Abstract
Presently, Muslim groups are considered to be among the most active political currents in the world. These groups believe that the world and globalization has a close relationship with religion. Owing to this fact, the importance and the growing influence of religious thoughts and institutions are apparently seen all over the world. This is in a way that the year 1992 was termed as the year of Islamic Awakening whereas, in 1994, the Westerners and the Easterners believed that Islam is defenseless against modernism or modernization. Likewise, in 1979 the American government considered Islamic Awakening to be among the factors destroying the world and the Muslim activists were described as warriors participating in a war. Cyrus Vance, the United States Secretary of State at the time (1977–1980), believed that in the event of a war, it would probably threaten the American interests in a great manner. In reference to this war, he named it a war between Islam and the West. The leaders of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) too, did not conceal their fear regarding the Islamic Revolutionary awakening and its threats against their countries. The Western and Eastern experts considered the incidence and continuity of the Islamic Revolution phenomenon as the root cause of all the discussions regarding the Islamic Awakening.
Keywords:
Islamic Revolution, Islamic Awakening, Imām Khomeynī, Iran, the Muslim world, Muslims, Islamic movements.
Introduction
This article seeks to provide answers to the following questions:
1- What does Islamic Awakening mean? Is it a new phenomenon or has also happened in the past?
2- The Western and Eastern analysts consider the spread of the Islamic Awakening to be concurrent with the Islamic Revolution. Is it possible to establish a deep relationship between these two?
1- If the Islamic Revolution has influenced the Islamic Awakening, what is the evidence of these influences? Is it possible to see samples of these influences among the Muslims or in the Islamic movements?
It is due to this reason that to seek the answers to these questions, the writer has first and foremost sought to explain the meaning of the Islamic Awakening. After that, with the necessary observation, he determines the criterion of its being new or old. In the next step, he endeavors to establish the relationship between the Islamic Revolution and the spread of the Islamic Awakening phenomenon and elaborates on the reasons for the influence of the Islamic Revolution on the outspread of the Islamic Awakening. He then identifies the evidence whose inception or development stems from the Islamic Revolution. Eventually, he explains more tangibly and concretely, the samples which depict the influence of the Islamic Revolution on the Islamic movements that have been inspired by the Islamic Awakening.
The definition of the Islamic Awakening
Wakefulness is the opposite of sleeping and refers to the activeness of the brain. Therefore, Islamic Awakening means the manifestation of pure Islam to the people and society. According to this, a sublime life is achieved from religion and it can only be attained through religion. This is because God has bestowed life upon man and the world and His prophets invite us towards the things which revive us. So, Islamic Awakening means living again in the light of genuine Islam. In other words, it refers to the revitalization of Islam, which means freedom, justice, and all the transcendental teachings and values are revived. Islamic revitalization is a kind of religious reformation and of course, it does not refer to the religious reforms that happened in the West. The reason being that according to the West, religious reforms mean that religion is a victim that undergoes changes and conversions whereby the society no longer becomes religious but rather, it is the religion that moves with time. In conclusion, religion exits the social life realm but the Islamic Awakening and revitalization are reviving the people and the social life based on religious principles and ways. It is due to this reason that the dust has been removed from religion and the face and nature of religion have become manifest whereby the result of these measures is that religion returns to the realm of human life. In a nutshell, the Islamic Awakening is the separation and deterrence of the Islamic teachings from ambiguities that have settled on the face of religion. Due to this, it can be said that if sleep is the brother of death, then awakening is in the arms of life. (Islamic Propagation Office, 1385: 359)
Contrary to the diversity of beliefs and different subsets, the Islamic Awakening is the proclaimer of a single message in history with the theme: “We have returned in order to restore religion to the realm of the individual and social life of man. This feeling and self-awareness is a combination of two states of modesty and the will to return to the pure and righteous values of the past. The state of modesty is in regard to the dignity that God has promised the pious people and today the Muslims are not benefitting from it and the return to Islam means that our own backwardness stems from our distance from Islam.
Owing to this reason, if we want to summarize the two elements of modesty and the return to Islam in one sentence, we ought to say that the meaning and message of Islamic Awakening, is that we should return to pure Islam to recapture our past glory or to attain our lost dignity. Just like it is clear from the meaning of Islamic Awakening, the term ‘return’ does not refer to the conservative and reversed movement in history. This is to say that the term ‘return,’ will not refer to going back to the dark past or regression in history. Rather, it will mean going back to Islam and repenting for setting Islam aside and compensating for not acting according to the religion of the Holy Prophet. In other terms, Islamic Awakening means that from the fact that we have taken a huge distance from the Islamic concepts and values in terms of beliefs, etiquettes, and social acts, we ought to do whatever we can to compensate for our failures of the past centuries.
This return aims to form a new Islamic culture by utilizing the pure Islamic values and the human experience is human civilization. In light of this, the Islamic Awakening movement aims to form a universal culture that is based on the teachings of the Holy Prophet whereby rationality and spirituality, power and morality, knowledge and value, knowledge and actions are achieved together. (Islamic Propagation Office, 1385: 359).
The history of the Islamic Awakening
Based on what has been elaborated, it is clear that the phenomenon of the Islamic Awakening is not a new thing; of course, in the last decades, it has developed due to different reasons like colonization and attack of the Islamic society by the West. By elaborating on the history of the Islamic Awakening, not only can we comprehend its historical roots, but also its relationship with the Islamic Revolution and the reasons for its development in the decades after the Islamic Revolution.
The advent of Islam created a great change in the history of man to an extent that the racial, geographical, and tribal boundaries were discarded and brought together different societies based on the word of God. It created a tremendous worldly and spiritual power amongst the communities that neither benefited at all from the culture of that time nor had the worldly power. This power provided them with their material and spiritual dignity and also brought them to the apex of spirituality. In short, in conditions whereby the Greece civilization was at the zenith of its fame and powers such as the Roman and Persian empires were also the superpowers of that time, the advent of Islam occurred and after defeating those two powerful empires, it quickly spread to different geographical areas. This was in a way that it did not take long before it took control of a great part of the world at that time. As a matter of course, this spread was not only territorial and marginal. Rather, the world of Islamic thoughts also developed in parallel with the military and economic power of the Muslim world. And this exactly happened at a time when the European countries of that time were falling.
Islamic culture and civilization were still spreading, and even during the time that the Islamic culture was at the apex of its fame, the Western culture went into slumber. This was in a manner that later on, the West referred to that period as the dark age in Europe. The reason being that they did not have anything to offer to the human world in opposition to Islam. The crusades too, which did not achieve what it militarily deemed worth over two centuries, led to the gradual European comprehension of the culture, literature, and intellectual development of the Muslim world and thus provided the background for their awakening.
