Mehnaaz Momen
Biographic Data
| ID | 201171 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mehnaaz Momen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mehnaaz |
| FAMILY NAME | Momen |
| SIGNATURE | MOMEN M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Texas A&M International University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4472-226X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 45 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 47 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 45 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1982 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Managing Religion and Religious Changes in Iran: A Socio-Legal Analysis. Elements in New Religious Movements. By Sajjad Adeliyan Tous and James T. Richardson
The 1979 Islamic Revolution was a significant event, not only for Iran but indeed for the rest of the world in that it seems to have led the way to the emergence of politicized and radicalized religion as a potent force in societies around the world. The Revolution was based on an ideology that called for a radical change and aimed to create a homogeneous society in which just one socio-religious viewpoint prevailed. A major obstacle to the achie…
The Reform Movement in Isfahan, Iran: The Role of Bábís and Bahá’ís
This paper seeks to analyze and reassess the reform movement in Isfahan in the years leading up to the Constitutional Revolution in Iran, 1883–1906. In the first period, 1883–1906, two Azalí Bábís from Kirman, Shaykh Aḥmad Rúḥí and Mírzá Áqá Khán Kirmání, joined Sayyid Yaḥyá Dawlatábádí to form a group in Isfahan, although the evidence that they discussed much about reform is limited. The second period, 1886–1903, saw an active circle of reformer…
Heterotopia on the Border: Context, Text, and Subtext
In the shared production of cultural memory, border town Laredo has been constructed as an exotic wild space, a heterotopia or even a dystopia, where the Native Americans, Spanish, Mexicans, Tejanos, and the Anglos collided to subjugate the frontier. This paper analyzes the popular perception of Laredo in the cultural landscape. The projections of borders through country songs and TV serials are uncovered as a layered process—the erasure of histo…
Border, Order, Other: Reconstructing Identity in Laredo
The Reception of ʿAbdu’l-Bahā in Britain: East Comes West, written by Brendan McNamara
The Bābī-Bahā’ī Revolution in Iran
The Bābīs and Bahā’īs have worked towards a gradual revolutionary conceptual and social transformation within their community which is based on a change in values and ethics. This paper looks first at the underlying transformation in worldview that has resulted in a move away from hierarchy and patriarchy, by creating social structures and pathways of action that are not led by powerful individuals, but rather are consultative and collaborative. …
Tahirih and the Religious World of Nineteenth-century Qazvin
Nineteenth Century Qazvin was a maelstrom of religious controversy and conflict. Uṣūlīs, Akhbārīs, Shaykhīs, Bābīs, and Bahā’īs all interacted in conflict with each other and sometimes even in violence. This paper will first try to create a religious map of Qazvin in the early 19th Century. The central figure for much of the religious conflict in the city was Qurrat al-ʿAyn Tahirih, the daughter of an Uṣūlī scholar, who became a Shaykhī and then …
Who Was a Bahā'ī in the Upper Echelons of Qājār Iran
This paper addresses two questions: first, that of the nature of multiple religious identities in a traditional society; second, that of who can be identified as Bahā'īs in the upper echelons of Qājār Iran. The paper identifies five criteria by which individuals can be identified as having been Bahā'īs and suggests that, since none of these are usually conclusive by themselves, more than one of the criteria should be fulfilled before we label som…
Scholarship and the Bahá’í Community
Unavailable
The Political Force of the Comedic
Years of Persecution: A history of the Babis and Baha’is of Iran
