Awakening

Overview

An inspiring account of the brutal religious persecutions that took place in 1850, 1853, and 1909 in the town of Nayriz, Iran, against its Babi and Baha'i residents. During this time, the town's citizens, spurred on by a corrupt Muslim clergy and government, launched several waves of bloodshed against the Babis - and later Baha'is - who lived there. This type of persecution continues today in present-day Iran toward the Baha'is - on a more subtle level - and the history of the Babis and Baha'is in Nayriz serves as a reminder of what can happen when religious fanaticism and paranoia are allowed to replace rational thinking and tolerance.

Author Biography

Hussein Ahdieh was born and raised in Nayriz, Iran, He is a sixth generation Baha'i, his ancestors figuring among the first in Nayriz to accept the Babi and later Baha'i Faith. Hussein immigrated to the United States as a young man. Like many immigrants seeking a better life in America, he worked and attended college in the New York area. Hussein eventually completed a Masters Degree in European Intellectual History and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts. Hillary Chapman has a BA in History from Haverford College and an MS from the University of Pennsylvania. He was an English and history teacher at Chapin School in New York City and Sidwell Friends School in Tennessee.