It is because of this that the era of the Renaissance was the turning point from the dark age and the beginning of an era that was termed as the age of enlightenment or the age of reason. Thus, the Europeans were influenced by the Muslim world, and by imitating it, little by little, they managed to achieve tremendous developments in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. (Velāyatī, 1384: 132)
During these eras, due to two major factors, the Muslim world gradually went into slumber and remained far away from the pure thoughts of Islam. The first factor was colonization and exploitation by the Europeans in this vital geographical and intellectual region. The second one was the despotism and deviation of the Muslim rulers. These two factors inflicted deadly damage to the Muslim world which reached its climax during the first world war. This is because the Ottoman Empire which in some cases, was counted as the place of refuge for the Muslims, was mainly overthrown due to those two factors.
As a consequence, an astounding military and intellectual attack by the Europeans started against the Muslim world. This was in a way that the Muslims became alienated and considered Islam to be the factor causing their backwardness. As a result, the Muslims thought that perhaps by imitating the Europeans, they may compensate for their backwardness.
Needless to say, in these eras, there were also people who with deep circumspection and insight regarding the situation and conditions, concluded that the reason for the backwardness and slumbering of the Muslim world is not from Islam. Rather, it is because the Muslims have distanced themselves from Islam and its ideologies. In the meantime, personalities such as Sayyid Jamal al-Dīn Asadābādī, Sayyid Qutb, and Hasan al-Bannā have struggled so much to awaken the Muslims from their heavy slumber and tell them the reasons for their backwardness and the solutions to it. (Velāyatī, 1384: 217)
The latest essential blow of the Europeans against the Muslim world is the formation and imposition of the Zionist whose seed was planted in the holy land of Palestine. During this time, while analyzing civilizations in his book entitled “Civilization on Trial and the World and the West,” Arnold Toynbee, a celebrated British historian has written a very important and historical phrase as follows: “Pan-Islamism is asleep. However, if the oppressed world revolt against Western sovereignty and gather together under one leader, they will awake from their slumber. The clamour of this revolt might influence inciting the spirit of an Islamic system and make Islam stand again for the sake of playing its historical role. (Velāyatī, 1384: 217)
The prediction of Arnold Toynbee was concurrent with the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979 which was a tremendous feat. A revolution that was achieved without any weapon and by only relying on the slogan “God is Great” and the return to the Islamic values in opposition to all the great powers and superpowers. Not only is it considered to be a turning point in the history of Iran, or to the Muslim world but rather, a turning point in the whole history of mankind. People have been awakened through this movement and it has quickly spread to the other parts of the Muslim world. Due to this, two years had not yet passed after the Islamic Revolution when a group of pious youths in Lebanon defeated the five great powers of that time (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Israel) who had military bases in that country and forced them to escape without giving them even the slightest precedence. In Afghanistan, the British and Russian empires succumbed to defeat and the defeat of the United States is also close.
In Turkey, Algeria, and other Muslim countries, the only call that is heard every day is the call of Islam. In occupied Palestine, the uprising (intifāḍah) has taken away peace from the Zionists and imperialism. Consequently, it must be said: “If today the United States thinks of continuing its occupation of Iraq, it aims to inflict a blow on the Islamic Awakening and awareness. However, the Muslims have woken up and have commenced their great job based on three major principles: the first one is returning to the pure Islam which was able to defeat the strong powers during its advent; the second one is uniting the Muslim world whereby imperialism and colonization had struggled for many years to create a lot of differences between the Muslim sects by adopting policies such as ‘divide and rule’; the third one is standing against colonization, confronting disbelief, atheism and the tyrants of the time. Indeed, this movement will lead to the victory of Islam and the defeat of imperialism (Velāyatī, 1384: 201, 208).
The relationship between the Islamic Awakening and the Islamic Revolution
“By reviewing the past discussions, one can comprehend the relationship between Islamic Awakening and the Islamic Revolution. Nonetheless, for the sake of clarifying the matter, it seems that it is necessary to study the views of the founder of the Islamic Revolution. He believes that in the same manner that Iran revolted and defeated the colonialists, all the countries must revolt and pour these wastes in the wastebaskets.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 633)
“We do not consider this movement to be an Iranian movement only. Rather, it is an Islamic movement and a movement of the oppressed people against the colonialists.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 764)
“Behold! Oh, the fathers of the church and the clerics who follow Prophet Jesus! Stand up and support the oppressed people of the world caught up in the claws of the colonialists. For the sake of seeking God’s pleasure and following the teachings of Prophet Jesus, ring the bells in your churches again in favour of the oppressed ones and condemn the oppressors.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 866)
“Oh, the oppressed people of the world! Get up and save yourselves from the claws of man’s enemy; do not accept more oppression than this since God is with the oppressed ones.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 924)
“Behold! I am warning you the Muslims, all the Muslims in the world, and to the Islamic nation of Iran that do not underestimate this shameless violation. Use all kinds of weapons to defend the scholars of Iran from the executioner’s claws of the Iranian dictators. Do not depend on the tyrants since you will be thrown into hell and you will have no one to help you against God.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 866)
“Oh, you the freedom movements, and the groups in the course of seeking independence and freedom! Get up and warn your countries and the Muslim countries that accepting oppression is worse than the oppression itself. Likewise, warn your countries that they should liberate themselves from abjectness and urge everyone to return to Islam and incline towards the Muslim brotherhood.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 866)
“The world is no longer in a manner that the superpowers can do as they wish; the oppressed people must wake up and all the owners must get their rights back through force.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 944)
“Behold! Oh! The oppressed people of the world! Whichever country you are, come to your senses and not pay heed to the uproar of the United States and other powerful nations and take your rights from them by forceful means and make life harder for them.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 944)
“Oh, the oppressed people of the world! Stand up and liberate yourselves from the claws of the criminal tyrants. And Oh, you committed Muslims in the world! Wake up from the slumber of negligence and liberate Islam and the Muslim countries from the colonialists and their dependency on them.” (Imām Khomeynī, 1371: volume 1, 944)
The reasons for the impacts of the Islamic Revolution on the Islamic Awakening
The reasons for the impacts of the Islamic Revolution on the Islamic Awakening can be outlined as follows:
1- The impact of Imām Khomeynī on the Muslims in the religious and Islamic aspects is unique. In reality, from the fifteenth century in the Western world and perhaps a little bit after the advent of Islam, we do not see a personality that has had an influence on the movements, thoughts, operations, and strategies in the world including the Western world (Liberalism), the Eastern world (Communism) and the Muslim world to such an extent.
