxford, England; United Kingdom
    2007 11 May The passing of His Highness Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili II, the Samoan head of state. He was one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world and had been head of state since independence from New Zealand in 1962. [BWNS543; Bahá'í Chronicles] Malietoa Tanumafili II of Western Samoa; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; - Bahá'í royalty; Royalty; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Samoa
    2007 18 May A letter marked "Confidential" was sent from the academic counseling and higher education office at Guilán University to the director of university academic affairs, asking for the immediate discharge of a Bahá'í student stating that she was legally banned from continuing her education.
  • English translation of the letter of the 18 May, 2007.
  • English translation of the reply dated the 27 May, 2007 stating that the said student had been been "disqualified" from studying at Guilan, as required by the 1991 Golpaygani memorandum.
    		• Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Education; Guilan; Iran
    2007 24 May The passing of Hadi Rahmani-Shirazi (b. 1914) in the United Kingdom. He was buried in New Southgate Cemetery.
  • pioneered to Afghanistan at the Guardian's behest,
  • served on the National Spiritual Assembly and the Auxiliary Board in the Cradle of the Faith,
  • served as the executive director of the Nonahalan Company, (A Bahá'í investment company in Iran)
  • among first appointed to institution of the Counsellors created by the Universal House of Justice in June 1968,
  • relocated to the United Kingdom in the early 1980s,
  • contributed greatly to the development of the Institution of Huququ'llah through his services as a Deputy. [UK BAHA'I NEWS EMAIL SERVICE message from the National Spiritual Assembly nsa@bahai.org.uk 24 May 2007]
  • Find a grave
    		• Hadi Rahmani-Shirazi; Nawnahalan; Counsellors; Huququllah; In Memoriam; Births and deaths; Auxiliary board members; United Kingdom; Afghanistan; Iran
    2007 1 Jun The passing of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh Jameson (Jamie) Bond (b. 6 November, 1917 Toronto, ON) in Duncan, BC. [SDSC262, 387-388, 406]
  • For a biography see Sole Desire Service Cause An Odyssey of Bahá'í Service: Gale and Jameson Bond by Don Brown published by George Ronald.
    		•  Jameson Bond; In Memoriam; - Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Births and deaths; Toronto, ON; Duncan, BC; British Columbia, Canada
    2007 Aug-Sep In memory of Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and because the Native people had such a special place in her heart and that of the Guardian, Violette and 'Ali Nakhjanání travelled throughout North America during the months of August and September visiting aboriginal believers. They visited Vancouver, Anchorage, Juneau before going to South Dakota, Montana, Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia where they spoke with 450 African-American believers. They visited the temple in Wilmette and then the Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia.
  • The primary purpose of their visit was to meet with and encourage the aboriginal believers and to remind the of their responsibility and high destiny in the Faith. [CBN Vol 20 No 3 Winter 2007/2008 p23-25]
    		•  Violette Nakhjavani; `Alí Nakhjavání; Teaching; Indigenous people; Native Americans; First Nations; Vancouver, BC; Anchorage, AK; Juneau, AK; Canada; South Dakota, USA; Montana, USA; Arizona, USA; Atlanta, GA; Wilmette, IL; USA
    2007 9 – 10 Sep A Bahá'í cemetery near Najafabad, Iran was destroyed using heavy equipment. More than 100 graves were desecrated. [BWNS578] Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Destruction; - Persecution; Cemeteries and graves; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Najaf, Iranabad, Iran; Iran
    2007 9 Sep In its message to the Bahá'í students deprived of access to higher education in Iran of the 9th of September 2007, the Universal House of Justice used the term "constructive resilience" to describe the non-adversarial approach taken by the Bahá'ís in the face of violent oppression.

    For further exploration of this term see:

    Bahá'í Library: Constructive Resilience: The Bahá'í Response to Oppression by Michael Karlberg (Also published in Peace and Change, 35:2 pages 222-257 2010-04. (PDF)

      See his presentation on the same subject to the Bahá'í Studies Conference at the Ezri Centre for Iranian and the Persian Gulf Studies of Haifa University in 2016 on YouTube.

    Constructive Resilience by Firaydoun Javaheri was published in the Journal of Bahá'í Studies, 28 April 2018 and can be found on Bahá'í Library.

    A Master's thesis titled Exploring Constructive Resilience: A Qualitative Investigation of the Bahá'i Response to Oppression was presented by Mark Kazemzadeh at the University of Massachusetts in Boston in 2019.

    Constructive resilience in response to oppression: the strategy of Bahá'ís in Iran by Leyla Tavernaro-Haidarian 31 May 2022 was published in the Community Development Journal.

