In response to the question of why the Islamic Revolution in Iran has affected contemporary Islamic political movements, one can point to the many commonalities that exist between the Islamic Revolution in Iran and contemporary Islamic political movements. These common features provided the grounds for the interaction of the contemporary Islamic Revolution. These fields, which can be considered as the elements of convergence or alignment and coherence, are:
1) Common Belief:
Even though the Islamic Revolution in Iran is a Shi’ah revolution, but like any Muslim or other Islamic movements, it constitutes the belief in the unity of God, prophethood of the Holy Prophet (s); considers the Ka’bah as the qiblah to which all spiritual aspirations and desires would refer, regards the Quran as the Word of God and the saviour of the misguided man, and includes the belief in the Day of Resurrection as well as peace, brotherhood and equality. As Imam Khomeini said: “In the concept of unity, which is our common ground, and in the Islamic expediency that is common to all, be united with one another.” Of course, the charismatic personality of Imam Khomeini and his anti-colonial positions upon which most Muslims are agreed, have accelerated the process of interaction between the Islamic Revolution and Islamic movements.
2) Common Enemy:
The Islamic Revolution and Islamic Movements have the same enemy. This common enemy, which is the arrogant powers of the world headed by the United States (the Great Satan) and Israel (the cancerous tumour), like the infidels of the Quraysh, the barbaric Mongols, Christian Crusaders, European colonizers and racist Serbs... threaten the nature of Islam While the Islamic Revolution with the slogan “Neither East nor the West” has been the pioneer in the field of fighting against the common enemy of the Muslim world. Imam Khomeini said: “You should repel our common enemy, that is Israel, the United States and the like, who want to eliminate our dignity and re-oppress us.”
3) Common Goal:
The Islamic Revolution in Iran and contemporary Islamic movements call for the abolition of oppression and corruption, implementation of Islamic law, establishment of an Islamic state in the Muslim community, and the dominance of the sound of “La illaha illa Allah (there is no god but God)” throughout the world, through rejection of powers and reliance on divine power as well as people.
Imam Khomeini has said in this regard: “Everyone has to be active, be together, we want to preserve Islam, which requires you to be active. Do not think that retreat will negate your liability.”
Of course, some of the Islamic political movements only demand the observance of practicing of Islamic law in their countries, while others seek to form an independent state without emphasizing on Islamic form of governance. Hence, it can be said that contemporary Islamic movements have been developed owing to the Islamic Revolution because that event had given fresh impetus to Islam and Muslims; saved them from marginalization and humiliation; confirmed the inability of Marxism, liberalism, and nationalism in the administration of Muslim affairs, and presented Islam as the only solution to Muslim political life.
Abdul-Aziz al-Awda, a prominent Palestinian cleric, said: “Khomeini’s revolution was the most important and most serious attempt for awakening Muslim nations.” Therefore, the existence and political life of Islamic political movements depend on the Islamic Revolution. This has provided the necessary grounds for the influence of the Islamic Revolution on Islamic movements.
4) Seeking Unity:
The emphasis of the Islamic Revolution and its leader on the necessity of the unity of all Islamic groups and schools of thought to gain victory in the internal and external arena is another context within which contemporary Islamic political movements would incline towards the Islamic Revolution. Since the Islamic Revolution does not distinguish between black and white, European and non-European, so it would not highlight the disagreements among Muslims, but rather take important steps to unify Muslims through creating a platform for the unity of all schools of thought, commemorating al-Quds Day, issuing a fatwa (by Imam Khomeini) against Salman Rushdie and holding the week of unity etc.
