There are no others

Conference: “Intellectual Othering and the Bahai Question in Iran”

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 There are no others
by bordbar
24-Jul-2011
 

The past and the present met at the gothic Victory College of the University of Toronto and its modern neighbouring theatre where a historically unique conference was hosted a few weeks.

I attended “Intellectual Othering and the Bahai Question in Iran” (1-3 July) in Toronto, a venue to explore how the Iranian regime has sought to exclude the Bahais from social, political, cultural, and intellectual life by portraying them as outsiders in their own land – a macabre process known as "othering."

"This conference is not a Bahai studies conference," said its main organizer Mohamad Tavakoli. "It is an effort to understand the use of repression in the history of modern Iran and how the 'othering' of Bahais has become a mechanism of mass mobilization for the legitimization of the state and for the creation of political-religious ideology."

The broad topics explored by the 27 presenters were: Historical Frames, Revelation, Elimination and "the Promised Land", Gender Modernity, World Politics and Transnational Identities, Contestations, Harassment, Intolerance, Human Rights: Particular and Universal, and Citizenship and Rights.

The presentations were videotaped and have been shared at www.sitenama.net and some conference pictures are also available.

Scholars from around the world shared their research on Othering, a phenomenon shown to be not exclusive to Iranian society but also present in different parts of the world. Dr. Abbas Amanat explored examples from other countries while also speaking about this destructive behaviour and its ramifications.

Some presenters demonstrated how the continual accusations against Bahais, in order to discredit them, were unfounded. For example, Dr. Moojan Momen presented on the consistent attempt in Iran to show that Bahais have been involved in partisan politics throughout history.

Some speakers described how Iranian society has neither been able to take advantage of the contributions made by Bahais nor has it acknowledged the historical implications of their actions by othering Bahais. Drawing upon a chapter from her new book Words, Not Swords: Iranian Women Writers and the Freedom of Movement, Dr. Farzaneh Milani shared that history books in Iran do not discuss Tahirih as one of the first initiators of the women's rights movement in Iran. Similarly Behrouz Jabbari provided evidence for the unfortunate omission of poetry by Iranian Bahais from anthologies.

Dr. Soli Shahvar focused his presentation on the schools that Bahais had established in Iran. They started in the 1880s and continued until the government closed them down in 1934. Theses schools started in small villages and were later established in urban centres. They were open to all. And by 1920 they had about 10 percent of the entire primary and secondary student populations studying in the country.

Mr. Erfan Sabeti explored the current attempt by the government of Iran to incite hatred through media and its new anti-Bahai tract, citing attempts by the regime to brand the Bahai Faith as a cult -- a rhetoric curiously adopted in more recent months by Iran's judiciary system when interacting with foreign media.

Healing, National Reconciliation, and Justice were among some of the main themes of Dr. Ramin Jahanbegloo's talk. He also discussed structures that should be instituted to ensure that the cause of justice is served. He also noted the need for genuine change on the part of individuals. He explained how in Iran violence has not just been enacted by the government towards the people, but also from the average citizen to other citizens -- some of which is as the result of the government’s attempt to incite hatred in the hearts of it’s citizens.

A number of speakers, among them Mrs. Mehrangiz Kar and Mr. Abdol-Karim Lahidji, explored the law in Iran and its misuses to allow “othering” to take place. They pointed out areas that need change.

Dr. Arash Naraghi explored the possibility of a system of governance that allowed for pluralism. He examined two models of governance in the Islamic world from the past that could be used to allow mutual respect and tolerance to colour transactions between the State and its people.

I plan on going back to watch these again later because there was a lot to gain and there sure were nuances that I missed.

There are no others.

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more from bordbar
 
Ali Najafi

Thank you

by Ali Najafi on

Thank you for the article. I just started to listen to a couple of talks on www.sitenama.net.

So far in my listening, I heard Farzaneh Milani and Firuz Kazemzadeh. Both gave EXCELLENT presentations related to early Baha'i history -- one on Tahirih and the women's rights movement and the other on actual facts relating to early Russian and British thinking on the Baha'i religion. The latter, definitely, addresses the myths that the clergy has spread.

I look forward to hearing the other talks. (I next want to hear Ramin Jahanbegloo and Mohamad Tavakoli).

Thanks again for posting this.

 


Freethought111

Yes, there are no 'Others'

by Freethought111 on

Are the Haifan Bahais willing to recognize that the Bayani community of Iran and the assorted schismatic Bahai groups whom they have persecuted and Othered for well over a century are also not Others. Does this conference mean that a new policy is in effect that will no longer seek to Other non-Bahais, Bahai critics, Bahai dissidents, Bahai schismatics and Bayanis (Azali Babis) by the Haifan Bahais? Does this mean that the Haifan Bahai organization will no longer speak of Covenant Breakers and enemies of the faith - categories explicitly indicative of Othering? Is this conference meant to cease the activities of the Bahai Internet Agency which has been systematically orchestrating the Othering of assorted groups of people the Haifan UHJ deems to be ideological enemies? Has Moojan Momen renounced his positions in this published article? As a result of this conference has the Haifan Bahai community renounced the Othering of assorted holy figures of the Bayani community within published Bahai literature? So on and so forth.

If all forms of Othering are hereby renounced by the Haifan Bahai organization, then this is great news and I, for one, applaud this momentous undertaking and milestone! If, however, no such undertaking  has been made as a result of this conference - and no acknowledgement  forthcoming as to the Othering perpetrated by the Haifan Bahai organization itself for well over a century to the aforementioned - then the conference was merely convened as an empty photo-op propaganda opportunity, and so this conference is wasted opportunity and an example of religious hypocrisy at its fullest extent! If so, all those who participated in this conference are to the last hypocrites and one day will have to answer before Almighty God for their double-standards.

 


DASLOT

a diversity of topics

by DASLOT on

It is so great that a topic like this can finally be looked at by Academics. The broad range of speakers and subjects truly shows the all-embracing presence of the Bahai Faith, both in Iran and the world at large. I hope the academic and objective examination(although how objective can the examination of such oppresion be?) of this brings light on the subject and will help more people arise as champions of Justice in this day. 


otta

Respect

by otta on

May the othering of Bahais and other groups end in an Iran in which everyone is respected.