About 15,000 young Iraqis, almost all of them Kurds, have in recent years left Islam to embrace Zoroastrianism. In March 2024, the news site Shafaq ran a startling headline: “Kurdistan celebrates birth of Zoroaster,” Shafaq News, March 26, 2024:
Shafaq News/ Kurds in the city of Al-Sulaymaniyah celebrated the birth of Zoroaster (Zarathustra,) the founder of Zoroastrianism, on Tuesday.
The celebration was held at the Yasna Organization temple and was attended by followers of other religions, including Christians, Mandaeans, and Muslims.
“Today marks the birth of our great prophet Zoroaster, which falls on the 6th of Khakh in the Zoroastrian calendar, corresponding to March 26,” said Awat Hussam al-Din, the representative of the Zoroastrian religion in the Kurdistan Region.
“We are celebrating today at the Zoroastrian temple in Sulaymaniyah with the presence of the Saraya Zoroastrians and the Supreme Zoroastrian Council,” Hussam al-Din added. “I am pleased to see the presence of followers of other religions, including Christians, Mandaeans, and Muslims.”
Hussam al-Din said the celebration “shows that Kurdistan is a cradle of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East and Iraq, and there is no difference between religions; humanity comes first, then the homeland and religion.”
That followed this news item: “Zoroastrian site in Duhok close to being fully renovated,” Rudaw, February 4, 2024:
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – With the help of international organizations, the renovation of the Charstein site in Duhok, one of the oldest symbols of ancient Zoroastrianism in the Kurdistan Region, is nearly completed.
Located two kilometers north of Duhok city, the site, composed of a cave containing four pillars that give the site its name, along with other open temples, water channels linked to religious ceremonies, and revered drinking spots, carries immense religious importance in the Zoroastrian faith and dates back to the first millennium BC. It is also referred to as the open fire temple.
Back in 2020, Israel Hayom told the story of these Zoroastrians: “Zoroastrians make comeback in northern Iraq, but still face stigma,” Israel Hayom, October 2, 2o20:
Carefully tucking his Farvahar pendant under his shirt, Aram Mehdi reminds himself of the core Zoroastrian principles it represents: good words, good thoughts and good deeds.
Born and raised in a conservative Muslim family, the 31-year-old Iraqi Kurd from the city of Dohuk, in the north of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, is afraid to wear the Zoroastrian symbol openly.
As a general rule, the Kurds have been less rigid in their faith than the Arabs. The ethnic Arab identity reinforces Islam, and vice-versa. The Qur’an, after all, was delivered to an Arab, the Prophet Muhammad, and in his language. Five times a day Muslims prostrate themselves in prayer, turned toward the qibla of Mecca, in Arabia. Even non-Arab Muslims recite those prayers in Arabic. At least once in his lifetime, any Muslim financially able to do so is obligated to make the hajj to that same city in Arabia. Converts to Islam frequently adopt Arab names. Some Muslims, especially in Pakistan, call themselves “Sayyid” to indicate (an entirely imaginary) descent from the Quraysh, the tribe of Muhammad. The Qur’an itself must ideally be read in Arabic. No wonder that the late scholar Anwar Shaikh described Islam as the vehicle for Arab supremacism.
The Kurds have been on the receiving end of Arab aggression for a long time. The most recent episode was Operation Anfal, launched by Saddam Hussein against the Kurds in 1986. For three years, Saddam’s Arab fighters killed Kurds in northern Iraq, emptying whole villages so that they could then be subject to Arabization, with the government systematically moving Arabs into the former Kurdish dwellings. Saddam’s troops committed all sorts of war crimes, including the use of poison gas, which was used to kill 5,000 Kurds in Halabja. By the end of Operation Anfal, 182,000 Kurds had been killed. As Islam has always been identified with the Arabs, and the Arabs had committed so many atrocities against the Kurds, it is unsurprising that the hold of Islam on some Kurds gradually weakened after Operation Anfal.
The atrocities committed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria against all those they considered to be Infidels, which also included Shi’a Muslims and even insufficiently observant Sunnis, had the effect of dampening devotion to Islam not only among those whom ISIS tormented, but also among those who witnessed the crimes it committed against others. This led some to not merely question their faith, but to leave it altogether. The great majority of these apostates are people who, quite reasonably, have kept their apostasy to themselves, not wishing to risk vigilante justice at the hands of some Muslim fanatic determined to mete out fit – i.e.,Islamic – punishment.
But some, in the relative safety of Kurdistan, have been willing to publicly declare their new faith. That is, they have dared to register with the Yasna association that promotes Zoroastrianism.