The Baha’i community of Iran and the Babi community that preceded it have undergone persecution more-or-less continuously since their inception 175 years ago. It would be impossible for a book to d
The Struggle for the Soul of Twelver Shiʿism in Qajar Iran
From the 1770s onwards, there was a struggle for the soul of Shiʿism in Iran - a struggle over what the true nature of religion should be. On one side was the dominant Uṣūlī religious hierarchy, focused on the Shariʿa and asserting that its rationalist methodology was the path to true knowledge. On the other side was a succession of four movements: Akhbārī, Shaykhī, Bābī, and Bahāʾī. This paper examines the evidence for the continuity between the…
An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism
This book is a general introduction to Shi'i Islam—specifically to Twelver Shi'ism, to which the majority of Shi'is belong today. It deals with the history and development of this important religion, giving an account of Shi'i doctrines and focusing in particular on those areas in which it differs from Sunni Islam. "Momen's book fills an important gap in the general literature in English on Twelver Shi'ism, and should be carefully studied by anyo…
The Merging of the Sacred and the Profane: What Substitutes for Ritual in the Baha’i Faith
The Baha’i Faith has very few communal rituals. There is little structure or set form to the regular meetings of the community or to such ceremonial occasions as weddings and funerals. Furthermore, there are textual instructions in the authoritative texts of the Baha’i Faith that prohibit the creation of a clerical class and the development of rituals over time. If then ritual is an essential part of religion, what substitutes for ritual in the B…
The Baha’i Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952–62
Book Review| November 01 2013 The Baha'i Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952–62 The Baha'i Faith in Africa: Establishing a New Religious Movement, 1952–62. By Anthony A. Lee. Brill, 2011. xii + 279 pages. US$144.00; €105.00. Moojan Momen Moojan Momen United Kingdom Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Nova Religio (2013) 17 (2): 122–123. https://doi.org/10.1525/nr.2013.17.2.122 Views I…
The Constitutional Movement and the Baha'is of Iran: The Creation of an ‘Enemy Within’
This article looks at the role of the Baha'is in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, 1906–1911. It propounds three major theses. First, that when the royalists and anti-constitutionalist clerics accused the Constitutionalists of being “Babis”, it was the Baha'i community that they were referring to rather than the Azali Babis. Second, that the Baha'is had a complex relationship with the Constitutionalist Movement, sometimes supporting it and s…
Persecution and Resilience: A History of the Baha'i Religion in Qajar Isfahan
The following article is an account of the Baha'i community of Isfahan during the Qajar period in Iran (1853–1921). Despite frequent persecutions launched by both the secular and religious authorities in the city, the community was able not only to survive but even to flourish. This article will give an account of the manner in which the community was a pawn in the conflict between the secular and religious authorities in the city and thus demons…
Bangladesh in 2009: The Peril Within
The year 2009 heralded an auspicious beginning for Bangladesh because national elections were held after a two-year period of the non-democratic caretaker government. The enthusiasm of returning to democracy was soon marred by an unprecedented event during which military officials were massacred by the Bangladesh Rifles in a mystifying mutiny that stunned the nation. Bangladesh's economy was also negatively affected by the global downturn, and en…
Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Bāb
Citizens of the World: A History and Sociology of the Baha'is from a Globalisation Perspective
The Messiah of Shiraz: Studies in Early and Middle Babism By Denis MacEoin (Leiden: Brill, 2009. 738 pages.)
