1.3) Central Asia and the Caucasus: The history of Central Asia and the Caucasus is intertwined with Islamic culture and Iranian traditions, and regions that have now become independent republics have been part of Iran’s territory for centuries. Iran’s deep cultural roots in the Central Asian republics are so strong that despite 70 years of communist rule, the identity of these ethnic groups is still part of the Iranian identity. The depth of these ties has not only forced the leaders of the former Soviet republics to repeatedly admit the spiritual power of Iranian culture in these countries; but also, many Muslims in this region have repeatedly shown their personal interests in Iranian culture in order to gain more prestige. Hence, this tendency, along with the adoption of the policy of “neither East nor West” and the spread of revolutionary ideas to other countries, made Iran seemed to be a threat to the Soviet Union. Despite the Soviet Union’s efforts to confront the Islamic Revolution’s ideological influence in the region, the religious, racial, and cultural commonalities of these countries with Iran have been a key factor in the influence of the Islamic Revolution in Iran on these countries, the revival of Islam, and their practical commitment to observe Islam. For them, Iran’s Islamic Revolution had a number of attractions that jeopardized Soviet interests, including the anti-imperialist image of the Islamic Revolution, the popular nature of the Iranian Revolution, and its promises to overthrow the corrupt old bureaucracy and put the new generation of leaders to work. In this regard, factors such as the presence of people in mosques and Imam Khomeini, who has become a political symbol in the region, caused Soviet politicians to always express their concern about the penetration of political Islam — an inevitable consequence of the expansion of the relations between these republics and Iran — thereby trying to keep the Muslims of the Soviet Union as far as possible from Iran.
Before the Islamic Awakening movement among Soviet Muslims becomes a strong and overt political current against the Communist Party, it faced the collapse of the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the newly independent republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus was a major change that could have made Islam a viable alternative to communist ideology. Fear of the revival of Islam and the spread of revolutionary Islam forced the West to try so hard to keep Iran out of the region by trying to make political and economic developments in the region, and Western governments, especially the United States, tried to introduce Turkey, as a modern country in which there is free trade and complete separation of religion from politics, as a symbol for these republics, so that to indirectly pursue their policies in this region.
On the other hand, since Iran has been engaged in the post-war crisis and tensions, it has not yet developed a clear theoretical and practical model for the region’s Islamic societies and governments, which would hinder Iran from influencing the Muslim republics. In addition, the process of influencing those countries by the Islamic Revolution faced serious challenges and rivalries from Islamic countries, Russia, the United States, Israel and Europe.
2.3) Turkey: Turkey serves as the gateway for Islam to enter Europe and the only Muslim country neighbouring Europe. Iran’s cultural relations with this country have a long history, and the main origin of the two countries, which has always been influential in all social dimensions of the two, has been rooted in the common belief of both nations in Islam. In the past centuries, the two countries, as Islamic empires, have always been rivals in the political and religious arenas; This is because, on the one hand, Iran had the largest Turkish-speaking population after Turkey, and on the other hand, Turkey had a large population of Alawite Shi’ahs (Alevis). The above factors, along with the proximity of the territory, caused the two great empires of Iran and the Ottomans to always compete with each other during the Safavid and Qajar eras.
The similarities between the Pahlavi regime and “Kemalism” in Turkey and the importance of the two countries in Western defence and security strategies have paved the way for further convergence between the two countries. Thus, the two countries became members of the same regional treaties and their common interests caused them to establish a close and intimate relationship.
The victory of the Islamic Revolution in a country like Iran, which had much in common with Turkey in the political and religious spheres, changed the equations and thus the Islamic Revolution became a threat to the secular country of Turkey because Turkey, with its Muslim population, could be the bridge for the entrance of Islamism into the Caucasus, the Balkans and European countries, and also this country was of great importance to Iran because of their geographical proximity as well as ethnic, linguistic and religious commonalities. The Islamic Revolution of Iran has had a positive impact on the Turkish people.
Jamileh Kadivar states: “The long-standing and Islamic beliefs of the Turkish people had been revived by the victory of the Islamic Revolution and witnessing the collapse of American domination, and they found with increasing confidence that Islamic independence and dignity can be gained again… the revival of Islam in Turkey has intensified the political crises in this country.”
Thus, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution put the Turkish government in crisis, and of course, it was expected that Turkey would take steps to counter the waves of the Revolution. The formation of the military coup of September 12, 1980, and its simultaneity with the Islamic Revolution could reinforce the hypothesis that the seizure of power by military forces in Turkey had been part of a strategy to hinder the Islamic Revolution. The evidence for this claim is that according to General Kanaan Oren the purpose of the coup was to stop Islamism. He said, “If this fire is not extinguished on time, it may be spread across the country.” Although the coup sought to counter Islamism and de-politicize Turkish society, it could not stop the growth of Islamist movements and the tendency towards wearing hijab among the people of Turkey; On the contrary, Turkey’s Islamist groups have grown significantly since the 1980s, and the issue of engagement and disengagement of the Welfare Islamist Party, the Virtue Party, and finally the Justice and Development Party in the country’s politics is a serious challenge to Turkey’s secular system.
