Will Iran Ever Become Zoroastrian Again
For most of his childhood in pre-revolutionary Iran, Dr. Ali G. heard most cipher about his family unit'due south religious heritage. (He declined to share his full proper noun out of business organisation for family unit members still living in the country) But when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized ability following the 1979 revolution that overthrew the Shah, Ali's family left for Germany. Experiencing a foreign culture for the showtime time, Ali, who now works as a physician in southern California, began to ask questions most his background. "When I lived in Germany, I was going through my teenage years," he explained. "I tried to find out who I am and what was going on around me in a earth of anarchy and displacement."
Ask someone about the Zoroastrian religion and—bold they've heard of it—you will typically get three responses. Your interlocutor might inaccurately draw followers of the Zoroastrian faith every bit "fire-worshippers." He or she may recognize Zoroaster, the priest who founded the faith, as the protagonist of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche'due south archetype piece of work, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra." And in that location's the frequently-quoted "fun fact" that Freddie Mercury, the flamboyant vocalist of rock group Queen, was and still is the earth's most famous Zoroastrian.
Much less well-known is that Zoroastrianism is a living religion, with communities in Bharat, Europe, the United States, and the Centre East—especially Iran. X years ago, a study by the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of America concluded that at that place were, at most, 190,000 followers of the faith around the world. But as Laurie Goodstein noted in The New York Times, at that place was reason to exist skeptical of this number, because of the "wildly diverging counts in Iran, in one case known as Persia – the incubator of the faith."
In common with other religions, Zoroastrians in Islamic republic of iran have confronted both persecution and a concerted attempt past the Islamist regime in Tehran to destroy the very foundations of their faith. 1 disquisitional consequence of this—no doubt unintended by the ruling mullahs—is that growing numbers of Iranians inside and outside the country are exploring a religion that crystallized two millennia before the Prophet Muhammed appeared on the scene. "Converting back" to Zoroastrianism, as many refer to the procedure of rediscovering their roots, has encouraged a view of Islam every bit an alien Arab religion that was imposed on unwilling Persians during the Muslim conquest of the seventh century.
Ali began asking his parents about their religious heritage and ancient roots. That's when he plant out through conversations with his female parent that his gramps'south family was descended from the Zoroastrian priestly lineage
Broken-hearted to acquire more knowledge about his hidden faith, Ali began studying Zoroastrian teachings. He learned about the three principles propagated by Zoroaster: Humata, Hukhta, and Hvarshta, "Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds" in Avestan, an ancient Iranian language. He learned that burn down, which plays such a central role in Zoroastrian religious ceremonies, represents the divine lite of wisdom. So he decided to undergo the Navjote, an initiation ceremony into the faith that is similar to a Bar Mitzvah.
At first, the priests whom Ali met in America were apprehensive well-nigh performing the ceremony, pointing out that doing so would be regarded as apostasy by Islamic republic of iran'southward rulers, which could cost Ali his life if he returned domicile. According to Iran's official records, Ali's father is registered every bit a Muslim. Under Iranian police, children automatically take their begetter'southward religion. Iranians who depart Islam for some other organized religion face imprisonment or even execution.
Ali was devastated and angry. "I was in tears, I was really crying," he said. "I said I don't demand these people to evidence who I am. I was going to find somebody to practise this for me, so I could formally declare my conventionalities." Eventually he found a Zoroastrian priest to perform his Navjote.
"I felt that I'1000 the same person and have always been a Zoroastrian," Ali said, reflecting on the experience. "Even though I grew up in a household where religion didn't play a central office and was never forced on me." Ali now believes in asha, a Zoroastrian concept meaning "the path of truth and righteousness"—that things e'er fall into place if you follow the correct path.
In the seventh century, Arab tribes armed with the Quran patched together the one-time territories of the Sassanian Empire, the last pre-Islamic Farsi dynasty, forcing the conquered population to prefer Islam. As a result, some Zoroastrians fled Iran for lands as varied as China, Republic of india, and the Balkans. Only many stayed behind, resisting the Arabs for 200 years, in what some call "The First Arab Occupation."