The book under consideration deals with Babism and Shaykhism, two religiousmovementsof nineteenth-century Iran.According toMacEoin, they areprincipally of note in that they were the precursors of the Baha’i faith. Thebook consists of the author’s Ph.D. thesis on the emergence of Babism from Shaykhism (completed in 1979, 250 pages); nine articles subsequently publishedin various journals and books, mainly on different aspects of Babism;seven artic…
Bangladesh in 2008: Déjà Vu Again or a Return to Democracy
Bangladesh stepped into 2008 under emergency rule, suspended political activity, and a military-supported caretaker government (CG), after a 16-year interlude of a two-party dominated democratic system. After a long two years, the CG has started releasing key political leaders as a step toward holding elections in December. The Bangladeshi people are waiting to see whether this interruption of democracy will remain only temporary
Millennialism and Violence: The Attempted Assassination of Nasir al-Din Shah of Iran by the Babis in 1852
The association of millennialist movements with violence has been a subject of much study following recent high-profile events. This article examines a case of millennialism and violence that occurred just over 150 years ago. It tracks the events leading to the attempted assassination of Nasir al-Din Shah of Iran in 1852 by a small group of followers of the religion of the Bab, a religious leader who claimed to fulfill the prophecies of Shi'i Isl…
Withdrawn: Challenging apostasy: Responses to Moojan Momen's ‘Marginality and Apostasy in the Baha'i Community’
This article has been withdrawn consistent with Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal ( http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy ). The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause
Challenging apostasy: Responses to Moojan Momen's ‘Marginality and Apostasy in the Baha’i Community’
An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism
This book is a general introduction to Shi'i Islam—specifically to Twelver Shi'ism, to which the majority of Shi'is belong today. It deals with the history and development of this important religion, giving an account of Shi'i doctrines and focusing in particular on those areas in which it differs from Sunni Islam. "Momen's book fills an important gap in the general literature in English on Twelver Shi'ism, and should be carefully studied by anyo…
Marginality and apostasy in the Baha'i community
During most of Baha'i history, there have been both marginal and apostate Baha'is. This article is about a group of articulate and well-educated marginal and apostate Baha'is who first appeared in theWest about twenty-five years ago and who reached the peak of their activity in the last decade. The group's campaign against the Baha'i community brings to mind Max Scheler's description of the apostate as 'engaged in a continuous chain of acts of re…
The Social Basis of the Bābī Upheavals in Iran (1848–53): A Preliminary Analysis
In the middle of the nineteenth century, Iran was shaken by a series of serious upheavals caused by the Bābī movement. Although of short duration, these upheavals engulfed the entire country and had far-reaching effects in that they formed the first of a chain of events that led on the one hand, to the constitional movement in Iran, and on the other, to the establishment of the now world-wide Bahā'ī Faith
The Trial of Mullā 'Alī Basṭāmī: A Combined Sunnī-Shī'ī Fatwā against the Bāb
Historique du mouvement babiste, et du jugement de Mulla Ali Bastami en 1844-1845 a Tabriz, apres sa pretention a etre le Mahdi, c'est-a-dire le Douzieme Imam ou Imam Cache. Trois periodes dans ce mouvement: 1 en 1844, le mot qui signifie la Porte, rassemble quelques disciples, 2 fin 1844, proclamation ouverte de la revendication du Bab, son jugement et, par suite, la Fatwa et les origines du mouvement baha'iste, 3 debut 1848, promulgation d'une …
The Political Force of the Comedic
Bangladesh in 2008: Déjà Vu Again or a Return to Democracy
Bangladesh stepped into 2008 under emergency rule, suspended political activity, and a military-supported caretaker government (CG), after a 16-year interlude of a two-party dominated democratic system. After a long two years, the CG has started releasing key political leaders as a step toward holding elections in December. The Bangladeshi people are waiting to see whether this interruption of democracy will remain only temporary
The Baha'i faith 1957-1988: A survey of contemporary developments
This paper gives a general account of the developments in the Baha'i Faith over the last three decades. The period began with the Baha'i Faith as a little-known religion with a hereditary leadership of predominantly Iranian membership but with some spread to the West. At the present time the religion has been transformed into a much better-known religion led by an elected council. It has increased some 20-fold in numbers and is now world-wide in …
The Babi and Baha'i community of Iran: A case of “suspended genocide
Mafia, Mob and Shiism in Iraq: The Rebellion of Ottoman Karbala 1824-1843
Juan R. I. Cole, Moojan Momen; MAFIA, MOB AND SHIISM IN IRAQ: THE REBELLION OF OTTOMAN KARBALA 1824-1843*, Past & Present, Volume 112, Issue 1, 1 August 19
The Bābī-Bahā’ī Revolution in Iran
The Bābīs and Bahā’īs have worked towards a gradual revolutionary conceptual and social transformation within their community which is based on a change in values and ethics. This paper looks first at the underlying transformation in worldview that has resulted in a move away from hierarchy and patriarchy, by creating social structures and pathways of action that are not led by powerful individuals, but rather are consultative and collaborative. …
Bangladesh in 2009: The Peril Within
The year 2009 heralded an auspicious beginning for Bangladesh because national elections were held after a two-year period of the non-democratic caretaker government. The enthusiasm of returning to democracy was soon marred by an unprecedented event during which military officials were massacred by the Bangladesh Rifles in a mystifying mutiny that stunned the nation. Bangladesh's economy was also negatively affected by the global downturn, and en…
The Messiah of Shiraz: Studies in Early and Middle Babism By Denis MacEoin (Leiden: Brill, 2009. 738 pages.)
