Six Bahá'í leaders arrested in Iran; pattern matches deadly sweeps of early 1980s

New York, 12 August 2008 — The fears of Bahá’ís worldwide over the intended fate of their coreligionists in Iran have heightened in the light of occurrences since the arrests, three months ago, of the “Friends in Iran,” the seven Bahá’ís who coordinate the affairs of the 300,000 Bahá’ís across Iran.

Front of Maxwell campus.

Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, 5 July 2008 (CBNS) — Maxwell International School’s emphasis on holistic education and the transformative power of the arts have been a presence in Cowichan Valley for 20 years. With the school’s closing at the end of June, many in the Valley expressed praise for its long record of achievement and contribution to the area.

A local newspaper, the Cowichan Pictorial, wrote in a 29 June article, “Cowichan Valley as a whole, is really going to miss it.”

The Ontario Legislature building, where new prayers will now be said. [Photo by wyliepoon]

Toronto, Ontario, 19 June 2008 (CBNS) — In a move towards greater religious inclusivity, Ontario legislators voted late last week to supplement the daily recitation of the Lord’s Prayer in the Ontario Legislature with prayers from several other major religious traditions, including a Baha’i prayer.

Five Toronto-based Iranian leaders of thought have asked the UN Secretary General to press the Iranian authorities to release the Baha'is arrested three weeks ago. Though not themselves members of the Baha'i community, in a strongly worded letter (below), they have expressed their concern at the arrests along with other human rights violations in Iran.

Ten days after leaders of the Baha’i community in Iran were arrested because of their religious beliefs, Baha'i delegates from across Canada gathered in Toronto for the Canadian Baha'i Convention, May 23 to 25, and elected the governing council of their community, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada.

Those elected were Karen McKye, Judy Filson, Borna Noureddin, Fariborz Sahba, Mark Wedge, Gordon Naylor, Enayat Rawhani, Susie Tamas, and Todd Smith.

CBC films Pierre Kabasele at the Baha'i Holy Day event performing a song in his native tongue.

Montreal, Quebec, 5 May 2008 (CBNS) – A crew of documentary film makers from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television International came to the Montreal Baha'i community’s 29 April Holy Day celebration of the Ninth day of Ridvan, held at the downtown Baha'i Centre. Over 150 people of many ethnic and religious backgrounds were gathered for this celebration. A CBC documentary series focused on “immigration and integration” of newcomers to Canada will feature the Baha’i community because of the successful efforts to make new immigrants feel welcome to the community.

Mark Keedwell at the South Keys Chapters in Ottawa with the first copies of "Baha'u'llah" for sale. (Nov. 2007)

Vancouver, British Columbia, 1 May 2008 (CBNS) – Responding to increasing interest in books about spiritual issues, Chapters bookstores in Ottawa and Vancouver have been stocking Canadian author Shahrokh Monjazeb’s new book on the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, “Baha’u’llah.” Eight Chapters stores in these two cities now have copies of the book, with a number of additional stores expected to add it to their shelves soon.

The Seat of the Universal House of Justice on Mount Carmel in Haifa

The members of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Canada, the community’s national governing body, travel today to the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel to participate in the election of the nine members of the Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the Baha'i world community.

From April 21 to May 2, Baha'is across Canada celebrate the “Most Great Festival” of Ridvan, marking the anniversary of Baha'u'llah's public announcement in 1863 of His divine mission.

Considered by Baha’is as the “holiest and most significant” of the Baha’i holy days, this 12 day period commemorates the 12 days that Baha'u'llah spent, camped in a garden on the banks of the Tigris River near Baghdad, visiting with the small group of followers to whom he first proclaimed His mission as a new messenger of God.

A small group discussion at the University of Alberta symposium in October.

Canadian Campus Associations for Baha'i Studies (CABS) chapters have responded vigorously to the refusal of Iranian authorities to allow Baha’is to attend universities and colleges. The 2007-2008 school year has seen a number of initiatives designed to raise awareness of the way in which Baha'i students in Iran continue to be denied their right to higher education.