That the regional Kurdish government has been willing to recognize Zoroastrianism as one of the “official” religions, along with the three Abrahamic faiths, ever since 2015, is a good omen. But the central government in Baghdad, run by Arabs less tolerant than the Kurds, has not followed suit. As a consequence, those who consider themselves Zoroastrians and freely register themselves as such in Kurdistan, are forced to remain registered as Muslims with that unforgiving central government in Baghdad.
Zoroastrianism’s emphasis on respect for nature appeals to the environmentalism of the young Muslims in Iraqi Kurdistan. And having witnessed, or heard stories about, or themselves endured, ethnic persecution, including mass murder, from Saddam’s Arab army, or witnessed the religious persecution, including mass murder, of Yazidis, Christians, and even Shi’a Muslims, by the Islamic State fanatics, they find attractive the emphasis in Zoroastrianism on peaceful coexistence.
So far there have been no reports of converts to Zoroastrianism having been physically assaulted in Kurdistan, a testimony to Kurdish tolerance.
If 15,000 Kurds have been willing to register as Zoroastrian apostates from Islam, without having suffered any consequences, that’s a welcome sign of a growing tolerance in Iraqi Kurdistan. But even more important is the growth of Zoroastrianism next door, in Iran, where the fanatical intolerance of the state prevents any public admission by apostates, but anonymous polling suggests there has been a great falling away from Islam – a reaction to the monstrous rule by the mullahs – especially among the young, and Zoroastrianism is likely to be the Iranian apostate’s first choice. This was the faith, after all, present in Iran for two thousand years before the Arabs arrived bearing the “gift” of Islam. Islam has already lost its hold on so many Iranians, that whenever the Islamic Republic finally collapses, I share the view of some Iranian informants that hundreds of thousands of Iranians, perhaps even more, will embrace Zoroastrianism as the once, and future, Iranian national religion. They’ve had quite enough – almost 1,400 years – of the “gift of the Arabs.” For many disaffected Iranians, the Arabs can have it back.
SKA says
1,400 years later but never too late to return “the gift” back to the Arabs. The same goes for Iran.
gravenimage says
+1
Peter Buckley says
Amazingly, there are still people who believe the nonsense about Islam being “the fastest-growing religion”, when in reality it’s collapsing everywhere. This jihad (the final one) is nothing less than a fatally-wounded animal lashing out at the world, as it moves away from Islam.
In the last few years alone, Iran and now Albania have gone from muslim-majority to muslim minority. Bets on which one next? I hear rumours of huge numbers converting to Christianity in Indonesia, for example…..
gravenimage says
I so hope you are right, Peter!
࿗Infidel࿘ says
How much of Albania’s becoming muslim minority is due to all those Albanians who’ve been migrating to the UK?
John says
You’re lying since you’re upset that Christianity is dying everywhere from America to south Africa to Mexico.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Both can be simultaneously true. Christians may be abandoning the church in record numbers in the West, at the same time that muslims are abandoning islam in record numbers in dar ul islam. In fact, I don’t think any religion in the world has been gaining adherents: people have been drifting towards either Atheism or Agnosticism
Ray Jarman says
Having had the opportunity to work at the USAID office in Irbil, I found the Kurds extremely courteous with an excellent humour. At the time, the Kurdish government was welcoming Christians and other religious groups that had been persecuted, particularly in the southern part of Iraq. Many of those seeking relief from constant harassment were doctors and other needed professionals.
The other thing that stood out while visiting Irbil was just how clean and well kept the city was and the drive from the airbase was very pleasant.
gravenimage says
Thanks for that account, Ray. I have heard similar things about Kurdistan.
Ray Jarman says
Thanks Gravenimage. Remember that Sadam bombed the Kurds not long before the US entered the fray.
Ray Jarman says
Thanks Gravenimage. I think that you would enjoy the people of Irbil.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Ray
That is news to me. More often than not, I’ve heard stories about the Kurds persecuting Assyrians and Yazidis, even if they themselves were persecuted by the Arabs, and briefly, the Turks
Ray Jarman says
Since I trust your opinion, I will accept that the Kurds persecuted the Assyrians and Yazidis but the Turks still to this day persecute the Kurds and that Diyarbakir is not safe to visit because of Erdogan’s hatred of them. When I worked at SHAPE Hqs. in Mons, Belgium in the mid-1980s, I would drive from Ankara to Diyarbakir to perform security inspections at the US Airbase just outside of the city. Also a side note is that the city was so beautiful with the ancient walls surrounding it and the drive was so beautiful. Also, along the road the Tigre River ends.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Thanks for your account about that region. I was recounting things I’ve read online, mainly in either YouTube video comments or elsewhere on social media
Walter Sieruk says
From many different sources, it had been discovered, that when the prophet of Islam assembled that religion that is Islam ,he constructed it from the teachings of many different religions . Therefore, Muhammad wasn’t even original.