4) Africa
Egypt: The historical background of political relations between Iran and Egypt dates to the time of Cyrus, the Achaemenid king, and then with the advent of Islam, the relationship between the two sides entered a new phase. With the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties gaining power and the persecution of the Ahl al-Bayt and the Shi’ahs, many of sa’dat in search of shelter travelled to Egypt and Iran which were far from the central government. The two countries have always interacted with each other, and due to British influence and domination over both countries in the last century, they had friendly relations.
Culturally, Iran’s relations with Egypt began with the reform activities of Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Asadabadi in the Islamic world, especially in Iran and Egypt. By reviving the idea of neo-reformism in the political thoughts of the Arab Muslims along with calling for the unity of Shi’ahs and Sunnis, he managed to create a movement that was followed by his disciples, including Muhammad Abduh and hence at the end of the first half of the twentieth century, a movement was formed among scholars such as Ayatollah Boroujerdi and Shaykh Shaltout through the framework of Dar al-Taqrib bayn al-Madhahib al-Islamiyyah (The World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought).
After World War II, however, relations between the two sides have undergone many changes but during the United States domination on both countries, friendly relations have developed between the two sides all the time, with the exception of the Jamal Abdul-Nasser era in Egypt, and the Egyptian government has opposed the revolutionaries in Iran on the basis of such cordial relations. Yet, since 1978, most Islamic political currents in Egypt, apart from the Egyptian government, have explicitly or implicitly criticized the official policies of Egypt’s ruling political system in endorsing the Shah of Iran and confronting Iranian revolutionaries and Imam Khomeini’s leadership. Regarding the views of various Egyptian Islamic currents on Iran’s Islamic Revolution and its developments, it should be noted that despite the differences between them, the prevailing view among these currents was, in fact, the victory of Islamic political ideology and its embodiment in the form of a state.
The triumph of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 which coincided with the “Camp David” summit in Egypt, and with the condemnation of the Camp David Accords by Iran, Islamic groups such as the moderate Muslim Brotherhood, Jama’at al-Islamiyyah and some other groups while welcoming welcomed Iran’s stance on Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian territory, asked the Egyptian government to follow the model of Iran and engage in the holy war with Israel. Of course, in contrast, some other groups tried to reduce the effects of this revolution in Egypt by highlighting the Iranian and Shi’ah aspects of the revolution comparing to its Islamic aspects as well as its feature of reviving religious thought in the contemporary world. At the same time, the Egyptian government, which was isolated from Islamic and Arab countries due to the improvement of its relations with the Zionist regime, while condemning Iran for interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs, tried to magnify the danger of the Iranian Revolution for the region in an attempt to form an alliance with these countries against Iran. Also, while improving its relations with Islamic countries, the Egyptian government sought to control the waves of Iran’s Islamic Revolution as much as possible.
However, following the seizure of the United States embassy in Iran and the imposed war, Iran’s relations with some Islamic groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, have soured but in general, the influence of Iran’s Islamic Revolution on the formation of the movement of returning to the Islamic self and the revival of religious thought in Egypt cannot be denied, and in this regard, it should be stated that the inspiration that the Islamic Revolution provided for these groups led to the strengthening of the opposition groups in Egypt and the formation of the Islamic Movement, and despite the existence of the rule of police in Egypt and various pressures exerted from inside and outside Egypt, Islamic groups are still active in the form of huge student movements, trade unions and religious organizations.
2.4) Tunisia: Although Iran’s Islamic Revolution did not lead to the direct interference in Tunisia or the formation of new activity groups which enjoy Iranian support, it accelerated the oppositional tendencies that had already existed there. Tunisian politicians saw the power and political legitimacy of Islam and Islamic traditions as subordinate to secular or non-religious systems and therefore thought of nationalism and development. But in contrast, the opposition groups saw the Iranian Revolution as a necessary model which promotes the Islamic accountability of the political leaders. The influence of the Iranian Revolution on these groups and the view of the Tunisian rulers that the Iranian Revolution is a threat to their political leadership led to the formation of a conflict between the government and religious groups in the 1980s. The Iranian Revolution was so dangerous to them that the Tunisian government closed its embassy in Iran in 1982 under the pretext of saving money and in defiance of the imposed war.
