Visiting Research Faculty
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Dr. Sasha Dehghani
The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace is delighted to welcome Dr. Sasha Dehghani as a Visiting Research Professor.
Dr. Dehghani received a M.A. degree in Islamic Studies, Political Science, Protestant Theology/Religious Studies from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and earned a ‘summa cum laude’ Ph.D. in Arabic Studies from the Free University of Berlin.
Dr. Dehghani has taught and conducted research at leading academic institutions in Germany, the Middle East and the United States, such as the American University of Beirut, the Leibniz Center for Literary and Cultural Research in Berlin or the Centre for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School. Since 2012 Dr. Dehghani has been a researcher and project manager at the Centre for the Study of the Sacred Texts at the Baha‘i World Centre in Haifa. His most recent appointments include the Forum Humanum Visiting Professorship at the Academy of World Religions at the University of Hamburg in 2020/2021.
Dr. Dehghani published a series of articles and books which take a comparative approach within the fields of Baha’i studies, Islamic Studies, the Abrahamic faiths, addressing themes such as religion and (non-)violence, the role of women, political philosophy and pluralism. Among his book publications are “Martyrium und Messianismus” (2011) and “Martyrdom in the Modern Middle East” (2014). His current focus is on prevalent academic theories at the interface of Religion, Philosophy and Civilization since the end of the second world war – such as Samuel Huntingtons Clash, Edward Saids Orientalism or Karl Jaspers Axial Age, to name only a few – examining to what extent their works have had a peaceful-unifying or divisive-disintegrational effect on the academic world and beyond.
Publications
Schöpfung und Natur neu bedacht: eine Bahá’í Sicht (engl. „Creation and Nature reconsidered – a Bahá’í view“), in: Dennis Halft, Carolin Neuber, Klaus Vellguth (eds.), Schöpfung für das Leben. Schöpfungsspiritualitäten in Deutschland im Dialog, Ostfildern 2024, pp. 197-218.
This article focuses on the Baha’i understanding of creation and nature. A number of (sub-)themes, such as the significance of divine love, as well as the concepts of emanation and pre-existence are addressed. The articles also draws attention to the conflict-laden nature of this topic, which – throughout the Geistesgeschichte of Christianity, Islam and the modern Western world – has led to a state of intellectual warfare between eminent thinkers and has also hampered civilizational progress. Following the demand of Lynn White, the article presents a new and more constructive “relationship” between men and nature, which is based on the idea of a new monotheistic religion.
The seed for this special issue of Hawwa dedicated to Tahirih was planted in August 2016 when, close to the bicentenary of her birth, we organized a panel dedicated to Tahirih at the biannual meeting of the Association for Iranian Studies (AIS) in Vienna, Austria. Negar Mottahedeh chaired the panel during which Moojan Momen and Sahba Shayani presented early versions of their articles. After the conference, we invited Amin Egea, Negar Mottahedeh, Moojan Momen, Sahba Shayani, Mina Yazdani and Hoda Mahmoudi to contribute additional articles and the foreword to this special issue.
This article analyzes the significance of the Kitāb-i-Īqān, one of the central doctrinal works of the Bahā’ī Faith. It approaches the Kitāb-i-Īqān from a twofold perspective: the internal view of the Bahā’īs and the external view of Iranian Shīʿī clerics and intellectuals. In order to illustrate why this book has been perceived as a threat by the Shīʿa, the article reviews the history of Christianity’s (initial) assessment of the Qurʾān. In addition, based on a textual analysis, the article localizes the notion of “the new/modern” (jadīd) — and the Kitāb-i-Īqān’s interpretation of it — as one of the most important reasons for the antagonism of the Shīʿī clerical and intellectual establishment. The notion of “the new” is examined both within the theological frame of Shīʿī messianic expectations, and in light of Biblical passages. Finally, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the concept of “renewal/modernity” in the Bahā’ī Faith, connections are drawn between the Kitāb-i-Īqān and other primary works, especially The Secret of Divine Civilization.
Tahirih Qurrat al-Ayn and the Women’s avantgarde in Europe”, Hawwa 21.4 (2023): 381-409.
