comp gov: iran

Assembly of Experts

73-man assembly of clerics elected directly by the people empowered to appoint and dismiss the Supreme Leader of Iran; they must be vetted by the Guardian Council and approved by the Supreme Leader before gaining membership

Axis of Evil

part of a 2002 statement by the U.S. president George W. Bush, referencing Iran’s nuclear program, and the threat Iran posed along with North Korea and Iraq

Basij

(means “mass mobilization”) a large and omnipresent paramilitary organization with multifaceted roles, and which acts as the eyes and ears of the Islamic regime. Today the force consists of young Iranians who volunteer, often in exchange for official benefits.

Bonyads

charitable trusts in Iran that play a major role in Iran's non-petroleum economy; they trace their roots to royal foundations established by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. These bonyads invested in property development, which catered to the middle and upper classes. After the 1979 Revolution, the bonyads were nationalized and renamed with the intention of redistributing income to the poor and families of martyrs, those killed in the service of the country.

Expediency Council

primarily a constitutional advisory body for the Supreme Leader; it was institutionalized in 1989 and has many more powers than it had originally

Green Revolution

protests against the highly controversial 2009 Iranian presidential election “won” by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in opposition to Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi

Guardian Council

clerics who could veto any legislation passed by the Majles; they were charged with interpreting the Constitution of Iran, supervising elections, and approving of candidates for the Assembly of Experts, the President and the Majlis.

Majlis

the parliament first created by the Constitution of 1906, it is the unicameral legislature of Iran (although in some ways the Assembly of Religious Experts has functioned as an upper house since 1989); both the Majles and the Assembly are directly elected by the people

Qanun

a body of statues made by legislative bodies; they have no sacred basis when they are passed by the Majles but they must in no way contradict sharia law

Revolution of 1979

a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (who was supported by the U.S.) and the replacement of his government with an Islamic republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The revolution was supported by various Islamist and leftist organizations and student movements.

Revolutionary Guards

an elite military force whose commanders are appointed by the Supreme Leader; the Basij is a loosely-organized military that is formally part of the Revolutionary Guards

Sharia law

a religious law forming part of the Islamic tradition, derived from the religious precepts of Islam, particularly the Quran and the hadith

Shia Islam

one of the two main branches of Islam, rooted in the belief that the prophet Muhammad designated his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor and the Iman (leader) after him.

Sunni Islam

largest denomination of Islam. According to Sunni traditions, Muhammad designed his successor as Abu Bakr by commanding him to lead prayers when he was ill. The Muslim community later corroborated this by electing him as the first caliph.

Supreme leader

in Iran, the head of state and self-appointed political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The armed forces, judiciary, state television, and other key government organizations are subject to the Supreme Leader.

Velayat-e faqih

(also known as the Governance of the Jurist or Jurist Guardianship) – Shia term that communicates the broad authority that a member of the senior clergy (such as the Supreme Leader) is provided over the Shia community

White Revolution

Shah’s attempt at land reform, with the government buying land from large absentee owners and selling it to small farmers at affordable prices, with the idea of encouraging farmers to become modern entrepreneurs with irrigation, canals, dams, and tractors; the White Revolution secularized Iran further by extending voting rights to women, restricting polygamy, and allowing women to work outside the home.