The Tragedy of the Islamic Republic and the Progressives’ Dilemma
by Sasan Fayazmanash
October 14, 2022
Introduction:
(Counterpunch) In 1979, when I returned to the US from Iran to continue my studies, I gave a talk to a group of progressive Americans about my impression of the Iranian revolution and emergence of the “Islamic Republic.” Among the things I said was that the revolution to overthrow the monarchy, which began with tremendous popular support, became Islamized. I also stated that the term Islamic Republic (IR) is an oxymoron, since the concept of a state ruled by a representative of people, such as a president, is incompatible with the notion of the guardianship of an Islamic jurist or the Faqih. In addition, I mentioned that the concept of the IR is in many ways not compatible with the modern-day capitalism. For example, I said, usury is forbidden in Islam, as in many other religions, so to have interest-bearing capital and modern-day banking system, you must either change religious teachings—as, for example, Christianity did—or call usuary by something else, which the IR did. Given this, and some other incompatibilities, I predicted that the IR would not last for too long.
In retrospect, I was dead wrong in my prediction! 43 years later the Islamic Republic lives on. But my analysis was not incorrect. The IR was, and still is, an oxymoron. It is also, in many ways, incompatible with modern-day capitalism.
In the so-called Western democracies, as Karl Marx once noted, every few years people decide which member of the ruling class is to misrepresent them. So, voters oscillate between this or that party, or this or that individual, hoping that one day they will get lucky and their lot will improve. Even though such hopes are almost always dashed after the election, the concept of choice gives the illusion of legitimacy to the system of governance. In these democracies dissidents are usually small in number and mostly ineffectual, so they are tolerated. The only time massive force might be used against them by the state apparatus is when legitimacy of the state is questioned, and the existing social order is threatened.
The IR tried to emulate Western democracies, but in combination with the rule of the Faqih, the “supreme leader of the revolution.”
Read more here:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/10/1 ... s-dilemma/
caltrek's comment: Sasan's conclusions remind me of a quip attributed to Winston Churchill: "Democracy is the worst possible form of government, except for all the others."
Don't mourn, organize.
-Joe Hill
