Islam and Liberalism

1. Islam and Liberalism History of Political Thought Fall 2007

2. Overview • Liberalism (recap, again) • Khomeini and Islamic Republic • Jihad

3. Islamic political thought has for the past half-century or so been most closely associated with political violence

4. The Islamic Republic • Ruhollah Khomeini (1900 [?] - 1989) • Led the Islamic Revolution in Iran and revived the idea of political Islam

5. The Islamic Republic • Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi (1919-1980) • Came to power in 1941 • 1953 Anglo-US coup to remove nationalist Iranian prime minister fails, Shah goes into exile • 2 years later, he is reinstated

6. The Islamic Republic • Shah begins to Westernize Iran, alienates both the socialist lift and the conservative clerics • Khomeini emerges as leading critic and is forced into exile, first to Baghdad, then, when Hussein comes to power, to Paris

7. The Islamic Republic • By mid 1970s, massive rallies from against the Shah and his American supporters • Shah goes into exile (1979), Khomeini returns

8. The Islamic Republic • After much street fighting, the military opts not to intervene • Shah’s government collapses and Khomeini becomes leader of newly declared Islamic Republic of Iran

9. The Islamic Republic • Khomeini was Time magazine Man of the Year (1979) • Ruled Iran until his death in 1989

10. The Islamic Republic “A body of laws alone is not sufficient for a society to be reformed. In order for law to ensure the reform and happiness of man, there must be an executive power and an executor.” -- Khomeini

11. The Islamic Republic • The Qur’an (Koran) provides a body of law to guide all action: “The Glorious Qu’ran and the Sunna contain all the laws and ordinances man neds in order to attain happiness and the perfection of the his state”

12. The Islamic Republic • In other words, because we have shari’a, we can infer that we are meant to have a government. • For to have laws means we also need the means of their enforcement • That means we need a government

13. The Islamic Republic “The nature and character of Islamic law and the divine ordinances of the shari’a furnish additional proof of the necessity for establishing government, for they indicate that the laws were laid down for the purpose of creating a state and administering the political, economic, and cultural affairs of society.”

14. The Islamic Republic “[T]he laws of shari’a embrace a diverse body of laws and regulations, which amounts to a complete social system. In this system of laws, all the needs of man have been met: his dealings with his neighbors, fellow citizens, and clan, as well as children and relatives; the concerns of private and marital life; regulations concerning war and peace and intercourse with other nations; penal and commercial law; and regulations pertaining to trade and agriculture.”

15. The Islamic Republic • Contrast that with liberalism and the role of religion and politics • No separation of church and state • Role of the state is to support and advance religious institutions of Islam

16. The Islamic Republic “Islam provides laws and instructions for all of these matters, aiming, as it does, to produce integrated and virtuous human beings who are walking embodiments of the law, or to put it differently, the law’s voluntary and instinctive executors.”

17. The Islamic Republic “It is obvious, then, how much care Islam devotes to government and the political and economic relations of society, with the goal of creating conditions conducive to the production of morally upright and virtuous human beings.”

18. The Islamic Republic • Because the laws are given (and received) already, the legislature is relatively less important than the other branches • Need executive to enforce and judiciary to interpret

19. The Islamic Republic “[If] we examine closely the nature and character of the provisions of the law, we realize that their execution and implementation depend upon the formation of a government, and that it is impossible to fulfill the duty of executing God’s command without there being established properly comprehensive administrative and executive organs.”

20. The Islamic Republic • Regimes which fail in this duty are not worthy of our respect and should be replaced “Both law and reason require that we not permit governments to retain this non-Islamic character…It is also our duty to create a favorable social environment for the education of believing and virtuous individuals…”

21. The Islamic Republic “In order to assure the unity of the Islamic umma, in order to liberate the Islamic homeland from occupation and penetration by the imperialists and their puppet governments, it is imperative that we establish a government. In order to attain the unity and freedom of the Muslim people, we must overthrow the oppressive governments installed by the imperialists and bring into existence an Islamic government of justice that will be in the service of the people.”

22. The Islamic Republic • Note, the government is not a hereditary monarchy • Rather it is democracy, but not a mass democracy since ultimate power must rest with the “trustee” of the people, one ruler

23. The Islamic Republic “The wisdom of the Creator has decreed that men should live in accordance with justice and act within the limits set by divine law. This wisdom is eternal and immutable, and constitutes one of the norms of God Almighty. Today and always, therefore, the existence of a holder of authority, a ruler who acts as trustee and maintains the institutions and laws of Islam, is a necessity…”

24. The Islamic Republic “[A] ruler who prevents cruelty, oppression, and violation of the rights of others; who is a trustworthy and vigilant guardian of God’s creatures; who guides men to the teachings, doctrines, laws, and institutions of Islam; and who prevents the undesirable changes that atheists and enemies of religion wish to introduce in the laws and institutions of Islam…”

25. The Islamic Republic “It is a righteous government, of course, that is needed, one presided over by a ruler who will be a trustworthy and righteous trustee. Those who presently govern us are of no use at all for they are tyrannical, corrupt, and highly incompetent.”

26. The Islamic Republic “It was our lack of a leader, a guardian, and our lack of institutions of leadership that made all this [the degradation of Islam and the Islamic nation] possible. We need righteous and proper organs of government; that much is self-evident.”

27. Jihad • In order to protect and restore the Islamic nation two issues need to be addressed: • replace non-Islamic regimes at home • remove non-Islamic regimes from the region

28. Jihad • Wednesday we’ll figure out how to accomplish that