Iran Travel Guide

The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only Shiite Muslim regime in the world, distinguishing it from its Sunni neighbors. Ninety-nine percent of the population is Muslim, made up of around 89% Shiites and 10% Sunnis. There are other religions followed in Iran, with Zoroastrians, Jews, Christians and Baha'is making up the numbers. Although freedom of worship is guaranteed in the constitution (apart from the open practice of the Baha'i religion, which is outlawed), it is safe to assume that the minorities number more than the official statistics allow. Iranians will happily accept that visitors are Christians, but it may be best not to admit to being Jewish. Atheists and agnostics may be met with incomprehension.

Islam

Muslims accept that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammad was his final propb-r These two precepts form the first pillar of Islam, the shahada. The other four pillars, which a Muslim must try to follow, are sa/at (namaz; praying five times a day, though Shiites only pray three times), zakat (alms-giving), sawm iruzeh; fasting during Ramazan) and haj (the pilgrimage to Mecca that those able should perform at a given time).

SHIISM

When the Prophet Mohammad died in AD 632, there was disagreement over his successor. The majority backed Abu Bakr, the Prophet's father-in-law and friend. He became Caliph. However, there were those who backed the claim of the Prophet's son-in-law and cousins, Ali bin Abi Taleb, one of the first converts. However, Ali was passed over in the succession two more times and eventually became the fourth Caliph in 656, but he was assassinated five years later and his son Hussein abdicated his succession.

The Muslim community was by now divided into two factions, the Sun-nis who followed the Umayyad Caliphate and the Shiite (from 'Shiat Ali', meaning 'Partisans of Ali'). Hussein's martyrdom at the Battle of Karbala in 680 at the hands of the Caliph's troops made the division permanent.

Shiism reached its greatest influence in Iran. Iranian converts to Islam were attracted by the idea of the imam as a divinely appointed leader possibly because the Iranians possessed a long heritage of government by a divinely appointed monarch.

Iran is the only officially Shiite state. Shiism's bloody history and its 'mourning rites and rituals are unique in Islam.

SUNNISM

Sunni comes from the word sonnat, which means tradition and refers to the fact that the Sunnis follow the traditional line of succession after the Prophet Mohammad. Sunnism has developed into the orthodox branch of Islam and most of the world's Muslims are Sunni, except in Iran. All Muslims, regardless of whether Sunni or Shiite, are forbidden to drink alcohol or eat anything containing pork, blood or any meat that died in any way other than being slaughtered in the prescribed manner (halal).

SUFISM

A mystical aspect of Islam that is particularly close to Iranian hearts, tassawof (mysticism), is a discovery made by Iranians within Islam, derived from the Quranic verses. According to Sufis, God must be felt as a light that shines in the believer's heart and the heart must be pure enough to receive the light. The two are the same, but separated: man's soul is in exile from the Creator and longs to return 'home' to lose himself again in Him. Sufism has various orders and throughout Iran you can find khaneqas (prayer and meditation houses) where people go to worship. Sufism in no way conflicts with Shiism or Sunnism.

Some of Iran's greatest thinkers, poets and scholars have had Sufi mystic tendencies and the greatest of them are Sohrevardi, Ghazali, Attar, Rumi, Hafez and Sa'di (p6S).

Other Religions

Throughout history Iranians have shown tolerance towards other people's religious beliefs (with the exception of Baha'is), and since the adoption of Islam they have been particularly tolerant of Christians and Jews, who are 'People of the Book'. Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are all officially recognised and exempt from military service, and have representatives in the Majlis (parliament). Minorities are free to convert to Islam, though conversion from Islam to another faith is punishable by death.

ZOROASTRIANISM

Zoroastrians, the followers of Iran's pre-Islamic religion, are based mainly around Yazd with its fire temple (where the fire is said to have been burning for 4000 years) and the Zoroastrian pilgrimage site in its desert (p230). Sizable communities can also be found in Tehran. Estimates as to the number of Zoroastrians in Iran vary, anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000. Zoroastrianism is the world's first monotheistic religion and has influenced those that have followed such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Zoroastrian symbolism is evident everywhere as it has gained importance as a nationalistic symbol. The Iranian New Year, No Ruz, Iran's main festival celebrated on the spring equinox, is descended directly from a Zoroastrian festival, as is Chaharshanbe Soori which takes place on the Wednesday before New Year and involves people jumping over a series of small bonfires. Shabe yalda, celebrated on the winter solstice, is another Zoroastrian festival still observed by all Iranians.

CHRISTIANITY

The Christian community in Iran consists mainly of Armenians who settled, historically, at Iolfa, in the north of Iran, and were then moved to New Iolfa in Esfahan in Safavid times. Christians were present in Iran before the arrival of Islam and some of their saints were martyred here.

Today, Iran's 250,000 Christians also include Roman Catholics, Adventists' Protestants and Chaldeans as well as about 20,000 Assyrians. There are churches in most large towns and the Anglican Episcopal Church of Iran has churches in Tehran, Esfahan, Shiraz and Kerman. Christians are allowed to consume alcohol in private and hold mixed-sex parties with dancing. They also have a no segregated sports centre in Tehran. Christmas trees can be seen outside florists in Tehran every December.

JUDAISM

Since Cyrus the Great freed the Jews of Babylon, there has been a strong Jewish presence in Iran. Since the revolution, however, their number has fallen sharply, to around 25,000. Traditionally active in the bazaars and jeweler trade, Iranian Jews tend to live in the big cities such as Tehran, Esfahan and Shiraz. About 30 synagogues remain in Iran, but they are not easy to find. Anti-Zionist sentiment can make life tricky for anyone suspected of Zionist sympathies.

BAHA'ISM

The most persecuted religious minority in Iran, Baha'is suffered greatly after the revolution. Today, it remains illegal to practice the religion in public and Baha'is are routinely discriminated against when it comes to jobs and education. Of the world's five million Baha'is, around 300,000 remain in Iran - they form the country's largest religious minority. Most Baha'is are urban, but there are some Baha'i villages, especially in Fars and Mazandaran provinces. Baha'isrn originated in Iran during the I840s as a reformist movement within Shiite Islam. The political and religious authorities joined to suppress the movement and hostility to Baha'isrn has remained intense ever since. Baha'i doctrines are strictly egalitarian, teaching the complete equality of men and women and the unity of all humanity. The headquarters of the Baha'i are in Haifa, Israel.

MANDAEISM