Starting paragraphs of
Islamic era history of Zoroastrians of Iran through political analysis and historical letters:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Arab invasion of Iran in 630 A.D. and its consequences have never been researched impartially, because they always carry religious sentiments. It is taught and popularized that the Arabs brought Islam to Iran, and the Iranians being frustrated by their government, the strict religious code interfering with their daily life and the established Sasanian's caste system embraced Islam's message of equality and brotherhood. This view however is not only far from the historical evidences but contradicts the basic human instincts. The fact is that people on the whole do not give up their original tenets and traditions easily to adhere to the new one. Even the primitive Arabs did not abandon their old religion that simple, as there were several religious wars (Ghazvah) in which many of the nonbelievers were massacred. The Arab conquest not only did not eliminate the caste system, but soon Iranians found themselves part of the two new castes, slaves and Mavali. The mass of Iranian women, children and captured men were sold in the Arabian markets and even those who converted to Islam did not receive freedom. They were called Mavali or the liberated slaves, who were mostly deprived of basic rights, could not ride horses or carry weapons and at times being part of the asset were given away as gifts. The mass enslavement of Iranians was so rampant that in a story that Shiites made to relate the family of Imam Ali to the Sasanians, even the daughter of Yazdgard, Shahrbanou was sold as slave in Medina market to Imam Ali who gave her to his son, Imam Hussain to marry. By this narrative the Shiites believe that Imam Hussein's descendants are blood related to the Sasanians.
The cultural calamity was disastrous. Books were burned, scholars slain and schools and libraries were destroyed because the invaders regarded the Koran as the last book that nullified the existing ones. Iran in a short period of time fell from a global power and world's center of science to an illiterate and backward country that could never stand on her feet. For centuries afterwards until the time of Safavid dynasty at the turn of the fifteenth century it was not even a country under one flag.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The above is apparently the first installment in a series of articles on the Zoroastrian Genocide (by Islam):
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>Islamic era histroy of Zoroastrians of Iran through political analysis and historical letters</i>
Jahanian, Dr. Daryoush
The systematic genocide of Zoroastrians in post-Islamic Iran has been amongst the most tragic events in human history. Yet, this great tragedy is not as well known to the world public. This well researched document gives an overview of 13 centuries of systematic genocide of a proud people -- a legacy of Islamic conquest of Iran.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Our p-secs and history-reinventors will still have Indians believe that Islam means 'peace' and was spread in India and elsewhere through peaceful means.
Islamic era history of Zoroastrians of Iran through political analysis and historical letters:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Arab invasion of Iran in 630 A.D. and its consequences have never been researched impartially, because they always carry religious sentiments. It is taught and popularized that the Arabs brought Islam to Iran, and the Iranians being frustrated by their government, the strict religious code interfering with their daily life and the established Sasanian's caste system embraced Islam's message of equality and brotherhood. This view however is not only far from the historical evidences but contradicts the basic human instincts. The fact is that people on the whole do not give up their original tenets and traditions easily to adhere to the new one. Even the primitive Arabs did not abandon their old religion that simple, as there were several religious wars (Ghazvah) in which many of the nonbelievers were massacred. The Arab conquest not only did not eliminate the caste system, but soon Iranians found themselves part of the two new castes, slaves and Mavali. The mass of Iranian women, children and captured men were sold in the Arabian markets and even those who converted to Islam did not receive freedom. They were called Mavali or the liberated slaves, who were mostly deprived of basic rights, could not ride horses or carry weapons and at times being part of the asset were given away as gifts. The mass enslavement of Iranians was so rampant that in a story that Shiites made to relate the family of Imam Ali to the Sasanians, even the daughter of Yazdgard, Shahrbanou was sold as slave in Medina market to Imam Ali who gave her to his son, Imam Hussain to marry. By this narrative the Shiites believe that Imam Hussein's descendants are blood related to the Sasanians.
The cultural calamity was disastrous. Books were burned, scholars slain and schools and libraries were destroyed because the invaders regarded the Koran as the last book that nullified the existing ones. Iran in a short period of time fell from a global power and world's center of science to an illiterate and backward country that could never stand on her feet. For centuries afterwards until the time of Safavid dynasty at the turn of the fifteenth century it was not even a country under one flag.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The above is apparently the first installment in a series of articles on the Zoroastrian Genocide (by Islam):
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>Islamic era histroy of Zoroastrians of Iran through political analysis and historical letters</i>
Jahanian, Dr. Daryoush
The systematic genocide of Zoroastrians in post-Islamic Iran has been amongst the most tragic events in human history. Yet, this great tragedy is not as well known to the world public. This well researched document gives an overview of 13 centuries of systematic genocide of a proud people -- a legacy of Islamic conquest of Iran.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Our p-secs and history-reinventors will still have Indians believe that Islam means 'peace' and was spread in India and elsewhere through peaceful means.