Theocratic Secularism: Religion and Government in Shi'i Thought

by Naser Ghobadzadeh

Overview

For more than forty years, there has been a religious government in Iran that claims to be rooted in shi'i political theology. In this book, Naser Ghobadzadeh intends to show that this reading of shi'i political theology is a fundamental deviation from orthodox shi'ism.

The principle of theocracy is one of the most fundamental principles of the shi'i orthodox belief system, but its realization in practice depends on the return of the Twelfth Imam. Until that day, the institution of government and political leadership falls outside the scope of the authority of religious leaders. Naser Ghobadzadeh shows that governmental-shi'ism is less than half a century old and that its formation was not the product of a transformation in orthodox shi'i political theology. Rather, governmental-shi'ism was born in the political arena and has been able to survive because it profits from government resources.

Coining the term 'theocratic secularism', this book argues for the re-instatement of a form of political secularism in Iran.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197606797
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/20/2022
Series:	RELIGION AND GLOBAL POLITICS SERIES
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 6.20(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Naser Ghobadzadeh is a senior lecturer at the National School of Arts, Australian Catholic University. Naser's interests lie in the study of Islamic political theology, secularism, and Middle East politics. Ghobadzadeh holds a Ph.D. (University of Sydney, 2012) and an M.A. in Political Science (Shahid Beheshti University, Iran 2001). Ghobadzadeh has written three books including Religious secularity: a theological challenge to the Islamic state (2015), Caspian Sea: legal regime, neighbouring countries and US policies (2005 - in Farsi) and A study of people's divergence from ruling system (2002-in Farsi). He is also co-editor of The Politics of Islamism: Diverging Visions and Trajectories (2018).

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One: The Formative Period of Shi'ism

Chapter 1: The Sorrowful Age of Presence
Chapter 2: The Minor Occultation: Collaboration and Survival
Chapter 3: The Age of Perplexity: From Moderate Shi'ism to Twelver shi'ism
Chapter 4: The Major Occultation: The Ulama and Interaction with the Usurper

Part Two: The Contingent Rise of Governmental-Shi'ism

Chapter 5: The Political Germination of a Religious Doctrine
Chapter 6: Wilayat-i faqih: The Elephant in the Room
Chapter 7: The Creeping Entrance of the Idea of Wilayat-i faqih
Chapter 8: The Genie is out of the Bottle
Conclusion

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Naser Ghobadzadeh's reputation as one of the world's leading young scholars of Shiʼi Islam is reaffirmed by this enlightening and enlivening book. It shows with great clarity how the Iranian government's reigning doctrine of wilayat-i faqih was born of a revolutionary power grab that spurned the wisdom of ancient Shiʼi jurists—scholars such as Shaykh alMufid and al-Sharif al-Murtada who taught that people of faith who believe in the hidden Imam are obliged to shun involvement in earthly government and resist its corrupting and potentially evil effects." — John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Sydney

"This is a superb contribution to transformative scholarship in the Islamic Imami Shiʼa tradition, insightful and innovative yet authoritative, respectful, and well documented." — Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim, author of Islam and the Secular State

"In Theocratic Secularism, Ghobadzadeh proposes that Twelver Shiʼism has occasioned a religious justification for political secularism. In doing so he details a history of Shiʼism from its formative period to the present, placing what he calls 'governmental Shiʼism' against 'Shiʼi orthodoxy.' One need not be convinced of his argument to see a solid scholar at work trying to question the religious foundation of tyrannical rule of a clerical class." — Hamid Dabashi, Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University

"Ghobadzadeh has meticulously probed the history of Shiʼite tradition to underscore the idea that 'theocratic secularism' is embedded in the Twelver Shiʼi theology. The book traverses painstakingly through Iranian and Western sources to demonstrate that Islamic government is a modern construct, and it is inconceivable for it to exist legitimately during the occultation of the Twelfth Imam." — Abdulaziz Sachedina, Professor of Islamic Studies, George Mason University

From the Publisher