A P C O M PA RAT I V E G OV E R N M E N T

IRAN: CITIZENS, SOCIETY, & THE STATE

SOCIAL CLEAVAGES

• Religious• Ethnic• Social Class• Ideological

RELIGIOUS CLEAVAGES

• 90% Shia Muslims• Almost 10% Sunni

Muslims• 1% Jews, Christians,

Zoroastrians, Baha’I• Constitution recognizes

religious minorities and guarantees basics rights but many have fled country since 1979 to escape persecution

BAHA’I

• Monotheistic• Emphasizes spiritual unity of humankind• Three core tenants:• There is one Gad, creator of all things• Unity of religion – all religions have same spiritual source• Unity of humanity – all humans are created equal

regardless of race, culture, gender, etc. (differentiation of race & culture are celebrated)

1st house of worship: Ishqábád, Turkmenistan (1908)

Wilmette, Illinois (1912) Kampala,

Uganda (1961)

Sydney, Australia

(1961)

Baha’I Houses of Worship

Langenhain, Germany (1964)

Tiapapata, Samoa (1984)

New Dehli, India (1986)

Panama City

PLANNED CONSTRUCTION

Tehran, Iran

Santiago, ChileHaifa, Israel

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

ETHNIC CLEAVAGES

• Official language of Iran is Persian (Farsi). • Most important

ethnic groups with specific history, culture, customs, and language are:

ETHNIC CLEAVAGES

ETHNIC CLEAVAGES

• Many Azeris live in the NW close to Azerbaijan, creating a worry that they will want to form a larger state by taking territory from Iran• BUT, they are strongly Shiite and Supreme

Leader is Azeri• 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

ETHNIC CLEAVAGES

• Turks believe that they are the original inhabitants of Iran• Several Turkish dynasties have ruled Iran:

Safavids, Qajars, Seljuk, and Ghaznavid• Kurds and the Azeris seek independence and

have frequently agitated for more cultural freedom and a greater degree of autonomy

SOCIAL CLASS

• Peasantry & Lower Middle class: support the regime (mostly because they have benefitted from gov’t social programs – electricity & paved roads)

• Middle & Upper Class: largely secularized and critical of clerics; many middle class have not faired well economically since Revolution – consistent discontent with regime

IDEOLOGICAL CLEAVAGES

• Reformers vs. Conservatives• Pragmatic conservative cleric vs. radical clerics

CONSERVATIVES

• Adhere to Sharia law• Majority in Parliament • Generally want things to remain the same

(stability)• 2012 Elections: 59.7% popular vote

REFORMERS

• Promote Secularization • Value stronger democratic ideals• 2012 Elections: 35.5% popular vote• Hassan Rouhani – current President

• NOTE: Most reformers do not want to do away with the basic principles of an Islamic state, but they display a wide array of opinions about how much and where secularization and democracy should be infused into the system.

PRAGMATIC CONSERVATIVE CLERICS

• Favor economic liberalization• Encourage foreign trade and investment• Strong ties to middle class and rural landowners• Believe private property and social inequality are

protected under Islamic law

RADICAL CLERICS

• Endorse state-sponsored wealth redistribution and price controls• Numerous among younger and more militant

clerics

IRANIAN PROTESTSAP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT

2009–10 IRANIAN ELECTION PROTESTS

• a series of protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad • occurred in major cities in Iran and around the

world• Aka: Green Revolution; Sea of Green; Green Wave

(Mousavi’s campaign color)• John Green, why 2009 election was fraudulent:• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mqf00InV9E

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

• Jun 12, 2009- Election results announced• Jun 13, 2009- first day of protest• Jun 14, 2009- Basji paramilitary invades Tehran University• Jun 20, 2009- First Casualty, video on Facebook and

YouTube• Jun 26, 2009- 2 million demonstrate in Tehran• Dec 7, 2009- University students’ rally turns into protest,

marks aniversary of Shah’s killing of 3 students in 1953• Dec 21, 2009- funeral of Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali

Montazeri, cleroc who was critical of Ahmadinejad, hundreds of thousands attend

• Dec 28, 2009- martial Law is declared in Najaf Abad

ECONOMIC PROTEST

• October 2012• Demonstration over failing currency• First outbreak of public anger over economy• Police violently clamped down on black-market

money changers, hundreds of marching citizens, and merchants closing their shops

WOMEN IN POLITICSAP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

• Granted the right to vote in 1963 (White Revolution)• First admitted into Iranian universities in 1937• Now account for over half of Iran's university

students • Although they have been given more rights, in

some areas their rights are still in question. For example, it is under debate whether or not women should be allowed to smoke hookah

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

• Nine women out of 290 in Majles• Women can run for seats in Majles, but are

constitutionally barred for the presidency• Well represented in some areas: doctors and

government employees• Very difficult to get hired – represent 33% of labor

force

RESTRICTIONS ON WOMEN

• Must wear hijab• Includes chador, and veil • “bad hijab” is the exposure of any body part except for the hands or

face• Punishable by either 70 lashes or 60 days in prison

• Marriage• Women are now allowed to initiate divorce, divide assets, claim joint

custody of children, and receive child support IF the groom signs a pre-marital contract agreeing to these things

