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The majority of thepopulation of Iran (approximately 80%) consists ofIranian peoples.[1] The largest groups in this category includePersians, mostly referred to as Fars (who form 61% of the Iranian population) andKurds (who form 10% of the Iranian population), with other communities includingSemnanis,Khorasani Kurds,Larestanis,Khorasani Balochs,Gilakis,Laks,Mazandaranis,Lurs,Tats,Talysh andBaloch.
Turkic peoples constitute a substantial minority of between 18–19%,[1] with the largest group being theAzerbaijanis. They are the second largest ethnicity in Iran. Other Turkic groups include theTurkmen,Afshar,Qashqai,Khorasani Turks,Shahsevan,Khalaj andKazakhs peoples.
Arabs account for about 1-2% of the Iranian population. The remainder, amounting to about 1% of Iranian population, consists of a variety of minor groups, mainly comprisingIranian Iraqis,Iranian Assyrians,Iranian Jews,Iranian Armenians,Iranian Georgians,Circassians andMandaeans.[2][3]
In addition to its ethnic diversity, Iranian society is also not uniform in terms of religion, and some ethnic groups are bothShia andSunni. The largest number ofShia Muslims come from theGilaki,Mazandarani,Fars, andLor ethnic groups, followed by theAzerbaijanis. The largest number ofSunni Muslims is from theTurkmen andBaloch ethnic groups. TheKurds andLarestanis show a more balanced distribution between the two sects, with approximately half of each beingShia and the other halfSunni.[4]
In Iranian society, there is a prevalent sense of social cohesion in which the various ethnic groups of the country, including theLuristanis,Mazandaranis,Kurdistanis,Azerbaijanis,Baluchistanis andSemnanis, are not considered minorities, but are instead regarded as integral parts of the majority of the Iranian population.[5]
At the beginning of the 20th century, Iran had a total population of just below 10 million, with an approximate ethnic composition of: 4 million Persians (40%), 2.5 million Azeris (25%), 1.2 million Kurds and Baluchs each (12% each).[6]
Many of the traditional tribal groups have become urbanized andculturally assimilated during the 19th and 20th centuries, so that ethnic identity in many cases is less than clear-cut.There have also been considerable intermarriage rates between certain groups, and nearly all groups are fluent inPersian, in many cases marginalizing their traditional native tongue.[7][8][9]Some groups may identify with their status as "ethnic minority" only secondarily, or cite multiple ethnic affiliation.[10]
TheSemnani people are aCaspian people part of the greaterIranian peoples who primarily live in northernIran and speak theSemnani language. They inhabit the province ofSemnan, east ofTehran. Today, the majority of Semnanis speakPersian as secondary language.[11]
ACIA World Factbook estimate from 2007 putPersians, most commonly known as Fars at 61% of the population of the country.[1]
TheAchums, also known as Larestani people areIranian peoples who inhabitSouthern Iran (primarilyIrahistan,Larestan region, andBastak), with some migrations that occurred toShiraz and theArab States of the Persian Gulf. The Larestani (Achomi) homeland is located in the southern halves of bothFars andBushehr provinces, as well as the western half ofHormozgan and southwestern part ofKerman provinces. The Achomi area includes the cities ofLar,Lamerd,Evaz,Gerash,Khonj,Mohr,Juyom,Zarrindasht andDarab inFars province, andAsaluyeh,Jam andDayyer inBushehr province as well asParsian,Bastak,Bandar Lengeh,Khamir,Rudan,Minab,Bandar Sirik and parts ofBandar Abbas,Bashagard andJask inHormozgan province.
TheKurds are anIranian people,[12] who make up the majority of the population ofKurdistan,Ilam,Kermanshah provinces and along with theAzeris, they are one of the two main ethnic groups inWest Azerbaijan province. The northern part ofLorestan province is inhabited by KurdishLak people. Kurdish people also make up the plurality of theNorth Khorasan province and a minority inRazavi Khorasan and are scattered throughout many other provinces of Iran.[13] It is estimated that up to 1 millionKurmanj Kurds live in Razavi Khorasan. Moreover, the previously Kurdish-speakingModanloo andPazuki tribes inMazandaran andTehran provinces became Persianized and are Persian-speaking now.[14][15][16]
The Laks inhabit a large part ofLorestan province where they constitute over 65% of the population and most of the eastern regions of the neighboring province ofKermanshah, and some parts of westernIlam (Poshte-Kuhi Laks). The area to the east of Mount Kabir is known as Pishe-Kuh, and west of the mountain is known as Poshte-Kuh.
