Iran - Andrew Burke [33]
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RELIGION
The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only Shiite Muslim regime in the world, distinguishing it from its Sunni neighbours. Ninety-nine percent of the population are 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 because calling yourself a Shiite Muslim, even if you’re not, means you’ll probably face fewer hurdles when dealing with Iran’s huge and potentially tricky bureaucracy.
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Aryana Farshad’s lovely documentary, Mystic Iran: The Unseen World, claims to journey to the heart of spiritual Iran, but is most remarkable for its unique footage of the sacred trance dances of dervishes in Kordestan.
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Iranians will happily accept that visitors are Christians, but in certain circumstances it may be best not to admit to being Jewish. Even among better educated Iranians, admitting to being atheist or agnostic can result in blank-faced incomprehension.
Islam
Muslims accept that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammed was his final prophet. These two precepts form the first pillar of Islam, the shahada. The other four pillars, which a Muslim must try to follow, are salat (namaz; praying five times a day, though Shiites only pray three times), zakat (alms-giving), sawm (ruzeh; fasting during Ramazan) and haj (the pilgrimage to Mecca that those able should perform at a given time).
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Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet second only to Mohammed. The concept that he is the son of God is considered heretical.
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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).
Every town of any size has a Jameh Mosque (Masjed-e Jameh), which literally means Congregational Mosque. It serves as the local centre of worship and Islamic discussion and was traditionally a centre of much social interaction as well; for more on Jameh Mosques, Click here.
SHIISM
When the Prophet Mohammed 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 cousin, Ali bin Abi Taleb, one of the first converts. Ali was passed over a total of three times before eventually becoming the fourth Caliph in 656, only to be assassinated five years later. The Muslim community was by now divided into two factions, the Sunnis, who followed the Umayyad Caliphate, and the Shiite (from ‘Shiat Ali’, meaning ‘Partisans of Ali’ or ‘followers of Ali’). When Ali’s second son Hossein and his supporters were slaughtered by the Caliph’s troops at the Battle of Karbala in 680, the division became 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. For more on the history and structure of Shiism, see The 12 Imams, Click here.
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A popular part of Shiism is the representation of its imams. You will see pictures of Imam Hossein everywhere.
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SUNNISM
Sunni comes from the word sonnat, which means tradition and refers to the fact that the Sunnis follow