Religious minorities in Iran: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 02:50, 5 August 2006

There are several major religious minorities in Iran, while the majority and state religion is Shi'a Islam.

Religious minority groups

Bahá'í Faith
Sunni Islam
Judaism
Zoroastrianism
Mandaeanism
Yarsan (Ahl-e Haqq)
Hinduism
Local religions practiced by tribal minorities
Atheism

The following table is from November 1, 1976 census data. Bahá'ís, who number more than 300,000, and are Iran's largest religious minority are not included because they are not recognized by the state.

Religion	Men	Women	Total
Christians	86,532	82,061	168,593
Jews	31,833	30,425	62,258
Zoroastrians	10,845	10,555	21,400
Muslims	17,196,024	16,200,884	33,396,908
Unknown	31,113	28,472	59,585
Total	17,356,347	16,352,397	33,708,744

Contemporary status

The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes only Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism as official religions. No other religious practice is legally accepted in Iran. Conversion from Islam to any other religion is considered apostasy and can under the current government result in harassment and religious persecution. Apostasy still retains a death sentence but in recent years this has not been used. Also see judicial system of Iran.

Bahá'ís, Iran's largest religious minority, are not recognized and are persecuted. Here the house of the Báb in Shiraz, Iran, a Bahá'í pilgrimage location, was destroyed by Iranian authorities.
The Hindu Temple in Bandar Abbas, built during the Qajar era for Indian soldiers serving in the British Army during the British occupation. It is no longer used as a place of worship. The Hindu Temple in Bandar Abbas, built during the Qajar era for Indian soldiers serving in the British Army during the British occupation. It is no longer used as a place of worship.
Jewish children in Iran are free to practice their faith in especially designated Jewish schools. Scene from Ramin Farahani's documentary film "Jews of Iran". Jewish children in Iran are free to practice their faith in especially designated Jewish schools. Scene from Ramin Farahani's documentary film "Jews of Iran".

During the previous regime of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, only the above mentioned religions were considered officially accepted religions in Iran and adherence to any one of those religions was a requirement for any government or state position (at least in the application form). There are two minority schools apart from the main Usuli school of Shi`a Islam: the Akhbari and the Shaykhí. The latter have been persecuted since the Islamic Revolution.

Sunni Muslims (about 9% of the population - mainly among the Arabs of the south-west, the Balochis of the south-east, and the Turkmens in the north-east) and Sufi groups can also - depending on the definition of the term - be seen as religious minorities. Some argue, however, that these are valid expressions of the Iranian state religion Islam. Legally Sunni Muslims are accepted as fellow Muslims, while Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians are recognised as People of the Book and have certain legal rights insofar as members of these religions are born and brought up within their religion.

Many Sufi sects are active within Iran. Examples are the Nimatullahi (the largest Shi'i Sufi order active throughout Iran) and the Naqshbandi (a Sunni order active mostly in the Kurdish and Azeri regions of Iran). Some regard the Yarsan (Ahl-e Haq) as a Sufi order but they are better considered as a separate religious minority. Sufism has long been quite prevalent among Iranians and it is often impossible to draw a line between Islam and Sufism. Sufism by definition does not adhere to traditional religious structures and the variation between a Sufi and a strict Muslim can range from very minute to quite substantial. Though Sufis are considered Muslims in principle by the government, divergent practices, teaching and secretive organisation have for several of these orders led to governmental distrust and harassment.

The persecution of Bahá'ís has been common throughout Iranian history. In the 1950s, under the regime of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi, Bahá'ís and their holy places were attacked with tacit state approval. Since the Iranian revolution, more than 200 Bahá'ís have been executed or killed, hundreds more have been imprisoned, and tens of thousands have been deprived of jobs, pensions, businesses, and educational opportunities. All national Bahá'í administrative structures have been banned by the government, and holy places, shrines and cemeteries have been confiscated, vandalized, or destroyed. The Islamic government of Iran even destroys their graves .

Even more recently the situation of Bahá'ís has worsened and the United Nations Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights has stated on March 20, 2006, after revealing a confidential letter from Command Headquarters of the Armed Forced to identify Bahá'ís and to monitor their activities, that "The Special Rapporteur is concerned that this latest development indicates that the situation with regard to religious minorities in Iran is, in fact, deteriorating."

For adherents of not-recognized religions or converts from an Islamic background who are considered heretics, enrollment in University programs or work in government agencies or judiciary is not permitted and can only be achieved by wrongly identifying oneself. As Bahá'ís may not deny their Faith, this is not acceptable to them; and they are therefore totally prevented from such participation.

Due to these restrictions on dissident religious faiths and practices, and due to the persecution of some minorities, the Iranian government has, like the government of the Shah, been severely criticized on multiple occasions by international human rights organizations, foreign governments and the United Nations.

Reserved seats

After the Persian Constitutional Revolution, the Constitution of 1906 provided for reserved Parliamentary seats granted to the recognized religious minorities, a provision maintained after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. There are 2 seats for Armenians and one for each other minority: Assyrians, Jews and Zoroastrians. Members of the Bahá'í Faith, Iran's largest religious minority, are not recognized and do not have seats in the parliament, nor do the Sunni Muslims.

list of minority MPs in the last three Majlis:

	Armenians	Assyrian	Jewish	Zoroastrian
1996	?	Shamshoon Maqsudpour	Manouchehr Elyasi	Parviz Rezvani
2000	Georgik Abrahamiam, ?	Younatan Botkilia	Maurice Motamed	Khosro Dabestani
2004	Leon Davidian, Robert Belgarian	Younatan Botkilia	Maurice Motamed	Kurosh Niknam

Notes

Annuaire démographique des Nations-Unies 1983, Département des affaires économiques et sociales internationales, New York, 1985
Affolter, Friedrich W. (2005). "The Specter of Ideological Genocide: The Bahá'ís of Iran" (PDF). War Crimes, Genocide, & Crimes against Humanity. 1 (1): pp. 75-114. Retrieved 2006-05-31. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

Iran's Baha'is Kept Out of University in Human Rights Breach
Chris Zambelis, "Violence and Rebellion in Iranian Balochistan," Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor, Volume 4, Issue 13, June 29, 2006.

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