Middle East is the birthplace of all major Abrahamic religions. However, the Christian community in the Middle East does not enjoy the same diversity as Christians enjoy in the West. In this study, we approach the Christian faith in Iran from the socio-linguistic perspective which can be further applied to the wider region because we observe the same trend in the region. We look at the role of language and its influence on the development of the religion. By conducting a qualitative/quantitative experiment, we delve into the main issues to highlight the reasons behind the apparent features of Middle-Eastern Christianity. Language identity is further investigated as it has an important place in the heart of the Christian faith in Iran. Armenian development and changes in Iran is considered since it is the working language of the Armenian Church in Iran. On the other hand, our study shows that religions, such as the Sikhism, that maintains a rather balanced linguistic identity, have more potential to grow.
Christian and Sikh Communities in Iran and role of Language Identity: A Comparative Approach to the Social-Linguistic Aspects of the Christianity and Sikhism in the Middle East by Rajdeep Singh Click the PDF icon to view, right click to save as.
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Rajdeep Singh was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1984. He is half Iranian half Indian, father being Indian and mother Iranian. He pertains to the Sikh minority in Iran. He received the B.S. degree in aircraft engineering from the Civil Aviation College, Tehran, Iran, and the M.S. degrees in Aerospace engineering from the Amirkabeer University of Technology, Tehran, India. Later, because of his expertise in more than 15 languages, he went on to study linguistics and English teaching. So began studying M.A in linguistics and another M.A in English Teaching from Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran. His current research interests include linguistics, sociology, religion and the complex interaction of ethnic-religious themes against the backdrop of social structure. – Department of Linguistics, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran |