Exporting the Islamic Revolution


Exporting the Islamic Revolution of Iran is a strategy in Iran's foreign policy that believes in exporting the teachings of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 to achieve similar results in Islamic and even non-Islamic countries. This policy has been explicitly stated and at various times announced by Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. One of the basic slogans of the Islamic Revolution of Iran is the export of the revolution. Accordingly, the purpose is exporting the revolution as a culture, ideology and an intellectual and epistemological method.
In his 1970 work Islamic Government, Khomeini argues that government should/must be run in accordance with traditional Islamic law, and ruled by a leading Islamic jurist providing political "guardianship", and that because God did not will this form of government only for the country of Iran, it cannot be limited to there. He said that efforts to expand Islamic rule would not be limited to proselytizing or propaganda, they would follow the "victorious and triumphant" armies of early Muslims who set "out from the mosque to go into battle", "fear only God", and following the Quranic command: "prepare against them whatever force you can muster and horses tethered". Khomeini also contended that "if the form of government willed by Islam were to come into being, none of the governments now existing in the world would be able to resist it; they would all capitulate".

Origins

Among the proclamations by Khomeini of the need for exporting the Islamist revolution abroad was one broadcast 15 October 1981 as Teheran radio "reported the execution of 20 more dissidents":
In Ruhollah Khomeini's thought, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with the development of the responsibilities of the Islamic system, the purpose of establishing such a system is defined at three levels: national, regional and global. Therefore, his comprehensive approach to the Islamic political system during the absence of the Infallible Imam is extroverted and cosmopolitan. That is, he considers the effort to expand the influence of Islam in the world as the original responsibility of the Islamic government beyond national borders. In Khomeini's view, the way to success of such an Islamic cosmopolitan approach is to issue a revolution that has led to the establishment of an efficient Islamic government. The idea of export is the common ideal of most revolutions, although the type and nature of such action varies in their types. In Khomeini's thought and political life based on religious principles, export has its own characteristics. In this approach to realistic idealism, the export of the Islamic Revolution is a two-pronged strategy that, based on the interests of both parties, leads to the pursuit of national interests while pursuing transnational responsibilities. Backgrounds and origins of the theory of exporting the Islamic Revolution according to the writings of Khomeini are:
  1. The universality of Islam: According to the Quran and Muhammad, Islam is a universal and general religion.
  2. Islam is the religion of justice: According to the Quran, the purpose of sending prophets is to establish justice. According to this principle, justice can not be specific to a particular region or be defined and intended only for a specific people and nation.
  3. Mahdism and the idea of a world government in Shiite: One of the basic features of Shiite political thought is the issue of waiting for the world government of Mahdi that rules justice throughout the world. The promised hope for the establishment of a just world order among the Shiites is both defensive in nature and can be a goal. Therefore, it is natural for the Shiites to seek the world government of Mahdi. When the Islamic Revolution of Iran was victorious, a desire for justice was somehow fulfilled, and from the point of view of some thinkers of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, it could be a prelude to the great revolution of Mahdi.
  4. Supporting deprived and oppressed nations: Support for deprived and oppressed nations, which has been and is one of the transnational goals of Iran's foreign policy, is rooted in the religious teachings of Islam and the text of the Quran. Khomeini says in this regard: "Islam has come to save the oppressed".
  5. Exporting the revolution in the constitution: In several principles of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the exporting of the Islamic Revolution is mentioned as one of the goals of the Islamic Revolution. For example, Article 154 of the constitution states on the protection of deprived and oppressed nations: "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers human bliss as the ideal of all human society, and recognizes independence, freedom, and the rule of law and justice as the rights of all peoples of the world. Therefore, while completely refraining from interfering in the internal affairs of other nations, it supports the right-seeking struggle of the oppressed against the arrogant everywhere in the world."
  6. Principle of "neither East nor West": From the very beginning, the Islamic Revolution of Iran separated itself from the common patterns and succeeded without dependence on the East or the West, and sought to present a new pattern based on the teachings of pure Islam. This important principle was manifested in the expression of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini, as a decree and among the people as a slogan "neither east nor west, just the Islamic Republic."

    The first successful "Islamic" political revolution

Iran introduced the first successful "Islamic" political revolution to the world; A revolution based on Islam and the slogan "Allahu Akbar" and based on Shiite ideology and symbolism and with the leadership of the clergy. In addition, Khomeini considered the Iranian experience as a guide for political and ideological change in the Muslim world. His plan was to unite all Muslims in a political and cultural struggle against East and West. By winning this struggle, Iran was ready to propagate its principles in its own country and in the outside world. The principles of ideology of Islamic Iran, which were immediately introduced in the world, have some indicators, some of which are mentioned below:
  • Re-emphasis on the rules and teachings of Islam as a full-fledged way of life.
  • The belief that the acceptance of the secular and Western model of "separation of religion from the state" is the source of all the social, economic, military and political suffering of Muslim societies.
  • The firm belief that the return of Muslim power and success requires a return to Islam and the rule of the divine religion instead of relying on Western and Eastern capitalism, Marxism and socialism.
  • Re-introduction of Sharia to plan and strengthen a desirable and Islamic society that is just and moral.
  • The desire to fight against all iniquities, even if it requires enduring hardships and, if necessary, martyrdom in the way of God.
Accordingly, from the very beginning of the Iranian revolution of 1979, the export of the revolution was considered as one of the main goals of it. The ideal of exporting the revolution is not limited to the Islamic Revolution of Iran, but even in the universities of Europe and the Americas in the last two centuries is considered as part of the mission abroad of all revolutions.

Unbalanced theories

In total, three theories about The policy of exporting the Islamic Revolution have been proposed by Iranian thinkers and officials after the presentation of this theory by Khomeini. Khomeini and Khamenei offer a precise position that partially refutes all these three theories. They prove that the concept of The policy of exporting the Islamic Revolution is to exporting Islamic spirituality and Islamic values.
According to Khomeini, the goals of The policy of exporting the Islamic Revolution, are based on the following principles:
  • Obligation-oriented and the need to promote pure Islamic ideas
  • The general will of nations, especially Muslims
  • A principled view of the export of revolution in foreign policy from the perspective of Islam and the unlimited boundaries of Islamic thought

    The first view: opposition to the export of the revolution

A group of Iranian nationalists, regardless of the effective and deterrent international factors, considered the plan to export the revolution and pursue it to be a wrong and harmful thing. The group focused its movement on nationalism. Because the revolution did not take place in the form of a cohesive party or organization, it was an opportunity for this view to flourish. The slogan of national reconstruction in a format in harmony with the international system and custom, regardless of the revolutionary conditions, was the first teaching of the proponents of this view, and therefore they opposed the export of the revolution by declaring priority to domestic reconstruction.
This group believed that all axes of development and growth should be spent on Iran's interests and that Iranianness should be considered the main axis for growth. And global sensitivities must be avoided. They disliked the value treatment of the world system, emphasizing in their slogans a free and independent Iran, communication with all countries and joining the existing global community. They considered Islamic values and the revolution acceptable as the borders of Iran and considered the export of the revolution as an act contrary to international norms. The members of the Interim Government of Iran and Mehdi Bazargan were from this group.

Criticism

Khomeini rejected this view by explicitly declaring that the export of the revolution was certain. Even if a nation want to think only of preserving their ideal country, Khomeini claimed, they still need to think about exporting the revolution; Because a country that wants to be independent and not be dominated by any power in the world will certainly be attacked and will need to have a strong foothold in other parts of the world to use this capacity when defending itself.