Iran, meaning the land of Arians, is the 18th largest country in
the world, with nearly 80 million population, with impressive
advancements in science and technology since the 1979 Revolution and
establishment of the Islamic Republic. It ranks 8th in arms production
in the world, with 11 million trained paramilitary on reserve. It is a
country of special geostrategic significance due to its central location
in the Middle East and between Europe and Asia. Iran is bordered on the
east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and
the Gulf of Oman, on the west by Iraq, northwest by Turkey, on the north
by Russia and Kazakhstan, Iran also holds an important position in
international energy security and world economy because of its huge
reserves of oil and natural gas. Thus, it is utmost important
particularly to governments in Europe and United States to understand
the Iranian mind and system of government if they desire to have good
relations with it.
One of the essential problems toward
understanding the nature of the Revolutionary Islamic Republic of Iran
is the lack of knowledge of the concept "Islamic Republic." The result
has been a serious misunderstanding of governing principles, political
structure, decision making process, the system of operation, and the
bases for foreign relations. For proper understanding of this concept,
one has to pay attention first to the structure of Islamic religion and
then within this context consider the meaning of the republic and
ensuing form of government.
Islamic Society
The Islamic
religion, unlike Christianity, is devoid of hierarchical structure. For
example, under the catholic sect of Christianity, there is a strict
hierarchical structure. It starts at its summit with the Pope and goes
downward to cardinals, archbishops, bishops and ends with the parish
priests. The total operation of the system is governed quite strictly
from the top. The higher we go within the administrative structure of
Christianity, the offices become more luxurious and the officeholder's
outfits more expensive, more symbolic, more impressive, vary for
different occasions, and the number of servants increases. Everything
excels to its summit when it reach the Vatican and the highest
officeholder, the Pope.
There is no such religious hierarchy in
Islam. Islam is an individualized socialistic oriented religion.
Everyone is the master of his own faith and individually follows the
teachings of Islam to the degree that he desires. Millions of Iranians,
as in the rest of the Muslim world, do not pray five times a day, do not
fast, don't believe in full covering of body for women, and do not
attend the Friday sermon. Yet, they confidently consider themselves
Muslim. Often, it is forgotten that to be a Muslim, you need only to
believe in Allah (God) and Mohammed as his prophet. What extras you
believe and follow is totally up to you and between you and your
creator. In studying the Islamic Principles and Laws developed at the
time of Prophet Mohammad and later, it is obvious that many may have
problems in proper understanding of them and need to refer to a man of
knowledge in Islam to solve them. These are a few who have devoted many
years of their life and their time in studying Islam and its
corresponding societal norms,
Each large community, depending on
its size, has one or more of these men of knowledge. They are classified
based on the level of their knowledge, extensiveness of their studies,
and scholarly contributions At the lowest official level of knowledge
are those known as "mullah" followed by "hojjatol-Islam" and the
"ayatollah" which is the highest scholarly degree bestowed upon an
expert on Islamic religion, its principles, laws, history and tradition.
To reach this title requires many years of hard studies, several levels
of examinations, scholarly writings and a final oral examination before
a panel of ayatollahs who are recognized as proven experts. The title
of ayatollah in Islamic world is comparable to a Ph.D. degree in the
other institutions of higher education, but much more difficult to
attain. The student is well into his 40s and 50s when he finally becomes
qualified for the title.
Among some 80 millions Iranians, the number of ayatollahs may be around a hundred.
They
are residents in large communities except the City of Gum which is the
center of Islamic education and many resident Ayatollahs are full time
teachers like professors at the universities. Each ayatollah is free to
choose his place of residence. Individuals in their area of residence
are free to refer to one of them if they encounter certain religious
problems, But the majority of Iranians never refer to an ayatollah or
follow them. This is a good evidence of the individual nature of the
Islamic religion. Islam is the religion that each individual believe in
it on his own and not what the ayatollahs prescribe. Millions of
Iranians do not follow the principle of official daily prayer or fasting
in the month of Ramadan yet they consider themselves a devote Muslim.
Mullahs and other lesser scholars select one or more ayatollah to refer
to them in resolving their religious questions. They are free in their
choice and can change them at will or may refer to more than one.