2- Imām Khomeynī changed the meaning of power in the world and also in the Muslim world. This was in a way that before him, the meaning of power was only based on the materialistic sources. Nonetheless, after the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the influence of the words of Imām Khomeynī to the world, the meaning and definition of power changed from its tangible (materialistic) sources to the non-tangible (spiritual) sources such as beliefs, nurturing of thoughts, and giving information.
3- In the past six or seven centuries, we have not witnessed a religious and scientific personality that stood up and lead a country, and everyone including those opposing him acknowledge his legitimacy and eligibility. Indeed, it can be said that the political and religious legitimacy of Imām Khomeynī in the world and the past century was unique. (Muḥammadī, 1387: 45)
4- By studying the biographies of the leaders of the past movements, we comprehend that none of them was able to form a sincere and tact relationship with the oppressed people and other social classes in Iran like Imām Khomeynī or use a very simple language to teach the principles of the Noble Quran to the Muslims. Owing to this fact, this feature can be named as one of the big secrets of the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran.
5- His life without luxury granted him the eligibility of leading the oppressed people and masses of Muslims. In reality, his life was always simple regardless of the time when he was still a simple Islamic seminary student or the time he became a Grand Ayatollah (marja’) of many people or the time when he was at the apex of the power pyramid. On top of that, the piety and the Islamic etiquette of Imām Khomeynī also had a great influence on the people. This was to an extent that it encouraged many people to join the movements fighting against oppression.
6- Imām Khomeynī was not only thinking about Islamic society and civilization and liberating it from deviation and the worldly and spiritual backwardness. Rather, he was thinking about liberating all the countries and civilizations. His message to Gorbachev and the Pope illustrated his human and divine concern in liberating people and cultures which had deviated from the path of guidance and the worldly and hereafter bliss. In conclusion, this compassion created the relationship and influence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on other parts of the world.
7- Imām Khomeynī also used to emphasize the universality of the Islamic Movement of the Iranians in a manner that he did not consider that to be specifically for the Muslim world. Likewise, by rejecting the universality of the Western schemas, he did not accept the capability of the Western schemas in guiding and liberating people. Meanwhile, such an emphasis and view was not seen in the other several Muslim intellectuals. (Pārsānīyā, 1376: 376)
8- Imām Khomeynī is the only intellectual in the last five or six centuries who has stepped into the realm of action and through his enlightenment, awoke the Iranian nation as a revolutionary theorist. Actually, the link between speech and action was one of the significant reasons for his success in establishing the Islamic Revolution. Using the religion to create the desired social reforms is the most vital influence of Imām Khomeynī and the Islamic Revolution on the Islamic Awakening movement. Meanwhile, before that, in the world filled with liberalism and communism, very few people had faith that religion could initiate a revolution. Based on the reliance of religion in the above sense, the concepts of power were transformed and the Muslims comprehended the real power is relying upon the might of God and by the help of this power, one can attain his violated rights. Imām Khomeynī has shown all the Muslims and the oppressed people that the only way to attain: eligibility and legitimacy, a simple and pure life, liberating people and civilizations and combining speech and action, is only by relying and emphasizing on religion especially the religion of Islam. A religion that has everything to offer to the whole of the Muslim world and the non-Muslims. To put it differently, Imām Khomeynī and the revolution have properly shown us that the only means and way of liberation is Islam; this is the secret of the awakening of the world that is tired of deviations from the other methods. (Muḥammadī, 1386: 502)
The evidence of the impact of the Islamic Revolution on the Muslims
We shall now outline the general evidence of the impact of the Islamic Revolution in opening the eyes of the Muslims and then elaborate on two samples that are objective, concrete, and very important from the enlightenment and the development of the Muslims (Islamic Awakening).
1- Political vigilance
From the day of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, by forming many revolutionary and voluntary organizations, the Iranian men and women initiated a background for communication and exchanging ideas and experiences with men and women in different parts of the world. The issue of anger and harsh reactions from many Western circles with this false slogan wanted to provoke the men and women present in the scene. However, without paying heed to the Western frustration, the Iranian men and women went ahead with the inception of the spiritual Islamic Awakening. This was to an extent that by dint of the epitome presented by the Islamic Revolution to the socio-political presence of men and women, gradually the women of Lebanon realized what they had lost and regained it. The awakening movement armed the Lebanese women with the Kalashnikov and Molotov cocktails. Based on the Islamic Awakening, the Turkish women too, want the religious veil (hijab) and also participate in matters of the society. This means that by accepting the hijab, women do not want to move away from society. This is the same epitome that the revolutionary women of Iran are adhering to. Due to this, one Bengali woman says, “Women need something more than the equality desired by the Western laws and want to play a more active role in the religious life.” (Rāghibī, 1384: 111)
It was not only the Muslim women who attained their own Islamic identity in the light of the revolutionary women of Iran. Rather, tens of thousands of women in the West grasped the divine values of Islam in the moral and Islamic movement, and thus converted to Islam. For instance, almost one hundred thousand people have converted to Islam in Germany whereby more than half of them are women. Similar to the American women that had just converted to Islam, not only are these women protective of their Islamic attire but are also very strict in choosing the television programs. They mostly avoid watching television series that are immoral or against Islamic teachings. The activities of these women in society are mostly formed by holding gatherings in their houses. At times too, they gather outside their homes and carry out their social activities. (Rāghibī, 1384: 111)
In response to the people who doubt the impact of the awakening of the Iranian women on the Islamic Awakening, we can point to one German newspaper in this regard. In answering this question, ‘Why did the Islamic Awakening and the movement in support of hijab not happen the 1960s (1340 SH)?’ this newspaper says: “Unless we say, the hijab of the Iranian women after the Islamic Revolution had its impact on this matter. Indeed, in the whole world and specifically the Muslim world, women are in the arena of reviving Islamic values. They are also in the process of forming and managing movements that were not present before the Islamic Revolution of Iran of 1979 (1357 SH)” (Rāghibī, 1384: 111)
2- Islamic attire
The image that the Islamic Revolution has drawn regarding a woman has left two significant impacts; the first one is that the world has comprehended that an Islamic Iranian woman is not a stay-at-home and passive woman. Mrs. Daniel, the director of the Monterey Festival in California believes that there is a misleading picture of the presence of women in Iran in the minds of foreigners. People in the West think that Iranian women do not have any social activities and they only stay at home dealing with domestic duties. (Aṣgharī, 1384: 96)
The negative attitude towards Muslim women has dropped. The New York Times newspaper referred to the movement of reviving the Islamic rights of women as the most interesting subject at the conference which greatly influenced the people around the world. This is because the speakers that had come from the Muslim world offered important speeches regarding women. (Rāghibī, 1384: 111)
In this conference, the speech of a veiled Iranian lady had left a great impact on propagating the Islamic hijab. The findings also show that the global presence of Iranian Muslim women is accompanied by success. Hanieh Tarkian, an American, also accepts the selection of an Iranian lady as an example of a Muslim woman to the world. Nevertheless, just like Ahmad Huber said: “Everything that has happened in Iran and to their women has influenced the whole world.” (Dalāl, 1384: 162)
After the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the Muslim world accepted more impacts from the Islamic hijab of the women. For instance, people like Lisa Marcus, one of the activists of the women movements in Indonesia, explicitly confesses that due to the live presentation of Iranian women in the media group of their country, a lot of people have embraced the Islamic hijab in Indonesia. This is in a manner that imitating the hijab of Iranian women has gradually become a model in that country and at the moment, most students at the universities like it a lot. Likewise, as an example, the Islamic Revolutionary women have prompted the Turkish women to chant in the roads and observe Islamic attire. The attire of the revolutionary and Muslim women of Iran in some countries of the Persian Gulf has had a great impact on the attire especially the scarf.