The book under consideration deals with Babism and Shaykhism, two religiousmovementsof nineteenth-century Iran.According toMacEoin, they areprincipally of note in that they were the precursors of the Baha’i faith. Thebook consists of the author’s Ph.D. thesis on the emergence of Babism from Shaykhism (completed in 1979, 250 pages); nine articles subsequently publishedin various journals and books, mainly on different aspects of Babism;seven artic…
The Baha'is and the Constitutional Revolution: The Case of Sari, Mazandaran, 1906–1913
Accounts of the Constitutional Revolution in Iran have tended to ignore the role of the Baha'is in that event. This paper looks at the case of Sari, capital of Mazandaran province, where the Baha'is of the city played a major part in initiating the move towards Constitutionalism and in educating people about the reforms envisaged and about the modern world. They also led the way in carrying out some of these reforms. In particular, the Baha'is es…
Are you aCitizen? Insights from Borderlands
This paper explores the meaning of citizenship in a border town along the US-Mexico boundary. The central theme is to analyze how boundaries between nations and identities remain permeable and contested; and how such negotiations are reflected in state–citizen relations. The city of El Cenizo, a colonia, in other words, low-cost, low-service, and semi-legal housing in border areas, serves as the study area. The paper analyzes how the real life me…
Can Secular Liberal Politics Be Reincarnated in India
This article examines the possibilities of reviving secular liberal politics in India after the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu fundamentalist group, in the 2004 national election. The research begins with a historical analysis of the ideals of secularism and liberalism in Indian politics. The success of the Hindutva movement was built on the failure of previous regimes to implement secular principles in politics and in soci…
Usuli, Akhbari, Shaykhi, Babi: The Tribulations of a Qazvin Family
The Last Half of the Eighteenth Century and the First Half of the Nineteenth century saw Twelver Shici Islam, especially in Iran, undergoing a number of upheavals as a result of conflicts between different schools of thought. These upheavals were primarily ideological but they also led to conflict, fighting and even deaths. This period began in the political turmoil following the collapse of the Safavid Empire. The Akhbari school of Twelver Shici…
The Trial of Mullā 'Alī Basṭāmī: A Combined Sunnī-Shī'ī Fatwā against the Bāb
Historique du mouvement babiste, et du jugement de Mulla Ali Bastami en 1844-1845 a Tabriz, apres sa pretention a etre le Mahdi, c'est-a-dire le Douzieme Imam ou Imam Cache. Trois periodes dans ce mouvement: 1 en 1844, le mot qui signifie la Porte, rassemble quelques disciples, 2 fin 1844, proclamation ouverte de la revendication du Bab, son jugement et, par suite, la Fatwa et les origines du mouvement baha'iste, 3 debut 1848, promulgation d'une …
The Social Basis of the Bābī Upheavals in Iran (1848–53): A Preliminary Analysis
In the middle of the nineteenth century, Iran was shaken by a series of serious upheavals caused by the Bābī movement. Although of short duration, these upheavals engulfed the entire country and had far-reaching effects in that they formed the first of a chain of events that led on the one hand, to the constitional movement in Iran, and on the other, to the establishment of the now world-wide Bahā'ī Faith
The Babi and Baha'i Religions 1844-1944. Some Contemporary Western Accounts
My Memories of Bahāʾu'llāh by Ustād Muḥammad-ʿAlīy-i Salmānī, the Barber, with a Selection of His Poems
Mafia, Mob and Shiism in Iraq: The Rebellion of Ottoman Karbala 1824-1843
Juan R. I. Cole, Moojan Momen; MAFIA, MOB AND SHIISM IN IRAQ: THE REBELLION OF OTTOMAN KARBALA 1824-1843*, Past & Present, Volume 112, Issue 1, 1 August 19
C. Reviews and notes: Bibliographies and works of reference
