Is Iran Really a Muslim Nation?
The Future and the White Pill. Part Eighteen
A recent text message exchange with an Iranian-American friend brought the title question to mind, when my friend wrote…
81% of the Iranian population inside Iran oppose this medieval regime and would want a secular and Democratic Iran. And all the contacts I have with Iranians abroad and inside Iran support that assertion…The only good thing about the last 40 years of this regime is that it has made most Iranian people hate Islam and religion in general.
This came as a surprise. I somehow thought that belief in the will of Allah, according to the Quran, dominates the world-view of most of those still within the borders of that most unfortunate nation. That belief in the will of Allah seemed to be what keeps the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, leading to the nauseating “turn tail and run” policy of the so-called “Democrat” so-called “President” Joe Biden.
My friend’s text message got me asking Perplexity AI about the history of Iran and the history of Islam in Iran, and the results were enlightening.
Perplexity claimed,
Islam was first introduced to Iran through the Arab-Muslim conquest, which began in 633 CE and culminated with the fall of the Sasanian Empire around 651 CE. This marked the end of Zoroastrianism as the state religion and the beginning of Islam’s spread in the region.
That reminded me of Zoroastrianism… Christians recall the Magi, the so-called Three Kings who arrived with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1–2, 11). The Magi are believed to have been Zoroastrian visitors based on the meaning of the title Magi and their Eastern origin.
There are still practicing Zoroastrians, primarily in India, where they are called Parsis, living now in Mumbai and Gujarat. There are still an estimated 15–25,000 Zoroastrians in Iran, and many thousands more in Iraqi Kurdistan, and (surprise, surprise!) the USA.
According to Perplexity,
The majority of Iranians did not become Muslim until the ninth century. By the 10th century, most Persians had adopted Islam, although the process was gradual and involved significant cultural blending.
And then, as we know…
In the early 16th century, the Safavid dynasty established Shia Islam as the official state religion and undertook a forceful campaign to convert the population. By the mid-17th century, Iran had become a predominantly Shia Muslim nation, a characteristic that distinguishes it from most of its neighbors to this day… The most recent and dramatic transformation occurred in 1979 with the Iranian Revolution. The monarchy was overthrown, and following a national referendum on April 1, 1979, Iran was declared an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini, cementing clerical rule and Islamic law at the core of the state’s identity.
Given the aforegoing history, what can we consider as possible outcomes after a the demise of the brutal dictatorship under which the Iranians now live?
Of course, at this point in time, we really don’t know. The worst case scenario, in my never-humble opinion, is a perpetual state of violent sectarian bloodshed, or what the English philosopher Hobbes called a “state of nature,” in which life is “nasty, brutish, and short.”
The best-case scenario, in my never-humble American opinion, is reflected in the text of the First Amendment to the Unites States Constitution…
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This, of course, leads to debates…
What is an “establishment” of religion? Suffice it to say, the current Islamic Republic of Iran under the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, definitely is one.
What is “free exercise” - does that allow Iran’s remaining Muslims to beat and kill women who show their hair? I say no. Nor, does it allow anyone to beat and kill Muslims just because they are Muslims, without having committed crimes.
What does “abridging the freedom of speech” mean? I won’t try to answer that question now, but instead turf it to Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie.
What is the “right of the people peaceably to assemble?” Is burning Waymo autonomous vehicles “peaceable?” I say not really. But hey, that’s just me. I haven’t been a big fan of the “Democrats” since the “Democrats” sent me to Vietnam.
But back to Iran. No, I don’t expect them either to imitate the American Founding, nor re-establish Zoroastrianism as the state religion, nor keep the existing theo-thug dictatorship in power much longer. (Hey, I just made up an new word: theo-thug.)
No, they will have to find their own way of doing things.
Not that I’m pushing for Zoroastrianism, but I’ll wind up with a Perplexity link about the Avesta, which is the scripture of Zoroastrianism:
The Avesta emphasizes that all humans, including rulers, are endowed with free will and are responsible for their actions. Good governance is thus a matter of moral choice, requiring leaders to serve as examples of righteousness and to actively fight evil in all its forms.