Chronology: Date 2016

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 2016, sorted by firsts, ascending

date	event	tags	firsts
2016 13 May 201-	Fariba Kamalabadi, while on a five-day furlough from Evin Prison, met with former Tehran MP Faezeh Hashemi. It was the first temporary leave she had been granted during her eight years of imprisonment. Faezeh Hashemi was the activist daughter of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and she previously shared a prison cell with Kamalabadi in Evin Prison. Hashemi was strongly condemned by politicians and religious leaders for meeting with Mrs Kamalabadi. A high-ranking member of the Iranian Judiciary vowed that action would be taken against her. Despite the widespread criticism she received from powerful quarters in Iran, Faezeh Hashemi publicly defended her decision to meet with Kamalabadi. [Iran Press Watch, from NY Times, BWNS1108]	Yaran; * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Human rights; Evin Prison; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Tehran, Iran; Iran
2016 6 Jun 201-	The publication of Lady Blomfield: Her Life and Times by Robert Weinberg. It was published by George Ronald Publishers. Robert Weinberg's detailed research has yielded a fascinating insight into the life of Lady Blomfield, her family and her circle, and into the life of Àbdu'l-Bahá as it touched the lives of the British Bahá'ís. Punctuated by glimpses into London society and the rapidly developing Bahá'í community, Weinberg's book provides compelling grounds for Lady Blomfield's inclusion in the 'galaxy of unforgettable women' who 'became the principal exponents of the Bahá'í message on both sides of the Atlantic'.	Oxford, England; United Kingdom
1979 - 2016 201-	The Islamic Republic of Iran has been responsible for the deaths of at least 225 Bahá'ís since its establishment, as documented by the House of Anti-Bahá'í Documents Iran Open Data research shows. Statistical research on documented reports available on the website "House of Anti-Baha'i Documents" shows that after the Iranian Revolution, 158 Baha'is have been executed by firing squads or hanged on court orders. Twelve individuals have lost their lives in prison due after being tortured. Another 16 individuals disappeared after being threatened by members of the religious establishment or government agents, and 39 individuals were killed with the support of religious and political government entities. See IranOpenData website for more details such as number of documented violations of Bahá'ís' rights by category, and number of Bahá'í students denied access to education in schools and universities.	* Persecution, Iran; Iran
2016 4 Aug 201-	In a letter to National Spiritual Assemblies, communities were encouraged to establish electoral units on the basis of the cluster. The population of the country is divided by the number of National Convention delegates allowed by the Universal House of Justice to determine the number of electors per delegate. [4 August 2016] See 21 July 1985.	Elections; Conventions, National; Clusters; Electoral unit system; - Bahá'í World Centre
2016 (In the year) 201-	Asma Jilani Jahangir was selected as the Special Rapporteur in 2016. She was a human rights lawyer of Pakistani origin and a former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. She suffered from cardiac arrest in Lahore on 11 February 2018 and later died at the hospital. [Wikipedia]	United Nations; Asma Jahangir; Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran; Bahá'í International Community; New York, USA; United States (USA); Biography
2011 - 2016 (The Five Year Plan) 201-	The annual number of seminars for undergraduate students offered by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity rose from 21 at the start of the Plan to 39. More than 4,000 youth in more than 60 countries were served. The seminar for university graduates and for young professionals, first offered in North America in 2008, was extended to Australia, Europe, Latin America and south and Southeast Asia over the duration of the Plan. As of this date more than 700 individuals had taken part. [The Five Year Plan 2011-2016: Summary of Achievements and Learning pg113] iiiii	Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity (ISGP); Statistics; Australia; - Europe; Latin America; Southeast Asia; South Asia; North America
2016 14 Jul 201-	The Ghorveh Bahá'í cemetery, in the province of Kurdistan, was destroyed by government agents. [Iran Press Watch 19720]	- Persecution, denial of burial; Ghorveh, Kurdistan; Kurdistan; Iran
2016 Oct 201-	An airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition hit a crowded funeral in Sana'a killing 140 mourners and injuring another 500.	Yemen, Recent history; Sanaa, Yemen; Yemen
