Sunnis

Sunnis

From the rise of Islam in Iran in the 7th century until the 16th century,Iran was a Sunni majority country. However, the Safavid Dynasty cracked down upon the Sunnis, reducing them to a minority. The mountainous region of Larestan/Lorestan was spared due to inaccessibility. Although there are no exact population estimates, at least 10% of Iran’s Muslims are Sunni and connected to ethnic communities including Lors, Kurds, Balochis, Turkmen or Arabs.  Although around a million Sunnis live in Tehran, the Iranian capital city, there is not a single Sunni mosque within the city’s limits.  Many Sunni public prayers and educational gatherings are raided on the presumption of “security threats.”