National Spiritual Assemblies, Alphabetical List

From Bahai9

Contents 1 Explanatory information regarding the alphabetical lists 1.1 List I 1.2 List II 1.3 List III 1.4 List IV 1.5 List V 1.6 (TO-DO) 2 Sources 3 Notes on completeness/accuracy of information 4 Listing 4.1 I) Currently Functioning National or Regional Spiritual Assemblies (Dates of Operation) 4.2 II) National Spiritual Assemblies Not Currently Functioning (Dates of Operation) 4.3 III) National Spiritual Assemblies Absorbed into Another 4.4 IV) Independent Countries without National Spiritual Assemblies 4.5 V) Special Case

Explanatory information regarding the alphabetical lists

List I

List I shows all countries with functioning National or Regional Spiritual Assemblies as of Ridván, 2004. This list only shows the current name of each National Assembly, and does not detail a history of name changes or jurisdictional adjustments.

For example, in 1951 the Regional Spiritual Assembly of Central America, Mexico, and the Antilles was formed with its seat in Panama City. In 1957, this RSA was subdivided into two RSAs, one for Mexico and Central America (with its seat in Panama), and the other for the Greater Antilles (with its seat in Haiti). In 1961, these two RSAs were further subdivided into individual National Spiritual Assemblies for the following 11 countries: Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.

Because of the difficulty of tracking all of these changes in name and jurisdiction in a simple list, the names and dates of operation shown in List I refer only to the first NSA or RSA having its seat within the specified country. Therefore, for the example above, List I will show: Panama (1951-present), Haiti (1957-present), and the remaining nine countries as (1961-present).

List II

List II shows all countries that have had functioning National Spiritual Assemblies in the past. These Assemblies are no longer functioning due to restrictions placed on Bahá’í activities by their respective governments, or occasionally due to severe civil strife, warfare, or genocide.

List III

List III shows countries that are no longer independent, having been annexed by another country, but which had functioning National Spiritual Assemblies prior to their annexation.

List IV

List IV shows all independent countries that have never had their own National Spiritual Assembly. This may be due to governmental restriction/persecution, civil war, dangerous or difficult conditions, or simply a lack of sufficient numbers of Bahá’ís to justify a National Assembly.

List V

List V is a special case, further described below:

(TO-DO)

Include quotation here on situation of Bahá’ís in the Holy Land.)

Sources

Information for these lists has been researched and compiled from the following sources:

• God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi
• Messages to the Bahá’í World 1950-57, Shoghi Effendi
• Ministry of the Custodians, An Account of the Stewardship of the Hands of the Cause 1957-63, Universal House of Justice
• Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-86, Universal House of Justice
• The Bahá’í World, Volumes XIII-XX (covering the years 1954-92), Bahá’í World Centre
• Ridván Letters (1964-2004), Universal House of Justice
• The Bahá’ís (magazine), Bahá’í International Community

Notes on completeness/accuracy of information

Some information regarding sensitive countries, especially in the Middle East, South East Asia, and parts of Africa, is incomplete or incorrect. The House of Justice has written, in a letter to an individual believer dated 4 May 2003, with regard to a request for information about National Assembly formation in sensitive countries that “it would be best...not to pursue this undertaking any further.…” Therefore, information in the lists below is taken only from the sources shown above, all of which have been approved and published by the Bahá’í World Centre. More detailed or accurate information regarding sensitive countries should not be included in these lists until such time as the House of Justice indicates it to be safe and appropriate. Corrections or additions regarding non-sensitive countries are welcome at any time.

Listing

I) Currently Functioning National or Regional Spiritual Assemblies (Dates of Operation)

