Know Your World: Iran

[Storyteller.]

Know Your World: Iran
By Casey (Casey.)

Most of us learn about our own nations in school, but usually there is little time or energy placed into knowing the world around us. The world is a magnificent place, with almost two hundred nations. We hear about some of these nations on the news every day, especially right now with the turmoil in the Middle East,but what do we actually know about these countries and the people who live there?

The Islamic Republic of Iran, or simply Iran, is a nation in Central Eurasia, known to most of us as part of the Middle East. Iran has a Supreme Leader, currently Ali Khamenei, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, controls military intelligence, and is the only person in Iran allowed to declare war or peace. Iran also has a President, elected by the general public, who holds a term of four years and exercises executive power. The President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has a total of eight vice presidents and twenty-two ministers serving under him. The eight vice presidents are similar to a check and balance system with each other, each used for different parts of executive and legislative purpose. Unlike many nations, the President of Iran is not in charge of the military and must approve all appointments he makes for the Ministers of Intelligence and Defense with the Supreme Leader.

Currently the United States and parts of Europe are at peace with Iran, but that peace can change at any time. Many people are untrusting of the Islamic state, for fear that they harbour those who have attacked the United States and Great Britain. Recently, Osama bin Laden was allegedly found and apprehended in Iran, damaging relations between Iran and other nations. But Iran is not a nation run by terrorists. Iran is primarily Islamic, with over 90% of citizens following the Twelver Shi'a branch of Islam, and about 8% belong to the Sunni branch. Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrians are protected minority religions in Iran, with about five other minority religions that are not recognized by the government, and some of which, like the Bahá'í, persecuted.

While there is a lot of unrest in the Middle East currently, Iran is peaceful at the moment. Learning about other nations helps to expand our understanding of our world and ourselves. Understanding and knowledge stops ignorance and assumptions, and generally helps to make our world a much better place. Learning about other countries helps stop ignorance and hate, so I encourage you to keep learning.