Article 1 of the Iranian Constitution reads:
The form of government of Iran is that of an Islamic Republic, endorsed by the people of Iran on the basis of their longstanding belief in the sovereignty of truth and Koranic justice, in the referendum of 29 and 30, March 1979, through the affirmative vote of a majority of 98.2% of eligible voters, held after the victorious Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khumayni.
Iran's population is 89% Shia Muslim, 9% Sunni Muslim, and 2% split among Judaism and Zoroastrian (the oldest monotheistic religion). As we learned in class, Iran is a theocratic regime that has democratic elements. (See BBC's "Iran, who holds the power?" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/default.stm)
This week's blog requires you to analyze some primary and secondary source documents on the experiences of religious minorities in Iran.
Directions:
1. Summarize two of the articles on the "Pilgrimage Through Iran" site (you'll have to click on two of the locations and view the articles/ videos or photo essays.)
The URL is:
http://newsinitiative.org/story/2007/07/26/interactive_map_pilgrimage_through_iran
What do they tell you about the experiences of religious minorities in Iran?
2. Consider the demographics of modern Iran. In a nation where over 90% of the population is Muslim can one argue that a constitution based on the Qu'ran IS democratic? Further, when a nation overwhelmingly favors one belief system, are democracy and theocracy one in the same? (In other words, does it make sense to have religious law when a vast majority of citizens share the same beliefs?)
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Based upon the Interactive Map and reading about two separate places I have concluded many things. Part five: Persepolis, Iran was about a woman who practiced the religion of Zoroastrian. She and her friends strongly believe in the values of Zoroastrian. Cyrus was a great Zoroastrian king who had freed Jews and permitted them to practice their own religion. Both Cyrus and Darius are what make the religion of Zoroastrian stay alive and for that very small portion of Iran that practices this religion, they may use their imagination. I learned that there are even people here in the United States whom practices this religion. The woman, speaking her story has friends here in New York. It is clear to her that Iran holds many issues surrounding the subject of ancient faith and material values. Ancient religion and modern life is what is colliding and creating problems in Iran. For example, as stated in the article: “I observe women draped in long overcoats using high tech cell phones to photograph ancient ruins.” Modern devices and technology has tampered with traditional and ancient values. But that’s life; modernity is only going to increase. This woman is stuck in the decade where technology was barely anything. As time goes on, things do change. Religion is a beautiful thing. But as long as your true beliefs never go away, modern technology will not affect your religion. The experiences for minorities in Iran are heart breaking for them; they have failed to accept change. They treasure ancient ruins from their religion.
ReplyDeletePart six: Esfahan, Iran is about the authors of this article traveling from Persepolis to Esfahan and what they encountered. As they drove from one city to another they saw paintings that said things like “Iran will become the greatest country in the world if its grass is greener and its water cleaner”. As in every country the issue of drug use is present. As they drove down to Esfahan they come across check-points where they are searched for drugs. Unfortunately narcotics are an increasing dilemma that Iran has to face. When it comes down to Jews, they can go through Turkey but Iranians are not permitted to go to Israel. According to a BBC correspondent, Jews are accepted but are not people who interact with non-Jews in Iran. When the author of this article visited a synagogue in Esfahan they had a tad bit of a difficulty because the community was unsure of their intensions on entering the synagogue. It’s as if the Jews in Iran only associate with their own people to avoid any problems, they practice their religion and go on with their lives. And as for Iranians, they associate with Jews only when necessary. For some odd reason the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is paranoid about Americans spending “too much” time in the Jewish community. At the conclusion of this article, the author tells us how he spoke to a man who was Muslim but loved all religions because we all believe in the same God in the end. There are many diverse people in Iran.
I do not believe in having a religious law when a vast majority shares the same beliefs. The minorities in Iran keep to themselves and for the most part do not stir up any trouble.
Jazmin Roman
F-Block
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ReplyDeleteBased on the two articles I've read in the Pilgrimage Through Iran website I've concluded that every religious minority has different experiences in Iran. In part five Deena talks about viewing structures of religious interest in Iran. When she was little, Deena used to practice reciting prayers for a ceremony in which she accepts her religion as her own. This woman likes that her country is misunderstood and feared by other countries because it keeps the tourists away. It seems like this religion is very accepted in Iran and that the people who follow it are happy as well. Part one is more about how the government discriminates against religious minorities more than the public does. The Bahai, a small religious group there, has the worst of the discrimination. The discrimination however, is not by their neighbors or their friends. The government is what this group has to fear in Iran. These people are very nice and hospitable but for reasons not really explained in the article the government really harasses them. This shows that not all religious minorities in Iran are living the "good life".
