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Sunday 20 April 2014 - 07:40

Iran’s Islamic Awakening lives on within the leadership

Story Code : 374746
Iran’s Islamic Awakening lives on within the leadership
It has proven its existence and influence in the field of security and political disputes and is on the path to becoming an undisputed power in the international scene. Imam Khomeini’s movement finally led to the victory of Islamic Revolution and establishment of Islamic Republic in 1979. For over thirty years, the imperialists have been trying to contain the influence of the Islamic Revolution to the borders of Iran, but finally the Islamic Awakening bore fruits and created great waves across the region.

Although Islamic Awakening has always been present among Muslims, Imam Khomeini turned it into a great force which revived the socio-political role of Islam. The Islamic Awakening emerged concurrent with the all-out aggression of the West against the Islamic world and the era of imperialism, and progressed through various stages since its beginning until the era of Imam Khomeini.

Formed on the basis of the ideas and thoughts of figures such as Seyyid Jamal al-Din Asadabadi, the movement circulated among limited and known circles but it could never become a dominant discourse. Even when figures such as Hasan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb promoted the movement in Egypt, it could not enter the lives of all Muslims and cause a change.

For the first time, Imam Khomeini turned the Islamic Awakening discourse in to a “political practice”. He not only introduced it into the practices of all Muslims but also into the collective memory of all the oppressed people across the world.

Connection between collective memory and the Islamic Awakening discourse, thanks to Imam Khomeini’s insight, paved the way for obtaining major achievements for the Islamic and humane society. The first and foremost achievement was that the sub-discourse of Islamic Awakening turned into a dominant one.

Obtaining such achievement, however, was never easy because competing discourses always sought to obstruct its progress. The awakening discourse, engineered by Imam Khomeini, was a historic movement, never a temporary one, which will continue throughout the history, everlasting.

Attempts are made in this article to review the pivotal role of Imam Khomeini and also the role of Islamic Revolution in promotion Islamic Awakening movement in the world of Islam.

Role of Islamic Revolution in the emergence of Islamic Awakening

As a free and independent country and because of its geo-political and geo-strategic position, Iran has always been influential in international developments. Iran has been able to play role in various influential intellectual fields such as exporting ideas about Islamic resistance and fighting colonialism, imperialism and despotism.

Constitutional Revolution, nationalization of oil industry and demonstrations of June 5 and 6, 1963 are among prime and historic examples of Iran’s leading role. During these sensitive times, clerics and religious intellectuals promoted opposition to the policies of the government and the rulers. During these periods, particularly under the Pahlavi rule, the administration was under the influence of foreign countries (Atatürk’s model in Turkey.

As a phenomenon influenced by the intellectual movement of Imam Khomeini and the Islamic Republic, the Islamic Awakening has emerged in the form of a social and organizational movement. It has proven its existence and influence in the field of security and political disputes and is on the path to becoming an undisputed power in the international scene.

The Islamic Revolution is undoubtedly the source of Islamic Awakening and has played a significant role in the process of Muslim nations’ awakening. After a few decades of its victory, the Islamic Revolution brought Islam and Muslim societies out of isolation and inertia. The emitted energy acted as the driving force for activities of Islamic movements and currents, informing the Muslim people of the region of their rights and capabilities on one hand and shattering the illusion of invincibility of despotism, colonialism and imperialism on the other hand, thus giving Muslim nations back their “courage and self-confidence.”

Under such circumstances, as Muhammad Iqbal used to say, Tehran became the sanctuary of Muslims. Over the course of its development and stabilization, the Islamic Republic emerged as a unique factor in reviving, sustaining and developing the Islamic Awakening movement and turning into a center for organizing the new Islamic civilization.

Islamic movements and currents influenced by the context of Muslim nations, accepted revolutionary slogans such as struggle, martyrdom and self-sacrifice as the basic principles of their resistance.

Slogans such as “Neither East nor West”, “God is the Greatest”, “We never bear contempt of surrender”, “down with the US and Israel” and other religious slogans are among those exported by the Islamic Revolution that these movements use in their demonstrations and protest.

These slogans, the contents of which are as vast as a political and resistance models, have found their way among Muslim youth and proved their efficiency as well as their positive influence.

It has been more than three decades since the emergence of small or big organized groups under the flag of Islamic movements and by resorting to Islamic beliefs at local, national, regional and international levels. These movements, which are supported by their societies, have become the center of attention of other countries.

As a collective consciousness which relies on public resolve and is influenced by original Islam and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Islamic Awakening has become a political practice and organized as a political idea. Theorization of this intellectual movement has passed the stage of formulization and has emerged as a political model. Regional equations are progressing in line with the interests of Islam and the Islamic movements are emerging contrary to the plans and ideals of the West.

This development changes the power balance to the favor of Islamic movements which enjoy the cultural support of the Islamic Revolution. Islamic movements are taking a stance against the US and its affiliated currents. The Muslim world and the West are at a fateful stage that requires prudence and intelligent management.
 
The decline of the West has begun at the pick of its growth and it has become passive. But at the beginning of its revolutionary path, the awakening movement of the Islamic Republic is rapidly developing and evolving. It is approaching its ideal perspective, destroying political and legal bases of the West in the region on its path.

The wave of Islamic Awakening

The waves of Islamic Awakening are rapidly spreading throughout the world, reviving the Islamic values. The wave of Islamic Awakening is shattering imperialist policies and the enemies are trying by using any means and ploys to counter this ever-expanding wave that has spread in the world. 