Ayatollahs
pursue, usually, a modest way of life and easily accessible. In
general, they are supported by religious donations or by income from
properties donated to the local mosques. They are totally independent
from one another though some may be considered by others as more
knowledgeable. Scholarly reputation of some may extend far beyond their
area of residence even into other countries. These are very few and are
called grand ayatollah, such as Grand Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq and
Shariatmadari and Montezeri in Iran.
Now, if we transfer this
social and religious structure to a republican political system, we get a
particular and unique form of government which is socialistic and
democratic in its own merit. This fundamental democratic nature of the
Iranian Islamic society is the main reason that Ayatollah Khomeini when
drafting the new Iranian constitution created a supreme leader with
absolute political power controlling all powers of the government
including the military and judicial. At the political level we have the
system ruled by so-called experts in Islamic religion who are loyal to
the supreme leader who also sustain their previous modest way of life
while holding high political positions.
The weekly Friday prayer
all over the nation is one traditional way of Islamic government keeping
in contact with the people. In Tehran, for example, the Friday prayer
is held at the University of Tehran grounds where several hundred
thousands of people participate and nearly all important government
officials, top officials in particular, are present. A top leader,
designated by the Supreme Leader, leads the prayer. Historically
speaking, Friday prayer has been the foundation of the Islamic
governmental structure. It was one of the early steps in the formation
of the Islamic state, somehow similar to town meetings in the United
States.
It consist of two sermons which must be delivered, The
first is religious, glorifying and praising the Lord Allah; the second
is political, presenting social, economic and political issues affecting
people and daily life. Thus, at least once a week, people have direct
contact with their leaders and are made aware of governmental policies
and have opportunity to question and communicate with the leadership.
Excluding
the office the Supreme Leader, Iran has already developed a two-party
system generally known as Moderates and Radicals. Though they are not
called political parties, both groups are well organized and quite
effective in the electoral process. Iran has a parliamentary legislative
body with a total of 290 seats. A positive aspect of this democratic
process is that, unlike the U.S. Congress where incumbents have a good
chance of getting reelected, in Iran, only around a half of the
incumbents running for office are reelected. Democratic process is well
alive in the Iranian parliament. Debates are quite open and often very
lively. It is not infrequent for some members of one group to vote with
another on certain issues of concern. This tendency has eliminated a
single majority rule such as England. There have been times that only
one-third of the bills proposed by the government has passed through the
Majlis (parliament). It has also rejected a higher percentage of
nominees for public positions than the United States Senate. These are
just some aspects of democracy under the Islamic Republic.
The Concept of Government and the Extent of Limitations on Its Powers
What
separates the radicals from the moderates is a deeply routed dispute
concerning the role of government in the Islamic society. According to
Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, the government
is an institution ordained by the Almighty and founded with absolute
authority entrusted to the Prophet. It is an entity supplanting
secondary statutes of the canonical law in Islam. "The government is a
primary rule in Islam taking precedence over praying, fasting, and
performing the hajj pilgrimage." "However, it was wrong to assume that
nobody should protest whatever we say or do. Instead, criticism and
finding faults are among divine gifts for the promotion of human
beings," But he stopped short of giving an exact definition to Islamic
government stating that "under the present sensitive situation,"
referring to Iran-Iraq war, "he preferred to remain silent."
Since
then, the role of government in Islamic society has been the subject of
hot debates between the two major groups of moderates and radicals.
Radicals favor a highly socialistic agenda of large-scale public
investment projects, raising taxes, controlling prices, state control
over commerce and reforming land ownership. Moderates are against all of
these, some claiming that these measures go beyond the strict limits on
government action prescribed in the Koran. Presently, the two major
groups are far apart from the theoretical viewpoint, The only area of
agreement relates to foreign affairs where government policies are
supported by both groups. They agree that Islamic governments should be
promoted throughout the Islamic world; that Iran should remain free from
the foreign ideological influence. Some moderates and most of the
radicals consider Western
Ideas as more seductive and therefore more dangerous than communist style ideology.
