February 14, 2021, 06:25 PM latest revision February 18, 2021, 12:06 PM The festivities, organized by the Revolutionary Guards, the Quds Force, and the Basij, are known for fevered parades, calls to liberate Jerusalem with the “blood of the martyrs” and chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” Rouhani, aware of the damage to Iran’s international image, has tried to tamp down such hostile rhetoric. The legal system of the country is based on Sharia Law, and most of its national symbols, including the flag, incorporate Islamic symbols. Political power lies almost exclusively in the hands of the religious leaders of the regime. The Islamic Republic is still in power after forty years. As predicted, the June 7 terrorist attacks, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Policy on donor acceptance and disclosure. The 10 Worst Presidents in the History of the United States. by The Government of Iran is an Islamic theocracy which includes elements of a presidential democracy, with the ultimate authority vested in an autocratic "Supreme Leader", a position held by Ali Khamenei since 1989 following Khomeini's death. Contemporary examples of theocracies include Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Vatican. In 1979, following a revolution, the Shah was overthrown from his position by the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. But with the tension between moderates and hardliners running high, the 2017 Quds Day turned into a show of defiance against the president. Iran: From Theocracy to Democracy. Iran’s complex negotiated political order should be taken into consideration before deciding on any drastic changes in US policy. As the leader of the revolution, Khomeini then became the leader of Iran’s new Islamic State. This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary for its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. Islam is the official religion of the country and the major foundations of the political institutions are based on Islamic Sharia Law. In addition to chairing the Supreme National Security Council, and commanding the Quds Force, the external operations arms of the Revolutionary Guards, Khamenei heads the “Setad Ejraiye Farmane Hazrate Emam” (Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam), one of the largest bonyads. Iran is a theocratic republic. Due to this, the revolutionary leaders at the time wanted to make Iran into a mix between a theocracy, a kind of religious monarchy, and a democracy. Since 1932, the land has been ruled exclusively by the House of Saud. The Constitution of Iran has both theocratic and democratic components, although the country is considered to be a theocracy. At that time, Colonel Mohammed Khouna Ould Heydallah, the military leadership, enhanced the country’s orientation towards Sharia Law, with the introduction of strict Islamic jurisprudence. Government, parliament and the judiciary can also threaten our security by setting rules and provisions which can disrupt our peace.”, At such a tense time in Iran, pressure from the United States can only strengthen the hardliners and hurt Rouhani. Theocratic governments have existed in many countries and regions throughout history. Iran is one of the several Islamic states. How Many Types Of Bears Are There Living In The World Today? For the last 150 years, Iran, like most countries in the industrializing world, has experienced the tumults of two epochal global revolutions—the industrial revolution that changed the nature of labor and now the advent of the “second Machine Age,”2 which is changing the nature of not just labor, but life and leisure, knowledge and information. The ultimate aim of the country’s fundamentalist regime is to unify the Afghani people under a common religious law. The holiday originated in Khomeini’s declaration that after the 1979 revolution in Iran, Shi’ite Islam was henceforth the new liberator of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the “Zionist enemy” or “Little Satan.” Khamenei elaborated on the subject by postulating that, based on Qur’anic readings, Israel would cease to exist in 2040. The Iranian political system combines democratic and theocratic institutions, and the two often clash with unelected, unaccountable officials holding power. On June 14, Khamenei delivered a humiliating denouncement of Rouhani before an audience of senior officials, including the president, the judiciary chiefs and the speaker of Parliament. To understand the complexity of the situation, a short note on the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in order. Others include Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Sudan, and Yemen. With his life in danger, he went into hiding and was subsequently smuggled out of the country. Iran and Saudi Arabia are often cited as modern examples of theocratic governments. But his immediate concern is reform of the ailing economy and reducing the Guards’ control over vital enterprises. Iran’s theocratic ruler, the “Supreme Leader”, is a clear representative of the interests of the dominant Shia Islam in the nation’s political sphere, and has a stranglehold over matters pertaining to the Iranian state. The country has a supreme leader, president and several councils. In Rouhani’s view, state-owned enterprises were largely turned over to a military state, which was not privatization. Saudi Arabia, an Islamic theocratic monarchy, has one of the most tightly controlled governments in the world. Iran was established as a theocracy after the 1979 Islamic Revolution established the Ayatollah as the