Religious Context: Shia Islam in Iran by Mischa Raczka

Background

raczkamischa — 2024-10-25 15:23:25 UTC

Shia Islam is a sect within Islam, and is one of the two main sects, with the other being Sunni Islam. Both sects have very similar fundamental and core beliefs, but split 14 centuries ago when the Islamic people couldn't agree on who should succeed Prophet Muhammad, as the leader of the faith he created, after he died. Kind of like Jesus, nobody really knows what Muhammad looked like.

Population

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 13:48:54 UTC

In Iran, 90-95% of the population is Shia Islam. The other sect of Islam, Sunni, is only 5-10%. Overall, over 99% of the Iranian population is Islam. It is a very homogeneous country.

Creation

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 15:17:50 UTC

Islam was first created in Mecca, which is western Arabia. In the 7th century, Muhammad, who is considered the creator of Islam, is thought to have meditated on Mount Jabal an-Nour, when he had a divine revelation. This is when he started to spread his ideas and teachings throughout Mecca.

Main Pillars of Islam

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 15:23:42 UTC

Islam has five main pillars:

Declaration of faith
Obligatory prayer
Compulsory giving
Fasting in the month of Ramadan
Pilgrimage to Mecca

Holy Books

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 15:49:55 UTC

Muslims base their life on the holy book of Islam, the Qur'an.

Beliefs

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 15:58:53 UTC

Some things Shia Muslims believe in are:

That there is only one god
Belief in angles
Muhammad is the messenger to god

Ramadan

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 16:09:20 UTC

Ramadan is during the 9th month in the Islamic lunar calendar, and is a month-long event full of fasting, praying, service, spiritual growth, and community. It is a time for Muslims to really improve their strength in their faith and spirituality. Their fasting begins at dawn and ends when the sun sets. Muslims fast during Ramadan to show their sympathy for the less fortunate and to show their discipline.

Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 17:03:57 UTC

Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, and is usually a big feast, and is celebrated with prayer and conversation with friends and family.
Eid Al- Adha is the 10th day of the final month on the Islamic calendar. It marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and remembers the sacrifices of Abraham.

Cultural Significance

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 18:54:36 UTC

Over centuries as Shia Islam became more prominent in Iran, Iranian and Shia Islamic culture started to combine into one.
Tons of culture, like music, movies, and writing, are made by and based upon people who are Shia Islamic.
Lots of architecture, like mosques and shrines, that are tourist attractions and are an important part of Islamic culture are also made by Islamic artists or are designed for religious reasons
Shia Islam is also the reason as to why Muslim women cannot have their hair or other parts of their body showing, and states that men and women have different places in their lives. This leads to many differences in daily life and Islamic culture.

Political Significance

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 18:59:32 UTC

Shia Islam beliefs inspire many of the laws in Iran.
The government of Iran often uses Shia Islam religious narratives to promote togetherness of the country and control, which encourages the citizens of Iran to align their own beliefs with the countries. There is little separation "of church and state"
Shia Islam also influences foreign policy, specifically towards other Muslim countries. Iran thinks of itself as the leader for Shia Muslims worldwide.

Rise of Islamic fundamentalism after the Revolution

raczkamischa — 2024-10-28 19:16:53 UTC

Many traditional Iranians were unhappy with the Western ideas of Shah Reza Pahlavi. He was considered corrupt, and made people more extreme towards their traditional views.
Shia clerics combined political activism and religious teachings, and made it seem like it was a religious duty to fight for their traditional views. A very famous Shia cleric is Ayatollah Khomeini.
The revolution was mostly against western influence on Iranian culture, and many Iranians, specifically Shia Muslims, saw it as a threat to Islamic identity.
After the revolution is when the Iranian government started to use Shia Islam beliefs within their legislation.
The new regime after the revolution also tried to silence secular voices, and these voices that spoke up against the fundamentalism of Iran were often prosecuted.
After the successful re-traditionalization of Iran, their model of revolutionizing was used across many countries in the Middle East.