Chronology: Date 1971

Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1971, sorted by date, descending

date	event	tags	firsts
1971 24 Dec 197-	The murder of American pioneer Martha (Marty) Ross Dean on a train from Wankie destined for Bulawayo, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). She was killed by an intruder who had entered her sleeping compartment and strangled her. She had been in Rhodesia since late 1970 and was enrolled in the Bulawayo School of Nursing at the time of her death. [BW15p508] The case has been covered in Crime Scientist by Dr John Thompson and Some Famous Rhodesian Trials by Alan Hardy.	Martha Ross Dean; Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
1971 Dec - 1972 Jan 197-	The first youth summer school for southern Africa was held at the Leroy Ioas Teacher Training Institute in Mbabane and is attended by 67 people from eight countries.	First summer and winter schools; Mbabane, Eswatini; Swaziland	first youth summer school for southern Africa
1971 26 – 28 Nov 197-	The fiftieth anniversary of the passing of 'Abdu'l-Bahá was commemorated. [BW15:125–8; VV14] For text of the letters of the Universal House of Justice see BW15:125–6 and MUHJ76–7.	`Abdu'l-Bahá, Ascension of; - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel
1971 Nov 197-	The first Bahá'í Youth Conference of the Antilles took place in the Dominican Republic. [BW 15:217]	Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Youth; Youth; - First conferences; Dominican Republic	first Bahá’í Youth Conference of the Antilles
1971 16 Oct 197-	The inauguration of Shahyad Tower ("King's Memorial Tower") in Tehran. The tower was built in honour of the shah on the occasion of the commemoration of the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire and has become an iconic symbol of the city of Tehran. It has been described as being a tower, an arch, a gate and an obelisk in one and is 50 meters (164 ft) tall and completely clad in some eight thousand blocks of cut marble from Isfahan Province. The main financing was provided by a group of five hundred Iranian industrialists. After the Revolution in 1979 it was renamed The Azadi Tower (Liberty Tower) and was, in turn, the gathering place of the "rebels" in 1979 and for those protesting the results of the election in 2009. The architect, Hossein Amanat was only 24 years old and a recent graduate when he won the competition for the project. In addition to having a remarkable career in designing buildings for commercial, educational and residential use, he is the architect for such Bahá'í projects as the Universal House of Justice Building, the Centre for the Study of the Holy Texts, the International Teaching Centre and the Mashriqu'l-Adhka in Samoa. He left Iran in 1978 and took up residence in Vancouver in 1980. [Hossein Amanat website; Farah Pahlavi website; Wikipedia]	Hossein Amanat (Husayn Amanat); Architecture; - Architects; Tehran, Iran; Iran
1971 13 Oct 197-	Following the banning of Bahá'í activities in Egypt in 1960, Egyptian Bahá'ís submitted a petition to the Supreme Constitutional Court asking for redress and for justice to be upheld. [BW15:173] The opinion of one Mandatory of the government is that the 1960 decree was unconstitutional. [BW15:173]	Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Court cases; - Persecution, Bans; - Persecution; Court cases; Egypt
1971 4 Sep 197-	Músá Banání, Hand of the Cause of God, passed away in Kampala, Uganda. (b.1886) [BW15:42; VV7] For a brief biography see Bahá'í Chronicles. For his obituary see BW15:421–423. Shoghi Effendi had appointed him among the second contingent on the 29th of February, 1952. [MoCxxiii] A Bahá'í Winter and Summer School was established in the southern part of Ethiopia and named "Banání House" in honour of Hand of the Cause Músá Banání, their "spiritual father". [BW15p187]	Musa Banani; - Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; - Births and deaths; - In Memoriam; Hands of the Cause, Second Contingent; Kampala, Uganda; Uganda; Biography
1971 3 – 5 Sep 197-	The Oceanic Conference of the North Atlantic was held in Reykjavik, Iceland attended by some 800 people from 36 countries. [BW15:322–3; VV6; BN 488 November 1971 p24] For pictures see BW15:309–12. During the conference three believers from Canada-Florence Springgay, an Inuit; Hugette James, a French Canadian; Mary Ann Crow, from the Blackfoot First Nations flew to Greenland during the Conference to proclaim the Cause, and returned to report the results of their efforts. [BW20p310]	Oceanic Conference; - Conferences; Reykjavik, Iceland; Iceland; Florence Springgay; Hugette James; Mary Ann Crow
1971 3 – 5 Sep 197-	The Oceanic Conference of the North Pacific was held in Sapporo, Japan. [BW15:321–2; VV6] For pictures see BW15:312–14 and VV5.	Oceanic Conference; - Conferences; Sapporo, Japan; Japan
