Blog Discussion Group Ten
Please answer one question from the following list. Blog "post" due at 11:55pm on December 10 and "comment" due at 11:55pm on December 13.
Iran
1. In what ways can the global context influence Iran’s development from this point forward?
2. What parallels can be drawn to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the Islamic Revolution in Iran?
3. Can religious identity sustain secular state institutions and serve developmental goals?
Iran
1. In what ways can the global context influence Iran’s development from this point forward?
2. What parallels can be drawn to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the Islamic Revolution in Iran?
3. Can religious identity sustain secular state institutions and serve developmental goals?
3. Can religious identity sustain secular state institutions and serve developmental goals?
ReplyDeleteAll ideals and religious values from western development are frowned upon in the eyes of Iran. It’s clear that Iran has problems dealing with diplomatic relations with foreign countries that don’t share their ideals. Nonspiritual ideas aren’t popular in their culture and theocracy, so it’s difficult for their society to accept secular ideas. So, their institution can’t serve developmental goals when they’re not in agreement overall.
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ReplyDelete2. What parallels can be drawn to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the Islamic Revolution in Iran?
DeleteAccording to Skocpol, “First, changes in social systems or societies give rise to grievances, social disorientation, or new class or group interests and potentials for collective mobilization. Then there develops a purposive, mass-based movement- coalescing with the aid of ideology and organization- that consciously undertakes to overthrow the existing government and perhaps the social order. Finally, the revolutionary movements fights it out with the authorities or dominant class, and if it wins, undertakes to establish its own authority and program” (Explaining Social Revolution, pg. 14- 15). I definitely see this play out in the similarities between the Bolshevik Revolution and Islamic Revolution. First, both revolutions appealled to the masses or the working class and peasants in their respective states. And the way in which they appealed and rallied the people was through ideologies, like Marxism or religion. Both also eventually justified, through these ideoligies- that a certain group of people are more qualified to lead the people (clergies for Islamic Revolution and leaders elected through democratic centralism for the Bolsheviks) because they have more understanding on the interests of the people than the previous rulers.
Can religious identity sustain secular state institutions and serve developmental goals?
DeleteNo, religious identity cannot sustain secular state institutions and serve developmental goals. The purpose of a secular state institution is to maintain a balance of neutrality between religion and irreligion. When you bring religious identity into the state you are already promoting a set of beliefs that rule your life and therefore the lives of your constituents. The development of a country is being shaped by ideas that only the religion approves of. This defies the whole purpose of a secular state. Iran for example is an extremist country because of religion. When we take a look at their laws they follow the laws of their religion. When it comes to the punishments the country continues to practice they are enforced by religion like flogging. Their laws for visitors includes their religious ideas such as women cannot be in public spaces without a headscarf. Homosexual behavior, adultery and sex outside of marriage are punishable by the death penalty.
Taking a look at America where state and church should be separate we still see how those two are connected to this day. So when you take a country like Iran and try to remove the religious aspects to serve developmental goals it is a challenge.
I agree with you on that there are several instances where theocratic states take religion to the extremes, where the religion dominates most social, political, and economic aspects of the state. However, looking at how the question mentions “religious identity” and not necessarily “theocratic states,” I also think of states with a certain dominant religious group; for instance, Indonesia has one of the largest Muslim population in the world, and manages to include ideas of both a secular state and Islamic state without implementing rules that are as extreme as it is in Iran. I think there is a possibility of sustaining secular institutions and developmental goals, as long as it doesn’t go to the extremes. As Fareed Zakaria mentions in one of our readings, “Islam, like any religion, is not what books make it but what people make it.” Another example of extremism, other than the commonly heard of Islamic Fundamentalists, would be an issue that is taking hundreds of Indian people to protest in the streets. Currently, the Indian government is thinking about passing a Citizenship Amendment Bill, aka CAB, that would discriminate, detain, and deport the growing Muslim population in the state of Assam (there are more than a million muslims living in Assam and have been living there for years). This is something that the Hindu Nationalist Party or the Hindu Nationalists want, and it does not necessarily resonate with all Indians; PM Modi sides with the Hindu extremist-- against the Muslims.
