April 1: Islamic Republic Day in Iran
Prayer Idea
Pray for the people and government of Iran.
History Note
The ancient kingdom of Persia was centered in what is now the country of Iran. The religion of Zoroastrianism developed there.
People from this area were in Jerusalem during Pentecost after the death and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2), and the gospel spread there in the early centuries after Christ.
In the 600s, Arab invaders brought Islam, which has been the dominant religion in the region ever since.
In the aftermath of World War I, a leader named Reza Shah Pahlavi took control of Persia in 1925. Reza Shah’s economic ties to Germany during World War II led to an invasion by British and Soviet troops. The Allies forced Reza Shah to abdicate, and his son Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi became leader.
The next few decades saw political instability and conflict with covert involvement by Americans, Israelis, and the British. A revolution against the Shah’s leadership grew in 1978, led by Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, known by the title Ayatollah. The Shah left the country, and the Ayatollah Khomeini took over.
On April 1, 1979, Khomeini declared Iran to be an Islamic Republic. Later that year, Iranian students took over the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran. They kept Americans as hostages for over a year. This standoff between Iran and the United States is known as the Iran hostage crisis.
Khomeini died in 1989. Under his successor, Ali Khamenei, the government of Iran has continued to enforce a strict application of Islamic teaching to everyday life. According to the U.S. Department of State, the government of Iran also supports organizations in other countries that conduct terrorist attacks.
According to the country’s calendar, the country celebrates the twelfth day of Farvardin as Islamic Republic Day. (This normally coincides with April 1 on the Gregorian calendar.)
This bazaar in the city of Isfahan, Iran, has a portrait of the country’s two supreme leaders—Khomeini (1979-1989) and Khamenei (1989-present). Photo by BalkansCat / Shutterstock.com.
Learn More
Visit Homeschool History to watch a video about Iran’s recent history and to find other resources.
