Islamic Revolution in the Eyes of Intellectuals (11)

The Islamic Revolution that triumphed in Iran these days in 1979 under the leadership of Imam Khomeini (God bless him) to rid the country from domestic despotism and foreign hegemony, was one of the greatest events of the twentieth century – if not the past few centuries.

One of the factors for its victory was the mass participation of people from all classes and walks of life in the fight against the British-installed and American-backed Pahlavi regime. The second feature which distinguishes the Islamic Revolution from other revolutions is its religious nature. As part of our programmes to mark the 38^th anniversary of the victory of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, in a series of short episodes we will attempt to introduce this great Revolution to our listeners from the standpoint of intellectuals.

Today in the 11^th and final episode of our series we focus on the incomparable role of Shi’a Muslims beliefs in the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

The Islamic Revolution has certain features that make it transcendental and not limited to any specific era or geographic arena. This is the key to its dynamism unlike the other revolutions of the preceding centuries, such as the French and Russian revolution, that shone for a while before the light was snuffed out. The great and impressive victory of the Islamic Revolution occurred at a time when the world was straddling the modern and post-modern eras. With the dynamic teachings of Islam, including social justice, as its base, it brought about changes not only in the political system but also in the notion and thinking. It attracted the attention of many intellectuals and analysts.

The US-based Iranian sociologist, Dr. Mansour Mo’addel believes: The main feature of a revolution is ideology. It’s not possible to analyze the Islamic Revolution of Iran without taking into account the role of Shi’a Muslim beliefs and thoughts. As a matter of fact, these were the thoughts that guided the Islamic Revolution to victory in 1979. US Anthropologist, Michael Fischer believes:The way the Islamic Revolution occurred and the speed with which it progressed towards victory, are both indebted to the Iranian people’s religious commitments.

Michael Fischer says in this regard: It can be undoubtedly said, the Islamic Revolution of Iran has been considered the first victory of the Muslims against the West since the 16^th century. The point is that Islam has been the guiding factor for this revolution and none of the Western names played any roles in the occurrence of this event. In fact, as we mentioned, this great Revolution has got its inspiration from Islam and the beliefs of Shi’a Muslims and that’s the reason why the Western observers are incapable of denying it.

Western intellectuals have admitted that Imam Khomeini moved the whole world with religious beliefs which the West considered old and related to the medieval era. It is a matter of fact that the fundamental role played in the victory of the Islamic Revolution was spirituality as based on the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt of blessed household of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). This is the reason behind its evergreen freshness in attracting people all over the world despite the passing of almost four decades.

MA/AS/SS