Transcript ckhs.cksd.wednet.edu

Iran
Smoke and mirrors
May 29th 2008
From The Economist print edition
Iran makes it hard even for benevolent outsiders to
understand it
THROUGHOUT its 29 years, the Islamic Republic has puzzled, even baffled,
observers. Its leaders proclaim peace and war in the same breath, and pretend to
practise both democracy and theocracy. But lately the symptoms of
schizophrenia have grown more pronounced.
Geography
Most is mountain or desert so uneven
demographic distribution (70% of
Iranians live in 30% of land in north
and nw and in major cities);
Climate: scarce precipitation and
extreme temperature differences
10% of world total oil reserves;
2nd largest exporter of oil in
OPEC and 4th largest producer
in the world;
oil reserves concentrated along
Persian gulf in south and
Caspian Sea in north
We have a long history with Iran
Iran took an American embassy hostage. It
may have had a hand in the bombing of the
American marine barracks in Lebanon in
1983 and it stands accused of helping to kill
American soldiers in Iraq. It is not surprising
that many Americans consider Iran a bitter foe.
The Axis of Evil in a
succinct package (Kim
Jong Il, Khamenei,
Saddam and George W.).
Nor is it surprising that Iranians return the favour. America
organised the coup against Mossadegh, supported the shah,
helped Saddam in the Iran-Iraq war, invaded two of Iran's
neighbours and impose sanctions on Iran. The Iranian regime
considers America an implacable foe and routinely denounces it, in
political speeches and organised rituals such as those fiery Friday
prayers, as the Great Satan or “the Global Arrogance”.
Historical traditions
•Authoritarianism
•Persian
•Shiite
•No direct colonization
HEAR OUR PRAYER: Iranian Shiites
pray outside the Jamkaran Mosque near
Iran's holy city of Qom, where the
Mahdi - the Shiite equivalent of the
Christian Messiah - is supposed to
answer prayers until his return.
Persian New Year
NPR: In every home,
the haftseen table is
decorated with seven
items – since seven is
considered a lucky
number. Each item
begins with the letter
sin (s) in Persian, and
each item is a symbol
of spring and renewal.
Watch: Norwuz:
Simply explained
https://www.yout
ube.com/watch?v
=nsuAoZ5IYiU
An Iranian woman in Tehran lights a candle on the ceremonial Nowruz table on the
first day of the Iranian new year, March 2004. Some families add goldfish to the table
to represent life.
Painted eggs are often used to represent fertility.
Mar 20, 2004
Persian New Year
•Jump over a bonfire for “Chahr-Shanbeh
•A Persian ritual passed down since
ancient Zoroastrian times, the
Persian New Year Festival, called
Chahar-Shanbeh Souri, literally
means ‘Eve of Wednesday” because
the festival is always held on the last
Tuesday of winter, just before the
Vernal Equinox or first moment of
spring
Souri” on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at Persian
Center, 2029 Durant Avenue in Berkeley from
6-10pm to shake off the darkness of winter and
welcome the lightness of spring. This is a free,
family-friendly, non-alcoholic event held
outdoors on Durant Avenue.
•Inside the Persian Center, a traditional altar
holds green grass, live goldfish, food and other
items representative of spring called the
“haftseen” or seven ‘s’s as each item on the
table begins with the letter ‘s’
An Iranian woman
jumps over a bonfire in
southern Tehran on
March 19, 2013 during
the Wednesday Fire
feast, or Chaharshanbeh
Soori, held annually on
the last Wednesday eve
before the Spring
holiday of Noruz.
Ayatollahs Aside, Iranians Jump for Joy at Spring NYT 3/20/06
After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the ruling ayatollahs sought to stamp out many
traditions, like Nowruz, a celebration with some Zoroastrian links that stretches back
thousands of years to the pre-Islamic era, to mark the arrival of spring. The celebration
is considered by many here the most Iranian of holidays.The ayatollahs tried, and failed.
...
. While Iran's religious leaders have followed a policy of confrontation with the
West over their nation's nuclear program, they have, however grudgingly, ceded to
the public's insistence on retaining, even bolstering, traditions not founded in
Shiism.
