ARAB IMPERIALISM NEVER ENDED BUT THE PERSIANS ARE REAWAKENING

In my discourse on social media I encountered many who vehemently hate the Western imperialism and colonialism of days gone by. These are mainly pro-Beijing, Muslims, progressive liberals, or natives of colonised lands. Especially to the Muslims who have given it all in their condemnation of Western colonialism, little do they understand they themselves are the colonialists who never went away. I have always said a knowledge of history is very important as it gives context to one's understanding of current affairs.

The legacy of Western imperialism has been widely scrutinised and condemned, often justly so.. After World War II, colonial powers withdrew from their overseas holdings, leaving behind newly independent nations struggling with the consequences of imposed borders, cultural erasure, and economic dependency. In contrast, another form of imperialism has remained curiously underexamined - that is Arab imperialism. Born from the explosive expansion of Islam in the 7th and 8th centuries, Arabisation reshaped vast regions from Egypt to Morocco, from the Levant to the Gulf, not only through religion but through a wholesale transformation of language, identity, and cultural memory.

The Roman Empire, and later Byzantine Empire. had been at war with the successive Persian empires (Parthian, then Sasanian) for nearly seven centuries (from 92 BCE to 628 CE). At the heart of their conflict is the rivalry over the rich buffer regions of land between the two empires, mainly Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), Armenia, Syria, and Eastern Anatolia (Turkey). By the time they had fought their last battle, both empires were left utterly exhausted, setting the stage for the rapid Muslim conquests. The Islamic expansion in the 7th century BC was phenomenal in terms of time frame and scope of land mass. Some attribute it to the enigma of the Prophet Mohammud that empowered the religious zeal of the Arabs. In reality, it was the Arab expansion coming at a time when the two biggest empires in the region were totally exhausted after 7 centuries of warfare with each other and already in a state of near collapse. 

Unlike the British in India or the French in Algeria, and other European imperialists elsewhere, Arab conquerors never leave. They embedded themselves so thoroughly into the societies they conquered that Arab identity became fused with Islam itself. In today's language, Arabisation is better understood like a cultural genocide. The cultures of the indegenious people were completely wiped out. Middle East countries (and original people) that have been completely Arabised are:

Fully Arabised:-
Egypt (ancient Egyptians)
Sudan (Nubians)
Libya (Berbers)
Tunisian (Berbers)
Algeria (Berbers)
Morocco (Berbers)
Mauritania (Berbers)
Syria (Arameans, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Phoenicians)
Lebanon (Phoenicians, Arameans, Greeks, Romans)
Jordan ( Nabataeans, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Arameans)
Iraq-Mesopotamia (Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Arameans)
Djibouti (Afar, Somali), Comoros (Bantu Africans, later Malagasy)
Palestine (Canaanites, Philistines, Arameans, later Greeks, Romans, and Hebrews. Only the Hebrews retained their culture)

Islamised - but not fully Arabised:-
Djibouti (Afar, Somali [Cushitic peoples])
Turkey (Turks)
Iran (Persians)

History is fact, and it tells us the Arabs are the imperialists who never leave the conquered lands. Yet Muslims today are totally unaware of the hypocrisy of their criticism of European colonialism.

But in Iran, something different happened. By the sword Islam took root, but Arabisation never fully succeeded. Persian language, literature, and national consciousness survived. And today, there are signs of a cultural resurgence in Iran — one that may amount to the most serious decolonisation effort the Islamic world has ever seen.

Arabisation vs. Islamisation: Not the Same
Arabisation is often conflated with Islamisation, but the two are not identical. Islamisation refers to the adoption of the Islamic faith. Arabisation is cultural: it includes the adoption of Arabic language, dress, names, legal norms, and a historical narrative rooted in the Arabian Peninsula. After the Islamic conquests of the 7th century, vast regions including Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and North Africa not only converted to Islam but adopted Arabic as their language and Arab identity as their own, often losing or marginalising their pre-Islamic traditions entirely.

In Iran, the conquest by Arab Muslim armies culminating in the fall of Ctesiphon, the ancient capital of the Sasaian Empire in 651 CE marked the collapse of ancient Persia. But unlike in Egypt or the Levant, Persian language and identity were not erased. The great Persian epic, Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, was written in the 10th century with minimal Arabic influence — a conscious act of cultural resistance. Persianate dynasties like the Samanids and later the Safavids nurtured Persian culture while accepting Islam. This dual identity persisted for centuries, with Persian Islam developing its own theological schools, poetry, and political structures, often in tension with Arab orthodoxy.

The 1979 Shift: Arabisation Through Theocracy
The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran marked a critical turning point. Though it overthrew a Western-backed monarchy, it did not result in a reassertion of Persian nationalism. Instead, the new Islamic Republic was ideologically grounded in a transnational, Arab-centric religious identity. Its clerical structure drew heavily from Arab Shi’i traditions. Arabic became the language of the pulpit and the madrasa. Religious authority began to supersede ethnic and national identity. The Mullahs and the Islamic leadership are basically Arabs who have held the majority Persians under severe authoritatarian rule for 45 years.

