The Impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the formation of the Islamic Awakening in Bahrain.

The Thought of the Islamic Revolution
The Impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the formation of the Islamic Awakening in Bahrain.

Introduction

Apart from its internal impacts by delivering its message to the rest of the countries, especially the Islamic nations, the Islamic Revolution of Iran, which achieved its victory in 1978 under the leadership of Imam Khomeyni, is considered to be one of the significant factors in the present time.

On one side, due to its transnational and Islamic nature and on the other side, the geopolitical position of Iran and the Persian Gulf region, the Islamic Revolution has influenced its surrounding and trans-regional countries. The revolution of Iran is the first revolutionary movement and transition that has been formed on the basis of Islamic ideology and attained victory. This is while the (Islamic Revolution) occurred during the era of the sovereignty of secularism and the end of ideology; a time whereby religion and ideology were considered to have no roles in political transitions. (Dehqani-Firuzabadi, 17:1389)

It can be noted that the Islamic Revolution is one of the distinct revolutions and in other words, it is a unique one. This is in a manner that the most vital and prominent theories of the Western revolution are unable to analyze its proper nature and fundamentals. (Sadiqi, 177:1389)

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, in an article entitled, “A scholarly government and Shi’ah Islam in Iran” which was published in the ‘theory and society’ journal, Mrs. Teda Skachpel who is a celebrated theorist, confesses to the weakness of her theory as follows:

“The recent fall of the Shah of Iran and the movement of the Iranian revolution between 1977 – 1979, has caused a sudden surprise to the foreign observers starting from the American Friends of the Shah to the journalists and the sociology experts and people like me who are experts in matters pertaining to the revolution.” (Farati, 185/1379)

Likewise, in scrutinizing the situation of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, she goes ahead in this article by acknowledging that contrary to her theory regarding the relationship between ideology and the formation of the revolution, the role of culture and Shi’ah ideology has been greatly highlighted in the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. (Sadiqi, 178:1389)

The effective features of the Islamic Revolution on the Islamic Awakening

The rise of the Islamic world, reviving the religious identity of the Muslims, enhancing the knowledge of the Muslims and inspiring them, creating the belief that change is possible, and presenting an example of religious democracy is among the most vital features that can be mentioned.

1- The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the rise of the Islamic world

Studying the political functions of the Muslims in Islamic societies shows that before the revolution, different Islamic groups in different countries, mostly separated Islam and religious beliefs from their activities. They based their movements on Western doctrines such as socialism,[1] Marxism,[2] liberalism[3] , and nationalism.[4]

From the fact that acting according to the fundamentals of these doctrines was incompatible with the beliefs of the Muslims, these movements were all defeated and brought about hopelessness and disappointments in these societies. In regards to this, Dr. Sa’id Shahabi, one of the Bahraini fighters, says:

“The degenerative period, which the Islamic nation experienced in the 40s, 50s, and 60s of the last century that coincided with the dominance of the Zionists over Jerusalem, led to the development of this thought that ideologies such as the Ba‘ath Party, communism and so on, which were still present in the Islamic world, are useless; the reason being that they were incapable of persuading people to revolt and the feeling of defeat and frustration was prevalent amongst the people.” (www.farsnews.com)

Regarding the impacts of the movement of Imam Khomeyni, Rashid ar-Rashid, a Bahraini fighter, says:

“By looking at the situation of the Arab and Islamic societies before the rise of the Islamic Awakening movement, we properly comprehend that stagnation, inactivity, passivity, and depression were visible in all the places. By taking into consideration the lagging behind and different failures, the Islamic countries had been crippled and exhausted. People have come a long way for the sparkles of hope to be revived in the hearts of people and that too, is after different approaches towards nationality, Marxism, capitalism, liberalism, secularism had all failed. In the meantime, it is impossible to easily neglect the movement of Imam Khomeyni. That great leader is supposed to be named as the flagbearer and founder of the contemporary Islamic Awakening.