While it was the reformist government of former President Mohammad
Khatami that decided to establish parks to hold the fire-jumping festivities,
for example, the practice was continued this year after the election of the
ideologically conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
That Iran's religious leaders have accepted Nowruz, and other prerevolution
traditions like Chahar Shanbeh Suri, also demonstrates a growing degree of
stability, as the country's leadership has tried to reconcile the bookends of
Iranian national identity — faith and culture, experts here said
Revelers in Tehran gathering around a small bonfire in a
holiday ritual that leads up to the Iranian New Year
Shi’a Sunni Split
Split soon after Islam begins over question of who should be
caliph—Shiites think only heirs of prophet.
messianic belief that a “hidden Imam” will return at the end of
time and restore a just order (makes world politics in some
ways irrelevant or even . . . anathema. . . To the faith)
Means they extend only provisional legitimacy to rulers who
will let Islamic institutions flourish
RELIGIOUS FERVOR: An
Iranian Shiite prays for the return
of the Mahdi in Jamkaran
Mosque.
•Clergy play a more central role in Shiism
•Clergy stand in collectively for the hidden Imam
•Over centuries play a role like that of the Christian priesthood in premodern Europe or the Confucian mandarins in China; but, compared to
Confucian mandarins, Shiite clerics are much more hostile to power
holders and held more independence
Shiite tradition shapes Iranian state
Central principle is: velayat-e faqih, or rule by Islamic jurists developed by
__________
Justified revolution: Whereas a monarchy was a usurpation of God’s rule on earth,
a system of government by cle______ trained in Islamic jurisprudence would be a
continuation of the political system first established by the Prophet Mohammed.
Since such a form of government was the only regime consistent with the will of
god, s_________forms, such as that of the Shah, should be overthrown.
As such, the Iranian constitution and political institutions are an attempt to express
G_____’s will rather than instruments of human will –the point of the republic in to
guide the people toward God, not to serve the individual or mediate between
diverse interests
The idea: Shiite Clergy have a d_________ right to rule since they interpret god’s
will
Importance of the 1979
Revolution
first to create a
th______—and combine
it with de______
most revolutions are directed against church and state-the Iranian rev was directed
only against the ___________
Institutions
GO here to click on the links and find out about each institution
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/default.stm
What does “vet” mean?
Broadly, vetting is a process of examination and evaluation. Specifically, vetting often
refers to performing a background check on someone before offering them employment.
In addition, in intelligence gathering, assets are vetted to determine their usefulness.
Origin
To vet was originally a horse-racing term, referring to the requirement that a horse be
checked for health and soundness by a veterinarian before being allowed to race. Thus, it
has taken the general meaning "to check".
Vetting in AP Gov: advisors to a presidential candidate vet potential VP candidates; subject matter
committees in the ______ vet nominees, advisors to POTUS vet potential Supreme Court
nominees, and the Guardian council vets candidates for office
March 8, 2013
REI head vetted by Senate committee
Jewell is nominated to be interior secretary
Interior Secretary nominee Sally Jewell testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on
Thursday before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Iran Gov bbc need to know http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-22524617
System of Government http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W4-0w_Hzjs
BBC Iranian parliamentary elections 2012
The elections are crucial in that they will reveal the balance of power between factions in the
ruling political establishment and the strength of the incumbent president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. Nearly three years after the pro-reform opposition led huge public protests, the
elections should also show how much the general public is willing to support the ruling groups.
One of the most controversial aspects of these elections is the "vetting procedure". The
Guardian Council, which supervises the elections, actively vets the candidates so that, in the
words of one leading jurist, it "prevents corruption and deviation". Critics see this as a way of
ensuring that only loyalists enter the race.
Iran is not a totalitarian state and since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 there has been some
openness in which political debate and action has taken shape. Elections are free in the sense
that there is some choice of candidates who are elected by universal suffrage. But critics,
including the opposition and the European Union, have expressed doubt that the elections
are free and fair.
2012 Parliamentary Elections
The parliamentary elections for the 9th Islamic
Consultative Assembly, or Majlis, were held in Iran on
Friday, 2 March 2012 with a second round on 4 May 2012 in
those 65 districts where no candidate received 25% or more
of the votes cast. More than 5,000 candidates registered but
more than a third were disqualified by the Guardian Council
leaving about 3,400 candidates to run for the 290 seat
representing the 31 provinces.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_legislative_election,_2012
http://www.ipu.org/parline/Modlist.asp
2013 Presidential Elections
Iranian women hold their documents as they queue to vote in the first round of the presidential
election at a polling station in Tehran on 14 June 2013. (Photo: AFP - Atta Kenare)
Published Friday, June 14, 2013
Hundreds of voters waited outside one of the biggest polling stations in
uptown Tehran, an indication of a high voter turnout in the early hours of
the presidential election.
