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[edit] Political thought and legacy

[edit] Islamic Doctrine

Ayatollah Khomeini's leadership, though always determined and confident, was not without change. Throughout his many writings and speeches, Khomeini's views on governance evolved. On who should rule and what should be the ultimate authority in governance he

  • originally declared, "We do not say that government must be in the hands of" an Islamic jurist, "rather we say that government must be run in accordance with God's law ... ";[1]
  • later he told his followers that only rule by a leading Islamic jurist would insure Sharia was properly followed (rule by velayat-e faqih [2]) and that "Islam proclaims monarchy and hereditary succession wrong and invalid;" [3]
  • before finally insisting Sharia rule could be overruled by jurists if necessary to serve the interests of Islam and the "divine government," and that Sharia rule was subordinate to interests of Islam and the "divine government" as interpreted by the ruling jurists. The Islamic state has "precedence over all secondary ordinances such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage." [4]

Some other reinterpretations of doctrine scholars of Khomeini have argued he championed include:

  • Use of Maslahat, (`expedient interests` or `public welfare`). This was a common concept among Sunni, but "before the 1979 revolution most" Shi'ite jurists had "rejected maslahat as a dangerous innovation (bed'at)." [5]
  • Wider use of "secondary ordinances". Clerics had traditionally argued that the government could issue these "when addressing a narrow range of contractual issues not directly addressed in the Qur'an." Khomeini called for their use to deal with the deadlock between the Majles and the Council of Guardians [6]
  • Broader definition of martyrdom. Khomeini believed martyrdom could come not only from "inadvertant" acts but "deliberate" ones as well. Not only was martyrdom a highly meritorious act, opportunities for it were lauded.
"If the great martyr ... confined himself to praying ... the great tragedy of Kabala [where Imam Hoseyn was martyred] would not have come about ... Among the contemporary ulema, if the great Ayatollah ... Shirazi ... thought like these people [who do not fight for Islam] a war would not have taken place in Iraq ... all those Muslims would not have been martyred." [7]

and also

If you have any tie or link binding you to this world in love, try to sever it. This world, despite all its apparent splendor and charm, is too worthless to be loved[8]

Khomeini repeatedly praised the martyrs of the Iran-Iraq war but also asserted the war was "God's hidden gift," [9] or what one scholar of Khomeini called "a vital outlet through which Iran's young martyrs experienced mystical transcendence."[10] Large numbers of young Shia Iranians became "shahids" during the war on Iraq. Khomeini is credited not only with inspiring Iranians Shahids but other modern Muslim "suicide bombers" such as the 1983 truck bomber of the Marine baracks in Beriut.[11] There is no question that "marytdom operations" or "suicide bombing" have become a major event in the Muslim world since Khomeini's death. [12]

  • Khomeini not only believed truly just and divine government need not wait for the return of the [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|12th Imam/madhi], he also believed the quality of esmat, or "divinely bestowed freedom from error and sin" was not the exclusive property of the prophets and imams. Esmat, was created by "nothing other than perfect faith"[13] and could be achieved by a Muslim who reaches that state. Hamid Dabashi argues Khomeini's theory of Esmat from faith may have been developed to help pave the way for Khoemini theory of Velayat-e Faqih as ruling jurist.
  • Khomeini argued the Prophets have not yet achieve their "purpose". In November 1985 he told radio listeners "I should say that so far the purpose of the Prophets has seldom been realized. Very little." Aware of the controversial nature of the statement he warned more conservative clerics that "tomorrow court mullahs . . . [should] not say that Khomeini said that the Prophet is incapable of achieving his aims." [14]

In more temporal political issues, Khomeini strongly opposed alliances with, or immitation of Eastern and Western Bloc nations. He believed that Iran should strive towards self-reliance. In particular he loathed the United States

... the foremost enemy of Islam ... a terrorist state by nature that has set fire to everything everywhere [1]

and its ally Israel

the international Zionism does not stop short of any crime to achieve its base and greedy desires, crimes that the tongue and pen are ashamed to utter or write.[2]

