1. n.d.. Women: Equality and Peace. Peter J. Khan. Audio.
2. n.d.. Declining Processes of the World. Peter J. Khan, Janet A. Khan. The condition of the world today, which is in a state of decline from negative forces, requires that both Bahá'ís and others make drastic changes in certain fundamental attitudes. Audio.
3. 2026-04. No Shaykh, No Slave: Anti-Structure and Egalitarian Mysticism in Tahirih's Liminal Poetics. Neha Mohajer. Tahirih’s poetry rejects clerical and social hierarchy, using liminal mystical imagery to envision equality, women’s emancipation, spiritual renewal, and communal justice. Articles.
4. 2026-02-27. Reconceptualizing Justice: Laying Foundations for a Gender-Equal World. Bahá'í International Community. A statement of the Bahá’í International Community to the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. BIC.
5. 2026-02-27. Pour un nouveau concept de la justice: Jeter les bases d'un monde égalitaire. Bahá'í International Community, Pierre Spierckel, trans. . Une déclaration de la Communauté internationale bahá’íe à la 70e session de la Commission de la condition de la femme des Nations unies. BIC.
6. 2025-12-22. Expressions of Equality in the Family. Bahá'í World Centre. Short documentary, on how the principle of equality is reshaping patterns of life among several families in New Delhi. Video.
7. 2025-12. Negotiating Gender Equality among Pakistani Bahá'ís: A Qualitative Study. Saleha, Ayesha Zaka, Humaira Tehsin. Explores how Pakistani Bahá’ís negotiate religious ideals of gender equality within everyday life, revealing tensions between egalitarian beliefs and patriarchal social norms. Articles.
8. 2025-05. Role of Religions and Faith-Based Actors in Advancing Spiritual and Material Prosperity on the Continent of Africa, The. Bahá'í International Community. Religious and interfaith actors in Africa can unite diverse communities, inspire collective action, and advance spiritual and material prosperity through dialogue, cooperation, and moral leadership. BIC.
9. 2025-04-21. Global Community, A. Bahá'í World. The global Bahá’í community advances unity, social transformation, and spiritual principles through systematic learning, community-building, and inclusive, grassroots action worldwide; overview of 1996–2021. Articles.
10. 2025-04-21. Women and Social Progress: Building Communities Based on Dynamic Partnership. Bahá'í World. Highlights the Bahá’í principle of gender equality, showing its spiritual basis and global application through education, leadership, and community action. Articles.
11. 2025-04-21. Elements of a Global Spiritual Endeavor (1996 - 2021). Various. Seven separate articles constituting "Chapter 2" of Bahá'í World v. 35, on the development of the Bahá'í community since 1996 and insights that have been gained along the way. Introductory.
12. 2025-03-19. Regarding Family Life and Marriage. Universal House of Justice. Letter emphasizing the Bahá’í family’s role in fostering unity, equality, and spiritual growth, shaping communities, and resisting societal disintegration through service, education, and evolving family structures. UHJ-letters.
13. 2025. Bahá'í Work as Worship, Prayer as Practice: Chapter 15. Deborah Clark Vance. Religion is logical and progressive; it moves humanity closer to a unified world; human reality is our thought, not our bodies; life is for acquiring spiritual attributes; Baháʼí temples are symbols of unity, fostering peace and community-building. Articles.
14. 2025. In Full Partnership: Thirty Years of Women's Advancement at the United Nations and Beyond. Bahá'í International Community. Collection of statements by the Bahá’í International Community on the subject of gender equality. Books.
15. 2024/2025. Four Scripts for Dramatic Readings on Holy Days. Jaine Toth. Scripts for Ridván and the martyrdom of the Báb blending storytelling, dramatic readings, poetry and music; one for the Birth of the Bab program without a dramatic reading; a piece on equality for any occasion like Women's History Month. Scripts.
16. 2024. Some Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed for His Female Relatives. Mohammad Norozi, comp. and ed. Women of the Middle East in the 19th century are generally absent from the pages of history; compilation of tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed for His mother and sisters, in which he also talks about his sufferings in the path of God. Compilations-personal.
17. 2024. Presentations on Various Topics of Bahá'í Teachings. Mohammad Norozi. Eight presentations: references to the next Manifestation; equality in the writings of the Bab; listing Letters of the Living in order of conversion; Abdu'l-Bahá's love for Iran; Tablet of Unity; removal of the Sword with the Word; Ocean of Tenderness. Presentations.
18. 2023-2026. BWNS Podcasts: Conversations and Insights from the Field. Bahá'í World News Service. Links to 46 interviews highlighting how Bahá’í individuals and communities worldwide apply spiritual principles to education, governance, equality, and social transformation, fostering unity and the betterment of society. Video and audio available. Audio.
19. 2023-12. Literary Imitation in Three Poems Attributed to Tahirih Qurrat al-ʿAyn. Sahba Shayani. The poetry of Tahirih has largely been ignored by historians, partly from politico-religious intolerance, but also because of a lack of detailed information and primary sources; comparison of three of her most famous istiqbál poems. Articles.
20. 2023-11-28. Reflections on the First Century of the Formative Age. Universal House of Justice. Overview of the Faith's developments and activities during the previous century, including the Guardianship, global expansion, community building and development, participation in societal discourse, and construction of the Bahá'í World Centre. UHJ-letters.
21. 2023-08. To Set the World in Order: Building and Preserving Strong Marriages. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, Universal House of Justice, Research Department, comp. . The cause of unity; creating families that illuminate the world; the ideal milieu for learning the principles of consultation; addressing challenges. Compilations.
22. 2023-06. Báb on the Rights of Women, The. Siyamak Zabihi-Moghaddam. Statements of the Báb on issues such as mutʿah and tahlíl marriages, polygyny, bridal consent, divorce and spousal relations, and their significance for the rights of women in Muslim juridical opinions and social customs. Link to article (offsite). Articles.
23. 2023. Harvard Pluralism Project: Bahá'í. Author unknown. Six overview essays on Bahá'í history, beliefs, and practices. (Offsite) Essays.
24. 2023. Bábí Theology in Poetry, A: The Creative Imagination of Táhirih, Qurratu'l-'Ayn. Anthony Lee. Examination of Qurratu’l-Ayn's writings to discern her social, religious, and political beliefs, most of which broke with Islam's traditional theology in favor of a revolutionary new doctrine. Link to article (offsite). Articles.
25. 2023. Bahá'í Faith and the Equality, Rights, and Advancement of Women, The: A Survey of Principles, Praxis, and Discourse. Wendi Momen. Equality of women and men; education, advancement, and rights of women and girls; their application within the Bahá’í community; Bahá'í individual and institutional efforts to influence the international discourse on women. Link to article (offsite). Articles.
26. 2023. Indonesian Bahá'í Community's Perspective on Gender Equality. Samsul Hidayat. On the concept of gender equality in Indonesian context from a Bahá'í perspective; Bahá'ís view gender differences only from biological factors; differences are due to the cultures of the people, not patriarchal ideology like in the Indonesian tradition. Articles.
27. 2023. Эволюция Женских Образов В Творчестве и.а. Гриневской 1890-1900 (Evolution of Female Images in the Works of I. A. Grinevskoy 1890-1900). K. V. Sarycheva. Analysis of early works that represent lives and experiences of women in the early 20th century, with a focus on Tahirih; overview of the play "Báb" and women's issues of the time: education, age prejudice, appearance, and expected behavioral norms. Articles.
28. 2022-2023. Concept Notes. Author unknown. 18 essays from the Office of Public Affairs of Bahá'ís of India website, on a variety of topics related to family, women, children, peace, equality, diversity, religion, culture, and the arts. Essays.
29. 2022-09. "And universal peace —"" in what Book is this written?": How and Why 'Abdu'l-Bahá Identified "New" and Distinctive Bahá'í Principles. Christopher Buck. Reflections on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's answer to the question "What has Bahá’u’lláh brought that we have not heard before?" Introductory.
30. 2022-08-03. Pursuit of Social Justice, The. Michael Karlberg. An interdisciplinary examination of prevailing conceptions of human nature, power, social organization, and social change, and their implications for the pursuit of peace and justice. Articles.
31. 2021-01. New Cycle of Human Power, A: Abdu'l-Bahá's Encounters with Modernist Writers and Artists. Robert Weinberg. On the impact of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on a number of individuals who were at the cultural vanguard of a society undergoing rapid, radical change. Articles.
32. 2020-10. Ambivalence of Hostility and Modification: Patriarchy's Ideological Negotiation With Women, Modernity and Cinema in Iran. Elnaz Nasehi. Passing mentions of the Bahá'í Faith in the context of how forces behind the Constitutional Revolution paved the way for the presence of women in public sphere and Iranian cinema. Articles.
33. 2020. Africanity, Womanism, and Constructive Resilience: Some Reflections. Layli Maparyan. The meanings of the metaphor "pupil of the eye;" experiences of growing up African-American in the West; overcoming cosmological negation; the African worldview on nature, humanity, and creation; gendered expressions of African culture. Articles.
34. 2019. Two Books on the Life of Tahirih: Review. Catherine Nash. Reviews of Rejoice in My Gladness: The Life of Táhirih and The Calling: Táhirih of Persia and Her American Contemporaries. Reviews.
35. 2019. طاهره پیشتار آزادی زنان شرق (Tahirih: Forerunner of Women's Liberation in the East). Hussein Ahdieh. A biographical work on the life of Tahirih detailing significant moments including her early years, marriage, the murder of her uncle, the events at Badasht, and final years leading to her martyrdom. Features appendices including excerpts of her writings. Biographies.
36. 2019. Writings of the Báb: Lecture Series at the Norwegian Summer School. Nader Saiedi. On topics including the concept of God; Manifestations of God; Day of Resurrection, heaven and hell; the Imamate, the Hidden Imam; divine justice and free will; reason, independence; human rights, equality, women. Links to audio files, offsite. Audio.
37. 2018/2025. Additional Tablets, Extracts and Talks. Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Centre, trans. . 216 selections, last updated 2025. Writings.
38. 2018/2024. Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'í World Centre, trans. . 85 selections, last updated August 2024. Writings.
39. 2018/2023. Now They Are Hanging Women. Jaine Toth. Presentation and script of a presentation on contemporary persecution of Bahá'ís in Iran; title taken from a newspaper headline for an article announcing the execution of ten Iranian Bahá’í women on June 18, 1983. Script is for three voices. Presentations.
40. 2018/2023. Economics and the Bahá'í Faith. Hooshmand Badee. On a vision of a just global economy rooted in unity, equity, justice and the oneness of humanity. Economic systems must serve the broader aim of human and societal advancement. Economics and spirituality are not enemies but partners. Books.
41. 2018. Power and the Bahá'í community. Moojan Momen. While Bahá'í social teachings may have sounded new and exciting a century ago, that is no longer the case today. The problem the world faces is not in the principles that would lead to a better society, but in their application. Articles.
42. 2018. Through the Eyes of Margaret Cousins: Irish and Indian Suffragette. Keith Munro. Biography of the co-founder of the Irish Women's Franchise League, a theosophist, who met both Martha Root and Shoghi Effendi. Biographies.
