After seeing that bot account post lies suggesting that being Christian is somehow punishable by death in Iran, I want to clarify some things:

First of all, no. It's not.

There are many Christians in Iran. Assyrian and Armenian Christians. They have full legal rights to practice their faith, to own property and businesses, to be employed by the state, and so on. Same applies to other religious minorities as well (Zoroastrians, Jews, and so on).

I am not going to claim it is easy to be a Christian in Iran, because I think there is an inherent difficulties with being a very small minority, especially in a country whose identity cannot be estranged from Shia Islam. (I think the same applies to our Sunni brothers as well).

But the important point is that there is no legally sanctioned prejudice or disadvantage against them, and in certain cases it's quite the opposite; e.g. Christians are allowed to consume alcohol. The 99 percent of the population which is Muslim, cannot.

I was helping a younger relative of mine with school work and I came across some interesting things in his text book which I want to share.

In Iran there are certain religious / ideological classes which are a part of school. One of them is ادیان و اخلاق (Religions and Ethics).

Why do I think it's worth sharing? Because school text books represent, if nothing else, the ideals to which a society aspires, and the manner in which it perceives itself. It is sometimes a correct, and sometimes an incorrect perception, but these books undeniably reflect this.

So, what is interesting about this book?

You would think a class called "Religions and Ethics" in the Islamic Republic of Iran (whose school system is very much standardized), would be from beginning to end verses of Quran, and prophetic narrations? Not at all.

Before it even begins, a quote from the late Imam: "Islam respects religious minorities. Islam respects the religious minorities within our country. This country belongs to all of us."

Now you might think why did I translate the name of this class funny? Why "religions" with an S?

Well that's the name of the class. ادیان (adian) is the plural of دین (din). In other words, there is already an indication of some pluralism here.

Here is another key point. This question it poses to the students: "Referring to _your_ holy book, find and notate two statements about worldview, and two statements about ideology." (emphasis is mine). YOUR holy book.

I swear I looked up and down this book; couldn't find anything exclusively Islamic or that other religions would find objectionable. The most explicitly Islamic references in the book, are verses of irfani (gnostic) poetry (not gonna bother butchering this with translation).

But poetry is the lifeblood of Iranian and Iranic culture; there can be no talk of ethics without references to our poets (who are also gnostics). So this is only natural. And the nature of irfani poetry is that it is something that speaks to the core of the divine truths.

Even the section on modesty & sexual ethics, there are no references to narrations or arguments of tafseer scholars. Rather, a rational argument: immodest dress causes women to become objects, to become advertising tools for products, and a means of profit for capitalists etc.

"In this lesson we wish to know which paths and methods the _divine religions_ (emphasis mine) outline for us in battling selfishness."

Again we see ادیان (adian, i.e. "religions").

OK last one I promise. "The vanguards of religion have said: 'Want for others what you want for yourself.'"

I know this statement has been attributed to many people and is a sort of general wisdom. But in the Islamic tradition, we understand this as a quote of the Holy Prophet.

So even when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is being quoted in this religious ethics high school textbook published by the Islamic Republic of Iran, they do not mention him directly.

Conclusion: don't believe MEK bots. Religious minorities are not oppressed in Iran.

These textbook snippets are not meant to be some kind of comprehensive study; just a small window into one specific aspect of society. I think, in their own capacity, they are reflective of many things.