Antipodean Bahá’í Studies

Iranian Studies is one of the leading periodicals in the field of Iranology or Iranian Studies. Published by the International Society for Iranian Studies, the journal as well as the biennial conferences of the Society are well regarded (The forthcoming seventh Biennial conference has several papers relevant to Baha’i studies). Most years the Iranian Studies journal will publish a significant paper on Babi or Baha’i Studies (see under Publication Roundup). Well known author Moojan Momen has published in the June 2008 issue of Iranian Studies a new piece of research on the Iranian Baha’i community and the Constitutional Revolution. Edward Granville Browne, a noted early authority on the Iranian Babi-Baha’i community, was himself intimately involved in the British aspect of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution, and early on also noted some aspects of the Baha’i relationship in his study of the Constitutional Revolution. Moojan Momen adds to these insights. See also the recent paper by Kavian Milani, Baha’i Discourses on the Constitutional Revolution in The Baha’is of Iran Socio-Historical Studies

Accounts of the Constitutional Revolution in Iran have tended to ignore the role of the Baha’is in that event. This paper looks at the case of Sari, capital of Mazandaran province, where the Baha’is of the city played a major part in initiating the move towards Constitutionalism and in educating people about the reforms envisaged and about the modern world. They also led the way in carrying out some of these reforms. In particular, the Baha’is established the first modern schools in the town. In this process, they were opposed by the Muslim ‘ulama in the town, who equated Constitutionalism and the Baha’i Faith, and persecuted the Baha’is of the town relentlessly for both reasons, leading eventually to the killing of five of the leading Baha’is of Sari in 1913. A brief account is also given of the attitude of the Baha’i leader ‘Abdu’l-Baha (1844-1921) towards the Constitutional Movement and the role of the Baha’is in it. This paper follows the events of the seven years 1906-13 in Sari and describes seven swings of the pendulum of power in the town alternating between the Baha’is and Constitutionalists on the one hand and the ‘ulama and the royalist forces supporting Muhammad ‘Ali Shah on the other. It points out that the neglect of the Baha’i aspect of these events by historians has led to a failure to account adequately for some of the events of these years. Iranian Studies, Volume 41, Issue 3 June 2008 , pages 343 - 363