Results of 2013 Pew Research Center pollViews of Iran by countryCountry polled Pos. Neg. Anti-Iranian sentiment (Iranophobia)Ram, H. (2009): Iranophobia: The Logic of an Israeli Obsession, Stanford University Press, refers to any manifestation of hatred, prejudice, and discrimination against the Iranian people. It is most generally based upon a disdain for Iranian culture or the Persian language, and has been recorded across several countries and regions for centuries. The phenomenon may be motivated by a variety of factors, such as broader feelings of xenophobia or due to certain political developments involving Iran.
Historically, anti-Iranian sentiment (principally targeting Persians) has been a recurring theme in the Arab world since the Muslim conquest of Iran in the 7th century. Ethnic discontent between Arabs and Persians following the early Muslim conquests is thought to have peaked under the Umayyad dynasty and ultimately sparked the Iranian Intermezzo in the 9th century. This dynamic intensified with the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam by the 18th century and continues to influence Iran's relationship with the Arab League in the modern era.
A more recent surge in anti-Iranian sentiment began in the Western world, particularly in the United States, after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. In the aftermath of the Iran hostage crisis, the United States and other Western countries have repeatedly clashed with Iran in both diplomatic and military channels over several complex points of contention, including Iran's nuclear program and military activities in the Strait of Hormuz and throughout the Middle East, where it has been engaged in proxy conflicts with Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Turkey.
The opposite phenomenon is known as Iranophilia, which involves a deep admiration for the Iranian people and their history, culture, language(s), or country. This sentiment is notable for having been and continuing to be widespread in many parts of the Muslim world, especially in the Indian subcontinent, where a uniquely Indo-Persian culture developed under the Mughal Empire and other powerful Persianate societies.
In the Arab world
Early Muslim conquests
"Ajam" slur The word "ʻajam" is derived from the root ʻ-J-M and refers to "unclear, vague and/or incomprehensible" as opposed to "ʻarabi", which means "clear, understandable; with perfect Arabic tongue".See also ; ʻAjam came to mean "one who mumbles" or "has difficulty speaking",Ignaz Goldziher, Arab und 'Agam. Muhammedanische Studien I. Halle. 1889-1890. I p. 101. tr. London 1967-1971, I, p. 98 [C. E. Bosworth. similar to the Slavic ethnonym and their usage of "mutes" to refer to Germans. It came to be "applied especially to Persians", and the distinction of the two terms is found already in pre- and early Islamic literature (ʻAjam Temtemī).Goldziher. Muhammedanische Studien I, p. 103. tr I, p. 99 "In general, ajam was a pejorative term, used by Arabs because of their contrived social and political superiority in early Islam.", as summarized by Clifford Bosworth. Although Arabic dictionaries state that the word ʻajami is used for all non-Arabs, the designation was primarily used for Persians.Franz Rosenthal, "The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History By Ibn Khaldun, 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad Ibn Haldun", Princeton University Press, 1967, , p. 311 (footnote 1206)
Zoroastrian-based slurs Many Sunni fundamentalist Arabs use slurs against Persians by calling them "fire worshippers" and "majus". Majus or majusi (مجوس) is an Arabic term for the Magi in Zoroastrianism.
Umayyad period Patrick Clawson states, "The Iranians chafed under Umayyad rule. The Umayyads rose from traditional Arab aristocracy. They tended to marry other Arabs, creating an ethnic stratification that discriminated against Iranians. Even as Arabs adopted traditional Iranian bureaucracy, Arab tribalism disadvantaged Iranians."Patrick Clawson. Eternal Iran. Palgrave Macmillan. 2005. , p. 17.
Many Arab Muslims believed that Iranian converts should not clothe themselves as Arabs, and many other forms discrimination that existed."Ignaz Goldziher. Mohammedanische Studien". Vol 2. p. 138–9*"Ansab al Ashraf" or "Futuh al-Buldan" by Baladhuri, p. 417. "Tarikh-i Sistan". p82. "Tarikh e Qum". p254-6. Mu'awiya I, is said to have sent a letter addressed to Ziyad ibn Abih, the then governor of Iraq, wrote:
Mistreatment of Iranians and other non-Arabs during the early period of Islam is well documented. Under the Umayyads, many mawlas (non-Arab Muslims) employed by a patron enjoyed favourable positions as equal to Arab Muslims, but they were generally victims of cultural bias and even sometimes considered to be on an equal footing of a slave. According to sources of that time, the mistreatment of mawlas was a general rule. They were denied any positions in the government under Umayyad rule.
The Umayyid Arabs are even reported to have prevented the mawali from having kunyahs, as an Arab was only considered worthy of a kunya.Jurji Zaydan, p. 228 (زیدان، جرجی، تاریخ تمدن اسلام ، ترجمه علی جواهرکلام، تهران: امیرکبیر ، چاپ نهم ، 137) They were required to pay taxes for not being an Arab:
References in Persian literature Zarrinkoub presents a lengthy discussion on the large flux and influence of the victorious Arabs on the literature, language, culture and society of Persia during the two centuries following the Islamic conquest of Persia in his book Two Centuries of Silence.