For this reason, a wide range of non-Shi’ah groups and even non-Islamic liberation movements have considered the Islamic Revolution in Iran as a role model. Therefore, not surprisingly and while keeping in mind the name of Imam Khomeini, the Palestinian Sunni Muslims are carrying the martyrdom operations. Pakistani journalist Mujib al Rahman Shami says: “Another big influence of Imam Khomeini is that although he was a Shi’ah leader... Nevertheless, he had never promoted segregation, his cry was for Islam. “
5) Reliance on People
The element of relying on people within the Islamic Revolution has been a key factor in the development of the revolution and its acceptance by Muslim nations. The revolution of 1997 and its leader believed that they should value the nations and not the governments. For example, the Hajj and the significance assigned to it by Iran is one of the elements that reflect the matter of reliance on people within the Iranian Revolution because Imam Khomeini has changed the concept of the Hajj ritual in a way that it was no longer considered to be a mere worship ceremony. This happened through the revival of the ceremony of renouncing the polytheists which reflects the ceremony held by the Prophet (s) during the first days of Islam. Though turning the Hajj to a people-based ritual resulted in the killing of about 400 Iranian pilgrims during the Hajj in 1987, but three years later when Iranians returned to Makkah again, the voice of that ceremony echoed again among the pilgrims; Of course, on a more limited scale.
The Impact of the Islamic Revolution in Iran on Contemporary Islamic Political Movements
In response to the question of how the Islamic Revolution in Iran influenced contemporary Islamic political movements, we may mention numerous and varied works. Addressing all these works is beyond the scope of this article. Therefore, we only deal with a part of the reflection that affects political and cultural spheres:
A) Political Reflection
Here we discuss some of the political reflections of three categories, “Choosing Islam as an ideology for struggle,” “trying to fulfill the Islamic state” and “the role of the Islamic Revolution on the political life of Islamic movements”:
The revival of Islam throughout the world is one of the most important achievements of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Ayatollah Khamenei said: “Despite more than a hundred and forty years of modern and comprehensive planning against Islam, there has been a massive Islamic movement around the world through which Islam is gained a new life and Muslims are realized their true identity, in Africa, Asia, and even in Europe. “In other words, this is the end of a period that featured the lack of self-confidence among Muslims especially among their educated ones, the call for assimilation into a global identity by a large number of them while forgetting about their past. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolution revived and regained the confidence that used to support great Islamic civilization.
This revival of Islam has brought different effects for Islamic movements. One of these influences is choosing Islam as the best and most complete way of fighting. The spokesman for the Palestine Islamic Jihad, during a meeting with Imam Khomeini, said: “Intifada is a glimpse of light and reflects the great victories of your revolution; The revolution that caused the greatest transformation and development in our time.” Although before the Revolution, Islam did not play a significant role in the process of fighting against Israel. Such an approach meant the abandonment of secular ideas especially nationalism, liberalism, and communism, and the rejecting of the view of predestination, all of which were incapable of saving Islamic nations from domestic and foreign tyrannies. According to Shaykh Abdullah Shami’s point of view a Palestinian fighter and leader, “After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Palestinians realized that they needed the Quran and a gun to obtain freedom.” Yet, for decades, Marxist groups often carried out revolutionary movements. In any case, the Islamic Revolution was an acknowledgement of the political dimension of Islam and from then on, secret organizations were formed in some countries while the armed struggle based on Islamic teachings was organized.
Turning to a fight based on Islam is not only the result of the revival of Islam, which is called by some Islamic fundamentalism. Within the new trend, a modern and contemporary understanding of Islam was developed, in which Muslims were encouraged to persist in their resistance and insist on their rights. This was done by Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb within the Muslim Brotherhood movement, but the Islamic Revolution propounded the revolutionized Islam more impeccably. Of course, this revolutionary militancy will not be just about using weapons; it also constitutes peaceful methods similar to those employed by the Islamist Welfare Party in Turkey.
The Islamic system that was formed after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, became the best example and the most important political demand of Muslim fighters. One of the leaders of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq said: “At that time, we would say that Islam has gained triumph in Iran, and soon it will succeed in Iraq too. Therefore, we must learn lessons from this event and follow that model. “In other words, the Islamic Revolution motivated about 1.5 billion Muslims and inspired them to establish the rule of God on earth. This approach has emerged in various forms within the constitution, discourse, speeches and political actions of contemporary Islamic political movements.