1971 approx Sep 197-	The Universal House of Justice distributed a memorandum to all National Assemblies to provide clarification to the publishing review policy. The purpose of review is to protect the Faith from misrepresentation and to ensure dignity and accuracy in its presentation. In general the function of a reviewing committee is to say whether the work submitted gives an acceptable presentation of the Cause or not. [National Bahá'í Review Issue 45 September 1971 p2]	- Publishing, Review; Publishing, Policy and practice; Universal House of Justice; - Publishing; - Bahá'í World Centre
1971 27 – 30 Aug 197-	The first Bahá'í Youth Conference for Western Asia took place in New Delhi. [BW15:335] Two thousand people enrolled during the conference and the week following. [BW15:335]	Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Youth; Youth; - First conferences; Mass conversion; New Delhi, India; India; - Asia	first Bahá’í Youth Conference for Western Asia
1971 6 Aug - 31 May 1972 197-	Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and her companion, Violette Nakhjavání, arrived in Ghana, at the start of the third leg of the 'Great African Safari'. [BW15:594–607] The itinerary was as follows: Aug 6 - 10, 1971, Ghana Aug 11 - Sept 6, 1971, Dahomey (now Benin) Sept 7 - Oct 4, 1971, Nigeria Oct 5 - Nov 2, 1971, Cameroon Republic By sea? Dec 11, 1971 - Jan 31, 1972, Zaire (now Central African Republic) Feb 1 - Mar 9, 1972, Zambia Mar 10 - 31, 1972, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) [BW15p606-607]	Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum; Amatul-Bahá Ruhiyyih Khanum, Journeys of; Violette Nakhjavani; Great African Safari; Accra, Ghana; Ghana; Benin; Nigeria; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Zambia; Zimbabwe
1971 4 Aug 197-	The first Bahá'í College Club of Latin America was formed at the University of the Americas, Puebla, Mexico. [BW15:215]	Universities; Puebla, Mexico; Mexico	first Bahá’í College Club of Latin America
1971 Aug 197-	The Universal House of Justice erected an obelisk on the site of the future House of Worship of the Holy Land on land that was purchased in 1953 with a gift of $50,000 from Milly Collins. [MBW63, 78-79, BBD 172; BW15:177–8; DH175; MUHJ83–4, SES18-20]	Universal House of Justice; Universal House of Justice, Basic timeline; * Mashriqu'l-Adhkár (House of Worship); Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Haifa; Obelisks; Funds; - Bahá'í World Centre buildings, monuments and gardens; - Bahá'í World Centre; - Basic timeline, Expanded; Millie Collins; - Bahá'í World Centre; Mount Carmel; Haifa, Israel
1971 31 Jul - 11 Aug 197-	The European Youth Conference took place in Fiesch, Switzerland, attended by 1,200 youth from 50 countries. [BW15:336–8] About 200 people enrolled in the Bahá'í Faith during the conference. [BW15:336] For pictures see BW15:337.	Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Youth; Youth; Fiesch, Switzerland; Switzerland; - Europe
1971 7 Jul 197-	The "boogie board", was invented by Tom Morey who was inspired by a certain passage of a Bahá'í prayer that has been translated as ... confer upon me thoughts which may change this world into a rose garden ....[The most iconic vintage bodyboards of all time; Short Biography; Mini Documentary; Wikipedia]	- Famous Bahá'ís; Tom Morey; Boogie Board; Hawaii, USA
1971 16 - 29 June 197-	A special seminar for UN member state was held in Yaoundé in observance of the International Year for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination. The Bahá'í International Community was represented by Dr 'Azíz Navídí and Counsellor Dr Mihdí Samandarí. This was the first representation of the Bahá'í International Community with their consultative status. [BW15p368]	Bahá'í International Community; Aziz Navidi; Mihdi Samandari; Yaoundé, Cameroon; Cameroon
1971 24 May 197-	The passing of Anna Reinke (b. 15 August, 1882 Travis County, Texas) in Travis County Texas. She was buried in the Maul Cemetery in Travis County. She is considered the mother of the Bahá'í community in Texas. Anna Reinke was a seamstress who lived in a converted Austin trolley from 1942 until her passing. She had learned of the Faith from her sister in Washington DC. Reinke is credited with the first racially integrated meeting ever held in Texas when she joined Gregory at Anderson High School, which was an all-African American school, where he delivered a message of racial friendship. The program eventually became the forerunner of the Louis Gregory Symposium on Race Unity that began March 27, 2007, and is held annually on Austin's Huston-Tillotson University campus. In the late 1940s, the Texas Regional Teaching Committee began an annual event, the Inter-racial Panel, that included Texan members of the Bahá'í faith, with the first event—a picnic—held at the home of Reinke, an active committee member. [The Statesman 29 October, 2019] Find a grave	Anna Reinke; Travis County, TX; Texas, USA; United States (USA); Biography	first Baha'i in Texas. Held the first racially integrated meeting in Texas.
