The importance of martyrs to Shi’a Muslims can be seen even in modern times. The idea of martyrdom and the story of Hussein and Yazid played an important role in the Iranian Revolution, by encouraging people to become a part of the revolution. It is important to know that in Iran 90-95% of its population is Shi’a Muslims. Shi’a Muslims know the story of Hussein and understand the importance of his sacrifice. This sacrifice can be seen when analyzing the Iranian Revolution. The Iranian Revolution resulted in the Pahlavi dynasty being overthrown and replaced with an Islamic Republic headed by Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution. The revolution was assisted by the use of martyrs and the comparison of the current political situation to that of Hussein and Yazid.
Martyrs were created during the Iranian revolution to help recruit enough people to fight against …show more content…
It is a highly effective tool within the Shi’a religion. It managed to divide Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. The Shi’a were the betrayed, the constantly oppressed and the Sunni were the ones persecuting and betraying them. The sects became truly divided once Hussein was murdered. Up until this instant they were not yet distinct sects of Islam. They had not had a defining moment, but after this point there was no turning back. The Sunni’s follow the murderer Yazid and the Shi’a will follow the son of their martyr. The martyrdom that is born with the death of Hussein remains a defining concept for Shi’a Islam today. Martyrdom defines the ultimate death of a Shi’a Muslim; to die for your beliefs is the ideal death. To become someone who will sacrifice themselves for their religion is the goal. This is shown in the Iranian revolution because people join the demonstrations and protests knowing that they could be killed but they do it because it would be an honorable death, to die like
Martyrs were created during the Iranian revolution to help recruit enough people to fight against …show more content…
It is a highly effective tool within the Shi’a religion. It managed to divide Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. The Shi’a were the betrayed, the constantly oppressed and the Sunni were the ones persecuting and betraying them. The sects became truly divided once Hussein was murdered. Up until this instant they were not yet distinct sects of Islam. They had not had a defining moment, but after this point there was no turning back. The Sunni’s follow the murderer Yazid and the Shi’a will follow the son of their martyr. The martyrdom that is born with the death of Hussein remains a defining concept for Shi’a Islam today. Martyrdom defines the ultimate death of a Shi’a Muslim; to die for your beliefs is the ideal death. To become someone who will sacrifice themselves for their religion is the goal. This is shown in the Iranian revolution because people join the demonstrations and protests knowing that they could be killed but they do it because it would be an honorable death, to die like