The Impacts of the Islamic Revolution on the Muslim World

Due to the appeal of the slogans, aims, methods, the contents, the results of the movements, the common religious and historical background, and the regional and international environmental conditions, Iran’s Islamic Revolution was a very influential phenomenon in the Muslim world. These effective elements are naturally or objectively planned and programmed through controls such as the revolutionary organs of the official government and administrative organizations, scientific and cultural communication, trade and economic exchanges and the governments, movements, and religious organizations in those societies were reflected in the Muslim world. Likewise, the governments, movements and religious institutions were influenced in varying degrees.

On one hand, this revolution ended the authoritarian and dependent imperial system in Iran. Despite the predictions that were being made, that this system would probably be replaced by a liberal-democratic system similar to the systems of the European countries or in the third world countries like India or turn into a tyrannical communistic dictatorship, it never materialized. To the surprise of the observers and political pundits of the world, it established a system based on religious and Islamic values, and that too, after 1,400 years since the advent of Islam and having no history in the past. Furthermore, over a quarter-century, despite all the problems, conspiracies, internal and external pressure, it has managed to last, gain strength and prove its worth in the world of modernism that is based on secularism.

There is no doubt that the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution brought a new meaning to the revival and awakening of the Muslim world and moved it from the stage of ideology to that of action and reality. Even though, almost a century ago, intellectuals such as Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Asadabadi and Muhammad Abdi emerged in the Muslim world and called people towards returning to Islam and resist the Western culture. However, the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution proved to all the Muslims that the issue of returning to Islam is not only a mere imagination and an idea. Rather, it is a thing that can be achieved. We can boldly claim that the first impact of the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution stems from the establishment of the Islamic republic system and its continuity of authority in facing crises and different conspiracies and specifically in confronting the powerful Western world which has grown day by day and the trust of the Muslims of the world has increased. Likewise, it has also increased their hopes to return to the golden era of Islam.

In reality, what Arnold J. Toynbee had predicted in his book ‘Civilization on Trial’ in 1949 materialized with the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Pan-Islamism has become dormant. However, we must keep in mind that if the proletariat of the oppressed world revolts against Western domination and demands an anti-Western leadership, this dormancy will awaken. Could this call for revolt have an irreversible psychological effect on arousing the military spirit of Islam – even if it has been asleep for as long as the seven sleepers?[1] This is because it is possible to reflect the echoes of a championship era. Suppose the current human situation leads to a racial war, Islam may rise again to play its historic role.

Of course, the level of influence of the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution was not the same in all Muslim societies. Rather, by paying heed to the intellectual, cultural and geographical closeness, the levels of influence were also different. From the fact that this revolution achieved victory based on the religion of Islam and the doctrine of the Holy Progeny (a), its impacts were also different based on this matter.

The Impacts of the Islamic Revolution upon the Shi’ahs

This revolution had an extraordinary impact upon the Muslims who followed the doctrine of the Holy Progeny (a), in other words, the Shi’ahs of the world. We can claim that it has moved the position of the Shi’ahs from the periphery to the centre of developments in the Islamic world. The Shi’ahs that, for many centuries, have always been in the minority and have been the target of intense propaganda attacks, especially by the rulers and caliphs of the Islamic world, and were forced to rely on the principle of taqiyyah,[2] and even feared revealing their own thoughts and ideas. Nonetheless, with this victory, they were revived and placed at the forefront of the fight against imperialism and domination.

The Orientalists and the Western Islamologists, who until this time paid no heed to the Shi’ah doctrine, and used to view Islam from a perspective of the majority, and had mostly based their researches and studies on Islam on the Sunni viewpoint, abruptly realized their great negligence. They felt that they were in a state of darkness and ambiguity in terms of recognizing the Shi’ah school, and it was in this direction that they changed the course of their research. They began great efforts by forming conferences and various seminars and the publication of various articles and books in order to get acquainted with this doctrine in the best way possible.

It is even possible to boldly claim that the recognition of Islam from the point of view of the non-Muslims, which has previously focused on the knowledge of Islamic teachings with the interpretation of the Sunnis, has undergone a fundamental change and the tendency to understand Islam has increased from the perspective of the Shi’ah school of thought. Even though we do not have the exact statistics, the information at hand depicts this reality that after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the number of people that converted to Islam from the perspective of the Shi’ah doctrine has had a significant increase. This is while before the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, people who converted to Islam by means of the Shi’ahs only came about as a matter of a coincidental meeting with the Iranians or were influenced by Shi’ahs.

 

This matter is even true in regards to changing from one of the four Sunni schools of thought to the Shi’ah doctrine. In other terms, a very large number of the Sunnis have developed a great interest in learning the reality regarding the Shi’ah doctrine after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. They have also developed an interest in knowing the secrets behind the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution that managed to overthrow the authoritarian imperial power in the late twentieth century which was being supported by the great powers and replace it with a system where the values of Islam prevail. According to the available information, after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, it is only Nigeria that recorded an increase of more than ten million people who converted into the Shi’ah Islamic denomination. Likewise, in most of the Muslim societies like Malaysia, Indonesia and East Asia, where there was neither the name nor impact of the Shi’ah doctrine before the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, gradually, the Shi’ah minority formed and found a favourable position among the various Islamic schools.

