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date | event | tags | firsts | |
2019 (In the year) | Bahá'í Communities in a number of countries experienced persecution during 2019:
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Persecution, Iran; Persecution, Egypt; Persecution, Brunei; Persecution, Eritrea; Egypt; Brunei; Iran; Eritrea | ||
2019 19 Dec | The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated for sanctions, two judges presiding over branches of the Iranian regime's Revolutionary Court who, for years, had punished Iranian citizens and dual-nationals for exercising their freedoms of expression or assembly. In many cases, these judges sentenced political prisoners to death. Through their respective branches of the Revolutionary Courts, Abolghassem Salavati and Mohammad Moghisseh oversaw the Iranian regime's miscarriage of justice in show trials in which journalists, attorneys, political activists, and members of Iran's ethnic and religious minority groups were penalized for exercising their freedom of expression and assembly and sentenced to lengthy prison terms, lashes, and even execution.
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Abolghassem Salavati; Mohammad Moghisseh; Persecution, Iran; Washington, DC, USA; USA; Iran | ||
2019 24 Nov | Progress Report on the construction of the national Bahá'í House of Worship for Papua New Guinea the first Mashriqul-Adhkár to be designated as a national Temple.
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Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Port Moresby; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, National; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Design; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Architecture; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea; Papua New Guinea | ||
2019 17 Nov | About 2,000 people were joined by representatives of the national government and members of the National Spiritual Assembly for the groundbreaking ceremony at the Temple site at Lenakel, on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu. A traditional wooden spade called a kakel was used to turn the soil symbolizing the start of construction on the local Bahá'í House of Worship. Local chiefs had presented the kakel to the Bahá'í community in a customary ceremony the day before to honour the eight tribes of Tanna that together offered the land for the Temple. [BWNS1373]
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Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Vanuatu; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Architecture; Foundation stones and groundbreaking; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Lenakel, Vanuatu; Vanuatu | ||
2019 29 Oct | The commemoration of the bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb gave rise to an outpouring of artistic expressions from people on every continent, a sure reminder of the profound influence that the life and mission of the Báb continues to have, and will increasingly exert, on artistic expression worldwide. This includes the following Bahá'í World articles:
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Báb, Life of (chronology); - Bahá'í World volumes | ||
2019 29 Oct | The British Library published a blog to commemorate the Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb. It is a commentary on the Star Tablet of the Báb or the Haykal. | British Museum and British Library; * Báb, Writings of; Talismans; Haykal and daira; Exhibitions of Bahá'í manuscripts and relics; Moojan Momen; Star Tablet of the Báb; London, England; United Kingdom | ||
29 Oct | Bicentenary of the Birth of the Báb The Bahá'í world commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Báb. The bicentenary website chronicled just some of the thousands of celebrations. |
Twin Holy days; Holy days; Báb, Birth of; Centenaries; Dawn of the Light (film); Internet; - Basic timeline, Expanded | ||
2019 22 Oct | The Bahá'í World News Service provided an update on the progress of the construction of the local Bahá'í House of Worship in Matunda, Kenya. Located just west of the town of Matunda, the site of the Bahá'í Temple is in a region that is home to some of Kenya's earliest Bahá'í communities, where patterns of worship and service to humanity have been fostered over decades.
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Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Matunda Soy, Kenya; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Kenya | ||
2019 11 Oct | 'Ali Nakhjavani, (b. 19 September, 1919 in Baku, Azerbaijan) former member of the Universal House of Justice (1963-2003), passed away in Molsheim, Alsace, France. He was 100 years old. The Universal House of Justice requested all National Assemblies that memorial services be held for him. [BWNS1361]
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`Alí Nakhjavání; In Memoriam; American University of Beirut; Enoch Olinga; Violette Nakhjavani; International Bahá'í Council; Auxiliary board members; Bandar Anzali, Iran; Azerbaijan; Beirut, Lebanon; Lebanon; Molsheim, France; France | ||
2019 2 Oct | The British Library marked the bicentenary of the birth of the Báb with various initiatives alongside the launch of a new website, Discovering Sacred Texts. With the launch of this website there were companion exhibitions which featured examples of the Faith's original texts.
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Annabel Knight; Omid Djalili; Moojan Momen; Exhibitions of Bahá'í manuscripts and relics; British Museum and British Library; London, England; United Kingdom | ||
2019 1 Oct | The Bahá'í International Community announced the appointment of Dr. David Rutstein as its new Secretary-General. He succeeded Dr. Joshua Lincoln who had been serving in this capacity since 2013. The role of the Secretary-General is to act on behalf of the Universal House of Justice in the conduct of its external affairs, including its relations with Israel. [BWNS1357] | David Rutstein; Joshua Lincoln; Bahá'í International Community; Secretary-General; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 1 Oct | The publication of the message from the Universal House of Justice marking the bicentenial of birth of the Báb.
