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LITERATUR Ervand Abrahamian: Radical Islam: the Iranian LITERATUR Ervand Abrahamian: Radical Islam: The Iranian Mojahedin. London: I. B. Tauris, 1989. 307 pages. (Society and Culture in the Modern Middle East. Series editor: Michael Gilsenan). This book may be considered volume two of the author's well-known work Iran betweenTwo Revolutions(Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1982; reviewed by the present writer in this journal, XXII, 1982, erschienen 1984, pp. 177-181). The "first volume", i.e. Iran betweenTwo Revolutions,was a masterful account of Persian history between the Constitutional Revolution of 1905-06 and the Islamic Revolution of 1978-79. It is, in the opinion of the present reviewer, the best and most balanced account of the social and political developments in con- temporary Persian history that led to the downfall of the Pahlavi monarchy and the triumph of the late Ayatullah Khomeini and his Islamic Republic. "Volume two", i.e. the book under review, deals with one of the two guerilla movements, the Iranian Mojahedin, who, in the words of Mr. Abrahamian, "delivered the regime its coup de grace." It is perhaps not too much to hope that the author will complete the "trilogy" with a third volume on the Iranian Feda'iyan, the second of the guerilla groups, who played an equally crucial role in bringing about the final demise of the Old Regime. After a short Introduction (pp. 1-5), The Iranian Mojahedinis in two parts: Part I (pp. 7-77) reviews the history of the Pahlavi monarchy and its downfall, and describes the successes and failures of the Islamic Republic during its first ten years. (Incidentally, the book appeared just before the death of Imam Khomeini.) Part II (pp. 79-261) deals with the Mojahedin from their origins in 1961-3 to their exile from Iran after the 20 June 1981 uprising, and constitutes the main part of the book. This is followed by Notes (pp. 263-285), a Selected Bibliography (pp. 287- 294) in three parts: Books on modern politics and contemporary Iran, Mojahedin- authored pamphlets, and Iranian newspapers and periodicals, and an Index (pp. 295-307). The Mohahedin whose history is covered in this book are the Sazeman-e Mohahedin-e Khalq-e Iran (People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran). In his Introduction, Abrahamian categorically states his approach to the subject: "I have written this book neither to praise nor to damn the Mojahedin, but rather to piece together the history of the organization and to answer a number of basic ques- tions" (p. 3). These questions include social backgrounds, ideology, and mass appeal of the movement. As a social and political scientist, the author places the discussion within the context of 1. the complex relationship between state and society in modern Iran; 2. the political and social dilemmas of the modern Iranian intelligentsia; and 3. Islam as a part of Iran's popular culture. To clarify his posi- tion further in "dealing with such sensitive issues as radical Islam", Abrahamian chose to end his Acknowledgements' page with the following revealing statements showing his own biases: "I am an Armenian-Iranian by birth; a sceptic by intel- lectual training; a democratic socialist by political preference; and, as far as 94 religious conviction is concerned, an agnostic on most days-on other days, an atheist." While such words bring the author closer to the reader and constitute a most welcome revelation, they are not necessarily the last word on the vexing subject of historical objectivity. We try our best (and Mr. Abrahamian has most certainly done so) and leave it to others to pass the final judgment. In reviewing the turbulent history of the Pahlavi monarchy (chapter 1), Abraha- mian summarized many of the arguments already presented in his Iran betweenTwo Revolutions,but here he has refined his ideas concerning the downfall of the regime. The discussion on the ten years of the Islamic Republic (chapter 2) contains ex- cellent analytical and interpretive material rarely to be found in the plethora of publications on the subject. A list of the clerical leaders is included (p. 43) showing, among other things, their rank, family background, education, and political past. In addition, he distinguishes between what he calls clerical populists, clerical liberals (headed by Ayatollah Shariatmadari), lay-religious radicals, and secular radicals, devoting lengthy discussions on each group. Earlier he had stated that, "In exile, Khomeini developed what can best be described as a populist clerical version of Shii Islam" (p. 21). The main focus of the book on the Mojahedin is in nine chapters. "The roots of the Mojahedin", the author states, "reach back to the Liberation Movement of Iran (Nehzat-e Azadi-ye Iran): the nationalistic, liberal and lay-religious party formed in the early 1960s by Mehdi Bazargan" (p. 81). Subsequently, he goes into details about the influence of Ayatollah Talegani and Ali Shariati on the Mojahedin movement. He devotes a lengty chapter (pp. 105-125) on the life and works of Shariati (1933-77) which, although it is extremely informative about the religio-philosophical ideas of this enigmatic figure, is not as vividly written as the shorter account on him in the author's Iran betweenTwo Revolutions(pp. 464-73). In this chapter, and in passing, Abrahamian is critical of what he calls Shariati's "Californian admirers" who "have done their best to both suppress outright or distort portions of his work" (p. 111 and p. 272, n. 16). The reference here is to those passages in Shariati's works where he denounces the obscurantism of the ulama class. In the chapter on The Formative Years of the movement, Abrahamian gives a comprehensive list of the Mojahedin members who were arrested by the notorious SAVAK (the Shah's secret service) and tried in 1972 (p. 131-33). Of the sixty- seven listed, ten were executed (including the three founders: Mohammad Hanifnezhad, Said Mohsen, and Ali-Asghar Badizadegan). Masud Rajavi, the future leader of the Mojahedin, was given a life sentence. Most of the prisoners, including Rajavi, were later released from jail when the Shah, desperate to control the worsening situation in the country, decided to demonstrate some leniency. The list contains useful information on the date and place of birth, occupation, education, family origins, sentence, and political future of the Mojahedin members. The great majority of these "freedom fighters" were university students, many of whom graduates of the school of engineering at Tehran Univer- sity or the University of Aryamehr. In discussing the split in the ranks of the Mojahedin organization, Abrahamian, under the title "The Great Schism" (chapter 6), attempts to describe what betook the movement in 1975: a division among the membership between Islamic Mojahedin and Marxist Mojahedin. The problem of adherence to Islamic prin- ciples on the one hand and application of socialist ideas on the other (which has plagued, and continues to plague, the organization) is an issue which liberation .
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