Imam Khomeini believed in people and trusted them. In the struggle against the imperial regime, he relied on the people and their faith, and after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, when liberals and intellectuals wanted to abandon the people and took advantages of the situation, Imam Khomeini addressed the people’s participation as a fundamental principle and although they had repeatedly declared that they would favour and support the Islamic Republic and his leadership, he called on them to express their views about the type of the government which would replace the Pahlavi regime by participating in the referendum.
Then, in the Assembly of Experts election, approving the constitution, the presidential and parliamentary elections, and wherever the public should express their opinion, Imam Khomeini set the stage for the presence and participation of the people respecting their votes.
Accordingly, Imam Khomeini had always emphasized the sovereignty of the people over their fate after the establishment of the republican government and believed: “... the sovereignty of the people over their fate is a necessity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Therefore, one of the broadest political principles of Imam Khomeini is public participation. Imam Khomeini described the committed nation as the founders of the Islamic Republic which indicates the role and importance of popular participation in the establishment of the ideal government and politics. In his view, the legitimacy of Divine decrees and the rights of the people are not in conflict with each other. Contrary to other common viewpoints in the secularist model based on which people have the right to participate and may or may not exercise this right, in Imam Khomeini’s view, in addition to having the right to participate, people have a duty in this regard according to religious teachings and that duty even carries the same weight as other obligations.
Imam Khomeini has used the terms such as “religious duty,” “the obliged” and “must” in describing this issue. Emphasizing the close relationship between religion and politics and the necessity of influencing the politics by Muslims as well as their influential participation, Imam Khomeini stated that their presence is of importance and repeatedly stressed that if people avoid engaging in politics country will face challenges and that preserving Islam and the monotheistic state is a religious duty.
According to the same rational and religious principle, Imam Khomeini also called on the people to exercise this innate right saying that: “It is essential for the valiant Iranian nation to take control of the fate of their country at the earliest point and enjoy the fruits of their great Revolution in every aspect and social features so that they may regain their rights and Islamic justice be observed in every manner of social life.”
In addition, the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran which is derived from the Islamic precepts, the “participation of people,” their role in managing the country’s affairs as well as their rights have been acknowledged. According to Article 6 of the constitution, the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran revolves around the people’s vote and the type of government, constitution, the members of the Assembly of Experts, president, members of the parliament, and in some cases, referendums all are rooted in public opinion.
Clearly, from the point of view of Imam Khomeini, people and the Islamic state are not separate from each other. Imam Khomeini points to the will and presence of the people as the essential factors in the popular legitimacy of the government and therefore rejects any dictatorship as a concept that is contrary to Islam. That is why, because of his objection to the constitutional monarchy and the Shah, he says: “The nation’s vote has no role in bringing the Shah to power, so his monarchy is illegitimate.”
In short, the purpose of this article is to examine the theoretical and practical sources and foundations of Imam Khomeini’s political thought regarding the necessity of political participation of the people in determining the political and organizational destiny and the administration of the Islamic community, while focusing on the subject of elections and the key question that, “Is political participation of the people their right or duty?” Finally, as a mystical philosopher and theologian and a great religious authority, Imam Khomeini, by relying on Shi’ah political thought and jurisprudential as well as theological foundations, have proved the necessity of the establishment of an Islamic state in which people and the freedom of their participation in the administration of the country are playing a key role. Moreover, what is called democracy, freedom and participation in today’s political systems have been taken into account in his political thought believing that they all exist fully in Islamic rule.
Democracy in Imam Khomeini’s Political Thought and the Rights of the People
Democracy has a special place in Imam Khomeini’s political thought, and in his view, it is sometimes referred to as democracy. The point that needs to be addressed here is the difference between religious democracy and material democracy.
Following the Islamic teachings, he states that two main axes in Islam distinguish democracy from the one which arises from the ideas of Western thinkers: First, the conditions of the one who is going to run the country and second is the laws that are in place in the society. Imam Khomeini especially emphasized the second axis.
When he was asked: “Your Eminence declares that an Islamic republic must be established in Iran, and this doesn’t make much sense for us French because a republic can be established without religious grounds. What do you think? Is your republic based on socialism, constitutionalism, elections, democracy, or what?
