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I am in a position to answer this question as a person of Iranian heritage;
Iranian society constantly teeters between the embracing of progressive values on the one hand and traditional on the other. How that "teetering" manifests itself on an individual level is expansive, to say the least.
Diaspora Iranians are predominantly secular. As mentioned earlier, many of these individuals/families fled the country following the Islamic Revolution. However, the fixed shift towards secularity and other peculiarities (renouncing Islam, conversions, renouncing religion itself) are more a manifestation of Iranians fixating on the progressive aspect of our culture because the environment warrants it. Living in a foreign country prompts integration out of necessity, as Iranian communities have only recently sprung up in places like the Arab Emirates and Orange County, LA.
From experience, more Iranians in Iran also tend to be secular than religious, although the distinction isn't as clear-cut. A hefty portion of Iranians are nominal Muslims out of necessity because, again, the environment warrants it; the situation in Iran specifically* calls for employees and those attempting to make something of themselves in the business world to observe Islamic practices attentively in the hopes of impressing superiors, be it in the workplace or the bazaar.
Additionally, a large number of Iranians (especially the young) have grown disillusioned with the Islamic Regime and associate their mismanagement of the country with Islam. Whether that is justified or not is another discussion. I have read numerous statistics online citing private conversions to Zoroastrianism, the Indo-Iranian-derived monotheistic faith that found acceptance in Persia prior to Islam's arrival, has skyrocketed in recent years.
Let us not, of course, also forget those devout Iranians in both Iran and abroad who proudly profess their belief in Islam. From personal experience, Muslim Iranians tend to be from more rural backgrounds (hence Ahmadinejad the "hardliner"'s grassroots support in the country), but as mentioned earlier, Iranians tend to have a strong traditional streak within them and Islam may be just that for a given individual or family.
Summarised, Iranians are very adept at making the most of their circumstances, but certain cultural footholds are seldom lost. Can't say I've met many Iranians who were truly atheist, assimilated abroad and disconnected with their heritage.
* - I am uncertain if similar behaviours exist in Pakistan or Afghanistan and can only speak for the situation in Iran here.
True Persian Nationalists are thankfully a minority in both the diaspora and Iran, although the lines between political Shi'ism, ethnic supremacism and blind patriotism are very blurred among the diaspora.
It is an observation I've made numerous times in other ethnic groups as well; diaspora populations have a tendency to identify extensively with their root culture and that reveals itself in ways that, more often than not, are considered excessive by relatives back home.
As with all forms of nationalism, Persian Nationalists have a habit of exaggerating the cultural achievements of Iran/Persia and vilifying ethnic groups we have complicated histories with (i.e. Arabs). It is somewhat ironic, then, to consider many of them are (at best) have a partial relation to the first waves of West Iranic speakers that settled the plateau. The genetic proximity of the average Iranian population to Armenians, Anatolian Turks, Assyrians etc. implies "we" are generally an Iranicized people (extent varies). Thus, those silly nationalists are selectively celebrating the achievements of those ancestors that were remembered.
Even more ironic is the frequent derision of "Turks", who are incorrectly confused with the Mongols; was it not the Safavid and Qajar courts which allowed Persian culture and language to thrive once more?
Let us also consider the counter-reaction that exists in the Arab World and beyond to hearing an Iranian express any sort of appreciation for their heritage. It certainly exists. And it, too, should be discouraged for it's emotional and mutually non-beneficial nature.
Iranian society constantly teeters between the embracing of progressive values on the one hand and traditional on the other. How that "teetering" manifests itself on an individual level is expansive, to say the least.
Diaspora Iranians are predominantly secular. As mentioned earlier, many of these individuals/families fled the country following the Islamic Revolution. However, the fixed shift towards secularity and other peculiarities (renouncing Islam, conversions, renouncing religion itself) are more a manifestation of Iranians fixating on the progressive aspect of our culture because the environment warrants it. Living in a foreign country prompts integration out of necessity, as Iranian communities have only recently sprung up in places like the Arab Emirates and Orange County, LA.
From experience, more Iranians in Iran also tend to be secular than religious, although the distinction isn't as clear-cut. A hefty portion of Iranians are nominal Muslims out of necessity because, again, the environment warrants it; the situation in Iran specifically* calls for employees and those attempting to make something of themselves in the business world to observe Islamic practices attentively in the hopes of impressing superiors, be it in the workplace or the bazaar.
Additionally, a large number of Iranians (especially the young) have grown disillusioned with the Islamic Regime and associate their mismanagement of the country with Islam. Whether that is justified or not is another discussion. I have read numerous statistics online citing private conversions to Zoroastrianism, the Indo-Iranian-derived monotheistic faith that found acceptance in Persia prior to Islam's arrival, has skyrocketed in recent years.
Let us not, of course, also forget those devout Iranians in both Iran and abroad who proudly profess their belief in Islam. From personal experience, Muslim Iranians tend to be from more rural backgrounds (hence Ahmadinejad the "hardliner"'s grassroots support in the country), but as mentioned earlier, Iranians tend to have a strong traditional streak within them and Islam may be just that for a given individual or family.
Summarised, Iranians are very adept at making the most of their circumstances, but certain cultural footholds are seldom lost. Can't say I've met many Iranians who were truly atheist, assimilated abroad and disconnected with their heritage.
* - I am uncertain if similar behaviours exist in Pakistan or Afghanistan and can only speak for the situation in Iran here.
Originally posted by randolph85
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It is an observation I've made numerous times in other ethnic groups as well; diaspora populations have a tendency to identify extensively with their root culture and that reveals itself in ways that, more often than not, are considered excessive by relatives back home.
As with all forms of nationalism, Persian Nationalists have a habit of exaggerating the cultural achievements of Iran/Persia and vilifying ethnic groups we have complicated histories with (i.e. Arabs). It is somewhat ironic, then, to consider many of them are (at best) have a partial relation to the first waves of West Iranic speakers that settled the plateau. The genetic proximity of the average Iranian population to Armenians, Anatolian Turks, Assyrians etc. implies "we" are generally an Iranicized people (extent varies). Thus, those silly nationalists are selectively celebrating the achievements of those ancestors that were remembered.
Even more ironic is the frequent derision of "Turks", who are incorrectly confused with the Mongols; was it not the Safavid and Qajar courts which allowed Persian culture and language to thrive once more?
Let us also consider the counter-reaction that exists in the Arab World and beyond to hearing an Iranian express any sort of appreciation for their heritage. It certainly exists. And it, too, should be discouraged for it's emotional and mutually non-beneficial nature.
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