Managing Religion and Religious Changes in Iran offers an interdisciplinary socio-legal analysis of how the Iranian state regulates religion, with particular attention to religious minorities and emerging spiritual movements. Drawing on insights from the sociology of law and the sociology of religion, Adeliyan Tous and Richardson position Iran as a critical case for understanding how authoritarian regimes manage religious minorities in order to maintain political authority and social control. The book provides a succinct and nuanced account of the legal mechanisms through which the Iranian state exercises this control, through both statutory law and judicial rulings, thereby producing a system in which religious freedom is formally recognized but substantively constrained.

The book consists of five sections. Section 1 explores the Iranian Constitution, focusing on how it addresses minority faiths and highlighting the internal contradictions regarding the protection of religious minorities. The second section examines how the state treats minority religions in practice. The third section discusses demographic and cultural shifts in Iran, particularly the growing interest among the general public in new religious movements and alternative spiritualities. Section 4 analyzes the state’s use of legislation as a tool of social control over these emerging religious movements, while the final section situates the Iranian case within broader theoretical frameworks, drawing on the sociology of religion and the sociology of law to explain the state’s regulation of religion and its response to new religious movements. The book begins with a detailed analysis of the post-revolutionary Iranian Constitution. While certain provisions appear to guarantee freedom of religion for specific groups, the authors argue these protections are effectively subordinated to overarching clauses that require all laws and rights to conform to “Islamic criteria.” For instance, in its discussion of Articles 13 and 14, which address the protection of religious minorities such as Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, the authors demonstrate that freedom of religion for constitutionally recognized minorities is significantly limited. This limitation stems from the role of Shiʿi Islam as the official state religion, as the Constitution requires that religious rights be compatible with Islamic criteria, meaning that Islamic law ultimately shapes the rights of non-Muslims. Furthermore, Article 4 of the Constitution, which establishes sharīʿa as the basis of legal validity, presents a further barrier to religious freedom in practice. The book also highlights Article 167, which allows courts to rule based on Islamic sources in the absence of codified law, thereby posing further risks to religious freedom. The discussion extends to unrecognized minorities, particularly the Bahaʾis, who face systematic discrimination and are deprived of basic rights, including access to education, property, and occupation.

One of the book’s most significant contributions lies in its analysis of new religious movements (NRMs) and alternative spiritualities in Iran. The authors explore the mechanisms through which the state defines and controls religious “others,” particularly in relation to questions of orthodoxy. The book argues that the state promotes an official version of Islam aligned with its ideology, while labeling alternative interpretations or movements as deviant or heretical. A key theoretical framework used throughout the book is that of social control, as religious minorities and new movements are often portrayed by the state as “false mysticism” or “deviant” spiritual practices. The authors show that the state employs various tools to exert control, including surveillance, restrictive legislation, and judicial prosecution. The judiciary plays a central role in this process, as courts are used to enforce ideological boundaries and to criminalize participation in unapproved religious activities.

The final section situates the Iranian case within broader theoretical frameworks, arguing that Iran exemplifies how authoritarian states instrumentalize religion to reinforce power structures. The book suggests that the use of the judicial system as a tool of social control provides important insights into how authoritarian states legitimize repression, particularly against religious minorities.

Drawing on insights from the sociology of law and the sociology of religion, Managing Religion and Religious Changes in Iran combines constitutional analysis, statutory law, and illustrative case studies to provide a comprehensive account of the regulation of religion in Iran. In particular, the discussion of new religious movements and the state’s role in constructing and enforcing religious orthodoxy is especially important. The book also opens broader discussions about the implications of Islam functioning as the official religion of the state and the extent to which such a system can be compatible with democracy and, more specifically, with the protection of the rights of religious minorities.

The book would benefit from a more detailed analysis of Iran’s legal and political structure, particularly the distribution of power among the branches of the state and the role of the Supreme Leader. The discussion of religious minority rights would also be strengthened through greater engagement with the role of the Guardian Council. While the book does discuss the Council’s involvement in reviewing the Parliamentary Bill of Adding Two Articles to the Islamic Penal Code, this treatment remains relatively brief. A more sustained analysis of the Council’s jurisprudential approach to questions of religious orthodoxy would have enriched the book’s broader argument. Additionally, while the authors effectively highlight the religious foundations of the Iranian legal system, a more nuanced exploration of the interplay between Islamic law and elements derived from European legal traditions would further enhance the analysis, as the current discussion focuses on sharīʿa as the sole source of law, which does not reflect the complete structure of the Iranian legal system.

While the analysis effectively demonstrates how the law operates as a mechanism of control to regulate religious minorities, it offers less insight into how individuals and communities navigate, resist, or adapt to these constraints. Although the book highlights the growing popularity of new religious movements, it would benefit from a more sustained discussion of how segments of society incorporate everyday practices that reflect support for, or engagement with, religious minorities; this could include the celebration of holidays, visiting religious sites, or the publication of books about religious minorities. Furthermore, the study would benefit from a discussion of whether the state meaningfully distinguishes between the practice of Sufism—which has historically existed in Iran as part of the broader Islamic tradition—and newer spiritual or religious movements, or whether both are ultimately treated as heterodox practices that fall outside the state’s officially sanctioned interpretation of Islam.

In sum, Managing Religion and Religious Changes in Iran will be of considerable interest to scholars of Middle Eastern studies, law and religion, and Iranian studies. As the literature on the post-1979 Iranian legal system continues to grow, Adeliyan Tous and Richardson provide a compelling account of how legal frameworks are used to construct and enforce social control.