PUT IN WESTERN CUTLURE IS DECADENT

Khomeini's position on democracy is a matter of controversy. Explanations for conflicting statements both for and against democracy PUT IN THAT ARTICLE can be explained by his belief that Islam and Islamic law,

truly belong to the people. In contrast, in a republic or a constitutional monarchy, most of those claiming to be representatives of the majority of the people will approve anything they wish as law and then impose it on the entire population. [15]


eof his statement both quotesIn drawing up the constitution of his Islamic Republic, he and his supporters agreed to include Western-democratic elements, such as an elected parliament and president, but it is quite certain he believed Islamic elements,  not Western-style elected parliaments and presidents, should prevail in government.  "Do not use this term, `democratic.` That is the Western style,`" [16] he told a huge crowd of Iranians a month after his return to Iran.


(end of my revision)

He viewed certain elements of Western culture as being inherently decadent and a corrupting influence upon the youth. As such, he often advocated the banning of popular Western fashions, music, cinema, and literature. His ultimate vision was for Islamic nations to converge together into a single unified power, in order to avoid alignment with either side (the West or the East), and he believed that this would happen at some point in the near future.

Before taking power Khomeini expressed support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; in Sahifeh Nour (Vol.2 Page 242), he states: "We would like to act according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We would like to be free. We would like independence." However once in power Khomeini took a firm line against dissent, warning opponents of theocracy for example: "I repeat for the last time: abstain from holding meetings, from blathering, from publishing protests. Otherwise I will break your teeth."[17] Iran adopted an alternative human rights declaration, the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, in 1990 (one year after Khomeini's death), which diverges in key respects from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Khomeini's concept of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists (ولایت فقیه, velayat-e faqih) [3] did not win the support of the leading Iranian Shi'i clergy of the time. While such clerics generally adhered to widely-accepted conservative theological schools of thought, Khomeini believed that interpretations should change and evolve, even if such changes were to differ radically from tradition, and that a cleric should be moved by divinely inspired guidance. Towards the 1979 Revolution, many clerics gradually became disillusioned with the rule of the Shah, although none came around to supporting Khomeini's vision of a theocratic Islamic Republic.

Many of Khomeini's political and religious ideas were considered to be progressive and reformist by leftist intellectuals and activists prior to the Revolution. However, they did not support many of his other views which conflicted with their own, in particular those that dealt with issues of secularism, women's rights, freedom of religion, and the concept of wilayat al-faqih.

Most of the democratic and social reforms that he had promised did not come to pass during his lifetime, and when faced with such criticism, Khomeini often stated that the Islamic Revolution would not be complete until Iran becomes a truly Islamic nation in every aspect, and that democracy and freedom would then come about "as a natural result of such a transformation". Khomeini's definition of democracy existed within an Islamic framework, his reasoning being that since Islam is the religion of the majority, anything that contradicted Islam would consequently be against democratic rule. His last will and testament largely focuses on this line of thought, encouraging both the general Iranian populace, the lower economic classes in particular, and the clergy to maintain their commitment to fulfilling Islamic revolutionary ideals.

These policies have been viewed by some as having alienated the lower economic classes, allowing wealthy mullahs to dominate the government.

Although Khomeini claimed that he is an advocate of democracy, many secular and religious thinkers believe that his ideas are not compatible with the idea of a democratic republic. Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi (a senior cleric and main theorist of Iranian ultraconservatives), Akbar Ganji (a pro-democracy activist and writer who is against Islamic Republic) and Abdolkarim Soroush (an Iranian philosopher in exile) are supporters of this viewpoint, according to the state-run Aftab News. [4]


[end of current revision]


INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP 1) VF means Islamic state 2) Islamic state more important than secondary ordinances like the five pillars

3) use of Masalat (Brumberg Khomeini - Theological Innovations - Maslahat is important Maslahat - `expedient interests` or `public welfare.` While Sunni jurists used the concept of maslahat, "It should be noted that maslahat is not part of Shi'ite jurisprudence. ... before the 1979 revolution most [Shi'ite jurists] rejected maslahat as a dangerous innovation (bed'at)" (from Brumberg, p.61)

