Persian Civilization & American Values: A Natural Fit
Cyrus the Great: The Original Champion of Human Rights
In 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and issued an unprecedented decree recognizing religious freedom and the rights of enslaved and exiled peoples. Inscribed on a clay cylinder — the Cyrus Cylinder — now in the British Museum, it is widely called the “first bill of human rights.”
Key provisions:
- Freedom of religion and worship for all peoples in the Empire
- Permission for exiled peoples (including Jews from Babylonian captivity) to return home
- Restoration of religious temples
Cyrus freed the Jewish people from captivity and allowed them to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem — recorded in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Ezra), where Cyrus is called God’s “anointed.” Jewish scholars note that Cyrus essentially saved Judaism as it is known today.
The Smithsonian hosted the Cylinder for a US tour, calling it “2,600 years of world history in one iconic object.”
The Jefferson Connection
Thomas Jefferson owned two personal copies of Xenophon’s Cyropaedia (an idealized account of Cyrus’s rule), now at the Library of Congress. In 1820, Jefferson recommended it to his grandson as essential reading. In 1787, while in Paris, Jefferson wrote asking for an Italian translation of the book — at the very time the Constitutional Convention was assembling in Philadelphia.
The US Institute of Peace has explicitly noted that “Cyrus Connects Ancient Iran and U.S. Democracy.” The American model of separating church and state is considered one of the closest modern frameworks to the multi-culture, multi-faith nation Cyrus built.
Iran’s Pre-1979 Friendship with America
A Long Alliance
- American Protestant missionaries in 19th-century Persia established dozens of schools and hospitals
- Iran was one of America’s closest Cold War allies
- Between 1950-1979, an estimated 800,000 to 850,000 Americans visited or lived in Iran
Educational Modeling
Three of Iran’s top universities were directly modeled on American institutions:
- Pahlavi University — modeled on University of Chicago
- Sharif University of Technology — modeled on MIT
- Isfahan University of Technology — modeled on University of Pennsylvania
Iranian Students in America
By 1975, Iranian students were the largest group of foreign students in the United States — 9% of all foreign students. During 1977-78, 36,220 Iranians were enrolled in American universities. Iran was to the US what China is today: the single biggest sender of foreign students.
Iran’s Progressive Traditions
Constitutional Revolution of 1906
Iran’s Constitutional Revolution was one of the first democratic revolutions in the Middle East. It produced:
- A European-style parliamentary democracy
- A constitution modeled on the 1831 Belgian Constitution
- A progressive bill of rights
Women played a significant role: they participated in demonstrations, took up arms, and formed women’s councils (anjumans). Bibi Khanoom Astarabadi founded the first school for Muslim girls in 1907.
Women’s Suffrage and the White Revolution (1963)
The White Revolution included:
- Land reform
- Women’s suffrage (granted 1963 — women voted for the first time September 17, 1963)
- Literacy Corps (two-thirds of the population was illiterate)
- Industrial profit-sharing for workers
- Health corps for rural areas
Iran’s Secular Reality Today
The GAMAAN 2020 survey (50,000+ respondents) revealed:
- Only 40% identify as Muslim (vs. government’s claim of 99.5%)
- 47% reported losing their religion during their lifetime
- 60% do not pray
- A November 2022 poll: 84% of those opposed to mandatory hijab preferred a secular state
Persian Contributions to World Civilization
Mathematics
- Al-Khwarizmi (~780-850 CE): Invented algebra. The word “algorithm” is a Latinization of his name. The word “algebra” comes from the title of his book.
- Omar Khayyam (1048-1131): Contributed to cubic equations and the parallel postulate centuries before European mathematicians
Poetry — Rumi Is America’s Best-Selling Poet
- Rumi (1207-1273): The best-selling poet in the United States. Coleman Barks’s translations have sold over half a million copies.
- Hafez (1315-1390): Supreme lyric poet; his collected works found in nearly every Iranian household
- Ferdowsi (940-1020): Author of the Shahnameh (Book of Kings), one of the longest epic poems ever written
Medicine
- Avicenna (Ibn Sina, 980-1037): His Canon of Medicine was the standard medical textbook in European universities for centuries
- Rhazes (al-Razi): Pioneer in medicine and chemistry; discovered alcohol and sulfuric acid
The Word “Paradise”
The English word “paradise” derives from the Old Persian pairi-daeza (“walled-around”), referring to the enclosed gardens of the Persian Empire. The concept traveled from Persian to Greek to Latin to every European language. The paradise garden — walled enclosure with water channels, fruit trees, and flowers — originated in Persia.
Religious Diversity in Iran
Iran is far from monolithically Muslim:
- Zoroastrians: 25,000-64,000 (Zoroastrianism originated in Persia, was the state religion for over a millennium)
- Christians: 300,000-370,000 (Armenian and Assyrian communities with deep roots)
- Jews: ~9,000 (largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside Israel)
- Baha’is: 300,000-350,000 (persecuted, not recognized by the regime)
The GAMAAN survey reality: only 32% explicitly identified as Shia. 6% said Zoroastrian (a dramatic rise suggesting cultural/identity revival). The gap between the regime’s theocratic identity and the population’s actual beliefs is enormous.
Nowruz: Already Celebrated in America
Nowruz (Persian New Year) is a 3,000-year-old secular celebration observed by approximately 300 million people worldwide.
U.S. recognition:
- 2010: US House of Representatives passed the Nowruz Resolution
- The White House hosts an annual Nowruz celebration
- 2024: California Governor proclaimed March 19 as Nowruz Day
International recognition:
- UNESCO inscribed Nowruz on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list (2009)
- United Nations designated March 21 as International Day of Nowruz
Iranian Cinema — World-Class
- Asghar Farhadi: Won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film twice (A Separation 2012, The Salesman 2017)
- Abbas Kiarostami: Considered one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema history
- Majid Majidi: Children of Heaven (1997) was the first Iranian film nominated for an Oscar
Iran’s Democratic Aspirations
Green Movement (2009)
Millions took to the streets after the disputed election in the largest protests since the 1979 revolution. Demanded democratic reform, transparent elections, civil liberties.
Woman, Life, Freedom (2022-2023)
After Mahsa Amini died in morality police custody, protests became the “biggest challenge” to the Islamic Republic since 1979:
- Demanded wholesale regime change — not reform
- Leading demand: a secular democracy grounded in human rights and gender equality
- Over 20,000 arrested, more than 500 killed, at least 7 executed
The Arc of Progress
The progression from 2009 (reform within the system) to 2022 (replace the system with secular democracy) shows deepening commitment to democratic governance — principles fundamentally aligned with American constitutional values.
Sources: British Museum, Smithsonian, Library of Congress, USIP, Brookings, UNESCO, GAMAAN, Wikipedia, Britannica, Dissent Magazine, Carnegie Endowment