Women voting at a Tehran mosque. Iranians went to the polls
Friday after an unusually intense presidential campaign.
Iran election: How the vote happens
By Kasra Naji BBC Persian
Voters write the name of
their preferred candidate in
the white box at the
bottom of the ballot paper
See the rest of the story at
http://www.bbc.com/news/
world-middle-east22903218
\
It was a surprise: listen
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/15/world/meast/iran-elections/
Note voter turnout
Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with black turban, gives his official seal of approval to
president-elect Hassan Rouhani. Photograph: AP
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/03/iran-president-hasan-rouhaniayatollah-khamenei
Compare 2013 to 2009:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/15/world/meast/iran-elections/
http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/wpcontent/uploads/irans-election.jpg
Green Movement
The Green Movement, as a social and political movement which emerged and was active between
April 2009 until February 2011 and had the support of the majority of Reformists, no longer
exists. The Green Movement in Iran today consists of more radical Reformists, led by the
imprisoned Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, many of whom are in exile. While there is
no doubt much sympathy in Iranian society toward this current, there is no organized support
for them, as much of their organized social base was crushed in the aftermath of the
controversial 2009 election. The Green Movement as a current is well outside the regime’s
political establishment and is unlikely to be a significant factor in the 2013 election. There also
appears to be little chance that it could re-emerge as a social and political movement during the
election campaign or voting, although there may very well be limited pro-Green demonstrations.
The Green Movement
•Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009,with incumbent Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic
News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes
counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election with 62% of the votes cast, and that MirHossein Mousavi had received 34% of the votes cast. The European Union,the United
Kingdom, the United States, and several western countries expressed concern over
alleged irregularities during the vote, and many analysts and journalists from the United
States, Europe and other western based media voiced doubts about the authenticity of the
results.Meanwhile many OIC member states, as well as Russia, China, India, and Brazil,
have congratulated Ahmadinejad on his victory.
Many Try to Run for
President in Iran, but
Few Will Be Allowed
May 11, 2009 Clockwise from top left: Iranians carry posters of Mir
Hussein Moussavi, a reform candidate, with former President Mohammad
Khatami; men wait to register; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows
his identification; a woman registers to run for president.
Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad
Mir-Hossein
Mousavi
Party
Abadgaran
Independent
Reformist
Popular vote
24,592,793
13,338,121
64.22%
33.86%
Nominee
Percentage
In a fourth day of mass protests, hundreds of thousands of Iranians flooded Imam
Khomeini Square in Tehran. Many wore black to honor those protesters killed in
the unrest since the Iranian authorities announced a landslide victory for the
incumbent just hours after the polls closed on Friday. When the main opposition
candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi, appeared, cheers tore through the crowds. He
stood on top of his car to be seen by the throngs.
As the political tumult in the streets grew, the Iranian government imposed tough
restrictions on foreign journalists, formally shutting down their ability to report on
the unrest on the streets. Press credentials of journalists temporarily in the
country to cover the election were revoked; journalists stationed in Iran were
required to get explicit permission to report beyond the confines of their offices.
Shadowy Iranian
Vigilantes Vow
Bolder Action
Iranian
vigilantes
known as
Basijis entered
Tehran
University on
Sunday where
students were
protesting the
election
The scale of the protests have forced a few concessions, including Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei's call for an inquiry into accusations of vote-tampering and the
Guardian Council's offer to meet with opposition candidates. But many in Iran
viewed the moves as the government's effort to buy time in the hopes of
dampening the momentum of the opposition.
In Iran, an Iron Cleric, Now Blinking
June 17, 2009
Iran Agrees to Partial Recount of Disputed Ballots
By NAZILA FATHI and Alan Cowell
Iran’s
Guardian Council said Tuesday it was prepared to order a recount of
disputed ballots in Friday’s deeply divisive elections, but ruled out an
annulment of the vote, according to state television and news reports.
The announcement seemed to represent a further reluctant concession
from the authorities following Monday’s decision by the supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to conduct a formal review of the electoral
process, which the opposition says was rigged.
But it fell short of demands by the main opposition candidate, Mir
Hussein Moussavi, and other opponents of President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad for the vote to be annulled so that a new election can be
held. Mr. Moussavi has also said he does not trust the Guardian Council.
