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Baha'ism originated in nineteenth-century Middle East. As this religious movement developed, it gained adherents outside the Middle East. In Spain, for example, it arrived in mid-twentieth century and gained more adherents. This dissertation explores Baha'i cosmology, discusses Baha'i millennialism and millenarianism, analyzes conversion narratives, and delineates the coordinates of religious doxa. This dissertation hopes to bring to light and contribute to the literature that explores continuity within change on the one hand, and transfigurations as a mode of subjectivation, on the other hand, through the example of this particular religious movement.

<p> Libya is a country in transition. By the official start date of the transition process on October 23, 2011, Libya was essentially devoid of the institutional capacities required to operate a functioning state in the traditional Weberian sense. The weak central state Qadhafi left behind has led some observers to anticipate the transition to democracy doomed, but this factor has in some sense facilitated a clearer break away from authoritarianism. Freedom from engrained institutional constraints has in many respects allowed Libya the unique opportunity to state-build from a tabula rasa; there are no preconceptions as to how that democratic state should be or the sequencing and methods it should employ to achieve it. It is precisely the combination of high uncertainty in the democratic experiment with institutional deficiencies at the state level that require flexibility in the manner in which the new Libya is to be created and its transition assessed. Taking into consideration its institutional weakness and the steps that the country's transitional bodies have taken thus far toward establishing a post-Qadhafi state, is Libya on a trajectory towards a successful transition to democracy? Is democracy even possible?</p>

<p> This framing analysis was conducted to study how <i> Time</i> portrayed Iran and Iranians during the Islamic Revolution of 1978-79 and the Green Movement uprising of 2009. In this study, particular attention was given to how the magazine framed the leaders of Iran and their opposition during these times, as well as to any correlation between <i> Time</i>'s portrayal and the United States government's positions on these events. The analysis shows that magazine adhered to the United States' strong defense of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ("the Shah"), providing frames that depicted him as the only capable leader in Iran. <i>Time</i> framed the Islamic Revolution as violent, anti-modern, and lacking legitimate grievance, which also correlated with the U.S. government's position. Conversely, the latter period's data showed that <i>Time</i> used negative frames to discuss the Islamic Republic of Iran, depicting the administration as paranoid and out of touch with reality. The uprising of the Green Movement, which threatened the Islamic Republic's stability, received positive frames from <i>Time </i>. The frames on the Green Movement supported the White House's position on Iran, as in the earlier period. This study's findings demonstrate the U.S. media's conformity to official government frames on international events, specifically those depicting Iran.</p>

<p> Previous research has shown that Middle Eastern applicants' ethnic names and affiliations caused Caucasian raters to demonstrate increased discrimination during resume screening. The current study extended previous research by investigating the differences in job suitability ratings given by Middle Eastern and Caucasian raters for Middle Eastern job applicants by exploring rater ethnicity as a possible moderator in the relationship between ethnic identifiers and job suitability ratings, as well as studying the effect of acculturation on Middle Eastern raters' judgments of applicant job suitability. Contrary to the prediction, the current study found that participants gave significantly higher mean job suitability ratings to the partially identified Middle Eastern resume compared to the White resume. Furthermore, White raters did not give lower mean ratings to the partially and fully identified Middle Eastern resumes as compared to the White resume. However, Middle Eastern raters did give higher mean job suitability ratings to the partially identified Middle Eastern resume as compared to the White resume. Finally, the current study found that Middle Eastern raters with lower levels of acculturation gave higher mean job suitability scores to the fully identified Middle Eastern resume. </p>