ReplyDeleteAn argument could be made about the second question. Think about it, Iran has a constitution based on religion and how it affects their values. This counts as some sort of democracy and in fact, is sort of like our democracy. Both countries have constitutions, the only difference is that religion does not reflect Western democratic values. Also, the need to conduct daily life is what gives rise to religious laws and rules being spread around.
Shawn Cybulska
Block- C
Pilgrimage Through Iran is a collection of narrative reports written by Deena Guzder, an American Zoroastrian, about her journey in Iran. Deena wishes to explore her Zoroastrian identity, but her conflicting American nationality may pose a problem, as she explores the mysterious country of Iran. “Are you scared,” her friends ask. The response from her friends weren’t surprising. As noted in Part 2: Tehran Iran, 4 Americans were recently taken hostage by the Iranian government.
ReplyDeleteDeena is a Zoroastrian, a believer of Zoroastrianism, the world’s oldest monotheistic religion. Zoroastrians make up 0.1% of Iran’s population (around 120,000 people). The main idea of the Zoroastrian belief is that mankind evolves toward perfection, but dreadful influences like greed impede the process.
Firstly, Deena flies to London to interview a Bahai in exile. Bahai is a feared minority in Iran. They are a recent breed of Persians that believe in a new prophet after Mohamed. The Iranian government despises this ethnic group. "There are many complexities of Iranian society because whatever comes from the government is hated by the people," said Hani Mansourian, an Iranian Muslim, who immigrated to New York. This shows how undemocratic the Iranian theocracy is. When an ethnic group is feared, the members are exiled. Meanwhile, the rest of society simultaneously fears and loathes the government.
Upon receiving her visa to Iran, Deena was warned by the State Department that they will not provide services to her in Iran. Impervious, Deena continued on to her journey to Tehran. After arrival, she notices a military chopper in the airport, and is cautioned to put her head gear on. Who knows that would happen is she breaks the national dress code. In addition, the government assigned her a minder to follow her throughout her trip. They want to know what she is doing at all times. It seems as though Iranians have no freedoms or privacy. Deena and the minder must follow the government approved itinerary closely. The minder also notes the poverty and inflation levels in Iran. The Iranians despise the luxuries of Americans.
Another example of freedoms taken away is shown by the citizens of Iran. One of the people Deena met said, "We would like to talk more but we're not sure who is listening." This means eavesdropping and spying is quite common, and there are consequences for saying the wrong thing. There is no freedom of speech or expression. Therefore, it is shown that there are hardly any rights for the Iranians, and even less for the minorities.
Furthermore, democracy and theocracy aren’t intertwined. While Iranians have some democratic principles like elections, everything is still controlled by the Supreme Leader. Although religious laws can be seen as fair because the majority is of the same religion, other forms of ruling can be unjustified. Religious laws seem unnecessary, in my opinion, but perhaps it is because I am accustomed to the freedoms of America; the same freedoms Iranians abhor.
Deena experienced the limited religions in Iran, whether it be Shia Muslim, Sunni Muslim, Judaism, or Zoroastrian. Even though Iran is supposed to be a republic it is also a theocracy, and when visiting different locations in Iran Deena got to see how the 'republic' of Iran really worked. Deena saw how the people of Iran and of the government would discriminate other religious groups that were not Shia Muslim, which makes up ninety percent of Iran's population.
ReplyDeleteIn Iran there are limitations on speech, press, and on the citizens themselves due to theocratic way in which the government is controlled, when a government puts religion into its law its automatically makes themselves less democratic because it is taking away one more right a citizen is entitled too. The idea of majority ruling has played a part in every democratic country and the fact is that ninety percent of Iran's citizens follow the Shia Muslim beliefs, if the majority of voters and citizens are of a certain religion why shouldn't the government base its self on the major belief in their country. But there is a certain point were theocracy takes over democracy, when people who are not of the majority religion are being discriminated against which Deena had discovered they were, and when religion is more then something to base laws on. The idea of a supreme leader seems extremely unrealistic and bound to be taken advantage of, a person having so much influence and power to actually choose half of the government officials seems to be to much power for a man with only 'holy' intentions.