"Students were taught that Zoroastrian priests and the Sassanians were barbarians, and that the Arabs had to come in to 'civilize the people,'" said Dinyar, a Zoroastrian historian asked to utilise a pseudonym because he regularly travels to Iran.
Zoroastrians continued to resist conversion despite continued persecution. By the 15th century, a sizeable portion of Persia'south population nevertheless remained Zoroastrian, particularly in the northern provinces of Gilan and Mazandaran. Their continuing presence raised concerns among the Muslim clergy that others might probe their roots and family backgrounds and leave Islam.
"Those who did not convert had to pay jizya, the infidel tax," explained Dr. Daryoush Jahanian, a leading Zoroastrian scholar. "If they could not afford the tax, they were subjected to torture, confiscation of property, and even threats to their life." Another humiliation imposed on the Zoroastrians, along with other religious minorities, was a law compelling them to vesture a yellow patch on their clothing to mark them out —a bluecoat of inferiority that the Jews of Europe were all as well familiar with. Many Zoroastrians were shepherded into ghettoes known as gavrestan. "In Persian, that give-and-take is reminiscent of 'goorestan' or cemetery," Dr. Jahanian added. "In this hostile environment Zoroastrians were even blamed for natural disasters such every bit earthquakes and floods."
Iranian scholars point to 1979 equally the year that reignited the innate marvel of many Iranians regarding their roots and origin. After the revolution, Iran became estranged from the Shah'south Western allies, forcing ordinary Iranians to examine their national and spiritual identities.
The revolution dislodged the Pahlavi dynasty, founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1925, who was and then succeeded by his son, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The Pahlavis combined savage absolutism with secularism and an cover of Western norms and customs. For the Zoroastrians, this meant recognition of their religion and even the official adoption of some of their traditions, similar Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, and the commemoration of the spring equinox.
In the early 1970s, the Shah encouraged the return of Parsis, Zoroastrians who had been living in Bharat for centuries. Iranian Prime Minister Asadollah Alam met with several Parsi businessmen who were urged to invest in Iran. Many Parsis did just that, including a significant number who relocated to Iran.
"In the 1970s, ancient Iranian stuff was really in and absurd," Ali recalled. "People wanted to connect to that—especially educated people, who idea Islam was more than of a regressive factor in Iranian culture. That's even so a very strongly held belief, especially among the younger generation, hence the animosity and misplaced anger toward Arabs and Arab culture.
"When I was growing upward in Iran, and somebody was wearing a chador, a total body covering worn over regular clothes by women, or even a headscarf, they were either thought to be a maid, a peasant, or somebody who's very uneducated," he added. "And that association kind of remained."
In one case Khomeini was in power, the tentative revival of Zoroastrianism in Iran was of a sudden halted, and Zoroastrians started to flee the state. In the principal Zoroastrian temple in Tehran, the portrait of Zoroaster was replaced with a portrait of Khomeini. As far as Khomeini was concerned, Zoroastrians were, as he wrote before the revolution, "dishonorable, burn down-worshipping knaves…if this fire of clay that has risen from the temples of Fars is non extinguished, presently the trash will spread and they invite all to join the [Zoroastrian] creed."
Every bit Dr. Jahanian pointed out, scholars of Zoroastrian and ancient Iranian studies were persecuted after 1979. "Many suffered physical, psychological, and financial punishments," Jahanian said. "Some were arrested, jailed, and beaten. Others lost their jobs and even suffered the loss of a love one."
Furthermore, Zoroastrians, including other religious minorities, were by police prohibited from holding senior government or military positions. They were besides discriminated against in the legal system, receiving more astringent punishments and worse lawsuit settlements than Muslims do. Today, Zoroastrians—officially numbered, according to Iran's 2011 census, at only over 25,000—are still subjected to apartheid-similar legislation: No more than 3,000 copies of whatever religious text may exist printed, and principals of Zoroastrian schools must be Muslims.