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Twin Holy days; Holy days; Báb, Birth of; Centenaries; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 26 Sep | By a resolution of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations the international community condemned the Houthi persecution of Bahá'ís on the basis of their religion or belief. This resolution passed just two weeks after the prosecutors in a Houthi-controlled appeals court in Sana'a, Yemen who defended a previous death sentence of a Bahá'í on the basis of his beliefs, argued for the expulsion of all Bahá'ís from the country and the confiscation of their properties. [BIC News 30 September, 2019] | Hamed bin Haydara; Persecution, Yemen; - Persecution, Court cases; United Nations; Human Rights Council; Sanaa, Yemen; Yemen | ||
2019 20 Sep | The film Dawn of the Light, a feature film commissioned by the Universal House of Justice for the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Báb, was released on the bicentenary website. It was made available in nine languages.
[BWNS1354]
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- Film; Dawn of the Light (film); Twin Holy days; Báb, Birth of; Centenaries; - Documentaries; - Documentaries, BWC; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 19 Sep | The Universal House of Justice released the design concept for the Shrine of 'Abdu'l-Bahá by Hossein Amanat to all National Spiritual Assemblies. "'Abdu'l-Baha had expressed His wish regarding where He should be buried," explains Mr. Amanat, a distinguished Iranian-Canadian architect. "He had said to an early believer that if something should happen to Him and He should pass away, 'Abdu'l-Baha wanted to be buried under the sands between Haifa and Akka, which He described as the pathway trodden by the loved ones and the pilgrims." [BWNS1353] |
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Shrine of; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Ascension of; Hossein Amanat (Husayn Amanat); - Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; - Basic timeline, Expanded; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Basic timeline; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 17 Sep | The prosecutor in Mr. Haydara's appeal not only restated its support of the lower court decision to execute Mr. Haydara but also called to "immediately deport… all who are considered Bahá'ís" and to "ban their entry" into Yemen, significantly escalating the scope of the judicial prosecution far beyond the mandate of the appeal. In its written statement, the prosecution further requested the court to adopt any additional measures to discourage Bahá'í beliefs and their expression in the country. At a court hearing on 1 October 2019, the judge called for the listing of the assets of Mr. Haydara and of the Bahá'í National Assembly in advance of their seizure. [BIC News 10 October, 2019] | Hamed bin Haydara; - Persecution, Court cases; Persecution, Yemen; Sanaa, Yemen; Yemen | ||
2019 10 Sep | In the 42nd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, the International Bahá'í Community presented an Oral Statement addressing the High Commissioner report on Yemen.
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Persecution, Yemen; Bahá'í International Community; New York City, NY; Yemen | ||
2019 6 Sep | The Universal House of Justice announced the launch of a new website to provide information about the events held to commemorate the Twin Holy Days. The site was revealed over an eight week period and was made available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili. It provided live streaming during the hours that the Bahá'í communities around the world commemorated the Birth of the Báb and the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh on the 29th and 30th of October. [BWNS1350] | Twin Holy days; Holy days; Báb, Birth of; Centenaries; Websites; Internet; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 30 Aug | The passing of Dr Udo Schaefer (b. October 19, 1926 in Heidelberg, Germany). He enrolled as a Bahá'í in 1948 and became one of the most important contemporary theologians of the Bahá'í Faith, well known for his scholarship and his defence of the Faith. He came from a family of musicians and his early studies were in in that field but he changed streams and became a lawyer. [FaceBook]
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In Memoriam; Udo Schaefer; Heidelberg, Germany; Germany | ||
2019 16 Aug | The United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief sent a message to the Government of Qatar. The letter brought forth allegations concerning the discriminatory treatment of the Bahá'í religious minority in Qatar, specifically involving deportations, blacklisting, the inability to build a cemetery, and issues with personal legal status. The Special Rapporteur's letter also discussed the restrictions on the construction of a Bahá'í cemetery on land that was granted by the Municipality of Doha. This cemetery has been an ongoing issue since 2009, when authorities broke into the cemetery, exhumed the remains, and relocated them on the instructions of the Doha Municipality. This caused many families emotional stress and has led to the inability to identify some remains. Later that year, the Minister of the Municipality did eventually apologize and stated that new land would be allocated. In 2010 and 2015 new locations were identified and budgets were allocated, however despite regular follow up from the Bahá'í community, there has been no construction and no progress made. Additionally, the Allegation Letter addressed the difficulties the Bahá'í community faces in upholding their personal legal status. Qatari authorities do not recognize Bahá'í documents like marriage licenses, divorces, or inheritance papers unless they have been attested to or obtained abroad. This requires extensive and expensive travel that delays and complicates legal obligations. An attempt has been made by the Bahá'í community to have the Ministry of Justice accept and authenticate Bahá'í documents, however the Minister has not decided on the matter. The government of Qatar did not respond to the Special Rapporteur's letter. [ Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain website] |
Persecution, Qatar; Qatar | ||
2019 8 - 11 Aug | The 43rd Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá'í Studies–North America was held in the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Canada. The four day conference was attended by some 1,400 persons. [BWNS1347]
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Association for Bahá'í Studies (North America); Bahá'í Studies, Associations for; Ottawa, ON; Ontario, Canada; Canada | ||
2019 Aug | Religions for Peace is the world's largest inter-religious coalition. Their mandate is to work to transform violent conflict, advance human development, promote just and harmonious societies. It is comprised of a world council of religious leaders and bodies from over 125 countries.
