Gov. Census: Population of Tehran’s Sunnis Crossed one Million

TEHRAN- Recently launched official statistics by the Centre of Census in Iran purport that the population of Sunni citizens of the Iranian capital, Tehran, has crossed one million. The news has exasperated some officials.

A Shiite website, Shia-online, reported the news quoting an “informed authority” at the state-run census centre that there are more than one million Sunnis living in Tehran. The authorities confessed for the first time that the Sunni citizens of Tehran populate more than one million persons.

The country-wide statistics was carried out in the last month in Iran.

The religious Shi’a website expressed its deep concerns over the news, as the operators of the Persian website posted the news with a critical heading: “One Million Sunnis Live in the Capital of Shi’a World (Tehran)”.

The above-mentioned website quoted the “informed and credible source” saying that the news aroused the fright and wonder of some authorities and officials of Iran.

The report adds that the total populace in the Tehran province is about 12 million; it means Sunnis populate, approximately, 10% of the province population.

It is pertinent to mention that the Sunni community of Tehran is prohibited to build any separate mosque. Sunnis have been offering prayers in some rented places; even, sometimes, the authorities and security officials impose restrictions on their gatherings for prayers on Fridays and Eid days.

Source: SunniOnline.us