In regards to the impacts of the Islamic Revolution upon the Shi’ahs, we can generally highlight the following aspects:

• Moving from the periphery to the centre of developments in the Islamic world.
• The inclination of the researchers, experts and Islamologists in knowing more about the Shi’ah doctrine.
• The inclination of the non-Muslims towards and even the Sunnis towards the Shi’ah doctrine.
• Inculcating the revolutionary spirit and epitomizing the Islamic Revolution in standing up against the imperialist powers of the world.
• The emergence of waves from the political Islam amongst the Shi’ahs who want a part or the whole power and government.

The Impacts of the Islamic Revolution Upon Sunnis

After the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, it was expected that communities that had a better foothold for the revolution in terms of ideological foundations and historical backgrounds would rise up and revolt. This was specifically for countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Turkey from the fact that these countries had a history of struggle and that they had pioneered the Islamic caliphate in the past. Nonetheless, such a thing did not happen and the first movement a country with many ethnicities and the lowest percentage of Muslims like Lebanon and that too had its great impacts amongst the Shi’ahs.

The reason as to why and how the Islamic Revolution had a significant impact upon the Shi’ahs and did not have the impacts upon the Sunnis as it had been predicted, is a matter that does not necessarily go back to the fundamental Islamic thought. Rather, it is mainly related to the procedures and techniques employed by the Shi’ahs in the course of history and managed to establish a government that is independent in the political structure. It was this independent system that over the past century and at the right time, stood up and played its role in the face of the influence of the oppressors and the tyranny of the rulers. We shall hereby highlight in a summary the procedures and techniques that the Shi’ahs have that the Sunni lack:

1. Elaborating the characteristics and features of those vested with authority (Uli al-Amr)

 

From the Shi’ah perspective, a ruler of the Islamic society is not only supposed to be powerful and a Muslim, but also being just is one of the fundamental and inseparable features of an Islamic ruler. Otherwise, obeying an unjust leader is not only unnecessary but also, people must revolt against him. This is while for the Sunnis, the condition of being a Muslim and powerful is sufficient for one to be a ruler and all the Muslims must obey such a person. It is pretty obvious that by paying heed to this type of ideology, revolting against the Muslim rulers in the Muslim countries, rulers who are both corrupt and dictators, becomes very difficult.it is due to this reason that the Islamic movements in the Sunni societies in general, never contemplated overthrowing these rulers. Rather, they dealt with them in a reformatory manner.

2. The Openness of the Gate of Ijtihad[3]

In the Shi’ah doctrine, the gate of ijtihad is always open.[4] Likewise, during the period of occultation too, the jurists (mujtahid) who have met all the comprehensive conditions are charged with the responsibility of representing the twelfth Shi’ah Imam, that is, Imam al-Zaman (aj) in the mission of guidance to their followers. Owing to this fact, it is compulsory for a Muslim Shi’ah to be either a jurist himself, or follow a jurist who has met all the comprehensive conditions. On the Sunni side, the gate of ijtihad is closed completely after the four Imams of the Sunni schools of thought.

The presence of this institution in the Shi’ah doctrine not only helps the followers of this doctrine who always solve their current and up-to-date problems by the use of the legal decrees (fatwa), but has also created a continuous and natural bond between these religious leaders – who also have the necessary legitimacy – and their followers. Likewise, this matter has also provided the appropriate conditions for political exploitation to engage in political, social, and revolutionary activities against the various rulers.

3. The Independence of Religious Scholars from the Government

In the Shi’ah doctrine, the religious scholars and clergy are independent of the government and have no affiliation with the state whether economically or hierarchically and this is regardless of their different levels. This group generally benefits from the payment of religious funds and public donations, and even the Islamic seminaries are independent in this regard. On the other side, the Sunni scholars are generally dependent on the government economically. The Imams of the Friday prayers and the congregational prayers are appointed by the government and are naturally fully dependent on the rulers of the time. Of course, this dependence will be a stumbling block for the Sunni clergy, who are simply unable to break away from the structure of the political system. In addition, by maintaining their position, they will not be able to stand up against the rulers of the time.

In the meanwhile, due to the strong bonds that the Shi’ah clergy have with the people, they consider themselves to be part of the people and act according to their wishes as long as it does not cross the religious boundaries.

1. The Awakening and Revival of Islam

Even though the awakening and revival of Islam amongst the Sunni Islamic scholars, dates to the period before the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, nonetheless, the expansion and generalization of this revival are indebted to the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Today, the issue of separating religion from politics is a matter that has been rejected and deemed unacceptable by all Muslims. Meanwhile, the return to genuine Islam is an accepted principle not only within the individual and social life but has also been strengthened in their political lives.

