Religious Freedom and Religious Studies - The Bahá'í Faith in Iran and Germany: A Comparison

This paper examines the intersection of religious freedom and academic methodology by comparing the treatment of Bahá’ís in Iran and Germany. While Iran, reflecting an exclusivist Islamic theological framework, denies Bahá’ís religious freedom, Germany allows them to practice their faith freely. A key factor in this disparity is the absence of a developed methodology for religious studies in Iran. Unlike Germany, where religious studies evolved alongside or even merged with Christian theology—exemplified by the Religionsschule des Verstehens—Iranian institutions largely follow an exclusivist theological paradigm. Although some Shi‘a scholars advocate for greater tolerance, their influence remains limited. Additionally, a broader challenge to global religious freedom arises when Muslim institutions in the West demand rights that are not granted to minorities, such as the Bahá’ís, in the Islamic world.