Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam information

Following their rise to power in Iran in the 16th century, the Safavid dynasty initiated a campaign of forced conversion against the Iranian populace, seeking to create a new demographic environment in which Shia Islam would replace Sunni Islam as the nation's religious majority. Over the course of the next three centuries, the Safavids (who were Twelver Shias) heavily persecuted Sunni Muslims, Jews, Christians, and other religious groups,^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] eventually transforming Iran into a spiritual bastion of Shia Islam. This process led to hostilities with Iran's Sunni-majority neighbours, most notably the Ottoman Empire. Additionally, the Safavid campaign sought to ensure Twelver dominance among Shia Muslims, particularly with regard to Zaydism and Ismaʿilism—each of which had previously experienced their own eras of sectarian dominance. Through their actions, the Safavids were able to establish the Shia sect as the official religion of their empire, marking a significant turning point in Islamic history, which had been universally dominated by the Sunni sect until that period. It also marked a significant turning point in Iranian history, having been the nation's first demographic change since the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century.

As a direct result of the Safavid conversion campaign, the Shia sect of Islam remains dominant among the populations of Iran and Azerbaijan,^[5] with the latter having the world's second-largest percentage of Shia Muslims behind Iran itself.^[6]

^ Arshin Adib-Moghaddam (2017), Psycho-nationalism, Cambridge University Press, p. 40, ISBN 9781108423076, Shah Ismail pursued a relentless campaign of forced conversion of the majority Sunni population in Iran to (Twelver) Shia Islam...
^ Conversion and Islam in the Early Modern Mediterranean: The Lure of the Other, Routledge, 2017, p. 92, ISBN 9781317159780
^ Islam: Art and Architecture, Könemann, 2004, p. 501, ISBN 9783833111785, Shah persecuted the philosophers, mystics, and Sufis who had been promoted by his grandfather, and unleashed fanatical campaigns of forcible conversion on Sunnis, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities
^ Melissa L. Rossi (2008), What Every American Should Know about the Middle East, Penguin, ISBN 9780452289598, Forced conversion in the Safavid Empire made Persia for the first time dominantly Shia and left a lasting mark: Persia, now Iran, has been dominantly Shia ever since, and for centuries the only country to have a ruling Shia majority.
^ Akiner, Shirin (5 July 2004). The Caspian: Politics, Energy and Security. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203641675.
^ Juan Eduardo Campo,Encyclopedia of Islam, p.625

[1] Arshin Adib-Moghaddam (2017), Psycho-nationalism, Cambridge University Press, p. 40, ISBN 9781108423076, Shah Ismail pursued a relentless campaign of forced conversion of the majority Sunni population in Iran to (Twelver) Shia Islam...

[2] Conversion and Islam in the Early Modern Mediterranean: The Lure of the Other, Routledge, 2017, p. 92, ISBN 9781317159780

[3] Islam: Art and Architecture, Könemann, 2004, p. 501, ISBN 9783833111785, Shah persecuted the philosophers, mystics, and Sufis who had been promoted by his grandfather, and unleashed fanatical campaigns of forcible conversion on Sunnis, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities

[4] Melissa L. Rossi (2008), What Every American Should Know about the Middle East, Penguin, ISBN 9780452289598, Forced conversion in the Safavid Empire made Persia for the first time dominantly Shia and left a lasting mark: Persia, now Iran, has been dominantly Shia ever since, and for centuries the only country to have a ruling Shia majority.

[books.google.com.au-5] Akiner, Shirin (5 July 2004). The Caspian: Politics, Energy and Security. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203641675.

[Juan_Eduardo_Campo_p.625-6] Juan Eduardo Campo,Encyclopedia of Islam, p.625

Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam information

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