Katie McSherry
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1) Iran is a theocratic country, which means that their government is run with religious involvement. This is why 98% of the people that live there are Muslim, whether they are Sunni or Shia. These articles show us that there are not many minorities in Iran, which makes sense since there is one religion that is represented in the Iranian government. There would be no reason for people who aren’t Muslim to live in Iran, because they would live under Muslim rule. The Muslim religion has a large part in the government; in fact, the Supreme Leader, who is the person mainly in charge of Iranian government, is a religious leader.
ReplyDelete2) A theocratic government is not a democracy whether or not most of the people in that nation are of the same religion. Most of the people is not all of the people, and even if it was that doesn’t mean anything when religion is brought into government it controls it. In Iran the Supreme Leader is not voted for by the people, which isn’t democratic considering that they have the most control over the nation. The Supreme Leader is also able to pick who is an eligible to become president, and then the people vote on who they want. In a theocratic government religion tends to become the strongest form of power, which cuts out most of the democracy that is represented. When it comes to religious views people can become very extreme, which can cause a lot of problems when people don’t agree. There cannot be a mix of theocracy and democracy because theocracy will overpower everything else, which is why the US decided to separate church and state a long time ago. Religion and politics do not make for a good mix when trying to be fair.
A theocratic government is when the government is associated with religion, for example Iran. In Iran 98% of the population is Muslim, two different types are Sunni and Shia. Yet Muslim or not if you live there one must follow these Muslim rules. Iran’s government has something called the Supreme Leader, this person is the core authority, also known as a religious leader.
ReplyDeleteDeena Guzder is an American Zoroastrian, and Zoroastrians make up only 0.1% or Iran’s population. Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions, the main belief is that mankinds evolution head towards perfection yet distracting influences slow down this process. Deena Guzder hoped to explore more about her Zoroastiran identity, first by flying to London to interview a Bahai in exile. Bahai is a recent breed of Persians who believed in a new prophet after Mohamed, they are a feared minority in Iran. The government of Iran despises this ethnic group. Deena then continues to Tehran Iran, she cautioned to put on her headdress so she doesn’t break the dress code. While Deena was in Iran the government assigned her an minder to follow her at all times. This show Iranians have little freedom.
The supreme leader is not voted by the people,which does not show democratic government. The supreme leader has most control over the nation, and also picks who is eligible to be president of Iran. The people of Iran do get to vote for president though. Iranians do not freedom of speech there are people who listen and watch their every movement, and if out of line are punished for it. In my opinion Theocracy and Democracy are not good together. Theocracy will end up over powering everything. When trying to be fair theocracy and democracy are not a good combo. I like my main freedoms.
vanessa cucuzza
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Iran’s government is Theocratic meaning the government is affiliated with religion. Iran’s population is 98% Muslim, either being Sunni or Shia. The government main authority is the Supreme leader, also known as the religious leader. The Supreme leader has the authority to pick who is eligible to be president. Even though the Supreme leader has main power, the people of Iran do not get to vote. But the people of Iran do get to vote for the president. Iranians do not have a lot of freedom especially for speech and religion. For example, Deena is a Zoroastrian, and she went on a journey to explore her Zoroastrian self. She started off by flying to London, to interview a Zoroastrian in exile. They make up 0.1% of Iran’s population. This quote shows how undemocratic Iran is over Theocracy. "There are many complexities of Iranian society because whatever comes from the government is hated by the people," said Hani Mansourian. When an religious group is feared, the members are exiled. Meanwhile, the rest of society simultaneously hates the government. When she Deena arrived at Tehran Iran, she was cautioned to put on her headgear. The government of Iran also provided her with a minder to watch her closely. The Iranians have stated, “We would like to talk more but we’re not sure who is listening.” Meaning they are constantly being watched and if step out of line there are consequences. This shows that theocracy and democracy governments could never work; theocracy would over power the democracy part.
ReplyDeleteFrancisko Kim F Block
1) Part five: Persepolis, Iran is about a woman Deanna Guzder who practiced the religion known as Zoroastrian. Guzder and her friends strongly believe in the values and ethics of Zoroastrian. Cyrus was a great Zoroastrian king who had freed Jews to allow people to practice their own beliefs and made this religion be practiced in this little town. Not only do people in Iran practice Zoroastrian, but so do citizens in America as well. Guzder is residing in New York with her friends, speaking about her experience in America and the issues of practicing personal beliefs and ancient religions in Iran. Ancient religion and modern life is mainly creating chaos in Iran, mostly from high technology such as cell phones. The economy is growing and expanding to better and wiser things, and people have to cope with the drastic changes.
