Home >> Middle East >> Iran  Email  Print Iran’s Modern Fundamentalism: The Fallacy of Cultural Relativism Prof. Kazem Kazerounian - 4/25/2007 Cultural relativism is a school of thought that suggests that Islamic fundamentalists’ beliefs and activities should be interpreted in relation to their own culture. Cultural relativists advocate respect and tolerance for Iran’s Islamic fundamentalism. This article examines Iran’s modern brand of Islamic fundamentalism (an oxymoron phrase), and argues against cultural relativism, which overlooks a dangerous pillar of Islamic fundamentalism, namely expansionism.
The 1997 presidential elections in Iran and the emergence of a smiling face Khatami, brought about a sense of change. In Iran newspapers and intellectuals wrote about democratization of the system and the country. The lobby machinery of the mullahs abroad followed suit and declared the “civil society” and the “dialogue of civilizations”. In reality nothing changed.
In the 2005 presidential elections in Iran a grim faced, Armageddon promising Ahmadinejad came to power. The lobby machinery of the mullahs abroad switched gears and discovered that the true power holders have come to surface and now it is more practical to deal with them. This event on the surface seemed to be a dramatic change in the procession of the events in Iran. But in reality nothing changed.
A closer study of the roadmap of Islamic Fundamentalism, as portrayed by Ayatollah Khomeini at the onset of the Iranian revolution of 1979, reveals that president after president in Iran has steadfastly adhered to the same strategy and grand plan.
Very often “Islamic Fundamentalism” is wrongly characterized as “Islamic Orthodoxy”. This error has serious material ramifications.
Islamic orthodoxy is adherence to the protocols and practices that stem from inflexible interpretation of millenniums old religious customs. Islamic Fundamentalism on the other hand is an all encompassing ideology that aspires to return to the golden era of genesis of Islam. Unlike Islamic orthodoxy that categorically rejects modernity, Islamic fundamentalism cleverly uses the modern technologies and orthodox sentiments as tools to facilitate its backward march. The main pillars of Islamic Fundamentalism manifesto are:
1. Comprehensive Islamic Existence
2. The rule of Velayat Faghih (supreme jurisprudence or supreme consult)
3. Advocating the mustazafin (the oppressed people) of the world.
But what do these abstract concepts mean?
Comprehensive Islamic existence is code for rejecting separation of government and religion. It places politics, government, administration, commerce, economy, education, culture and personal and private life under one leadership. Briefly stating, it is absolute theocratic dictatorship which has natural, traditional, popular and divine legitimacy.
Velayat Faghih (supreme jurisprudence or supreme consult) is the embodiment of the theocratic dictatorship. The doctrine of supreme consult places absolute power in the hands of one person, the supreme leader- god’s representative on earth.
Advocating the mustazafin (the oppressed people) is the formal legitimization of expansion of the Islamic fundamentalists in the world.
Islamic orthodoxy promotes a life of retreat and sanctuary of perceived pristine morality. Islamic fundamentalism, on the other hand has the promise of supremacy, preeminence and affluence, at least for its leaders.
The means for reaching the goal in Islamic orthodoxy are virtues (as false as they might be). Islamic fundamentalism, however, takes a more Machiavellian approach. In Islamic fundamentalism ideology, theft, bribery, lying, deception and demagoguery, murder, stoning, prostitution, racketeering, racism, drug smuggling and distribution, genocide and terrorism are all legitimate tools that can be cleverly utilized by shrewd rulers.
Islamic orthodoxy is a culture. Islamic Fundamentalism is a cancerous threat to the world. Islamic orthodoxy should be dealt with through cultural education, engagement and dialogue. Islamic fundamentalism requires clear, cohesive, unambiguous, and firm resistance and refusal to accept.
The three decade history of the mullahs’ rule in Iran, regardless of who was the president, clearly reveals their Islamic fundamentalist nature as described here.
A detailed study of the Islamic fundamentalism is beyond this discussion. However, it is useful to further focus on the third pillar of the fundamentalism ideology:
Expansionism.
Let’s start with Ayatollah Khomeini’s sayings on fundamentalist expansionism. I have found hundreds of quotes from the chief architect of the Islamic fundamentalism on Iran’s foreign policy (I call it expansionism). Due to the limited space, I will only include a few samples. These declarations set in place a roadmap that has been followed by Tehran after Khomeini, including under Presidents Khamenei, Rafsanjani, Khatami and finally Ahmadinejad as a cohesive and sustained strategy.
Ayatollah Khomeini On foreign policy:
“We have a duty to support the oppressed and be enemy to the oppressor.”
“Destroy anyone in any position who may want to compromise with the East or the West, drive him away as ruthlessly as you can.”
“Defense of Islam and the Hizbullah [Party of God] is the unimpeachable principle of the policies of the Islamic Republic”
“We would surely destroy all arrogant powers if we could have the power to do it.”
“Muslim nations hate foreigners generally, Americans, especially.”
“We must all rise, destroy Israel”
“Israel must be eradicated from the page of history.”
“The peace and safety of the world is keyed to the extinction of the arrogant.”
