Iran: About Iran

From ExecutivePlanet.com

An introduction to the Islamic Republic of Iran

History

Iranian history and culture are ancient. Settlements in the area have been traced as far back as 8000 BC. Iranians are therefore very proud of their cultural heritage.

Although Iran is considered a part of the Middle East, it is important that you do not confuse Iranians with Arabs. Both have different languages, cultures and histories.

The official language of Iran is Persian--known as 'Farsi' to Iranians. Although it borrows many words from Arabic, it is a unique language. Its influence can be seen in Turkish, Hindi, Urdu and many other Central Asian languages.

Iran's recent history has been turbulent. Following the nationalisation of other Middle Eastern countries, a young army officer by the name of Reza Khan declared independence and crowned himself as the 'Shah' (king). During World War II Iran was occupied by the Allied forces and forced Reza Khan to abdicate in favour of his son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi. During the 1960's Reza Pahlavi introduced the 'White Revolution' aimed at reforming, modernising and 'Westernising' the country. By the 1970's, Reza Pahlavi's ostentatious lifestyle, unpopular social reforms and increasing authoritarianism became unpopular with most of the population. A variety of voices from religious, social, economic and political opponents joined forces behind the figure of Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini was a religious scholar in exile in France who had constantly encouraged the masses to oppose the Shah's rule. By 1979 the pressure on the Shah reached such a point that he fled the country, leaving his army to deal with the revolution that was unfolding. The army failed to contain the thousands of protestors. Iran went on to declare itself an Islamic Republic.

Islam

Islam is a multi-faceted religion. There exist many interpretations of the religious sources and, as a consequence, we see differences in practice.

Iranians are predominantly Shia Muslims. However, some Azeris, Kurds, Afghans, Beluchis and other ethnic minorities in Iran are Sunni. Shia Islam's differences with the Sunni variety are limited and sometimes over emphasised.

The split between Shia and Sunni is one rooted in Islamic history. When and where each side declared themselves as separate is still debated. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the Caliphate or leadership of the Muslim community passed on to his companion Abu Bakr. The Shia believe that leadership should have passed on to the Prophet's son-in-law, Ali, and then through his progeny, the Ahle Bayt ('the people of the house'). The Shia therefore declared they would only follow the rulings and guidance of the Ahle Bayt rather than the official Caliph.

In essence, both believe in the same God, Prophet(s), tenets of belief and practise the same religious duties such as the prayer, fasting and the pilgrimage. Differences exist in the subtleties of how these are practised. For example, many Shia will pray the five daily prayers at three separate times rather than at five.

One major feature of the Shia calendar is Ashura. Ashura is the tenth day of the month of Muharram. Upon this day the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, was callously slaughtered along with many of his family and companions at Kerbala, now in modern day Iraq. The Shia mourn this event every year with huge processions through the streets where re-enactments of the event keep the tragedy of that day alive in the collective memory.

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