2016 Apr 201-	In Yemen th UN-sponsored peace talks began between the government on one side and the Houthis and form President Saleh's General People's Congress (GPC) on the other.	Yemen, Recent history; President Saleh; Yemen
2016 13 - 16 Oct 201-	The public dedication of the Mother Temple of South America in Santiago, Chile. The opening ceremonies were attended by over 5,000 people from 110 countries. Live video coverage of the public opening ceremony was provided on the Bahá'í World News Service website for approximately 90 minutes and the video recording has been made available at that website. The Mashriqul-Adhkár (Dawning-Point of God's Remembrance) is located outside of Santiago in Peñalolen, a commune whose name means "reunion of brothers" in the local language. [BWNS1128]. The temple was built in the foothills of the Andes, between mountains and city. The 2,415 square-metre edice (26,000-square-feet) is essentially one large room with nine doors made of bronze. The interior is surrounded by a dome that is made up of nine elements – called petals. These begin wide at the bottom of the building and then narrow upward to meet in a spiral at the top, separated by crescent-shaped windows and a round window at the top. The outer surfaces of these petals are made of 32-millimetre-thick panels of cast glass, which have a ruddy, milky quality to them; the inner surfaces are made of smooth Portuguese marble. Both layers are translucent. Each of the nine wings of the building has two surfaces – one of cast glass and one of stone both of which rest on the steel structure. Each of those two surfaces has more than 1,000 separate components in more than 150 different shapes categorized as droops, slumps, bullnoses, shoulders, elbows, or spines. Each piece, which had to be crafted in three dimensions, was shaped using digital models. [BWNS1126] Canadian architect, Siamak Hariri, began work on the $20-million project in 2003. [BWNS1127] The landscape architect was Juan Grimm, one of the most well-known landscapers of Latin America. The Universal House of Justice was represented by Counsellor Antonella Demonte from the International Teaching Centre. Message from the Universal House of Justice. Pictures Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Specifics Location: Santiago, Chile Foundation Stone: Construction Period: 2013 – October 2016 Site Dedication:13-16 October 2016 Architect: Siamak Hariri Landscape Architect: Juan Grimm Seating: Dimensions:2,415 square-metre (26,000 square-feet) Cost: approximately $30m Dependencies: References: BWNS800, BWNS921, BWNS940, BWNS959, BWNS982, BWNS1123, BWNS1125, BWNS1055, BWNS1199 Since its dedication in October 2016, the Temple has been a recipient of an International Architecture Award as well as awards for structural artistry from the Institution of Structural Engineers, for innovation in architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, for innovation from the American Institute of Architects, for design excellence from the Ontario Association of Architects, for "Best in Americas, Civil Buildings," from World Architecture News, and for Architectural and Cultural design from American Architecture Prize. [BWNS1262] The Temple design won the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) International Prize. This renowned prize is awarded every two years and was created to celebrate socially transformative, respectful, uplifting and inclusive architecture. [FloorNature site.] This site states that since the opening some 1.4 million people have visited. Some weekend have had up to 36,000 visitors. This site has some spectacular photographs. The announcement that Hariri Pontarini Architects had won the prize on the 25th of October, 2019. Some spectacular pictures, some of which were taken during the construction. See a short video made by Hariri Pontarini Architects.	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Santiago; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Mother Temples; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Quick facts; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Siamak Hariri; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Design; Architecture; Awards; - Architects; Juan Grimm; Counsellors; Marble; Gardens; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Dedications; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Santiago, Chile; Chile
