CENTER
Vancouver
Farsi Classes – Saturdays, 8:00 am -12:00 pm
Class: Discussion Sessions – Saturdays, 9:00 am – 10:00 am, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm & Sundays, 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Music Classes – Sundays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Youth Classes – Starting soon
The M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi School of Islamic Sufism® Vancouver Center was established in 1989. The Center’s journey began in North Vancouver, and in 2014, it found a new home in a historic building in the Burnaby Heights neighbourhood. The original building, built in 1931, underwent extensive restoration and redesign to meet the needs of a Khaneghah while preserving its character and historical roots.
Through the years, educational seminars, workshops, classes, community service events, and charitable initiatives offered at the Center have benefited countless individuals and families in the local community. Educational initiatives have included leadership, mediation, zikr, public speaking, youth mentorship and education, networking, music classes, and the first and longest-established Farsi language school in Vancouver.
The Vancouver Center has also significantly fostered interfaith and intercultural understanding through various programs and activities. This was accomplished through hosting and participating in in-person and virtual interfaith and intercultural events and dialogues, enabling people of different faiths and cultures to connect and engage in meaningful dialogue.
The Center’s commitment to charitable causes and community outreach is wide-reaching, with initiatives spanning across Metro Vancouver to donate food, care packages, PPE, and other essentials to refugee families, women and children shelters, low-income housing, homeless shelters, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. The Center collaborates with numerous not-for-profits, community organizations, local officials, different levels of government, First Nations, and other community partners to make its charity initiatives possible.
Environmental Sustainability is a top priority for the Center, which has implemented features such as solar panels, green spaces, and waste sorting to reduce its environmental impact. Volunteers engage in various sustainability initiatives, including community cleanups, recycling drives, seed planting, community gardens, sustainable art displays, and more, to promote awareness of climate change and environmental footprints.
The Center’s various initiatives and activities have been recognized by municipal, provincial, and federal government officials. Since 2021, February 4th has been proclaimed as M.T.O. Shahmaghsoudi Day in the city of Burnaby and the province of British Columbia in honour of the birthday of Sufi Master Professor Sadegh Angha.