Yet, many Zoroastrians have clung stubbornly to their beliefs and practices, fifty-fifty performing conversions in private. Those who fled away experienced a similar awakening. "I felt that I had found my identity," said Shahrooz Ash, born in Tehran to secular Muslim parents who emigrated to England. "I felt I had returned home to who I really was, to my roots. A lifelong search of who I was and where I came from had finally reached its destination."
Ash has non returned to Islamic republic of iran since the revolution. After his time in England, he came to America, where he studied philosophy at UCLA. An come across with a philosophy professor, who asked him about pre-Islamic Islamic republic of iran, a subject about which he knew almost zip, spurred him on to further study. "I was ashamed that I did non know my ain roots, the glorious and powerful aboriginal people I came from," he said.
Ash said that his true identity, like many Iranians, had been overwhelmed by the impact of the Islamist revolution. "Iranians are," he said, "conflicted between these ii identities, betwixt being Iranian and being Muslim."
Dr. Jahanian describes the arrival of the internet as a "miracle" because of its role in the Zoroastrian enkindling—simply one of myriad reasons why the Iranian regime exercises such strict control over its ain sphere of internet.
Among the leaders of this information revolution is Dr. Shahin Nezhad, an academic who specializes in aboriginal Iran. Nezhad and a group of scholars and cultural activists are the founders of the Persian Renaissance Foundation, the main backer of the Iranian Renaissance Move, which produces content aimed specifically at audiences in Islamic republic of iran.
Nezhad, now 48, was built-in to non-practicing Muslim parents in Iran. "My parents were not Muslim by belief or by practice, but since I was non in whatsoever other category, I was recognized as Muslim. This is the case for millions of Iranians," he said.
Nezhad pursued a career in petroleum engineering and transferred to Houston to work for an oil company. He had always been interested in history, politics, and his aboriginal Zoroastrian roots.
"I had a very stiff trend to Zoroastrianism every bit a philosophy, equally a national heritage, and that's the trend amongst many, many Iranians," he said. "So they look at the Zoroastrian culture and religion as something that really belongs to their ancient, Farsi heritage or one-time Iran."
Nezhad started to consider himself a Zoroastrian in his early on twenties, and began post-obit the Gathas, the most sacred Zoroastrian texts, consisting of 17 hymns composed past Zoroaster. They are essentially a philosophy on how to create a counterbalanced and peaceful life.
Nezhad eventually decided to perform his Navjote in his early 40s—1 solar day later on marrying his wife, who is a Zoroastrian herself. Nevertheless, Nezhad always felt that in his heart he was Zoroastrian, then didn't demand a formal conversion to tell him so. "For Iranians, you feel that being Zoroastrian is like being Iranian," he said. "Being Muslim is non really being Iranian. Information technology is a kind of an identity crunch for them. Information technology'due south very complicated."
Nezhad foresees "an Iranian Iran" with a significant Zoroastrian population, which, he believes, will pacify the region, reducing tensions between the other nations and people.
"There is no country where Zoroastrians feel at domicile," he argued. "Islamic republic of iran has to be their land, their stronghold, their center of attention and interest. And perhaps Iran tin can exist the defender of the rights of Zoroastrians all around the world."
Nezhad believes that a cultural revolution from within volition gradually degrade the foundation of the electric current Islamist arrangement of government. "Rather than going 180 degrees and opposing the establishment, nosotros try to oppose them by awakening people to their real heritage and real identity, rather than what they are told past the current arrangement," he said. "Therefore, for fourth dimension existence, at least until we figure out something else, our strategy is educational activity, education, instruction."
The determination of Iranians to use the very online tools that the authorities has actively tried to shut down is a powerful signal that this learning process is finally underway. Scholars similar Jahanian and Nezhad say that outside of the official figures, there are around 100,000 Zoroastrians who are formally registered as Muslims but practise Zoroastrianism. This, they say, is the cusp of a broader awareness amid Iranians that their pre-Islamic past provides the grounding for a post-Islamist hereafter in which all religions will coexist in equality.
This commodity was originally published on The Tower and has been republished here with permission.
Source: https://swarajyamag.com/culture/the-religion-that-the-iranian-mullahs-fear-most
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