ReplyDeletePart six: Esfahan, Iran is about Deanna Guzder traveling from Persepolis to Esfahan and their experiences along the way. Along the way, they saw many signs to try to make Iran better and focused mainly on one of the main problems that is the use of drugs. Since drugs is such a problem in Iran, many people are stopped to check for drugs. Iran also has to face a dilemma known as narcotics. In conclusion, Guzder dicusses to the readers how she spoke to a Muslim man but never judges any other religions because many of the beliefs are similar.
2) I feel like there should not be a religious law. Just because 90% of the country of Iran belief is Muslim, does not mean that the other 10% should believe in this as well. In America, there are a variety of religions diverse all over the country. This is where freedom of speech, press, and religion take place. It is obvious that there is not much freedom in Iran if not many citizens can take upon their own beliefs and decision of religion.
As we learned in class, Iran is supposed to be a republic nation, but at the same time it is also a theocracy. As Deena adventured through Iran, she discovered that many religions are restricted and have limitations to them. Also, Deena found out how the republic to Iran operated. One very interesting thing that goes on in Iran is the discrimination of Shia by people and government which I believe is wrong. A religions right are automatically taken away from them when the government mixes law in between. Failure of democracy is shown through this one example. "We would like to talk more but we're not sure who is listening." This quote Deena got from one of the Iranians just reflects that no individual has freedom of speech or religion. Also, consequences are inevitable if anything wrong is said. Yet still a supreme leader is in control of all that is taking place in Iran and democracy is rarely there. If people do not have any rights or freedom to say what they feel, then their lives are pretty much wasted, at least that’s what I believe.
ReplyDeleteIn Persepolis, Iran, the majority of people believe highly of religion. There are temples with tombs and rock reliefs that represent each compass direction. A women interviewed in the article speaks about how her mother wanted her to learn her prayers to prepare for a ceremony that young people like she was officially accepts the religion she’s studying as hers. The author, Deena Guzder, of the article The Cradle of an Ancient Civilization reflects at the end of her article that the part she visited in Iran were wary of foreigners because of the way media has cheapened the image of Iran because of ignorance. The second article I read, Meeting Mullahs Over Ice Cream, Guzder interviews mullahs, Islamic religious leaders. Guzder asked one mullah named Khan Madrasehr about Bahai faith. He responded with “Bahais and Wahhabi was the work of colonialism”, and the people who practice this faith aren’t allowed to go to university because the mullah believe they are part of a British conspiracy. In Iran, Bahai faith is the largest religious minority, that isn’t Muslim, practiced as well as the greatest oppressed.
ReplyDeleteA nation cannot be theocratic and democratic at the same time, or one in the same. In Iran, the vast majority of its citizens are Muslim but there are still about ten percent of people who do not share the same beliefs. Being theocratic while many people follow the Muslim religion is not fair to those who do not believe in that practice. Therefore, having religious law does not make sense even though most of the population follows one certain observance.
Allison Lee
F Block
In the article part one:arriving in London the person talking is an exiled bahai named Erfan Sabeti. he states that the only reason the Bahai religion is suffering is because the faith was found only 150 years ago. He states that one reason that Bahais stay in iran is because the citizenry of persia is less prejudiced than the iranian theocratic government. the article leaves off with Erfan Sabeti stating that in todays world the Bahai are based on the concepts of camaraderie, equality and nonviolence. Some Bahais believe these facets have a better chance of resonating with the next generation of Iranians. in the second article part 2: Tehran, Iran it talks about how Iran isnt really a popular destination anymore.the author of the article is a Zoroastrian. Zoroastrain is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world and had originated in Iran. the article states that 98.5% of Iran's population of 65 million are Muslim.the author talks about her parents being two of the worlds 120,000 remaining Zoroastrains and about her parents raising her on this ancient faith. The author of this article went back to Iran and whenthe plan got to Tehran it reminded all the passengers of the Islamic dress code and to not take photots in the airport. she is critical of the Iranian government but cautious not to say it out loud because she is an American. Americans are a rare sight in Iran. the article ends with the articles author being told by her minder(a guide and protector)that she is one of the oldest and honest faithes in Iran.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking at and understanding the Interactive Map and reading about two separate places I have came to many new things. Part five: Persepolis, Iran told the story of a woman who practiced the religion of Zoroastrian in Iran. Zoroastrian is an ancient religion founded by the Persian prophet Zoroaster, the principal belief of which is in a supreme deity and a cosmic contest between two spirits, one good and one evil. Iran’s main religion that is practiced is Muslim making up a whopping 98% (89% Shia and 9% Sunni) which leaves two percent of the religious population to be split amongst Judaism and Zoroastrian. Only being two percent of the population makes this religion very hard, but the young lady in the article was very devoted and exposed to a Zoroastrian upbringing. The biggest obstacle is having the religion survive in such a Muslim dominant country. The second smallest religious group in Iran is Judaism, which shares the remaining population that doesn’t practice the most common religion Muslim.
