The Muslim community in Iran makes up an overwhelming 90% of the country’s population. In a population of 75 million, that is a huge number. Of the two sects in Islam: the Sunni and the Shi’a, most Iranians are Shi’aite. Only about 8% of the country’s total Muslim population is Sunni. This is in contrast to the rest of the world, where Shi’a Muslims make up about 10-20%.
Let’s get to know the Shi’a philosophy in a little more detail. Shi’a Muslims are also known as The Twelvers. This name is in keeping with their belief of the twelve Imams. Eleven of whom received the role of spiritual leadership directly as descendants of Ali, who, in turn, had received it directly from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself. The twelfth will be Imam Mahdi, who will appear before Judgment day. This is in conflict with the belief of the Sunni, who believe it was Abu Bakr who had received it from The Prophet himself. There are other sects of the Shi’a Muslims such as the Ismai’li and the Zay’di sects. But the difference is very little. When using the term Shi’a, it is natural to refer to the Twelver sect.
Iran as conquered by Muslims under the rule of Umar around the year of 637. Before this, most of the people had been followers of Zoroastrianism. This is an ancient religion which speaks of the balance between the Illuminating Wisdom (the good force, the Ahura Mazda) and the Destructive Spirit (the bad force, the Angra Mainyu.) The Islamic conquest of Iran has been seen in many lights by many people. Most Iranians believe that this was a blessing that rescued them from the dark ages of lawlessness, cruelty, heathenism and unfairness; whereas, others find the thought of being conquered humiliating. The Islamic population of Iran has gone through countless modifications in the past, both philosophically and religiously. For instance, initially the conquerors refused to mix with the masses, treating the conquered as inferior beings, refusing to learn their language or getting familiar with the land’s literature. The conquered were treated as second class citizens (also known as dhimmi) and a tax was imposed on them, which was known as jizya. This continued till the end of the Umayyad period which ended in 748. Then came the Abbasid revolution. During the time period of 9th century to the 11th century, the Muslim population in Iran rose from 40% to a striking 100%. During this time, the Shu’ybiyyah movement took place which was to topple the heightened status of the Arabs in Iran. Thus, the Iranians maintained their unique identity and refused to lose it to the Arabic identity.
The political revolution known as “Iranian revolution” took place to deliver Iran from the hands of monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi into the hands of democracy under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In the constitution of Iran, it is said that Shi’a Islam is the national religion but allows Sunni, Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians to carry out their own religious beliefs. On the other hand, Sunni mosques cannot be built in areas where Sunni are not a majority. Also, discriminations in the name of religion (or no religion) are a major problem in Iran.
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