| |
[ 19 Articles ] |
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• April A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The publication of Huqúqu'lláh: The Right of God as compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice. |
 |
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 7 April A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
A memorial removed by the Nazis
when the Bahá'í Faith was outlawed in 1937 has been 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 Baha'i community of Germany.
Please see the news story for pictures of both the original and the
replacement monuments. [BWNS524] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 19 April A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
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] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 11 May A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
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] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 24 May A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The passing of Hadi Rahmani-S̲h̲írázi in the United Kingdom.
- 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 Nawnahalan Company
- 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]
|
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 1 June A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The passing of Knight of
Bahá'u'lláh Jameson (Jamie) Bond (b. 6 November, 1917 Toronto, ON) in
Duncan, BC. [SDSC262, 387-388, 406]
- See Sole Desire Service Cause An Odyssey of Bahá'í Service: Gale and Jameson Bond by Don Brown for a biography.
|
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 9 / 10 September A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
A Bahá'í cemetery near Najafabad, Iran was destroyed using heavy equipment. More than 100 graves were desecrated. [BWNS578] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 13 Seprember A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
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 is 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 a number of languages and is also available in an
"Adolescent-Friendly Version of the UN Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples".
|
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 22 September A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The passing of Hand of the Cause of
God Dr. Ali-Muḥammad Varqa at his home in Haifa. (b.1911) He was the
last survivor of the 27 Hands of the Cause who were alive when Shoghi
Effendi passed away in 1957. [BWNS579]
- 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]
|
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 2 October A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
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.] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 12 October A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The opening of a new office of the
Bahá'í International Community in Brussels. The purpose is to strengthen
the BIC's ties with the European Union. [BWNS581] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 7 November A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The launch of a new website by the Bahá'í International Community, The Life of Bahá'u'lláh to provide illustration of Baha'u'llah's life through photographs of
places and artifacts and relics associated directly with Him. [BWNS586] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 12 November A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
Human Rights Watch and the Egyptian
Initiative for Personal Rights release a report that states that Egypt
should end discriminatory practices that prevent Baha'is and others from
listing their true religion on government documents.
The 98-page report, titled Prohibited Identities: State Interference with Religious Freedom, focuses 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.
|
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 14 November A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
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] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 21 November A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The Universal House of Justice
responded to a communications from the Bahá'ís attending the 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.] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 25 December A.D. 2007
• A.M. |
The two cases, the first by the
father of twin children who is seeking to obtain proper birth
certificates for them and the second by a college student who needs 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 is still deliberating on the cases. On 22 January it was
announced that the cases had been continued until 29 January.
[BWNS597] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 29 January A.D. 2008
• A.M. |
In a victory for religious freedom,
a lower administrative court ruled in favour of two lawsuits that
sought to resolve the government's contradictory policy on religious
affiliation and identification papers. The Court of Administrative
Justice in Cairo upheld arguments made in two cases concerning Baha'is
who have sought to restore their full citizenship rights by asking that
they be allowed to leave the religious affiliation field blank on
official documents. a lower court again ruled in their favor. Two
Muslim lawyers filed an appeal. [BWNS600] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 14 February A.D. 2008
• A.M. |
The publication of a new statement from the Bahá'í International Community entitled Eradicating Poverty: Moving Forward as One. In English [Moving Forward as One, In Farsi] |
|
|
• 164 B.E.
• A.H.
• 5 March A.D. 2008
• A.M. |
Mahvash Sabet – a schoolteacher and
mother of two and a member of the national-level administrative group
for Iran – was arrested having been summoned to Mashhad to discuss some
matters regarding a Bahá'í burial. She subsequently spent 175 days in
solitary confinement. On the 26th of May she was moved to Evin prison in
Tehran. [BWNS Special Report] |
| |
|
