The political dimension of religion in shiism-3

IBN KHALDUN appreciated that: "In Politics, monarchy promotes the Good and the Dignity. The monarch is respectable to be God's deputy on earth. He is an intermediary between divinity and state and has the duty to rule the latter. He is highly regarded for his status to which origin stays in fanaticism. Monarchy is a necessity of collective life and requires legislation and order. If laws are elaborated by wise officials, the prevailing Politics of the State is wise and if laws are of divine provenience, Politics is religious". IBN KHALDUN divided political rule of society in three categories:
1. natural monarchy (people's life develops according to necessities and its innate feelings);
2. political monarchy (based on the rational rule of society in the name of utility and of getting rid of the sins committed in laic life);
3. the caliphate (social rule according to Shariat with the purpose of satisfying the laic interests and those related to the belief in life after death, in this case Politics being ruled by God's deputy on earth on behalf of protecting religion and human society.)

Several harmful aspects and phenomena can characterize monarchy but overall it does not contain a negative prevalent role. Religion does not utter monarchy must be given up but only judges its passions and violence: the purpose of religious precepts does not mean giving up reason but its use in an adequate way. When monarchy brings violence and cruelty with it, Shariat forbids it considering it prejudicial to the society."
IBN KHALDUN considered that: "old people's assembly must appoint the Imam and nation must obey this appointment because God said: Obey God, the Prophet and your rulers. In order for the Imam to be elected he must be endowed with four qualities: knowledge, thirst for justice, competence, and mental and physical health."

As for the confrontation between Imam Ali and Muavie, it represented the anxieties during the period of transition and the war against fanaticism, which appeared after a period of religious domination. Even if he appreciated that, in this war, justice belonged to Imam Ali, he did not blame Muavie, as he considered the latter was not bad intentioned either: "when monarchy imposed an absolutist-monopolizing ruling, MUAVIE embraced fanaticism."

On brief, IBN KHALDUN concluded that: 'lanaticism is a phenomenon gradually developing which will not disappear but which can considerably change under the influence of religion. The hereditary election of the follower would not be specific to the religious precepts as ruling is a condition given by God to the Imam whom he chose to rule."

4. The relation between religion and power

Asabady, born in Iraq, played an important role among the contemporary thinkers of Islam. He considered "internal dictatorship and colonialism as the great enemies of the Islamic societies".

During his journeys to Asia, he advised Muslims to assimilate occidental science but still to keep some reserves towards it. He supported stoutly: "interdependence between Politics and religion and each Muslim's necessity to involve in the Politics of the country". Asabady stressed the idea of Islamic unity, which he considered more than necessary, because it reduces the external danger and strengthens the collective conscience.
He was one of the thinkers who had a major role in Islamic acknowledgment of the notion of Jihad (holy fight). Asabady's ideas inspired the ayatollah Khomeini the ruler of the Islamic revolution and the founder of the first Islamic Republic: "Asadabady tried to prove that Islam represents the foundation of an ideology guiding to prosperity and moral success of people and tried to make clear social philosophy and Islamic laws by defining the secondary elements of religion. From his Islamic position he opposed Occidental culture and way of thinking announcing the national revolution against English, in Iraq, in 1920."

The same conceptual approach was used in 1963 by the Imam Khomeini who opposed the Shah's reforms and started "the White Revolution" by denouncing the connections established by the Shah with the United States and Israel. The word "politics" used in Persian is of Arab origin and derives from "sas" and "iasus". It has more significance, the most important one being "absolute ruling".

A basic principle of Iranian Politics is found in Imam Hossein's testament: "I do not selfishly oppose against corruption and oppression. My goal is guiding Muslims according to Islamic precepts. I consider that one who does not obey the Holy Book and does not act for justice and respect for the true way cannot be called Imam or ruler. In Islam, right to legislation and appliance of laws belongs to prophets." The Islamic government's goals are:
• Use of wealth and budget in the interest of the Islamic nation.
• Defense of Islam and nation.
• Providing security and humans' peaceful life.
• Protection of weak people.

When Islamic Revolution burst, the Imam Khomeini expressed his intention to fight against tyranny (the shah's), dependence on foreign powers, and corruption and to institute a society based on Islamic principles: "the idea that religion must break up with Politics and Muslim scientists should not get involved in political and social affairs is a strategy launched by colonialists. Not only that Islam isn't separated from Politics but even it is the religion of Politics, prayers having political substance."

Dr. Abolhamid from the University of Teheran appreciated that: "Islamic revolution corresponds to a fundamental change both in social, moral, economic, juridical sphere and moreover in the political one. Violence is often used in removing a political regime, situation which causes human victims.

In Khomeini's opinion, the origin of Islamic Revolution should be regarded from Iranian and Lebanese Shifts' point of view that supported the Islamic renaissance. Three fundamental principles lie at the basis of this concept and they are:
1. the Islamic constitutional movement;
2. the spread of Islam;
3. martyrdom.
In Iran, the 1906 constitutional revolution was the symbol of the confrontation between Islamic culture and tradition and occidental values.