TheLurs speak theLuri language and inhabit parts of west – south westernIran.[17] Most Lur are Shi’a. They are the fourth largestethnic group in Iran after thePersians,Azeri, andKurds.[18][19] They occupyLorestan,Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari,Khuzestan,Hamadan,Markazi,Ilam,Isfahan,Fars,Bushehr andKuh-Gilu-Boir Ahmed provinces.[17] The authority of tribal elders remains a strong influence among the nomadic population. It is not as dominant among the settled urban population. As is true inBakhtiari and Kurdish societies, Lur women have much greater freedom than women in other groups within the region.[20] The Luri language isIndo-European. TheSharafnama ofSharaf Khan Bidlisi "mentioned two Lur dynasties among the five Kurdish dynasties that had in the past enjoyed royalty or the highest form of sovereignty or independence."[21] In theMu'jam Al-Buldan ofYaqut al-Hamawi mention is made of the Lurs as aKurdish tribe living in the mountains betweenKhuzestan andIsfahan. The term Kurd according toRichard Frye was used for all Iranian nomads (including the population of Luristan as well as tribes in Kuhistan and Baluchis in Kerman) for all nomads, whether they were linguistically connected to the Kurds or not.[22]
TheMazanderanis[23] or Tabari people are an Iranian people whose homeland is the North of Iran (Tabaristan). Like the closely relatedGilaks, the Mazanderanis are a Caspian people who inhabit the south coast of the Caspian Sea, part of the historical region that used to be calledTabaristan and are currently one of the main ethnic groups residing in the northern parts of Iran. They speak theMazandarani language, a language native to around 4 million people, but all of them can speak Persian. The Alborz mountains mark the southern boundary of Mazanderani settlement.[24] The Mazanderani peoples number differs between three million and four million (2006 estimate) and many of them are farmers and fishermen.[25] Mazanderanis form also the majority in the eastern parts ofTehran province, inFiruzkuh,Damavand and parts ofShemiranat (Rudbar-e Qasran). Also the cities ofBandar-e Gaz andKordkuy inGolestan province and the city ofShahmirzad inSemnan province are inhabited by Mazanderanis. The city ofGurgan was previously Mazandarani-speaking but is now a Farsi-speaking city.
TheGilaks are an Iranian people native to the northern Iran province ofGilan and are one of the main ethnic groups residing in the northern part of Iran. Gilaks, along with the closely relatedMazandarani people, comprise part of the Caspian people, who inhabit the southern and southwestern coastal regions of theCaspian Sea. They speak theGilaki language and their population is estimated to be between three[26] and four[27] million (4% of the population). Gilaki people live both alongside the Alborz mountains, and in the surrounding plains. Consequentially, those living along the northern side of the Alborz mountains tend to raise livestock, while those living in the plains farm. Gilaks play an important role in provincial and national economy, supplying a large portion of the region's agricultural staples, such as rice, grains,[28] tobacco[29] and tea.[30] Other major industries include fishing and caviar exports, and the production of silk.[31] Gilaki people also inhabit the western parts ofMazandaran province, namely the cities ofRamsar andTonekabon.
TheTalysh are an Iranian people.[32] TheTalysh ofIran are about 430,000 and live mostly in the province ofGilan in north of Iran. They are indigenous to a region shared betweenRepublic of Azerbaijan and Iran which spans theSouth Caucasus and the southwestern shore of theCaspian Sea. Another significant amount of Talysh live therefore also in theRepublic of Azerbaijan.[citation needed] The Iranian cities ofHashtpar,Rezvanshahr,Fuman andMasuleh and parts ofAstara are Talysh-speaking.