The Islamic Awakening is in fact reviving Islam through which independence, justice and all divine teachings and values will also be revived. As the current materialist schools and values are failing, Islamic world is witnessing a sweeping movement and in such circumstances the enemies are trying to counter this awakening and movement through sowing discord and creating dispute.

Given Islam’s increasing progress and the spread of Islamic Awakening movement in the world, the enemies of the Muslims, particularly the US, are trying to prevent this progress through mounting political, military and economic pressures on Muslims and also disintegrating Muslim countries, imposing wars and destroying democratic governments.

Today, the US has more than ever realized the threat the spread of Islamic Awakening poses to its illegitimate interests and therefore is creating serious challenges on the way of Islamic Awakening movement by putting obstacles on its way. Therefore they are trying to transform the youth in Muslim countries and in fact disintegrate the Muslim world by introducing the Greater Middle East vision designed by Zionist theoretician.

The EU has been established based on common interests, concerns and worries of these countries, Muslim nations and governments must also unite based on common belief against enemy.

Awakening, prerequisite to success

Awakening might be the primary condition for success, but it’s not the sufficient condition. If we do not have an agenda once we wake up, we may go to sleep once again. Therefore two things are necessary:

First, what is our agenda? What task is our priority? The issue of Palestine? Or changing the model of parties in Muslim countries? Second, we should use our power and appreciate it. However, merely having power is not enough and without planning, acting and managing the power as well as knowing how to use the power we will fall asleep once again. 

If we consider globalization (that is, globalizing the West and westernizing the world) a potential danger, what have we done to globalize Islamic ideals? What is our universalism? What is our Islamic model? How different is our political formation with the West?
 
Therefore to have an active presence in the world and play a determining role in deciding international approaches, Muslims must wake up from sleep and provide grounds for the realization of Islamic ideals in the world by foiling the hallow plots of imperialistic of powers.

Century of the awakening of the Muslim world

The victory of the Islamic Revolution with the leadership of Imam Khomeini led to new developments in the Muslim world that heralded Islamic Awakening in the current century. Thanks to the Imam Khomeini’s uprising and the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Muslims throughout the world have realized that the era of submission of the Islamic world to the West is over and the prospect of future is bright and promising.

Although the Islamic Awakening has passed through several stages, a new chapter of this movement has begun across the world.

Recent developments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine demonstrate that the Islamic world has awakened. Muslim countries must safeguard the independence of the Islamic world against the West by strengthening their unity and solidarity and maintaining their vigilance.

As the spirit of the Islamic Awakening spreads throughout the world, a group of young religious people among the deprived nation of Lebanon defeated Israel and forced them to retreat without making any concessions. After defeating Britain and Russia, Afghanistan, the cemetery of infamous empires, is going to triumph over the US Empire.

In Turkey, Algeria and other Islamic countries only the call of Islam can be heard. In Palestine, Intifada has frustrated the Zionism and imperialism. The US contemplates occupying Iraq only to undermine the newly found awareness of the Muslims.

The Muslims have awakened and began their mission based on three important principles; “returning to pure Islam” which could triumph great powers of the time during the early days of its emergence; “unity in Islamic world” that imperialism and colonialism have been trying to undermine through using “divide and rule” among Muslim schools of thought; and fighting the hegemony of the arrogant powers.

Islamic world needs new wave of awakening

During its early days, Islam defeated the Roman and Sassanid empires by relying on its spiritual and military power and spread throughout the world. It was not long before Islam overtook a large part of civilized world. The Islamic thought spread alongside its military and economic power in the Islamic world at the time when the civilized Europe was experiencing decline. When the Islamic civilization was at the height of its power and fame, the western civilization fell into a deep sleep in a way that today westerners describe that era as the “Dark Ages” because they did not have anything to offer humanity unlike Islam.

Crusades were in fact the West’s counterattack against Islam, and although it could not achieve its objectives after two centuries of waging war. Islamic culture, literature and intellectual progresses were gradually introduced to the West, which paved the way for the awakening of the Western world.
 
Therefore the Westerners could achieve marvellous progresses. The West prospered during seventeen, eighteen and nineteen centuries; the same time that the Islamic world fell asleep under the influence of two factors: the first factor was the West’s colonialism and exploitations in this important geographical and intellectual region, and the second was the despotism and superstitions of Muslim rulers of the time who deviated from pure Islamic thoughts.

Islamic Revolution’s capacity to create civilization

Islamic Revolution’s capacity to create civilization and the revival of Islamic culture and civilization due to the spirit of the revolution provoked the West’s reaction against Iran. Especially since Islamic uprising has spread beyond the Muslim world and the spirit of the Islamic Awakening has encompassed the world from Asia to Africa and Latin America.

The Islamic Revolution, under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, emerged as a new phenomenon based on religious values and methods of modern democracy; displayed a new model of resistance and fight against colonialism and despotism; demonstrated a new management model in the field of power, politics and governance; founded a new form of yielding influence different from its historic function; and organized a new kind of intellectual revival and awakening.

The Islamic Revolution introduced “Islamic Ummah” as a revolutionary concept into the world’s political literature for the first time in modern era. It put a modern definition of regionalism on its agenda and moved towards becoming a hegemonic power in a way that it has been able to redefine its position as the model of the region after three decades. A model that has been able to strengthen its position and spread its influence despite hostility and interferences of extraterritorial and hegemonic powers, and expand its regional spiritual influence into the Islamic world.

Iran promises a new order that has issued an unprecedented and serious challenge to the hard and soft security and political equations supported by imperialism and arrogant powers. Iran is in fact the friend of Muslims and enemy of their archenemy, that is, Israel and the United States.
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