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 Topic: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion

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  • Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     OP - May 20, 2009, 03:49 PM

    This survey is somewhat old, & my apologies if its been published before, but I just saw it & found it interesting.

    Quote from: survey
    The survey paints the picture of a diverse and relatively affluent Iranian American community. While two-fifths of Iranian Americans identify themselves as Muslims, almost an equal percentage appear not to practice any particular religion, and the balance are roughly equally divided among Christians, Jews, Bahais and Zoroastrians. Almost one in three Iranian American households have annual incomes of more than $100K (compared to one in five for the overall U.S. population).

    According to the survey results, four of every five Iranian American is registered to vote. Also, a relatively significant margin have in the past engaged in electoral activities other than voting, with about one in three having either met or communicated with public officials, or having donated money to a political candidate or campaign. About one half of Iranian Americans surveyed identified themselves as registered Democrats, in contrast to one in eight as Republicans and one in four as independents.

    More than half of Iranian Americans cite domestic U.S. issues, including issues that are not unique to Iranian Americans, as the most important to them. In contrast, one quarter of Iranian Americans cite foreign policy issues involving U.S.-Iran relations and less than one in ten cite the internal affairs of Iran as being of greatest importance to them. On matters impacting Iranian Americans in the U.S., the two most important issues cited were facilitating greater understanding between the peoples of the United States and Iran (85%) and ensuring that the image of Iranian Americans in the U.S. accurately reflects their values and accomplishments (75%).

    Nearly half of Iranian Americans surveyed have themselves experienced or personally know another Iranian American who has experienced discrimination because of their ethnicity or country of origin. The most common types of discrimination reported are airport security, social discrimination, employment or business discrimination, racial profiling and discrimination at the hands of immigration officials.
    An overwhelming eighty-four percent of all Iranian Americans support the establishment of a U.S. interest section in Iran that would provide consular services and issue U.S. visas. The establishment of such an interest section would serve American citizens, including many Iranian Americans, traveling to Iran and would facilitate the travel of their relatives from Iran to the U.S., but would not amount to the establishment by the United States government of formal diplomatic relations with Iran.

    Finally, the survey indicates that almost three-quarters of Iranian Americans believe the promotion of human rights and democracy in Iran is the most important issue relating to U.S.-Iran relations. About the same percentage, however, believe diplomacy is the foreign policy approach towards Iran that would be in the best interest of the United States.

    Zogby International is a pre-eminent polling firm that has been tracking public opinion throughout the world since 1984 and has a particular expertise in conducting polls of or about ethnic communities in the United States.


    If I'm not mistaken, Iranians  in U.S.A. & elsewhere might well be one of the largest % of irreligious immigrants from an Islamic nation at nearly 40%.

    Thats' thousands of apostates!  yay

    World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #1 - May 20, 2009, 04:25 PM

    Sounds good, but this sounds doubtful "Almost one in three Iranian American households have annual incomes of more than $100K (compared to one in five for the overall U.S. population)."

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  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #2 - May 20, 2009, 04:34 PM

    I think this is true - I've met quite a few Iranians who don't believe in Islam or any religion.

    I went for a kebab the other day at an Iranian take-away and began chatting with the Iranian lady who was serving me. I could soon tell she wasn't in favour of the Mullahs and religion as a whole - so I told her I was an ex-Muslim and considered all religions to be nonsense - she smiled broadly and told me she also didn't believe in Islam.

    My only regret was that I didn't get her phone number - she was very cute (mid/late 30s I hasten to add  grin12 )
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #3 - May 20, 2009, 04:46 PM

    I think this is true - I've met quite a few Iranians who don't believe in Islam or any religion.

    I went for a kebab the other day at an Iranian take-away and began chatting with the Iranian lady who was serving me. I could soon tell she wasn't in favour of the Mullahs and religion as a whole - so I told her I was an ex-Muslim and considered all religions to be nonsense - she smiled broadly and told me she also didn't believe in Islam.

    My only regret was that I didn't get her phone number - she was very cute (mid/late 30s I hasten to add  grin12 )

    Thats encouraging.  How was your kebab afterwards by the way?

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  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #4 - May 20, 2009, 04:52 PM

    I know quite a few Iranians in the UK and I would not call any of them Muslims. One of them who I know, her parents left Iran during the Iranian revolution, so maybe quite a few Iranians who left Iran for the west are non-religious people who left because of the Islamic Revolution?

    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #5 - May 20, 2009, 05:04 PM

    I have ever really known 3 Iranians (one of them is my dentist) and none of them were Muslims.  In fact they were all strongly secular - that may be a factor of the Iranian revolution, something that may happen sooner or later in every Muslim state.