TheTats are an Iranian people. The Tats of Iran are centralised near theAlborz Mountains, especially in the south ofQazvin province.They speak theTati language, consisting of a group ofnorthwestern Iranian dialects closely related to theTalysh language. Persian andAzeri are also spoken.Tats of Iran are mainly Shia Muslims and about 300,000 population.[clarification needed][33][34][35][36][37][38] A large part ofQazvin province and the majority ofTakestan county is inhabited by Tat people.
TheBalochs are an Iranian people.[39] The Balochis of Iran live in southern and central parts ofSistan and Baluchestan province, one of the most remote and isolated areas of Iran, especially from the majority of the people. The northern part of the province is called Sistan and 63% of the population are ethnic Baloch while the rest are Persian Sistani. The Baloch are Sunni Muslims with a minority who are Shia, in contrast to the Sistani Persians who are adherents of Shia Islam. The capital ofSistan and Baluchestan isZahedan and is inhabited by Baloch people, the next largest city of the province is Zabol in Sistan and is inhabited predominantly by Sistani Persians. The town ofJask in neighbouringHormozgan province is also inhabited by Baloch people. Baloch people also make up a minority in the eastern parts ofKerman,Razavi Khorasan andSouth Khorasan (Khorasani Baloch).[40][41][42]Balochs also make up about 30% of the populations of bothMazandaran andGolestan provinces.[43][44]
According to Victoria Arakelova, Turkic peoples in Iran can be differentiated between "proper Turkic groups (the Turkmens par excellence) and the Turkic-speaking ethnic Iranians, predominantly theAzaris".[45]
The largest Turkic-speaking group in Iran are theIranian Azerbaijanis, forming the second largest ethnicity in the nation after the Persians.Smaller Turkic groups account for about 2% of Iranian population between them,[19][46] about half of this number is accounted for by theIranian Turkmen,[citation needed] the other half comprises various tribal confederacies such as theQashqai or theKhorasani Turks. According to an estimation presented by the anthropologist Sekandar Amanolahi in peer-reviewed journalIran and the Caucasus, the number of Iranian Turkophones "does not exceed 9 millions".[47]
Many sources assert thatIranian Azerbaijanis are aTurkic-speaking people of Iranian origin.[48][49][50] Estimated numbers or percentages vary significantly and many estimates cited appear to be politically motivated.[51] They are often considered the second largest ethnic group in Iran and the largest ethnic minority with approximately 16% of the population.[1]
In the historicAzerbaijan region, the population consists mainly ofAzerbaijanis.[52] Azeris form the largest ethnic group in Iranian Azerbaijan, while Kurds are the second largest group and a majority in many cities ofWest Azerbaijan province.[53] Iranian Azerbaijan is one of the most densely populated regions of Iran. Many of these various linguistic, religious, and tribal minority groups, and Azeris themselves have settled widely outside the region.[54] The majority of Azeris are followers ofShi'a Islam. IranianAzerbaijanis mainly reside in the northwest provinces, including the Iranian Azerbaijan provinces (East Azerbaijan,West Azerbaijan,Ardabil, andZanjan), as well as regions of the North[55] toHamadan County[56] andShara District[56] in the EastHamadan province, and some regions ofQazvin province.[57][58] Some Azerbaijani minorities also live inMarkazi,[59]Kordestan,[60]Gilan[61][62] andKermanshah provinces.h[63] Azerbaijanis also make up significant minorities in various parts of central Iran, especiallyTehran,[64][a] Azerbaijanis have also emigrated and resettled in large numbers inKhorasan andQom.[64] Immigrant Azerbaijani communities have been represented by people prominent not only among urban and industrial working classes but also in commercial, administrative, political, religious, and intellectual circles.[64]
Iranian Turkmens are primarily concentrated in theprovinces ofGolestān andNorth Khorasan. The largest Turkmen city in Iran isGonbad-e Kavoos, followed byBandar Torkaman. Iranian Turkmens are mostly Sunni Muslims with some Shia.
TheQashqai people mainly live in the provinces ofFars,Khuzestan and southernIsfahan, especially around the city ofShiraz in Fars. They speak theQashqai language which is a member of theTurkic family of languages. The Qashqai were originallynomadicpastoralists and some remain so today.The traditional nomadic Qashqai travelled with their flocks each year from the summer highland pastures north of Shiraz roughly 480 km or 300 mi south to the winter pastures on lower (and warmer) lands near thePersian Gulf, to the southwest of Shiraz. The majority, however, have now become partially or wholly sedentary. The trend towards settlement has been increasing markedly since the 1960s.[67] The largest Qashqai city inIran isFiruzabad. InChaharmahal, the cities ofBoldaji,Sefiddasht,Ben andSudjan are inhabited byQashqai people.
