Many historical events that have taken place in the geographical environments are not derived from an abstract source and are influenced by their geographical spatial. In the 1950s, Torsten Hägerstrand, the geographer, sought to theorize the phenomenon of the diffusion of the cultural-economic currents and events throughout the geographical spatial. Based on Diffusion Theory, the historical events that occur around one geographical spatial, if they are in line with the historical and cultural backgrounds of the host community, will influence the historical events of the host community. In this regard, the Islamic Revolution was one of the important political events in the Middle East. This event had important effects on the political incidents of this region. This event is the root cause of the formation of the new thoughts in how the Islamic teachings influence the way we rule the country and especially the relations with the Western countries.
Adopting the analytical-descriptive approach this research seeks to analyze the political events of this region while addressing the triumph of the Islamic Revolution in Iran so that to show whether there is a meaningful relationship between the thoughts of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the movements that emerged in other countries of the Middle East? The findings of the research reveal the political-cultural influences of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on other countries of the Middle East in terms of the formation of the political movements and events in this region in the last decades.
Political Thoughts of the Iranian Revolution and the Islamic World
In the new era, several revolutions and coups have taken place in the Arab-Islamic world. But the Iranian Revolution was the first contemporary revolution that openly chose Islamic laws and teachings as its main framework. The triumph of the Islamic Revolution was a symbol of a situation that was not limited to Iran but affected the entire Islamic world. Obviously, the cultural roots of the Iranian Revolution can be traced to the heritage of Shi’ism. From the beginning of the Safavid dynasty in Iran, when Shi’ism became the official religion of this country, Iran witnessed central religious and ideological movements led by Shi’ah scholars and clergies.
Before the formation of the Safavid dynasty, the Shi’ah followers had always lived as a minority who was under oppression and deprivation, and this caused the emergence of the spirit of struggle and being anti-oppression among Shi’ahs from a political-cultural perspective. Although the differences between Shi’ahs and Sunnis are more wide-ranging and deeper than political issues, Shi’ahs, in general, have always had more revolutionary and anti-oppression attitudes than Sunnis.
Concepts such as the Ashura uprising of Imam al-Husayn (a) and the martyrdom of Shi’ah Imams have contributed greatly to this inspiring and transformative Shi’ah spirit, and in the Shi’ah political thought, every human being should stand against oppression regardless of time and place. It is these foundations of the belief that are the main indicator of the cultural influence of the Islamic Revolution in the Islamic world and in order to identify the effects of the influence of the Iranian Revolution in the Islamic world one must try to identify these indicators in the political thinking of other movements and governments of the region.
During the last two centuries, the national-Islamic movements in Iran, such as the cancellation of the tobacco concession during the Qajar period, the Constitutional Revolution, the nationalization of the oil industry, and finally the Islamic Revolution’s victory in 1979, played a significant role in spreading an especial and unique atmosphere throughout the Islamic world and the Middle East. However, it is clear that the victory of the Iranian Revolution has had the greatest influence on the creation and revival of political movements providing them with a cultural role model in the Islamic world such that its spatial effects in other political realms are undeniable. According to Hamid Algar, the aspects of the political and cultural influences of the Iranian Revolution in the geographical region of the Middle East can be evaluated in several ways:
1) The impact on the hegemony of Israel in the Middle East
2) The conflict with Western interests, especially the United States, in the Middle East and the Islamic world
3) Strengthening the Islamic movements in the region and weakening pro-Western governments governing the Islamic countries.
After the emergence of the Islamic Revolution, one of the key developments which occurred in Iran’s foreign policy in the region and the Islamic world was the changing of positions and stances regarding the issue of Palestine and Israel. The Iranian revolutionaries’ motto that “Today, Iran, tomorrow Palestine” posed a potential threat to the West’s strategic ally in the Middle East, that is to say, Israel. Since the foundation of Israel, its preservation and security have been among the West’s main goals in the region. Thus, the changing of the imperial system in Iran to the Islamic Republic one, which was an ally with the Palestinians and affirmed the positions of the Islamic and revolutionary movements towards Israel, posed a major threat to the interests of Israel and the West in the Islamic world.
This enmity stems from the Islamist ideology and purely Islamic motives. For example, after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), was the first foreign leader to visit Iran, and the Islamic Jihad Movement became active in Palestine shortly after the Islamic Revolution. In fact, the geographical influence of the spatial thinking of the Islamic Revolution affected the Palestinian intellectuals and politicians, prompting them to look for ways to implement Imam Khomeini’s teachings in Palestine. Thus, after the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, when Islam had left the Palestinian scene, again an Islamic movement became reactivated in Palestine, and with this new backbone, it began confronting Israel. These examples show the influence and geographical diffusion of the political thoughts of the Islamic Revolution of Iran in the Islamic world.
