[2][3] Bahia Hariri was born in Sidon, Lebanon, on 23 June 1952[4] to a Sunni Muslim family.

[4] Hariri worked as a teacher upon graduation in Sidon and southern Lebanon until 1979.

In 1992, Hariri was elected as member of Parliament for the Sunni seat in Saida.

She is also a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO,[6] and heads the Islamic Organization for Higher Education.

She serves on the Advisory Council of World Links Arab Region.