TheKhorasani Turks areTurkic-speaking people inhabiting parts of north-easternIran, and in the neighbouring regions ofTurkmenistan up to beyond theAmu Darya River. They speak theKhorasani Turkic and live inNorth Khorasan,Razavi Khorasan, andGolestan provinces alongside Turkmens.
Khalaj people are aTurkic ethnic group who mainly reside inMarkazi (Arak) andQom provinces.[68][69] The largest cities inhabited by Khalaj people areKomijan,Khondab andDastjerd (Khalajestan).
2% of Iran's citizens are Arabs.[70]A 1998 report byUNCHR reported 4 million of them live in cities ofKhuzestan province, they are believed to constitute 55% to 60% of the population in the province, most of whom being Sunni Muslims. InKhuzestan, Arabs are a majority in the province and along with the Persians, Arabs are one of the two main ethnic groups inAhvaz. Khuzestan province are inhabited by Arab, Lur and Bakhtiari ethnic groups.[citation needed][citation needed] There are smaller communities inQom where there are a significant number of Arabs being ofLebanese descent, as well asRazavi Khorasan andFars provinces.Iranian Arab communities are also found inBahrain,Iraq,Lebanon,Kuwait,United Arab Emirates, andQatar.
TheAssyrian people of Iran are aSemitic people who speakmodern Assyrian, aneo-Aramaic language, and areEastern Rite Christians belonging mostly to theAssyrian Church of the East and, to a lesser extent, to theChaldean Catholic Church,Syriac Orthodox Church andAncient Church of the East.[71] They claim descent from the ancient peoples ofMesopotamia. They share a common identity, rooted in shared linguistic and religious traditions, withAssyrians in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East such asSyria andTurkey, as well as with theAssyrian diaspora.[71]
The Assyrian community in Iran numbered approximately 200,000 prior to theIslamic Revolution of 1979. However, after the revolution many Assyrians left the country, primarily for the United States, and the 1996 census counted only 32,000 Assyrians.[72] Current estimates of the Assyrian population in Iran range from 32,000 (as of 2005[update])[73] to 50,000 (as of 2007[update]).[74] The Iranian capital,Tehran, is home to the majority of Iranian Assyrians; however, approximately 15,000 Assyrians reside in northern Iran, inUrmia and various Assyrian villages in the surrounding area. The city ofNushin inUrumia county is inhabited by Assyrian people.[71]
Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran and dates back to late biblical times. The biblical books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles, and Esther contain references to the life and experiences of Jews in Iran.
By various estimates, 10,800 Jews[75] remain in Iran, mostly in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz. BBC reported Yazd is home to ten Jewish families, six of them related by marriage, however some[who?] estimate the number is much higher. Historically, Jews maintained a presence in many more Iranian cities. Iran contains the largest Jewish population of any Muslim majority country except Turkey.[76]
A number of groups of Jews of Iran have split off since ancient times. They are now recognized as separate communities, such as the Bukharan Jews and Mountain Jews. In addition, there are several thousand in Iran who are, or who are the direct descendants of, Jews who have converted to Islam and the Bahá'í Faith.[77]
IranianMandaeans live mainly in theKhuzestan province in southern Iran.[78] Mandeans are aMandaic-speakingethno-religious group who follow their own distinctiveGnostic,monotheistic religion calledMandaeism, sometimes also known as Sabianism (after the mysteriousSabians mentioned in theQuran, a name historically claimed by several religious groups).[79] They venerateJohn the Baptist (Yaḥyā ibn Zakarīyā) as their greatest prophet. They number some 10,000 people in Iran,[80] though Alarabiya has put their number as high as 60,000 in 2011.[81]
Armenian settlements in Iran dates back millennia. Ever since antiquity, Armenians and Iranians have always had significant interactions with each other. These interactions include cultural, linguistic, economic, and more.
