Non-Muslim Religious Minorities in Contemporary Iran

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamsheed K. Choksy
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Seventh Century ◽  
Islamic Revolution ◽  
Religious Minority ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
International Attention ◽  
Muslim Communities

A little over three decades ago, during the reign of the last Pahlavi monarch Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, non-Muslim religious minorities in Iran experienced life within a relatively tolerant society. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran’s native Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians, Mandaeans, and Baha’is have experienced increasing discrimination, isolation, and intimidation. Those non-Muslim religious minorities provide Iranian society with confessional pluralism and cultural diversity, thereby serving also as a moderating population sliver against Shi‘ite fundamentalism. But now the non-Muslim communities collectively have diminished to less than 2 percent of Iran’s 75,2 million residents. Yet, these minorities have attracted very limited domestic and international attention or concern because their situation is poorly understood. This article, based on extensive fieldwork in Iran during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, examines the situations of those Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, Mandaeans, and Baha’is. While Sunnis also are a religious minority in Iran and do experience prejudices too, intra-Muslim tension with its origins in seventh century religious disputes and its geopolitical reverberations to the present day go beyond the scope of this article.

Religious Freedom and Equality Concerns under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

2001 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Ishiyama Smithey
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Ethnic Communities ◽  
Freedom Of Conscience ◽  
Religious Minority ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Canadian Charter ◽  
Religious Convictions

Section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of conscience and religion. In interpreting the Charter, the courts have interpreted this provision to prevent the legislatures from discriminating against religious minorities by promoting particular religious practices. Judges have been much less willing to protect religious minority groups from secular laws that interfere with their religious convictions. The religion cases hold important implications for those concerned about cultural diversity and the equality of Canada's many ethnic communities, as well as for the debate over the increased power of courts under the Charter.

Religious Minority Rights and their Satisfaction in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Muhammad Akram ◽  
Asim Nasar ◽  
Abid Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Religious Minority ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Citizenship Rights ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Muslim Majority

Abstract The study investigates the satisfaction of religious minorities in Pakistan subject to government policies and attitudes of the Muslim majority. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect data from 120 respondents living in rural areas in Pakistan. Descriptive statistics and the Pearson correlation coefficient were used to measure the relatedness of essential factors of freedom of expression, opportunity in government services, security of unprotected assembly, prejudice in relationship with Muslims and welcomeness in Muslim neighbourhoods. Yeh’s Index of Satisfaction was used to measure the satisfaction level of religious minorities with government policies and attitudes of the Muslim majority. The study findings revealed that religious minorities are least satisfied with their citizenship rights in Pakistan, which poses various questions to government policies and legislation. Further, they were also least satisfied with the attitudes of the Muslim majority with whom they must interact in their everyday life.

scholarly journals SOME METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE HISTORIC AND CURRENT ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Adam A.J. DeVille
Keyword(s):  
Seventh Century ◽  
Oriental Institute ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Methodological Considerations

Drawing on, but expanding and altering mutatis mutandis some principles enunciated by the greatest Byzantine liturgical historian writing today, Robert F. Taft (emeritus of the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome), this paper will propose some methodological considerations for the study of the encounters and relations between Eastern Christian and Muslim communities from the seventh century to the present day.

Personal values underlying halal food consumption: evidence from Indonesia and Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (11) ◽  
pp. 2524-2538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poppy Arsil ◽  
Yeong Sheng Tey ◽  
Mark Brindal ◽  
Cun Uei Phua ◽  
Denisa Liana
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Personal Values ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Cities ◽  
Consumption Decisions ◽  
Halal Food ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to uncover the personal values driving Indonesian and Malaysian Muslims’ consumption decisions with respect to halal food.Design/methodology/approachThe personal values of 130 Indonesian and 80 Malaysian Muslims have been analyzed, using a means-end chain (MEC) approach, in relation to halal food.FindingsPrimary personal values are identified as a better sense of personal security. This is ascribed as seeking “better future” and “go to heaven.” Other personal values are related to tradition, benevolence and achievement.Research limitations/implicationsSince this study was conducted in both the capital cities of Indonesia and Malaysia, this study might not take account of cultural diversity within the two countries’ Muslim communities.Practical implicationsAn understanding of the personal values governing Muslim consumption is a useful tool toward improving the promotion of halal certification and food products.Originality/valueThis study reveals the personal values of Indonesian and Malaysian Muslims with underpinning their consumption of halal food.

