At a time when social thinkers and philosophers talk about the beginning of a new era called “the information age” and the expansion of rational relations based on materialism, a series of political, social, cultural, and revolutionary developments in Iran surprised the world because with the victory of this great revolutionary movement, religious and spiritual power took a decisive role in world political equations and decisions, and religious, spiritual and cultural values became a major influential factor in the international relations as well as global and regional decisions.
In fact, the Islamic Revolution of Iran can be seen as the manifestation of the fulfillment of soft power which means the ability to influence the behaviour of others without making a threat or paying a tangible price. In fact, soft power is the product of positive imagination and gaining credit in the world which indirectly affects the interests or behaviour of other countries by using tools such as culture, brilliant backgrounds, aspirations or human values. Thus, soft power is a social phenomenon related to environmental components that is, comparing to other foreign policy instruments, influenced the most by the components of national identity. The use of soft power to demonstrate the legitimacy of Islamic Revolution politics provided a new form of power alongside the hard power so that after the Islamic Revolution and the end of the Cold War the studies of soft power became increasingly important. Since the difference between the structure of the Islamic Republic and other systems of the world lied in its reliance on software resources, hence soft threats will be posed against it.
Every society and system has its own threats, as the sources of power and how they are activated by different actors are not the same. In other words, each political unit, with its features, conditions, capabilities, and goals, has opportunities and threats that find meaning only in relation to the same unit. Therefore, the Islamization of society, while it is considered as the most important aspect of it, can also pose a threat if people or the officials neglect to observe their responsibilities.
This article explores this issue by examining the views of Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei.
The Foundations of the Islamic Republic’s Identity
Politics in the Islamic Republic of Iran is heavily influenced by politics of identity. A policy that points to a set of ideas about the political community by which the domestic and foreign policymakers inspire so that they could create a sense of unity and solidarity to legitimize the public trust regarding the state policy. This politics of identity can lead to the shaping and institutionalization of the political culture in two ways:
1) It can be internalized and expanded within the cognitive framework of society; and
2) as the political reality, it may be accepted and pursued by decision-makers in society through the interpretations made by the policymakers.
Since the internal norms and social structures determine the selection of a particular identity and role of a country, social and semantic structures shape the identities and interests of actors and countries through the triple mechanism of imagination, communication and constraining.
The identity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a political system determined in Iran and arose from the Islamic Revolution which is moving towards development, can be defined within the framework of a square of identity. Islamic, Iranian, revolutionism and independence and standing against the arrogant powers form the four sides of the Islamic Republic’s square of identity as a political system. Of course, these elements do not have the same weight in consolidating the Islamic Republic’s identity. Undoubtedly, being Islamic in these four elements is of increasing importance so that it can be claimed that being Iranian, revolutionary and non-aligned fall under the category of being Islamic.
1. Islamism
Islamism is the most important intellectual and ideological structure that consolidates the national identity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The occurrence of the Islamic Revolution in Iran led to the emergence of a theory among the general theories of revolutions called the “Cultural Theory of Revolutions,” which is the manifestation of the soft power of the Iranian Revolution rooted in religious and Islamic identity. This has led recently to the emergence of the theory of “religion is the cause of the revolution” within the cultural theories of the revolution. Hence, some domestic and foreign scholars have used such a theory as their theoretical basis in analyzing revolutions.
That is why, on the basis of the teachings and instructions of the Shi’ah reading of Islam, Islamism considers the Iranian people to be a Muslim nation whose most important source of identity and loyalty is Islam and Shi’ism which through the leadership of Imam Khomeini could reduce violence to a great extent within the movement of the revolution and unite different groups under the umbrella of Islam with simple slogans such as “Independence, Freedom and the Islamic Republic.”
Islam distinguishes the Iranian nation from other nations and delineates the boundary between “self” and “other.” Therefore, in the theory of Islamic Republic which is based on the concept of Wilayah al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurisprudent) presented and implemented during the Islamic Revolution and with the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the basis of the political order during the era of occultation is the Guardianship of the Jurisprudent whose legitimacy and acceptance lie in the observance of Islamic standards and reliance on the opinions of the Muslim nation. Thus, despite the existence of the idealistic readings of the political theory of Imam Khomeini and the Islamic Republic, it should be noted that this new order has been formulated in the contemporary era based on Islamic realism or actual idealism.