<p> The purpose of this phenomenological study is to investigate how expatriate Persian women, living in the United States, experience the damaging influence of traditional patriarchy. The resulting alienation from the self and this alienation&rsquo;s attendant psychological symptoms have been investigated under the conceptual heading of psychological exile, which has been treated by many preeminent schools in the psychotherapeutic tradition. The contemporary dynamic of exile has been set within a historical context, in which the rise of monotheism led to the destruction of matriarchal power structures. </p><p> In order to focus on how psychological exile is experienced by Persian women in diaspora, a phenomenological method was adopted: Persian women from three different age groups were interviewed, and their interviews were revised through a collaborative process between the interviewer and participants. The psychological essence of these related experiences was then distilled through the Giorgi method of interview data analysis (Giorgi &amp; Giorgi, 2003), combined with Robert Romanyshyn&rsquo;s method of Portrait Analysis (Romanyshyn, personal communications, 2010, 2011). From each of the three groups, emergent common themes were extracted and compared. </p><p> The patriarchal system has favored males and devalued females for centuries; each generation transmits its conceptual framework and cultural practices to the next generation, a process in which women are themselves complicit. This patriarchal system has not just limited the role of women in society, but has also actively damaged them by marring their identities, compromising their feminine natures, hiding them behind the veil of <i>abroo</i>, and robbing them of their natural language. These wounds manifest themselves through sexual repression, depression, and various other psychological symptoms. </p><p> The elucidation of how these women experience hierarchy&rsquo;s damaging effects will have many implications for therapists treating Persians. This research project was undertaken with the goal of providing a roadmap for therapists treating Persian clients.</p>

<p> Substance Abuse is an illness that affects every community in every country. The United Arab Emirates had been used as a transportation hub for drug trafficking for a number of years. The exposure to illegal and legal substances has left individuals in the community susceptible to the effects of substance use and addiction. The changes in the country, due to globalization, have increased the level of stress and prevalence of depression. Substance use is a method that individuals use to cope with these changes. Studies need to be conducted to create or tailor treatments for substance abuse in the United Arab Emirates. However, the country practices Shariaa law, which perceives substance use as a sin. As a result, prison is seen as an appropriate punishment for such a sin against religion. This doctoral project aims at identifying and increasing awareness of the factors involved in Substance Abuse in the United Arab Emirates and at determining the best method to research this topic given the social, legal and religious barriers.</p>

<p> Current technological revolutions have led to the increased availability of information resulting in many teaching institutions that have adopted change and teaching methods. Consequently, many educational institutions have integrated teaching and learning systems with technology, and learners nationwide are embracing the flexibility of online education. Online education is a new educational delivery mode in Saudi Arabia, which has been influenced by economic and social changes. As a result, the impact has created an increased demand for graduate degrees as online education has created the opportunity for Saudi women to access higher education. Thus, for Saudi female students, who want to study and work simultaneously, online education is possibly feasible option. Through online education, female Saudi students are able to obtain an education at home with flexibility, and the number of Saudi students taking online education has significantly increased. This thesis analyzes what female Saudi students in the United States have experienced about online education, and their attitudes toward online education.</p>

<p> The purpose of this paper is to conduct a qualitative phenomenological study with the intention to explain, explore, and determine the factors that lead to the emergence of women as leaders in Egypt. Accomplishing this investigation required the assessment of how participants perceive a condition through experience and consciousness and how events appear from a first-person point of view. The purposefully selected participants were women in leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. Ten women were interviewed two times each over six months. The study attempts to shed light on the factors that contribute to women in Egypt obtaining leadership positions. This study investigated the factors that contribute to the lack of women acquiring positions of management, guidance, and leadership -- positions usually dominated by men in Egypt by asking: (a) What are the perceived factors that contribute to the lack of women acquiring positions of management, guidance, and leadership? and (b) What are the perceived positions of leadership women occupy the most? Information was collected from the interviewee using the guide approach to provide a focus for the researcher and participants. This approach permitted a certain amount of autonomy and flexibility to acquire the appropriate information from the interviewee. The interviews consisted of presenting open-ended questions allowing women to reflect on how they were successful in obtaining these leadership positions. The study revealed four pertinent themes: (a) family influence, (b) leadership position, (c) family obligations, and (d) level of education. </p>