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Ar Rasheed: Vol. 3 No. 3 Thul Hijjah 1417/ April 1997
| Sunni Muslims in Iran |
| According to the census of 1970, Shias make up 62% of the population of Iran, while the Sunnis, 36%. During the reign of the Safavids who were responsible for turning Iraninto a Shiite state, the Sunnis were 65% of the population. However, constant persecution by the Shia authorities reduced their number to 36%. If the current regime continues its repressive measures, the number will fall even further. |
| Most of the 20 million Sunnis living in Iran are completely marginalised andlive in deplorable conditions. They are deprived of’ their basic rights in their own country. This is not a case of mere tension between the two communities but rather a hard-line repressive policy adopted by the oppressive Shia regime against the minority Sunnis which purports to tell them that there is no place for them in Iran. |
| The harrowing persecution of Sunni Muslims in Iran has continued unabated for decades with the minority of Muslims in the world being blissfully unaware of it. Sunni Muslims are hunted andimprisoned for paltry accusations. The province of Khurasan has witnessed numerous atrocities. When the Sunni Muslims formed political parties, to unite themselves and, campaign for their legal rights, Mufti-zadeh, one of their leaders was arrested. Others were terrorised and forced into hiding. The despotic authorities do not allow the Sunnis to manage their own affairs. Towns, which are 85% Sunni are run by predominantly Shia-controlled committees. The Ministry of Education forcibly changed the curriculum of the Sunni schools, resulting in many students going abroad. |
| Mosque Razed to Ground |
| The most ludicrous measures taken by the tyrannical Shia authorities are those which target Sunni mosques. Many mosques like the century old Shaykh Faiz Masjid in the city of Meshhed have been razed to the ground. It is worth noting that Iranian propagandists shed crocodile tears when the Babri Mosque was demolished and when the Rustenburg Masjid was bombed, but their track record at home is much more dismal. There is an undeclared official decree, which says that any area having less than 40% Sunni population will not be granted permission to build a mosque. The Shia have proved much worse than most non-Muslim countries which allow their Muslim minorities to build masâjid. The media is in full control of Shia authorities and they categorically deny any such persecution. |
