How did Zoroastrianism go from being the most powerful religion to a literal who religion and why?
Muslims killed or converted 99% of them, like they do with all religions in their path
Zoroastrianism was associated with the Sassanids. When they faltered and collapsed, Zoroastrianism declined with them. The Sunni faith was vibrant, new, and supported by a growing empire so it had a definite upper hand in terms of being able to spread.
>>490379
>Zoroastrianism was associated with the Sassanids
That's wrong, pre-Sassanid Persia was Zoroastrian as well
>>490526
>mfw no Sassanid Persia
The only thing thats worse than that is that there is no Byzantine Empire
>>490379
The Muslim conquest of Persia.
>>490549
Islam really did ruin that entire part of the world.
>>490379
Zoroastrianism was never the majority religion of any ethnic group, it was always in competition with Christianity, Manicheism, Yazdanism, etc
>>490567
Imagine a world, where the Balkans and the middle east are vying for the status of greatest power and the West is just a backwater trying to catch up. Islam literally fucked up the world.
>>490638
Yeah it did, but then again history is full of a lot of interesting "what ifs." You never know what the future holds.
Hell, for all we know maybe Greece will reform the Byzantine Empire and reclaim all of their clay. Like I said, anything is possible.
>>490410
Europe is doing the wrong thing, letting these bastards in. Didn't they learn anything from the reconquista?
>>490638
>>490671
The middle East is a hellhole because of a myriad of reasons, not just because of the dominant religion. People talk big talk about the inequities of the Sunni faith as being the originator of everything that's wrong, but its a lot more complex than that.
The middle East being fucked really started with the mongol invasions, when Baghdad got sacked. The takeover limited the flow of information from other parts of the world and set a precedent for future invaders to come in and fugg shit up.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Zoroastrians
>After the Muslim conquest of Persia, Zoroastrians were given dhimmi status and subjected to persecutions; discrimination and harassment began in the form of sparse violence. Zoroastrians were made to pay an extra tax called Jizya, failing which they were either killed, enslaved or imprisoned. Those paying Jizya were subjected to insults and humiliation by the tax collectors. Zoroastrians who were captured as slaves in wars were given their freedom if they converted to Islam.
>Zoroastrian places of worship were desecrated, shrines were destroyed and mosques built in their place. Many fire temples, with their four axial arch openings, were usually turned into mosques simply by setting a mihrab (prayer niche) on the place of the arch nearest to qibla (the direction of Mecca). Zoroastrian temples converted into mosques in such a manner could be found in Bukhara, as well as in and near Istakhr and other Persian cities. Urban cities where Arab governors made their quarters were most vulnerable to such religious persecution, great fire temples were turned into mosques, and the citizens were forced to conform or flee. Many libraries were burnt and much cultural heritage was lost.
>Gradually there were increased number of laws regulating Zoroastrian behavior, limiting their ability to participate in society, and made life difficult for the Zoroastrians in the hope that they would convert to Islam. Any political, military, or economic resistance by Zoroastrians was unfeasible or violently suppressed by the government.
Religion of peace
>most powerful religion
It was never a powerful religion
Like Hinduism, it's more of an ethnic religion of the Iranian people and there was never any real desire to evangelize to outside groups. Also, it was only really followed and understood by the elite ruling class whereas the commoners probably knew nothing more than the folklore and traditions. When muslims kicked out the ruling class and offered special benefits to anyone converting to Islam, most eventually did.
>>491409
why do muslims use the "religion of peace" thing? serious question, haven't a lot of religions claimed that at some point?
>>492021
To distance themselves from radicals.
>>492021
I've noticed if a religion has to keep saying it's peaceful, it probably isn't.
Reminds of of when someone says, "Hey, I'm a good person." They probably are not a good person.
Take Taoists, or Buddhists (not those new age hipster Buddhists I'm talking about real Theravada or Mahayana Buddhists), they don't proselytize or preach aggressively (probably because they realize there really is nothing to save). They just do their own thing and allow their actions speak for themselves. Still, not to generalize, there are always wackjobs in every religion.
>>491351
Yeah, I've seen arguments pointing out that blaming Islam for the state of the Middle East in the 21st century is like blaming Christianity for the state of Europe in the 6th century.
Except no matter what the Turks say, Ottomans aren't Roman.
