Emily Wither

He says because of that, life growing up was tough as the family struggled for money.

The woman we've been hearing from was a child in 1979.

That year, Iranians from all walks of life overthrew the secular western bat monarchy, the Shah, replacing it with the world's first modern theocracy.

The Islamic Republic of Iran was established under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khamenei, using Shia Islam as the unifying ideology against tyranny and foreign influence.

The revolution promised Iranians a more just and godly society.

Iran's Islamic law was imposed gradually, and by the early 1980s, the new Islamic authorities imposed a mandatory dress code that required all women to wear the hijab.

And as the years passed, many Iranians have come to feel the state has weaponised religion.

carrying out repression in the name of God.

It's led to many seeking out their own forms of personal spirituality.

And studies have shown, including one from the Iranian government that was later leaked in 2024, that while a segment of the population is deeply religious, a large portion of Iranians have grown increasingly secular and support separating religion from state.

You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

I'm Emily Wither, and for this week's Heart and Soul, we've been speaking to Iranians inside the country about how their faith has helped them through months of war and uncertainty.

At the end of February, the US and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran, which hit back with missile and drone strikes on Israel, US bases and US-allied Gulf states.

Since March, there's been nightly rallies in major squares inside Iran, where Iranians have voiced both support for the government and anger at the war.

However, I've been speaking to some who are opposed to the regime.

They've turned away from the Islamic Republic's state-imposed religion, instead finding solace in private prayer, Persian poetry and more personal forms of spirituality as they live through a time of war and repression.

We spoke to another man in Tehran.

He was also brought up in a religious family, and these days his faith has drifted to something more personal.

He's in his mid-30s and also wished to remain anonymous, fearing the repercussions of talking openly to the media.

His answers are voiced by an actor.