"Modernity and the Millennium" is the first book to chart responses in the Muslim Middle East to modernity through an examination of the evolution of the Baha'i faith--a millenarian movement led by the nineteenth-century Iranian prophet Baha'u'llah ("the Glory of God"). This volume illuminates the complexity and ambiguity that characterized the changing relationship of Baha'u'llah and his followers to modernity, considered as a transnational and fluid political and cultural field of contestation. The insights presented here into these responses to modernity illuminate not only the genesis of a new world-religion but also important facets of Middle Eastern-particularly Iranian-social and cultural shifts in the nineteenth century.

Drawing on the work of Habermas, Giddens, Touraine and Bryan Turner, among others, Juan R. I. Cole considers some of the ways in which Middle Eastern society was affected by five developments central to modernity: the lessening entanglement of the state with religion, the move from absolutism to democracy, the rise of sovereign nation-states, the advent of nationalism, and the women's movement. He explores the Baha'is' positive response to religious toleration, democracy, and greater rights for women and their "utopian realist" critique of nationalism, militant Jacobin secularization, industrialized warfare, and genocide, oppression of the poor and working classes, and xenophobia.

In an age where so many are preoccupied with global issues of freedom, human rights, peace and religious intolerance, the Baha'i Faith and its teachings are more relevant than ever before. This volume combines comprehensive coverage of the Faith's teachings, texts, practices, community life and organization, with images reflecting its rich architectural heritage and the international diversity of its members. Paul Slaughter spent three years travelling around the world to capture the photographs for The Baha'i Faith in Words and Images, from remote tribes in Papua New Guinea to villages in the mountains of Peru, taking in every continent. Breathtaking photography and intelligent accompanying text are combined to produce a beautiful coffee-table book, and accessible introduction to one of the fastest-growing religions of today.

In the 19th century, many Christians throughout the western world expected the fulfilment of Jesus's promise to return. The widespread expectation culminated in "The Great Disappointment" of 1844. This is a verse-by-verse exploration of Jesus's greatest prophetic sermon, the Olivet Discourse, an examination of 19th century and current Christian interpretations and presents an analysis in the light of Baha'u'llah's teachings.

For almost two centuries, followers of the Baha’i faith, Iran’s largest religious minority, have been persecuted by the state. They have been made scapegoats for the nation’s ills, branded enemies of Islam and denounced as foreign agents. Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 Baha’is have been barred from entering the nation’s universities, more than two hundred have been executed, and hundreds more imprisoned and tortured.

Now, however, Iran is at a turning point. A new generation has begun to question how the Baha’is have been portrayed by the government and the clergy, and called for them to be given equal rights as fellow citizens. In documenting, for the first time, the plight of this religious community in Iran since its inception, Fereydun Vahman also reveals the greater plight of a nation aspiring to develop a modern identity built on respect for diversity rather than hatred and self-deception.

Worldwide in its membership and increasingly being recognized as the youngest of the world religions, the Baha'i faith is enjoying rapid expansion. In this captivating book, Moojan Momen gives a brief survey of the life, the works, the claims and the teachings of Baha'u'llah, its founder. Covering the resistance he encountered, including successive forced exiles and vitriolic opposition, this book highlights his dedication and that of his followers who were often willing to sacrifice their lives for his teachings. Comprehensive and yet concise, this is a perfect book for anyone interesting in knowing more about the Baha'i faith and its inception.

Both violence and non-violence are important themes in the Baha'i Faith, but their relationship is not simple. The Baha'i sacred writings see violence in the world - not just against Baha'is, but physical and structural violence against everyone - as being a consequence of the immature state of human civilization. The Baha'i community itself has been nonviolent since its founding by Baha'u'llah in the mid nineteenth century and has developed various strategies for responding to persecution nonviolently. This Element explores how their scriptures provide a blueprint for building a new, more mature, culture and civilization on this planet where violence will be rare and nonviolence prevalent.

Written by a well-known author in the field of Baha'i studies, this is a comprehensive and accessible encyclopedia to the youngest of the world religions. Regarded as the second most widespread faith after Christianity, with adherents in almost every country around the globe, the Baha'i faith is nevertheless unfamiliar to many. here Dr Smith traces the origins and development of the religion from 19th century Iran to the modern day, introducing its central figures and major historical events. combining breadth with a readable yet concise style, he provides a balanced overview of Baha'i scriptures, doctrines and practices, social teachings and organization. This reference work presents a clear and knowledgeable view of a fascinating new religion.

Technology, tourism, politics, and law have connected human beings around the world more closely than ever before, but this closeness has, paradoxically, given rise to fear, distrust, and misunderstanding between nation-states and religions. In light of the tensions and conflicts that arise from these complex relationships, many search for ways to find peace and understanding through a ""global public sphere."" There citizens can deliberate on issues of worldwide concern. Their voices can be heard by institutions able to translate public opinion into public policy that embraces more than simply the interests and ideas of the wealthy and the empowered. Contributors to this volume address various aspects of this challenge within the context of Baha'i thought and practice, whose goal is to lay the foundations for a new world civilization that harmonizes the spiritual and material aspects of human existence. Baha'i teachings view religion as a source of enduring insight that can enable humanity to repair and transcend patterns of disunity, to foster justice within the structures of society, and to advance the cause of peace. Accordingly, religion can and ought to play a role in the broader project of creating a pattern of public discourse capable of supporting humanity's transition to the next stage in its collective development. The essays in this book make novel contributions to the growing literature on post-secularism and on religion and the public sphere. The authors additionally present new areas of inquiry for future research on the Baha'i faith.

It was a time of house burnings, mob violence, kidnapping, mass imprisonment, torture, endless trials, summary executions and secret burials. This was Iran in the early 1980s, and everyday reality for the Baha'is, Iran's largest religious minority. Headlines across America screamed out the story, Congress passed motions, President Reagan appealed to Iran. This detailed, eye-witness account of the persecution of Iran's largest religious minority in the 1980s is the story of one woman's experiences at the hands of the Iranian Revolutionaries. Amid the escalating pogrom, Olya Roohizadegan witnessed friends, neighbours and relatives being imprisoned, tortured and executed. For months she visited the prisoners, comforted their relatives, found clothes and shelter for the homeless, and smuggled news and photographs out of Iran to the outside world. And then it was her turn. The book culminates in her dramatic escape from the hangman's rope in a hazardous overland journey to Pakistan and the West.