ISLAMIC REVOLUTION STUDIES
Year:2013 | Volume:10 | Issue:33|Papers Count:20

Having applied descriptive analysis and using holy Quran as the primary and most important resource and then prominent Quran interpretations as well as primary and important resources in this field, this article has tried to study and explain holy Quran’s viewpoint about the objectives of Islamic awakening. The result is the achievement of an ultimate goal i.e. closeness to God and becoming a Perfect Human and some intermediary goals including political independence and the removal of colonization, implementation of an Islamic state, preservation of Islamic system and creating an Islamic system based on justice. Muslim nations should implement these objectives and remove all forms of shirk [paganism] in these fields and make monotheism and closeness to God legal and practical in all political pillars of the system and its workers.

The main inquiry of this article is what interactions are there between Islamic awakening and the formation of an Islamic ummah. Therefore applying descriptive analysis of documents and offering evidences from Quran and traditions as well as opinions of scholars and reformers such as Imam Khomeini, it has been tried to prove this assumption that there is strategic interactions between Islamic awakening and unity of Islamic ummah and they are main component for each other to be implemented. The author believes that one of the main instances of Islamic awakening is observing the aspiration of Muslim unity and an Islamic ummah; one of the Islamic ways to pave the ground for Muslim unity and formation of an Islamic ummah is to increase Muslims awareness and alertness toward Islamic aspirations, objectives and duties. The key to Muslims’ unity lies in the implementation of Islam and people’s and rulers’ real faith in this religion so that away from any dispersive factor the way toward unity and consolidation of ummah can be paved in the light of monotheism. However one of the threats of Islamic awakening is the extremist wahhabis’ dispersive behavior. Fighting this current is the first strategic measure to implement the aspiration of a united Islamic ummah.

Recent developments in the middle-east have been differently explained by different figures and dignitaries from different countries of the world. Calling these developments as “Islamic awakening”, “Human awakening”, “Arab Spring” and “Purple Revolution” indicates there are different theories in this regard definitely leading to different measures in the political arena. Among supreme leader’s most comprehensive and systematic speeches is his speech in international conference on Islamic awakening. Briefly introducing other theories especially “human awakening” this article tries to explain a theoretical and conceptual framework of “Islamic Awakening” through a multi-layer analysis of the abovementioned speech.

A precise and comprehensive knowledge of nature of issues is among the most important affair related to the same issue so that through this knowledge a better judgment and decision can be achieved. It gains more importance in the case of Islamic awakening due to numerous analyses sometimes quite contrastive (such as its Arabian, American or Islamic nature). This article tries to find the nature of this current through supreme leader’s viewpoint and by studying three aspects of “the grounds”, “dominant element” and “opposing and contrasting factors”.

With his speeches and messages in hajj days, Imam Khomeini tried to introduce Islamic Awakening as the spirit of war against colonization and global arrogance and attract Muslims’ attention to political and social functions of hajj to offer Muslims dignity and inspire them to start an Islamic movement. In his opinion, hajj is an atmosphere to gain knowledge about Islam and to enlighten people about Islam and issues of the Islamic world. “Disassociation with pagans” is to give identity and unity to Islamic world against pagans and colonial powers as the common enemies of Muslims. Through reinforcing civilization identity and removing ethnic discrimination and racism, hajj also increases Muslims’ unity throughout the Islamic world. Imam Khomeini offers a completely political and revolutionary interpretation of ethical and spiritual rites of hajj. In addition Hajj is a very suitable opportunity to expand Islamic awakening. The faith and ethics created during hajj reflect a spirituality that can create an eternal epic.

As the pioneer of contemporary Islamic awakening, Islamic revolution of Iran has a mission to inform people of middle-east region about the opportunities and challenges of recent uprisings. On the other hand, it has yet another mission, called the exportation of the revolution by late Imam Khomeini, to inform people of the countries where Islamic awakening has not spread yet. The tool Islamic revolution can use to communicate with people of countries in the region is general diplomacy. Having conceptually explored general diplomacy and its types, the current study tries to propose a model for an active general diplomacy based on cyber space to have more effective relations with people in Islamic countries using a conceptual and theoretical framework.

This article tries to explain and describe thought currents within the Islamic awakening. Based on the findings of this research, Islamic awakening is influenced by eight important currents each of which are divided into secondary currents. These currents have important differences in their viewpoint toward Islam, Islamic laws, their fighting strategies and how to interact with other Muslims. Domination of each current in the process of Islamic awakening may lead to different consequences for Islamic world and Muslim ummah [nation]. Therefore Islamic Republic of Iran as the flag-bearer of an important current in Islamic awakening should precisely identify each current and adopt suitable strategies to reinforce currents that are intellect-oriented, unity-oriented and ijtihad-oriented.

Undoubtedly Islamic Revolution of Iran has been the source of Islamic awakening in the middle-east. Therefore Islamic Republic of Iran plays the role of an example and a director of political developments in the region. Islamic awakening in Arab countries has been able to question the dominant discourse of dictators in the middle-east region and topple their regimes. These developments include opportunities such as making the resistant discourse dominant, people choosing their destiny themselves, establishing Islamic states etc. Among the threats faced by public revolutions in these countries are the presence of aliens and westerns in the region and its developments, attributing people’s revolutions to some figures and groups, deviation in the implementation of people’s revolutionary objectives and metamorphosis of these revolutions. Therefore this article tries to study challenges and opportunities of these geopolitical developments for Islamic revolution of Iran in the future using library and document method.

