Religion, Orientalism and Modernity: Mahdi Movements of Iran and South Asia

An innovative analysis of modernity and Orientalist discourses in Iranian millenarian movements Religion, Orientalism and Modernity explores the emergence in Iran of the revolutionary Babis and reformist Baha'is and their conflict with mainstream Shi'a Muslims, and of the parallel Ahmadi movement in North India. It gives fresh insights into the writings that defined these innovatory movements, penned on the one hand by their proponents, and on the other by western interpreters. Comparison of these movements shows that, together, they define important aspects of Islamic modernity. A focus on two case studies (Babis and Baha'is in Iran, and Ahmadis in India) reveals similarities and differences in their responses to a perceived need for change and renewal of religious authority.