43. 2018. The Woman Who Read Too Much: A Novel, by Bahíyyih Nakhjavani: Review. Mary A. Sobhani. Reviews.
44. 2018. Bahá'u'lláh and Peace: A Series of Four Talks. Nader Saiedi. Talks at the Santa Monica Baha’i Center in California on four areas within the context of Baha'u'llah's Revelation that relate to peace, and how Baha'u'llah reconstructs the concepts of victory, mystical poetry, interpretation, and the temple. Audio.
45. 2017-03-04. Tablet of the Clouds (Lawḥ-i-Saḥáb), The. Bahá'u'lláh, Joshua Hall, trans. . Proclaims Bahá’u’lláh’s divine authority, challenges religious leaders, emphasizes detachment, warns of worldly decay, and recounts His hardships and messages to rulers. Translations.
46. 2017-03-03. Toward Prosperity: The Role of Women and Men in Building a Flourishing World Civilization. Bahá'í International Community. Calls for gender equality, moral education, and inclusive systems to build a just, prosperous world civilization through the equal partnership of women and men. BIC.
47. 2017. Calling, The: Tahirih of Persia and Her American Contemporaries. Hussein Ahdieh, Hillary Chapman. Simultaneous, powerful spiritual movements swept across both Iran and the U.S in the mid-1800s. On the life and martyrdom of Tahirih; the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention and the conference of Badasht; spiritualism and suffrage. Books.
48. 2016-03-17. Demographics of the United States National Spiritual Assembly. Archives Office of the United States Bahá'í National Center. Percentage of women, African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans serving on the U.S. and Canadian NSAs from 1922-2015. Statistics.
49. 2016. Men and the Bahá'í Faith: The Role of Indigenous Men in the Early Bahá'í Community in the British Isles. Lil Osborn. Includes slide-show included when presenting the paper at the Bahá'í Studies Seminar, Kellogg College, Oxford (July 2016). Articles-unpublished.
50. 2015/2025. Principles of Spiritual Economics: A Compilation from the Bahá'í Writings. Hooshmand Badee, comp. A book-length compilation, in 38 chapters, from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, The Báb, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, and the Universal House of Justice on the relationship between economics and 33 sub-topics. Compilations-personal.
51. 2015. Women and Wisdom in Scripture. Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani. Treatment of women in religion; influence of Bahá'í teachings in raising awareness about the plight of women and transforming attitudes across the globe; role of linguistic biases in degrading their status; role of wisdom in achieving gender equality. Articles.
52. 2015. Emblems of Faithfulness: Pluralism in Meaning and Beauty in the Ordinary. Helen Cheng, Catherine Nash. Memorials of the Faithful is notable for the diversity of personalities described, and the sheer ordinariness of many of those remembered lives. These two aspects of the text highlight some of the broader questions raised by the Bahá'í Faith. Articles.
53. 2014/2020/2024. List of Articles by Christopher Buck on BahaiTeachings.org. Christopher Buck. List of online essays and articles by Christopher Buck since 2014. Bibliographies.
54. 2014. Fifty Bahá'í Principles of Unity: A Paradigm of Social Salvation. Christopher Buck. World religions are systems of salvation, liberation, or harmony, in direct response to the perceived human predicament. To Baha’is, this predicament is profound estrangement and the solution is world unity, from family to international relations. Articles.
55. 2014. Life Histories of Bahá'í Women in Canada: Constructing Religious Identity in the Twentieth Century by Lynn Echevarria: Review. Prem Kumari Srivastava. Reviews.
56. 2014. Life Histories of Bahá'í Women in Canada: Constructing Religious Identity in the Twentieth Century by Lynn Echevarria: Review. Deborah K. van den Hoonaard. Reviews.
57. 2014. Text and Context in the Bahá'í Heroic Age. Nader Saiedi. A series of 12 talks by Nader Saiedi exploring Bahá'í history, key writings, and the need for scholarly study, translation, and contextual analysis of Bahá'í texts. Audio.
58. 2013-2025. Bahá'í History and Videos. Hussein Ahdieh. Links to Zoom videos on a variety of topics: Kahlil Gibran, the life of Varqá, Bahá'í schools for girls and Tahirih's influence, martyrs in Nayriz, Abdu'l-Bahá in New York, and Harlem Prep School. Video.
59. 2013-12-22. Confinement of the Membership of the Universal House of Justice to Men, The. Universal House of Justice. Affirms gender equality in the Bahá’í Faith, while upholding men's exclusive eligibility for the Universal House of Justice as divinely ordained but unexplained. UHJ-letters.
60. 2013-06. Searching for May Maxwell: Bahá'í Millennial Feminism, Transformative Identity and Globalism in the New World Order. Selena M. Crosson. On forces influencing and shaping womens' roles in early Bahá’i culture, 1898-1940. A group of Western women, associated with Maxwell through ties of faith and friendship, was one of the first to establish a transnational feminist reform network. Theses.
61. 2013-01-23. Women Serving as Continental Counselors or in the International Teaching Centre, Percentage of: 1980-2010. Universal House of Justice. Chart showing the percentage of women serving as members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors from 26 November 1980 — when the number of Boards was fixed at five — until November 2010. UHJ-letters.
62. 2013. Mary Magdalene: Lioness of God in the Bahá'í Faith. Lil Osborn. On the symbolic role of Mary Magdalene in the Baha’i tradition as a female archetype in the context of the doctrine of "return," and thus linked to the poet Tahirih, heroine of the Babi-Baha’i dispensation. Articles-unpublished.
63. 2013. Next Stage, The. Douglas Martin. Bahá'í scholars find themselves at a stage in the Faith’s development where they must construct a discourse that is free of "haughty intellectualism." The Association for Bahá’í Studies can help promote the Bahá'í cause to institutions of higher learning. Articles.
64. 2012-07-25. Looking for Mother's Helper, at Least 15 Years Old, Able to Swim. Barbara Kay. Short essay saying some complimentary things about Bahá'ís, notable partly because published in a mainstream newspaper by a well-known columnist. Newspapers.
65. 2012-02. Enslaved African Women in Nineteenth-Century Iran: The Life of Fezzeh Khanom of Shiraz. Anthony Lee. Through an examination of the life of this servant of The Bab, this paper addresses the enormous gap in our knowledge of the experience of enslaved women in Iran. Articles.
66. 2012. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Encounter with Modernity during His Western Travels. Wendi Momen. Abdu'l-Bahá's responses to the West's technology and innovations on the one hand, vs. its archaic racist and sexual philosophies on the other. Articles.
67. 2011-04-15. What Do Bahá'ís Believe about Gender?. Gleibys L. Buchanan. Bahá'ís believe that gender equality must be manifested as a social reality. Newspapers.
68. 2011-03-02. Discussion with Farida Vahedi, Executive Director of the Department of External Affairs, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, A. Michael Bodakowski, Katherine Marshall. Overview of Vahedi's life and work, history of the Faith in India and development projects, the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, and issues regarding migration and protection of women and girls. Biographies.
69. 2011. Humankind can't fly until men and women are truly equal. Ted Slavin. Bahá'ís recognize the importance of International Women's Day. William Hatcher had many observations about the importance of equality and the place of women. Newspapers.
70. 2011. Rizal, Revelation and Revolution: Rizal's Letter to the Women of Malolos and Baha'u'llah's letter to Nabil Akbar Lawh-i-Hikmat (Tablet of Wisdom). Stephen Ramo. Comparison of letter by Philippine national hero José Rizal to the women of Malolos with Bahá'u'lláh's "Tablet of Wisdom" to Nabil. Articles-unpublished.
71. 2011. Life Histories of Bahá'í Women in Canada: Constructing Religious Identity in the Twentieth Century. Lynn Echevarria-Howe (published as Lynn Echevarria). Introductory chapter of a study of the essential features of living a Bahá'í life, examining experiences of a diverse group of Canadian Bahá'ís through a sociological framework and a women-centred perspective. Includes newspaper article about Echevarria. Excerpts.
72. 2011. Preparing Bahá'í Communities in the East and West to Embrace Gender Equality. Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani. The way Abdu'l-Bahá dealt with the matter of gender equality, some of his writings revealed in honor of the Bahá’í women in Iran and North America, and the practical ways he educated Bahá'í men to accept women as their equals. Articles.
73. 2011. Women in the works of the Bab and in the Babi Movement. Moojan Momen. Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. Encyclopedia.
74. 2011. Why There are No Women in the Universal House of Justice. Vladimir Chupin. Upon learning that it is forbidden to elect women to the Universal House of Justice, many people become puzzled, given the Faith's strong emphasis on the equality of the sexes. This essay offers some perspectives. Essays.
75. 2011. Breastfeeding and the Bahá'í Faith. Haig V. Setrakian, Marc B. Rosenman, Kinga A. Szucs. The Writings reference breast-feeding literally and symbolically, and provide guidance as to its practice. As the ideal form of infant nutrition, breastfeeding women are exempted from fasting, and it is linked to childhood moral development. Essays.
76. 2010-12-14. Gender in Babi and Bahá'í Law. Siyamak Zabihi-Moghaddam. Audio.
77. 2010-08-13. Rethinking Women's Nature. Deborah Clark Vance. Presentations.
78. 2010-04-13. Women's Education and Socio-Economic Development: The Pathways of Impact. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon. Audio.
79. 2009-2025. Translation List: Provisional Translations of Baháʼí Texts. Adib Masumian, trans. Index to talks, letters, and other items translated from Persian and Arabic to English by Adib Masumian; listed here for the sake of search engines and tagging. Bibliographies.
80. 2009-12-08. Advancing Toward the Equality of Women and Men. Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity. Issues that lie at the heart of the struggle for the equality of women and men, via the Institute’s efforts to generate systematic learning and gain new insights, in collaboration with others. [Link to PDF, offsite.] Essays.
81. 2009-11-24. To the Believers in the Cradle of the Faith. Universal House of Justice. Regarding the family and its role in the advancement of civilization. UHJ-letters.
82. 2009-06. Resistance, Resilience and the Role of Narrative: Lessons from the Experiences of Iranian Bahá'í Women Prisoners. Donna Hakimian. A study of Iranian Bahá’í women who were imprisoned in Iran following the 1979 revolution. Aspects of individual resistance and resilience are explored through life history interviews. Link to article (offsite). Articles.
83. 2008-11. Revolution without Rights?, A: Women, Kurds and Baha'is searching for equality in Iran. Geoffrey Cameron, Tahirih Danesh. Discussion from the Foreign Policy Centre in London on the religious, legal, and social obstacles to equality faced by women, Bahá'ís, and Kurds in Iran; comparing the experiences of these groups; evaluating actions of the Iranian government (91 pages) Books.
84. 2008-02-01. Mobilizing Institutional, Legal and Cultural Resources to Achieve Gender Equality. Bahá'í International Community. The central role of girls and women in human development; the need to end the cultural, institutional, and legal obstacles towards their progress and all forms of discrimination against them. BIC.
85. 2008. Reflections of a Human Spirit in a Male Body. William S. Hatcher. Includes discussions of the nature of patriarchy, chauvinism, and feminism. Articles-unpublished.
86. 2008. La contribution des femmes à la science moderne. William S. Hatcher. Fireside talk. Audio.
