Persecution and Resilience: A History of the Baha’i Religion in Qajar Isfahan
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Journal of Religious History (Sydney, N.S.W.) 36, 471-485Abstract: The following article is an account of the Baha’i community of Isfahan during the Qajar period in Iran (1853–1921). Despite frequent persecutions launched by both the secular and religious authorities in the city, the community was able not only to survive but even to flourish. This article will give an account of the manner in which the community was a pawn in the conflict between the secular and religious authorities in the city and thus demonstrates the dangers and problems of being a minority religious community in Iran.1 As the facts are little known and just laying these out leaves no space for analysis and creating theoretical frameworks, the style of this article is largely narrative.
The following article is an account of the Baha’i community of Isfahan during the Qajar period in Iran (1853–1921). Despite frequent persecutions launched by both the secular and religious authorities in the city, the community was able not only to survive but even to flourish. This article will give an account of the manner in which the community was a pawn in the conflict between the secular and religious authorities in the city and thus demonstrates the dangers and problems of being a minority religious community in Iran.1 As the facts are little known and just laying these out leaves no space for analysis and creating theoretical frameworks, the style of this article is largely narrative.