Its organization, built over its 50-year history, comprises of six regional Interreligious Councils and is built on the principle of religious representation that reflects the fabric of religious demography.
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Bahá'í International Community; Bani Dugal; Religions for Peace; Azza Karam; Lindau, Germany; Germany | ||
2019 26 Jul | In a message from the secretariat of the Universal House of Justice to selected National Assemblies it was announced that a new portal had been opened on the pilgrimage website (pilgrimage.bahai.org) that would allow Bahá'ís to submit, track and update pilgrimage and visit requests directly. [CBN Vol 32 No 3 Fall 2019 p6] | Pilgrimage; Internet; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 20 Jul | The social media platform Twitter suspended several accounts linked to Iranian state media—including the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Mehr, and Young Journalists Club (YJC), which was run by the state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)—over their coordinated and targeted harassment of Bahá'ís. It was estimated that since 2014 more than 26,000 pieces of anti-Bahá'í media have appeared on official or semi-official Iranian television channels. [Aljazeera 21 July 2019] | Persecution, Iran; Twitter; Iran | ||
2019 Jun |
More than 30 representatives from Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Germany, India, Panama, Samoa, Uganda, and the United States gathered for the consultations at the Bahá'í World Centre to explore what is being learned about every one of the Houses of Worship. The consultations touched on a range of topics, from practical requirements of managing a Temple to its profound spiritual and social impacts on surrounding populations. [BWNS1334]
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* Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 18 Jun | About 8,000 people attended the European Development Days conference in Brussels. It was co-organized by World Vision International, ACT Alliance, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Brot für die Welt, EU-CORD Network, and the Bahá'í International Community. The Bahá'í International Community moderated one of the EDD panel discussions called What's religion got to do with it?
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Bahá'í International Community; - Conferences; Brussels, Belgium; Belgium | ||
2019 23 May | The Baha'i World publication website was launched online this date.
See 1996-07-01 |
- Bahá'í World volumes; bahai.org; Websites; Internet; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 19 May | The Universal House of Justice announced the appointment of the members of the International Board of Trustees of Ḥuqúqu'lláh for a five-year term to commence on the anniversary of the Declaration of the Báb, 24 May 2019.
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Huqúqu'lláh; Huququllah, Trustees of; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 7 May | In a letter to all National Spiritual Assemblies, the House of Justice announced the appointment of Hossein Amanat as the architect chosen for the design of the Shrine of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The distinguished Iranian-Canadian architect is best known for his designs of three of the buildings of the Arc on Mount Carmel in Haifa as well as the Azadi Tower in Tehran.
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`Abdu'l-Bahá, Shrine of; Hossein Amanat (Husayn Amanat); - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 28 Apr | The passing of Don Otto Rogers (b. 1935 in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan) a former member of the International Teaching Centre, in Picton, Ontario. He was buried in the Rose Cemetery in Waupoos, Ontario.
His publications:
A publications about his work.