2016 6 Sep 201-	In a letter the BIC called on Iranian President Rouhani to end systematic economic oppression. The letter signed by Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the United Nations, drew attention to the stark contradiction between statements espoused by the Iranian government regarding economic justice, equality for all and reducing unemployment on one hand, and the unrelenting efforts to impoverish a section of its own citizens on the other.	Bani Dugal Gujral; Bahá'í International Community; * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution; New York, USA; United States (USA)
2016 25 Apr 201-	The passing of former member of the International Teaching Centre, Joy Stevenson (b. 1919) in Queanbeyan, Australia. She made a distinctive contribution to the advancement of Bahá'í communities in Australasia as a Counsellor and an Auxiliary Board member and as a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia. [BWNS1103] Bahaipedia.	- In Memoriam; Joy Stevenson; International Teaching Centre, Members of; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Auxiliary board members; Queanbeyan, New South Wales; Australia; Biography
2016 201-	The conflict in Yemen continued to rage throughout the year. UN-sponsored peace talks began in Kuwait in April but broke down in early August. On 8 October, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition killed more than 100 people attending a funeral gathering in Sana'a and injured more than 500 others – one of the largest death tolls in any single incident since the start of the coalition's bombing campaign.	Yemen, Recent history; Yemen
2016 12 May 201-	In commemoration of the incarceration of the Yaran in Iran in 2008 the International Bahá'í Community (BIC) released a video entitled Enough! Release the Baha'i Seven Now.	Yaran; * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í International Community; Tehran, Iran; Iran
2016 Ridván 201-	The launch of the Fourth Five Year Plan (2016-2021). The principal goals of the Plan were to "seek to raise the number of clusters where a programme of growth has become intensive to 5,000 by Riḍván 2021" and to add "several hundred more" to some two hundred clusters that have already advanced beyond the third milestone. [Message dated 29 December 2015 from the Universal House of Justice to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors. Other messages related to the Plan are: 2 January 2016 – To the Bahá'ís of the World 26 March 2016 – To the Bahá'ís of the World acting under the Mandate of 'Abdu'l-Bahá 26 March 2016 – To the chosen recipients of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets of the Divine Plan, the Bahá'ís of the United States and the Bahá'ís of Canada Riḍván 2016 – To the Bahá'ís of the World Objectives institute process to gain strength strengthen the pattern of life (Nucleus of friends 29 December2015) build the capacity to accompany widen the circle of participation to have 5,000 intensive programs of growth there will be "Precious possibilities that will not return" (Ridván2016) the Area Teaching Committes to rise to a new level of functioning the Local Spiritual Assemblies development for increased capacity to commemorate the Bicentenials in 2017 and 2019, the Ascension in 2021 All the the followers of Bahá'u'lláh have learned in the last 20 year will culminate in the accomplishments of the next 5. [29 December 2015]	Five Year Plan (2016-2021); - Teaching Plans; - Institute process; Statistics; - Bahá'í World Centre
2016 11 Oct 201-	The final newsreel on the construction of the Bahá'í House of Worship for South America was released as the time for the highly-anticipated dedication of the Temple approached. The video highlighted major developments over the previous year and the growing connection of the community to the Temple and the activities of service and worship that it inspired. [Video; Architect Siamak Hariri]	Siamak Hariri; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Santiago; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Design; Architecture; Santiago, Chile; Chile
2016 29 Apr 201-	In observance of the eighth anniversary of the arrest and incarceration of seven Iranian Bahá'í leaders, the Bahá'í International Community was launched a global campaign calling for their immediate release. Taking the theme "Enough! Release the Bahá'í Seven," the campaign emphasized the fact that, under Iran's own national penal code, the seven were now overdue for conditional release. [Enough!] A special campaign page was established with information about their current legal situation and other resources. [Enough! Release the Bahá'í Seven]. The campaign included an account on FaceBook. and a Twitter handle. The hashtag for the campaign was: #ReleaseBahai7Now.	Yaran; * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Human rights; Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; Tehran, Iran; Iran