As for the interests of the West in the Middle East and the Islamic world, the issue of the Islamic Revolution was completely negative. The Iranian revolutionaries hated Western civilization for supporting the Shah’s regime and the region’s dictatorial Westernized regimes. They also saw the West as a major cultural promoter that contradict the moral teachings of Islam. In addition, the Iranian revolutionaries were dissatisfied with what they called American ambition in the world, especially in the Islamic world and the Middle East, hating the Western support for corrupt and repressive governments, of which the Shah’s regime was one example. In this regard, after the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini while presenting a revolutionary ideology to the people of the region, urged them to overthrow the corrupt, authoritarian and Westernized rulers and work for the establishment of Islamic social justice in all parts of the Islamic world. This approach also contributed to the cultural influence and spatial expansion of the messages of the Iranian revolutionary throughout the region. Because from the cultural point of view, the people of the region primarily attributed their problems to the colonization and exploitation of the West and the corruption of the ruling governments.
Research Findings
Lebanon: The occurrence of the Islamic Revolution paved the way for the emergence of the Shi’ah movement in Lebanon and inspired the Shi’ah people in the southern regions of the country to fight for liberation. This is especially true given Israel’s occupation of the south of the country in June 1980, making it the most suitable place for the growth and development of Shi’ah revolutionary ideas. Furthermore, the interaction and interrelation of Shi’ism and politics in Lebanon were increased with the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution.
Since 1981, proponents of Islamic thought have expanded their activities within the Amal Group. This group was clearly influenced by the revolutionary ideas of Iran. In the meantime, Hezbollah has been the most tangible phenomenon affected by the Islamic Revolution in Lebanon. As an opposition political and social movement, this organization emerged among the Shi’ahs after the defeat of Lebanon by Israel and under the influence of the ideals of the Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon emerged while being inspired by the Islamic Revolution and had profound impacts on the political currents in Lebanon and even in Palestine.
Pakistan: The triumph of the Iranian Revolution in Pakistan raised the level of the intellectual and political visions of the young Shi’ah generation and caused the emergence of the Movement for the Implementation of Ja’fari Jurisprudence, which had a similar horizon to the Islamic Revolution. Before the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, the Pakistani Shi’ah scholars had not had much of a presence in the political and social arena and instead preferred to hold traditional and religious ceremonies including the Eid ceremonies and especially the mourning ceremonies of the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn, and even did not play a constructive role in these matters; Because during such activities, they were focused on the differences between Shi’ahs and Sunnis. But after the Islamic Revolution, the Shi’ah scholars participated in their religious and social movements called for the political engagement of the people. However, it must be acknowledged that the influence of the Revolution in this country does not end with the Shi’ahs, but the Sunni followers also declared their support for it.
Also, most of Pakistan’s Sunni population look at the Islamic Revolution of Iran with respect and veneration. As the position of the “Islamic Jamaat” which is one of the main Sunni movements in Pakistan against the Islamic Revolution was manifested in the fatwa issued by Abu al-Ali Mawdudi, who said: the Islamic Revolution led by Imam Khomeini is an Islamic political development in Iran. This Revolution is managed and organized by the Muslim community and youths who have been trained in the Islamic movement and it is obligatory on all Muslims and Islamic movements to approve and cooperate with this Revolution.
Afghanistan: Due to cultural and linguistic commonalities, the influence of the Islamic Revolution in Afghanistan began even before its triumph and was reflected in the people’s resistance to the pro-Soviet communist coup. Because the Afghans themselves were engaged in the struggle against an authoritarian and communist puppet regime, they were inspired by Iranian Revolution and adopted some of the successful tactics of the Iranians who had fought against the Shah. At the same time, the Afghan Shi’ahs responded to the Islamic Revolution in Iran with more enthusiasm than others. Many Shi’ahs in Afghanistan have long accepted Iranian religious authority. Likewise, after the Revolution, more and more people welcomed the ideals of the Iranian Revolution, and as the supports for the Islamic movements were increasing among the masses of people the position of the Hazara nationalism as well as the Maoist groups — which were considered as reactions to the country’s modernization process — were weakened.
Palestine: The impact of the Islamic Revolution of Iran on Palestine was more prominent than anywhere else; Because the Palestinian Muslims under the Israeli occupation were more frustrated and devastated than any other Muslim nation. In such circumstances, the occupied territories witnessed the emergence of the liberation movement as part of the expanded Islamic movement in the region which had been emerged as the result of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Of course, it should be noted that the history of the presence of combatant movements in Palestine dates back to the years and decades before the Islamic Revolution; However, with the advent of the Islamic Revolution, dramatic changes took place in the structure and teachings of these movements, which were influenced by the Iranian Revolution. One of the issues that needs to be addressed in this area is the Muslim Brotherhood Movement and the influence of the Islamic Revolution on it. The Muslim Brotherhood, formed in Egypt in 1928 by Hasan al-Banna, was one of the oldest and most influential Islamist groups in the Middle East. The group was able to expand its activities after some time and infiltrate various countries in the Middle East. It also influenced significantly the Levant region. The most important manifestation of this influence can be seen in Palestine, Jordan and Syria in the form of the formation of Islamist parties and groups.