Social and Economic Developments and General Welfare Programs
Unlike
the late Shah's period, though Iran has many wealthy individuals, it
does not have an economic elite controlling the wealth, resources, and
production. So far, the Islamic Republic has been quite socialistic
oriented, as the Islamic religion itself, and the major resources and
means production have been under public control. Accordingly, the
direction of the operation of the government has been not only for
political democracy but also for socio-economic democracy and well being
of the society as a whole. Despite some important negative factors such
as eight-year Iran-Iraq war, oil price fluctuations, economic embargo
against Iran and more importantly the population growth, the
socio-economic and technological developments since the revolution have
been quite impressive.
Transformation of educational and cultural
systems can be considered as the most important developments. Textbooks
as well as subjects at all educational levels are changed or modified.
Outdated materials were substituted by new materials relating to the
latest scientific achievements as well as the Islamic culture. All
foreign professors were replaced with Iranians. The educational budget
was substantially increased particularly, by fifteen fold, in the area
of vocational education, Over 140 million elementary and secondary level
textbooks are published and distributed each year. Presently, there are
some fourteen million students at pre-university level educational
institutions, and around 500 thousand at the universities and other
institutions of higher education. There are an impressive number of
foreign students at the Iranian universities. And all these, except for a
few dollars registration fee, are free. Demand for qualified teachers
to feed this enormous educational program has caused the creation of
many teacher education centers all over the country
For the
purpose of self sufficiency, immediately after the end of Iran-Iraq war,
1987-1988, seven new colleges of medicine, dentistry, and pharmacology
were established and
the number has been increasing since. Because
of demand created by the national health care program, the number of
students at these institutions has increased by eight fold. According to
projections, by 2020, the goal is to reach the level of one physician
for every 300 of the total population.
In the areas of general
welfare and social development programs, despite the economic
consequences of eight years war, fluctuations in oil prices and economic
sanctions, there has been impressive progress. Today, all aged Iranians
who do not have adequate means of subsistence, are paid a monthly
relief benefit. In addition to national health care program, a national
insurance program covers all natural and otherwise damages sustained by
every Iranian including unpredictable natural disasters affecting
agricultural crops. It also covers those widows who are not able to
sustain themselves. Family of prisoners are extensively protected by the
law. Those who cannot earn enough to sustain themselves are provided
with adequate means of subsistence during the whole prison term of the
head of the family.
In the area of transportation, since the
revolution, about 180,000 kilometers of roads have been constructed
amounting to 128 percent of all reads constructed previous to the
Revolution. Special attention has been given to rural areas by
constructing over 55,000 kilometers of rural roads by the Reconstruction
Crusade organizations.
A pisciculture project was carried out to
meet protein requirements of the country and increase the peasants
income. The project started in 1982 in the villages and cities with
emphasis on fishery through creating artificial ponds. It produces tens
of millions of fish each year.
In the area of communication, there
has been substantial expansion of telephone network. From about 70
cities at the time of Revolution, it has expanded to all large and
middle size cities and some 89 percent of villages. Presently, cell
phones are also widely used.
In economic and technological areas,
an enormous amount of money has been spent on a variety of development
plans including irrigation systems, agricultural developments, and
telecommunication services, and very impressive mining explorations.
Besides gold and uranium substantial reserves of gas have been
discovered. Expert estimates indicate that these resources of gas, if
continued to be used at the present level, will last for 1,200 more
years. The useful life of the Iranian oil reserves, under its present
2.5 million barrels per day quota of production, is estimated to extend
for 60 years.
From a single product country, namely oil, Iran has
been gradually transferred to an industrialized and agricultural nation.
Since the Revolution, the value of the Iranian non-oil exports has been
increasing by an average of 25 percent per year. Eight oil refineries,
Arak Petrochemical Complex, Shahid Raja'I and Gharb power stations,
Steel Complex of Mubarakeh, casting industry, which cast diesel engines
and various parts of vehicles and machineries, are just among some major
achievements.
The increase in agricultural products have been
substantial particularly since 1986. Agricultural development have been
of primary concern to the government. The Agricultural Bank was created
for this purpose and has granted billions of dollars in affordable loans
to farmers each year. The government has been keenly interested in
mechanization of agriculture and the use of modern techniques, different
sets of machinery, nearly all manufactured in Iran and sold to farmers
with affordable terms. Improvement of seeds and the domestic development
of more productive seeds relating to crops, such as wheat, rice,
cotton, have caused remarkable increase in yield. Among some 300,000
university students with 68,000 at graduate level and 22,000 at the
doctorate in applied sciences, a substantial number are in different
fields of agriculture. Once graduated, they play a dominant role in the
future of agriculture.