2016 7 May 201-	The passing of Jenabe Esslemont Caldwell, 89 in Wailuku, Hawaii. (b. August 7, 1926 in Butte, Montana). He and his wife Elaine were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh for pioneering to the Aleutian Islands in July, 1953 where they started a king crab and salmon cannery. They sponsored the Bahá'í singing group Windflower that toured Europe, including the United Kingdom, in the 1980s. He was the author of the books: The Story of the Báb & Bahá'u'lláh, From Night to Knight, Follow the Instructions and Reflections. He is well-known for his mass teaching successes. [Bahaipedia]	Jenabe Caldwell; Elaine Caldwell; - Knights of Bahá'u'lláh; Windflower (group); Mass teaching; Butte, MT; Montana, USA; Aleutian Islands, AK; Wailuku, HI; Hawaii, USA; Biography
2016 26 Oct 201-	The report from the offices of the Bahá'í International Community entitled The Bahá'í Question Revisited: Persecution and Resilience in Iran was formally released. The full report can be read on-line here. A list of resolutions by the United Nations and United Nations bodies that referenced the situation of Bahá'ís in Iran since 1980 can be found at this location. An annex to The Bahá'í Question Revisited is the report called "Inciting Hatred". It is an analysis of approximately 400 anti-Bahá'í articles, broadcasts, and webpages from late December 2009 through May 2011 and can be found here. A list of the 222 Bahá'ís who have been killed in Iran since 1978 can be read here.	* Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Bahá'í International Community; Human rights; United Nations; - BIC statements; Iran; New York, USA; United States (USA)
2016 26 Sep 201-	The murder of Farhang Amiri in Yazd. [BWNS1133; Archives of Bahá'í Persecution in Iran] See also Iran Wire4167. In a message from the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís in Iran dated the 19th of October, 2016, it stated And at the age of sixty-three, that pure soul, that radiant and magnanimous soul, offered up his life in absolute meekness, hoisted the ensign of martyrdom and attained his Beloved's presence in the realms above, and in the Abha Kingdom joined the company of the other martyrs of this Faith--among whom number his own noble father and six other relatives who, sixty-one years ago in Hurmuzak, near Yazd, sacrificed their lives in the path of the Blessed Beauty. At the time of the murder of his father, Farhang was 13 months old. See entry for July 28th, 1955 for details of The Seven Martyrs of Hurmuzak. See a paper by Kamyar Behrang entitled "Extrajudicial killings supported by law and Islamic jurisprudence" for an explanation of how a Bahá'í might be murdered with near impunity in Iran.	* Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Deaths; - Persecution; Farhang Amiri; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Hurmuzak, Yazd; Yazd, Iran; Iran
2016 16 Sep 201-	For a progress report on the construction of the Local House of Worship in Battanbang, Cambodia see BWNS1120 See BWNS1120 for pictures.	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Battambang, Cambodia; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Battambang, Cambodia; Cambodia
2016 8 Mar 201-	The earthworks for the Local Bahá'í House of Worship in Battambang, Cambodia was completed. [BWNS1100] See BWNS1100 for pictures.	Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Battambang, Cambodia; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Battambang, Cambodia; Cambodia
2016 23 - 24 May 201-	The first World Humanitarian Summit was held in Istanbul, Turkey. The summit, organized by the United Nations, called on government leaders as well as those from business, aid agencies, civil society and faith-based organizations to consult on the question of disaster relief. A statement released by the Bahá'í International Community for the occasion, titled "Rising Together: Building the Capacity to Recover from Within" is available at their website.	United Nations Summits; United Nations conferences; - Conferences; Calamities and catastrophes; Charity and relief work; Capacity building; Social and economic development; Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; - Statements; * Publications; Istanbul, Turkey; Turkey