• Alaska (1957-present)
• Albania (1992-present)
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1984-present)
• Angola (1992-present)
• Arabian Peninsula (1957-present)
• Argentina (1951-present)
• Armenia (1995-present)
• Australia (1934-present)
• Austria (1959-present)
• Azerbaijan (1925-38, 1992-present)
• Bahamas (1978-present)
• Bahrain (1967-present)
• Bangladesh (1972-present)
• Barbados (1972-present)
• Belarus (1995-present)
• Belgium (1957-present)
• Belize (1967-present)
• Benin (1970-present)
• Bermuda (1981-present)
• Bolivia (1961-present)
• Botswana (1970-present)
• Brazil (1961-present)
• Bulgaria (1992-present)
• Burkina Faso (1977-present)
• Burma (1959-present)
• Cambodia (1994-present)
• Cameroon (1964-present)
• Canada (1948-present)
• Canary Islands (1984-present)
• Cape Verde Islands (1984-present)
• Central African Republic (1970-present)
• Chad (1971-present)
• Chile (1961-present)
• Colombia (1961-present)
• Congo, Republic of (1971-79, 1992-present)
• Congo, Democratic Republic of (1970-81, 1988-present)
• Cook Islands (1985-present)
• Costa Rica (1961-present)
• Cuba (1961-present)
• Cyprus (1978-present)
• Czech Republic (1991-present)
• Denmark (1962-present)
• Dominica (1983-present)
• Dominican Republic (1961-present)
• Eastern Caroline Islands (1972-present)
• East Leeward Islands (1981-present)
• Ecuador (1961-present)
• El Salvador (1961-present)
• Equatorial Guinea (1973-76, 1984-present)
• Eritrea (1995-present)
• Estonia (1992-present)
• Ethiopia (1961-present)
• Fiji (1959-present)
• Finland (1962-present)
• France (1958-present)
• French Guiana (1984-present)
• Gabon (1984-present)
• Gambia (1970-present)
• Georgia (1995-present)
• Germany (1923-37, 1947-present)
• Ghana (1970-present)
• Greece (1977-present)
• Greenland (1992-present)
• Grenada (1984-present)
• Guadeloupe (1977-present)
• Guatemala (1961-present)
• Guinea-Bissau (1989-present)
• Guyana (1970-present)
• Haiti (1957-present)
• Hawaiian Islands (1964-present)
• Honduras (1961-present)
• Hong Kong (1974-present)
• Hungary (1992-present)
• Iceland (1972-present)
• India (1923-present)
• Indonesia (1964-??, 2000-present)
• Iraq (1931-72, 2004-present)
• Ireland (1972-present)
• Italy (1953-present)
• Ivory Coast and Guinea (1971-present)
• Jamaica (1961-present)
• Japan (1957-present)
• Jordan (1977-present)
• Kazakhstan (1994-present)
• Kenya (1964-present)
• Kiribati (1967-present)
• Korea (1964-present)
• Kuwait (1972-present)
• Kyrgyzstan (1994-present)
• Laos (1967-present)
• Latvia (1999-present)
• Lebanon (1970-present)
• Lesotho (1971-present)
• Liberia (1964-91, 1998-present)
• Lithuania (1999-present)
• Luxembourg (1962-present)
• Macau (1989-present)
• Madagascar (1972-present)
• Malawi (1970-present)
• Malaysia (1964-present)
• Mali (1985-present)
• Mariana Islands (1978-present)
• Marshall Islands (1977-present)
• Martinique (1984-present)
• Mauritania (1978-present)
• Mauritius (1964-present)
• Mexico (1961-present)
• Moldova (1996-present)
• Mongolia (1994-present)
• Morocco (1967?-present)
• Mozambique (1985-present)
• Namibia (1981-present)
• Nepal (1972-76, 1982-present)
• Netherlands (1962-present)
• New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands (1971-present)
• New Zealand (1957-present)
• Nicaragua (1961-present)
• Niger (1975-79, 1992-present)
• Nigeria (1967-present)
• Norway (1962-present)
• Oman (1978-present)
• Pakistan (1957-present)
• Panama (1951-present)
• Papua New Guinea (1969-present)
• Paraguay (1961-present)
• Peru (1957-present)
• Philippines (1964-present)
• Poland (1992-present)
• Portugal (1962-present)
• Puerto Rico (1972-present)
• Qatar (1978-present)
• Réunion (1972-present)
• Romania (1991-present)
• Russia (1991-present)
• Rwanda (1972-96, 1997-present)
• Sabah (1998-present)
• St. Lucia (1983-present)
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines (1981-present)
• Samoa (1970-present)
• São Tomé and Príncipe (1996-present)
• Sarawak (1998-present)
• Senegal (1975-present)
• Seychelles (1972-present)
• Sicily (1995-present)
• Sierra Leone (1975-present)
• Singapore (1972-present)
• Slovakia (1998-present)
• Slovenia and Croatia (1994-present)
• Solomon Islands (1964-present)
• South Africa (1956-present)
• Spain (1957-present)
• Sri Lanka (1962-present)
• Sudan (1971-present)
• Suriname (1977-present)
• Swaziland (1967-present)
• Sweden (1957-present)
• Switzerland (1962-present)
• Taiwan (1967-present)
• Tajikistan (1994-present)
• Tanzania (1964-present)
• Thailand (1964-present)
• Togo (1975-present)
• Tonga (1970-present)
• Trinidad and Tobago (1971-present)
• Tunisia (1956-??, 1974-present)
• Turkey (1959-present)
• Turkmenistan (1925-38, 1992-present)
• Tuvalu (1981-present)
• Uganda (1956-79, 1981-present)
• Ukraine (1992-present)
• United Arab Emirates (1974?-present)
• United Kingdom (1923-present)
• United States of America (1925-present)
• Uruguay (1961-present)
• Uzbekistan (1994-present)
• Vanuatu (1977-present)
• Virgin Islands (1967-present)
• Venezuela (1961-present)
• Western Caroline Islands (1985-present)
• West Leeward Islands (1991-present)
• Yemen (1984-present)
• Zambia (1967-present)
• Zimbabwe (1964-present)

II) National Spiritual Assemblies Not Currently Functioning (Dates of Operation)

• Afghanistan (1972-79)
• Algeria (1967-69)
• Brunei (1966-??)
• Burundi (1969-74, 1978-95)
• Egypt (1924-60)
• Iran (1934-83)
• Vietnam (1957-78)

III) National Spiritual Assemblies Absorbed into Another

• Bophuthatswana (1981-95, absorbed into South Africa)
• Ciskei (1985-95, absorbed into South Africa)
• Sikkim (1967-92, absorbed into India)
• Transkei (1980-95, absorbed into South Africa)

IV) Independent Countries without National Spiritual Assemblies

• Andorra
• Bhutan
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• China, People’s Republic of
• Comoros
• Djibouti
• Korea, North
• Libya
• Liechtenstein
• Macedonia
• Maldives
• Malta
• Monaco
• Nauru
• San Marino
• Serbia and Montenegro
• Somalia
• Syria
• Timor
• Vatican City
• Western Sahara

V) Special Case

• Holy Land (Israel and Palestine)