religious rulers of Iran. We have you covered! Yet there are also extensive discussions about elections for the presidency and parliament. This is also perhaps the only monarchy in the world that is non-hereditary in nature. The text can help students understand how Iran in the government's eyes is a hybrid of a theocracy … The coming ‘woke’ American Theocracy. Anyone in the country caught in an attempt to insult Islam or promoting any other faith is subjected to strict punishment, which in some cases go as far as the death penalty. Initially demoralized by their election defeat, the hardliners have utilized the Tehran terror attacks to turn the tables on Rouhani, accusing him of underestimating the internal and external threats to Iran. On April 1, 1979, the Kingdom of Iran became the Islamic Republic of Iran after a national referendum. The regime has remained authoritarian but has adopted various degrees of democracy. A theocracy is a form of government in which the policy is governed by divine intervention or divine guidance. Khomeini did not simply advocate for a modern theocracy. However, the laws of the constitution and justice in the state are based on Islamic law. The new theocratic government structure was complex and … The 1979 Constitution provided for a complex mixed system in which the state sector vies for power with parastatal organizations. In Iran, two bodies, the Supreme Leader and Guardian Council consist of members who are not elected by the people. Iran became a Shia Muslim theocracy, a sharia law state, governed by the Ayatollah Khomeini. In a June 23 speech, Rouhani said, “Part of the economy was controlled by a gun-less government but now we have delivered it to a government with guns.”. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a theocractic government. A circumscribed public vote elects the president, who presides over the executive branch. His writings have appeared in Harvard-Iran Matters, Atlantic Council, the National Interest, Middle East Policy, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Journal of International Affairs,  Insight Turkey and  Asian Affairs among others. The Supreme Leader followed up with a warning that Rouhani may face the same fate as Abolhassan Banisadr, the first president of the Islamic Republic. Buoyed by a resounding victory in May over the hardline Ebrahim Raisi, Khamenei’s favorite, Rouhani hoped to challenge the legitimacy of the Supreme Leader and the parastatals. For instance, in ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh was seen as the offspring of the sun-god. Religion and Politics in Iran. IranSource The Guards put on display three surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including the Zolfaghar and the Ghadr, with a range of 2,000 km; the latter could reach Israel and American bases in the Middle East. Mauritania, a small country in the Maghreb region of western North Africa, is an Islamic republic with a theocratic government. Over a two day period in late March of 1979, the people of Iran held a groundbreaking referendum to turn their country into a theocratic Islamic Republic where the religious leaders ruled supreme. Yemen, like most of the other mentioned countries, is based on theocratic governance with Islamic sharia law dictating the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government. Theocracy Explained. 06/26/2010 05:12 am ET Updated May 25, 2011 These are very troubling times for my country. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2021 worldatlas.com, 7 Countries With A Theocratic Government Today, Slavery Today: Countries With the Highest Prevalence of Modern Slaves. Iran Becomes a Theocracy with Islamic Revolution The country's pro-Axis allegiance in World War II led to Anglo-Russian occupation of Iran in 1941 and deposition of the shah in … Clerics encourage people to visit religious shrines, believing that the religious aura of the shrine will protect them. His new book is Iran’s Foreign Policy after the Nuclear Agreement: The Politics of Normalizers and Traditionalists, Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming. i24NEWS. © 2017 Atlantic Council Khamenei contextualized the narrative by commenting that the present political situation resembled that of Banisadr’s time. Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, set up the Rahbar’s (Leader’s) Office, which was staffed with aides who liaised with the various branches of the government and the parastatals. More aftershocks have occurred, some of which potentially threaten his tenure. The country is also home to two of Islam’s most holy sites, the cities of Mecca and Medina. As predicted, the June 7 terrorist attacks in Tehran have complicated the rule of newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani and his pragmatic coalition. Citizens elect the president, as they will on Friday, as well as members of a legislature. Shiite Islam gives a special place to its clerics and demands blind obedience to … Which Countries Were First To Elect Women Leaders. Theocratic governments still govern counties like Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Vatican City, and Afghanistan. Although in its initial days Mauritania had a Western-style governmental structure and a relatively liberal disposition, the political situation of the country changed in the 1980s. The annual celebration of Quds (Jerusalem) Day, the last Friday in Ramadan, offered another platform for undermining the president. Khamenei noted that, “in 1980-1981 the then president polarized society in two camps, and divided the country