Chronology: Date 2020-04

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 2020-04, sorted by firsts, ascending

date	event	tags	firsts
2020 11 Apr 202-	The Iranian government released a number of prisoners of conscience in the country as a result of health risks associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This included several Baha'is imprisoned purely for their religious beliefs. However, other Bahá'ís remained in prison, raising increasing concern for their health. [BIC News Release]	* Persecution, Iran; Covid-19 (Corona virus); Iran
2020 29 Apr 202-	The design for the local Bahá'í House of Worship to be built in Bihar Sharif was unveiled. (Due to the coronavirus situation, the announcement was made online in lieu of a ceremony that would have marked the historic event.) News of this project was announced in 2012 along with other projects in Battambang, Cambodia; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Norte del Cauca, Colombia; and Tanna, Vanuatu. The architectural firm Space Matters of New Delhi was selected and the project was the creation of the founders of the firm, Moulshri Joshi, Amritha Ballal, and Suditya Sinha. The design. See article in Architecture Live. For an interview with the architects see Surface Magazine (PDF). Drawing on patterns found in the Madhubani folk art of Bihar and the region's long architectural heritage, the firm created a design with a repeating pattern of arches. The domed edifice will step up from nine arches at the base, multiplying until each segment appears to merge into a single geometry. Openings at the center of the dome and in each ring of arches will reduce the weight of the ceiling while allowing gentle light to filter in. [BWNS1421] Slideshow.	- Basic timeline, Expanded; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Local; - Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Bihar Sharif, India; India; New Delhi, India
2020 28 Apr 202-	The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan federal government advisory entity. The U.S. Congress created the USCIRF to monitor, analyze, and report on threats to freedom of religion. In their annual report, USCIRF 2020 Annual Report (PDF) they documented a particular uptick in the persecution of Bahá'ís and of any local government officials who supported them in 2019. Iran's government blamed Baha'is for widespread popular protests, accusing the community of collaboration with Israel and continued to promote hatred against Bahá'ís and other religious minorities on traditional and social media channels. More specifically the USCIRF released Iran Policy Brief: Increased Persecution of Iran's Bahá'í Community in 2019 (PDF). Referring to the continuing violations of religious freedom by the clergy-dominated Islamic Republic government, the report urged the U.S. government to impose sanctions on government institutions and officials responsible for violating religious freedoms in Iran, to freeze their assets and to ban them from entering the United States.	* Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Human rights; Human rights; Iran; United States (USA)
2020 20 Apr 202-	A new section, featuring images, videos, and music from commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Báb, was added to the two bicentenary websites. These websites stand as a permanent testament to how Bahá'ís and many of their compatriots throughout the world—from major urban centres to remote rural locations—commemorated the bicentennial anniversaries of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb in 2017 and 2019, respectively. The final additions made to the bicentenary websites included country pages illustrating the diversity of celebrations that these historic occasions inspired in over 150 countries and territories. [BWNS1717]	* Publications; * Translation; - Bahá'í World Centre; Bahá'u'lláh, Birth of; Centenaries; Holy days; Internet; Twin Holy days; Websites
2020 22 Apr 202-	The Brussels Office of the Bahá'í International Community launched a quarterly newsletter to share more widely insights emerging from its efforts to contribute to contemporary discourses in Europe. [BWNS1424; BIC Newsletter] Click here to subscribe.	- Newsletters; Bahá'í International Community; Belgium; Brussels, Belgium
2020 8 Apr 202-	In a letter to a National Spiritual Assembly The Universal House of Justice clarified burial during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. [8 April 2020]	Covid-19 (Corona virus)
2020 23 Apr 202-	Despite slowdowns in aspects of the project to ensure the safety of personnel on the construction site, foundational work advanced and was nearing completion. A tower crane was installed on the site to be used in the laying of the foundation. The support piles that had been driven deep into the centre of the site were capped with a layer of concrete that will provide stability for the structure. [BWNS1419]	- Bahá'í World Centre; `Abdu'l-Bahá, Shrine of; Bahá'í World News Service (BWNS)


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