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  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #6 - May 20, 2009, 05:10 PM

    I don't want to depress anyone, but while its a great thing for the rest of the world that so many educated, secular, open minded Iranians left Iran - its not such a great thing for Iran, is it?  Maybe that's why they haven't thrown off the mullahs yet.

    "Befriend them not, Oh murtads, and give them neither parrot nor bunny."  - happymurtad's advice on trolls.
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #7 - May 20, 2009, 05:11 PM

    I have ever really known 3 Iranians (one of them is my dentist) and none of them were Muslims.  In fact they were all strongly secular - that may be a factor of the Iranian revolution, something that may happen sooner or later in every Muslim state.


    Your dentist isn't dr shirdel is he?

    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #8 - May 20, 2009, 05:15 PM

    I know quite a few Iranians in the UK and I would not call any of them Muslims. One of them who I know, her parents left Iran during the Iranian revolution, so maybe quite a few Iranians who left Iran for the west are non-religious people who left because of the Islamic Revolution?


    This might be the most possible explanation! yes

    Also, the survey says this:

    Quote from: survey
    While two-fifths of Iranian Americans identify themselves as Muslims, almost an equal percentage appear not to practice any particular religion, and the balance are roughly equally divided among Christians, Jews, Bahais and Zoroastrians.


    So 20% of Iranian Americans practice religions other than Islam-Iran is 98% Muslim- Thinking hard   after the Islamic Revolution, loads of people belonging to non Islamic religions might've fled which is why they're so over represented in the population & non religious folks from Muslim families & non practicing, cultural Muslims appalled by the Islamic Revolution might have fled as well & dropped even their nominal affiliation to Islam-these make up the 40% non religious Iranian Americans.

    Reformer Reza Aslan's parents were like that:
    Quote
    A decade ago , author Reza Aslan had a dinner conversation that helped set him on a path that makes him one of the hottest new voices on Islam. At the table, a man argued "Muslims are violent and irrational. They're all terrorists." His dinner companion? His father, an Iranian  who blamed not only the clerics of Iran's Islamic revolution for turning his country upside down, but Islam itself. ....

    Back at the dinner table a decade ago, Aslan was stunned by the condemnation of Islam by his father,a man who was to him "the symbol of rationality." He told his father: "Come on". His father responded: "I mean it. Aslan gently prodded: "Are you saying every Muslim in this world is a terrorist? His father said, "Yes."
    His mother tried to downplay her husband's harsh words. "He doesn't mean that," she said. His father responded: "No, I mean it."
    Aslan shook his head in curiosity at his father's rage against Islam. "It was his animosity that drove my curiosity."
    .
    When Aslan returned to Islam, his mother told her husband: "Reza is now a Muslim." His father answered: "It's making me sick.'

    When the galleys for No god but God arrived, Aslan sent a copy to his father, expecting the worst. His father read the book with an English dictionary beside him and shocked his son with his response. As expected, he said:"The mullahs are still evil and they should all be killed." But, for the first time, he said: "I understand where your faith comes from." It was the best response Aslan could have gotten from any reader.


    People like Aslan's father, who might have been nominally Muslim pre Revolution, might have ditched the whole thing on witnessing the barbarity of the Revolution.

    World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #9 - May 20, 2009, 05:42 PM

    I've encountered an Iranian expatriate working as a taxi driver in Germany. He was an atheist who believed that Islam was full of bullshit. My hostess, who was something of a moderate Muslimah, was very offended.


    Islam: where idiots meet terrorists.
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #10 - May 20, 2009, 06:15 PM

    Sounds good, but this sounds doubtful "Almost one in three Iranian American households have annual incomes of more than $100K (compared to one in five for the overall U.S. population)."



    This survey says the exact same thing!

    Quote
    Iranian-Americans are among the most highly educated people in the country, according to research by the Iranian Studies Group, an independent academic organization, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

    The group estimates that the actual number of Iranian-Americans may top 691,000 -- more than twice the figure of 338,000 cited in the 2000 U.S. census. According to the latest census data available, more than one in four Iranian-Americans holds a master's or doctoral degree, the highest rate among 67 ethnic groups studied. With their high level of educational attainment and a median family income 20 percent higher than the national average, Iranian-Americans contribute substantially to the U.S. economy.

