Welcome to this week's episode of the series "Find out more about the Islamic Revolution". Today, we study the views of Michael Fischer about Iran's Islamic Revolution.

Michael Fischer is an American thinker and anthropologist. He traveled to the Iranian city of Yazd for authoring his PhD thesis, when he was a graduate student at the University of Chicago, and carried out a study on the Zoroastrians in that city. He has researched in a number of domains such as Iran's market, traders, industrialists, agricultural sector, film industry, and political affairs. He implemented field studies in Iran from 1969-1971 on religious communities, on Iran's market economy in the summer of 1974, on Iran's religious leaders in the year 1975, and on science and ethics in the summers of the years 2005 and 2006.

Fischer has penned two books and over twenty articles on Iran's film industry, anthropology, religion, and Islamic Revolution. His signature book on Iran's Islamic Revolution is named: "Iran: From Religious Dispute to Revolution" which is the outcome of his field studies about Iran. The pivotal topic of this book is the study of religious educational system of Iran. In this book, Fischer seeks an answer to the role of cultural means and inner dynamism in shaping a social change with the grandeur of Iran's Islamic Revolution?

Dr. Michael Fischer is one of the theorists, whose theories about revolutions have been hugely impacted by the emergence and culmination of Iran's Islamic Revolution. Prior to victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution; Michael Fischer, in the analysis of revolutions, put emphasis on economic and political factors. However, throughout the Islamic Revolution, and after its victory, he valued the role of religious culture more than any other factor in the emergence and victory of the Islamic Revolution.

One of the most important features of the works of Michael Fischer is his comparative study of Islamic movements in the recent two centuries. This feature is not spotted in the works of other thinkers about Iran's Islamic Revolution. Fischer believes that Iran levels a major and important challenge at least in three aspects in understanding political and social theories; which are namely theories on media; theories on revolution and structural social changes; and theories in regards to the relationship between educational systems and civil society. Fischer points out that in Iran's Islamic Revolution, in contrast to other movements of the World of Islam, clerics took the lead.

In his signature book, Fischer writes that: Closeness of political atmosphere, and suppression of different dialogs throughout the repressive rule of Pahlavi despotic regime, turned religious dialog into the only force of resistance, shaping social change.

In the view of Michael Fischer, the epic of Ashura maintains a pivotal role in the analysis of Iran's Islamic Revolution. He considers Iran's Islamic Revolution as the continuation of the path of the Third Infallible Imam of the Prophet of Islam's Household, Imam Hussein (Peace be upon him), and his 72 steadfast companions who courted martyrdom in their confrontation with the ungodly forces of Yazid, which is known as the epic of Ashura. He refers to the active role of the epic of Ashura in Iran's culture; the role of Iran's religious ceremonies throughout the year for keeping the epic of Ashura alive; and the symbols of Iran's culture which are closely bonded with Shia culture. Fischer states: Throughout Iran's Islamic Revolution, understanding the epic of Ashura turned into a means for defending and safeguarding the beliefs of Imam Hussein (PBUH). Imam Hussein (AS) courted martyrdom in Karbala, and his martyrdom is the main topic of importance in the identity of Shia Islam. In this world, there is always a confrontation between good and evil, and Muslims are duty-bound to make utmost efforts for the materialization of justice.

In fact, Fischer believes that the Iranian people, prior to the victory of Islamic Revolution, benefitted from the beliefs of Imam Hussein (AS) for resistance and steadfastness against Pahlavi despotic regime.

Michael Fischer reasons that the collective acts of Iranians from October 1977 to February 1979 turned into a huge display of ethics; the peak of which was observed on the anniversary of martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS). Based on Shia tradition, martyrdom marks rebirth.

In the viewpoint of Michael Fischer, the especial and unique leadership of the Father of Islamic Revolution, late Imam Khomeini (God's mercy upon him) maintains an especial status in the analysis of Iran's Islamic Revolution. In Fischer's view, Imam Khomeini's life is in itself a revolutionary means. Late Imam's life is the manifestation of hardships and difficulties that he endured, which connects late Imam to Martyrs of Karbala. The hardships that late Imam endured include the martyrdom of Imam Khomeini's father by the mercenaries of Reza Khan; late Imam's illegal exile in the year 1964; and the martyrdom of late Imam's son by the Pahlavi despotic regime's criminal spy agency, SAVAK.

In his book, Fischer admits that Imam Khomeini turned into the epitome and symbol of resistance against the former Iranian dictator, Shah, as of the year 1963.

AS/MG