87. 2008. Raising Children of Light: editorial. Bahá'í International Community. In seeking to end the world's suffering, we need to acknowledge that we are all one human race in an increasingly interconnected world, educate children and mothers, and end the oppression of girls and women. BIC.
88. 2008. Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Bab (contents and index only). Nader Saiedi. A lengthy, detailed examination of the context, chronology, and content of the writings of the Báb. (Link to document, offsite; only the contents and index are on this site, for keyword searching.) Excerpts.
89. 2007-09-20. Gender perspectives and the work of the United Nations. Bahá'í International Community. Statement to the UN Human Rights Council on integrating gender perspectives. BIC.
90. 2007. Bushido (Chivalry) and the Traditional Japanese Moral Education. Nozomu Sonda. Japanese virtues explained by Nitobe in 1900 in comparison with the Bahá'í perspective on moral education. Articles.
91. 2007. Authority of the Feminine and Fatima's Place in an Early Work by the Bab, The. Todd Lawson. While Tahirih inspired many in Europe and eventually America, she is very much a daughter of her own culture, history, mythology, and religion. She was a religious mystic who felt a new day arising in the world, and seen by some as the "return" of Fatima. Articles.
92. 2006-07-02. Beyond Legal Reforms: Culture and Capacity in the Eradication of Violence Against Women and Girls. Bahá'í International Community. Statement on the epidemic of violence against women around the world, as perpetuated by social norms, religious fanaticism, and economic and political exploitation; necessary educational objectives and legal frameworks. BIC.
93. 2006. Equality of Women and Men: The Experience of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, by Deborah and Will van den Hoonaard: Review. Lynn Echevarria-Howe (published as Lynn Echevarria). Reviews.
94. 2005. One Common Faith. Universal House of Justice. Examines humanity’s spiritual crisis, critiques materialism and religious division, and affirms religion as a progressive, unifying force essential for moral development and global civilization. UHJ-documents.
95. 2004-09. Off the Grid: Reading Iranian Memoirs in Our Time of Total War. Negar Mottahedeh. Observations on contemporary culture and gender issues in Iran. Essays.
96. 2004. Bahá'í Ethics: Answers to 55 Questions Submitted by Arthur Dobrin. Dianne Bradford, Fiona Missaghian, Udo Schaefer, Robert Stockman, Jonah Winters, comp. . Answers to questions submitted in preparation for a source book in religious ethics for a college course at Hofstra University, New York, fall 2001. Essays.
97. 2004. Letters to Bahá'í princesses: Tablets revealed in honour of the women of Ibn-i Asdaq's household. Dominic Parviz Brookshaw. A study and translation of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's tablets to the daughters of Hand of the Cause of God, Ibn-i Asdaq: Laqá'iyya, Huviyya, Rúhá and Talí`a. Includes various biographies and other tablets. Articles.
98. 2004. Qourrèt-oul-Aíne [Qurratu'l-`Ayn]. A. L. M. Nicolas, Peter Terry, trans. . First publication in English translation of early accounts of the life and death of Táhirih. These passages are from Seyyed Ali Mohammad dit le Bab (1905) by A.-L.-M. Nicolas, French diplomat and author. Biographies.
99. 2003/2008/2018/2023. For the Betterment of the World: The Worldwide Bahá'í Community's Approach to Social and Economic Development. Office of Social and Economic Development. Essays, photographs, and overviews of local projects around the world, illustrating how Bahá'í principles are being carried out in practice, prepared by the Office of Social and Economic Development of the Bahá'í International Community. Introductory.
100. 2003-09. Social Justice, Wealth Equity and Gender Equality: Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís of Alberta. Leslie William Kuzyk. Bahá'í theology takes distinctive positions on wealth distribution and gender equality. These issues are causal factors in a more just model of society. A social survey establishes empirically whether a Bahá'í population differs from common society. Theses.
101. 2003-09. Usuli, Akhbari, Shaykhi, Babi: The Tribulations of a Qazvin Family. Moojan Momen. The emergence of the Usuli school in the evolution of Shi'is jurisprudence and theology in 18th and 19th-century Iran, viewed through the lens of the Baraghani family as it faced schisms of the Akhbari, Shaykhi, and Bábí movements. Articles.
102. 2003. Zaynab. John Walbridge, Reina Pennington, ed. . Brief biography of a female Bábí fighter. Encyclopedia.
103. 2003. Making of Portraits of Some Bahá'í Women by O.Z. Whitehead, The. Wendi Momen. Recollections by the editor/publisher of stories behind the writing of O.Z. 'Zebby' Whitehead's books, and some biographical information about Whitehead himself. Includes brief review by Edwin McCloughan from The Irish Times. Essays.
104. 2002. Education of women and socio-economic development. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon. The findings of recent research on the social and the economic benefits of female education, which provides insights as to why Bahá'u'lláh stressed its importance. Articles.
105. 2001-06-25. HIV/AIDS and Gender Equality: Transforming Attitudes and Behaviors. Bahá'í International Community. Addressing HIV/AIDS requires transforming gender attitudes, empowering women, engaging men, and mobilizing faith communities to promote equality, compassion, and responsible sexual attitudes. BIC.
106. 2001. Keys to the Proper Understanding of Islam in "The Dispensation of Baha'u'llah". Brian Wittman. Some references to Islam in Shoghi Effendi's English-language writings. Articles.
107. 2001. Equality and Baha'i Principles in Northern Ireland. Edwin Graham. A paper in two parts: (1) the development of equality legislation in Northern Ireland, and (2) the Bahá’í Teachings in relation to equality and the extent to which Northern Irish legislation applies or does not apply them. Articles.
108. 2001. Spiritual Dimensions of Microfinance, The: Towards a Just Civilization and Sustainable Economy. Barbara J. Rodey. Prepared for the Microcredit Summit to emphasize the importance of universal spiritual principles to achieve the real benefits of microfinance services. Articles.
109. 2001. Bahá'í-Inspired Perspectives on Human Rights. Tahirih Tahririha-Danesh, ed. Articles by Kiser Barnes, Greg Duly, Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims, Graham Hassall, Darren Hedley, Nazila Ghanea-Hercock, Chichi Layor, Michael Penn, Martha Schweitz, and Albert Lincoln. Books.
110. 2001. Reflections on Human Rights, Moral Development, and the Global Campaign to Eradicate Gender-Based Violence. Michael L. Penn. A review some of the most significant developments in human rights law designed to contribute to the advancement of women and the eradication of gender-based violence; insufficient attention has been given to the psycho-spiritual dimensions.  Articles.
111. 2001. Family Law in Iran. Sen McGlinn. Detailed overview of 20th-century Iranian laws regarding marriage, divorce, marriage rights and duties, dowry, and inheritance. Contains passing mentions of the Bahá'í Faith. Articles-unpublished.
112. 2001. Dialogue between Yin-Yang Concepts and the Bahá'í Faith, The. Phyllis Ghim-Lian Chew. Yin-yang, a pivotal theory in Chinese thought influencing government, architecture, relationships, and ethics, has many similarities with the Bahá’í Faith, including the origin of matter, the nature of history, man-woman relationships, and health. Articles.
113. 2001. Gender Equality Based on the Teachings of the Bahá'í Faith, and its Application in Southern Africa. Farhad Aghdasi. The nature of prejudice; the role of religion in advancement of women; the first educator; tradition and culture; the William Mmutle Masetlha Foundation; education programs; the practice of consultation and gender equality in Bahá'í communities. Articles-unpublished.
114. 2000. Rewriting the Script: Some thoughts on gender roles and the Bahá'í Teachings. Sonja van Kerkhoff. A collection of visual and physical art exploring these themes. Personal.
115. 2000. Cultural Diversity in the Age of Maturity. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, Universal House of Justice, Research Department, comp. . Compilations.
116. 2000. Promoting the Equality of Women and Men: The Role of the Covenant. Janet A. Khan. The implementation of the principle of gender equality; the application of relevant Bahá’í law, including progressive clarification and application, the principle of convergence, and the exercise of restraint, all so as to ensure enduring change. Articles.
117. 2000. Women and Religious Change: A case study in the colonial migrant experience. Miriam Dixson. The story of Margaret Dixson, and one woman's growth from Anglicanism, via numerology and astrology, to commitment to the world ideals of the Bahá'í Faith. Biographies.
118. 1999/2020. Feminist Movements in the Late Qajar Period. Janet Afary, et al.. Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. Encyclopedia.
119. 1999-10. Advancement of Women: A Bahá'í Perspective, by Janet and Peter Khan: Transforming the roles of women and men, a Review. Veronica Shoffstall. Reviews.
120. 1999-04-02. Possibility of a Woman Being Designated a Manifestation of God. Universal House of Justice. No elucidation in the writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá or Shoghi Effendi has been found for the passage "...were He to pronounce one of the leaves to be the manifestation of all His excellent titles." UHJ-letters.
121. 1999. Selected Topics of Comparison in Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith. Peter Mazal. Comparison of Bahá'í and Christian morality, archetypal events and people (e.g. the ideal woman) in early Christian and Bábí-Bahá'í history plus concepts of Christ (Christology) and the Messiah compared to Prophets, Messengers and Manifestations of God. Theses.
122. 1999. Spiritual Oppression in Frankenstein. Phyllis Sternberg Perrakis. Comparing Shelley’s depiction of a spiritual malaise in Frankenstein with Bahá’u’lláh’s definition in the Kitáb-i-Íqán of the oppression experienced at the end of a reigning spiritual dispensation by the soul who seeks God but does not know where to look. Articles.
123. 1999. Indigenous rights and women's rights in the Samoan Bahá'í community. Maureen Sier. Essays.
124. 1999. Bahá'í Faith and the Singapore Women's Movement, The: Challenges for the Next Millennium. Phyllis Ghim-Lian Chew. On the relationship between religion and the fight for women's rights after the founding of the Singapore Council of Women; the interplay between gender, religion and the women's movement; challenges for the next millennium with regards to equality. Articles.
125. 1999. Reflections on the Teachings of the Faith on Some Aspects of Basotho Culture. Khoeli Pholosi. On issues that have faced the Bahá'í community in the 45 years since the Faith was introduced in Lesotho; challenges faced by these early and latter-day believers; responsibilities of teaching and administration; brief history of the Faith in the region. Articles-unpublished.
126. 1998/2008. National Spiritual Assembly members who are women, Percentage of, 1953-2007. Bahá'í World Centre. Two letters from the House, with attached tables, showing the number of women serving on NSAs 1953-1993, 1987-1997, and 1997-2007. Includes graphs showing numbers and percent of women serving on NSAs by continental region. UHJ-letters.
127. 1998-12. African Culture, Traditional, Aspects of. Universal House of Justice, Universal House of Justice, Research Department, comp. . Challenges and opportunities in the African continent; eliminating prejudices; dance and music; alcohol; hunting; initiation rites; the supernatural; tribal leadership; status of women. Compilations.
128. 1998-02. Ruptured Spaces and Effective Histories: The Unveiling of the Babi Poetess Qurrat al-'Ayn-Tahirih in the Gardens of Badasht. Negar Mottahedeh. Implications of Tahirih's revolutionary act at Badasht in terms of a decisive break with Islamic history; also Shaykh Abu Turab's recollections of the event and his literary role in Nabil's Dawn-Breakers. Articles.
