Title: Proposal for New
Character Submitter: Adib
Behjat, Joop Kiefte Date: March
26, 2020
Additional references: This document replaces L2/17-237 (Emoji Submission)
Proposal to add Nine Pointed star to Unicode
Public Domain:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bahai_star.svgand
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Star_polygon_9-3.svg
Introduction
The purpose of this proposal is to request that a codepoint be allocated in the UCS for the nine
pointed star character, which is commonly used by members of the Bahá'í Faith.
In Baha’i Literature, different forms of stars were used that are not standardized from one
publishing to another (examples below). The presence of the nine pointed star will help
standardize across the different publications. Adding to that, for religions lacking a
representation of their place of worship, it is suggested to use the Place of Worship emoji with
the representing symbol of their faith, of which there are exactly none feasible at the moment.
In terms of Unicode, the Nine Pointed Star is one of the most common symbols of the Bahá'í
Faith, specifically the most distinctive one other than maybe the Ringstone Symbol (which
would be extremely less universally usable), and it would help provide a near complete lineup of
religions of the world; currently, there are many religious symbols supported via the Unicode
standard - including jedi (Star of David), Christian, Muslim (Star and Crescent), Sikh,
Buddhists, and Wiccan (five pointed star).
The nine pointed star will also introduce a popular star character to the list of available stars in
Unicode.
Naming convention
NINE POINTED STAR is a widely accessible and commonly used term for the symbol provided.
It follows the same naming standard as other available stars in the unicode (number of points -
form of the star - color).
If the committee wishes to distinguish between filled and unfilled star, then the term:
● NINE POINTED STAR can be used for the filled nine pointed star.
● NINE POINTED STAR OUTLINED can be used for the unfilled nine pointed star.
● NINE POINTED STAR REGULAR COMPOUND can be used for the three
overlapping triangles. The naming is also in line with the mathematical naming
convention (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_(geometry)).
Note that most common usage of the star in Bahá'í context uses an outline version, although
this is not prescribed in any way.
In terms of placement, the nine pointed star should ideally be added to the current lineup of
religious symbols or stars. In practical terms this would for example imply receiving the same
treatment as the other symbols with a religious meaning as to being rendered as an emoji in
instant messaging context. This would also enable the rendering of a symbol for a Bahá'í
House of Worship, of which there are a growing number in the world.
Religious symbols have been placed in different blocks, including Miscellaneous Symbols
(2600 - 26FF), Dingbats (2700 - 27BF), and Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs (1F300 -
1F5FF).
For the purpose of this proposal, I have recommended that the nine pointed star be placed in
the Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs block. However, I will leave it to the committee’s
opinion on the best placement for this symbol.
History
The nine pointed star is also one of the most used symbols and shapes by the adherents of
the members of The Bahá'í Faith. The Bahá'í Faith is a religion that was founded by its
prophet Baha’u’llah in 1863. There are over 7 million Bahá'í adherents worldwide 1
, and Bahá'í
institutions are recognized by many governments in the world - including the United States
(
https://www.bahai.us/) and European Union
(
http://www.eprid.eu/members/bahai-international-community/). Bahá'ís also participate in
political administrations, such as the United Nations (
https://www.bic.org/offices/united-nations), providing insight and perspective towards achieving world unity through discourses
that promote the betterment of mankind.
Given the growth of followers of the Bahá'í Faith year over
year, and the prominence of the Bahá'í Faith around the
world, the availability of the Bahá'í icon would be
significant to practicing Bahá'ís around the world.
In a non-Baha’i context, the nine pointed star is a common
mathematical shape that consists of three intersecting
triangles. The nine pointed star is also called a Nonagram,
Enneagram, or Star of Goliath. In pop-culture, the nine
pointed star also represents the band Slipknot, where they
use the regular compound 9 pointed star figure as a
symbol (image on right).
Significance of Nine in the Baha’i Faith
Shoghi Effendi, Central Figure and the Guardian of the Baha’i Administration from 1921 until
His passing in 1957, gave significant commentary to the significance of the number 9, which
Baha’is represent as 9 pointed star. In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, he clearly
explains that there are three reason for the significance of the number nine:
First, regarding the significance of the number nine: Its importance as a symbol used so
often in various connections by the believers lies in three facts: first, it symbolizes the
nine great world religions of which we have any definite historical knowledge, including
the Babi and Baha’i Revelations; second, it represents the number of perfection, being
the highest single number; third, it is the numerical value of the word ‘Bahá’.