     Through surveys of Fortune 500 companies and other major corporations, the researchers identified more than 50 Iranian-Americans in senior leadership positions at companies with more than $200 million in asset value, including General Electric, AT&T, IBM, Verizon, Intel, Cisco, Motorola, Oracle, Nortel Networks, Lucent Technologies, and eBay. Fortune magazine ranks Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman of the board of eBay, the wildly popular online auction company, as the second richest American entrepreneur under age 40.

    Iranian-Americans are also prominent in academia. According to a preliminary list compiled by ISG, there are more than 500 Iranian-American professors teaching and doing research at top-ranked U.S. universities, including MIT, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, the University of California system (Berkeley, UCLA, etc.), Stanford, the University of Southern California, Georgia Tech, University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of Maryland, California Institute of Technology, Boston University, George Washington University, and hundreds of other universities and colleges throughout the United States.

     

    Iranian Americans have some of the largest % of ex Muslims & are some of the richest & most successful!No one can blame them of not contributing, they contribute more than the avarage American, & somehow they're also much more likely to have dropped Islam.  victory

    World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #11 - May 20, 2009, 07:44 PM

    Iranians are highly highly nationalistic. The only people I currently know who are more nationalistic than iranians are turks.

    Most of the iranians who still cling to islam, cling to it as a form of national identity as opposed to a religious value. They are extremely easy to turn away from islam, all I have to do is ask: "And why do you suck on the Arab cock five times a day?"

    I do not discuss islam at all with them, only discuss the lost glory of their empire and that brings them to their knees.

    The best answer I ever got was: "But we only pray three times a day", and then his face quickly turned Red when he realized how his answer dug him deeper.


    "Ask the slave girl; she will tell you the truth.' So the Apostle called Burayra to ask her. Ali got up and gave her a violent beating first, saying, 'Tell the Apostle the truth.'"
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #12 - May 20, 2009, 08:04 PM

    Sounds good, but this sounds doubtful "Almost one in three Iranian American households have annual incomes of more than $100K (compared to one in five for the overall U.S. population)."



    I missed the Iranian American houselholds bit - I thought it meant Iranian houselholds (i.e. in Iran).  Makes more sense now as immigrants on the whole tend to be above national average across all nationalities and countries.

    My Book     news002       
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  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #13 - May 20, 2009, 09:11 PM



    I missed the Iranian American houselholds bit - I thought it meant Iranian houselholds (i.e. in Iran).  Makes more sense now as immigrants on the whole tend to be above national average across all nationalities and countries.


    Immigrants on a whole tend to be above the national average across all nationalities and countries?! Could you tell me where you got that from? That is definitely not true.

    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #14 - May 20, 2009, 09:36 PM

    Immigrants on a whole tend to be above the national average across all nationalities and countries?! Could you tell me where you got that from? That is definitely not true.

    I saw a stat a many years ago showing how immigrants fared in the UK, which I still assume to be true unless you tell me otherwise.  You may have misunderstood what I meant, but I was talking about immigrants as a whole, and not specific races.  On a separate note I remember also noting that Bangladeshi's & Blacks were below the national average in education, and Chinese & Indians were well above.

    My Book     news002       
    My Blog  pccoffee
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #15 - May 21, 2009, 03:18 AM

    Iranians are highly highly nationalistic. The only people I currently know who are more nationalistic than iranians are turks.

    Most of the iranians who still cling to islam, cling to it as a form of national identity as opposed to a religious value. They are extremely easy to turn away from islam, all I have to do is ask: "And why do you suck on the Arab cock five times a day?"

    I do not discuss islam at all with them, only discuss the lost glory of their empire and that brings them to their knees.
    The best answer I ever got was: "But we only pray three times a day", and then his face quickly turned Red when he realized how his answer dug him deeper.




    Cool!  evil I will do something like that as well when I meet Iranians!

    World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #16 - May 21, 2009, 04:45 PM

    Immigrants on a whole tend to be above the national average across all nationalities and countries?! Could you tell me where you got that from? That is definitely not true.

    I saw a stat a many years ago showing how immigrants fared in the UK, which I still assume to be true unless you tell me otherwise.  You may have misunderstood what I meant, but I was talking about immigrants as a whole, and not specific races.  On a separate note I remember also noting that Bangladeshi's & Blacks were below the national average in education, and Chinese & Indians were well above.



    I am going to have to look into it a bit more because I don't know a lot about it, but as far as I am aware, in the UK, immigrants and decendants of immigrants on average have a lower economic status that White, British people. But as I said, I will have to look into it!

    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #17 - May 21, 2009, 04:52 PM

    I am going to have to look into it a bit more because I don't know a lot about it, but as far as I am aware, in the UK, immigrants and decendants of immigrants on average have a lower economic status that White, British people. But as I said, I will have to look into it!