2016 25 Apr 201-	Mr. Hamed Bin Haydara, who had been imprisoned without trial since December 2013, was again brought to court for a hearing but the trial was again postponed, this time to 1 August 2017. Reports indicate that he had been sent to solitary confinement in the National Security Prison on the orders of Mr. Rajeh Zayed, the prosecutor who had caused the delays which have kept him in jail for more than three years and who had been largely responsible for the arrest and persecution of Bahá'ís in Yemen. Mr. Rajeh Zayed had stated that he planned to delay Mr. Hamed Bin Haydara's court hearings and treatment until he "dies in jail." He was suffering from serious health conditions that required proper medical attention. He stood accused of 'compromising the independence of the Republic of Yemen', including spreading the Bahá'í faith in the Republic of Yemen as well as "apostasy" (He has been a Bahá'í from birth.) and "insulting Islam" . [BIC 30 Apr 2017; BWNS1285]	Persecution, Yemen; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution; Court cases; Human rights; Yemen
2016 10 Aug 201-	Armed officers, masked in balaclavas from Yemen's National Security Bureau (NSB) intelligence agency, which worked hand in hand with the armed Houthi authorities, (also knowns as Ansar Allah) stormed a Bahá'í youth educational workshop in Sana'a. The event was part of a nine day, cross country moral and educational program for Bahá'í youth organized by the Bahá'í -run Nida Foundation for Development. Sixty-five people were arrested including 14 women and six people under 18 without an arrest warrant. Half were Bahá'ís and, at the time of this writing, it was believed some fourteen remained in prison, including young mothers. Further arrests were carried out later and within a week all but 10 of those who had been incarcerated had been released. Among those detained are Nadim Tawfiq Al-Sakkaf, (British Council's country manager in Yemen), his brother Nader Tawfiq Al-Sakkaf and Kaiwan Mohamed Ali Qadri. [UN Human Rights 4 Oct 2016, BWNS1118, publicaffairs.bahai.us, UN Human Rights, Defending Bahá'í Rights facebook page]	Persecution, Yemen; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Youth; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Sanaa, Yemen; Yemen
2016 27 Nov 201-	In Yemen, Nadim al-Sakkaf and his brother Nader, who were detained from August 10th, were unexpectedly released from prison in Sana'a. Their release, it was believed, was in no small part due to the relentless advocacy of their wives Ruhiyeh al-Sakkaf and Nafheh al-Sakkaf. Their friend Kaiwan Mohamed Ali Qadri, who was arrested in the same raid, remained in custody. [Religion News Service 20161129] Photos of the four can be found on the same page.	Persecution, Yemen; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Sanaa, Yemen; Yemen
2016 24 Nov 201-	From her cell in Evin prison, In a open letter to her six-month old granddaughter, Bajar, Fariba Kamalabadi one of the members of the imprisoned Yaran of Iran, wrote about the suffering of the Bahá'í citizens and of her dreams for humanity. [Iran Press Watch 16140]	Yaran; Evin Prison; Prisons; * Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Human rights; Tehran, Iran; Iran
2016 25 Nov 201-	In a message addressed to the Bahá'ís of the World on of the Day of the Covenant, the Universal House of Justice marked the beginning of a new five-year term of service for the Auxiliary Board Members and announced an augmentation in the number of members by 144 bringing the total to 1,134 members distributed evenly between the Propagation and the Protection Boards. In the same message it announced plans for a series of conferences called by the International Teaching Centre where the Auxiliary Board Members would be assisted in the deepening of their understanding of the spiritual nature of their work and the wide-ranging responsibilities they will shoulder.	Auxiliary board members; Assistants; Statistics; - Bahá'í World Centre
2016 22 May 201-	Some 700 people gathered on the temple land in the small village of Agua Azul, in the municipality of Villa Rica near Norte del Cauca, Colombia to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of the first local Bahá'í House of Worship. [BWNS1109] See BWNS1100 for pictures. Following the groundbreaking ceremony the three-meter high central mound on which the 18-meter tall Temple will stand will be completed, and the foundational work for the surrounding auxiliary structures will be laid. In time, these structures will be painted in the bright colors traditional to buildings in Colombia.	- Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Norte del Cauca, Colombia; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Foundation stones and groundbreaking; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Agua Azul, Colombia; North Caucasus; Colombia	first local House of Worship in Colombia, first local Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in Columbia


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