2009

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Years:	2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Categories:	Births - Deaths - Declarations Establishments - Publications
Media:	2009 (Events)

2009 was a common year of the Gregorian calendar, the 2009th year of the Common Era (CE), the 9th year of the 21st century, and the 10th and last year of the 2000s decade. 2009 corresponds to the years 165–166 of the Bahá'í Era (BE) according to the Badi calendar.

Events

The House of Worship in Langenhain played a part in that village's 700th anniversary.

• March 19: The Bahá’í International Community launches a website offering information for visiting the Bahá’í shrines and gardens in Haifa and ‘Akká.
• May 29: The German village of Langenhain commemorates its 700th anniversary, including a choral devotional performance inside the Bahá’í House of Worship.
• December 5: New Zealand artist Robin White and Fijian tapa artists Leba Toki and Bale Jione, all Bahá’ís, unveil commissioned pieces for the 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT6) at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, Australia.

Egyptian identification card controversy

The Egyptian identification card controversy relates to the right of Bahá’ís and other minorities in Egypt to be explicitly identified on official government documents without identifying themselves as belonging to a particular religion.

• March 16: The Egyptian Supreme Administrative Court rejects an appeal challenging the right of Bahá’ís in Egypt to be explicitly identified on official documents.
• April 14: The Egyptian Ministry of Interior issues a decree specifying that individuals can now obtain government documents without identifying themselves as belonging to a particular religion.
• August 8: The first computerized identification cards are issued to Egyptian Bahá’ís showing a dash (—) where their religion would otherwise be shown.

Persecution of Bahá’ís in Iran

Main article: Persecution

• The association of Trade Unions in the city of Semnan passes a by-law stating that no Bahá’í should receive a business license. Soon after, a number of Bahá’í-owned businesses and shops throughout the city are subsequently sealed or shut down.
• January: A group of unidentified individuals enter Khavaran cemetery using bulldozers, and proceed to demolish an area of the known as the "graveyard of the infidels," the area where many of the people executed in the early years of Iran's Islamic Revolution were buried. At least 50 Bahá’ís were buried in this section, including eight members of the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran killed on December 27 1981, along with six members of the Local Spiritual Assembly of Tehran, killed on January 4 1982.
• January 14: At least six Bahá’ís are arrested in Iran, including Jinous Sobhani, who worked at the Organization for Defending Mine Victims and the Defenders of Human Rights Center, both of which are connected with Nobel prize winner Shirin Ebadi.
• October 14: In a 19-page report, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon expresses strong criticism of Iran's human rights record, voicing concern about the use of excessive force after the recent presidential election, the harassment of women's rights activists, the ongoing execution of juveniles, and the continued persecution of minorities, including Bahá’ís.

Imprisonment of the seven Bahá’í leaders

The seven Bahá’í leaders known as the Friends in Iran, imprisoned since 2008.

Main article: Friends in Iran

• June 24: Reports emerge that the Friends in Iran, the seven Bahá’í leaders held in Tehran's Evin Prison, will be sent to trial on July 11.
• July 13: Families of the Friends in Iran are told that their trial has been delayed. No new trial date is given.
• July 15: A writ of notification states that the trial of the Friends in Iran will take place on August 18.
• August 17: The trial of the Friends in Iran is postponed until October 18.
• October 18: The trial of the Friends in Iran, scheduled for this day, fails to take place; no new trial date is given.

Regional conferences

Over 3,200 people attended the regional conference in London.

Between January 3 and March 1, a series of regional conferences took place, marking the midway point of the Five Year Plan (2006–2011).

• January 3–4: London, United Kingdom; Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
• January 10–11: Toronto, Canada; Guadalajara, Mexico
• January 17–18: Lae, Papua New Guinea; Vancouver, Canada; Managua, Nicaragua
• January 24–25: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Sydney, Australia; Madrid, Spain
• January 31–February 1: Auckland, New Zealand; Battambang, Cambodia
• February 7–8: Frankfurt, Germany; Padua, Italy
• February 14–15: Istanbul, Turkey
• February 21–22: Baku, Azerbaijan; Accra, Ghana
• February 28–March 1:Kiev, Ukraine

Deaths

• October 2: Eloy Anello, Counsellor for the Americas.

Publications

Compilations

• Illumine My Family: Prayers and Meditations from the Bahá’í Faith published by Bahá’í Publishing.
• Illumine My World: Bahá’í Prayers and Meditations for Peace published by Bahá’í Publishing.
• Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being published by Bahá’í Publishing.
• Make Me a Brilliant Star: My First Prayer Book illustrated by Gita-Shekufeh.

Books

• The A to Z of the Bahá’í Faith by Hugh C. Adamson.
• A Journey Through the Hidden Words by Mahnaz Afshin.
• The Spiritual Heritage of the Human Race by Suheil Bushrui and Mehrdad Massoudi.
• Mind, Heart, & Spirit: Educators Speak by Heather Cardin.
• Coping with Shyness and Social Phobia by W. Ray Crozier and Lynn E. Alden.
• High Desert: A Journey of Survival and Hope by Kim Douglas.
• Forces of Our Time: The Dynamics of Light and Darkness by Hooper Dunbar.
• We Are With You at All Times by Catharino James Elijio.
• The Universe Within Us: A Guide to the Purpose of Life by Jane E. Harper.
• Understanding Death: The Most Important Event of Your Life by John S. Hatcher.
• Recollections: Sketches of Some Early Australian Bahá’ís compiled and edited by Merle Heggie.
• Bahá'í: Webster's Timeline History, 1910 - 2007 published by Icon Group International.
• Love Lift Me Higher: Meditations on Finding Happiness by Dorothy Marcic.
• Debunking the Myths: Conspiracy Theories on the Genesis and Mission of the Bahá'í Faith by Adib Masumian.
• Amazing Stories from the Dawn-Breakers by Jacqueline Mehrabi.
• Creative Dimensions in Suffering by Abdul Missagh Ghadirian.
• Hermann Grossmann: A Life for the Faith by Susanne Pfaff-Grossmann.
• Heritage of Light: The Spiritual Destiny of America by Janet Khan.
• The Eternal Soul edited by Corinne Randall.
• Life at First Sight: Finding the Divine in the Details by Phyllis Edgerly Ring.
• Bahá’í Ethics in the Light of Scripture, Volume 2: Virtues and Divine Commandments by Udo Schaefer, translated by Geraldine Schuckelt and Gerald Keil.
• Commonalities: A Positive Look at Latter-Day Saints from a Bahá’í Perspective by Serge Van Neck.

Albums

• The Flight by Gustaff Besungu, Pam Hill & Ali Youssefi.
• Gange by Shohreh Haghiri.
• Praise His Name by Walter Heath.
• 1000 Doors by Elden Kelly.
• Ahu-Ye Man by Koobang Ensemble.
• Birds of Love by Elika Mahony.
• Teaching Children by Mana.
• The Twin Manifestations by Mana.
• Smile by Russ Salton.
• Broken-Winged Bird by Mo Shref.
• Leather Bound Book by Shadi Toloui-Wallace.
• Yearning by Lilia Valitova.
• Tablet of Visitation by Gwendolyn Watson & James A. Williams.

Videos

• Arising to Serve: Glimpses from 41 Regional Conferences released by Bahá’í World Centre.

References

• GR publications listed in Jan Jasion's George Ronald: A Bibliographic History, accessed online April 30, 2019.
• 2009 Publications at BahaiBooks.com.au