Religious Minorities in Iran (Cambridge Middle East Studies) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The scholarly literature on non-Muslim minorities is highly uneven, complex, and thinly researched..." (more)
Key Phrases: recognized religious minorities, recognized religious minority, supreme jurist, Reza Shah, Islamic Republic, Assembly of Experts (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sanasarian provides a clear and unadulterated picture of the intimidation, discrimination, and persecution of Armenians, Assyrians, Baha'is, Chaldeans, Iranian Christian converts, Jews, and Zoroastrians under the rule of the Ayatollahs. This very valuable addition to the contemporary history of Iran thoroughly explores the political and ideological relationships between non-Muslim religious minorities and the state, a subject seldom covered by other scholars." Choice

"...makes significant contributions to Iranian studies, as well as to the general area of majority-minority relations." Human Rights Quarterly

"...original and significant...a great contribution to our field and offers much to our understanding of state-minority relations and minority responses. Religious Minorities in Iran should be well-received by specialists and non-specialists alike." Middle East Studies Association Bulletin

"...those wishing to better understand the dynamics of the relationship between Iran's Islamic government and the country's various non-Muslim groups will find in this work a wealth of informative detail not readily availbe elsewhere." Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Product Description

Eliz Sanasarian's book explores the political and ideological relationship between non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran and the state during the formative years of the Islamic Republic to the present day. Her analysis is based on a detailed examination of the history and experiences of the Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahais and Iranian Christians, and describes how these communities have responded to state policies regarding minorities. Many of her findings are constructed out of personal interviews with members of these communities. While the book is essentially an empirical study, it also highlights more general questions associated with exclusion and marginalisation and the role of the state in defining these boundaries. This is an important and original book which will make a significant contribution to the literature on minorities and to the workings of the Islamic Republic.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 249 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (May 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521770734
• ISBN-13: 978-0521770736
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,816,074 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BOOK, November 25, 2002

By A Customer

If you are into Religion, and Politics in Iran this is the book for you. Most people think that there are only one religion in Iran, Islam. But there is much more than that, Christianity, Judiasm, Zoroastrianism, Bahia, etc. THis book focuses on the religious minorites after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but still give history of what happened before to the minorites. It then goes into what happened during the revolution, who left, who stayed, who died, who got more power, etc... Then it goes on to describe what happened after the revolution and onward. EXCELLENT BOOK, the only down side to this book is the price.