The interest of the Muslim activists to create an Islamic state has been expressed in three manners: (1) Some Islamic groups in the Sunni world clearly are not afraid of opposing illegitimate governments and generally, they do not pay attention to the traditions that necessitate obeying the Islamic ruler in all circumstances. Rather, they call for the establishment of an Islamic state or a system based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (s) in their country, and some of them introduced that matter in their constitutions (such as the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq) or official announcements (such as The Islamic Da’wah Party). Yet, some Islamic movements (like Kashmir and Afghanistan) have regarded political independence as their first political goal before establishing an Islamic state.
Second: Some other Islamic groups through the demand for the implementation of Islamic shari’ah (such as the Egyptian Movement for Islamic Guidance) or by translating the book “The Islamic State” of Imam Khomeini (such as al-Yasar al-Islami of Egypt) or by stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the only solution (like the Algerian Islamic Salvation Front) etc. they showed tendencies towards creating an Islamic state. Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Baqir al-Sadr was trying to topple the Iraqi regime before the onset of the Iraq-Iran war and create an Islamic state in accordance with the ideology of Wilayat al-Faqih[1]. There were voices of inclination toward establishing Islamic governance after the 1991 uprising of the Shi’ahs of Iraq.
Third, some other Islamic movements either have withdrawn from the narrow circle of nationalism and called for the establishment of an Islamic system based on the Muslim ummah that included the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean, or are following the leadership of the Islamic Revolution in Iran based on the principle of Wilayat al-Faqih. These groups are of two types: a group that is ideologically and religiously follow the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran (such as the Amal Movement in Lebanon), and a group that both politically and religiously are following the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran (like the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon).
The above-mentioned Islamic groups and organizations have taken different methods to achieve a system based on Islam. Some only seek to destroy the ruling regime through violent and armed forces (such as Hezbollah of Hijaz) and a coup (like the Liberation Movement of Bahrain). On the contrary, some groups do not consider the current situation favourable for armed struggles. Instead, in order to change the existing system of governance, they are resorting to peaceful means such as participating in parliamentary elections (such as the Islamist Welfare Party). Some groups adhere to both methods; The Hezbollah movement is an example of this category, that in opposition to Israel and the Maronite government of Lebanon have utilized two distinct yet complementary methods, namely war with Israel and participation in parliamentary elections so that would be able to establish the Islamic governance.
The Islamic Revolution in Iran has also played a role in the birth and activism of many Islamic political movements. Such an impact is clearly seen when we overview the political record of Islamic movements in recent decades.
Some Islamic political groups owe their existence to the Islamic Revolution. These groups are of two types: a group that has been diverted from a former inactive Islamic movement; Like the Islamic Amal of the Amal Movement and the Islamic Jihad Movement from the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood, which immediately after the victory of the Islamic Revolution became the first Palestinian Centre for Islamic Jihad in Gaza Strip.
Other groups were not affiliated with any movement or groups but are new phenomena such as the Tahrik-e Ja’fariyyah in Pakistan. Although the latter category compares to the first one and is supportive and strongly influenced by the Islamic Revolution, all of them agree upon the necessity of advocacy of the Islamic Revolution, following its leader and regarding him as a role model.
Following the revival of Islam, which has been the fruit of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in this century, other Islamic political groups and movements have been able to overcome their inertial and passive status and through new recruitments and re-reorganization continue their political and military struggle against the ruling powers. For instance, the Islamic movements in the universities of Birzeit, Hebron, Gaza, and Jerusalem were significantly developed after the Islamic Revolution. Likewise, the Muslim community group that was very limited in Gaza Strip experienced considerable development after the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the rulings issued by the Ramallah military tribunal ruling against its members. Some of these groups have only have increased the scale of their activities and are focusing on peaceful ways during their struggle. Other parts only have increased the intensity and extent of their anti-government efforts while relying on armed methods in an attempt to overthrow the ruling regimes.
