Psychology

This paper considers the religions of Iran, both historically and in the modern day, describing how some faiths are officially accepted and others seen as problematic. Also it looks at how some faiths are thriving in the modern world, while others diminish in importance and the ways in which this affects modern day Iran and Iranians.

It would be easy to dismiss this subject as Oh, they are all Muslims in Iran arent they but the true picture is rather more complex than that, although most Iranians are Muslim with more than 90 belonging to the Shia arm of Islam, this having being given the status of a state religion as long ago as the16th century according to Ninian Smart ( 1992) page 478. The countrys official title since the revolution of 1979 is The Islamic State of Iran so it can be seen that there is no concept of the separation of state and religion. About 8 are Sunni Muslims. Minority religious groups include Bahais, Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Mandeans and Yarsanis. Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism are officially recognized and protected by the Iranian state. The Jewish group  are the largest Jewish group in an Islamic state and members of these three faiths even have reserved seats in the Iranian parliament or Majlis.

Historical picture
Iran is a country of mixed ethnicity. The Iran World Book page on people  says that 51 are Persian  and the next biggest group are Azeri  who make up 24, of the population. Other peoples represented are Gilaki, Mazandarani, Kurd, Arab, Lur, Baloch and Turkmen with others making up about 1
Iran was the original home of Zoroastrianism which became important in the region in the 6th century B.C.E. It was concerned with right order in religion and in society. Its importance lasted until the time of Alexander the Great ( 4th century B.C.E.) when the country came under hellenistic influences as described by Rosemary Goring ( 1992) pages 576-577. There are now only probably 200,000 Zoroastrians in the country. Jews have of course been present in Iran since Old Testament times when Israel was conquered and their captives led large numbers off into captivity in the 5th century B.C.E. The period of their Persian captivity is important in Judaism as it  was during that period that  the synagogue was developed as a religious centre for the community.

In 644 C.E. Islam arrived in the form of a conquering army, but all opposition was not defeated  until 5 years later. This was very shortly after the death of Mohammed, but Islam was already feeling secure enough to launch a major initiative against both the Byzantine and Sassasid empires as described March 2010 by the Iran Chamber Society under the title Islamic Conquest.The article describe show Iran was gradually absorbed into the Islamic community, but also how that community adopted or adapted Iranian ideas and practices. Iran kept her own separate identity. By the 9th century for instance the Persian language was beign used, but  so was Arabic script. Although there were followers of Hossein in Iran in ht ewearly years after th econquest they did not become the majority until the 16th century.

Modern Day Iran
Christianity is officially under the government protection. However apostacy i.e. leaving Islam for any other religion, is forbidden. Christianity Today ,in September 2008, reported the passing of a new penal code in parliament which may result  in problems for both Christians and members of the Bahai faiths as the penalty for apostacy is  now death.

Mandeans belong to a small  Gnostic group present in both Iran and its neighbour Iraq. They believe the soul can be released from its material world by a saviour.( Goring page 319)

Yarsanis are sometimes classed as Muslims, but others consider them to be a Christian group according to the article Yarensanism, Kurdistanica.com. They are present in small numbers in both Iran and Iraq and believe that salvation is an individual responsibility.

Bahaism began in Iran during the 19th century.Smart ( page 479) describes it as a new religion within Islam. Once part of Shiite Islam there was a parting of the ways in the mid 20th century. It has a very modern approach which, according to Goring, ( page 55) attracts the better educated,  and has now expanded round the world. Because it attracts new members from within Islam Bahaism is at times times persecuted in Iran and does not come under government protection.

Islam began in 7th century Arabia. The name means submission in Arabic. Its adherants believe that every individual , group and government should be obedient to the will of God as it is set out in their holy book the Koran. The fact that Islam is the state religion, and that of the majority,therefore affects every aspect of daily livng  what to eat, wear and do, when and how to pray  - all these are according to the Koran. Sunni Muslims are generally in the majority, although this is not so in Iran. They recognise the four caliphs as the rightful successors to the prophet Mohammed. Shities on the other hand regard the imam as their authority. The honorific title Ayatollah is given in Shiite Islam . It means sign of Allah or God  as described by Goring ( page 49) and  is given to someone who is entitled to make his own judgements about Islamic law. Following the Iranian revolution in 1979 ayatollahs have become leaders both politically and in religious terms.  This can mean that their ideas dont fit in with the values of people not of their  mind set and has caused many problems both internally and internationally.

Conclusion
Iran has a long and complex history. Much of this has been bound up with religious ideas as it continues to do so to the present day. Things that happened hundreds of years ago still have their effect. It is a country where God, however he is described, is still seen as relevent.