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Don Rogers; Otto Rogers; Counsellors; In Memoriam; Auxiliary board members; Kerrobert, SK; Milford, ON; Ontario, Canada; Waupoos, ON | ||
2019 Ridván | In its Ridván Message the Universal House of Justice announced the intention of constructing a Shrine for 'Abdu'l-Bahá near the Ridván Garden on the crescent traced between the Holy Shrines in 'Akká and Haifa. The day after His passing in Haifa on 28 November 1921, 'Abdu'l-Bahá's remains were placed in a vault within the sacred Shrine of the Bab on Mount Carmel, a temporary arrangement until such time that a separate shrine would be erected in His honor.
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`Abdu'l-Bahá, Shrine of; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Ascension of; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 6 - 7 Apr | The Heroes Teaching Conference was an historic gathering of over 1,000 Baha'i adults, youth, junior youth and children, as well as some of their like-minded friends from all over Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales, Australia. It was organised by the Regional Bahá'í Council and Board of Counsellors, the program aimed to help its participants find their place in service to Bahá'u'lláh and humanity, by drawing on the heroism of the past, inspiring them to arise, through humble service, and become heroes of the Faith for this age. [Conference Website] | Conferences, Teaching; - Conferences; Regional Bahá'í Councils; Brisbane, Australia; Australia | ||
2019 23 Mar | A gathering of about 1,200 people attended the groundbreaking of the first local Bahá'í House of Worship in Africa located about 4 kilometers west of the town of Matunda in the Matunda Soy district of Kenya.
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Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Matunda Soy, Kenya; Foundation stones and groundbreaking; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Kenya | first local Baha’i House of Worship in Africa | |
2019 28 Feb | Faruq Izadinia, Bahá'í scholar and translator, wrote an Open Letter after his court hearing in Tehran in which he described the process of his trial and the details of the court session. [Open Letter]
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Persecution, Iran; Faruq Izadinia; Tehran, Iran; Iran | ||
2019 28 Feb | The Universal House of Justice announced the publication of a compilation of extracts on prayer and devotional life drawn from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Báb, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá and from the letters of the Guardian and the House of Justice that had been prepared by the Research Department at its request. It was made available on the Bahá'í Reference Library with a plan to produce printed editions. | Prayer; Meditation; - Compilations; * Publications; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 2 Feb | Hamed Bin Hayadara, who was facing a death sentence, appeared in a Sana'a court where he was charged with "foreign espionage" and "abandonment of religion". The judge adjourned the session until 12 March. He was among the six Bahá'ís detained in Sana'a. [SBSWorldNews] | Hamed bin Haydara; - Persecution, Court cases; Persecution, Yemen; Sanaa, Yemen; Yemen | ||
2019 7 Feb | An estimated 5,760 members of the Bahá'í Faith had been charged (and some even executed) for 'membership of a sect' in Iran between 1979 and 2009 according to a report by press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders. The Paris-based watchdog based their report on leaked digital files. [i24NEWS 7 February, 2019] | Persecution, Iran; Iran | ||
2019 5 Feb | The announcement of the publication of The Call of the Divine Beloved by the Bahá'í World Centre. The book contained revised translations of The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys as well as five newly published selections from Bahá'u'lláh's writings, including Rashḥ-i-'Amá (The Clouds of the Realms Above). This tablet is considered to be among the first if not the first revealed by Bahá'u'lláh after being apprised that He was to be the Manifestation of God.
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Call of the Divine Beloved (book); Haft Vadi (Seven Valleys); Chahar Vadi (Four Valleys); Rashh-i-Ama (Sprinkling from the Cloud of Unknowing); * Bahá'u'lláh, Writings of; * Publications; * Translation; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS); Mysticism; - Bahá'í World Centre | ||
2019 18 Jan | On this, the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the Paris Peace Conference, the Universal House of Justice released a message regarding World Peace.
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* Universal House of Justice, Letters and messages; Paris Peace Conference; - International peace conferences; Promise of World Peace (statement); Peace; World peace; - Bahá'í World Centre; The Hague, Netherlands; Netherlands | ||
2019 08 Jan | Imprisoned Bahá'í Hamed bin Haydara, 55, who had been sentenced to death, appeared in court in Sana'a for an unexpected hearing. Mr Haydara had been in Houthi detention in central Sana'a since December 2013. UN human rights representatives called for the rebels to overturn his death sentence. |
Persecution, Yemen; - Persecution, Other; - Persecution; Human Rights; - Persecution, Court cases; Hamed bin Haydara; Yemen | ||
2019 (In the year) | During the year, Edward Manasyan, a prominent member of the Bahá'í community, continued to face charges of facilitating illegal migration to the country by advising Iranians wishing to settle in Armenia.
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Persecution, Armenia; Armenia | ||
Try also a shorter date like 201 |
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