The themes and issues explored in this book - religion, human rights, politics and society could not be more relevant to the post 11 September 2001 world. They lie at the heart of global political debate today. The collection explores these issues after the passing of just over two decades from the adoption of the "United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination based on Religion or Belief," That declaration set out minimum international standards for the elimination of such discrimination. Sadly the challenge of intolerance on the basis of...

This book provides the first comprehensive assessment of the contribution of the United Nations to the human rights situation of the Baha'is in Iran. It does this by examining the theoretical, legal, institutional and political dimensions of this issue in detail. The situation of the Baha'i community in Iran between 1979 and 2002 provides a particularly good test case for the international community due to its clarity. By giving attention to a singular case within a discrete time frame, this book is able to effectively examine the impact of UN human rights protection. Attention is given in...