into opponents and supporters; this should not be repeated.” To make this point clear, the Rahbar’s Office website released a video of Banisadr’s impeachment. Dr. Farhad Rezaei is a research fellow at Center for Iranian Studies (IRAM) in Ankara where he researches Iran’s foreign policy. This means that the constitution denotes that the ruler of the state is best qualified to interpret Islam and to ensure that the people of the state strictly adhere to its principles. In Sudan, the Muslim population, which sits at about 97% of the total population, is subject to theocratic rule based on Islamic laws. Likewise, Iran is another theocracy, governed in accordance with its clerics’ conception of Muslim law and ethics. This allows the Government punish those seen to be deviants, as per the dictates of the sharia law, while at the same time protecting itself from allegations of religious intolerance. To understand the complexity of the situation, a short note on the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in order. Iran . Iran Becomes a Theocracy with Islamic Revolution . The Basij, a voluntary paramilitary organization operating under the Revolutionary Guards, and several shadowy auxiliaries launched coordinated violent attacks on Khatami and his supporters, some of whom were murdered or went missing. Sign up to receive rapid insight in your inbox from Atlantic Council experts on global events as they unfold. After less than 17 months in office, Banisadr was impeached on June 20, 1981. Recently, Yemen has also been going through a period of intense political turmoil, wherein conflicts between several different political groups have led to a civil war in the country. Simon Black. Back in 1979, when Iran was reforming its government, the nation was devoutly conservative and religious, tired of not being able to choose their leaders. A large digital “Doomsday Clock” showing that Israel would cease to exist in 8,441 days was unveiled. This means that the constitution denotes that the ruler of the state is best qualified to interpret Islam and to ensure that the people of the state strictly adhere to its principles. Iran is a theocracy that mixes religion and state more thoroughly than any other country in the world. Iran's Crown Prince says theocratic regime's days are numbered. Over the decades, the various sectors of the Islamic Republic have coexisted through a series of uneasy balances and power struggles. The Enlightenment marked the end of theocracy in most Western countries. Often, in a true theocracy, God is the actual head of state. The system, referred to as a negotiated political order, was a compromise between Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who wanted to create a theocracy ruled by the velayt a- faqih (religious guardian), and those in his entourage who understood that the public demanded democratic representation. On November 4, Iranians backed by the Ayatollah lawlessly stormed the United States embassy in Tehran, taking 90 hostages, including 66 Americans. How is it possible for these ostensibly democratic institutions to exist inside structures that we consider authoritarian? Though all the other discussed countries are ruled in some form by a theocratic Islamic Government, the Vatican City is the only country in the world with an absolute theocratic elective monarchy that is guided by the principles of a Christian religious school of thought. The Guards’ Fars News Agency stated that instead of “begging Trump for crumbs,” Iran should strive to defeat the “Great Satan.”. In the excerpt found on the top right sidebar, Mohammad Javad Ardashir Larijani explains why he views Iran's government as a "democratic structure based on Islamic rationality," and what exactly that means. For good measure, groups of demonstrators, allegedly organized by Hamed Talebi, a member of the hardline Mashregh News Agency, chanted “Rouhani, Banisadr, happy union to you.”, Unlike the hapless Banisadr, Rouhani, who has a large following among the middle classes and younger Iranians tired of the stifling theocracy, faces little danger of impeachment. Since that day, Iran has been an outlaw regime. Rather, they seek to undermine Rouhani’s legitimacy and block his plans to realign the system with public sentiments. Iran is one such nation. Today, that role is held by Ali Khamenei. Rouhani has long complained about the so-called privatization that took place under his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Holy Quran and the Sunni School of Islam serve as the country’s constitution. 1 The textbook describes Iran as a theocracy - an authoritarian state. ... Today, Khomeini’s teachings and precedents have evolved into a system of government that combines elements of Islamic theocracy with bits of democracy. This situation has resulted in … Such an agreement, if it comes to fruition, would be an economic lifeline to the Iranian regime, but China must move cautiously here. Naser Ghobadzadeh. Iran led by the Ayatollah … Although Khatami served out his second term, for much of that time, he was a virtual lame duck. All rights reserved. Iran has been described as a "theocratic republic" (by the CIA World Factbook), and its constitution has been described as a "hybrid" of "theocratic and democratic elements" by Francis Fukuyama. Want to be the first to get up to speed on the meaning of big, breaking international developments? The Islamic Republic of Iran is a theocractic government. He advocated a blended system that tried to both assign ultimate authority to the clerics, but also insure that their actions were