1953

Centuries:	19th century 20th century 21st century
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
Years:	1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956
Categories:	Births - Deaths - Declarations Establishments - Publications
Media:	1953 (Events)

1953 was a common year of the Gregorian calendar, the 1953rd year of the Common Era (CE), the 53rd year of the 20th century, and the 4th year of the 1950s decade. 1953 corresponds to the years 109–110 of the Bahá'í Era (BE) according to the Badi calendar.

Map of the goals of the Ten Year Crusade, launched in 1953 by Shoghi Effendi.

Divine Plan

• Shoghi Effendi launches the world-embracing Ten Year Crusade, involving the Spiritual Assemblies of Australia and New Zealand, British Isles, Canada, Central America, Egypt and Sudan, India, Pakistan and Burma, Iraq, Italy and Switzerland, Persia, South America, Germany and Austria, and the United States of America.

Events

• Dhikru'llah Khadem, Hand of the Cause of God travels to West Malaysia.
• June: The National Spiritual Assembly of the United States disbands its Regional Teaching Committees, instead opting to have Area Teaching Committees work directly with the National Teaching Committee.

Firsts

• First Bahá’í wedding in South East Asia takes place in Sarawak.
• December 19: Yankee Leong accepts the Faith and becomes the first believer in Malaysia.
• Bahá’í literature is translated into Chinese and Iban in Sarawak for the first time.
• First Local Spiritual Assembly of Malaysia is elected in Kuching.

Conferences

• February 12 - 18: First Bahá’í Intercontinental Teaching Conference, Kampala, Uganda, Africa.
• May 3 - 6: All-American Bahá’í Intercontinental Teaching Conference, Chicago.
• July 21 - 26: Third Bahá’í Intercontinental Teaching Conference, Stockholm, Sweden.
• October 7 - 15: Fourth Bahá’í Intercontinental Teaching Conference, New Delhi, India.

Establishments

Hands of the Cause of God

Asia

• Jalál Kháḍih, appointed following the passing of Siegfried Schopflocher.

National Spiritual Assemblies

• Italy & Switzerland

Local Spiritual Assemblies

Africa

• Benghazi, Libya.

Americas

• Juan Fernandez, Chile.
• Chula Vista, California, USA.

Australasia

• Payneham, South Australia, Australia.
• Port Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
• Unley, South Australia, Australia.
• Wollongong, NSW, Australia.

Europe

• Goteborg, Sweden.

Committees

• Appointed by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States:
  • Western Hemisphere Teaching Committee.
  • European Teaching Committee.
  • Asia Teaching Committee.

Buildings

• House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.
• The superstructure of the Shrine of the Báb.

Deaths

• April 3: Florence Morton, served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada.
• July 27: Siegfried Schopflocher, Hand of the Cause.
• October 17: Albert P. Entzminger, served as a pioneer to Oklahoma City opening the US state of Oklahoma to the Faith.

Publications

Authoritative Writings and Guidance

• The Bahá'í Faith: Information Statistical and Comparative, 1844-1952 by Shoghi Effendi.

Compilations

• The Divine Art of Living compiled by Mabel Hyde Paine.

Other

• Temple of Light: Bahá'í Edifice on Chicago North Shore, One of the Lovely Wonders of the Architectural World by Charles Collins.
• 4th Inter-continental Baha'i Conference, New Delhi, India, October 7-15, 1953 by Dulcie Dive.
• A Life Plan by Peter Esslemont.
• Six Lessons on Islam by Marzieh Gail.
• God and His Messengers by David Hofman.
• The Spell of the Temple by Allen B. McDaniel.
• Mysticism, Science and Revelation by Glenn A. Shook.

References

• Manisegaran, A. (2003). Jewel Among Nations - An account of the early days of the Bahá’í Faith in West Malaysia. Malaysia: Splendour Publications. ISBN 983-51419-0-9. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
• Publications listed in Jan Jasion's George Ronald: A Bibliographic History, accessed online April 30, 2019.
• Publications of the U.S. Publishing Trust published in Baha'i News (1953). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. No 267, Pg(s) 11. View as PDF..