Diverging Approaches of Political Islamic Thought in Iran Since the 1960S

Diverging Approaches of Political Islamic Thought in Iran since the 1960s Seyed Mohammad Lolaki Diverging Approaches of Political Islamic Thought in Iran since the 1960s Seyed Mohammad Lolaki Diverging Approaches of Political Islamic Thought in Iran since the 1960s Seyed Mohammad Lolaki Anglican Action, Te Ara Hou Village Centre for Social Justice Hamilton, New Zealand ISBN 978-981-15-0477-8 ISBN 978-981-15-0478-5 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0478-5 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- tional affiliations. This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Dedicated to my beloved mother and father, who taught me everything I know. PREFACE Political Islam is one of the most important factors in Muslim societies. Political Islam based on Shia ideas and Iranian identity has governed Iran since the 1979 revolution. The successes and failures of this model have made a huge impact on both Iranian society and Political Islam across the Muslim world. The purpose of this book is to examine and elucidate the processes that contributed to the emergence and establishment of Political Islam in Iran and its contemporary challenges. Towards this end, I have endeavoured to study the intellectual processes of formation and the conundrums of Political Islam in Iran, and to explicate and clarify both the possibilities and limitations. Hamilton, New Zealand Seyed Mohammad Lolaki vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my utmost appreciation to all who supported me through this literary journey, without the presence of which this volume could not have come to fruition. This book was derived from a thesis which was written between the years 2012 and 2017 in the department of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. During this time I was under the supervision of Professor Dov Bing and Professor Douglas Pratt. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to them both. Professor Pratt especially read through every single chapter and gave me unmatchable advice and guidance for which I am profoundly grateful. I would also like to extend my thanks to Professor Davood Feirahi from the University of Tehran for kindly reading through the book comprehen- sively before final publication and giving me invaluable constructive advice and abundant guidance. Many thanks to Dr. Naser Ghobadzadeh from the Australian Catholic University for also reading through the entire text with supportive publication advice. I would like to extend my thanks to Abdullah Drury, Sajad Montazer Hojjat, Handren Delan and Ali Tavakol for giving me their invaluable support throughout this process. Many thanks also to Professor Seyyed Sadegh Haghighat, Associate Professor Seyyed Ali Mir-Mousavi from Mofid University, Associate Professor Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hosainizadah from Shahid Beheshti University and Masoud Pedram, Iranian researcher. They all read the ini- tial proposal and gave me their valuable constructive opinions on the vari- ous ideas articulated. ix x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Dr. Ehsan Shariati, Dr. Sousan Shariati and Dr. Mohammad Navid Bazargan for their advice, friendly chats and insights into the private lives of their respective (and respected) fathers. This proved to be pivotal in constructing the clearest and most organic por- trayal of their biographies and visions. A massive thank you to the anonymous peer reviewers whose com- ments aided the betterment of the text itself. Last but certainly not least, I would like to offer my endless gratitude and love to my wife and daughter for their unwavering support and kind- ness throughout these years. Thank you for putting up with the long days spent furiously typing away on the computer and the days in which I would be lost reading behind my colossal stacks of books. Without you two I would not be half the person I am today, and for that I am eter- nally grateful. ABOUT THE BOOK In this book, I argue that Political Islam in the Iranian context evolved into three main schools of thought during the 1960s and 1970s: jurisprudential Islam led by Ayatollah Khomeini, Leftist Islam led by Shariati and Liberal Islam led by Bazargan. Despite the fact that all schools seek an Islamic state, their chosen methods and philosophical approaches diverge considerably. The synthesis of these three contrasting sociopolitical views is structured here to provide a coherent interpretation by means of ongo- ing comparison. This tactic has so far not been presented within the field of academic studies in terms of Political Islam. Furthermore, this book provides a critical analysis of the aforemen- tioned ‘Political Islam’ schools in Iran, their similarities and differences, their relative success or failure, their contribution to the revolution of 1979 and how they have evolved from the pre-Revolution era to the pres- ent. It also presents the philosophical framework with regard to the politi- cisation of religion amongst the leading people of each school, and how this confronted the secular regime of the Shah. xi CONTENTS Part I Introduction 1 1 The Quest for Power in Iran: Principle Questions and Methodology 3 Of Mice and Men 3 Significance 6 Methodology 8 References 10 2 Concepts and Context 11 Political Islam: Concept 11 Political Islam: Iranian Context 14 Ideology 14 Political Thought (Doctrine) and Ideology 15 Religion as an Ideology: The Perspective of Plamenatz 16 The Iranian Context 18 Political Islamic Schools of Thought: Iranian Context 19 The Jurisprudential Islamic Perspective: Khomeini 19 The Left-Wing Interpretation of Islam: Shariati 23 Reform-Orientated Islam: Bazargan 28 References 31 xiii xiv Contents Part II A Duality of Radicalism and Reform: Analyses of the Ideas of Khomeini, Shariati and Bazargan 35 3 Key Ideological Elements 37 Ideology Defined 38 Khomeini 38 Shariati 39 Bazargan 40 Islamic Ideology in the Thought of Khomeini, Shariati and Bazargan 40 Khomeini 40 Shariati 47 Bazargan 50 ‘Otherness’ and the West 54 Returning to Shia Islamic Culture 56 Comparative Discussion 58 References 60 4 The West and ‘Otherness’: The Question of Modernity 65 Khomeini 65 Khomeini and Modernity 69 Shariati 70 Shariati’s View on the Spirit of the West 70 Shariati and Modernity 73 Bazargan 74 Bazargan and Modernity 77 Concluding Analysis 78 References 80 5 A Return to Innocence: The Resurgence of Shia Ideas 85 Khomeini 85 Specific Duty of Jurists 86 Iranian Identity 87 Shariati 87 The Specific Duty of Intellectuals 90 Iranian Identity 91 Contents xv Bazargan 92 Islamic Identity 95 Concluding Analysis 96 References 98 6 Rocking the Casbah: The Relationship Between Politics and Religion 101 Khomeini 101 Definition of Religion 101 Definition of Politics 102 Depoliticisation 102 Religion and Politics 103 The Policy of Denying Both the East and the West 104 Shariati 104 Definition of Religion 104 Definition of Politics 105 Depoliticisation 105 Religion and Politics 106 Bazargan 107 Definition of Religion 107 Definition of Politics 108 Depoliticisation 109 Religion and Politics 109 Concluding Analysis 110 References 112 7 The Table Spread: The Ideals of Islamic Government 115 Khomeini 115 Evidence for Islamic Government in the Qur’an and Sunnah 116 Guardianship of Jurisconsult (Velayat-e Fagih) 118 Characteristics of Islamic State According to Khomeini 118 Rights of People in Islamic State 121 The Islamic Republic of Iran 121 Shariati 122 Ummah and Imamate 122 Mysticism, Equality and Liberty 123 xvi Contents Bazargan 124 Prior to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 124 Post-1979 Revolution 125 Social Islam 127 The Islamic Democratic Republic of Iran 129 Concluding Analysis 129 References 131 Part III Political Islamic Thought 135 8 In the Beginning: Iran’s Constitutional Law After the 1979 Islamic Revolution 137 The Philosophy of Codification of Constitution 137 Evolution of the Draft of the Constitution of the Islamic Revolution 138 Draft Constitution: Discussions 139 Khomeini 139 Seyed Mohammad Reza Golpaygani 139 Seyed Shahbuddin Marashi Najafi 139 Sayyid Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari 140 Draft Constitution: Political

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