Zoroastrianism in Iraq: Challenges and Misconceptions
A photo taken of Iraqi Zoroastrians taking part in the "Atharvan" religious ceremony at the Erbil Citadel in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The revival of Zoroastrianism in Iraq took only eight years, learn about its historical background, founding concepts and rituals.
Eight years were enough for the Zoroastrian religion to return to life again in Iraq. Since the issuance of Law No. 5 of 2015 with the aim of protecting the religious components and minorities in Iraqi Kurdistan, the followers of Zoroastrianism have resumed practicing and promoting its rituals and demanding that they be granted the rest of their rights.
The emergence of Zoroastrianism was a turning point in the doctrinal development of mankind. This religion, through its ancient teachings and foundations, contributed to the formation and influence of many important belief systems that are followed by billions all over the world, such as Judaism, Christianity , and Islam . Prominent literary and intellectual figures were also inspired by Zoroastrianism. Among these figures are Voltaire, Nietzsche and Freddie Mercury.
Historical background
There is no exact date for the emergence of Zoroastrianism. However, most sources indicate the emergence of this religion around 1738 BC. Ibrahim Zarari, a member of the Supreme Council of the Zoroastrian Hawza, believes that Zoroastrianism appeared near the Jegest River, specifically in the Iranian city of Urmia-Mahabad.
Zoroastrianism or Mazdaism is the oldest monotheistic religion still practiced in the world. It was named after its founder, Zoroaster , who contradicted the polytheistic religions that prevailed in Central Asia at his time. According to the Gatha Texts , a collection of ancient philosophical hymns between Zoroaster and nature or the Creator, Zoroaster founded the new religion that recognizes one god, Ahura Mazda.
Later, Zoroastrianism became the official religion of the Median , Achaemenid , and Parthian empires . However, this religion flourished remarkably during the era of the Sasanians . The Sassanids made Zoroastrianism the official state religion, which led to a growing number of followers.
The Zoroastrian religion remained in existence after the fall of the Sasanian Empire more than 1400 years ago at the hands of Muslims. However, the Muslims destroyed Zoroastrian religious monuments or converted them into mosques. For this reason, followers of Zoroastrianism kept practicing their rituals in secret until the Kurdistan Regional Government issued Freedom of Religion Law No. 5 in recent years.
During the Umayyad era, Muslims did not pressure their subjects residing in Persia, including the Zoroastrians, to convert to Islam. Like the dhimmis, the Zoroastrians had to pay a poll tax in order to maintain their religion.
The pressure on the Zoroastrians and other adherents of the minorities present in Muslim Iran intensified. On this basis, the Zoroastrians were forced to disperse and reside far from the important Islamic cities. Most of the Zoroastrians settled in desert areas with little water, very hot, and far from the hustle and bustle of political events. One of those areas is the city of Yazd. Others migrated to Gujarat in western India, and settled there, where the Indians called them Parsis.
In the Safavid era , the Zoroastrians were subjected to great persecution, which led to a significant decrease in their numbers in Iran and Iraq. The violations committed by the Safavids against religious minorities varied in accordance with the fluctuations and requirements of their religious policies.
And at the beginning of the Qajar era , pressure on the Zoroastrians intensified. Harassment then became a daily occurrence against them. This included marking Zoroastrian homes with special signs, and enacting laws to encourage them to convert to Islam. The entire family inheritance went to a person who became a Muslim in a Zoroastrian family.
The main principles and rituals
For Zoroastrians, the most correct path in faith is as follows: Intention is based on three ideals: pure thought, kind words, and good deeds.
As for the details of their rituals, Zarari told Fanack: “We have five prayers a day, in addition to ablution. But our prayers and ablutions differ from the prayers and ablutions of Muslims. We turn in prayer to any source of light. During the day, we head to the sun. At night, we turn to a fire, a candle, or some other source of light. We fast four days every month. The days of fasting are called "Nabur". During the fast, we abstain from eating only meat. On this basis, we fast 48 days a year.
In an interview with Fanack, Huda Sheikhmus, a representative of the Zoroastrian religion in western Kurdistan, says: “Zoroastrians bury their dead according to the custom of society, just like other Muslims there. There is no fixed legislation. This is due to the nature of man and his way of thinking. For example, if one sees water as halal, then it is halal. Likewise, there is no polygamy in Zoroastrianism.
Zoroastrianism is called an optional religion. A Zoroastrian is not born following the religion of his father or mother, as is the case with other religions. Rather, he remains without a religion until he reaches puberty, after which he is informed of all religions to choose from. As for their feasts and festivals, they are related to the climate, weather changes, days of the year, and months. The word festival is composed of two parts: “meher”, which means mercy, and “jan”, which is an adjective for love and also means life.
Zoroastrians also have a moral duty to live a “good life” and to treat others with love and compassion.
Challenges and misconceptions
Although the Iraqi Directory of 1936 mentions Zoroastrianism as a religious minority, the new Iraqi constitution still does not recognize Zoroastrianism as an independent religion. According to Zari, the constitution treats followers of Zoroastrianism under the name of Islam.
One of the most important reasons for the suffering of Zoroastrians in Iraq is the societal misconceptions about their religion. In this context, Zarari says: “Some accuse us of worshiping fire and of having multiple gods, but this is not true. We don't worship fire, we worship it. It is not permissible to marry relatives in Zoroastrianism up to the fifth degree, because that inherits a deficiency of mind and body. And you do not find a couple who meet in the third or fourth ancestor. Zoroastrianism is not a proselytizing religion, although it welcomes those who want to embrace it, and respects all other religions.”
