Quiz Iran Vocabulary - Key Terms

Assembly of Experts

Group that nominates and can remove the Leader. The assembly is elected by the general electorate, but almost all of its members are clerics.

Ayatollah

Literally, “sign of God.” A high-ranking cleric in Iran.

Bazaar

An urban marketplace where shops, workshops, and small businesses are located.

Dual Society

A society and economy that are sharply divided into a traditional, usually poorer, and a modern, usually richer, sector. There are also significant inequalities within the traditional and modern sectors.

Expediency Council

A committee set up in Iran to resolve differences between the Majles (parliament) and the Guardian Council.

Failed State

A country whose political or economic system has become so weak that the government is no longer in control.

Farsi

The Persian word for the Persian language.

Foundation of the Oppressed

A clerically controlled foundation set up after the revolution in Iran.

Guardian Council

A committee created in the Iranian constitution to oversee the Majles (the parliament).

Hezbollahis

Literally “partisans of God.” In Iran, the term is used to describe religious vigilantes. In Lebanon, it is used to describe the Shi’i militia.

Hojjat al-Islams

Literally, “the proof of Islam.” In Iran, it means a medium-ranking cleric.

Imam Jum’ehs

Prayer leaders in Iran’s main urban mosques.

Islamism

The use of Islam as a political ideology. Similar to political Islam and Islamic fundamentalism.

Jurist’s Guardianship

Khomeini’s concept that the Iranian clergy should rule on the ground that they are the divinely appointed guardians of both the law and the people.

Leader

A cleric elected to be the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Majles

The Iranian parliament, from the Arabic term for “assembly.”

Maslahat

Arabic term for “expediency,” “prudence,” or “advisability,” now used in Iran to refer to reasons of state or what is best for the Islamic Republic.

Organization of Petroleum

An organization dedicated to achieving stability in the price of oil, avoiding price fluctuations, and generally furthering the interests of the member states.

Pariah State

A nation considered to be an outcast in the international community and often subjected to isolation and various sanctions.

Pasdaran

Persian term for guard, used to refer to the army of Revolutionary Guards formed during Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

People of the Book

The Muslim term for recognized religious minorities, such as Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians.

Political Islam

A term for the intermingling of Islam with politics and often used as a substitute for Islamic fundamentalism.

Qur’an

A book of the sacred text of revelations made to Muhammad by Allah.

Rentier State

A country that obtains much of its revenue from the export of oil or other natural resources and is doesn’t have to rely on its internal tax base.

Theocracy

A state dominated by the clergy, who rule on the grounds that they are the only interpreters of God’s will and law.