• Temporary marriages (re-implemented under Ahmadinejad) allowed

• Abortion is legal in first 4 months

IRANIAN POLITICAL PARTIESAP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT

OVERVIEW

• Constitution guarantees right for citizens to organize political parties , but government did not allow them until Muhammad Khatami’s election as president in 1997• Only parties that do not challenge the Islamic

regime can actively participate

PARTY SYSTEM

• Party system reflects factionalism• Splintering of political elites on points of view and

personalities• Parties are unstable and likely to change• Form coalitions before elections

• Four main coalitions • Conservatives• Reformists• Independents• Religious minorities

Red - Conservatives (182) Green - Reformists (75) Yellow - Independents (19) Gray - Religious minorities (14)

MAJOR PARTIES

• Alliance of Builders of Islamic Iran (Abadgaran)• Alliance of conservative parties• Party of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad• Prominent in Majles elections

MAJOR PARTIES

• Iranian Reform Movement (Reforms Front)• Alliance of reform parties• Party of Muhammad Khatami and Mir-Hossein Mousavi

(favorite in rigged Election of 2009, lost)• Included in alliance are Iranian Militant Clerics Society

and the Islamic Iran Participation Front

MAJOR PARTIES

• Etemad-e Melli Party (National Trust Party)• “Pragmatic reformists” • Moderate with a rural base of

support• Formed by Mehdi Karroubi,

former chairman of Maljis and two-time presidential candidate

PARTY SYSTEM

There are a total of 64 political parties in Iran which can be divided into these categories, but only top three have real influence: • Communists• Socialist and Social Democrats• Ethnic nationalist• Muslim Democrats• Liberal Democrats• Anti-Islamic Nationalist

MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTIES

• Any real political opposition has been exiled

o The Liberation Movemento Formed by Iran's first prime minister but he resigned months

after students took over the US embassyo moderate Islamic party but supports the separation of church

and state.

o The National Fronto Committed to nationalism (esp oil)o Supports secularismo Banned because the clergy felt threatened by their potential

appeal

MAJOR OPPOSITION PARTIES

o The Mojahedino Formed as a guerrilla organization to fight the Shaho They believed in Marxism and Islam.

o The Fedayino Modeled its self after the Marxist guerrilla movements taking place in

Latin America in the 1970’s. o During their fight with the Shah they lost more fighters than any other

group and this earned them a lot of popular support among citizens.o The Tudeh

o formerly supportive of the Soviet communist partyo Strongly anti-imperialisto most of its leaders have been executed o was blamed for the attempted assassination Shah Mohammed Reza

(1949) – the leaders were executed and party was forever banned.• Rastakhiz Party – dominant party until 1979• banned; viewed as Iranian Monarchist Party

IRANIAN INTEREST GROUPSAP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT

INTEREST GROUPS

• Difficult to differentiate between political parties and interest groups• A large number of IRs are registered with the

government• Few are business related because government

controls between 65 – 80% of the economy (agriculture, internal trade and distribution are only areas that are mostly private)

WORKERS’ HOUSE

• Operates with help of affiliated newspaper, Kar va Kargar (World and Worker)• Political party affiliate is Islamic Labor Party• Hold May Day Rally every year to protest watered

down labor laws – government had to shut it down in 2007

ISLAMIC ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN

• Goals are• Introduce “genuine Islamic Culture”• Support the rights of the oppressed• Prevent superpowers from imposing culture and

racism• Enhance women’s scientific, intellectual, and

cultural capabilities• Increase women’s rights and participation in

civil society• “One Million Signatures Campaign”

MASS MEDIAAP COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT

MASS MEDIA

• Foreign and Non-State controlled media is illegal and strictly controlled by the government

• The largest media organization, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), is entirely controlled by the government with the president being appointed by the Supreme Leader every 5 years

ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY COURT

• has the right to monitor, suspend publication, and revoke the licenses of publications it finds guilty of “antireligious material, slander, or information detrimental to the national interest”

LEVEL OF PRESS FREEDOM

• has varied with faction in power• Khatami – issued permits to dozens of new

publications to create independent press• After 2000 Majles elections when many

reformists were elected, outgoing Majles approved a press control law, which the Council of Guardians said could not be overturned by new legislature

LEVEL OF PRESS FREEDOM

• Must follow Islamic beliefs • Must have a publishing license (act of publication

against Islam is not permitted and can be punished by the revoking of a publication license)

• Anything anti-government can be considered anti-Islamic

• Non Islamic books are subject to confiscation • Publishers and authors that publish and write

non-Islamic books are held responsible for attempting to offend public morals or Islam

LEVEL OF PRESS FREEDOM

• In 1987, all papers and magazines in circulation were set up to support the Islamic Republic of Iran.

• Virtually no new works of contemporary fiction have appeared in print.

• Several banned broadcasting groups broadcast in countries such as Iraq.

• Despite the ban on Google applications, including Gmail and YouTube, Iranians often turn to illegal satellite receivers to as alternative sources of information

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Completely blocked in Iran except for use by certain government officials• http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-01-01/iranian-offic

ials-are-active-social-media-yet-iranians-are-banned-using-them