    Go for it - the stats I looked at were about 5 years old, so come back with whatever you find..

    My Book     news002       
    My Blog  pccoffee
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #18 - May 21, 2009, 05:08 PM

    I am going to have to look into it a bit more because I don't know a lot about it, but as far as I am aware, in the UK, immigrants and decendants of immigrants on average have a lower economic status that White, British people. But as I said, I will have to look into it!


    Not all immigrants do, Indian & Chinese families have significantly higher incomes, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis & some others have lower incomes.

    http://www.jrf.org.uk/media-centre/pakistani-and-bangladeshi-families-four-times-more-likely-live-poverty

    World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #19 - May 21, 2009, 05:15 PM


    Most of the iranians who still cling to islam, cling to it as a form of national identity as opposed to a religious value. They are extremely easy to turn away from islam, all I have to do is ask: "And why do you suck on the Arab cock five times a day?"

    I do not discuss islam at all with them, only discuss the lost glory of their empire and that brings them to their knees.


    I guess I will quote Persian Tabari's words to them, Tabari was a Persian hadith collector:

    Tabari IX 69
    Arab Superiority
    Arabs are the most noble people in lineage, the most prominent, and the best in deeds. We were the first to respond to the call of the Prophet. We are Allah's helpers and the viziers of His Messenger. We fight people until they believe in Allah. He who believes in Allah and His Messenger has protected his life and possessions from us. As for one who disbelieves, we will fight him forever in Allah's Cause. Killing him is a small matter to us.

    Arabia was a backwater of the world while Persia had been a global superpower for more than a millennia when it was conquered by the Arabs! However, merely a century after the conquest, Iranian Muslim hadith collectors were singing praises of their Arab conquerors! great

    World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #20 - May 21, 2009, 05:18 PM

    Some excerpts:

    "Pakistani and Bangladeshi families are easily the poorest. High unemployment among men, low levels of economic activity by women, low pay and large family sizes all contribute to a situation in which 60 per cent fall below the unofficial poverty line set by half average household income"

    "Indian and Chinese people have high levels of employment, and their average earnings are slightly higher than those of white workers"

    Despite Pakistan & Bangladesh being formed from the former India, the disparity in education and income levels is markedly different.  The obvious difference being Islam, the reason they were formed in the first place ; "Account also needs to taken of Islamic traditions in relation to female employment and large family sizes."

    My Book     news002       
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  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #21 - May 21, 2009, 05:25 PM

    Its a similar situation in Malaysia & Singapore, in these countries-the three ethnic groups are Chinese, Indians & Malays.

    Malaysia is majority Muslim & majority Malay, while Singapore is majority Chinese,in these two countries as well-the Indian & Chinese are richer than the Malays, infact Malaysia favors the Malay mainly Muslim population through the Bumiputra policy-giving them additional benefits in housing & businesses-yet Malay Muslims continue to be poorer.

    Many Chinese are fleeing Malaysia due to economic & religious discrimination. cool2

    Even in other South East Asian nations like Thailand & Philippines, the Muslim population is poorer & there're mujahideen separatist movements to carve out separate states like Pakistan & Bangladesh were formed, movements which are causing daily deaths.

    World renowned historian Will Durant"...the Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex order and freedom can at any moment be overthrown..."
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #22 - May 21, 2009, 06:30 PM

    Similar story with immigrants in America, Kenya and South Africa.  UK is slightly different as immigaration was originally sought to plug the low-paid low-skilled gap.

    My Book     news002       
    My Blog  pccoffee
  • Re: Somewhat Old Survey: Loads of Iranian Americans seem to Have no Religion
     Reply #23 - May 21, 2009, 06:37 PM

    I am going to have to look into it a bit more because I don't know a lot about it, but as far as I am aware, in the UK, immigrants and decendants of immigrants on average have a lower economic status that White, British people. But as I said, I will have to look into it!


    Not all immigrants do, Indian & Chinese families have significantly higher incomes, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis & some others have lower incomes.

    http://www.jrf.org.uk/media-centre/pakistani-and-bangladeshi-families-four-times-more-likely-live-poverty


    cheers rashna, nice one. That pretty much confirms what I thought. Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are the worse off, followed by caribbeans and average earnings for indians and chinese are slightly higher than white workers, overall levels of poverty amongst indians and chinese are also slightly higher.

    Religion - The hot potato that looked delicious but ended up burning your mouth!

    Knock your head on the ground, don't be miserly in your prayers, listen to your Sidi Sheikh, Allahu Akbar! - Lounes Matoub
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