In the last couple of years, the number of students wearing hijab in Jordan has increased. In Libya too, the number of people embracing the Islamic hijab has increased. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Islamic hijab of Iran has spread to the rest of the world especially the Muslim countries. (Palangī, 1384: 186)
The hijab of the women of the Republic of Iran has spread across the borders in different ways. To sight an example, part of the Persian hijab has spread through Iranian films. Embracing the Islamic Iranian hijab except turning into a symbol of opposition to the government, has also other reasons like:
a. Islamic attire is used as a means of manifesting a personal or religious existence.
b. Paying heed to the hijab is an answer to the disruptive feminism movement.
c. Above all, it is a reason for the inclination and honour of the noble religion of Islam. (Palangī, 1384: 186)
3- Solidarity of religion with the state
In the contemporary world, Islamic movements are among the most vital political groups in the world. These religious movements believe that there is a close relationship between religion and politics. In other terms, from the first days after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Imām Khomeynī proposed the view of the universalism of the Islamic Revolution as the best and comprehensive manifestation of the link between religion and state. Based on the religious teachings, he believed that the will of the oppressed people shall eventually lead the world. He even used to promise that the word of God will soon come to pass and the oppressed people will take the place of the rich people. (Kīlī and Mārfalit, 1380: 123)
Of course, comprehending the relationship between Islamism (religion) and universalism (politics) in the ideology of the Islamic Revolution is not very difficult. The reason being that forming an Islamic community (ummah) that can unite the Muslims regardless of their different countries and also the existing political and ethnic hindrances, is among the slogans and values of the Islamic Revolution. Other than this, by paying heed to the great emphasis of the Islamic Revolution on the necessity of following the Noble Quran and the Islamic laws, there is no doubt that this revolution seeks to consolidate the fundamental principles of Islam in the world. This phenomenon is what some of the Western intellectuals like Haniz termed as the global revival of the Islamic religion in 1993 (1372 SH) (Fawzī, 1381: 93)
Owing to this reason, this matter (solidarity of religion with Islamic politics stemming from the Islamic Revolution), led the American government to consider Islamism to be among the factors destroying the world and the Muslim activists were described as warriors participating in the war of Islam against the West. The leaders of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) too, did not conceal their fear regarding the revolutionary Islam inspired by the Islamic Revolution and its threats against their countries.
Later on, an American analyst referred to this phenomenon as the global intifāḍah. Because of this, the East and West viewed political Islam (the Islamic belief in the solidarity of religion with politics) stemming from the Islamic Revolution as the greatest threat to their interests. Each and every one of them used to struggle so much in order to support the enemies of Islamic political movements. (Kīlī and Mārfalit, 1380: 265)
In order to deepen the hostility between the West and political Islam inspired by the Islamic Revolution, in 1992 (1372 SH), Mr. Huntington said: “The Islamic bloc which considers itself to be an old enemy of the West, is the major threat to the American world order which wants religion to be separated from politics. In reality, after the fall of communism, Islam is the major personality of the scenario desired by the United States.”
The immense attention given by the West to this matter is an apparent response to what Lawrence, a Western intellectual who in 1990 (1369 SH), termed as the blow of the Iranian revolution of 1979 (1357 SH), an amazing phenomenon of Imām Khomeynī and the difficulty of coping with the Islamism of Iran. As a consequence, after the Islamic Revolution, a comprehensive study regarding the relationship between religion and state inspired by the Islamic Revolution began in the United States centred at the University of Chicago. Nevertheless, the solidarity of religion and politics in the world (like the Latin American liberation theology) and in the Muslim world (like Hamas and Hezbollah) has been turned into institutional value. (Kīlī and Mārfalit, 1380: 265)
4- Combatant Islam
The choice of Islam to fight against despotism is a new progress that developed after the Islamic Revolution. Before that, even the political groups of Iran like the Mujahidin of the past and the Munafiqun of today also did not have a strong belief in the capability of Islam to fight against oppression. However, the Islamic Revolution showed that if Islam is correctly interpreted, it can overthrow the most powerful regime and rule in its place. This incident attracted the attention of the groups and movements which for a long time were not successful in the course of seeking their own political goals due to their choice of nationalism, communism and similar governments to them. In the meantime, changing the issue of Palestine from a nationalistic and communistic matter to an Islamic one is one of the most prominent values that was taken from the Islamic Revolution. Thus, for the sake of liberating itself from its endless fight, the Palestinian movement, finally realized that Islam is the only efficient weapon that can liberate it. This was in a way that Shaykh Muḥammad Abū Tayr, one of the celebrated clerics of Palestine acknowledges that Islam is the only way of liberating Palestine. (Imām Khomeynī, 1369: 204)
There are a lot of indications of change in the nature of the Palestinian movement whereby the intifāḍah and its features is one of them. The non-affiliated nature of the intifāḍah to the internal groups and the foreign countries and replacing the merely armed or peaceful system with an all-inclusive political, cultural and military system, turning the mosques into inspirational sources of the spirit of the Islamic Jihad, inculcating the stability and coherence of the fighters, increasing the number of mosques as the military bases of the fighters, the increase in the number of people attending the Friday prayers and congregational prayers, publication of magazines like ‘Iṭalā’at al-Islamiyyah’ and several attacks on the bars in the last two decades are among the indications of the approach of the Palestinian movement towards Islam and deploying the methods used in the Islamic Revolution of Iran. (Ṣādiqī, 1375: 70).
