StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

How the State of Iran Controls Its Masses - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay "How the State of Iran Controls Its Masses" is about how Iran has predominantly used Islam as an instrument to create, foster, and maintain national cohesion. More specifically, the Islam religion has been sanctified by the state and enshrined in the constitution…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.6% of users find it useful
How the State of Iran Controls Its Masses
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "How the State of Iran Controls Its Masses"

1900 is often seen as a decade of economic reconstruction and political reform in Iran. Intellectuals, businessmen, and technocrats dominated the public sphere as the country seemed to be distancing itself from its revolutionary heritage. How to blend distinct ethnic, linguistic, and tribal clusters into a united state has always been problematic in Iran. Conventionally it was the shared Shi’a religion of the majority and allegiance to the dynasty that marked the identification with the Empire, the foremost loyalty being bestowed to the local tribal and linguistic as well as religious group. Iran was a conglomerate of sundry semi-autonomous regions, tribes, and classes that were weakly maintained together by the dynasty and depended upon tribal allegiances as well as a military power to continue and uphold their rule.

In the 20th century, collective denominators have been arranged and supported by the state in an endeavor at creating a modern national Iranian identity for all inhabitants, notwithstanding language, religion, or culture. This was to be founded on a secular nation-state, a centralized national government governing over a well-designed territory, pride and honor in Iran’s pre-historic history, its culture, and Farsi (Persian) enacted by the state as the official language are some of the unifying tools that the state of Iran is using to control its masses and which this paper will cover.

It is the culture that lends unity and the apex of its expression is found in poetry. The architectural beauty and fame of the blue-domed mosques, the workmanship, design, and color of Persian carpets- all these are considered important expressions of a common and glorious heritage and have cemented the unity of Iran as it gives them a sense of common history. In light of this, the state has recognized the importance of culture to its citizenry and consequently promoted it to encourage national cohesion and group thinking.

The state has also deployed and made use of the police, especially the Basij militias and Pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards) which have been used to arrest any reformist and instill a climate of fear (Institute for Middle East Strategic Studies, 2010). The strength of these two state tools was especially seen during the popular movement of the “Persian spring” which was tamed as suddenly as it had burst into the open.

The government has also allowed for the representation of minority groups in the government system in order to co-opt them into the larger governmental machinery. 5 seats in the Iranian Parliament, from the 290 available seats are reserved for the representation of Iran’s recognized minorities. This step was meant to remove any political threat that such groups may pose to the Islamic republic.

Whereas the government has not granted official recognition to the languages of the ethnic communities, they have encouraged the use of minority languages amongst relevant religious minority communities. The Iranian constitution in Article 15 specifies Persia as the official language and script, the use of regional and tribal language is allowed in the press and mass media, and the teaching of literature in schools. However, the state has refused the teaching of Kurdish at any level in schools, print, and electronic media. This is predominantly because of the Kurdish quest for autonomy which is threatening the stability of the regime (Zeidan, 2011).

Ayatollah is also seen and used as a symbol of a unifying force in the country. The paranoid style of politics in Iran enabled Khomeini to manipulate the fears of the masses and eliminate any political rivals who may act as sources of any ideology which is unpopular in the face of the state (Zeidan, 2011).

Other tools being used and are proving to be more and more effective in this day and age of economic war fair is the aspect of a common enemy in the name of westernization. The perception is that the western world is an enemy of Iran whose only intent is to destroy the country. This has been the latest tool and it is proving to be invaluable, especially to the Islamic hardliners who make up the majority of the population.

In conclusion, the state has to a great extent succeeded at influencing and gaining the moral support of its citizenry and extending its missions.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Iran's Societal Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Iran's Societal Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/military/1584677-irans-societal-assessment
(Iran'S Societal Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Iran'S Societal Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/military/1584677-irans-societal-assessment.
“Iran'S Societal Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/military/1584677-irans-societal-assessment.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF How the State of Iran Controls Its Masses

Stoning in Iran

"Stoning in Iran" paper aims to examine and analyze the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of iran, with special reference to the implementation of capital punishment through stoning prevailing in the country by the law enforcing agencies of the state on the offenders.... 'At a time when momentum is gathering across the world to abolish capital punishment, the Islamic Republic of iran (IRI) currently ranks second for a number of executions, after China, and first for per capita executions in the world....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

The Origin of Conflict amongst the United States and Iraq

As a result, the West secured more colonial empires by being hostile to countries that influence its trade routes, which in most cases were Islamic.... The central part of the Islamic empire that is situated in parts of Turkey, iran and Iraq, transversed by international travel roads from and to China, India and other parts of the Orient (Cashman 2007, p.... It is vital to state that the cultural gap between the Muslims and the West played a key role in the conflict with the United States downplaying the reality of diverse cultural differences, considering that the United Nations perceived that their culture was superior those customary rules in the Middle East....
11 Pages (2750 words) Case Study

International Relations and how Iran has effected the Middle East

This paper examines Iran's significance in terms of its political and geopolitical position in the Middle East and in international relations.... wing to its strategic location, the Persian Gulf region has been the center of attention for traders, businessmen and big powers for a long time.... The commercial interests, through shipment of goods from the Persona Gulf to the outside world and vice versa have made this region so important for big powers that wars have been fought over its control (p....
12 Pages (3000 words) Research Paper

Changes in National Security Policy with Iran in the Bush and Obama Administration

he security policy of the US government of iran has been more or less consistent for the last ten years and continues to be so.... National Security policy or strategy is prepared by the US government which identifies and emphasizes the concerns of the US regarding national security and how the government plans to tackle those concerns in the international arena.... After 9/11 the US has changed its foreign policy aiming for active pre emptive military intervention in the targeted nations and pursued a war having no end....
15 Pages (3750 words) Research Paper

Annotated Bibligraphy

Wolf gives an insight into risks that Qataris face for being allies to the united states and the probable benefits they also stand to gain the relevance of their material is to make it clear of the conflict that arises from the relationship between Qatar, and the united.... ... ... The book gives a history of the Persian Gulf the conflicts that have arisen due to the interest in the Persian Gulf by the powerful nations of the world....
4 Pages (1000 words) Annotated Bibliography

American Capitalism and Empire in Iraq

The 1991 Gulf War saw the ejection of Iraqi troops from Kuwait with sixty percent of its military and economic infrastructure ruined and devastated.... President Bush and his neoconservative administration proposed the use of military force to remove any state which challenged American domination and hegemony....
16 Pages (4000 words) Research Proposal

The Origin of Conflict amongst the United States and Iraq

The central part of the Islamic empire that is situated in parts of Turkey, iran and Iraq, transversed by international travel roads from and to China, India and other parts of the Orient (Cashman 2007, p.... The cause of enmity amongst nations cannot be singled out for a specific issue, even though there is usually a particular issue that might cause events, leading a conflict into violence....
11 Pages (2750 words) Case Study

Rising Tension over Iran

The nuclear power of iran led to manipulating the oil prices, by threatening the Arab nations by ruining the pipelines of oil or closing the channels of oil, by using terrorists.... 'Threats of military action by the US and its Middle Eastern ally, the Israeli regime, against Iran, as well as the illegal unilateral sanctions by Washington and the European Union are based on the unsubstantiated allegation that Iran is covertly seeking to militarize its nuclear technology, a claim Iran has categorically rejected' (the US Prefers Diplomacy to Resolve Iran Nuclear Issue: Kerry par....
25 Pages (6250 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us