1971 21 – 23 May 197-	The Oceanic Conference of the South Pacific was held in Suva, Fiji, BW15:320–1; VV6. For pictures see BW15:308–9.	Oceanic Conference; - Conferences; Suva, Fiji; Fiji
1971 21 – 23 May 197-	The Oceanic Conference of the Caribbean was held in Kingston, Jamaica. [BW15:218, 319–20; VV5–6] For pictures see BW15:304–8 and VV6.	Oceanic Conference; - Conferences; Kingston, ON; Jamaica
1971 May 197-	The first National Teaching Committee of Sierra Leone was appointed by the Regional Spiritual Assembly of West Africa.	Teaching; Firsts, other; Sierra Leone	first National Teaching Committee of Sierra Leone
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of the South West Pacific Ocean was formed with it seat in New Caledonia. Because of the departure of the Solomon Islands from this union, the new National Spiritual Assembly of South West Pacific Ocean comprised of the New Hebrides, New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. [Bahaipedia; BW15p269]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; New Caledonia
1971 197-	Localities: 46,707 Local Assemblies: 10,461 National Assemblies: 113 [from a pamphlet published by the NSA of Canada "Baha'i A New Man A New World Order"]	Statistics
1971 Ridván 197-	Although the first National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda was elected in the summer of 1970 it has been listed the following Ridván. [BW15p295]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Kampala, Uganda; Uganda
1971 Ridván 197-	The first local spiritual assemblies in Guam were formed in Dededo, Inarajan, Mangilao and Tamuning.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Guam	first Local Spiritual Assemblies in Guam
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of Trinidad and Tobago was formed with its seat in Port-of-Spain. [BW15:219, 242]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Trinidad and Tobago	first NSA Trinidad and Tobago
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of the Solomon Islands was formed with its seat in Honiara. Previously it had been administered by the National Spiritual Assembly of the South West Pacific Ocean. [BW15:269]	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Solomon Islands; Oceania	first NSA Solomon Islands
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of Sudan was formed. Prior to this time it had been with Egypt. National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt formed. [BW15p187] For picture see BW15:150.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Sudan	first NSA Sudan
1971 Ridván 197-	Formerly under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assemblies of North West Africa, from 1956 to 1964, and of West Africa from 1964 to 1971 the Bahá'í community of Ivory Coast, Mali and Upper Volta elected its National Spiritual Assembly at Riḍván, 1971, with its seat in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. [BW15p193] For picture see BW15p150.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Ivory Coast	first NSA Ivory Coast, Mali and Upper Volta
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of Lesotho was formed with its seat in Maseru. It was formerly Basutoland until 1966. Part of the area under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique, 1967—1971) [BW15:202] For picture see BW15:148. The communities of Swaziland and Mozambique continued in the union as a Regional Assembly.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Maseru, Botswana; Lesotho, South Africa	first NSA Lesotho
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of Congo and Gabon was formed with its seat in Brazzaville, the Congo. [BW15:206] For picture see BW15:148 and Congo National website. In this picture are Dr. Taï and his wife as well as M Azemikah, all long-time pioneers in the Congo.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo; Congo, Democratic Republic of	first NSA Congo and Gabon
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of the Central African Republic was formed with its seat in Bangui. [BW15:207] For picture see BW15:148 and bahai.org.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Central African Republic	first NSA Central African Republic
1971 Ridván 197-	The National Spiritual Assembly of Chad was formed with its seat in Fort Lamy. (In 1973 Fort Lamy became known as N'Djaména.) [BW15:207] For picture see BW15:148. See Servants of the Glory page 45-46.	National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Chad	first NSA Chad
1971 18 Apr 197-	The Bahá'í International Community appointed a representative to the UN in Geneva. [BIC History 1971]	Bahá'í International Community; Geneva, Switzerland