    		Persecution, Iran; Iran
    2007 13 Sep The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the resolution entitled United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. [United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples]
  • The vote was passed by a majority of 144 states in favour, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States) and 11 abstentions (Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Colombia, Georgia, Kenya, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Samoa and Ukraine). Since that time, the four countries voting against have reversed their position and now support the Declaration. [Division for Social Policy and Development Indigenous Peoples website]
  • In November 2010, Canada issued a Statement of Support endorsing the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
  • In November 2015, the Prime Minister of Canada asked the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and other ministers, in the mandate letters, to implement the declaration.
  • In May 2016, the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs announced Canada was now a full supporter, without qualification, of the declaration.
  • For an Historical Overview of the resolution see Division for Social Policy and Development Indigenous Peoples website.
  • The text of the Resolution A/RES/61/295 has been published in an "Adolescent-Friendly Version of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples".
  • In a CBC news story published 15 January2024 it was revealed that Canada and Australia had conspired to create a government-friendly UNDRIP substitute in 2002-2003. See a 2002 Australian Cabinet document related to the issue of the drafting of a separate proposal to change the existing document. On the 10th of May, 2016 the Canadian government announced its full support of the Declaration and commitment to adopt and implement it in accordance with the Canadian Constitution.
    		• United Nations; United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; Indigenous people; New York, USA
    2007 22 Sep The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Ali-Muhammad Varqa (b.1911 or 1912) at his home in Haifa. Mr Varqa received his name from 'Abdu'l-Bahá in memory of his grandfather, who had been killed for being a follower of Bahá'u'lláh. He was the last survivor of the 27 Hands of the Cause who were alive when Shoghi Effendi passed away in 1957. [BWNS579; One Country]
  • He had been appointed Hand of the Cause on the 15th of March, 1955 after the passing of his father Hand of the Cause of God Jináb-i-Valíyu'lláh Varqá, [MoVxxiv]
  • He was appointed as the last Trustee of the Huqúqulláh, a position also held by his father. During his tenure, the Huqúqulláh expanded its base from a few Iranian believers to include every believer in the world in 1992.
  • He lived in Iran but happened to be away during the revolution in 1979 and never returned. He was accepted as a refugee in Canada and lived there for several years before being called to service at the World Centre.
  • For a short biography see LoF183-187.
    		•  Varqá, `Alí-Muhammad; - Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; Births and deaths; In Memoriam; Varqa; - Hands of the Cause, Institution; Appointed arm; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); - Basic timeline, Expanded; Huququllah; Haifa, Israel
    2007 30 Sep In a message from the International Teaching Centre to all Continental Counsellors it shared lessons learned at the recent meetings of the Continental Boards in which the focus had been the challenge of accelerating the movement of clusters and the launching of an increasing number of Intensive Programs of Growth. The message set the direction for the teaching work. International Teaching Centre; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2007 Oct The capacity for receiving pilgrims at the Bahá'í World Centre was doubled to 400 persons in each group. [Ridván 2006] Pilgrimage; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2007 2 Oct An event was organized by the Defenders of Human Rights Centre in Iran to publicize the plight of all those who are deprived of access to education. The Bahá'ís were only one of many groups whose situations the event highlighted. The Bahá'í representative made a 5-10 minute presentation describing the difficult circumstances faced by Bahá'í students, who have persistently been denied access to post-secondary education. Journalists from within the country and abroad covered the proceedings. [The reference website is no longer in existence.] Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Education; - Persecution; Iran
    2007 12 Oct The opening of a new office of the Bahá'í International Community in Brussels. The purpose was to strengthen the BIC's ties with the European Union. [BWNS581] Bahá'í International Community; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Brussels, Belgium; Belgium
    2007 7 Nov The launch of a new website by the Bahá'í International Community, The Life of Bahá'u'lláh to provide illustration of Bahá'u'lláh's life through photographs of places and artifacts and relics associated directly with Him. [BWNS586] bahai.org; Websites; Internet; - Bahá'u'lláh; Bahá'u'lláh, Life of (chronology); Relics; * Publications; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; - Bahá'í World Centre
    2007 12 Nov Human Rights Watch and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights released a report that stated that Egypt should end discriminatory practices that prevented Bahá'ís and others from listing their true religion on government documents.
  • The 98-page report, titled Prohibited Identities: State Interference with Religious Freedom, focused on problems that have emerged from Egypt's practice of requiring citizens to state their religious identity on government documents but then restricting the choice to Islam, Christianity, or Judaism. "These policies and practices violate the right of many Egyptians to religious freedom," states the report. [BWNS587]
  • See HRW.org for the full text of the report.
    		•  Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human Rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt
    2007 14 Nov In a letter to the Students, Staff, Parents and Supporters of Maxwell International School the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada announced that the school would close (at the end of the term). Financial considerations were cited as the reason.
  • Maxwell had provided an accredited academic program for grades 7–12 leading to British Columbia high school graduation certification.
  • The school had been established in 1989 as a non-profit educational institution with a strong emphasis on the performing arts. The Maxwell Dance Workshop used dance, music and drama to challenge young people to find new solutions for the issues facing their generation.
  • The school also had an ESL (English as a Second Language) program to accommodate foreign students who came from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. [Maxwell International School on A-Channel News]
    		• Maxwell International School, Canada; - Bahá'í inspired schools; Dance; Dance Workshop; Shawnigan Lake, BC; British Columbia, Canada; Canada
    2007 21 Nov The Universal House of Justice responded to a communications from the Bahá'ís attending event of the 2nd of October advising the Friends in Iran to explore contacts with other Iranian individuals and organizations sympathetic to the plight of the Bahá'ís and to continue the effort to secure legal representation for the Bahá'í students. It also encouraged them to convey the gratitude of the Iranian Bahá'ís to the Defenders of Human Rights Centre. [The referenced website is no longer in existence.] Universal House of Justice; Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Education; - Persecution; Iran
    2007 25 Dec The two Egyptian Human Rights cases, the first by the father of twin children who was seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them and the second by a college student who needed a national identity card to re-enroll in university, were set for "final judgment" by the Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo but the hearings were unexpectedly postponed until 22 January 2008. The court indicated it was still deliberating on the cases. On 22 January it was announced that the cases had been continued until 29 January. [BWNS597] Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Human Rights; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Cairo, Egypt; Egypt

    Try also a shorter date like 200

    try also the Chronology Canada — 2007 or 200

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