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'''Irreligion in Iran''' is marginalized and by official 2011 census 265,899 persons didn't state any religion (0.3% of total population).<ref>SCI (2011). [http://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/1/Iran/90.pdf Selected Findings of National Population and Housing Census]. Tehran: Statistical Centre of Iran, p. 26, ISBN 978-964-365-848-9.</ref> However, religiousness is strongly attached to Iranian national identity and number of nonpracticing Muslim is significantly higher.<ref name=identity4>{{Iranica|iranian-identity-iv-19th-20th-centuries|Iranian identity iv. 19TH-20th centuries}}</ref>
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[[Iran]] is reported by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' to be among the seven countries where [[atheism]] can attract [[Capital punishment in Iran|capital punishment]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Fisher|first=Max|title=The seven countries where the state can execute you for being atheist|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/10/the-seven-countries-where-the-state-can-execute-you-for-being-atheist/|accessdate=16 December 2012|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=10 Dec 2012|quote=Though that list includes some dictatorships, the country that appears to most frequently condemn atheists to death for their beliefs is actually a democracy, if a frail one: Pakistan. Others include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan, the West African state of Mauritania, and the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean.}}</ref> The true number of atheists in Iran is unknown due to fear and prejudice suffered by non-[[Muslims]].<ref name="prejudice">{{cite news|title= Iranian Atheists: Waiting to Come Out|publisher= [[RIA Novosti]]|date=|url= http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20130319/180108603.html|accessdate=2013-04-11}}</ref> An organisation, “Iranian Atheists Association”, has been established in 2013 to form a platform for Iranian atheists to start debate and question the current [[Islamic republic|Islamic regime’s]] attitude towards atheists, [[apostasy]] and [[human rights]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Iranian Atheists Association: About Us|publisher= Iranian Atheists Association|date=|url= http://iranianatheists.org/en/about-iaa}}</ref> A significant number of [[Iranian diaspora|Iranians abroad]], especially [[Iranian American#Religion|Iranian-Americans]], are [[irreligion|irreligious]], [[agnosticism|agnostic]] and [[atheism|atheist]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081221105629/http://paaia.org/galleries/new-gallery/Survey_of_Iranian_Americans_Final_Report_Dec_10%202008.pdf Public Opinion Survey of Iranian Americans]. Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)/Zogby, December 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2014.</ref><ref name="Parade">{{cite news|title = Persian NYers Show Their Pride at Murray Hill Parade|publisher =[[Time Warner Cable News]]|url =http://www.ny1.com/content/news/206934/persian-nyers-show-their-pride-at-murray-hill-parade|accessdate = April 20, 2014}}</ref><ref name="irreligion">{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/09/sep/1230.html |title=Disparaging Islam and the Iranian-American Identity: To Snuggle or to Struggle |publisher=payvand.com |date=21 September 2009 |accessdate=}}</ref>


==Within Iran==
==Within Iran==
Many irreligious [[Persian people|Persians]] secretly [[Alcoholic beverage|drink]] in their homes, well aware that they are liable to punishment.<ref name="iniran">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MKbw0Vpffl4C&pg=PA78 |title=Five Years in a Persian Town |first1=Napier |last1=Malcolm |publisher=[[Harvard Library]] |date=1905 |accessdate=}}</ref> Religious pressure and inadequate governing from the [[Politics of Iran|Iranian government]] have made Iranian people less religious.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/08/20138512624781648.html |title=Iranians under the Islamic regime: more or less religious? |publisher=aljazeera.com |date=August 6, 2013 |accessdate=}}</ref> [[Women in Iran|Iranian feminists]] have also been noted as being [[Irreligion|irreligious]] and [[Atheism|atheistic]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rnOvBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104 |title=Making History in Iran: Education, Nationalism, and Print Culture |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |date=2015 |accessdate=}}</ref>
Quesion of irreligion in Iran is oftenly being a political one. [[Mehdi Bazargan]] noted "to oppose Islam to Iranian nationalism is tantamount to destroying ourselves. To deny Iranian identity and consider nationalism irreligious is part and parcel of the anti-Iranian movement and is the work of the anti-revolutionaries".<ref name=identity4/> According to the Ali Reza Eshraghi, religious pressure and inadequate governing from the [[Politics of Iran|Iranian government]] have made Iranian people less religious.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/08/20138512624781648.html |title=Iranians under the Islamic regime: more or less religious? |publisher=aljazeera.com |date=August 6, 2013 |accessdate=}}</ref> Some [[Women in Iran|Iranian feminists]] have also been noted as being [[Irreligion|irreligious]] and [[Atheism|atheistic]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rnOvBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA104 |title=Making History in Iran: Education, Nationalism, and Print Culture |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |date=2015 |accessdate=}}</ref>


