The Islamic Revolution of Iran was a response to the problems created in the process of seeking progress through the Western model and a reaction to its identity crisis. This Revolution was the point of the evolution of Islamic awakening and a model for excellence. In other words, the Islamic Revolution that took place to seek identity and independence brought a model based on which progress was defined not based on dependence on the West but attachment to the indigenous identity and culture. Thus, the system formed after the Revolution represents this model. The issue of seeking identity, striving for excellence and seeking independence can also be seen in Imam Khomeini's opinions. The people's slogans during the Revolution and the views of foreign thinkers about the Revolution also prove the same claim.
In the Pahlavi regime, people were not allowed to have political participation and could not determine their destinies. The Pahlavi regime came to power with a coup, the legislative branch had a nominal role and there was no trace of political participation. By changing this situation, the Islamic Revolution sensitized people to their fate and called them to political participation. Therefore, less than two months after the victory of the Revolution, the principle of the system was put to a referendum; however, the masses of people by electing Imam Khomeini (RA) as the leader of the movement had shown that they want to realize his ideals.
Unlike the claims of some opposition circles and intellectuals inside and outside the country, Imam Khomeini's political thoughts were not unclear. Years before the victory of the Revolution and during his stay in Najaf, he discussed and gave speeches about political philosophy, Islamic government and Wilayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of Islamic Jurist) and the motto of establishing the “Islamic government” had been raised in demonstrations and gatherings. Imam Khomeini (RA) believed that the relationship between religion and politics should be realized in the government and Muslims should try to form a government based on Islam. In accordance with the political conditions and events of the country at the time, he presented the discussion of Islamic governance in three stages: the first stage - Islamic governance as an ideal during the Occultation period (in the 1940s); the second stage - the Islamic governance as an alternative model to the monarchy (in the mid-1960s) and the third stage - the Islamic governance in the form of the Islamic Republic system (during the Revolution and afterwards).
Imam Khomeini (RA) believed that the establishment of an Islamic governance is necessary for the following reasons: 1- the inadequacy of the law to reform the society; 2- the establishment of the government by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH); 3- designation of the Islamic ruler by Prophet (PBUH), 4- the need for many Islamic laws to be implemented through the governmental structures; 5- necessity of continuing the implementation of Islamic rules; 6- establishing a non-tyrannical political system and eliminating the effects of the tyranny in the society; 7- fighting against the occupation of the Islamic homeland by colonialists and dependent governments and 8- the emphasis of the verses of the Holy Quran and traditions on the necessity of forming an Islamic governance.
In Imam Khomeini's political thought, Islamic governance is the rule of Islamic law, that is, the law that was determined by Allah and explained by Quran and the Prophet (PBUH). This form of governance is fundamentally different from the other ones; it is not a royal, individual, autocratic or absolute rule, and its head does not have authority over people's lives and property. Islamic governance is the rule of law, in which sovereignty is exclusive to Allah and the law is His command and decree. The limited powers of the Prophet (PBUH) and the infallible Imams (AS) have also been given to them by Allah. Islamic governance is also fundamentally different from the monarchical and republican constitutional governments. In these types of governance, the king or the majority of the MPs make laws, while in the Islamic form, the initial establishment of the law is the responsibility of the Sharia, and the laws in the country are enacted after being conformed to the Islamic laws.
At the same time, Imam Khomeini (RA) considered the people as one of the foundations of Islamic governance and always emphasized the need for the government to rely on the people and their satisfaction and supervision, avoiding to impose an order on them, etc.
The history of political participation of the Iranian people goes back to the Constitutional Revolution, but the Pahlavi regime ignored this right. Although elites - especially lawyers and human rights organizations - tried to realize this right, it was the public participation in the Revolution through massive demonstrations, nationwide strikes and street protests that finally brought these efforts to fruition. Therefore, when on October 12, 1978, the European journalists asked Imam Khomeini (RA) what he meant by Islamic governance, he used the term "Islamic Republic" which emphasized the definite presence of the people in the future government, and explained it as follows:
“Reverting to the Constitution means reverting to the vile monarchy which is an archaic and reactionary system; so, this is not possible. Those who want to do so are in a minority, whereas the whole nation is clamoring for an Islamic government. An Islamic regime and an Islamic republic are dependent on the popular vote of the people and a general referendum. Its constitution is Islamic and must conform to the laws of Islam which are the most progressive of laws. Those parts of the Constitution that conform to these progressive precepts will be retained, and those that are contrary to these lack legitimacy according to the dictates of the Constitution itself. And as most of the acts had been imposed by force, they must be annulled”.
Also, on November 13, 1978, in response to the question of a reporter of the French Le Monde newspaper Imam Khomeini (RA) explains what he means by the concept of "republic":
“As to the republic, it means as it is elsewhere although, this republic is based on a constitutional law, which is the law of Islam. We say Islamic republic because the terms of the elected, as well as the commands enforced in Iran, would all be based on Islam. However, the choice is the nation’s, and the method of the republic is the same way as elsewhere”.
The meeting of Karim Sanjabi - the leader of the National Front - with Imam Khomeini (RA) in November 1978 resulted in the establishment of Islamic governance becoming a common goal for the Islamist and nationalist revolutionaries. On behalf of the National Front, Sanjabi called for holding a referendum to establish a "national government based on the principles of Islam, democracy and national sovereignty". Mahdi Bazargan, on behalf of the Freedom Movement, announced that: "... The people are followers of Ayatollah Khomeini and want this monarchy to give way to the Islamic system”. Accordingly, when on February 4, 1979, Bazargan was designated by Imam Khomeini (RA) to form the provisional government, he was tasked with preparing the grounds for changing the country's political system from the constitutional monarchy to the Islamic Republic. The spirit of Imam Khomeini’s decree that “I hereby invest you with the power to form a provisional government that will be responsible for managing the country’s administrative affairs, in particular, the holding of a referendum based upon the public vote of the nation regarding the change of the country’s political system into an Islamic republic and the creation of a constitutional assembly made up of popularly chosen representatives who will draft the constitution of the new system and the election of the parliamentary representatives of the nation according to the laws of the new system…” shows his decisive decision to quickly pass through the transitional and temporary era after the collapse of the former regime and establish institutions and consolidate the new system in the least possible time.
Reference:
http://22bahman.ir/show.php page=archive&id=147&start=2
Archive of Imam Khomeini
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