He said: “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 conditions are those of the one who is elected to the presidency. This, of course, may include the conditions of choosing those who are somehow elected within the Islamic government – like the members of parliament. Furthermore, addressing the member of the Guardian Council of the Constitution, Imam Khomeini said: “You must oversee the Majles’ legislation and in doing so you should not take into consideration matters of expediency. You must make sure that the legislation is absolutely in accordance with Islamic law. Do not pay heed to some of the members (of the Majles) who wish to pander to a small segment of our people; the so-called “progressive” individuals; you must firmly oppose such ideas. Keep God in mind. Only God must be considered in fulfilling our obligations and not the people. If [for example] a hundred million people, the whole population of the world hold an opinion contrary to the Quran, you must stand up to them and preach the word of God, even if all the people revolt against you.”
That is why he said: “... a referendum or a national endorsement has no value in comparison to Islam...” The phrase “in comparison to Islam” indicates that point. Islam is a set of doctrines and laws and here we talk about the Islamic laws. Yet, by observing the above-mentioned points, it is possible to derive all the principles, upon which democracy is based, from his remarks and views.
1) Emphasizing the inclusion of democracy in Islam and the perfection of the Islamic democracy comparing to the Western ones: “the Islamic government means a government which is established on the basis of justice, democracy and the Islamic rules and regulations.”
2) Highlighting the role of the public votes through which the two principles of public participation and majority rule are shown. However, these two principles would have their own special meanings when considering the issue of accepting the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurisprudent (Wilayat al-Faqih) on the basis of the view of the appointment of the Wali al-Faqih (Guardian Jurisprudent) which is accepted by Imam Khomeini.
Many remarks have been quoted from him in this regard some of which are as follows:
“We establish an Islamic republic in which the government, as well as its establishment, revolve around the public vote.” In another statement, he said: “With the plan we have been working for, we are trying to make the people of all classes consciously and freely elect their representatives, and then elect the representatives of the government as well as other officials.”
Also, he stated that the continuity of the government, as its establishment, relies on public opinion: “In this system, the government will be just, it will be a national government, a government based on the divine laws and the consensus of the nation; a ruler will not be able to bully his way to power and then protect his rule by the same means. No, he will come to power through the nation’s vote, and it will be the nation who will protect him. If at any time he acts against the wishes of the nation or the law, the codified law, then his rule will, as a matter of course, become null and void and the government of Iran and the Iranian nation will sweep him aside.”
“If a nation resolves to do something, nothing can be imposed on it. It is possible to impose on a group, on a party or other related entities, but not on a nation.”
On another occasion, he described the votes of the majority as the factor which guarantees the existence of the republican feature in the Islamic Republic. In response to the question that what kind of government you will replace the monarchy, he said:
“An Islamic Republic. It will be republican because it is based on the vote of the majority of the people, and it will be Islamic because its constitution is derived from the Islamic laws.”
3) Imam Khomeini believes that people not only play a role in the establishment and determination of the government and choosing the rulers but also, they are a key factor in governmental decisions. Addressing the features of Islamic government, he states:
“the republic government should be formed by the people’s vote; in a way that every single person in the country has a role in electing the person or persons who are going to hold reins of government… In this government the authorities should always consult with the nation’s deputies in all matters of decision making, and if the deputies disagree, they cannot decide on their own.”
Hence, the point that ultimately needs to be addressed is that in religious democracy, though like material democracy, people vote and participate in elections, the spirit that lies the foundations gives religious democracy a different meaning from other models of democracy. The foundations of religious democracy are God-centredness, the transition from the material world to the celestial one, and the relation between religion and social needs. In other words, the model of material democracy represents a latitudinal relationship between human beings, that is, participation in elections is a right that may or may not be exercised by people. Yet, in religious democracy, there is both the latitudinal and longitudinal relationship between humans; the latitudinal relation indicates that people have the right to choose their ruler and the longitudinal one denotes the relationship with God. People are obliged to participate in politics and play a role in determining and fulfilling the Islamic precepts and goals because from a religious perspective they are responsible and it is the duty that determines the relationship between people. Hence, unlike material democracy, people here cannot be indifferent to elections because they would be held accountable before God.
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