Introduction
The incidence of the Islamic Revolution in Iran was a great feat and according to Robin Wright, an American analyst, it was a tremendous revolution. (Wright, 2000:20). By taking into consideration its religious aspect which gave it its cultural hue and theme, this revolution had an immense significance in the world especially the Muslim countries and even the non-Muslim countries. Analyzing the criterion of the impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the other countries has always been one of the most vital concerns for political thinkers. The theme of this article is the impacts of this revolution on Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and its position in the Muslim world
With an estimated area of 2149 square kilometers, Saudi Arabia is the largest country in Western Asia and the second largest Arab country after Algeria (in terms of area). This country’s population is more than 27 million whereby only 16 million people are citizens and the rest are foreigners. In terms of economy, this country greatly depends on oil. It is the largest producer and exporter of oil in the world. Crude oil exports constitute approximately 90%-95% of the export incomes and form 70%-80% of Saudi Arabia’s incomes. Despite these tremendous incomes from oil, Saudi Arabia is faced with serious economic challenges. A high rate of unemployment (almost 13% of the citizens of this country), high population growth, and a great need to increase the government’s expenses are among the problems that this country is facing. (Lehr Wagner, 2008, 18).
In the cultural and social aspect, it must be noted that the society of Saudi Arabia is still based on tribal relationships. In this country, apart from the religious ties, the existence of prejudice and strong tribal ties form the general culture of the society. This formation of Saudi Arabian society has prevented the establishment of a single culture. (Adhimī, 1995:37). There are several social and cultural gaps in this country whereby the greatest of all is the gap between men and women. In this country, women have been deprived of many social and cultural rights and their position is lower than that of men. (Bradley, 2005:29). There are four ethnic groups with different cultures in this country which are as follows:
- The people of the Najd region reside in central Saudi Arabia. The Saudi family comes from this region as well.
- The people of Hejaz consist of the inhabitants of Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah. According to the beliefs of the Saudi family, the people of Hejaz are not suitable to hold any governmental posts because they are the remnants of the pilgrims of the holy shrines of the infallible Imāms. It is due to this reason that the people of Hejaz rarely hold any position in the government.
- The Shi’ahs mostly reside in the Eastern regions and the oil production and exporting center like Qatif. Even though this group is an ethnic minority, it has always posed a great threat to the Saudi Arabia government.
- The Assyrians are a minority and mostly reside near the border of Yemen and the mountainous region of the southwest. (Āghāī,1368:68).
In the political aspect, it must be noted that Saudi Arabia has a political system that is completely closed. The political power of this country is in the hands of a small group of political elites and the power transfer is in an undemocratic manner. In this country, the citizens are deprived of all the political freedoms and rights, and the political power and its benefits are divided in a very unfair manner. In other words, a very small group of political elites rule have dedicated all the political powers of the country to themselves and the citizens do not benefit at all from it.
In this country, the political power is in the hands of the Saudi family while the religious power is in the hands of the Wahhab family. People outside the Saudi family have no right of getting a post in the government. At the same time, any form of opposition against the ruling political system is prohibited and is severely suppressed by the government. The press in this country is completely under the watch of the government and in reality, they convey the political thoughts of the ruling class and propagate the policy of the government. (Bradley, 2005:25). The Shi’ahs in this country are deprived of all the political, civil, and economic rights. To cite an example, even though the Eastern region (a place where most Shi’ahs in Saudi Arabia reside) is one of the places that has the greatest oil reserves in the world. However, the lifestyle of the Shi’ahs in that region cannot be compared to the lifestyle of people and other tribes in other regions of Saudi Arabia. In regards to this, Graham E. Fuller writes:
The Eastern Province, which has a treasure of natural resources of oil is one of the poorest regions in Saudi Arabia. In comparison to the other regions of Saudi Arabia, the government has dedicated a very minimal budget for construction, infrastructure, health, education, and training projects in this Eastern region. (Fuller and Rand Rahim 2005: 356).
