Date of Award

Fall 11-2024

Degree Type

Honors Thesis

Major

International Studies

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

International Studies

First Advisor

Brian Dowd-Uribe

Abstract

Religious persecution is, and always has been, rampant, and this is especially the case for the Baha’is in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Yet, little research has been done on how this persecution has led to improvements in protections for different religious minorities, including the Baha’i Faith. This thesis will aim to address that gap and understand whether and how the persecution of Iranian Baha’is advances protections for different religious minorities. In this research I attempt to locate instances of Baha’i persecution-informed religious protection through extensive research of the Baha’i International Community and interviews of religious persecution experts to understand how certain protections put in place for religious minorities today are rooted in and created because of the persecution faced by Baha’is in Iran. There are three main areas affected by the persecution of Iranian Baha’is: the protection of religious minorities, the protection of Baha’is, and statements made condemning the Islamic Republic’s actions. These limited byt important instances of Baha’i persecution-informed religious protections demonstrate the importance of the group, regardless of their size which can catalyze important protections at multiple scales.

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