Due to the misunderstandings between modern fundamentalists and conservationists-traditionalists regarding to the establishment of the Islamic state, constitutional revolution was soon over, making way to anarchy. In these circumstances, in 1911, Russia supported the institution of a dictatorship regime. After the assassination of two representatives of the Iranian Clerics, in 1961 and 1962, Imam Khomeini became marji al-taghid, the supreme juridical and religious authority. In 1963, he made reference to the Islamic revolution and asked people to adhere to his ideas.

In 1979, Imam Khomeini proclaimed the Islamic republic in Iran and Islam became state religion, the Islamic state being ruled by an Imam who would impose, by governing, the basic principles of Islam.

According to the great ayatollah Mohamed Bakr Al-Sadr, the Islamic governing shouldn't rely on Individualism and the uninvolvement of the individual in the society or on the imperialists or social values. The Islamic state is similar to God's state, it is neither absolutist or tyrannical to respect the rules mentioned in the Coran being a must for the governors.

The Islamic state has two spheres:
1. Internal, which bases on the applying of the Islamic rules and on the creation and education of the Islamic identities.
2. External, the promotion of Islam across the world, the support for poor Muslims in their fight against Imperialism and Communism, the assurance of material-spiritual security of the Islamic nation.


5. Islam and Terrorism

After the burst of the Middle East crisis, in great part, caused by Israel's creation in 1948, the imminence of a conflict between Occidental civilization assimilated to Christianity and the oriental one dominated by the Islamic values has become obvious. The dispute between Jewish and Muslims for the Holy City reached its peak during crusades, this confrontation between the Occident and the Islamic world taking one of the most violent facets -the terrorism.

The Afghan mujahediins, disposing of American technology and funds generously offered by Saudi Arabia, have obtained a historical victory over the orthodox Russians. For Islam, this victory may be considered as important as Jerusalem's freeing by the caliph Sallahudin.
This moment represented a turning point for Islam and gave hopes to the millions of Muslims to continue Jihad till the final victory over the Infidels.
Another reference point on the international terrorism spiral constituted 2001, September 11-th event, when the most representative symbols of American civilization


embodied by The Twin Towers (bourse- finance) and The Pentagon (military force) were stricken.
It was obvious for everyone that Samuel Hungtington's prophecies were justifying the collision between civilizations which had reached its critical point.
The entire Islamic world was to suffer due to the anti-Islamic campaign, terms like Islamic terrorist and Muslim fundamentalist being associated to it.

In the Quran, the word "jihad" means "the supreme effort in order to accomplish a goal" and it also can be interpreted as "a means of sacrifice for God's cause in order to eliminate dishonest people and to re-establish a correct new system." The Jihad's goals are presented in the Coran as it follows:
• To broaden belief in God and to accept unconditionally his commands (Fight against your enemies in the way God asked you to.)
• To help weak and oppressed people (What indeed stops you to fight for God's cause and for vulnerable defenseless people?)
• To cease persecution (Fight against your enemies by believing in God and do not commit aggressions. Muslims are not allowed to use any weapons and burning people alive or committing acts of cruelty a^e forbidden by God when waging Jihad.) The notion of Islamism particularly used after 1980 by the ultra-nationalist Arab

organization "Muslim Brothers" to which adept it was, should be very well understood. This term represents "the political measures resulting from Islam which pursues to use religion in freedom and fight's ideology".
Hence, the supreme expression of Islamism is fundamentalism, which is an infrastructure, common to radical movements, and able to generate resistance to the secularization and inequity process by the constant use of religious conditions." Moreover, Hassan Al-Banna, founder of "Muslim Brothers" organization released the doctrine: "neither west nor east, but Islamic republic".

Presently, the Islamic world is looking for a means of communication with the Occident and the Christian Values. Tradition and new philosophical Iranian thinking consider the dialogue is necessary because world relies on individual's liberty and independent will. The fact that there is an iranian concept 'THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONS", Teheran makes great efforts to calm the regional situation and to normalize Iran's relations with the International Community, represents a first step made by Islam for the inter-confessional reconciliation.

It is important to mention that International Community shows an increased interest in iranian's thesis, this representing one of the viable constructive solutions for Middle East crisis.
The fact that European sociologists among whom we find follow with great interest the present operative situation from Iraq and Autonomic Palestinian Territories is the natural result of Romania's involvement in the peaceful settlement of the conflicts which afflict the Islamic World.

The Publishing of some valuable papers, which I consulted as bibliographical source, made possible the elaboration of the present dissertation with regard to a new increased interest theme approached during the course.
It is not settled yet whether Pentagon's plans to destroy "The Axis of Evil" would continue in the future with an invasion in Iraq, plan stated also by the American president G.W. BUSH on his re-investiture at White House. It looks like the project is temporarily postponed from both circumstantial purposes (Iraqian crisis and the respect of the traveling warrant for the Palestinian problem) and diplomatic purposes.


Bibliography:
Samuel Hungtington - 'The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" M. Hosein Tabatai - "Shiism in Islam" Mohammad Khatamy - "Fear of the Wave" Morteza Motahari - "Man and Belief Alvin Tofler-'The third Wave"
Ali Beman Eghbalizarch - "Religion and Politics in the Islamic World" April 2008, Bucharest
BIRCA MIRCEA, FACULTY of SOCIOLOGY, from Bucharest University