Khomeini - Theological Innovations - God hasn't made every law Frustrated with a deadlock between the Majles and the Council of Guardians "Khomeini once again tried to break the deadlock by invoking the concept of secondary ordinances - but now with a novel interpretation. Clerics had traditionally argued that the government could issue secondary ordinances when addressing a narrow range of contractual issues not directly addressed in the Qur'an. But now Khomeini told the Majles that `we cannot imagine that God would not have looked at every aspect of any problem.` This dictum even applied to `secondary provision [which] ... have been ordained for the very reason that problems may arise in a particular society ... These are also ordinances from God.`" [source: `Khomeyni Addresses Majlis Deputies January 24` broadcast 24 January 1983, FIB-SAS-82-018, 26 January 1983 (p.129)


4) martyrdom as deliberate ending of life , especially to kill non-Muslims (Brumberg Khomeini and Martyrdom Author Brumberg claims "Khomeini believed the war [with Iraq] provided a vital outlet through which Iran's young martyrs experienced mystical transcendence, he was loath to give it up." (Brumberg, p.123) An example of Khomeini's attitude towards death is his saying `Dying does not mean nothingness: it is life.` (p.125, source: broadcast on Teheran Domestic Service 4 May 1979)

How Khomeini "recast the concept of martyrdom" from "an unforeseen act by which Muslims inadvertently die in the defense of Islam" to defending the "survival of the Islamic Republic" by the "deliberate pursuit of martyrdom:" (p.130)

`Our youngsters` who `welcome martyrdom` illustrate the difference between people and animals "by not being `a material being,` they were helping Iran become `a divine country`. (p.128) (source: Khomeini Id Ghadir Address on Islam, War` broadcast 29 October 1980, FBIS-SAS-90-211, 29 October 1980.

`Your youths have crossed the border in one night ... They have suddenly achieved what the mystics and mystical poets have been dreaming of.` (p.130) (source: Khomeyni 10 February Message to Revolution Ceremony,` broadcast 10 February 1983, FBIS-SAS-83-030, 11 February 1983

"`Trenches ... are centers for worship of God`; there, he asserted, the martyrs had attained `mystical and divine stages.`" (p.130) (source: Khomeyni Issues Statement on Tudeh Leaders Arrest,` broadcast 4 May 1983, FBIS-SAS-83-088, 5 May 1983)

`If the great martyr ... confined himself to praying ... the great tragedy of Kabala [where Imam Hoseyn was martyred] would not have come about ... Among the contemporary ulema, if the great Ayatollah ... Shirazi ... thought like these people [who do not fight for Islam] a war would not have taken place in Iraq ... all those Muslims would not have been martyred. [`Ayatollah Khomeyni Message to Council of Experts,` broadcast 14 July 1983, FBIS-SAS-83-137, 15 July 1983; italics and additional explanation are mine. (p.130)] COMMENT: i.e. the war in Iraq was not just a righteous but tragic act of self-defense against invasion, it was a great opportunity for martyrdom. An opportunity peace-loving wimps might easily have denied young Iranians.


5) Man can become infalible (from Dabashi Khomeini on Infallibility Khomeini's idea that fuqaha should rule was not accepted by the leading fuqaha. They though divine law told them religious rule of the temporal world should/could be done only by the Imams, who were supernatural, infallible (ismat), not mortal men. Ruling being a very difficult, perilous and of course important activity, with great danger of corruption of power, how did Khomeini get the idea that the clergy should rule?

"Khomeini gives a new definition of `infallibility` (esmat that is revolutionary not only in the canonical doctrines of Shi'ism but also in it implications for the nature of contemporary political authority. As a doctrinal foundation of Shi'ism, esmat is exclusive to the Twelve Imams, who are Divinely prevented from committing any sin. Khomeini redefines esmat to mean `nothing other than perfect faith` ... Upon this reunderstanding of esmat, Khomeini emphatically asserts that

infallibility is borne by faith. If one has faith in God, and if one sees God with the eyes of his heart, like sun, it would be impossible for him to commit a sin.` .... In front of an armed powerful [master], infallibility is attained. [Khomeini, Jehad-e Akbar (Greater Jihad), pp.44]