Religious Minorities in the Ideology and Politics of Syria

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Anita Sylwia Adamczyk ◽  
Fuad Jomma
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Religious Minority ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Arab Nationalism ◽  
Theoretical Issues

Abstract Although the Middle East is widely associated with Islam, it is diverse in terms of religion. Syria is an example where two religious groups dominate, i.e. Muslims and Christians, which are internally diverse. The purpose of this article is to examine the position of religious minorities in the ideology and politics of Syria. Syria is not chosen by accident as the authors believe that the failure to recognize the existence of minorities and to respect their rights was one of the reasons for the civil war in Syria. The article consists of three parts. The first discusses the theoretical issues related to the definition and understanding of the notions of what constitutes a religious minority and of pan-Arabism in Syria. The next presents the complex religious pattern in country, and the last concerns the policy of the Syrian authorities, who are influenced by Arab nationalism, towards various religious groups.

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 207-214
Author(s):  
Spencer W. McBride
Keyword(s):  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
The United States ◽  
Religious Discrimination ◽  
Mob Violence ◽  
Religious Minority ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Joseph Smith ◽  
Southern States

The Conclusion of the book considers the extent to which Joseph Smith was correct that the states’ rights doctrine condoned mob violence against religious minorities and that the United States would never experience universal religious freedom without a federal government empowered to protect religious minorities. The Missouri militia’s invocation of the violent expulsion of Mormons from the state as their plan to expel abolitionists in the 1850s is examined as a telling example. Joseph Smith’s presidential campaign and its tragic end encapsulate the failure of nineteenth-century Americans to establish universal religious freedom. Many Americans championed states’ rights as a way to maintain race-based slavery in the Southern states, but few acknowledged that this philosophy also disadvantaged religious minority groups. The Conclusion also considers the role of systemic religious discrimination in federal policy for the management of Utah Territory and the multiple denied applications for Utah statehood.

The Politics of Religious Pluralism in Indonesia: The Shi'a Response to the Sampang Incidents of 2011–12

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Ken Miichi ◽  
Yuka Kayane
Keyword(s):  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Minority Rights ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Religious Minority ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Institutional Settings ◽  
Religious Intolerance ◽  
Political Forces ◽  
Democratic System ◽  
Direct Elections

AbstractAn increasing number of reports and studies on offenses against religious minorities has been published in Indonesia since the country's democratic transition in 1998. While the literature on intolerance unveils the young democracy's institutional problems which have undermined and eroded minority rights, such as direct elections and the lack of judicial independence, it leaves many critical questions to address. Although the number of victims of religious intolerance increased, in the same institutional settings, a large number of religious minorities has managed to prevent escalating violence and avoid being targeted by intolerant groups. Under what circumstances and how do minorities deter attacks in a time of heightened tension against them under a democratic system that has afforded them little protection? This article sheds light on the case of the Shi'a who suffered a series of attacks in Sampang, Madura in the East Java province, but have since gradually developed resilience. A series of attacks in Sampang in 2011–12 was one of the most destructive events against religious minorities in Indonesia. Examining the Sampang incidents, this article argues that if the religious minority can develop a cohesive network with elements of the majority capable of mobilising state power, it would build a safety net preventing attacks by intolerant groups. Thus, this article aims to develop our understanding of how religious minorities address violence caused by hostile socio-political forces and adapt to Indonesia's democracy.

scholarly journals Views on Religious Freedom among Young People in Belarus and Norway: Similarities and Contrasts

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Breskaya ◽  
Pål Ketil Botvar
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Young People ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Theoretical Discussion ◽  
Religious Minorities ◽  
Democratic Regimes ◽  
Trust In Institutions ◽  
Country Analysis ◽  
International Research Project

The study of religious freedom has not received sufficient empirical attention from sociologists of religion, despite significant theoretical discussion of the governance of religious freedom. This article suggests empirical findings about the views on religious freedom in Belarus and Norway from the international research project “Religion and Human Rights.” The authors explore the effects of religiosity, spirituality, and cultural diversity on young people’s views of religious freedom in two countries. The comparative data from Belarus (N = 677) and Norway (N = 1001) examine patterns of attitudes towards religious freedom considering the effect of trust in institutions within democratic and non-democratic regimes. This two-country analysis reveals that religiosity, cultural diversity and trust in institutions exert a notable influence on religious freedom views in different ways in Belarus and Norway, on both non-religious young people and those from religious minorities.

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