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THE
CALL FOR ISLAMIC PROTESTANISM:
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Dr.
Hashem Aghajari's Speech and Subsequent Death Sentence
December 01, 2002
Ayelet Savyon
MEMRI
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Dr.
Hashem Aghajari, a University of Hamedan history lecturer, journalist,
and active member of the reformist Islamic Revolution's Mujahideen
Organization (IRMO), is a disabled veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. |
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The following is the text of his speech.[5]
The Concept of Protestantism
In his address, Dr. Aghajari described Christianity prior to
Protestantism, focusing on the Church hierarchy and the corruption
rampant among the clergy. He said that Islam is in a different
position than Christianity: "The Protestant movement wanted
to rescue Christianity from the clergy and the Church hierarchy
- [Christians] must save religion from the pope. We [Muslims]
do not need mediators between us and God. We do not need mediators
to understand God's holy books. The Prophet [Jesus] spoke to
the people directly We don't need to go to the clergy; each
person is his own clergy."
"Shari'ati maintained that all the religious messages
offered by formal and traditional religious organizations were
antiquated, and that any protest against [these traditional
religious organizations] was [regarded by the clerics as] a
protest against Islam itself.
"Core Islam" and "Traditional Islam"
"Part of Dr. Shari'ati's work was to separate [what he
called] 'core Islam' from [what he called] 'traditional Islam.'
Many additions were added to Islam's core, [but] they were not
part of the core; they were merely historical additions. It
must be kept in mind that 70 or 80 years ago, the Shi'ite Muslim
clergy was opposed to eliminating public bathhouses where one
could immerse oneself in large containers of water and replacing
them with showers and modern bathing facilities. But, of course,
they have made some concessions to modernity when it comes to
their own lifestyles, such as owning a car."
The Role of the Traditional Clerics
"At the time of the Constitutional Revolution [1905-1907],
the Islamic clergy was opposed to modern sciences such as chemistry
and physics [In their eyes], chemistry meant that there is no
God. But in today's world the clerics take what suits them.
If I drive a Peykan [a cheap Iranian-made car] they drive the
latest model luxury cars (audience applause). Is this right?
They have made these concessions because they use [modernity
for their own benefit]; they taste it and then decide that it
isn't such a bad thing (smiles in the audience). Seventy or
80 years ago, they opposed these things in the name of Islam;
they called it Haraam [forbidden in Islam]. Up until very recently,
learning English in Islamic religious institutes of higher learning
was forbidden."
The Need to Separate "Core Islam" from "Traditional
Islam"
"Dr. Shari'ati would have said that this clergy has not
descended from Heaven; it is contemporary, but their minds are
medieval. As long as this mindset does not change, and these
leaders do not change, the people who follow their interpretation
will continue to think that Shi'ite Islam cannot be a modern
religion, and [Shi'ite Islam] will be
used by the misguided. Instead of serving as a driving force
for progress and advancement, it will become a cause of continued
backwardness."
"Dr. Shari'ati sought to fight this attitude. He wanted
to separate 'core Islam' from the 'traditional Islam' which
is comprised of interpretation of Islam by the leaders of previous
generations - because he believed that 'traditional Islam' was
merely the result of the experiences of some people from generations
past and that it should not be sanctified. [The clerics'] thinking
is inflexible and incomplete. In our tradition, Shi'ites wear
a ring on the middle finger of the left hand. This is a symbol
of being a Muslim. If you ask one of these clerics [about it],
they say it is an obligation and a religious
principle. Look at the writings of Alameh Majlesi and the book
of Halieh Al-Motaqin - the book that guided Muslims 1400 years
ago. Now imagine that today a Muslim wants to dress like they
did then, eat like they used to, act like they used to. Is this
Islam?"
"[The way in which] the religious scholars of previous
generations understood and interpreted Islam is not Islam. It
was their interpretation of Islam; [however] just as they had
the right to interpret the Koran [in their way], we have the
same right. Their interpretation of Islam is not an article
of faith for us. We must return to the separation of 'core Islam'
and 'traditional Islam.' Part
of Shari'ati's struggle concerned the interpretation of Islam
and how someone who wants to be a Muslim in the 20th and 21st
centuries [cannot do so in accordance with] the Islam that prevailed
in Mecca and Medina 1400 years ago - [towns] with fewer residents
than some of today's
smaller Iranian villages."
Islam Must Suit the Thoughts and Reality of Today
"The Islam of today is different. It is very clear that
we have a different understanding of it in all areas, including
economics. It has to suit the thoughts and realities of today
Just as people at the dawn of Islam conversed with the Prophet,
we have the right to do this today. Just as they interpreted
what was conveyed [to them] at historical junctures, we must
do the same. We cannot say: 'Because this is the past we must
accept it without question.' This is putting too much emphasis
on the past. This is not logical"
"For years, young people were afraid to open a Koran.
