<div>The Canadian Interfaith Conversation (CIC), an organization that promotes dialogue between Parliamentarians and representatives and members of Canada’s religious communities on matters of shared interest and concern, released a statement against hate based on religious identity on June 18.</div>
<div>Following the announcement in April 2023, that a national Bahá’í House of Worship, or Temple, will be built in Canada, a new website dedicated to its development is now online.</div>
<div>Over 200 people gathered at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on the evening of October 13 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of 10 Bahá’í women who were tragically executed by Iranian authorities in the city of Shiraz, Iran for refusing to renounce their faith. One woman was only 17 years old; most were in their 20s. The evening reception and accompanying art exhibit was part of the global #OurStoryIsOne campaign which honours the memory of the ten women and the ongoing struggle for gender equality lived by women of all faiths and backgrounds in Iran today.</div>
<div>The Bahá’í Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs co-sponsored a live-audio discussion, on Twitter Spaces, on April 20th. The online discussion brought together the Hon. Irwin Cotler, Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, and Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s recently appointed Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia to discuss their mandates and explore how democratic societies can remain both pluralistic and united in an age of political and social polarisation.</div>
<div>The Offices of Public Affairs for the Baha’i Communities of Canada and Australia co-organized a parallel event at the 68th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on March 14. The hybrid panel titled “From Conflict to Collaboration: Transforming Institutions to Promote Gender Equality,” was held at the New York offices of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) and engaged 40 participants in a discussion on this year’s CSW themes of reforming institutions and addressing poverty.</div>
The concert, titled Hommage à la Liberté [Hommage to Freedom], was a collaborative contribution to the global #OurStoryisOne campaign that honours the struggle of Iranian women for gender equality and marks the anniversary of the ten Baha’i women who, forty-one years ago were tragically executed by Iranian authorities in the city of Shiraz, Iran for refusing to renounce their faith. The event brought together forty-three professional and amateur musicians, singers, and actors from diverse bac
<div>Over 120 people gathered at Martin Luther College in Waterloo, Ontario on May 7-9 for the 8th iteration of the Our Whole Society Conference. Organized by the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, and sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, the bi-annual conference focuses on themes related to religion and public life in Canada. It has been actively supported by the Bahá'í Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs since its inception in 2013.</div>
<div>Canada's Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, released a public statement recognizing the significance of Ridván, a twelve-day festival observed by members of the Bahá’í faith from April 21 to May 2, 2023.</div>
<div>For the Bahá’í Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs, 2022 was a year of transition. Across the country, digital spaces for dialogue gradually became hybrid and many collaborative projects and events tentatively resumed, in-person, for the first time in years. As the forums for conversations of national import shifted in response to changing public health directives, the sustained dynamism of the many like-minded individuals and groups with whom the Office had the opportunity to collaborate throughout the year continued to be source of energy and inspiration.</div>
<div>Canada's Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, released a public statement on the occasion of Ridván, a twelve-day festival observed by members of the Bahá’í Faith from April 20 to May 1, 2024.</div>
<div>On March 30th, 2023, over forty people, including children and adults, gathered at the Toronto Baháʼí Centre for an evening of Indigenous teachings and dialogue. The event, a partnership between the Baháʼí Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs, the Toronto Baháʼí Centre and Neenahnew Oskapewasik, offered an opportunity to learn from visiting Cree Elders Frances Whiskeychan and Patrick Etherington.</div>
<div>Over 30 people including parliamentarians, senators, academics, civil servants, and representatives of human rights organizations attended a breakfast briefing on Parliament Hill with Professor Nazila Ghanea, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief on Thursday, February 15. The event, titled "From Iran to the World: What changing tactics in the persecution of Baha’is in Iran reveal about global trends in freedom of religion or belief", was organized by the Baha’i community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs and co-sponsored by Senator Marilou McPhedran, Senator Mobina Jaffer, and Parliamentarians Elizabeth May, Garnett Genuis and Terry Duguid.</div>
<div>The annual Bahá’í National Convention was held at the Toronto Bahá'í Centre from May 19 – May 22, 2023. This year’s Convention followed the Bahá’í International Convention, April 29 – May 2, which takes place every five years.</div>
<div>The 74th annual Bahá’í National Convention was held at the Toronto Bahá'í Centre from April 25 – April 28, 2024. The Convention brings together 171 elected delegates from across the country to consult on community affairs and make recommendations to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada, the national governing council of the Bahá’í community.</div>
<div>Following the announcement that a national Bahá’í House of Worship, or Temple, will be built in Canada, short films exploring the significance of a Baha’i Temple and processes around its construction, were commissioned by the National Spiritual Assembly, the governing council of the Baha’is of Canada.</div>
<div>Members of Parliament, representatives from diverse faith communities and members of the wider public gathered to discuss polarization in Canada at a breakfast event on Parliament Hill on June 8th, 2023. Titled The Threat of Polarization in Canada, the discussion breakfast was hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Interfaith Caucus and the Canadian Interfaith Conversation. The event followed the national Our Whole Society conference, held at Laurier University in May, which also explored the prevalent challenge of finding common ground in a time of deepening social divisions in Canadian society.</div>
<div>Waterloo, Ontario was the site of a two-day youth conference on peace and social transformation on June 29-30. The conference, which was held at Wilfrid Laurier University, brought together over 700 participants from 92 localities across Ontario to reflect on the social issues facing their neighbourhoods and to make plans to foster peace locally.</div>
<div>On March 9th, the Bahá’í Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs, alongside the Bahá’í International Community organized a parallel event at the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York City, co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations.</div>
Talk given by Miss Paymaneh Parhami on October 5, 2024 Paymaneh is one of the cofounders of Bahá'í Faith Modern Perspectives. She is an attorney who practices intellectual property litigation at a law firm in San Francisco. She has a J.D. from Berkeley Law School with a certificate in Law and Technology, and graduated cum laude from Columbia University with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Chemistry. Between college and law school, Paymaneh volunteered at the Bahá'í World Centre i
Two statements by the global governing body of the Baha’i Faith, the Universal House of Justice, make clear the challenge facing the world today: It is not merely material well-being... The post Who We Are and How to Live appeared first on BahaiTeachings.org.