Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education

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The Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE), popularly known as the Bahá'í Open University, is a university in Iran, designed and managed by the Bahá'í community for Iranian Bahá'ís, who are excluded from access to higher education in Iran. Founded in 1987 and offering 17 degree programs across 3 faculties, BIHE continues to develop and deliver academic programs of learning and research in the sciences, the social sciences and the arts.

Faced with religious persecution involving a wide range of human rights violations, including denial of access to higher education, BIHE developed several unique features. Courses delivered at the outset by correspondence for security reasons are now provided on-line, using leading-edge communication technologies. In addition, an affiliated global faculty (AGF) has been established comprised of hundreds of accredited professors from universities outside Iran who assist BIHE as researchers, teachers and consultants.

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[edit] Context

After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the new Islamic government fired Bahá'í professors from all universities and expelled Bahá'í students. The government established a new university admission system where only individuals who identified themselves with one of the four religions recognized by Islamic Republic Constitution state on university entrance exams were given admission.

While the Bahá'í Faith is the largest religious minority in Iran, they have been have been persecuted in the Islamic republic and have limited civil rights. Iranian law treats Bahá'ís as "heretics," rather than members of an independent religion since Bahá'ís recognize the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh as additional messengers from God that have appeared after Muhammad.

[edit] The university

BIHE was established in 1987 to allow Bahá'í youth an opportunity to obtain an education. The New York Times called it "an elaborate act of communal self-preservation." Bahá'í teachers, and professionals offered a variety of subject courses to the students mostly through correspondence.

[edit] Curriculum

BIHE offers Bachelor, Graduate and Associate degrees in the following subjects administered by five university departments:

The Institute offers more than 700 courses each term with many of them being offered online.

[edit] Faculty

The 275 member faculty at BIHE largely consists of professionals who once held teaching positions at government run universities in Iran, but because of their affiliation with the Bahá'í Faith and the increasing systematic oppression of the Bahá’ís in that country, they later lost their jobs.

This team of volunteers, in their capacity as professors, have provided their expertise over the last two decades to the development and implementation of a university curriculum which now consists of 17 degree programs (14 undergraduate and 3 graduate).

As the online capabilities of BIHE expands, so too does its Affiliated Global Faculty (AGF), a growing international body of professors who volunteer their time and expertise to the ongoing growth of BIHE. The AGF is comprised of professors holding Ph.D degrees who work and reside in North America, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia. The Affiliated Global Faculty was created in response to the emerging needs of BIHE including an increasing number of courses being offered in English, and the desire to achieve internationally accepted educational standards.

[edit] Locations

Courses at the university were originally offered principally via correspondence; for specialized scientific or technical courses small groups assembled in private homes. After some time, the university was able to establish a few laboratories in privately owned commercial buildings near and in Tehran. Due to the increasing number of courses being offered online, students are now able to participate in their classes via the internet.

[edit] Raids

In 1996 the Iranian authorities conducted raids against BIHE sites, and confiscated records and equipment, but they did not close the university. Between September 29 and October 3, 1998 the members of the Iranian Government's intelligence agency, the Ministry of Information, started a massive crackdown, when officials raided over 500 Bahá'í homes, and confiscated textbooks, laboratory equipment, photocopying machines, computers and other teaching materials. They also arrested 36 faculty members, and closed the university.

Most of those who were arrested were released soon afterwards, but four were given prison sentence ranging from three to 10 years. The faculty members who were arrested were asked to sign a document declaring that BIHE had ceased to exist as of September 29, and that they would no longer cooperate with it, but all refused to sign the declaration.

[edit] References

[edit] External link

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