Dear editor:

Like almost all Baha’i communities across Canada, about half of your neighbours here in Niagara-on-the-Lake who are of the Baha’i Faith are Iranian-Canadian.

They are, of course, extremely concerned about the current conflict between Israel and Iran, where many still have relatives, friends and loved ones. But they, and the entire worldwide Baha’i community, pray for peace — not just between Israel and Iran, but in Lebanon, in Syria, and, of course, for peace and justice in Gaza and the West Bank.

Baha’is also pray for the safety of both the Israeli and the Iranian people, and they do not forget all the other suffering peoples of the world — in Ukraine, Sudan and elsewhere.

Baha’is believe that the lasting international peace we all desire can be accomplished when humankind finally renounces political, social, military and so-called patriotic solutions to its problems.

One of the Baha’i prayers includes the phrase “Make haste to love! Make haste to give!”

It seems so simple. But to love in this way, we all know, requires self-discipline, patience and many other qualities we may find difficult to sustain.

However, peace — first within ourselves, then within our families, our communities, our countries and finally in our increasingly small and fragile world — seems well worth the effort.

Hugh Church
NOTL