INTL 50,000 mosques closed in Iran

R

Richard

TB Fanatic

Senior Cleric Claims Religion In Iran Weak, 50,000 Mosques Closed​

Friday, 06/02/2023

A senior Iranian cleric says around 50,000 of Iran's 75,000 mosques are closed, showing the declining numbers of Iranians attending.
www.iranintl.com

Senior Cleric Claims Religion In Iran Weak, 50,000 Mosques Closed

A senior Iranian cleric says around 50,000 of Iran's 75,000 mosques are closed, showing the declining numbers of Iranians attending.
www.iranintl.com

Expressing regret over the low numbers engaged in worship, Mohammad Abolghassem Doulabi, who serves as the liaison between Ebrahim Raisi’s administration and the country’s seminaries, said on Thursday that the numbers are a "worrying admission” for a state built around the principles of Islam.
Doulabi, who is also a member of the Assembly of Experts – a deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme Leader – said the outcome of religion in Iran has led to people leaving religion.
Emphasizing the weakening of religiosity among society and in turn, a weakening legitimacy of a government ruling by religious diktat, he said: “When people look at the output of the religion, they decide to enter the religion or leave the religion," with reasons including “the humiliation of people in the name of religion," “falsification of religious concepts and teachings,” and “depriving people of a decent life and creating poverty in the name of religion.”
He made the remarks as growing numbers of Iranians of all ages are becoming weary of the regime's justification of Islam as the base of its brutal dictatorship, reflected by months of violent protest since September in the wake of the death in morality policy custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for the inappropriate use of her hijab.
 
R

Richard

TB Fanatic
www.iranintl.com

Fall In Mosque-Goers In Iran Now ‘Highly Alarming’ - Minister

The fall in mosque attendance in Iran is now “highly alarming”, according to a senior government minister.
www.iranintl.com

Fall In Mosque-Goers In Iran Now ‘Highly Alarming’ - Minister​

Tuesday, 12/12/2023

The fall in mosque attendance in Iran is now “highly alarming”, according to a senior government minister.
Speaking on Tuesday, Minister of Culture Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili was commenting on the number of active mosques, which figures earlier this year revealed have gone down by a third.
He said: "Today, the figures and statistics circulating regarding active mosques are highly alarming. Active mosques are not merely places where congregational prayers are held three times a day. It seems a significant number of our mosques lack even this minimal function."
His remarks come at a time when Iranians are increasingly critical of the regime's alignment with Islam, with protests erupting since September 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in custody for a hijab-related offense.
In February, a senior Iranian cleric, Mohammad Abolghassem Doulabi, revealed that 50,000 out of 75,000 mosques nationwide had been closed due to a significant decline in attendance. Doulabi, an intermediary between President Ebrahim Raisi's administration and the country's seminaries, expressed concern over the fall and its implications for a state founded on Islamic principles.
Also a member of the influential Assembly of Experts, Doulabi suggested that the way in which Islamic practices are enforced in Iran have led to people distancing themselves from religion. He highlighted factors including "the humiliation of people in the name of religion," "falsification of religious concepts and teachings," and "depriving people of a decent life and creating poverty in the name of religion" as reasons for the decline.
The minister of culture had called for more mosque-based events in August to rekindle faith and draw Iranians back to mosques. Esmaili said: "The majority of cultural and artistic activities should take place in mosques."
 
energy_wave

energy_wave

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Who has time to pray five times a day. With all these high prices due to inflation, a person has to work three jobs just to put Kebabs on the rug. And the outrageous cost of a hijab these days, what's a subject gonna do. Gotta draw the line somewhere.
 
Countrymouse

Countrymouse

Country exile in the city
rob0126 said:
Peter Santenello traveled to Iran about 4-5 years ago.

It's a lot more different than you think.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TWNXneUrMY&list=PLEyPgwIPkHo4MQCLjb2_amBzVA_vMAshj
Click to expand...
Thank you for posting this! I had no idea that Iran (once Persia) had lush forests, rushing waterfalls, fertile green fields spread across miles of farmland, and snow-capped mountains full of life! I had thought of it as a rocky, barren desert.

He goes on and on about his phone being stolen, but once you get past that this is a lovely video.

If you go to the YouTube link, this is the first of 3 videos.

It's a pity their leaders (Ayatollah Khomeini and his successors) have left us only with the horrific images out of "Not Without My Daughter".

I remember the man in that movie who helped the mother & daughter escape, who mourned what had happened to his once beautiful and learned "Persia."

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R

Richard

TB Fanatic
Iran could be a great place at least relatively compared to the rest of the ME if it weren't for the Ayatollahs and Islam, the Iranians are not Arabs and most of them not Muslims, hopefully I see the closure of mosques as a big step towards the overthrow of the Islamic Government and imposed culture. Remember that Iran finances Hezbollah which is actually worse than Hamas.
 
Melodi

Melodi

Disaster Cat
I suspect what is also collapsing in Iran is social pressure and the hold of the current regime. Thirty years ago, families knew that at least Dad had better go to the mosque often and Momma should show up for some of the women's activities. Otherwise, they would be reported by neighbors or even local authorities who noticed they were not attending.

I suspect that now, that is not occurring nearly so often.

Also, concerning PERSIAN, rather than Arab Culture, women have a lot more power within the family in Iran than in most Islamic societies. The Crazy government of the last few decades had dampened that somewhat, but even they did dare do some things like take away the women's vote or forbid female education. Those Mullahs also had Mothers and even Grandmothers to deal with when they got home.