The election results, announced Saturday, showed an overwhelming
victory for Mr. Ahmadinejad, who was visiting Russia on Tuesday as the
drama in Iran continued to unfold.
TEHRAN — Less than 24 hours after the largest demonstrations here since the 1979 revolution and the reported deaths of seven protesters,
Authorities Rule
Iran Election
‘Healthy’
TEHRAN — As Iran’s leaders push back threats to their authority after
the disputed presidential election, crushing street protests and pressing
challengers to withdraw or to limit their objections, the country’s main
electoral oversight group ruled Friday that the ballot had been the
“healthiest” since the Islamic revolution in 1979.
The statement by the 12-member Guardian Council, which is charged
with overseeing and vetting elections, fell short of formal certification of
the ballot. But it offered further evidence that, despite mass
demonstrations and violent confrontation with those who call the election
a fraud, the authorities are intent on enforcing their writ and denying
their adversaries a voice.
Recount Offer Fails to
Quell Political Tumult in
Iran
Recount
Offer
Fails to
Quell
Political
Tumult in
Iran
Supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a rally
in Valiasr Square in Tehran on Tuesday
Photo: Getty
Images
The pledge from Iran's Guardian Council to recount some of the
votes in Friday's election failed to calm protests. Thousands of
Mr. Moussavi's supporters marched in Tehran.
Iran’s Supreme
Leader Warns
Protesters
Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei
delivering his
address Friday
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/world/middleeast/20iran.html?_r=1&ref=world
Khamenei Vows Iran
Will Not Yield ‘at
Any Cost’
6/25 The government announced on Tuesday its intention to
certify the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, center
•December 28, 2009
•Police Are Said to Have Killed 10 in Iran Protests
•By ROBERT F. WORTH and NAZILA FATHI
•BEIRUT, Lebanon — Police officers in Iran opened fire into crowds of protesters
on Sunday, killing at least 10 people, witnesses and opposition Web sites said, in a
day of chaotic street battles that threatened to deepen the country’s civil unrest.
•The protests, during the holiday commemorating the death of Imam Hussein, Shiite
Islam’s holiest martyr, were the bloodiest and among the largest since the uprisings
that followed the disputed presidential election last June, witnesses said. Hundreds of
people were reported wounded in cities across the country, and the Tehran police said
they had made 300 arrests.
Iran MPs want death penalty for
opposition leaders
•Members of the Iranian parliament shout slogans calling for the execution of opposition
leaders before the start of their session in Tehran February 15, 2011. — Reuters pic
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered a speech
after casting his vote.
Electoral system for Majlis is based on SMDs
Since 2007, Iran has been divided into 207 electoral districts. These
districts are roughly based on geography, but shaped according to the
number of voters so that each district holds roughly the same number of
registered voters. 202 districts are Muslim majority and 5 districts belong
to the recognized religious minorities. Therefore, these districts do not
correspond to the borders of top administrative divisions within Iran and
each district contains one or more or parts of several provinces of Iran.
See reserved seats:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_legislative_election,_2012
But NOT a plurality: If in a districts, no one can earn ¼ of
the votes, a second round election will be held after four weeks. If
1979 Revolution Background: A Coalition forms:
(1) Urban Poor
• early 1970's, as the price of _______
• continued its upward climb, a rising
gap forms between the rich and the
poor.
• Urban poor (esp recent rural urban
migrants) wanted the basic
Shi______Islamic lifestyle to return
• oppose Shah's efforts for modernism
and progress, which they believed to
be w___________ dominated
imperialism.
They see the Shah's reforms as self-serving and his promise of
providing "progress" to be false
1979 Revolution Background: A Coalition forms:
(2) Middle Class
want political f_____________
Who is kissing up to whom?
Even many of the pro-western middle class became increasingly angered by the regime's
cronyism, internal corruption, and repressive nature and use of the secret police.
1979 Revolution Background Coalition forms:
(3) leftist opposition
Includes co____________
Want social justice
From Persepolis
1979 Revolution Background
Coalition forms: (4) B__________ merchants
had established
networks and
could bring
economy to a stop
The bazaar (Persian; Arabic, suq; Turkish, çarşi), traditional marketplace located in the old
quarters in a Middle Eastern city, has long been the central marketplace and crafts center, the
primary arena, together with the mosque, of extrafamilial sociability, and the embodiment of
the traditional Islamic urban lifestyle. Merchants and commercial trade are esteemed in
Islamic civilization
1979 Revolution Background Coalition forms:
(5) Clergy
moral focus point—
•solid centralized organization,
•communication networks,
•good orators,
•financial independence,
•mobilizing networks (mosques, Islamic
foundations etc),
•legit from years of opposition to Shah
the “v__________
party”
Massive Street Demonstrations
in 1978 and 1979
Ayatollah K_________returns from exile and urges
mass demonstration
Many cities were placed under martial law. It was too
late. People poured to the streets to defy the Shah.
