Throughout its 2,000-year presence in Persia, the Jewish community has helped shape the Iranian identity.

Our culture is derived from our Iranian identity.

Until the Parthian era, Iranian identity had an ethnic, linguistic, and religious value, however it did not yet have a political import.

Throughout the period, the pre-Islamic Iranian identity reached its height in every aspect: political, religious, cultural and even linguistic.

In his 2007 interview with Jamejam daily, he insisted on his Iranian identity proudly.

The many historical meanings of the emblem have provided rich ground for competing symbols of Iranian identity.

Since then Islam has played a crucial role in shaping Iranian identity, culture and politics.

This whole shift of the Iranian identity toward a more Islamic one created a kind of crisis.

One Iranian later complained, "I had to hide my Iranian identity not to get beaten up, even at university."

Finally these two customs and traditions merged as the "Iranian Islamic" identity.