So, many closed mosques also suggest that the matriarchs on the home front are fed up. They could care less if they or their sons attend the mosque regularly. They don't see it as helping the family; even if they are religious, they know they can pray at home.

I am not saying for one moment that life is wonderful for women in Iran, just that it isn't exactly as portrayed by the Western media either. Life can be complicated for young people, especially educated women, who are legally controlled by their fathers, brothers, and husbands but are morally ruled by mothers, grandmothers, and mothers-in-law.

The kicker is going to be watching to see if the Mullahs try to order the population back to the mosques and if they obey such orders. We shall see...
 
PghPanther

PghPanther

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Established religions in general are going the way of the dodo bird...........the Internet has a lot to do with that.

Here in the US a pew research shows that on average there are 1,500 less churches each year and that number is increasing in the amount of overall church closures each year............bottom line, youth is losing interest in the faith of their parents and grandparents generation.

The amount of young people in all countries where they have freedom of choice in worship is going the way of "none" as to where they worship.

In Iran they will lose a strong hold because its impossible to stop the internet traffic and its stark reality of that. A global culture means those under oppression see what others have and want it.

Point of case in something simple..............jeans.

They are the world global dress of choice for all young people in countries where you can buy them. They are now a global fashion wear that started out in American and in large part to the Internet have the reach they do today.

Another example here in American is with the Hispanic population...........the younger Hispanics are abandoning the culture of older generations. The women want education, they don't want to sit home and pump out babies all the time working in the kitchen...again the internet and social media is responsible for the cultural shift going on. Hispanics in this country 30 years ago average 5 to 6 children per family......but the 2nd and 3rd generation Hispanics growing up in the US have been Americanized by the culture and the global internet/social media and now down to an average 2 children per family ............

Young Jewish people while may be loyal to their ethnic group are now up to 60% atheists.........Temple for them is a social function more so than a faith based function again as a result of the internet and social media.

The internet is exposing the social layer cons of religion (yes some of you of faith will talk about a personal relationship with Christ not tied to any church or denomination but that isn't what the masses are perceived to be)......and the reality is the faith of you and your fathers whether it is Jewish, Christianity, Islam, Hindu, Shinto and any other type of doctrine is losing ground with the young........oh there are some spots here and there of some limited growth but most of it is dying out.

So countries that are based on a governing body of theocracy are going to be in deep trouble......................

As a statement I once read....."the internet is where established and tradition in religion goes to die"

Why is the Internet so impactful?

Got back and think about the invention of the printing press.........prior to them most people were illiterate................that changed once people had access to print in mass.

Well from an information standpoint most people were info-illiterate until the Internet became popular starting in the mid 90s......it was actually an unintended consequence of its design (for information exchange after a nuclear war for a countries information survival between military, government and universities was the original intent) that is now commercially out of control as far as trying to control it once the universities were tied in and students saw a way to make money with it......then Katie bar the door it took off................granted there is junk as well as truth in surfing but over time you can make that distinction in whatever subject, information or passion you have for it.
 
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PghPanther

PghPanther

Has No Life - Lives on TB
60 minutes has a street visit to Bagdad in Iran years ago stopping all the women around and talking to them. They wanted to show just what it was like on the streets of Iran.

First thing I noticed is that they are mostly White Persians not Arabs...........and despite wearing hijabs hiding their hair they had a lot of gorgeous looking ladies and if you have everything but your face covered up you really have to have a pretty face to stand out.

I can't imagine women looking like that would put up with seeing all the empowerment of women across developed countries have and think "gee we have it great here" ....They'd probably pitch that whole outfit if they knew it wouldn't have any social consequences to it.

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PghPanther

PghPanther

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Richard said:
I generally agree with the above, but argument doesn't apply to Islam in most countries except Iran.
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for now but as long as a global communication continues you can't hold back the leak of technology forever........and other generations just flat out don't see their theatrocracy as relevant or practical anymore.......all it takes is a slightly more liberal Islamic leader to open that crack up.

Look at Saudi and the recent developments of allowing women more rights like the ability to drive starting in 2017..........its katie bar the door in trying to slow that trend down with future generations once it gets going...................most of us posting here won't see it but the world as we know from a social/cultural aspect and how that will evolve......but I'll bet it will be quite different by the 22nd century if we don't manage to extinct ourselves in the process.

I'm not claiming good or bad here just that it will be very different. As different 50 years from now as it was 50 years ago from today as many here remember society back then.................one difference.......technological advances are accelerating not slowing so that will throw an even more unpredictable kicker in the mix.
 
Elza

Elza

Veteran Member
PghPanther said:
Here in the US a pew research shows that on average there are 1,500 less churches each year and that number is increasing in the amount of overall church closures each year............bottom line, youth is losing interest in the faith of their parents and grandparents generation.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, perhaps not. I'm 71 and have not had any use for churches (i.e. organized religion) for a long time. Far too many ignore the word of God in favor of being woke. They conveniently ignore the parts of the Holy Scriptures that don't fit their current narrative. Their interest lies in filling the collection plate instead of filling hearts with God's word.

There is no question of my belief in God and His Son and our savior Jesus Christ. Organized religion on the other hand, not so much. I doubt that I'm the only person that feels this way including the younger folks.
 
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