The economic, cultural, and especially political conditions present in Saudi Arabia, have made this country to turn into a vulnerable country. Another vital matter is that Saudi Arabia has always enjoyed a special and lofty position in the Muslim world due to some reasons. The advent of the noble religion of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula and boasting the holiest religious places for the Muslims like the great mosque of Makkah (Masjid al-Harām), and the holy shrine of the Holy Prophet (s) in Madinah, has cemented a lofty position for Saudi Arabia amongst the Muslim countries. This country is capable of using this greatest geopolitical factor in any way they wish as an endless source of propagating Islam. (Ezzatī, 1999: 97)
Another factor that has also given Saudi Arabia a special position is their benefit from the great resources of oil. The proven oil reserves of Saudi Arabia are around 262 billion barrels (more than a quarter of the world’s oil reserves). The production of oil in this country in 2011 was 8,800,000 barrels per day (10.06 of the world’s oil production). (IEA, 2000: 1). The presence of these great oil reserves and the massive incomes generating from them and likewise the incomes generating from the Hajj and ‘Umrah (minor pilgrimage) rites has bestowed extensive economic facilities in the hands of the Saudi Arabia regime. Apart from the two mentioned factors, based on its geographical location and also its power to influence the other Arab countries, Saudi Arabia has always been taken into consideration by the other countries. (Āshtī, 1987: 7-11)
A brief introduction to the economic, cultural, and specifically the political conditions present in Saudi Arabia, which has turned this country into a vulnerable country, and also the significant position of Saudi Arabia and the widespread political, economic, and religious influence of this country on the Middle East countries and the Muslim world, explains the reason behind the research about the impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on Saudi Arabia.
The influence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the Muslim countries in general and on Saudi Arabia, in particular, began during the formation of the Islamic Revolution. In reality, it can be stated that the influence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran began with the inception of the revolution itself. On the other side, it must also be noted that the propagation of a phenomenon from the place of origin to the intended destination might take a long time to happen. The Islamic Revolution too was no exception to this rule and its influence on the Muslim countries is a permanent one.
In other words, these influences commenced from the time of the victory of the Islamic Revolution to date. Of course, despite the continuing influences of the Islamic Revolution on the Muslim countries, these influences have had ups and downs as in they did not happen with the same speed and power. Owing to this fact, the impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on Saudi Arabia from the time of its incidence to date can be divided into some periods.
The first period: From the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution until the beginning of the imposed war
In this period, the power and speed of the spread of the Islamic Revolution in Saudi Arabia were high. Consequently, we have witnessed events that clearly depict the impacts of the Islamic Revolution:
The rebellion of Juhayman al-Utaybi and the seizure of Masjid al-Harām on the 20th of November, 1979. (Deukmejian, 1998: 255)
The uprising of the Shi’ahs in the Eastern region in 1979. (Deukmejian, 1998: 256)
The second period: From the beginning of the imposed war until the adoption of the truce and the end of the war
The imposed war, helped the Saudi leaders to propagate the Arab – non-Arab and Shi’ah – Sunni agendas to a big extent and these widespread propagations thwarted the influence of the message of the Islamic Revolution to a great deal. In this period, we have witnessed the decline in power and speed of the Islamic Revolution on Saudi Arabia in comparison to the first period.
The third period: From the end of the imposed war until the time Imām Khomeynī (ra) issued a fatwa against Salman Rushdie
While the war had come to an end and the Saudi Arabia government could have greatly used the present situation, the issuance of the fatwa (religious decree) calling for the death of Salman Rushdie by Imām Khomeynī (ra), proved yet again the leadership of Imām Khomeynī (ra) over the Muslim world. It also led to the great humiliation of the Saudi governors as they claimed the leadership over the Muslim world. Likewise, this matter also led the Muslims and especially the Shi’ahs to reconsider the messages of the Islamic Revolution.
The fourth period: The periods of construction and reforms
Even though the general politics of the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the matter regarding the inception of the revolution and safeguarding its ideal and long-term agendas of the Islamic Revolution like the renunciation of oppression and domination, protecting the Muslims and the oppressed have always been pursued in general and in the leadership of the system, however, the different governments that have worked in this system, each had its own differences in pursuing these agendas. This was to an extent that in relation to some of them, people had this feeling that the leaders were abandoning the agendas of the revolution in the matter regarding its inception and its influence on the rest of the Muslim countries. Indeed, after the demise of Imām Khomeynī (ra) until now, we have witnessed several governments come into power whereby their performance curve in relation to pursuing the Islamic agendas (and among them, in the issue regarding the inception of the revolution) can be a curve panel on the ups and downs of the impacts of the Islamic revelation on the other countries.
In the governments of Mr. Hāshemī-Rafsanjanī and Khatami (1989–2005), in their statements, they pursued détente in the relation between Iran and the shaykhs of the region (Persian Gulf) especially Saudi Arabia, and mainly emphasized that the politics of inception of the Islamic Revolution does not mean meddling in the matters of other countries. They also excused themselves from these interventions. (Akhavān-Kazemī, 1994: 43)
With the coming to power of Mr. Hāshemī-Rafsanjanī and proposing the politics of détente and even stating that the fatwā of Imām Khomeynī (ra) was just a fatwa from a religious cleric and not the general politics of Iran and that the Iranian government will not dispatch someone to execute the fatwa of Imām Khomeynī (ra), an immense relationship was formed with the Saudi family. It led to the mending of the relationships and even the visit of King Abdullah to Iran as the crown prince for the sake of participating in the conference of the leaders of the Islamic countries in 1997. The government also came to the conclusion that the matter of Palestine is not the main agenda for the Islamic Republic of Iran. (Nūrī, 1999: 143–152). In conclusion, we witness the decline of the curve in the impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the Middle East countries. In general, in this period, we witness the decline in speed and power of the influence of the Islamic Revolution on Saudi Arabia.