The Islamic Revolution’s spiritual influence on Muslim activists in Tunisia such as Rashid al-Ghannouchi caused them to establish a new Islamic movement called the Islamic Tendency Movement in Tunisia by following the Iranian experience and publicly expressing their demands. Later, this movement was renamed the “Ennahda Movement.” The movement was formed to overthrow secularism in the Tunisian system and establish a government similar to the Islamic Republic of Iran, yet eventually, the leaders of the movement were imprisoned because of the reaction of the courts which favoured the Tunisian non-religious policies.
4.3) Algeria: In Algerian society, the Islamic Revolution has played an encouraging and reviving role given the backgrounds and capacities that existed there. The despair caused by the lack of gaining achievements in the Algerian Revolution along with the global propaganda about the failure of the religious revolutions had made it impossible for the Algerian people to imagine the possibility of any kind of religious revolution, But the victory of the Islamic Revolution gave them the belief that by creating political change Islam could build a government based on Islamic ideology. As an author states, “while Iran’s domestic climate before the Islamic Revolution was influenced by the victory of the Algerian revolution, the Algerian people have been following the developments of the Iranian Revolution since 1957, welcoming the victory of the Islamic Revolution.”
The profound effects of the overthrow of the Pahlavi regime and the establishment of the Islamic Republic left on the Islamic world have forced the Algerian rulers to, given the history of the Islamic movement in the country, adopt methods to hinder the growth of Islamism. In this regard, by creating an open political space and allowing religious groups to operate, they sought to prevent the radicalization of the Islamic movement; However, factors such as the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the entry of Muslim youth into the Masjid al-Haram, and the assassination of the sa’dat by Khaled Islambuli in Egypt have increased the Muslim influence in Algeria and as other countries of the Islamic world, great popular movements emerged after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in this country, all of which sought to revive Islam in the form of student movements and radical groups, and in return the government, while suppressing the Islamists, arrested the leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front on charges of plotting against national security in order to prevent Algeria from turning into an Islamic country like Iran.
4.4) Nigeria: This country which is located in West Africa and contains millions of Muslims, is one of the countries in which Islam could be revived and the Islamic Revolution may leave influence. The changes and manifestations of the consolidation of Islam in the Nigerian academic community, which later spread to the masses living in the villages and cities, have been influenced by Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
In fact, the leadership of Imam Khomeini and the idea of the Islamic Revolution within Nigerian society and especially among the deprived Muslims in the north of the country, have provoked feelings and reactions, and Islamic revival in Iran has had a direct impact on Islamic revivalist uprisings there. The triumph of the Islamic Revolution in Iran has encouraged many Muslim leaders in Nigeria to revive Islam and confront the West. Likewise, they have been inspired by the Islamic Revolution accepting messages of the Islamic Revolution such as the condemnation of administrative corruption, rejecting materialism, criticizing Westernization, and implementing the Islamic laws and regulations.
It is important to note that although the victory of the Iranian Revolution under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, inspired the Muslims of this country and by encouraging them, was able to arouse the tendency of Islamic reform and revivalism among them; yet, revivalist activities in Nigeria have been largely interpreted as being domestic and internal, as according to Ibrahim Qanbari, even though most Nigerian Muslims still call for the implementation of the Islamic rules, they want to establish a pluralistic government rather than an Islamic republic.
4.5) Sudan: Sudan is one of the most important Islamic countries that has been seriously influenced by the Islamic Revolution, and it is a major gateway to the spreading of Islamism in a large area of Africa. Whereas in the first decade the Iranian Revolution did not have a significant impact on Sudan, a decade after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, when Omar al-Bashir rose to power in Sudan, he pursued the same similar Islamic measures and tendencies as Iran. Furthermore, along with Hasan al-Turabi, he sought to follow the model of Iran’s Islamic Revolution and mobilize the masses of people in an attempt to solve the internal problems such as the problem of the southern part of the country, poverty and backwardness and eliminating the foreign influence and intervention while adopting the colonial positions in the Islamic world. In this regard, Omar al-Bashir has stated, “The Islamic Revolution is a great event that we have always looked at with hope and we consider it our inspiration. The triumph of the Islamic Revolution in Iran assured us that despite the problems imposed by the enemies, we should continue our movement towards Islam and rely on God in this way. “Such statements have provided the excuse for countries like Egypt and the United States and allowed them to continue to speak out against the continuing threat of the export of the revolution and the jeopardization of their interests thereby justifying their pressure and propaganda campaign against Iran.”
Morocco: After the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic movements in Morocco grew. The most famous leader of the Islamist movements in Morocco was “Abdul-Salam Yasin” who was arrested in 1984 because of praising the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini and his efforts to form a political party. When the signs of the growth of the Islamic movements in Morocco had appeared, the king of the country accused the Islamic Republic of Iran and other pro-Iranian extremist groups of plotting against Morocco, claiming that insurgents seek to establish an extremist Islamic regime in Iran’s way. Therefore, due to the fear that the Revolution of Iran would inspire the Islamic groups of the country, repressing them as well as their leaders were intensified.
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