The Conversion of Religious Minorities to the Bahá'í Faith in Iran : Some Preliminary Observations
Material type:
TextSubject(s): Online resources:
In:
The Journal of Bahá'í Studies 3, 35-48Abstract: In the period 1877-1921 significant numbers of non-Muslims converted to the Bahá'í Faith in Iran. This was an essential development for the emergence of the Bahá'í Faith as an independent religion possessing a distinct identity apart from Islam. These conversions were largely confined to the Zoroastrian and Jewish communities and did not involve Iran's largest religious minority, the Christians. This study attempts to address some of the factors involved in this conversion process: the manner in which Bahá'ís made the transition from Islamic particularism to a universalism attractive to non-Muslims ; the manner in which the actual conversions took place and the factors surrounding them. Emphasis will be placed on what factors may have inclined certain minorities rather than others to convert.
In the period 1877-1921 significant numbers of non-Muslims converted to the Bahá'í Faith in Iran. This was an essential development for the emergence of the Bahá'í Faith as an independent religion possessing a distinct identity apart from Islam. These conversions were largely confined to the Zoroastrian and Jewish communities and did not involve Iran's largest religious minority, the Christians. This study attempts to address some of the factors involved in this conversion process: the manner in which Bahá'ís made the transition from Islamic particularism to a universalism attractive to non-Muslims ; the manner in which the actual conversions took place and the factors surrounding them. Emphasis will be placed on what factors may have inclined certain minorities rather than others to convert.