Armenians used to inhabit a large portion of modern-day northern Iran, most significantly on the western shores of Lake Urmia.
Armenians and Iranians shared many cultural and religious characteristics. Before the 3rd century AD, no other country had as much influence over Armenia as Parthia. Intermarriage between the Parthian and Armenian nobility was very common, and for a large portion of Armenian history, much of Armenia was ruled by the modern-day Iranians.
The newly formed Armenian community in Isfahan played a considerable role in Iran's economic and cultural development. Shah Abbas I granted the Armenians monopoly over silk and gave them many other trade incentives. Thus, the Armenian community quickly became very wealthy. The Armenians were given these trade incentives due to the immense trade routes they covered around the globe. Additionally, Armenians were also known for their honesty regarding trade. Furthermore, the policies of Shah Abbas proved to be very successful for the Iranian economy, where after a brief period of time, the Iranian economy was booming.[82]
After the success of the Armenian community in New Julfa, the Armenians of New Julfa migrated to other major countries. They formed other settlements connecting many of these newly formed Armenian settlements to Isfahan, Iran. These settlements were in the Philippines, India, Venice, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Russia.[83] Thus, all these led to creating a new age for Iran where Iranian goods traveled the world and were consumed by Europeans and Indians.
The current Iranian-Armenian population is somewhere around 500,000.[citation needed] They mostly live inTehran andJolfa district. After theIranian revolution, many Armenians immigrated toArmenian diasporic communities inNorth America andwestern Europe. Today the Armenians are Iran's largestChristian religious minority, followed by Assyrians.
Iranian Georgians areTwelver Shia Muslims, whereas the vast majority of Georgians elsewhere in the world areChristian.
TheGeorgian language is the onlyCaucasian language fully functioning in Iran and it's spoken only by those that live inFereydan andFereydunshahr, and in smaller pockets all over Iran. Almost all other communities ofIranian Georgians in Iran have already lost their language, but retain a clear Georgian identity.
Once a very large minority inIran mainly due to mass deportations by the various early modern age and modern age Iranian empires (Safavids,Afsharids, andQajars), of their Georgian subjects, nowadays, due to intermarrying and assimilating the number of Georgians in Iran is estimated to be over 100,000.
TheGeorgian language is still used by many of the Georgians inIran. The centre ofGeorgians in Iran isFereydunshahr, a small city 150 km to the west ofIsfahan. The western part ofIsfahan province is historically calledFereydan. In this area there are 10 Georgian towns and villages aroundFereydunshahr. In this region the old Georgian identity is retained the best compared to other places inIran. In many major Iranian cities, such asTehran,Isfahan,Karaj andShiraz, andRasht live Georgians too.
In many other places such asNajafabad,Rahmatabad, Yazdanshahr and Amir Abad (near Isfahan) there are also Georgian pockets and villages. InMazandaran province in northern Iran, there are ethnic Georgians too. They live in the town ofBehshahr, and also inBehshahr county, in Farah Abad, and many other places, which are usually called "Gorji Mahale" (Georgian Neighbourhood). Most of these Georgians no longer speak theGeorgian language, but retain aspects ofGeorgian culture and a Georgian identity. Some[who?] argue that Iranian Georgians retain remnants of Christian traditions, but there is no evidence for this.
Like with the Georgians, once a very large minority in Iran all the way from theSafavid to theQajar era, the vast majority of theCircassians have been assimilated into the population nowadays. However, significant numbers remain present,[84] and they are the second-largest Caucasian ethnic group in the nation after the Georgians.[84]
FromSir John Chardin's "Travels in Persia, 1673–1677":
There is scarce a Gentleman in Persia, whose Mother is not a Georgian, or a Circassian Woman; to begin with the King, who commonly is a Georgian, or a Circassian by the Mother's side.