Tahirih Qurrat al-ʿAyn has come to be seen as the first Iranian woman to openly advocate for the rights of women and the first feminist of her country. But it was among the women’s avant-garde in Europe that she first gained the stature of a feminist heroine. Discussing five cases in five nations, this article will show how Tahirih became, across cultural borders, a source of inspiration to Europe’s women avant-garde, especially throughout the second half of the long 19th century, and will suggest some reasons for the decline of public interest in the figure of Tahirih, especially in the period after the second world war.
Bahá’u’lláh's Súratu’l-Haykal: Leib, Frieden und ‘International Body Politic’ [Bahá’u’lláh's Súratu'l-Haykal: Body, Peace and ‘International Body Politic’”]: in Ahmad Milad Karimi, Maryam Palizban (eds): Leibverständnis und Leibvergessenheit. Interdisziplinäre Zugänge. Falsafa: Horizonte islamischer Religionsphilosophie, Karl Alber Verlag, Baden-Baden 2022, pp. 131-151
This article focuses on Bahá’u’lláh’s Súratu’l-Haykal. Particular attention is given to his message to Queen Victoria, in which he addresses the notion of a “lesser” and “greater” peace. The essay describes the Haykal as a universalized extension of Christianity’s and Islam’s “body politic” and further elucidates its meanings in light of Abrahamic traditions and Renaissance philosophy. The article concludes by referencing The Secret of Divine Civilization, which emphasizes that only an internationally binding covenant, regarded as sacrosanct by all the member-states of a united nations system, can be a solution for humankind.
“Me, We”: Jenseits von Exklusivismus“ [“Me, We”: Beyond Exclusivism], in: Th. Knauth, G. Fermor, R. Möller, A. Obermann (eds.): Dialog und Transformation. Pluralistische Religionspädagogik im Diskurs, Waxmann Verlag, Münster/New York 2022, pp. 136-155.
This article explores the idea of religious pluralism as a foundation for dialogue and civilizational transformation. Based on the Universal House of Justice’s “The Promise of World Peace”, and complemented by the considerations of historians like Toynbee and Küng, the inter-relatedness of religion and human progress is described in detail. In addition, the Bahá’í Faith’s pluralistic proclivities are emphasized and key differences between Christian thought are explained.
Ṭáhirih Qurratu’l-ʿAyn im deutschsprachigen Europa: Faszination der Orientalistik und Inspiration der Frauenbewegung [Ṭáhirih Qurratu’l-ʿAyn in German-Speaking Europe: Fascination of Oriental Studies and Inspiration of the Women’s Movement], in: U. Tworuschka, M. Klöcker (eds.), Handbook of Religions. Churches and other Religious Communities in Germany and German-speaking Countries. Peer Reviewed Journal. Westarp Science Fachverlag, Hohenswarsleben 2022, March 2022, nr. 71: pp. 1-23.
After the martyrdom of Ṭáhirih Qurratu’l-ʿAyn (d. 1852), her story soon attracted the attention of orientalists and female activists. Qurratu’l-ʿAyn’s commitment to women’s causes and her championing of a new religion earned her renown in German-speaking Europe; her life was widely examined during the period leading up to the Second World War. In Austria, Qurratu’l-ʿAyn became a center of attention for leading women’s activists such as Marianne Hainisch and Marie von Najmajer, and in Germany she was described by leading orientalists like F. C. Andreas and Th. Nöldeke. After the second world war, however, her public memory faded – though her story was kept alive by scholars like Annemarie Schimmel.
Progressive Revelation, in: R. Stockman (ed.), The World of the Bahá’í Faith, Routledge, London New York 2022, pp. 188-201
This chapter shows why progressive revelation is a central principle of the Bahá’í faith; the article explores the meaning of the concept in the Bahá’í Writings, tracing its origins in the sacred scriptures of the Abrahamic faiths and their intellectual representatives in St. Augustine and Ibn al-Arabi. The essay sets forth the two distinct aspects of progressive revelation – the eternal and the temporal – and describes the three-stage progressive markers within Bahá’u’lláh’s ministry. The article further touches on the social, mystical, legal, and philosophical implications of progressive relation, contrasting the Bahá’í understanding of religion and civilization with that of modern philosophers and historians such as Hegel, Jaspers, Toynbee, and Armstrong.