1 Pew Research Center# states “The Baha’i faith began in Persia (now Iran) in the 19th century. Bahá'ís are widely dispersed
across many countries, with significant populations in India, the United States, Kenya and elsewhere.” Adherents.com# (2005)
statistics are: 7 million Bahá'ís around the world, ranking as the 13th largest global religion.
(Lights of Guidance, From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an
individual believer, July 9, 1939)
Shoghi Effendi’s reference to the “numerical value of the word ‘Bahá'” in the quotation is based
on the Abjad numeral system, a system based on Arabic, Hebrew and other semetic
languages dating back to before the 8th Century. In this system, each letter of the betabet
represents a number, so the first letter of the Arabic betabet, alif, is used to represent the
number ‘1’; the second letter, bāʼ, is used to represent the number ‘2’, and so on.
This is clarified in another letter to a Baha’i believer by Shoghi Effendi:
In the Semitic languages—both Arabic and Hebrew—every letter of the betabet had a
numerical value, so instead of using figures to denote numbers they used letters and
compounds of letters. Thus every word had both a literal meaning and also a numerical
value. This practice is no more in use but during the time of Baha’u’llah and the Bab it
was quite in vogue among the educated classes, and we find it very much used in the
Bayan. As the word Baha also stood for the number nine it could be used interchangeably
with it.
(Lights of Guidance, From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an
individual believer, February 19, 1932)
Use of Nine pointed Star
When searching for the term “Bahá'í”, the presence of the nine-pointed star cannot be
disregarded. The symbol is used widely in different areas of life, including - but not limited to -
literature, architecture, gravestones, signage, and websites (for example,
https://bahaiteachings.org/ uses the nine pointed symbol in its logo).
Baha’i star used on gravestone markers
Baha’i star used as signage for Baha’i Centers
9 pointed star on the dome of the Chicago Bahá'í Temple along with the Greatest Name Ligature
Bahá'í Temple in India - Aerial View - nine pointed star represented
Bahá'í Publishing Logo (US Trademark Office: Serial Number 72221623)
Nine Pointed Star in Bahá'í Literature
Currently, the governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith employs the five-pointed star and
nine-pointed star in its Holy Writings and literature to define characters similar to a comma or
period.
Unfortunately, due to the lack of the nine-pointed star, digital versions of Bahá'í Literature have
to resort to employing the asterisk in place of the star. For example, In this Persian Hidden
Words example, the asterisk is utilized as a full-stop/period.
(
http://reference.bahai.org/fa/t/b/PHW/phw-66.html):
The presence of those ‘stars’ are common in the Baha’i Writings, including in the Baha’is Most
Holy Book, Kitab-i-Aqdas (highlighted with circle):
Given the example above, when published, the stars were replaced with an equivalent star
symbol that was available in the rotary press. The following represents an example of the
Kitab-i-Aqdas published in 1899, where the stars are best reflected with what was available
available:
http://www.ishwar.com/bahai/holy_kitab_i_aqdas/part_01.html.
Due to lack of standardization, other publications used
different forms of the star. The image on the right
demonstrates a different star being used than what was
published in the 1899 edition.
Baha’i News Paper and Journals
Since about 1922 the symbol of the 9 pointed star saw more and more use in printed
publications, with evidence of it being hand-drawn, designed into ornate shapes, or even
transformed into computer image where possible.
In “Star of the West” Baha’i Magazine, Volume 13, the following designs were used
significantly (link to Archives:
http://starofthewest.info/)
July 1966 U.S. Baha’i News with the 9 pointed star
An ornate 9 pointed star for one of the series of “Star of the West”
Other Bahá'í Symbols
For completeness and in line with how religious symbols and textual elements are handled so
far in Unicode, we list some more frequently used Arabic Ligatures used in the Bahá'í faith as
representing (elements of) the religion. It could be imagined to file for adding these symbols
individually at some later point as they follow a similar pattern as similar existing code points,
but they are not as essential.
