Religious Minorities of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey
Communities on the Margins
Will be published approx. on 7. January 2027
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-350-62270-8 (ISBN)
Description
Exploring the distinctive character, contributions and current situations of the 'minority' religious communities in the Middle East, this book sheds light on the problems that they face, and considers ways in which their situations might be alleviated.
Mindful of Islam's categorization of religious communities, the introduction addresses the application of 'People of the Book' (ahl al-kitab) and the 'Covenant of 'Umar' and in particular exposes issues that emerged at the 'grass-roots' level of conversion between 'minority' religious communities and Islam. Each of the individual chapters is devoted to a particular 'minority' religion, discussing its origins as well as the theological, political, historical, linguistic and ethnic factors that have shaped the community's identity.
Chapters also explore current situations and, mindful of their standing as dhimmi or non-dhimmi, flags up the important issues and problems that the 'minority' religious communities face in the contemporary Middle East, not the least being the rise and spread of militant Islamic jihadism. Written by leading experts in their respective fields, the book will be particularly relevant for academics, diplomats, NGOs as well as the interested general reader.
Mindful of Islam's categorization of religious communities, the introduction addresses the application of 'People of the Book' (ahl al-kitab) and the 'Covenant of 'Umar' and in particular exposes issues that emerged at the 'grass-roots' level of conversion between 'minority' religious communities and Islam. Each of the individual chapters is devoted to a particular 'minority' religion, discussing its origins as well as the theological, political, historical, linguistic and ethnic factors that have shaped the community's identity.
Chapters also explore current situations and, mindful of their standing as dhimmi or non-dhimmi, flags up the important issues and problems that the 'minority' religious communities face in the contemporary Middle East, not the least being the rise and spread of militant Islamic jihadism. Written by leading experts in their respective fields, the book will be particularly relevant for academics, diplomats, NGOs as well as the interested general reader.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
453 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-62270-8 (9781350622708)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Erica C.D. Hunter is Affiliated Researcher, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge, UK. She was previously Senior Lecturer in Eastern Christianity, Dept. of History, Religions and Philosophies, SOAS (2000-2020), convening the Christianity in Iraq Seminar Days (2004-2013). She has published extensively on the Christian and Mandaean communities in Iraq.
Content
Notes on Contributors
Introduction. Erica C. D. Hunter (University of Cambridge, UK)
1. The Pact of 'Umar: Interfaith Ties in the Early Islamic Period, Uriel Simonsohn (University of Haifa, Israel)
2. The Samaritans: An Ancient Israelite People, Ingrid Hjelm (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
3. The Alevis: Trajectories in Turkey and the Diaspora, David Shankland (Royal Anthropological Institute, London, UK)
4. The Druze in the Arab Middle East: Existence in Question, Yusri Hazran (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
5. The Mandaeans: The Last Gnostics?, Erica C. D. Hunter (University of Cambridge, UK)
6. The Ezidi: From Kurdistan to the Diaspora,, Thomas Schmidinger (University of Kurdistan Hewler and University of Vienna, Austria and Iraq)
7. Jewish Communities of the Middle East, Reeva Spector Simon (Columbia University and Yeshiva University, USA)
8. The Yaresan or Ahl-e Haqq, Philip G. Kreyenbroek (Georg-August University Goettingen, Germany)
9. The Nusayri-'Alawis: Rise and Decline in Syria, Yaron Friedman (University of Haifa, Israel)
10. The Baha'is, Oliver Scharbrodt (University of Lund, Sweden)
11. Shabak Shi'a: Debates on Religion, Ethnicity and Belonging, Amal al-Juboori (SOAS, University of London, UK)
12. Zoroastrianism: A Minority Religion in Iran, Almut Hintze (SOAS, University of London, UK) and Rastin Mehri (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
Index
Introduction. Erica C. D. Hunter (University of Cambridge, UK)
1. The Pact of 'Umar: Interfaith Ties in the Early Islamic Period, Uriel Simonsohn (University of Haifa, Israel)
2. The Samaritans: An Ancient Israelite People, Ingrid Hjelm (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
3. The Alevis: Trajectories in Turkey and the Diaspora, David Shankland (Royal Anthropological Institute, London, UK)
4. The Druze in the Arab Middle East: Existence in Question, Yusri Hazran (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
5. The Mandaeans: The Last Gnostics?, Erica C. D. Hunter (University of Cambridge, UK)
6. The Ezidi: From Kurdistan to the Diaspora,, Thomas Schmidinger (University of Kurdistan Hewler and University of Vienna, Austria and Iraq)
7. Jewish Communities of the Middle East, Reeva Spector Simon (Columbia University and Yeshiva University, USA)
8. The Yaresan or Ahl-e Haqq, Philip G. Kreyenbroek (Georg-August University Goettingen, Germany)
9. The Nusayri-'Alawis: Rise and Decline in Syria, Yaron Friedman (University of Haifa, Israel)
10. The Baha'is, Oliver Scharbrodt (University of Lund, Sweden)
11. Shabak Shi'a: Debates on Religion, Ethnicity and Belonging, Amal al-Juboori (SOAS, University of London, UK)
12. Zoroastrianism: A Minority Religion in Iran, Almut Hintze (SOAS, University of London, UK) and Rastin Mehri (Simon Fraser University, Canada)
Index