… in conversation … Interview by Tom Mayhall Rastrelli
Saghar Sadeghian, visiting assistant professor of history, practices the Baha’i faith that is persecuted in her homeland of Iran. Her unique perspective is stretching Willamette students’ worldview.
> What were some of the difficulties you experienced in Iran? While Iran’s Shia-Muslim government discriminates against other religions and sects, Baha’is are the scapegoats of society. At the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, hundreds of Baha’is were imprisoned or executed. Now, even though Baha’is represent the largest religious minority, we are not allowed access to higher education or official jobs. I completed my undergraduate education at an underground Baha’i university in Iran but had to travel to the U.K. and France to gain my master’s degree and doctorate. My research caused me some difficulties with the Iranian government, so I’m unable to return home. > What are students most surprised by in your classes? They are surprised by what they don’t know about the Middle East. When we talk about women, for example, many students imagine women hidden in their houses, unable to work, travel or participate in society. When they read about such things in an academic context, they find differences from what they hear in the media and from American and Middle Eastern politicians. Often, it may be totally different from the reality in countries like Iran. My classes aim to change such superficial ideas. I try to give a wider perspective of the region and change mentalities about geography, population, ethnicity, religion and culture. > What has your experience taught you about discrimination? Discrimination can happen to any minority group. When you divide society into two groups — majority and minority, those who have power and those who don’t — it’s the beginning of discrimination. When you start labeling people differently, you divide the community into “us” and “others.” This can be based on religion,
ethnicity, gender orientation, language, accent or hair color — anything to say, “We are better. You are not the same as us.” > What courses are you teaching this semester? “History of the Modern Middle East” covers a general history since 1800, while “Middle East and the West” studies political, economic and cultural influences or clashes since 1800. > How does your research inform our understanding of Iran today? My research is focused on Iran’s non-Muslim communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries — the period of the Constitutional Revolution. I am trying to uncover the roots of contemporary misunderstandings and animosities. Today, Iran’s religious minorities face discrimination. Separate quarters and many more distinctions and separations still exist for Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. If someone doesn’t know the history of the region, they assume this discrimination started in 1979, whereas some regulations have existed since the 18th and 19th centuries. While religion was a pretext, most discrimination and separation was based in economics and politics, both internal and foreign efforts. > How does being Baha’i inform your worldview? The Baha’i faith believes in the unity of mankind. As a Baha’i, I believe that I should be at the service of humanity. Because we believe in universal peace, I try to bring common understanding to the community I’m living in and to remove animosity and resentment to create a better and more peaceful world.
WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY
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