In the pharmaceutical field, for over 20
years Iran has been exporting some of the various medicines it produces.
The Iran-Iraq war in addition to embargoes against the country,
Pressured Iran, as a matter of survival, to find ways to produce needed
supplies of goods and services domestically. This was a tremendous force
behind most of developments in the county. From this view point, the
war combined with economic embargo was some kind of blessing which
caused the nation to advance in scientific, economic, technological and
industrial areas. To attend to its tens of thousands wounded solders and
civilians, by the end of war, 1987, Iran produced 86.6 percent of its
pharmaceutical needs. Pharmaceutical factories were built one after
another and continued after the war to the extent that today Iran is
over 90 percent self-sufficient and produces substantially more to
export.
The Iranian modern military industry is about 80 years
old. However up to the Revolution, 1979, even one single type of
ammunition was not produced in quantities to satisfy the demand under
war conditions. Billions each year were spent in purchase of modern
armament by the Shah. After the Revolution, all foreign advisors and
experts connected with the military production were dismissed and
substituted with Iranian experienced experts. Rapid developments caused
about 80 percent of all kinds of ammunitions used in war be produced
domestically. The total Iranian arm industry has developed many folds
since then. Today, Iran produces its own tanks, armored personnel
carriers, guided missiles, submarines, military ships and armored speed
boats, helicopters, radar systems, grenades, various kinds of
detonators, heavy bombs up to 4,400 pounds, rocket launchers, a variety
of unmanned arial vehicles (drones), short and middle range surface to
surface missiles, ballistic missiles, anti-tank TOW missiles, All kinds
of weapons and ammunitions, and fighter-bomber planes.
There has
been impressive advancement in the field of electronics. Simulators used
with all kinds of weapons and various radar and communication devices,
electronic devices deviating guided missiles, and missile guidance
systems are just some examples. The Iran-Iraq war which obliged Iran to
place primary emphasis on military industry, has raised Iran to rank
eighth in the world among arm producing countries.
A few words
need to be said about Iran's military and military policies. During
Iran-Iraq war the Iranian military strength at its peak was estimated at
two million nearly all volunteers. Presently, there are two distinct
military forces: the regular armed forces and the Revolutionary Guard
forces. Together, they total 545,000 active troops and 350,000 reserve.
In addition, Iran has well trained volunteer militia force called Basij
including some 90,000 ful time, active duty uniformed members. About
eleven million men and women are members of the Basij who could be
called for service at any time if needed. It is estimated that Iran can
mobilize up to one million men at the time of emergency which is
considered among the kargest troop mobilization in the world. Iran has a
sustained military policy historically proven. It has not invaded any
country for over two centuries. Its military policy is based on
deterrence. If it seeks atomic weapons, based on this long standing
policy will also be for deterrence against countries which possess such
weapons in the region. Considering strong nationalistic feelings of
Iranians in the case of invasion by foreign forces, beside Basij
members, millions of well trained Iranians will volunteer to join the
military. This was evident during Iran-Iraq war where many volunteers
were well over 60 years old. They volunteered to run over mine fields
installed by Iraqi forces to clear the way for the advancing Iranian
forces.
As all the facts presented here about the economic and
social developments show the continuous efforts of the Islamic Republic
from the date of its inception to advance the well being of its people
and advancing the nation to stand on its own feet despite all
adversities the government faced from the outside. It compels a great
majority of Iranians to support the system. People are satisfied the way
the system operates for their benefits and are not sure the situation
will be the same if the system changes. There is also satisfaction with
the term of Islamic Republic since some over 90 percent of Iranians are
Muslim. However, this support of the system does not means that they are
happy with the leadership. Definitely, the majority are not satisfied.