129. 1998. Mutilated Body of the Modern Nation: Qurrat al-'Ayn's Unveiling and the Persian Massacre of the Bábís. Negar Mottahedeh. A Freudian interpretation of the extreme antipathy underlying common Iranian opposition to the Babis/Bahá'ís as being disruptive symbols of destabilizing modernism, with the stories of Qurratu'l-'Ayn's public unveiling a central element.    Articles.
130. 1998. Seed of Creation: A philosophical approach towards the status of Universal House of Justice in respect to Baha'i concept of creation. Ahmad Aniss. A philosophical approach towards the status of Universal House of Justice in respect to Bahá'í concept of creation. Articles-unpublished.
131. 1998. Spiritual Approach to Microcredit Projects, A. Michel P. Zahrai. Spiritual considerations that should guide the elaboration and implementation of microcredit schemes and measure their success. Articles.
132. 1998. Science in the Hands of Women: Present Barriers, Future Promise. Rhea Howard Harmsen. What is the attitude of mind that will permit an actualization of women's potential as women, and allow women and men to work together to create peace and prosperity through science? Articles.
133. 1998. Seneca Falls First Woman's Rights Convention of 1848: The Sacred Rites of the Nation. Bradford W. Miller. Explores parallels between the Seneca Fails First Woman’s Rights Convention in the USA and the Badasht Conference in Iran, both in July 1848, in terms of the emancipation of women. Articles.
134. 1998. Education of women and socio-economic development, by Geeta Gandhi Kingdon: Commentary. Erin Murphy Graham, Felicity Rawlings. Reviews.
135. 1998. Preliminary Survey of the Bahá'í Community of Iran during the Nineteenth Century, A. Moojan Momen. On the early growth and consolidation of the Bahá'í community in Iran; its membership and social and geographical composition; persecution; institutional developments; communications with Bahá'u'lláh; the conversion of Jews and Zoroastrians; women. Articles.
136. 1998. Advancement of Women: A Bahá'í Perspective. Peter J. Khan, Janet A. Khan. Explores Bahá’í teachings on gender equality, women’s education, family transformation, moral dignity, and how equal partnership between sexes advances peace and society. Books.
137. 1997-09-02. Meetings for women only. International Teaching Centre. It is acceptable and perhaps even sometimes necessary for Bahá'ís to hold gender-segregated meetings. UHJ-letters.
138. 1997-09. Elizabeth and Elsbeth: Typically Extraordinary Kansas Women. Duane L. Herrmann. A sketch of two women who helped establish the Kansas Bahá'í community in 1897. Biographies.
139. 1997-03-30. Women on the House of Justice; meaning of "Umumi". Universal House of Justice. Clarifies that 'Abdu'l-Bahá, in a tablet to Corinne True, indeed refers to the Universal House of Justice when affirming that membership is confined to men only. Includes a portion of Corinne True's original query to 'Abdu'l-Bahá. UHJ-letters.
140. 1997. Meaning of Detachment, The. Phyllis K. Peterson. Detachment as it relates to women, teaching, the media, and unity. Essays.
141. 1997. Two Wings of a Bird: The Equality of Women and Men. National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States. The emancipation of women, the achievement of full equality between the sexes, is essential to human progress and the transformation of society. NSA-letters.
142. 1997. Women Entrepreneurs: Catalysts for Transformation. Diane Chamberlin Starcher. Describes the dramatic rise in importance of women entrepreneurs and how feminine qualities contribute to their success. Articles.
143. 1997. Effect of Philosophical and Linguistic Gender Biases on the Degradation of Women's Status in Religion, The. Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani. Women’s rights have been undermined for centuries; philosophical and linguistic gender-related biases and their effect on the degradation of women’s status in religion; suggestions for eradicating the causes of inequality in order to hasten world unity. Articles.
144. 1997. Bahá'u'lláh and Liberation Theology. Juan Cole. The idea of liberation and equality is central to Bahá'í theology; the poor in the 19th century Middle East; Bahá'u'lláh and the poor; Tablet to the Kings on wealth and peace; laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and Huququ'lláh; state social welfare. Articles.
145. 1996-06-27. Monogamy, Sexual Equality, Marital Equality, and the Supreme Tribunal. Universal House of Justice. Questions about monogamy, the Supreme Tribunal, and the Bahá'í concept of equality of the sexes in light of some Bahá'í laws and history which appear to undermine it UHJ-letters.
146. 1996-06. Sustainable Communities in an Integrating World. Bahá'í International Community. Concept paper prepared for the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) held in Istanbul, Turkey. BIC.
147. 1996. Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986: Third Epoch of the Formative Age. Universal House of Justice, Geoffrey W. Marks, comp. . Books.
148. 1996. Husband and Wife, Relationship between. Universal House of Justice. The "functional" divisions between husband and wife in the Bahá'í Writings should be considered in the light of the general principle of equality between the sexes. UHJ-letters.
149. 1996. Universality of the Laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, The. Bijan Samali. The laws of the Aqdas focus on the individual; are applicable to everyone; facilitate the realisation of the oneness of human race; ensure the equality of the sexes; are adaptable to cultural diversities; and call for the elimination of all prejudices. Articles.
150. 1996. Feminism, Men and the Bahá'í Faith. Morgan Wilson. Separate reflections on feminism and on men and the Bahá'í Faith. The challenges faced by each are acknowledged and the need for a balance between the two asserted. Articles.
151. 1995-10. Hora Decisiva para todas las Naciones. Bahá'í International Community. Declaración de la Comunidad Internacional Bahá'í con motivo del 50 aniversario de Naciones Unidas Octubre 1995 BIC.
152. 1995-04. Inheritance Laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas. Sen McGlinn. Conceptualizing the Kitab-i Aqdas as establishing a fixed and elaborate set of laws and requirements is misplaced; even in the most central issues there has been a radical development in Bahá'í law. Articles-unpublished.
153. 1995. Considerations Relating to the Inheritance Laws of the Kitab-i-Aqdas, Some. Sen McGlinn. Gender distinctions in the Bahá'í inheritance laws might at first glance seem to favor male heirs, but the laws actually create a symmetrical equality. Articles.
154. 1995. Women, The Status of: Warwick Leaflets. Warwick Bahá'í Bookshop. Overview of the status of women in education, marriage, and the future. Introductory.
155. 1995. Affirmative Action and the Jurisprudence of Equitable Inclusion: Towards a New Consensus on Gender and Race Relations. Steven Gonzales. The principle of equity and the Bahá’í emphasis on unity in diversity as a basis for considering Affirmative Action in relationship to remedying past injustices to women and minorities. Articles.
156. 1995. Role of the Feminine in the Bahá'í Faith, The. Ross Woodman. On the terms 'Masculine' and 'Feminine' as referring to 2 interdependent energies at work within the Manifestation of God and throughout creation, including the human individual; the important role of the 'Feminine' principle in the Bahá’í Faith. Articles.
157. 1995. Quranic Roots of Some Legal and Theological Terms of the Kitáb-i Aqdas Regarding Women and Homosexual Relations, The. Kamran Ekbal. Interpretations and etymologies of Arabic terms for prostitution, virginity, dowry, menstruation, sodomy, pederasty, uncleanliness, and adultery. Articles-unpublished.
158. 1995. Bahá'í Cosmological Symbolism and the Ecofeminist Critique. Michael W. Sours. Constituents of Bahá'í cosmological symbolism; introduction to the main feminist/environmentalist arguments; eschatological character of Bahá'í cosmological symbolism; Bahá'í eschatology provides answers to many feminist and ecological objections. Articles.
159. 1994-08-01. How Individuals Can Improve Their Understanding of the Bahá'í Teachings. Universal House of Justice. On the inability of the finite human mind to fully grasp the import of the Teachings, and how individuals can improve their understandings, even while steeped in a climate of thinking which influences and biases their reading of scientific evidence. UHJ-letters.
160. 1994. Female Representations of the Holy Spirit in Bahá'í and Christian writings and their implications for gender roles. Lil Osborn. A response to feminist theologian Mary Daly's argument that a male representation of God reinforces patriarchy with the suggestion that sexual equality is independent of, and unrelated to, gender images of the Divine. Articles.
161. 1994. Inheritance. Seena Fazel. The apparent contradiction between sexual equality and the unequal inheritance laws contained in the Aqdas. Essays.
162. 1994. In All the Ways that Matter, Women Don't Count. Moojan Momen. The Bahá'í goal of achieving sexual equality cannot be achieved merely by trying to advance the position of women in society, but rather society itself must be "feminized." Articles.
163. 1994. Sex, Gender, and New Age Stereotyping. Lata Ta'eed. Advocates the abolishing of culturally produced differences between men and women and challenges gender inconsistencies inherent in many Bahá'í discussions. Articles.
164. 1994. Unclipping the Wings: A Survey of Secondary Literature in English on Bahá'í Perspectives on Women. Trevor R. J. Finch. Annotated bibliography of Bahá'í perspectives on women and women's issues. Articles.
165. 1994. Women in the Bahá'í Faith. Susan Maneck. Bahá'í paradigms of womanhood, and some highlights of women's participation in the Faith's history. Articles.
166. 1994. Bahá'í Faith and Peace Psychology, The: The Potential for Science and Religion to Collaborate. Rhett Diessner. On the potential for Bahá’í peace initiatives, coupled with empirical peace psychology approaches, regarding: ethnicity and peace, feminism and peace, and peace and education. Articles.
167. 1993/2000/2013. True Foundation of All Economics, The. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, Hooshmand Badee, comp. . Book-length compilation ordered by chapters covering 26 themes on the economy, welfare, development, women's employment, work ethics, morality, agriculture, extremes of wealth and poverty, profit-sharing, health and alcohol, consultation. Compilations-personal.
168. 1993-11-23. Violence Against Women and Children. Universal House of Justice. Bahá’í principles on violence, sexual abuse, family dynamics, gender equality, consultation, child discipline, and community protection. UHJ-letters.
169. 1993. Exemption. Bahíyyih Nakhjavání. Thoughts on Bahá'u'lláh's meaning in "exempting" women from certain Bahá'í obligations, especially pilgrimage. Essays.
170. 1993. Still Lives. Denis MacEoin. The nature of private lives and biography in Middle Eastern culture, with brief discussion of Rushdie's Satanic Verses and the lives of Tahirih and Shoghi Effendi. Articles.
171. 1993. "In the Beginning Was the Word": Apocalypse and the Education of the Soul. Ross Woodman. Hidden meanings in scripture and the soul are metaphorically identified with the huris, or brides. The bridegroom, Bahá'ulláh, enters union as the marriage of the Manifestation with the Maid of Heaven, who releases the Logos and the newly created soul. Articles.
172. 1992-02-23. Goddess Religion, Ancient. Universal House of Justice. Ancient goddess religions and the role of the feminine in theology. UHJ-letters.
173. 1992. Rights and Responsibilities in the Bahá'í Family System. Hoda Mahmoudi, Richard Dabell. Duties ascribed in the Bahá’í teachings to the members of the family; complementary functions of women and men; the institution of marriage and family is fundamental in the development of a new society and global civilization based on equality and unity. Articles.
174. 1992. Feminine Forms of the Divine in Bahá'í Scriptures. Paula A. Drewek. Examples of the interaction between male and female principles in the writings. Complementarity of masculine and feminine images of divinity enriches our understanding of the divine–human encounter, but does not supplant the unity or unknowability of God. Articles.
