iran test vocab

mahmoud ahmadinejad

president of Iran from 2005-2013

ashura

the most important shia religious holiday, commemorating the death of Hussein (martyr), the grandson of Muhammad

assembly of experts

elected body that chooses the supreme leader

ayatollah

in shiite islam, a title in the religious hierarchy achieved by scholars who have demonstrated highly advanced knowledge of Islamic law and religion

basij

“people’s militia”, which serves as a public morals police

bonyads

parastatal autonomous charity organizations that lets the government move money around while also giving to the poor

chief justice

head of judiciary

constitutional revolution

1906 uprising against the Qajar dynasty by secular and religious leaders to limit the power of the monarchy and resist Western imperialism

expediency council

appointed body with 39 members that mediates between the majlis and the guardian council over legislative disputes

farsi

language of iran

Guardian council

appointed body of 12 members (half by the supreme leader, half by the chief justice) that vets candidates for office and can overturn legislation

imams

descendants of the prophet muhammad, considered by shia muslims to be the true political and religious leaders of iran

iran-iraq war

1980-1988 conflict between the two countries which was started by iraq

islamic republic of iran

name for post-revolutionary iran

islamism/islamic fundamentalism

the belief that islam should be the source of the political regime

ayatollah ali khamenei

current supreme leader of iran from 1989

mohammad khatami

president of iran from 1997-2005

ayatollah ruhollah khomeini

the first supreme leader of iran from 1980 to his death in 1989

quran

central holy book of islam

mahdi

in shiism, a term for the “hidden imam”, the descendant of muhammad who will return to earth to usher in a new age

majlis

legislature of iran with 290 members who serve 4 year

mohammad mosaddeq

prime minister of iran who was killed in operation ajax

muhammad

main prophet of islam

national front

political party in iran following WWII, it opposed the monarchy and favored greater iranian control over national resources which was outlawed after operation ajax

operation ajax

us and uk backed overthrow of the iranian prime minister mosaddeq in 1953

mohammad reza pahlavi

monarch if iran from 1941-1979

reza shah pahlavi

monarch of iran from 1925-1941

persia

name for iran before 1935

president

the head of government

principalists

term for political conservatives in iran who oppose liberalization and political reform

quietist

description of view within shiism that rejects theocracy and that direct role of religion in the state

ali akbar hashemi rafsanjani

president of iran from 1989-1997 and the current head of the expediency council

revolutionary guard

paramilitary force charged with defending the regime from domestic and internal enemies

hassan rouhani

president of iran from 2013 to 2021

SAVAK

secret police of pre-revolutionary iran

second khordad front

reformist alliance that emerged in iran to contest 2000 majlis elections

sharia

religious law of islam

shiism

minority sect of islam that differs from sunnism over the rightful heir and proper descendants of Muhammad, majority in iran

supreme leader

chief spiritual and political leader of iran

theocracy

rule by religion

ummah

“community”, refers to all islamic communities

velayat-e faqih

rule by islamic jurists, also, iran’s political system which places power in the hands of clerics

white revolution

policy of reforms enacted by reza shah, beginning in 1963, to rapidly modernize and westernize iran

hardliners

another term for principalists

Ebrahim Raisi

current president of iran since 2021, won in a probably rigged election

safavids

conquered iran in the 16th century and converted the population to shiism, lasted until 1722

qajar dynasty

made shiism the official religion of iran and moved the capital to tehran, lasted from 1794 to 1922 and suffered because of imperialism

green movement

a social movement born out of the corruption in the 2009 presidential election

cultural revolution

launched by the shia leaders which aimed to purify the country from the shah’s regime, secular values, and western influences