Organization for the Islamic Revolution in the Arabian Peninsula is among the first group and the Syrian Islamic Front is counted among as the second.
The Islamic Revolution in Iran has been influential in the political activism of those seemingly Islamic movements that have almost no affiliation with the Revolution. These groups were formed and developed with the help of governments and individuals opposed to the Islamic Revolution in general and the support and sponsorship of governments such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular, in an attempt to oppose the Islamic Revolution. Wahhabism in Pakistan, the Palestine Liberation Organization in occupied Palestine and the Organization of Islamic Struggle in Iraq are examples of these groups. Therefore, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the type of Islam that advocates compromise (American Islam) has been completely separated from the pure Islam brought by Prophet Muhammad (s). Hence, the Muslim Arab countries have begun a major effort to improve the economic status and pretend to observe Islam so that they can prevent the emergence of uprisings inspired by the Islamic Revolution.
B) Cultural Reflection
Cultural affairs are important in the sense that they provide political foundations for political movements. In other words, cultural affairs are preparing the ground for political affairs. Consequently, they take political flavour and deserved to be discussed in political studies. Hence, in this section, we only talk about a few cultural issues such as returning to the values of the Islamic struggle and following the values and revolutionary slogans of Iran. Of course, mentioning these few things does not mean that other cultural affairs are insignificant.
The Islamic Revolution in Iran raised new cultural values in the political struggle of Islamic movements. One of these values is the tendency toward jihad. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Islamic movements have accepted jihad, martyrdom and sacrifice as basic principles. In other words, principles such as jihad, martyrdom and self-sacrifice, which were the symbol of the revolutionary movements of the Shi’ahs and the slogan of the Islamic Revolution, were accepted as the basic principles of the struggle, and nowadays they are turned into a religious duty.
The spokesman for the Palestine Islamic Jihad Movement during a meeting with Imam Khomeini has said: “With the advent of your revolution, our great Muslim nation discovers the right path which is jihad and struggle.” Shaykh Asa’ad Tamimi, a Palestinian leader said: “Until the Iranian Revolution, Islam was not involved and utilized within the struggles to the extent that even words such as kifah and nidhal – struggle and strife – were used as an alternative to jihad.” Yet, contemporary Islamic political movements have put these words into various forms like martyrdom operations (such as Palestine) or armed struggle and war (such as Afghanistan).
Relying on people is one of the features of the Islamic Revolution in Iran some of which is transmitted to other Islamic political movements. In other words, these movements have realized that Islam could mobilize people. Accordingly, they have been driven back from depending on intellectual circles to relying on people and hence expanded their popular base. For example, clerics, students, youth, and teens are the key elements of the ongoing struggle in Palestine.
However, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the movements continue their struggles on a popular basis. According to Dr. Hasan al-Turabi, the leader of the Islamic Front of Sudan, Islamic Revolution developed the idea of utilizing peoples’ abilities and potentials as a precious gift to the process of Islamic Da’wah throughout the Muslim World.
The tendency towards utilizing the works and activism of people led the Islamic movements towards religious and ethnic unity. For example, one of the articles of the statement of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq focuses on Islamic unity. Generally, this issue distanced the political Islamist movements from disunity and dissension and provided them with stronger structures, immense facilities, broader support, and sustainability.
