Role of Imam Khomeini in Formation of Shia Ideology

In the course of the Islamic Revolution, Shia Islam functioned as a guiding and emancipating ideology. In this connection, Imam Khomeini's role as the great ideologist of the Islamic Revolution is very outstanding.

ID: 32048 | Date: 2013/01/06
His most distinctive achievement was creating changes in the Shia leadership's attitude toward politics. These changes had their roots in Imam Khomeini's new interpretations of Shia Islam concepts, tenets, and symbols. According to this school of thought Islamic movements in general and Islamic Revolution of Iran in particular, pursue the following ideals:


1 - Establishment of the rule of Islam and safeguarding unity in the world of Islam 2- Fighting against enemies of Islam, colonialists, and exploiters of Muslim nations 3- Fighting against oppression and suppression, hegemony of superpowers and colonialism all over the world 4- Supporting Islamic, humanistic, and freedom movements in the world 5-Establishing peace in the world after overthrowing the hegemony of superpowers, colonialism, world oppression …


Given the above, the Islamic Revolution, as an ideological revolution owing its tenets and principles to the school of Islam, revived the special programs and theories of Islam for the system of government and administration not only in national level but also in the world. Imam Khomeini sough global justice and social equity in the world. He believed that only Islamic world order can create such a social equity. He always attached special significance to the fact that the goal of Islam is to provide equity across the globe not for Iran or the world of Islam only. Islam is not exclusive to a specific nation, nations, group or even Muslims. Islam is special for all humanity. It is to address all human beings, and   only   in   some occasions it addresses the believers. Islam has plans to bring together all human beings under the umbrella cover of equity. With respect to its universal ideology, the Islamic Revolution rose to revive the Islamic identity, stir fight against nationalism, and help reestablishment of unity in the world of Islam against the West. On this basis, the revolutionary activists believe that the Islamic nation is expanding to embrace the entire world. Since Islam has plans to save all human beings, the first program of the Islamic government should be export of the revolution. By exporting the revolution we mean exporting values, ideals, and experiences of Islamic Revolution such as independence, achieving human qualities, self-sufficiency, supporting the oppressed nations, establishing social equity,


From Imam Khomein’s point of view, belief in Islam and its higher values is synonymous with feeling permanent responsibility toward the fate of all human beings. Imam Khomeini considered the Islamic Revolution as a model for desirable values of the oppressed people and believed that it would be freely accepted by the disadvantaged and oppressed nations because it reflects their ideals. He put his strategy on negating oppression, world hegemony, and passiveness in world developments.


Imam Khomeini exported the Islamic Revolution to the world as a practical and realizable movement. Therefore, it seems nothing has terrified the West and their allies in the region more than the issue of the spread of Islamic Revolution, instability in the region and threats against Western interests. In other words, the revolutionary approach of Islamic System of government in Iran has served as a model for all Islamic movements across the globe. In the meantime, the Islamic Revolution of Iran has been the ideal type for continuous developments in the Middle East and in the Persian Gulf littoral states. Islamic Revolution ideals were spread gradually in the Middle East causing instability and civil unrest in the majority of regional states. As in national level, the Islamic Revolution could change the cultural and religious structure of the society by introducing a new cultural and social plan quite contrary to the previous Western System of values. Islamic Revolution's invitation for returning to the true Islamic principles renewed the behavior of the statesmen, changed the policies and measures of the government and revolutionized the derailed value Systems, and set the stage for a fight against anti-religious intellectual and religious movements in the Iranian society.


The Islamic Revolution also started an all-out challenge to reform the sociopolitical structure of the society to put an end to illusionary idea of the separation of state from religion. This was pursued in theoretical and practical areas and the establishment of Islamic government depended upon the belief in the principle of non-separation of state and religion. The revolutionary agents also proposed a political literature and structure that was a democratic and popular interpretation of Islamic government in the form of Islamic Republic of Iran. A little after the victory of Islamic Revolution, a wave of vigilance spread across the globe and ignited movement of not only the Muslim nations but also the oppressed people all over the world.


This is why the West sees Islamic Revolution as a serious threat for world new order and the interests of superpowers. On the other hand, since the Western politicians see no military threat posed by the world of Islam, it seems one major concern of the West is the spread of Islamic ideological and cultural teachings that found its shape in Islamic Revolution.


On this, Fawzi George has opined that: "Although military threat by the world of Islam has been stopped since the 17th century, the intellectual and religious challenge of Islam has still overshadowed the imagination of many people in the West."