In fact, just like the way one of the Palestinian leaders said, “It was the Iranian revolution that opened a new era for the Palestinian movement and made the Palestinian matter to be only viewed from an Islamic perspective. (Ibrāhīm Shaqāqqī, 1371: 123).
Thus, the Islamic Revolution created a new concept regarding Islam and the Noble Quran to the world, Islamic societies and also within the Sunni society of Palestine. It also intensified the opposition of the corrupt and repressive regimes, provoked an open war against the imposed anti-religious teachings and struggled to achieve social equality and justice. Likewise, it also propagated the reaction of the Muslims against the West and westernization and removed the hopelessness of the last years of the 1970s (1350 SH). Indeed, the Islamic Revolution of Iran has conveyed this reality that Islam is the only means of liberation and jihad is the main weapon, to the countries that are still fighting against despotism especially the Muslim countries. (Kadivar, 1376: 97)
5- The inclination towards the divine rulership
The Islamic system that was formed in Iran after the victory of the Islamic Revolution is considered the best epitome and the most vital political goal of the Muslim fighters. In regards to this, one of the leaders of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq says: “We used to say during those days that Islam has attained victory in Iran and soon, it will also become victorious in Iraq. So, we ought to learn from it and make it our epitome.” (Jamshīdī, 1374: volume 2, 391). By way of explanation, the Islamic Revolution has prompted almost a fifth billion Muslims and encouraged them to form the divine rulership. This approach can be seen in the constitutions and the political speech and action of the contemporary Islamic political movements in different forms.
The interest of the Islamic movements to form an Islamic government has been manifested in different forms. For instance, by means of translating the book, ‘Islamic Government of Imām Khomeynī ’ (like al-Yasar al-Islami) or by emphasizing the Islamic Republic of Iran as the only way and means of liberation (like the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front) showed their love and desire for forming an Islamic government. Before the beginning of the imposed war, Ayatollah Muḥammad Bāqir al-Ṣadr was endeavouring to overthrow the Iraqi government and establish an Islamic government like the Iranian government based on the Guardianship of the Jurisprudent (Wilāyat al-Faqīh). (Aḥmadī, 1369: 117)
Some other Islamic movements too, based on the principle of the Guardianship of the Jurisprudent and accepting it, follow the directions of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran (Sayyed ‘Alī Khamenei. This group is divided into two: the first group is one who considers themselves to be followers of the Supreme Leader in matters of faith and religion. (For instance, the Amal movement of Lebanon). The second group is one that follows the Supreme Leader in terms of religion and politics. (like the Hezbollah movement of Lebanon). (Cultural Communication Organization: 3)
The groups and Islamic movements named above have used different methods to achieve a system based on Islam. By opting to use an armed method (like the Hezbollah of Hijaz) and staging a coup (like the Bahrain Freedom Movement) some groups were in the process of overthrowing the ruling regime. Some groups too, do not view the present conditions to be suitable for armed action and by using peaceful means like participating in the parliamentary elections, are in the course of changing the present system like the Refah Islamic movement. Other groups adhere to both methods. The Hezbollah movement is an example of this group. In confrontation with Israel and the Maronite government of Lebanon with the aim of establishing an Islamic government, it uses the two different methods and at the same time, they complement each other. That is to say fighting against Israel on one hand and participating in the parliamentary elections of Lebanon on the other. (Cultural Communication Organization: 3)
6- Structural destruction
The Islamic Revolution destroyed the different structures accepted by the world and has created new and valuable ones to replace them; among them, we can mention the following:
a. In the ideology of modernity, the transition of a traditional society into a modern one requires a global example that is developed and that too must be retrieved from the West. This is because they believe that non-Western countries are not developed and people ought to follow the paths of Europe and the United States. In this view, modernization and is accompanied by extreme secularism. Nevertheless, the Islamic Revolution of Iran questioned the basics of Western development and declared that religion has fundamental directions in regards to ruling the world. Of course, it also rejects extreme secularism. In other words, the Islamic Revolution has created a new value; that is the social development does not need the Western example. (Rafi’īpūr, 1376: 12)
b. The Islamic Revolution occurred in Iran at a time that the movement of postmodernism in the last quarter of the twentieth century had begun a serious and new phase. Owing to this, according to most of the Western intellectuals, the Islamic Revolution of Iran is a postmodernism revolution that is not included in the interpretation of modernity. Therefore, the Islamic Revolution attracted the attention of people like Michel Foucault, Derrida and Edward Said. Foucault is among the people that grasped his theoretical findings in the Islamic Revolution and showed his support for the Iranian people by means of publishing articles even though he faced a lot of harsh treatment from his fellow believers. According to him, the Islamic Revolution of Iran is in the format of political spirituality. This is while for many centuries, the spiritual element had long been forgotten about in the West. Consequently, the Islamic Revolution and its view rejected development and life without spiritual attachment. It presented the world with a new and valuable scope that provides answers to both worldly and spiritual needs. (Rafi’īpūr, 1376: 12)
c. Before the inception of the Islamic Revolution, the major revolutionary theorists had structural tendencies in sociology. This means that by studying the selective revolutions, they used to struggle in order to grasp a theory. This was done to use that theory to elaborate on any new revolution that happened in the world or even predict its occurrence. Mrs. Teda Skachpel was among these theorists who considered revolutions as incidents that are random and unplanned. She believed that revolutions are events that just happen and are not organized. However, with the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, which was kind of accompanied by a great and organized plan, Skachpel changed her view as follows: “Revolutions are events that just happen and are not planned except for the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Therefore, the fact that the Islamic Revolution has shown that it is possible to form a great social phenomenon, is a new meaning that the Islamic Revolution has presented to the global theoreticians.” (Furātī, 1377: 184)
7- Paying attention to the people
Being popular is one of the features and values of the Islamic Revolution of Iran that has found its way in several political movements and groups. In other terms, these movements and groups have realized that Islam is capable of mobilizing masses of people. Based on this, they have intensified their own popular base by relying upon the people instead of relying upon the intellectual circle. Dr. Hasan al-Turābī, the leader of the National Islamic Front of Sudan, believes that the Islamic Revolution has gifted the Muslim world with a precious idea of working with people. The tendency to think of popular work has pushed the Islamic movements towards seeking religious and ethnic unity. This matter has made the Islamic political movements to keep away from differences and transformed them into powerful and enabled them to enjoy more facilities, extensive support and more stability. (Dahkardī, 1380: 199)