Most of the Iranian youth have become de-politicized and are not practicing Muslims,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iranian.com/MBahrami/2004/August/Great/index.html |title=The sleeping giant |publisher=[[Iranian.com]] |date=August 3, 2004 |accessdate=}}</ref> {{unreliable source|date=February 2015}} and the irreligious Iranian youth are banked on to eventually moderate Iran.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/14/world/fg-warfilms14 |title=A different view of Iran's soldiers |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 14, 2008 |accessdate=}}</ref> Over 60 percent of [[Demographics of Iran|Iran's population]] is under 30 years old, and the Iranian youth are among the most politically active among the 57 nations of the Islamic world.<ref name="youth">{{cite web|url=http://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/youth |title=The Youth |publisher=usip.org |date= |accessdate=}}</ref> As the most restive segment of Iranian society, the young also represent one of the greatest long-term threats to the current form of theocratic rule.<ref name="youth"/> After the [[2009–10 Iranian election protests|2009 presidential election]], youth was the biggest bloc involved in the region’s first sustained [[Iranian Green Movement|“people power” movement]] for [[Democracy|democratic]] change, creating a new political dynamic in the Middle East.<ref name="youth"/> Iran is one of the most tech-savvy societies in the developing world, with an estimated 28 million Internet users, led by youth.<ref name="youth"/> Most young Iranians are believed to want to be part of the international community and [[globalization]].<ref name="youth"/>
The irreligious Iranian youth are banked on to eventually moderate Iran.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/14/world/fg-warfilms14 |title=A different view of Iran's soldiers |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=September 14, 2008 |accessdate=}}</ref>, and the Iranian youth are among the most politically active among the 57 nations of the Islamic world.<ref name="youth">{{cite web|url=http://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/youth |title=The Youth |publisher=usip.org |date= |accessdate=}}</ref> As the most restive segment of Iranian society, the young also represent one of the greatest long-term threats to the current form of theocratic rule.<ref name="youth"/> After the [[2009–10 Iranian election protests|2009 presidential election]], youth was the biggest bloc involved in the region’s first sustained [[Iranian Green Movement|“people power” movement]] for [[Democracy|democratic]] change, creating a new political dynamic in the Middle East.<ref name="youth"/> Iran is one of the most tech-savvy societies in the developing world, with an estimated 28 million Internet users, led by youth.<ref name="youth"/> Most young Iranians are believed to want to be part of the international community and [[globalization]].<ref name="youth"/>

⚫
Based on the Islamic Republic's official 2011 census, 265,899 people did not state any religion (0.3% of total population),<ref>SCI (2011). [http://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/1/Iran/90.pdf Selected Findings of National Population and Housing Census]. Tehran: Statistical Centre of Iran, p. 26, ISBN 978-964-365-848-9.</ref> though the true number of atheists in Iran is unknown due to fear of [[Apostasy in Islam|apostasy]].<ref name="prejudice"/>


==Irreligion of Iranian Americans==
==Irreligion of Iranian Americans==
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The [[Central Committee for Ex-Muslims]] was founded by [[Iranians in the Netherlands|Dutch-Iranian]] [[Ehsan Jami]] with an aim to support [[Apostasy in Islam|apostates]] and to bring forth the reality of [[Women in Islam|women's rights violations]] in the religion.<ref>{{citation|language=Dutch|url=http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/1098823/reacties-stromen-binnen-bij-comite-voor-ex-moslims.html|periodical=[[NU.nl]]|title=Reacties stromen binnen bij Comité voor Ex-moslims|trans_title=Reactions flows within the Committee for Ex-Muslims|date=2 June 2007|accessdate=}}</ref>
The [[Central Committee for Ex-Muslims]] was founded by [[Iranians in the Netherlands|Dutch-Iranian]] [[Ehsan Jami]] with an aim to support [[Apostasy in Islam|apostates]] and to bring forth the reality of [[Women in Islam|women's rights violations]] in the religion.<ref>{{citation|language=Dutch|url=http://www.nu.nl/algemeen/1098823/reacties-stromen-binnen-bij-comite-voor-ex-moslims.html|periodical=[[NU.nl]]|title=Reacties stromen binnen bij Comité voor Ex-moslims|trans_title=Reactions flows within the Committee for Ex-Muslims|date=2 June 2007|accessdate=}}</ref>


== Organizations ==
⚫
A British-Iranian organisation, “Iranian Atheists Association”, has been established in 2013 to form a platform for Iranian atheists to start debate and question the current [[Islamic republic]]’s attitude towards atheists, [[apostasy]] and [[human rights]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Iranian Atheists Association: About Us|publisher= Iranian Atheists Association|date=|url= http://iranianatheists.org/en/about-iaa}}</ref> A significant number of [[Iranian diaspora|Iranians abroad]], especially [[Iranian American#Religion|Iranian-Americans]], are [[irreligion|irreligious]], [[agnosticism|agnostic]] and [[atheism|atheist]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081221105629/http://paaia.org/galleries/new-gallery/Survey_of_Iranian_Americans_Final_Report_Dec_10%202008.pdf Public Opinion Survey of Iranian Americans]. Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)/Zogby, December 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2014.</ref><ref name="Parade">{{cite news|title = Persian NYers Show Their Pride at Murray Hill Parade|publisher =[[Time Warner Cable News]]|url =http://www.ny1.com/content/news/206934/persian-nyers-show-their-pride-at-murray-hill-parade|accessdate = April 20, 2014}}</ref><ref name="irreligion">{{cite web|url=http://www.payvand.com/news/09/sep/1230.html |title=Disparaging Islam and the Iranian-American Identity: To Snuggle or to Struggle |publisher=payvand.com |date=21 September 2009 |accessdate=}}</ref>
==See also==
==See also==
*[[Religion in Iran]]
*[[Religion in Iran]]