“It is necessary for oil producing Islamic countries to use the oil and other things available to them as weapons against Israel and the colonizers.”
“Cold and warm weapons, that is , pens, words and machineguns should all be aimed at the enemies of mankind, headed by America.”
“Rise up everyone! Rise for God. Rise singly to counter the devil's army within you and rise collectively to counter the evil powers.”
“Nations must rise and rid themselves of their governments and the great powers.”
“I hope Muslims of other lands will learn a lesson from the experience of the Iranians, slap the West in the face, stand up on their own feet and, by relying on Islam, regain their former honor and glory.”
“It is up to the Nations to rise and rescue themselves from the hands of the ruffians.”
“O Mustazafin! Arise and oppose the superpowers for if you do, so, they cannot do anything about it!”
“That religion which lacks fighting is deficient.”
“Ultimate victory can be had when all countries and all the mustazafin triumph over all the arrogant people!”
“The aim is just one-the defeat of the superpowers.”
“It is our duty to stand and oppose the superpowers and we have the power to do so.”
“The slap-in-the face which the superpowers received from Iran, was matchless in all their lives.”
“America is the number-one-enemy of the oppressed and deprived peoples of the world.”
“America says 'we have interests in the Region.' Why should it have interests in our Region and why should the interests of the Muslims belong to America!?”
“Much better we all perish than live in misery under American or Israeli hands.”
“Counteracting America is presently above all our problems. If today our forces become divided, it benefits America. Right now, America is the enemy and all our equipments should be aimed at this enemy.”
“We say: 'As long as paganism and atheism exist, fighting will exist and as long as fighting exists, we exist.”
“Do not scare us by the troops you bring in, we shall bury them.”
“God has decreed for us the duty of fighting these opponents of Islam and of the Islamic nation.”
“Trust in God and arm yourself with weapon and virtue.”
“During a war we won't regret our actions even for a moment.”
“We have exported our Revolution to the world during the war.”
These statements of Khomeini and thousands of similar declarations made by the inner circle of power in Tehran including Mahmood Ahmadinejad depicts a chilling picture of mullahs’ vision for the region and the world. Tehran’s fundamentalists seek to establish a powerbase in the Middle East. They have developed proxy forces and groups in Lebanon, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Syria, and any other place they believe there is foundation for the growth of their backward ideologies. However, Iraq is the prime pick for the first step.
Khomeini recognized this opportunity twenty eight years ago when he proclaimed that “the road to Qods [Jerusalem] passes through Karbala [in Southern Iraq]”. Mullahs’ attempts to bring about a fundamentalist insurgency in Iraq was one of the root causes of the eight-year devastating Iran-Iraq war. After a period of impasse, the Iraq war created another opportunity for Tehran to export and expand the fundamentalist reign. Hence Tehran gets busy:
Armed brigades are commissioned to instigate terrorist activities inside Iraq.
Centuries old religious connections are strengthened and utilized to influence the public positions and political landscape.
Hundreds of corrupt politicians are bribed to be Iran’s voice within the newly developed government.
Weaponry and explosives are smuggled to Iraq and placed in the hands of a potpourri of terrorist groups to create an intimidating environment for Iraqis and an impossible situation for coalition forces.
Targeted terrorist activities are conducted to create ethnic and religious tensions.
Houses and business are bought extensively to establish native proxy clusters.
Drugs are smuggled to Iraq and organized prostitution is promoted to create controllable corruption and mafia like webs.
Targeted or mass executions are conducted to stop resistance to Iran’s infiltration.
Cities and towns are placed on fire to force strategic migrations of Iraqi citizens.
Holly shrines are destroyed to rage religious confrontations.
Traveling and supplies are facilitated for Al-Qaedeh through Iran.
Direct or commissioned assaults on coalition forces are conducted to weary them down.
These are not ad hoc and random acts. These are well planed, cohesive and systematic actions by shrewd rulers who are motivated by ideology, power, greed and fear. The prize is monumental. The beginning of an Islamic empire- re-emerging after 1400 years- in control of the life, thought and possession of hundreds of millions - in control of sizable portions of world oil supplies – and equipped with nuclear weaponry. And this is only the first step. Take a guess at what the next steps are. It is utterly naïve to believe that this is a bogyman creating story.
It is also naïve to consider mullah as a bunch of donkey riding cavemen with poor political skills. Tehran’s mullahs are shrewd. An important element of Tehran’s strategy is the establishment of a powerful lobby enterprise in Europe and the United States. The goal of the lobby is to undermine West’s ability to stop Iran’s illegitimate infiltration of the region. Tens of millions of dollars are devoted to this cause. Recently published investigative reports shed light on the Iran’s complex lobby enterprise in the US Congress. This lobbying enterprise is a convoluted web with connections to the international arms dealers, and Iran’s notorious oil mafia. The goal of Tehran’s lobby in Washington is to prevent an effective and united front against the mullahs, their export of terrorism and their strive to reach nuclear weapons, and of course to demonize the opposition.Prof. Kazem Kazerounian teaches at the University of Connecticut.
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