student notes 3 ch. 7 the islamic republic of iran
TRANSCRIPT
STUDENT NOTES 3
CH. 7 THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: CLEAVAGES
– Religion• Almost 90% Shia, 10% Sunni, around 1% either
Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, or Baha’I• Constitution of 1979 recognizes and respects the
rights of religious minorities, though Jews, Christians, and Baha’i are often persecuted• Constitution does not mention Sunnis
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE• Importance of Shiism
– Invaded by Arabs regularly from 7th through 16th centuries, bringing Islam to the region
– Religion became the “glue” holding Persians together– Shia/Sunni Divide (7th Century)
• Muhammad died without designating an heir• Sunnis wanted the caliph to succeed (Caliphs were
heads of the designated leadership, called the Sunni)• Shiites wanted a hereditary heir of Muhammad to
succeed (Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali)• Ali was killed, Shia became a minority, believing
heirs of Ali (imams) were the true carriers of Islam– 12th Decendent disappeared as a child, leading to the
legend of a “Hidden Imam” – will return to establish Islamic rule again
Baha’i Persecution• Baha’i’s have been persecuted because
Shi’ites believe it to be an unholy offshoot of Islam
• Leaders have been killed, imprisoned, tortured, schools have closed and property taken by state
• Many have immigrated to Canada along with large groups of Jews and Armenian Christians
• Sunni Muslims are in a similar situation and rights are unclear
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: CLEAVAGES
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE
• Cleavages– Ethnicity
• 51% Persian, speaking Persian (Farsi)• 24% Azeri, concentrated in the Northwest
– Shiia, but don’t speak Farsi (Khamenei is Azeri)– Fear of Iranian government that they may want to
unite with Azerbaijan• 7% Kurdish, 3% Arab (both Sunnis)
• Ethnic minorities are regularly sentenced to death by hanging
• Kurds and Arabs tend to be Sunni Muslim, so the religious cleavage is reinforced by ethnicity
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
• Driven from above by state and below by social practices
• Above: education, media, military– Seek to limit pluralism, promote nationalism, demonize the
west, denounce dynasty/revere revolution, gender roles, Basij monitor activity
– Official Friday congregational prayers• Social practice: family, neighborhood, social groups– Tell THEIR version of Iranian history– Tehran University center of secular opposition– Trumping state efforts at obedience and conformity
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: POLITICAL CULTURE
• Intense national pride• Intense distrust of “the West”• Do not trust government• Highly conflictual – protest• Pre-Revolution – people were dissatisfied with
governments intrusion into private lives in civil society• Post-Revolution – hasn’t changed much!– Legitimacy issues: God, religious texts,
Supreme Leader, elected institutions, people, revolution, elections
• The 2009–10 Iranian election protests were a series of protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi which occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13th 2009.
GREEN MOVEMENT
2009 ELECTION• The Green Movement– 3 million peaceful demonstrators turned out
on Tehran streets to protest official claims that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won the 2009 presidential election
– Their simple slogan was: “Where is my vote?”
– widely seen as a new non-violent, non-utopian and populist paradigm of revolution that infused twenty-first century Internet technology with people street power
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE
• The Basij, or “mobilization of the oppressed,” is a quasi-volunteer paramilitary organization with branches in most mosques, universities, government offices, and public institutions
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE
• Iran has a VERY young population!– Regime encouraged large families in its first years• Goods were rationed per capita, making it better to
have more children– Over 60 percent under 30 years old.
• represent one of the greatest long-term threats to the current form of theocratic rule.– Many professionals leave the country
• biggest bloc involved in the region’s first sustained “people power” movement for democratic change, creating a new political dynamic in the Middle East.
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE
• Unemployment: Even with a university degree, it takes about three years to find a job. And vast numbers of young people end up chronically underemployed, which has produced a widespread sense that their future prospects are bleak. Employment issues have contributed to other problems, including alcohol and drug abuse, prostitution and runaways, escape into marriages that end in early divorce, social unrest, and the flight of the educated class. Iran has one of the world’s highest rates of brain drain
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: LABOR MOVEMENT
• Concerns:– High unemployment– Low wages– Lack of decent housing– Unsatisfactory labor law - denies the right
to call strikes and organize unions• Workers’ House (1979) • Islamic Labor Party (1999)• May Day Rally is their main protest
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: WOMEN’S MOVEMENT
• Gained momentum after 1963 • White Revolution– Won the right to vote– Hold public office
• Family Protection Law (1975) allowed for more rights concerning divorce, custody, and reduced polygamy
• Modern Issues:– Job security– Pay scales– Promotions– Maternity leave– Higher-level professions
• The One Million Signatures Movement
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: WOMEN’S MOVEMENT
• Women and the Political System– “The Veil” – required in public by regime,
symbolizes oppression to westerners, but not so much to Iranian women
– 20th century Iranian women have had better access to education than other Mid-East countries• About half of university students are women
– Law towards women is “equality with difference”• sharia is interpreted to favor males in divorce
and custody disputes• cannot leave the country without the consent of
male relatives–Women are about 33% of the labor force–Women rarely get elected to the Majles (4.1%)
CITIZENS, SOCIETY & STATE: WOMEN’S MOVEMENT
• Gender Relations – Legal restrictions on women’s rights– Discriminations instituted by Islamic Republic– Fields of study closed to women– Sports restricted, attire incompatible with veiling– Compete in sports, at locations men not admitted– Women increasing participation in public life– Many working outside home– Universities’ restrictions on studies being lifted– Mal-veiling– Islamic feminism