Mehriran – Geneva: Speech during the September 2011 session of the UN Human Rights Council. “Iranian culture is like a carpet. A carpet which has a variety of colours and patterns, which are intertwined and interconnected.” It’s like having distinct nations live in one country which is called Iran; were each member nation sees itself also as part of Iran. For example, Iranian Baluchis, Arabs, Turkmen and Iranian Lurs, still each have their own distinct language, ethnic groups and culture. 

A part of each ethnic groups is made up of their beliefs system.

In Iran as many as there is different ethnic diversity exists also there is variety of different beliefs.
‪Iran should be evaluated with regard to a general population as a whole and its diversity. For example, we think that in Iran there is one type of music. But each tribe has its own folk dance, music and has its own style of dress and its own beliefs. All of these facts on the whole make one carpet called Iran where everyone lives together and are all patriotic.
To claim that most Iranians are Muslims and only a small minority are not, is mistake.
Ethnology of Iranian Society consists of different ethnic groups and different tribes.
When we say Lor, Kurd or Baluch, these are all different races and tribes with their own geographical territories.
For example, the largest tribe in the province of Khochan is the tribe of Qashgaeei which has its specific culture and tradition. People of different ethnicities, not just talk their own language, but also have distinct customs, costumes, ceremonies of joy and mourning, and even musical instruments of different tones.
For example, we cannot play Turkish rhythms on the Turkmen Dotar and use Kurdish Tambour to play Turkmen music. Turkmen Dotar is made only to respond to Turkmen music . Ghichak Baluchi, is also made specially for playing Baluchi music.

In cities the dominant culture may be urban based. But the majority of the Iranian society is non urban but tribal. Iranian culture and people across this vast land of the “religious beliefs” are from various tribes.

Their beliefs or “specific regional rituals” is in conformity with their “Asiatic mode of living.”  In every tribe, clan and family that exists in the corner of Iran there is a leader of the tribe or an “elderly white bearded person” who has a special place within their clan. The people of that region and tribe respect this person as their own prophetic authority versus following external authority figures.

‪Many of these “specific regional rituals” are based on ancient myths and rituals, and are not based on Shariat and exhibit more esoteric colours.

This collection of “non-juridical faith belief system” means that the “spirituality” or esoteric and Gnostic belief system  (i.e. “Mysticism” influence) in a country like Iran is vast.

‪Spiritual beliefs, date back to the concept of mysticism in general.

‪The majority of Balouchi families are either Sufi or Zekra. This usually means they have spiritual dance and music within their culture.

In Kurdistan this tendency towards mysticism is shown in another way. A number of Kurds are part of Ghaderi Sufi Order and a large group of them are member of Naqshbandi Sufi Order. But many other tribes and families of Kurds belong to Ahleh Haqh.

‪Ahleh Haqh is a large school in the name of “Maktabeh Yari “and “Yarssan”, that are known to have a ‘kalam’ (word) where they have someone who reads words (Kalam Khani).  “Words,” are a collection of great speeches, from great leaders, which has a sacred aspect.  Of course words (Kalam) is different for each clan, because each kalamkhan ( reader ) narrates from a different tribe.

Their music does not follow the Persian modal system, but it is based on their own system called Maghami.

‪Although they have a similar name officially they differ musically. Their music is played on Daf and Tambour.

Faith helps everyone – to have their own belief that is neither Shia nor Sunni.

These Yarssany and the Al-Haqh people in Kurdistan, Lorestan, other parts of the West and parts of the province of West Azerbaijan to Khuzestan, have their own Prophets who are called Sultan Isaac or Sultan Sahak.  Anyone who goes and visits the shrine of the Sultan will be called Hajji.  This is a very old ritual and is founded on myths and that have not been refined.

The children who are born in a Ahleh Haqh family are known as Chekideh and they are entitled at a certain age to convert to Ahleh Haqh and this is called Chasbideh.

Meanwhile, one of the other belief systems in Iran is Sufism, in its Sunni and Shiite areas. These systems have a particular culture and literature.

Baba Taher, was a Lur, he wrote his poems in Luri which forms part of Persian literature. His lyrics are spiritual, mystical and esoteric.

However, the current Iranian government and the mullahs have tried to ignore this diversity and tried to make everything “sanitised” into one state based religion and the state’s official language.

The Mullahs have written a book called “The Journey in darkness” which is against any beliefs that’s does not conform to the state religion and belief system. In this book they say that the followers of “Aeein Yari” must repent from their own ideas as these are not in line with Islamic ideology.

Mullahs consider the followers of Ahleh Haqh, inside and outside Iran as deviants and try to push them towards repentance and force them to leave their own religion as it does not conform to the state recognized religion.

These are signs for ideological cleansing in Iran. Signs for religious fascism. But those who carry these ideas are from a different ethnic group and they want to suppress the followers of Ahleh Haqh.

The regime’s supporters stop Sufis to refurbish their shrines in Jeyhoon Abad and in Bidakhat and cause disturbances, and they demolish their shrines such as the shrine of Dervish Nasser Ali, in the cemetery of Foulad in Isfahan.

To summaries this we see that the oppression of religious and ethnic groups are combined together and this is cleansing in a fascist way, and this is happening in the name of fighting against “new mysticism”.

The latest example of this brutal oppression, are the events in the region of Lor, Fars province, where the suppression lead to many wounded and even to the death of one of the dervishes named Vahid Banâni.

Source : Inside Of Iran