Soldiers were ordered to shoot. They did, and
according to the opposition, more than 600 people
were killed in Zhaleh Square alone. This day
(September 8 1978) became known as the Black
Friday and that square's name was changed to the
Square of Martyrs.
Only incites more to rebel.
So . . . . The Shah turns to
the_______ ___________
Iran occupied a strategic place in U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East,
acting as an island of stability, and a buffer against Soviet penetration into the
region
Offends many in Iran
The Iranian S________ meeting with Alfred Atherton, William
Sullivan, Cyrus Vance, President____________, and Zbigniew
Brzezinski, 1977
The US Embassy Hostage Crisis
February 14 1979 : Marxist students temporarily seized control of the US
Embassy in Tehran. Khomeini denounced the takeover, and forced their retreat
November 4 the embassy stormed a second time, taking _____-six hostages—
these students were followers of __________and inspired by the belief that the US
was preparing a counter-revolution that would restore the monarchy, akin to
Operation _______in 1953.
The hostage crisis continues for 444 days, generating frustration and a deep
animosity in the US toward Iran, while serving as a source of revolutionary pride
for many Iranians.
In April 1980 President ___________approved a military operation to rescue the
hostages, —disaster after an air crash en route to Tehran killed eight servicemen.
Only after Carter had been defeated by _________in the 1980 elections did
Khomeini agree to allow the hostages to leave.
Ahmadindjad?
Iran victor 'kidnap role' probe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4636955.stm
R__________ CHANGE
Soon the army refuses to support
the shah and he falls
The Iranian Revolution transformed Iran
from a pro-western constitutional monarchy,
under S______Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to
an Islamic, populist th__________
re________ under the rule of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini
But . . . The regime change was a process
Importance of the 1979
Revolution
First revolution in which the dominate ideology was r__________and the leadership
cadres were cl_____ instead of secular, lay individuals
(a revolution led by religion, financed by the bazaar merchants and fought by the
urban poor)
Importance of the 1979
Revolution
it is the most popular since China, in terms of the__________
But in contrast, it is
the only modern
one in which
peasants and
gu____________
warfare were
marginal—by and
large it was an
urban event
Importance of the 1979
Revolution
first to create a
th______—and combine
it with de______
most revolutions are directed against church and state-the Iranian rev was directed
only against the ___________
Importance of the Revolution
Anti-We___________ sentiment continues
NYT Dec 20, 2005: Iranian's Oratory Reflects
Devotion to '79 Revolution
Effect: “B___________ Drain”
In the heart of "Tehrangeles," as Iranians everywhere
call their largest exile community.
In Comparison to other
Revolutions
Khomeini/Mao/Lenin similar all revolutionary organizers, personality
_________
Iran after 79 had the same foreign policy issues as the soviets—“socialism in
one country” or permanent rev.
Clerics play a similar role to the v___________party
Went through a phase similar to China’s Great Proletarian C_________
Revolution : enemies from the university purged –r_______ vs e______ debate
(also like the French rev –a moderate coalition gives way to more ideological
factions)
The Cultural Revolution in Iran: (1980-1987)
(in Persian: ‫)انقالب فرهنگی‬
a period following the 1979 Rev where the academia of Iran was purged of Western and nonIslamic influences to bring it in line with Shia Islam
Directed by the Cultural Revolutionary Headquarters and later by the Supreme Cultural Revolution
Council, the revolution initially closed universities for three years (1980-1983)
after reopening banned many books and purged thousands of students and lecturers from the
schools.
The cultural revolution involved a certain amount of violence in taking over the university
campuses since higher education in Iran at the time was dominated by leftists forces opposed to
Ayatollah Khomeini's vision of theocracy and they resisted Khomeiniist control at many
universities.
Marjane’s parents to smuggle in an
Iron Maiden poster from Turkey
into Iran in the early 1980s, when
the Iranian “cultural revolution”
was in its most virulent stage.
Everything Western was banned,
including rock music.
