Execution
The Islamic Revolution Committees, or Komiteh, were indeed one of the first institutions established after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. They functioned as a form of religious police, enforcing Islamic laws and social norms within the community. Komiteh, were instrumental in the rigorous enforcement of Islamic regulations within urban centers, ensuring adherence to prescribed dress codes, moral conduct, and social interactions. Concurrently, these committees were pivotal in quelling dissent and subduing counterrevolutionary factions and opposition groups that challenged the authority of Ayatollah Khomeini, thereby consolidating the theocratic governance structure. [4] [5] Following the decline of the Komiteh, the Gasht-e-Ershad, also known as the Morality Police, emerged as the primary institution enforcing Islamic regulations in the context of compulsory Hijab in the country. This organization took over the role of the Komiteh in monitoring public behavior and ensuring compliance with Islamic dress codes and moral standards. The Gasht-e-Ershad has been a significant presence in Iran, particularly in urban areas, where they have been known to patrol public spaces to enforce adherence to Islamic norms. [6] Their activities have been a subject of controversy and have sparked protests and debates within Iran over the years. [7]
the enforcement of Islamic principles extends beyond the Morality Police's focus on hijab compliance. Other aspects are managed by various institutions and laws.
The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in Iran is responsible for overseeing the nation's cultural policies and media regulation. It ensures that media content adheres to the government's legal standards and religious values, which includes monitoring internet content. The ministry also manages the licensing of cultural goods, including films, music, books, and art, to maintain consistency with national standards. Additionally, it aligns religious observances with legal requirements, contributing to the political dialogue, notably through the Friday Sermon. The ministry also aims to foster an understanding of so-called Iranian-Islamic culture while maintaining cultural sovereignty. Its wide-ranging authority influences Iran's cultural and ideological direction, in accordance with the principles established by the Islamic Revolution. [8] [9] In the context of educations in schools, the Ministry of Education ensures that curricula and teaching practices adhere to Islamic principles. This includes the mandatory teaching of the Quran and Islamic studies, as well as the enforcement of Islamic dress codes for both students and faculty. The language of instruction is Persian, and there are strict policies against the use of non-Persian languages in state schools, which has implications for Iran's ethnolinguistic minorities. [10] [11]
When it comes to universities, the early years after the 1979 revolution were marked by the Cultural Revolution, which began in 1980. This period saw a significant overhaul of higher education, aimed at purging Western and non-Islamic influences from university campuses. Universities were closed for three years, and upon reopening, many books were banned, and thousands of students and lecturers were expelled or barred from returning. The goal was to “Islamize” the universities and ensure that they were in line with the revolutionary ideals. [12] [13] Since then, the state has maintained control over universities, with the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education overseeing higher education. These ministries regulate university curricula, faculty appointments, and student admissions, ensuring alignment with Islamic values. Additionally, various councils and committees, such as the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, continue to play a role in shaping educational policies and monitoring their implementation to maintain the Islamic character of these institutions. [14]
Theocracy is a form of government in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries who manage the government's daily affairs.
The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a theoretical form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been used for a sovereign state taking a compromise position between a purely Islamic caliphate and a secular, nationalist republic — neither an Islamic monarchy nor secular republic. In other cases it is used merely as a symbol of cultural identity.
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the supreme law of Iran. It was adopted by referendum on 2 and 3 December 1979, and went into force replacing the Constitution of 1906. It has been amended once, on 28 July 1989. The constitution was originally made up of 175 articles in twelve chapters, but amended in 1989 to 177 articles in fourteen chapters.
Islam entered Iran with the Muslim conquest (637–651) and led to the end of the Sasanian Empire and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Iran (Persia). Since its establishment after the 7th-century conquest, Islam has remained the state religion of Iran except for during a short period after the Mongol invasions and subsequent establishment of the Ilkhanate in the 13th century. Following the Muslim conquest, there was a slow but steady movement of the population toward Islam, despite notable resistance, with nobility and city-dwellers being the first to convert, and the peasantry and the dehqans, or land-owning magnates slower to do so. By the 10th century, the majority of Persians had become Muslims.
Religious police are any police force responsible for the enforcement of religious norms and associated religious laws. Nearly all religious police organizations in modern society are Islamic and can be found in countries with a large Muslim populace, such as Saudi Arabia or Iran. The responsibilities of religious police heavily vary by religion and culture. For example, the Islamic religious police prioritize the prevention of alcohol consumption, playing of music, public displays of affection, Western holidays, and prayer time absences. On the other hand, the religious police force in Vietnam are responsible for monitoring religious extremists, such as Dega Protestants or Ha Mon Catholics. As of 2012, at least 17 nations have police that enforce religious norms, according to a new Pew Research analysis of 2012 data. These actions are particularly common in the Middle East and North Africa, where roughly one-third of countries (35%) have police enforcing religious norms. As of 2012, religious police forces were not present in any country in Europe or the Americas.
The Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, previously known as the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran or Disciplinary Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, abbreviated as Faraja, is the uniformed police force in Iran. The force was created in early 1992 by merging the Shahrbani, Gendarmerie, and Islamic Revolutionary Committees into a single force. It has more than 260,000 police personnel, including border guard personnel, and is under the direct control of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who is the head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. In 2003, some 40000 women became the first female members of the police force since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The Guidance Patrol, commonly called the "morality police", was a vice squad/Islamic religious police in the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, established in 2005 with the task of arresting people who violate the Islamic dress code, usually concerning the wearing by women of hijabs covering their hair.