There are a lot of examples regarding the attention paid to people in the movements. For instance, in the coup of 1980 (1359 SH), the Muslims of Turkey flooded the streets and chanted the slogans of ‘freedom, independence and the Islamic Republic.’ In the demonstration carried out by two hundred thousand people of Kashmir in 1990 (1369 SH), the people were chanting the slogans of ‘God is Great and Imām Khomeynī is the leader.’ The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement believes that the Palestinians should use the slogans that were used in the Islamic Revolution of Iran. They were chanting, “There is no god but God, God is Great, victory for Islam.” In reality, they had thrown away the nationalistic and ethnic slogans and had chosen the slogans of the Islamic Revolution. From the year 1369 till 1379, the slogan of ‘God is Great’ was chanted very much in the streets of Cape Town, South Africa. All these cases, serve to remind and emphasize the words of the leader of the Islamic Revolution that the chanting of the slogan ‘God is Great’ by Algerians on the rooftops is a lesson learnt from the revolutionary nation of Iran. (Jamshīdī, 1374: volume 2, 39)
The Islamic Revolution taught the world that the eligibility of the political system must be based on the views of the people. Referring to the referendum regarding the issue of the revolution is proof of this matter. Not only was referring a system to the referendum an amazing, courageous and new matter, but also an ideology that was far greater than the Western democracy. In light of this, it was presented as an alternative to the world that was tired of liberal democracy. In this revolution, even the Assembly of Experts is elected to draft the constitution to be based on the people’s views. After the drafting, it is again referred to the people. To sight an example, at the climax of the war, Imām Khomeynī did not allow the parliament to defy their right to impeach the first president. He did not even allow the proposal of the military government with the excuse of proper management of the war to make a plan or use the election expenses during the period of war and sanctions to be spent on the fronts. Rather, contrary to that, he used to order that the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majles-e Shura-ye Eslāmī), the assembly of experts (Majles-e Khobregān) and the presidential elections should not be delayed even for one day. (Imām Khomeynī 1361: volume 2, 752)
8- The propagation of religiosity
In the twentieth century, communism and fascism were the ideologies of secularism in the Christian world. After some time, with the fall of fascism in 1945 (1324 SH) and communism in 1991 (1370 SH), the liberal democratic system considered itself to be unrivalled. Nonetheless, the Islamic Revolution shook the liberal democracy. This is because the incident of the Islamic Revolution falsified the view of the liberal theorists who believed that religion has nothing to offer in regards to the government and that it is gradually losing its political and social significance. In simple terms, in regards to social development, people believed for so long that countries will inevitably be secularized concurrently with being modernized. However, the Islamic Revolution taught the world that a society that has turned to religion is not necessarily secularized concurrently with being modernized. Owing to this fact, both in the developed nations and the ones still developing, many people have realized that one can seek his worldly and spiritual goals more effectively by simply joining the religious groups or movements. (White, Little, Smith, 1381: 6)
After the cold war, intensive development of the mass media like the telegraph, telephone and specifically the internet, fax and email led to the spread of the religious values of the Islamic Revolution. In essence, the development of the mass media has led to an increase in the relationship between the religious and non-religious societies and the cooperation of the political and religious activists in different areas more than before. Likewise, another consequence of the cold war is the discovery of new matters in international relations like the environment, unauthorized drugs, AIDS, terrorism, migration, refugees and human rights. For the sake of solving these issues, it seems that it is necessary for more participation of the religious activists with political ambitions. The reason is that American democracy has not shown its capability in solving that. (Karth, 1380: 15)
Nevertheless, today, religion has a lot of influence on politics in the national and transnational scopes (regionally and worldly). The most significant manifestation of this impact must be looked at in religious fundamentalism. Religious fundamentalism is proof of a kind of a special strategy that is attempting to safeguard the identity of the religious people as one society and group against the people that want to pull them towards a non-religious environment. At times, such a defensive mode can change and turn into a kind of political attack which is in search of political alternatives with the existing social and economic ones. Of course, it seems necessary that we reemphasize that the re-emergence of religion or religious fundamentalism as a principle in world politics, is more related to the Islamic Revolution than to the fall of communism. Due to this reason, to launch a war against Iran that was supported by the powerful nations of the world can be considered to be measures aimed at destroying or thwarting the Islamic fundamentalism from the Islamic Revolution. (Kopel, 1370: 30)
9- A new global epitome
The Islamic Revolution which is in the course of creating a system in the world that is based on religion used two strategies to achieve this matter. The first one is a short-term program for determining how the Islamic Revolution will deal with Western globalization in the current state of the world. This is in a way that it is attempting to weaken the efforts being made for the sake of establishing the new world order of the future by the supporters and followers of each of the monopolar and unipolar hierarchy system and global governance under the supervision of the United Nations. In conjunction with this, it is also strengthening its ideas of creating its own desired system. The second one is that in dealing with Western globalization, the Islamic Revolution has deployed a long-term program that shows the image of the desired Islamic system as its schema of conduct. (Kārgar, 1383: 101)
From the perspective of the Islamic Revolution, the desired global system is a system based on the following matters:
a. This system that can remind people of the system of Imamate and Imām is headed in a manner that by using the God-given knowledge (‘ilm al-ladunni), infallibility and divine help, the Imām establishes a just system and leads all the nations and governments as a single community towards the human and Islamic perfection. In conclusion, we have to say that leadership and Imamate in the Islamic world system has three features:
1- Leadership is considered to be the center of ideology, belief, spiritual matters and Politics.
2- A leader is a person chosen by the Holy Prophet or a directly chosen by an infallible Imām (special representative) or indirectly (general representative).