1971 Apr 197-	The International Bahá'í Youth Conference took place at Oteppe-Namur, Belgium, launching a two-year youth campaign for Europe. [BW15:333–4] For picture see BW15:334.	Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Youth; Youth; Oteppe, Belgium; Belgium; - Europe
1971 28 Mar 197-	The Universal House of Justice sent a message to all National Spiritual Assemblies titled Principles of Bahá'í Publishing. [Mess63-86p185-189] See as well the referenced document Reviewing: Practice and Functions of Literature Review by Shoghi Effendi and Universal House of Justice compiled by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.	- Publishing, Review; Publishing, Policy and practice
1971 13 Feb 197-	Following the ban imposed by the government of the Central African Republic on Bahá'í activities in November 1970 and subsequent representations made by the international Bahá'í lawyer Dr Aziz Navidi, the ban was lifted and the Bahá'í Faith officially recognized. This was broadcast in every news bulletin on government radio for the next 24 hours, the first public proclamation of the Bahá'í Faith in the country. See also A Brief Account of the Progress of the Bahá'í Faith in Africa Since 1953 by Nancy Oloro-Robarts and Selam Ahderom p8].	Persecution, Central African Republic; - Persecution, Bans; - Persecution; Firsts, other; Recognition (legal); Central African Republic	first public proclamation in Central African Republic
1971 11 Feb 197-	The Montreal Municipality issued a permit recognizing the Maxwell home as a Bahá'í Shrine after nine years of negotiations and delays. With this struggle came a hidden blessing. For years the Shrine had been used as a Bahá'í Centre by the Montreal community, open also to friends of the area as a place to hold public meetings, open Feasts, and certain activities not always suited to it as a Shrine. The realization was made that it was a National Bahá'í Shrine and as such should not be used as a centre. [CBNApril1971p10] Bahai.ca: Bahá'í Shrine in Montréal	Montreal Shrine; Recognition (legal); Montreal, QC; Quebec, Canada; Canada
1971 1 – 3 Jan 197-	The Oceanic Conference of the South China Seas was held in the Victoria Memorial Hall in Singapore. [BW15:319; VV5] For pictures see BW15:302–3 and VV6.	Oceanic Conference; - Conferences; Singapore
1971 1 – 3 Jan 197-	The Continental Conference of Africa was held in Monrovia, Liberia. [BW15:318; VV5] For pictures see BW15:304–5.	- Conferences, Continental; - Conferences; Monrovia, Liberia; Liberia
1971 1 Jan 197-	The passing of Agnes Baldwin Alexander, (b. 26July 1875 in Hawaii) Hand of the Cause; "the daughter of the Kingdom", and "the beloved maid-servant of the Blessed Perfection" ('Abdu'l-Baha); the only Hand of the Cause mentioned in the Tablets of the Divine Plan; The first Bahá'í to set foot on Hawaiian soil; the first Bahá'í to settle in Japan; and the first Bahá'í to teach the Faith in Korea, passed away in Honolulu. (b. 21 July 1875) [BW15:423; VV8] On the 13th of October she received a Tablet from 'Abdi'l-Baha encouraging her to travel to Japan. She arrived in 1914 and remained there for a total of thirty-two years. She lf[PH32] She was appointed a Hand of the Cause on the 27th of March, 1957 after the passing of Hand of the Cause of God George Townshend. [MoCxxiv]eft Japan in 1937 and returned in 1950. For her obituary see BW15:423–30. See Life of Agnes Alexander by Duane Troxel. See A Tribute to Agnes Alexander by Ben Perkins. See An Account of How I Became a Bahá'í and My Stays in Paris in 1901 and 1937: Written at the Request of Mrs. Laura Dreyfus-Barney by Agnes Baldwin Alexander and edited by Thomas Linard.	Agnes Alexander; - Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Births and deaths; - Births and deaths; - In Memoriam; Hands of the Cause, Appointments; Firsts, other; Honolulu, HI; Hawaii, USA; Biography	first to set foot on Hawaiian soil, first to settle in Japan, first to teach the Faith in Korea
1971 (In the year) 197-	The publication of Divine Symphony by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust of New Delhi. The book was reprinted in 1976 and 1977. [Collins7.2771; p156]	Divine Symphony; New Delhi, India; India
1971 (In the year) 197-	The publication of Memorials of the Faithful by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust in Wilmette as translated from the original Persian and annotated by Marzieh Gail. It contains eulogies of some eighty early Bahá'ís transcribed from a series of talks given by 'Abdu'l‑Bahá in Haifa around 1914–15. It was first published in 1924 in Farsi when the Persian transcripts that had been corrected by 'Abdu'l‑Bahá were compiled into a single volume. In 1973 Memorials of the Faithful was transcribed by Gertrude D Schurgast and published in Tucson, AZ by the Bahá'í Service for the Blind. In 1975 a second print run was done. [Collins3.75, 8.3] See reviews, papers and tributes to the book.	* `Abdu'l-Bahá, Writings and talks of; * `Abdu'l-Bahá (chronology); Memorials of the Faithful (book); - Basic timeline, Expanded; * `Abdu'l-Bahá, Basic timeline; Bahá'í Service for the Blind (USA); Gertrude D Schurgast; Marzieh Gail; Wilmette, IL; United States (USA)
