The relation between religion and government in Iran after the Islamic revolution (1979)

Abstract

The Iranian Revolution in 1979 transformed Iran from a monarchy under the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to an Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini, an aging cleric, as the leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. After the French and Russian revolutions, it has been called the third revolution in the world. It was unique for its surprised created throughout the world. It lacked many of the customary causes of revolutions such as defeat in war, financial crisis, peasant rebellion or disgruntled military in which produce profound change at great speed and overthrow a regime thought to be heavily protected by a lavishly financed army and security services. It replaced an ancient monarchy with a theocracy based on Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist (Velayat-e Faqih). This revolution as a revolution without borders was chanting “Neither East nor West but Islamic Republic”. It introduced itself as a seamless revolution in the world and proclaimed to have a new way of ruling for the world’s countries especially the third world and Islamic countries. Through integration of republicanism and religion, it was to rule religion on elective and democratic institutions, in other word, confining liberalism to religious injunctions. From its inception, the Islamic Republic was to create conditions under which may be nurtured and protected the noble and universal values of Islam. To achieve this mission, unelected institutions such as the Supreme Leader and the Guardian Council were created and empowered with the ultimate authority over national affairs.