Iran has many significant populations of religious minorities who live alongside its majority Muslim population. However, only a few are recognized and protected by the government, creating a dangerous environment for those whose religions are not guaranteed the same rights. Although Iran is a member of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a faction of the United Nations, and is expected to adhere to article 18 of the ICCPR treaty, which guarantees the right to hold a particular religious belief, or to not believe, and the right to practice that belief, Iran only applies that section of the treaty to the religions recognized by the government. Influenced by Maldivian diplomat and politician Dr. Ahmed Shaheed’s article titled “Freedom of Religion and Belief in the Islamic Republic of Iran”, I will generally explain Islam’s role in Iran’s government, from the 1979 Revolution to the present to show how the Iranian government is limiting minority religions.

In order to understand the government’s persecution of religious minorities in Iran, it is important to recognize and understand Islam’s role in the government. However, before analyzing the relationship between Islam and the government, a basic understanding of Islam as well as its relationship with other religions is required. According to the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., a cultural center that aims to promote a better understanding of Islam in the United States, Islam is the religion of over one billion people. Muslims, followers of this monotheistic religion, submit themselves to the Will of God The Almighty and accept Muhammad as the last prophet of Allah. Because the Qur’an states that Muhammad is the last prophet, Islam is considered to be the final religion after Judaism and Christianity. Similarly to Judaism and Christianity, Islam has branches within the religion, including its two main branches, Sunni and Shi’a, and Sufi Islam. According to journalist Afi-Odelia Scruggs, “The schism between the groups dates to 632, when a controversy arose over the successor to Muhammad. The Sunnis believe that Muhammad did not designate a successor. But the Shiites believe he did: his cousin and son-in-law, Ali”. Sunni is considered the orthodox branch, whereas the Shi’a branch originated from a political movement to establish Ali as Muhammad’s successor. Sufism, on the other hand, is “the inner, mystical, or psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam”, according Dr. Alan Godlas. He also notes that many Muslims and non-Muslims alike consider Sufism to be “outside the sphere of Islam”. With this information, a conclusion can be made about the relationship between Islam and other religions. Because Muhammad is considered the last prophet, Islam is regarded as the last true religion. Therefore, any that come after it are challenging the belief that Muhammad delivered the last word of God.

Now that a basic understanding of Islam and its relationship with other religions has been established, a brief history of Iran’s government, pre and post-Revolution, can be introduced. Prior to the Revolution, the Pahlavi dynasty ruled Iran since 1925 due to Britain’s attempt to establish a pro-British government during their occupation of Iran during World War I. To achieve this, they staged a coup to remove power from the Qajar dynasty and give it to Reza Shah Pahlavi, who established the Pahlavi dynasty. According to Ivan Sahar, a Foreign Media Service Center that serves foreign journalists wishing to cover events in Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi “started to modernize Persia (Iran) and secularize politics. Under his reign, the central government reasserted its authority over the tribes and provinces”. Eventually, his son Mohammad Reza Shah took over with the addition of a prime minister, Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh. When Shah and Mosaddegh disagreed over whether Iran or Britain should control the oil industry, with Mosaddegh for the nationalization of Iran’s oil industry, Shah joined forces with the United States and Britain to overthrow Mosaddegh. After the coup, oil companies from the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, and France formed a consortium and received profits from the oil industry. Causally, Ivan Sahar writes, “The U.S. government's interests were considered in any and all Shah's policies, as they had intervened to eliminate Dr. Mosaddeq from the political scene of Iran. Shah was indebted to them and worked for the interests of the U.S. government in Iran”. Because of the disproportionate Western influence of the U.S. in Iranian politics and Shah’s eventual censorship of his opponents, Iran was distanced from its “national and religious traditions”. Ruhollah Khomeini spoke against Shah and received tremendous support, which resulted in his exile. However, when Shah left Iran in 1979, Khomeini returned and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. The structure of the government transitioned from monarchy to a theocracy after the Revolution. In order to return to its religious traditions, Khomeini decided that Iran would operate under Shi’a Sharia law and, according to PBS, “…one man, the Supreme Leader, exerts ideological and political control over a system dominated by clerics who shadow every major function of the state”.

In his article, Dr. Shaheed outlined components of the Iranian Constitution and the Iranian Civil Code regarding religion that contribute to the oppression and discrimination of Bahá’ís, Evangelical Christians, and Dervishes within government and personal life. Regarding government, the Constitution requires the positions of the Supreme leader, the president, judges, and all except 5 members of Parliament to be occupied by Muslims, with the remaining 5 positions reserved for those who identify with recognized minority religions. With less than 2 percent of Parliament represented by religious minorities, equal representation of all religions in Parliament is nonexistent. Rather than establish fair representation and reinforce the equal rights guaranteed for recognized religious minorities, the allocation of 5 out of 290 seats in Parliament merely seems like an empty favor. Regarding personal life, Article 1059 of the Iranian Civil Code prohibits marriage between a Muslim woman and a non-Muslim man but allows marriage between a non-Muslim woman and a Muslim man, and article 1192 prohibits a Muslim child’s guardian from appointing a non-Muslim as a guardian upon death. These two articles heavily impose on what should be personal choices. Because of their potential to break families apart, it is a violation of universal human rights. In addition to family life, Iranian law requires university applicants to state their religious beliefs. However, those who belong to Islam or other recognized religions are admitted regardless of any capacity issues or entrance exam scores. This rule is disadvantageous to those who belong to unrecognized beliefs such as the Bahá’ís because truthfulness is one of the religion’s universal virtues. Lastly, article 881 of the Iranian Civil Code prohibits non-Muslims from inheriting property from Muslims and mandates that Muslim heirs of a non-Muslim collect the entire inheritance regardless of their relationship. Mandating that religious affiliation determines what one inherits is discriminatory due to violating the wishes of the proprietor.

In essence, Dr. Shaheed notes, the Iranian government’s treatment of minorities indicates its commitment to human rights. It is apparent through its constitution and civil code that equality is only guaranteed to those who do not pose any form of opposition to policies currently in place. As long as unjustifiable violence is directed toward religious minorities in Iran, the country will not progress in areas regarding equality and human rights.