Ringstone Symbol
The Baha’i Ringstone Symbol is a calligraphic
form of the Arabic spelling of Bahá (ﺑﻬﺎء) and two
five pointed stars combined to be a visual
representation of core Bahá'í concepts. It's
frequently used e.g. on the title page of a book,
on headstones and on jedielry. Using this symbol
as a representation of the Bahá'í faith is possible
and has been done, but less commonly so than
using the nine pointed star.
The first level represents the world of God, the Creator. The level is represented with the
Arabic letter ‘Ha’ connected to one another:
The second level represents the world of His Manifestations. In the Baha’i Faith, Manifestations
of God are the Prophets of religions, including Jesus Christ, Moses, Abraham, Krishna,
Muhammad, the Bab, Baha’u’llah, etc. The level is represented with the base of the Arabic letter
“Ba”:
The third level represents the world of man (humanity), represented with the same symbol of
for the World of God:
The vertical line (which is the second level, transposed ninety degrees clockwise) that joins
the three horizontal levels together represent the Divine Messengers of God, which form the
link between the world of God and the world of man.
Ringstone symbol placed on the Shrine of the Bab (Haifa)
Ringstone symbol used on the ring
The Greatest Name (Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá)
The Greatest Name ligature is a commonly used
representation of the expression“Yá Bahá’u’l-
Abhá”, an invocation meaning: “O Thou Glory of
Glories!”. Usage of this symbol is generally
limited to places with high reverence. It would be
inappropriate to use this symbol instead of the
nine pointed star or Ringstone symbol to
represent the Bahá'í faith casually.
A very similar example currently available in Unicode to Greatest Name is the Arabic Ligature for
Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahou Alayhe Wasallam (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) - unicode value U+FDFA.
The Greatest Name Ligature can be found in Baha’i Houses of Worship and framed in Baha’i
households. In the case of Bahá'í Houses of Worship, it's common to see the name fitted in a
nine pointed star that corresponds to the commonly nine sided form of the building.
Within the Baha’i community and in few Baha’i literature, the Greatest Name ligature is used in
the start of a document. Similar to � ligature which is used in the Holy Quran to indicate the
start of a prayer, decree, or a statement.
For example, in a Baha’i Will, a will must begin with the Greatest Name ligature, before
writing their Will.
Image: A framed variation of the Greatest Name ligature held by a member of the Baha’i Faith
Demand
This proposal is an individual proposal not brought forward by any Bahá'í organization
specifically, out of the perceived lack of the symbol further explained earlier in this document.
With the presence of Unicode standards and symbols, members of the Baha’i Faith will have a
common star standard for their literature and have an appropriate way to mark religious affairs
like places of worship in line with the other already represented religions, as there is no existing
symbol that could work for this appropriately so far.
YES
A. Administrative
1. Title:
2. Requester's n
3. Requester typ
4. Submission d
5. Requester's re
6. Choose one of the following:
This is a complete proposal:
(or) More information will be provided later:
YES
B. Technical – General
1. Choose one of the following:
a. This proposal is for a new script (set of
Proposed name of script:
b. The proposal is for addition of characte
Name of the existing block:
2. Number of characters in proposal:
3. Proposed category (select one from below - see section 2.2 of P&P document):
A-Contemporary B.1-Specialized (small collection) ✔ B.2-Specialized (large coll
C-Major extinct D-Attested extinct E-Minor extinct
F-Archaic Hieroglyphic or Ideographic
4. Is a repertoire including character names provided?
G-Obscure or questionable usage
a. If YES, are the names in accordance with the “character naming guidelines”
in Annex L of P&P document?
b. Are the character shapes attached in a legible form suitable for review?
5. Fonts related:
a. Who will provide the appropriate computerized font to the Project Editor of 10646 for publishing the
standard?
The requester (Adib Behjat and Joop Kiefte)
b. Identify the party granting a license for use of the font by the editors (include address, e-mail, ftp-site, etc.):
Adib Behjat (abehjat@gmail.com)
6. References:
a. Are references (to other character sets, dictionaries, descriptive texts etc.) provided?
b. Are published examples of use (such as samples from newspapers, magazines, or other sources)
of proposed characters attached?
