Azerbaijani and other Turkic languages are also commonly spoken among minority groups
in Iran. Azerbaijani is one of the most widely spoken languages in the country next
to Persian, but there are also significant numbers of native Kurdish, Balochi, and
Arabic speakers. English is a widely taught second language in Iran and many people,
especially young people, speak at least a minimal amount of English.
Religion
Muslim is the official religion of Iran and nearly 90% of the
people are Shia Muslim. Another 9% of the people are Sunnis. The final percent or
two consists of various groups, including Christians, Zoroastrians, and Baha'is.
Islam (the name of the religion, whose followers are called Muslims) is a monotheistic
religion, whose holy book is called the Qur'an. The Qur'an is believed to
be the word of God spoken through the prophet Muhammad from 609-632 CE (Common Era
is preferred over AD (Anno Domini or "year of the Lord") since the Islamic
world doesn't believe Jesus was the messiah). Islam believes Muhammad was the
last prophet sent to earth by God, the last in a long line of prophets, which includes
Moses, Abraham, and Jesus among others.
Muslims follow five pillars of their faith: testimony, prayer, alms-giving, fasting,
and pilgrimage. These pillars, and other tenants of their faith, can give great
structure to their lives as some foods, like pork, are forbidden and every Muslim
is expected to pray five times a day. However, the level of participation in each
of these pillars and to what degree Islam influences an individual's life varies
from person to person and community to community. Iran is conservative in how they
practice Islam as their laws and government are based on Islamic laws, not laws
created by man, known as "sharia law").