The birth of the Iranian Islamic regime galvanised the whole Middle Eastern region, seeding the rise of the desire of many Islamic organisations with the same fervour to turn their own country into same theocratic state..  

Critics such as Ali Dashti, a former cleric turned secular thinker, warned against the suppression of Persian intellectual traditions in favor of Arab dogma. In works like "Twenty-Three Years", Dashti questioned the merging of political authority with religious revelation, arguing for a more rational and culturally rooted Persian approach to faith.

The Resurgence: Iran’s Cultural Reawakening
Today, there is a visible pushback against Arabisation in Iran. This resistance is not merely political (against the regime) or theological (against clericalism), but cultural and civilisational. Among the signs:
* Increasing celebration of pre-Islamic festivals like Nowruz and Mehregan.
* Renewed interest in Zoroastrian heritage and symbolism.
* Rejection of Arabic terms in favor of Persian equivalents in daily speech.
* Youth-led online movements questioning why Arabic is mandatory in schools but ancient Persian history is neglected.
* Widespread admiration for figures like Cyrus the Great and Ferdowsi as symbols of pre-Islamic pride which is followed by a more friendly sentiment towards Israel.
* Hollowing out of mosques. More than half of the tousands of mosques in Iran are now closed.
* The rise of underground churches and reverts to Christianity, some estimates the number as 10% of the population, in a country where one faces the death penalty if found in possession of a bible.

Voices among the Iranian diaspora, dissident poets, academics, and even clerics are calling for a return to a culturally authentic Persian identity. Many do not reject Islam per se, but they seek to disentangle it from Arabism and theocratic control.

Arab Imperialism: The Unexamined Empire
Why has Arabisation escaped the same moral scrutiny as Western colonialism? One reason may be that it came cloaked in religion. Islam was embraced voluntarily in many regions, but Arab cultural dominance often accompanied it in ways that were assumed to be "natural."

Another reason is fear: criticism of Arabisation is frequently mistaken for Islamophobia, even when the critic is a devout Muslim. The world has normalised to treat every Islamic issue with kids' gloves. Yet the historical record is clear. Arab conquerors replaced local languages, renamed cities, rewrote histories, and reoriented identity toward Mecca and Medina. The Arabs genocided the local culture and the indegenious peoples lived in ignorance .... except the Persians.

In many countries, the process was irreversible. But not in Iran.

Conclusion: A Persian Reclamation?
Iran stands at a civilisational crossroads. The regime's crisis of legitimacy is not just about political repression or economic mismanagement—it's about identity. The Mullahs may have tried to recast Iran in the mold of Arab theocracy, but beneath the surface, the Persian soul persists.

For 45 years Iranian kids start their days in school with curses for the Big Satan (USA) and the Little Satan (Israel). They are brained washed with pure hatred for the Jews. The age of internet allows the pure light of Truth to filter in and Iranians are slowly realising they had been living in the dark ages. They knew decades of Islamic rule had brought them nothing but misery. The Mullahs brought the Iranian rials at a rate of 1 USD=70 IRR in 1979 to today's 1 USD = 910,000 IRR !!! The tide of discontent against the repressive ruling Arab theocracy has been rising. Mohammad Abolghassen Doulabi, a senior Iranian cleric serving as President Raisi's special representative for clerical affairs as a well as a member of the Assembly of Experts, publicly stated on 2 Jun 2022 that approximately 50,000 out of Iran's total 75,000 mosques have been closed or inactive

Persians revere Cyrus The Great. The Jews are forever grateful to Cyrus The Great for his benevolence in returning them from the Babylonian Exile and his command for the rebuilding of the Second Temple. Historically and theologically, Persian Zoroastrianism likely had some formative influence on Judaist thought during their captivity in Babylon. The three wise men who came from the East to Jerusalem in the nativity story was thought by many to be Zoroastrians. Zoroastrianism is not genealogically related to Judaism or Christianity but they share many parallelism in concepts. In short, the Jews and Persians have no quarrels on a people-to-people level.

They say God works in mysterious ways. Perhaps all it takes was for Trump to drop those bombs in Iran to trigger off events leading to a regime change. Imagine what a resurgence of majority Persian rule in Iran can mean. A long cherished peace between the Israelis and Iranians, unimaginable for decades, but almost certain as the ancient Jewish and Persian consciousness reconcile. During the time of the Shah, Iran had not officially recognised the newly formed state of Israel, but there was informal relation and extensive cooperation. A Persian-ruled Iranian Republic will see the geopolitics of the Middle East change completely. A Persian counter-balance to the increasingly active Turkey, the loss of support to the troublesome Islamist terrorist groups and Houthis, and the cessation of the Sunni-Shia divide, can only make the whole Middle East region celebrate.

If this cultural reawakening continues, Iran may become the first Muslim-majority nation to openly confront the legacy of Arab imperialism. In doing so, it could redefine what it means to be both Muslim and rooted in a non-Arab, ancient civilisation. It may not necessarily be a rejection of Islam, but a reclamation of agency over how Islam is understood and lived, and opens up forbidden paths to their ancient religious practice of Zorastrianism and reconciliation with Israel.

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