Revision as of 03:37, 11 March 2015

Irreligion in Iran is marginalized and by official 2011 census 265,899 persons didn't state any religion (0.3% of total population).[1] However, religiousness is strongly attached to Iranian national identity and number of nonpracticing Muslim is significantly higher.[2]

Within Iran

Quesion of irreligion in Iran is oftenly being a political one. Mehdi Bazargan noted "to oppose Islam to Iranian nationalism is tantamount to destroying ourselves. To deny Iranian identity and consider nationalism irreligious is part and parcel of the anti-Iranian movement and is the work of the anti-revolutionaries".[2] According to the Ali Reza Eshraghi, religious pressure and inadequate governing from the Iranian government have made Iranian people less religious.[3] Some Iranian feminists have also been noted as being irreligious and atheistic.[4]

The irreligious Iranian youth are banked on to eventually moderate Iran.[5], and the Iranian youth are among the most politically active among the 57 nations of the Islamic world.[6] As the most restive segment of Iranian society, the young also represent one of the greatest long-term threats to the current form of theocratic rule.[6] After the 2009 presidential election, youth was the biggest bloc involved in the region’s first sustained “people power” movement for democratic change, creating a new political dynamic in the Middle East.[6] Iran is one of the most tech-savvy societies in the developing world, with an estimated 28 million Internet users, led by youth.[6] Most young Iranians are believed to want to be part of the international community and globalization.[6]

Irreligion of Iranian Americans

According to Harvard University professor Robert D. Putnam, the average Iranian is slightly less religious than the average American.[7] Iranian-Americans are distancing themselves from Islam, having accepted the negative characteristics associated with the religion.[8] This is due to Islam being imposed on the Iranians through war and invasion, equating to authoritarianism, brutality and corruption.[8] In the book, Social Movements in 20th Century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks, author Stephen C. Poulson adds that Western ideas are making Iranians irreligious.[9]

Nearly as many Iranian Americans identify as irreligious as Muslim, and a full one-fifth are Christians, Jews, Baha’is, or Zoroastrians.[10] Additionally, the number of Muslim Iranian-Americans decreased from 42% in 2008 to 31% in 2012.[11][12]

Irreligion of European Iranians

The Central Committee for Ex-Muslims was founded by Dutch-Iranian Ehsan Jami with an aim to support apostates and to bring forth the reality of women's rights violations in the religion.[13]

Organizations

A British-Iranian organisation, “Iranian Atheists Association”, has been established in 2013 to form a platform for Iranian atheists to start debate and question the current Islamic republic’s attitude towards atheists, apostasy and human rights.[14] A significant number of Iranians abroad, especially Iranian-Americans, are irreligious, agnostic and atheist.[15][16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ SCI (2011). Selected Findings of National Population and Housing Census. Tehran: Statistical Centre of Iran, p. 26, ISBN 978-964-365-848-9.
  2. ^ a b "Iranian identity iv. 19TH-20th centuries" at Encyclopædia Iranica
  3. ^ "Iranians under the Islamic regime: more or less religious?". aljazeera.com. August 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Making History in Iran: Education, Nationalism, and Print Culture. Stanford University Press. 2015.
  5. ^ "A different view of Iran's soldiers". Los Angeles Times. September 14, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c d e "The Youth". usip.org.
  7. ^ "Losing Our Religion: The Growth Of The 'Nones'". NPR. 13 January 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Disparaging Islam and the Iranian-American Identity: To Snuggle or to Struggle". payvand.com. 21 September 2009.
  9. ^ Social Movements in 20th Century Iran: Culture, Ideology, and Mobilizing Frameworks. Lexington Books. 2005.
  10. ^ Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Sage Publications. 2013.
  11. ^ "2012 NATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY of IRANIAN AMERICANS regarding Potential Military Strike Against Iran" (PDF). paaia.org. 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  12. ^ "Public Opinion Survey of Iranian Americans" (PDF). PAAIA. December 2008.
  13. ^ "Reacties stromen binnen bij Comité voor Ex-moslims", NU.nl (in Dutch), 2 June 2007 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Iranian Atheists Association: About Us". Iranian Atheists Association.
  15. ^ Public Opinion Survey of Iranian Americans. Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)/Zogby, December 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  16. ^ "Persian NYers Show Their Pride at Murray Hill Parade". Time Warner Cable News. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  17. ^ "Disparaging Islam and the Iranian-American Identity: To Snuggle or to Struggle". payvand.com. 21 September 2009.


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