1971 (In the year) 197-	Dan Jordon with Don Streets co-founded the Center for the Study of Human Potential at the University of Massachusetts and, along with other Bahá'í educators and scholars, Dr Jordon started the Anisa Project, a comprehensive, Bahá'í-inspired educational system organized around a philosophical base. The model was adopted by dozens of school systems during Jordan's lifetime. See National Bahá'í Review Issue 10 October 1968 p3 The Anisa Educational Model was inspired by the Bahá'í teachings and the philosophical work of Alfred North Whitehead and soon grew into a national movement that trained hundreds of educators. This new educational model was conceptualized as a process rather than a fixed formula. Based on the constantly-evolving empirical framework of the biological and medical sciences the Anisa Model gathered and unified educational practice and theory into a completely new paradigm. [Anisa Model Home Page] See the book by Dan Jordon and Don Streets Releasing the Potentialities of the Child. Biographical information about Daniel C Jordon. See also three articles by David Langness: The Anisa Project: A Bahá'í-Inspired Educational Model. Meeting Dan Jordan: A Most Remarkable Bahá'í. Becoming Your True Self by Knowing and Loving.	Anisa Educational Model; Dan Jordan; Don Streets; Alfred North Whitehead; * Philosophy; Process philosophy; Education; Massachusetts, USA
c. 1971 197-	The first local spiritual assembly in Ciskei was formed in Mdantsane.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Mdantsane, South Africa; Ciskei, South Africa	first Local Spiritual Assembly Mdantsane, Ciskei
1971 (In the year) 197-	The 'Lake Victoria Plan', a joint venture among the National Spiritual Assemblies of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi designed to carry the Faith to all the peoples and tribes living within Africa's largest lake basin, was inaugurated at the suggestion of Hand of the Cause Dr Muhájir. [DM96–8]	Rahmatullah Muhajir; - Hands of the Cause; Hands of the Cause, Activities; Lake Victoria; - Africa
1971 (In the year) 197-	Over 500 people became Bahá'ís in Bangladesh. [BINS86]	Mass conversion; Bangladesh
1971 (In the year) 197-	The first Pingelapese to become a Bahá'í enrolled in the East Caroline Islands.	- First believers by background; Caroline Islands	first Pingelapese Bahá’í the East Caroline Islands
1971 (In the year) 197-	The first Gypsies, six adults and six youth, the first to become Bahá'ís in France, enrolled at a campsite near Le Bourget airport.	- First believers by background; France	first Gypsies Bahá’ís in France
1971 (In the year) 197-	The first Amerindian to become a Bahá'í in French Guiana enrolled.	French Guiana	first Amerindian Bahá’í in French Guiana
1971 (In the year) 197-	The first three people to become Bahá'ís in Guinea enrolled. [BINS45]	- First Bahá'ís by country or area; Guinea	first three Bahá’ís in Guinea
1971 (In the year) 197-	The first local spiritual assembly in Mali was formed in Bamako.	Local Spiritual Assembly; Bamako, Mali; Mali	first Local Spiritual Assembly in Mali
1971 (In the year) 197-	The first summer school in Singapore was held.	First summer and winter schools; Singapore	first summer school in Singapore
1971 (In the year) 197-	Following the prohibition of Bahá'í activity in Egypt in 1960, Egyptian Bahá'ís put forward a petition to the Supreme Constitutional Court seeking to overturn the presidential decree as unconstitutional.	Persecution, Egypt; - Persecution, Bans; - Persecution; Petitions; Egypt
1971 (In the year) 197-	In Germany, Hermann Zimmer resurrected the claims of Ruth White in a small book published in 1971 (English translation in 1973), A Fraudulent Testament devalues the Bahá'í Religion into Political Shogism. In Switzerland, Francesco Ficicchia wrote a comprehensive attack aimed mainly at the Bahá'í administration, Der Bah'ismus Weltreligion der Zunkunft? (Evangelische Zentralstelle für Weltanschauungsfragen, Quell Verlag, Stuttgart, 1981). See The Refutation of Francesco Ficicchia and the Dangers of Silence by Jack McLean. Both of these works were financed and distributed by Evangelical Protestant organizations in Germany. [The Covenant and Covenant-breaker by Moojan Momen]	Covenant-breaking; Hermann Zimmer; Ruth White; Francesco Ficicchia; Criticism and apologetics; Germany; Switzerland


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