Bahá’í Community of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The Bahá'ís of Ottawa come from a variety of backgrounds, brought together by a common belief in the oneness of humanity and the unity of religion. We work alongside others to become a force of positive change, applying insights from the Bahá'í teachings to bring about a more just, peaceful and unified community.

May 10 2012

Cleaning our environment
By Nathalie Thirlwall

Over 50 people of five different faiths came together early evening on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 to clean up Mooney’s Bay Park. “Spring Cleaning the Capital Together” is an annual initiative organized under the auspices of the Capital Regional Interfaith Council, of which the Ottawa Baha’i Community has been a member for many years. Baha’is have been involved in the park clean up since the start of this initiative. Recognizing that work is worship, if done in the spirit of service, enabled this year some 28 Baha’is of different ages to work shoulder to shoulder with people of a variety of faiths. more...

April 24 2012

Bahá’ís in Ottawa gathered to elect the nine members of the Local Spiritual Assembly

As the Bahá’í Faith has no clergy, the Local Spiritual Assembly guides, and administers, the affairs of the community. In this way, governance in Bahá’í communities springs from the grassroots. Common activities in the Bahá’í Community of Ottawa include classes for the education of children, devotional services, study classes, discussions on global issues, social events, the observance of holy days, marriages, and funeral services.

Many local Spiritual Assemblies around the world also oversee small-scale educational, economic or environmental development projects. Such efforts range from the sponsorship of community health workers to small agricultural projects. more...

April 07 2012

Problems continue for Baha’i educators in Iran
By Jakob Kuzyk

It’s 1998 in Iran, and a blow has been dealt to the attempts of the country’s largest religious minority to access education.

Followers of the Baha’i faith, who since the Iranian revolution of 1979 have been virtually banned from attending post-secondary institutions, had begun what the New York Times called a “stealth university” in 1987 with nearly 1,000 students, 145 alumni, and a network of converted basement classrooms and laboratories.

The network was dismantled that September when Iranian security officials raided some 500 homes and several offices, arresting lecturers and confiscating textbooks and laboratory equipment.

This blow was not the first, nor would it be the last to the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE). However, the institute never entirely ceased their clandestine operations and that year their efforts would be rewarded with a major international boost. more...