175. 1992. "Tahirih: A Religious Paradigm of Womanhood," by Susan Stiles Maneck: Commentary. Janet Cundall. Reviews.
176. 1991-11. Mujeres y Hombres, Una Sociedad para un Planeta Saludable. Bahá'í International Community. Exposición presentada al "World Women's Congress for a Healthy Planet", Miami, Florida, 8-12 Noviembre, 1991. BIC.
177. 1991-02-27. Advocates for African Food Security: Lessening the Burden for Women. Bahá'í International Community. A joint statement to the 35th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Agenda Item 4: Monitoring the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women BIC.
178. 1991. Family Life. The Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi. Compilations.
179. 1991. Women. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, Universal House of Justice, Research Department, comp. . Explores the status of women in the world, the development of women, the role of education in that development, the Bahá'í concept of gender equality and the application of that principle to family life. Includes bibliography of related Bahá'í literature. Compilations.
180. 1991. "Exploring Male Oppressions from a Family-Systems Perspective": Commentary and Response. Hoda Mahmoudi, Janet Huggins. Essays.
181. 1991. Women in Art. Anne Gordon Atkinson. Historically there have been many impediments to women achieving success in art: household duties, the rearing of children, poverty, and lack of education or encouragement. Bahá'í writings call for equal opportunity, and men have a responsibility too. Articles.
182. 1991. Interdependence of Bahá'í Communities, The: Services of North American Bahá'í Women to Iran. Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani. Some early American Bahá’í women’s contribution to the development of the Iranian Bahá’í community. Articles.
183. 1991. Commentary on "Equality of Women: The Bahá'í Principle of Complementarity," by Linda O'Neil: Response. Nancy Lease. Reviews.
184. 1991. Asking Questions: A Challenge to Fundamentalism, by Bahíyyih Nakhjavání: Review. Graham Hassall. Reviews.
185. 1990-01. Tahirih and Women's Suffrage. Universal House of Justice. Two letters on Táhirih's association with women's suffrage, and the authenticity of the words "You can kill me as soon as you like, but you cannot stop the emancipation of women". UHJ-letters.
186. 1990. Equality of Women, The: The Bahá'í Principle of Complementarity. John S. Hatcher. The Bahá’í teachings simultaneously assert the equality of men and women whilst advocating in some cases distinct duties according to gender. This seems paradoxical, but there can be gender distinction without inequality in status or function.  Articles.
187. 1989. Role of the Feminine in the New Era, The. Marion Woodman. The  unveiled feminine, symbolized by the unveiling of the Persian poet Táhirih at the conference of Badasht in 1848, announces a long-awaited coming of age or psychic integration. Articles.
188. 1989. Táhirih: A Religious Paradigm of Womanhood. Susan Maneck (published as Susan Stiles Maneck). Táhirih, the Bahá'í archetypal paradigm of womanhood, is remembered by Bahá’ís as the courageous, eloquent, and assertive religious innovator whose actions severed the early Bábís from Islam completely. Articles.
189. 1989. Badasht. Moojan Momen. Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. Encyclopedia.
190. 1988-09. Integracion de la mujer en el desarrollo enocomico y social de America Latina y el Caribe, La. Bahá'í International Community. Revisión y evaluación crítica de algunos aspectos de la condición de la mujer en la region, incluso su integración en el mercado laboral, mujeres jefes de familia y el papel de la mujer en el comercio en el Caribe. BIC.
191. 1988-05-31. Women on the Universal House of Justice. Universal House of Justice. Response to a paper presented at a Bahá'í Studies conference which raised the possibility that women could one day be eligible for membership on the Universal House of Justice. UHJ-letters.
192. 1988-05-31. Elegibilidad de las Mujeres en la Casa Universal de Justicia. Universal House of Justice, Cortesía, trans. . UHJ-letters.
193. 1988. Australian Women and Religious Change: Margaret Dixson and the First Melbourne Baha'is. Graham Hassall. Women played an important role in the initial spread and development of the Bahá’í Faith in Australia. In doing so, they struggled to break the bounds that traditionally defined women's place in the life and organization of a religious community. Biographies.
194. 1988. Perceiving Differences: A Look at Gender and Equality. Mark Brush. Observations on what Richard DeNovellis' "Personality Type Preference Indicator" tests show about ages and genders; laws of nature vs. laws of God. Articles.
195. 1988. Condicion juridica y social de la mujer, La. Bahá'í International Community. BIC.
196. 1988. Lights of Guidance: A Bahá'í Reference File. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, Helen Bassett Hornby, comp. . The classic Bahá'í reference book. This is its first online edition. Compilations-personal.
197. 1988. "The active force and that which is its recipient". Betty Hoff Conow (published as Betty Conow). Metaphysics of gender and the Lawh-i-Hikmat; universal spiritualism; social indoctrination of gender roles. Essays.
198. 1987. Handmaidens of God: Bahá'í Prayers for Women. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Marzia Rowhani, comp. . Compilations-personal.
199. 1987. Question of Gender, A: A Forum on the Status of Men in Bahá'í Law. Susan Maneck (published as Susan Stiles Maneck), Baharieh Rouhani Ma'ani, R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram, Anthony Lee. Six authors address issues of theology, sociology, law, inheritance, equality, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, marriage, and feminism raised by John and Linda Walbridge's article "Bahá'í Laws on the Status of Men" (World Order 1984). Articles.
200. 1987. Spiritual Inheritors, The. Bahíyyih Nakhjavání. Reflections on growing up Bahá'í, and a report on a conference about capturing the power of the Six Year Plan to focus attention on the role of women in establishing global peace, the destiny of the women of North America, and equality of sexes. Essays.
201. 1986-10-27. Places Where the Manifestations of God Have Appeared; Equality of Men and Women. Universal House of Justice. The consistent portrayal of all known Manifestations of God as male and their historical emergence exclusively in the East; the equality of men and women; on soul mates. UHJ-letters.
202. 1986. Munirih Khanum: Memoirs and Letters. Munirih Khanum, Sammireh Anwar Smith, trans. . Autobiography of Khanum (1847-1938), the wife of Abdu'l-Bahá. Includes the arrangements for her marriage, her travel to Akka, her time with the wife of the Bab, and memorial letters written on the anniversaries of the passing of Abdu'l-Bahá. Books.
203. 1986. Sexual Equality in the Bahá'í Community. Shiva Tavana. Women are oppressed minorities who often feel isolated, even in Bahá'í communities. Bahá'ís need to explore new models of family life. Includes statistics on the percentages of female members of Bahá'í institutions. Essays.
204. 1986. Response, by Bahiyyih Nakhjavani: Review. Elizabeth Shema. Reviews.
205. 1986. American Bahá'í Women and the Education of Girls in Tehran, 1909-1934. R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram. On the activities of four teachers and doctors who formed the first resident embassage of Western Bahá'í women in the East, who came to Iran to help expand access to health and education. Articles.
206. 1985-07-15. Activities in the Bahá'í World Community to Improve the Status of Women during the United Nations Decade for Women. Bahá'í International Community. Report presented to the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace BIC.
207. 1985-07-10. Base Espiritual de la Igualdad, La. Bahá'í International Community. BIC.
208. 1985-06-15. Conferencia Mundial para el Examen y la Evaluación de los Logros del Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Mujer: Igualdad, Desarrollo y Paz. Bahá'í International Community. Informe presentado por la Comunidad Internacional Bahá'í acerca de las actividades de la Comunidad Bahá'í Mundial para mejorar la condición de la mujer durante el Decenio de las Naciones Unidas para la Mujer y Programas Futuros para el Adelanto de la Muje BIC.
209. 1985-05. Preparación para Vivir en Paz, La Contribución de la Mujer. Bahá'í International Community. Declaración preparada por la Comunidad Internacional Bahá’í para el Seminario Regional Europeo para el Año Internacional de la Paz, Viena, Austria: 6 al 10 de mayo de 1985 BIC.
210. 1983. Social Basis of the Bábí Upheavals in Iran (1848-1853): A Preliminary Analysis. Moojan Momen. In the mid-19th century, Iran was shaken by unrest caused by the Bábí movement, which set off a chain of events that led on the one hand, to the constitutional movement in Iran, and on the other, to the establishment of the now world-wide Bahá'í Faith. Articles.
211. 1982-2023. Encyclopaedia Iranica: Selected articles related to Persian culture, religion, philosophy and history. Encyclopaedia Iranica. Sorted, categorized collection of links to over 170 articles. Encyclopedia.
212. 1976. Dawn over Mount Hira and Other Essays. Marzieh Gail. A collection of essays on various topics of interest to Bahá'í studies and history. Most of these were first published in Star of the West and World Order between 1929 and 1971. Books.
213. 1975. Conferencia Mundial del Año Internacional de la Mujer: Declaración presentada por la Comunidad Internacional Bahá'í. Bahá'í International Community. Declaración presentada por la Comunidad Internacional Bahá’í (en carácter consultivo con el Consejo Económico y Social — Categoría II) Ciudad de México, México, 1975. BIC.
214. 1974. Año Internacional de la Mujer, El. Bahá'í International Community. Exposición presentada por la Comunidad Internacional Bahá’í en el 25° período de sesiones de la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer. BIC.
215. 1974. Estudios Preliminares Sobre la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer en la Comunidad Mundial Bahá'í. Bahá'í International Community. Declaración presentada al 25° período de sesiones de la Comisión de las Naciones Unidas sobre la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer, New York, 1974. BIC.
216. 1971-1995. 1971-1995: Newspaper articles archive. Various. Collection of newspaper articles from 1971-1995. Newspapers.
217. 1971 [1938]. Advent of Divine Justice. Shoghi Effendi. A letter from Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá’ís of North America, dated 25 December 1938; the Bahá'ís' achievements and responsibilities; the crises affecting the world; the destiny of America. Writings.
218. 1945. The White Silk Dress. Marzieh Gail. An "intimate portrait" of Ṭáhirih first published Friday April 21, 1944. Articles.
219. 1941. Táhirih's Message to the Modern World. Martha L. Root. Transcript of a radio address from Sunday April 21, 1940, telling the story of Ṭáhirih, describing her as the foremost woman of her generation known across Persia for her beauty, intelligence, and courage, who gave her life for the emancipation of women. Talks.
220. 1922-09. Questions about Science and Religion: Interviews with Abdu'l-Bahá at Tiberias and Haifa. Anna Kunz. Questions asked of Abdu'l-Bahá by two Christians visiting Haifa in 1921. Pilgrims.
221. 1912/1947/1974. "Easy Familiarity," Explanations of. Rúhíyyih Khánum, Ann Boylan, John B. Cornell, Universal House of Justice. Statements on displays of affection (hugging and kissing) between members of the opposite sex. Also questions on assembly infallibility, and whether one with a minority opinion should vote against his conscience. Guardian.
222. 1912-01. Woman and Islam. Elihu Grant. One-paragraph sympathetic mention. Excerpts.
223. 1909-07-29. Letter to Corinne True re Women on the House of Justice. Abdu'l-Bahá, Ameen Ullah Fareed, trans. . Translation by Amín Faríd of a short letter stating that "men and women are equal in all rights save in the Universal House of Justice; for the Chairman and the members of the House of Justice are men according to the Text of the Book." Translations.