ReplyDeletealexandra crimmins
1.In Iran there are very little minorities, since there is a theocratic government. A theocratic government is a government that is run by primarily religious leaders and has religion involved in the creation of laws. The religion that is worshipped in Iran is Islam. Many Iranians are Sunni or Shia. People who aren't Muslim don't usually live in Iran, because their views would be contrary to the views of Iranians. That would cause a problem in how they lived and could be a possible threat to their life if their contrary views were found out by the government or secret police. Religion has a major part in the Iranian government. The leader of the government, Supreme Leader, is a religious leader.
ReplyDelete2.Theocracy and democracy aren't the same. if they were in the dictionary if you looked up democracy you would see theocracy, and if you looked up theocracy you would see democracy. Theocracy is a political system in which religious values are upheld as law. Iran and its laws are based on the Qu'ran. In Iran, the Supreme Leader is a spiritual leader of Iran that is not democratically elected, and he can pick the president. a theocracy not only has a religious leader but other leaders that will help enforce the religious laws that are needed to keep rebels in check. A democracy is a political system in which citizens vote for officials. In Iran, citizens vote for the president. However, the law is not based on the different views and religions in the world but is based on the Qu'ran. Religion and politics are two separate parts of a country and they should stay separate. With the mixture of religion and politics their isn't a fair amount of opportunities for non-Muslim's to exist n Iran. This makes Iran a country that is different form other countries and could cause controversy with other countries, because they don't like their way of life.
Darlene Akanmu
C Block
Reading both articles unsures that their are both sides to an issue. Iran has a strict policy to relgion either you with us or against us. Religion in iran is far more important then the religious view here in the united states, it sticks out more in iran and the morals are more greater influeneced to the irainan people. There are many views both political and religious aspects but in the end in iran religion soughts its place as the winner. their is a 89 percentage of shia'a relgion this is where people choose sides more or so go with the shia 'a relgion. In both artclies explain that any side you pick their are consquences to be dealt with.
ReplyDeleteMario Lucero F Block
Both articles describe the power of a relgion and demonstrate the beliefs to their people. A theocracy can never be democratic both have different names and different views to construct a government. Even though both in a way are simailar to running a government like both have seperate branches and the people have a voice both in a democratic government and theocracy, but democratic have more freedom. The people often run the democratic government while theocracy is run by people and relgion at the same time so their are boundaries
ReplyDeleteJackie King
ReplyDeleteIran is known to be a Republic Nation but similarities cause it to be a theocracy too. While Deana was in Iran, she noticed that many religions have restrictions and limitations. She also quickly learned how the republic of Iran works. For example: Shia is discriminated by Iran’s people and government. Many religions are automatically taken away due to governments creating sneaky laws that prevent the practice of some things. On her trip she was reminded not to take pictures during her stay because of the close military base. Jews are slightly discriminated through rights and laws, however they are free to practice their religion. In Yazd, men and woman are not equal. The Supreme Leader holds most control in the Iranian government. I feel that the laws on religion aren’t fair and are clearly unequal. I can’t imagine practicing a religion that I didn’t want to practice.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough Iran is suppose to be a republic, it is a Theocracy as well. While Visiting different locations in Iran Deena Guzder had had the opportunity to see how the “Republic” of Iran REALLY worked. In Iran the people and its government discriminated other religious groups who did not believe in Shia Muslim, Which makes up ninety percent of Iran’s population. Iranians do not have the freedom of press or speech. There were many limitations.
ReplyDeletePart One: Arriving in London
The government in Iran discriminated against religious minorities. A small religious group called the Bahai are treated the worst in Iran. Although you would expect the discrimination to be coming from friends it is not. The government is what this group has to fear. For reasons unexplained the government continues to harass them. This shows that not all religious groups are living equally in Iran.
I do not think that having religious laws are necessary when a majority of the citizens, 90%, share the same beliefs. Specifically this religious group , really keep to themselves and truly take their practices serious. They do not cause trouble , therefore I again, do not think laws are required.
Katerina Mitilineos
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