The fifth period: The period of the presidency of Ahmadinejad
The new government and the approach that it had in regards to foreign relations revived the matter of the inception of the Islamic Revolution. The conservative regimes in the region were challenged and their legitimacy questioned. Among his actions concerning this matter, we can mention his message to King Abdullah and his criticism on the questionable stand of King Abdullah in regards to the attacks of the Zionist (Israel) regime on Gaza, his yearly speeches at the United Nations meetings, his slogans renouncing Israel and domination and safeguarding his country from the collapse of the countries dependent on the West like Egypt, Tunisia and so on and the uprising of the Bahraini people. By paying heed to these matters, it can be stated that during this period, the intensity and speed of the influence of the Islamic Revolution on Saudi Arabia and especially the Shi’ahs in this country increased in comparison to the earlier period.
Conclusion
With the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran in the year 1978, Iran and the Islamic Revolution of Iran has become the spotlight in the region with slogans and discourses like efforts in establishing a universal Islamic government, renouncing domination, helping the oppressed ones and the freedom movements, propagating Islam and inviting people towards the Shi’ah sect. They had such strong impacts in the region whereby people who did not like the Islamic Revolution were influenced by that. The influence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the Muslim countries has been a permanent process. This means that the process of the influence of the Islamic Revolution began with the victory of this revolution and is still continuing. Of course, this does not mean that in all the periods of the era of the Islamic Revolution, this process occurred at the same speed and intensity. Rather, in this period, we have witnessed ups and downs in these influences. Indeed, by considering the current conditions of Saudi Arabia, we have witnessed that the speed and intensity of the influence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran intensified in some of the periods and declined in others.
Due to religious, political, geopolitical, economic, and geographical reasons, Saudi Arabia has always enjoyed a special and prominent position in the Middle East region and the Muslim world. On the other side, the present conditions of this country have turned this country into an environment that welcomes the influence of the Islamic Revolution. Of course, there have been many hindrances to these influences which posed problems to the speed and intensity of these influences.
By paying heed to these conditions, the Islamic republic had several ways and means for enabling its influence on the Saudi Arabian society and especially the Shi’ahs of this country. Amongst these ways and means, we can mention instances like demonstration against the indulgence of the polytheists in the Hajj rite, the words of Imām Khomeynī (ra) in this objective, establishing an office for the freedom front of the Arabian Peninsula in Tehran, the criticism of the Islamic republic authorities towards the Saudi Arabian leaders and their general system in regards to the matters of the region and the Muslim world and their close ties with the United States, permitting entry of the Shi’ahs from Saudi Arabia to Iran for the purpose of studying in the Islamic seminaries in Qom, handing over the Arabic department of the voice of Tehran to the leaders of the mission of the Holy Prophet (s), the celebrations to mark the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the invitation of foreign dignitaries, a world assembly for religious approximation, the issuance of the decree of Imām Khomeynī (ra) calling for the killing of Salman Rushdie, building mosques and husaynīyyahs in Saudi Arabia, the sermons of the Islamic Shi’ah scholars in support of the Islamic Revolution, accepting the Shi’ah view regarding the renunciation of an oppressive regime by the Sunni groups and others.
Of course, as we had earlier on stated, there are major hindrances in this course that posed problems for these impacts. They are as follows:
1. The gap between the Arab and non-Arab (Persian-Arab) and the gap of Sunni – Shi’ah.
2. Widespread efforts in propagating the Salafist sect and dispatching Salafist students to the Muslim countries.
3. Elaborating controversial issues between the Sunni and Shi’ah.
4. Limitations in establishing religious places and schools.
5. Writing hundreds of books and the issuance of many fatwas in proving the polytheism of the Shi’ahs.
Despite the existence of all these hindrances and other hindrances that have been mentioned in the context of this article, the Islamic Revolution had a wider significance on Saudi Arabia. And despite the different political styles among the Iranian government officials in the period of the three decades which have been elaborated in the previous pages, the awakening wave stemming from the Islamic Revolution is still going on in Saudi Arabia and has presently found a new life. This is due to the specific temporal and regional feature, and especially the feature of the Islamic Republic in terms of stability and authority, efficiency, and reviving the original slogan of the Islamic Revolution.
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