One of those religion was the Zoroastrian religion of which he had stolen a number of doctrines.
May scholars had revealed this. One of which is former Muslim who is now a Christian, Daniel Shayesteh , he had exposed that some Zoroastrian doctrines had been pilfered and inserted in the making of Islam.
His book entitle Islam and the Son of God exposes this on pages 16-19
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Walter
If you go through Robert’s book “Did Muhammad exist?”, he concludes that islam was likely put together by the Abbasids in order to consolidate their empire. Muhammad al Buqhari, the hadith author, was not Arab: he was either Turkish or Iranian: he was born in Buqhara and died in Samarqand, which was in Turkistan. islam was this project that the Abbasids were working on, which they completed near the end of the 10th century
While parts may have come from Zoroastrianism as well as Christianity and Judaism, a huge part was just the local myths of Arabs from all across his empire. Which is how Mecca & Medina, which never figured in the real history of Arabs, suddenly became their holiest centers
Walter Sieruk says
When the founder and prophet of Islam, Muhammad manufactured Islam he put , had stolen, some of doctrines of Zoroastrian mythology and a yet smaller bit of Hindu mythological sex teachings along with as well as mixture pagan Arabian folklore and myth plus a heavy dose of Judaism and Christianity . Also some of it apostate “Christianity” For the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, couldn’t discern the difference between genuine Bible based Christianity and bogus “Christianity.”
Devasur says
That’s your fantasy he didn’t put any so called hindu mythological sex teachings. Infact does that even exist?
Walter Sieruk says
When the founder and prophet of Islam, Muhammad manufactured Islam he put , had stolen, some of doctrines of Zoroastrian mythology and a yet smaller bit of Hindu mythological sex teachings along with as well as mixture pagan Arabian folklore and myth plus a heavy dose of Judaism and Christianity . Also some of it apostate “Christianity” For the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, couldn’t discern the difference between genuine Bible based Christianity and bogus “Christianity.”
Devasur says
No such teaching exists in Hinduism. Stop with your propaganda on Hinduism.
gravenimage says
Zoroastrianism Makes A Comeback In Iraqi Kurdistan
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Wonderful to hear, Hugh! Thanks for this article.
KoshsShadow says
May Zoroastrianism make a comeback in its native Persia.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
You beat me to it. I do hope that next door in Iran, both the Kurds as well as the Farsis embrace Zoroastrianism en masse. Not just them: even the Azeris and Balochis should follow suit. It might be a bit much expecting that from the Khuzestani Arabs, though
KoshsShadow says
Kind of off the topic, I worked many years ago with someone who was Zoroastrian. I was the only one who had heard of the religion, and I was just surprised to find any left. They had moved to India.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Sadly, the ones in India – known locally as Parsis – seem to side w/ muslims. Tara, which is a major brand in India owned by Parsis, has done a lot of muslim pandering as well as anti-Hindu messaging, which is why I for one, whenever I’m in India, boycott them. Then you have a major Justice in India’s Supreme Court who was one of the two who denounced Nupur Sharma 2 years ago when she was being threatened by muslims all over
My view: if they think the muslims are that benign, they should go back to Iran now, since the raison d’être for them being in India in the first place was as a refuge from muslims. Hindus have enough threats in India from muslims, secularists, Sikhs and the BJP/RSS: they don’t need more from a miniscule group that punches way above its own weight in terms of money
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Tata, not
Tara. F?k autocorrect!Gurek says
Since islam is a fascist, racist, terrorist religion, there is no change that these apostates will survive there. They can only survive in the West, however they should not accept these idiot muslim-lovers as refugees.
Devasur says
People are having false perception on Zoroastrianism. It is similar to Islam infact it is the primitive version of fanatical islam. Zoroastrianism is opposite of hinduism.
So the better religion for them would be bahai faith.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Except that the Bahai have a place of honor for Muhammad and the qur’an, which Zoroastrianism does not. I also disagree w/ you about Zoriastrianism being fanatical: had that been the case, Persia wouldn’t have had Christians & Jews in the population under the Parthian and Sassanid rulers. If anything, Zoroastrianism was hard to convert into: interfaith marriage would cost a Zoroastrian his or her membership in the faith. It’s different now b’cos when there are too few original Zoroastrians, it’s easy for a number of new members to enter and hijack the faith as their own, which is what these Kurds, and a number of Persians are doing
It’s not similar to islam. Problem w/ the Parsis in India is that they’ve started identifying as a minority w/ the muslims, which is pretty disturbing: as I noted above, they should return to Iran if they genuinely think that. But that doesn’t change what the faith says, and the faith is essentially about fire worship