3- The realization and rulership of the Imām is related to the acceptance by people. (Hakīmī, 1381: 105)
b. The Islamic global society is a homogenous society that flourishes human talents and values and has complete independence. This is in a way that the fundamental natural and spiritual needs of man are met in it. In this system, there are no things like nationalism, multiple leaders, erroneous rules of man, Satan and man’s rule which are the roots of disputes, enmity and controversy in the world. (Hakīmī, 1381: 105)
c. In the desired Islamic global society, people have left the matter of enforcing the divine laws in the hands of the chosen Imām. Certainly, the enforcement of the divine rule is manifested in the Imām, and the present boundaries ruling the world will be annihilated. (Islamic Propagation Office, 1357: 359)
The features of the desired Islamic global system cannot be compared to the features of the ancient, present and even the probable systems of the future. This is in a manner that the features of these systems to lack similarities in the aspect of content yet may have similarities in terms of appearance and structure. This is a system that the Islamic Revolution is propagating in the world and due to its divine and human features, it has come to replace the hypocritical and deceptive Western globalization. As a consequence, from the fact that the Islamic Revolution is in the process of replacing the past Western values with new values in global governance, the leaders of Western globalization have termed this revolution as their only enemy. (The Office for the Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Universities, 1385: 223)
10- Fighting imperialism
The Islamic Revolution defines independence as the most vital principle of development and dependency is the major reason for backwardness and has repeatedly warned the countries of the third world and the Muslim world regarding this matter. Imām Khomeynī believed that Islam is against the industrial, agricultural, administrative, economic and cultural dependency. And of course, it considers intellectual dependency to be more important than others in a way that it counts it as the origin of all the other dependencies. It used to warn that independence cannot be accompanied by dependency and unless the society attains independence in all the social aspects, a country cannot be termed as independent. (Imām Khomeynī, 1361: volume 1, 109)
The stance and efforts of Imām Khomeynī which led to the independence of Iran from the United States dominance led to the emergence of courage and self-confidence of countries against the intimidation by the superpower nations, defeated the oppressors, nurturing the seeds of real human power and coming up with the divine and spiritual values. (Bahrāmī, 1381: 13)
According to the belief of the Supreme Leader, the independence of the Islamic Revolution has had great impacts that it has forced some people to confess. For instance, in the summit of the leaders of Muslim countries, while addressing the Supreme leader, one of the leaders of a country in Eastern Asia said that the reason for the poverty of his country is their country’s dependency on the funds from the American and Zionist’s capitalists. Because of this, the Supreme leader concludes that when the imperialists demand their interest, it shows no mercy to the country, economy, culture, people and anybody. The writer also adds this phrase to the above conclusion, ‘it doesn’t matter if that country follows American Islam or the pure Islam of the Holy Prophet.’ (Bahrāmī, 1381: 64)
Today, there is no more doubt that the resistance of the Venezuelans against the United States has been influenced by the Islamic Revolution. With the warm support of the Islamic Republic (a system inspired by the Islamic Revolution), Castro is continuing his revolutionary confrontation against the United States. By learning from the independence of the Iranian revolution, the Hezbollah of Lebanon is struggling to safeguard its freedom from the Zionist regime. Syria has repeatedly declared that it has learnt the lesson of resistance against oppressive Israel from the Islamic Revolution. By implementing the lessons learnt from the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (1357 SH), the Afghani warriors managed to chase away the Russians from their own land and get independence.
Iran’s attainment of political, economic, cultural and military independence in an Iranian revolutionary way, has turned into an epitome for the warriors. Now Iraq, Sudan, Palestine and many other countries are fighting against the tyrants with everything that they have. It is interesting to note that in their war against the imperialists in their countries, they still use the same Islamic Revolutionary style; in the aspect of the slogan (Death to America), strategy (mobilizing people), weapons (lightweight and conventional weapons) and the symbols (dependence upon God). These matters are what make the imperialists fear the victory of another or other revolutions like the Islamic Revolution of Iran of 1979 (1357 SH). (Benson, 1382: 12)
The relationship or the interaction of the Islamic Revolution with the Islamic Awakening has resulted in many things for instance:
1- Despite the long history or at least a one-hundred year-long history of the Islamic Awakening, it must be noted that the Islamic Revolution had a significant role in spreading.
2- The impact of the Islamic Revolution can be confirmed from different perspectives. For instance, from the words of Imām Khomeynī, the stance of the Supreme leader and also the transitional growth of Islam in the last decade, we can decipher the impacts of the Islamic Revolution on the Islamic Awakening. Although the Islamic Revolution had repeatedly announced that it has no plan for the inception of the revolution, it rather believed that the message of the Islamic Revolution does not need physical inception due to its relationship with man’s nature and the divine revelation.
Conclusion: Analyzing two samples of the Islamic Revolution and Islamic Awakening
The Islamic Revolution revived or created for the world values such as hijab, solidarity between religion and politics, conveying that Islam is the only way and means of resistance and the desire to form an Islamic government. It achieved this without being compelled or deem it necessary to take physical measures in this course. This matter depicts that due to its compatibility with the nature of man, the Islamic values only need a person to revive them. Of course, the impacts and spreading the values stemming from the Islamic Revolution is more evident in the Muslim countries than the other countries. Certainly, the most vital reason for that is the existence of the element of Islam and many common points between the Islam practiced in Muslim countries like Lebanon, Palestine and Islam practiced in revolutionary Iran.
a. Hezbollah of Lebanon
Hezbollah of Lebanon is immensely influenced by Imām Khomeynī and the guidance of the Supreme leader. This is in a way that it is possible to see the most prominent foreign impact of the Islamic Revolution in the face of Hezbollah. In response to the question as to why the Islamic Revolution has influenced Hezbollah to such an extent, we can say:
1- There is a lot of love between the Iranians and the Lebanese. For example, the historical relationship between the scholars and people of Jabal ‘Amil with Iran during the Safavid dynasty, the political, cultural and economic activities of the celebrated Iranian clerics, designating Imām Mūsā al-Ṣadr as the leader of the Shī’ah community in Lebanon, his remaining organizations (the Amal movement), the presence of a lot of Shī’ah in Lebanon, the existence of a common enemy (Israel), Israel’s attack on the South of Lebanon, humanitarian aid by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the oppressed people of Lebanon and the migration and permanent residence of Lebanese in Iran. These ties have made the Islamic Revolution have more impacts in Lebanon than in other places. These impacts are witnessed in several contexts to an extent that in the cultural context, many big pictures of Imām Khomeynī and the Supreme Leader can be seen in many places of Lebanon. For instance, on the walls, pictures of martyrs who have lost their lives in the course of fighting the United States and the Zionists (Iran’s number one enemy) can be seen, the men on the street have Islamic appearance, the women wear the Islamic hijab, in the public gatherings, the men and women sit in different places, the Lebanese support the Iranians as a revolutionary and Islamic state. (Islamic Culture and Communications Organization: 5)
2- In Lebanon, Hezbollah is the most influenced Islamic political group by the Islamic Revolution of Iran. Apart from the common grounds present between Iran and Lebanon, there are other motives too that have led to such an amazing influence. These motives can be witnessed through the acceptance of the leadership of the Supreme Leader as the religious and political leader by the Hezbollah and the humanitarian aid by Iran to the Hezbollah. Likewise, the Hezbollah, albeit with the help of Iran, is highly active in the economic and social aspects. This is by offering scholarships to poor people, distributing free medicines to sick people, providing water to the needy ones, and offering treatment services to the deprived ones. At the same time, in the military aspect, it is not separated from weapons and war in a way that on the principle of jihad, they are always ready to retaliate against the probable attacks by the Zionists. And based on the slogan of Imām Khomeynī, (Israel must go), they have taken an oath that they will continue to battle the Zionists till the end of their lives.
