POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE
Year:2013 | Volume:9 | Issue:1 (17)|Papers Count:6

Historically the common point between the Islamic Revolution of Iran and recent revolutions in the Muslim World is rooted in the Islamic Awakening of the recent century. However concerning the type of system building of these two revolutions, there are certain distinctions the causes of which are among significant topics for research. The subject of the present article is explaining the distinguishing points of the contexts and formation of revolutionary discontent in Iran and the Muslim countries in the region and their influence on the future revolutionary system building of in these countries. The question of the article is: What are the distinguishing points in formation of revolutionary discontent in Iran and other contemporary revolutions in the Muslim World? And what are the influences of these factors on the nature of the socio political structure of their relevant systems? The authors emphasis on culture oriented current of the Islamic revolution in Iran on the one hand, and highlighting the attempts towards presenting the Islamic Iranian model of progress in contrast with western quasi progress in contemporary Iran. The findings of the research indicate that although both developments originate from the foundations of Islamic Awakening, there are certain differences in Islamic political thoughts affecting the formation of the type of the political system in these countries with the Islamic revolution in Iran. In addition, there are some delicate sociological differences in the contexts creating discontent leading to the revolutionary movement and to system building and the formation of the political structure after the revolution. This point distinguishes the Islamic revolution of Iran from all revolutions in the world including classic and modern revolutions.

Reviewing the content of democracy, in context of new western ideology, the present article seeks to show why and how the new democracy concentrates on the priority of democracy over philosophy and virtues of ancient Platonic philosophy. As a matter of fact this paper shows that democracy, namely liberal democracy, in modern age concentrates on efficiency instead of citizenship virtues as it is interpreted in ancient political thought. In contrast, religious democratic methods of governing focus on supreme goods. Surveying the issue of democracy, revisiting the crises arising from democracy in the context of capitalism, and reviewing the discourses of modernity and its crises, this article puts a new question on your desktop whether democracy can guarantee happiness in a westernized society without a religious approach. However the response here is embracing morality which is only possible in religious methods of governing; or religious democracy as it is interoperated here.

Following the recent popular movements in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), many theorists believe that this wave is the continuation of the waves of democracy proposed by Samuel Huntington. He divided the democratic transitions in three waves, from 1820 to the present, to suggest that most parts of the world would be affected by these waves. Accordingly some seek to analyze the developments of the region in this context. However, Islamic Awakening proposes a different framework for understanding these developments. Explaining the significant role of religious trends in the Arab World under the theory of Waves of Islamism, the present article gives a critical analysis of Huntington’s views analyzing the situation of the Arab World. The main question in this research is: Can the movements of the region be considered as a new wave of democracy? Findings of researchers suggest that the above developments can be best understood and analyzed based on the theory of religious democracy rather than waves of democracy for the following reasons: the determining role of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the background of Islamism and religious trends in the region, the expansion of democratic demands, and political awareness and fighting against tyranny. This is what the authors have termed it as the new wave of Islamism.

Sustainable security is one of the topics of macro policies of the fifth development plan in the Islamic Republic of Iran; the explanatory and executive dimensions of which have not received due attention. Thus the main question of this article is: How is it possible to explain and implement the macro policies of sustainable security? Considering the contents of the general policies, the present article seeks to present a macro model in theoretical and strategic dimensions towards providing explanatory and executive preparations of implementing the above mentioned general policies. In the process of designing the prototype, expanding its parts, and defining its various auxiliary models, the article benefits from the method of formal and informal modeling separately and synthetically. The macro model obtained embraces auxiliary conceptual models, and executive scenarios in four fields i.e. conceptual, ideal, approach and action, offering the roadmap for explaining and implementing the policies of sustainable security. Sustainable security is the outcome of the correspondence of situation and system.

The Islamic revolution has presented many new political as well as legal issues before Muslim scholars. One of these problems is the quality of the relation between jurisprudents and the Islamic ruler in the political system of Islam. In this system, the fully qualified jurisprudent at the head of the Muslim community is the legitimate ruler of the society. However, there are other fully qualified jurisprudents in the Muslim community eligible to give fatwas. The ruler of the Muslim community as the deputy of the infallible Imam has certain authorities from him. One of these authorities is issuing governmental rulings. Occasionally there is a governmental ruling in conflict with the ruling or fatwa of other jurisprudents. Studying this problem, the present article explains the relation of governmental ruling with the rulings and fatwas of jurisprudents. It would determine in what cases the governmental ruling of the legitimate ruler can be reconciled with the rulings and fatwas of other jurisprudents so that the latter and their followers can practice not only their own rulings and fatwas but the governmental ruling. It would also discuss in what cases it is not possible to reconcile between the rulings and fatwas of jurisprudents and the governmental ruling.

Orientalism is a “discourse”, a discourse in which the distinction between West and East, is the foundation of each type of discussion and argument. Orientalism as a tireless socio cultural force continued the process of production and reproduction of the East and played an effective role in the formation and consolidation of Western colonialism.The question that arises for scholars interested in the political thought of Islam and Iran is: what was the image and imagination of the eastern people towards other eastern countries when they dominated and concurred them? And Whether or not the studies by eastern people about other eastern countries can be labeled with the same orientalism components of western Orientalists? Reviewing the book “the Indica” by al-Biruni, the present article shows that most components of orientalism raised by Edward said are absent in this work.If this research continues with other oriental works in some other aspects”, the foundation for a theory of “impossibility of colonialism by eastern people’’ would be prepared. This paper follows a comparative research method.