They said, 'We must go ask the Mullahs what the Koran says,'[since]
it was used primarily in mosques and cemeteries. The new generation
was not allowed to come near the Koran; [young people] were
told that [first] they needed [training in] 101 methods of thought
and they did not possess them. Consequently, [the young people]
feared reading the Koran. Then came Shari'ati, and he told the
young people that these ideas were bankrupt; [he said] you could
understand the Koran using your own methods - you could understand
as well as the religious leaders who claim to have a ton of
knowledge. The religious leaders taught that if you understand
the Koran on your own, you have committed a crime. They feared
that their racket would cease to exist if young people learned
[Koran] on their own"
The Clerics Have Become a Ruling Class
"In Islam, we never had a class of clergy; some clerical
titles were created as recently as 50 or 60 years ago. Where
did we have a clerical class in the Safavid dynasty? [Today's
titles for Islamic clergy] are like the Church hierarchy - bishops,
cardinals, priests. This type of
hierarchy in [contemporary Shi'ite Islam] is an imitation of
the Church. [Today], this clerical hierarchy is headed by the
Ayatollah Ozma [i.e. the 'Grand Ayatollah'] And a level down
you have an ayatollah, Hujjat ul Islam, Thaqqat ul Islam, and
so on."
"In the past few years, [the religious institutions] have
become a sort of government institution, and the issue has become
more sensitive. Is there anyone in our society who understands
the distinction between a Hujjat ul Islam and an Ayatollah?[6]
Shari'ati said that in Islam we do not have a class of religious
leaders. This is not the 'core Islam.' It is a development of
historical Islam, and, fortunately, we have not yet seen [in
Iran the establishment of] a single central apparatus based
on the ranks of clerical titles. For years, there were many
parallel [Marja-e Taqlid] institutions,[7] and each Marja-e
Taqlid [Ayatollah Ozma] [Grand Ayatollah] had his own structure."
"Today, [the ruling clergy] in Iran wants to consolidate
all the Ayatollah Ozma organizations under a single rule. The
audience applauds wildly.) Shari'ati said that in Iran, we have
never had a true clerical class. This is what they want to do
in our country. I doubt whether they will succeed because of
our independence and the elements that we have in Shi'ite Islam.
The divisions and the hierarchies they wanted to create are
Catholic [and not Islamic] Some of the clergy are so engrossed
in what they are trying to do that they start thinking of themselves
as icons"
A Cleric is Not a Divine Being
"Shari'ati used to say that the relationship between [the
clergy] and the people should be like the relationship between
teacher and pupil - not between leader and follower, not between
icon and imitator; the people are not monkeys who merely imitate.
The pupils understand and
react, and they try to expand their own understanding, so that
someday they will not need the teacher. The relationship that
the fundamentalist religious people [seek] is one of master
and follower; the master must always remain master and the follower
will always remain follower. This is like shackles around the
neck [i.e. eternal slavery]. We must understand that the master
is not a holy, divine being, and we cannot grant him that status.
They [the Iranian ruling clergy], however, want to exercise
total power. Shari'ati did something about it; he told the religious
leaders: 'You are not imams, you are not prophets, [you] cannot
consider the people a subhuman species.' They are born the same
way we all are, their blood is the same color as yours; they
are born like you; they issue from their mothers' wombs They
are the same creatures of God that you are'"
Non-Muslims Too Have Inalienable Rights
"If we, as Muslims of divine and perfect Islam, value mankind,
and say that [people] are human beings regardless of religion,
even if they are not Muslims, even if they are not Iranians,
such as Turks, Kurds and Lurs,[8] whatever they may be - [we
should say that] they are human and they have inalienable rights.
Dr. Shari'ati believed that in the Western world, humanism is
not strongly rooted because it is not based on religious principles.
But in Islam, humanism is God's creation; it
is by God's grace that we are here. These should not be merely
nice words that we utter, like saying people have rights. Such
words are vitally important - they are crowns on our heads.
[Therefore], when [ordinary people] want to express an opinion,
[the clerics cannot say] they haven't the power to decide and
don't know what's good for them."
"Today's Islam [should be] 'core Islam,' not 'traditional
Islam.' Islamic Protestantism is logical, practical and humanist.
