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Before Arab invasion, the main religion of
Persians was Zoroastrianism.
Zoroaster, or pronounce his name in his ancient Iranian language
Avesta Zarathushtra, gave the world a universal message, meant for all
humanity without any discrimination.
Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds were first propounded by
him. This meant that a thought, word or deed which is
beneficial to one's own self as well as to all others. It should benefit
the living world of human beings, other animals, plants, in fact, the
entire human environment.
Zarathushtra says that the entire living world is a single unit, a
Fellowship and every man and woman should endeavor to promote it through
Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deed. This can be achieved through
good education to train people who "radiate happiness to others, whoever
they be, and in turn feel the happiness themselves."
With the advent of Islam, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah (700 A.D.), the history of Iran blended with the history of Islam for some centuries and the majority of Iranian people accepted the religion of Islam either at will or by force. Presently, about 95% of Iranians are Shiah Muslim. There are also minority Sunni Muslims (Kurds and Turks on the western periphery and the Baluchs along the eastern borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan). Christians are mainly concentrated in Djolfa near Isfahan and Urumieh and a minority of Jews are concentrated in Hamedan and Isfahan. Ismaili and Baha'i are other religious sects/groups that can be mentioned. As for Iranians, religion has always been regarded as a way for breaking from "self" and unification with Allah (asceticism and mysticism) as displayed by Sufi asceticism. It has also been a catalyst for concentration and political movement, such as Abu-moslem movement in Khorasan (8th century), Sarbedaran movement (13th century), tobacco boycott and Constitutional Movement (18th century). During the Qajar dynastic rule (18th century), Iranian history witnesses two Islamic fundamentalist events. During the reign of Nasseruddin Shah Qajar the tobacco monopoly was given to an English company. This deed was interpreted as adverse to the country's independence by some of the religious leaders such as Mirza Shirazi who gave a fatwa (Religious Decree) to abstain and boycott the consumption and use of tobacco. From economical point of view, this movement finally led to the cancelation of the contract concluded by the government of that time and the English company. However, from the political point of view, it was understood that the religious leaders with the support of people can possibly adverse the dynastic law and pursue democratic reforms. This later became a handy weapon in the hand of some religious leaders to fight against constitutional laws in the name of Islam. The other event was called Nehdzat Mashrooteh or the Constitutional Movement. This movement came about during the reign of the Qajar dynasty in order to limit the powers of the monarchy and restrain the self-interests of the household and involve the people in the country's administration and affairs through the formation of a National Consultative Assembly (Majlis Shooraye Melli). However, the first and second World War postponed the emergence and growth of a true constitutional system in Iran during the Pahlavi dynasty. This led to the turbulances in the present day political structure of Iran that overturned the Pahlavi dynasty and pursued breaking away from the alignment to all the countries and restricting economic ties with the so called foreign conspiracies and putting faith only in the so called Islamic teaching. |
