Bahá'í Community of the Isle of Wight

Bahá'ís on the Isle of Wight

The Bahá'í Faith began in Persia in the mid-nineteenth century. Its Founder, Bahá'u'lláh, was exiled and imprisoned in various parts of the Ottoman Empire (which then ruled most of the Middle East), lastly in the prison city of Akka. His son 'Abdu'l-Bahá' travelled widely in the West during the years 1911 to 1913, bringing the Bahá'í Teachings to audiences and individuals in Britain, France, Germany, Austria and the United States. He visited many parts of the United Kingdom including London, Bristol, Liverpool, Oxford and Edinburgh. The first Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom embraced the Faith at around this time.

There has been a Bahá'í community on the Isle of Wight since the 1960s. It is not known for certain who were the first Island Bahá'ís, but a student at school on the Island declared himself a Bahá'í in 1963. Prior to this, Atherton ???? visited Seaview regularly from the 1950s, owning a holiday flat there, which is now owned by her daughter who frequently hosts Bahá'í events. During the 1970s there were 40 Bahá'í youth at schools on the Island..

There are currently Bahá'í communities in Ryde and Freshwater.