Islamism and Modernism: The Changing Discourse in Iran

Notes

Preface and Acknowledgments 1. The Iranian historian Fereydun Adamiyat has devoted his life to the study of the intellectual history of Iran and has produced works that can be described as classics. In recent years the younger generation of Iranian scholars has done work on the twentieth century in particular. For example, see Akhavi (1980), Boroujerdi (1996), Chehabi (1990), Gheisari (1998), Nabavi (2003), and Vahdat (2002). 2. I had the good fortune to discuss with Professor Katuzian the very first ideas of this book and showed him my preliminary outline in 1990–1991, when I was in Oxford. He was kind enough to seriously review it and write a long report for me about each section. The original plan changed partly as a result of those constructive criticisms. Introduction 1. In December 1977, President Carter described the Iranian regime: “Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world. This is a great tribute to you, Your Majesty, and to your leadership, and to the respect and admiration and love which your people give to you” (Carter 1978, 2:2221). One week later, the same loving and admiring people clashed with the shah’s forces. 2. The story of the Iranians’ encounter with modernity is treated in my forthcoming work, Authenticity and Modernity: Moments of Convergence in the Persian Question. 3. There is the view that Reza Khan rose through the ranks of the military. There are two problems with this view: he was an officer in a small unit, and historically the military had never played a political role in Iran. The Pahlavi era, when outside powers and the military supplanted the social classes politically, is the only exception. Notes 248 Chapter One 1. Growing up as a child, I never forgot how my grandmother would reproach me for using the pronoun “I” to identify myself. She would correct me by saying that “I” belongs to God only. 2. In a Persian work entitled The Battle of Worldviews, I have developed in detail a thesis regarding the distinction between the two patterns of thinking that contribute to development and state-building. While the battle of worldviews leads to a zero-sum game of war of all against all, the battle of ideas allows for intellectual interaction and political give-and-take. 3. I had access to the diary of Reza Khan’s secretary, Suleyman Behbudi, and in it one sees how Reza Khan carefully monitored the life of the key players in Iranian politics, including Ahmad Shah, the last Qajar king. 4. Bayt, or household, is very important in a traditional setting. Each religious leader has elaborate offices attached to his home. The main function of this particular office is to collect special taxes and distribute them among students, a duty given to someone very trusted and close to a leader. 5. The essay begins with an interesting anecdote from the well-known man of tradition Abu-Horayre: “It is reported of Safein during the war that at the time of any meal he would go to Muawiyyah’s camp, at the time of prayer he would go to Ali’s camp, and when the war was on, he would sit aside and would be a spectator. When he was asked to explain this contradictory affair, he said: Muawiyyah’s food is more elaborate, Ali’s praying is more accurate, and being a spectator is more comfortable ” (Homayun no. 5, 24). 6. This statement is probably a response to Sangelaji, who supported the idea of the separation between the two realms. 7. This claim is based on a Qur᾽anic verse: “Man shall have nothing but what he strives for” (Qur᾽an 53:39). 8. For example, there are other refutations, as follows: Mohammad Ali Hematabadi , Resaleye Pasokhname Eslami; Rad Bar Asrar Hezarsaleh [A Islamic Treatise of Response: Refuting ‘The Secret of a Thousand Years’] (Tehran: Elmi, 1324/1945); and Muhammad Khalesizadeh, Kashf al-Astaar; Javaab bar Asraar Hezaarsaaleh [Revealing the Covered: A Response to ‘The Secret of a Thousand Years’] (Tehran: Ardahaali, 1323/1944). 9. Ayatollah Abolqasem Khazali is currently a member of the Assembly of Experts , elected from Khorasan Province. He is also a member of the Guardian Council . Ayatollah Khazali was born in 1304/1925, moved to Mashhad in 1314/1935 to study, and finished high school there in 1321/1942. In 1327/1948 he moved to Qom to study with Burujerdi...