Before the revolution, Imam Khomeyni had stood against the stagnation and silence of the Muslims. He polished the dust from Islam and transformed it from a superficial Islam, which was far from the scene and politics into a transformational Islam and a collaborator of people especially the underprivileged ones, and this is the reviving movement that the Muslims needed so much. The victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran was a result of these changes which expanded the geography of the Islamic world and brought it to the scene and presented it with an intellectual and strategic depth. This religious awakening aroused the Muslims from their deep sleep of negligence.” (ar-Rashid, 1390)

By establishing the Islamic Republic system, Imam Khomeyni demonstrated the great Islamic capacities of governing the society;

Apart from the manner and criterion of the relation between the thoughts caused by the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the political activities of Muslim groups around the world, there is no doubt that we will not err by saying that after the revolution, the Muslim generation in the whole world has accepted that Islam has a masterplan for political and social reforms. (Esposito, 332: 1382)

2- The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the revival of the religious identity of the Muslims

The Islamic Revolution created a turning point in reviving the religious identity of the Muslims and with its eight-year defense, it positioned Shi’ism and Islam in the center of events and the world news. (Parsaniya, 354:1376). This revolution attained its victory at a time when the Islamic society and the Muslims were in a state of stagnation and lethargy.

The embarrassing collapse and disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, successive defeats of the Arab countries by the Zionist regime, the presence of the affiliated rulers in charge of Islamic affairs, lack of effective strategies for reviving the past glory of the Islamic countries, and so on, were among the reasons for this lethargy and frustration.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the people of Bahrain carried placards as they conducted a great demonstration in support of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. The solidarity and unity of the people of Bahrain with the Muslims and revolutionists of Iran were to such an extent that the freedom organization of Bahrain, used to communicate and cooperate with the leaders of the revolution of Iran as the representative of these people. (Muhammadi, 202:1387)

Regarding this matter, Qasim al-Hashimi, one of the Bahraini fighters, says:

“Imam Khomeyni managed to remove what we used to refer to as a thick veil and a barrier between the Muslims and their perception regarding religion and its responsibilities. Through his leadership, Imam Khomeyni was able to lay new horizons for others and enabled them to have a new look and think from a new perspective. What we are currently witnessing, is the light of the Islamic Revolution. It is the light of the Islamic Awakening from over thirty years ago concurrent with the auspicious steps of Imam Khomeyni that began to shine in this pure land. It was here where the awakening and real enthusiasm for shaking off the dust of incorrect perception of the Muslims and their ignorance regarding the real responsibilities of their religion began. (www.farsnews.com)

3- The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the creation of the belief that change is possible

An English newspaper (The Guardian) talked about the impacts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the countries in the region as follows:

When the Islamic Revolution of Iran attained victory under the leadership of Imam Khomeyni, this matter caused adulation from the Arab countries in the region. In reality, the Islamic Revolution of Iran showed an example of overthrowing the authoritarian regimes by means of popular uprising to the Arab countries; the Arabs in the region found hope for freedom and the belief in a change in the Islamic Revolution of Iran. (www.guardian.com)

Creating hope and belief that change is possible is one of the most essential features of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. There is no doubt that the Islamic Awakening is a new political phenomenon that has brought widespread transitions within the government structures of the Arab countries in North Africa and the Middle East and their foreign relations. The most vital element of transformation in this process is the widespread transitions in the political beliefs of the societies whereby the mentality of “change is impossible” turned into “change is possible.” This transformation is a result of the great events in the region that have occurred in the last two decades which have challenged and changed the earlier mentality of “change is impossible” to “change is possible.” The awakening changes are happening under the Domino rule and this shows that the beliefs of the people in the region have changed and this change has no geographical boundaries. (Ruyvaran, 1390).

By moving in a way that had earlier on seemed impossible, the Islamic Revolution of Iran has demonstrated a new model of life and struggle to the Muslim countries. Therefore, “creating the belief that change is possible” and “blowing the spirit of confidence and self-esteem” in people, are among the most effective factors of the Islamic Revolution on the Muslims in the world and especially the people of Bahrain.

