Impact of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Iranian Revolution Essay

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Iran and Islamic Fundamentalism

For the past three decades, Iran has developed as an Islamic fundamentalist state that has constantly subdued dissent. While the various leaders have tried to establish secularization of Iran in the recent past, these attempts have always been repressed since they promote dissenting views and liberalize people's lifestyles. The development of Iran as an Islamic fundamentalist state has largely been influenced by Islamic fundamentalism during the Iranian Revolution. Islamic fundamentalism not only played a significant role in the Iranian Revolution but also demonstrated how religion can be utilized as a tool for political mobilization. Islamic fundamentalism was characterized by the use of various strategies by Ayatollah Khomeini, which contributed to overthrow of the then Iranian leadership.

Background of the Iranian Revolution

The Iranian Revolution, which is commonly known as the Islamic Revolution, is a term that refers to incidents and events that contributed to the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi who led the Pahlavi dynasty. Mohammad Reza Shah who was supported by the United States was ultimately replaced with an Islamic republic following the events of the Islamic or Iranian Revolution. The establishment of Iran as an Islamic republic was led by Ayatollah Khomeini, the revolution's leader, and supported by several Islamic organizations and student movements in Iran. The Iranian Revolution resulted in the establishment of the country as an Islamic republic because it challenged the cultural hegemony of Western ideas and acted as a substitute to the social lifestyles of Iranians.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Ivor Benson, "Iran: Some Angles on the Islamic Revolution," The Journal of Historical Review 9, no. 2 (1989): 141]

Prior to the Iranian Revolution, Mohammad Reza Shah was firmly established as Iran's dictatorial leader or rule after a successful coup d'etat that was sponsored by CIA overthrew Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. This was followed by the era of martial law that lasted for four years and the Baghdad Pact that promoted close relationships between Iran and the West. Actually, these events made Iran to establish close relations with the United States and its military and economic assistance. The government commenced an elite-based modernization program or initiative that was commonly known as the White Revolution. This program enhanced the arbitrariness of Shah's regime, which separated some Islamic religious and political groups as well as people who sought democratic reforms. The intervention of the United States in the 1953 coup d'etat in Iran ended the nationalist challenge of Mossadegh and established U.S. As the dominant power in the Middle East regime.[footnoteRef:3] [3: Saman Sepehri, "The Iranian Revolution," International Socialist Review 9 (2000)]

The origin of the Iranian Revolution is the autocracy of the Pahlavi dynasty that was led by Mohammad Reza Shah. This leadership was not only autocratic but also focused on Westernization and modernization while disregarding religion and democratic initiatives in the country's constitution. During his reign, Reza substituted Islamic laws with western ones, which established laws that contradicted Islamic practices such as clothing and veiling of women or hijab. Shah's institution of Western laws was influenced by the maintenance of close relationships with America. These close relations were fueled by a mutual fear of and opposition to Soviet Union's expansion. In addition to these factors, the other issues that resulted in the Iranian Revolution included the considerable decline in oil revenues in 1975, provoked economic crisis and disparities and wage cuts. These factors contributed to widespread discontent that ultimately resulted in toppling Shah's regime.

The Iranian Revolution was characterized by nationwide religious protests that included the participation of and support by a huge portion of the discontented population. The protests played a crucial role in the overthrow of Shah's regime and establishment of an Islamic republic. The Iranian Revolution entailed the mobilization of poor and the working class and the eventual growth of anti-Shah protects from weekly to everyday events. This mobilization and daily protects resulted in demonstrations by approximately 2 million people in Tehran on September 1978, which is one of the largest protects in world history. Shah's regime responded to these protests by enforcing martial law through which over 2,000 people were killed. The protests became a huge show of force that generated subsequent strikes. As martial law threatened to stop the protests, there were more strikes by oil workers that brought Iran to a standstill. The revolution gained new momentum after workers took over offices, learning institutions, factories, and hospitals across the country. The protests and strikes eventually culminated in the overthrow of Shah's regime and establishment of Ayatollah Khomeini and the Islamic republic.