A Second Cultural Revolution???????? 2006
Iranian Leader Wants Purge of Liberals From Universities
New York Times
TEHRAN, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Tuesday for a purge of liberal and secular
professors from Iranian universities, the IRNA news agency reported.
“Today, students have the right to strongly criticize their president for the continued presence of
liberal and secular professors in the country’s universities, he told a group of young
conservatives on National Youth Day, according to the news agency.
Mr. Ahmadinejad said the work to replace secular professors had started, but “bringing change
is very difficult.” “Our educational system has been affected by 150 years of secular thought
and has raised thousands of people who hold Ph.D.’s,” he said. “Changing this system is not
easy and we have to do it together.”Mr. Ahmadinejad’s comments appeared to be part of a
continuing crackdown on social and political freedoms that began with his election last year.
Mr. Ahmadinejad’s call to rid the universities of secular professors is reminiscent of the Cultural
Revolution of 1980 to 1987, the period after the 1979 Islamic Revolution when many liberal
or Western professors were fired or forced to conform to the revolutionary
Conservative policies cracking down
on civil liberties
Nikahang, a leading cartoonist and blogger, published
an interesting cartoon in his blog and in Rooz online
about what many call the second Cultural Revolution
Remember China’s Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution
a socio-political
movement that took
place in the People's
Republic of China from
1966 through 1976
Set into motion by _______ _____________ its stated goal was to enforce socialism in the
country by removing capitalist, traditional and cultural elements from Chinese society, and to
impose ______ist orthodoxy within the Party. The revolution marked the return of _____
___________to a position of absolute power after the failed Great Leap Forward. The
movement politically paralyzed the country and significantly affected the country
economically and socially. The movement paralyzed China politically and significantly
affected the country economically and socially.
Chinese propaganda poster: "Destroy the old
world; Forge the new world." A worker (or
possibly Red Guard) crushes the crucifix,
Buddha, and classical Chinese texts with his
hammer; 1967.
2007 Comp question: Explain two similarities in the goals
of the Great Proletarian Revolution in China and the
Cultural Revolution in Iran
The focus of the question is on goals and not on process or outcomes.
The Cultural Revolution in Iran is not the Islamic Revolution; it is the revolution that follows.
Acceptable similarities may include:
Cleansing of Western values/anti-capitalism
Revising education Purging political
enemies Reinforcing political legitimacy Purging educational institutions
Affirming revolutionary ideals/values
promoting ideological conformity
Repressing dissent Attacking intelligentsia/middle class Discrediting the past/old
order
elevating the status of the leader/cult of personality
Unacceptable answer include:
•Equivalence between Red Guards and student mobilization in Iran; student
radicalization; closing the universities; making countries stronger; taking of U.S.
hostages.
•Economics; regime change; describing what a revolution does (change government).
Effect of Revolution on Women
Contradictory because the revolution has both
--Opened up new possibilities for women &
--instituted repressive controls over women
Unintended because a different kind of woman
has emerged in Iran than was anticipated by the
revolution
Women in the revolution
•Khomeni cultivated the "Ideal Revolutionary Woman" who
was supposed to be pious and trained in tradition to pass that
on to children, deferent to fathers, husbands or brothers,
pious
•He also called the chador the "flag of the revolution“
•urged women to participate in the masses: to fight and to
vote in elections in the new regime
So the effect of the Rev on women
. . . On the one hand
•. To ensure they wouldn't tempt men, the regime ordered women to cover all but face &
hands and to segregate themselves from men in public places (eg no football games)
•Hezbollah (party of god) harass women for their attire (vigilante groups who serve as
unofficial watch dogs and storm troopers of the clerics and are hardly ever prosecuted)
•Islmaic law means can stone for adultery, restrictions on women leaving country without
consent of male relatives. .
•women barred from running for
president (about 90 applied to in 2005
but were denied)
•Women are 27% of the work force
As mayor of Tehran, Ahmadinejad,(current
president) , instituted policies of gender
segregation, calling for women and men to
take separate elevators in government
buildings.
On the other hand
• Women
can vote
•women now outnumber men at universities
Shirin Ebadi
•Decreasing family size leads to more demand of education and
employment—”democratization of family”
•The regime has opened up job opportunities in government,
professions, & universities for women: higher percent work than other
Muslim Countries
•Globalization brought information & images of women's gains
elsewhere
Women vote in 2005 election
Loosened dress code under Khatami
Women in Politics: See if you can figure which of our countries is which
US is included . . . . .