>>492021
Because the root of Islam, S-L-M, means "peace", as in "Salaam" or "Shalom". "Muslim" could also be translated "one who has made peace [with God]" (though there are strong connotations of submission there).
If there was a religion called Peaceism, then they'd probably call themselves "The Religion of Peace" a lot too.
>>492297
They are though
Iranian here.
Byzantine and Sassanid fell and along with it went Christianity and Zoroastrianism.
Now people sought for new solutions so the inhabitants of western Anatolia and Balkan sought for Islam while Iran sought for Shi'a Islam. People blamed Christianity and Zoroastrianism for their empire's downfall.
Its funny when people claim that Islam forced people to convert when they dont realize Zoroastrianism influenced Abrahamic religions the most. You retards also dont understand how precious faith was during those times.
How to detect neo nazis, europoors, ayrabs, kikes:
Muslims
Conquer
Persia
>>492638
Are you implying Muslims didn't force people to convert?
>>492669
I don't care what Turks did to your buddies in Balkan 1500 years ago buddy.
>>490410
except, you know, in spain, balkans, sicily, israel, with the copts, in india, on bali and so on...
>>490379
Muslims
Really, they should just cut the religion of peace bullshit and be honest with themselves. Being a warrior religion isn't inherently shameful. They can play up the "we're like Vikings of the desert" thing.
>>492754
>on bali
>Southeast Asian muslims
>Forced
Kek.
>>492782
well, the muzzies did force hindus off of java in the 15th(IIRC) century, so there's that
>>492638
If that's true, why didn't all of Europe convert to Islam, instead of just those parts of Iberia conquered by the Moors? Or, I guess, Tengrism or Norse paganism or something?
Christian and Zoroastrian communities survived for a long time under the Caliphates, so its not like they just abandoned their faiths immediately. It took centuries for Iran to become Muslim.
I think it's the other way around. People didn't abandon other faiths because their empires fell, they followed Islam because Muslim empires were rising and conversion had legal, economic, and political benefits.
>>492322
Doesn't it translate to 'submission' as well?
>>492734
More like 200. And that entire clusterfuck strongly informed international politics as recently as WW1. And obviously the Ottoman's had a major hand in how the middle east turned out.
>>492795
>did force hindus off of Java
That's bullshit really, the ruling class of the defeated Majapahit kingdom fled to Bali, it was a government-in-exile in some way. Many Javanese hindus later flocked to it because they preferred to be ruled by Hindus for various reasons.
It was never powerful and Islam absorbed some of it's aspects. The spread of Islam isn't as simple as convert or die.
>>492297
>Except no matter what the Turks say, Ottomans aren't Roman.
Maybe, but they are the Middle Eastern version.
Everyone there wants to be the next Caliphate, just like everyone in Europe wanting to be the next Roman Empire characterized its politics more or less from the fall of Western Rome (maybe even before) to World War 1, or how everyone in China wanting to be the next emperor characterized its politics for centuries.
>>490379
good qeustion
>>491409
>thread still going eventhough this pretty much explained why
>>490410
>>491028
>>492754
>>490379
>this meme
Iran was majority Zoroastrian well into the Abbasid Dynasty, several centuries into Islamic rule. If anything, Zoroastrians were gradually pressured into converting, but there generally wasn't a convert or die factor that many pagans faced in Europe.
There are still Zoroastrians in Iran but none of the original pagans in Saxony
>>490379
Zoroastianism was hardly ever the most powerful religion. It was tied to a very rigid hierarchical system similar to Hinduism
>>490379
How do I into Zoroastrianism? Do they have any sacred texts?
>>493552
>How do I into Zoroastrianism?
You used to be born into it since they believe that you should pick your forefathers religious beliefs. But that was more a local rule for the Parsi's than a religious doctrine cause of them fleeing from Persia after the conquest and settling within the Indian empire as they promised not to allow any conversions in return for safe sanctuary there.
>Do they have any sacred texts?
Their holy book is called the Avestan
>>493417
>interrupting the circlejerk
fuck off back to r/askhistorians
>>492870
It does.
>>492761
If they did that then they would lose all their liberal support and no one would allow the refugees to come to yurope.
>>492754
>Balkans
>What are bosnians or albanians
>>492638
>Now people sought for new solutions so the inhabitants of western Anatolia and Balkan sought for Islam while Iran sought for Shi'a Islam.
Iran only converted to Shi'a Islam in the 17th century. From the Muslim conquest until then, it was primarily Sunni.