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Role of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Iranian Revolution

One of the most influential factors in the Iranian Revolution is the Islamic fundamentalism since the protests were religion-led. In essence, Islamic fundamentalism significantly resulted in the eventual overthrow of Mohammad Reza Shah and the development of Iran as an Islamic republic. During the Iranian Revolution, Islam emerged as a new liberating force among many people in the Middle East region. Islamic fundamentalism, which is commonly known as political Islam, is a political movement comprising groups and organizations that utilize Islamic theology as part of their aspirations for state power.[footnoteRef:4] Some of the major roles of Islamic fundamentalism in the Iranian Revolution include… [4: Lisa Macdonald, "The Nature of Islamic Fundamentalism," International Journal of Socialist Renewal 88 (2002)]

Reactionary Approach to the Existing Regime

Generally, Islamic fundamentalism or political Islam embraces two differing approaches i.e. progressive or reactionary approaches. The progressive approach asserts that Islamic tenets are in line with contemporary values like democracy and freedom. In contrast, the reactionary approach promotes and supports a revolt against history or political regimes. The reactionary approach was approved and supported by the early phase of Islamic society to change the wheel of history. From a political perspective Islamic fundamentalism or political Islam has presented progressive and reactionary approaches depending on the specific goals to be accomplished.

In Iran, Islamic fundamentalism was a form of political Islam that adopted a reactionary approach against the existing regime. In this case, the concept provided a means through which the working class and the poor would be mobilized in opposition to the autocratic leadership. During this period, Islamic fundamentalism provided the basis for the people's reaction against the seemingly oppressive Shah regime. Iranians reacted against Shah's regime because the leadership adopted laws that repressed Islamic laws and practices. These actions provided a means through which opponents of Shah's regime would mobilize and protest against the government in order to establish an Islamic republic. Therefore, one of the roles of Islamic fundamentalism in the Iranian Revolution is its provision of a reactionary approach against Shah's regime because of its seemingly repressive laws and practices.

Rejection of Modernization

Prior to the Iranian Revolution, Iran was among the major pro-Western countries or strongholds in the Middle East region. The country had strong ties with the West, which contributed to the enactment of Western policies and suppression of Islamic laws. As a result of enactment of Western policies, Iran repressed the demands of local workers and kept oil production less costly.[footnoteRef:5] The repression of Islamic laws and practices influenced the widespread dissent throughout the country as many people became dissatisfied with the dictatorial leadership of Mohammad Reza Shah. [5: Ed, "1978-1979: The Iranian Revolution," Libcom.org, accessed April 27, 2015, https://libcom.org/history/1978-1979-the-iranian-revolution]

The dictatorial tendencies of Shah's regime resulted in the growing dissatisfaction and dissent because of the increase in unemployment, inflation, and widespread corruption. The second role of Islamic fundamentalism in Iranian Revolution was rejection of modernization. In this case, a group of several Muslim clerics led by Ayatollah Khomeini mobilized the public based on Islamic ideologies to blame the influence of foreigners or the West on Iran's governance policies and practices. These clerics mobilized the public to reject modernization that changed the cultural and political life of Iranians. They argued that the changes brought by modernization on political and cultural life was the basis for the country's troubles.

During this process, the Muslim clerics grounded their opposition to the government and rejected modernization in the basic tenets of Islam.[footnoteRef:6] This gave them the mechanism for justifying and legitimizing their claim to power, overthrow of Shah, and assent to power. This implies that Islamic fundamentalism was an avenue for rejecting modernization through grounding opposition in Islamic basic values. The rejection of modernization, which played a crucial role in the Iranian Revolution, challenged the cultural hegemony of Western ideas. This made Islamic fundamentalism to emerge as a substitute social model and lifestyle. [6: Jamie Etheridge, "Islamic Fundamentalism Is on the Wane," ABC News, accessed April 27, 2015, from http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=82008&page=1&singlePage=true]

Potent Mobilizer

Islamic fundamentalism's role in the Iranian Revolution is acting as a potent mobilizer of political action as compared to secular ideologies. While the Iranian population was already dissatisfied with the autocratic leadership of Mohammad Reza Shah, Islamic fundamentalism provided the needed motivation for political action. Through providing the needed motivation, Islamic Revolution demonstrated how religion can be a powerful mobilizer of mass political action unlike secular ideologies.

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