Another framework through which the Islamic Revolution in Iran made an impact on contemporary Islamic political movements is the application of the slogans of the Islamic Revolution by the Muslim activist of the movements. For example, the slogan of the protesting Muslim people of Turkey before the 1980 coup of the country was Independence, Freedom and the Islamic Republic. The citizens of Kabul repeated the statement “Allahu Akbar” with a loud voice over the roof of the houses. In addition, the slogan “Not West nor East” can be seen in the placards Egyptian Muslims hold during their protest. The people of Kashmir put forward the slogans of “Allahu Akbar” and “Khomeini is the leader” on the 200,000-member march in 1369. Islamic Jihad of Palestine wants Palestinians to use the same slogans of the Islamic Revolution. They screamed: “La illaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, victory belongs to Islam.” In fact, they used the slogans of the Islamic Revolution instead of the ones that had ethnic and atheistic connotations. From 1990 to 2000 the sound of “Allahu Akbar” was widely heard in the streets of Cape Town, South Africa. This reminds us of the statement of the leader of the Islamic Revolution that the revolutionary people of Iran have inspired the Algerians to shout “Allahu Akbar.”
The contemporary Islamic political movements following the Islamic Revolution in Iran stem from and end in the mosque and sacred places. Even revolutionary students organize their anti-government activities at university mosques. Thus, the mosques have developed into thriving centres and consequently, their number would be increased. For example, the number of mosques built in Palestine during the years 1999 and 2000 was three times as many as before. Mosque programs also increased; Political discussions carried out in mosques have been expanded; the tendency towards attending the mosques, congregational and Friday prayer have grown and mosques have become a centre of anti-government activities.
The main cores of the struggle develop from the mosques and stem from Islamic teachings, while the struggles are becoming popular and comprehensive. For this reason, the second phase of the intifada, which was formed in late 1999, is known as the al-Aqsa Intifada. Before that, they also called the intifada “a mosque revolution.” Perhaps because of this, the Imam of the al-Aqsa Mosque says: “The mosque has become the source of inspiration, stability and unity of the Palestinian fighters against the occupiers.”
Hijab is another manifestation of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, which is seen among the followers of contemporary Islamic political movements. With the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the tendency toward Islamic hijab was increased all over the Muslim World. Even the chador that is the symbol of the Iranian hijab was used in some of the Islamic countries such as Lebanon and Algeria. In Turkey, despite the government’s opposition, the observance of the hijab is increasing. There is a growing interest regarding hijab among Palestinian women. Meanwhile, more people are showing a tendency towards prayer, the publication of Islamic journals has been increased, and liquor stores and other centres alike are being attacked. Even the Islamic hijab has penetrated to the heart of Europe so that the tendency toward wearing the hijab in French schools and the frequent opposition of the government to hijab has created a phenomenon called the war on wearing the hijab.
Other cultural effects of the Iranian Islamic Revolution on contemporary Islamic and political movements are Iranian-style demonstrations that took place in some Muslim countries. For instance, people of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq, while affirming their commitment to the Islamic Revolution in Iran, on February 12, 1979, held demonstrations similar to the ones in Iran. Subsequently, the Iranian type of protests in the cities of al-Kadhimayn, al-Thawrah, Baghdad and Diyala under the leadership of Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad-Baqir al-Sadr were held. Even at the onset of a new intifada in 1991 and like the Iranian protesters who took issue with the Shah during 1977 and 1978, Iraqi people named the city of Halabjah as Khomeini and took control of the cities. Shi’ahs of Saudi Arabia held demonstrations in Qatif, Safra, Biqayq, Khanji and Sayhat shortly after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Similar demonstrations took place in the cities of Konya, Yozgat and Kocaeli in Turkey in 1979. This trend continued in the following years.
The Muslim activists as the same as Iranians would write the slogans on walls, cars etc. for example, Egyptian people in opposition to the Mubarak regime would write the slogans such as “La illaha illa Allah, Muhammadun Rasul Allah” and verses of the Quran on car glass. In Najaf, slogans such as “Yes to Islam, No to Aflaq” were written on walls. In the Intifada of 1951, this statement “al-Najdi or Iran” can be seen. In addition, announcements, lectures and posters are published in the same way as in Iran. Still in the Beirut Shi’ah neighbourhood of Dahieh, there are slogans used during the Islamic Revolution in Iran as well as the pictures of its leader.
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