Country
Rank
*
Lower or Single House
Upper House or Senate
Elections
Seats
Women
%W
Elections
Seats
Women
%W
77
11 2012
433
77
117.8%
11 2012
99
20
20.2%
57
05 2010
650
146
22.5%
N/A
760
172
22.6%
96
12 2011
450
61
13.6%
N/A
163
13
8.0%
64
03 2008
2978
635
21.3%
---
---
---
---
133
05 2012
290
09
3.1%
---
---
---
---
19
07 2012
500
184
36.8%
07 2012
128
42
32.8%
97
01 2011
113
15
13.3%
---
---
---
---
After President Mohammad
_________came to power in
1997, Islamic dress started
shrinking and finally
became a simple head scarf
and tunic. (The tighter or
more slit the better, and
preferably pink this year.)
Iran was looking for ways to
take part in international
women's events without
abandoning Islamic dress.
Women are a driving force in the
___________ movement
Women became a driving force,
emboldened by Mr. Moussavi’s
ground-breaking decision to campaign
alongside his wife, the distinguished
political scientist Zahra Rahnavard.
Women Cyclists Face Jail, Warns Iranian
Police Chief oct 28 2010
_________Peace Prize to Iranian
Woman
On October 11, 2003, the Nobel
Committee announced that it was
awarding the 2003 Nobel Peace
Prize to Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian
activist who has worked for
women's rights and children's
rights. This is the tenth year in
Nobel history that the prize has
been awarded to women, and
Shirin Ebadi is the 11th woman,
the first Muslim woman, and first
Iranian to be so honored.
Women in the Olympic games
Olympic dream a reality for Iran's female skier
As the first Iranian woman in Winter Olympics
history, the 21-year-old will head a four-member
Iranian team that will be the only one from the
Middle East
Najme Habtin, Iranian Archer. Foto of her during archery training
ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympics at Olympic Green Archery Field
on August 6, 2008 in Beijing, China.
Restrictions on Presidential Candidates
barring women from running
________ __________ vets
only “well known political
personality” can run for President
(interrupted by GC as no women)
Every four years, hundreds of Iranians register to
stand as candidates in the country's presidential
election. Women have signed up to run since 1997
— yet no female has ever been certified by the
government to run for President. This month, 42
women were among the 475 people who signed
up, harboring hope that this time, there was a real
chance for a female candidate to stand
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1
899763,00.html#ixzz2OfpThseU
A woman talks to journalists after
registering as a candidate for President
of Iran, despite a ban on such
announcements by the Interior Ministry
Oh . . By the way only Shiite can run for
President
Iran Bans Women from Attending Men's
__________Games
•May 2006 Iran's hard-line president surprised
many of his country's soccer fans last month
when he announced that women would be
allowed to attend men's soccer matches something that had previously been forbidden.
Some observers think he was trying to gain the
support of moderates in order to build national
unity amid increasing international pressure
over Iran's nuclear program. But then, Iran's
supreme leader forced the president the
reconsider his decision.
•Iranian female soccer fans stand behind
fencing to watch a training session in Tehran.
The country has banned females from watching
soccer inside stadiums
•The president's spokesman said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad decided to reverse his decision after
the _______ ___________called on him to consider the views of Iran's religious leaders.
Some of the country's top clerics and lawmakers had criticized the president's announcement.
They said that a woman looking at the body of a male stranger at games like this one earlier
this year would violate Islamic law.
From an NPR interview:
•Regime post 1979 has done 4 things well
•Education for women (more than men in university), birth rate, health care and disparity
b/w urban and rural
•About birth rate: at first wanted high, b/c of war with Iraq (wanted soldiers) but then
realized economic implications, so pushed to get it down –b/c it is a theocracy, it did not
have to use authoritarian means like China, it came out as “Allah’s will,” taught in
mosques, control edc etc.
What are the points that come up most in
articles about Iranian gov?
In the multiple layers of power that obscure the governance of Iran, no one
knows for certain where the ultimate decisions are being made.
The Constitution gives the ________ __________near total control of the
state, though officials like to emphasize that he is selected by the
___________of Experts, which is elected by the public. The leader appoints
all military and security commanders, he has the power to declare war and
must confirm the election of the_________. He appoints the head of the
judiciary, more than half the members of the Guardian Council and the head
of state television.