Delete2. There are many similarities between the Bolshevik and Islamic Revolution. Both were built off the publics indignation and discontent with the ruling dynasties at the time. A group of declassed individuals led a revolutionary peoples coup and established a new state around a specific political/religious ideology.
ReplyDelete2. What parallels can be drawn to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and the Islamic Revolution in Iran?
ReplyDeleteBoth the Bolshevik and Islamic revolutions were both fought or appealed with the peasants and the working class citizens of the state. After the revolution they both created Ideologies that the citizens practice for explain religion in Iran. Based off these ideologies they both created govern positions that comply with the ideology of the state.
3. Can religious identity sustain secular state institutions and serve developmental goals?
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Iran it has successfully maintained itself as a global power and met developmental goals with a distinct muslim affiliated religious identity. Such state institutions include the assembly of experts. This assembly is elected by the citizens of the country and the assembly then regulates and elects the supreme leader. Iran has had struggles with development, however, many of these are traceable back to their huge economic reliance on oil. Their volatile economy ensures hardship for parts of the population. In spite of this, their society has resisted revolution due to the strong social connections among people and their religious-based laws and customs. For example, money earned is donated back into society to support other people and institutional programs like welfare or social services run by the state but supported by the people. This in turn somewhat takes place of taxation although taxation does still exist in Iran.
To contrast to Iran, the United States is legally unable to have the same relationship between religion and society as is outlined in the constitution. Whether this is something of a weakness in the preservation of national identity and culture is another blog post topic. While Christianity is the predominant religion in the United States, in the christian religion, often a tithe or offering to the church in the form of usually at least 10% but sometimes 20% of income goes to the church where a christian belongs to sustain the work of the church. Without this income for the government, however, taxation is heavily relied upon in the United States.
Good blog post. I agree that it is surprising that Iran has not had a revolution? Do you think a revolution would be possible in a modern day Iran or are those religious ties to the regime too strong to overcome?
DeleteIran has certainly maintained itself as a global power but do you think if the did not have their abundance of oil that they would have still been able to develop as they have? Especially when it comes to the societal members of Iran and the discrepancies between the men and women of the country. So while yes they do give back to their citizens we can still note that Iran is quite extreme even when it comes to their own. In the news it was recently reported that Iranian officials cut the finger of one of their citizens who was found guilty of theft.
DeleteCade,
DeleteI believe that the civil wars and regional conflicts between Shi'i and Sunni that are ages old take the place of a revolution in modern day Iran. Also, based on our own government's track record and that of other world powers, a revolution in Iran would certainly be interrupted by occupation by one of the global powers or all of them in an effort to stabilize oil prices. The ties to the ruling regime aren't very strong in Iran outside of the ruling Shi'i group. Naturally, then I would say a revolution by the majority of the population to overthrow the government and religious leaders, is possible, however, due to the many global interests in Iran I don't think it would happen anytime soon. Unless fossil fuels are replaced as the dominant energy source.
Mirian,
Iran would not have developed the way it has without oil. That is a fact, since they have had occupation and anti-western sentiment mounting socially since the British colonization. Without that major natural resource, exclusive to their country, foreign investment and western ideas of infrastructure have been implanted into Iran today. Something that would be lacking otherwise, I'm afraid. It is true that because of the religious code there is some inequity between men and women, especially in regards to education, however, I want to point out that this too is slowly changing. Iran does have a complicated relationship between Islam and societal equity but then again the United states does too between our own culture and women's equity. Certainly not to the same degree, but it inequity persists nonetheless. Also their judicial code is one that seems harsh to us as westerners, but is allowed in Iran based on religious law. It is extreme from our perspective, but for Iran that is perhaps "normal." Although this from our point of view is a drawback of a theocratic system in Iran, their development in physical and social elements has gone forwards, but perhaps not in the same interests of our government. By this I am referring to the anti-western and anti-American sentiment that now exists socially in Iran.