2. Iranian Nationalism
This variable also plays an important role in the safe narration of the behaviour and actions of the Islamic Republic and in many cases it directly influences the way a country decides. Along with the liberal, ancient, anti-colonial, and racist readings that have shaped the Islamic Republic’s national identity, it is the religious nationalism that has formed the national identity of the Islamic Republic emphasizing the role and position of Islam and Shi’ah religion in the formation of Iran’s nation and national identity. Contrary to all different readings of nationalism, this kind of reading holds that there is no inherent conflict between nationality and religion and consequently between national and divine sovereignty and that there is a strong tie between Iranianism and Islamism. Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei, despite the recognition of the nation as a socio-political reality, criticize nationalism as an ideology believing that religious identity is more important than an identity derived from nationally and hence they redefine it in the context of Islam. In Imam Khomeini’s view, “Islamism, comparing to Iranianism, has established strong relationships between the Iranian people.”
“We want nationality in the light of Islamic teachings. We will do anything for the Iranian nation only in the name of Islam, not nationality or Magism. The bounds of nationality are those of Islam, which support the idea to protect Islamic nations. Defending Islamic nations is an obligation. But it does not mean that we put Islam aside and cry for nationalism and pan-Iranism.”
This shows that the leaders of the Islamic Republic accept the nation as a whole and a collective unit in the new international system, but acceptance of these collective units does not imply acknowledging ideologies that are rooted in them, namely ethnicity, racism, regionalism and nationalism; rather, it can only be mentioned as an indicator and factor for gaining cognition and knowledge. This kind of attitude is influenced by Quranic teachings in which collective units are referred to as a factor for gaining knowledge.
The God Almighty says in the Holy Quran: “Oh mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you. Indeed, God is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Quran, 49:13)
In this kind of nationalism, the “national sovereignty” under the umbrella of divine sovereignty is regarded as a fundamental value and principle along with “independence,” “freedom of political action,” “non-interference of foreigners in Iranian internal affairs,” “freedom” and “equality.”
3. Independence and Being Anti-Arrogance
Independence is a kind of international political discourse and semantic system that has an anti-colonial, anti-authoritarian and anti-hegemonic nature. This intellectual structure opposes the existing international political-economic order and seeks to modify it and achieve the desired order so that to serve the interests of developing countries and the ones located in the south. The most important principles and objectives of independence are international justice, economic development, practical equality of all nations, independence and freedom of action, independence from major blocs and powers, reform, modifying or changing the international laws, norms and institutions, and so on... Therefore, given Iran’s historical-cultural background, it can be said that the national identity of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been strongly influenced by the principles and norms of developing countries and members of the Non-Aligned Movement. In addition, the factor of national and religious norms, including the principle of neither the East nor the West, shows the place and role of this idea in its national identity.
Therefore, in the opinion of the founders of the Islamic Republic, while the rights of all human beings and non-interference in the internal affairs of nations under international law have been acknowledged, defending the rights and seeking justice with respect to the oppressed people of the world is seen as the duty of the Islamic state. In their view, the mission of the Islamic Republic in defending the oppressed and fighting against oppression is defined not only at the national level but also at the global level and as Imam Khomeini has stated, “We support all the oppressed people across the world. Opposing oppression and defending the rights are not limited to a particular place.”
4. Being Revolutionary
As one of the elements of contemporary Iranian identity, the Islamic Revolution plays a key and fundamental role in defining the construction of identity at both individual and collective spheres of the Islamic Republic, so that after more than three decades of Islamic Revolution, the political structures of the country still use the suffix “Revolution” and “being revolutionary” is considered as the most important political value that delineates the boundaries between “self” and “other.” This idea, which has also been addressed in the constitution of the Islamic Republic, is influenced by Shi’ah Islamic culture. Among the most important elements that have contributed to the Shi’ah political culture become revolutionary are the principle of Imamate, awaiting the reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi, the occultation, belief in the illegality of the ruling of other than the infallible Imams and whom they have permitted to do so, martyrdom, taqiyyah (precautionary dissimulation), justice and the principle of Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Evil.
In other words, “Shi’ism in Iran has never lost its essential feature of opposing the material and worldly powers. The symbols of endurance, suffering, sacrifice, and standing up for truth and justice are manifested within the various Shi’ahs rituals, and Shi’ism has a considerable capacity to provide the political conflicts with a religious framework; enjoying the public support and having mottos such as “the oppressed defeating the arrogant powers” as well as giving the good news of establishing social justice when Imam al-Mahdi reappears would make this religion a suitable setting for carrying out objections and revolution.” Furthermore, religious rituals and ceremonies such as Ashura, holding mourning ceremonies and commemorating the martyrs could contribute greatly to the mobilization and encouraging people and giving them the spirit of struggle and being revolutionary.
Overall, it should be said that in the Islamic Republic, there are many different identities “simultaneously” and “at different times” which are determined by a focal point that is the reading of pure religion of Islam. Protecting multiple identities is, therefore, a part of the ontological security to which if it is threatened Iran would respond.
Archive of Ayatollah Khamenei
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