Still, Iran is not a country ruled by decree. There are multiple power
centers and competing agendas, requiring that major decisions be made after
consultation and compromise
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DEFD71E3EF93BA15756C0A9
609C8B63
U.S. Focus on Ahmadinejad Puzzles
Iranians
Unlike in the United States, in Iran the president is not the head of ________nor the
commander in _______That status is held by Ayatollah Ali______________, the
supreme leader, whose role combines civil and religious authority. At the moment,
this president’s power comes from two sources, they say: the unqualified support of
the supreme leader, and the international condemnation he manages to generate
when he speaks up.
“The United States pays too much attention to Ahmadinejad,” said an Iranian
political scientist who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “He
is not that consequential.”
That is not to say that Mr. Ahmadinejad is insignificant. He controls the
mechanics of civil government, much the way a ________ ______does in a state
like Egypt , where the real power rests with the president. He manages the budget
and has put like-minded people in positions around the country, from provincial
governors to prosecutors. His base of support is the Basiji militia and elements of
the ________________Guards
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/world/middleeast/24iran.html
A candy shop in Qum featured a
poster of Ayatollah and his
________predecessor, Ayatollah
Ruhollah__________, the father
of the revolution.
Supreme Leader
Iran has had two "Supreme Leaders"
Ayatollah Ruhollah ____________, 1979–1989,
and Ayatollah Ali _______________, 1989–present.
The image of Ayatollah Ali ____________i, the supreme
leader of Iran, looking down on a street in Tehran
Present and Past Presidents
Iranian President Mohammad __________right, smiles as Iran's presidentelect Mahmoud, _____________ looks on during a meeting in Tehran on
Wednesday June 29, 2005. Iran's non-elected constitutional watchdog
Wednesday approved the result of the presidential runoff election that
gave ultraconservative Ahmadinjead a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Hasan
Sarbakhshian
In the multiple layers of power that obscure the governance of Iran, no one knows for
certain where the ultimate decisions are being made.
The Constitution gives the supreme leader near total control of the state, though officials like
to emphasize that he is selected by the Assembly of______________, which is elected by the
public. The leader appoints all military and security commanders, he has the power to declare
______and must confirm the election of the __________He appoints the head of the judiciary,
more than half the members of the Guardian Council and the head of state television.
Still, Iran is not a country ruled by decree. There are multiple power centers and competing
agendas, requiring that major decisions be made after consultation and compromise.
Iran’s
__________leader
taking a salute
from Iranian Air
Force
NYT Feb 9 2007
The President of the
Islamic Republic of
Iran takes his oath of
office inside a
mosque in Tehran,
the nation's capital.
The outgoing president hands the presidential seal of office to Iran's
Supreme Leader and Head of__________. The Supreme Leader then
hands the seal to the new president, and administers the oath of office.
On the wall is a portrait of the Ayatollah Khomeni, the founder and first
leader of the Islamic R____________
Parliament Mahjiles
Not a total r__________ stamp






unlike in most Arab countries and pre-rev
debate—even fist fights
legislation must be passed by them and govt
has to work to get it thru
can impeach pres
Must confirm presidential n_____________
Refused to confirm 5 of Amadinajad’s
nominees for cabinet
Recently forced A___________ to appear
before them for a “question” hour
President Ahmadinejad hands parliament his budget NYT Jan 22 2007
Members of Iran's parliament called for Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi to be
Electoral System for Mahjiles: TRS
“Two Round System
After the first round of the election the votes are calculated and
the candidates who have received the highest number of votes and
at least a required minimum percentage of votes get a seat in the
Majlis. An absolute majority is not required – as it is in many
other TRS – to acquire a seat in this first round, but a plurality of
25% is sufficient. (This was changed just before the 2000 election
from a one-third minimum as a compromise between the previous
33% and a suggested simple plurality). If there are still seats to be
filled after the first round there will be a second round, a runoff. In
this round only a simple plurality of the votes is required to be
elected.
Electoral system for president
What other country that we
study has this electoral
system for president?
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/03
/01/world/middleeast/20120301TEHRAN11.html
After casting his ballot, President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad greeted supporters. The election has
seemingly thrown Mr. Ahmadinejad onto the
defensive
#BBCtrending: Iran food aid backfires in 'shame'
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26076612
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/y
outh-in-iran-inside-and-out/
CULTURE BLEND Islamic strictures met Persian love of pleasure in a Tehran
shop in 2005 when a head scarf was pulled back to show some hair