BIBLIOGRAPHIE ZUR DEUTSCHSPRACHIGEN ISLAMWISSENSCHAFT UND SEMITISTIK VOM ANFANG DES 19. JAHRUNDERTS BIS HEUTE, Bd. I By Erik Bär. Wiesbaden, Reichert, 1985. 572pp. DM 180. A COLLECTION OF ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS INCLUDING SOME TURKISH AND PERSIAN MANUSCRIPTS. By Hans Daiber. Revised edition with indexes. Amsterdam, s.n., 1986. iv, 181pp. GUIDE TO SIRA AND HADITH LITERATURE IN WESTERN LANGUAGES. By MUNAWAR AHMAD ANEES and Alia N. Athar. (East‐West Univ…
The Baha'i faith 1957-1988: A survey of contemporary developments
This paper gives a general account of the developments in the Baha'i Faith over the last three decades. The period began with the Baha'i Faith as a little-known religion with a hereditary leadership of predominantly Iranian membership but with some spread to the West. At the present time the religion has been transformed into a much better-known religion led by an elected council. It has increased some 20-fold in numbers and is now world-wide in …
Islam and Revolution in the Middle East.
Analyzes the role of Islam in Middle Eastern society and politics, addresses the differences between the Sunni and Shi'i sects, and discusses why an Islamic revolution occurred only in Iran.
A. Reviews: General
JOURNAL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES, Vol. 1. Edited by ATHANASIUS TH. PHOTOPOULOS. Athens, 1989. viii, 245 pp. RELIGION AND SOCIETY IN ARAB SIND. By BERRYL N. MACLEAN. (Monographs and Theoretical Studies in Sociology and Anthropology in Honour of Nels Anderson, 25.) Leiden, Brill, 1989. x, 191pp. Hf1.75‐/$37.50. AN ARAB‐SYRIAN GENTLEMAN AND WARRIOR IN THE PERIOD OF THE CRUSADES: MEMOIRS OF USAMAH IBN‐MUNQIDH. Translated by PHILIP K. HITTI. Co…
The Baha'i Faith: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
Usuli, Akhbari, Shaykhi, Babi: The Tribulations of a Qazvin Family
The Last Half of the Eighteenth Century and the First Half of the Nineteenth century saw Twelver Shici Islam, especially in Iran, undergoing a number of upheavals as a result of conflicts between different schools of thought. These upheavals were primarily ideological but they also led to conflict, fighting and even deaths. This period began in the political turmoil following the collapse of the Safavid Empire. The Akhbari school of Twelver Shici…
Indian Drama: Nationalism, Politics, and Policy
This article explores the relationship between the changing demands of nationhood and identity politics in India. The author analyzes the ideologies of nationalism and Hindutva through the lenses of space to understand how these concepts affect policies such as the Mandal Commission report, which triggered the usurpation of politics and eventually the government by communal political forces in India. As a policy, the Mandal report is a part of hi…
Governance on the Ground: Innovations and Discontinuities in Cities of the Developing World
Book Review| May 01 2005 Governance on the Ground: Innovations and Discontinuities in Cities of the Developing World Patricia L. McCarney and Richard E. Stren, eds. Baltimore, MD:Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003 x + 288 pp., $50.00 (cloth), $24.95(paper) Mehnaaz Momen Mehnaaz Momen Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East (2005) 25 (1): 275–277. https://doi.org/10…
The Babi and Baha'i community of Iran: A case of “suspended genocide
Are you aCitizen? Insights from Borderlands
This paper explores the meaning of citizenship in a border town along the US-Mexico boundary. The central theme is to analyze how boundaries between nations and identities remain permeable and contested; and how such negotiations are reflected in state–citizen relations. The city of El Cenizo, a colonia, in other words, low-cost, low-service, and semi-legal housing in border areas, serves as the study area. The paper analyzes how the real life me…
Mudando a realidade: A comunidade Bahá'í e a criação de uma nova realidade
Atualmente é bem aceito pelos cientistas sociais que os seres humanos criam a realidade socialmente e de forma comunal. A cultura ou ponto de vista assim criado é particularmente estável, pois é considerado como aceito e não é usualmente questionado. Este paper examina as tentativas que estão sendo realizadas pela comunidade bahá'í através do mundo para mudar esta realidade socialmente criada. Em particular, este paper examina a estrutura social …