It is thoughtful and progressive. In contrast to the days of
Shari'ati and his followers - who were religious reformists,
both clergy and non-clergy, in religious and university circles,
such as [Ayatollah] Taleqani[9] and [Mahdi] Bazargan,[10] [Ayatollah]
Beheshti[11] and [Ayatollah] Mottahari,[12] and the leader of
them all, the great leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah
Khomeini [here, Aghajari did not pause long enough to allow
the audience to praise Khomeini's name the
customary three times, but only once], all of whom tried to
say that Islam is connected to life, and is not indifferent
to society and people, today we are facing a difficulty. Many
people who were not even part of the Islamic Revolution have
now come to center stage and say
that 'traditional Islam' is true Islam. The difference between
our time and Shari'ati's time is that then, the clergy did not
have power. Today, Islam is in power; clerics are in the government.
That is why Islamic Protestantism has become much more important
today."
We Need a Religion that Respects the Rights of All
"We need a religion that respects the rights of all -
a progressive religion, rather than a traditional religion that
tramples the people. We cannot say 'Anyone who is not with me
is against me.' One can be whatever one wants to be. One must
be a good person, a pure person. We must not say that if you
are not with us we can do whatever we want to you. By behaving
as we do, we are trampling our own religious principles"
The Clerics Don't Observe the Constitution - Flogging is Torture
"When someone says, 'I'm an [observant] Muslim,' you can
no longer curse him, insult him, this is haraam, haraam [forbidden].
In our culture we need Islamic humanism; we need both religious
culture and community culture. Every human being is worth something;
none can be trampled. This principle is stated in our constitution.
But unfortunately in the past decade, it has penetrated the
minds of the people in the Islamic Republic that it needn't
be so. This was their excuse for torture. They [the ruling clergy]
say: 'We arrested someone, he has some information, he is a
member of some group, he has been active in something. Under
ordinary interrogation he isn't confessing, so we must torture
him so he sings like a canary.' This is exactly what the constitution
condemns - but the rulers do not observe it. Whipping is torture.
They say that if someone is accused of a crime, he should be
made to suffer so he doesn't do it again."
A Call for Islamic Humanism and Islamic Protestantism
"Today, more than ever, we need the 'Islamic humanism'
and 'Islamic Protestantism' that Dr. Shari'ati advocated. Today,
we need it more than ever. While [the leaders] of the Islamic
Republic apparently do not recognize human rights, this principle
has been recognized by our constitution. In many non-Islamic
countries, they at least recognize these principles in dealing
with their own people. Maybe when it comes to other people,
they oppress them - [like] what Bush is doing, and most Western
nations, if they had the power. Human rights have become so
vital in some foreign countries that some of our own clergy,
whom I see going for two or three weeks of medical treatment,
become enchanted with how the authorities of those countries
act towards their own people. About 150 years ago, [a Muslim
cleric] went to Europe; when he came back, he said, 'I saw no
Muslims in Europe, but I saw Islam' [i.e. he saw righteousness].
In our time, we see Muslims, but we don't see Islam(audience
applause)."
Without Respect for Human Beings, There is No Islam
"The regime divides people into insiders and outsiders.
They [the ruling clergy] can do whatever they want to the outsiders.
They can go to their homes, steal their property, slander them,
terrorize them, and kill them - like [the intellectual activists]
Said Hejjarian, and the late [Dariush] Forouhar and his wife
[Parvaneh Eskandari][13] - because they were outsiders. Is this
Islamic logic? When there is no respect for human beings?"
"When [Imam] 'Ali [the Prophet Muhammad's son in law and
successor, according to Shi'ite Islam] sent an emissary to Egypt,
he told him,'You are a powerful man. Be good and just to the
people. There are two groups of these people: Either they are
Muslims, and therefore your brothers, or they are your fellow
human beings. Behave towards them according to Islam.' Islam
does not say Muslims and non-Muslims"
A Call for Ijtehad; Men and Women are Equal
"Finally, Islamic Protestantism is something we need because
when our religious understanding and thought are betrayed, we
must constantly refer back to our own religious frame of reference.
In Shi'ite Islam they call it Ijtehad.[14] Shari'ati had some
serious thoughts about
Ijtehad. First, Ijtehad is not limited to one group. Second,
Ijtehad does not mean that only one cleric is the well-versed
expert [Marja-e Taqlid]. Unfortunately dishonesty, deception,
and petrifaction happen when religiously observant people go
to a Marja-e Taqlid ['Source of Emulation'] [of their choice],
who issues a fatwa, and then other clergymen attack him or the
fatwa. You saw what happened with Ayatollah Saneii. Some of
the clergy say that a Mujtahed [high-ranking Ayatollah] can
issue a fatwa. Then, when he issues a fatwa [that is counter
to the ruling clerics' views] they [the ruling clergy] say:
'You may not do so and reinterpret [the Koran].' A Marja-e Taqlid
may say: 'I have performed Ijtehad [and issued a fatwa] that
contradicts what has been said before,' 'Women have as many
rights as men and men and women have equal rights.' Then someone
else [of the ruling clergy] attacks this Marja-e Taqlid, telling
him, 'Who says that your opinion represents Islam? This is not
Islamic.' So I [Aghajari] ask: 'Why is one more
Islam than the other?"
