MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Iran
Index
Arabic and Assyrian are the two Semitic languages spoken in
Iran. The Arabic dialects are spoken in Khuzestan and along the
Persian Gulf coast. They are modern variants of the older Arabic
that formed the base of the classical literary language and all the
colloquial languages of the Arabic-speaking world. As a Semitic
language, Arabic is related to Hebrew, Syriac, and Ethiopic. Like
these other Semitic languages, Arabic is based on three-consonant
roots, whose meanings vary according to the combinations of vowels
that are used to separate the consonants. Written Arabic often is
difficult to learn because of the tendency not to indicate short
vowels by diacritical marks. There is no linguistic family
relationship between Arabic and Persian, although Persian
vocabulary has been heavily influenced by Arabic. The Arabic
loanwords incorporated into Persian have been modified to fit the
Persian sound patterns. Arabic also continues to be the language of
prayer of all Muslims in Iran. Children in school learn to read the
Quran in Arabic. Persian- and Turkic-speaking Iranians who have
commercial interests in the Persian Gulf area often learn Arabic
for business purposes.
In 1986 there were an estimated 530,000 Arabs in Iran. A
majority lived in Khuzestan, where they constituted a significant
ethnic minority. Most of the other Arabs lived along the Persian
Gulf coastal plains, but there also were small scattered tribal
groups living in central and eastern Iran. About 40 percent of the
Arabs were urban, concentrated in such cities as Abadan, Ahvaz, and
Khorramshahr. The majority of urban Arab adult males were unskilled
workers, especially in the oil industry. Arabs also worked in
commerce and services, and there was a small number of Arab
professionals. Some urban Arabs and most rural Arabs are tribally
organized. The rural Arabs of Khuzestan tend to be farmers and
fishermen. Many of the Arabs who live along the Persian Gulf
coastal plains are pastoral nomads who keep herds of cattle, sheep,
and camels.
Both the urban and the rural Arabs of Khuzestan are
intermingled with the Persians, Turks, and Lurs who also live in
the province. The Khuzestan Arabs are Shias. While this physical
and spiritual closeness has facilitated intermarriage between the
Arabs and other Iranians, the Arabs have tended to regard
themselves as separate from non-Arabs and have usually been so
regarded by other Iranians. Among the Khuzestan Arabs there has
been a sense of ethnic solidarity for many years. The government of
neighboring Iraq, both before and after the 1979 Revolution in
Iran, has claimed that the Khuzestan Arabs are discriminated
against and has asserted at various times that it has assisted
those desiring "liberation" from Tehran. When Iraq invaded Iran in
1980 and occupied much of Khuzestan for nearly two years, however,
an anticipated uprising of the Arab population did not occur, and
most of the local Arabs fled the area along with the non-Arab
population.
Apart from Khuzestan there is little sense of ethnic unity
among the scattered Arab settlements. The Arabs in the area
stretching from Bushehr to Bandar-e Abbas tend to be Sunnis. This
has helped to strengthen their differentiation from most non-Arab
Iranians and even from the Arabs of Khuzestan.
The other Semitic people of Iran are the Assyrians, a Christian
group that speaks modern dialects of Assyrian, an Aramaic language
that evolved from old Syriac. Language and religion provide a
strong cohesive force and give the Assyrians a sense of identity
with their coreligionists in Iraq, in other parts of the Middle
East, and also in the United States. Most Assyrians adhere to the
Assyrian Church of the East (sometimes referred to as the Chaldean
Church or Nestorian Church). Many theologians regard this church as
the oldest in Christendom. In the nineteenth century, Protestant
and Roman Catholic missionaries proselytized among the Assyrians
and converted many of them.
There were about 32,000 Assyrians in Iran at the time of the
1976 census. Many of them emigrated after the Revolution in 1979,
but at least 20,000 were estimated still to be living in Iran in
1987. The traditional home of the Assyrians in Iran is along the
western shore of Lake Urmia. During World War I virtually the
entire Assyrian population fled the area, which had become a
battleground for opposing Russian and Turkish armies. Thousands of
Assyrians perished on the overland flight through the Zagros to the
safety of British-controlled Iraq. Eventually, many of the Iranian
Assyrians settled among the Assyrian population of Iraq or
emigrated to the United States. During the reign of Reza Shah,
Assyrians were invited back to Iran to repopulate their villages.
A few thousand did return, but, since the 1940s, most young
Assyrians have migrated to Tehran and other urban centers.
Data as of December 1987
|
|