It must be noted that the impacts of the Islamic Revolution did not only happen due to the drafting of some theoretical matters. Rather, the establishment of the Islamic Republican system played a big role in creating the belief that change is possible. This is because contrary to most of the movements, the Islamic Revolution of Iran did not only stop in the negative aspect of overthrowing the governments. Rather, in the positive aspect, it also managed to demonstrate a successful example to the Islamic countries by presenting an epitome of a political system based on the principle concepts of Islam which are referred to as ‘religious democracy.’

Religious democracy

By establishing an epitome of religious democracy, Imam Khomeyni untied the biggest knot present on the course of forming an Islamic government at present. Deployment of this epitome in establishing an Islamic Republican system was important in two aspects.

Firstly: After establishing the Islamic Republic system based on the religious democracy in Iran, most countries compared their situations with that of Iran and comprehended the defects present in their governments.

Secondly: By establishing the Iranian political system, religious democracy was presented to the Islamic countries as a new epitome whereby a religious system based on the will of the people can be formed by acting according to that.

The influence of the Islamic Revolution on the Islamic Awakening in Bahrain

One of the vital matters that this research has been conducted on is observing the numerous similarities between the revolutionary movement of the Bahraini people with the revolution of the Iranians; these similarities are in such a way that even the manager of the Persian department of BBC News emphasized on that in his report from Bahrain by stating: “I have remembered the days of the Iranian revolution. These similarities are unbelievable.” (www.bbc.co.uk/persian)

The slogans and symbols, revolutionary bases, leadership, the role of the Muslim women, and the culture of martyrdom are among the similar aspects between the revolution of Iran and Bahrain

1- The slogans and symbols

A revolutionary slogan is a fairly balanced and simple phrase that is comprehended by everyone and can be executed collectively and by relying on the feelings of the people, offer the positive or negative assessment of the present situation, or the desired situation, or their political personalities. And by proper and valuable verdicts, it should also give direction to the people and invite them towards collective political action in order to overthrow the ruling regime and replace it with an ideal system. (Panahi, 1379)

By taking into consideration the features of the Iranian society, it was seen that what was used more than ever in the slogans in the course of the Islamic Revolution was the reliance on Islamic values like reliance on God and fighting oppression. In regards to this, studying the slogans used in Bahrain shows a lot of similarities with the slogans proposed in the Islamic Revolution of Iran. In a special article analyzing the relation between Islam and the Arab revolutions especially in Bahrain, Aziz Hasan al-Khadhran, a Bahraini activist states:

“A slogan is a thing that is inspired by the customs and beliefs of countries and influences most of the sectors; a study on the slogans of the people in the past and present shows that the slogans of the Bahraini people have always been Islamic and the most popular one which can be noted is ‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is Great). At the beginning of the new course of the movement of the Bahraini people, ‘God is Great’ was the slogan that people used to chant on the rooftop of their homes. Apart from this slogan (God is Great), another one that was also used in this revolution is ‘an-Nasr Lil Islam’ (Victory for Islam) as a slogan that has a long history in Bahrain. ‘Mansurin wa an-Nasir Allah’ (Victorious and God is the Helper), is a new slogan that has been used by people in this revolution. Likewise, slogans such as ‘Hayhat minna dhillah’ (Humiliation far away from us), ‘Labbayk ya Islam’ (Here I am Islam), ‘Lan narka’a illa Lilah’ (We will bow our heads to none but Allah), and so on, depict the great relationship between the Bahraini Revolution with the Islamic values.” (al-Khadhrani, 1390)

2- The major revolutionary bases

The identity of the basis of the formation and continuity of any movement somehow shows the identity of the origin of that movement. With their activities over several years, these bases carried the responsibilities of intellectual and cultural nurturing of the people from different regions and upbringing the generations; the beliefs that are cultivated in the minds of people and youths of a society by means of the cultural activities will play a very significant role in the formation of the future social movements of that society.