Suppression of Iranian languages After the Islamic conquest of the Sassanid Empire, during the reign of the Umayyad dynasty, the Arab conquerors imposed Arabic as the primary language of the subject peoples throughout their empire. Not happy with the prevalence of the Iranian languages in the divan, Hajjāj ibn Yusuf ordered the official language of the conquered lands to be replaced by Arabic, sometimes by force.Cambridge History of Iran, by Richard Nelson Frye, Abdolhosein Zarrinkoub, et al. Section on The Arab Conquest of Iran and its aftermath. Vol 4, 1975, London, p. 46 According to Biruni
It is difficult to imagine the Arabs not implementing anti-Persian policies in the light of such events, writes Zarrinkoub in his famous Two Centuries of Silence,Zarrinkoub, Abdolhossein, Dū qarn-i sukūt : sarguz̲asht-i ḥavādis̲ va awz̤āʻ-i tārīkhī dar dū qarn-i avval-i Islām (Two Centuries of Silence), Tihrān: Sukhan, 1379 (2000), where he exclusively writes of this topic. Reports of Persian speakers being tortured are also given in al-Aghānī.al-Aghānī (الاغانی). Abū al-Faraj al-Isfahāni. Vol 4, p. 423
After Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam
Predominantly-Shia Islamic Iran has always exhibited a sympathetic side for Ali (the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad) and his progeny. Even when Persia was largely Sunni, that was still evident, as can be seen from the writings remaining from that era. Rumi for example praises Ali in a section entitled "Learn from ʻAli". It recounts Ali's explanation as to why he declined to kill someone who had spit in his face as ʻAli was defeating him in battle. Persian literature in praise of Ali's progeny is quite ubiquitous and abundant. These all stem from numerous traditions regarding Ali's favor of Persians being as equals to Arabs.
Several early Shiite sources speak of a dispute arising between an Arab and an Iranian woman. Referring the case to ʻAli for arbitration, ʻAli reportedly did not allow any discrimination between the two to take place. His judgment thus invited the protest of the Arab woman. Thereupon, ʻAli replied, "In the Qurʼan, I did not find the progeny of Ishmael (the Arabs) to be any higher than the Iranians."; ;
In another such tradition, Ali was once reciting a sermon in the city of Kufah, when Ash'as ibn Qays, a commander in the Arab army protested, "Amir-al-Momeneen! These Iranians are excelling the Arabs right in front of your eyes and you are doing nothing about it!" He then roared, "I will show them who the Arabs are!" Ali immediately retorted, "While fat Arabs rest in soft beds, the Iranians work hard on the hottest days to please God with their efforts. And what do these Arabs want from me? To ostracize the Iranians and become an oppressor! I swear by the God that splits the nucleus and creates Man, I heard the prophet once say, just as you strike the Iranians with your swords in the name of Islam, so will the Iranians one day strike you back the same way for Islam.";
When the Sassanid city of Anbar fell to the forces of Mu'awiyeh, news reached Ali that the city had been sacked and plundered spilling much innocent blood. Early Shi'ite sources report that Ali gathered all the people of Kufa to the mosque and gave a fiery sermon. After describing the massacre, he said, "If somebody hearing this news now faints and dies of grief, I fully approve of it!"Nahj ol Balagheh. Sobhi Saleh. Sermon 27 According to Kasraie, It is from here that Ali is said to have had more sympathy for Iranians while author S. Nureddin Abtahi claims that Umar highly resented them.Abtahi, S. Nureddin. Iranian dar Quran va rivayat. p75.
Modern era Iraq It was in Baghdad where the first Arab nationalists, mainly of Palestinian and Syrian descent, formed the basis of their overall philosophies. Prominent among them were individuals such as Mohammad Amin al-Husayni (the Mufti of Jerusalem) and Syrian nationalists such as Shukri al-Quwatli and Jamil Mardam. Sati' al-Husri, who served as advisor to the Ministry of Education and later as Director General of Education and Dean of the College of Law, was particularly instrumental in shaping the Iraqi educational system. Other prominent Pan-Arabists were Michel Aflaq and Khairallah Talfah, as well as Sati' al-Husri, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, Zaki al-Arsuzi and Sami Shwkat (brother of Naji Shawkat). These individuals formed the nucleus and genesis of true pan-Arabism.
Saddam Hussein forced out tens of thousands of people of Persian origin from Iraq in the 1970s, after having been accused of being spies for Iran and Israel.Saddam: His Rise and Fall, by Con Coughlin, 2005, , p. 148Saddam Hussein: An American Obsession By Andrew Cockburn, Patrick Cockburn, , p. 80 Today, many of them live in Iran.The Iraq War: Hidden Agendas and Babylonian Intrigue, by Raphael Israeli, , 2004, p.49A History of Iraq, by Charles Tripp, , 2002, p. 230
Iran–Iraq War Early on in his career, Saddam Hussein and pan-Arab ideologues targeted the Arabs of southwest Iran in an endeavour to have them separate and join 'the Arab nation.'Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography by Efraim Karsh, Inari Rautsi, Dr Joseph M Stowell- P145 Hussein made no effort to conceal Arab nationalism in his war against Iran (which he called "the second Battle of al-Qādisiyyah).
"Yellow revolution", "yellow wind", "yellow storm" were thrown as slurs by Saddam Hussein against Iran due to Hulagu's 1258 sack of Baghdad during the Mongol wars and the terms "Persian" and "Elamites" were also used by Saddam as insults.
On 2 April 1980, a half-year before the outbreak of the war, Saddam Hussein visited Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. By drawing parallels to the 7th-Century defeat of Persia in the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah, he announced:
"In your name, brothers, and on behalf of the Iraqis and Arabs everywhere, we tell those [Persian] cowards who try to avenge Al-Qadisiyah that the spirit of Al-Qadisiyah as well as the blood and honor of the people of Al-Qadisiyah who carried the message on their spearheads are greater than their attempts."Saddām, 'Address given'. Baghdād, Voice of the Masses in Arabic, 1200 GMT 02 April 1980. FBIS-MEA-80-066. 03 April 1980, E2-3.