Historically, for thousands of years Iranians have lived with democratic
values in their local communities. They have never sustained a
dictatorial regime in power for long, The story of late Shah is a good
example, After American government overthrow the democratic regime of
Prime Minister Dr. Musaddegh and brought the Shah back, it took near 18
years of opposition that finally people got rid of him. But they again
were betrayed by Ayatollah Khomeini who methodically eliminated the
democratic minded leaders, including the first elected president
Bakhtiar, and formulized a theocratic dictatorship, through drafting a
constitution and forcing its approval upon the people that Iran suffers
again under such a regime. Majority of Iranians want to get rid of these
dictatorial elements at the top. These include the abolition of the
office the Supreme Leader who has absolute power over every action of
government: political, economic or social; abolition of the Council of
Guardians which has veto power over the acts of parliament and has to
approve candidates running for political offices. But the problem is not
so easy. The constitution must be modified. Iranians want to keep the
Islamic Republic but don't want to be ruled by the clergy with absolute
dictatorial powers. If we know Iranians and history of Iran we can
assume that they will succeed this time as well regardless how much time
it may take.
One more point. No government Iranians detest more
than the American while they like American people and many aspects of
American life and ideals. Iran with its very important strategic
position in the Middle East, 80 million educated and conscious
population, scientifically, technologically and industrially far
advanced than any other country in the region, except perhaps Israel,
commanding position in the Persian Gulf, a source of aspiration for many
Muslim nations in the region and beyond, and close association with
Russia and China, is of vital importance to the Western powers all of
which desire stability in the region and free flow of its petroleum and
its derivatives to their countries. Iran is the most valuable
geostrategic country in the region. Whoever becomes ally with Iran would
have first call on its vast oil and gas resources and a strong voice in
the future of the Middle East, The United States may in the long run
establish normal relationship with Iran, but it will not be easy to turn
it into a friendly relationship.
Anti-Americanism has become a
part of national feeling which will live on for quite a long period of
time. It goes back for four generations, starting with the overthrow of a
democratic government which Iranians had achieved after a long
struggle, bringing back Mohammad Reza Shah, helping him to impose a
brutal dictatorship during which thousands last their lives, many under
torture in prisons until they were able to organize a general strike in
1978 which forced him to flee. The new government was formed by
democratic minded leaders from 1950s but soon taken over by the clergy
under command of Ayatollah Khomeini which established also a harsh
dictatorship. When it was invaded by Iraq in 1980, the United States
sided with Iraq, by which 500,000 Iranians lost their lives and twice as
much were wounded and maimed, and because of the U. S. economic embargo
Iran could not get vital supplies needed for continuation of war.
Iranians cannot easily forget such devastation of human life and
destruction of their cities and thousands of civilian casualties all
aided by the United States. They also consider their present dictatorial
regime the consequence of the previous U. S. mistaken and selfish
policies.
Finally, the Islamic Republic, through its eight years
of single handed struggle against Iraq which was supported and aided by
the United States, France, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, its persistent
resistance, and ending the war without any territorial loss, emerged
stronger than ever. This success gave the system prestige among Muslim
people in many countries. Today, Iran's resistance against the United
States supported by other major nations, in exerting its right to do
research and experimentation in the area of atomic energy is supported
by Muslims in many countries though their government may not like it,
and the Islamic Republic is admired because of its humanistic policies
in regard to its people, such as health care, education, anti-poverty
measures, and its enormous achievements in science, technology and
industrialization.
Dr. Reza Rezazadeh
Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin System, and a
Fulbright scholar, a multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural, and
multi-lingual scholar with background in Mechanical Engineering
(B.S.M.E.), Continental and Islamic Law (Licenciate), J.D. in American
Jurisprudenxce, LL.M. in International Law and International Economics,
Ph.D. in Political Science, Economics and Administration, and Doctor of
the Science of Law (S.J.D.) the highest law degree offered in U.S.
Fluent in five languages: English, French, Spanish, Persian,
Azeri-Turkish. Elementary knowledge of Arabic, Urdu, Russian and
Italian. Patented inventions; an artist, a poet (oil and pastel), a
musician (violin), with over 35 years of academic background in
teaching, reseasrch and administration, research and cultural studies in
many countries in Europe including USSR, Middle East, Central Asia,
Northe africa, Central and South America. Author of 8 books and many
scholarly articles
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3317280
No comments:
Post a Comment