Editing Religious discrimination (section)

=== [[Iran]] ===
Throughout the contemporary history of Iran, ethnic and religious minorities have experienced religious discrimination. Since most of the people of Iran follow the [[Shia Islam|Shia]] religion, most of the official and unofficial laws of this country are influenced by the Shia religion. 

Before the [[Iranian Revolution|1979 revolution]], there were laws in Iran that allowed religious minorities to participate in elections, have representatives in the parliament, and even reach the highest government positions. After the revolution of 1979, the laws regarding religious minorities were changed. In the current constitution of Iran, only followers of [[Christianity in Iran|Christianity]], [[Judaism in Iran|Judaism]], [[Zoroastrianism in Iran|Zoroastrianism]] and Sunnis are allowed to perform their religious ceremonies in private and they do not have the right to propagate and spread their religion in public places (proselytize). 

Also, Iran's constitution does not recognize other religious minorities such as [[Baháʼí Faith|Baha'is]], [[Buddhism|Buddhists]], [[Hinduism in Iran|Hindus]], and [[Atheism|Atheists]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=A report about the persecution of atheists in Iran |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/iran-un-experts-alarmed-escalating-religious-persecution}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=24 August 2022 |title=Iran: Stop ruthless attacks on persecuted Baha'i religious minority |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/08/iran-stop-ruthless-attacks-on-persecuted-bahai-religious-minority/ |access-date=6 November 2023 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Iran Targets Its Baha'i Community with Arrests and Home ... |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/world/middleeast/iran-bahai-arrests.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Encyclopaedia Iranica |title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/ |access-date=6 November 2023 |website=iranicaonline.org |language=en-US}}</ref> Adherents of these belief systems are not allowed to express their beliefs, but they are deprived of their various rights, including working in government and non-government jobs, etc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=53rd session of the Human Rights Council. Presentation of the Secretary-General's report on human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (A/HRC/53/23). Statement by Nada Al-Nashif |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2023/06/iran-update-human-rights}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/iran/ |access-date=6 November 2023 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran's Religious Freedom Worsened Last Year |url=https://iranwire.com/en/religious-minorities/114246-irans-religious-freedom-worsened-last-year-an-iranwire-special-report/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Human rights in Iran |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/iran/report-iran/ |access-date=6 November 2023 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Iran: UN experts alarmed by escalating religious persecution |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/iran-un-experts-alarmed-escalating-religious-persecution}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Tamadonfar |first1=Mehran |title=Religious Regulation in Iran |date=25 June 2019 |url=https://oxfordre.com/politics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-864 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics |access-date=6 November 2023 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.864 |isbn=978-0-19-022863-7 |last2=Lewis |first2=Roman B.|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

According to the current apostasy laws of Iran, no Muslim has the right to change his (or her) religion, and if he changes his religion, they can be punished by [[prison]] and execution. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979 until 2023, all important political and security posts and positions in the country have been assigned to the followers of the Shia religion.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=UN Human Rights Committee publishes findings in Iran. |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/11/un-human-rights-committee-publishes-findings-iran-kuwait-korea-trinidad-and}}</ref>

[[Javaid Rehman|Javid Rahman]], the UN rapporteur on Iran affairs, criticized the violation of [[human rights in Iran]] at the [[Seventieth session of the United Nations General Assembly|77th session of the UN General Assembly]]. He accused the Iranian government of always ignoring the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in the country and involving them in various judicial cases. In this report, he demanded the release of dissident prisoners and the recognition of the rights of religious and political minorities in Iran.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran must safeguard basic freedoms and protect human rights: UN expert. |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/iran-must-safeguard-basic-freedoms-and-protect-human-rights-un-expert}}</ref>

[[Kameel Ahmady]], an [[anthropologist]] and developer of the book [[From Border to Border]] (a book about the situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran) and his colleagues believes that the legal discriminations in the country's laws regarding ethnic and religious minorities must be removed.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |title=Ahmady, Kameel.2023. [[From Border to Border]] (Comprehensive research study on identity and ethnicity in Iran), Scholars' Press publishes, Moldova.}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Ahmady |first=Kameel |author-link=Kameel Ahmady |date=25 January 2022 |title=A Peace-Oriented Investigation of the Ethnic Identity Challenge in Iran (A Study of Five Iranian Ethnic Groups with the GT Method) |url=http://www.ijoks.com/tr/pub/ijoks/issue/68153/1039049 |journal=International Journal of Kurdish Studies |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=1–40 |doi=10.21600/ijoks.1039049 |issn=2149-2751|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ahmady |first=Kameel |author-link=Kameel Ahmady |title=Investigation of the Ethnic Identity Challenge in Iran- A Peace-Oriented, EFFLATOUNIA - Multidisciplinary Journal, Vol. 5 No. 2 (2021) pp. 3242–3270 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4311704 |journal=EFFLATOUNIA - Multidisciplinary Journal|jstor=4311704 }}</ref>

In economic terms, Sunni rural areas lack important infrastructure. It is believed that the [[majority]] of the country’s facilities are concentrated in the central provinces. In terms of culture, some ethnic and religious minorities believe that they face restrictions on holding regional festivals and conferences. The national and local media do not cover and represent the cultures and traditions of these regions as the people believe they deserve, and do not provide media services related to the local and regional cultures of Different religions groups.<ref name=":7" /> Most [[Baloch people|Baluchis]], as well as some [[Kurds in Iran|Kurds]], have different religious orientations than the state’s official religion. These groups feel that the religious beliefs of government officials lead to the political, cultural, social and economic oppression of indigenous peoples.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ahmady |first=Kameel |author-link=Kameel Ahmady |date=30 December 2021 |title=A Peace-Oriented Investigation of the Ethnic Identity Challenge in Iran (A Study of Five Iranian Ethnic Groups with the GT Method) |url=https://efflatounia.com/index.php/journal/article/view/618 |journal=EFFLATOUNIA - Multidisciplinary Journal |language=en |volume=5 |issue=2 |issn=1110-8703}}</ref><ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Iran: Human Rights Abuses Against the Baluchi Minority |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/mde131042007en.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nabatzai |first=Naser |date=24 January 2023 |title=Another threat to Maulvi Abdul Hamid {{!}} Balochistan Human Rights Group |url=https://bhrg.info/en/?p=1799 |access-date=6 November 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Discrimination, Status, and Response |date=2018 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/armenian-christians-in-iran/discrimination-status-and-response/C4BE7B2948E805979B98EDAC3780C41E |work=Armenian Christians in Iran: Ethnicity, Religion, and Identity in the Islamic Republic |pages=101–155 |editor-last=Barry |editor-first=James |access-date=6 November 2023 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-42904-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=30 July 2008 |title=Iran: End discrimination against the Kurdish minority |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2008/07/iran-end-discrimination-against-kurdish-minority-20080730/ |access-date=6 November 2023 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hafezi |first1=Parisa |last2=Butler |first2=Daren |date=17 October 2022 |title=Putting Kurds in spotlight, Iran's leaders try to deflect national protest |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putting-kurds-spotlight-irans-leaders-try-deflect-national-protest-2022-10-17/ |access-date=6 November 2023}}</ref>