responsive to and expressive of popular will. Sweden Can Set Precedent By Holding Iran’s Ruling Theocracy Accountable ... , an organization that has fought for the establishment of democracy in Iran since the 1960s. The government was slow to implement mitigation measures last spring, and allowed them to lapse quickly. Thus, the Islamic Republic of Iran is theocracy, but it is characterized by a lot of specific features which make this organization rather fragile under the threat of political conflicts and the development of definite secular traditions within the society. He tweets at @Farhadrezaeii. Theocratic rule was typical of early civilizations. In return, China would receive Iranian oil and natural gas at discounted prices. In practice, North Korea also resembles a theocracy because of the supernatural powers that were attributed to former leader Kim Jong Il and the comparable deference he received … (2016, April 28). Even though the constitution of the country mentions the Sharia-derived laws, it also leaves space for a more liberal attitude towards people of other beliefs than Islam. Located in what is considered the Middle East, the government of Iran is a mixed theocratic government. January 6, 2021. The ideological tension is reflected in Iran’s constitution as well as its government structure. Afghanistan is one of the world's most notable examples of a theocracy. Iran. He is the author of Iran’s Nuclear Program: A Study in Proliferation and Rollback  (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). In many theocracies, government leaders are members of the clergy, and the state’s legal system is based on religious law. The US Senate has approved new sanctions against Iran. Although law does not directly forbid other religions to be practiced in the country, the practice of religions other than Islam is abhorred by the Saudis' muslim-majority society. theocracy [ (thee- ok-ruh-see) ] A nation or state in which the clergy exercise political power and in which religious law is dominant over civil law. The politics of Shīʿīsm: New religious challenges to Iran's theocracy. In principle, the Supreme Leader oversees settling the frequent disputes between the state and the parastatals. Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico. The Guards and the Supreme Leader, fear unrest — which, according to secret estimates of the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, would dwarf 2009 post-election protests – and are not likely to remove Rouhani. Friday prayers leaders in Tehran, Mashhad, and other cities have attacked Rouhani’s efforts at detente with the United States and called on Iranians to follow the advice of the Supreme Leader, who has argued that Washington’s promises can never be trusted. The parastatal sector, comprising the Revolutionary Guards, which run a substantial chunk of the economy, and large foundations (bonyads), are not accountable to the state and its institutions. Electoral theocracy and hybrid sovereignty in Iran. What Were the Main Causes of World War II? The highest elected official is the President of Iran. Put another way, is Iran a democracy or a dictatorship? Farhad Rezaei. He implemented a political system based on traditional Islamic beliefs. Indeed, in a veiled signal to the Supreme Leader, Rouhani noted that, “ISIS is not the only one who can threaten our security. Khatami appealed to the Supreme Leader, who sided with the parastatals. The main forces in the fight involve the Zaidi Shia rebels (or Houthis) against the loyalists of the displaced President of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. These two bodies are staffed by Shia clerics. In practice, due to communication issues, divinely inspired prophets or clergy handle the actual law-making and day-to-day administration.. Like other Islamic states, it maintains religious laws and has religious courts to interpret all aspects of law. The system, referred to as a negotiated political order, was a compromise between Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who wanted to create a theocracy ruled by the velayt a- faqih (religious guardian), and those in his entourage who understood that the public demanded democratic … The searing images on YouTube, Facebook and other media have brought the misery of the Iranian people and the brutality of the clerical regime into vivid perspective. The Trump administration, while grudgingly complying with the nuclear agreement, has harshly criticized Iran’s regional and domestic actions and is embroiled in a lengthy review of Iran policy. The country's pro-Axis allegiance in World War II led to Anglo-Russian occupation of Iran in 1941 and deposition of the shah in favor of his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. For instance, when President Mohammad Khatami tried to reform the political system, the Guards, supported by Khamenei, stripped the presidency of much of its power. The Pope is the supreme power in the country, and leads the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Vatican government. Iran and China entered into a 25-year agreement where China would invest billions in Iran to upgrade critical infrastructure. The Iran Revolution at 40: From Theocracy to ‘Normality’ In January 1979, Tehran was rocked by surging protests in support of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then in exile in Paris. Prior to the formation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country was ruled by the Shah (monarch), Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, who was well-known for his secular attitudes.