Persians are not Arabs
The major language in Iran, former Persia, is Farsi. It is a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages which is a group of the Indo- European languages. Persian language became the major literary instrument for many poems and religious works. Prior to the foundation of Islam in Iran, Persians are noted for the development of one of the oldest monotheistic religions, Zoroastrianism.
Iranian culture is one of the oldest in the whole world and has influenced cultures like Italy, Macedonia, Greece, Russia, the Arabian Peninsula, and parts of Asia.
Everyone has one, but after the Arab invasion of Persia, many of its people felt lost. As Shahrokh Meskoob quoted, “Identity is a reactive matter and attention to self becomes more meaningful in relation to others.”
Persians now had a choice, they could accept a new culture, including nationality, language (Arabic) and religion (Islam), or they could hold tight to the unique attributes making up their Persian identities. Anyone who has heard of Persian pride knows they fought to remain as Persians, not Arabs.
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