Insights from the field: Podcast explores the contribution of the Bahá’ís of Iran to society

Historian Mina Yazdani explores how Iran’s Bahá’í community, despite persecution, has contributed to social progress through education, health, and agriculture.

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BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — In the latest podcast episode from the Bahá’í World News Service, Mina Yazdani—a professor of history at Eastern Kentucky University in the United States—explored the profound contribution of the Bahá’í community in Iran to their society.

Dr. Yazdani shared some accounts of these contributions in several areas, including health, agriculture, and education.

She explained how the Bahá’ís of Iran, despite relentless persecution, have embodied constructive resilience and have persisted in their endeavors to serve the needs of their society from its inception in the mid-nineteenth century.

Among these endeavors, Dr. Yazdani highlighted the Bahá’í community’s practice of consultation and collective decision-making, referring to its impact during the period of Iran’s Constitutional Revolution, which took place in the early 20th century.

“That, of course, would have an effect on the larger community in terms of exposing them to the idea that you have a right to choose who will serve the larger community,” she said.

Dr. Yazdani recalled the direct involvement of ‘Abdul-Bahá in the promotion of agricultural activity in Iran. The efforts drew inspiration from the Bahá’í teachings, which emphasize the role of the farmer as “the first active agent in human society.”

She explains that ‘Abdul-Bahá encouraged the Bahá’ís of Iran to begin cultivating tea, so that the country would not need to rely so heavily on imported tea. “He very clearly wanted the Bahá’ís of Iran to do their best for the betterment of the country in every aspect,” she noted.

Noteworthy also are the innovative efforts of the Bahá’ís related to public health matters and hygiene initiatives. These endeavors not only attended to the immediate material needs of individuals, but introduced ideas that were novel at that time, such as installing showers in traditional Iranian bath houses.

Previously, these places had been sources of infection and disease, because the water would not be changed frequently. In contrast to other bath houses, the new, clean bath houses founded by Bahá’ís were open to everyone, irrespective of denomination—an initiative that benefitted all members of society.

Dr. Yazdani also discussed how the Bahá’í community’s commitment to the principle of the equality of women and men has challenged prevailing social norms. She gave an example of the capability of women in both private and public spheres.

“From very early on, Bahá’ís have applied the principle of the equality of rights for men and women to their private, social, and administrative lives. The rights that women have, for example, in marriage, are all based on the equality of women and men.”

Dr. Yazdani described how Bahá’í schools first emerged in a small village called Mahfuruzak in Mazandaran, where a local religious leader who had embraced the Bahá’í Faith established schools for both boys and girls. Despite facing opposition that ultimately led to his imprisonment and execution, this initiative sparked a transformative movement in education across Iran.

These schools were distinctive for their approach, integrating moral and academic education while emphasizing the principle of equality between women and men. Dr. Yazdani noted various examples of how these schools were progressive in their approaches: “Physical punishment in schools… was ordinary at that time, …but Bahá’í schools did not do that. And then, co-ed schools were almost non-existent. For some time, wherever possible, they were co-ed schools.”

She shared a particularly evocative example from the 1930s: “The principal of the school in Abadeh, who was also a teacher, …would play setar… at the beginning of each day and then the students singing along. …Given the time and situation, the contrast between what the children in that school were experiencing compared to the larger society was amazing.”