Firuz Kazemzadeh is professor emeritus at Yale University, where he served as chair of the Council on Russian and East European Studies, chair of the Committee on Middle Eastern Studies, director of graduate studies in the Russian and East European Studies Program, director of graduate studies in history, and Master of Davenport College. He is a highly esteemed scholar and the author of many major books and articles in his field. He served as member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States from 1963 to 2000 and was appointed to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom by President Clinton and later by Senator Daschle.