1. 1848-06-26 —
   The Conference of Badasht

   Bahá'u'lláh, who hosted and directed the event, rented three gardens, one for Quddús, another for Táhirih and the third for Himself. [Bab168; GPB31, 68; MF200]

   The conference coincided with the removal of the Báb to Tabríz for interrogation in July. It was held near the village of Sháhrúd in Semnan province. [BBRSM23; DB292]

   • `The primary purpose of that gathering was to implement the revelation of the Bayán by a sudden, a complete and dramatic break with the past — with its order, its ecclesiasticism, its traditions, and ceremonials. The subsidiary purpose of the conference was to consider the means of emancipating the Báb from His cruel confinement in Chihríq.' [BBRSM23; BKG43; DB297–8; GPB31, 157]
   • From the beginning of His ministry the Báb had implicitly claimed some higher spiritual station than merely that of being the "bábu'l-imám" and in the early months of 1848 while still in prison in Máh-Kú He put forward these claims to his companions. He proclaimed HImself to be the Imam Mahdi, the promised Q´'im (He who will arise), the inaugurator of the Resurrection and the abrogator of the Islamic holy law. [BBRSM23]
   • Bab167 says that the Bábís did not come to Badasht to make plans to rescue the Báb.
   • It was attended by 81 believers and lasted 22 days. [BKG43–4, 46; DB292–3; GPB312]
   • Each day Bahá'u'lláh revealed a Tablet, and on each believer He conferred a new name. Each day an Islamic law was abrogated. Henceforth, when the Báb was addressing the believers, He used the new name that Bahá'u'lláh had bestowed upon them. [DB293; GPB32]
   • See BKG44–5; DB293 and MF201 for the story of the central event, Táhirih's confrontation with Quddús and removal of her veil.
     Ṭáhirih, seizing upon the opportunity, arose and, unveiled, came forth from the garden. She proceeded towards the tent of Bahá'u'lláh crying out and proclaiming: "I am the Trumpet-blast; I am the Bugle-call!"—which are two of the signs of the Day of Resurrection mentioned in the Qur'án. Calling out in this fashion, she entered the tent of Bahá'u'lláh. No sooner had she entered than Bahá'u'lláh instructed the believers to recite the Súrih of the Event from the Qur'án, a Súrih that describes the upheaval of the Day of Resurrection.
     [Twelve Table Talks given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 'Akká, no. 9, "Ṭáhirih and the Conference of Badasht"]
   • Also see Bab167–9; BBD31–2; BBRSM46; BKG43–7; DB292–8; RB2:353.
   • See The World-Wide Influence of Qurratul-'Ayn by Standwood Cobb.
2. 1848-07-19 —
   The Women's Rights Convention was held in the Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls, NY. The principle organizer was Lucretia Mott, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as its driving intellect. A significant role was played by an African-American man, an abolitionist and a recently freed slave, Frederick Douglass. The convention adopted a Declaration of Rights and Sentiments that consisted of 11 resolutions including the right for women to vote. The signatories were the 68 women and 32 men in attendance. The right for women to vote became part of the United States Constitution in 1920. [The Calling: Tahirih of Persia and her American Contemporaries p114-160, "Seneca Falls First Woman's Rights Convention of 1848: The Sacred Rites of the Nation" by Bradford W. Miller (Journal of Bahá'í Studies, 8.3, 1998)]
   • This conference has been compared to the Conference of Badasht with respect to the emancipation of women and entrenched prejudices.
   • Tahirih and Women's Suffrage written by / on behalf of Universal House of Justice in which they deal with the question of the relationship between Táhirih and women's sufferage as well as the station of Táhirih herself.
3. 1850-05-19 —
   The Governor sent a mob against Hujjat, (Mulla Muhammad-Ali) which was dispersed by Mír Saláh. The Governor sent to Tihrán for reinforcements and the town Zanján was split into two camps. [BW18:381]
   • See BBD245 and GPB45 for the story of Zaynab, the Bábí woman who dressed as a man and defended the barricades.
   • Zaynab and the Women of Zanjan.
   • The first episode of a podcast about Zaynab.
4. 1852-08-16 —
   The martyrdom of Táhirih (Qurratu'l-'Ayn) in Tihrán. [BBR172–3; BBRSM:30; BW18:382; BKG87; MF203]
   • She was martyred in the Ílkhání garden, strangled with her own silk handkerchief which she had provided for the purpose. Her body was lowered into a well which was then filled with stones. [BBD220; DB622–8; GPB75]
   • See GPB73–5 for a history of her life.
   • See the story of her martyrdom and her life in the article in Radio France International.
   • 'Abdu'l-Bahá is reported to have said:
     She went to that garden with consummate dignity and composure. Everyone said that they were going to kill her, but she continued to cry out just as she had before, declaring, "I am that trumpet-call mentioned in the Gospel!" It was in this state that she was martyred in that garden and cast into a well. [Talk by Abdu'l-Baha Given in Budapest to the Turanian Society on 14 April 1913 (Provisional)
     iiiii
5. 1901-05-29 — The Bahá'í women of Chicago elected their own Board and held the first business meeting of the `Women's Auxiliary Board' or "Women's Teaching Assembly". [BFA2:XV, 49–50; SYH64-65]
6. 1909-01-00 — Isabella Brittingham organized 12 Bahá'í women into a `Unity Band' to write monthly to the 12 Bahá'í women's clubs formed in Iran. [BFA2:294]
7. 1909-11-25 —
   Dr Susan Moody, a famed American homeopathist, arrived in Tihrán. She and four Persian Bahá'í doctors started the Sehat Hospital. Because the hospital was only accessible to the wealthy she established a private practice that was open to all women regardless of their ability to pay. [BFA2:359-360]
   • She spent two days in 'Akká en route to Persia and 'Abdu'l-Bahá conferred upon her the title Amatu'l-'Alí (Handmaid of the Most High). [BFA2:358]
   • Dr Sarah A. Clock arrived from Seattle in 1911 to assist her followed by Miss Elizabeth Stewart (nurse). [BFA2:361]
   • In 1925-1926, after the murder of Robert Imbrie, she travelled the United States from the east to the west coast, raising awareness of the needs of the work in Iran.
   • Dr Sarah Clock sailed from New York for Iran on 8 December 1910. She served the Bahá'í community of Iran with great sacrifice for years. While her main task was treatment of the sick, she never ceased educating the youth. She was an energetic tolerant and contented woman. Very often needy people were not only exempted from paying her meagre honoraria, but also received medicaments for free. She was highly respected by the Bahá'í community and non-Bahá'í alike. Finally after twelve years of devoted service, she died of pneumonia in Tehran. [OLOMp43-44]
8. 1909-11-26 —
   Within a year of her arrival in Persia, Dr. Susan Moody opened the Tarbíyat School for Girls in Tihrán. [BBD221–2; BFA2:360–1]

   Some of those serving at the school were: Susan Moody, Sydney Sprague, Lillian Kappas, Sarah Clock and Elizabeth Stewart. [GPB261]

   • Miss Lillian Kappes of Hoboken, New Jersey arrived in December of 1911 to serve as a teacher. She stopped in Thonon to visit 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the way. [SoW Vol 2 No 17 Jan 19. 1912 p2] She died on the 1st of December, 1920 of typhus and was buried there.
   • She was replaced by Genevieve Coy, a qualified psychologist, a Ph.D. in 1922 who was followed by Adelaide Sharp in 1929. Her mother, Clara Sharp joined her in 1931. [BFA2p361, AY233]
   • Elizabeth Stewart who served as a nurse at the school accompanied Lillian Kappes on her arrival. Miss Stewart served until 1924 when she returned to Philadelphia where she died in 1926. [ABF43]
   • Munírih Khánum Ayádí, the mother of Dr Karím Ayádí (later famed as the Shah's much-trusted doctor) was Persia's first official Director of the Tarbíyat School for Girls. She was widely recognized as exceptional, at a time when Persia's Bahá'í women were only gradually emerging from their earlier state under Islam. Much respected by the men, her attitude toward them was one of total equality. Her greatness was in herself, her devotion to the Faith absolute, and she was made a member of such advanced committees as the Bahá'í Women's Committee. Her views were moderated by her sense of humour, which included self-deprecation so that she never subjected you to her piety. One day during the Bahá'í Fast, she asked Marzieh Gall: 'Do you think God would notice if I ducked into that room and sneaked a few puffs of tobacco?' [AY333]
   • She was appointed as a government school inspector in Tehran. See Senn McGlinn's provisional translation of 'Abdu’l-Baha’s letter to Munireh Ayadi, School Inspector.
9. 1912-08-11 — While ‘Abdu’l-Baha was in New York, He sent word to the Baha’is of Chicago that the House of Spirituality should be reorganized and a new election held. He chose Howard MacNutt, to travel to Chicago as His personal representative. MacNutt was instructed to hold a new election for a “Spiritual Meeting” of the Bahá'ís of Chicago. For the first time, women were eligible for election to this body..

