Introduction
Iran (a Wikipedia link) is a country in west Asia. It is bordered by Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south, and Iraq and Turkey to the west. It is estimated to have between 92 million people. The capital and largest city is Tehran. The country is officially called the Islamic Republic of Iran, and was previously known as Persia.
The country is practically 100% Islamic, which means that close to zero percent of the country is secular. Certainly nothing to do with government or education is secular.
Ultimate authority is held by the supreme leader. There are elections, however key offices (such as the head of state and the military) are not subject to public vote. The government is an authoritarian regime.
History
Ancient empires (3000 BCE to 651 CE)
- Early civilizations: Starting in the 3rd millennium BCE, the Elamites built urban centers such as Susa in the south west.
- Achaemenid Empire (550 to 330 BCE): Founded by Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenid Persian Empire became the largest in the ancient world (from Egypt and Anatolia to India).
- Hellenistic and Parthian eras: Alexander the Great conquered the Achaemenids in 330 BCE, followed by the Greek Seleucid rule and then the Parthian Empire.
- Sasanian Empire (224 to 651 CE): A centralized Persian state with Zoroastrianism as the state religion. It fought lengthy wars with Rome and Byzantium before falling to the Arab conquest in 651 CE.
Islamic era and dynasties (651 to 1900s)
- Spread of Islam: The Arab conquest introduced Islam to the region. Over hundreds of years, Persian language, culture and science influenced the broader Islamic Golden Age.
- Mongol invasions and Safavids: In the 13th century, Genghis Khan and the Mongols invaded. In 1501, the Safavids founded a native Iranian dynasty and made Shia Islam the official state religion.
- Qajar Dynasty (1794 to 1925): Noted for territorial losses and growing commercial and political interference from Britain and Russia. Oil was discovered in 1908.
Pahlavi Dynasty and the 1979 Revolution
- Reza Shah and Mohammad Reza Pahlavi: Reza Khan seized control in 1921, crowned himself Shah in 1925, and forced rapid secular modernization. His son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, aligned closely with the USA.
- 1953 Coup: A joint CIA and MI6 operation overthrew Iran’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh after he nationalized the oil industry.
- 1979 Islamic Revolution: Mass protests and strikes overthrew the Shah. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned from exile to establish an Islamic Republic.
Modern era (1979 to Present)
- Iran-Iraq War (1980 to 1988): A devastating eight-year conflict triggered by Iraq’s Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran.
- Leadership under Khamenei: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei served as Supreme Leader from 1989 through many regional conflicts, international isolation, and nuclear standoffs.
- Current Government: Iran operates as a unitary theocratic Islamic republic, now led by its Supreme Leader (Mojtaba Khamenei) and President (Masoud Pezeshkian). In 2026, US forces assassinated the long-serving previous supreme leader (Ali Khamenei, the father of the current leader).
Current day
Religion in Iran (a Wikipedia link) is as follows (as of 2025):
- Islam: 98.17%
- Shia: 80.3%
- Sunni: 16.9%
- Other Islam: 0.97%
- Christianity: 0.99%
- No religion: 0.36%
- Baha’i: 0.30%
- Other religions: 0.18%
Iran is one of the seven countries in the world (the other six being Afghanistan, the Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan) where being an atheist or a convert can lead to a death sentence.
The official figure of those identifying with “No religion” is quite small, however unofficial surveys have identified a much higher percentage of atheists (up to 9%). Polling has also revealed that only around 40% of respondents explicitly identify as Muslim. Nearly half (47%) of those surveyed reported a transition from religious to non-religious.
Unfortunately, citizens must still identify themselves as a member of one of the four recognized faiths (Muslims, Zoroastrians, Jews or Christians) in order to avail themselves of many of the rights of citizenship.
Despite the country being ruled by an oppressive regime, there is a strong sense of a push (from within) towards a more secular society. Decades of forced clerical rule have triggered a large, bottom-up backlash, thus creating a rift between the regime and the actual lives of the citizenry.
Issues
Technically, apostasy from Islam is punishable by death. Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world. Hundreds of citizens are executed every year, including individuals charged with drug offenses, “espionage”, or the capital religious charge of Moharebeh (“enmity against god”). The executions typically follow arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, and systematically unfair trials.
The government effectively withholds rights to minorities such as Baha’i and atheists.
Same-sex activity is criminalized and those found guilty are sentenced to severe corporal punishment or death.
Women are legally subjected to severe discrimination. The wearing of the hijab (traditional head covering) is compulsory. Females require a male guardian’s permission to travel abroad, marry, or to gain certain forms of employment. Family law heavily favors men when it comes to child custody, divorce, and inheritance. There is documented gender-based violence towards women. Women represent only 5% of the parliamentary seats.
Economic sanctions, corruption, and mismanagement has devastated the lives of average citizens. Millions now live below the poverty line due to hyperinflation and food insecurity. There are also severe shortages in the area of healthcare.
The problems with such an authoritarian approach to government is that the end results don’t lie, and aren’t good:
- Despite being the 52nd largest economy in the world, the GDP per capita ranks it at 165th globally.
- Its economy is in recession. It’s growth rate is between -3% and -7%.
- The inflation rate in Iran is anywhere from 40 to 80%, however that is obviously being influenced by the current war with the US.
- It stands at 81st in global education rankings. Overcrowding is common in schools and there is a huge shortage of teachers.
- There is a two-tier healthcare system and the country ranks around 86th in the world when it comes to medical care and outcomes.
- 30% to 50% of its population lives below the poverty line.
- Its corruption perception causes it to rank 155th in the world in terms of integrity.
Whatever those in charge think they are doing, it has not worked for vast numbers of citizens.
Hopefully a move towards a more democratic and fair society can occur.
Secular and atheist groups
Unfortunately, due to the intense risk of persecution and death (as sanctioned by the government), secular and atheist groups cannot operate in Iran.
Because apostasy (the act of renouncing or abandoning a religion) carries a potential death sentence in Iran, anyone who is disenchanted with religion there needs to be extremely careful in what they say or do.
The following is a list of societies, groups, and on-line organizations who have motivations and philosophies that are not based on religion. Links are to the organizations’ web sites.
See also Irreligion in Iran (a Wikipedia link).
Forum
Regarding this forum, remember:
- this is a place to help others, so please be polite,
- that we’re trying to reduce the effects of religion in this society,
- that participants may have been badly affected by religion,
- to respect the privacy of everyone (including yourself),
- the law.
If your motives or actions are otherwise, you will need to find another venue.