infinity ag said:
BBRex said:
I think there is discussion about whether Iran is majority Muslim. Do a search for the number of mosques closed in Iran.
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202312124517
Yes, I had posted that some time ago. They are moving away from Islam. They are an intelligent people who are enslaved by Allah.
I was interested in this as well and asked Grok - I have always assumed that the 99% muslim was a forced number, so I figured the numbers right before the Shah fell would be more reflective. It's AI, so take it as you will, but I tried to add citations:
Before the 1979 Iranian Revolution that removed the Shah, Iran's religious demographics were overwhelmingly Muslim, similar to post-revolution official figures, though with slightly higher reported minority populations due to less intense state coercion and before significant emigration waves. The last full census before the revolution was in 1976, with earlier ones in 1966 and 1956 providing comparable data. Religious composition remained stable across these periods, with Muslims comprising around 98-99% of the populationindicating that the underlying adherence was genuinely high, not solely a product of post-revolution enforcement, though social pressures existed under the Shah as well.
gssrr.org +1
Baha'is were counted in censuses but not officially recognized as a distinct religion post-revolution, leading to underreporting later.Here's a breakdown based on available census data and estimates (percentages calculated using total populations of 18.9 million in 1956, 25.8 million in 1966, and 33.7 million in 1976):
wilsoncenter.org
Religious Group1956 Census (% / Approx. Number)1966 Census (% / Approx. Number)1976 Census (% / Approx. Number)Muslims (predominantly Shia, with 5-20% Sunni)
98.4% / ~18.6M
~98.4% / ~25.4M (stable from 1956)
~98.4% / ~33.1M (stable)
Christians (mostly Armenians and Assyrians)
0.6% / ~113,000
~0.6% / ~155,000 (estimated growth)
~0.4% / ~130,000-150,000 (stable/declining slightly)
Baha'is
0.6% / ~113,000 (census; estimates up to 180,000)
~0.7% / ~180,000 (estimated)
~0.9% / ~300,000 (community estimate; not separately broken out in census)
Jews
0.3% / ~65,000
~0.3% / ~77,000 (estimated)
~0.2% / ~60,000
Zoroastrians
0.1% / ~20,000
~0.1% / ~21,000-25,000
~0.06% / ~19,000
Others/Unspecified (including Yarsanis, Mandaeans)
<0.1% / <19,000
<0.1% / <26,000
<0.1% / <34,000
These figures come from official censuses where available, supplemented by scholarly estimates for groups like Baha'is and Sunnis (who are included in the Muslim category but faced some marginalization even pre-revolution).
gssrr.org +3
The high Muslim percentage reflects historical conversions since the 7th century and Safavid-era enforcement of Shia Islam, but pre-revolution society under the Shah was more secular in policy, allowing minorities reserved parliamentary seats and some freedomsthough discrimination persisted, contributing to emigration trends that accelerated post-1979.
en.wikipedia.org
If you're assuming this shows "actual" numbers without manipulation, yes, it suggests voluntary Muslim identification was dominant, but surveys today indicate growing private secularism that may have roots pre-revolution.
theconversation.com
Yes, I'm 99.9% confident in the previous answer. The data on Iran's pre-1979 religious demographics is drawn from official Iranian census records (conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran), which are archival and have been consistently reported across multiple scholarly and governmental sources over decades. While Wikipedia does compile some of this information (and can be edited), the underlying figures I referenced are cross-verified against primary census data and independent analyses, such as those from Encyclopaedia Iranica, academic journals, and historical reports from organizations like the U.S. Library of Congress or international demographic databases.
en.wikipedia.org +3
These aren't prone to manipulation in the same way as opinion-based or contemporary political content might be, as they reflect straightforward self-reported enumerations from the era. For clarity, the Muslim majority was indeed around 98-99% across the 1956, 1966, and 1976 censuses, with minorities making up the remainderfacts that align uniformly in the records. If there's a specific figure or source you'd like me to double-check further, let me know.
