IOverview
In the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, a Kurdish movement returning to Zoroastrianism has emerged since the mid 2010s, seeing it as the faith of the ancestors before the region became Muslim. In August 2015 the Kurdistan Regional Government formally recognised the religion. The movement's centre is the city of Sulaymaniyah, which has a fire temple.
This branch is quite unlike the others. The Parsis and the Zoroastrians of Iran are communities that have kept the faith continuously for centuries, whereas these are newcomers, most of them born into Muslim families. Since most Parsis do not accept converts, how far the long-established communities will accept this movement remains an open question.
IIHistorical Development
According to a 2015 article on Projects21, the non-governmental organisation Yasna was founded by Awat Tayib and a colleague, beginning in London in 2006 and opening a Kurdistan branch in March 2015. In August 2015 the regional government recognised Zoroastrianism as a religion. According to Parsi Khabar, Awat Tayib became the Zoroastrian representative at the regional Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, and an official fire temple opened in Sulaymaniyah, with its sources dating this to 2016.
- 2006Yasna beginsStarted in London, according to Projects21.
- Mar 2015Kurdistan branchYasna begins work in Iraqi Kurdistan.
- Aug 2015Official recognitionThe Kurdistan Regional Government recognises Zoroastrianism.
- 2016Fire temple in SulaymaniyahAn official temple opens, per sources cited by Parsi Khabar.
IIIMotives and Perspectives
Members of the movement say they are drawn by the triad of good thoughts, good words and good deeds, by its spirit of peace, and by seeing it as the pre-Islamic heritage of the Kurds. According to Parsi Khabar, Awat Tayib has pointed to the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State and its brand of extremism as a root cause of the revival.
Views on the movement differ. According to Projects21, a Muslim cleric in Sulaymaniyah questioned whether the faith is truly Kurdish, arguing that Kurdish Zoroastrians historically lived on the Iranian side. Movement members report receiving threats from Islamic groups. Some local residents doubt that conversion will spread as widely as claimed. The historical link between the Kurds and Zoroastrianism is still discussed among historians.
Misconception: tens of thousands of Kurds have already converted. In fact: in 2015 there were claims ranging from 10,000 to 100,000, but no independent count has confirmed them. The library does not use those numbers as a membership figure.
IVPractice and Relations with Established Communities
The press sources checked do not describe Yasna's rite for receiving newcomers in any detail, so the library does not describe it. At festivals, Zoroastrian and Kurdish national symbols are used side by side. On relations with established communities, Parsi Khabar notes that the California Zoroastrian Center has been notably welcoming to Kurdish Zoroastrians. The Parsi majority, which holds that converts are not accepted, does not recognise conversion in general, so for them the status of new Kurdish Zoroastrians remains unresolved.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The main organisation is Yasna, with a fire temple and centre in Sulaymaniyah and a representative at the regional government's religious affairs ministry. The movement is active within Iraqi Kurdistan and has links with some Zoroastrian associations in the West, especially those in North America that accept converts. The library has found no reliable figure for its following, and the 2015 claims differ by a factor of ten.
VIIn Vietnam
The movement has no presence in Vietnam, and the library has found no source recording Vietnamese participation.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Zoroastrianism
Parsisપારસી ParsiDescendants of Zoroastrians who left Iran for Gujarat over a thousand years ago.
Iranian Zoroastriansزرتشتیان ZartoshtiyanZoroastrians who remained in Iran, centred in Yazd, Kerman and Tehran, with a Council of Mobeds in Tehran.Iranis (India)IraniZoroastrians who came from Qajar Iran to British India in the 19th and early 20th centuries, still speaking Zoroastrian Dari.Uses the common symbol of the pathShahenshahi calendar groupShahanshahi, ShenshaiFollowers of the traditional Indian Parsi calendar, the majority among Parsis.Uses the common symbol of the pathKadmi (Qadimi) calendar groupQadimi, KadmiA section of Parsis adopted the Qadimi calendar in 1745.Uses the common symbol of the pathFasli calendar groupFasli, called Bastani in IranA seasonal calendar with a leap day, proposed in 1906 and widely adopted in Iran after 1930 and in the West.Uses the common symbol of the pathReformist ZoroastriansReformistA tendency since the mid-19th century that takes the Gathas as the core and treats much ritual law as later accretion.Uses the common symbol of the pathIlm-e-KhshnoomIlm-e KhshnoomAn esoteric school started by Behramshah Shroff in India after 1875, teaching reincarnation and vegetarianism and keeping strict ritual observance.Uses the common symbol of the pathZoroastrian revival in Iraqi KurdistanZardeshti (Kurdish)A Kurdish revival movement officially recognised by the Kurdistan Regional Government in August 2015, with a fire temple in Sulaymaniyah.Uses the common symbol of the pathZurvanismZurvanA Sasanian-era tendency that made Infinite Time the source of both Ohrmazd and Ahriman.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
When was Zoroastrianism recognised in Iraqi Kurdistan?
In August 2015 the Kurdistan Regional Government formally recognised Zoroastrianism as a religion. The Yasna organisation has a representative at that government's religious affairs ministry.
How many Kurds follow Zoroastrianism?
There is no reliable figure. In 2015 there were claims of 10,000 to 100,000 converts, but no independent count has confirmed them.
Do the Parsis recognise the new Kurdish Zoroastrians?
Most Parsis hold that converts are not accepted, so for them the question is unresolved. Some diaspora bodies, such as the California Zoroastrian Center, are more welcoming.