The Cultural Revolution was a period following the Iranian Revolution, when the academia of Iran was purged of Western and non-Islamic influences, to align them with the revolutionary and political Islam. The cultural revolution sometimes involved violence in taking over the university campuses, as higher education in Iran had many secularist and leftist forces who were opposed to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic state in Iran. The official name used by the Islamic Republic is "Cultural Revolution".
The Imam Sadiq University is an Islamic private university in Tehran, Iran. Established in 1982, the goal of the university is to bridge the gap between Islamic research and modern studies, especially humanities. The university was dedicated to training politicians and jurists preaching Islam. Reflecting its commitment to Islamic principles, the university separates educational environments for female and male students.
Traditionally, the thought and practice of Islamic fundamentalism and Islamism in the nation of Iran has referred to various forms of Shi'i Islamic religious revivalism that seek a return to the original texts and the inspiration of the original believers of Islam. Issues of importance to the movement include the elimination of foreign, non-Islamic ideas and practices from Iran's society, economy and political system. It is often contrasted with other strains of Islamic thought, such as traditionalism, quietism and modernism. In Iran, Islamic fundamentalism and Islamism is primarily associated with the thought and practice of the leader of the Islamic Revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ("Khomeinism"), but may also involve figures such as Fazlullah Nouri, Navvab Safavi, and successors of Khomeini.
The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice is the state agency in charge of implementing Islamic law in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as defined by the Taliban. It was first instituted in 1992 by the Rabbani government of the Islamic State of Afghanistan and adopted in 1996 by the Taliban government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of 1996–2001. The ministry was restored in the reinstated Islamic Emirate in September 2021 after the August fall of Kabul.
Following the Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the Shah of Iran, in February 1979, Iran was in a "revolutionary crisis mode" from this time until 1982 or 1983 when forces loyal to the revolution's leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, consolidated power. During this period, Iran's economy and the apparatus of government collapsed; its military and security forces were in disarray.
Islamic religious police are official Islamic vice squad police agencies, often in Muslim-majority countries, which enforce religious observance and public morality on behalf of national or regional authorities based on its interpretation of sharīʿah. Modern Islamic religious police forces were first established in the late-1970s amidst the Iranian Revolution (1979) and the Islamic revival that the event brought to the Muslim world; prior, the administration of public morality in most Muslim-majority countries was considered a socio-religious matter, and was enforced through application of civil laws and/or through more informal means.
The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution is a conservative-dominated body based in Qom, set up at the time of Ayatollah Khomeini. Its decisions can only be overruled by Iran's Supreme Leader. Most of its members were appointed by Ali Khamenei, Khomeini's successor.
The President of Iran is ex officio the chairman of the council.
The supreme leader of Iran ), also referred to as supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the Supreme Leadership Authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The armed forces, judiciary, state television, and other key government organizations such as the Guardian Council and Expediency Discernment Council are subject to the Supreme Leader. According to the constitution, the Supreme Leader delineates the general policies of the Islamic Republic, supervising the legislature, the judiciary, and the executive branches. The current lifetime officeholder, Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khameneh known as Ali Khamenei, has issued decrees and made the final decisions on the economy, the environment, foreign policy, education, national planning, and other aspects of governance in Iran. Khamenei also makes the final decisions on the amount of transparency in elections, and has dismissed and reinstated presidential cabinet appointees. The Supreme Leader is legally considered "inviolable", with Iranians being routinely punished severely for questioning or insulting him.
Modesty guards or modesty patrols either request or force citizens, mostly women, to dress modestly, depending on the country and the location.
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, known simply as Nezam, is the ruling state and current political system in Iran, in power since the Iranian Revolution and fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979.
The Guidance Patrol or morality police is an Islamic religious police force and vice squad in the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Guidance Patrol enforce Sharia–Islamic law—per laws in Iran; this is most often the enforcement of Islamic dress code, such as ensuring women in the country wear hijabs. The Guidance Patrol was formed in 2005 as a successor organisation to the older Islamic Revolution Committees, and reports to the Supreme Leader.
Guidance Patrol is a 2012 Iranian comedy film directed by Saeed Soheili. The movie depicts three urban working poor young men who impersonate crew of a Guidance Patrol to earn money.
The Islamic Development Organization is an Iranian religious and cultural organization. It was created by Rouhollah Khomeini after the 1979 Revolution in Iran, and is under the supervision of the Supreme Leader. This organization was originally created in the summer of 1982 to promote the ideologies of the Islamic Republic.
Hijab in Iran, the traditional head covering worn by Muslim women for modesty for centuries, have been practiced as a compulsion supported by law in Iran after the 1979 revolution. In the 1920s, a few women started to appear unveiled. Under Reza Shah, it was discouraged and then banned in 1936 for five years. Under Reza Shah's successor, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, hijab was considered "backward" and rarely worn by upper and middle-class people. Consequently, it became a symbol of opposition to the shah in 1970s, and was worn by women who previously would have been unveiled.