   MacNutt arrived in Chicago on August 8th. At ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s instructions, a feast was held on August 10, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Lesch, where the entire Chicago Bahá'í community was invited to be the guests of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. MacNutt delivered to the community ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s message of unity and love. The election was held the following day the 11th of August.

   On Sunday evening, the 1rth of August, the Chicago Assembly selected a "Spiritual Meeling'' of nine, composed of men and women. whose service-according to the wish of Abdul-Ilahá -is, first, to propagate the teachings of the Revelation, and, second, to attend to other matters necessary lo the welfare of the assembly. [SoW Vol 3 No 9 20 August 1912 p16]

10. 1913-08-28 — 'Abdu'l-Bahá revealed a tablet to an unnamed woman saying that only two things were not open to women, front-line military duties and service on the Universal House of Justice. He promised equality to men and "as regards tenderness of heart and abundance of mercy and sympathy" superiority. [PT182-184]
11. 1917-00-00 —
    The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqíy-i-Abharí (Ibn-i-Abhar). He was born in 1853/4 in Abhar.
    • For four years he suffered in Síyáh-Chál wearing the very same chains as Bahá'u'lláh had worn in 1852.
    • On being informed that the friends in Tihrán had arranged to observe the commandment of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Bahá'u'lláh revealed, in one of His Tablets to Ibn-i-Asdaq (later named as a Hand of the Cause), the following well known Words:
      Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified. -Bahá'u'lláh
      [ROB4:316; Some Bahai Sacred Spaces for Community, Slide presentation by the UK Community, Slide #74]
    • His services during the time of the Master included teaching journeys through Persia, the Caucasus and India. He also made some eleven journeys to the Holy Land with the permission of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
    • A special service rendered by Ibn-i-Abhar was the promotion of the education of women. He and his wife played an important part in the advancement of women in Persian society.
    • In 1886 Bahá'u'lláh appointed him a Hand of the Cause. He died in 1917. [LoF13-16, BBD114, EB268; Bahaipedia]
    • Shoghi Effendi designated him as an Apostle of Bahá'u'lláh. [LoF12]
    • Also see Bahá'í Chronicles.
12. 1930-00-00 — In Iran " [i]n the early years of the 1930s Bahá'í women joined the movement of discarding the veil and gradually abandoned the traditional veiling practice. This development opened new fields of service for women and made possible their fuller participation in the social and administrative activities of the communities." [BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]
13. 1936-00-02 — The first woman was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of India, Shirin Fozdar.
14. 1944-00-00 — In Iran a Central Women's Progress Committee was formed to organize women's activities throughout the country. Some of the fundamental tasks accomplished by this committee and its supportive bodies in various localities included holding the first convention of Anjoman-e Tarraqī-e Neswān (Society for the Advancement of Women) in 1947 in Tehran following which local and regional conferences, educational gatherings, and regular classes for illiterate women were conducted. As a result of continued effort and educational training, particularly during the Four Year Plan (1946-1950) the Bahá'í Persian women were enabled to acquire sufficient self-confidence and social recognition to fill elective and appointive offices in the community. [BW11p563; BW12p65; BAHAISM v. The Bahai Community in Iran by V. Rafati]
15. 1946-10-11 —
    The Bahá'ís of Iran launched a Forty-five Month Plan, the Persian 45 Month Plan ( 11 October 1946 to 9 July 1950, The Centenary of the Martyrdom of the Báb). Every province had specific assignments. [BBRSM158; CB316] The objectives of the plan included;

    1. Consolidation of all local Bahá'í communities.

    2. Reestablishment of 62 dissolved Assemblies. (93 LSAs formed)

    3. Formation of 22 groups. (37 established)

    4. Creation of 13 new centres. (24 localities established)

    5. Development of Assemblies from groups in three adjoining countries, namely in Kabul, Afghanistan, Mecca, Arabia and Bahrein Island, Persian Gulf.

    6. The formation of groups in four localities on the Arabian Peninsula.

    7. The sending pioneers to India and 'Iráq to assist in the formation of new groups.

    The Bahá'ís of Tehran were called upon to send out 50 families into the pioneer field. (160 arose) Every individual Bahá'í was included in the operation of the Plan-as a volunteer, by deputizing a pioneer, by contributing funds, by circuit teaching or by providing hospitality to students whose parents had become pioneers. [BW4p34-35; BW11p34-36]

    • Concurrent with the Forty-Five Month Plan the Bahá'ís of Iran made a concerted effort to remove Bahá'í women from the traditional shackles of a lack of education and an inability to participate in public affairs. Women's conferences were held, educational opportunities were created, equality of opportunity, right and privilege was declared to be an essential. [BW11p36].
16. 1951-00-07 —
    Bahá'í women in Egypt were extended the right of membership on local spiritual assemblies. [MBW12]
    • Shoghi Effendi called this 'a notable step in the progress of Bahá'í women of the Middle East'. [MBW12]
17. 1954-04-00 —
    Bahá'í women in Iran were accorded full rights to participate in membership of both national and local Bahá'í assemblies. [MBW65]
    • This removed the 'last remaining obstacle to the enjoyment of complete equality of rights in the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Persian Bahá'í Community'. [MBW65]
18. 1954-04-21 — Adelaide Sharp, who had been in Iran since 1929, was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran, the first woman elected to that body. [BFA2:361]
19. 1956-04-00 — Shoghi Effendi announced the extension to Egyptian Bahá'í women of the right to be elected to the National Spiritual Assembly and to participate in the national convention. [MBW96–7]
20. 1975-02-01 — The first Bahá'í Women's Conference of the Solomon Islands took place at Auki, Malaita Island, attended by more than 90 women. [BW16:282]
21. 1977-03-24 —
    In a cabled message, the Universal House of Justice called upon Bahá'í women around the world to arise and play an active role in the service of the Faith. [BW17:202]
    • For the report of the response to this call see BW17:202–14.
22. 1977-10-13 —
    The Asian Bahá'í Women's Conference was held in New Delhi, attended by more than a thousand women from across Asia. 1,200 women from 36 countries were in attendance. [BW17:180]
    • For picture see BW17:212.
23. 1977-12-02 —
    The first International Conference of Bahá'í Women in South America was held in Lima, Peru, attended by 200 women from 12 countries. [BW17:172]
    • For picture see BW17:211.
24. 1978-01-15 — The first National Bahá'í Women's Conference of Niger took place.
25. 1978-12-28 —
    The West African Bahá'í Women's Conference was held in Monrovia, Liberia with the theme, "Spiritual Education of Women-The Foundation of a New Human Society". [BW17:154]
    • Delegates from sixteen countries attended. It was attended by 150 women and 50 men. Keynote speaker was Dr. Jane Faily, Consultant to the Bahá'í International Community's representative to the United Nations and a clinical psychologist associated with the University of Ottawa. [BN 136 April, 1979 pg10-15]
26. 1983-02-24 — The inauguration of the Bahá'í Vocational Institute for Rural Women at Indore, India. It offered rural women residential courses on literacy, health care and income generating skills. The success of this school was recognized when it won one of the Global 500 Environmental Action awards that was presented at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 [The Baha'is magazine].
27. 1985-03-21 — "The equality of men and women is not, at the present time, universally applied. In those areas where traditional inequality still hampers its progress we must take the lead in practicing this Bahá’í principle. Bahá’í women and girls must be encouraged to take part in the social, spiritual and administrative activities of their communities." [Ridván 1984]

    This chart from the Department of Statistics at the Bahá'í World Centre shows the participation of women in Bahá'í institutions, the Continental Board of Councillors, the Auxiliary Board and National Spiritual Assemblies from 1953 to 1985.

28. 1985-07-15 —
    Ten representatives of the Bahá'í International Community attended the third World Conference on Women to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women and Forum '85 in Nairobi. [BW19:147–8, 412; VV28–9]
    • For a report of the Bahá'í participation see BW19:4.12–15.
    • For pictures see BW19:413, 415.
    • See UN Women.
29. 1986-01-01 —
    The publication of the compilation entitled "Women" by the Universal House of Justice. [Messages63-86p704, Compilation of CompilationsVol 2 p355]
    • Also see a message to an individual from the Universal House of Justice entitled "Women - Their Role in Society and the Establishment of Peace; Membership on the Universal House of Justice". [Messages63-86p707-709]
30. 1988-00-00 — The Bahá'í International Community became a founding member of 'Advocates for African Food Security: Lessening the Burden for Women, a coalition of agencies and organizations formed to act on behalf of farm women in Africa, and is convener for 1988–92.
31. 1988-03-08 — Shirin Fozdar, ardent champion of women's rights and influential women's leader, was honoured for her work for equality and women's advancement at a ceremony organized by the Singapore Council of Women, which she founded in 1952. [BINS176:7]
32. 1988-05-31 — The Universal House of Justice wrote to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand to comment on a paper titled The Service of Women on the Institutions of the Baha'i Faith presented at the New Zealand Bahai Studies Association Conference in Christchurch earlier that month.

    The paper raised the possibility that the ineligibility of women for membership on the Universal House of Justice may be a temporary provision subject to change through a process of progressive unfoldment of the divine purpose. [31 May 1988]