and also ... The [Shi'i] infallibles [the Twelve Imams], peace be upon them, after having been created from a pure substance, they constantly saw themselves in the presence ... of God Almighty through asceticism, acquisition of illumination, and virtuous dispositions. [Khomeini, Jehad-e Akbar (Greater Jihad), pp.44] "The subtext of the argument, quite obviously, is that anyone who sees himself in the constant presence of God, through such acquisitive virtues as asceticism, would be infallible." At this stage, Khomeini shifts the level of discourse to a mystical dimension that immediately suggest his own infallibility" (p.463) The Infallibles ... see themselves (moshahedeh) in the presence of God Almighty. They have faith in the meaning of `there is no divinity but Allah,` that everything and everyone except God is perishable and cannot have a role in man's destiny: `Everything will perish save His countenance` [The Qur'an 28:88]. [However] If man has certitude (yaqin) and faith (iman) that the manifest and the latent worlds are [both at] the presence of His Majesty, and that Truth Almighty is omniscient and omnipresent, in the Presence of Truth, and in the bounty of His favors, it would be impossible for him to commit a sin. In front of a child who distinguishes [between good and evil], one does not commit a sin, would not appear naked, how can he appear naked [that is commit a sin] in front of the Truth Almighty, in the Majesty of His Presence?! [Khomeini, Jehad-e Akbar (Greater Jihad), pp.44-5, quoted in Dabashi, p.464] COMMENT: OK, you can't sin, but that doesn't mean you can't screw up, right? So esmat is freedom from sin and not the same as being perfect, not making any mistakes, right? Well Algar defines Esmat as "divinely bestowed freedom from error and sin." (p.156) After all, there aren't two separate realms: practical knowledge here, divine knowledge there. Islam is complete and all encompassing.

"Khomeini has been able, by a remarkable and rather revolutionary shift of discourse, to secure the all-important attribute of infallibility for himself as a member of the awlia' by eliminating the simultaneous theological and Imamological problems of violating the immanent expectation of the Mahdi." (p.465), i.e. no rule of religion until the return of the 12th Imam as the mahdi.

Khomeini on Totalitarianism of Islam "Khomeini contemplates the nature of man ... consisting of three simultaneous states of mineral, animal, and sublime existence. ... Khomeini then links this hierarchical conception of man's spiritual growth to the ancillary notion of `the Perfect Man,` according to which there is an archetypal model of perfection towards which ordinary man ought to strive. The idea of the `the Perfect Man` has a long and elaborate tradition in Islamic mysticism. One of the chief theoreticians of the concept is Aziz al-Din al-Nasafi who in his al-Insan al-Kamil, gives and elaborate description of how, through ascetic and spiritual exercises, man achieves the highest potentials that are divinely entrusted to him. To help attain this state of perfection, Islam has its own political agenda , Khomeini argues, `Secular governments ... are only concerned with the social order.` In these secular modes of political order, he believes, insofar as one is socially harmless, the government will leave him alone.

What he wants to do in the privacy of his homes, drinking wines .... gambling, or other such dirty deeds, the government has nothing to do with him. Only if he comes out screaming, then he would be prosecuted, because that disturbs the peace. But this, Khomeini contends, is the way secular governments work. Islam and divine governments are not like that. These [governments] have commandments for everybody, everywhere, at any place, in any condition. If a person were to commit an immoral dirty deed right next to his house, Islamic governments have business with him. The business of Islam with man is not limited, Khomeini assures his students, to merely political matters. Islam has rules for every person, even before birth, before his marriage, until his marriages, pregnancy, birth, until upbringing of the child, the education of the adult, until puberty, youth, until old age, until death, into the grave, and beyond the grave. [The Islamic rules] do not come to an end simply [because the person] is put into the grave ... That is just the beginning. [statement to his students in Najaf, 28 September 1977. Found in Khomeini, Sahifeh-ye Nur, vol.I p.234-235] ".... When translated into political terms, the idea of `the perfect man,` perfectly harmless in its mystical context, necessitates a total, final, and absolutely unconditional program of moral and ideolgicial righteousness upon which Islam, as a social and metaphysical order, teaches, regulates, guides, and controls every conceivable move and manner of a Musilm individual, from before-the-cradle to after-the-grave ..." (Theology of Discontent, p.476-7)


