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The Controversy Of The Role Of Religion And Power In Iran

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Iran has been a country of controversy for decades. One of the many points of controversy is the role of religion in the Iranian government. The entire government is structured to keep people with similar religious beliefs in power and to allow the government to make decisions based on Shiite principles. This structure was established as a result the 1979 Iranian Revolution where one regime over took another. This change in leadership gave the clergy more power than ever and directly affected foreign relations. Iran has faced the consequences of their Shiite based government through conflict with countries spanning multiple continents, such as Saudi Arabia and the United States. After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Iran’s government became controlled by religion, causing tense foreign relations. The Iranian government is lead by a religious figure and …show more content…

At the top of Iran's power structure is the Supreme Leader who, according to the constitution, will rule until his death. The current leader is Ayatohllah Ali Khamenei, who appointed himself Supreme Leader after the 1979 Revolution (“The Structure of Power in Iran”). The Supreme Leader is responsible for almost every aspect of the Iranian government. He controls local radio and television, domestic and foreign polices, the armed forces and intelligence and security operations, and he appoints and dismisses members of the judiciary (“The Structure and Power in Iran”). Khamenei is a Shiite Muslim, a branch of Islam that the majority of Iranians practice. Khamenei believes that religion is an essential part of government and "only clerical rule in accordance with Shiite law can create just government in the absence of the Prophet and the Imams"(Cole, Juan). Khamenei has structured the Iranian government to keep himself in power and prohibit anyone with opposing viewpoints to impact

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According to document E by Rick Steve, "I asked, 'But what if you want to get somewhere in the military or government?' Seyed answered, 'Then you'd be a Muslim.' I added, 'A practicing Shia Muslim.' He said, 'Yes.'” Iran had created a successful theocracy through political and social aspects, though it has also been concluded that Iran still needs improvement in its economy to become a better theocracy.

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Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, a member of Iran’s royal family, was reinstated as Shah to the new government created in 1953 by Americans. The shah’s pro-western, secular government allied with the United States, blocked the Communist Russians from Iran. Preventing Russia from gaining access to Iran was an extensive addition to cheap oil relations of the United States. Diplomats used a single method to remain ties to the shah and insured cheap oil. This scheme composed granting any of the shah’s request including American weapons and fighter aircrafts.

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In 1979 their government became a theocracy, a form of government based on a religion. The laws are based on the religious leaders interpretations of the Quran and Sharia Law. But women in Iran are treated very unfairly because of these laws. In document five it states, “A theocracy is a type of government that is based on a religion. It is run by religious figures and its laws are based in religious laws.

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I find the role of religion in government quite interesting. In a previous lesson we learned about the Byzantine and Persian Empires and how they served as patrons for religious orthodoxies. Now as we start to discuss more about post-Muhammad Islam, we learn about the empires that served as the patrons for Islam. Religion seems to be the primary foundation for the rise and success for many of these empires, but in the 21st century religion does not serve this same purpose. The Safavid Empire was govern by and for Shiite Muslims, the Mughul Empire is quite distinct in that it seemed to be fueled by religious tolerance, so it was a hybrid of Islam and Hinduism, and the Ottoman Empire is also noteworthy as Robinson describes it as the “mightiest of the three”, most likely due

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This is shown in Document 1, when Ruhollah Khomeini said, “...the Government must be directed and organized according to the divine law…”. Ruhollah Khomeini was the leader of the revolution, so he had a lot of influence on what the new Iran would become. He believed religion should control the government, and religious officials would keep it in check. He believed that divine law created by God were the ultimate laws. Another way the Iranian Revolution changed life in Iran was making life harder for the working class.

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Without God as a guiding presence in her life, Marji began to rebel against the ever-encroaching fundamentalist institution as much as possible. Under the pretense of religion, Iran strictly enforced new laws against social gatherings and all items of decadence, “They found records and video-cassettes at their place. A deck of cards, a chess set, in other words, everything that’s banned… It earned him seventy-five lashes”(105). This sudden loss of mediums to enjoy one’s self and prevalence of excessive punishment enforcing the declared moral code (132) were invitations to rebel for Marji.

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