33. 1988-07-15 — The first International Women's Conference of Paraguay opened, attended by 130 women from seven countries. [BINS180:5]
34. 1989-03-23 — The First National Women's Conference of Spain was held in Madrid. [BINS201:6]
35. 1989-10-21 — The Southern African Bahá'í Association for the Advancement of Women was formed in Johannesburg. [BINS210:8]
36. 1990-04-21 — Maureen Nakekea and Marao Teem were elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of Kiribati, the first indigenous women to be elected to the institution. [BINS224:7]
37. 1992-06-05 —
    The Bahá'í Vocational Institute for Rural Women, a non-profit education project based in Indore, India, was one of 74 individuals and institutions presented with the United Nations Environment Programme 'Global 500' award in Rio de Janeiro. [BINS272:5; BW92–3:125; VV110]
    • For picture see BW92–3:183.
38. 1992-12-00 —
    The Universal House of Justice announced its decision to establish an Office for the Advancement of Women at the headquarters of the Bahá'í International Community in New York. Support for UN efforts to improve the status of women, which had been carried out for twenty years by the United Nations Office, continued uninterrupted under the auspices of this new office. At annual sessions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, statements addressed appropriate topics on the agenda, such as partnership between women and men, the status of girl children, the participation of women in decision making, partnership for development, and the human rights of women. [VV29; 54; BIC Document #: 95-0228; BW92–3:136]
    • The Office for the Advancement of Women officially opened its doors on the 26th of May, 1993. [BINS296:2; BW93–4:83–9; VV29] For pictures see BW93–4:83, 86.
39. 1995-08-30 —
    Some 400-500 Bahá'í women and men from more than 50 countries around the world participated in the NGO Forum on Women at the Fourth United Nations International Conference on Women held in the resort city of Huairou some 50 kilometers north of Beijing.
    • See One Country Vol 7 Issue 2 for profiles of some of the attendees.
    • Bahá'í perspectives on equality were also shared with both Conference and Forum participants through distribution of The Greatness Which Might Be Theirs , a collection of Bahá'í International Community statements and essays by Bahá'ís reflecting on the Agenda and Platform for Action. The booklet's title is drawn from the words of `Abdu'l-Bahá: "As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibility, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs."
      • Introduction: Religion as an Agent for Promoting the Advancement of Women at all Levels.
      • Education: Educating Girls: An Investment in the Future.
      • Health: Primary Health Care and the Empowerment of Women.
      • Violence: Ending Violence Against Women.
      • Economic Structures: Women in the Informal Sector in Malaysia.
      • Power Sharing Bahá'í Law and Principle: Creating Legal and Institutional Structures for Gender Equality.
      • Mechanisms for Advancement: UNIFEM/Bahá'í Project Raises Community Awareness.
      • Human Rights: Protection of Women's Rights.
      • Girl Child: The Girl Child: A Critical Concern.
      • Appendix: The Status of Women in the Bahá'í Community.
    • See Towards the Goal of Full Partnership: One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Advancement of Women by Ann Boyles written in anticipation of the conference. It is a survey of the Bahá'í community's efforts to understand and practice the principle of equality between men and women. [BW93-94p237-275]
40. 1995-09-04 —
    Fourth World Conference on Women was held at the Beijing International Conference Centre. It was one of the largest international meetings ever convened under United Nations auspices, some 17,000 people were registered including 5,000 delegates from 189 states and the European Union, 4,000 NGO representatives, and more than 3,200 members of the media. [BW95-96p151-158]
    • See Equality, Development, and Peace: Baha'is and the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and NGO Forum. [BW95-96p145-158]
    • The conference was called by the United Nations to review progress made toward implementation of the "Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women" adopted at the Third World Conference in Nairobi in 1985.
    • Seven Bahá'í delegations were accredited to the conference: the Bahá'í International Community, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, the Bahá'í community of the Netherlands, the Bahá'í community of Canada, l' Association Bahá'íe de Femmes (France), l' Association médicale Bahá'íe (France), and the National Bahá'í Office for the Advancement of Women (Nigeria).
    • By the end of the conference it was determined that much remains to be done, and a Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted aimed at launching a global campaign to bring women into full and equal participation in all spheres of public and private life worldwide. The Platform addressed twelve critical areas of concern: poverty, education, health, violence, armed conflict, economic structures, power sharing and decision-making, mechanisms to promote the advancement of women, human rights, the media, the environment, and the girl child.
    • The Greatness Which Might Be Theirs: Protection of Women's Rights
    • The BIC distributed the statement The Role of Religion in Promoting the Advancement of Women. The Bahá'í International Community and and the parallel Non-Governmental Organization Forum,
    • In year 2000, the follow-up documant for the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action entitled Beijing +5 Political Declaration and Outcome which reviewed progress towards the Platform for Action five years after its adoption.
    • See UN Women.
41. 1996-03-23 — The first National Women's Seminar of Bulgaria was held in Sofia, organized by the European Task Force for Women. [BINS365:8]
42. 1997-00-00 —
    The Tahirih Justice Center was founded to address the acute need for legal services of immigrant and refugee women who have fled to the U.S. to seek protection from human rights abuses.
    • The Center's founder, Ms. Layli Miller, created the Center after she was besieged by requests for legal assistance following her involvement in a high-profile case that set national precedent and revolutionized asylum law in the United States. The case was that of Fauziya Kassindja, a 17 year-old woman who fled Togo in fear of a forced polygamous marriage and a tribal practice known as female genital mutilation. After arriving in the U.S. and spending more than seventeen months in detention, Ms. Kassindja was granted asylum on June 13th, 1996 by the United States Board of Immigration Appeals in a decision that opened the door to gender-based persecution as a grounds for asylum. [Tahirih Justice Center]
    • For more on the Tahirih Justice Center see article in the Religion News Service.
43. 1998-03-02 — During the 42nd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March, the Bahá'í International Community presented its statement Empowering the Girl Child, which supported the girl child as a critical area of concern. [UN Women]
44. 2000-10-31 —
    The United Nations Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. It was the first United Nations Security Council resolution to specifically mention the impact of conflict on women.

    The Resolution formally acknowledged the changing nature of warfare, in which civilians are increasingly targeted, and women continue to be excluded from participation in peace processes. It specifically addressed how women and girls are disproportionally impacted by violent conflict and war and recognized the critical role that women can and were playing in peacebuilding efforts. UNSCR 1325 affirmed that peace and security efforts are more sustainable when women are equal partners in the prevention of violent conflict, the delivery of relief and recovery efforts and in the forging of lasting peace.

    • The four pillars of the resolution were Participation, Prevention, Protection, Relief & Recovery.
    • It was the first formal and legal document from the Security Council that required parties in a conflict to prevent violations of women's rights, to support women's participation in peace negotiations and in post-conflict reconstruction, and to protect women and girls from wartime sexual violence. Specifically, the key provisions called for:
      • Increase of representation and participation of women in decision-making at all levels.
      • Specific attention to gender-based violence in conflict situations.
      • Gender perspective in post-conflict processes.
      • Gender perspective in UN programming, reporting and in Security Council missions.
      • Gender perspective & training in UN peace support operations. [Wikipedia]
    • See Background Paper by Françoise Nduwimana.
45. 2003-03-11 —
    Bani Dugal Gujral was appointed Principal Representative of the Bahá'í International Community to the United Nations.
    • Ms. Dugal Gujral had been serving as interim Principal Representative since the resignation of Techeste Ahderom in 2001.
    • Ms. Dugal Gujral came to the Bahá'í International Community in 1994 and served as Director of the Community's Office for the Advancement of Women. A native of India, where she practiced law before coming to the United States, Ms. Dugal Gujral holds a Master's degree in Environmental Law from Pace University School of Law in New York. [One Country Vol.14 Issue4]
46. 2003-12-16 —
    Shirin Ebadi, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the first Muslim woman to win the coveted distinction.
    • For a long time she has fought for the rights of women and children in Iran and it is most fitting that she, a woman lawyer who dared to speak out against the sexist Iranian regime, be praised and recognised by the world.
    • She was an author and also the founder of the Association for Support of Children's Rights in Iran. [Nobel Peace Prize 2003]
    • In 2002 she founded the Defender of Human Rights Center and in 2009 she was forced to flee into exile after briefly serving as legal counsel for the imprisoned Yaran. Mrs. Ebadi was threatened, intimidated, and vilified in the news media after taking on their case and was not given access to their case files. [BWNS694]
47. 2004-02-11 —
    A member of the British Bahá'í community, Lois Hainsworth, received the award of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at Buckingham Palace.
    • The announcement of the award for services to three organizations that promote the rights of women was made in the United Kingdom's New Year's Honours List. The citation refers to Mrs. Hainsworth's services to the Women's National Commission, the Bahá'í Office for the Advancement of Women, and UNIFEM UK. [BWNS273]
48. 2006-02-27 —
    The 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women was held at the UN Headquarters in New York. [UN Women]
    • The Bahá'í International Community presented Beyond Legal Reforms: Culture and Capacity in the Eradication of Violence Against Women and Girls.
49. 2008-02-25 —
    The 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York. [UN Women]
    • The Bahá'í International Community presented Mobilizing Institutional, Legal and Cultural Resources to Achieve Gender Equality.
    • Baha'i International Community Representative, Ms. Bani Dugal was elected to serve as the President of the NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief in New York. During the 52nd Commission on Status of Women. [BIC History 2008]
50. 2012-11-15 —
    In contribution to the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women the Bahá'í International Community issued a statement entitled Towards the Eradication of Violence Against Women and Girls.
    • PDF..
51. 2018-03-12 — The Bahá'í International Community in New York released the statement "Beyond Mere Economics: A Moral Inquiry into the Roots of Empowerment" to the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (12 to 23 March 2018). [BWNS1243]
52. 2018-04-15 —
    The design for the local Bahá'í House of Worship was unveiled at a gathering in Matunda Soy, Kenya attended by about 1,000 people. The temple will accommodate about 250 people and the design incorporated the diamond-shaped pattern, a motif commonly found in Kenyan culture. It will be built of construction materials found locally; the roof will be made of local state and the walls from from stone quarried nearby. The Temple's architect, Neda Samimi, was the first female architect whose design for a Baha'i House of Worship was selected. [BWNS1251]
    • Concept Drawing.
53. 2020-06-29 —
    The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Papua New Guinea issued a statement through its External Affairs department entitled Forging a Path to Gender Equality in response to a series of tragic events and a situation that intensified during the pandemic. [BWNS1439]
    • Statement on the External Affairs website.
54. 2020-09-18 — The passing of Talat Bassari (b. 1923 Babol, Iran) in Los Angeles. She was an Iranian Bahá'í poet, feminist, academic, and writer with a doctorate in Persian language and literature. She was the first woman to be appointed as vice-chancellor of a university in Iran when she worked at the Jondishapur University in Ahvaz (1956–1979). In the aftermath of the Islamic revolution in Iran and because of her Bahá'í faith, she was dismissed from her university position and eventually migrated to the United States.

    In addition to her critiques on Persian literature she published a biography of Zandokht Shiraizi, a pioneer in the feminist movement in Iran. She resided in New Jersey where she worked on the editorial board of the New Jersey-based magazine, Persian Heritage. Bassari also assisted in books on the life of Táhirih and contributed with Persian to English translations in academia. [Wikipedia]

55. 2021-08-31 — A four-day gathering, attended by some 2,000 participants was held in Baraka, DRC in honour of the forthcoming centenary of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's passing. Attendees included officials, a traditional chief of the region, religious leaders, and people of diverse faiths. The conference explored the insights about the advancement of women gained through decades-long efforts of the Bahá'ís of the region aimed at social progress, and planned for an intensification of such activities of social action. [BWNS1529]
56. 2025-01-22 — Iranian security forces arrested eleven Bahá'í women without arrest warrants or prior notification in a series of shocking home raids. Security agents reportedly scaled walls, coerced neighbors, and posed as utility workers to force entry into the women’s homes, subjecting them to distressing and invasive searches. Neighbors were intimidated into silence and children in the homes were left traumatized by the operation. Several of these women were mothers of young children and infants or were caregivers to aging parents, seemingly a preferred demographic for victims of this sort of persecution.

    The incident came just two days before Iran’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, where the country’s systematic persecution of the Bahá'ís is expected to be scrutinized. [BIC News 22 January 2025]

1. 1983-11-21 —
   A brief entitled The Future of Canada: A Bahá'í Perspective was presented to The Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects of Canada on behalf of the Canadian Bahá'í Community through the National Spiritual Assembly in Saskatoon. [The Future of Canada: A Bahá'í Perspective]
   • Photographs in this publication were contributed by Elizabeth Martin. [HNWE44]

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