Circassians alongside the Georgians were imported en masse by the Shahs to fulfil roles in the civil administration, the military, and the royal Harem, but also as craftsmen, farmers, amongst other professions.[85][86]Circassian women were both inOttoman Turkey and Persia desired fortheir beauty, while the men were known as fearsome warriors.Notable Iranians of Circassian descent of the past includeTeresia Sampsonia,Shah Abbas II,Shah Suleiman I,Pari Khan Khanum (daughter ofShah Tahmasp, involved in many court intrigues),Shamkhal Sultan, Jamshid Beg (the assassinator ofShah Ismail II), andAnna Khanum.Traces of Circassian settlements have lasted into the 20th century,[86] and small pockets still exist scattered over the country, even after centuries of absorbing and assimilating,[2][87] such as inFars,[88]Rasht,Aspas,Gilan,Mazandaran, and the capitalTehran (due to contemporary internal migration). Their total number nowadays is unknown due to heavy assimilation and lack of censuses based on ethnicity, but are known to be significant.[84][87][89][90] Due to the same assimilation however, no sizeable number speaks theCircassian language anymore.[87]
TheConstitution of Iran guarantees freedom of cultural expression and linguistic diversity. Many Iranian provinces have radio and television stations in local language or dialect. School education is inPersian, theofficial language, but use ofregional languages is allowed under theconstitution of the Islamic Republic, andAzeri language and culture is studied at universities and other institutions of higher education.[91] Article 15 of theconstitution states:
The Official Language and script of Iran, the lingua franca of its people, is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, and texts, as well as text-books, must be in this language and script. However, the use of regional and tribal languages in the press and mass media, as well as for teaching of their literature in schools, is allowed in addition to Persian
Further, Article 19 of theIranian constitution adds:
All people of Iran, whatever the ethnic group or tribe to which they belong, enjoy equal rights; color, race, language, and the like, do not bestow any privilege.
There is in fact, a considerable publication (book, newspaper, etc.) taking place in the two largest minority languages in the Azerbaijani language and Kurdish, and in the academic year 2004–05 B.A. programmes in the Azerbaijani language and literature (in Tabriz) and in the Kurdish language and literature (in Sanandaj) are offered in Iran for the very first time.[92] In addition,Payame Noor University, which has 229 campuses and nearly 190,000 students throughout the country, in 2008 declared that Arabic will be the "second language" of the university, and that all its services will be offered inArabic, concurrent withPersian.[93]
Regional and local radio programmes are broadcast in Arabic, Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Baluchi, Bandari, Georgian, Persian, Kurdish, Mazandarani, Turkoman, and Turkish.[94]
However, some human rights groups have accused the Iranian government of violating the constitutional guarantees of equality, and theUN General Assembly has voiced its concern over "increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against ethnic and religious minorities."[95] In a related report,Amnesty International says:
Despite constitutional guarantees of equality, individuals belonging to minorities in Iran, who are believed to number about half of the population of about 70 millions, are subject to an array of discriminatory laws and practices. These include land and property confiscations, denial of state and para-statal employment under the gozinesh criteria and restrictions on social, cultural, linguistic and religious freedoms which often result in other human rights violations such as the imprisonment of prisoners of conscience, grossly unfair trials of political prisoners before Revolutionary Courts, corporal punishment and use of the death penalty, as well as restrictions on movement and denial of other civil rights.[96]
Some Western journalists and commentators have expressed similar views. John Bradley is of the opinion that:[97]
Iran’s ethnic minorities share a widespread sense of discrimination and deprivation toward the central Tehran government. Tehran’s highly centralized development strategy has resulted in a wide socioeconomic gap between the center and the peripheries, where there is also an uneven distribution of power, socioeconomic resources, and sociocultural status. Fueled by these long-standing economic and cultural grievances against Tehran, unrest among the country’s large groups of ethnic minorities is increasing.' The violence in remote regions such as Khuzestan and Baluchistan clearly has ethnic components, but the far greater causes of the poverty and unemployment that vexes members of those ethnic groups are government corruption, inefficiency, and a general sense of lawlessness, which all Iranians, including Persians, must confront.
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Separatist tendencies, led by some groups such as theKurdish Democratic Party of Iran andKomalah inIranian Kurdistan, for example, had led to frequent unrest and occasional military crackdown throughout the 1990s and even to the present.[98] In Iran, Kurds have twice had their ownautonomous regions independent of central government control: TheRepublic of Mahabad in Iran which was the second independent Kurdish state of the 20th century, after theRepublic of Ararat in modernTurkey; and the second time after theIranian revolution in 1979.