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Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi
We are delighted that Dr. Tiffani Betts Razavi is continuing as a Visiting Research Professor at the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace, pursuing a range of projects addressing the core research interests of our program.
Tiffani holds M.A. and D.Phil. degrees in psychology from the University of Oxford. Her experience includes stress and wellbeing research, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in psychology and organizational behavior, coordinating action research for the development of a global education program for the moral and spiritual education of children and the grassroots training of teachers, and educational journalism as a staff writer for The International Educator.
Her current research explores integrative approaches to peace and social change, moral and spiritual education for peace, unity-centered pedagogy, gender equality, and Bahá’í perspectives on these themes. She is especially interested in human values, and in the conversations that connect concepts with practice.
Through her work with the Chair, she has recently published in the Journal of Peace Education, SN Social Sciences,Religions, Peace & Change and the Journal of Character Education, as well as the edited volumes Transglobal Humanities: Meeting the Moment, Global Climate Crisis: Seeking Environmental Justice and Climate Equality, and Women and Inequality in a Changing World: Exploring New Paradigms for Peace.
Tiffani’s reflections on themes of peace are also captured in a series of blog posts and participation in recorded online events (see below).
Recent publications
Betts Razavi, T. (2025). Elements of a Culture of Peace: A Bahá’í Perspective. Religions, 16(8), 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16081073
Betts Razavi, T. (2025). Beyond the material: The human spirit in higher educationin Mark Warford (Ed.), Transglobal Humanities: Meeting the Moment (pp. 85-108). Vernon Press.
Betts Razavi, T. (2025). Sexism and sustainability: Women, feminism, and the response to the climate crisis. In H. Mahmoudi & K. Seaman (Eds.), Global Climate Crisis: Seeking environmental justice and climate justice (pp. 64–90). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035308880.00008
Betts Razavi, T., & Mahmoudi, H. (2024). Elements of a Framework for Moral Education for Peace: Evolving a Unity-Centered Pedagogy in Higher Education. Journal of Character Education, 20(2), 15–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCE-12-2024-0004
Betts Razavi, T. (2024). In a Human Voice By Carol Gilligan. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2023. Peace & Change, 49 (4), 439-441. https://doi.org/10.1111/pech.12702
Betts Razavi, T. (2024). The lost boys? A call to examine gender equality attitudes and the men of Gen Z. SN Soc Sci 4, 11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-023-00805-5
Betts Razavi, T. (2023). Paradise Lost, Paradigm Found? Revisiting Assumptions for a New Paradigm for Women in the World. In H. Mahmoudi, J. L. Parpart, & K. Seaman (Eds.), Women and Inequality in a Changing World (pp. 159–177). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003281382
Betts Razavi, T. (2023). Parity, paradigms, and possibilities: a constructive approach to advancing women’s equality. SN Soc Sci 3, 49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-023-00640-8https://rdcu.be/c6VMA
Betts Razavi, T., & Mahmoudi, H. (2023). What can be learned from looking for gender differences in peace education data? Lessons from a Bahá’í-inspired undergraduate course. Journal of Peace Education, 20(1), 95-119. https://doi.org/10.1080/17400201.2023.2187356
Betts Razavi, T. & Mahmoudi, H. (2022). A Bahá’í Concept of Peace as a Resource for Peace Education: Case Study of ‘The Problem of Prejudice.’Journal of Peace Education, 19(2), 226-248. https://doi.org/10.1080/17400201.2022.2061435
Betts Razavi, T. (2021). A Bahá’í Perspective on the Meaning of Work and Values. In Shahvar, S. (Ed.). The University of Haifa Lectures in Bahá’í Studies. New York Peter Lang Publishing Inc. New York.
Blog posts
A Window Opened – Values, coherence and caring
“Use your words” – Language and positive peace
“Us and them” – Prejudice and Peace
Human nature and climate science: Values to shape change
Getting to Know the Default Male
Hello? It’s the default male again
Recorded events
Book Discussion: Women and Inequality in a Changing World
Email: trazavi@umd.edu