In an interview with Fanack, engineer Lina Al-Rubaie, representative of Zoroastrianism in Najaf, said: “We need the Iraqi government to add introductory lessons about Zoroastrianism and its teachings and rituals to counter these misconceptions. These lessons will teach students to love Zoroastrianism as well as their love for other religions. The existence of these introductory lessons would also prevent any new genocide, as happened with the Yazidi sect.”
She added, “Our demands are also the demands of religious sheikhs, dignitaries, people with the highest word, and influencers in society.”
No financial support
Zoroastrians do not receive any financial support from inside or outside Iraq. There are no salaries or pensions for the clergy. Accordingly, the Zoroastrian clergy perform their work in a voluntary manner.
Recently, a temple for the sect in Erbil was closed due to lack of funding and the inability to pay the monthly rent, according to Zarari. There are also two other temples in Sulaymaniyah that are paid for by collecting donations from the Zoroastrians themselves.
There is no ambition for the sect either. They just want to be treated as other sects are treated, starting with writing their religion explicitly on personal identity instead of classifying them as Muslims, and not ending with giving them the freedom to practice their religious rituals.
New Zoroastrian Message
There are still some threats that reach the adherents of this religion from time to time. According to Sheikhmus, the Zoroastrians are still afraid of officially declaring their religion, especially in Muslim-majority areas, for fear of the ideology left by ISIS in the minds of the people there.
On this basis, Zoroastrians prefer to stay in the regions of Kurdistan, as it is the safest for them, especially women among them. Zoroastrians wish that the followers of other religions deal with them in the same way that the followers of this religion deal with them. They treat others with love, and they ask them to learn more about their religion without going back to the superstitions spread about them.
survey sample
Fanack conducted a survey on Facebook for a number of young Iraqi men and women. The sample included 30 people, with an average age ranging between 18 and 40 years, and most of them were university students or intellectuals in general.
Opponents
The percentage of opposition was relatively the lowest compared to others, as the rejection rate reached 20%. The opponents justified the reason for this to the teachings and texts of the Zoroastrian religion, which contradict the teachings of Islam and other monotheistic religions. In this context, one of the respondents says: “There are four monotheistic religions that we have known since childhood, and everything else is an illusion. There is no mention of Zoroaster in any heavenly book. If he was a true prophet, our religion and scholars would have told us that.”
Others said that the return of this debt, which disappeared for a long time, and during this particular unstable period, serves the interests of some external parties that want to weaken and destroy Iraq, by any possible means.
People's religion for people
On the other hand, the neutrality rate was the largest, at 47%. One of the respondents confirms the freedom to choose religion for a person. She adds, “Iraq is not only for Muslims. This land is for everyone. And the assault that occurs on any person in it, and through any method, is a crime that has no religion.”
Some of the participants also believed that engaging in such a discussion, or simply expressing an opinion on it, might expose it to many problems, and their percentage reached 3%. Some said they support Zoroastrians, but they cannot say so publicly.
And there are those who content themselves with the famous House of Hallaj, “My religion is for myself and the people’s religion is for people,” without adding anything else.
One of the respondents said: “There is no freedom in Iraq today, except in the Kurdistan region. This region is still in continuous progress, and there is no equivalent in much of the Arab world that surrounds us. There is freedom of belief for sects and religions, each in its own right, people and government.”
He added, “Zoroastrianism exists, even in Najaf. There are Zoroastrians with names like Ali, Karrar, and Muhammad, but they cannot reveal that here. I have dealt with many of them. They are kind, but they are afraid. These people were not able to reveal their beliefs until they reached Kurdistan, or even traveled outside Iraq.”
Supporters
More than 30% of the respondents viewed in a positive way the appearance of Zoroastrians in public. Half of them support the following saying: “I worship a stone, but do not throw it at me.” Respondents from this category expressed their willingness to receive any representative of Zoroastrianism to engage in discussions with him about this religion and to learn more about it.
One of the respondents confirmed her support for the right of Zoroastrians to practice their beliefs freely, but she refused to give her name for fear of societal backlash. She said, "I never mind getting to know this religion, but I don't have any way to get to know its beliefs."
Another respondent says: “Zoroastrian philosophy has influenced many thinkers, philosophers and geniuses throughout history. If this indicates something, then it definitely indicates its greatness and the greatness of its teachings and thought. He expressed his hope that in the future, he would learn about this religion from the mouths of its followers.
?A third respondent said, “Zoroastrianism exists on earth, whether we like it or not. And the number of her followers is constantly increasing. Iraq since ancient times, the Iraq of difference and diversity, so why do not we stand today with our brothers from Zoroastrians and other minorities? Why don't we help them freely practice all their rituals, as long as they don't harm us
Fear of society
Finally, there are those who were originally Zoroastrian and expressed their fear of declaring their religion. The percentage of these reached 3% of the respondents. They indicated that they are afraid of declaring their religion despite their strong desire to do so, especially as they see the declaration of their religion in Kurdistan. They attributed their reluctance to proclaim their religion to the fear of society's view of them and the exclusion they would face collectively, especially in Muslim-majority areas.
Source : websites