6) Prophets have not achieve their true goals (Brumberg p.277 "`I should say that so far the purpose of the Prophets has seldom been realized. Very little.` Knowing that some clerics would find this claim blasphemous, he warned that `tomorrow court mullahs . . . [should] not say that Khomeini said that the Prophet is incapable of achieving his aims.`" (Brumberg, p.133, November 1985)



Khomeini originally opposed the women's voting rights and the right to run for national office as part of an attempt to destroy Islam, but after coming to power did not seek their repeal these. His government in fact saw women elected to parliament. [18] Other issues such as Divorce and the legality of music also saw evolution. [[5]][[6]] [[7]]

During the revolution Khomeini emphasized populist issues such as the suffering of the mostazafin (dispossessed), at the hands of the "oppressive ruling classes." [19] Once in power economic problems caused a decline in living standards in Iran and his emphasis shifted, downplayed economic issues and emphasizing the importance of religious ones: "I cannot believe that the purpose of all these sacrifices was to have less expensive melons," [20] including martyrdom:

Does it seem reasonable for a person to shout for his stomach and them give up his life, is this reasonable? Could anyone which his child to be martyred to obtain a good house? This is not the issue. The issue is another world. [21]

And the sober nature of Islamic life:

Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam." [22]


On other issues, tactical considerations and the need to attract temporary allies to gain power can be credited for what might seem to be contradictory statements by Khomeini. [23]

Khomeini agreed to include Western-democratic elements, such as an elected parliament and president, in the constitution of his Islamic Republic but he believed in Islamic, not democratic, government. "Do not use this term, `democratic.` That is the Western style,`" [24] he told a huge crowd of Iranians a month after his return to Iran. Islam and Islamic law, (Khomeini believed)

truly belong to the people. In contrast, in a republic or a constitutional monarchy, most of those claiming to be representatives of the majority of the people will approve anything they wish as law and then impose it on the entire population. [25]

(At the beginning of the revolution the democratic liberal and left was strong and the constitution was agreed upon before Khomeini's forces could subdue them.) [26]

Khomeini took a firm stand against those (he believed) opposed Islam. Despite some public statements in exile about allowing free speech, [27] Khomeini had urged "protectors of religion" to "smash in the teeth this brainless mob with their iron fist" and "trample upon their heads with courageous strides," long before the revolution. Islamic government he thought should

Follow religious rules and regulations and ban publications which are against the law and religion and hang those who write such nonsense in the presence of religious believers... Mischief-makers who are corrupters of the earth, (mofsed fi'l-arz) should ... be uprooted so that others would avoid betraying religious sanctity. [28]

Khomeini believed Islamic government to be all encompassing or total:

Islam and divine governments ... have commandments for everybody, everywhere, at any place, in any condition. If a person were to commit an immoral dirty deed right next to his house, Islamic governments have business with him. [Islam] has rules for every person, even before birth, before his marriage, until his marriages, pregnancy, birth, until upbringing of the child, the education of the adult, until puberty, youth, until old age, until death, into the grave, and beyond the grave. [29]

And for all the world's people, not only Muslims:

We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry `There is no God but God resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle.' [30]

But most of all, Khomeini believed politics, governance, and all else in life, were subordinate to religion. As he admonishes Iranians in a mural in Tehran: `Talk about God and don't think about anything else`. [31]


FOOTNOTE: "Islamic terrorism" first entered the lexicon on a Beirut morning in 1983, when two suicide bombers destroyed the barracks of American and French peacekeepers. The American toll came to 241 dead; the planners, Shiites inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini, claimed credit in the name of Islamic Jihad. [http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-kramer091901.shtml Hijacking Islam A religion in danger of deteriorating into a manifesto for terror.

By Martin Kramer, editor Middle East Quarterly. September 19, 2001 8:20 a.m. ]

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