Middle-east region has been at the center of attention since a long time ago due to its special geopolitical situation as well as its bountiful energy resources. Domination system’s attention to this region is because they try to secure their future energy and guarantee Israel’s security against Islamic countries subsequent to Islamic awakening. Therefore natural resources in this region can be a powerful tool at the disposal of transformed Islamic countries in the middle-east which they can apply to implement their objectives for the future and not be defeated and passive in the interaction with domination system. They should try to change the same natural resources which were threats for them into opportunities for progress. This article tries to review supreme leader’s statements about preservation of natural resources by Islamic countries and western conspiracies to re-dominate the region after new Islamic governments are in place. It also emphasizes the importance of natural resources to put more pressure on domination system and west and proposes some solutions.

“Broadcast” theory is one of the common theories explaining how phenomena and ideas spread. It is used by researchers in different fields of study. Having studied broadcast theory and its different components, this article tries to represent whether Islamic revolution of Iran has exerted influence on Saudi Arabia. And if positive, how it has influenced and how much it has been. The results suggest that Islamic revolution of Iran has exerted remarkable influence on Saudi Arabia especially Shiites in this country and that broadcast theory as a theoretical base of this study can properly show this influence.

Proving the possibility of change to Muslim nations, Islamic revolution of Iran helped Muslims step out of the recession caused by imitating western ideologies and lack of a model for revolution and a religious state. Adopting methods and values of Islamic revolution of Iran they have become active and they follow up their demands more seriously. Islamic revolution and its constant movement in the framework of a system called Islamic republic of Iran have been regarded as a successful role model by Muslim nations and has inclined them toward changing the current atmosphere. The result is Islamic awakening in regional countries specially Bahrain.

Regarding the importance of recent developments in the middle-east, this article is aimed at studying and analyzing the existing capacities these developments have for Islamic revolution of Iran in order to exert influence on them. Before reviewing Iran’s intellectual capacities and soft power in international arenas, this part of Iran’s power should be analyzed in the middle-east region especially Bahrain; some strategies have also been presented to optimize existing opportunities. To address the main inquiry, a set of articles and related analyses have been studied applying analytic and inductive method.

Developments in Arab countries of the middle-east and North Africa currently known by many as Islamic Awakening have created new groups and currents in the region and Islamic world. In view of these developments, this article mainly studies the status of printed media (main newspapers) in the abovementioned geographical region (Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Kuwait, UAE, Syria, Sudan, Qatar, Amman, Bahrain and Iraq). Stances of these newspapers toward Islamic Awakening and some related issues have been analyzed. Final section includes political suggestions to regulate Islamic Republic of Iran’s performance in this field.

This article tries to inspect the delusion of Shiite-o-phobia as one of the most important threats for Islamic Awakening. How it has appeared and how it should be handled is the most important concern of this article. The author believes that following the emergence of Islamic Awakening in Iran, strategists of international hegemony have figured out the high potential of Shiites’ soft power to create justice-seeking, anti-tyranny and independence-seeking currents that if not controlled may spread out of Iran and pave the ground for the expansion of political Islam and Islamic states similar to Iran in the middle-east. Therefore Shiite-o-phobia project has been designed for the purpose of deviating original Islamic concepts. This project can be foiled through political insight and exploring peace and unity-seeking teachings of Islam and its reasonable and spiritual interaction.

In recent years the term “Shiite Crescent” was first applied by king Abdullah II king of Jordan through which he put forth the threat of Shiites’ empowerment. In their opinion, Islamic Republic of Iran is capable of controlling geopolitical developments in the middleeast via its influence on Iraqi Shiites and change the power balance to Shiites’ interests and against American and Israeli interests. This article is aimed at addressing these questions: 1-What denomination do they mean by Shiite? 2-What is the role of “Shiite Crescent” in geopolitical developments in the middle-east? 3-Is “Shiite Crescent” a geographical crescent or a political one? 4- Is “Shiite Crescent” aimed at Iran-o-phobia? 5-What are strategic concerns of US about the element of Shiite Islam in the middle-east? 6- Has “Shiite Crescent” been formed.

The prospect of Islamic revolution of Iran’s influence on Islamic awakening and Islamic awakening’s influence on Islamic revolution of Iran are among the issues that are necessary to be researched. What influences Islamic Republic of Iran will have on Islamic awakening and what influences developments called Islamic awakening will have on Islamic revolution of Iran are among important questions regarding the prospect of interaction among these two. Applying scenario writing, the author tries to address this question. The author concludes that these two have positive effect on each other; they will reinforce each other.

The main inquiry of this article is how differently the news of uprisings in Bahrain, Yemen and Syria has been covered in conservative and reformist press. In the section of theories, a review of agenda-setting and social constructionism has been offered and using theory of constructivism the role of values, identity and norms in social uprisings has been studied. In this article, ten newspapers in a six month period (from Jan 21st 2011 to Jul 22nd 2011) have been studied applying content analysis.

This article is aimed at identification of elements in US media’s diplomacy toward developments of Islamic awakening in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya. To this end, VOA Farsi website has been studied and analyzed applying qualitative content analysis from Jan 1st 2011 to Jun 1st 2011 in the framework of theories of goalkeeping, agenda-setting and media representation theory. Studying the results and their interpretation in the framework of the concept of media diplomacy indicates that through its official international media namely VOA, United States does not have a single approach toward the developments of Islamic awakening in the first half of 2011 in the middle-east.