In late 1946, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has expanded its spheres of influence into Palestine, and since then, especially in 1948 and afterwards, it has made significant contributions to anti-Israel struggles. However, the gradual withdrawal of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood from the political-military struggles and the insistence on doing cultural, educational and training activities led to the separation of the revolutionary youth who opposed the policy of compromise pursued by the organization. On the other hand, after the Islamic Revolution, new movements took place in the Muslim Brotherhood Movement; As two movements; The Palestinian Islamic Resistance (Hamas) and, consequently, the Islamic Jihad Movement, which were, in fact, two branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine, were formed in Palestine after the Islamic Revolution and caused new developments in the region. Although these two movements differ in political terms, both of them, as Islamic and combatant movements are very much influenced by the Revolution. In other words, although the Muslim Brotherhood Movement is a symbol of the Sunnis and the Iranian Revolution is a symbol of the Shi’ahs, they looked at each other with a unifying view and established relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran as soon as the Revolution succeeded.
In this development, the decision-making approach was transferred from the outside to the inside and from the official levels to the people and organized a kind of transnational permeative distribution. Consequently, another equitation emerged in which the establishment of an independent Palestinian government as a political phenomenon was inevitable. Amidst the most difficult international, regional, and local conditions, the movement continues its activities until the rights of the Palestinian people will be recognized. On the other hand, the Islamic Revolution promoted the teachings and principles of Shi’ism including Jihad, martyrdom, and sacrifice in the way to achieve the goals, which were the symbols of the Shi’ahs and the slogans of the Iranian Revolution, among the supporters of the Sunni Islamic movements in Palestine. Nonetheless, before that, there were no such teachings among Palestinian combatant groups, and this was a clear reason for the spread of the teachings of the Iranian Revolution among Palestinian movements. In other words, all Palestinian movements were actively influenced by Arab nationalism, the peak of which can be seen during the leadership of Jamal Abdul-Nasser in Egypt. But since then, nationalist ideologies among Palestinian movements have declined, and the idea of resistance and jihad derived from the Islamic Revolution’s teachings has affected all Palestinian movements.
Conclusion
As mentioned, the occurrence of the Islamic Revolution in the Middle East has influenced the formation of a significant part of the movements in the region, which can be explained through the framework of an expansion-contagious diffusion. First of all, since, the issue of combating the domination of Western powers and practicing Islamic rites were placed at the forefront of the teachings and mottos of the Islamic Revolution, the promotion of such ideas and thoughts among popular and anti-government movements in the region shows the expansion-contagious diffusion of the ideas of the Islamic Revolution even if they do not officially claim to follow the methods and ideals of the Islamic Revolution.
On the other hand, since the geographical diffusion of these teachings in the region is not established and not emerged at all at the macro-political structure of the Middle East countries, according to the theory of diffusion, this type of spatial diffusion of thoughts and ideas may not be consistent with the hierarchical pattern of the theory of diffusion. Because the hierarchical model is often injected into the lower strata of society through political institutions and structures. Such a problem has not arisen in the political movements of the countries in the region. Even this process can be clearly seen in newer movements such as the Arab Spring. In other words, most of the movements influenced by the Islamic Revolution have remained only as a movement, and have not yet reached the stage of institutionalization and formation of the political structure. In this regard, the unpopular governments of the region have often endorsed the policies of the powers in the region, whereas these movements often seek to oppose to West as their agenda. At the same time, in accordance with the teachings of the Islamic Revolution, all of these movements have sought to create an identity based on the idea of opposing the United States and Israel and their policies in the region rather than focusing on ethnic and religious rivalries, or at least they have not endorsed Western policies. Obviously, these trends also support the contagious model of the promotion of the teachings of the Islamic Revolution in the region.
Even the stability of these movements in the countries of the region has been in harmony with the quality and stability of the Islamic Revolution in Iran such that the nationalist and secular movements in the region gradually declined and disappeared. However, these political-religious movements, with the support of the masses, have been more active and this process negates the pattern of shifting the theory of diffusion regarding the influence of the teachings of the Islamic Revolution on regional movements. Therefore, it can be stated with certainty that the geographical influence of the ideas of the Islamic Revolution in the Middle East is only consistent with the expansion-contagious pattern of the theory of diffusion.
Archive of The Thought of the Islamic Revolution
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