Croyants Non Pratiquants: La Religiosité de la Jeunesse Iranienne et Ses Implications Pour la Théorie de la Sécularisation

Abstract

Experiencing a mass Islamic revolution in the late 1970s, Iranian society has become known as strongly religious. Now, nearly 20 years after the revolution, it is relevant to examine the extent of religiosity among Iranian youth. Applying a multi-dimensional scale of religiosity (Glock and Stark's model), the religiosity of a sample of 391 high school students in Tehran was measured. The data revealed that the respondents tended to be highly religious. However, this was more pronounced in the area of beliefs and feelings than in following religious codes in everyday life and religious practices. Moreover, some elements of the religious attitudes of these young people seem paradoxical and need further explanation. The author presents a picture of the religiosity of Iranian youth and attempts to draw out the implications of this religiosity for secularization theory.