7. Special encoding issues:
Does the proposal address other aspects of character data processing (if applicable) such as input,
presentation, sorting, searching, indexing, transliteration etc. (if yes please enclose information)? NO
8. Additional Information:
Submitters are invited to provide any additional information about Properties of the proposed Character(s) or Script
that will assist in correct understanding of and correct linguistic processing of the proposed character(s) or script.
Examples of such properties are: Casing information, Numeric information, Currency information, Display behaviour
information such as line breaks, widths etc., Combining behaviour, Spacing behaviour, Directional behaviour, Default
Collation behaviour, relevance in Mark Up contexts, Compatibility equivalence and other Unicode normalization
related information. See the Unicode standard at HTUhttp://
www.unicode.orgUTH for such information on other scripts. Also
see Unicode Character Database ( Hhttp://
www.unicode.org/reports/tr44/ ) and associated Unicode Technical Reports
for information needed for consideration by the Unicode Technical Committee for inclusion in the Unicode Standard.
TP
1PT Form number: N4502-F (Original 1994-10-14; Revised 1995-01, 1995-04, 1996-04, 1996-08, 1999-03, 2001-05, 2001-09, 2003-
11, 2005-01, 2005-09, 2005-10, 2007-03, 2008-05, 2009-11, 2011-03, 2012-01)
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2/WG 2
PROPOSAL SUMMARY FORM TO ACCOMPANY SUBMISSIONS
FOR ADDITIONS TO THE REPERTOIRE OF ISO/IEC 10646 1
TP PT
Please fill all the sections A, B and C below.
Please read Principles and Procedures Document (P & P) from H TU
http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/principles.html UTH for
guidelines and details before filling this form.
Please ensure you are using the latest Form from HTU
http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/summaryform.htmlU TH.
See also HTU
http://std.dkuug.dk/JTC1/SC2/WG2/docs/roadmaps.html U TH for latest Roadmaps.
YES
YES
YES
Proposal to add Nine Pointed star to Unicode
ame: Adib Behjat and Joop Kiefte
e (Member body/Liaison/Individual contribution):
ate:
Individual contribution
March 26. 2020
ference (if applicable):
characters): NO
r(s) to an existing block: YES
Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs
3
ection)
symbols
YES
C. Technical - Justification
1. Has this proposal for addition of character(s) been submitted before? NO
If YES explain
2. Has contact been made to members of the user community (for example: National Body,
user groups of the script or ch
If YES, with whom?
If YES, available releva
3. Information on the user community for the proposed characters (for example:
size, demograph
Reference:
4. The context of use f
Reference:
5. Are the proposed ch
If YES, where?
6. After giving due considerations to the principles in the P&P document must the proposed characters be entirely
in the BMP?
If YES, is a rationale provi
If YES, reference:
7. Should the proposed characters be ke
8. Can any of the proposed characters be considered a presentation form of an existing
character or character sequence?
If YES, is a rationale for it
If YES, reference:
9. Can any of the proposed characters be encoded using a composed character sequence of either
existing characters or other propos
If YES, is a rationale for it
If YES, reference:
10. Can any of the proposed character(s) be considered to be similar (in appearance or function)
to, or could be confused with, an e
If YES, is a rationale for it
If YES, reference:
11. Does the proposal include use of co
If YES, is a rationale for such use
If YES, reference:
Is a list of composite sequences a
If YES, reference:
12. Does the proposal contain characters with any special properties such as
13
aracters, other experts, etc.)? YES
No name, but received feedback from committee via docsubmit@unicode.org
nt documents: Email titled “UTC Document Submission: Emoji Proposal -
Baha'i 9 Pointed Star”
ics, information technology use, or publishing use) is included? YES
Listed under section “History” and footnotes for links to data
or the proposed characters (type of use; common or rare) Currently rare
Section on “Nine Pointed Star in Bahá'í Literature”
aracters in current use by the user community? YES
Reference: Section on “Use of Nine Pointed Star”
ded?
NO
pt together in a contiguous range (rather than being scattered)? YES
s inclusion provided?
NO
ed characters?
s inclusion provided?
NO
xisting character?
s inclusion provided?
NO
