Strong Protest from Zoroastrian Representative Against Isfahan Friday Prayer Leader's Remarks on 'Dualism'

The Zoroastrian representative in the Iranian parliament has expressed 'strong protest' against the remarks made by the Friday prayer leader of Isfahan, who labeled the followers of this religion as 'dualists'. According to ISNA news agency, Esfandiar Ekhtiari stated in a letter published on Saturday, October 21, that Iranians 'proudly celebrate their civilization and culture throughout the tumultuous history of this land, and monotheism is one of these proud aspects.' He strongly objected to the statements of the Isfahan Friday prayer leader and wrote, 'I expect the esteemed members of the Assembly of Experts to show more respect for divine religions than others.' Youssef Tabatabai Nejad, the Friday prayer leader of Isfahan, claimed in his sermon on October 14 that Zoroastrians believe 'the world has two gods, one for good and the other for evil.' He emphasized that 'there is no evil in the world' and 'God has created nothing but good.' The Zoroastrian representative in parliament called this reasoning 'strange' and stated that mentioning Satan in the religious texts of Muslims 'does not imply a belief in a god of evil and sin in Islam, and... the repetition of the word Satan or Ahriman is done to create constant awareness.' Mr. Ekhtiari also urged the Friday prayer leader not to make 'divisive' statements and wrote to him that 'the great and Ahura-like country of Iran needs actions more than words and... is always in need of ethnic, religious, and racial unity.' Zoroastrianism is one of the official religions in Iran; however, some institutions of the Islamic Republic have referred to this religion as 'misguided' and 'fire-worshipping.' The Zoroastrian representative had previously protested on July 17 in a letter to the mayor of Khorramshahr regarding the mention of Zoroastrianism in a 'conference on the critique and review of misguided sects.' While the Islamic Republic does not recognize conversion from Islam to other religions such as Zoroastrianism, religious institutions sometimes report on the conversion of some Zoroastrians to Islam. For instance, the office of the Friday prayer leader in Isfahan announced in January 2016 that one of the Zoroastrians of Isfahan had converted to Islam in their office. In recent years, several Zoroastrians have been arrested, although their number is less compared to followers of other religions and sects. According to a report by the U.S. Department of State on religious freedoms worldwide in 2015, citing the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, two Zoroastrians are imprisoned.