In the cultural aspect, the Hezbollah has taken some slogans from the Islamic Revolution and consider the symbols of the Islamic Revolution as their own symbols of the revolution. The victory of the Hezbollah in the last two decades from its activities against Israel, in comparison to the forty-five years of the SAF activities, is proof of the beneficial impact of using the Islamic slogans, the holy war against the Zionist occupation and the lack of dependency on other countries in their war against Israel. (Jām-e Jahānī-ye Taqrīb-e Mazāhib-e Eslāmī, 1384: volume 1, 179)
In the political aspect, the Hezbollah of Lebanon is also immensely influenced by the Islamic Revolution of Iran. This is in a way that contrary to the Amal movement, they have accepted the leadership of the Supreme Leader in both religious and political aspects based on the Guardianship of the Jurisprudent (Wilāyat al-Faqīh). It is due to this that they support the regional and worldly stance of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They are also in the process of establishing an Islamic government like the Iranian one. One of the leaders of the Islamic movements of Lebanon says, “We announce to the world that the Islamic Republic of Iran is our mother. Our religion is our distinction, blood and the aorta of our life.” (Kadivar, 1376: 97)
In general, we can say that the reason for the success of the Hezbollah can be summarized in two factors which have also been inspired by the Islamic Revolution:
1- They have bestowed a divine aspect to the war, chose the Islamic slogans and continued their war against the occupation of Israel.
2- Without relying on other countries, they fought and achieved victory. (Islamic Culture and Communications Organization, 1385: 342)
a. The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Awakening in Palestine is also indebted to the Islamic Revolution in a way that a significant contribution of the Islamic Awakening in Palestine is has been influenced by the Islamic Republic of Iran to Palestine. The admission of senior Palestinian officials in the early days of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, changing the Israeli Consulate to Palestine embassy, assigning the title of an ambassador to the representative of the SAF movement in Iran, designating the last Friday of the holy month of Ramaḍān as the International al-Quds Day, providing humanitarian aid, diplomatic and political support of the Palestinian movement, opposition to the compromise and peace plans of the Middle East and establishing a support fund for the people of Palestine can be mentioned as part of these measures. (Kadivar, 1376: 97)
The Islamic Revolution of Iran is the main motive of the Islamic rise in occupied Palestine especially in the Gaza strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River. Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Aziz ‘Awdah, the spiritual leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement, says: “The revolution of Imām Khomeynī was the most vital and recent effort in the Islamic Awakening for uniting the Muslim countries.”
Zbigniew Brzezinski, the National Security Advisor of the United States, also writes: “The revival of the fundamentalist Islam in the region with the fall of the Shah and the tension arising from the Iran and Imām Khomeynī has created a continuous threat to our interest in a region that the life of the Western world totally depends upon.” (Kadivar, 1376: 97)
Owing to this, the Islamic Revolution has brought about a new perception from Islam and the Noble Quran to the Islamic society and the Sunni society of Palestine. This is in a way that it has intensified its opposition with the corrupt and repressive regimes, provoked an open war against the imposed anti-religious teachings and struggled to achieve social equality and justice. Likewise, it also propagated the reaction of the Muslims against the West and westernization and removed the hopelessness of the last years of the decades of 1950 - 1970. One of the major factors that led to the failure of the SAF movement in their wars against Israel, is their lack of comprehending the new conditions in the world that were created by the Islamic Revolution. Nonetheless, contrary to the SAF, the new Palestinian movement deployed the method of the Islamic Revolution as the schema of their operations against the Zionists.
Shaykh Asad al-Tamīmī, one of the leaders of the Palestinian movement, believes that before the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Islam was absent from the battlefield against Israel. Even the Muslims were dependent on the West in choosing terms. For example, instead of terms such as jihad, they opted for terms such as war. Nevertheless, the Islamic Revolution taught Palestine that Islam is the only way and means of liberation and that jihad is the main weapon. Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Shāmī, a celebrated conservative personality of Palestine, says that the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran has had a profound impact on the people of Palestine. This is in a manner that after that (revolution) the Palestinians have realized that in order to liberate Palestine, they need the Noble Quran and weapons. This view found its way firstly in the Islamic Jihad movement of Palestine and later on, this institution scattered that seed in the land of Palestine. (Imām Khomeynī 1369: 78)
The impact of the Islamic Revolution on Palestine does not end in what we have said. Rather, other cases can be pointed at which are as follows:
1- The Islamic system of Iran which was established after the victory of the Islamic Revolution turned to be the best epitome and the most vital political desire of the Muslim fighters of Palestine. This is in a manner that for the sake of establishing an Islamic government, these fighters have sought armed means (like the Islamic Jihad movement) or a peaceful means (like Hamas). Of course, this does not mean that all the Palestinian fighters apparently want to establish an Islamic government. Rather, some Palestinian groups are after implementing the Islamic laws and not establishing an Islamic government.
2- Just like the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic movement of Palestine originated from the mosques and religious places and ended in the same places. Even the revolutionary University students organize their operations against the Zionists from the mosques of the Universities. In light of this, the mosques have turned into centers for the oppositions against Israel, revivification, and the number of people praying in the mosques have also increased. It is because of this that the intifāḍah is also referred to as the revolution of the mosques. (Amīnī, 1381: 31 – 34)
3- Today, the supporters of the Islamic Revolution are emphasizing the necessity of the unity of all the social classes and sects for the sake of attaining victory in the Islamic movement of Palestine. By following the pure Islam of the Holy Prophet and the intifāḍah inspired by the Islamic Revolution of Iran, they consider unity as a useful tool for achieving victory. It is due to this reason that they do not emphasize the matters of disagreement. Needless to say, the Muslims have learnt about the capability of Islam in mobilizing the masses of people and the inefficiency of the methods of the Westernized intellectuals in liberating Palestine.
4- The formation and existence of some fighting groups in Palestine like the Islamic Jihad movement and Hamas are indebted to the Islamic Revolution. These groups separated from the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt due to its stagnation, lethargy and dormant stance. This was to attract and organize new Muslim fighters to continue with the political and military fight against Israel. Nonetheless, having been influenced by the Islamic Revolution, the Muslim Brotherhood of Palestine who also opted for the armed means and have intensified their cultural, religious and social activities.
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