Can Secular Liberal Politics Be Reincarnated in India
This article examines the possibilities of reviving secular liberal politics in India after the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu fundamentalist group, in the 2004 national election. The research begins with a historical analysis of the ideals of secularism and liberalism in Indian politics. The success of the Hindutva movement was built on the failure of previous regimes to implement secular principles in politics and in soci…
Remembering Laredo: Spatial Reflections
This article explores the public spaces of Laredo, a city situated on the border of the United States and Mexico along the Rio Grande. The construction of urban history is shaped by changes in public space—its physical settings, access to residents, and utilization by people. The author analyzes the transformation of public spaces and public events of Laredo to trace how amnesia and remembering are reflected in the cityscape. Public events reprod…
Marginality and apostasy in the Baha'i community
During most of Baha'i history, there have been both marginal and apostate Baha'is. This article is about a group of articulate and well-educated marginal and apostate Baha'is who first appeared in theWest about twenty-five years ago and who reached the peak of their activity in the last decade. The group's campaign against the Baha'i community brings to mind Max Scheler's description of the apostate as 'engaged in a continuous chain of acts of re…
Millennialism and Violence: The Attempted Assassination of Nasir al-Din Shah of Iran by the Babis in 1852
The association of millennialist movements with violence has been a subject of much study following recent high-profile events. This article examines a case of millennialism and violence that occurred just over 150 years ago. It tracks the events leading to the attempted assassination of Nasir al-Din Shah of Iran in 1852 by a small group of followers of the religion of the Bab, a religious leader who claimed to fulfill the prophecies of Shi'i Isl…
Withdrawn: Challenging apostasy: Responses to Moojan Momen's ‘Marginality and Apostasy in the Baha'i Community’
This article has been withdrawn consistent with Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal ( http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy ). The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause
Challenging apostasy: Responses to Moojan Momen's ‘Marginality and Apostasy in the Baha’i Community’
The Baha'is and the Constitutional Revolution: The Case of Sari, Mazandaran, 1906–1913
Accounts of the Constitutional Revolution in Iran have tended to ignore the role of the Baha'is in that event. This paper looks at the case of Sari, capital of Mazandaran province, where the Baha'is of the city played a major part in initiating the move towards Constitutionalism and in educating people about the reforms envisaged and about the modern world. They also led the way in carrying out some of these reforms. In particular, the Baha'is es…
The Messiah of Shiraz: Studies in Early and Middle Babism By Denis MacEoin (Leiden: Brill, 2009. 738 pages.)
The book under consideration deals with Babism and Shaykhism, two religiousmovementsof nineteenth-century Iran.According toMacEoin, they areprincipally of note in that they were the precursors of the Baha’i faith. Thebook consists of the author’s Ph.D. thesis on the emergence of Babism from Shaykhism (completed in 1979, 250 pages); nine articles subsequently publishedin various journals and books, mainly on different aspects of Babism;seven artic…
Bangladesh in 2008: Déjà Vu Again or a Return to Democracy
Bangladesh stepped into 2008 under emergency rule, suspended political activity, and a military-supported caretaker government (CG), after a 16-year interlude of a two-party dominated democratic system. After a long two years, the CG has started releasing key political leaders as a step toward holding elections in December. The Bangladeshi people are waiting to see whether this interruption of democracy will remain only temporary
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