Voices from the Audience:
Someone shouts: "Because one fatwa is the word of the Koran
and the other is not." Someone else protests, calling "Aghajari
namard" (you are not a man, therefore you are a scoundrel),
and repeats, "You are a liar," "namard,"
and "You accuse God and the prophets of lying." At
this point, Aghajari leaves the meeting.
Notes:
[1] Shari'ati (b. 1933) was a political activist who called
for moves against the Shah to be based on Islam, even though
he was not a cleric. His anti-imperialist approach and condemnation
of both liberal capitalism and Marxism attracted a strong student
following. Shari'ati
said that the solution for the oppressed peoples of the Middle
East was "Islamic humanism." He attacked the traditionalist
clergy and their fatalism towards and appeasement of the Shah's
regime. Even though he rejected Marxism as a political system,
he was profoundly influenced by Marx, and adopted his terminology.
Shari'ati died in 1977 under mysterious circumstances.
[2] IRNA, November 13, 2002. According to IRNA, he was also
sentenced to 74 lashes and eight years' imprisonment in desert
cities, and banned from teaching for 10 years.
[3] The transcript of the speech includes the transcriber's
comments on the audience's response to Aghajari's comments on
various issues.
[4] From the time Shi'ite Islam was endorsed as Iran's state
religion in 1501 by the Shah Isma'il, the founder of the Safavid
dynasty (1501-1722), coexistence and peace reigned between the
religious and political establishments. Not only did the shah
reign, but he also sought religious legitimacy for his rule,
and the clergy was given central posts in the government. During
the Qajar Dynasty (1796-1925), major shifts became evident in
the interrelations between state and religion; since the 19th
century, the clergy has been at the forefront of popular anti-regime
movements. These shifts were largely the result of changes in
the religious establishment, as it increased the clergy's standing
and power and encouraged it towards fundamentalism and political
activism.
[5] For the complete speech see: http://news.gooya.com/2002/07/02/0207-22.php
[6] i.e. between low-ranking religious scholars and the highest
rank of all. Apparently hinting to the fact that several political
leaders of Iran such as 'Ali Khamenei, Iran's spiritual Leader,
and 'Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's former president and
currently head of
powerful 'Expediency Council,' carry the rank of Hujjatul Islam
without having the religious scholarly qualifications.
[7] Ijtehad is the right to issue fatwas based on the independent
thinking and interpretation by an authorized cleric. According
to taqlid (the "principle of emulation")in Shi'ite
Islam, society is divided between two categories of religious
status. The first group is highly exclusive - the Maraje Taqlid,
or "sources of emulation,"
several Mujtaheds of the rank of Ayatollah Ozma (Grand Ayatollah).
These Mujtaheds have the right of Ijtehad. Each of them may
issue independent rulings, which apply only to his particular
followers. The second group, the "emulators," is the
masses. Each Shi'ite Muslim chooses a Marja-e Taqlid, and follows
his rulings. In practice, the right of Ijtehad and the principle
of emulation contributed to a close relationship between the
follower and the religious leader he chose, and reinforced the
Ayatollahs' power in society, socially and morally, against
oppression by the ruler. It is worth noting that Shi'ite Islam
never endorsed any one interpretation of an issue, and no one
Ayatollah was officially more senior than another
[8] One of Iran's ethnic minorities.
[9] Ayatollah Sayyed Mahmoud Taleqani, a well-liked liberal,
progressive, and intellectual cleric. He was Ayatollah Khomenei's
ally during the Islamic Revolution, although he had reservations
about Khomenei's thought.
[10] The first prime minister under the Islamic regime, and
one of the important intellectuals who supported the Islamic
Revolution. He was later deposed by Ayatollah Khomenei.
[11] Another high-ranking Ayatollah who supported the Islamic
Revolution.
[12] Ayatolla Morteza Mottahari, a leading cleric who was imprisoned
by the Shah.
[13] The last two were murdered in November 1998 with the involvement
of "rogue agents of the Intelligence Ministry." No
one has been sentenced for the crime. Iran Daily (English),
November 23, 2002.
[14] For explanation of terms, see Footnote No. 7.
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