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Comments by grandmagus


1. Genie shows barred by Islam, clerics say

Comment #32228 by grandmagus on April 16, 2007 at 8:38 am

It is interesting to note that Moslems are required to believe in the existence of genies. There is even an entire chapter of the Koran devoted to genies. According to Islam, the genies themselves are required to be Moslems, as it is mentioned in the Koran that Muhammad was sent as a prophet to both "humanity and the jinn."

2. Merry Mithras

Comment #14259 by grandmagus on December 21, 2006 at 5:26 pm

Yalda (rather similar to Yuletide?) is widely celebrated to this day in Iran on winter solstice eve, which is December 21. This is an obvious choice of date for the celebration of the birth of the sun god Mithras, as it is the longest night of the year, after which the days start growing longer. "Mitra" is also a common girls' name in Iran, where the sun is considered to be female.

Yalda, just like the new year festival of Norooz, which occurs at the spring equinox, is not considered to be directly related to any religion currently practiced in Iran, except perhaps to Zoroastrianism through historical association.