Jalal Talabani leader of the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), in a 1998 interview, contrasted the situation in Iran with that of Turkey, with respect to Kurds:
Iran never tried to obliterate the Kurd's identity. There is a province in Iran called Kordestan province. The Iranian name their planes after the province in Iran [including Kordestan]".[99]
One of the major internal policy challenges during the centuries up until now for most or all Iranian governments has been to find the appropriate and balanced approach to the difficulties and opportunities caused by this diversity, particularly as this ethnic or sectarian divisions have often been readily utilized by foreign powers, notably during theIran–Iraq War. According to ProfessorRichard Frye:[100]
Although many languages and dialects are spoken in the country, and different forms of social life, the dominant influence of the Persian language and culture has created a solidarity complex of great strength. This was revealed in theIran–Iraq War when Arabs of Khuzestan did not join the invaders, and earlier when Azeris did not rally to their northern cousins after World War II, when Soviet forces occupied Azerbaijan. Likewise the Baluch, Turkmen, Armenians and Kurds, although with bonds to their kinsmen on the other side of borders, are conscious of the power and richness of Persian culture and willing to participate in it.
Foreign governments, both before[101][102] and after the Islamic Revolution have often been accused of attempting to de-stabilize Iran through exploiting ethnic tensions.[103]
In 2006, U.S.Marine Corps Intelligence commissioned two research projects into Iraqi and Iranian ethnic groups.[104]
Ahwazi Arabs dissidents in Iran have been persecuted by the Iranian authorities, with a number of activists reporting being arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and forced to givefalse confessions.[105]
Some Iranians accuse Britain of "trying to topple the regime by supporting insurgents and separatists".[106] Other states however are also believed to be involved in the politics of ethnicity in southern Iran. ProfessorEfraim Karsh traces out the origins of Saddam Hussein's wish to annexKhuzestan using the ethnic card:[107]
Nor did Saddam's territorial plans go beyond the Shatt al-Arab and a small portion of the southern region of Khuzestan, where he hoped, the substantial Arab minority would rise against their Iranian oppressors. This did not happen. The underground Arab organization in Khuzestan proved to be a far cry from the mass movement anticipated by the Iraqis, and Arab masses remained conspicuously indifferent to their would-be liberators
During Iran's 1979 revolution, after sending thousands of Iraqi Shi'ites into exile in Iran and the quick and brutal suppression of Kurdish dissent,
Saddam Hussein saw an opportunity to take advantage of Iran 's instability during its political transition and the weakness of its military (which had been decimated through regular purges of military officers once loyal to the former regime) in order to seize Iran 's oil-rich, primarily Arab-populated Khuzestan province. Hussein had wrongly expected the Iranian Arabs to join the Arab Iraqi forces and win a quick victory for Iraq.[108]
During theCold War, the Soviet Union's "tentacles extended into Iranian Kurdistan".[109] As the main supporter of ethnic communist enclaves such as theRepublic of Mahabad, and (later on) as the main arms supplier ofSaddam Hussein, both theSoviet Union and its predecessor theRussian Empire, made many attempts to divide Iran along ethnic lines. Moscow's policies were specifically devised "in order to sponsor regional powerbases, if not to annex territory".[110] For example, in a cable sent on 6 July 1945 by theCentral Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Secretary of the Communist Party ofSoviet Azerbaijan was instructed to "Organize a Separatist Movement in Southern Azerbaijan and Other Provinces in Northern Iran."[111]
TheRepublic of Azerbaijan is also accused of encouraging ethnic divisions in theIranian region of Azerbaijan.[112]
When I asked people in ethnically mixed areas whether they were Kurds of [sic] Turks or Persians I frequently got answers such as 'I am Kurd as well as a Persian and a Turk'. When I insisted and asked what they originally were, some answered 'my father speaks all three languages
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)There is in fact, a considerable publication (book, newspaper, etc.) taking place in the two largest minority languages in the Azerbaijani language and Kurdish, and in the academic year 2004–05 B.A. programmes in the Azerbaijani language and literature (in Tabriz) and in the Kurdish language and literature (in Sanandaj) are offered in Iran for the very first time
Iran even went so far as to expelAlJazeera from its territory for allegedly inciting ethnic unrest inAhwaz.