2. Strengthening the Spirit of Anti-Imperialism

 

In regards to this, we can say that with the successful resistance and confrontation that the Islamic Revolution showed against the great powers especially the United States, it left its impacts on all the Islamic societies that had tested the humiliation and imperialism. Today, the spirit of anti-imperialism and specifically against the United States, has gained enough expansion and generalization in the Muslim world. This matter too is also indebted to the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

3. Inculcating a Sense of Pride

In the past, the Muslims used to kind of feel embarrassed and had an inferiority complex. This was due to the era of Western domination over Muslim societies and also the speed of scientific progress. The general efforts were aimed at ignoring their past and blindly epitomizing the Western lifestyle. The Islamic Revolution led to the eradication of this humiliation and inferiority complex and the Muslims generally feel proud regarding their past and Islamic identity. In addition, they made efforts to return to the values of Islam and it is owing to this fact that after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, an increased desire to attend the mosques and religious ceremonies is seen especially within the youths. Likewise, they even changed their clothes and appearance to resemble that of Islam. The use of the Islamic hijab among women was no longer deemed a weakness. Rather, it was considered to be a source of pride, a political movement and a symbol of resistance. This matter advanced to an extent that the committed women decided not to give up their Islamic dress, even at the cost of being deprived of their education and losing their jobs.

 

4. Mosques as centres of political activity

After the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the political activities no longer took place in the framework of party constituencies or political bases. Rather, the mosques turned to be the centre of political activities and whenever people were faced with political problems, they used to gather in the mosques. They would then make their plans in these holy places and it is due to this reason that not only did the mosques in the Muslim world flourish in an extraordinary manner after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, but also the number of mosques are increasing on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, the mosques have not only become more widespread as places for performing the daily prayers but have also turned out to be centres of political and social activities.

5. Expansion of the Islamic Liberation Movements in the Sunni Communities

We have witnessed two main impacts upon the liberation movements in the Sunni communities. One of them is the liberation movements that had been formed based on non-Islamic ideologies like socialism, liberalism and nationalism, which lost their positions amongst the Muslims and specifically the youths. It no longer has its former credit as that of Pan-Arabism and Nasserism. The second one is that even the reformist Islamic liberation movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood which has long been popular due to their lack of response to the problems of their societies and especially to the demands of the generations of the youths broke up. In the event of this, new resistant and revolutionary groups even armed groups were formed whereby we can name Jihad or al-Takfir wa al-Hijrah in Egypt and Islamic Salvation Front in Algeria as examples.

6. Religious Behaviour

More inclination of the women towards wearing the hijab, the increase in public acceptance of performing the religious duties like praying the Friday and other congregational prayers, the increase of religious classes such as the recitation of the Quran and its interpretation. Likewise, an increase in the presence of people in religious gatherings is among the things that developed significantly after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

7. Islamic Sensitivity

An inclination towards using Islamic names and titles by people and institutions and also avoiding using the non-Islamic and Western names and titles are among the impacts of the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. This was in such a way that even the Ba’athist regime of Iraq was under the influence of this sensitivity, that it hoisted the slogan of ‘Allahu Akbar’ under the Iraqi flag.

8. Supporting Religious Sanctities

 

The people’s support of Imam Khomeini (ra) in regards to his legal decree concerning Salman Rushdie. After Imam Khomeini (ra) had issued this fatwa, the publication of that book became prohibited in all Islamic countries. In almost all the Islamic countries, large demonstrations were held in protest against Salman Rushdie and his supporters in countries such as India, Pakistan and so on. In Pakistan, it led to the killing and injuring of a number of Muslims.

 

The entry of Sharon into the al-Aqsa Mosque evoked many emotions of the Palestinian Muslims which led to the emergence of the intifada which goes on until today.

1. Political Demands

Increasing demand for more Islamic laws and the affairs of the society and forcing the government to respond positively and in most Islamic countries is a public demand. This matter posed a great challenge to the secular governments.

10. International Partnership

Strengthening the sense of belonging to the Islamic Ummah and expressing sensitivity to developments in the Muslim world. Comprehensive demonstrations that occurred in opposition to the American invasion in Afghanistan and Iraq depict the sense of public cooperation and efficiency in the Muslim world.

We can boldly predict that the American invasion into the Muslim countries and initiating merciless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq will undoubtedly lead to widespread revolt in the Muslim world under the banner of Islamism. Besides, no country will be able to control and suppress that including the United States and the Western powers. In reality, this aggression from the United States and the Western powers is a reaction that the United States started in order to maintain its domination over the Muslim world and the great wealth of these countries which can lead to the increase of the revolutionary spirit and popular and Islamic uprisings. Indeed, the predictions of Arnold Toynbee can materialize in the near future, where he says: “Suppose the current human situation leads to a racial war, Islam may rise again to play its historic role.”

[1] In Christian and Islamic tradition, the Seven Sleepers (Arabic: اصحاب الکهف‎, Romanized: aṣḥāb al-kahf, lit. ‘People of the Cave’) is the story of a group of youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus around 250 CE to escape a religious persecution and emerged some 300 years later. [Translator]

Archive of The Thought of the Islamic Revolution