The founder of the Islamic Revolution of Iran emphasized the roles played by the mosques and the religious rites in creating, protecting the continuity of Islam and the revolution. In regards to the role played by the mosques in the course of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Hamid Algar states:

“The mosque was the cornerstone in the formation of the Islamic Revolution. One of the vital elements in the victory of the revolution was the rejuvenation of the mosque and all its scopes of activities. The role of the mosque is no longer what it was, seclusion and asylum from the society whereby people used to seek refuge in them for the sake of avoiding the world, taking ablution, worshipping, or listening to the Noble Quran. Rather, the mosque has now turned into a fighting base and center of command. In summary, the mosque has now completely become what it was during the time of the Holy Prophet (s).” (Sharifpur, 64:1380)

In regards to the Bahraini Revolution of the 14th of February, the revolutionary bases are eligible for the study. The Friday congregational prayer is considered the main base of the Bahraini Revolution. On every Friday, by gathering in the places where the Friday prayer was conducted, especially at ‘Masjid Jam’iah Imam al-Sadiq (‘a)’ in the al-Diraz region and Masjid Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) in the al-Qaful region, the Bahraini people used to learn about the latest decisions and strategies adopted by their revolution leaders especially Ayatollah Shaykh Isa Qasim.

3- The leadership of the revolution

In any social and political movement, leadership is considered as one of the most important elements whose evaluation can be used to comprehend to a greater level the course of the movement in question. It is due to this fact that the personality of the leader or leaders of any social and political movement gives information about the direction and identity of that movement.

One of the most vital aspects of distinction between the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the rest of the contemporary movements was the leadership through a Shi’ah cleric; in the years before and after the Islamic Revolution, by treading in the path demonstrated by Imam Khomeyni, the Iranians managed to overcome their problems and today, Iran has turned into the most powerful nation in the region. Bahrain is the only country undergoing transitions whose revolution has been blessed with a coherent leader. Amongst the personalities present in Bahrain, the one with the most influence on the revolution is Ayatollah Ahmad Qasim al-Dirazi al-Bahrani. His support from the social movements in Bahrain plays a decisive role in the participation of people and the development of the transitions.[5]

The manager of the Persian department of BBC News writes about him as follows:

“One of the decisive personalities of the future of Bahrain is Ayatollah Isa Ahmad Qasim who is referred to as the Ayatollah Khomeyni of Bahrain.” (www.bbc.co.uk/persian). The invitation of people towards participating in the stage by Shaykh Isa Qasim has had a significant impact on increasing the number of people participating at different levels of the Bahraini Revolution. (www.fa.alalam.ir)

4- The Muslim woman and the Bahraini Revolution

The position of the women of nurturing the generations and being the main supporters of social movements has always been emphasized in the religious and Islamic teachings. In regards to the role of women in society, Imam Khomeyni states:

“In most cases, the roles of the women in society are more than those of men. Apart from the fact that women are an active stratum in all aspects, they also nurture active strata in their own laps.” (Imam Khomeyni 197/14:1379)

Likewise, he believes that the mothers have the noblest and greatest job and responsibility; this is because they have the responsibility of upbringing the generation. (Imam Khomeyni 176/7:1379). By paying heed to the similar culture of the two countries, the Bahraini women too had a similar role to the Iranian women in the latest revolution and proved their influence on the latest transitions with their strong and active participation.

The culture of martyrdom

Sacrificing life and all the worldly pleasures in the course of seeking Allah’s pleasure, has a very lofty position in the Islamic culture and especially the Shi’ah culture. In the Shi’ah culture, martyrdom is the highest position that a person can attain. Emulating the example of the ‘Ashura revolution of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) in fighting against the tyrants is considered to be one of the sources of nourishment for the Shi’ah revolutions in the course of history.

As the most important Shi’ah revolution in the present time, the Islamic Revolution of Iran also achieved great feats by relying on and emulating this culture. In regards to this, Imam Khomeyni states:

“A nation that has revolted for the sake of establishing Islamic justice, implementing the laws of the Noble Quran, curtailing the might of the superpower criminals, and living with independence and freedom, has prepared itself for ‘martyrdom’ and offering martyrs. It does not weep as the superpower criminals
martyr their best children.” (Imam Khomeyni 1/15:1379)

This matter also played a major role in the latest revolution of the Bahraini people and made the revolution reach its peak. As the religious scholar and the leader of the revolution of the Bahraini people, Shaykh Isa Qasim also repeatedly emphasized the importance of martyrdom and the martyr’s blood in the course of the revolution. In regards to this, he says:

“The blood of the martyr is mixed with the spirit of dignity, awakening, vigilance, and the feeling of hatred towards oppression and enmity and so this blood must be guarded. The people who are making efforts to extinguish the popular revolutions and burying their fair demands are living in sheer ignorance and they want to frighten away people from the course of martyrdom by pouring innocent blood. However, everything is exactly the opposite and it is only the blood of the martyrs that is nourishing the popular movements and influencing the hearts of people. The blood of the martyrs is ebullient and it revives, awakens, and makes vigilant the hearts of people.” (www.shafaqna.com)

Conclusion:

On one side, the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran in a country that was once considered to be the major base of America in the Middle East, and on the other side, its neighborhood with the Soviet states, had clear messages for the Muslim countries. This revolution showed that the Muslim countries can attain victory by relying upon their own native power and acting according to the Islamic principles despite the demands from the superpowers. It is due to this reason that the Muslim countries have accepted different impacts of this revolution.

After the revolution of Iran, most of the Muslim countries have begun to emulate this revolution corresponding with the conditions of their societies in relation to the utilization of the basic principles. The leadership of the revolutions by the Islamic scholars and the decisive role of the religious institutions in the society is among the things that were not evident in the Muslim societies before the Iranian revolution. Nonetheless, it was after the success of the leadership of Imam Khomeyni in Iran that restored the position of the Muslim leaders in the societies.

The slogans that were used in the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the emphasis on the religious identity of the revolution have been used in most of the movements after that revolution. After the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the use of mosques, religious places, and rites as the major revolutionary bases were taken into consideration more than ever by the movements. The women who make up half of the population of the societies have always played a major role in the transitions. Nevertheless, this potential has always been neglected in most of the Islamic movements; it was through the Islamic Revolution of Iran and the emphasis of Imam Khomeyni based on the dignified position of the Muslim women in upbringing generations, that this capacity was restored to the field of transitions of the Muslim countries. By emphasizing the culture generating from the ‘Ashura revolution of Imam al-Husayn (‘a) and seeking martyrdom, is another element that played a vital role in propelling the movements. These cases are among the reasons that prove the influence of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on the revolution of the Bahraini people.

Likewise, the certain impacts stemming from the Islamic Revolution of Iran has made the countries in the region to raise their expectations from their governments. After the revolution and establishment of an Islamic Republic system based on the will of the people, most of the countries became acquainted with the benefits of a better life. Meanwhile, after witnessing a practical example from a new epitome, they view it as an achievable feat. The belief that change was possible and inspiring the spirit of self-esteem can be considered as the major matters that were conveyed to the Muslim countries after the Islamic Revolution.

The establishment of the Islamic Republic based on religious democracy as an efficient epitome of the political system according to Islam had a great role to play in creating this belief. The reason being that before the Islamic Revolution in Iran, due to the lack of an epitome that they could form based on Islamic teachings, the Muslim movements mostly relied on western ideologies. Of course, these movements failed due to the incompatibility of these ideologies with their Islamic beliefs. However, contrary to the rest of the Muslim movements, other than the negative aspect of overthrowing the oppressive regime that it got, on the positive aspect, the Islamic Revolution managed to prove the ability of Islam in governing the society by presenting an example of religious democracy.

The Islamic Revolution of Iran, and after that, the establishment and continuity of the Islamic Republic for more than three decades despite the stumbling blocks like wars, conspiracy, sanctions and so on that have taken place, the scene of global and regional equations has undergone great transitions which at present, has been manifested in the form of the Islamic Awakening.

Sources and references:

1- Abu Talibi, Mahdi, 1384, Naqsheh-ye Farhang-e Siyasiyeh Shi’eh dar Enqelab Eslami, Qom, Majaleh-ye Ma’arefat, number 98.

2- al-Khadhrani, ‘Aziz Hasan, 1390, ath-Thawrat al-Arabiyyah wa al-Aqatuha bi al-Islam [al-Bahrain Mithalan, Risalat al-Kalam, number 30.

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