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.CAIS NEWS© LATEST ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Zoroastrians Remember the Seventh Century Islamic Invasion of Iran
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20 June 2007 |
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LONDON, (CAIS) -- Iran has a sumptuous history and cultural heritage, that is on a ventilator in present times.
The Islamic regime in Iran has not shown much appreciation for the pre-Islamic history of Iran and its brand of Iranian nationalism takes no pride in those majestic times of yore.
In fact Iran has a written history that dates back to 3200 BCE. Under Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great, Iran became the world's first superpower of the entire world that had been discovered till then.
Before the genesis of Islam, Iran was predominantly inhabited by Zoroastrians. The Zoroastrian religion emanated from the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster. Though, there is little consensus over his lifetime, but he is speculated to have lived around a seventeen hundred BCE. The followers of this ancient religion are few and wide apart. In fact the faith slowly is counting the last of its breathes.
This grave state of Zoroastrianism was brought about by the Islamic invasion of Iran in 7th century, which the religious cleansing that followed. Many Zoroastrians were converted by the edge of the sword and many of them paid with their lives for their pejorative. Also, it led to their exodus to places like India.
Today Zoroastrians are a close-knit community. Their endangered status having brought them together. There are a few Zoroastrians in Iran and many live in the U.S and India. Many of the few Zoroastrians that are left, gathered in Chak Chak to remember the Islamic invasion of Iran and the heroes of that dark hour. One of those heroes was Nikbanou, the daughter of the last king of Persia, who resisted the Islamic invaders.
Majority of Iranians, Muslims or non-Muslims take great pride in their pre-Islamic roots. But it is the government that continues to despise the pre-Islamic heritage and the Zoroastrian religion.
After the 1979 revolution, life has become an ordeal for everyone, but especially for the Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews and Baha’i communities; as the Islamic regime has shown close to no tolerance for other faiths.
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Extracted From/Source*: Stop Ahmadinjead.com
*Please
note
the above-news is NOT a "copy & paste" version from
the mentioned-source. The news/article above has been modified with
the following interventions by CAIS: Spelling
corrections; -Rectification and correction of the historical facts and
data; - Providing additional historical information within the text;
-Removing any unnecessary, irrelevant & repetitive information.
All these measures have been taken in order to ensure that the published news provided by CAIS is coherent, transparent, accurate and suitable for academics and cultural enthusiasts who visit the CAIS website.
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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